In the know
The Australian Club,
The Yale Club, New York
Melbourne
Colonial roots are also clearly in evidence at the Australian Club in Melbourne, which is one of a number of establishments founded in the 19th century by English settlers. The clubs were purposefully set up in the style of the London establishments of the time, aimed at providing businessmen with a place to meet and socialise. Founded in 1878, the Australian Club was established in the heart of Melbourne's legal and financial district at the height of the gold boom. The grandiose, decorative decor of the building reflects the feel-good factor of the era, with the intricacies of the impressive architecture helping to secure the club a place on the Australian Heritage Listing. Its authentic Victorian showpieces include a glass-domed dining room, ornate staircase and finely panelled billiard room. But while the decor takes us back to the 19th century, the club has undoubtedly also moved with the times. Today’s rules allow members to bring in both male and female guests, while the club also prides itself on offering members a haven away from the strain and stresses of modern life. The club also publicises the reciprocal arrangements it offers with similar clubs both locally and overseas.
Reciprocation with other clubs is also a popular facility offered to members of New York’s Yale Club, which is widely believed to be the largest college clubhouse in the world. The establishment, which has operated from a 22-storey neoclassical clubhouse located on the prestigious Vanderbilt Avenue in the heart of Manhattan since 1915, is regarded by many of its 11,000 members as something of a home away from home. Real log fires, a vast library, numerous guestrooms, sports facilities and gourmet dining, which includes a rooftop restaurant with breathtaking views across the city, are just some of the attractions that members of the club enjoy. Its social events are wide ranging, varying from poetry readings and acapella concerts to celebrity chef demonstrations. Situated just steps from Grand Central Station, the Yale Club is ideally placed for alumni, who include leaders from government, business and the arts, to meet up, socialise and network. Its facilities, which were enhanced following a recent $10 million makeover, also show that the club recognises the importance of offering members an ambience where they can reenergise and relax. Its popularity and high membership is, surely, an indication of the important role that these clubs still play in the modern world, many decades after they first opened their doors. 122
The more prestigious the gentlemen’s club, the more likely the only way of attaining membership is by invite. That is, unless your status is assured. Prince William, second in line to the British throne, is on the nine-year waiting list to join White’s, where annual membership is currently £850. For many clubs part of the mystique is that the membership process, costs and credentials are only known by the highest echelon of the club. A man of quality needs one proposer and two seconders and 35 signatures, reportedly, before even being considered for membership of White’s. Fathers are not allowed to propose their sons. Many clubs have lengthy waiting lists. Existing members can be blackballed – that is, forced to resign – if they contravene strict etiquette, bring in undesirable guests, or propose undesirables for membership. In most cases, members who have fallen foul of the club’s hierarchy will be spoken to in confidence and withdraw their candidacy to avoid expulsion and embarrassment for all parties. All clubs have quirks of membership – it is part of what makes them special. The Yale Club is open to all who have a connection with the Yale University. Clubs are generally only accessible to men of wealth, as in addition to fees, members must meet exceptional dress code standards, and pay bar tabs and dining bills, as well as any other leisure costs. Clubs generally focus on providing a sedate and discreet environment where staff and guests are treated graciously, and no matter how important or famous a member is, they can relax and escape their celebrity status. Recently, at London’s Groucho Club a guest is said to have approached a celebrity in the club for a photograph. A member was expelled for not dissuading his guest. That no one has yet discovered the identities of any of the people involved is testament to the typically opaque quality of the gentlemen’s club.