JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER
Chairman's Report. Director's Profile.
ALBY TAYLOR
To our valued Members, I would like to begin with a thank you to all Members and guests who helped us celebrate the Club’s 30thbirthday in June! What a milestone… and what a wonderful 30 years it has been.
When Sporties first opened its doors on 21 June 1994, I doubt anyone could have envisaged the Club we have today and the development of Hammondville Park over the past 30 years. What began as a small meeting place for our local sporting codes has now grown into a sports and entertainment precinct that the whole community can enjoy.
On Friday 21 June 2024 – exactly 30 years to the day –we held a special event for the Club’s former Directors, sporting codes and community partners, who all enjoyed some canapes, drinks, entertainment, and of course the obligatory birthday cake.
On Sunday 23 June, we invited our Life Members to join our Board and Executive team for a special celebratory lunch, and it was wonderful to bring back some Sporties “Legends” and show them our Club today and listen to their stories.
To mark our 30-year commemorations, we have commissioned a booklet which looks back at the history of our Club and the development of Hammondville Park, based on historical records and first-hand accounts from some of our longest-serving members. A digital copy of the booklet can be found HERE and encourage all of you to have a read through.
Special thanks to those who came along to our Member’s Day in May as we marked the completion of our renovations. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding while we upgraded the Club, and we acknowledge the disruption to our operations during this time. The finishing touches are now complete, and we hope you enjoy the new look as much as we do.
In relation to the redevelopment of the Hammondville Park Precinct, Liverpool Council is planning to vote on our proposal to purchase land from them at their upcoming June or July meeting, subject to Council supporting our agreeing to our purchase offer This will enable us to expand our Club and provide new and exciting services and amenities for you, our Members and the local community more broadly, including perhaps more dining options, meeting rooms, and new fun and entertainment offerings like virtual golf, axe throwing and who knows what else. am hopeful the purchase will be confirmed very shortly, and then we can commence the hard work of making Hammondville Park GREAT!!!!
To finish, I would like to thank all of our Members and guests for their ongoing support of our Club and our sporting codes. Without you, we would not be the great Club we are. Remember… Kids and Community.
hope to see you at the Club again soon.
Very Best Regards
Alby
Alby Taylor
LAURIE WILLOUGHBY
Born in Belmore in 1948, Laurie grew up in Lakemba and attended St Joseph’s Primary School and St John’s High School. He then went on to study an Automotive Engineering Apprenticeship and joined the Army Reserves, which he was a member of for 22 years, reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two.
Around the same time, Laurie secured a job at Qantas and would go on to spend the next 37 years with the air carrier in several positions including Training and Operations, Freight Management, and Project Management. His final role was a senior management role in Qantas Safety, where he was responsible for the Safety and Dangerous Goods Standards, as well as compliance for the Qantas Group of companies.
It was during this time that he was elected as a member of the International Air Transport Association’s Dangerous Goods Board where he would represent Qantas and the Australian Airline industry for 18 years.
Laurie has was also been an industry advisor to the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s and was the elected representative at the International Civil Aviation Authority Dangerous Goods panel for 12 years. He retired from Qantas in 2011 but he continues to consult for several companies.
Laurie became a member of Moorebank Sports Club over 30 years ago and coached soccer. He was also on the committee before becoming a registrar with the Southern Districts Soccer Football Association.
He first joined the Sporties Board of Directors in 2016 through a casual vacancy and has served every year since. He says the purchase of Kareela Golf Club and the various renovations have been the highlights of his tenure.
Laurie says the thing he loves most about the Club is the financial support we provide to our sporting codes and various not-for-profit organisations, and the way we treat our staff.
Laurie is a Life Member of Moorebank Soccer Club and Southern Districts Soccer Football Association and has also been awarded the NSW State Award for the promotion of football.
Laurie Willoughby
30TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
On Friday 21 June, we celebrated Sporties’ 30th birthday!
We invited our former Directors, sporting codes and community partners, to join the current Board and executive team for a special celebration with canapes, drinks, and cake.
30TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
On Sunday 23 June, we invited our Life Members to join the current Board of Directors and members of the executive team, to celebrate our 30th Birthday with a special luncheon at Lighthorse Kitchen.
It was wonderful to see so many people who have had an impact on our Club – both in the past and present, come together to celebrate the milestone.
Ann Cook, Neil Clancy, Roger Crowfoot, Bonita Jones, Shirley McAlister, Ann Richards and Dennis Errington were all in attendance.
To celebrate 30 years since Sporties first opened its doors, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane to document the history of our Club, from the inception of our sporting codes to the latest renovation of the venue.
We’ve spoken to some of the key decision-makers who were instrumental in the development of the licenced venue and those who helped to get the project off the ground.
We’ve gone back through historical photos of the Club and the various stages of expansion and renovation over the years, and we pay tribute to the team who kept the Club moving during COVID lockdowns.
A copy of Moorebank Sports Club - 30 Years is available HERE
Here is a small excerpt from the opening pages.
How it all began…
The suburb now known as Hammondville was originally founded in 1933 by minister and social reformer Robert Brodribb Hammond as a settlement for destitute families during the Great Depression.
Mr Hammond established a non-profit organisation called Hammond’s Pioneer Homes, which today we know better as HammondCare. Hammond’s Pioneer Homes included the building of 110 self-contained rural cottages on thirteen acres of cleared land between what is now Heathcote Road, and the Georges River.
Families were granted a cottage under a rent-purchase agreement, and they were required to use their land to grow food.
A local school was built soon after, and the community began to grow.
As more and more parents and young children moved into the area, the suggestion was made for the establishment of some local sporting teams. In October 1969, a small group of locals
formed the Clark Kiln United Soccer and Sports Club.
On 18 February 1970, the name was changed to Moorebank Sports Club, and the Department of the Army allowed the Club to use the old army parade grounds at Harris Creek for training and games.
Thank you to everyone who came to join us for our Members Day on Friday 17 May.
The event was hosted by Sporties to say thank our Members for their patience and understanding during our recent renovations.
We hope you everyone enjoyed the food and drink specials, live entertainment, and Members Swipe Prizes!
Community Blog.
Sandy
On Thursday 30 May, Sporties proudly unveiled a new lifesaving defibrillator machine at the Sandy Point Community Centre.
This project was in partnership with Sutherland Shire Council, Heart of the Nation, the Sandy Point Community Hall Committee, Freedom Fitness, and our Club, to bring the residents of this small community some piece of mind in the event of a cardiac arrest emergency.
The journey to get here began 18 months ago when Holsworthy Public School asked if they could use our Club’s defib during an emergency as they didn’t have one onsite.
To read more about the Sandy Point Defib project, check out our BLOG
Learning Links
Since 2016, Sporties has enjoyed a wonderful partnership with Learning Links, which supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities to realise their full potential.
Our Club has contributed over $125,000 towards their programs which has enhanced the education of 120 students.
In 2023, we focused our donation on Nuwarra Public School, donating $34,950 to the Learning Links Speech Therapy in Schools program there.
To find out more about how the funding helped the students, check out our BLOG
Clubs & Community Awards
On 6 June, Sporties came together with other clubs from across the state to celebrate the wonderful work our industry does for the community, at the 2024 Clubs & Community Awards.
This event is hosted by ClubsNSW and recognises some of the outstanding achievements made by registered clubs.
We heard some heartwarming stories about work being done to combat domestic and family violence, the wonderful support Clubs give to their local schools, and individuals going above and beyond for their communities.
Sporties shared our Nominate A Neighbour initiative and our work with Heroes With Ability, and we celebrated the commitment and dedication to our community by former Moorebank Sports Club President Bob Fleeton. Our team made some great connections with other Clubs and a fantastic night was had by all!
Point Defib
Sporting Code Update.
On Saturday 20 April, your Sporties Board of Directors, CEO and senior executive team joined Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun, Deputy Mayor Fiona McNaught, Federal MP Jenny Ware, local MP Nathan Hagarty, and members of Moorebank Soccer Club to officially unveil the new synthetic playing field at Hammondville Park.
This upgrade was facilitated by Liverpool Council in conjunction with Sporties and the Soccer Club, to combat several maintenance challenges stemming from the natural grass field.
In addition, the new synthetic field has put Hammondville Park on the map as one of the best venues to play at in our region.
Moorebank Soccer Club’s U13's/5 team were the first group to test it out and gave it a thumbs up!
Moorebank Soccer Club President Daniel Flego says the new field has really elevated the club.
“The new field is incredible and has made Hammondville Park one of the best grounds to play at for all age groups in our region.
“The synthetic turf is so durable and can withstand the huge amount of foot traffic we have on there during the season, and we don’t have the drainage issues we used to have with the natural grass field.
“We feel very privileged to have such a wonderful facility here at Hammondville.
“Thank you to Moorebank Sports Club and Liverpool City Council for making this happen”.
Live Music.
July.
(9.30PM TIL LATE)
Aug. (9.30PM TIL LATE)
Sept. (FRI 7-10PM) (SAT 9.30PM-LATE)
23 ERIC GROTHE & THE GURUS SAT 24 RECKLESS
What's On @Sporties
July What's On AUG What's On
MON 8TH
DISNEY TRIVIA
MON 5TH
MARVEL & DC TRIVIA
TUES 13TH
RESIN WORKSHOP
WED 10TH GOODMAN VS WORAWUT SUN 18TH UFC 305
WED 17TH STATE OF ORIGIN 3
THURS 22ND SPORTIES COMEDY CLUB
SUN 28TH UFC 304 SUN 25TH
FUN DAY
Sept What's On
Responsible Gambling.
Here at Sporties, our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our members and guests.
While there are a lot of obvious safety measures in place within our Club, including responsible service of alcohol by our staff, specific child-friendly and child-free areas, and flood lighting in the carpark, there are also a lot of things happening behind-thescenes.
Sporties has a number of harm minimisation measures in place to provide support to members and guests who need help with problem gambling.
The most prominent of these is OK2PLAY?
Sporties utilises the OK2PLAY? Responsible Gambling Technology to check in with members and guests to ensure they feel comfortable and in control whilst inside our venue.
The main goal of the 0K2PLAY? System is to encourage meaningful human connections and ensure everyone within our venue has the support and knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their gambling habits.
Other initiatives implemented by Sporties include Multi-Venue Self Exclusion where a person voluntarily registers to be temporarily or permanently blocked from going to certain gambling venues, along with Third-Party Exclusion which allows family members and friends of problem gamblers to request their exclusion from venues.
Within the Sporties team, we have Responsible Gambling Officers whose prime focus is the welfare of members and guests in our gaming room. They’re trained to carry out welfare checks and to recommend counselling support through ClubSafe and GambleAware for anyone who may need it.
And to ensure our Club is compliant and up to date with all the latest government regulations, we enlist the help of independent auditors who carry out regular compliance checks throughout the venue.
Sporties is a community Club and our members and guests always come first.
