Chief executive report

It was with great relief and excitement when the government gave the approval to reopen our doors on Monday 1st June from the COVID hibernation period.

The unplanned closing of the club’s doors had a tremendous impact on the business as it brought an immediate need to review and work through several areas impacting all our operations. Everything from the temporary shutdown of our food and beverage outlets to membership benefits that expired during our closure all had to be managed.

We were faced with an unprecedented situation, that was unpredictable and created an overall sense of uncertainty amongst everyone in the community. With no roadmap to guide us through, we remained resolute and committed to overcoming this challenging time.

When we opened our front doors again, it was certainly refreshing to see the many smiling and familiar faces of our Wenty Leagues membership flow back in and returning to us. The numbers of members have continued to grow ever since. Reopening brought a new reality or ‘new normal’ that needed to be addressed. Operations had changed and everyone at Wenty Leagues had to continuously shift and become more agile. Tough decisions were made to review and rethink how best to deliver our weekly activities with the health and safety of our patrons being our number one priority.

We were trekking into the unknown, constantly monitoring the situation and taking the guidance and recommendations of authorities to keep the club, members, staff and our community safe. While it was a huge adjustment period for everyone, I also believe that what we learned and able to accomplish showed the strength of Wenty Leagues set by the foundations of our rich history.

Despite the considerable financial challenges, we had the opportunity to complete our 4 year - $125m Master Plan Project. Thanks to the support of you, our members, and your guests, we returned a healthy operating profit for the financial year 2020. We continue to remain in a strong financial position, and we look forward to leveraging this in the coming year.

Our support of local community initiatives remained strong, and I wish to acknowledge and say how very proud I am of our Staff & Management who remained committed to our core values, by continuing to be involved with the Club. An example being the ‘Keeping in Touch’ program to ensure we touched base with our elderly members whilst we were closed.

It has been refreshing to see the entire club buzzing again with excitement as our patrons again get to experience all our delicious dining offerings from our food and beverage outlets returning to operations. In particular, the reintroduction of CHAR Steak and Seafood Restaurant and our brandnew ENVY Bar.

I’m proud of the efforts of the entire Wenty Leagues team for not only getting the clubs doors open and trading again but bringing the club back to its normal vibrant self.

Looking forward to a successful year, I would like to thank all our members and guests for their patience and understanding. I also wish to thank the Board of Directors for their ongoing support and the Management Team and staff who continue to strive to provide exceptional hospitality.