WITH many clubs struggling due to the effects of the pandemic, Tilligerry RSL and Sports Club has used the lockdown to give the club a major makeover.

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What’s more, despite a difficult trading environment, the club more or less broke even this year and looks forward to a rosy future.

But, dear reader, we are perhaps getting ahead of ourselves and if we examine the club’s history, it wasn’t always this way.

The original club was built in 1981 but ran into trouble being unable to service its debt during a recession.

It closed its doors in 1985 and reopened three years later after the State RSL bought out the debt.

The new board then leased both the club and the surrounding hectares from the new owners.

Ron Curry, recently re-elected President takes up the story, “In the 18 years I’ve been on the board we have increased the turnover to such an extent that we have bought back the clubhouse site and the area in front towards the main road.

“On top of this, we completed a major overhaul of the building.

“We had also amalgamated some time back with the Golf Club,” he added.

“Since the upgrade, the trading has really taken off and we look forward to being debt free in the near future,” he said.

And the secret to success?

Ron is full of praise for the herculean efforts of the dedicated staff and the volunteer input from members.

“When the call went out, members came from all directions to both reconstruct the clubhouse and help out at the Golf Club.

“It simply would not have been possible without their contribution,” he said.

So what of the future?

Ron says that the board will continue to plough profits back into the club with improved facilities for the members, their guests and the wider community.

“It’s been a long journey but satisfying to see how we have made our community a far better place than it was all those years ago,” he remarked.

By Geoff WALKER