BOWLS CLUB BAR BRAWL
THE city’s oldest bowls club is being torn apart over the sacking of its top barmaid.
Four board members at the Southport Bowls Club have quit, casual bar staff are refusing to work and key backroom players are being accused of trying to orchestrate a coup.
Senior members blamed the club’s financial position for the retrenchment. However, bar staff supporters said takings had increased from $16,000 a month to $75,000.
A TURF war has broken out at the Gold Coast’s oldest bowls club after a popular bar manager was made redundant.
The standoff has led to numerous resignations and accusations of a “coup” at the club, which has 550 members.
Patty Muntz, who had worked at the Southport Bowls Club for six years, was retrenched following a boardroom stoush.
According to senior club members the justification was financial. However, the move has angered members, some of whom said the reasoning was a joke.
The shock move comes as the club, a Southport institution since 1914, prepares for its busy period, including next month’s Pan Pacific Masters Games.
Four board members – marketing manager Scott Harris, house director Chris Brace, women’s president Sue Legge, and property director Adriaan van der Lee – resigned in protest after the vote. Mr Brace yesterday said it was a “coup” by some board members.
“The coup was well planned over a long time, half the committee was completely blindsided – including myself as Patty’s superior,” he said.
“They already had her letter of termination and her redundancy cheque written out before the meeting.”
Mr Brace said the club had been going well financially.
“When Patty took over the bar management the club income was about $16,000 a month; last month it was $75,000,” he said.
He said the complaint about financial difficulties was a red herring.
“They say they have no money for staff but two days after they made Patty redundant they were emailing casual staff with offers of up to 30 hours per week,” he said.
It is understood that two casual bar staff have refused to work at the club since Ms Muntz was retrenched.
When contacted for comment, club secretary Jan McMaster said “things are going well and everything is fine. We are just looking at our business model, changing in order to meet commitments around income and expenses.”
Chairman Graeme Mee did not return calls and Ms Muntz declined to comment.
This is not the first time the club has complained of financial difficulties.
Billionaire Harry Triguboff has been credited with helping to save the club from closure after generous donations.
Councillor Dawn Crichlow said she was “devastated” by the news. “Since Harry Triguboff saved the club it has gone forward and forward. Patty and Chris (Brace) got people into the club,” she said.
Cr Crichlow said she would speak to the board when she returned from holiday in Inverell.