Club’s new venture

The Warragul Industrials Football Netball Club has officially taken over the lease of the Club Hotel in Warragul.

It has temporarily closed the bar, dining and gaming venue while major renovations are undertaken.

Renovations started this week on the gaming room.

It is the first section to be renovated but vicechairman of an Industrials’ sub-committee appointed as the committee of management of the business venture, Dale Bainbridge, said he expected it would re-open in “a couple of weeks”, possibly as early as the end of next week.

Renovation of the bistro will follow, then redevelopment of the main bar.

Those areas will remain closed until their renovations are completed. The children’s playground will be retained. Mr Bainbridge said the transfer of all gaming and liquor licences had been approved by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation and Baw Baw Shire Council had also approved the change in the venue’s status from a general hotel to a licenced club.

The Industrials club had been in negotiations with the hotel’s owners, Haggerston Nominees, about taking over the lease since early last year.

All current staff were assured at a recent meeting with the committee of management that they will be retained.

Mr Bainbridge said the appointment of a venue manager was expected to be announced shortly.

The committee of management is chaired by Michael Hodge, chief executive officer of the Pakenham Racing Club that also operates gaming, dining and bar venues.

Other members Mr Bainbridge, Tim Kubale, George Avon, Sean McCulloch, Neville Huggett and Bob Howard all have considerable business experience.

Mr Bainbridge said that the trading name would remain the Club Hotel Warragul but the individual sections – gaming room, bistro and bar - would be rebranded.

An agreement has been reached with the owners of the premises to financially assist the football netball club “in the early stages,” he said.

The change from a general hotel to a member-based licenced club would still enable casual visitors on a sign-in basis in the same way as at other clubs.

Mr Bainbridge said the renovations and some structural alterations would provide a venue of the highest standard.

He said the “Set of Rules” adopted by WIFNC was based on those of Australian Football League clubs that operate gaming venues.

In the future we’d like to see it as a community club that supports a range of junior sports, not just football, Mr Bainbridge added.