Members & Local Communities Will Be Dealt A Very Poor Hand If Registered Clubs Cease To Exist.
For too long the good things clubs do for their members and their local communities have been under reported. For too long the negative aspects of gaming have been over reported and to a degree, sensationalised and used as clickbait.
The unforeseen arrival of the Corona Virus and the resulting club closures during lockdowns, highlighted the important role clubs play in people’s lives and the void that is created when they are inaccessible.
Reality Bites
Registered Clubs play huge roles in the lives of their members, staff, and local economies.
They support the elderly, and the war veterans.They support sports and indigenous communities. They welcome in people who just want to play bingo. They’re among the first to provide refuge when drought, floods and bushfires arrive on their doorsteps and quite often they’re the only ones still standing when the headlines and the water cooler conversations have faded away.
Clubs provide considerable intangible social benefits that are impossible to quantify but are none the less real. The feeling of belonging many members experience can provide hope and a sense of self worth that otherwise might not exist. The social cohesion a community, especially in a remote region, experiences as a result of having a cub in its midst is a wonderful thing.
Throughout countless, relentlessly hot Australian summers, thousands of members have taken refuge in their local club simply because the clubs have something they cannot afford at home i.e. Air Conditioning.
Registered Clubs Provide A Very Real Sense Of Belonging For Members And Visitors
Following are a few selected quotes from real people. They didn’t have to say anything. But given the opportunity, they were happy and willing to speak from the heart in support of their club.
“There are people who look on the club as a second home …. they come here because they have nothing to do at home and they socialise with other people … we try to give them little jobs to do that keep them busy.” (Club Administrator)
“Living alone I was quite … not lonely but alone … there is a difference …. from the welcoming smiles of the young people when we walked in, I felt they really wanted me here …. I was only trying it out on the first day, but I came back and I’ve been coming back ever since.” (Elderly Club Member)
“When we started working with (Registered Clubs), back in 1998 there was actually no legislative requirements dealing with problem gambling and responsible gambling matters. (We were) amongst the first I guess to take the initiative and say we recognise that people do suffer harm as a result of gambling and we wanted to put measures in place to respond to that despite the fact we weren’t required to do anything at the time.” (Social Worker.)
“I’m coming up to six years at the RSL first working at reception and then working my way upstairs to management. The club has supported me through my studies as well as other initiatives. The board has seen me as possible future management and want to invest in me. They’ve contributed towards my tuition fees and tertiary education. They really see me as completing my degree & using those skills to better serve the club and the community.” (Junior, but not for long, Club Employee.)
Nuts And Bolts
Clubs employ almost 130,000 people nationwide. Millions of people are members. They pay billions in tax.
Registered Clubs in NSW have been able to legally operate poker machines since 1956.
Clubs are considered not-for-profit organisations. As such profits must be used for the benefit of members and to support charities and local communities.
Poker machines provide the majority of revenue for Registered Clubs.
At 92%, poker machines return more money to players than most of the (Delete one of the ‘the’) the other popular forms of gambling.
Not ‘Do Gooders’, Actually Doing Good
There are hundreds and hundreds of registered clubs in NSW alone. Every one of the them has stories to tell that will pull at your heartstrings and allow you to believe that humanity, grace and optimism still exist.
One Small But Shining Example Of The Work Clubs Do.
They say that country music is an acquired taste. Many say they have no interest in acquiring it what so ever. But as the 50,000 visitors to the recent Tamworth Country Music Festival will attest
some people like it very much. But in the Big Smoke, not so much.
But to the delight of some boot scooting Sydney dwellers, once a month the Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL hosts a mighty night of first-class Country, (And Western) entertainment.
There’s a formidable house band consisting of lead, rhythm, pedal steel, lap steel and bass guitars. Incredible fiddle and keyboard players, and a drummer. Plus, first class sound, staging and lighting and a continual appearance of star guest performers.
The point here is, of the people who love to attend this event could not afford to pay the real cost of a ticket. The club subsidises that.
When you see hundreds of couples get up to slow waltz to a Hank Williams classic and appreciate how much they are enjoying themselves, then you understand it is money well spent.
You multiply this phenomenon across all clubs and the myriad of interests and activities their members and guests have, you’ll come to grips with the positive impact clubs have on lives. Real lives. At the grass roots level.
To paraphrase Julia Gillard, “It isn’t nothing, it isn’t everything, but it is something.” Registered clubs aren’t perfect, but a lot of people are working very hard to make them as good as they can be. Imagine how less attractive many many lives would be, if the didn’t exist?
What’s Next?
There’s a state election due in NSW in March. A lot is at stake. The usual suspects are lobbying to advance their individual fortunes by pandering to the perceived and heavily researched interests of millions of voters.
It’s probably safe to say that it’s generally agreed, life is a balance.
Before you make up your mind, try and discover what the real truths are about registered clubs. As per usual, they are not being told often enough.
