6 INTERCLUB • VOLUME 28, ISSUE 1 - 2022 REACHING CLUBS SINCE 1995 c l u b l i f e : M I LT O N C O U N T R Y C L U B Snooker has become important in the club and teams compete both within the club competition and with other snooker sections in the district. milton@sumptermoore.co.nz www.sumptermoore.co.nz 5 Eden St, Milton 15 Gordon St, Balclutha Tel: (03) 417 8004 Tel: (03) 418 0066 SUMPTER MOORE LAWYERS We are your local law firm providing personal attention to all your local needs. If you have any questions relating to any legal matter do not hesitate to contact one of our solicitors or one of the team. Stronger Together Every story is unique. Our job is to help make yours one of the classics. Providing services that include Accounting, Financial Planning, Lending and Insurance, Business Advisory, Audit and SMSF, Findex combines local knowledge and global expertise to help you write your next chapter. 123 Union Street, Milton 9220 03 417 8066 Perfect for cold winter days, Wests' Hot Lemon has been used by generations to warm the body and soul. With Lemon and a hint of Ginger, this cordial has the added benefit of relieving sore throats. Hot Lemon Cordial Order today! 03 455 4448 135 Bay View Road, Dunedin www.wests.co.nz Kerry Dowling is Treasurer and on the board of Milton Club, located in the picturesque town 50km south of Dunedin. He’s been associated with the club many years, and when asked how the club is fairing now, he says it is definitely facing challenges. “It would be fair to say we have financial challenges, as many clubs do, par ticularly since Covid impacted on our ability to open our doors. Clubs generally though have been going through a period of constraint as society changes. Big clubs are not the social hub they once were,” says Kerry. Having said this though he’s first to point out that the club has a strong beating hear t, given stoic suppor t from an active core of people, who value what the club means and its place in the community. “We have a rather modern spor ts bar with a couple of recently renovated snooker tables. One was in a guy’s shed for about 15 years but it reassembled perfectly.” Snooker has become surprisingly impor tant in the club and teams compete both within the club competition and with other snooker sections in the district. Over time the nature of club management has changed, in answer to market conditions, as Kerry explains. “We used to have an employed manager, but we found that over time the role shrunk and has been picked up by volunteers. “Now we rely heavily on the committee to take up the slack, so yes, things have changed. It’s been one way we’ve been able to continue delivering services to our members and guests.” With this shift in how management is delivered really emphasises the impor tance of the membership. There are positives though when working within financial constraint. Life at Milton Club reflects changing times Sue Russell “We’ve learnt to keep very tight control on where we spend our money. “Sometimes if a club has a lot of available cash, not always the best decisions are made as to where to spend it. We have to make the best decisions all the time and I think we do very well within our means.” The club carries very little debt and cuts its cloth according to need but Kerry says this doesn’t impact on the enjoyment people have when socialising within its walls. An area which once held pokie machines (now removed) has been turned into a dedicated children’s area. “We want this club to be a family club and that’s our focus now. Young families want to come into an environment where children are catered for.” And Covid interrupted an impor tant milestone for the club, one which they intend to celebrate later this year – blowing out 50 candles on the cake. Some special events are being planned. Milton Club also has a café come restaurant abutting the club built in the early 2000’s. It’s a place where functions are catered for. “It’s good to have this facility as it does mean we can host functions and events.” Come the first week of April, the annual ‘Spud Dig’ competition, fiercely fought over, takes place. Seed spuds bought and planted in a variety of situations are finally dug up, revealing the most prolific individual plant. Judging is also around the size of the plant, and the largest single spud. A local farmer donates meat for the event. “Our community really get in behind ‘Spud Dig’ day. I think its quite an unusual event for a club to hold but we wouldn’t be without it.” Matt Lyon Registered Electrician localelectricalmilton@gmail.com 12A George St, Milton Cell: 027 677 9007 - Phone 03 417 7506 Local Electrical Ltd are proud to support Milton Country Club Domestic, industrial and commercial Appliance repairs Heat pumps Rural Dairy maintenance and servicing Pumps and irrigation Installers of “farmtrenz” effluent fail safe systems. For all your electrical needs trust your Local sparky
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