4 INTERCLUB • VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2 - 2022 REACHING CLUBS SINCE 1995 c l u b l i f e : A S H B U R T O N C L U B & M S A Ashburton Engravers & Etching 130 Moore St, Ashburton | P: 03 308 7739 M: 027 736 5818 | e: ashburton.engravers@gmail.com Engraving · Trophies · Etching · Personalised gifts + so much more Inspection, Design, Installation & Maintenance Service Sprinkler System Certifier Approved Contractor Independant Qualified Person Locally Owned Fire Alarms, Extinguishers Lindsay - 027 201 6978 www.firesprinklernz.com lindsay@firesprinklernz.com office@firesprinklernz.com Installers of Commercial and Residential Systems FIRESPRINKLERINSTALLATIONSNZLTd • Design, Install, Maintenance & Service • Commercial VRF Air Conditioning • Commercial Ventilation/Heat Recovery Systems • Heat Pump/Air Conditioning • Refrigeration Specialists • Dairy Farm Refrigeration • Electrical Contractors REFRIGERATION • AIR CONDITIONING • ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS Phone 308 7182 • On call 021 597 517 9 Sim Place, Ashburton Business Estate Proudly supporting Ashburton Club & MSA Ashburton Club looks to the future The Ashburton Club is bouncing back from a difficult period. The 3500 members of the Ashburton Club and MSA have gotten proactive about the management of their club, putting the club back on the path to being one of the town’s greatest assets, as it has been since it was established in 1885. Current and former club president John Withell says he and five other past presidents had a feeling something wasn’t right with the club in recent times. “We could see the club going down the drain, that’s why we took drastic measures,” he says. “We called for a meeting at the Ashburton Event Centre, to which 500 members came and it was a unanimous decision to vote out the existing committee, and the general manager resigned soon after.” An interim committee was established in November 2021, inheriting a load of debt, unpaid bills, headaches, and struggles. “We’re doing our best to get the club through. We’ve got an accountant who is helping us out a lot, and he thinks we can do it. But it’s a hard road, and it’s going to take us two to three years to get out of trouble.” The interim committee is now getting on top of debts and bills, and the purse strings have been tightened and are now in the hands of operations manager Nicky Ellem. With a diploma and experience in accounting, she is taking good care of the club’s total purchasing decisions. One of the club’s major problems was with the restaurant, which under the previous management was losing $30,000 every month for about nine months. The club had gone ahead with a fine-dining restaurant after being advised against it, and the meals were so expensive that the members just didn’t come along. With a significant renovation completed in June 2021, the new committee decided to lease the elegant and luxurious space to Ashburton restaurateurs Tony Potts and Wendy Ritchie, who took up the lease in December 2021. John says the restaurant, Noble 600, which is named for Ashburton Club and MSA 600 founding members, has been well-patronised since December. Its menu once again features the good old fashioned club meals that members expect and appreciate, and Tony and Wendy have created a welcoming space that both supports and caters to the locals. A lot of effort has also gone into restoring profitability to the bottle store, again, an entity suffering significant prior year losses . “It takes a lot to get your clients back again once something like this has happened. But our members are now starting to come back on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, and turnover is looking reasonably acceptable, and we are further encouraged by a continual monthly increase in new members joining the club.” Recent live entertainment including an 80s night and a Handbags and Gladrags event have brought in some spirited crowds resulting in very successful nights, and there will be more to come including the ever-popular country singer John McCabe returning to play the club again soon. Ashburton Club and MSA is looking at better and greater use of social media, development of its website, and internet use generally to cut down on paper files and streamline back of house systems. President John Withell is very mindful of retaining the support of club members and of keeping them in the loop, and he gives an update on the club’s recovery every Friday night during the membership draw. “And they appreciate that. These are the necessary steps we believe are crucial to ensuring we have a fit for purpose club for the benefit of all members and the wider community for the next 30 years. “Our committee are really committed to the club going forward, and we’ve had very good support and help from Clubs New Zealand, especially CEO Larry Graham and southern manager Keith Ballantyne.” Kelly Deeks Connecting people and places for over 30 years BECKLEY C O A C H L I N E S • SENIOR TRAVEL • TOURS • DAY TRIPS • CHARTERS 027 265 6883 | beckleycoachlines@gmail.com | www.beckleycoachlines.co.nz
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