Community & Business
11 November, 2021
Big expansion for club
A $3 MILLION expansion project that will see the Atherton International Club off er a host of new and exciting facilities is well underway, with completion expected early next year.
This is the third major upgrade for the club, which started as a small operation in 1978, was expanded in 1998, and refurbished in 2009/10 and by all accounts, the Atherton community is the main beneficiary.
“We have some 2300 members and any profits we make go straight back into the club so that we can offer the community better facilities,” Club vice-president John Wilkinson said.
“This expansion is a real game changer for the club because it’s going to offer a lot of new facilities and be a first-class entertainment venue for Atherton.
“It really is the community’s club – the members are our bosses – and we really need the community to come and support it.”
The expansion, which has been underway for around six weeks, involves extending the kitchen and dining areas, the establishment of a private conference or function room which will be able to cater to 30-plus people.
A children’s play room will also be established, extension of the office area, expansion of car parking area and new toilet amenities.
“We will also be changing the bar area significantly – it will be modernized and become an ‘island’ that will sit between the dining area and the new Sport’s Bar.”
The Sports Bar will feature 10 television screens, a pool table, TAB facilities and an outside verandah area for smokers.
The area that currently houses the poker machines will be transformed into an intimate lounge area, with a new room to be created for the 60 poker machines on site that will have more room, higher ceilings and better air conditioning.
With new furnishings as well, the project represents a significant investment by the club and demonstrates a commitment to Atherton insofar as providing the town with a more rounded and modern entertainment venue.
“It’s been an extremely tough time for the club through COVID – we virtually had to shut down for months,” Mr Wilkinson said.
But he was comfortable that the club could afford the expansion even though it means borrowing the funds for the project.
“We were totally debt free and we now have to borrow for this expansion but we have done the figures and it’s economically achievable,” he said.
“If you’re not going forwards, you’re going backwards.”
He encouraged locals to join the club which is only an annual fee of $7.
“There is so much on offer, we have live entertainment on Saturdays and that allows young talent to show what they can do, we have trivia nights on Thursdays that, when it started, only attracted 20 people – now 120 come so that’s been very successful.”
There are more expansion plans “in the not too- distant future”, with the club wanting to establish an outdoor deck overlooking the soccer and touch football fields which cater to junior and senior competition.
“I can see that if we put a deck out there, we could have concerts there, with the bands able to be on the deck and the audience on the fields for the spectators,” he added.
