By JOLENE OGLE
RENOVATIONS are underway at the Cooroy RSL, with plans to revamp the club and create a modern street front to appeal to a wider range of people.
Club manager Tina Bernard said the venue was for everyone and anyone looking to enjoy a night out on a budget.
The planned renovations will open up the club and create a modern feel.
“We want everyone to know we are the perfect place for a night out in Cooroy,” Ms Bernard said.
The renovations will include two new floor-to-ceiling windows along the front wall, which will open the club and allow natural light to flow into the venue.
New modern decor will replace the current furnishings, but the same friendly service and budget menu will remain.
Ms Bernard said they expected the renovations to have a positive effect on the local community, creating a much more attractive street frontage for the venue.
“We’re in the centre of town and it will be great to let the light and air into the venue and give the club a facelift,” she said.
“We’re looking forward to widening our scope and appealing to the young people in town as well as our faithful club patrons. We will offer more for the community once the renovations are complete,” she said.
The renovations are expected to be completed by 29 November, but in the meantime the Cooroy RSL community bus has also had a facelift.
The Cooroy RSL Club decided to thank its sponsors by placing on the bus the logos of the many local businesses, who help keep the Sub-Branch Community Bus on the road.
Funds from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Cooroy RSL Sub-Branch and the Cooroy RSL Club made the purchase of the bus possible, and sponsorship from businesses such as the Cooroy Community Bank branch of Bendigo Bank, have helped keep the bus on the road.
Ms Bernard said the bus was a great partnership as the financial assistance provided by the local sponsors enabled the club to run and maintain the bus, which would be used to raise essential funds for the club’s ongoing operations.
“The bus has become a really popular part of what we do in our community. It’s driven by local volunteer drivers and they do an amazing job for us,” she said.
“There’s a strong focus on using the bus for community welfare work as well as the popular courtesy bus service to the club. It often involves getting club members to and from medical appointments, outings from aged care facilities, shopping trips and other community work.”
Being wheel-chair friendly, the bus has been well received by those in need of this feature, particularly returned service men and women who are now able to schedule their visits.
When the van isn’t in use for welfare purposes, it takes on the role of a courtesy bus to pick up and drop off club patrons from Thursday to Sunday nights.
The Cooroy Community Bank branch of Bendigo Bank is one of the local sponsors and manager of the Cooroy Community Bank branch of Bendigo Bank Geoff Edwards said the relationship with the bank and Cooroy RSL was strengthening all the time.
“I think it’s great when businesses can work together to create better community outcomes,” Geoff said.
“Our branch has recently sponsored the purchase of Cooroy RSL Club’s new staff uniforms and we’re also supporting the club with the building extensions about to get underway.”
