Tattersall’s in turmoil over battle for women members

A debate over whether to allow women members at exclusive Brisbane club has spiralled into a civil war, with factions digging in for what will be a protracted battle.

The members dining room at Tattersall’s Club in Brisbane’s CBD.

WE HEAR shovels and sandbags have been spotted outside Tattersall’s, aka the Queen St Workers Club, as factions dig in for what will be a protracted battle over whether to allow women to become full members.

One comrade has already been stood down and two others suspended over what the club claims are alleged breaches of the Privacy Act and club bylaws in relation to lobbying efforts by the no camp.

The fight is descending into an increasingly nasty civil war as a proposed ballot on the issue gets closer.

The no vote is certainly getting organised, setting up an anonymous website called “Tattsmyths” that denies claims by the club leadership that it faces dire financial straits if it continues to deny women membership.

Stuart Fraser. Illustration: Brett Lethbridge

But the figures tell a different story, with the club’s membership policy getting the venue blackballed around town and eating into its revenue.

A “Tattsmyths” Facebook page also has been established to garner support for the no vote although none of the comrades appear to have bothered to moderate it.

Along with some pretty nasty comments against women there were quite a few like: “f--- off out of my stream, your misogynist old c---s.

Although why women would want to hang around your dumb-arse wannabe-Pommy bullsh-t is beyond me.”

Tatts has declined to name the members suspended, noting an investigation was ongoing.

President Stuart Fraser’s calls for a calm and considered debate may fall on deaf ears given these are the same comrades who were up in arms recently about a change in the pea and ham soup served in the dining room.

POWER PLAY

ONE longstanding Tattersall’s member prepared to go on the record in favour of the status quo is prominent Brisbane hotelier James Power.

The Norman Hotel proprietor stresses he knows nothing about the Tattsmyths website, but told City Beat there is a place for single gender clubs like Tatts.

Norman Hotel proprietor James Power.

“I believe most members would support the status quo,” says Power, who addressed a recent club meeting on the issue.

“The club is in a strong financial position.”

Power argues that the debate over women members has been “gentlemanly” and the move to suspend members was a bit “heavy handed.”

MONEY FOR NOTHING

A TALE about shenanigans in the financial industry.

A City Beat colleague went online to set up an ANZ account several months ago but at the last minute decided not to go through with it.

All well and good, but this week a statement from ANZ arrived in the mail telling him he owed $25.76 in various fees and interest charges.

After a truly Kafkaesque phone call with the ANZ call centre, he was told that even though he did not proceed with a final verification step the account had been created.

After a lot of phaffing around the bank agree to waive the fees and cancel the account.

It seems to City Beat that banks do very nicely when people do not have the time or energy to complain about such poor practices.

BUTT OUT

NICE to see Carole Park manufacturer Century Batteries spearheading a ‘legacy’ campaign for the late Ian Kiernan and his beloved Clean Up Australia.

Australia’s only manufacturer of Australian marine batteries is kicking off a campaign highlighting a bigger threat to our waterways than plastic bags — cigarette butts.

The late, great Ian Kiernan, founder of Clean Up Australia.

Century national marketing manager Andy Bottoms says the company felt compelled to do something after learning a massive 5.6 trillion filtered cigarettes are smoked annually, with as many as two thirds of those butts ending up in the ocean.

That’s over 770,000 tonnes and billions of butts.

Century is committing a portion of the sale of every marine battery to go towards Clean Up Australia.