Tattersall’s Club opens dining room to new female members on International Women’s Day

It’s an historic day for Tattersall’s Club with the hallowed Members’ Dining Room being flung open to both male and newly inducted female members.

Tattersall's Club in Brisbane.

MAKING HISTORY

IT’S a historic day for Tattersall’s Club with the hallowed Members’ Dining Room being flung open to both male and newly inducted female members for the first time.

As it just happens to be International Women’s Day, the timing could not have been better for the club, which last year narrowly voted to allowed women as full members.

Women members are advised a dress code applies for today’s sold out event, which includes tailored shirt or blouse, tailored skirt, pants or dress and enclosed shoes in heels or flats. We would have preferred revolutionary red and Lenin caps for the club that we like to call the Queen St Workers Club. Men are advised they must keep their shirt tucked in.

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Given the recent civil war between the pro and anti-women factions, we wonder whether austerity measures will apply or will it be champagne and caviar? Will the famous pea and ham soup be doled out in tin or china bowls? The club certainly appears to be more cashed up following the vote on female members. Club chief executive David Bark has told club members in an email that 200 new members have joined Tatts under the new family membership model including 162 women to date. Those women are partners, daughters and granddaughters of existing members with other women allowed to apply from next month.

FOOD FIGHT

FORGET about the upcoming battle between ScoMo and Bill Shorten, the toughest election is being fought out at Tattersalls between incumbent president Stuart Fraser and challenger Rick Green. It’s not surprising given Tatt’s obsession with pea and ham soup that many of the election promises revolve around food. Fraser says that while members enjoy long meals they also want “shorter lunches or a place for a coffee of a drink.”

Green meanwhile wants to introduce a weekly half price “Legends Lunch” for senior and long term members. He also wants to rebuild the club’s wine list.

Green, a former president of the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls, also thunders that he wants to “stay out of the media spotlight and ensure the club’s business remains for membership consumption only.” Ouch! City Beat cannot support the policy in any form given the inches of entertaining copy Tatts has given us over the years.

HITTING THE ROAD

CREDITORS of failed caravan retailer Brisbane RVs will meet next Wednesday morning to see what can be salvaged. Administrators Worrells now estimates the Burpengary-based firm owes creditors more than $5 million, including almost $3 million to secured creditor Wells Fargo.

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Wells Fargo took control of a substantial amount of the company’s stock under its floor plan finance agreement back in February, leaving the company with little stock to trade.

The company entered administration last week and on Monday a former employee appeared in court on fraud charges. It’s all set to get very messy.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

WE know why former Blue Sky boss Rob Shand rose to the top in Eagle St. Instead of calling his business consultancy something boring like Brisbane Business Consultancy, the enterprising Shand cast back to ancient times to discover what Brisbane would have been called if it hadn’t been named after British army officer Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane.

The site of the early settlement of Brisbane was originally called Edinglassie, a name created as a blend of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Edinglassie Pty Ltd was registered in June last year, with Shand’s wife Anna being its sole director. City Beat spies tell us the company’s website now has a log in requirement after the new business venture received what can only be described as a touch up in a national business newspaper earlier this week.

TANNER LIFTS STAKE

FORMER Labor minister and now Suncorp director Lindsay Tanner has upped his stake in the Queensland-based lender. Tanner purchased 2,175 shares in Suncorp on March 4 at $13.79 each for a grand total of $29,993. That brings his total holdings to 6100 shares worth $84,668 at Thursday’s closing price. Suncorp shares have gained 10 per cent so far this year.