Wynnum Manly leagues Club excited at prospect of reopening

What a turnaround. After recently standing down all 140 staff due to COVID-19, a Brisbane leagues club says they will be ready to relaunch in a matter of weeks in a big boost for workers.

A BRISBANE leagues club which stood down all 140 staff because of COVID-19 says they will be ready to open as soon as mid May.

With the National Cabinet expected to tell bosses of cafes and restaurants to expect to open on July 1 or earlier, the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club, which is in the middle of a $10 million revamp, is already close to finalising relaunch plans.

WMLC CEO Craig Thomas previously said it was one of the worst days of his life when he stood down staff after the outbreak of COVID-19, but he was more optimistic this time, saying they couldn’t wait to reopen even under restricted rules.

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“We’ll be happy to open under any rule, the main priority is our staff and getting them back on board as well as our members,” Mr Thomas said.

Wynnum Manly Leagues Club CEO Craig Thomas when works started at the venue. Picture: AAP/Richard Walker

“We’ve been working hard in supporting them during this time and JobKeeper has come through which is great.

“Now we’ve just been working hard on our reopening procedures for the coming months and figuring out in what sort of form do we reopen.

“It’s just important we reopen because community clubs are really important community hubs, it’s going to take time for us to get back to our full potential but even if we don’t open by July, it’s still an amazing effort from the government.

Wynnum Manly Leagues Club undergoes renovation. Picture: Renae Droop

“We initially thought it was going to be October at the earliest.”

With the Fielders Club at Tingalpa also undergoing renovations, Mr Thomas said he felt boosted by the fact more jobs would be on offer with more than 40 positions expected to be up for grabs when the revamp was complete and COVID-19 was over.

“That’s the aim, to strengthen the workforce,” he said.

“Obviously during this unemployment has been high but when both clubs are back open and construction is complete, there is the potential for a lot of jobs.

Wynnum Manly Leagues Club undergoes renovation. Picture: Renae Droop

“Renovations are ahead of where they should be because we have shut down, we’ve been able to work on messy things that would have been done later on in time, so it means when we launch the rejuvenated club in late this year or early next year, everything will be done.”

Wynnum Manly Leagues Club chair Bruce Baxter and CEO Craig Thomas.

But putting aside the excitement at the prospect of reopening, Mr Thomas urged members of the community to take the necessary precautions and download the COVID-19 app so life could get back to normal.

“One of the key things is for people to get on the app, the quicker people download the app, the sooner pubs and clubs and restaurants can open,” he said.

“We’ve already got our members and staff to sign up for the app.”