Clarence Valley Covid lockdown impacts businesses and bowls club

Yamba club using experience gained from last year’s lockdown to guide it through this time. And while boss Phil Boughton said they’re prepared, they are anxious to see what happens on the other side.

The impacts of the latest Covid lockdown have reached far into the personal and professional lives of Clarence Valley business owners since being announced by the NSW Government.

Businesses across the region, large and small, were forced into immediate changes by the statewide restrictions launched on August 14.

Some had to change their method of business and some had to close down all together.

Here are the reactions from three businesses in the Lower River and how they intend to fight through the changes.

Yamba Bowling Club

There is an odd silence walking through the doors of Bowlo Sports and Leisure Yamba.

The usual hustle and bustle of people moving through and the sounds of the club have been muted by the statewide lockdown.

“It’s quite eerie really,” CEO Phil Boughton said.

“Walking around with the place closed it feels empty.”

Mr Boughton received news of the statewide lockdown by a WhatsApp message and 15 minutes later he was in the club working through the myriad issues.

“We had to organise stand-down letters, information for our more than 80 staff on how to access crisis payments … and before that straight onto the phones to those people who were starting at 5pm telling them not to come in,” he said.

“Next thing we had to secure the premises, get all the money secured and then the final thing was to minimise any wastage that was going to go off.”

Mr Boughton said they had been prepared for a lockdown and had been working to a plan where they wouldn’t get a lot of notice.

“The kitchen was already prepping, but it wasn’t a huge amount of stuff, maybe $500 of stock, again because we understood it was likely to happen … we were keeping our stock to a minimum,” he said.

“The staff took a lot of it, and one staff member who lives at the Marina took a whole heap of stuff to the old boaties living down there to give them a fresh meal.

“It went as far as we could give it away.”

Mr Boughton said he estimated between depreciation, electricity and other costs it would cost the club about $50,000 a week to be closed.

“We’ve been pretty successful over the last 12 months, we’ve been able to stash some cash for a rainy day … and from a cashflow point of view we’re comfortable and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

“We’ve also been able to offer our permanent and permanent part-time staff the ability to use provisions if they wish.”

Bowlo Sports and Leisure Yamba CEO Phil Boughton inside the empty club after it was closed due to the recent lockdown.

Mr Boughton said the weeks before lockdown could provide a clue as to how the club would run once it reopened.

“We saw an absolute cut off when masks came in as soon as Sydney went into lockdown, we saw an immediate decline in our revenue,” he said.

“Coming out of lockdown last year people were nervous about coming back, and we are a little concerned what it looks like on the other side.”

The club had employed a permanent doorman specifically to check licences, and disappointingly had to deny access to people who weren’t supposed to be in the area.

“We had to turn people around in the last few days even, and we’re saying to them you can’t be here if you’re from Sydney,” he said.

“And they just turn around and walk off.”

He said a positive reaction to a brief period when live entertainment was allowed had given him hope.

“There is an appetite for entertainment,” he said.

“As soon as our patrons couldn’t dance we had to cancel a lot of our shows, because a lot of them they were all about dancing.

“If you can’t dance all we’re doing is supplying security to keep them people in their chairs and we don’t want to do that.”

Kane’s Sport & Leisure

Typical for the owner of a sports shop, Jacqui Aeschlimann was at netball when the statewide lockdown was announced.

And rather than panic at the state of their business, they did what many others did – shopping.

“It wasn’t a panic buy,” she laughed.

“We just hadn’t shopped and we needed food.”

When she returned home, her and husband Kane sat down to figure out what they needed to do for their two shops, Kane’s Sport & Leisure in Maclean and Yamba.

“We only knew what was put out that night by the government and figured out the lockdown was more strict,” Ms Aeschlimann said.

“Last year we were able to stay open, but now a lot of the retail is just closed down.”

Kane and Jacqui Aeschlimann of Kane’s Sports and Leisure are calling for government assistance to come out to the regions.

She said government business supplements didn’t apply for most businesses in her region.

“The grant they pay out is for the three-week Sydney period, and everyone was up here trading in school holidays, so no one can apply,” she said.

“Even the JobSaver payment, you’ve got to be down, which is hard because most people had a good period last year, so there’s not a lot for businesses to get.

“My heart goes out to all those Sydney businesses, but all the assistance is for meant for that lockdown, not here.”

Ms Aeschlimann said it was disheartening to see so much activity around town while her family’s income was locked down.

“I think the definitions are still too grey,” she said.

“If you’re going to proper lockdown, I think it just should be supermarkets (and) chemists (who are open), not business who can stay open because they sell a little bit of food on top of everything else,” she said.

She said it was also disheartening to see people not adhering to Covid restrictions.

“People just aren’t taking it seriously enough, especially when it’s so hard for other people.”

Ms Aeschlimann said it would be a hard slog for the rest of the year to regain the lost ground, and hoped the lockdown would end shortly.

“Ideally it will end in another week,” she said.

“But I think what they’ve done might be a little bit too much too late,” she said.

She said the business had been going well until the most recent lockdown.

“And the shopping centre have really got on the front foot and been good coming back with the mandates about government rental assistance,” she said.

“But really, any money now comes straight from the bottom of the business.”

She said the only good thing was she and her husband had been getting to all the jobs they previously were too busy to get done.

“It’s not much, but it’s something,” she laughed.

Chatsworth Island General Store

Homemade masks take pride of place on the counter of the Chatsworth Island General Store, right alongside the coffee machine and other appliances.

Made by owner Melissa Novak’s mum, they’ve been a popular item with the locals, who get their coffee takeaway rather than lingering to enjoy the view.

“We’re normally dine in here,” owner and Melissa’s husband Michael Ryan said.

“It’s a big part of our business … we’ve got tables and people love sitting out the front looking out on the aspect of the river.”

But lockdown restrictions have taken that feature from the table.

Melissa Novak and Michael Ryan – owners of the Chatsworth Island General Store.

“We’re just trying to make the most out of takeaway coffee and food and provide a service for the community with the small grocery line-up we have,” he said.

Mr Ryan said there would be a definite downturn in their business due to the lockdown, but was glad the government left them open to still provide for their small community.

“Everyone’s in the same boat and we don’t feel different from anyone else,” he said.

“We’re very fortunate to be open and have great people around us.”

The local community has come out in force to help the small store in one of the Clarence’s smallest villages along.

Mr Ryan said he’d noticed their regulars coming for a second cup of coffee or another visit to help out.

“It’s great, it’s a beautiful community out here,” he said.

“We live at Ashby, and this whole area is like heaven for us,” he said.

Mr Ryan said the community had been a fantastic support since they took on the business recently.

“It’s a real family community out here, with a real uniqueness and that’s the way we like it,” he said.

“We were so well received when we opened, and no one wants to see the place shut – and that would never happen.”