Narrabeen RSL: Amalgamation plan will see minnow club swallowed by giant Manly Leagues

Revealed: The Manly Leagues Club has thrown a lifeline to members of a financially troubled RSL, but what does it mean for the smaller club?

Members of the financially-troubled Narrabeen RSL Club — which was forced to shut it doors in February — have been thrown a lifeline by the giant Manly Leagues Club.

Manly Leagues has offered to amalgamate with the small, but popular, “Razza” and take its members under its wing after it went into voluntary administration five months ago.

But there’s a catch.

The Manly Leagues Club at Brookvale has put its hand up to amalgamate with the financially troubled Narrabeen RSL Club. Picture: Braden Fastier.

Under the proposed deal, which members of both clubs will have to vote on, the Narrabeen RSL Memorial and Recreation Club’s “corporate entity will be dissolved” and its members will be part of an amalgamated club based at Brookvale.

The amalgamated club will be called “Manly Leagues Club”.

And the RSL club premises at North Narrabeen, will remain empty until its owner, the Narrabeen RSL Sub-branch — part of RSL NSW — lease the premises to another club entity.

In February the Manly Daily reported that the RSL club, a popular live music venue and community hub, decided to close “temporarily” because its turnover has been smashed by the Covid pandemic.

The amalgamation will allow the once popular RSL Club’s creditors to be paid and save the club from being “liquidated”. Picture: Supplied

Then in March it announced it had gone into voluntary administration and that the appointed administrator, Adam Shepard, would look at ways to get money owed to the club’s creditors and employees. Mr Shepard has the powers to sell, close the club’s business, or sell individual assets.

At the same time, RSL NSW said it would look for a new leaseholder to operate a club at the premises.

Prior to the doors closing, Narrabeen RSL sub-branch, a branch of the returned war veterans’ charity, had been in rent negotiations with the club.

In an effort to prevent the club, which had a thriving live music and cocktail bar scene before Covid, from being “liquidated” Mr Shepard called for expressions of interest from other registered clubs interested in amalgamating with Narrabeen RSL.

The Sunk cocktail bar at Narrabeen RSL. The club had a thriving live music and bar scene prior to Covid. Picture: Supplied

Manly Leagues Club was the only club to register an interest.

As part of the proposed amalgamation, Manly Leagues would provide $390,000 to pay out the RSL club’s creditors and cover the cost of the voluntary administration.

The remaining assets of the RSL club “will be combined with the assets of the Manly Leagues Club”, according to a notice of an extraordinary meeting sent to club members.

“Manly Leagues Club will continue as the “amalgamated club” under the control of its board of directors while the RSL club’s “corporate entity” will be “dissolved”, the notice stated.

Members of the RSL club would be “invited to become ordinary members” of Manly Leagues Club without having to pay the current annual subscription or entrance fees.

Staff at the "last drinks" at the Narrabeen RSL Club on February 6, 2022 before it closed its doors and went into Voluntary Administration a month later. Picture: Narrabeen RSL Club

Manly Leagues would also “maintain the traditions and memorabilia” of Narrabeen RSL; support community groups that were helped by the RSL club and; take control of the RSL’s 24 pokies.

Mr Shephard said on Monday that the amalgamation was the best proposal in the interests of the RSL club members and the club’s creditors.

“It is an alternative to just simply liquidating the club,” he said.

“Liquidation is not in the best interests of anyone.”

In March RSL NSW said that, as a charity, it had a duty of care to “ensure that optimal income is achieved” to support and provide services to veterans and current serving members of the Australian Defence Force, and their families.

The Narrabeen RSL Sub-branch, the club’s owner, is hoping to lease the empty premises to another “club entity”. Picture: Manly Daily

In a statement RSL NSW said on Monday that the sub-branch has engaged property agents CBRE to “secure a new lease with a club entity so that the facility at Nareen Pde, North Narrabeen can reopen to the public”.

In a statement Manly Leagues Club said if the amalgamation was approved — by the members of Narrabeen RSL as well as the members of Manly Leagues Club —the corporate entity would be “Manly Leagues Club”.

Manly Leagues chief executive officer Julien Bova said this entity would hold three separate club licenses – including Dee Why Bowling Club which recently amalgamated with Manly Leagues.

Mr Bova confirmed that the bowling club would continue to operate under its name with long-term commitments to keep the Club open and supporting bowls.

“While we do not have any immediate plans to re-open Narrabeen RSL, if the amalgamation is approved we do intend on negotiating with the RSL Sub Branch in the hopes of re-opening the Club in the future, “ Mr Julien Bova said.

“At that point, all members of the Amalgamated Club, including Narrabeen RSL and Dee Why Bowling Club members, will have access to all three clubs.”

The meeting of Narrabeen RSL club members is scheduled for 6pm at Mona Vale Bowling Club on Monday, August 29.