Narrabeen RSL: Struggling club sold to property developer for $15.6m
It was once a popular live music venue and community hub, but a Sydney RSL club which failed to recover from Covid impacts has now sold to a property developer. Are you in the ‘last drinks’ photos?
Manly
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A once popular northern beaches’ RSL club has been sold to a property developer for more than $15 million.
Narrabeen RSL Memorial & Recreation Club, known to locals as “The Razza”, was listed for sale in July after it went into voluntary administration in early 2022.
Even though it had about 3500 members the club, which opened in Nareen Pde, North Narrabeen in 1947, had been struggling financially after being smashed by repeated Covid lockdowns.
Despite looking at options to amalgamate with other clubs on the northern beaches, or rent the premises to another organisation, owners the Narrabeen RSL sub-branch — a branch of RSL NSW — decided to sell.
The real estate agency that managed the sale, Savills Australia and New Zealand, suggested to potential buyers that the 1.88-hectare property could be transformed, after rezoning, into a residential subdivision.
Savills’ state director, Tim Grosmann, said other options included building a healthcare facility, childcare centre or “community amenities”.
The Manly Daily reported in February 2022 that the club, which had boasted a healthy live music and cocktail bar scene, had closed its doors “temporarily” because of poor turnover and a massive drop in patronage due to the pandemic.
In a message to members the club’s board of directors said, at the time, that it faced an “uncertain future”.
The club’s general manger, Tracey Mihjalovic, predicted in March 2022 that the then Coalition state government’s ongoing restrictions on singing and dancing in clubs would also spell the end for the “The Razza” — which had become a popular live music and community hub.
Its “Sunk” cocktail bar was voted the best on the Northern Beaches in 2021 by Manly Daily readers.
As the result of the Covid Omicron wave, the club had to cancel live music events including a gig by hit rock band You Am I. The club’s restaurant also had to close on occasion due to staff shortages caused by illness.
“There’s very little money coming over the bar,” Ms Mihjalovic said in February 2022. “We’re having to pay staff to stand around.
“Narrabeen RSL has tried so hard not to be a gaming venue. We really tried to move away from that and be supportive of live must and arts, but there is just no funding there.”
In its message the club’s Board of Directors stated that it was a difficult decision to “temporarily close The Razza from Sunday February 6th”.
“While we hope this isn’t farewell, we face an uncertain future.”
It went into voluntary administration soon after.
In a statement released in March 2022, RSL NSW said that, as a charity, it had a duty of care to ensure that “optimal income is achieved from its assets so that it can continue to support and provide services to veterans and current serving members of the Australian Defence Force, and their families”.
“In NSW, RSL subbranches and clubs are separate entities,” the statement read.
“RSL NSW does not benefit from the proceeds of the sale of alcohol or gambling.”
Savills confirmed that the property, which includes the 3-storey clubhouse and three lawn bowls greens, sold on October 15 to a “local developer” for $15.4m.
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