Malua Bay club reopening to provide ‘closure’ for fire-scarred community
When the Malua Bay Bowling Club burnt down in the Black Summer fires, residents lost a place to gather and connect. Its reopening last week was, for many, a symbol of new beginnings.
The South Coast News
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When the Black Summer bushfires tore through the South Coast town of Malua Bay it left homes, schools and a clubhouse in ruins - and residents without a place to gather and reconnect. That is about to change.
For former resident Zoe Simmons, the loss of the Malua Bay Bowling Club was a traumatic one.
The writer and vocalist had planned on attending the club while visiting her family when the fire tore through the town in December 2019.
“It’s very hard to see everything you’ve ever known burn,” she said.
“My school was burnt down, my favourite club was burnt down. It impacted so many people in the community.
“It really broke my heart.”
Relocating to the Malua Bay area when she was 16, Ms Simmons fondly remembers the former bowling club.
The then-aspiring vocalist had her first ever experience with public singing at the club’s karaoke section, alongside her mother.
“I would go with my mum to the karaoke, and then later with my friends,” she said.
“My mother was the karaoke queen, so I grew up singing all the time. We’d even go there and play dress ups to some of the songs, in Halloween costumes or in YMCA outfits. We made it our own personal entertainment centre.
“There was even a karaoke bus, as we like to call it. I don’t know if they called it that, but my mum did.
“The club had heart and soul. There was a real sense of community and compassion, everyone was just so supportive.”
In the wake of the club’s destruction, owner Cabra Bowls Group looked to rebuilding the site, but ran into hurdles.
“We burned down on December 31, and then in March 2020, there was the pandemic,” CEO Jay Porter said.
“Then after lockdowns, the rains hit.
“It took longer than we anticipated, but we are rapt with the result.”
The new Club Malua opened its doors to the public last week.
Despite not advertising the launch, Mr Porter said there were people lined up outside, ready to go when trading began.
“I talked to one of the people waiting, and she said the reopening finally gave her closure,” he said.
“And, that’s exactly what a club means to the local community.
“People are really thankful to have it back.”
Located on the site of the old club, the new Club Malua will feature a larger operating space, with modern amenities, a new kid’s room, and additional bar and food experiences.
Despite relocating to Victoria, Ms Simmons said she’d be making the journey back to the South Coast to visit the club.
“The opening means we get a sense of normalcy back,” she said.
“It feels like we’ve been in this horrible nightmare of trauma for the past couple of years, especially when that has been compounded by the pandemic. There’s a feeling among people that they’ve been forgotten.
“So, it’s great we get something nice out of everything awful that has happened.”
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