Southport Bowls Club on Gold Coast settles dispute with ex-bar manager Patty Muntz

The city’s oldest bowls club has settled a dispute with its former bar manager who was made redundant following a boardroom stoush.

THE city’s oldest bowls club has settled a dispute with its former bar manager who was made redundant following a boardroom stoush.

The Southport Bowls Club reached an out-of-court settlement in December with Patty Muntz before an arbitration hearing was due to begin in Brisbane last week under the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

Ms Muntz, who had alleged unfair dismissal, declined to comment citing confidentiality while treasurer Muir Hutchison said he could not reveal details of the settlement.

It comes before next month’s annual meeting to elect members to the board.

Former Southport Bowls Club house director Chris Brace resigned in protest after bar manager Patty Muntz (pictured right) was made redundant.

The Bulletin last year reported a turf war had broken out at the Gold Coast’s oldest bowls club after the popular Ms Muntz was retrenched.

The move came during a board meeting, which former house director Chris Brace said had taken some members completely by surprise.

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He said claims by senior club members that the redundancy was financially motivated were misleading, insisting the club had been doing well since Ms Muntz was appointed as bar manager.

Mr Brace subsequently resigned from the board along with marketing manager Scott Harris, women’s president Sue Legge and property director Adriaan van der Lee.

Southport Bowls Club treasurer Muir Hutchison. Picture: Regi Varghese

Ms Muntz, who now works at the Fishermans Wharf Tavern in Main Beach, has been replaced as bar manager by ex-real estate agent Sharon Cogill.

The Southport Bowls Club was founded in 1914 and has 550 members.