Page 13: Kooyong Tennis Club drops $800K on wagyu steaks, as missing money plot thickens
Kooyong Tennis Club’s “missing” money saga continues, with the latest development exposing the eye-watering sum spent on wagyu steaks for its members.
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The hits just keep coming at Kooyong with the latest having the tennis club employing 21 chefs and spending $800,000 on Wagyu beef to keep its members happy.
These eye-opening claims have been raised in a letter written by the Kooyong for Members group who are agitating for change at the embattled institution which has long been the gathering place of Melbourne’s who’s who.
The group, which comprises influential Kooyong members, says they gained the information about mind-blowing catering expenses when they met the club’s board to discuss concerns about the handling of the recent financial scandal.
“The board also shared the findings that: i) the club paid in the order of $800,000 for Wagyu beef in the 2023 financial year [August 2022-July 2023] and; ii) at one stage the club was employing 21 chefs,” the Kooyong for Members letter states.
The beef extravagance came in the 2023 financial year when the club reported a $2.4 million loss from its hospitality operations.
Kooyong president Darren O’Loughlin sent a letter to members on Thursday saying the board recognised the need for “substantial change and improvement in the operational aspects of the business.
“Since being advised in September 2023 of the extent of the financial loss, the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club Board has had to confront the fact that not all the necessary checks and balances were in place to promptly identify inadequate financial management practices,” O’Loughlin said.
He added that “every part of the Club’s operations is being meticulously reviewed”.
We hope that also involves taking Wagyu beef off the menu. Although one member did point out to Page 13: “I’ll tell you something weird – I have only seen Wagyu in the menu once in the past two years.”
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