Tracy Village rubbishes liquor commission’s warning of ‘real risk’ of closure due to financial woes
THE troubled Tracy Village Social and Sports Club has refuted a suggestion by the Liquor Commission it is at risk of imminent closure, saying it’s here to stay.
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THE troubled Tracy Village Social and Sports Club (TVSSC) has refuted a suggestion by the Liquor Commission it is at risk of imminent closure, saying it’s here to stay.
The club had objected to the approval of an application to open a “family friendly” tavern at the new Breezes commercial precinct in Muirhead, saying the increased competition would impact the struggling venue’s bottom line.
The commission heard that TVSSC was already in a “weaker” position than the defunct Palmerston Sports Club before its shock closure in 2019. It found that while the new development would likely reduce TVSSC’s profitability, it was already on the brink of financial ruin anyway.
“The commission finds that in fact the evidence about the circumstances of the Palmerston Sports Club Incorporated goes to support the finding that closure of the TVSSC is a very real risk which could occur at any time with or without the substitution of the proposed premises being granted,” the decision reads.
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“This is a risk that the TVSSC are going to have to address with or without an establishment like Breezes being permitted.”
But TVSSC manager Robyn Kelleher said the commission’s findings were simply “not true” and the club was in a much better position than before it went into voluntary administration in 2018 and was then forced to close its doors at the height of the coronavirus crisis.
“We’re doing better than we’ve ever done and as I said to somebody, if anybody could survive, it’s us, we've been through so much,” she said.
“Before COVID we were in administration and we came out of that.”
Ms Kelleher said, despite her objections, even after the Breezes tavern opened the club’s future was assured.
“It will be a challenge, it wasn’t just us fighting, it was the Cas Club as well but we’ll just keep on going,” she said.
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In giving Breezes’ owners Justin Coleman and Steve Dugan the green light to transfer their existing licence from former Mitchell Street nightspot Globies, the commission found the new venue would be “very different and have a clear focus on families”.
“The proposed premises are impressive and clearly are geared to cater to a market of ‘families’ in the local community area,” the decision reads.
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