Canberra’s club community came together in record numbers on Monday night to celebrate its biggest night of the year, the 2025 ClubsACT Clubs & Community Awards, recognising the vital role local clubs play in supporting sport, culture and community across the territory.
Held at the Hellenic Club, the gala dinner brought together more than 300 attendees and received the most entries in its history, shining a spotlight on the people, programs and partnerships driving positive change across the ACT.
Among the biggest winners was Vikings Group, which took home the coveted Heart of the Community Club for the large clubs category. The group also received the Celebrating Diversity and Social Inclusion for its Kids in Sports program, as well as the Grassroots Sports and Inclusion award.
“As any group and any community club here, it really is about the grassroots and the community,” Vikings Group vice president Ryan Slater said.
“The Kids in Sports project really made it possible for us do that and build from the bottom up.”
The Harmonie German Club was another standout, claiming multiple honours, including Heart of the Community Club for the small clubs category and the Canberra Hospital Foundation’s Cook for a Cause competition for its Rinderhaxe. The club also received a highly commended for the Arts and Culture category for its popular German markets.
“We’re a club proud to be serving food and beverages, and gaming and that’s why we’ve got 6,000 happy members … because they want clubs, they don’t want us diversifying into childcare units … what we do is hospitality,” Harmonie German Club CEO Paul Burgess said.
The evening also paid tribute to industry stalwart Anthony Ratcliffe, who retired this year after four decades of service in the industry, including 27 years with Eastlake Group.
Another moment that drew warm applause came from Eastlake Group’s Charlotte Bailey, a nominee in the Young People’s Award category for the 2025 Australian Human Rights Award, recognised for her advocacy around inclusive employment for people living with disability.
“Being a part of the Eastlake community is just awesome,” she said.
“It’s important for people with disability to work so they can earn money. I work so I can save all special trips or special clothes … That is very important to me, because without work, I don’t have money, so I can’t socialise like everyone else. You need money to be able to go out and to be part of the community.”
In his closing remarks, ClubsACT CEO Craig Shannon praised the unity and resilience of the club industry, highlighting its importance amid an independent inquiry into the clubs industry.
“This industry is more unified than it’s been in a very long time, and that’s because we face very tough times as an industry,” he said.
“It’s important you understand what role this industry plays in the social cohesion and the economy the ACT, because unfortunately, if clubs are not here tomorrow, people will start to notice that.”
Shannon emphasised the distinction between community-based and profit-driven organisations, reminding attendees of the values that underpin Canberra’s club culture.
“The difference between for-profit and community focus, and why we’re all in this room, is because at the end of the day, our community is more important to us than the dollar,” he said. “The work that you are doing every single day out there to prosecute the case the Canberra community, in all of its magnificent, varied ways, is why we are celebrating that tonight.”
Club Management attended the ClubsACT 2025 Clubs & Community Awards as a guest.