Members of the Kialla Golf Club have voted in favour of amalgamating with the Shepparton Club.
Shepparton Club general manager Wayne Sutton said the two clubs have had a long-standing relationship, with Shepparton providing sponsorship and support over the years.
“When I first started here, Kialla Golf Club was a small country golf club that came to me to find out whether we could help them out in any way,” said Shepparton Club general manager Wayne Sutton.
“Being a smaller club, we did that in terms of providing meal vouchers, trophies, and as part of our sponsorship, everyone that was a member of Kialla Golf Club also became a social member of Shepparton Club.”
But as committee numbers dwindled and fewer younger members got involved, conversations around amalgamation began.
“One of their biggest concerns has been that they can’t see what the future brings,” Sutton said.
“There are no younger people coming on to join committees. There’s no one putting their hand up to help out.”
Sutton said Shepparton Club will take over operational and financial management of Kialla’s facilities, while guaranteeing the golf club’s long-term future under a new memorandum of understanding.
“We’re creating an MOU that will pretty much guarantee that the land can’t be sold,” he said.
“It’s two-fold: we’re able to guarantee their future going forward, and we’ve now got a facility that our existing membership base will be introduced to the game of golf.”
He added one of the club’s key reassurances was that Kialla Golf Club’s business model would remain intact. Describing Kialla as “iconic to country Australia”, Sutton said the club stood out for its strong community spirit and volunteer base.
“It’s more like an enlarged Men’s Shed,” he said.
“That’s where the guys can come out mow the grass, fix machinery, do different odds and ends. The ladies get involved too – they work in the bar, they’ve all got their RSAs, [and] they help in the kitchen.
“We’re fortunate that we’ve still got that, so it’s an exciting part for us.”
While some small improvements will be made over time, Sutton said the focus for now is on providing support, with plans to eventually assign some staff to help grow the business side of operations and ease the administrative burden on volunteers.
“There’ll be little things done initially, but I think it’s more about that handshake and camaraderie, so they know they’ve got someone behind them now,” he said.
The amalgamation is expected to be finalised before the end of the financial year.