The ANFE (Association of Migrant Families) Italian Club in Newstead will not be absorbed into a new multi-storey development but instead has lodged a DA of its own to be rehoused in a former gymnasium nearby. The club was established 40 years ago in Wyandra St and was a first stop for arriving migrants in the 1960s, becoming a social club in the 1970s and 1980s.
Club president Maria Maruca said while the club was established in what was then a semi-light industrial area, the precinct had grown and it was time to move on. Its lease will not be renewed.
New Farm and Fortitude Valley was once a “Little Italy” full of Italian shops and delicatessens but housing developments had since grown up around it.
Now, with a decline in membership and a lack of parking spaces and disability access, the club has lodged a DA for a building housing the former Stafford Fitness Centre 8km away.
The club’s present site will be redeveloped into a residential and retail complex by Cavcorp, that will feature 129 apartments, a green wall spanning 80m in length and 15m high, and made up of 12,000 plants. The plans submitted to Brisbane City Council were approved in May.
After a refurbishment, the new Stafford clubhouse will continue to host trivia nights, card games, dance classes and broadcast football matches as well as offer food.
The club intends to reopen in its new location by mid-2024.
