Croquet chaos: Clubs fate in limbo following extraordinary council meeting

A 90-year-old croquet club has been dealt a hammer blow with its members facing an uncertain future in the sport after a Ballina Shire Council extraordinary meeting.

The Ballina Croquet Club has been part of an administrative and social dispute regarding its tenure and future at the Bentinck and Moon Street croquet facility.

The group has shared the facilities with the Cherry Street Croquet Club for 15 years.

The Ballina Bowling and Recreation Club which falls under the Cherry Street Sports Group recently released plans to move to a unified sub club model after securing the Crown Lands license directly

It requires croquet members to join the new affiliated structure to continue playing.

A motion brought forward by councillor Kiri Dicker to overturn the decision and let Ballina Croquet Club remain running independently at the facility was defeated.

It called for Cherry Street Sports Club to reverse its decision to restructure playing arrangements to accommodate the Ballina Croquet Club.

Club president Carolyn Reay-Young said the decision, described by Cherry Street as “purely a business decision”, does not stack up.

“It just makes no sense,” she said. “They say they’re expanding access and opening six days a week, but we’ve always been open.

“We’ve always welcomed new players. That’s nothing new.”

She said the potential loss of the club is already taking an emotional toll on members, many of who are elderly women.

“One of our players is 93. She said to me, ‘I’ll probably never play again.’ That’s heartbreaking,” Reay-Young said.

“I think older women are often invisible in communities like ours. This club is incredibly important to them.”

Ballina Bowling and Recreation Club chief executive Tere Sheehan said the lease is paid entirely by the clubs membership.

“The boards decision to terminate informal access arrangements with Ballina Croquet Club is final and will not be rescinded,” he said.

“This was made clear to the mayor before this meeting was convened when we were requested to reverse our decision.

“The decision was made after extensive consideration, legal advice and years of unsuccessful attempts to reach a sustainable and inclusive arrangement.”

Ballina mayor Sharon Cadwallader said the responsibility for management decisions and access to the lawns sits with the Cherry Street club and not with council.

“This meeting risks raising false expectations in the community, it’s suggests that council can intervene when it simply cannot,” she said.