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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The group has shared the facilities with the Cherry Street Croquet Club for 15 years.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
It requires croquet members to join the new affiliated structure to continue playing.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It called for Cherry Street Sports Club to reverse its decision to restructure playing arrangements to accommodate the Ballina Croquet Club.<\/p>\n
Club president Carolyn Reay-Young said the decision, described by Cherry Street as \u201cpurely a business decision\u201d, does not stack up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just makes no sense,\u201d she said. \u201cThey say they\u2019re expanding access and opening six days a week, but we\u2019ve always been open.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019ve always welcomed new players. That\u2019s nothing new.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the potential loss of the club is already taking an emotional toll on members, many of who are elderly women.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our players is 93. She said to me, \u2018I\u2019ll probably never play again.\u2019 That\u2019s heartbreaking,\u201d Reay-Young said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think older women are often invisible in communities like ours. This club is incredibly important to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ballina Bowling and Recreation Club chief executive Tere Sheehan said the lease is paid entirely by the clubs membership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boards decision to terminate informal access arrangements with Ballina Croquet Club is final and will not be rescinded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was made clear to the mayor before this meeting was convened when we were requested to reverse our decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision was made after extensive consideration, legal advice and years of unsuccessful attempts to reach a sustainable and inclusive arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis meeting risks raising false expectations in the community, it\u2019s suggests that council can intervene when it simply cannot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n