Green light for Wests Illawarra merger

The club was the last to vote, with Corrimal Leagues Club members unanimously agreeing to go ahead with the merger last Thursday and Port Kembla Golf Club members voting in support 180 to six the previous week.

The partnership will ensure the survival of Corrimal Leagues Club, which earlier this year faced liquidation, owing creditors more than $1 million.

Clubs gamble on facelifts, fine food and chooks

Wests Illawarra has been providing management services to Corrimal Leagues Club for several months and was already returning a small profit.

Port Kembla Golf Club broke even last year after a long period of losing money but members were keen to merge with the bigger club to ensure its survival in the future.

Wests chief executive officer Luke Walker said more than 200 of the 233 Wests members voted for each proposal to go ahead.

The club will now lodge a formal amalgamation application to the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing. It can take between three and six months for approval to be granted but Mr Walker expected the submission would be given the OK.

‘‘In the meantime, what we’re able to do is anything that doesn’t require capital investments, anything that sits in our business plans of an intangible nature, such as cost controls, marketing and promotions; we can start applying the Wests management nuance to those businesses without spending capital,’’ he said.

Mr Walker said the amalgamation would ensure the Port Kembla and Corrimal clubs remained sustainable, and would diversify the income and offerings of Wests.

Wests’ members voted following the club’s annual general meeting, where the club reported its highest-ever profit of $3.1million.

Although Wests will take over the clubs, Mr Walker said they would be operated more as a partnership.