Miners were the lifeblood of Bulli Bowling Club when Toni Newell started behind the bar 23 years ago.
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The men were young and earned a good wage. They were good drinkers and there were plenty of them.
But then they grew older, quieter and less cashed-up, and so did the club.
‘‘It used to be a lively joint,’’ Mrs Newell said.
‘‘Now the customers are all older and retired and with not as much money to throw around. And we’re not getting the young blood through coming up the ranks.’’
After at least five years running at a loss, the club – for the past 20 years called the Bulli Bowling and Sports Club – will close for good by December 31.
The Woonona Bulli RSL Club board came to the decision on Thursday night, with general manager of both clubs, Michael Brennan, pointing to rising maintenance costs, diminishing membership, competition from other clubs and slow growth in the northern suburbs economy as contributing factors.
Details of the club’s financial decline have long been published on the noticeboard at Bulli, but the decision has still been met with disbelief among some long-timers.
‘‘The club, the people – I love it. It’s like my second family,’’ Mrs Newell said.
‘‘I’m going to come in on New Year’s Eve if they’re still open, just to say goodbye to it.’’
The RSL club had a $250,000 profit last year, but spent $160,000 of this propping up the bowling club which, with an estimated 200 members, accounted for less than 2 per cent of the total membership, Mr Brennan said.
‘‘It is a fairly clear-cut commercial decision,’’ Mr Brennan said.
‘‘The board has to act in the best interests of all 9500 members. They could no longer allow the bowling club to have a negative financial impact on the overall membership.’’
The decision does not affect the RSL club’s main premises at 455 Princes Highway, Woonona, which will continue to trade.
Mr Brennan said times were tough for bowling clubs state-wide, with 75 closing or amalgamating in the past 10 years. Thirty-two closures or amalgamations had occurred within the past four years.
Bowling club president Bernie Harding said the sport was ‘‘in jeopardy’’ due to its ageing population.
Bulli might have been reborn as a ‘‘barefoot’’ venue for more casual, non-competitive bowlers, but its position beside the highway made it tough, Mr Harding said.
The club was also in need of a pricey revamp – including a new kitchen.
‘‘At the end of the day we’re run by a club that has to survive itself,’’ he said.
‘‘They really tried their best to keep us open, but unfortunately for us, to survive we need to be taken over by a club that is able to throw money into the club to get it going again.’’
Mr Harding said he hoped all bowlers would move together to a different club – there are six in the northern suburbs.
The board has promised no job losses will result from the closure, with staff to be redeployed at the RSL club.
The club land, owned by the RSL club and zoned for recreational use, is being revalued by the bank.
Mr Brennan said the board hadn’t made any decisions on the future of the site.
