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  • Club History

The Club was originally formed at a meeting held on Wednesday 8 December 1954, under the Chairmanship of Mr. L. W. Bray.

At this meeting it was decided to form a Club, and plans were set in motion for the eventual application for a licence. Permission was obtained from the Blacktown Sub-branch of the RSL to use the existing RSL Hall for the purposes of the Club. Mr. Bray was elected President of the newly-formed Club, and remained in that position for two years, during which period a great deal of the preliminary work was done.

In 1956 Mr. W. H. Pope succeeded Mr. Bray as President, and remained in that position for three years. During this period the licence was applied for, and after a considerable amount of work, many heartbreaks and the assistance of Messrs. Pye, Stone & Shaw, the Solicitors for the Club, the licence was finally granted after extensions to the existing building were completed to satisfy the requirements of the Licensing Court.

About two days after the licence was granted the Club was in business on a very slender balance of cash at bank. The date of the original licence 9 December 1957.

Mr Pope did a very fine job during his term of office to put the Club on a very sound foundation. A lot can also be said for the committee of that period, who worked hard in a voluntary capacity to get the Club started.

Mr. C. S Goodman succeeded Mr. Pope as President and remained in that position for the next seven years. During this period it was found that plans would almost certainly have to be made to cope with the ever-increasing demand for more space to accommodate the increased membership as well as the influx of a great number of visitors.

It was decided to arrange for further extensions to the Club, and the services of Mr. Reg Fraser were obtained to proceed with the plans etc. for this purpose. The plans being completed to the satisfaction of the Committee, tenders were called for the construction of the building and the tender of Stapleton Constructions Pty Ltd was accepted. The eventual cost of the extensions was approximately £45,000.

The building was completed, and was officially opened by the President on 29 October 1960. This was thought at the time to be the beginning and end of our requirements; but time marches on and it was found that the premises were not sufficient for the needs of the Club, and it was decided to look around for a larger area to provide greater amenities for the members, and also to still greater increases in membership. After looking at several sites, it was decided to purchase a site comprising about twelve and three quarter acres quite adjacent to the Blacktown Railway Station for £80,000. Unfortunately, through this site there was a drainage easement, which ran the whole width of the area, and it cost a further £20,000 to pipe this easement, which does not describe the job adequately. It was a filthy drain and a menace to the health of all in the locality.

The cost of the new Club building, in addition to the preliminary payments, were in the vicinity of $2,200,000, which included furniture, landscaping, bowling greens and all necessary fitments. Truly an enormous undertaking.

In 1966 Mr. L Humphries took over as President and he and his committee did a very fine job in all the work at that time.

The builder, Mr. W. McNamara, his works foreman and staff had built something, which was described as the largest Club in New South Wales, if not in the whole of Australia.

A tribute must be made to Secretary-Manager Roy Morris and his staff for their part in this great achievement. In retrospect, one could not see the great progress made over such a short period of time (just a little over 10 years) and whilst, as in all cases, the leaders are mentioned, it does not detract in any way to the many fine people who are always in the background in all such things.

The Club provided at the time many forms of indoor and outdoor activities, as members desired and arrange. These included:- Indoor Carpet Bowls, Billiards and Snooker, Outdoor Bowling, Shooter Club, Fishing Club, Cricket, Tennis, Darts and Golf.

The site of the new premises for the Blacktown RSL Sub-branch Club covered an area of thirteen and one quarter acres in Second Avenue, Blacktown, approximately 500 yards away from the former Club building. Apart from the area covered by the building, an impressive double driveway up to the Club, a parking area accommodating 350 cars, two bowling greens and a sports field, had developed the site. The area of the site abuts the Blacktown-Richmond railway line, almost opposite the Blacktown Railway Station.

The new building is an imposing three-storey structure of reinforced concrete and brickwork with large window panels between external columns. The main entrance is situated on the middle level, and is approached by a wide stairway rising from the footpath level and crossing over a landscaped rock garden. A statue of a World War I soldier mounted on a granite pedestal, which was formerly situated in front of the old Club, has been re-erected in the centre of the plot in the main driveway near the main stairway.

After crossing a wide terrace which surrounded the Club on three sides at ground floor level, members entered the entrance foyer through the main doorway. The foyer had a polished marble tile floor and a circular fountain in the centre. Access to all sections of the Club was gained from the entrance foyer, although alternate entrances were available to the members via a lounge on the ground floor and the bowlers bar on the lower ground floor.

The building is fully air-conditioning throughout, and the total floor area is 80,000 sq. ft.

On Saturday 27 July 1968 the Blacktown RSL Sub-branch officially opened the new building (our current premises) at Second Avenue Blacktown. This day was marked with the presence of His Excellency Sir Arthur Roden Cutler, V.C., K.C.M.G., C.B.E

The Management, General Committee and Trustees at this time were;
President L. Humphries, Vice President W. Fogarty, Vice President E. F. Jeary, Secretary Manager R. Morris, Treasurer L. Montefiore J. Arundell, A Peachey, A Ross, G. Withers, L. Jameson, W. Norris, G. Jobling, K. McKee, E. Hudson, J. Brown, H. Cullen, C. S. Goodman, M. Atkinson, W. V. Boys, B O¡¯Connor, S. Doggett, M. J. Mooney, V. Dodd, M. Ramsey, W. Faile, R. Philpott, J. Holder, F. Wiggins, S. Calvert.

On the 24 March 1971 the Blacktown RSL Sub-branch Club was no longer and in its place was now the City of Blacktown RSL Club Limited.