AFTER a decade of growing debt and difficult setbacks, Horsham Golf Club officials are confident of a brighter future.
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The club is calling on the greater community to help raise $300,000 by its self-set deadline of Sunday to avoid the potential of going into administration. The club is in $1.4 million debt.
More than $160,000 has already been raised since last Thursday.
Club president Leo Delahunty called on the community to contribute.
“We have set this date and we have some statutory obligations that we need to meet. We’ve got to protect ourselves and the club,” he said.
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“The worst case scenario is that we don’t achieve the amount of support that we’ve asked for and the club goes into administration.
“This fundraising is about us taking keeping control of what our future is rather than somebody else having control.”
In 2009 the club faced significant losses when its clubhouse and vegetation were destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires.
The club received $1 million from the state government to go towards the rebuilding of its facilities. It was also a part of a class action lawsuit.
Mr Delahunty said complications in the court process resulted in the club getting less money than what was expected.
“The club did not receive as much in the way of grants as was indicated and it did not achieve as much out of the class action as it was suggested it would achieve,” he said.
“But it was encouraged to take certain actions including building the clubhouse before these things were finalised.”
Mr Delahunty became president of the board in November 2017. Along with his appointment, a new board was elected with younger members.
He said the new board’s main goal had been to look into and improve the club’s financial situation.
“We tackled the financial management process, and it took some time to get on top of that. It was a massive reconstruction of finances,” he said.
“From the end of November to June 2018, we turned the club’s financial situation around by around $120,000, but it still isn’t good enough.”
If you wish to donate to the Horsham Golf Club’s fundraising campaign, you can contact the administrator on 5382 1615.
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