THE former president of the Borenore Community Sports and Social Club Kevin Duffy denies the railway station has been out of bounds for the rest of the village community.
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The lease is still in the name of the club, but Mr Duffy said he contacted country regional network managers John Holland Rail and asked to end the lease by the end of this month - now pushed back to mid-August.
“We let other people use it on a regular basis ... it was never a closed shop,” he said.
“[But] there hasn’t been much recent use at all.”
Cabonne councillor Lachie MacSmith said no one had been able to use the station “for some time” while the club had control and he hoped a progress association would be able to take over the lease.
He said he did not know of anyone else in the community involved in the social club, but Mr Duffy said he was not the only key holder to the station.
Mr Duffy said the club had folded last year because “everyone’s had enough”, but said it wasn’t due to declining membership with the group peaking at one point with 20 to 30 members.
“It just disappeared,” he said.
“We haven’t met [at the station] for ages.”
He said the club took on the lease in 1999 when Cabonne Council no longer wanted to look after the station.
“Council should have never let it go,” he said.
“When it first happened the railway was going to be knocked down and a few in the community wanted to keep it.”
Mr Duffy said he could not recall the last time he had stayed overnight at the station.
“I don’t care who gets it, as long as it’s a local government organisation looking after it,” he said.
He also couldn’t remember how much annual rent the club paid, but said it was a “significant amount” for the small group and they also looked after the site and preserved the railway station.
“We’ve probably spent $120,000 on tanks, a septic, toilets and lights,” he said.
“It hasn’t happened over night.
“The tennis court is not in a bad way, it’s just not maintained.
“Not many people play tennis these days.”
As for the future, when the lease ends Mr Duffy said he would not be involved in the station as he no longer had the time.
He will take his personal photos and those belonging to the club from the building’s walls.
clare.colley@fairfaxmedia.com.au
