GREENER PASTURES; Orange City Bowling Club.
The newly elected chairman of Orange City Bowling Club board Garry Marriage has hit back at comments from the former treasurer about the incoming board lacking experience.
Mr Marriage said the board had appropriate experience and would recover from a debt of over $238,000.
At the club’s annual general meeting on Sunday all but two members of the board were voted out after it was revealed the club had fallen so far into debt.
“The financial stability of the club is almost guaranteed,” Mr Marriage said.
However Mr Marriage could not say how long it would take the not-for-profit organisation to get back into the black.
“If there’s an error, a time factor is very difficult to say,” he said.
He would not comment on how the club went from a $23,000 surplus in 2011 to a $230,000 debt in 12 months except to say some of the loss was due to an increase in wages, the construction of an outdoor smoking area, new compressors for the air-conditioning system and the replacement of some poker machines.
“I am open to everyone and I would like to explain everything but I can’t because of insurance matters,” he said.
“All I can say is there was an increase in administration costs due to the normal structure of things.”
He said all bar staff would keep their jobs.
Mr Marriage rejected a suggestion by former treasurer Bob Lambert that the incoming board lacked the experience needed to lead the club.
Mr Marriage was the chairman of the board from 1989 to 1992.
He said three board members have previously served as chairman, one as a secretary manager and two were successful businessmen. The club would recover and improve from here on in he said.
“I can honestly see a slight rejuvenation in patronage,” he said.
“Things will just improve I can’t see anything else but improvement.”
He believed after Sunday’s annual general meeting club members walked away optimistic about the club’s future.