NEWSTEAD Bowling Club looks likely to merge with Orange Ex-Services’ Club, with the two clubs signing Memorandum of Understanding to merge.
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The MOU was published on the OESC website, dated Friday, December 7, 2018.
Newstead’s president Gary Norton said the club’s members would vote on the merger with OESC early in 2019, an option he considered to be in the best interests of the club.
We’ve having a vote about going into an amalgamation between Ex-Services’ and Newstead next year.
- Newstead Bowling Club’s president Gary Norton
“Discussions and negotiations with OESC have only been this year and an amalgamation takes some time to complete,” he said.
“So where Newstead is at the moment is that we’ve having a vote about going into an amalgamation between Ex-Services’ and Newstead next year.”
The union would put the future of Blayney Bowling Club – which was previously moving towards a union with Newstead and is in financial difficulty – into jeopardy.
In June Mr Norton was confident the Blayney-Newstead merger would move ahead.
“There are some people who undoubtedly think that it shouldn’t go ahead and think that Blayney should go it alone, but the reality of that is that the Blayney club isn’t in a position to stand alone,” Mr Norton said at the time.
President of the Blayney Bowling Club Steve Chapman released a statement expressing the club’s surprise at the change of plans.
“The Newstead Bowling Club and Orange Ex-Services’ Club MOU was certainly news to Blayney Bowling Club,” the statement read.
MAP: Where is the Blayney Bowling Club …
“It has given us an opportunity to reassess our own planned involvement with Newstead, that both Newstead and Blayney Bowling Clubs have been working towards for the past two years.”
Mr Chapman stated after meeting with OESC hierarchy last week, his board were exploring options for the future of the club.
“Any decision we make will be in the best interests of Blayney Bowling Club and the community,” he said.
“We thank our bowlers and social club members for their ongoing support as we work through the options we are investigating.”
Ex-Services’ CEO Daniel Perkiss said after the meeting with the board of the Blayney club they had offered support for the club to help it stay afloat.
“We are happy to lend managerial, financial and asset support to the club,” Mr Perkiss said.
“We’re in the business of helping small clubs, not in shutting them down.”
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