New group plans ‘positive’ future following Clubs of Marlborough collapse

The Clubs of Marlborough hasn’t exactly burned to the ground, but a new group has risen from its proverbial ashes.

The Clubs Moving Forward Group was set up shortly after the clubs closed its doors for good, and is getting help from Community Law to become a “legal entity”.

In the meantime, every Friday night, they are having pints and raffles at the Redwood Tavern – while trying to come up with a better name.

Early contenders range from the Marlborough Cosmopolitan Club to My Club Marlborough.

The 133-year-old Blenheim Workingmen’s Club, trading as Clubs of Marlborough, closed its 16-year-old purpose-built headquarters in November due to outstanding debt and declining revenue.

The Clubs owed about $6.6m to more than 120 people or organisations. That figure was growing.

Members had loaned the Clubs close to $795,000, and staff were owed about $160,000. The Marlborough Returned and Services Association (RSA), which shared the premises, was owed about $60,000.

Liquidator Malcolm Hollis revealed in May he had appointed Bayleys to sell the former Clubs of Marlborough premises. It was thought it would take a few weeks to get the listing out.

Hollis explained last week they were still working through matters relating to the title – shared between the clubs and the RSA – and the Bridge Club lease.

Clubs Moving Forward Group chair Niel Sowry said he had been fielding questions from people about the listing, saying there was “a lot of interest” in it.

Sowry said any money left over “after debts are paid” was to be shared “three sevenths to the RSA and four sevenths to the Blenheim Workingmen’s Club”.

“If there’s four sevenths of anything left over, it needs to go to the ex-members of the workingmen’s club for a new facility … [But] if there’s nothing left, no-one gets a cent anyway,” he said.

On top of working with Community Law, they had also talked to the mayor about the council holding any money for them – should they get any – as they looked for a new permanent home.

Sowry said the group wanted a new name as the Blenheim Workingmen’s Club name had been tarnished by the Clubs of Marlborough fallout.

“People might think we’re having a second bite of the cherry; ‘we’re not going back to there again’,” Sowry said.

But the new group was being well looked after at the Redwood Tavern, with their own separate room.

He explained the “social and safety aspect” of having a club.

He said one of their members, playing “Devil’s advocate”, had asked the group “why do you need a club, why can’t you just go to the pub or restaurant”.

But some members didn’t feel safe walking into a pub on a Friday night, he said.

“[And] a restaurant owner doesn’t want us sitting there for three hours. The same, to some extent, with a pub. Some don’t buy a drink or a meal. They are there for a natter.”

A new Facebook group for the Clubs Moving Forward Group had 249 members.

“We’re trying to keep it going and establish a new organisation that people can belong to,” Sowry said. “We are not looking back because we can’t do anything. It’s looking forward and being positive.”