The Weston Creek Labor Club and Weston Creek Bowling Club greens. Photo: WCLC.
Speculation is rife that the Weston Creek Labor Club will close its doors after Christmas to make way for a childcare development on the Stirling site, with the bowling club greens also to go.
Weston Creek Bowling Club president Michael Thornton told Region the club committee wrote to the Canberra Labor Club to clarify the situation after being notified the existing bowling greens were no longer included in the long-term plans for the site, but had not received a reply.
The Canberra Labor Club successfully applied to add a childcare centre to the Crown lease in 2023, the application providing three development options taking up one of the three greens.
Mr Thornton said it was believed that a proposal was now in train to redevelop the entire 15,760 square metre site.
“Years ago they put to us that they’ll put up a childcare centre on one of the greens and they showed us the photos and then we just never heard anything again from it so we thought they canned it but maybe that was the heads up,” he said.
But it will face stiff competition in the area with three childcare centres at or close to the nearby Rivett shops.
The letter had acknowledged that there may be broader redevelopment intentions for the location, “whether that be a new club, residential units, aged care, childcare or other community infrastructure”.
It asked whether space might be retained for at least one or two synthetic bowling greens or if the Labor Club could help relocate the bowls club, which has about 120 members from across Woden, Weston Creek and Molonglo.
The letter urgently sought confirmation that it could continue to host events at the Weston Creek site in the short to medium term.
Mr Thornton, who has been a member since 1986, said word of the post-Christmas closure was mentioned at a meeting of Bowls ACT on Sunday night.
He said the Canberra Labor Club was expected to confirm the closure at a meeting with Weston Creek Labor Club staff on Wednesday (2 July) night.
The Canberra Labor Club bought the Weston Creek Football Club in 2001.
It is not known how the Weston Creek Club is faring financially but two months ago it removed 20 or more poker machines, which Mr Thornton said would have been a hit to revenue.
“Andrew Barr said get rid of all the poker machines, but did he say get rid of the bloody bowling greens as well?” Mr Thornton said.
He said the club usually made a lot of money in the lead-up to Christmas and he expected that afterwards the Canberra Labor Club would close the doors.
Losing the Labor Club would be a blow to the Weston Creek community and the loss of the bowling club would hit mostly elderly members particularly hard.
“We’ve got members that are over 90, that are over 80 and 70 and so on, but this is where they socialise, they’re going to end up in their houses,” he said.
Mr Thornton said that if his club folded that would leave just four others and possibly mean the end of Bowls ACT, because Bowls NSW would take over.
Yowani closed recently, leaving Belconnen, Canberra North, City (Forrest) and Tuggeranong.
Mr Thornton said it was well known that City had received a $65 million offer for its land.
The Canberra Labor Club bought the former Weston Creek Football Club in 2001 but remained a sponsor.
Comment was sought from the Canberra Labor Club.
