The Wagga Wagga Commercial Club has closed its doors for good today after years of ongoing losses and the current economic climate due to Covid-19.
The Board and Management announced this morning that this is the right decision to make in light of their financial situation but acknowledged that this would be a sad occasion for the community.
“Unfortunately the Commercial Club as a standalone business hasn’t been that successful over the years, and that coupled with the unpredictable climate that we are currently in it gave us a really good opportunity to extensively review the current operations and after much deliberation the Board and the management decided it was the best option” said Jo Thomas, the Marketing Manager with the RSL.
While they acknowledge that this is a tough decision for the community and the 26,000 members of the RSL and Commercial Club the decision had to be made to protect the RSL which is currently still operational.
“Obviously the future growth and protection of the RSL club is our main objective and we really thought that we needed to make that decision, even though it was tough" said Ms Thomas.
The Commercial Club was thrown a lifeline in 2009 when they agreed to merge with the RSL who subsequently invested more than $2 million into the venue.
Due to Covid-19 the Commercial Club has been closed since March, but up until today the aim was always to reopen the Gurwood Street venue.
Hear the full chat with Jo Thomas here: