THANK THE CLUBS FOR MUSIC

Why don’t we have more entertainment in restaurants or venues, we hear this complaint regularly at de Groots Media. Maybe not since since Dimitris’s Five Doors closed many years ago.Pubs have the reputation for having some good entertainment but nothing like the Clubs and they cater for ALL ages. If you want to see good entertainment, look no further than the CLUBS. Campbelltown Catholic Club’s decision to build a $16m entertainment centre has helped secure it duel wins for best Club Entertainment and best Club Function Venue at the ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence.The past year has proven a record for club entertainment with NSW clubs putting on more than 75,000 live shows. The construction of the 1,200 seat capacity CUBE at Campbelltown Catholic Club has allowed big name acts such as Sneaky Sound System, The Living End and Natalie Bassingwaighte to perform in Sydney’s south west. MOUNTIES in nearby Fairfield Liverpool has also dramatically upped its focus on entertainment and in particular live entertainment. The club last year spent $1.6m on entertainment, with 90% going on live entertainment. The focus on entertainment is particularly strong in regional areas with MITTAGONG RSL spending $100,000 upgrading its auditorium with the latest lighting and sound technology so they can feature bigger name acts. Coffs Ex-Services Club has increased attendance at shows by 25% by focusing on lifting the quality of entertainment acts and introducing bi-monthly candlelight dinner show packages. Small clubs are also increasing their live music budgets. Cardiff RSL has increased its budget by 60% this year, resulting in a large increase in club numbers. CLUB OLD BAR on the far north coast last year spent $3million upgrading their auditorium, installing a state of the art stage and sound system so they could attract larger, more high quality acts for their younger members. ClubsNSW CEO David Costello said the NSW club industry has long be

2010 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE- who are the BEST CLUBS

At a gala dinner at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday night, DEE WHY RSL won awards for Outstanding Human Resource Management, Outstanding Club Governance & Innovation, Best Club Gaming Venue and of course Large Club of the Year. Dee Why RSL has won the Large Club of the Year award for the second time in three years, and in the process confirmed Sydney’s Clubland has moved from its western suburbs heartland to the sand and surf of the northern beaches. The ARMIDALE BOWLING CLUB has earned a place in club history, winning back to back the title of Small Club of the Year, at the ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence Friday evening. It’s the third time the Club has taken out the Industry’s top award, having won the same award in 2005. Armidale was the biggest winner of the night, walking away with 6 awards, easily outperforming some of the State’s biggest clubs BINGARA RETURNED SERVICEMANS CLUB showed true spirit winning the Spriit of the Bush Award. Half way between Sydney and Brisbane, located on the Gwydir River in the stunning New England region lays the true spirit of the bush. The Club has beaten out more than 300 small regional clubs, and in the process won $5,000 for their nominated local charity. CLUB OLD BARtook out the hugely important award for best Club Entertainment, with the Club’s decision to upgrade its 450 seat auditorium winning over both members and the award judging panel. COFFS EX-SERVICES CLUBwon 3 of the club industry’s most prestigious awards Demonstrating just how far it has progressed in recent years, the Club was rewarded for an outstanding 2009 with wins for Outstanding Financial Management, best Club Restaurant and best Club Keno.

REVESBY WORKERS MOONEY MOONEY CLUB CHEFS TABLE

Revesby Workers’ Club is thrilled to announce their talented chefs, Michael Armstrong and Peter Clark from the Mooney Mooney Club have been selected as one of only twelve pairs to reach the final of the ClubsNSW ‘Chef’s Table 2010’ culinary competition. The ‘Chef’s Table 2010 – awarding culinary innovation’ competition was created by ClubsNSW to award and recognise the many talented and creative chefs and cooks within clubs in New South Wales. Now in its sixth year, this popular competition is open to teams of 2 cooks of any level, working for the same club, who together can create the most innovative three course menu within a specified budget. After previous successful Finals Events, the teams will once again be judged on the execution of their menu; including preparation of the dishes, taste, presentation and keeping within the budget guidelines. Their menu will be created for a minimum of 20 guests, which will include a team of 3 judges and will be hosted at Mooney Mooney. Winners of the overall competition will be announced at the ClubsNSW Awards of Excellence presentation and dinner in Sydney in May 2010. Mooney Mooney Club is a major success story with its food second to none, it has been receiving amazing reviews about the quality, taste and service, if you haven’t visited it should definitely go on your list of things to do. “We are so proud of our chefs for getting this far” says Monique Fors, Mooney Mooney Club Manager. “I would like to wish them the best of luck in the next phase of this great challenge”. RWC is very proud of Michael and Peter’s efforts in reaching the finals. Let it be noted that this is the first time the Mooney Mooney Chefs have entered this competition, last year our Revesby Workers’ chefs had made the finals. We look forward to welcoming you at Mooney Mooney, so you can experience first-hand their high level of culinary skills and see why RWC is the best place in town for your next meal or event.

EPPING CLUB INDUCTED TO NSW TOURISM HALL OF FAME

After having been recognised for the last three years as the "Best Registered Club in NSW", The Epping Club has now been inducted into the very prestigious Hall of Fame within the NSW Tourism Awards. This award has seen the club recognised for its outstanding achievements and is only presented to winners who have won the same category for three years in succession. The Epping Club offers a range of experiences that focus on business tourism, special events and hospitality. Club President David Taylor accepted the award and said “we feel honoured to have won this prestigious award but at the same time believe it is recognition for all the planning, promoting and customer service efforts we have prepared for as we have remained innovative and competitive within the NSW Club Market”.

THE BEST IN CLUB ENTERTAINMENT ON THIS SITE SOON!

de Groots Best Clubs is proud to announce that you will soon be able to find out about all the fantastic entertainment on offer in some of the best clubs around Australia. Both the young and young at heart are experiencing an audience with some of the most loved names in showbiz from the yesteryear and today. www.bestclubs.com.au will soon be the easiest place to find all the latest on live bands, comedians, crooners, magicians and much much more! Many of our clubs also offer pre-show dining specials, making your evening a complete night out!

CLUBS NSW ANNOUNCE 2010 CHEF'S TABLE FINALISTS

A new list of top 12 finalists has been announced for the culinary competition, ‘Chef’s Table 2010 – awarding culinary innovation’. Unfortunately, due to unforseeen circumstances, Club Saphire Merimbula has had to pull out of the competition, giving the Epping Club the opportunity to compete as one of the 12 finalist teams. Chefs Table is created by ClubsNSW to award and recognise the many talented and creative chefs and cooks within clubs in New South Wales. The new list announced Monday 8 February is: FINALISTS Campbelltown Catholic Club - Cain Nightingale & Darren Neate / Canterbury League Club - Girolamo Battiato & Alex Wong / City Tattersalls Club (Team 1) - Kellie-Ann Travers & Elizabeth O'Brien / City Tattersalls Club (Team 2) - Andrew Dunn & Peter Edwards / Club Sapphire Tura - Stuart Walsh & Michael Pope / Commercial Club (Albury) - Ben Thornton & Mick Bath / Elanora Country Club - Paul Sanders & Christopher Devine / Mittagong RSL Club - Roland Nestler & Bradley Stokes / Mooney Mooney Club on the Hawkesbury - Michael Armstrong & Peter Clark / The Epping Club - Gina Lee & Amy Yelland / Tweed Heads Bowls Club - David Carolan & Jonathan Aussieker / Western Suburbs Leagues Club - Newcastle - Ben Collins & Matthew Houlison / The finals for Chef’s Table will take place on-site at each of the finalist clubs listed above between Monday, 8 February and Wednesday, 31 March 2010. Winners of the NSW Chef’s Table will be announced at the Awards for Excellence presentation and dinner on Friday, 4 June 2010. Tickets for the Awards for Excellence will be on sale from April 2010. EDITOR: Clubs NSW January 2010.

EASTS LEAGUES QLD WIN NATIONAL CHEFS TABLE 2009

At the National Chefs Table Awards in September 2009 at the Viking Club in Canberra, two very talented chefs Shannon Saint and Kate Cunningham from Easts Leagues won this prestigious gold medal. The win was the second major prize for the Club in two years, having also taken out the Queensland Club of the Year award in 2008. Not surprisingly, Easts was named the Club of the Year in part for its food which is a not so well kept secret in and around Brisbane. The pair from the Easts Leagues Club, and who are already crowned Queensland’s best chef pairing, narrowly defeated chefs Peter Edwards and Crystal Jones from Sydney’s City Tattersals Club, the later who managed to win the Best Food and Wine Match award for their Scallop and Semillon match. But it was the Queensland pair who had judges, lead by celebrity chef Peter Howard, shaking their heads in amazement at the creativity and taste of their 3 course offering. The pair’s winning menu offered a seafood tasting plate as a starter. It featured Spanna crab and pumpkin torte with a crisp seaweed salad and roasted capsicum hollandaise; pan-seared scallop placed on a cream corn puree with shellfish oil and finished with a sweet potato wafer and a crisp onion and charred salad; and, a Mooloolaba prawn cutlet with pancetta on a disc of rosti potato with a crunchy Asian flaw and gremolata. For the main course, veal tenderloin was served with foie gras on a tower of whipped potato, braised ox tail, and wilted spinach, finished with wild mushrooms and a Madeira glaze. Dessert was a white chocolate mousse infused with soft caramel on a vanilla shortbread and finished with dark chocolate and served with vanilla bean parfait, espresso foam, and toffee macadamia nuts. So popular is the Club that a regular week features everything from weddings to product launches, birthdays to seminars, and engagement parties to training sessions. Clubs Australia Chairman Peter Newell said club chefs winning major culinary awar

MOUNTIES WINS BEST LARGE CLUB OF THE YEAR 2009

MOUNTIES IS THE CLUB OF THE YEAR A club with more than 500 staff but where staff turnover is almost zero percent and virtually no one calls in sick to work, has won the Industry’s top award, the ClubsNSW Large Club of the Year. The Mounties Club, which is located on the border of Fairfield and Liverpool is no stranger to success, and has been winning national awards for a decade for its inventive and supportive HR strategies. Mounties spends an average of almost $4,000 on each of its staff each year, ensuring 100% of staff have some level of formal certification. Such is the popularity of the club that it takes on average just 4 days to fill vacant positions against an industry benchmark of 35 days. In addition to scoring the Large Club of the Year award, Mounties not surprisingly took home the Outstanding Human Resources Management Award and the Best ClubTAB award. Typical of Mounties’ commitment to high standard, the Club invested almost half a million dollars last year creating the state’s number one TAB facility. Featuring 23 screens, the ClubTAB is a wealth of information, and provided in plush surrounds that allow the punter to sit back and watch their favourite sports in complete comfort. CEO of ClubsNSW David Costello said the secret to Mounties’ success was their commit to excellence across all areas of business. “Mounties continue to raise the bar. They are both innovators and trendsetters in not just the hospitality industry but across many industries. I’ve lost count of how many national awards Mounties have won, the majority of them for their outstanding support of their staff". With more than 95,000 members, 30 sporting subclubs including rugby league, cricket, soccer, netball and golf and 5 holiday destinations for its members, perhaps it is no surprise so many people want to work at Mounties. A complete list of award winners can be found at www.clubsnsw.com.au

DEE WHY RSL - BEST CASUAL DINING & GAMING 2009

DEE WHY RSL WINS INDUSTRY AWARDS Dee Why RSL’s determination to maintain its previous level of support for community and sporting groups despite the Club Industry’s worst gaming year on record has helped win it the prestigious Outstanding Community Service title at the ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence ceremony. The Club has also collected the BEST CASUAL DINING VENUE award and BEST CLUB GAMING VENUE award announced on 5 June at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Darling Harbour. The Club’s commitment ensured that $1.2m was donated to more than 100 local community organisations composed of social welfare services, community health and education, aged care services, adult education, at risk youth services, social groups, transport services, mental health services and counselling groups. During the past year Dee Why RSL has employed a Community Support Co-ordinator who acts as a middle person between local community groups and the community. This role has become the voice of the people at the Club, ensuring the needs and wants of local community groups are heard by Club staff and directors. CEO of ClubsNSW David Costello said Dee Why RSL has not only established itself as the premier club on the North Shore, but the equal of any club in the state. The Club is set to further community support with the opening next year of the largest childcare centre in Sydney. Flame Lounge and dining won the BEST CASUAL DINING award. Diners know live music ranging from a single pianist through to jazz and swing quartets will be on show seven days a week.

SYDNEY ROWING CLUB WINS BEST CLUB RESTAURANT 2009

A club whose past members include Banjo Patterson, Sir Edmund Barton and President of the Australian Olympic Committee John Coates, has been declared the best club in NSW for a meal. The Sydney Rowing Club on Friday evening 5 June, walked away with 3 major awards at the ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence including BEST CLUB RESTAURANT, BEST CASUAL DINING VENUE and BEST CLUB DEVELOPMENT. The 139 year old club, located on the Abbotsford Point overlooking Parramatta River, offers 240 degree water views considered by many as the most attractive anywhere in Sydney. Rebuilt less than 2 years ago, the Club’s decision to employ Dedes Bar and Grill has proved a masterstroke, with food and beverage accounting for double what the Club makes from its 38 poker machines. The Dedes Bar and Grill is operated by Con Dedes, who is well known for his 2 hat Flying Fish restaurant at Jones Bay in Sydney. Con actually got his first job courtesy of the club industry several decades ago and has ‘returned home’ by setting up the restaurant at the Sydney Rowing Club. CEO of ClubsNSW David Costello said the Sydney Rowing Club is now the benchmark for the industry as hundreds of clubs set about dramatically lifting the quality of their dining service to counteract the adverse effect of the indoor smoking ban. A complete list of award winners can be found at www.clubsnsw.com.au

ARMIDALE DOMINATES CLUB AWARDS

The Armidale City Bowling Club has proved the surprise packet of the night at the club industry’s annual Awards for Excellence 2009 ceremony. The Club took home 4 awards plus a runners’ up title, the most of any club at the gala night held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Darling Harbour on Friday 5 June. In addition to the prestigious Club of the Year title, the Club also won awards in the categories of Outstanding Club Governance & Innovation, Encouragement of Amateur Sport, Best Club Keno and received a Highly Commended for Outstanding Human Resource Management. The Club has become the sporting epicenter of the Northern Tablelands, now associated with 29 sporting groups as well as the Northern Academy of Sports. Such is its popularity that the Club last year had to apply to the Licensing Court of NSW to change its restricted areas after its lounge area was regularly overflowing with young sports people.

CANADA BAY MAKES CLUB HISTORY

The Canada Bay Club has capped a stellar past twelve months by taking out the Club of the Year title at the ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence 2009 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Darling Harbour on the 5th of June. It follows the nomination of CEO Maureen Heywood for the NSW Woman of the Year award in March. It’s been a rapid rise to the top for the club formerly known as the Western Suburbs Soccer Club, which last year won its first ever industry award. In addition to taking out the Club of the Year title, Canada Bay Club also won for Outstanding Financial Management and Best Club Keno.

CLUBS NSW 2009 AWARD-MURWILLUMBAH SCORES TOP MARKS

The Murwillumbah Services Club has proved last year’s multiple wins at ClubsNSW’s Awards for Excellence was no one-off, with the Club walking away with another 3 honours on Friday evening. The Club scored first place in the prestigious Outstanding Financial Management category as well as Outstanding Human Resource Management and Best Club Gaming Venue.

NOMINEES FOR THE 2009 CHEFS TABLE AWARDS!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING NOMINEES WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR THE 2009 CHEFS TABLES AWARDS! Canterbury League Club - Glenn Miles & Girolamo Battiato / City Tattersalls Club (Team 2) - Peter Edwards & Crystal Jones / Club Taree (Team 1) - Kevin Williams & Lauren Gale Club Taree (Team 2) - Murray Phillips & Anthony Jenkins / Commercial Club (Albury) Ltd - Ben Thornton & Mick Bath / Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club - Peter Wood & Sean Ali / Elanora Country Club - Paul Sanders & Chris Devine / Manly Golf Club - Simon Quick & Anthony Holt / Penrith Rugby League Club - Lee Buckingham & Ariel Funes / Revesby Workers' - Club Ben Kirk & Daniella Digby / Toronto Workers Club - Peter Richards & Ross Fairleigh / Tweed Heads Bowls Club Jonathan Aussieker & Nicholas Drew /

RACV WINS NATIONAL CHEF COMPETITION

The RACV City Club in Melbourne has been recognized as the best dining experience of any club in Australia in the inaugural National Chefs Table competition. The Club, located on Bourke Street in Melbourne, outscored the premier chefs at clubs in the ACT (National Press Club of Australia), NSW (Elanora Country Club), Queensland (The Brisbane Club) and South Australia (Para Hills Community Club). The National Chefs Table competition requires chef pairings to produce a 3 course meal for twenty people using foods costing no more than $18 per person. The winning RACV City Club menu is: Entree Yellow fin tuna tartare aspic, truffle infused egg yolk, lotus root wafer, sesame foam Main Symphony of Lamb Noisette en crepinette, loin in puff pastry with foie gras, breaded bone marrow and sauce bordelaise Dessert Rosemary chocolate snap, hazelnut crackle and lemon curd pop Head judge Peter Howard said the winning 3 course meal was an incredible meal that featured all the elements of modern cooking with outstanding presentation and perfectly suited flavours. “The dining experience at the RACV City Club is a memorable one that compares with the finest European restaurants. “I was surprised by the quality of the meal and presentation. It was the stuff of culinary dreams, and one that shatters any preconception people may have of what is club food.” Clubs Australia Chairman Peter Newell said indoor smoking bans had served as motivation to clubs to improve the quality of the club dining experience. “Not a week goes by without someone telling me how surprised they are by the high quality of a recent meal at a club. “The National Chefs Table competition serves as an important reminder to the more than 12,000 chefs working in the 4,000 clubs across Australia that affordability need not be sacrificed in achieving a quality of meal that satisfies even the most delicate of palettes,” he said. 14/08/2008 www.clubsnsw.com.au