Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the weekend, the Clubhouse Moorooka celebrated its first anniversary. Happy birthday, and a big thank you. Of course, the clubhouse is the old Moorooka Bowls Club, which had to close its doors back in May 2019 after half a century of entertaining fans, providing a social place for the community and training elite players—and even hosting the Commonwealth Games lawn bowls back in 1982. Locals are still very proud of this moment in the sun and will point to the plaque on the wall commemorating the visit by the late, great Queen Elizabeth II during the Commonwealth Games when they were held in Brisbane.

The transition from battling bowls club to community hub wasn't easy; it did take a while for the clubhouse to become operational. Originally, the Brisbane City Council had made an agreement with the new lessee for the club, a not-for-profit group which was keen to open the facilities up to local groups and residents. It takes a lot to get a club up and running and to turn it into a viable, active community hub but, unfortunately, the LNP led Brisbane City Council refused to take responsibility for handing over the facility in anything like an adequate condition, although they were quite willing to fund the refurbishment of a similar old bowls club in a neighbouring LNP ward. Funny, that.

So the clubhouse, run mainly by volunteers, has had to find the funds to continue to renovate and upgrade. But the band of workers at the clubhouse have done some great work. For years we watched the clientele of the Moorooka Bowls Club dwindle, but no more. The once well-manicured lawns were devoid of players, as the interest in bowls diminished—Boomers just don't bowl in the numbers that are needed to keep these clubs alive. Consequently, the once-proud facilities became a little run down and, as the years rolled on, locals wondered what would become of the venue. The team at the clubhouse have turned it into a wonderful warm hub that our local community well and truly loves. There's good coffee from fairly early and then plenty of choices later in the day if you need something a bit stronger. The clubhouse hosts movie nights, bands, activities for children and, every now and then, a theme night which may include wigs, rollerskates and a bit of dancing.

Each morning the coffee kiosk, Bean on the Green, opens up to serve locals with a brew of their favourite hot drink and some pastries, and then the ice cream has been a bit of a hit as the warm weather has taken over in Brisbane lately. Parents can enjoy their morning coffee while children can make the most of the fully-fenced facility. And I do see some dogs running around there early in the morning. On Friday evenings people flock to the clubhouse to unwind; the relaxing atmosphere and the warm summer sunsets are a great way to end the week. The old bowling greens are now full of families catching up with friends and neighbours.

After 12 months, the former Moorooka Bowls Club has truly transformed into the clubhouse. Not long after it opened its doors, the clubhouse brought in people who had damage during the flood and did great work to look after those people. And whilst the Moorooka Bowls Club served as a hub for our community in a very different area, the clubhouse is the perfect venue for a vibrant, modern, and welcoming community.