Bathurst RSL Club annual report looks back on a financial year of COVID, staffing challenges

CEO Peter Sargent's report, however, says the club has faced staff shortage difficulties, including people moving away from hospitality to industries that are thought to be more secure.

He says in his report that, when the club reopened on October 11, 2021 after the final lockdown period, it had effectively been closed for "about 20 weeks of the preceding 18 months".

"As we did during the first lockdown, we looked after our team as best we could, providing Buy Local vouchers to help with the essentials, whilst also doing our best to support local businesses," Mr Sargent says.

"I am particularly grateful to those amazingly loyal members of our team who stayed the course, and stayed with us."

As the club emerged from the lockdown, Mr Sargent's report says there were challenges posed by the COVID isolation restrictions and "some attrition in staff as people moved to find work in other industries they felt were more secure or that offered higher wages".

"I know that we are not alone in that, as I have heard from so many business operators about the struggle to source and retain staff, not just in Bathurst but across NSW and the rest of Australia," his report says.

"However, our team leaned into it, working harder than ever to make up for staff shortages wherever we could, and we were fortunate enough to have enough staff on hand to keep the Club open and operational, albeit with some reductions in operating hours for some areas at times."

Mr Sargent's report says the Bathurst RSL Club stayed focused on effective expense management as "the continued impact" of COVID meant restrictions on entertainment and impeded club promotional activities.

"Ultimately, despite all the challenges faced, I am particularly pleased to report that the Club realised a profit of $2,085,977 for the 2021/22 financial year and remains in a very strong financial position with a little over $15.1m in net assets and carrying very little debt," he says.

Mr Sargent's report also says the club is continuing to work with Bathurst Regional Council and the developer of the proposed Bathurst Integrated Medical Centre with the aim of "significantly increasing the amount of parking" in the council-owned car park behind the club.

"We maintain the view that securing more parking for our members and our community generally within the Bathurst CBD is key to ensuring the ongoing viability and continued growth of the Club," he says.

"We hope to see this plan develop further in the 2022/23 year."

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The Bathurst RSL Club agreed to terms with Bolam Property Investments in 2019 to purchase the 4103 square metre former Clancy Motors site on Howick Street.

The Bathurst Integrated Medical Centre (BIMC) group and Zauner Construction are seeking to build the medical centre on the old Clancy site.

Bathurst RSL Club and the BMIC group have each committed $4.2 million to a multi-storey car park next to the integrated medical centre and council is looking to fund the remainder.

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