Last of the Mohicans to ditch shed
CHRISTMAS promises to be extra special this year for members of the Goodna Bowls Club.
More than 18 months after floodwater destroyed the 25-year-old community club, construction work has begun on a new clubhouse.
Like many other Ipswich sporting and community groups, members of the Goodna club have been making do with temporary facilities while patiently waiting for a more permanent replacement of their clubhouse.
With only demountable buildings to call home since the greens reopened in March last year, the club has lost all of its 200 social members and some of its 100 full members.
Despite the obvious challenges, many club members stayed involved and are now looking forward to a long-awaited celebration at Christmas.
Stan Briscoe, the club chairman, and founding member, said that after more than a year in a tin shed, the opening of the new clubhouse could not come soon enough.
"We're the last of the Mohicans," Mr Briscoe said.
"The football club has been up and running for a while, the RSL next door has been going for a year and the main club is now also open. It's been a frustrating time for all of us."
The loss of members and income would have crippled most groups but the committee of the bowls club decided early on that the flood would not beat them.
"It was pretty devastating when we saw the damage," club secretary Cathie Wilmington said.
"Everything was destroyed.
"We said at the time we would operate out of the shed if we had to and we did for a while."
While there is no firm completion date for the building, Mr Briscoe said they hoped to be in by Christmas.
The original clubhouse was built in 1987 from two donated former school classrooms.
The new building will include function facilities, bars and a gaming room that will help resurrect the club's finances.
"It's going to be fantastic," Mr Briscoe said. "The council has been fantastic. They have given us a lot of input into the design so we will have everything we had before and more."
The $2.4 million clubhouse has been funded by the State and Federal governments through the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the Ipswich City Council.
