Benalla’s Lakeside Community Centre, known locally as the Glasshouse, has paid off its debenture holders and its committee is keen to see bookings increase.
It made the final loan payment to the Benalla Lakeside Community Centre Co-Operative Ltd on Friday, June 3.
That cleared the loan made by the Co-Operative, which helped fund the building’s construction.
The centre has now cleared $100,000 of debt.
Bill Sykes, chair of the Benalla Sports and Entertainment Centre Committee, said it was now on a mission to get bookings back to pre-COVID numbers and see as many people take advantage of this community asset as possible.
“Pre-COVID we had over 100 uses a year of the Glasshouse and about 50 external users of the Red Gum room” Dr Sykes said.
“So it was rocking along. Then came COVID and it took us back to bare basics.
“Our challenge is to rebuild that and to work co-operatively with the Benalla Saints Football Netball Club to make the facility available in a flexible sense.
“The Saints facility, the Red Gum room, is good for 100 people. The main building can handle up to 500.
“It’s one of the best facilities in north-east Victoria.
“To go up there and have a function and be able to look out over the ever-changing lake and 200-year-old red gum trees, it’s just a special place.”
It has already proven to be a great venue for community events such as the Rose City Country Music Club, conferences, school events, deb balls, local businesses, end-of-year functions, weddings and funerals.
Dr Sykes and Mr Hill were keen to clear up a misconception that it was a football/netball club facility that was also available to the community.
The reality being that it is a community asset, which has one main tenant.
“The Saints are the major tenant up there,” Mr Hill said.
“They pay commercial rent to the Lakeside committee.
“And they’ve done so for the past 10 or 12 years. This has been a great assistance to the Lakeside Community Centre.
“The football/netball club has helped repay the debentures with that funding stream.
“However, it is a community asset and is available for anyone to use.”
Dr Sykes thanked everyone who was involved in the debenture loans, and those who gave their time and expertise to get the centre built.
“It’s a great achievement we have been able to clear the debt to the debenture holders that were vital in the funding of this building, and therefore enabled it to be constructed,” he said.
“We have also repaid two personal loans totalling $50,000.
“The building has a controversial history. It was originally planned to be a $7m project back in the 90s with a swimming pool inside, funded by pokies.
“The community objected to the pokies, so the dream was cut back and it was then funded on a smaller scale by debenture holders.”
The Benalla Lakeside Community Centre Co-Operative Ltd was established in 2008, formed with the mission of raising $150,000 to cover the shortfall in funding to complete the project.
It had 167 individual shareholders, from all walks of life in Benalla and surrounding districts, who purchased 248 shares in the co-operative, raising $147,000.
“This $147,000, combined with significant community in-kind contributions, both in labour and materials, got it over the line.
“I estimate the community contribution would be over half a million dollars.
“The local council put in about $500,000 and the state government put in about another $300,000.
“The result is we’ve got a building that is a very good community facility.”
Dr Sykes said debenture holders donated $100,000 of the loan to the project, meaning only $47,000 had to be paid back to the original co-operative shareholders.
“Initially it was community members like Geoff Cooper and Peter Mangles that drove the fundraising and the early construction,” he said.
“Local builder Noel Cochrane drove initial construction of the building.
“Now the committee is all over the age of 65 bar one, which is a reflection on volunteerism.
“We have Donny Robertson, who is very good with maintenance, Brook Miskin is the secretary and Peter Barri is the treasurer.
“We also have Paddy O’Brien, who has helped us with the function centre management, and Jeanette Harris, who is good on governance.
“Drew Morrison is the Saints’ representative and Bree Goldhammer is the manager.
“We’ve relied heavily on debenture holders. The initial chairman of the co-operative, Anthony Putt, and Geoff Hill were the ones who drove that, and more recently its current chairman, David Joyce.
“They have provided very tight financial management and it’s been a pleasure to work with them.”
Dr Sykes said the committee wanted to hear from community members regarding what they would like to see from the facility.
“But we also need to sit down with council,” he said.
“They have a plan to develop the lakeside, and I think that’s a fine vision, but this is an integral part of that and it needs to be developed as such.”
To let the committee know what you would like to see from the Lakeside Community Centre you can email Bill Sykes at billsykes48@me.com
If you would like to book the venue for your event you can email Bree Goldhammer at lakesideevents.benalla@gmail.com
Alternatively you can call on 0499 771 437 or visit www.benallalakesidecommunitycentre.com