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From left, Armidale City Bowling Club SEO Phil Wheaton and Armidale City Bowling Club CEO Patrick Crick with Director of Clubs NSW and Twin Towns President Michael Frazer at the gala event in Sydney on Friday night.
ARMIDALE City Bowling Club has added yet another award to its ever-expanding glory chest receiving one of the club industry’s most prestigious honours.
The club was named the Community Spirit Ambassador of the Year for the New England region at a gala celebration in Sydney on Friday night.
The announcement was made at the first ever Clubs and Community Celebration, which recognises the contribution clubs make to local communities across the state.
Armidale City Bowling Club was recognised for its decade-long effort to rejuvenate a swamp area into a local sporting complex, which ultimately led to Armidale winning a Tiny Towns Award.
Clubs NSW CEO Anthony Ball said that thanks to the club, the community now has a complex that will help keep kids active for generations to come.
“Armidale now has a fantastic sports complex with four soccer fields, cricket nets, a club house and a softball pitch,” Mr Ball said.
“This project isn’t just great for sports fans. The club also brought together staff, club members and local community groups to clean up and regenerate the creek area around the site. This has seen the number of local wildlife returning to the creek area explode.”
Armidale City Bowling Club CEO Patrick Crick says community collaboration is the key ingredient that drives the club’s success.
“The club views community engagement and business success as mutually inclusive,” Mr Crick said.
“One cannot flourish without the other.”
Mr Crick said the club was a unique business model defined by community ownership, “where financial success and surplus revenue results in community development through investment in sponsorship, donations and service improvement”.
“To ensure the club can deliver maximum community development, the Board and staff is committed to this mission of ensuring financial stability through the delivery of professional hospitality services,” he said.
“This sits right up there with our club of the year and excellence awards, as it demonstrates our achievement of delivering on our mission of community engagement and support.”
An expert panel including Paralympian Kurt Fearnley, Centre for Volunteering CEO Lynne Dalton and former Minister for Gaming and Racing Kevin Greene reviewed each submission to determine which club would be named the Community Spirit Ambassador of the Year.
The gala event was attended by the NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, as well as Hospitality and Tourism Minister George Souris.
