Club History

On the 19th April 1964 a special meeting was convened by the Nelson Bay RSL Sub-Branch to consider the establishment of an RSL Memorial Club in the Nelson Bay area. At this meeting the Club was formed with a nucleous of 200 members and Mr. J. Dobbie was elected to the position of President, Mt. T. Barker as Secretary and Mr. N. Forrest, Treasurer. All three were members of the RSL Sub-Branch executive.

Both organisations set about raising money for the purpose of land where the Club is now situated and in November, 1964 an application was made to the Raymond Terrace Licensing Court for a provisional licence which was subsequently granted in July 1965 as a Conditional Certificate of Registration.

The original Club building was completed on the 16th December, 1966 and a full Certificate of Registration was granted. The building was constructed by R.W. Black and Company at a cost of $72,000 with the assistence and advice of the Paddington-Woollahra RSL Memorial Club and Sub-Branch.

The building was officially opened by thethen President of the NSW Branch of the RSL, Sir William Yeo C.B.E on the 4th March 1967.

With the popularity of the Club, further extensions were soon necessary and the work was again carried out by R.W. Black with was completed in 1975 at the cost of $1,000,000.

In 1982, the Memorial Club expressed the wish to purchase the premises from the RSL Sub-Branch. Negotiations between the two bodies were carried out over the next three years and were concluded on the 29th January, 1986 with the Memorial Club purchasing the property for $1.8m.

In 1986, the board carried out a feasibility study to again extend the premises which could no longer cope with the expanding membership and visitation.

In September, 1987 a contract to carry out further extensions and alterations to the existing building was award to R.W. Black for $2.914m and construction commenced shortly thereafter. It is estimated that the eventual cost of the extension with fitout, purchase of property for carparking and other fees and charges, will total approximately $4m.