1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,279
Speaker 1: Earlier in the show, we spoke to the Lands, Planning

2
00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:05,520
Speaker 1: and Environment Minister Joshua Burgoyne, who signed off on the

3
00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:09,200
Speaker 1: plans for the Services Club after the proposed changes to

4
00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:13,840
Speaker 1: Admiralty House were previously knocked back due to heritage concerns.

5
00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,360
Speaker 1: Now joining us on the show to talk more about

6
00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,760
Speaker 1: this is the chair of Darwen Services Club, Paul Winter.

7
00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,480
Speaker 2: Good morning, Paul, morning Katie.

8
00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,720
Speaker 1: How are you yeah, really good? Paul? Firstly, can I

9
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,840
Speaker 1: just confirm this isn't the RSL, is that it's the

10
00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,400
Speaker 1: Darwin Services Club. What's the difference?

11
00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:40,120
Speaker 2: Well, about twelve months ago we were informed by RSL

12
00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:45,360
Speaker 2: Australia to remove the name RSL from any venues with

13
00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,720
Speaker 2: alcohol and gaming. Okay, so we changed the name from

14
00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,960
Speaker 2: Darwen RSL Incorporated to Darwen Services Club.

15
00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:55,640
Speaker 1: Yeah right, okay, that makes a bit more sense. Now

16
00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,160
Speaker 1: tell me in terms of what is planned for old

17
00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,600
Speaker 1: Admiral House, talk us through it. What are you hoping

18
00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:05,199
Speaker 1: to do and what's going to happen there.

19
00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,640
Speaker 2: We've got a lot, a lot of work and thanks

20
00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,800
Speaker 2: to the Minister for approving it, We're still got to

21
00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,440
Speaker 2: work with Heritage a number of conditions which are not

22
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,320
Speaker 2: onerous and we're quite willing to accept them and work

23
00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:29,000
Speaker 2: with it. The design done by Randall Ashford is quite open,

24
00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,280
Speaker 2: airy bright. It's just going to bring the place to

25
00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,320
Speaker 2: life again with a big, big shade structure as a

26
00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,679
Speaker 2: bit as a shade sale, waterproof shade sale. The structure itself,

27
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,600
Speaker 2: have probably seen in the rendered drawings online and on

28
00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:49,440
Speaker 2: the news, is very beefy, so that in later stages

29
00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,920
Speaker 2: two and three, if we go that way, it can

30
00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,680
Speaker 2: be a two story with a hard group as opposed

31
00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,680
Speaker 2: to shad sale. We have a gaming area. We're going

32
00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,640
Speaker 2: to revamp the entire bar, kitchen area. We're going to

33
00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,880
Speaker 2: open it right up, make it more industrial, looking more modern.

34
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,320
Speaker 2: We've even got a kids area with a using natural

35
00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:17,840
Speaker 2: products coppers, logs, a climbing wall. But upstairs we're going

36
00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,560
Speaker 2: to keep the same essentially nothing but furniture is going

37
00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,240
Speaker 2: to be added to upstairs, and that'll be essentially a

38
00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,720
Speaker 2: getaway members lounge, so you can go upstairs and relax

39
00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,480
Speaker 2: and have meetings. So that's the crux of it.

40
00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, And so the climbing wall you touched on,

41
00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,920
Speaker 1: is that part of like a kids area, yeah.

42
00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,840
Speaker 2: Correct, Yeah, but it's like like meters and meters in

43
00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:42,520
Speaker 2: the air just going to Yeah, so it's probably about

44
00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,960
Speaker 2: I think about two meters maybe fifteen hundred high, with

45
00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,280
Speaker 2: a few grip holes and softball area, just you know,

46
00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:54,000
Speaker 2: kids do something while parents and families are enjoying themselves.

47
00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,840
Speaker 1: Now tell me, I mean, what's been the feedback from

48
00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,640
Speaker 1: veterans and also current serving men and women about the

49
00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,600
Speaker 1: fact that we don't currently have a club for them.

50
00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,800
Speaker 2: Well, that's the feedback on that is negative. It's like

51
00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,400
Speaker 2: six seven years ago the old RSL burnt down and

52
00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,440
Speaker 2: since then we've really done nothing to progress. Well, there's

53
00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:22,320
Speaker 2: been attempts to progress and then just halted different views

54
00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,160
Speaker 2: and opinions, and building a new one on the site

55
00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:29,440
Speaker 2: is just simply outrageous costs. So find a place that's

56
00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:34,000
Speaker 2: already established, renovated, and as you're probably aware, we have

57
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,200
Speaker 2: a two year lease with a guarantee, not just an option,

58
00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,200
Speaker 2: but a guarantee to buy at the end of that

59
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,680
Speaker 2: two years. The location is perfect, as as the Minister

60
00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,839
Speaker 2: would have said, directly opposite the esplanade and a couple

61
00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:50,880
Speaker 2: hundred meters down the south is the Cenotaph, so you'd

62
00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:57,000
Speaker 2: be walking directly from particularly an Antic Day and Memorial

63
00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,360
Speaker 2: days straight straight to the straight to the the venue.

64
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,800
Speaker 1: And in terms of now you know, now that you've

65
00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,520
Speaker 1: come out with the plans, and now that we know

66
00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,680
Speaker 1: that it's going to be able to go ahead with

67
00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,320
Speaker 1: some of those some of those things that need to

68
00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,760
Speaker 1: obviously be worked upon with the Heritage Council. What is

69
00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,560
Speaker 1: the feedback now from servicemen and women? I mean, are

70
00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,920
Speaker 1: they quite pleased and veterans? Of course, they quite pleased

71
00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:24,920
Speaker 1: that there is finally going to be a.

72
00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:30,760
Speaker 2: Place for them, unanimously happy, you know, at the moment

73
00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:35,280
Speaker 2: they've got no home. It's likewise with the RSL it self.

74
00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,560
Speaker 2: I'm the treasurer of the RSL and the committee of

75
00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:44,279
Speaker 2: that group worked really hard last year to find some

76
00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,760
Speaker 2: form of place to call home as an office, which

77
00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:51,960
Speaker 2: we finally did so around mid to late last year

78
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,479
Speaker 2: we bought a venue in the city CBD which we

79
00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,000
Speaker 2: now have a sign out the front at the northern

80
00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,800
Speaker 2: end of Austin Lane directly opposing it, we have an

81
00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:05,200
Speaker 2: RSL finally an office. Likewise, now we needed to put

82
00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:10,880
Speaker 2: our attention into a venue and I suppose everyone needs

83
00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,120
Speaker 2: to understand that what this venue is it's still mine

84
00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:17,560
Speaker 2: for profit. The profits as such go towards the RSL

85
00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:19,279
Speaker 2: for the RSLs be able to do its job.

86
00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:24,880
Speaker 1: Paul, in terms of the work getting underway, how soon

87
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,360
Speaker 1: is that going to happen? And how are you funding us?

88
00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:35,480
Speaker 2: Well, we have funds from the fire, So those funds

89
00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,360
Speaker 2: have been sitting in the account for the last six

90
00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,919
Speaker 2: or seven years, and so we have sufficient funds to

91
00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:45,680
Speaker 2: be able to do So when did we start the

92
00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:51,080
Speaker 2: day mister Burgoyne called, I called the drafty and architects

93
00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,520
Speaker 2: and said, get some more detail on those plans. I

94
00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:56,520
Speaker 2: want to get him into Heritage by the end of

95
00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,600
Speaker 2: the week beginning next week, hopefully with some of approval

96
00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,040
Speaker 2: by the end of April, and we will start immediately,

97
00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,760
Speaker 2: aiming for a three to four month construction period, So three.

98
00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,560
Speaker 1: To four months and once like obviously once you get

99
00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,440
Speaker 1: everything approved and underway. So mate, I mean, like, are

100
00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:17,320
Speaker 1: we talking end of.

101
00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,880
Speaker 2: The year maybe, well, I'm hoping still in the dry season,

102
00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,200
Speaker 2: so we're talking August is what I'm aiming for.

103
00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:25,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, that's good. That is good news made. It

104
00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,239
Speaker 1: must be like everybody must be like, oh, thank goodness,

105
00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,320
Speaker 1: this is finally happening. It feels like it's been a

106
00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:33,760
Speaker 1: marathon to get here.

107
00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:41,400
Speaker 2: Yep, probably two it's been a long time. I personally

108
00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:48,280
Speaker 2: didn't fathom the impact that the heritage component would have.

109
00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:50,960
Speaker 2: I actually thought the heritage was just the upstairs part

110
00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,400
Speaker 2: of this Burnett house, but it's not. It's the entire site.

111
00:06:55,680 --> 00:07:00,520
Speaker 2: So the amount of work that's required to make sure

112
00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,800
Speaker 2: we maintain those heritage values is not insignificant and not

113
00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,000
Speaker 2: lost on myself and the rest of the board.

114
00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:10,520
Speaker 1: Well, Paul, I really appreciate you having a chat with

115
00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,000
Speaker 1: us this morning. Let us know how it all progresses,

116
00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:14,840
Speaker 1: and we'll try to let our listeners know. But thank

117
00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,000
Speaker 1: you very much for having a quick chat this morning.

118
00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:18,480
Speaker 2: Join here, Katie.

119
00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:19,320
Speaker 1: Thank you