Internal and external works that will enable Gulgong RSL Club to be an evacuation centre in the case of an emergency are almost complete.
Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders visited the club last week to inspect the works, which were made possible thanks to $187,306 worth of funding from the Clubgrants program in early 2019.
“I visited the Gulgong RSL at the time, and heard from the club’s members of their desire to turn the building into a facility that could house people in event of fire, flood or any other emergency,” Mr Saunders said.
“The changes that have been made since then are amazing. When we announced the funding most of the carpets were worn, the roof had some leaks, and it was apparent that some tender loving care was needed.
“Fast-forward to now, two years and two months on, and the club is well-positioned for its day-to-day operations but also able to look after people if there is a need for a large scale evacuation of residents, not only from Gulgong but from surrounding communities.
“We saw during the horrific summer of bushfires in 2019/20 and during the recent floods how important it is to have safe locations where people can congregate. I’d love it if Gulgong never needed to use the RSL as an evacuation centre but I’m proud that it now has somewhere suitable if it’s ever needed and the installation of a generator will be the last part of the project.”
The Clubgrants Category 3 Fund reinvests a percentage of clubs’ gaming machine profits over $1 million back into community projects.
For the term of this government, $50 million of the Clubgrants Category 3 Fund has been committed to supporting community infrastructure projects in arts and culture, emergency preparedness, and sport and recreation.
More information can be found at www.responsiblegambling.nsw.gov.au/about-us/funds-we-manage/category-3-fund