Club Hopes For Fair Winds

By John Freer

Ideas and thoughts are being run up the mast as the Mercury Bay Boating Club looks to save not just its historic clubhouse, but its entire club.

During the past week the club has demonstrated the power of community involvement by saving the building from the advancing foreshore, ensuring the highly successful junior sailing programme is maintained, and relocating the clubhouse to where it is out of harm’s way.

This has all come at a cost and as club commodore, Jonathane Kline, notes, it has drained the club’s financial resources.

Aligned with this is the now virtually abandoned building, has been lost as a significant source of revenue for the club through being used for a range of community events and activities.

When you talk to Jonathane, it is very evident his respect and appreciation for other members of his committee, the club members, the sponsors and supporters, and the wider community.

If he mentions it once during an interview, don’t be surprised if it gets raised three or four more times.

With the bank accounts drained and the club now missing a key revenue stream, Jonathane and the club knows the importance of fund-raising if it is ever to see the clubhouse reopen.

Associated with this is the necessary consenting processes to achieve the final site of the building and its establishment to being operational on the new site.

The club appreciates the significance of its location on Buffalo Beach which is now included in the mix of opportunities moving forward.

Jonathane is clear the significance of the location across Heritage New Zealand and iwi – and not just its protection, but more so enhancement, are critical with any future plans.

The club has already opened discussion with its national body, Yachting New Zealand, and is targeting a range of other potentially supportive funding organisations.

With the likes of Thames Coromandel District Council and the Waikato Regional Council, the club believes rather than funding, assisting in streamlining the consent process is critical – this so the club understands what it can achieve, and it does not cost a fortune wading through planning legislation.

Jonathane admits it has been a long week, but with two goals having been achieved, the club has already set sail on the next part of the journey.

Click the link below to hear our interview with Jonathane.