LAST drinks were called yesterday at the Atherton RSL Club as mounting debt forced the club to close after a proud 55-year history.

The decision has been made with a "heavy heart" by the RSL but a debt called in this week could not be met and the building and site must be sold to pay creditors.

Commercial manager for the licensed club Harvey Fewings told The Cairns Post the decision to close had been made only days after legal action was threatened.

"We had 14 days to pay a debt and we were not able to do that, therefore, we had to close down," Mr Fewings said.

"We were in the process of planning an upgrade to get it to a stage where it would trade at a profit but we have been burdened by long-term debt and the timing of the demand was critical.

"A significant development occurred regarding monies owned to various trusts and as a result of these demands, the members of the management committee decided to wind it up."

Mr Fewings said the land and building would be auctioned soon and all creditors would be paid with money raised by the sale.

He said the closure of Atherton's RSL was a terrible loss to the region as it had provided a support network for returned servicemen and women and the community at large.

"The RSL sub-branch will remain intact but not in its current location," he said.

"There is no other way out and it's a very sad day for the RSL. We hate closing RSLs because we believe they belong to the community and not to us and we also believe that the community will sadly miss this facility and we regret having to do it."

Long-term patron Rod "Snoopy" Barron said the decision to close his watering hole of more than 50 years was devastating.

"I've been drinking here since it opened when I was about 19," he said.

"It's a sad day for Atherton. The RSL has been like family to me.

"It's been a great watering hole. It's close to home, my wife knows where to find me, and I'm really upset it's
closing."

Share this article