00:02At this Coastal RSL Club, there's plenty of free help for every odd job.
00:08The only query I had was, was I too old to volunteer?
00:13So I asked them, I said, hey, can I volunteer?
00:16They said, of course you can.
00:18The 90-year-old former coal miner is among dozens of Wollongong locals
00:23who give up their time to keep the venue open.
00:28After the COVID pandemic and repeated wet summers,
00:31saw it close for five months in 2022.
00:35It was very devastating really, you know, because this was the hub of the town.
00:41A new board of directors decided to strip the club back to its roots
00:45to be run by the community for the community.
00:48I thought no way anybody would do that.
00:51And then, you know, straight away we've got 40 volunteers
00:55that jumped on board.
00:56They got their RSA, they learnt how to pour a beer, people cleaned.
01:01A new skillset that's been embraced by three generations of the Johnston family.
01:06I've made new friends and friends that I probably wouldn't have made
01:11if I hadn't have been volunteering here.
01:15That's probably the biggest benefit and seeing something do well.
01:20The club says it was profitable within the first 12 months
01:23using its troop of community volunteers and fewer gaming machines.
01:27Thanks.
01:28What started as a place that was around us keeping the doors open
01:32with volunteer model has turned into people coming here,
01:36having a beer and sitting down with a mate and feeling connection,
01:40but also feeling purpose again.
01:42The once-struggling club, now back on top.
01:46I think we'll be here for about three years to record.
01:46Good job.
01:49Afterよろしく an app.
01:49I did professional組織.
01:49You
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