After 30 years of using a makeshift shed at the Bangalow Showground for their bar and barbecue, the Bangalow Lions Club have opened their newly constructed Lions Kiosk.
The club’s management say they had persevered with the old building until 2019, ‘when a severe thunderstorm during the Bangalow Show exposed how dangerous the building was’.
Secretary, Richard Millyard, says crowds were forced to shelter under a makeshift tent, constructed with tarpaulins. ‘As the tarpaulins filled with water, they had to be cut with knives to release the pressure before the whole structure fell down’.
‘From that moment on, the club embarked on the process of designing a new building and raising the funds required to build it, under the leadership of Lion Greg Nash’.
‘Sixty per cent of the cost of the building came from a generous grant from the NSW Government, with the remaining 40 per cent being donated by the Bangalow Lions Club, other sporting clubs and committees who use the Showgrounds, as well as from the kind donations of a number of families and individuals in the wider Bangalow community.
Village on board
‘The whole village got on board as everyone saw this project as a major asset for the Bangalow Showground, that would be there for decades to come’.
The building now houses a commercial kitchen, store room, a servery, a large cool-room, and a new bar with room for at least 200 people under the front veranda area, which will have seating for at least 100 patrons.
‘With more event organisers looking to use the Showground, the future looks good now that it has a properly designed and purpose-built food and beverage facility’.
Mr Millyard added, ‘The building is the most substantial improvement for the Showground in the last 50 years, and will see many generations of Bangalow residents benefitting from its construction’.
