“Working men’s style social clubs are
dying”, Graham pointed out. “Probably
more social clubs have closed than
pubs – and 3 or 4 of them close a
week. I’ve been in hospitality and
catering for over 30 years, and I’ve
seen it go from a massive industry to a
very compact industry that’s fighting
to hold its customers. You’ve always
got to have something on to attract
customers and hold their attention.”
Graham was employed as the Bar
Manager/Steward, taking over the
running of the social club bars two
years ago. “The club was in dire
straits, struggling quite a lot”, he
informed me. “But the committee and
I have managed to turn it into a more
profitable and likeable place, it’s been
a lot of hard work and a lot of belief
has been shown. This reflects in the
amount of new people from all over
Carterton and the surrounding area
that are now dropping in to say hello.
Slowly but surely people are finding us.
We’ve grown from 250-300 members
to 450 members. About 70% of those
members come here on a regular
Grand opening of the Carterton and Black Bourton Village Hall in 1967
Brownes Hall & Carterton Social Club New Year’s Eve 2015
37
