Chief executive of Sutherland District Trade Union Club (Tradies) Tim McAleer has taken unexpected leave after a turbulent nine months.
There has been speculation about the reason for the sudden move, but no official explanation has yet been provided.
It may relate to the club’s controversial development applications (DAs) for a childcare centre and affordable housing project for key workers at Gymea.
Staff were advised by email the CEO was on leave.
Calls by the Leader to Mr McAleer, other club management and the board president Dennis McHugh have not yet been returned.
Mr McAleer became general manager 17 years ago and developed Tradies into Sutherland Shire’s biggest club, with premises at Gymea, Caringbah and Helensburgh and 54,000 members.
However, the club has endured a horror nine-months as a result of the two DAs and the sudden disappearance of its catering contractor.
The DAs angered nearby residents and led to several nasty verbal exchanges.
The housing project DA was withdrawn a few months earlier for what were supposedly “minor” changes and has not been re-submitted.
Mr McAleer strongly defended the projects, which were submitted without warning just before Christmas last year.
He told the Leader they were greatly needed in the area and fitted the club’s mission of serving the community.
Mr McAleer said the club had a strategic plan for investing members’ funds.
“Fundamentally, anything we do has to be in line with our purpose of serving the community,” he said.
“We could have built a row of town houses, instead of a childcare centre, and made more money.
“But, we are a trade union club and our mission is service to the community.”
Mr McAleer said the land for both projects had been acquired over 10 years.
Mr McAleer was appointed general manager in 2000 and was credited with transforming the club into a centre that catered for the whole family, and contributed to many sporting and other groups in the community.
Tradies has won numerous awards including the prestigious Australian Business Award for Community Contribution in its industry classification.
It has also won awards as Club of the Year and for staff relations from the Human Resources Institute of Australia.
Mr McAleer told the Leader earlier this year, when he joined Tradies, there were numerous complaints from nearby residents about noise and anti-social behaviour.
He had got rid of the nightclub and karaoke provided by the club, and the complaints had stopped.
In a 2013 interview with the magazine, Business in Focus, Mr McAleer said, “When I arrived here, there was, on the behalf of the directors, a deep suspicion of making a profit”.
Mr McAleer said the club had been losing about a million dollars a year because “the thinking was, ‘Profit is made by exploiting the working class’,and any profit accidentally accrued went straight back into free food and beer”.
He said he had been able to demonstrate to the board and community that if the club was not profitable, it wouldn’t survive.
“First rule of life-saving: save your own life,” he said.
Mr McAleer had been supported by the president, who after a year commented that he “had the courage of Tim’s convictions – because he didn’t have much choice.”
Tradies underwent a major refurbishment, which was completed mid-2012 costing about $15 million.
Mr McAleer said it was “all paid for out of cash flow without any borrowing.”
Tradies expanded by taking over the ailing Caringbah RSL Club in 2008 and, in 2014, the Helensburgh Workers Sports and Social Club, which was is in liquidation.
Tradies expressed interest in taking over Bundeena RSL Club, which was severely damaged by fire in February, 2015, but decided against it after looking at the financial details.
This year, Tradies was “left standing at the altar” after Kareela Golf & Social Club pulled out of a proposed merger and moved to join with Moorebank Sports Club.
Tradies refused to take “no” for an answer, advising, on its Facebook page, it was still willing to go ahead with an amalgamation if, for any reason, the merger with Moorebank Sports Club did not proceed.
Former Cronulla Sharks chairman Damian Irvine replied to the post with a personal attack on Mr McAleer and saying, “With my experience of Tradies, I would suggest members of Kareela run a mile from them”.
A proposed merger between Tradies and Sharks in 2011 ended acrimoniously.
