It’s the club that launched a thousand ships.
Every Sunday morning for the past 30 years, the members of the St George Model Boat Club have run their fleet on Scarborough Park Pond.
Their detailed models include tankers, fishing trawlers, cruise ships, fire boats, tugs and yachts.
The Sunday morning gathering has becoming a social event not just for club members but for the public as well, St George Model Boat Club commitee member Rob Mulheron said.
“It is visually entertaining for the public as they pass by the pond on their morning stroll, he said.
“Our club has more than 50 members, aged from 15 to 97 years, with a good crew turning up each weekend to socialise with the public and enjoy each other’s models,” he said.
But the club members fear they may have to close because of uncertainty about their future home.
“For many years now, Rockdale Council, now Bayside Council, have kindly allowed our club to store our rescue boat, life vests and other safety and retrieval equipment within the storage area attached to the old toilet block in Scarborough Park, adjacent to the pond and pontoon which we have a permit to use every Sunday,” Mr Mulheron said.
“Recently, this toilet block was closed to the public with signs posted guiding passers by, including ourselves, to the newly-constructed toilet block in the adjacent Scarborough Park soccer grounds about 200 metres away.
“Bayside Council have informed us we can temporarily use the storage area.
“We have made numerous inquiries to Bayside Council but are still in the dark as to whether the old toilet block will be demolished and whether we can get a place for future storage.
“If this structure was removed it is inevitable that our club would have to close as we couldn’t safely run each Sunday sailing session without our equipment and retrieval boat.”
St George Model Boat Club is asking the council to leave the old toilet block standing, allowing the club to use the building for needed storage.
“We also use this space to store first aid gear, barbecue equipment for fundraising events and gardening equipment which we use every week to clean the pathways and debris from around the pond pontoon,” Mr Mulheron said.
“The club has even offered to maintain the building.
“Our club would like to see the old toilet block left standing, allow us to use the building for well-needed storage.
“We have an army of builders, plumbers and electricians as members who enjoy calling in each week for a few hours to run their model boats,” said Mr Mulheron, who is an industrial plumber.
“They would be more than happy to maintain the structure for many years to come.”
Bayside Council was contacted for comment.
