Page 3 - History Presentation Tony Dell 2016

Bob died in December 1988 and his funeral at Richmond was a very big occasion for Club.

Meeting Venues

The first meetings of the Club, commencing August 1956, were in the Albion Hotel, at the
Elizabeth Street entrance to Cat and Fiddle Arcade. R Hill was the licensee and the Club only
met there for about 3 meetings as the hotel was to be demolished to make way for a bank.

The next few meetings then moved to the Arcadia Hotel, Murray Street, adjacent to the
Murray Street entrance to Cat and Fiddle, near the Hobart Bookmakers Club.

The next meeting venue was the Alabama Hotel, Liverpool Street. The publican (R. Hill)
who had the old Albion took over the Alabama in Liverpool Street so the Club re-located
there for one or two meetings but had to move temporarily due to renovations.

That move was in September/October 1957 to the Commonwealth Bank Canteen on the 2nd
floor, corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool Street, for only a couple of meetings. Ron Ruthven
told me that "... a member who worked at the Commonwealth Bank arranged for us to meet
in the Bank canteen. I remember the first of these meetings was in September 1957 [*but
more probably October, as Sputnik 1 was launched 4 October 1957] because I was standing
on the Liverpool/Elizabeth Street corner looking for the Sputnik to go over when Jim Terry
joined me and we both saw it"

In 1958 the Club returned to the Alabama Hotel in Liverpool Street. As noted above, R Hill
was the proprietor and the Club met there for many years until it shifted to Park Hotel (which
became the Black Buffalo) in Letitia Street, North Hobart, because the Alabama was sold.

It is uncertain exactly when that move took place, but the Club was certainly meeting there in
1970. Neil Pennicott was the proprietor at that time and for many years until it was taken over
by the Sice's and Devine's, and the Club met there until May 2010.

From June 2010 the Club has met at Lenah Valley RSL, Lenah Valley Road, Lenah Valley.

Constitution and Member numbers

I have gone back through all the Club records to try and determine how many members the
Club has had since its inception in August 1956. My best guess is we have had only about
209 members up to January 2016, although I know there is at least one nomination in the
pipeline.

Because the Club records between 1956 and 1973 do not exist any longer (except for the
Treasurer's Subscription Book, which dates from 1966, and a 1963 Constitution), there could
be some members who joined and departed between 1956 and 1966 whom the older members
have not been able to bring to mind. However, given the originally low fixed membership of
25, it would seem unlikely that there were many not accounted for.

By August 1963 the Membership limit was 45, as documented in the Club Constitution of
that date. A 1967 Amendment limited the number of Honorary Members to 10.

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