CLONCURRY Mayor Andrew Daniels intends to reopen the shire’s abandoned golf club.
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But the council acknowledged there were no plans or formal discussions involving the restoration of the club, which is on 47 hectares to the north-east of Cloncurry’s central business district.
Recently, councillors have discussed opening the area to horse grazing, including where the nine-hole course sits.
But it has reminded Cloncurry Golf and Sports Incorporated treasurer Dianne Foley of a discussion about the club’s development that happened five years ago between council and sporting groups.
Mrs Foley said social games with up to 30 people were played at the club in 2010.
The council proposed to help with the upkeep but needed the Crown lease to be signed over to it.
“Their suggestion was that they would take over the lease and look at adding the Cloncurry Bowls Club, the Returned Services League and any other interested sporting clubs into the area leased by the Cloncurry Golf and Sports Club Incorporated,” she said.
“The council would then become responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the facility, and this would allow for funding to be applied for to help with this as it would be for a combined sporting facility.”
Mrs Foley said the plan was acknowledged in the first two rates notices but then seemed to be forgotten, and not long after this, the games stopped.
It means Cloncurry is not part of the Golf North Queensland District Association, whereas towns like Winton, Hughenden, Richmond and Boulia are.
Locals wanting to play golf have to drive to Mount Isa to play.
Mrs Foley said the fairways and sand greens remained but could be damaged if horses grazed the area.
She said the club house had been vandalised and needed more repairs.
Former Cloncurry Golf and Sports president Wayne Chivers said social golf and regular barbecues began at the club for a short time around 2010.
There was increased interest from the community and potential sponsorship from one of the local mining companies.
The problem was that not enough people were willing to help maintain the club.
Mr Chivers believed golf was a good event for the Cloncurry community and gave shift workers something positive to do on their time off.
