When Coledale RSL closed its doors four years ago, it left a heavy silence hanging over the community. For generations, the humble club had been the beating heart of the small coastal NSW town.
It was a place where retirees found company, neighbours swapped stories and families gathered to celebrate life’s milestones.
SENSE OF LOSS
President Melissa Ellery says the closure, brought on by declining trade after Covid and consecutive wet summers, left locals with a deep sense of loss.
“For many older locals, this was their only real social connection,” Melissa tells Woman’s Day. “They would come in every afternoon, have a couple of beers and a chat with their mates. Without it,
life became very lonely for a lot of people.”
During the summer closure, locals organised buses to nearby clubs so older residents could still socialise. But the experience only reinforced just how vital the venue was to the town’s identity.
That’s when the community decided to act. Melissa put out a call for volunteers, rallying locals to save the beloved club. She was stunned when more than 40 people stepped forward immediately.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
“I honestly thought no one would – or maybe just a few of my friends,” the mother-of-two recalls. “But straight away, people were asking what they could do and what we needed to make it happen.”
The months that followed became a race against time, driven by sheer determination and community spirit.
Volunteers earned their RSA qualifications, spent countless hours scrubbing, painting and restoring the ageing building, while others tackled overgrown gardens and long-neglected maintenance.
When the club reopened in April 2023, the town turned out in force. Melissa remembers locals beeping their horns as they drove past while she painted a sign out the front, and others dropping by with coffee to say thank you.
Local resident Katharine Daffurn, 76, recently celebrated her 300th volunteer shift at the Coledale club. The former intensive care nurse had never worked behind a bar before but says she was thrown in at the deep end.
“One of my first shifts was on Australia Day… I learned pretty quickly,” she laughs. “I love it because it’s like a big living room and we all get on.”
THRIVING AGAIN
Working at the RSL has also given Katherine something else she relishes. “The volunteering gives me a purpose, too,” she admits.
Today, the hub of the community is thriving again, with six staff members on the books alongside 80 volunteers who continue to give their time. The revived venue is now thriving, and has also become
a symbol of hope, drawing in both lifelong locals and new residents, looking to make connections after moving to the area.
“It’s the place where people come together for an afternoon beer, weddings, wakes, birthdays – everything,” Melissa explains. “It’s not just a club. It’s the heart of our town.”
LAST MEETING SPOT
When the Maroona Hotel in rural Victoria hit the market in 2025, locals refused to let the doors close for good. Initially, interest came from buyers who wanted to convert the historic hotel into a private residence. But long-term owner Margaret Wilson knocked them back, determined to protect the tiny town’s last remaining meeting place.
Inspired by her determination, residents of all ages and backgrounds rallied together to save the pub themselves, creating a community ownership model. More than 80 shareholders chipped in to raise the funds needed to purchase the hotel.
Today, the pub is leased and operated by locals Jody Sutherland and Michael McKerron, who say the support from the community has been incredible.
“It’s more than a pub,” says Jody. “It’s where people come to catch up, check in on each other and take a break from everyday life.”
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