Help the Petersham Bowling Club become accessible

Hi, I'm George Catsi and I'm the President of the Petersham Bowling Club in the Inner-West of Sydney. In 2006, a community led board were handed the keys to a failing bowling club, who had vowed to try and keep the developers away. One of the first things we did in 2007 was remove the pokie machines and take a position to build the business on community and cultural engagement rather than gambling exploitation. 17 years later, we are a model of how clubs can build a pokie free, culturally vibrant, community engaged hub, where everyone is welcome.

However, one of the restraints that the old building has is that it is not wheelchair accessible. There is only one narrow staircase to get everyone in and out of the building.

The plans are all made.

The development application has been approved.

The construction certificate has passed.

All we need now is the money to help us build the ramp and modify the building so that we can become accessible to all.

Can you help us build the accessibility upgrade that our club needs? View our venue access plans here

Physical access into the club is totally non-compliant and we've worked hard to get access plans made, a DA approved and we also have a construction certificate ready to go. We had a quantity surveyor price, the plans which brought it into $850,000. Plus there are all these associated works that need to happen on the top green as a consequence of the build. We are applying for grants for the bulk of this money, but contributions from our community are helping us move towards our Target. We are aiming to reach $50,000 via GoFundMe from individual donors.

If you are an individual, or a business who values the work that we do and the position we've taken against pokie machines, you can support us directly here.

This accessibility upgrade is the most important and largest building upgrade the club has had since an extension was made in the 1970s. It's not a dream. It's a necessity and we need to make it happen.

You can help by making a donation here and then telling others about why you think it is such a good cause.

Cheers

George Catsi

On behalf of the board and our wonderful staff.