Brisbane’s struggling Polish Club has managed to raise $90K to go towards a $150K loan that needs to be paid by September to save the clubhouse and land from going to auction.
The club has been in financial hot water over its inability to pay the loan, taken out by its former committee.
The new committee of ‘Polonia’, the Polish Association of Queensland, only learned about the outstanding loan when they were elected, and have subsequently been working overtime to fundraise the amount owing.
President Waldemar Duda told ABC Radio Brisbane that the club still needs to raise a further $60,000 by 5 August in order to meet its contracted loan conditions.
The loan terms require 30 days’ notification as to whether the club can repay the full amount.
Duda told the ABC, “It’s not only this $150,000 loan, but also, we had other debts which were unpaid — roughly about $50,000, due to city council rates and some accounts payable to the Australian Tax Office.”
While plans around boosting income from the club’s restaurant and bar were thwarted by lockdowns, Duda maintains that the broader community, including the club’s 300 members – 255 that are newly signed – are what is keeping the club afloat.
“We are building a multicultural community and we are very proud of this, so a big thanks to everyone who assisted us and still those people who are assisting us in different ways,” Duda said.