A message from our CEO, Anthony Hill 

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Following on from the Chief Ministers announcement last Friday, where restrictions in the ACT will be eased in line with Stage 2.2 of Canberra’s Recovery Plan, I am beyond pleased to announce our gradual return to business.

As a business we know we have a long road ahead of us, however, under the new restrictions commencing this Friday 19 June at 12noon, we will be able to start our journey to become fully operational again. I would like to acknowledge the JobKeeper package and the various government initiatives put in place to help our industry survive. Without this support from our Government, we would not be able to reopen any of our Clubs at this point, packages such as JobKeeper have been a lifeline for our industry and no doubt many other Tuggeranong Businesses.

We do not want to over-promise and underdeliver when we reopen our business fully again. We do not want our Members queuing in the cold to visit our Clubs or to have to turn Members away because we have reached capacity. That is why we are staging the re-launch of our operations, it is the most sustainable approach that allows us to get parts of our workforce back working in the short term while ensuring we can continue to be a major contributor to the community of the Tuggeranong Valley well into the future.

I am pleased to announce the reopening of the Erindale and Town Centre Clubs in the first stage of our re-launch plan. Until we can open our full business, we have to maintain a sustainable course to reopening. We are not out of the woods yet and while the ACT and broader Australia wrestles with the threat of COVID-19 we are conscious of the role we play in keeping our Members and staff safe.

We remain optimistic that the ACT Government will allow the Club industry to reopen all our members' services in Stage 3. At this stage, we can reopen our food and beverage operations only. Gaming remains closed under the ACT Government's direction. 

If you are a local Member of our Chisholm or Lanyon Club, I thank you for your patience and invite you to visit us at Erindale or Town Centre in the short term where we have the size and capacity to welcome you back. It is still a moving feast and I hope to have your local Club open sooner rather than later. 

Like many other businesses during this time we have seen the toll, it has taken on our staff. Over the period of isolation, we saw a worrying increase in our staff accessing our Employee Assistance Program support service. Uncertainty regarding the stability of employment, stress as a result of decreased earnings, not doing what they love and not having any social connection all played key roles in the downturn of their wellbeing. As a community Club, we have carried these concerns heavily during this time, and our staff's wellbeing has been our priority. They are the face of our Clubs and have the unenviable task of applying the myriad of our COVID-19 safety procedures. I ask that when you revisit our Clubs you work with our staff to enjoy our facilities in what is a very different environment.

Our staff have been working very hard developing our COVIDSafe Plan and getting the Clubs ready to welcome you back into our new world. We thank those Members who have already been down to Town Centre and have adapted to the measures put in place to keep lockstep with Government directions. We want to see our Clubs fully operational as soon as we can, but this will only happen if we all practice the COVIDSafe measures.

Here is a summary of the changes that have or will be implemented over the coming days. For more information please visit www.vikings.com.au/news/covid-19-update.

Erindale Vikings

  • Now open Monday through to Sunday from 10am to Late

  • All-day dining options are available seven days a week at Moo+Brew café

  • The Cookery is now open seven days a week from 12pm to 2pm for lunch and 5:30pm to 9pm for dinner

  • From Friday 19 June, 12noon the Sideline Bar will be open to catch all the live sporting action coming back on board

  • The kid’s play areas and pool tables will remain closed

Town Centre Vikings

  • Now open Sunday to Monday from 10am to 6pm and Tuesday through to Saturday from 10am to 10pm

  • All-day dining options are available seven days a week at Moo+Brew café

  • BaaMoo Bistro is now open Tuesday through to Saturday from 5:30pm to 8:30pm for dinner with two sittings available from 5.30pm to 6:45pm or 7pm to 8:30pm

Thank you again for the support you have all shown us over the recent months, the Vikings spirit has really shone brightly during this time. I hope to see you in the Clubs for a meal and a drink or two enjoying our hospitality soon.

VG