The impact of Sunday morning’s blaze at the Canowindra Services and Citizens Club will be felt by a variety of organisations and events, such as the upcoming Canowindra Show Ball and the Canowindra Railway Centenary celebrations.
The Club suffered extensive damage from a fire that started in the early hours of the morning, especially to the front foyer, bar, kitchen and dining areas of the building.
The devastating blaze has not only brought the club’s normal opening operating to a halt, but created concern for other events.
The club and the function centre were to host a wide variety of events in the upcoming weeks, including a trivia night, the Show ball and the Masonic changeover.
Only three days after the fire, club management were still documenting the damage to the building, while debating several different ideas that could possibly keep the club functioning to a certain degree.
The major issue for the function centre is not the hall itself, but the toilet facilities, which were severely damaged by the blaze.
Staff management asked people to be patient as they worked progressively through the task of checking the building’s damage, organising the hard task of cleaning up and reorganising club functions.
Assessors from Sydney were to arrive yesterday, with a definite answer expected on the club’s ability to function anticipated within the week.
Longtime staff member Julie Clements said supporters of immediate priority events – such as a trivia night – had already been contacted and arrangements made for other venues but expected answers later in the week for events with a longer timeframe.
Some functions have already been re-booked in the meantime.
She stressed Mr Cummings will be in contact as soon as the club management had answers itself.
A new home venue has been found for the Canowindra Show Ball and the trivia night at the Bowling Club later this month but Railway Centenary organisers were prepared to be patient for events with a little more time up their sleeves.
“We are awaiting the outcome of assessment of the function centre and the critical questions regarding its use,” Ms Vincent said.
Some of the activities planned for the function centre during the Railway Centenary include presentation and slide shows on the history of the Cowra to Canowindra railway, model railway displays, old time and new vogue dancing sessions and displays.
How the news unfolded:
Police patrolling Canowindra at 3.40am noticed smoke coming from the roof of the Gaskill Street premises and contacted the fire brigade, which arrived a short time later.
The fire had intensified, with the front part of the building including the kitchen and conference area fully alight.
Inspector Luke Rankin from Orange police said officers secured the scene pending the arrival of detectives and forensic investigators from the police and fire brigade.
Inspector Rankin said police were not sure how or where exactly the fire had started but were not treating it as suspicious at this stage. The community hall adjacent to the club has escaped relatively undamaged, with only smoke damage apparent at this stage.
Treasured RSL memorabilia also appears to have escaped with only smoke damage; firefighters, club management and police finding it still locked in its display cabinets during a search of the premises afterwards.
The heartbreaking fire comes just as the club has completed extensive interior and exterior renovations during the past five years, including a complete refacing of the street facade of the building.
The fire will be reported to the Coroner, which is routine for fires affecting property of a certain value.
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