TandC Associates, LLC

For many January 12, 2016, was just another post-holiday day.  For us at TCA, however, it was special as it was the day we visited Pioneer Clubhouse in Balgowlah (a suburb of Sydney), New South Wales, Australia.  As first-time visitors to Sydney, we discovered that many of its suburbs are islands in the Sydney Harbor, and so we enjoyed a tour or the Harbor while taking the commuter ferry to Manly Beach.  It being a beautiful summer day we walked from our Manly Beach apartment rental to Pioneer House, arriving at 10:00 am.  The clubhouse is located in a lovely residential area directly across the street from a golf course.

We walked in the nearest entrance, which as it turned out was not the main entrance but the Kitchen Unit exit.

We were greeted by Karina, one of the Kitchen Unit members, who then led us through the Dining Room into the rest of the clubhouse.

Opposite the Kitchen-Dining Room counter, we were impressed with the hanging of culinary-themed woodcuts.

We started a tour with Nicole Buckland, Operations Coordinator, and also met with Jason Kioko, the Director of Pioneer Clubhouse.  He informed us that he had been at Fountain House for Colleague Training in the 1990’s.  Following his clubhouse training, Jason worked in a clubhouse in Torrington, CT followed by a five-year stint as Director of a Clubhouse in Colorado before responding to a notice of a leadership opportunity at Pioneer Clubhouse,in 2005.

During our meeting with Jason, we learned that the site was originally an outdoor women’s bowling club.  The first priority of the program was therefore to enclose the lanes, installing air conditioning, establishing both clerical and education-employment units, and delineating office space for the director as well as a meeting room placed near the main entrance.  The building was further expanded by the addition of the kitchen-dining room with 20’ ceiling and windows, perpendicular to the Clerical and Education-Employment Unit. Board.  The results were a very attractive clubhouse setting, as seen in the photographs below:

Outside the main entrance is a beautiful garden area with many plants growths, and signs reading “Safe”, etc.

The Reception area faces out on the deck and garden areas, inviting all inside with warm greetings.

There is also a coop for Rhode Island Red chickens that lay 4 eggs a day (most of the time!), used by the Kitchen Unit for as part of the nutritious meal plans.

And a greenhouse flanked by several raised garden beds for growing herbs, tomatoes and other vegetables for the Kitchen Unit menus– all of which are the makings of a Horticulture Unit.

Nearby, a ways off from the Chicken Coop and organic gardens is a little house for clinical services, including a clinical psychologist. for ease of access and crisis prevention.

One of the diverse activities members can do any time of the day is watering the plant beds in the large Pioneer Clubhouse garden.

At the conclusion of our meeting, Jason was very pleased to share that Pioneer Clubhouse had just received a conditional 3-year certification from Clubhouse International, pending the development of an Advisory Board for which he was preparing to hold a meeting at 3:00 pm. When he learned that we had set the whole day aside for our site visit, Jason invited us to join a meeting with members on the Advisory Board and the Chair of the Advisory Board, which we immediately accepted.

We were invited to stay for lunch and spend time chatting with members and other staff.  We met several members – Brandon, Marco, and Jane (a writer who has many pieces for clubhouse publication).   Another member was quietly studying a book on Art Nouveau which he gladly described to us. Following these conversations, we had some lunch – a hearty lentil soup with fresh fruit and coffee or tea — while chatting with another member, Clinton, and Brandon joined in.  After lunch we walked and talked with members and staff some more, while relaxing under the enormous native shade tree in the courtyard, where another member was watering plants.  Shortly thereafter, an Art Group gathered, and we saw some excellent water colors, wood cuttings and lithographs depicting local flowers and birds.

Just before 3:00 pm, Jason shared with us the agenda of Advisory Board being held that afternoon in preparation for a January 20th Advisory Board workshop for the purpose of developing its Mission Statement. Then the Advisory Board meeting convened promptly, led by Jason and Doug Miller, Advisory Board Chair, with Clinton and another member Simone, and the Clubhouse Operations Coordinator Nicole Buckland actively involved.  Key to the discussion was the question of core clubhouse values. The meeting concluded with the consensus that relationships among members and staff was the most important core value.  We, TCA, then utilized the walk back to Manly Beach to debrief ourselves and impressions before going for a swim and dinner, topping off our day at Pioneer Clubhouse.

We thank the Pioneer Clubhouse members and staff for their warm hospitality and look forward to hearing more progress.

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