Royal Fremantle has donated nearly $3,000 to assist Exmouth Golf Club through its post-cyclone clear-up operations.
The Coral Coast-based club was hit hard by Cyclone Narelle in late March, with storm-force winds and torrential rains causing considerable damage.
While the cost to repair the clubhouse and facilities — estimated to be between $150-$200k — should be covered by insurance, the damage sustained to the course itself will not.
The course was flooded during the cyclone and suffered significant tree loss, which has taken hundreds of volunteer hours to clean up.
On top of that, the course lost all the river sand from its greens, with replacement costs set to be the club’s highest outlay. Some of the sand greens have been reduced in size to reduce the amount of river sand needed to be purchased.
To show their support for their beleaguered northern neighbours, Royal Fremantle donated fees from two days of competition in mid-May, totalling almost $1,900. On top of that, more than 50 members contributed an additional $800, bringing the total to $2,680.
Mandy Francis-Maier, Secretary of Exmouth GC, said the show of camaraderie has come as a ‘tremendous boost’ after a challenging six weeks for all at the club.
“To know we have the support from Royal Fremantle from afar is a tremendous boost to our morale, and very much needed at this stage of the recovery process,” she said.
“Many of our members and volunteers are mentally and physically exhausted as we work on restoring our course, so we extend sincere and heartfelt thanks to Royal Fremantle and its members for their generosity.”
Happily, thanks to the Herculean efforts of club members and local volunteers, Exmouth GC is now open for golf once more, although work will be ongoing to return the course to its pre-cyclone condition for the foreseeable future.
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