The Hastings Club has officially shut its doors, with board member Kevin Miles claiming the closure was caused by inaction from the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and a failure to acknowledge the club’s long-standing community contribution.
Established in the 1950s through the voluntary efforts of local residents, the club has served as a community-run institution for more than 60 years.
Mr Miles said conditions at the club deteriorated after the Shire took over the premises in 2017.
“The club’s closure was ultimately caused by a major leak in the building — a leak council failed to address in a timely manner,” – Mr Miles said.
“We pleaded for urgent repairs, but nothing was done in time. In the end, we had no choice but to close.”
He said repeated requests for assistance were rejected.
“Hastings has been recognised as the lowest socioeconomic town on the Mornington Peninsula — that’s in the Shire’s own report,” – Mr Miles said.
“And they looked us in the eye and told us to go to the community for funding. Now, I don’t begrudge Sorrento getting what they’ve been given — but if you’re going to go to a community and ask for money, I think you’d be asking Sorrento before you’d be asking the people of Hastings.”
“This isn’t just about one club. It’s part of a deeper issue — a systemic disregard for the Western Port side of the peninsula. Hastings, Bittern, Crib Point, Tyabb — we’re being overlooked.”
“We built this ourselves in the 1950s. That should matter,” – Mr Miles said.
STPL News confirms that since the airing of our report on the Hastings Club, we have received numerous emails from members and club officials from various clubs on the Western Port side of the peninsula claiming they too have been overlooked.
