What if the next great idea for Coochiemudlo Island isn't waiting for funding... but simply waiting for someone to put their hand up?
It's easy to think of the Recreation Club as the place where you play bingo, join a game of croquet or win at darts on a Thursday night.
But spend half an hour talking with incoming president Noel and you quickly realise that's only scratching the surface.
His vision isn't simply to run a club.
It's to build the island's living room, lounge and backyard!
The sort of place where every resident, no matter their age or interests, can find something that makes them feel they belong.
A hall full of possibilities
Walk into the Rec Club and you'll see tables, chairs, a pool table and kitchen facilities.
Noel sees something completely different.
✅He sees indoor bowls rolling again after years of silence.
✅He sees chess tournaments.
✅Card groups.
✅Board game afternoons.
✅Kids learning robotics.
✅Technology workshops.
✅Art groups.
✅Community talks.
✅Pool, ping pong and darts filling Thursday nights.
He even laughs that the cupboards are already full of games waiting for people to discover them.
The biggest thing missing?
Not equipment.
Not money.
People willing to say, "I'd love to run that."
You don't have to join a committee
That's one of the biggest misconceptions. Noel isn't asking everyone to become committee members. He's looking for coordinators.
📷Someone who loves photography.
🎲Someone who enjoys board games.
🧶Someone who's always wanted to teach knitting or crochet.
🤔Perhaps you've spent a lifetime in accounting, electronics, gardening, music, history or cooking.
Maybe you've recently retired and suddenly have time on your hands.
If you've got a passion, chances are someone else on the island would love to learn it too.
Imagine running a one-hour session once a month doing something you'd happily be doing anyway.
That's how communities grow.
One person sharing something they enjoy.
More than recreation
Cyclone Alfred reminded island communities everywhere that clubs like this can become something much bigger.
The Rec Club has been quietly preparing for the future.
Starlink internet has been installed.
Emergency accommodation equipment is being assembled.
The committee is exploring grants for generators and other emergency infrastructure.
They're working alongside emergency services so the club can become an even stronger community hub if disaster strikes again.
It's not just somewhere to play.
It's somewhere people can rely on.
A club for the next generation
One moment in our conversation really stood out.
Noel started talking about robotics.
Not because it's fashionable.
Because decades ago he built one himself.
Long before AI became part of everyday conversation, he was designing robots, experimenting with electronics and imagining what technology might become.
Now he wonders...
What if local kids had somewhere to explore those ideas?
That tiny thought says a lot.
This isn't about preserving yesterday.
It's about creating tomorrow.
Your idea might already belong here
The Rec Club isn't trying to invent activities.
It's trying to make room for yours.
Maybe you've always thought:
"Someone should start..."
Perhaps you're that someone.
The club already has the hall.
The insurance.
The website.
The support.
What it needs are people with enthusiasm.
Because every activity on the calendar today started with one person saying, "Why don't we give this a go?"
The future is built by ordinary people
One of the things I love most about Coochiemudlo Island is that extraordinary things rarely begin with grand plans.
They begin with conversations.
A chat over coffee.
A casual suggestion.
A volunteer putting up their hand.
The Rec Club is inviting exactly those moments.
Whether you're new to the island or have lived here for decades, there's room for your skills, your hobbies and your ideas.
Who knows?
The activity everyone talks about next year might simply be the one you decided to start.
Interested?
Visit the Rec Club website, browse the activities already on offer and, if you've got an idea you'd love to share, use the contact form to start the conversation.
Because communities aren't built by buildings.
They're built by people who decide to make them a little more welcoming than they found them.
Visit the Rec Club on Facebook.
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Love hearing about the plans for robotics and tech stuff for kids. It’s great the club’s thinking of the future and not just the usual bingo and darts.