Cr Hope arrived in Willow Tree on Tuesday evening, where locals watched on in shock as the fire burnt their club to the ground.

As the news sank in on Wednesday, the community had already begun to rally around the club and its volunteers, with offers of assistance or a temporary place to relocate until it could rebuild.

“We can’t afford to lose something like this in that little village,” Cr Hope said.

“I am reassured that there are offers to help, local earthmoving contractors have offered to assist with the removal of debris. The community has really started to rally, which is fantastic.” 

Cr Hope described the bowling club as the “social hub of town.”

“Everyone went there for meals, it was a home for the Lion’s Club. There was memorabilia and history hanging around the place, it is lost and will never be replaced,” he said.

He said he would be speaking to Council executives about a possible option to house the club at the Willow Tree Visitor Information Centre’s cafe.

“To lose something like this in a village is effectively devastating and we have a contingency plan in place. Council owns our information centre and the cafe on the side of it is available for lease.

“We will consider at the next council meeting about allowing the club the use of that premises while they rebuilt. It allows the club and members to stay functional and I’m fairly certain Council will support it.

“We were about to put it out for tender, but I spoke to the general manager to hold off until we have a chance to get around to all the Councillors and offer to the club, if they want it, to potentially keep the club alive while they rebuild.”