After 40 years in the club industry, Merimbula RSL Secretary Manager Michael Mutsch has handed in his keys.
Today, November 12, 2025, is Michael’s final shift at the club he’s worked at since 1996 and he will attend his final Annual General Meeting tonight.
Former Tura Beach Country Club general manager Scott MacLean will step into the RSL Secretary Manager role.
Growing up in Albury, Michael started his club career in 1985 at the Albury Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen’s Club which at the time had 355 poker machines and 135 staff. It was a time referred to by NSW clubs as the ‘golden era’ when busloads from Victoria would cross the border to play the poker machines which were still banned in their state.
Michael recalls up to seven buses parked in the Albury carpark almost every Saturday and Sunday, with staff joking they could put a pot plant in the corner with a handle on it and someone would play it.
While at Albury Michael experienced his very first bomb scare. He says looking back they handled it very casually at the time, having never experienced anything like it before.
“It was such a different time back then, and it’s hard to fathom that the police decided not to evacuate the club immediately and have a look for the bomb first. They sent myself and a colleague off to search one area of the club while they searched another,” he says.
“Fortunately, we didn’t find a bomb, and we all lived to tell the tale.”
Within a month of poker machines being introduced in Victoria in 1995 the buses stopped coming over the border with several never recovering including Corowa Bowling Club, Hume Country Golf Club and Lavington Sports Club.
Michael moved to the Robertson Bowling Club, inland of Shellharbour, before starting at the Merimbula RSL Club as operations manager in 1996.
When Secretary Manager Ernie Beuzeville retired a year later, Michael was appointed to the role. He had a dramatic start, with armed robbers getting away with almost $40,000 the day before his first day.
“This had a huge impact on a lot of people, particularly the staff, followed by dealing with the authorities and going to court. It was a dramatic beginning to what has been an eventful 30 years as Secretary Manager.”
Michael says clubs are venues where like-minded people come to socialise in a safe and comfortable environment. In most regional areas, including the Bega Valley, clubs play an integral role in supporting the community. He says the RSL has the added function of providing a family atmosphere that honours and welcomes returned service men and women.
He says several moments have tested his resolve including the proposed amalgamation between Merimbula RSL and the Merimbula-Imlay Bowling Club. Although both clubs were in strong financial positions, registered clubs were closing at a rapid rate. In NSW alone between 2011 and 2015, 65 clubs closed.
The two Merimbula clubs started discussions in 2012, hoping that by joining forces they would assure the long-term future of a combined club for the tourist town.
“Several studies had shown Merimbula would not be big enough to support two clubs of our size in the long-term and we wanted to be proactive to ensure both clubs survived.”
Michael says he, Damien Foley and the two club boards were dedicated to working together as a merged club but legislation was not flexible enough to show they wanted an equal partnership.
“On Wednesday November 19, 2014, 709 members attended a meeting at the RSL to vote for, or against, amalgamation – making this the biggest general meeting in the club’s history.
“At the end of the day, our members voted against the amalgamation, and the board and management respected their wishes.”
Michael says he is proud of the way the board, management and staff have always stepped up to support the community, in particular during challenging times.
These included the summer bushfires in January 2020 when the club became an emergency evacuation centre, followed closely by COVID in March 2020 with multiple closures until business got back to normal in 2021.
He says during COVID the RSL strived to communicate clearly and openly and stay strong for its members and the broader community. This included kitchen staff cooking more than 400 meals in 2021 for the Sapphire Life Opportunities community pantry that would have gone to waste due to sudden government stay at home orders.
“It was a special moment for our staff and the broader club family to help the community when everyone felt isolated and alone.
“This resulted in a lot of other food businesses doing the same, and it gave us all a sense of purpose during this challenging time.”
Michael is proud to have managed two major club renovations and says Merimbula RSL Club continues to grow and prosper and be an important social hub for members and guests.
“The club is dedicated to supporting community and sporting groups through ClubGRANTS and distribute a significant amount of financial and in-kind support every year.
“I always say that Merimbula RSL is the heart of this community, and it has been a privilege to be part of this club family for the past 30 years.
“I look forward to being part of the club family in a social capacity for many years to come.”