Storm reduces club to ashes

By Lilly O’Gorman
AS THE rest of Cardinia Shire waded through floodwaters on Friday night, Upper Pakenham Tennis Club burned.
Lightning from the storms that brought flash flooding to the area brought the suspected cause of the fire that claimed the clubhouse.
More than 40 years of history was destroyed in the blaze that occurred just two days before the club’s scheduled open day.
Club president Peter Schilling said it was absurd standing in the pouring rain, watching the clubhouse burn.
“The biggest loss would be the plaques inside the clubrooms,” Mr Schilling said.
“I reckon, we would’ve had 100 pennants that date back 30 or 40 years. The rooms will be replaced, but it is the history that you lose.”
Pakenham Upper has lost everything inside the clubhouse including sporting equipment and kitchen appliances, which were all uninsured.
“We spent a lot of last year completing substantial renovations on the club, including new toilets, re-cladding of the whole exterior and new carpet. That’s all gone now.”
Mr Schilling said the fire was apparently caused by lightning that sparked an electrical fault.
He said a positive was that the courts were unscathed and apart from having no power at the moment, the lights were also undamaged.
“Everybody was totally devastated on Friday night. But we’ve got to look to the future. We will rebuild.
“I was talking to the captain of CFA on Friday night and he said to me, ‘You don’t have a club anymore’ and I said ‘Yes we do – we just don’t have a clubhouse.’”