Southport Golf Club lifts restriction on voting by female members

The Gold Coast’s Southport Golf Club is to allow women the right to vote at club meetings, athough the Club’s female associate members will still be limited to the numbers of days when they can play.

Southport Golf Club last week moved to lift a restriction on women voting rights, with 83% of members backing a motion to allow the Club’s ‘associate’ female members to vote at meetings.

Believed to be one of the last Queeensland golf clubs to have maintained rules preventing female Club member from voting, last Wednesday’s decision now allows associate females to have a say at the club’s Early General Meeting and Annual General Meeting.

The motion, which failed when an attempt was made to introduce it late last year, required 75% of members to back it. It achieved 226 votes for, with 46 voting against, in a secret ballot.

The bulk of the Club’s several hundred females are only classed ‘associates’ not ‘full’ members due to most paying reduced ‘associates’ fees of about $1400 because the club holds male-only days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

A sole women-only day is held on Wednesdays.

Under the old rules, women could vote if they paid full fees but veteran member Betty Veivers said only a handful of females paid in full because of their reduced playing days.

Veivers, wife of former Queensland National Party Minister and International League player Mick Veivers, told the Gold Coast Bulletin “a couple of women took the initiative and paid full fees but there wasn’t any change in terms of additional playing privileges. To get this vote took very slow steps.”

Veivers said despite being a member since 1971, she had joined other clubs at times because of the restriction on playing days at Southport, adding “I love the Club but I would like them to come into the modern era. In this day and age so many women hold prominent positions in life.”

One member said the vote was a long time coming, stating “everyone was a bit embarrassed (and) we were facing a legal battle in court if they didn’t pass it.”

Southport Golf Club President Bryan Wiig said it was a “fantastic” decision and hoped it would grow ladies golf and lead to the club’s first female board members later this year.

He concluded “it is a very significant decision and a great thing.” 

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