BY ROGER WATSON
One of the joys and privileges of private club membership is that most clubs have reciprocal arrangements with other clubs around the world. My club in the UK is The Royals Scots Club in Edinburgh (Country Squire Magazine passim) which has reciprocal arrangements with a wide variety of clubs in the UK and on every continent. I rarely have time to explore other clubs on my travels and, until this year, the only other club I had visited on a reciprocal basis was one in Singapore.
I was recently in Australia for a few days, in Brisbane where I have relatives. Part of my family long ago emigrated to Australia including my maternal grandmother who died and is buried there. I had not been to Brisbane since 2019. The Covid-19 madness that ensued put a stop to travel for a few years and such visiting positions and scholarships I held in Australia expired.
Prior to my visit, which was mainly social, I checked to see if The Royal Scots Club had any reciprocal clubs in Brisbane and, it turned out, they had two: The United Services Club and the Brisbane Club. Both clubs looked wonderful but the balance was tipped in favour of the Brisbane Club. Whereas the United Service Club claimed to be ‘a premier club’, the Brisbane Club claimed to be ‘the premier club’ in Queensland.
The gallery photographs on the webpage at the time of first checking showed world presidents and prime ministers being entertained there and everything from the menus to the wine list looked superb. So, I asked my club for the standard letter of introduction, contacted the club and was made to feel that I would be very welcome when I visited. The club motto is ad congregationem hominum (for the gathering of people) which comes from Cicero.
Last month I visited the club with my cousin and her husband. The club is in the heart of the CBD (Commercial and Business District) at 241 Adelaide Square opposite ANZAC Square occupying Suite 3 of a tall modern building, the Brisbane Club Tower. Formed in 1903, the Brisbane Club has always been approximately situated where it is. However, the building has been extended and developed to its present 24 storeys. The club, regarded as Brisbane’s leading business club, has hosted visiting royalty, governors-general, judges, military leaders and prominent business figures.
Once inside the club, you could easily be inside an old colonial building. Entering the floor with the bar and snooker tables, we commandeered the Chesterfield leather armchairs near the bar. We were lucky, it was a quiet evening. Gin and tonics were delivered, ice-cold, with our personal choices of gin and botanicals. They were so good we had another round before proceeding to the floor above and the small dining room.
Only one other table was occupied and the diners, one of whom we assumed was a club official, welcomed us warmly. A notable feature of the dining room, which is several storeys up, is an excellent view of the Old Post Office building. This is a splendid colonial style building which, along with other examples such as the Customs House, the folk of Brisbane have seen fit to preserve.
There then followed one of the best dinners I have eaten in a long time accompanied by an excellent bottle of red wine. My relatives know their wines and as I read the list, they guided me to one of Australia’s finest. I forget what is was but I was relieved that the one at approximately $AUS50 was selected and not the one costing over $AUS200. The selection of steaks was extensive and when our chosen cuts arrived, they were grilled to perfection.
We returned to the bar for a nightcap. I spotted an XO Cognac which we ordered. The barman told us he was not going to measure it, and he didn’t. I reckon mine was at least a triple. My most pleasant surprise of the evening, given my Scottish roots, was that the bill was not unreasonable. I would have no hesitation in visiting again.
I never know when I will next be in Australia. Most visits are impromptu ones, made possible by my relative proximity when working in Hong Kong. But one thing is certain: when I return to Brisbane, another letter of introduction to the Brisbane Club will be among the first items on my itinerary. Reciprocal club membership opens doors that would otherwise remain closed and provides a glimpse of a city’s traditions that no hotel can offer. In an age when private clubs are often dismissed as relics of another era, the Brisbane Club demonstrates that, at their best, they remain places of genuine hospitality and civilised company.
Roger Watson is a Former Registered Nurse and Editor-in-Chief of Nurse Education in Practice.