Club Willoughby has officially reopened its doors, celebrating the milestone with two plaque unveilings and a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of its new three-storey venue.

The new club features a bistro, alfresco dining, sports bar, and venue and meeting spaces designed for community groups and special events. A Chinese seafood restaurant within the club is also set to open soon.

The redevelopment forms part of the $400 million Heart of Willoughby mixed-use precinct, a project more than a decade in the making since plans were first proposed in 2013. The precinct combines retirement living, aged care, retail and medical services alongside a 2,000-square-metre memorial park.

Club president Ves Campion said the reopening represented the culmination of years of planning and collaboration.

“We’re relieved that we’re finally here after all these years,” he told Club Management.

“We’ve been in negotiations, meetings, and arguments about floor plans and layouts, so it’s a great relief to get this brand new chapter underway. It’s now about creating our own character and hopefully legend.”

The project was delivered in partnership with family-owned developer Hyecorp and includes 111 retirement apartments, aged care services and a range of community facilities.

Hyecorp managing director Stephen Abolakian said the development was designed to secure the club’s long-term future while strengthening its role within the community.

“For the club and the wider community, this project is about giving Club Willoughby a sustainable future and a new role at the heart of local life – a place to meet, eat, drink, celebrate and commemorate,” he said.

Abolakian said preserving the site’s history and military legacy was central to the development.

“This land carries the legacy of the Willoughby Legion Ex-Services Club and generations of veterans and families who have given us so much,” he said.

“From the beginning, we were determined not to shy away from that, but to place remembrance at the centre of the design through the sandstone remembrance area, the plaques, the memorial walk and the stories told along the boardwalk.

“We hope this garden and memorial walk will be places where people of all ages can pause, reflect and honour that service and sacrifice.”

Read about the makeover in full detail in Club Management Autumn 2026.