When the new building opened in 1968, it was a very formal event, with the honours done by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Roden Cutler, accompanied by his wife, Lady Cutler.

On Saturday night, the anniversary celebration was a less formal affair, with dinner, dancing and speeches.

But people thought about that event fifty years ago.  The club at the time was built to the best standards as a very modern club in times that were changing. The idea of an old-fashioned pub just for boozing was giving way to the idea of clubs for relaxation - drink was important but so was chilling out in easy chairs in a lounge (not that they would have called it "chilling out").

"The lounge", readers of The Examiner were told, "provides the ultimate in the comfort and service". It added: "No effort has been spared in providing the ultimate in comfort and aesthetic appeal for the members of the Glen Innes District Services Club in the lounge reserved exclusively for them.

"This is the'inner sanctum' from which women are excluded and where members can gather with their war-time comrades and talk about their experiences together."

The Examiner reported in wonder at architecture of the new ultra-modern facilities of this "imposing building set in garden surrounds".

The edition of February 26, 1968 reported that "The new Glen Innes and District Services Club erected and furnished at a cost of $360,000, has given the town a building which is unsurpassed here in style and modern architectural features.

It continued: "The building, spacious in size and refined in quality, is one of the biggest erected in modern times and has provided the town with a club the superior of which cannot be found in the North.

"By day the club is an imposing structure of subdued slate-red bricks. By night, it becomes a blaze of light, completely transforming the former dark, vacant block at the southern end of Grey Street on which it is erected into a gay scene of activity".

You can sense the pride in the Examiner's coverage, a collective civic pride at what one institution in the town had done. This was a club and committee which thought second -best wasn't good enough.

There was a sense, too, that the new club was part of the town's obligation to those who had fought in the war which ended barely twenty years earlier so there would have been many members who were returned service men and women. Rosemary (the plant of remembrance) was set around the entrance.

The Examiner said: "The club is a magnificent addition to Glen Innes' imposing buildings and as the trees and shrubs grow, the gardens will complement the structure.

"It should prove a fitting memorial to those who lost their lives in service for their country and constitute a venue where returned men and women and their friends can meet in a pleasant atmosphere.'