St George Leagues Club was no “Tah Mahal” in the early days. It was up the road from the present building, on the intersection of Rocky Point Road and Princes Highway, where once an old store stood.

The club that grew to be the most famous in all clubdom opened there in 1952. It was a basic meeting place with two poker machines, a couple of offices, a stage for the band and one long bar. In the early days the bar was in the cellar which was the only part of the building completed. In heavy rain there would be minor flooding – and the stalwarts would remove their shoes and socks to breast the bar. At that time the club was not allowed to buy direct from the breweries – so beer was bought from local pubs. It was the second such club to get a licence in NSW.

The first St George Leagues Club was a happy, informal place, but it lacked potential for expansion and there was no parking. Glynn Price, the foundation treasure, remembers it making £3000 in the first six months of operation.