Underage Nightclub

Emma - posted on 04/26/2010

Well i was going to adult night clubs from the age of 15 as the under 18's where lame...
So how popular this will be with the kids i don't know...
you could end up with a lot of what i did as a teen and get drooped off at the under 18's and walk a block away and go in the real club and be back at the under 18's in time to be picked up again......

Esther - posted on 04/20/2010

Even if Shaun had to do major detective work (which apparently she didn't) I don't see anything wrong with her trying to keep track of the possibly negative publicity her establishment is getting, considering it is her livelihood. Besides - we are a public forum.

Dana - posted on 04/20/2010

I just googled it, it pops second page.

Underage Nightclub - Debating Mums! - Circle of MomsI will admit, Northbridge is NOT a place I would want my underage children hanging out EVER without my supervision, but that's just me. ...
www.circleofmoms.com/debating.../Underage-Nightclub-523199?... - Cached

Amie - posted on 04/19/2010

No it doesn't. I've searched every which way possible and gone back 10 pages with each search.

Erin - posted on 04/19/2010

Shaun that's ok.. no offence taken. It was just very weird, that's all.

Shaun - posted on 04/19/2010

I wont add anymore. I did a search for "underage northbridge" in google the other day and this came up. after reading a few of the posts I decided id quickly take the time to explain the club in more detail, to better give you an understanding of how it works. I in no way ment to offend you, I was simply taking the time to better inform you of what we do, as mothers I believed it was something important. again I am very sorry if I intruded and I will not post again. Apologies.

Erin - posted on 04/19/2010

Ok Shaun do you care to enlighten us how in the world you found this thread?

I posted this thread to debate the merits of underage venues in general, and to hear how other mothers felt about the need for safe entertainment for teenagers. I merely used the current media coverage of your venue as an example.

Again, it seems outrageous that you have managed to find this thread in our tiny little debating community on COMs.

Shaun - posted on 04/19/2010

I'll be honest. Mr La Bianca is not the one interested in providing entertainment for youth. he is interested in the fact he has a lease he has to continue to pay. My staff and I however are interested in providing entertainment for youth. We continue to operate the events and run the venue and in return for having no involvement Mr La Bianca receives the weekly rent on the venue which is raised by our small door charge per person. It of course turns over enough to pay its costs, but does not make a profit.

Esther - posted on 04/19/2010

Shaun - thank you for posting. I'm impressed you even found this thread. The way you describe this club, it sounds positively saintly. I cannot fathom why anyone would object to such a charitable enterprise. Which makes me think there has got to be more to the story than what you're describing. Otherwise why would it draw such national attention and controversy? It also doesn't make much sense to me that Mr. La Bianca would have no involvement at all and stands to make no profit. Especially given his history, I cannot imagine that he's only doing this for the good of some teens.

Dana - posted on 04/19/2010

Interesting post, although it's one word against another. I find it strange that there is no profit. It all just sounds too good to be true too. I think I need to look into it more for an informed opinion.

Lindsay - posted on 04/19/2010

We had a "teen club" in my town when I was about 13 years old. It was for kids 13-17 and was advertised to be a safe place for teens to gather. They closed at midnight as that was the legal curfew here for all minors. It didn't last for long though. While there was no acohol or drugs "provided" there, it was not well regulated. Kids were bringing in water bottles filled with vodka and tylenol containers full of extasy, special k, and just about any type of date rape pill out there. Whether they were just turning a blind eye to everything going on in there or whether they just didn't have enough security, they were shut down shortly after a year of operation. They were also slapped with a long list of charges.



Maybe that place has tainted my views towards establishments like this but I would be very leary of letting my kids in one of them. Now when I hear of similar establishments, it just raises a big red flag.

Shaun - posted on 04/19/2010

Hi! I am actually the manager of Club 361, my name is Shaun de Burgh and I manage, organise and operate all the event's and functions. I decided to quickly post on here to clear up some "incorrect reporting" that the Sunday Times has been doing.

Nunzio la Bianca is not actually involved in the operation of the underage club. He never sets foot in the venue nor has anything to do with the management. He simply owns the venue and as the venue makes no profit, there is not much in it for him.

Now the big thing I wanted to clear up is the operating hours. We run on Friday and Saturday nights. Friday from 9pm - 1am and Saturday from 7pm - Midnight. We NEVER close at 6am and am yet to figure out how the media came to believe we closed at such a time. We cater for teenagers aged 16 and 17 only. They must produce either a "smartrider student card" or "proof of age card" as identification.

They undergo a search to ensure they do not have drugs or alcohol and are often breath tested to ensure a 0.0 blood alcohol level before gaining entry. Should they be intoxicated or have alcohol in their system, they will be handed over to the police who then proceed to contact their parents.

Our staff are all volunteers however they do hold valid and current "security licences", "working with children permits" and "senior first aid".

The club also has a First Aid station incase of an injury. The venue is located on the outskirts of northbridge, infact if you cross the road your in North Perth. Anyone who drives past the venue in the evening when we are open will notice no adults frequent the streets in this area. The venue is isolated from the Adult Entertainment strip. Personally I think it is a brilliant place for the venue as both Police and Ambulance are only minutes away should an emergency ever occur.

Being in Northbridge we dont go unnoticed. We have frequent visits from Child Protection, Drug Arm, Various government and non-profit organisations, Health Department, City of Perth, Police, Fire to ensure the saftey of not only our patrons but also to ensure the venue meets only the best Public Building saftey standards.

The entire venue is under CCTV monitoring and our staff are pro-active in ensuring the saftey of teenagers in the venue. We welcome parents to attend and see for themselves, so much so that we have been thinking of installing a "free" coffee machine and special area for parents who wish to stay at the venue with their teenagers.

We are also looking for community support, we are not here to make profit, infact to date we have been struggling to cover our costs. We are all a good bunch of people and welcome any assistance and ideas parents wish to offer.

We also have drinks at the venue and offer a healthy selection at prices that teenagers can afford. For instance Softdrink is $3 and Water is $2.50, Fresh Juice is $4

Entry on Friday is $15 and Parents who wish to attend are FREE of charge. We do not however permit Older Brothers or Non-Parent/Guardians.

Hope this clears a few things up, the media really has no right posting incorrect information and let me assure you all that Nunzio la Bianca has NOTHING to do with the Management and Operation of the Club.

Any concerns, please feel free to call me any time. 0433308772


Thanks


Shaun

Sarah - posted on 04/19/2010

I used to go to under age discos (as it was called then) all the time when i was younger!
There was one every week on a Wednesday.
It wasn't open til 6am though!
That's the only bit that would bother me.
Although when i was young, we would get some booze, get drunk in the park and then go to the disco!
Quite glad that it's MUCH harder to buy booze if you're under age now. :)

Tah - posted on 04/18/2010

we had one in philly called dances, but you won't be staying until 6am or anywhere near that time..

ME - posted on 04/18/2010

No...there are plenty of things for a 14 year old to do that don't involve staying out until 6am. I might concider letting my 16 or 17 year old do something like this...but it will depend on what kind of teens they turn out to be...Besides...if you believe there won't be drugs there...I'm sure I can find something else to sell you!

Jocelyn - posted on 04/17/2010

Yes, but not until 6 am. That's just ridiculous.

Charlie - posted on 04/17/2010

6 am is to late for a 14 year old however i do think teens need places to go and things to do as long as it is strictly supervised with severe consequences for breaking the rules , i would be happy to let my teen hang out there if i knew it was being run legitimately and with an earlier curfew , i see WAY too many kids wandering the streets on the weekends getting drunk out of their minds , vandalizing the streets and taking drugs because " were bored , there's nothing to do "

Erin - posted on 04/17/2010

Yeah I saw that comment about the violence, but I assume they must have caught him actually breaching a regulation to pull his license (ignoring the Responsible Service of Alcohol or something). Either way, he is far from the ideal candidate to be running an underage venue, irrespective of the need for safe entertainment for teens.

Jodi - posted on 04/17/2010

In which case, he really has no business running an underage venue.......

LaCi - posted on 04/17/2010

"Mr La Bianca's licence for The Rock was revoked in May last year. At the time, he said police told him his venue was the most dangerous and violent in Northbridge."

I would imagine it had something to do with the violence coming back on his management skills.

Erin - posted on 04/17/2010

Sharon, all the reports have only said he had his license revoked, so I'm not sure of the details. Presumably it is for either serving alcohol to underage persons, breaching the customer limit for a venue or turning a blind-eye to drugs on the premises. They are the main reasons why owners lose their licence here.

Personally, I would not in a million years let my daughter go to this place. I agree that some safe night-time venues are needed for underage kids, but this does not appear to be one of them. And 6am?!?! No way! There is no reason a 14yo needs to be out after midnight as far as I'm concerned.

Krista - posted on 04/17/2010

Like the others said -- good in theory, but the execution definitely needs work.

Jodi - posted on 04/17/2010

Oh boy, this raises SOOOO many questions. Like WHY is there a need for a nighclub for minors open until 6am? Where the heck are their parents? I don't think ANY child of school age should be out until 6am, not just 14 year olds. However, at the same time, there are so many kids these days whose parents don't parent, so the kids end up pretty much doing whatever they want, so I guess, in some way, this is a safer alternative for them than hanging out on the streets, or sneaking into licenced night clubs. I will admit, Northbridge is NOT a place I would want my underage children hanging out EVER without my supervision, but that's just me.



With regard to the drinks he is serving, I know they are not alcoholic, but this brings up the whole alcopop debate. They LOOK like alcopops, and therefore I feel they are desensitising kids to think it is cool to drink stuff like that. I don't know, I am really torn on the issues.



Sharon, I am with you, we hada place to go on Saturday nights, usually a disco (LOL), and from the age of 16, and it finished around midnight. Kids do need somewhere to go at that age that is safe, but I think 14 is way too young, and emulating the whole nighclub atmosphere is a problem.



That flyer advertising the place is a bit of a worry too......its a pedophile magnet.

LaCi - posted on 04/17/2010

I would be fine with it, but he wouldn't be there until 6 am. 11pm-ish sounds good though. I think it's nice they have a place to gather and hang out that doesn't involve drunk 14 year olds, as they aren't allowed in, and I love that they don't let adults in unless approved by police. I think the big reason I went wild when I was a teenager is just that I was bored out of my mind, kids need more options of things to do.

Sharon - posted on 04/17/2010

Yes but i would impose my own curfew.



There used to be a number of those where I grew up but they closed at 1am and they were for 16 - 18 or 20 yr olds. I had a blast. I bought all kinds of mixed drinks - alcohol free and had a wonderful time.



Now considering the owner.... why is he banned from being employed on licensed premises?