Apathy, it turns out, can be rewarded with cold hard cash.

It took less than an hour to close the book on the National Sports Club. Soon its 154 members will be cashing a five figure cheque.

But at least one important question about the governance of clubs and associations has been raised as a result.

"Calm, cool, collected and under control,'' is how Don MacPherson described Tuesday's meeting to consider a motion to dissolve the club.

The motion was unopposed. Now the assets of the club will be liquidated and proceeds split among the members.

Mr. MacPherson repeated his regret that presiding over the 70-year-old club's dissolution was his final act as president.

"I am sad it has happened to the National Sports Club,'' he told The Royal Gazette . "That is a prime piece of property.'' More importantly, it was a great club, he added.

Nationals dissolved But the "done deal'' couldn't be reversed. And the dissolution would at least help to lift some families out of dire financial straits, he said.

Moreover the education of up to 300 six- to nine-year-olds will be enhanced.

"We're kind of pleased it was the Montessori school -- another community organisation -- and not a business,'' Mr. MacPherson said.

National Sports Club last year sold its Devonshire property for $3.5 million to the Montessori Academy which plans to spend millions more in building a new facility and enhancing its offerings.

Whatever the final payout is to members after all obligations are settled and the club's assets are liquidated, it will be a godsend for some members.

To be sure, some people voted for the dissolution because they needed the money, he said.

"Those people are going to put it to good use. And I don't begrudge them that,'' he added. "If you look at a family where illness has drained their life savings, how can you blame them?'' He does worry, though, that the rules of his club and others on the island actually allow the liquidation and sharing of proceeds among the members "under these circumstances''.

Lack of interest among the members was among the catalysts for the club's undoing.

"It's alarming. How could any club management be expected to hang in there during tough times if the great proportion of the members they look to for support are just waiting in the wings?'' Club Constitutions should stipulate that proceeds of a liquidation be handed over to another sports club or a designated charity, he said.

Mr. MacPherson wouldn't speculate on the exact amount of the windfall coming to the members but he confirmed that the Club had no debts.

And he feels sure that for some members at least, the amount will not be enough to erase the memories and regrets.

"I think for the rest of their days when they drive past that school, They're going to be kind of sad. They'll look across with a little tinge of regret.''