Sport
27 September, 2024
Deledio pavilion push progresses
A vital piece in the over 20 year Deledio Recreation Reserve jigsaw puzzle may soon be put in place, with an application for federal funding officially submitted.
At last week’s council meeting, the Central Goldfields Shire Council approved a proposal to seek a grant from the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Fund to the tune of $1.5 million.
The application comes following the announcement that the State Government has committed $1 million to build a new club pavilion with four primary change rooms suitable for all sports and genders, social rooms, kitchen and much more — news many residents have been waiting decades to hear.
The newest application aims to inject half a million dollars into the project’s budget and reduce council’s co-contribution by the same amount, while still delivering a brand-new sporting pavilion in Dunolly which is inclusive and meets contemporary standards.
Speaking at the meeting, mayor Liesbeth Long said federal support would provide a major boost to a project she has been campaigning for since holding the Flynn Ward seat.
“This has been a very long winded project that the community has been working on for 20 years,” she said.
“To see another potential puzzle piece hopefully fall into place will just be magnificent.
“It will certainly make a huge difference to council to have those reduced borrowings if the grant is successful.”
The reserve, used by the Dunolly Football Netball Club and the Laancoorie Dunolly Cricket Club, has seen major improvements to their scoreboard and netball courts, yet has hit multiple hurdles in obtaining a new pavilion.
In 2022, election promises from Federal Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster and then State Member for Ripon Louise Staley failed to materialise after the Liberal-National coalition failed to make federal or state governments.
In April, council made an application for $2 million from the Federal Government’s Play Our Way Fund, however in August were notified the bid was unsuccessful.
Councillor Chris Meddows-Taylor said he is optimistic that the timing is right for the Dunolly community.
“We know as a council we have twisted and turned in ways to try and make this happen, it needs to happen, and the question for us has been how to make it happen,” he said
“Unfortunately we’ve had a few turns along the way [where] things haven’t quite been delivered the way we hoped.
“We have just got to shake that magic tree as hard as we can, we haven’t always had the success recently that we have wanted with the Federal Government so the good thing about that is it’s time.
“Dunolly deserves a win [and] those in the community that have been such powerful champions for this deserve a win.”