Sport
18 April, 2024
Harness club benefitting from grant
The Maryborough community is set to gain more benefits with the Allan Labor Government announcing upgrades to the Maryborough Harness Racing Club. As part of the $100,000 grant that was announced on Thursday afternoon by Minister for Racing Anthony...
The Maryborough community is set to gain more benefits with the Allan Labor Government announcing upgrades to the Maryborough Harness Racing Club.
As part of the $100,000 grant that was announced on Thursday afternoon by Minister for Racing Anthony Carbines and Member for Ripon Martha Haylett, the Maryborough Harness Racing Club will be able to upgrade their bar and the entrance to the venue, which will increase capacity from 120 to 220 patrons.
The works will see the existing bar demolished, plumbing and electrical upgrades made, while there will also be new tiling, paint, plaster, signage and equipment.
The upgrades are set to commence immediately, with the completion date slated for October, in time for the Redwood Carnival.
Minister Carbines says it’s part of the Regional Customer Facilities Program, which will allow regional racecourses to continue to show high-quality racing across the state.
“We are supporting racecourses across regional Victoria so they can continue to showcase the very best of racing and celebrate the importance of local communities,” he said.
“The racing industry in regional Victoria generates $1.17 billion for the state’s economy and helps sustain over 9000 full-time equivalent jobs in the region.”
Ms Haylett says the upgrades will be a boon for the Maryborough community.
“These upgrades will provide the Maryborough Harness Racing Club with modern fit for purpose facilities for racing and will ensure the community has another high class event facility as well,” she said.
Maryborough Harness Racing Club secretary Jackson Barby says the works will leave a lasting legacy on the strategic plan that the club has been working on for 12 months.
“It’s a big boost for the club, and a massive shot in the arm. We’re ecstatic that we’re successful and we’ve been able to receive it,” he said.
“I think it’s a credit to the club and a credit to our committee for having the dedication to a progressive vision that we’ve been implementing over the last 12 months, and for the next three years with our strategic plan.
“This is the icing on the cake for the hard work we’ve been putting in.
“With the work we’ve been doing in the background, we are just waiting for the green light to get works underway. We’ll get straight into it, and it will be good to open it up for Redwood come October and have it ready for the community and our racing industry to come and see it.
“Our members and our volunteers, and especially our committee members, when it’s finished, will be proud. It will be their legacy.”
Barby says the hard work has to continue to ensure the club can continue evolving well into the 21st century.
“When it comes to events, we have to be continuously evolving, making sure we are connecting the local community and the interest of people,” he said.
“We are excited with the plans that we have with Redwood this year to make it bigger and better, but also the non-racing events such as the rodeo, which is coming back next year, and it’s great to see this facility be such a great asset to the community, and being used for different purposes.
“If we’re looking at expanding our client base and be a leading events centre in central Victoria, we need to have the best facilities to go with it. To get this grant to upgrade our customer facilities is amazing.”