By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
\u2018Tis the season of pavilion launches, with the second opening event being held last Friday.<\/p>\n
Moorabool Councillors, local MP Michaela Settle, and members of the tenant clubs all came to celebrate the completion of the Ballan Recreation Reserve Pavilion, with around 50 people in attendance.<\/p>\n
Ms Settle thanked the community and sporting clubs for their patience, with a range of factors including the COVID pandemic, poor conditions for construction, and supply issues forcing a 12-month delay.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a project that\u2019s particularly close to my heart,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day after I was pre-selected to stand, Billy Smith contacted me and said, \u2018we need to do something about the Ballan Rec Reserve\u2019. So, it\u2019s quite literally the first project that I worked on. That in itself says it\u2019s been a long time coming,\u201d Ms Settle said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that\u2019s had an impact on the clubs, and I really want to thank everyone for their patience. I hope you\u2019ll all feel like I do that it\u2019s well worth the wait\u2026it really is a beautiful facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moorabool Shire Mayor Cr Rod Ward also acknowledged the long journey culminating in the launch event, and thanked the State Government, tenant groups, and partners who had worked together on funding the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to recognise Michaela, she is an enthusiastic advocate for Moorabool, and the contribution by the State Government of $3 million has made this possible. I\u2019d also like to thank Council officers that worked on the funding application,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncil invested over $1.2 million in this project, and additional funding was received from Ballan Community Bank, the Moorabool Wind Farm Community Fund, and the Ballan Recreation Reserve Committee of Management, so thank you everyone for your contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ballan Cricket Club President David Leach, Ballan Football Netball Club President David O\u2019Hanlon, and Ballan Recreation Reserve President Peter McGregor also addressed the crowd, agreeing with Ms Settle that the new facility was \u201cwell worth the wait\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still here, we\u2019re still competing,\u201d Mr Leach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to thank the same funding bodies and user groups that Ms Settle mentioned, without them, we\u2019d need a heck of a lot of pie nights to fund these rooms,\u201d Mr Leach joked.<\/p>\n
David O\u2019Hanlon said \u201cit\u2019s been a hell of a ride, a tough one\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I feel we\u2019ve come out better at the end. To Marty Conroy and Loretta, when we had nowhere to change, shower, or go to the toilet, they stepped in and used their own money to come up with the temporary changerooms we\u2019ve used for the last two years\u2026we really appreciate them doing that,\u201d Mr O\u2019Hanlon added.<\/p>\n
The new sports pavilion includes a large function room, kitchen and bar, office space, meeting rooms and storage sheds, while the new change rooms have four family friendly change rooms, umpire change rooms, and a tiered concourse with a fantastic view of the oval.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis \u2018Tis the season of pavilion launches, with the second opening event being held last Friday. Moorabool Councillors, local MP Michaela Settle, and members of the tenant clubs all came to celebrate the completion of the Ballan Recreation Reserve Pavilion, with around 50 people in attendance. Ms Settle thanked the community and sporting […]<\/p>\n