General News
5 October, 2022
Rec Reserve upgrades celebrated
A NEW era at Wilson’s DC Farran Oval was officially celebrated last week for the first time since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
A NEW era at Wilson’s DC Farran Oval was officially celebrated last week for the first time since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
The event was an opportunity to celebrate the range of upgrades completed at the reserve in recent years.
Milestones for the Mortlake Recreation Reserve Committee include the addition of a helipad, a turf wicket, a new irrigation system, state of the art lighting, electronic scoreboard and the welcoming of Wilson’s Real Estate as naming rights partner.
Committee chair Jacinta Wareham welcomed a range of guests including Terang Mortlake Football Netball Club president Matt Clarke, Mortlake Cricket Club president Simon Ritchie, Moyne Shire councillors Jim Doukas and mayor Ian Smith, Member for Wannon Dan Tehan and Member for Western Victoria Andy Meddick.
Ms Wareham said the committee had identified major needs to improve the reserve and established a small working group including herself, Mick Murphy OAM, Greg Howat and a later addition of Noel Connell.
“In stage one we built the multi-purpose facility, for indoor sporting activities with internal and all-accessible toilets, and male and female change room for players, which opened in 2018,” she said.
“Stage two was the lighting project and the emergency landing area.
“We saw the need to add the landing area for air ambulances after a number of extreme emergencies such as the St Patrick’s Day fires, and Mt Fyans Wind Farm shared our concerns in providing funding.
“In the first 12 months of construction, it was used on six separate occasions.”
The search for funding to establish the lighting and scoreboard upgrade, and associated power upgrade, was a process Ms Wareham described as a “longer and more difficult journey”.
The $470,000 upgrade was secured through a creative approach in collaboration with the Federal Government and Moyne Shire Council.
The management committee was able to secure $70,000 through user groups and philanthropic organisations.
In addition, $200,000 was allocated under the Federal Government’s Local Road and Community Infrastructure program and $100,000 in budget funding from the shire.
The remaining funds were secured through a $100,000 loan from council, which will be paid off thanks to the addition of 15 sponsors in the last 18 months, including Wilson’s Real Estate as a naming rights partner.
“We’ve got a magnificent ground with a great playing surface, it’s affectionately known as the MCG of the western district, but we desperately needed lighting to complement the surface and surrounding facilities,” Ms Wareham said.
“The old lighting was so bad it prevented any training at night, and parents were known to turn their car lights on in the middle of winter at 6pm when the kids were finishing.
“The establishment of this new, 200-lux lighting now makes the ground suitable for cricket and football at night.
“It provides flexibility in training schedules and scheduling of games because we have women’s sport, which is up-and-coming in both football and cricket, as well as thejunior games.”
Wilson’s DC Farran Oval hosted its first game of night football earlier this year, with a women’s footy match between Terang Mortlake and South Warrnambool.
The reserve can also accommodate Super Saturday games in the Hampden League, with up to six football games from under 10s through to seniors and 11 netball games.
“That’s 470 players, without support staff and parents, all visiting our venue on the same day,” Ms Wareham said.
“Not only is this an improvement to our ground, but it’s allowing more sporting activities and an important economic flow on for our local businesses with so many visiting our town on a regular basis.”
Moyne Shire mayor Ian Smith said the shire was proud to support efforts to make Wilson’s DC Farran Oval a state-of-the-art facility.
“Recreation reserves are a massive part of all communities,” he said.
“I’d like to thank the committee for its tireless efforts in bringing these projects to life.
“The work done ensures this facility is one the Mortlake community can be very proud of.
“These improvements would not be possible without the passionate people behind the scenes, and the commitment shown by the committee is nothing short of inspirational.
Member for Wannon Dan Tehan congratulated the recreation reserve committee on bringing its vision to fruition.
“If you don’t have leadership on projects like this, it just doesn’t happen,” he said.
“This is the community at its best, and what we have here now is the benchmark for the rest of western Victoria.
“We’ve got a community facility which brings the community together, and we should never forget how important that is because we saw through COVID things can very easily drive us apart; this brings us together.
“It’s great to see government money well spent; what you see here is money well invested, the job is well done, and what we’ve got here is remarkable.”