SPORT

By LIAM DURKIN

 

ALMOST five years of frustration was finally put to rest last week, when the new Traralgon Recreation Reserve pavilion was officially opened.

The new structure was made necessary after the June 2021 floods left the previous two-storey pavilion uninhabitable.

What followed was a tiresome and seemingly never-ending saga involving design plans and budget constraints.

As each year passed however, it became clear a resolution needed to be reached.

The journey ended last Friday, when user groups, Latrobe City Council and local politicians were on hand to unveil the plaque.

Deputy mayor Dale Harriman led proceedings, acknowledging the collaborative effort of council, the state government and Sport and Recreation Victoria in seeing the project come to fruition.

Sport and Recreation Victoria contributed $2.75 million, with the remaining balance of the $6.7 million project coming from state and local government funds and grants.

The new flood-proof facility is elevated some five metres from ground level.

Inside is a spacious boxing gym and media box with panoramic views of the oval.

Change facilities run back-to-back and side-to-side.

Football change rooms face the oval, while netball change rooms are located directly opposite, and can be accessed via the fire track.

A new netball court is under construction to the north of the pavilion, near where the previous canteen was located.

Netballers finally have proper change room facilities, after decades of putting up with primitive alternatives.

The new canteen operates within the pavilion, while a new social space is also located inside the complex.

Football changeroom space is much smaller compared to the old home rooms, with both home and visitors rooms measuring around 10 by eight metres. However, considering what the club has dealt with for the last five years, there is really no cause for complaint.

The new rooms struck a particular accord with Member for Morwell and champion Traralgon footballer Martin Cameron.

“It’s been a long journey, just shy of 1800 days the club’s been without rooms,” he said.

“For them to put up with that and go through the process of not having change rooms, working out of portables, and opposition teams graciously coming and using the portables on a Saturday, to have a facility like this that caters for our male and female footy sides and our six netball sides, it’s an outstanding achievement by all from right across the board.”

Traralgon FNC had its first run in the new rooms in Round 1 of the Gippsland League a fortnight ago.

“It was a happy day, the president Kev Foley and vice president Natalie Jaensch were smiling on Saturday night, it’s just a job complete,” Cameron said.

“There’s been some heartache along the way, such a long process to get here.

“They’ll be relieved, now they can set the rooms up the way they want. We had the Gippsland League commit straight away to having the grand final back here again in September. I’m sure that North Gippsland will be looking at coming back and using the venue.”

Quite poignantly, the heavy downpour that came for the first round of the season gave the new rooms an ideal test run.

“We had a fair amount of rain on the Saturday night, so it was a friendly reminder of why we have the new facility,” Cameron said.

 

Timeline of Traralgon Recreation Reserve redevelopment

TRARALGON Showgrounds has finally got its new multi-purpose pavilion.

The project has been nearly five years in the making.

A major flood event in June 2021 wiped out the previous double storey structure.

Traralgon always floods, or so people say, and it was high time the town’s main recreation reserve had a flood-proof pavilion delivered to service football, netball, cricket and boxing clubs.

The new pavilion has finally been delivered, although it has not been without delay and rigorous debate.

Here, we take a look at how the facility has gone from concept to construction.

June 2021

MAJOR floods sweep through Traralgon, leaving much of the town inundated.

Up to 100mm falls across the state on the night of Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in what is the busiest 24 hour period in the history of Victoria’s State Emergency Service.

The Traralgon Recreation Reserve is left resembling a lake.

Water rises up to the steps of the Traralgon Football-Netball Club social rooms.

Club members gather in the days following the flood to survey the damage and begin the cleanup.

It is all hands on deck, helping not just the football-netball club, but roller derby, boxing gym and agricultural society.

Reporting at the time, Express journalist Liam Durkin noted the following:

“It was quite emotional scenes as the clean-up continued. Just to think of all the canteen stock and equipment that needed to be thrown out and the cost involved.”

“Pretty much everywhere you walked was just mud. Going through the rooms, just the sheer thickness of the mud was astounding – it was like superglue.”

The Maroons received a huge outpouring of support, with clubs as far as Orbost offering to have them train.

The club was determined to return home as quickly as possible.

The football-netball season was eventually called off that season, giving the club some time to recover without added foot traffic.

Season 2022

PLAYERS move into portable change rooms, which is to become the new norm for the next four seasons.

The existing rooms remain standing, but are condemned by authorities for being unsafe.

Traralgon FNC hosts the Gippsland League elimination final, with the senior side defeating Morwell in a Sunday thriller.

A project reference group is established to deliver the new pavilion.

Initial design plans are for a double storey facility, similar to the one that stood before the flood.

Sport and Recreation Victoria will contribute $2.75 million, with the balance to come from state and local government funds and grants.

Season 2023

PORTABLES remain, while the club utilises a food truck to help supplement its canteen.

Design plans began to circulate.

Much as the club wants a double storey pavilion, budget constraints are starting to become evident.

A meeting in July revels a two-storey facility may blow the $6.7 million budget, so the decision is made to explore a single-storey design.

There is 12 official project reference group meetings alone in 12 months, and more than eight concept plans drafted.

Former Traralgon resident and then state opposition leader, John Pesutto tours the facility in December.

May 2024

PROJECT goes to tender.

All tenders come in under budget.

August 2024

TRARALGON Football-Netball Club members vote overwhelmingly to officially endorse design plans for the new multi-use pavilion.

The vote comes after a special general meeting is called, requiring eligible members to signal their intentions.

The general consensus from the assembly is that ‘enough is enough’.

Had the Maroons and fellow user groups not acted, the project risked losing its funding altogether.

Project reference group members move to reassure club members it has exhausted all options and fought for the best possible outcome.

The meeting becomes highly emotional when a long-time Traralgon FNC official makes an impassioned plea for people to put their differences aside so the club can move forward.

Cries of “well said” follow the speech.

September 2024

TRARALGON defies all odds to win the Gippsland League senior premiership.

The win adds to the number of senior and junior football/netball premierships the club achieves while operating out of makeshift facilities.

Demolition of the old rooms takes place.

December 2024

CONSTRUCTION starts.

Season 2025

LAST year of portable rooms.

March 2026

TRARALGON is named host of this year’s Gippsland League grand final.

April 2026

TRARALGON plays its first home game out of the new rooms.