Kate Withers
Construction of a new pavilion is under way at Morwell Recreation Reserve and none are more excited than members of the Morwell Football Netball Club and Morwell Cricket Club.
The slab has been poured and framing is due to commence soon with the new hub set to provide a much-needed upgrade in facilities for both clubs.
Morwell Football Netball Club netball secretary Vanessa Couling said the new pavilion would provide the club with the facilities needed to host games of competition netball.
“Just to have water. We haven’t had water to fill up our drink bottles for years and haven’t had toilets for anyone to go to,” Couling said.
“We’ve had huts for a long time and it’s all we’ve had and any other time we need to go around to the other side of the oval.”
The two new netball courts at Morwell Recreation Reserve were completed in April and Couling said they had propped up the entire club.
“The morale has definitely built. The girls have banded together with more excitement and we’ve had a lot of opposition teams coming up to us and saying the facilities are fantastic and well-deserved,” she said.
“The facilities just make it so much easier on game day to get ready, prepare for the day and just to have everything we need with us has made a difference to the operation of the day.”
Morwell Cricket Club vice-president Mark Smith flagged the facility upgrade as one of the biggest coups in the club’s history.
“This is the first purpose-built club rooms in the club’s 138-year history and it’s a reflection of our importance to the community,” Smith said.
“We’ve been supporting the greater Morwell community now for 138 years and having an awful lot of participants both senior and junior, male and female, and to have a better modern facility will be a big part of the club and invite people to come in and participate on and off the field.”
The federal government provided $5 million through the Local Community Infrastructure Program for the upgrades which also include improvements to the Keegan Street Reserve cricket field and the construction of a multi-use synthetic playing surface.
Member for Gippsland Darren Chester announced the funding for Morwell Recreation Reserve when he was Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.
“The new pavilion will provide the users with some of the best facilities across the region,” Mr Chester said.
“The Morwell netballers have previously been utilising a portable hut for change rooms and administration so they are well overdue for updated facilities.”
