Wallan Secondary College’s $1.235 million pavilion is now complete, providing a major boost to the school’s sporting programs and local clubs.
Works installed a modular pavilion featuring two female-friendly changerooms, two female-friendly umpire rooms, accessible toilets with an ambulant shower and baby changing station, a kiosk with servery and a storage area.
Mitchell Shire Council contributed $786,667 to the project, while $533,333 came from the State Government’s Local Sport Infrastructure Fund, and $30,000 from Cricket Victoria.
Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence said she valued the partnerships involved in the project.
“These things don’t just happen easily. They happen through partnerships and I want to just stress how much we do value the partnership with Mitchell Shire Council and bringing in Wallan Secondary College to this project was incredibly important,” she said.
Mitchell Shire Council Mayor Fiona Stevens said sport was a big part of the shire and would only gain importance as the community grew.
“Wallan is rapidly growing as we know so we have to have community assets and make sure these assets are optimised,” she said.
“Our partnership with Wallan Secondary College is vital to help meet growing community needs. We’re grateful for the support of the school.
The new facilities give Wallan Magpies Junior Football and Netball Club and Wallan Kookaburras District Cricket Club an opportunity to increase participation, particularly women and girls, giving them potential to add to their 710 members.
“It’s not just going to benefit Wallan Secondary College, it’s also obviously going to be a huge benefit to the Magpies and the Kookaburras who are growing in number all the time,” Ms Spence said.
“We know that Wallan will keep growing rapidly and sport is so incredibly important to this community but we need to have the facilities to facilitate that growth so people can get the most out of participation and that’s why this facility is so important.
“Thank you and congratulations to everyone who has been involved in this project back from it being the advocacy of the hardworking volunteers at the club who have been calling for additional infrastructure through to those who have delivered it – everyone’s played a part and we’ve got this wonderful asset as a result.”
Wallan Secondary College principal Michael Ritchie said he was proud of the development.
“As principal it is a proud moment for me and the school community in being a valued part of the wider community, knowing a lot of our students participate in sporting groups. Also as a proud parent, we know our children and the next generation have the opportunity to enjoy such facilities,” he said.
“So we are excited and we’re looking forward to when it’s officially opened and having students and youth using our facilities as well.”
Greenhill Reserve committee of management president Neal Langborne said the committee were ‘really grateful’ for Ms Spence’s endorsement of the facility.
“As a committee of management, we’ve been trying to get an extra facility for the last five or six years, and last year when Ms Spence announced funding for Greenhill Reserve we asked to see whether she could help fund this and she did it,” he said.
“We’re really grateful all our user groups will be able to have the opportunity to use this as well.”
Featured image:
Wallan Secondary College captains Jayde Waddell, left, and Wil Rice, right, with Member for Kalkallo Ros Spence and Mitchell Mayor Fiona Stevens at the opening of the school’s new pavilion.
