Ainslie Park Cricket Club

Ainslie Park Cricket Club, based at Ainslie Park in Brentnall Road in Croydon is part of the Ringwood District Cricket Association and has six senior teams, two veteran teams and several junior teams. This evening I attended the Club’s Thursday night dinner to speak to members and the committee.

Ainslie Park Cricket Club is working on expanding its facilities and has been speaking with other clubs, including the Ringwood East Football Club, to provide capacity for other sporting clubs. It is great to see Ainslie Park Cricket Club working with other sporting clubs to expand the ability to offer sporting opportunities within the community.

Maroondah Business Week Breakfast with David Schwarz

Maroondah Business Week is an annual Council initiated program that aims to promote and enhance businesses within the municipality. The Week consists of workshops, tours and networking events offering a range of activities to cater to the business sectors within Maroondah.

One of these events is the Maroondah Business Week Breakfast, which featured David Schwarz as the speaker. David was a former footballer and Vice-Captain for Melbourne Football Club and discussed the challenges he faced during this career, including a gambling addiction, which he spoke about candidly during the breakfast session.

Alex with David Schwarz and Cr Rob Steane at the 2010 Maroondah Business Week Breakfast
Alex with David Schwarz and Cr Rob Steane at the 2010 Maroondah Business Week Breakfast

David’s openness set him apart from some of the speakers of other years and he spoke candidly about the difficulties in establishing a post football career. David’s comments reflect the need for ongoing perseverance and the advantages of networking within businesses and provided a number of parallels between his experiences and the challenges facing business.

As part of the proceedings I had the opportunity to introduce Maroondah Business Week and the speech I provided is available in this post:

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2010 Norwood Football Club President’s Luncheon

Norwood Football CLub, based at Mullum Reserve in Ringwood, is a division one football club and one of the largest within the Eastern Football League.

This afternoon I attended the presidents luncheon, where the club thanks its supporters, committee and past players for their dedication to the club. While Norwood had a mixed start to the season, it is now competing strongly and this is reinforced through its strong committee of management and vision for the future.

Norwood Football Club has a unique location, being located at the edge of the Mullum Creek Trail and it is great to see the club appreciate the efforts of the bushcare group that preserves the unique biodiversity of the trail. I wish Norwood the best of luck as it approaches the 2010 EFL Finals.

Launch of the Redevelopment of Glen Park Community Centre

Glen Park Community Centre is located in Glen Park Road in Bayswater North and has strong emphasis on community development, as well as providing courses for the local community. The Community Centre was recently redeveloped, through a partnership between Glen Park and SCOPE, to provide an accessible facility that can provide an inclusive environment for all people within our community.

Alex with the Arrabri Ward Councillors; Tony Dib, Paul Macdonald and Natalie Thomas along with Shaune Leane, MLC and Mike Symon, Member for Deakin,  at the re-opening of the  Glen Park Community Centre
Alex with the Arrabri Ward Councillors; Tony Dib, Paul Macdonald and Natalie Thomas along with Shaune Leane, MLC and Mike Symon, Member for Deakin, at the re-opening of the Glen Park Community Centre

This morning Glen Park Community Centre Council held a Picnic in the Park to celebrate the redevelopment of Glen Park Community Centre, as well with other recent improvements, including the redeveloped Sports Pavilion and the new Men’s Shed. Further improvements, such as a new play space will be completed later this year.

In addition, I was invited to launch the redeveloped Glen Park Community Centre and the speech I delivered is included in this post:
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Maroondah Journal: Ready to let games begin

The Glen Park Sports Pavilion was one of several projects identified through the Glen Park Future Directions Masterplan, which aimed to improve the amenity of the Glen Park Precinct and provide facilities for the Bayswater North community.

Projects within the Masterplan have been completed through a mixture of Local, State and Federal funding and the Maroondah Journal has reported on the recently completed works at the Pavilion,:

Mayor Alex Makin said the new multi-purpose pavilion was home to the East Ringwood  Junior Football Club, catering to 200 families of all backgrounds and currently fielding eight teams ranging in ages from under 8s to under 16s.  The park is also home to the South Croydon Cricket Club with two senior teams and four junior teams, one of them a female team, using it during the cricket season.

Glen Park is being revitalised into a multi-purpose community hub, complete with new sporting, recreational and educational facilities.  This project complements recent works including a Men’s Shed, tennis court upgrades and the soon to be re-opened Glen Park Community Centre.  The need for sustainability improvements has been embedded into the pavilion providing both energy and water efficiencies.

Cr Makin said the pavilion would harvest water from the roof to be stored in a water tank for flushing toilets.  Solar hot water has also been installed.

Further projects will be delivered shortly at Glen Park, including the completion of the redeveloped Community Centre, which is scheduled for the next weeks and a new play space, which will be completed later this year.  These projects have been possible through a partnership approach between all of government, ensuring that the community receives positive outcomes, through new and improved facilities.

Maroondah Leader: Pavilion a step-up for sports clubs

The Maroondah Leader has reported on the opening of the new Pavilion at Glen Park, which is home to the East Ringwood Junior Football Club and South Croydon Cricket Club.  The project was managed through Council and funded through a $500,000 Federal grant.

Maroondah Mayor said the building also incorporated some green features.

“The new facility will harvest water from the roof to be stored in a water tank, and connected to the new toilet, as well as solar hot water,” Cr Makin said.

Projects undertaken by Council incorporate sustainability principles to reduce their impact on the environment while also providing improved facilities for our community.

Opening of the Glen Park Pavilion

Glen Park, located in Bayswater North, is home to Glen Park Community Centre, as well as sporting facilities, including an oval, which is used by the Croydon South Cricket Club and the Ringwood East Junior Football Club.

Alex with Mike Symon, the Member for Deakin, at the opening of the Glen Park Pavilion
Alex with Mike Symon, the Member for Deakin, at the opening of the Glen Park Pavilion

Glen Park is part of the Bayswater North Neighbourhood Renewal Project and as a result Council Future Directions Masterplan, which identifies community improvements within the precinct. The new pavilion provides dedicated facilities for the sporting clubs and provides additional space for the Glen Park Community Centre.

Alex at the opening of the Glen Park Paviliion
Alex with Mike Symon, the Member for Deakin, at the opening of the Glen Park Pavilion

This evening I joined Mike Symon,the Member for Deakin, in officially opening the new pavilion. The speech I delivered is within this post:

Continue reading “Opening of the Glen Park Pavilion”

Media Release: New sporting pavilion for Glen Park

Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Alex Makin welcomed the opening of the Glen Park Sports Pavilion, as one of many projects that will complete Council’s Glen Park Future Directions Plan.

Officially opened on Wednesday 9 June by the Mayor and Mr Mike Symon, Federal Member for Deakin, the new multi purpose pavilion will benefit sporting clubs and Glen Park Community Centre user groups.

“This facility is home to East Ringwood Junior Football Club, catering for 200 families of all abilities and backgrounds, and currently fielding eight teams ranging in ages from Under 8s to Under 16s,” said Cr Makin.

“The Club is expecting 10-15% growth in the next 12 months with many Auskick participants waiting in the wings to join the junior teams,” said Cr Makin.

“The facility is also home to the South Croydon Cricket Club, and serves as their second ground, with two senior teams and four junior teams, one of which is a female team, using the facilities during the cricket season,” said Cr Makin.

“On behalf of Council and the facility users, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Federal Governement for its contribution of $500,000,” said Cr Makin.

The new multi purpose sports pavilion comprises:

  • 2 change rooms – which can be converted into 4 smaller spaces
  • Large storeroom
  • 3 metre verandah providing shade for spectators and to assist in cooling the building
  • Accessible toilet facilities
  • Kiosk and store

“As part of Council’s commitment to sustainability, the new facility will harvest water from the roof to be stored in a water tank, and connected to the new toilet facilities for flushing. Solar hot water has also been installed,” said Cr Makin.

“I would like to thank the Glen Park Community Centre for initiating the application for the upgrade to the facility and working with Council to see the project rhough to fruition,” said Cr Makin.

Recent improvements to Glen Park, as part of Council’s Glen Park Future Directions Plan (2008), include:

  • The Men’s Shed
  • Glen Park Community Centre redevelopment (officially opening in July)
  • Tennis Court upgrade
  • A new community playspace to be completed by the end of the year

– ENDS –

Eastern Football League: 2010 Season Launch

The Eastern Football League (EFL) is based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, stretching from Balwyn through to Noble Park. The League consists of 43 teams total across four divisions.

This evening I attended the launch of the EFL’s 2010 season launch, which provided an overview of the League and the Clubs within the competition. The EFL consists of 12 First Division Clubs, 10 in Second Division, 10 in Third Division and 11 in Fourth Division, with the season commencing from the 10th of April.

Maroondah has several clubs competing within the Eastern Football League, including four in Division One; Norwood, East Ringwood, Croydon and South Croydon.  Ringwood Football Club competes in Division Two, while North Ringwood and Heathmont are in Divisions Three and Four respectively.

Discussing Play Equipment Upgrades for Quambee Reserve

This afternoon I had an on-site meeting to discuss upgraded play equipment for Quambee Reserve in Ringwood North.  Quamby Reserve is identified as a precinct park  in Maroondah’s Open Space Strategy, meaning it will have a mixture of recreational activities.

Quambee Reserve is home to the North Ringwood Football Club, North Ringwood Cricket Club, as well as the North Ringwood Tennis Club and the Ringwood Horse and Pony Club.

The play equipment, which will be installed towards the end of this year, will provide a unique and accessible playground, taking into account the natural gradient of the Reserve. A formal launch will be held when the equipment upgrade is completed.