Sport
18 June, 2025
Cash boost for new changerooms
THE South Purrumbete Recreation Reserve has taken a step closer to getting upgraded facilities thanks to a $50,000 ‘Tiny Towns Fund’ grant.
The 2025 grant recipients were recently announced, with the recreation reserve listed as one of 159 successful applicants.
The Tiny Towns Fund initiative is facilitated by Regional Development Victoria, which is the State Government’s lead agency responsible for rural and regional economic development.
The South Purrumbete committee will receive $50,000 towards resurrecting the two former football changeroom buildings into safe, secure indoor spaces for multiple uses.
“It’s very exciting to be successful in this grant application; another big step forward for our reserve,” a thrilled South Purrumbete Recreation Reserve president Becky McCann said.
“While it would have been easy to demolish the two changeroom buildings, we decided it was important to preserve them as historical buildings of the South Purrumbete Football Club while in turn restoring them and making them vibrant community spaces once again.”
The recreation reserve is the last remaining community asset at South Purrumbete, with all sporting clubs in the locality folding and two churches, the hall and the school closed and sold off.
“For us volunteers making up the committee, the importance of developing the reserve in addition to honouring the rich history of the South Purrumbete community, including its colourful sporting past, is not lost on us and is something to be celebrated and built upon going forward,” Ms McCann said.
The reserve will utilise local tradesmen in the refurbishment, with the remainder of the total project cost of $74,820 covered by the fundraising efforts of the committee.
“We’ve raised the rest through memberships and plenty of generous support coming from our ongoing crowdfunding campaign,” she said.
Works on the two buildings will include new iron walls, windows, spouting and lockable doors, making them waterproof and secure.
Sport made a return to South Purrumbete last November, with the Pomborneit Cricket Club using the oval for division two, division three, division four, under 16 boys and under 13 girls matches in the 2024/25 season.
Leading up to the season, the ground was power harrowed, re-sown and rolled, a new centre wicket was installed and the toilet block had a complete upgrade to enable cricket to return for the first time in 24 years.
Pomborneit will once again have summer tenancy at the South Purrumbete ground for the 2025/26 season.
“It really pushed us along and helped fast track works at the reserve last winter with Pomborneit wanting use of the oval; the return of sport really did generate a lot of interest,” Ms McCann said.
“I seriously didn’t think we’d have sport return as quickly as it has. It’s been a complete game changer for what is now possible at the reserve.
“We couldn’t be happier that a club like Pomborneit has been keen to partner with us and use our facility.”
And it’s not just cricket that the South Purrumbete committee would like at its reserve, with other sports, music, the arts and community gatherings targeted to use the venue.
As for the future, according to McCann, the sky is the limit with a range of short term and long term goals.
“For now, getting all the buildings up to scratch and continually improving the surface of the oval are the main priorities,” she said.
“We have plenty of other big picture goals we will work towards in coming years.”
Ms McCann was grateful to everyone who has helped in rejuvenating the reserve and urged anyone keen to contribute to check out the South Purrumbete Recreation Reserve’s social pages to see how to get involved.
“We couldn’t do this without the support of the businesses and individuals who have contributed or donated to getting the reserve’s facilities this far,” she said.
“We still have so much to do so all help is very much valued.”
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