Thanks to the latest round of council’s community grants program, the Emerald Brothers Cricket Club have welcomed a new member to their family – ‘Rodney the Roller’.
‘We needed a ride-on roller, because we’ve only got a little old hand one that takes our volunteer curators hours and hours to use,’ Secretary Lyn Brown said.
‘We have two volunteer dads that prepare the turf pitch, which takes a lot of effort and time. This new second-hand roller will probably halve the time it takes them.’
Ms Brown said they applied for round two of the annual grant program to cover freight costs of the roller and hydraulic and transmission repairs, as well as the installation of a seat and shade.
Every year council offers two rounds of community grants for clubs and organisations to purchase equipment, repair facilities, run programs and training, or promote and stage events.
Thirty-three applications were received for this round and assessed by the Community Grants Committee, with 20 successful applications sharing in over $82 000.
Deputy Mayor Cr Gail Godwin-Smith was part of the assessment panel and said the applications received were diverse and of a high standard.
‘Every time we go through this process, I am so pleased to see community and sporting groups from all walks of life dedicated to improving their facilities, services and programs for the benefit of our residents,’ she said.
‘Council’s community grants program helps get important projects off the ground sooner, and I would encourage all local organisations to have a look at the criteria and apply next year.’
Ms Brown said the grant meant they could put their money towards other projects, such as purchasing new equipment for their growing juniors club.
‘Definitely keep an eye out for the grants next year, whether you are a sporting club or a community organisation, and don’t be afraid to put an application in,’ she said.
‘If you are unsure of anything just give council a call or contact another club and also think about projects you could apply for in the off-season as well. We couldn’t have done this without the grant, that’s a lot of $100 boards and sausages sizzles.’
The next round will open in February 2018. For more information about the grants program and the full list of recipients click here.