Fire-ravaged Western Districts Memorial Community Sports Centre gets a $1m boost towards rebuild
Its headquarters was destroyed in the Kangaroo Island fires, but now a local sports club is a step closer to rebuilding after receiving a $1 million boost.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Kangaroo Island RSPCA, BlazeAid volunteers boost recovery
- The Advertiser +Rewards – giveaways, offers and competitions
A sports club which lost its headquarters in the devastating Kangaroo Island inferno has been thrown a $1 million lifeline to get back on its feet.
The money for the 300-member Western Districts Memorial Community Sports Centre will pay for a modular building to use while it works on a longer term plan to rebuild.
The funds will come from Cricket Australia, SA Cricket Association, Australian Cricketers’ Association, AFL, SANFL and State Government.
Club president Greg Bald said the money was “more than we could expect”, and hoped it would allow members to have a Ausco modular building set up by August.
The Gosse-based club still needs to finalise its insurance payout from the Ravine fire.
COVID-19 has put a stop to sport across the country, actually providing “breathing space” for some of the club’s members to deal with clean-up efforts, rather than rushing to get facilities ready for teams to play again.
“I’ve been going around to people’s places and putting their burnt house in the back of a truck,” Mr Bald said.
“It’s not good when its your best mate and a lot of your friends’ houses that are destroyed, and there's no end in sight. It’s all a bit surreal but you’ve just got to keep marching on.”
The club has formed a committee to co-ordinate the rebuild, with another $150,000 set aside from donations and fundraisers to go towards the new building.
Mr Bald said the modular building might be incorporated into the permanent clubhouse plans, but its long-term future was yet to be decided.
“It’s still early days but Rome wasn’t built in a day so we’ve got to take our time and make the right decisions.” Sports Minister Corey Wingard said the building would allow the club to reopen faster while planning a “bigger and better” headquarters than the one it lost. “We’ve seen incredible resilience on the island in recent months but we know there’s still a long road ahead,” he said.
MORE NEWS
Kangaroo Island’s Western Districts Football and Netball Club wiped out by fires
Animals front of mind as Kangaroo Island property goes up in flames
The AFL has also committed extra money for other works including upgrades to all of the island’s ovals where football is played.
SANFL chief executive Jake Parkinson said sport was vital for the community’s recovery.
“Sport is the lifeblood of regional communities, so this facility will ensure Kangaroo Islanders maintain their sense of purpose whilst continuing to have an opportunity to bond and remain active,” he said.