Plan to take century-old cricket club into new era
It will rack up a ton next year, and now one of Queensland’s oldest cricket clubs has released a bold plan to upgrade its beautiful home ground.
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One of Brisbane’s oldest and most beautiful parks could be about to get a much-needed makeover thanks to the cricket club which has called it home for a century.
Western Suburbs District Cricket Club, which will play its 100th season this summer and next year will turn 100, has released an “aspirational’’ plan to modernise its facilities.
Club president and former Queensland cricketer Greg Rowell said the upgrade would, if approved, also greatly improve the aesthetics of scenic Graceville War Memorial Park.
Mr Rowell said concerns expressed by some locals about the popular war memorial were ill-founded, as the revamp would not affect that part of the park.
The plan was released as part of the club’s renewal of its five-year Council lease, to prove to Council it had a vision for the park and to demonstrate it was committed to injecting resources into improving the much-loved green space.
“I think it’s the most beautiful park in Brisbane, outside New Farm Park,’’ Mr Rowell said.
“We will have been here for a century next year and we have always taken our responsibilities for custodianship very seriously.
“What this will do is improve the view from Oxley Rd so it looks more green and inviting.’’
Currently, the ugly besser block clubhouse sits in the middle of the space, spoiling the view and clashing with a lovely 1932-era, heritage-listed wooden grandstand.
WSDCC hoped to demolish the R.G. Hartigan clubhouse and move it, as well as unsightly cyclone fence storage areas on the western side of the 5ha park.
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The space where the clubhouse now stands would be transformed into a grassy recreational space, tying in better with the nearby children’s playground.
Mr Rowell said the changes would also allow better mixing of the four rugby and cricket teams using the site.
The club was planning to renovate the practice nets, which it did every three to four years, but would not be moving them as had been suggested on social media.
Its aspirational plan included extra nets, but if they were built they would be placed on the opposite side from the war memorial.
Mr Rowell said WSDCC would be happy to install a bigger grassed area and more memorial trees around the war memorial, but only if the Graceville RSL Sub-Branch and the public wanted that.
It was also happy to leave the old wooden dressing rooms in place if that was what the public wanted.
“It was a bold decision to put out this plan, but I would rather people know what our ambitions are,’’ Mr Rowell said.
“This is a facilities plan, not a masterplan, and is aspirational only.
“We’re all ears. We realise the community loves having this space and want to see us manage it well.’’
He said the club would need to secure grants and raise funds to pay for the upgrade, which would probably cost “north of $1 million’’.
Councillor Nicole Johnston (Tennyson) said the only application Council was considering at the moment was for two new practice nets, on the site of the existing nets.
“No new buildings are proposed at this time and any major development would require Council (development application) approval and state heritage approval,’’ Ms Johnston said.