Oxenford Pony Club supports Mayor’s bid to move again after flooding and erosion devastates club

The club is counting on Gold Coast City Council’s support to find a solution to erosion issues after recent heavy deluges ate away at the Oxenford Pony Club and Equestrian Centre’s land. A possible move could be on the horizon. Here are all the details.

THE Oxenford Pony Club has battled extreme weather with the Coomera River eroding major sections of their land upstream from the John Muntz Bridge.

Now an off the cuff comment from the Mayor about relocating the venue again has pleased the club who says they need the Council’s support to fix the issue.

Club Director, Geoff Thomson, said they needed to view Council as an ally on the matter as without their “help” they leave the club “out on a limb”.

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“We are pleased to hear that the Mayor is now supporting our cause,” he said.

“I have been liaising with them (both Councillors and Parks officers) for some time for at least three years, on the matter of the site being unviable for us as a Pony Club and Equestrian Centre due to the ongoing flooding and erosion.

The Oxenford Pony Club upstream from the John Muntz Bridge has faced constant erosion from recent floods losing 6m of land. Council suggests relocating the club which has already moved two times.

“We agree that the site is unviable and would welcome a move to another grounds that is within the Oxenford vicinity.”

The well-loved club has been at Charlies Crossing Road since 2012.

“Our previous location was at Oberon Way, Oxenford just south of the Shopping Centre and that was our location for over 50 years,” he said.

“At the time, Council advised they would not renew our lease as they had other sports uses in mind.

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“The end result of that area is it has now been ‘sold’ to the Titans for their new Clubhouse. A Mens Shed occupies our old Clubhouse.”

MP Mark Boothmann confirmed the Pony Club has lost another five to six meters of land and was in support of reinforcements.

“Last week I did a speech in state parliament highlighting the riverbank will continue to erode if reinforcements aren’t carried out to protect the land upstream, he said.

“The river will slowly reclaim the land as it makes it way to Tamborine Oxenford Road.

“Fingers crossed the river doesn’t burst it’s banks.”

The Oxenford Pony Club wants the Mayor to follow through on his suggestion the club should be moved and are looking for help to make this happen. President Russell Lynch pictured with tractor.

Following the recent deluges, the Equestrian Gold Coast Club were forced to cancel their dressage and show horse competitors last Sunday due to the rising waters.

“With all the recent rain, the grounds at Oxenford Pony Club are still extremely wet and will be unsuitable for competing on and also unsuitable for any vehicle, float, truck access,” they wrote on their Facebook page.

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“The committee hopes everyone understands that while the decision is ultimately out of our hands as they are not our grounds, we fully support it knowing it’s the best one.”

The Community Alliance, ACE, said Oxenford seemed to be a suburb under considerable pressure lately with the latest issue being the erosion of land used by the Pony Club, they wrote in a statement.

The Oxenford Pony fences succumb to rising flood waters as erosion eats up six metres of the club’s land.

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“Such off-the-cuff comments (from the Mayor) are not very helpful. Surely it would be better to suggest that the Council engineers will investigate the situation with a view to developing a fix to the situation for the Pony Club as well as the bridge,” they said.

“The Mayor and all incoming councillors needs to take seriously the threat to development on flood plains from increasingly frequent extreme weather.”