News Corp flood appeal donates $20,000 to rebuild Gympie Netball courts

The Gympie Netball Association lost all of its courts and facilities in the February 2022 flood, and faces an incredible challenge to rebuild. But The Gympie Times and News Corp has leant a helping hand, with a $20,000 donation. Watch the video.

Gympie sports clubs have suffered immense damage from the devastating 2022 floods, with Gympie Netball drowning in a repair and rebuild bill of $500,000.

As one of Gympie’s top sports among girls, and in association with News Corp’s Flood Appeal and The Gympie Times campaign to Save Our Sport, netball association president Colleen Miller was presented with a cheque for $20,000 to contribute to that rebuild.

The region’s 500 netball players are now divided between courts at two Gympie schools, Gympie State High School and Victory College, who are accommodating the competition while it has no home.

Local Heroes Rebuilding Communities. Picture: Supplied

Mrs Miller was so overwhelmed at the donation she wept.

“Our courts went under about 3m, so we couldn’t see any of our facilities whatsoever except for the light poles,” she said.

As the waters receded after three days, a thick layer of mud blanketed the courts, unable to be removed by the Queensland Rural Fire Service.

The mud was so thick, Mrs Miller said the Rural Fire Service, who were lending a hand with the clean up efforts around town, blew a compressor on their high pressure water cleaner trying to blast it off.

The mud and grime remained for two days before being scraped off by a bobcat.

What remained were unplayable courts littered with hazardous cracks and ripples along with a condemned clubhouse.

“The courts weren’t in great condition to start with, but the water got down inside these cracks and made it 10 times worse,” Mrs Miller said.

The club members, chased out of their home-ground, started their season almost two months late, at Victory College and Gympie High.

Having access to four courts instead of six, the club has had to extend its playing time by an hour at each venue. Many teams now have to play at 7pm, which was “not ideal,” Mrs Miller said.

She said rebuilding the courts rather than just resurfacing them would make them more flood proof and allow them to be used “for the next five to 10 years”.

A fundraiser was held in May by the Kingaroy Netball Association to help contribute to the $500,000 Gympie netball rebuild.

The Gympie Times is a proud supporter of netball in our region, and of sport and the important role it plays in social cohesion, connection and physical and mental health.

We hope to see Gympie netball thriving once again with sturdy facilities of its own.

If anyone is able to help flood victims in the region, the best starting point is Gympie Regional Council phone [phone] or visit their website: https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/council/about-council/contact-council

Download a copy of the R U OK? Mateship Manual to find out how you can help someone doing it tough after natural disaster.

Originally published as News Corp flood appeal donates $20,000 to rebuild Gympie Netball courts