Oval overhaul

By Kath Gannaway
MUD BATHS have been part and parcel of the game for Healesville’s young footballers.
But the youngsters, visiting players and the mums and dads on laundry duty can all look forward to a cleaner game of footy once the Queens Park oval is back in action in June.
The shire will this week begin the final phase of a three-stage improvement project on the oval.
Improvements worth $200,000 were completed as the second stage of works – with stage one works, including installation of a backwash water system from the swimming pool, and a 45,000 litre tank completed last year.
Stage three will involve sinking an exploratory bore to test the viability of accessing bore water as a supplementary water supply for ground maintenance.
Ryrie Ward councillor Jeanette McRae said the works would help ensure the ground remained usable, especially in winter.
“What we have now is the best of both worlds, where drainage improvements will help the ground cope with wet weather in winter while irrigation improvements and alternative water supplies will help keep the ground green and safe to play on over the summer months,” she said.
Cr McRae thanked the sporting clubs who used the Queens Park sportsground for their patience during the works, where she said timing was delayed due to the recent bushfire emergency.
“With the support of the Healesville Soccer Club and the Healesville Football and Netball Clubs, the Junior Football Club is using the ovals at the Don Road Complex, while Auskick will operate out of the Queens Park soccer pitch during April and May,” she said.
Cr McRae said clubs would be able to return to the sportsground in early June, once the playing surface had had time to re-establish.
Healesville JFC president Grant Tacey said the club had hoped the ground would have been ready for the start of the season but were looking forward to returning to the home ground for the second half of the fixture.
“The works should definitely improve the ground in terms of mud, and the installation of the water system from the pool will be very good, especially for the cricketers in summer,” he said.
He said the club was pleased to have been able organise through the shire and the Healesville football and soccer clubs for the juniors to play and train at the Don Road Sporting Complex.