Glen Park, located in Bayswater North, is home to Glen Park Community Centre, as well as sporting facilities, including an oval, which is used by the Croydon South Cricket Club and the Ringwood East Junior Football Club.

Glen Park is part of the Bayswater North Neighbourhood Renewal Project and as a result Council Future Directions Masterplan, which identifies community improvements within the precinct. The new pavilion provides dedicated facilities for the sporting clubs and provides additional space for the Glen Park Community Centre.

This evening I joined Mike Symon,the Member for Deakin, in officially opening the new pavilion. The speech I delivered is within this post:

Good afternoon and welcome to the opening of the Glen Park Pavilion.

On behalf of the Maroondah community I would like to thank Mr Mike Symon, Federal Member for Deakin, for his attendance here today. I would also like to welcome, Mr David Hodgett MLA, Member for Kilsyth and fellow Maroondah Councillors, Cr Natalie Thomas and Cr Paul Macdonald.

I am pleased to see so many people gathered here today, players, coaches, Committee members and helpers from the East Ringwood Junior Football Club, representatives from the South Croydon Cricket Club and members of the Glen Park Committee of Management and staff. It is also pleasing to welcome, Mr Brad Regan and Mr Ryan Ebbage, from Cornerstone Constructions and Mr Leigh Mattingley, the Architect, as well as many of the Council staff involved in the project, including Frank Dixon, the CEO of Maroondah City Council and Helen Croxford, the Director of Community and Leisure Services.

This facility is home to East Ringwood Junior Football Club, catering for 200 families of all abilities and backgrounds ranging from Joeys (under 8’s) through to Under 16’s, with 8 teams competing at Glen Park. The Club is expecting 10 – 15% growth in the next 12 months with many Auskick participants waiting in the wings to join in. The facility is also home to the South Croydon Cricket Club as their second ground catering for 2 senior teams and 4 junior teams, one of which is a female team.

During the development of the Glen Park Future Directions Plan it was identified through stakeholder and community consultation that the Community Centre had outgrown its existing facilities and needed to expand into the sporting change rooms previously located within the Community Centre. Hence the new building we have here today.

I would like to thank the Glen Park Community Centre for initiating the application for the upgrade to the facility and working with Council officers to see the project through to fruition.

The new multi purpose pavilion will benefit both Clubs and Glen Park Community Centre user groups, in particular SCOPE who were sharing the old sports changerooms.

The building comprises of:

• 2 change rooms – which can be made into 4 smaller spaces to cater for additional teams
• Large storeroom
• 3 metre verandah
• Accessible toilet, improving access for sport for people of all abilities
• Kiosk and store
• Water tanks and water capture
• Solar hot water

We can also look around and see some of the other projects that have been completed or will be completed as part of the Future Directions Plan, such as, the Men’s Shed, the Community Centre re-development, the tennis court upgrade, that have been completed and the new Glen Park Community Play space which will be completed later on by the end of the year.

On behalf of Council and the facility users, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Federal Government for its contribution. Without their support of $500,000 this project would not have been possible.

Council would like to acknowledge the dedication of the Committees and Clubs in working with Council to see the project to its conclusion.