Sports Park Precinct Opens

Dignitaries Gather To Celebrate New Era For Local Sport

The Whitsunday Sports Park Precinct has officially been handed over to its clubs at a ceremony last Friday, heralding the beginning of a new era for the Whitsundays’ organised sports.

Four years and $8.2 million dollars after construction began on the precinct, representatives from Local, State, and Federal government attended the completion ceremony, including Mayor Andrew Willcox, Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen and Whitsunday Regional Councillors.

Community Sports, A Whitsunday Winner

Committee members and volunteers from each sporting club - netball, touch football, soccer, rugby, bowls, and AFL – were in attendance, too, along with Police Sergeant Billy Li from PCYC Whitsundays.

Although not the end of the journey for the Sports Park, with the official opening to the public slated for July, Chairman of the Whitsunday Sports Park Association, Justin Butler, said they were “in the home strait” with all major construction complete.

He thanked the sporting clubs and the PCYC for what has been a “tremendously disruptive last few years.”

“Thank you very much for that and we hope that you can now use the better sporting facilities, changerooms, toilets, as well as the club, to grow your sports further,” Mr Butler said.

The facility is yet to be named but “Club Whitsunday” is the forerunner.

Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen said that, aside from the boost to jobs and the local economy, the benefits to liveability were paramount.

“The Whitsundays are recognised the world over as a tourist destination, but it is much more than that,” Mr Christensen said.

“For thousands of locals, the Whitsundays is where we live, where we work, and where we play. When all the focus is on providing the ultimate experience for tourists, it would be easy to forget about the locals that make it all happen.”

Mr Christensen said that, of all the local community projects he has been involved in over his 13 years, this project is “probably the most significant that there has been.”

The project saw the construction of a new clubhouse building with a lobby, commercial kitchen, bar, dining areas, sports lounge, male, female and accessible toilets, covered outdoor terraces, tiered seating, kids’ recreation area, offices, storerooms, access road, car parking and landscaping.

It also includes a reorientation of the existing fields to allow for a third field to be installed, as well as new lighting to the existing fields.

Mayor Andrew Wilcox congratulated the Whitsunday Sports Park Association and especially Mr Butler.

“You came to us with a dream, but this dream has been fulfilled through you and your team,” he said.

The venue is still to be outfitted before the public will be able to use the facility seven days a week as a bistro type bar and gaming venue.

Mr Butler said that National Bank (NAB) have offered support in the form of loans to the tune of $500,000 for kitchen outfitting, $300,000 fitting out the remainder of the bar, $1.5 million to fit out the pokies and the operational cash to open and employ staff.

Once open, revenue generated by the project will be used to support the further development of sporting and community organisations across the Whitsunday region by being cycled back into the clubs.

“This business makes the money for the sports people, and that’s the way it should be,” Mr Butler said.

‍Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen, Whitsunday Mayor Andrew Willcox, Whitsunday Sports Park Chairman Justin Butler, Project Manager Penny Gill Conan, Steve Tween, Bob McMahon, Craig Spence, and Jason Salecich from NQ Rep Clubs Qld

Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen

Charmain of Whitsunday Sports Park Association Justin Butler

Mayor Andrew Willcox posing with Proserpine Whitsunday Raiders coach and players

Government representatives, sports club representatives and the PCYC all attended the handing over ceremony for the Whitsunday Sports Park

‍

‍

‍