Club vows to stay put
State team: Kelly van den Berg, president of the Leongatha Equestrian Group instructs local members Molly Barry and Annie-Lee Hengstberger. They are with Berrys Creek Pony Club president Michelle Debenham, Berrys Creek Pony Club district commissioner, Carole Johnson, and Lisa Archer.
THE Leongatha and District Equestrian Group continues to campaign to stay at its home.
Gathering at the Leongatha club site is a tradition for many families in the area, a tradition the passionate members would like to see continue in Leongatha.
There have been moves by South Gippsland Shire Council to relocate the group to Stony Creek, which members oppose.
Group president Kelly van den Berg said membership had doubled in the last six months.
“We are getting two to three new members joining each week and we now have more than 100 members,” she said.
Ms van den Berg attributed the success of the club primarily to being located centrally at their current site in Leongatha’s Industrial Park.
The club has been leasing the Leongatha site for some 25 years. The Berrys Creek Pony Club also uses the site and has been operating from there for more than 50 years.
Berrys Creek Pony Club president Michelle Debenham said when their club moved into Leongatha they were told by the council they would never have to move again.
“We are happy to be here and want to stay. This venue has always been a safe place for our members to come to. We provide a safe environment and have never had any trouble here,” she said.
“Of course we would like to stay and to make improvements to the venue. We would like to see an undercover riding arena established and other facilities to attract more members to the club, and provide better facilities for all the top class visiting instructors we have on a regular basis.”
Just recently Leongatha hosted Julia Battams, an Olympic Australian dressage team coach and one of Australia’s most highly regarded coaches, Michelle Strapp, who is based in Italy.
“We are just so busy here, the Leongatha park is used every day for lessons and training,” Ms van den Berg said.
“We have a lease on the present site and were told by the shire the lease would be renewed in October when the expiry is due.”
She said they are very happy to stay on their present Tilson Court site and the club is growing each month.
Eighty per cent of members come from Leongatha and Mirboo North, Kardella and Korumburra.
“We are getting a lot coming from Nyora, 10 per cent come from the Bass Coast Shire and five per cent from the Koonwarra and Stony Creek area,” she said.
“A lot of people just couldn’t afford to travel out to Stony Creek. This club makes it easy and accessible for people from all around the local district.
“I think if we were forced to move, a lot of people would just lose interest. At the moment the group attracts more than 100 members and that means business coming to town. A lot of the time the parents come and get their children set up and then go up the street to do their shopping.”
Ms van den Berg said there would be an uproar if the Leongatha Football Club or any other sporting club was asked to move out of town.
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