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LOCAL equestrian clubs have received an assurance their Leongatha base will remain until an alternative site has been decided on.
By Bert van Bedaf
LOCAL equestrian clubs have received an assurance their Leongatha base will remain until an alternative site has been decided on.
South Gippsland Shire Council has adopted a resolution that gives the clubs an annual licence, based on the current licence (conditions) when it expires in October next year, allowing them to stay at the Leongatha Equestrian Park in Tilson Court for the time being.
The Leongatha Equestrian and Berrys Creek Pony Clubs, that hold the licence, and the Leongatha and District Centre for Riding for the Disabled use the park.
The clubs want to develop the park and extend its existing lease for another 15 years, securing it as their future home. But this will now not be the case.
Yvonne Morrison, representing Berrys Creek Pony Club and a foundation member of the Leongatha Equestrian Club, sought assurances that tenure was secured by entering into “a licence annually renewable until a new facility is in use”.
Mayor Jim Fawcett said that was the spirit and intent of the resolution.
He also assured her the steering committee to discuss future moves and developments surrounding a new location would include “representatives of the equestrian community”.
Ms Morrison said she felt assured by Cr Fawcett’s comments. “I believe we can live with them,” Ms Morrison said.
There is an on-going budget allowance of $146,226 in council’s 10-year capital works program, which begins in the 2010-11 financial year.
But the desired aim of council is to add Tilson Court to the Industrial Estate to provide economic growth and to build a future state-of-the-art equestrian park in Koonwarra to tap into the $5 billion equestrian industry Australia-wide.
It wants to create a major regional horse riding centre comparable to such centres as in Werribee, which includes two showjumping arenas, stable blocks, sand dressage arenas, a cross country course including obstacles, amenities block, meeting and conference rooms, toilets and showers.
The pressures for such a hub increased markedly in mid October, when a team representing the Leongatha and District Equestrian Club won the Top Teams Trophy Showjumping at Werribee. That means the LDEC will host next year’s Top Teams Showjumping, likely to attract hundreds of riders from all over Victoria.
LDEC committee president Dolly Joyce, said the event will have to be hosted at a venue that can cater for it.
“It also has to be somewhere central.”
She has mixed feelings about moving the Leongatha Equestrian Park.
“Changing the venue would disrupt the Riding for Disabled Association. It’s very popular.”
Ms Joyce could not estimate the numbers of people in South Gippsland involved in riding, but there are very many.
There are four different disciplines in top team competition: showjumping, horse trials, combined training and dressage; the championships held at different times of the year.
During council’s discussions, sustainability director Andrew McEwen commented, “We have an opportunity to place a national standard facility elsewhere in the shire.”
Cr Warren Raabe moved the resolution clearly with the future plans in mind.
He said Tilson Court was “too valuable a site for the community. The hill (industrial estate) is basically full. We need new expansion.”
The message to the club was, he said, “We want to give you something better and also provide more employment opportunities in Leongatha.”
Councillors have allowed the club to build a shed on the site, providing they will remove the shed at their own expense when the licence is terminated.
Cr Jennie Deane also saw potential in new
facilities.
“It is important we have a vision on state-of-the-art facilities in the future,” Cr Deane said.
“People are expecting high quality amenities. We want to attract more tourists and they want high quality. Whether it is Koonwarra or any other site, we have to aim for high-quality facilities.
Council has committed funding in its 2010-11 budget process “to prepare concept plans for the development of the equestrian facility at council’s Koonwarra site and for the future use of the Tilson Court site, Leongatha.”
The decision was not unanimous. Councillors David Lewis preferred to use Tilson Court as a buffer zone, which residents favoured, and Bob Newton believed Koonwarra as a potential new site was too far from pony clubs in Nyora and Korumburra.
“There has been talk about industrial development, but townspeople see it as a buffer area between the industrial estate and the town. It could be residential land,” Cr Lewis said.
“If you leave out Koonwarra, I could support it,” Cr Newton said. “This is pushed by the (council) officers. We have large pony clubs in Korumburra and Nyora. You are making people travel more, while towing horse floats.”
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