GSCC CEO Fiona Le Gassick, Cricket Victoria's Peter Brear, AFL Victoria's Jessie Doull, Frank Moretto, GSCC Mayor Shane Sali, Shepparton Swans president Jarrod Sutherland, and SYCU A-grade captain Sam Nash prepare to turn the sod on the new WB Hunter Pavilion construction.
Photo by
Josh Huntly
More than three years since the WB Hunter Pavilion was inundated with flood water, Princess Park user groups can finally see light at the end of the tunnel with the sod turned to signal the beginning of its redevelopment.
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Construction on the $4.5 million project officially commenced on Monday, February 2, with representatives from local and governing body organisations gathering at the site of the old pavilion, which was demolished back in August, to recognise the significant milestone.
Local clubs including the Shepparton Swans and Shepparton Youth Club United Cricket Club have made do with temporary facilities since the 2022 floods rendered their original pavilion unusable.
The new building will contain updated change room facilities for players and officials, tiered seating, undercover verandah, and a grassy mound among the many inclusions.
Importantly, however, the facility will also be raised several metres above the flood level.
Local construction company Moretto Building will carry out the works, with completion expected by the end of 2026.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said it’s an important step for those that call Princess Park home.
“The new pavilion will play an important role in bringing people together at Princess Park and ensuring grassroots community sport can be enjoyed by everyone,” he said
“Council understands the importance of sport, and we are proud to continue investing in our local facilities.
“The history of the new WB Hunter Pavilion spans back many years, with the 2019 Princess Park Future Directions Plan and Master Plan identifying a new pavilion as the top priority.
“This priority has never wavered. From design to consultation, every step was deliberate, thoughtful, and centred around what our user groups needed most.”
The design for the new WB Hunter Pavilion. Photo: Greater Shepparton City Council
By the end of construction, it will have been four years that the Shepparton Swans have been without their primary rooms.
And while temporary accommodations have served their purpose, club president Jarrod Sutherland said it was exciting to see measures in place in the new construction that will secure the clubs future.
“It’s an exciting time for our club,” he said.
“We’re obviously entering our fourth season with no rooms, and it’s been tough.
“I’d like to firstly thank the AFL for providing the change rooms over the other side and to Council for providing the bar and dome containers we use currently as our rooms. Without those, we wouldn’t be here.
“I’d like to thank our players and our members for their resilience and patience during this time; it has been a long time, and it’s pretty cold standing under the dome in the middle of winter, so I think they’ve done a great job.
“I’d like to thank our councillors and Council staff for pushing through and making it happen. Great facilities will make a huge difference for our club and also the cricket club.
“Although it did flood it hadn’t flooded for 50 years before that, and thankfully Council is making the building more flood resilient, which has secured the future of our club for generations to come.”
For SYCU A-grade skipper Sam Nash, Princess Park has been his home for more than two decades.
At one point, he wasn’t sure what the future of the club looked like as floodwaters rose on the eve of the 2022-23 season.
“2022 was an extremely tough year for our club, one that we thought we might not be able to bounce back from,” Nash said.
“On the eve of round one we had to evacuate everything from Princess Park. The club took a massive hit.
“We didn’t really have anything to look forward to as a club, and we didn’t really see where we would be in five years time.
“To see Princess Park being redeveloped is fantastic, these rooms will be an absolute game-changer for our club. We’re not a very big club in terms of cricket clubs in the area but this facility is going to make us a big club going forward.
“To see a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel will be massive.”
The project is being co-funded by Council, the Shepparton Swans, and SYCU, while AFL Victoria has pitched in $50,000 through its Facilities Fund alongside ongoing support from Cricket Victoria.
User groups have also announced fundraising efforts to conjure about $350,000 in contributions to the project.
The Swans are hosting a sportsman’s night in service of that goal at the Woolshed this Friday, February 6, with special guest speakers Geelong premiership players Steve Johnson and Steven King as well as former AFL CFO Travis Auld.
