In a first for Greater Shepparton, a museum exhibition paying tribute to its sports Hall of Fame inductees and sporting greats was opened on Monday.
Shepparton Heritage Centre acting president Kristy Rudd took to the lectern to welcome the crowd to the freshly renovated and reopened history museum before City of Greater Shepparton councillor Anthony Brophy said a few words and praised the volunteers who had put it all together.
“It’s just so special to have something here that’s so well preserved,” Cr Brophy said.
“People don’t see the hours volunteers actually put in; it’s really down to volunteers to make this place what it is.”
Don Kilgour was the first guest speaker to take to the microphone.
Mr Kilgour, a former radio sports editor and television sports commentator, was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his sports commentary contribution.
He said he was delighted the centre had created an exhibition to celebrate the important role that sport had played in the city’s development.
“As the irrigation water turned Shepparton into a rich food producing area, the people who worked hard to be successful also took time to rest and take part in many sports over the years,” Mr Kilgour said.
“This has seen the development of wonderful sports facilities and very successful sports personalities who achieved greatness across the country and the world.”
To be eligible for induction into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, sportspeople must have lived in Greater Shepparton for at least 10 years, been involved with local sport and have had success at state, national or international competition.
There have been 76 people inducted — 46 men and 30 women — since the first induction in 2017.
The second guest speaker, cycling superstar Brett Lancaster, talked about his experiences on the world stage representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and European cycling tours, such as the Tour de France.
He spoke about growing up in Shepparton and the support and opportunities he’d received in the town he returned to after retiring from the professional cycling scene in 2022.
“I’m still to this day happy for the community and what they did for me,” Mr Lancaster said.
Mr Kilgour and Cr Brophy cut a red ribbon to officially open the exhibition before guests went inside to be the first in the Goulburn Valley to glimpse the comprehensive collection of sporting memorabilia, which will be displayed at the museum for around four months.
Both council and the heritage centre committee are working towards a permanent collection in future.
The event was preceded by a general meeting and finished with an afternoon tea.