Ken Dowling honoured with naming of new pavilion

The Gala Cocktail Party to open the new pavilion was the culmination of several years hard work by the Montrose Reserve Committee and they celebrated in style on Friday the 26th March in the upstairs function room in the new building. They were joined by the builders, tradesmen,and local businesses who have had such an integral part in the construction of this marvellous facility. Our local elected representatives from three levels of government were there as well, Tony Smith, Federal Member for Casey, James Merlino, State Member for Monbulk and Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs, and the current Mayor of the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Cr. Len Cox, were all well pleased with the result of their committed efforts to provide the funding for the project. Friends and families of all those involved were also delighted to be part of the evening.

The official part of the evening was quite short with Ken Dowling speaking first and thanking all those involved (read the full transcript of Ken's speech here) , Tony Smith and James Merlino spoke briefly, thanking Ken and the community of Montrose for their amazing effort and contribution, and finally Len Cox, officially opened the building and announced that it had been named the " Ken Dowling Pavilion". Everyone present was very pleased that Ken's efforts had been recognised in such a way - he was quite overcome! but pleased nonethless.

The evening was a great success - it was unbelievable to have the building finished and actually be in there - and the party went on until midnight with fantastic food and music. It was also a financial success as the Reserve Committee made this function their fundraiser for 2010. The guests who paid $200 a ticket will be delighted with the substantial contribution towards the furniture and fitting made possible by their generosity.

PAVILION NEARS COMPLETION!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe the fantastic new building we have in the Reserve? The builders say they have never been on a job which has aroused so much community interest and had so many “passing inspectors” watching it’s progress. There is no doubt the Montrose community has shown commitment to the entire Reserve Re-Development and it has been very exciting watching each part of this project fall into place.
The completion of the community pavilion marks the end of the Re-Development which has seen – an adventure playground, barbeques, seating and drinking fountains, new toilets, three tennis courts upgraded and bore water to the courts, two new international standard netball courts, major re-surfacing of the main sporting oval, upgrading of the training facility at the rear of the pavilion, bore water pump and storage facility, and of course the centrepiece of the whole project, a new two storey community pavilion – taking the place of the very inadequate and run down facilities which were there.
It’s nearly eight years since the Reserve Committee was formed in 2002 to formulate a master plan in partnership with the Council of the Shire of Yarra Ranges and it’s hard to believe we are coming to the end of it. Our fairly modest plans at the beginning have grown , thanks to the support in the way of grants from the Shire of Yarra Ranges, the State and Federal governments and most importantly from the direct contributions of the local community.
NOW comes the good part, the celebration of the completion with the Montrose and surrounding communities. The Reserve Committee will be holding a Gala Opening – Formal Cocktail Party- on Friday 26th March, 2010 at the Pavilion. This is a limited ticket evening which will also be the only and major fundraiser event for 2010. ( See Ticket Application form attached) . The Reserve committee does not want to compete with the general fundraising activities of the user groups, so will run only one function per year to finance necessary furnishings and fittings not included in the building contract. This first
ever “historic” function in the new building has the capacity to raise $15-20,000 if it is well supported.So although the ticket price is $200 please consider being a part of this very special evening. It will be great in years to come to say “ I was there at the Opening – the very first night!”
There will also be a Family Fun Day on Sunday 28th March at which the Lord Mayor, Cr. Len Cox will officially open the building with Tony Smith MP for Casey. James Merlino, MLA for Monbulk and Minister for Sport and Recreation will be assisting. Full details of this event will be posted soon.

New Toilets, Seating and BBQ

Australia Day Awards

At the recent Australia Day Awards for the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Ken Dowling received a Certificate of Recognition "for his outstanding contribution to the Yarra Ranges community". The Montrose Recrearion Reserve Committee congratulates Ken on receiving this award and have been pleased to support him in his dedicated efforts over many years, to complete the projects that make up the Reserve Re-Development.
Ken is pictured with ( from L to R ) Mayor Len Cox, Minister for Sport and Recreation, James Merlino, Ken and Tony Smith, Federal Member for Casey.

Oval and Training Facility

Work is well under way at the Montrose Football Club!

Here is the oval in January prior to work beginning on the upgrade.

Below is the oval during the upgrade in March 2009.

Our training facility is located behind the main oval and the clubrooms.

Below is the training ground in January, a work in progress!

Here is the training facility in March, it is starting to take shape and looks great.

MONTROSE RESERVE PAVILION - CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN  

The centrepiece of the Montrose Recreation Reserve Re-Development,a brand new two-storey pavilion,is at long last about to become a reality.  The Reserve Committee have had a roller-coaster  ride in bringing the construction of the building to fruition.  Last May, the Federal grant towards the construction was withdrawn, when the Government scrapped the Regional Partnerships Program.  However a substantial local campaign along with Shire and State lobbying,resulted in the $660,000 being reinstated.  The Federal Funding Agreement was signed in August 2008.

Since that date,a small planning group, deputised by the Reserve Committee,continued to work on detailed plans with Bob Mason, the Shire of Yarra Ranges Building Projects Coordinator.  This was necessary to assist Council in the preparation of the tender document and conclude the tender process by 31st December, 2008.  At its final meeting in 2008, the Shire signed off on the pavilion works, with the tender being awarded to Gemcan Constructions Pty. Ltd. of Mount Waverley. "Works are due to start in February 2009 with the demolition of the old building and clearance of the site", Reserve Convenor Ken Dowling said. ''We are looking forward to working with Peter Redden from Gemcan and a number of local businessmen involved in the construction industry. We received a major contribution through the planning stages from Bas van Meurs - ADS. Design & Drafting Services Pty.Ltd., Peter Coll - Interline Roofing, Brian Emberson - Mobile Electrics and Tim Schilling - Atherton Plumbing.  I want to personally thank them for their professional assistance to date''.  A former legend of the Montrose Football Club, Jason Hammerstein from Gravity Demolition, and a ''junior dad", Peter Higgins from State Plant Hire Pty.Ltd., have offered invaluable advice with regard to the demolition and site clearance.  

It is an exciting time for the Montrose community as the playground is now complete.  Three new synthetic grass tennis courts have been laid, construction of the two new netball courts is complete, the main oval and training facility have been resown. It is also envisaged that new toilets will be constructed at the playground site early in 2009.  

The Reserve Committee wishes to acknowledge the continued support of our newly elected Mayor, Len Cox, Tony Smith our local Federal Member and James Merlino, our State Member.  

Keep up to date with what's going on at www.montrosereserve.org.au

An artists impression of the new pavillion