By Tyler Wright
With Cardinia Shire Council officially opening the $2.5 Gembrook Recreation Reserve pavilion — a project three years in the making — Gembrook-Cockatoo Football Club senior coach Brad Coller says its a bittersweet moment.
Since their home game in August 2019, players have since adjusted to three football seasons with makeshift showers, portable change rooms throughout winter and no canteen, with some additional assistance from opposing teams.
“It got to the point where it was laughable, everyone didn’t care anymore because at the start you’re like ‘oh yeah, It’s starting to look good and taking shape, and ‘we’re going to be in soon’…but it got to a point where everyone tuned out to what was in the background…because we had no trust or belief in any of the works [getting] done any time soon,” Coller said.
Coller said Belgrave Football Club offered its facilities for a home game where Gembrook-Cockatoo could run the gate, and the Gembrook RSL provided a space for the club to hold its Thursday night meals and selections, with players changing clothes in the muddy and freezing winter conditions.
“It’s lucky we had those guys to fall back on, where we could cook our own meals and serve some drinks and have a gathering.
“The posititive out of it is it galvanised the group, the whole playing group and netballers, because we had to go through all those tough times together.
“We ended up with some success, with one netball team and two football teams in the grand final, and we won two premierships, so really there is a positive out of it in how resilient we all became.”
A Cardinia Shire Council spokesperson said the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the head contractor of the Gembrook sporting pavilion project going into liquidation, has made it a “complex project to progress”.
“Council remained committed to doing all it could to see this pavilion redevelopment project through to completion at the earliest date possible,” the spokesperson said.
“Council has been in regular contact with, and supported, the Gembrook Cockatoo Football Netball Club and Gembrook Reserve stakeholders right throughout the project to minimise any disruptions to the playing season, including by providing portable facilities during construction.”
Cardinia Shire Mayor Jeff Springfield opened the pavilion on Thursday 3 November with Federal Member for La Trobe, the Honourable Jason Wood MP, Community Asset Committee Treasurer Neil Busacca, Project Working Group and Football Representative Marcus Adams and Cricket Club President Jeremy Everett.
Coller said the facilities, including unisex and universally accessible change rooms for players and umpires, a gym, an upgrade for the kitchen and social room, and a time keeper’s room, are “great,” but some of the playing group were not willing to attend the pavilion opening.
“They’re all still pretty dirty on on the fact that we’ve looked at it for three years,” he said.
