Many hands for final

By Tania Martin
TWO community groups have stepped in to save Emerald Netball Club from losing its hosting rights for this year’s netball grand-final.
Emerald Junior Football Club (EJFC) and the town’s CFA will come to the netball club’s aid. The netball club faced the possibility of losing the home finals because the courts needed cleaning.
Committee member Debbie Gray said this had followed several accidents on the courts recently. The courts have been slippery because of the damp environment at Emerald.
“We had a couple of the girls fall over and injure themselves,” she said.
“Because of this we were faced with a huge expense to have the courts cleaned, otherwise we would have lost the home final.”
Cleaning would have cost the club nearly $3000.
“For a club our size, that is a huge expense, but we also stood to lose the finals,” she said.
EJFC president Winston Gatt said the club wanted to do something to help so it donated the water to wash the courts.
Mr Gatt said the club’s 45,000-litre water tank was full and available for the worthy cause.
“By making this water available it means the netball courts can be clean and the finals will go ahead,” he said.
The two clubs then approached Emerald CFA to wash the courts, thus providing the brigade with the opportunity to do some high-pressure hose training.
“It also helps the CFA to train with their equipment while there is a drought on and water is not freely available,” Mr Gatt said.
Emerald CFA captain Paul Yandle described the work as a great chance for training.
“We are prepared to help as long as the community understands we are using recycled water and not wasting it,” he said.
“This is really about the community getting together to help the netball club and save their finals.”
The CFA will be washing the courts sometime this week.