By ANEEKA SIMONIS
AN UNPLAYABLE sporting ground is slowly replenishing following a generous water donation by a Clyde-based vegetable farm.
Cardinia Recreation Reserve, which was severely cracking due to a lack of a steady supply of water, has been closed on a number of occasions to sporting groups such as Cardinia Cricket Club which has been forced to train and play away from its home turf.
But this summer, the cricket club has been able to play its first full season in six years after celery grower Schreurs and Sons donated part of its Cardinia Creek pumping licence to the grounds.
Cardinia Cricket Club president Luke Turner said the state of the grounds had made it tough for the team over the past few years but things were now looking up.
“We have lost so much money by playing away in terms of bar sales and people using the facilities,” he said.
“But this year has been one of the best years we have had.”
According to Cardinia Shire Council, the grounds have, in the past, been dangerous and unfit for play.
“The condition of the reserve was an extreme safety concern for council and, unfortunately, we had to close the oval during the 2013-’14 cricket season as the cracks were wide enough for an adult to get their foot stuck,” said the council’s team leader recreation and facilities Heather Callahan.
The council, Southern Rural Water, Cardinia Recreation Reserve’s Committee of Management and the cricket club met several times to find a solution to the problem.
The council and the water authority approached the Clyde-based vegetable grower Schreurs and Sons which agreed to donate part of its water pumping licence for Cardinia Creek.
According to the council, current licences to pump at the creek were capped and at capacity.
But, in support of their local community, the local farmers sold a portion of their licence to the council to irrigate the reserve for the next five years.
Ms Callahan said the Schreurs and Sons donation had saved the grounds.
“Everyone involved was relieved when Schreurs and Sons agreed to donate 3.2 megalitres of their annual allocation to council for the next five years,” she said.
“This amount will enable the Cardinia Cricket Club to plan for the future without having to be concerned about having a sustainable playing space.”
Director of the family business Adam Schreurs said he was happy to see the grass looking “a lot greener” at the reserve.
“The allocation (of water to the reserve) may leave us short from time to time but it’s important to support the club and the community,” he said.
According to Mr Schreurs, the amount of water donated under the licence accounts for about 3 to 4 per cent of the company’s annual summer usage.
