Parks and gardens crew to learn from the best

Southies have long boasted that the Alma Oval has the best playing surface in Broken Hill, and their claim will soon be given further weight thanks to a visit from renowned curator, Graeme Logan.

Mr Logan is one of the most respected groundsmen in Australia, and is currently in charge of preparing the surface of Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

Council's Asset Planner Open Spaces, Jarred Paull, said Mr Logan's visit was a gesture of remarkable generosity.

"This all started from me sending an email to ANZ Stadium looking for some basic advice on maintaining the Alma cricket pitch, I wasn't expecting a phone call back so quickly, or even at all," he said.

"But he gave me a call back and arranged for his team to head out here to Broken Hill for the week and help further improve the standard of the Alma Oval."

Mr Logan will work with Council's Parks and Open Spaces teams this week to undertake a $17,250 upgrade of the Alma Oval surface.

Two Amazone scarifiers will be used to thin the outfield, and 360 square metres of new Santa Ana Couch grass along with 45 cubic metres of soil will be placed in the cricket wicket.

Mr Paull said the visit would provide invaluable experience for both himself his team.

"It's just amazing to have a groundsman like Graeme volunteer his time to train our guys and pass on his knowledge for the benefit of outback sport," he said.

"We've recently added some young guys to complement the experienced members of our Parks and Gardens crew, and everyone is keen to make a real difference to our parks and ovals.

"Everyone's going to benefit from spending time with Graeme and his team, he's got almost 40 years' experience, and I'm sure he'll have plenty of tips and tricks on how to get the best out of our open spaces."