Official opening of new hockey, BMX pavilion

Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes joined Wodonga Mayor Cr Ron Mildren for the official opening of the new pavilion and reconstructed change rooms at Birallee Park on Friday, June 2.

The exciting project provides Wodonga Hockey Club and BMX Club members with state-of-the-art headquarters.

The new pavilion includes a multi-purpose room, a canteen, amenities and a raised undercover viewing area for the hockey community.

The existing pavilion has been upgraded to include a new BMX canteen, umpire rooms, a first aid room and change rooms that are female-friendly and more accessible, to encourage more women, girls and people with disabilities to participate in activities at the site.

Ms Symes said the facilities were exactly what communities want.

"It means that their parents are getting out of the car, they're socialising and really joining in that club culture," she said.

Cr Mildren agreed with Ms Symes.

"It's also exciting because it's another part of the jigsaw puzzle that makes Birallee Park a really important sporting facility for Wodonga," he said.

"It's something that this council has been working on for a number of years, so this is what it's all about. This is what makes really good collaborative facilities for our community."

The new building replaces outdated facilities that were no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the hockey and BMX communities, and will complement the existing football and cricket facilities at Birallee Park.

The project has been funded by $1.65 million from the Victorian Government’s Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus program, $500,000 from the Australian Government’s Community Development Grants Program, $800,000 from Wodonga Council and $200,000 from the Wodonga Hockey Club.