SOD Turned Marking New Era for Ron Harborne Precinct

Deputy Mayor, Susannah Pearse, joined with The Hon. Adam Marshall MP, to turn the first soil at Ron Harborne Oval, Thursday 1 February, signifying the commencement of stage one works of the Masterplan.

These long awaited upgrades will reshape the recreational ground into a more accommodating, multipurpose space for sporting groups to utilise and undertake their passion for sport.

Cr Pearse reflected on the man who was Ron Harborne, “Ron was a keen sportsman who served as a Councillor for Moree Plains from 1981 to 1986 and had a renowned sense of civic pride.  

“Ron Harborne oval, is not just an oval, but a place where our community comes together, and for visitors to sporting carnivals, it provides their first glimpse into what life on the Moree Plains has to offer.

“These upgrades to the precinct will enable us to put our best foot forward, supporting our budding young sportspeople, creating a regional facility we can all be proud of, and paying suitable respect to the man whom it is named after,” remarked Cr Pearse.

Cr Pearse was joined by General Manager, Kelvin Tytherleigh, Councillor Murray Hartin and sporting stakeholders from Moree Junior Soccer and Cricket.

Stage one works include the construction of 6 new courts, comprising of 4 netball courts and 2 multi-purpose courts, seeing the current netball courts relocated[1].

Council worked with Transport of NSW (TfNSW) to repurpose old bitumen from the current Newell Highway upgrades. This material will be used to compact the foundation and build up the ground underneath the courts.

A welcoming space to the sports precinct will be a new clubhouse. This will be built on to the existing toilet and changeroom. For the first time, the precinct will be able to offer change rooms for both males and females[ii].

A great addition to the precinct will be the completion of the line marking of a 400m athletics track, something Moree has never had[iii].

“We’ve heard loud and clear that parking and drainage are major issues, especially on regional carnival days, often making access to the grounds a muddy and wet pursuit. As such, stage one works include a raft of drainage improvements, culverts and the addition of new, sealed parking which will run parallel with Gwydir Street[iv].

The entire project has been made possible due to the grant funding from:

NSW Office of Sport under the Regional Sport Infrastructure Fund - $1,059,171 Australian Government Local Roads & Community Infrastructure Program (LRCI2) - $680,000 NSW Stronger Country Communities Fund (SCCF4) - $504,187 Council Contribution (attached to Office of Sport Grant) - $400,000 Australian Government Drought Communities Program (DCP) - $281,212 NSW Resources for Regions (RFR9) - $125,509 NSW Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Package (CLIRP) -$18,000.

[1] - Number 1 on the Ron Harborne Oval Masterplan

[ii] - Number 2 on the Ron Harborne Oval Masterplan

[iii] - Number 3 on the Ron Harborne Oval Masterplan

[iv] - Number 4 on the Ron Harborne Oval Masterplan

(Photo – Director of Engineering John Dyer, a representative from Moree Junior Soccer Club Kevin Rigby, Cricket representative Grady Sinclair, The HON Adam Marshall MP, Deputy Mayor Susannah Pearse, a representative from Moree Junior Soccer Club Mick Young, Councillor Murray Hartin, General Manager Kelvin Tytherleigh, and Tenesse Blake)