Ministerial Visit Marks Official Opening of Ararat Bowls Club’s New Lighting
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Ararat Bowls Club enjoyed the honour of hosting Jacinta Ermacora MP to its rooms last week, for the official opening of the Club’s upgraded lighting.
The newly installed 200-lux LED lights meet competition standards, spreading light evenly across the green and offering an energy-saving alternative to traditional lighting (80% less energy for the same luminosity).
In addition to MP Ermacora, the event was attended by Mayor Jo Armstrong, Ararat Rural City Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison, Councillors Teli Kaur and Peter Joyce, Ararat Bowls Club President Kerrin Gellie, and many members of the Club itself.
Jacinta Ermacora MP highlighted the significant increase in playing times that the new lights will provide, as bowlers are now able to play after the sun sets.
“Facilities like these are an important social hub for all,” she added. “Our local community deserve modern facilities we can be proud of, so I’m very honoured to be here.”
Mayor Armstrong acknowledged that many in the event’s audience had arrived from the memorial service of long-time Club member Peter Kaczynski, whose friendship and contribution to the life of the Club would be dearly missed by his fellow members.
In addition to the locals who can now experience extended playing hours, hundreds of people who visit the Club through competitions will now reap the rewards and “share the camaraderie” of playing bowls under the new lights, Mayor Armstrong said, also pointing out the diversity of age and gender in players which the Club is seeing come through its doors.
“Congratulations to you Kerrin, to your committee, and to the Club, for attracting the kind of funding that is going to keep the Club sustainable into the future,” she said.
The Ararat Bowls Club’s upgraded lighting was made possible by a $45,000 grant from the Victorian Government’s 2021-22 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund - Community Sports Lighting, and an additional $75,000 contributed by Ararat Rural City Council.
Image L – R: Ararat Rural City Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison, Mayor Jo Armstrong, Ararat Bowls Club President Kerrin Gellie, Jacinta Ermacora MP.