Warialda Racecourse Trust members Barry and Isabel Hall, left, and Don Coote discuss the new shelter with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall today.
Tuesday, 30 August 2016
PATRONS of Warialda Racecourse will find events a lot more comfortable after the racecourse’s Trust secured $28,985 from the NSW Government to build a new shelter, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced today.
“Up to 600 people attend Warialda’s annual raceday, and about 450 attend the polocrosse, but there is no decent shelter to protect people from inclement weather,” Mr Marshall said today while trackside with Trust members.
“This Public Reserves Management Fund (PRMF) funding will go towards a 12 metre by 24 metre open-sided shed that will give patrons protection from the sun or rain.”
Mr Marshall added that the PRMF program has been invaluable for supporting small community groups like the Warialda Racecourse Trust, which have very limited sources of revenue.
“We know that the funding provided by the program ends up delivering several times its monetary value to communities like Warialda. It unlocks a lot of time and labour, and ensures that infrastructure that might otherwise disappear is preserved and extended, so that money from events like the race day continues to come into town.”
Isabel Hall of the Warialda Racecourse Trust said Warialda is renowned for extreme weather conditions, so the shelter will be a valuable addition to the racecourse amenity.
“There’s just no way we could have done this ourselves, so it’s really helpful to have this funding,” Mrs Hall said.
The 2016/17 funding allocation from the Public Reserves Management Fund Program is part of an $18 million annual program of grants and loans from the NSW Government to support the development, maintenance and protection of the public reserves.
“Public reserves in our region such as sportsgrounds, showgrounds, community halls, walking tracks and local parks are valued places which are used by our local community every day,” Mr Marshall said.
“This funding is not only vital to the success of our regional communities, but also supports the role our professional and volunteer managers play in the ongoing management of the reserves.
“This funding will allow our local managers to now implement the improvements required to ensure these important places can continue to be enjoyed by our local community now and into the future.”
This year, more than $550,000 has been secured from the fund for projects across the Northern Tablelands.