Reinforcing the grandstand retaining wall is one of number of projects taking place at Mungindi Showground funded by a $134,651 State Government Drought Stimulus Grant with Mungindi Show Society President Stacey Garsed, left, and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
Wednesday, 16 September 2020.
A number of projects to improve safety at the Mungindi Showground are out of the starting gate and galloping ahead, with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall last week inspecting work to upgrade the venue’s power boxes, stables and grandstand.
Mr Marshall said $134,651 in grant funding, provided through the State Government’s Showground Stimulus Package, wasn’t bad prize money for Mungindi Show Society, in a year when a number of major community events were scratched due to COVID-19.
“With no show or race meet in 2020, the Show Society has saddled up and got on with addressing a number of maintenance issues identified around the grounds in a recent safety audit,” Mr Marshall said.
“This injection of funds will allow the upgrade of power boxes across the site and rewire and install new lighting in the grandstand and bar areas.
“Tradies are already working to repair the damaged roof on the racecourse stables, reinforce the fences in the old stables and replace gates on the storage cages, while the replacement of broken guttering and boards across the Showground is nearly complete.
“Next on the list is the reinforcement of the grandstand retaining wall and resurfacing of cracked concrete footpaths to reduce trip hazards.
“Events at Mungindi Showground have an amazing ability to attract crowds and bring people together from both sides of the border and I know the community will be looking forward to the return of the Show and Races in 2021.”
Mungindi Show Society President Stacey Garsed said the drought had impacted the organisation’s ability to raise the dollars needed to tackle such a large backlog of work.
“The Showground is such a fantastic facility which services five different sports and community groups, including the polo and pony clubs and the local preschool,” Ms Garsed said.
“With so many users it’s important we keep improving the grounds, ensuring it is safe and accessible for people of all ages.
“Now maintenance is back on track the committee will continue to carry out regular audits in a bid to maintain the highest work, health and safety standards.
“Importantly, this program has allowed the Show Society to pay back a lot of local tradies who have provided volunteer labor to maintain our facilities over the years. Many were in need of work, with the drought and pandemic impacting their income.
“We plan to have all these maintenance and repair projects completed by the end of this year so things can be up and running well in time for our Show in August 2021.”