Desoite the heavy rain it was an exciting Friday for the 1st Caroline Springs Scouts Group, which hosted royalty to celebrate the commencement of works on its new activity centre
World Scout Foundation chairman His Majesty King Carl the sixteenth Gustaf of Sweden was due to be on hand when the sod was turned for a $100 million regional Scout Adventure Activity Centre at the Burnside Recreation Reserve.
However the rain meant the ceremony had to be held indoors at the Catholic Regional College Sydenham campus.
The centre will be the new home for 1st Caroline Springs Scouts Group’s 150 members.
The King heard of the Scouts grand plans for the western suburbs, and planted a birch sapling in the hopes it will “grow as the Caroline Springs Scout Group grows”.
The group is excited to be moving onto a bigger space, and doubling membership numbers, after having outgrown its “small” building in Kings Park.
Scouts Victoria chief commissioner Brendan Watson said the Burnside site was ideal for the regional scout hub as the area was witnessing a massive population boom.
Mr Watson also praised the Caroline Springs group for “reaching out and being a part of the community”.
Melton council has applied to the state government, through the Interface Growth Fund, for a $500,000 grant towards the construction of the facility, and are finalising the lease terms of the site.
Mayor Kathy Majdlik said the scout group was an important part of the community, having “grown from strength to strength”.
“This new facility will be outstanding asset for the broader community as well as the children,” Cr Majdlik said.
“This new regional scout hub, here in the City of Melton, will provide ongoing opportunities to the western region.”
Sydenham MP Natalie Hutchins said she hoped the new and improved facility would help the ‘joeys’ and ‘cubs’ continue to grow and learn.
The regional scout hub will include an activity space and equipment storage areas, an adventure learning program centre, kitchen, meeting rooms, toilets, and an office.
King Carl also lunched Catholic Regional College student leaders in the school’s restaurant, which is used for hospitality training.
