A $560,000 upgrade at Bon Thomas Reserve in Deer Park will boost one of Brimbank’s most multicultural cricket clubs.
The additions, to include change rooms, storage space, outdoor seating and shade for spectators, will be a turning point for Deer Park Cricket Club, according to president Steve Krstevski.
He described present facilities as an “absolute nightmare” for players, supporters and volunteers.
He said a portable toilet was the only piece of infrastructure at the reserve on match days.
“We’re absolutely thrilled with this,” he said. “It’s going to take a load off the volunteers.
“Currently we organise shade at the ground and bring tables and chairs for the scorers from our main ground at John McLeod Reserve.
“We have no buildings [at Bon Thomas], nothing.”
The upgrade is timely with the club now fielding a record six teams, up from just three several years ago.
“We’ve been working hard to integrate players from different cultures and unite a lot of ethnic groups into a club structure,” Krstevski said. “We have a refugee team with just asylum seekers.”
The project is funded by Brimbank council ($460,000) and a state government community infrastructure grant ($100,000).
It’s been a big summer for Brimbank cricket with Sunshine Heights Cricket Club winning the national Good Sports Club of the Year award late last year.
After struggling in the 1990s, the Sunshine Heights club has embraced its multicultural community, emerging as a vibrant club with players from more than 25 nations.
President Paul Stockwell said the club had completely changed over the past 10 years.
“We’ve had a big increase in members from the sub-continent, particularly, but also people from South Sudan … it’s created a really positive environment.”
with Sarah Black
