Grange Thistle has been formally advised that we have been granted a lease across the Grange Bowls Club site, primarily due to our strong growth in membership numbers and great track record of improving participation opportunities across our community. We are genuinely excited about the prospects of working with the existing members of Grange Bowls and Community Club Inc. and look forward to partnering with them in moving forward.
As part of our due diligence process a master plan was created which has been endorsed at a high level by Brisbane City Council. This plan will include;
1. Maintaining a bowling green to a high standard and using our reach and membership to push an increased participation in bowls.
2. Demolishing the two top bowling greens and replacing these unused greens with an all weather community field to both take pressure off Lanham Park. This space is intended to furthermore increasing active participation opportunities for our wider community.
3. Advancing long held discussions with Football Queensland about the implementation of a Walking Football program as well as a Parents Program which will both look to increase the use of Lanham Park during the daytime hours. The support and guidance of Football Queensland has been invaluable as part of this process and we thank them for their help.
In terms of the Bowls Club itself very little changes will occur, and we are beginning discussions with the various community tenancies about ongoing arrangements. This is a great community space, which we will improve as custodians for the betterment of our community and catchment. One change many of you may be interested in will be the activation of the clubhouse space and surrounds to better cater for families and younger generations. Watch this space for further updates but we will absolutely guarantee you will be excited.
With all of this in mind we have again written to Dr Anthony Lynham and urged him to get behind our club and community. The State Government has recently announced a funding program to provide access to up to $1m in taxpayer funds to increase active participation opportunities for Queenslanders and this project is ideal for this program.
We are highly confident that we can adequately demonstrate a positive benefit for our community, including demonstrating real, not made up demand. We have the highest number paid up members within the Stafford LGA and invest more of our members money in maintaining facilities than any surrounding club of any code. Dr Lynham has in the past called for Brisbane City Council to compulsorily acquire Stafford industrial facilities on behalf of another club in our community which plays an oblong ball code. This Lanham Park activation project should therefore be seen as cheap by our State Government, improving access and opportunity for vastly more community members, at a cost approximately 30 times less, and costing no jobs in the process.
Grange Thistle have a disappointing track record in accessing meaningful State Government funding despite best endeavours and a huge spend of member funds. We are openly calling on Dr Lynham and his Government to get behind our community and provide meaningful funding for this project, which will have a phenomally positive impact on a incredibly wide range community demographic.
Vice President on behalf of the Grange Thistle Board.
