Wangaratta seniors club's 21-year wait could end under $2m pledge

Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy has promised a $2m pledge to help the Wangaratta Senior Citizens Club find a long-awaited new fit for purpose home. Mr McCurdy announced to club members on Monday that under an elected Coalition government this November, the party would commit to funding a new senior citizens clubhouse facility. The senior citizens club moved into Tara Court as a 'temporary measure' 21 years ago, to make way for construction of the BIG W building. Mr McCurdy said after two decades in limbo, it was time to find the club their new headquarters. “Wangaratta is the only town or community in the whole surrounding area that doesn't have their own elderly citizens venue,” he said. “It's been rented and they get moved from time to time and they've been asking me for years when they can get their own space. “$2 million should go a fair way to get them what they want.” The $2 million commitment will support the delivery of a suitable clubhouse in partnership with the Rural City of Wangaratta council. Mr McCurdy said if the funding is granted, further work would need to be done to determine the best option, whether that involves a new building or the refurbishment of an existing facility. Wangaratta Senior Citizens Club secretary/treasurer Ken Daly said while the Ford Street Tara Court clubroom was adequate, it didn’t allow for the club to grow as they would like. “We've been 21 years without a permanent facility, we've moved three times in that period, and it would be fantastic to have a permanent home,” he said. “People will know we're there and hopefully it’ll grow our membership.” A proposed community hub and sports pavilion as part of the Wareena Park Masterplan had long been mooted as a potential landing spot for the senior citizens club. The project is awaiting $4 million in government funding. A $150,000 allocation was made in council’s latest 2026/27 budget to complete detailed design work for a community hub and sports pavilion proposed for the former Olympic Pool site on Swan Street. Mr Daly said there wasn’t a particular location the club were looking at for their new home yet, but it needed to have the right facilities. “We need to have parking because a lot of our members can't walk a lot and obviously we need the necessary things indoors,” he said. “We play carpet bowls, cards, bingo, socials… carpet bowls are an integral part of senior citizens." Mr Daly said the club had worked with council on about a dozen of alternative options for a permanent home over the past 20 years, but they had been found not suitable due to either location or facility restraints. Mr McCurdy said the $2m commitment will come out of the Coalition’s regional growth fund, where 25 per cent of all new state infrastructure spending would be distributed to the regions. An elected Coalition government have also pledged to assist in a $320,000 upgrade at the Moyhu Bowls Club. The commitment would involve $245,000 from the Coalition, backed by a $75,000 local contribution to support this much-loved sporting club and invest in the future of the regional community. Mr McCurdy said the funding would support rink upgrades and help keep the club thriving for years to come. “Moyhu is a fantastic community, and its bowls club plays an important role in bringing people together,” he said. “Smaller towns like Moyhu deserve their fair share of quality facilities, and we need to ensure they have the infrastructure needed to stay social, active and connected.” Mr McCurdy also made election pledges of $10 million towards Yarrawonga P-12 College and $4 million to establish a dedicated dialysis facility in Cobram.

Wangaratta seniors club's 21-year wait could end under $2m pledge

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