Council candidate to push for new netball rooms

City of Greater Geelong candidate for the Deakin ward by-election, Ron Nelson, will support a push for new netball change rooms at Queens Park if elected.

The by-election, on March 5, 2011, was caused by the resignation of successful Liberal candidate for the State Parliamentary seat of South Barwon, former Cr. Andrew Katos.

Mr Nelson is already in campaigning mode.

He recently visited Queens Park and inspected the current rooms, an old caravan rescued from a council yard, which has served Geelong Amateur and visiting netballers from under- 13 through to ‘A’ grade teams throughout the past six winters.

The cost of new rooms is estimated at around $300,000..

As well as change rooms for both the home club and visitors, the building will include a kitchen and storage facilities.

With four senior and eight junior teams playing each Saturday on two courts with old surfaces, there is also need for the netball courts to be increased to three and upgraded at the same time.

Mr Nelson said he would also investigate what would be involved with this and support the club’s plans for this improvement although this was a longer-term commitment.

The Queens Park netball facility was the only such complex serving a huge catchment area, growing quickly as vast new estates were being opened up nearby on the Highton side of the Barwon River.

Because of the changing demographics, Mr Nelson said unless facilities were improved and expanded, prospective junior and senior netballers from the surrounding area would be turned away and denied the opportunity to pursue the sport.

Geelong Amateur Football and Netball Club president, Chris Broad, said he was excited that Mr Nelson had so quickly shown his support for the much-needed improvements to the netball facilities.

Club netball president Nicole Robertson said the caravan had served its purpose and was now a bit of an embarrassment when compared with the facilities offered Ammos players when visiting other clubs.

She too, was thankful for the interest shown by Mr Nelson.

They ask club members to give their support to Mr Nelson in the forthcoming by-election because of his promise to do all he could on behalf of the netballers.

Mr Nelson, who played football for the Ammos to under-16 level, is the younger brother of former legendary club senior full-back of the 1980s-1990s, Bob Nelson.

A Deakin ward local, Mr Nelson is championing a long list of causes within the boundaries of the ward.

Aged 40, he is a procurement and contracts officer with the Department of Defense.

He already has a long history of community service, including Beyond Blue, Relay for Life, United Services Institute of Victoria, Deakin University Alumni, Alexander Thomson Cricket Club and the Geelong Football Club.

Mr Nelson completed his tertiary education, to Masters level, at Deakin University.

A member of the Liberal Party, he is running for council as an Independant under the slogan “A local for locals”.