Two great things in our summers are often at odds with each other – the love of outdoor activities and the need for shade to enjoy them safely.
But with the aid of the Portarlington Golf Club, two local organisations are trying for the best of both worlds.

The club’s Community Contributions Fund (CCF) has granted a total of $3750 to two organisations that will implement SunSmart initiatives for their members and visitors.
For the Bellarine Agricultural Society (BAS), a marquee will mean a haven for those trying to cool down while trying to juggle all the action of the annual show at the Portarlington Recreation Reserve on the March long weekend.

For the Wallington Cricket Club, it’s another huge step forward in catering to the ever-expanding needs of their burgeoning women’s and junior divisions.
Either way, it’s about shade.

“This year at the Show it got really hot and we had sunscreen available but only in the office, so what we wanted to do was set up dedicated SunSmart bases around the show so people can find them easily and stay safe,” said BAS president Sue Cairns, who said she’d use the Aussie Open tennis as her inspiration.
“They have those cooling stations around the (Rod Laver Arena) grounds, so we’re going to now be able to have a similar dedicated station, which we’ll put near the front entrance.

“And we’ll put it near a water station and have them together because community safety is obviously paramount. We put a lot of planning into things and we determined that was an area we were lacking in because it’s often really hot at that time of year.

“So we really want to send a big `thanks’ to the golf club – it does so much for the community with raffles and grants and without it we wouldn’t be able to do half the things we do for the show and everyone who comes along.”

Wallington CC received a $3500 grant from the golf club two years ago – for the provision of coaching and equipment to its then fledgling women’s division - and has clearly put it to good use.

President Marc Occhipinti said the club had, in that short time, expanded to having three women’s teams, with no fewer than 45 women and girls having played last summer.

“It has been amazing to see the club take off like that with all the inclusive work that’s such an important part of our club and the community overall,” Occhipinti said.
“So we need to keep up with the provision of facilities and this grant will enable us to do something very important at our second ground that we now use.”

The booming club not only uses its traditional Wallington Reserve base, but now uses the Devlins Road Recreation Reserve in nearby Oakdene as a second home, primarily for women’s and junior teams.

“And there’s just not the infrastructure around that ground yet, no trees or anything for shade, so the SunSmart marquee will be critical to keep everyone shaded and safe,” he said.

“We need to have these amenities to keep ensuring that all newcomers to the game have a great and safe experience, so … in turn, giving people the chance to get involved as we have is a benefit for the entire community.

“We’re just exceptionally grateful for all our supporters and we wouldn’t be in this position without the amazing backing of the Port Golf Club.”
In the past six financial years alone, the Portarlington Golf Club has given charitable support of more than $250,000.

In that time, the CCF component has become the biggest single source of community initiatives with almost $65,000 in such grants alone.

The CCF was established to support not-for-profit community or sporting organisations to make positive improvements that will, in turn, benefit the wider community.

Golf club chief executive Michael Phillips said there had again been great interest in the CCF process, with a total of $14,110 to be distributed, well in excess of the project’s originally advertised $12,000 scope.

“These donations have become incredibly important within our community, so we’re happy to extend again this year for projects such as these that are incredibly worthy,” Phillips said.

“The principal is to help those who are not only helping their club or organisation, but also have a communal focus with their projects, so these make perfect sense.”

Port GC admin manager Jackie Durbidge hands over the CCF cheque to Sue Cairns, of the Bellarine Agricultural Society.