The Portarlington Golf Club has made the plans of two more local organisations possible with substantial community grants.

The Portarlington Girl Guides and the Portarlington Cricket Club are the latest beneficiaries of the PGC’s Community Contribution Fund to address outstanding issues for their memberships … and well beyond.

Girl Guides district manager Belinda George said the organisation was “extremely grateful” to have received $5000 earlier in 2021, then another $5000 for the second part of their hall restoration project, including urgent roof repairs.

“It means the Guides will have a venue that is safe and able to facilitate their needs for the foreseeable future,” George said.
“Previously we had leaks in the roof and other plumbing issues, but this project will give us somewhere warm, safe and hospitable for the girls to use.”

George said the Girl Guides shared their hall with several other community groups, spreading further the benefits of the funding, with Portarlington Playgroup, fledgling women’s group BeWRECT, the local CWA branch, the Portarlington Orchestral Group and Bellarine International Women’s Group all soon to share the space.

“So it’s great for all of us … it really gives the community somewhere to use and be safe and to feel welcome again,” she said.

The Portarlington Cricket Club recently received $6000 to build a new barbecue area and buy outdoor furniture. PCC treasurer Claire Heatlie said the cricketers were “very grateful”.

“We really struggled last year, as did everyone, and the cricket department runs at a massive loss, so the kitchen and the bar income is very important,” she said.

“We were really limited last year with the amount of people we could have in the room. Now we have an extra 40 tables and chairs so we can seat people outside because of the grant.

“Without support like this, clubs like ours just don’t survive.”

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

PGC chief executive Michael Phillips said the club considered many factors when allocating funds, including the potential for increased engagement of volunteers, community and participants.

“The golf club sees itself as a community leader and that it’s our duty to assist other sporting clubs and community groups whenever we can,” Phillips said.

“Our success as a club in the community is partly measured by the success of everybody else in the community.

“We feel we have a significant role to play in that space and we are very fortunate and lucky to have a business model that allows us to support other community groups who don’t necessarily have access to the funds that we do.”

The club earlier this year gave $3650 to the Portarlington Bowling Club for greens maintenance and $1500 to the Portarlington Miniature Railway for safety improvements.

Portarlington Golf Club CEO Michael Phillips checks out the new  Portarlington Cricket Club facilities with James Harvey, Peter Evans and Claire Heatlie.

Photo: VINNIE VAN OORSCHOT, Bellarine Times