20 February
Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) has stepped in to support the Longwood Football Netball Club as the community continues to recover from the significant fire event that devastated the town in January.
With widespread damage to the region and disruption still affecting local residents, restoring the oval at the Longwood Recreation Reserve has become a key priority for helping the town rebuild its sense of connection and normality.
GVW General Manager Service Delivery Daniel Flanagan said after becoming aware of the state of the oval, staff moved quickly when it became clear that water access was one of the biggest barriers to getting it back into playable condition.
“Longwood has been through a very challenging period, and we recognise how important the football netball club is to community wellbeing,” Mr Flanagan said.
“Our staff were able to quickly assess the site and confirm that Class B recycled water could be used safely with existing infrastructure. They also worked with Strathbogie Shire to implement a watering program.
“We’re pleased we can help get the oval back into a condition where the community can return to doing what they love.”
Mr Flanagan said recycled water continued to be a valuable resource for supporting towns across the region.
“Recycled water helps reduce demand on drinking water, supports local communities, and in some cases enables us to meet the needs of rapidly growing towns.”
Longwood Football Netball Club President Ricki Shiner said the support from GVW and Strathbogie Shire had been critical, particularly after the reserve was used as the staging area for the firefighting effort.
For almost three weeks, the oval was covered by cars, trucks, trailers, machinery, marquees and hundreds of personnel. The surface was compacted, sprinklers were damaged, and the oval was not irrigated.
“It seems a little selfish to be talking about the oval when you consider the number of members, sponsors and friends of the club who have been impacted by the fire,” Mr Shiner said.
“But the club is a really important part of us getting back to normal, and having the oval in use is a key part of this.”
“We really had no other options or idea of where to go for assistance. When GV Water started talking to us about using recycled water on the oval it was a real eye-opener.
Initial site assessments showed recycled water could be safely used to irrigate the oval with no risk to drinking water systems.
Recycled water signage has been installed and a watering program developed in partnership with Strathbogie Shire. Water will be drawn from GVW’s recycled water standpipe located at the Euroa Golf Club and transported to Longwood to water the oval.
The program will begin with daily watering and will shift to every second day as the oval begins to recover – or until water levels in the club’s own dam improve.
The club’s netball teams continue to train at Redlegs Stadium, which was unaffected by the fire, but football teams have been displaced. Senior footballers are temporarily training at Chittick Park in Seymour thanks to support from Seymour Cricket Club and Mitchell Shire, but junior teams - who normally resume training as soon as the school year begins - are unable to travel and currently have no alternative.
“In Longwood there are two ways people can connect - through the pub and through the footy netball club. That’s why we’ve decided to keep the netballers at home and want to get our footballers back on our oval as soon as possible” Mr Shiner said.
He said the combined support from GVW, Strathbogie Shire and local volunteers had been vital.
“This support means everything to our community.”
