By the year 2030 Brendan Martin is hoping he can look back fondly on the plans his Rochester Recreation Reserve management committee put in place a decade earlier.
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The father-of-four, who joined the incorporated body seven years ago, is now steering the ship as a new 10-year masterplan for the sporting precinct approaches completion.
“We are probably six months away from seeing the final product in regard to the masterplan,” Mr Martin said.
“Once we have all our ducks in a row we will be able to start applying for funding support.”
The multi-million dollar proposal is to develop an indoor sports complex on the 30-acre property, replace almost 50-year-old lighting around Moon Oval and replace buildings that have been home to the football club for even longer.
This is his second term as president, leading the charge alongside the eight user groups (who are each represented on the committee) and the two community-appointed members.
He has managed an 800-head dairy farm, for Allanby Pastoral, for more than two decades and is motivated to help not only the wider community, but also his four children.
He has 14-year-old Sadie, Noah, 15, Stella, 17, and 19-year-old Angus - three who have continued his cricket-mad association with Rochester.
Not only is he president of the recreation reserve management committee, but he is president of one of its major tenants: Rochester Cricket Club.
Mr Martin was with Rochester United, in the top job, before it amalgamated with the town’s other cricket club to form Rochester Cricket Club.
His wife, Jane, provides the sanity on the home front, outside of the madness involved in his official roles with the reserve and cricket club committees.
He grew up on a dairy farm in the area, when there were 70-odd dairy farms all milking 120-plus cows with four kids running around on the farm.
“With the water gone things are a bit different now,” he said.
“The town has adapted to drought, floods and the (Murray Goulburn) factory closure.
“Sometimes you need a little bit of a shake-up to get things moving.
“Opportunities have been created and the town is up and about at the moment.”
Finance is a big part of the Rochester Recreation Reserve plans, a cross section of farmers, business people and school teachers all bringing something different to the table.
Aside from an annual shire maintenance grant for the regional rated reserve, one of three with Victoria Park and Kyabram Recreation Reserve, the committee’s work on-site is self-funded.
“There are standards we need to meet as a regional reserve. At the moment we tick most of the boxes, but the lights are very poor,” Mr Martin said.
“I think they went up in 1975 and will cost $800,000 to replace.”
Mr Martin grew up playing football and cricket at the recreation reserve, which features the picturesque Windridge Oval — so named because of the family that build the oval — at the rear of the main oval.
Windridge Oval boasts the newest of the buildings, its pavilion having been built only eight years ago, after the Rochester flood.
Alongside the recreation reserve is the Riverside Caravan Park, which was taken over by the committee of management almost three years ago.
“It created another revenue stream, we really only charge the user groups for the cost of utilities,” Mr Martin said.
“Each group looks after their own little patch. We are lucky to have people like Peter Howes and Bill Dingwell.
“Peter puts in about 20 hours a week on the tractor,” he said.
Mr Martin said the masterplan would be the document that developed a list of priorities from which the committee would develop a strategy for financial support.
“We only have the school for indoor sport at the moment,” he said.
“Plans for an indoor sports complex are in their infancy and we also need a dedicated women’s facility.
“Eighteen months ago we did a strategic plan and we are also using the masterplan which was completed by the previous committee in the early 2000s, to build on those ideas.”
Mr Martin said he expected the committee (and wider community) to be responsible for at least a third of the multi-million dollar development.
“The grants usually come on a two-for-one basis,” he said
“So we need to find a million dollars.
“Sounds scary when you say it like that.”
Mr Martin said with the likes of Campaspe Shire Cr Paul Jarman, Nationals leader Peter Walsh and Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp in his corner there were high hopes for the future.
“These guys, along with Sam Campi from the shire, have been really good for us,” he said.
Five to 10 hours a week of work on reserve business is nothing out of the ordinary for Mr Martin, who says the condition of the ovals is probably the best it has ever been.
“The ovals are in fantastic condition. It would be great to attract some big events here in the future,’’ he said.
“We are central, we have great ovals. It’s probably just the lights and some of the buildings that let us down slightly.”
Mr Martin said the committee of management was also throwing around ideas to supplement its finances, the latest being a potential music concert at the reserve.
“It’s been spoken about. We have a lot of people with a lot of ideas, getting them across the line is the next step,” he said.
Mr Martin said he and his group would continue to influence the things they could control and work together to find the necessary funds to fulfil the lofty ambition of the 10-year masterplan.
“We have enough people with enough energy. But the plan is just part of the puzzle,” he said.
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