Garry Baldry from Windsor Paddlesports Club reveals that the Club has been successful in their application for a grant which will be used to construct a multi-purpose facility for both members and the local community.
Windsor Paddlesports Club Inc. has been successful in securing a grant for $801,218 under the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Grant Funding program for the construction of a multi-purpose paddlesports facility which will house water craft storage, change rooms, amenities, a meeting room, and kitchen. The building is to be located within the grounds of Macquarie Park in Windsor on the beautiful Hawkesbury River on land donated by Hawkesbury City Council.
This was the third time that our Club had made an application for grant funding through this program, and I guess you could say “third time lucky”. Our club has been operating out of a small brick shed and two containers for a number of years, until the middle of last year when the shed was demolished as it was considered structurally unstable.
It is envisaged that with the completion of the facility, a number of paddlesport enthusiasts will be attracted to join our Club, which is why last year our name changed from ‘Windsor Canoe Club’ to ‘Windsor Paddlesports Club’, so that we can involve paddle boarders, dragon boaters, or any other form of paddlesport water craft.
The facility will also be available to other community groups for meetings and gatherings in the beautiful grounds of Macquarie Park overlooking the Hawkesbury River. The building will have a large veranda off the meeting room and a kitchen facing the river on the upper level. Terrific views will make it a great place to enjoy refreshments after training or meetings.
One of the greatest advantages of the new facility will be the provision of change rooms and amenities that have been missing for our members for many years. In particular for our female members, who will now have a universally designed female change room with hot showers that will be marvellous, particularly in winter.
Our Club would like to thank and acknowledge a number of organisations for their letters of support and for general assistance in getting us to this point. It has been a long process but certainly one that is worthwhile to the paddlesports community, and also for the general community who will also have a great venue for meetings and running their functions.
Firstly, the State Government for the opportunity to apply for the grant funding, our State and Australian Paddlesport bodies, Paddle NSW and Paddle Australia, for their letters of support, Pink Finss Charity, Kurrajong North Richmond and Windsor Rotary Clubs, NSW Dragon Boat Association, and Hawkesbury City Council who all gave us letters of support for our grant application. A special thanks also needs to go to Hawkesbury Sports Council for a donation of $25,000 and a letter of support that will be added to the grant fund monies, and finally the members of Windsor Paddle Sports Club, who have never given up hope of making this dream become reality and for their $25,000 input, taking the total funds for the project to $851,218.
Peter Tate, CEO of PaddleNSW, expressed his congratulations to the Club. “Garry has worked tirelessly on this project for many years and I’ve provided letters of support for each of those three grant submissions. Good things come to those who persevere, and there’s no doubt Garry and all the wonderful WPC volunteers are most deserving of this successful outcome. Once COVID restrictions eventually ease, I know paddlers and water-users from across the state will benefit from the modern facility.”
To find out more about the Windsor Paddlesports Club Inc. or to join, contact Clayton Norman on 0414 256 360.