Cardinia Shire Council officially opened the Gembrook sporting pavilion at a special event last night.
The redeveloped pavilion, located at Gembrook Recreation Reserve, will be utilised for football, netball, and cricket.
The exciting pavilion upgrade was jointly funded by Council and the Australian Government.
Cardinia Shire Council contributed $1.45 million to the project, while the Australian Government also provided $1 million as part of the Community Development Grants Program.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Councillor Jeff Springfield officially opened the newly developed pavilion at Gembrook Recreation Reserve with Federal Member for La Trobe, the Honourable Jason Wood MP and representatives of the Gembrook sporting community.
"These upgrades will be a fantastic addition for the local community to enjoy, and we are delighted to be able to declare the pavilion officially open," Cr Springfield said.
"The pavilion has been in need of a refresh for quite some time, and these upgrades can now meet the needs of the sporting community in Gembrook and the wider community.
"This project has ensured accessibility, improved opportunities, and is a great improvement to this sporting precinct."
The upgrade of the sports pavilion included unisex and universally accessible change rooms for players and umpires, accessible amenities, a first aid room, a gym, and storage.
The project also included an upgrade to the existing kitchen and social room and an upgrade to the spectator viewing lounge and timekeeper's room.
Federal Member for La Trobe, the Honourable Jason Wood MP said he was delighted to attend the official opening event.
"It's fantastic to see the new state-of-the-art sports pavilion open at the Gembrook Recreation Reserve", Jason Wood MP said.
"I was able to deliver $1M in federal funding back in 2016 thanks to the great advocacy of the clubs. Like most things, there was delays in building and delays due to Covid, but the great news is the pavilion is now finally open and being used by our community. And I couldn't be prouder of the results."
"Congratulations and thank you to Ross Hubbard the current President, Damian Kee, Marcus Adams, and the whole committee including Mickey Uren who championed the upgrade for the Netball Club."
