Previously condemned netball courts at Chiltern, widely regarded as the worst in the North East, are now among the best after a complete redevelopment.
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The two competition-grade and training courts were officially opened on Friday by Northern Victoria MP Jaclyn Symes, after the state government contributed $100,000 of the $400,000 total cost.
"You had an outdated, old netball court that really wasn't serving your needs, it certainly wasn't encouraging the younger generation to get involved," she said.
The new courts were celebrated as a way to promote physical activity in Indigo Shire, especially for women and girls.
"That starts with netball clubs in country towns so to have these facilities here for women in particular is something I'm particularly proud of ... For too long it's always our football grounds that have been a priority," Ms Symes said.
"When you've got passionate councillors like Sophie Price and Barb Murdoch who really, really got behind this project and made it a priority for the council, it wasn't hard for the state government to also get on board.
"I don't know how many calls Barb made to my office about this project."
Cr Murdoch kept Ms Symes' office updated with regular photos of the works as she went on her daily walk with her dog.
The project would also not have been possible without the efforts of Chiltern Football Netball Club members Brian and Graham Cassidy, who put in about 400 hours of volunteer work each - valued at about $80,000 in total.
This even extended to being at the courts at 3am ahead of the slab being put down.
They were presented with a certificate of appreciation by community and economic development director Mark Florence, who said "it's just been extraordinary the amount of work that's been put in".
"It looks fantastic so it's a good result for Chiltern and the community," Brian Cassidy said.
Indigo mayor Bernard Gaffney said redevelopment was a result of a partnership between the council, club and state government.
"This Chiltern netball court was certainly the worst in Indigo Shire, it was the worst in North East Victoria," he said.
"I think Netball Victoria had at one stage condemned them.
"They've gone from the worst to the very best."
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