![COMPLETE: Towong mayor David Wortmann says the Corryong and wider community will be pleased with the new Upper Murray Events Centre. Picture: MARK JESSER COMPLETE: Towong mayor David Wortmann says the Corryong and wider community will be pleased with the new Upper Murray Events Centre. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ellen.ebsary/4969a6c7-e33e-4271-a6f5-b33d8d767034.jpg/r0_0_4928_3280_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The long-awaited events and sports hub at Corryong is complete, but empty.
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A race to complete the Upper Murray Events Centre in time for Towong Shire's largest event was made redundant by COVID-19.
"As soon as people could get back to the town after the fires, we had tradies in, because we'd lost a few weeks of building," mayor David Wortmann said.
"We wanted to get it done as soon as we could for it to be ready for the (Man From Snowy River) festival, and unfortunately it did not go ahead.
"As a council and as a community, we were really looking forward to the festival to bring people back together, as the bushfires had a huge impact emotionally and socially."
Cr Wortmann does not know what the first event in the $2.7 million centre will be.
"COVID-19 is the unknown there," he said.
"There is light at the end of the tunnel and later this year the Corryong Show and other events might be able to happen.
"Whether we have a football-netball season, we'll have to wait and see."
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Despite this, the tenants and 14 user groups attached to the centre are ecstatic with the final result - completed in recent weeks.
"It's a magnificent facility and the best part about this project was the partnership between federal, state and local government, and we had community input ," Cr Wortmann said.
"Corryong Health came on board and were instrumental in including a gymnasium, which I see being highly utilised.
"We'd love for the community to be involved in the launch of the building, so it will be a little while off."
The council is also seeking funding for additions like power generators, to ensure the events centre can be used as a relief centre for future natural disasters.
"The relief centre was set up in the gymnasium in the high school [for the fires], which definitely had shortcomings - we know that," Cr Wortmann said. "It was good to see the secondary college got funding to upgrade some of its facilities.
"If we get the funding, this centre would be ideal for a relief centre."
Cr Wortmann said fire recovery was ongoing, but was impacted by the pandemic.
"When we set the hub up, people said they wanted to talk to people in person, and not through a computer screen," he said.
"Unfortunately the virus has restricted that, but hopefully we'll be able to get back to more one-on-one consultations.
"We've had an indication BlazeAid will be back after the June long weekend.
"BlazeAid naturally had to leave because most of their volunteers were in the age group that were vulnerable to COVID-19.
"It will be great to see them back in the region."