DURING the summer of 1981-82 Bendigo’s sports bodies made it clear they intended to call in the Victorian ombudsman if approaches to the City Council to reduce ground rentals fell on deaf ears.Local district councillor for the Victorian Country Football League, Peter Mulqueen, told a public meeting of the sports committees’ resolve.
Mr Mulqueen chaired the meeting from which a deputation was formed to meet Bendigo City Council. The deputation was to contain two prominent Bendigo Golden City Football league officials: president Harold Hall and secretary Jack Smith.
Others on the panel were former long-serving BFL official Ivan O’Donnell along with representatives from the Bendigo Basketball Association, Golden City Netball Association and the Married Ladies Netball Association.
Members from the deputation had to live within the boundaries of the City of Bendigo and be confirmed ratepayers.
Eliminated from the upcoming discussions were senior BGCFL officials: vice-presidents Jack Jefferies, a Castlemaine resident, and Gerry Keating who lived in Strathfieldsaye.
Division 2 secretary Jim Miller lived in Eaglehawk while South Bendigo director George Kupke was another Strathfieldsaye Shire resident.
White Hills director Martin Sheean was a council employee so could not represent the BGCFL at the talks --- and he was away on leave, anyway.
AND WHEN the meeting went ahead league president Harold Hall wasn’t present. Cr Peter Mansell had successfully moved at a City Council meeting that Mr Hall be excluded because he “felt for the sports fraternity.”
Cr Mansell’s position was slammed by North Bendigo club president John Pysing who said the Atkins Street Dogs’ committee “totally condemned the action of the city council in not allowing the elected BGCFL secretary to meet with them.”
Mr Pysing said it was general knowledge that the majority of the councillors were unapproachable on sports matters.
“Their main area of concern is the support of the retail sector, not the ordinary ratepayer.”
Mr Pysing said his committee and the football public would dearly love to know how the City Council had arrived at the figure of $80,000 the council claimed to spend annually on the upkeep of the seven football grounds within its boundaries.
“In particular, North Bendigo wants to see where council money was spent on its ground.
“The NBFC committee built the rooms at the Atkins Street ground through voluntary labour. The money for the project was provided through government grants,” said Mr Pysing.
“Then the kiosk was built through funds provided by North’s womens’ committee,” he added.
“All the council seems to do at our North Bendigo ground is mow the grass.”
THE general meeting chaired by Mulqueen had been held at the Golden Square football clubrooms with 40 people, representing a range of sports, present.
What had raised the ire of administrators was the 1981-82 rise of 14.9 per cent in rentals on Bendigo City Council-owned sports grounds.
Under the new rents, it meant BGCFL Division 1 clubs were up for $1967 a year, while the rents for Division Two teams had rocketed to $1278.
The league would also have to foot a bill for $852 for all eight finals played at the QEO. Charges for Winfield inter-league games at the QEO were set at $402.
BGCFL secretary Jack Smith told the meeting football cubs using Bendigo City Council grounds (remember, this was some years before council amalgamations) paid far more than clubs in neighbouring municipalities.
Mr Smith said the Eaglehawk Borough Council charged $500 and for that fee marked and cleaned the Canterbury Park ground.
The charge for finals at Eaglehawk was $200.
Castlemaine City Council charged a yearly rental of $500 and $300 for finals games.
IT WAS at this point city councillor, broadcaster and lifetime Golden Square fan Dick Turner stepped into the fray.
He said he completely opposed any move by the BGCFL to play finals at Eaglehawk’s Canterbury Park.
“The Eaglehawk ground is just not good enough for a full finals series and we must remember that the QEO is the finest ground anywhere in country Victoria,” he told the Advertiser.
Cr Turner added he intended to convene a meeting between Mr Mulqueen (VCFL), Mr Hall (BGCFL) and himself to try and sort out the ground rentals dispute.
“I hope the three of us will come up with a proposition which will help resolve the dispute.”
Cr Turner said if the council would be prepared to listen to a firm proposal from the committee of three he was hopeful some solution could be reached.
“I don’t believe the city council is doing the right thing by holding a gun at the league’s head, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to approach the council when you take a deputation along to it.”
Cr Turner said there was no question that the Winfield country championships would be played at the QEO during the 1982 season.
“And Mr Hall agrees with me that the 1982 finals series must also be played at the QEO,” Cr Turner said.
Richard’s selections for round 9: South Bendigo, Strathfieldsaye, Golden Square, Eaglehawk and Gisborne. Progress tally: 36.
By Richard Jones
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