Grants Received

The Cairns City Council has provided us a grant of $3,391.20 to purchase a mower and Edge Trimmer for our Fuller Park grounds and to purchase shelving and lockers for storage. This grant will greatly assist us to keep the training area around the nets in good order. The Council has been a great supporter of our club and we thank them for their assistance.

The Department of Local Government, Planning Sport & Recreation has provided us with a grant of $4,000 to complete a strategic plan. While our membership has increased substantially over the last few years we have been concerned at the large number we have traditionally lost to the sport as they get older. The high number of junior players compared to seniors’ supports this. From discussions within the club and past players we have identified a number of shortfalls in our organisation that be addressed by better planning.

We have experienced strong growth over the last couple of years due to population growth in the area and the popularity of the sport. We have identified a need to improve our organisational skill so we can cater for

·         increased growth,

·         retain players and

·         have a plan so we can lobby Cairns City Council and the State Government to get the improved facilities we will need to cater for this growth

John Hartigan who operates Human Resources consulting service will coordinate this process over the next 3 months. John is a past cricket player himself and his son played with our club for several years. His business experience, knowledge of the game and our club as a parent will greatly assist us with this process.

The Queensland Government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund provided us with a $10,000 grant to purchase Folding Marquee, Heavy Duty Spring Back Stumps, Fielding Nets, Bowling Machine and Balls. The purchase of this equipment will provide a number of benefits as outlined below

·         Second bowling machine will enable us to give more players quality batting practice.

·         The Fielding Nets, Practice Balls and stumps will assist us provide a varied and enjoyable training for all our players.

·         The Folding Marquees will provide essential shade for players, officials and supporters as some of the grounds we play at do not have adequate shade.

Thanks to this grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund players will be able to enjoy these benefits.