JULY 4, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Health club under threat By Esther Lauaki
Standing tall for all girls
(Marco De Luca)
Dozens of gym-goers could be left in the lurch with the future of the Bacchus Marsh health club uncertain. Moorabool council took over control of the Bacchus Marsh Leisure Centre, including the gym, last Friday, ending a decade of management by Belgravia Leisure. Councillors agreed earlier this year to operate the facilities in-house, with the hope of saving council about $200,000 a year. However, councillors were told last week that gym equipment and instructors had not been secured and the gym would be closed until August. There are fears the two month closure will be the death knell for the gym, with members going elsewhere. East ward councillor Jarrod Bingham led the bid to save the gym earlier this year, saying the it was vital to some members of the community. “This health club is servicing the elderly and those with disabilities,” Cr Bingham said at the time. “If this health club were to close then these people would not be able to go anywhere within our shire.” In a split decision, councillors resolved at last month’s meeting to keep the gym open and lease the existing equipment at a cost of about $11,000 for the next year, and to run a limited group-fitness timetable. However, Cr Bingham told Star Weekly last week he fears “this gym is now dead”. “In four weeks the equipment has not been secured, instructors have not been sourced nor have the direct-debit and computer systems been organised,” he said. “We have been notified that these won’t be completed until August at the very least. “This is a poor business plan and will not succeed; if we don’t open for a couple of months everybody would have left – this gym is now dead.” In March, the council put operation of the gym out for tender and received no interest. “The suitability or fit-for-purpose of the current facility has been questioned,” a council report tabled at the council’s last meeting stated. “Ageing and run-down facilities do not attract and encourage participation. This has led to the program being financially unsustainable as council is unable to continue subsidising the cost for such few participants. “It is clear … that there is no interest from the commercial sector in operating the health and fitness facilities at the centre.” Basketball competitions at the leisure centre will not be affected.
Sunshine North beauty Adeng Muor is tall and lean and cuts a fine figure in her evening gown. The 19-year-old law and human rights student will be donning a similar outfit when she takes to the stage on Friday night at the 10th annual Miss South Sudan beauty pageant. The former Kurunjang Secondary College student will also be required to perform a traditional dance and answer questions from the judging panel in her quest to be crowned Miss South Sudan Australia 2017. The aspiring model hopes her entry will inspire other young woman to “step outside their comfort zone”. “I thought it would be an amazing experience, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show young girls to aim high and not to let anyone put you down,” she said. Alexandra Laskie