Rectification Work Delays Season Opener
Sept 12, 2009 - Despite Council’s efforts to bring Plateau Park (Vic Huxley Oval) up to a satisfactory condition, junior and senior home games were cancelled for round one. The decision was made jointly between the Club and Council ground staff in order to give the repair work the best chance of taking hold. There are still issues with the ground following PIPE’s year long occupation for drilling with a large depression in the playing surface where PIPE’s compound was situated. There is also cleaning work to be done on the artificial grass pitch as dirt has been worn into the surface when the plastic protective sheeting was exposed and torn during the hiatus. CPCC are still working with Council on getting the ground right. We understand that Council are still in negotiation with PIPE over further work to be done on the oval and we anxiously await developments.
PIPE Board to Consider Re-turfing Request For Plateau Park - June 2009
PIPE International Turn Their Backs On Plateau Community
Despite the successful completion of their PPC-1 project, PIPE International have denied the request by CPCC, Strikers and Warringah Council to re-turf Plateau Park. It now appears unlikely there will be satisfactory compensation for our Community’s accommodation and support of PIPE’s work, and to make up for the 12+ months of disruption to local sport.
We are understandably disappointed with PIPE’s response as we believed this to have been a more than reasonable request after all the Collaroy Plateau Community have put up with. We remain hopeful that PIPE will re-assess their decision and contribute. In the meantime, Council have stepped in to bring forward works scheduled for Plateau Park. We are optimistic the ground will be fit for play on September 12th and thank Council officers for their attention on rectifying some of the issues at our oval.
After a year without our oval, CPCC expects to find out soon whether PIPE International will reward the Collaroy Plateau Community for its patience, support and cooperation during the successful project to land a telecommunications cable known as PPC1.
Last December, CPCC requested a meeting of stakeholders including Warringah Council, Strikers Football Club and PIPE to discuss what we believe is a fantastic opportunity for PIPE to leave a lasting legacy of their project for Collaroy Plateau by re-turfing our barren oval. CPCC are confident that the PIPE International board will see the value in helping CPCC and Strikers build a strong community, by contributing to the development of Plateau Park as a quality sporting and leisure oval. With a proper playing surface, we will be able to attract more participation, improve skills, and increase the quality of our players experience under safer conditions.
CPCC have been driving these negotiations with PIPE as we have a deep connection with the Park. Back in 1955, club members such as Vic & Frank Huxley, Barry Harland, ‘Chippy’ Browne, Milton Lidgard, Ken Hunt and others, made a clearing of sorts in the scrub within which was a ‘half wicket’. CPCC’s hardworking committee lobbied Warringah Shire Council and with the assistance of Gavin Gracie, Des Sainsbury, Col Huntington and Beverley Job, Plateau Park was cleared and ready for play for the 1963 cricket season. In acknowledgment of his work at this time and over many years with the Club and the wider Plateau community, the Club was privileged to have the cricket field named after one of our own – Vic Huxley. Cricketers are also the ones that are left with a barren ground and our season interrupted by goal mouth re-turfing to prepare the field again for soccer. For whatever reasons, the playing surface of Plateau Park has always been very poor.
The ground has never been fully returfed with the only work done repairing soccer goal mouths after winter. This has created an uneven patchwork of kikuyu grass and weeds which only ever approaches a 'satisfactory' standard at the end of the cricket season – just in time again for the rain and soccer. By establishing a solid base of couch grass, we believe Plateau Park will be able to better cope with winter soccer enabling cricketers to finally have a decent playing surface after more than 50 years. It will then be up to both clubs to take care and protect it.
The ‘New’ economy emerging out of the current global financial crisis will require successful organisations to focus on sustainability and building strong communities within which they work. We sincerely hope the board of PIPE International will share their PPC1 project’s success not only with shareholders and investors, but with the Collaroy Plateau Community who have accommodated and supported them over this past year.