By Brendan Rees
A future sporting hub in Clyde North is set to honour late Casey mayor Mick Morland OAM.
City of Casey will pay tribute to the former popular mayor by naming an undeveloped reserve at 336i Grices Road, Clyde North the Mick Morland Reserve.
The site, which is located at a new estate and adjacent to the Cardinia Creek corridor, will be developed into a district level AFL/cricket and netball facility.
The hub will include one oval, two netball courts, a multi-purpose community pavilion, cricket nets, car park, playground, shared path, landscape and public art.
Councillor Susan Serey, who fought back tears at a 1 October council meeting, said it was only fitting to honour Mick at the reserve “to celebrate his support of sporting clubs, promotion of participation, and his love of nature advocacy for the conservation located within his believed Edrington Ward.”
The naming of the reserve has the support of Mr Morland’s family, and council looked forward “to standing together with them” at the opening, Cr Serey said.
During the meeting, mayor Amanda Stapledon paid tribute: “It is a very emotion thing but if you look on the bright side there is just a positive outcome and a legacy that will remind us of Mick in years to come.”
Mr Morland’s widow, Kay Morland, said the family was thrilled his legacy would be honoured at the new reserve.
“A couple of weeks ago we sat down together and all voiced our thoughts, and everyone loves it; everyone thinks it’s a really good idea,” she said.
“It’s a sporting facility which was also important for the family because that was one of Mick’s passions.”
“And it’s something new, it’s not renaming anything,” she added.
It comes after Casey Council decided not to proceed with a proposal to rename Pioneers Park in Berwick as Mick Morland Reserve following a consultation period with the community who strongly supported retaining the current name.
About a 1000 people gathered to farewell the popular mayor, aged 67, who died when struck by a car on 24 June 2017 while on his regular evening walk.
Community members described Mr Morland as a dedicated mayor, and a “statesman” with a “heart of gold” and a family man who would be “sorely missed.”
Mr Morland served six terms as councillor since first elected in 1992, including one stint in the top job with both Casey and the former City of Berwick. He also received an Order of Australia Medal in January 2016.
Council has spoken to Geographic Names Victoria to consider the support of the proposed name Mick Morland Reserve.
Council will also invite submissions from the community when it gives public notice of its intention to name the site.
Plans are underway for the future reserve and funding will be considered in council’s 2019-20 capital works program.
