Above: Rotary Club of Cranbourne members John Dunscombe, Lance Beckwirth and Ian Symons sizzled at the official opening of Casey Fields last week.By Alison Noonan
IT was a wild and windy evening when Casey Council officially opened its multimillion-dollar sporting facility Casey Fields last week.
More than 1500 locals flocked to Cranbourne East on Friday to catch a first-hand glimpse of the premier sport and recreation complex on Berwick-Cranbourne Road.
Visitors enjoyed a public artwork unveiling, live music, performances, children’s entertainment and a free barbecue.
Casey mayor Kevin Bradford said he was delighted by the huge number of families that joined in the festivities.
“Casey Fields is an impressive asset for the Casey community and ultimately will be the premier sporting and recreation facility of Melbourne’s south east,” he said.
“The official opening of this venue marks an important milestone of this project and the whole community will now be able to spend time at Casey Fields playing games, enjoying a picnic or going for walks around the parklands and lake.”
Holt MP Anthony Byrne said Casey Fields was a much-needed project for the local community.
“This is a huge project that is strongly supported by the community,” he said.
Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan said Casey Fields was the result of a great partnership between the council and the State Government.
“This marvellous facility has come from the great vision of Casey Council,” he said.
Cranbourne resident Paul Kleverlaan said he couldn’t wait to take his young children to play at the new facility.
“We will definitely be using Casey Fields. It is a great community asset,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Bicycle Association South East (BASE) member Frank Barlow, who described the facility’s criterion track as a “godsend”.
“We will be able to race without having to worry about traffic,” he said.
“Our members are very keen to move in. We can’t wait.”
Casey Fields will ultimately be home to Premier League cricket side the Casey-South Melbourne, Victorian Football League team the Casey Scorpions and local clubs, including Cranbourne Cricket Club, Cranbourne football and netball clubs, Devon Meadows Junior Football Club, Cranbourne Tennis Club, BASEast and Berwick HPV and Cycling Club.
