Bullengarook Pony Club is on the way being able to resurface its sand riding areas, thanks to a grant from Macedon Ranges council.
The club scored a $12,000 Community Funding Scheme grant to go towards the second phase of a range of upgrades to the equestrian facilities they would like to see at the Bullengarook Recreation Reserve.
Club secretary Lisa Commadeur said the boost would be helpful as they continued fundraising for the works, which were “very expensive and labour intensive”.
“Being a very small club, we have found it difficult to attract the required funding but luckily our current committee of five is dedicated to the task,” Ms Commadeur said.
“We’ve been vigilant in applying for any grants that become available and we’ve also run a very successful show jumping day as a fundraiser this year.”
The club has raised $20,000 so far, including the grant, and have completed the first phase of upgrades which included fencing the stand areas, to improve safety for the young pony club members.
“We’re a tiny club but we’ve got a dedicated group who both fundraise and put in a lot of manual labour,” Ms Commadeur said.
“We have grandparents who come and bring lawnmowers and chainsaws. We’ve got some really amazing people who contribute.”
She said as far as she knew, the surfaces at the recreation reserve had not been upgraded since they were installed about two decades ago.
“We will stand back and look at these arenas once they’re done with a smile on our faces – we won’t be able to believe that such a small club were able to achieve what we’ll achieve,” she said.
Elsie Lange
