The smiles will probably be as bright as the new additions at Terang Recreation Reserve next week when the venue officially switches on new lights around its football ground.
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The $200,000 community project has been three years in the making, with four new light poles now dominating the skyline around the oval.
Funding from the new lights has come from a variety of sources, including a $40,000 contribution from the Terang Mortlake Football Netball Club, as well as funding from Corangamite Shire ($25,000) and the state government’s Sport and Recreation Department ($75,000).
Raffertys Tavern has also contributed $45,000, part of a 10-year sponsorship deal, which has almost got the project over the line.
Terang Mortlake Football Netball Club president Jack Kenna said the new lighting would not only make life easier at training, but also open the club and ground up to more opportunities in the future.
“Night will become day as far as training would go,” he said.
“The lights we had were all right for their time but this is going to make a big difference.
“We’ll be able to train better and you’ve also got the potential to have a night game, or just use the facility at other times if we need to,” he said.
The lights might just give Terang Mortlake, a Hampden league team that was tipped for great things in the 2018 season, the winning edge it needs.
“There was a lot of dark,” Mr Kenna said of the previous set-up.
“That’s the way it was and you get used to it .
“Your skills should be a lot better under better lights.”
Mr Kenna said the project had come to fruition thanks to help from a variety of sources.
“We’re just really pleased with the support we’ve got from the shire and Raffertys,” he said.
“We’re working closely with the trustees and without that support we wouldn’t be talking about these things,” Mr Kenna said.