What a difference a couple of days can make.
Earlier this week the state government announced regional Victoria would host the 2026 Commonwealth Games with hubs set up in Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong to house athletes and stage events.
Warrnambool and the south-west were seemingly rendered spectators after we revealed the city council had failed to lobby directly with Sports Minister Martin Pakula and the department responsible for the games. Organisers within several sports have told us of their frustration with the council's lack of urgency.
As one person told us this week, the council's approach was akin to expecting to win lotto without buying a ticket. Ballarat's bid, in comparison, was headed by a man involved with Gold Coast's 2018 successful bid.
When the possibility of regional Victoria hosting the games became real in January, our proud sporting region saw opportunities and feedback was overwhelmingly positive about being involved. That's why we took the unusual step of publishing an editorial on Thursday's front page criticising the city's lack of advocacy and vision and called for action.
Warrnambool City Council's chief executive officer Peter Schneider attended a meeting with department representatives on Thursday afternoon.
With the support of Dan Tehan, the federal tourism minister until a week ago when the election was called, and state MP Roma Britnell, all three tiers of government in the region united vowing to fight for any events or sports left unallocated.
Our leaders have set their sights on shooting events and the marathon which is yet to be allocated to a region. If they're unsuccessful in pursuit of those, they will chase lead-up events and training in hockey, lawn bowls and athletics.
Thank you.
This is a significant and welcome step forward.
Work needs to be done, quickly, on our bid. What route could the marathon take? Could it start in picturesque Port Fairy, wind its way around Tower Hill and culminate in Warrnambool after passing scenic landmarks like Thunder Point, the foreshore, Cannon Hill? What about the Great Ocean Road, could the course include Childers Cove or be contained further east to feature the Bay of Martyrs and 12 Apostles?
The Lake Gillear shooting precinct is yet another picturesque location.
Aerial footage of either shooting or marathons along our spectacular coastline would be beamed across the Commonwealth. That's publicity the region could never afford to buy.
Our leaders, despite the false start, have a golden opportunity to grab a slice of the games' expected $3 billion economic boost.
But they need to take sporting groups and the community on the journey to the start line. They need to consult with those at the grassroots who know their sports well. People power could be pivotal in deciding what, if any, events come to the region.
Our leaders need to chase these events with passion and determination associated with elite sport. The clock is ticking, no stone can be left unturned in the race to the June deadline. C'mon, we can do this.
