It's been close to four years since flood waters swept through Stroud, devastating the community and destroying homes and infrastructure along the way.
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One of the hardest hit areas during the April 2015 floods was the Stroud Showgrounds, which encompasses sporting grounds, a swimming pool, camping facilities and agricultural pavilions.
Due to the extent of the damage, MidCoast Council needed to secure both Federal and State natural disaster funding to help rebuild one of the community's most prized possessions.
"It's the hub of the community," Stroud Showground management committee chairperson, Karen Hutchinson said.
Despite the damage, Stroud has soldiered on continuing to hold its annual Stroud Show, as well as the ever-popular Stroud Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Competition, using other locations for functions when necessary, but there is hope the repairs will be completed soon.
"I'm being optimistic, that the showgrounds will be returned to its former glory by the end of the year," Karen said.
It's the hub of the community.
- Karen Hutchinson
And her desire may even see fruition, with a new public amenities block and a tennis clubhouse currently under construction. The Holstein Poultry Pavilion, the grandstand, and the cricket practice nets have already been repaired and tenders are underway for two new tennis courts and a multi-purpose court.
Karen, who is also a MidCoast councillor, she said council made a resolution before the Christmas break that listed Stroud Showground as number one on the project priority list.
"I’m very hopeful things will move on very soon," she said.
All that's left is new multi-purpose building, which has been designed incorporate several former facilities, and will include commercial kitchens and a bar.
According to Karen, all the designs have been the result of consultation with the users of the venue, including a call out for public feedback in October last year, after the draft designs were completed.
"The management committee consisted of two representatives from each of Stroud sporting clubs," Karen said.
It was a way of making sure that the new facilities would best suit those who use them. The tennis clubhouse, for example, is larger than the old one and includes storage space and extra public toilets that can be used during big events. When it came to the new multi-purpose building, it was suggested that building a space that could house a large number of people, in the case of bad weather, would be the most useful.
"It will be big enough so the footy club could use it for indoor practice if needed," Karen said.
Despite the construction planned on the site, the Stroud Show is booked in and ready to proceed at the grounds on April 26 and 27.
