SOMERVILLE Recreation Reserve would be upgraded under a $5m plan if Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie is re-elected and the Liberal Party takes office at the federal election. The proposed revamp would benefit the football, netball and cricket clubs, as well as the Somerville Scout Group, whose hall is in desperate need of repair.
Currently, 49 sporting teams call the reserve home, which has cricket nets, six tennis courts, two netball courts, three pavilions, two playgrounds, an oval, a scout hall, public toilets and a bowls club.
But McKenzie said many of these clubs were relying on facilities “that belong in the last century”.
“Somerville deserves world-class sporting facilities,” she said after announcing the $5m pledge last week.
“This commitment by the Coalition will enable that to happen in this fast-growing part of the Mornington Peninsula.” McKenzie added with a growing population and increased demand for sporting and recreational spaces, “we can only expect the number of local residents utilising the reserve to rise”. “With upgraded facilities, we can give our aspiring athletes the best possible chance to become the next generation of sporting superstars.”
Mornington Peninsula Scouts’ district commissioner Paul van Bergen said Somerville Scouts had welcomed the news as scouting numbers were growing on the peninsula. “Families today expect modern facilities,” he said. “We welcome support from Ms McKenzie and all politicians so that more young people can get the life-changing benefits of the Scout program.”
First published in the Mornington News – 18 February 2025
