By Tania Phillips
After months of entries and interest the Local Government Focus, Greenkeepers International competition has been drawn, according to LG Advertising Manager Phill Le Pettit.
“A huge thank you goes out to all the participants in our $10,000 cricket pitch roller competition but there can only be one winner,” Phill said.
“Congratulations go to Matt Lee of Goulburn Mulwaree Council who has won the roller by subscribing to receive a digital copy of the Local Government Focus monthly publication.
“We were extremely pleased with the just under a hundred entries all vying to win the roller.
“Keep an eye out both in the paper and online as we are looking to run more competitions.”
Local Government Focus joined with International Greenkeeper, Strathfield, Sports Club, Sydney Sports and Fitness to find a new home for the refurbished cricket roller – launching the competition at the ALGA National Convention in Canberra earlier in the year.
The roller came courtesy of International Greenkeepers’ Darryl Davidson.
“The roller was donated to International Greenkeepers by Strathfield Sports Club – they didn’t need it anymore and we thought, let’s clean it up and give it to someone that needs it,” Darryl explained when the competition was launched.
“So, I approached my work, Sydney Sport and Fitness and they helped out in getting it mechanically up to standard, giving it a service and all of those kinds of things. We took all the old paint off and gave it a fresh paint job. Then speaking to Phill from LG Focus, he said we should give it away to someone.”
Darryl was not involved in drawing the winner and admitted he had a few sleepless nights thinking of ways to deliver it to Western Australia or Tasmania if council’s from more distant states from his Sydney base had won. Instead his trip is a short one and he said he will deliver the roller to Goulburn Mulwaree Council in the next few weeks.
“It’s great to see it going to a new home,“ he said.
Darryl said he believed the winner was from the Marulan cricket club.
“They didn’t even exist a few years ago and we actually helped them out,” he said.
“They found a cricket wicket in the middle of their field that had been neglected for six years, they hadn’t had a club playing there for years.“
He said Greenkeepers and other groups had come together to work on restoring the ground.
“It will hopefully be used for many years and help them grow,” Darryl said.
He said this wouldn’t be the last collaboration between International Greenkeepers and LG Focus.
“Phill has already asked if we can find something else to give away,” he laughed.
“He said, how about something anyone can use, what about a mower?
“I will deliver this one first!” he added chuckling.
