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After years of fundraising and planning, Kaipara Flats Sports Club is getting tantalisingly close to seeing its dream of extending the clubhouse become a reality.
The club wants to double the size of its upstairs floor area, put in a new commercial kitchen, improve the bar area and increase seating. President Sam Ryburn says this will make it more user-friendly for hosting weddings and events, as well as making it a better space for members and visitors.
“We’re just waiting to get some more detailed plans done in the next few weeks,” he says. “Once we get them back and get them out to a quantity surveyor, we’ll know what we’re looking at and can start to make grant applications. We’re hoping to start building in 2025.”
Ryburn says the project will come in at $1 million at least, meaning fundraising, sponsorship and grants will continue to be vital to get it over the line. He’s hoping for a big attendance at the club’s biggest annual fundraiser, its Christmas Night Market, which will be held this year on Thursday, November 30, from 4pm to 8pm.
There are also all sorts of improvements slated for outside the clubhouse, with both Rodney Local Board and the sports club planning new activities, equipment and facilities around the grounds.
The sports club is on the verge of setting up a nine-hole disc golf course around the edge of the sportsfield – indeed, the first ‘hole’ is almost ready to play – which Ryburn says will be a great sporting and social asset for Kaipara Flats. Disc golf involves players throwing a frisbee into a metal basket on a pole, which has loose hanging chains to help catch the disc. As in real golf, players throw from a designated tee and try to get the disc in the basket in as few throws as possible.
There have been moves to set up similar courses in Warkworth’s Lucy Moore Park and Goodall Reserve at Snells Beach in the past few years, but none have eventuated as yet.
Ryburn says things have moved more quickly at Kaipara Flats, to the point where they are ready to go as soon as formal council approval is obtained.
“One of our members was quite keen to put this in and he found sponsors, so it’s going to be self-supporting. It’s all happened quite quickly, so we’ll be hitting the ground running,” he says. “The idea is on Sunday afternoons you can come down for a round and have a barbecue going, that kind of thing.”
The club was also pleased to hear that Rodney Local Board has budgeted more than $900,000 over the next three years to put in a new playground and a perimeter pathway around the sportsfield, as well as upgrading facilities generally, including the carpark and petanque court. Council will also investigate options for bikes, scooters and skateboards, fitness stations and providing access from outside to the toilets in Ranfurly Hall, next to the sports club.
“We had no idea about that until we read about it, but we’ve since got together with council and 100 per cent we can benefit from this,” Ryburn says.
Christmas Night Market stall enquiries: Contact Odette on 027 676 8522
