People with disability will be able to participate in aquatic training and sailing activities on the Mid North Coast with the official opening of the North Coast Inclusive Aquatic Facility thanks to NSW Government funding.
Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead was joined by Deputy Premier John Barilaro to officially open Coomba Aquatic Club today.
$124,950 from Round Three of the Stronger Country Communities Fund and $1.2 million from the Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund has enabled construction of the facility.
Mr Bromhead said the facility, which includes an elevator, commercial kitchen, brand new bathrooms and solar power, is the only one of its kind in the region and will lead to more participation in aquatic activities like adaptive sailing and dragon boating.
“I am honoured to have officially opened Coomba Aquatic Club today, which is an essential facility for national, regional, State and club disability sailing regattas on the shores of Wallis Lake.” Mr Bromhead said.
“The new club will enable regional, state and national adaptive sailing regattas to operate under conditions that will ensure safe, dignified and equitable access for all competitors as well as for carers and spectators.
“The NSW Government is proud to be a partner in this project that is providing opportunities for people with disability to enjoy NSW waterways.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the $500 million Stronger Country Communities Fund is delivering once-in-a-generation infrastructure to make regional NSW an even better place to live, work and play.
“The inclusive upgrades to Coomba Aquatic Club is exactly the kind of project the Stronger Country Communities Fund was designed to deliver and I thank Sailability NSW Inc for their commitment to building this fantastic facility,” Mr Barilaro said.
The club has been operating since 1992, and currently has 160 members.
The Coomba Aquatic Club and sailability NSW are delighted the building is now open, President of Coomba Aquatic Club, Peter Felton said.
“It will benefit not only club members but the wider Great Lakes area as we will be able to hold sailing events, community functions and hopefully increase the number of members.”
Applications for Round Four of the $100 million Stronger Country Communities Fund are now open, with up to $50 million available for projects that increase female participation in sport, including changing rooms.
For further information, including program guidelines and eligibility criteria, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/sccf.