For St Mary’s Primary School, Crookwell, the opening of a brand new sporting facility was a cause for celebration.

Parishioners, staff and councillors from the Upper Lachlan Shire Council, and members of Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn joined students and staff to celebrate the opening of the new facility.

“Our multipurpose sports court provides competition sized basketball, netball and tennis courts, along with a practice wall and handball courts,” said St Mary’s Principal, Sarah Lowe.

“The facility will be utilised every day by St Mary’s Primary School and will be also offered as a venue for local basketball and netball competitions, something that is not currently offered in our district.”

The new facility stands on the grounds of the old St Mary’s Parish tennis courts that were no longer in use due to their state of disrepair. The opening of the court on Friday marked phase one of the development of the site, with a toilet block and roof to be added in the future.

The project would not have been possible without the support of Fr Dermid McDermott, Administrator of the St Mary’s Parish, Crookwell, the Parish Pastoral Council and State Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman MP who was instrumental in securing a generous NSW Government grant.

Director of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Ross Fox, passed on his thanks and appreciation to the many individuals who had worked towards the realisation of the project.

At the opening, Ms Tuckerman endorsed the efforts of the local community and noted that she was pleased that the government grant had contributed to a wonderful community resource that would benefit many for years to come.

The facility was officially opened and blessed by Fr Dermid McDermott.

After the ceremony, Mr Fox took the initiative to test the facilities, joining with students for a quick game of basketball.