The Collie Eagles Football Club has been given a $30,000 boost from Member for Collie-Preston Mick Murray and the WA Government as part of the Local Projects, Local Jobs initiative.
Mr Murray delivered a cheque for $30,000 to the Collie Eagles Football Club on Sunday, August 13.
The club has planned for the funds to go towards its solar panel project.
The grant will power facilities such as the club’s kitchen, bar and lighting.
The Local Projects, Local Jobs initiative was pledged by Labor during the 2017 state election campaign and designed to assist programs undertaken by community organisations.
Mr Murray stated the program was part of the WA Government’s campaign to make sure government projects buy and employ local before looking elsewhere.
“To me, it just seems that the club here is trying to go forward and it plays a very big part in our social life and it keeps kids off the street,” he said.
“If we are able to have a good football club, people come down and relocate into the town, they join the football club and stay – one of the good things about sport is that people make friends, start to like the area, stay and then contribute to our economy.”
According to Mr Murray, the Local Projects, Local Jobs program was developed to help Collie-Preston-based projects “stimulate the local economy, drive job creation and support our community organisations.”
“As you can see, for the amount of fridges and electrical goods, cooking chips, cooking hamburgers etc., there are a lot of things that go into reducing power costs,” he said.
“The football club deserves their share for the amount of work they do.
I am hoping that even when they source their electrical supplies that they are going through a local supplier, so that means that the money goes back into the community.
“If it is not available in Collie, it then gets sourced in the South West so that, somewhere else in the electorate, it then creates a job or part of a job.”
The Collie-Preston MLA said multiple community organisations were going to receive Local Projects, Local Jobs funding before the end of the year.
Collie Eagles Football Club president Ash Stewart noted Mr Murray’s involvement in and support for the organisation.
“Mick has been a strong supporter of his local footy club here in Collie for a long time,” he said. “This grant is going to really underpin the long-term future of the club.”
Mr Stewart acknowledged CEFC committee member Michael Roney for conducting research and pushing for the solar panel project.
