Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council recently invited ROSS Planning to prepare a Sport, Recreation and Cultural Plan. Located about 65 kilometres northwest of Townsville this community of about 4,000 people inhabit a beautiful but isolated island that is very dependent upon air and sea travel to connect them to the mainland.

We have commenced initial consultation but will be back in early June to undertake the majority of the consultation with the community, key organisations, Councillors, school children and others. Posters will be put up around town this week with the key dates. If you have any questions please contact Andrea at the Council on 4770 1177.

On Friday 9 April, the Eastern Suburbs Hockey Club’s new home was officially opened by Phil Reeves the Minister for Child Safety and Sport. The facility is located at the Clem Jones Centre and works have included the development of a fully lit state-of-the-art water based synthetic hockey field with electronic scoreboard, dugouts and scorer’s box; amenities facility with home and away changerooms, official’s room, storage and canteen; large deck extension overlooking the field; additional shaded decks, terracing and landscaping.

ROSS Planning is proud to have worked with the Club in site identification, the preparation of the feasibility study and business plan and the development of a quality funding application that was successful through the State Government’s Sport and Recreation Services Infrastructure Program.

ROSS Planning is pleased to be again working with Southern Downs Regional Council after completing sport and recreation plans for the former shires of Warwick and Stanthorpe as well as a master plan for Australiana Park in recent years.

This time, Council has engaged ROSS Planning to work with the community and sporting clubs to develop a master plan for Condamine River Parks—Queens Park, St Marks Ovals, Federation Park and Rotary Park.

During March and April extensive consultation will be undertaken with the community, sport and recreation groups, councillors and staff so check back here, or on Council’s website, for more details as the time draws closer.

Western Downs Regional Council has launched a project to develop the Western Downs 2050 Community Plan and has invited community input to identify a vision for the region's future. The plan will set out the priorities of the region for the next forty years. It will be developed in consultation with key partners and the wider community to take a long-term view of the services and responsibilities of Council and all key stakeholders.

SGS Economics and Planning are the lead consultants together with ROSS Planning and Laurel Johnson Planning Consultants. ROSS Planning will prepare the sport and recreation component of the study.

The project has several ways for community members to participate. These include a website, a community discussion forum (blog), a written survey, resource kit of fact sheets, and a series of local community workshops in towns throughout the municipality.

Western Downs 2050 will be the first Community Plan for the municipality, which was formed after Queensland's recent council amalgamations. The municipality has a growing population of approximately 30,000 and an expanding economy based on agriculture, manufacturing and resource diversification.

ROSS Planning has been selected to undertake Sport and Recreation Plans for McKinlay Shire Council (Julia Creek) and Carpentaria Shire Council (Normanton and Karumba).

Kate has been to Julia Creek already and managed to be there when the temperature got to 49 degrees (and she is a cold climate sort of girl)! Scott and Dion will be heading to Normanton in February to start on that plan.

We are excited to be developing plans for these two communities and look forward to meeting with the local communities to establish the issues and priorities in sport and recreation.

As part of its role as secretariat for Parks & Leisure Australia (PLA), ROSS Planning coordinates a series of workshops across Queensland each year.

PLA provides a broad range of services to members of the parks and leisure industry. Membership ranges across staff and management of parks, gardens, sport, aquatic, rehabilitation; aged hostels and recreation centres, at local and state government levels, students from tertiary institutions, academics, private consultants, private operators of facilities and many more.

In August, we presented A-Z of Turf workshops in Brisbane and Gladstone. It covered topics from project planning to construction. Other popular PLA workshop topics including parks and community infrastructure funding.

For more information on PLA, go to www.parks-leisure.com.au.

Redland City Council Physical Activity Plan

We’re currently working in western Queensland to deliver sport and recreation plans for:

• Barcaldine Shire Council
• Blackall-Tambo Regional Council
• Maranoa Regional Council
• Richmond Shire Council
• Winton Shire Council

The plans will provide strategic documents to consider sport and recreation in each community’s parks, sporting clubs and sporting facilities.

As part of these exciting projects, we’re undertaking extensive community engagement with local sporting clubs, Councillors and the broader community.

Ultimately, the plans will give each council a plan to address and improve sport and recreation in their respective communities.