Volunteers Key To Lake Success

Newcastle Herald

Thursday September 6, 2007

GR

LAKE Macquarie City Council boasts more than 100 recreation facilities. They include sporting grounds, netball courts, tennis courts, equestrian facilities and petanque (French bowls) and they are spread across the city.

Most of the facilities are managed by community committees who volunteer their time to assist the council in providing quality facilities to the community.

Most sports ground facilities are freely available for community use, however, tennis courts, netball courts, equestrian centres and petanque generally require bookings. Formal groups, schools and businesses are required to make bookings for all recreation facilities.

This year marks the 26th year of the Lake Macquarie Games. The games began with six sports participating and today there are more than 40 sports.

In many cases, the games include events for people with a disability and also provide an opportunity for aged participation. The games run from July to late November allowing for multi-sport participation.

Volunteer sporting organisations are essential to the success of the games and without their support the games would have folded years ago.

The games are one of the many activities offered by Lake Macquarie Sports Council.

One of the major events of the games is the Lake Macquarie Half Marathon, which has been held for the past 22 years.

Simon Hurt may have been a late entry for the Lake Macquarie Half Marathon run on August 27 but he was the first to cross the finish line. The Hunter Track Club athlete won the 21.1-kilometre race along the Lake Macquarie foreshore in one hour, 10 minutes and five seconds.

He crossed well clear of men's runner-up Matthew Robbie (Central Coast), who completed the course in 1hr 13min 24sec.

Morisset's Angie Sharp won the open women's division in 1h24:28 and Mayfield's Kirsten Molloy was second in 1h26:28.

Other sports-related activities offered in the Lake Macquarie area include the monthly sports achievers, annual sports awards, annual sports dinner, sports development courses, sports honour roll and key issues and projects.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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