How Fish Creek will rise from the ashes

IT’S GONE! The much-loved Fish Creek Football Netball Club’s first-floor social rooms, and the old changerooms are gone.

But so far, police have not been able to charge anyone with an act of arson that hasn’t only outraged the Fish Creek community but also football-netball clubs across the Gippsland region.

Wasting no time after the fire on Saturday morning, November 4, the club formed a new building subcommittee that afternoon, and by Tuesday last week they’d struck their first blow, demolishing the old building, which had been completely destroyed by fire.

The 37 premiership cups, the honour boards, the premiership team photos, some of them going back more than 100 years, and many of the premiership flags; they’ve all been lost.

As too has the sense of place for the Fish Creek community, not just a venue to gather after football and netball but also to hold meetings, wedding receptions, special birthdays, family gatherings and even funerals.

But heartened by a GoFundMe page that has already reached nearly $125,000, on its way (hopefully) to $250,000, and buoyed by overwhelming community support, and offers of help from outside the South Gippsland area as well, they’ve dusted themselves off and are taking the first tentative steps back.

“Yeah, it’s been a big few days to say the least,” said Fish Creek FNC Co-President Nick Shaw on Gippsland ABC Radio last week.

“Lots of mixed emotions, pretty overwhelming, but the support that’s come through from everyone far and wide, players, past players, committee people, neighbouring leagues, football clubs; it’s been amazing the support, it really has.
“So basically, we can start again pretty much as soon as we can, and put one foot in front of the other, for a start, and get through all the red tape that we’re going to have to for a new building.”

It’s first things first and the club will be doing everything humanly possible to get some temporary buildings and facilities in place so they can train and host home games next year.

“There’s a number of clubs that have reached out to us and said there’s facilities there for us and we do have a good relationship with the Tarwin Football Club. Tom Williamson was over a few days ago and said ‘our facilities are there for you’, as have a lot of other clubs.”

So, the spirit is willing, but the job ahead is daunting. You can help by supporting the club through its GoFundMe crowd-funding site at: gofundme.com/f/our-wonderful-club-start-to-rebuild