A NEW community activity hub may be established in Willaston, if a proposal for a workshop for the Gawler Veteran, Vintage and Classic Vehicles Club (GVVCVC) is approved.
The club has planned to build a community workshop for its more than 700 members in the town for several years, but were yet to find a suitable public or private land parcel to establish it.
At a Gawler Council Corporate and Community Services Committee (CCS) meeting earlier this month, elected members discussed a proposed “community activity hub” at Willaston.
The proposal would see a car workshop built in the vicinity of the Willo’s Men’s Shed on Little Paxton Street.
Elected members voted to support the idea “in principle” and to continue discussions with the car club to progress the project.
Club secretary Gavin Launer was excited to see council endorse the club’s vision after many attempts to find a home had failed.
“We want a place we can call home,” he said.
“We were very much encouraged by the CCS meeting. I hope it gets rubber stamped and then we can really get down to the nitty-gritty.
The car club first approached council to use the land – which was formerly part of the Willaston rubbish dump – four years ago, but were told it would not be suitable to build on.
New testing though has found much of the land parcel may be safe for development, opening the door for a workshop and clubrooms to be built.
Council already utilises part of the land for storage, with the car club’s proposal not expected to encroach on this use.
Mr Launer said other community groups around the town had already expressed interest in using the proposed development for meetings and events.
“In time, we’ll use it for a committee meeting once a month and a general meeting once a month,” he said.
“We’ll probably hold more functions then we currently have now, but it gives it the option to be open for other community groups.
“It seems silly to have all these organisations having their own little rooms in meeting halls. It can become one hub in that area.”
The car club organises the annual Gawler Swap Meet and runs car cruises regularly throughout South Australia.
Of its more than 700 members, around 250 are local residents living in the Gawler region.
Mr Launer said permanent clubrooms would provide an incentive for other car clubs from around Australia to travel to Gawler.
“Our swap meet brings in around 4000 people a year and they go buy drinks, stay at hotels and eat at the pubs,” he said.
“We’re bringing tourism into the town. Over the years we’ve gone to Broken Hill, Jamestown, Mount Gambier and Whyalla.
“Those clubs would like to reciprocate and come over here, but we don’t have any clubrooms and can’t facilitate them.
“If we had a nice big clubrooms area where we could say ‘come over and join in’, it would bring money into the town.”