It’s the $300,000 investment in croquet facilities that’s frustrated various sporting codes when there’s not so much as a club to use it.
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Members of the West Ward Sports Council passed a resolution in October that asked Port Stephens Council how it could build the facility without its input.
Adding insult to injury, four months on, were comments that the clubhouse was “too small”.
"To see [Cr Ken] Jordan and [former mayor Bruce] MacKenzie complaining, I thought: 'You would be better off complaining about the fact that no one is using it, rather than the size of the clubhouse'," Cr Giacomo Arnott said.
Elected to council in September Cr Arnott has attended both quarterly meetings of the sports council since the court was built.
He said the member-codes were fuming.
"I wouldn't say it's sour grapes. It can't be sour grapes if there wasn't discussion prior to it being set up," he said.
"It's a frustration that it was set up without consultation with the body that oversees sport in the west ward."
Port Stephens Council has defended its proactive course of action under the previous mayor.
“The elected body at the time determined croquet courts were an appropriate facility at Boomerang Park and there has been quite of lot interest ever since,” a council spokesman said.
The council hosted a come and try event at the inaugural cultural festival Illuminate Boomerang Park in November.
Members from Nelson Bay Croquet Club showed people how the game was played while council the names of 27 people who were interested in the club, among them neighbours of the park (pictured).
While they are eager to play the council has said it’s a waiting game.
“[The] opening will then be determined by the members,” the council spokesman said.
“Until the croquet club[house] is officially finalised, council has been facilitating members.”
Cr Arnott said the situation was bizzare.
"I don't think I've ever heard of something like this being built without there even being a club," he said.
"If a club is formed and [facilities] are used then I will be the first to say 'great'.
"Obviously the court and clubhouse are there now and won't be removed.”
Among those eager for a game is Jean-Paul Boudan, who eagerly awaits the council’s next stage of plans for the park, which include a bocce rink, or pétanque as its known in France.
“We’re told that the council will call an AGM in the next two weeks to form a committee for a pétanque and croquet club,” he said.
“Cr [Paul] Le Mottee and Cr [Ryan] Palmer are very keen to get it up and running. The more people that put their hands up to play, the better.”
Mr Boudan has past experience in the formation of pétanque clubs from when he lived in Sydney. Under its previously leadership Port Stephens Council shared his enthusiasm for the inclusion of a gravel terrain for the sport – soon to be built – at Boomerang Park.
“I initially raised it with [past council] Peter Kafer,” Mr Boudan said.
“It’s really important we get the Institute of Sport involved too so the kids can get involved after school.
“It’s a great sport for people of all ages – the sport was orginally created for people with a disability.”
Yvonne Skeffington lives near to the park and she’s eager for a game soon.
“I want to be part of it but I’m not so keen on being a committee member,” she said.
“There were quite a lot of people at Illuminate. The ladies from Nelson Bay who ran it said they wished they had facilities as good as ours.”