IN SHORT

• The Rankins Springs Sport and Recreation Ground Management Committee voted at its October 2025 meeting to recommend significant increases to the facility's fees and charges.
• The football club annual fee proposed to rise from $200 to $500, tennis and pony clubs from $200 to $300 each, the fishing club from $80 to $100 and private hire from $80 to $100 for the first day. 
• A new cricket club annual fee of $300 and a new refundable cleaning deposit of $100 have also been proposed. 
• Carrathool Shire Council has resolved to place the proposed changes on public exhibition for 28 days, with adoption to follow if no submissions are received.

Running a community sportsground in a small rural town is an exercise in doing more with less, and the volunteers who manage the Rankins Springs Sport and Recreation Ground have been navigating that reality for years.

When the committee met in October 2025 and resolved to recommend the first significant increase to the facility's fees and charges in some time, it was a recognition that the cost of maintaining and operating the ground has been rising faster than the income generated by the existing fee structure.

The proposed changes, which were tabled before Carrathool Shire Council at its February ordinary meeting, include increases across virtually every category of user. The football club, which has been paying $200 per year as its annual facility fee, faces a proposed increase to $500. The tennis club and pony club both move from $200 to $300 per year. The fishing club goes from $80 to $100. For private hire, the first day rate rises from $80 to $100 and subsequent days from $40 to $50.

Two entirely new fee categories are also proposed. A cricket club annual fee of $300 has been added, acknowledging that the sport is now a regular user of the facility. A refundable cleaning deposit of $100 has also been proposed for all hire arrangements, requiring hirers to leave the facility clean and tidy or forfeit the bond. The cleaning deposit is a straightforward and reasonable measure that puts the responsibility for post-event clean-up squarely on those who use the facility.

The committee's deliberations at the October meeting revealed a number of other practical issues being managed. The basketball ring arms were identified as dangerous and in need of replacement, with a follow-up to council requested on the timeline for new rings to be installed. Junior tennis sessions are running weekly with some ongoing court maintenance needed. A Tom Curtain outback show was booked for 15 February 2026 on the pony club site, with the sport and recreation committee planning to provide food for the event.

The committee also received a $1,500 grant from Carrathool Shire Council for a new kitchen in the tennis club area, with a quote obtained from Bunnings for a flat pack kitchen installation that was approved by the committee.

Council resolved to place all proposed fees and charges on public exhibition for 28 days. If no public submissions are received during that period, the new fees will be adopted into the council's formal fees and charges schedule. Anyone with a view on the proposed changes has the opportunity to make a submission during that exhibition period.