General News
18 April, 2025
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Asset sale could shore up Tower Park
How communities meet and gather clearly changes over time.
This is evidenced by the forthcoming sale of East ward community assets by Hindmarsh Shire Council, being Dimboola Senior Citizens Centre and Gerang Gerung Hall.
In Dimboola and the East ward, the key venue for events and activities is now clearly Tower Park, which was a stunning centrepiece for last weekend’s Wimmera Steampunk Festival.
With the sale of the senior citizens building and the hall, the shire ought to be well placed to redirect funding to Tower Park and, in this way, to maintain its support for Dimboola and the new way that the community has established for connecting with one another.
The value of the assets being sold should be retained in East ward for the benefit of local residents and not go into consolidated revenue or be used in other wards.
Anything less would be an abrogation of this golden opportunity to bring Tower Park into public ownership and to properly protect it forever as the beautiful and highly successful meeting place and rest area that it has become.
At the present time Tower Park remains in private hands.
Potentially it could be sold to anyone at any time.
A very reasonable offer for the shire to purchase the Tower Park site on behalf of the community has been made to council, and I believe Hindmarsh Shire Council should reconsider its recent rejection of that offer and show some long-term leadership.
meet.
In the interests of full disclosure and transparency for those members of the community who may not be aware, the owner of the Tower Park site is my brother.
I am very proud of the enormous contribution he has made over many years to save this key part of the Dimboola Hotel site and to help make it available for public use.
It is now up to Hindmarsh Shire Council to ensure the final chapter of this saga – that has been continuing for more than 21 years since the hotel fire in 2003 – is a happy and appropriate one by securing the future of Tower Park in public hands.
– Tony Schneider