Kinglake residents consistently feel as though they have been short-changed by Murrindindi Shire Council, according to long-term local identity Charles Exton.

Alexandra, Eildon, Marysville and Yea all have swimming pools, but the Council does not even have plans for a pool at Kinglake, he argues.

Significant works are underway for improvements to sporting facilities at Alexandra and Yea, but Kinglake groups have to make do with what was supposed a temporary facility erected after the 1994 fires. That is 25 years ago.

He says the Council is resting its laurels on money it has secured from the Federal and State Governments for Kinglake streetscape improvements, but there is a lack of transparency about the process and the projected outcomes.

He says the expected financial windfall from Federal and State Governments do not appear in the Council budget for the current 2019-20 financial year.

Mr Exton, who was a Yea Shire Councillor in the 1990s, is currently leading a petition for the Murrin-dindi Shire to erect public toilets at the Kinglake Memorial Reserve.

He points out that were already toilets at the Council-controlled reserve, that they were destroyed by fire, and the insurance pay-out money was spent on other projects in the municipality.

Mr Exton says it was suggested that his petition might not be legal, but his lawyer says otherwise. He expects to personally present the petition to a Murrindindi Shire Council meeting, so that Councillors can see that the Kinglake community means business.

The point is made that even that if the petition had shortcomings, Councillors should not be arguing about minor technical points about paperwork, but picking up on the spirit of the dissatisfaction that Kinglake people have towards the Council.

Mr Exton has a number of binders filled with paperwork about Kinglake Memorial Reserve issues.

His father, the late Arnold Exton, was a Councillor of the Shire of Yea for 27 years, serving a number of times as Shire President.

From the 1940s, Kinglake played its football matches on Arnie Exton’s property, where a paddock was dedicated for the purpose.

In the early 1960s, the current Memorial Reserve site was made available by the Shires of Yea and Eltham.

Work commenced on the reserve, but the contractor withdrew. Local families including the Extons and Johnsons, and others, used their machinery, fuel and time to develop the reserve.

The locals were never re-paid a shilling for their time, fuel or use of equipment.

Alongside the reserve was the original Hall and the Middle Kinglake Primary School, both destroyed in the 1994 and 2009 fires, respectively.

The Yea Council claimed a $160,000 pay-out in 1994-95, but it is believed the money went towards an over-budget Yea Saleyards, and later the Yea Bowls Club.

The Shire of Yea was incorporated into the new Shire of Murrin-dindi with the Kennett amalgamations in 1994-95.

In 1994-95, the Council had the $160,000 pay-out, plus an already budgeted $80,000 for improvements at the Kinglake Reserve.

The expenditure never occurred.

Alerted to the non-expenditure, then-Commissioner of Murrindindi Shire, the late John O’Brien, accompanied Mr Exton to Telford’s, Shepparton, to acquire the double-storey ‘Green Shed’ that has served as the Kinglake Memorial Reserve home for the past 25 years.

Mr Exton says Kinglake res-idents believe it is not unfair for Council to spend funds on urgently-needed improvements at the ground.

He points out the unsatisfactory condition of the netball courts. He says the AFL Outer East will not allow matches to be conducted on the outside courts because of the serious faults.

Mr Exton points to similar faults with the tennis courts, and the almost-impossible access for disabled people to reach the disabled toilet.

Mr Exton says Kinglake residents want to see the public toilets, destroyed 25 years ago, returned.

He says the preferred position is near the Extons Rd entrance to the reserve.

After the 2009 fires, 10 years ago, he says interest waned in the management of the Kinglake Memorial Reserve by local bodies.

He points out that, unlike Marys-ville for example where there is a co-ordinated community approach, Kinglake has 39 community bodies.

The Memorial Reserve Comm-ittee was dissolved last year, and the Council has attempted to get licensing agreements signed with user bodies such as the Scouts, Cricket Club and Football Club.

He says that Council’s focus on other areas meant that Kinglake people took the approach of “What’s the use of going to Council?”

He cites the example of the much-mooted swimming pool. A possible site could be on public land, west of the Community Centre. It would need to be an indoor pool, to take Kinglake’s climate into account.

The Kinglake community is entitled to have aspirations to have similar facilities as neighbouring towns.

Mr Exton says that Kinglake has 40 per cent of the Shire’s youth population, aged between 5-19.

He says the need for Council to engage with the Kinglake community is not just about the oval.

He says it is time for Murrindindi Shire Council to take full responsibility for the Memorial Reserve, and not to palm off financial management to user bodies.

Mr Exton quotes the example of the $240,000 lighting towers which were donated after the 2009 fires.

If a power disruption caused all tower lights to blow out, the Scouts, Football Club and Cricket Club would be expected to instantly find $24,000 for replacements.

Mr Exton says he has made some Freedom of Information requests, some without success.

He believes that tenders for work have not been completed satisfactorily, and that the Council allowed the tennis court problems to occur without claiming on the seven-year warranty.

He says the Kinglake community has lost interest in working with the Shire, and that the Council has a long way to go to re-building trust amongst the local population.

He points to recent comments on social media, where Deputy Mayor, Cr Leigh Dunscombe, has been under fire from residents.

Mr Exton says there needs to be increased communication and transparency from the Council.

He wonders if there are any unspent funds in the Bushfire Recovery Fund, that at one stage had more than $200 million.

Perhaps the Council could use its advocacy powers to make representations to the Authority to release funds for Kinglake.

The Memorial Reserve has been under a series of interim development plans since 1994, and talk of a new final Master Plan could be years away, he believes.

There has been no local reference group, and the Council needs to address this lack of communication with its residents.

Mr Exton said that works, believed to worth $22,000, on perimeter fencing are long overdue.

So too are much needed works for two water tanks at the rear of the pavilion.

Drainage problems have water leaving north-east from the Reserve to a neighbour’s property. Council staff have not been back to fix the problems, he says.

He says fencing and gates have been installed incorrectly. Bollards have been replaced in an unprofessional way.

He has called on Council to reveal plans for acces to a women’s shower and change area that provides the necessary privacy.

He points to the problems that were caused with the ground sprinklers. Similarly, there were ongoing problems with debris when the old school was pulled down.

The set-up of the cricket nets has been wrong, and these have been listed in detail in correspondence with the Council.

He says Murrindindi Shire Council’s approach to the maintenance of the Reserve has been a ‘patch-up’ mentality.

Mr Exton says that his July 8 email about Reserve issues to Council’s Stuart McConnell (Director, Assets and Management) and stuart Coller (Co-Ordinator, Community Development) has gone unanswered.

He calls on the Council to show accountability. He says the Council needs to articulate its intentions, and share them with public.

If there were a wish list for the Kinglake Memorial Reserve, it might include a complete makeover, perhaps even re-siting the oval, tennis courts and netball courts.

Mr Exton believes that the total cost of a ‘proper fix’ might be $1 million.

Perhaps the Council should be looking to find funding elsewhere.

He said that Kinglake residents have realised that their rates money is going to fund operations elsewhere, such as the pools at Alex-andra, Eildon, Marysville and Yea.

He believes that after all the public funds were donated after the 2009 fires, that Kinglake’s sports facilities should be state-of-the-art.

Mr Exton and his business interests have been a major sponsor of Kinglake community organisations for many years.

• Ash Long