Another key part of the city's sporting infrastructure was put in place this week with the long-awaited official opening of the Maitland Regional Athletics Centre.
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It's a classy set-up, one that takes athletics in Maitland well into the future.
The $10.5 million project includes a World Athletics certified synthetic athletics track, playing field, track and field facilities, floodlighting, a grandstand with capacity of 560, change rooms, canteen, two large function spaces and car parking.
Sitting alongside the recently revamped Maitland No.1 Sportground - now without doubt one of the finest playing surfaces anywhere in regional - it is a high quality sporting hub that befits a city of Maitland's size.
The next project we'd love to see started is the long overdue upgrade of Robins Oval grandstand - for generations the home of cricket in Maitland.
Have you been in the dressing room? It left 'rustic' behind half a century ago.
And it is a pity because Maitland Park is such a lovely landmark that understandably draws huge crowds - both sports people and picnickers - on weekends. And Robin Oval is a picturesque little ground with its picket fence, surrounded by magnificent old trees.
Work on the updated grandstand has been approved by council, so let's hope work is not too far away.
DOTING MUM
On another matter, plovers can be downright inconsiderate.
They have a habit of nesting in really bad spots - beside busy roads, in the middle of roundabouts, and so on.
I don't know how it happened but I have a very protective mum - sitting on two eggs, no less - on my driveway, making it extremely difficult to get one of our cars out of the garage.
A blue metal driveway ... seriously? Says heaps for my lawn just quietly.
She makes us feel guilty every time we go to the garage. She attacks just often enough to let us know it's not our driveway any more. She even flares her wings and charges at the car when we come home.
And as for our happy-go-lucky dog who has had the place to herself for these past six year ... well, if there's a dog psychologist around, here we come.
I'll keep you posted next week.
What's that? Yes, we've checked. Plovers sit on eggs for about 28 days.
It seems the fun has just begun ...
Rick Allen, Editor
A journo all my working life and never wanted to change, also a self confessed sports tragic.
A journo all my working life and never wanted to change, also a self confessed sports tragic.
