40 years on, same issue

[Kiwi Eagle]

With the talk of Brookvale being long overdue for a facelift, i thought i would put this up that i have just come across, am reading "The Sea Eagle has Landed" at the moment

"Manly began the 1967 season with a $200,000 offer to Warringah Shire Council to undertake improvements to Brookvale Oval over a 10 year period. The club told the council it was prepared to spend $20,000 annually provided it could be granted a long term lease.

The lease was held back, prompting Arthurson to write in that seasons annual report: "There is no doubt that Brookvale Oval is still a long way from what a first class ground should be - the toilet facilities are insufficient and primitive, the stand and spectator accomodation are entirely inadequate, dressingroom and ambulance quarters are second rate and the patrons are too far away from the field of play.
"People keep asking the club the same question - 'why dont we get on with the project ?' the answer is that we are unable to do so because the Brookvale show society which function for two days each year. The council is reluctant to move them out of Brookvale Oval until alternative accommodation is available"

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Will end it there, seems that some of the issues from 67 seem to be repeating themselves 40 years later

 

[The Wheel]

sadly the same toilet facilities are still in place. There hasn;t been a Brookvale Show for about 30 years.

 

[The Insomniac]

Arrr. I remember it well. The old Brookvale show. we used to love it. They would have horse jumping in the middle of the oval and there was a charcoal track around the outside that they used to race trotters on.The oval was a mess for about 6 months after and we at Brookie public school used to use it for our athletics carnival. And that old scoreboard down the council end,what a masterpeice in design. They don't make em like that anymore. Those were the good old days.

 

[Canteen Worker]

in the early 70s RLW had a survey in which they rated the grounds. (No big stadiums and just suburban grounds in those days.)

At that point Brookie rated number 1. Was a mixture of criteria but we did well in most areas then.

Sadly the only improvements to Brookie since then has been construction of the Arthurson Stand and the new entrance plus the deconstructing of the hill/gateway from the McDonalds entrance. The family hill is there but basically it is a tired suburban ground. I still love it but facilities are ordinary.