It is with regret that I write this letter. I understand the circumstance of what you've done. I just wish it weren't so.
As you know, the Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo is one of the best-known grounds in country Victoria. In fact, I would say country Australia. Pictures of the 1901 grandstand gracefully towering over the footballers beneath it are likely to have been seen by anyone who follows footy.
One of the great quirks of the QEO was that it was a rectangular shape. For decades, it hosted two ovals. The deep pockets afforded those two ovals a bit more ground space.
When the two ovals were reduced to one, the deep pockets remained. They became a much-loved quirk. You might say they became part of the fabric of local sport. They certainly set the QEO apart from all other football and cricket grounds.
You were to right to kick up a fuss a decade ago, around the time that the VFL club Bendigo Diggers were morphing into the Bendigo Bombers. At that time, administrators from the VFL team let the burghers of Bendigo know that they would like the deep pockets of the QEO to be lopped off. They argued that an oval in the true sense of the word would better prepare young footballers for the AFL.
There was no regard for history, said you, the fine people of Central Victoria; no regard for the fact that the QEO existed for more than a century before a Bendigo VFL team was cooked up. The VFL club's request, and the arrogant manner in which it was made, rightfully angered you.
So you began a campaign. The ground's Bendigo Football League co-tenants, Sandhurst and South Bendigo, led the charge. You, the people of Central Victoria, wrote dozens of letters to the Bendigo Advertiser arguing against a proposal from a VFL club that you were reluctant to accept.
You said you liked the corners just the way they were. It was outrageous to propose that they should be brought in by nine metres. Eventually, the Bendigo city council bowed to public opinion and the oval remained a rectangle.
This time it's different. A $2.2-million planned redevelopment for the ground included the necessity of a slope to the Barnard Street end to help the ground's drainage. The drainage would have a lesser effect if the ground remained a rectangle.
When faced with a choice of keeping the deep corners or having better drainage, there were very few dissenters. Sandhurst and South Bendigo plumped for the drainage. You, the people of Central Victoria, also gave the green light for the corners to be lopped off.
The new development is said to have many good points. Extra seating has been put in. The lighting has been improved. A new netball court has been built. Footy will return to the QEO in June.
I'm in your corner, so to speak. I understand the circumstances of consigning one of the great quirks of country footy to memory. I just wish it weren't so.
