A meeting was held at Balyang Par 3 Golf Course on Friday 17th January between Council, Balyang members and interested public.

Representatives included Anthony Basford (Executive Director City Life), Amanda Locke (Manager Swim, Sport and Leisure) and Mayor Stretch Kontelj for the City of Greater Geelong Council

A number of members expressed their concern and frustration to council about the lack of consultation, communication and transparency around the proposed future of Balyang Par 3.

Course members and concerned public voiced a range of reasons why Balyang should remain as an 18 hole par 3 pitch and putt course. There is a united view that minor improvements, increased advertisement and promotion of the facility should be considered before any proposed redevelopment.

Feedback gained through the Save Balyang petition and from on course interactions with playing public, has shown there is an overwhelming view to retain the course and an emphatic opposition to any driving range development. 

Anthony Basford talked about City of Greater Geelongs’  decision to exit out of direct operation of golf facilities.  Anthony said "while the decision by council to lease Balyang was unchanged, no decision had yet been made on any redevelopment proposal for the course. The purpose of this meeting is to gather suggestions and feedback to make an informed decision”.

Amanda Locke spoke about the council’s leasing process and proposed redevelopment ideas.  It became obvious that Amanda was already set on the idea to transform the course into a driving range and mini golf. 

It was also very noticeable that she wasn’t interested in feedback or any of the reasons given to save Balyang. Amanda’s closing comment “You may not get what you want” showed she neither considered or respected the view of those who signed the Save Balyang petition or anyone who attended the meeting.

Mayor Stretch Kontelj showed an open interest to exploring many of the suggestions presented at the meeting.   He was especially interested when a Balyang member pointed out that a similar venue in Melbourne’s east had been successfully operating for over 35 years.  The Mayor agreed that suggestions to increase advertising, improve signage and expanding the café menu were all necessary to increase and attract patronage. 

With the meeting completed, we are hopeful that the City Of Greater Geelong has listened and now realise there is deep opposition to any driving range development.  

With a decision on the future still unclear, we encourage everyone to spread the word and join the fight. Please continue to sign and share our petition http://change.org/savebalyang and join our Facebook Group http://facebook.com/group/savebalyang to stay updated on our petition progress.  

You can also now send feedback and suggestions to our email address savebalyang@gmail.com

Thank you for your continued support