COVID CLOSURE PROMPTS CENTRE REFURB
You can now play beach volleyball again at Ferny Grove. Yes, after what feels like a long hiatus due to COVID-19, local sport is returning to Brisbane’s north.
Jack Wilson & Brandon Stanaway co-manage the centre for owners Tony and Natalie Wilson. The entrepreneurial family also operate LongBurn Wood, a family run packaged firewood business.
The Ferny Grove Bowls Club site on Samford Road completely closed down in late March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have a lot of seniors in our membership” said Club Chairman Gerry Lindsay. “It was a no-brainer albeit forced closure for us. Unfortunately, that meant the customers who play beach volleyball too. It was also hard for our tenants who run the Malaysian Restaurant. We’re proud of the way they adapted, running a food trailer out of our carpark. My understanding is they were well supported by the locals”.
The beach volleyball club employed not only Brandon and Jack but also a host of local school kids. “It was a tough time” stated Jack, “my family only bought the place the year before and we spent the previous 12 months increasing the customer base. We got up to 150 teams and disappointed like everybody else to have to close.”
Unfortunately, the business didn’t qualify for the federal government jobkeeper payments. The team didn’t dwell on it though and immediately went to work in the Wilson family firewood business.
QLD GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Meanwhile the team applied for low interest government funding to put in place some specific post-COVID enhancements. “We were very fortunate the QLD government helped us with funding” said Jack. “We were able to improve areas we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do if we were still operating.”
LOCAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
The boys engaged local Enoggera business Bakers & Co. Painting & Decorating to provide some much-needed colour to the court structure. “It was a big job, they’ve been fantastic to deal with.” stated Brandon, “we’re so impressed with how it’s turned out”.
The team put the call out on their local Facebook group and asked for volunteers to pull down all the nets too. “We’ll have all new nets” said Jack. “On top of that we’re putting in a dedicated handball court. We get schools come down to learn and play beach volleyball and the handball court will be a nice addition”.
“We also engaged local business Tradesman on Time. They replaced all the old halogen lights with LEDs which is going to help with the power bills. Chris was really helpful providing us advice on that” said Brandon. The team put the call out on Facebook to their willing membership and volunteers chipped in. “We’ve had some great support from our customers. We ripped out all the old nets” continued Jack “the only thing left to do is the covers over the structure. They were destroyed in that large storm that swept over The Gap in 2008 and were never replaced”.
They also had support from two businesses, BOS Projects and Aptus Plumbing & Gas to build an outdoor wash bay. “This is so our teams can wash their hands before and after play” stated Brandon. “Beach volleyball already has a degree of separation, now we have the ability to wash and sterilise before and after games.”
CONTACT US TODAY
Things are certainly looking up for the Shockwave Rebound Volleyball business. If you are interested in giving beach volleyball a go or want to reform your team, give either Jack or Brandon a call on 0417 967 618 or via email enquiries@shockwaverv.com.au.