Matt Hewson
The Geelong Sports Museum, a monument to some of Geelong and Australia’s greatest ever athletes and their stories, officially opened this week at GMHBA Stadium this week.
Dignitaries and members of the sporting and academic communities gathered at Kardinia Park on Tuesday, July 16 to celebrate the years of advocacy for the museum and the results of that work.
The museum, which has been open to the public since its soft launch in June, features a diverse range of loaned sporting artefacts, photos and stories detailing the journeys of some of Geelong’s greatest sporting heroes and a range of interactive installations such as a virtual row down the Barwon River.
Bob Gartland OAM, whose passion and advocacy drove the project from its inception, said the museum was “uniquely Geelong”.
“The whole essence of the Geelong Sports Museum is built around people,” Mr Gartland said.
“We are a unique city. I think Geelong people are unique and I think the way that Geelong people play sport is unique.
“Some of the greatest names in sport are in this museum; Brownlow, Cadel Evans. We could have built ten museums, honestly, there are that many stories of Geelong people and the great things that they’ve done.”
Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief executive Gerard Griffin said it was exciting to see the work of so many people come to fruition.
“I think it’s great for us to reflect on the calibre of people that come from this region and just how broad that sporting prowess is,” he said.
“We hope it will inspire. We want to see young people come here and be enthralled and motivated to pursue their passions, their dreams.”
