Highlanders in battle for a new home

Erin Pearson
GEELONG Highland Gathering has vowed to find a new home after an angry meeting on Sunday over this year’s event at Fyansford, according to an organiser.
John Fraser said the gathering lost $10,000 at Fyansford after council kicked the event off its traditional site at Queen’s Park.
Mr Fraser labelled the “unsuitable” Fyansford Common site as “uneven, unreliable and at risk of flooding”.
“There are no toilets, no power and no water at Fyansford, all the things you need to hold an event for 5000 people,” he said.
“Members of council have said we’d never get back to Queen’s Park even though we had been there for 52 years because a master plan was created that we’re not a part of.”
Council ordered this year’s gathering out of Queen’s Park over a clash with football and cricket.
“Patrons said they liked the location (at Fyansford) but, from a logistical sense, it was extremely difficult to run,” Mr Fraser said.
The gathering hoped to work with council to determine a “more-suitable” site for 2011.
Mr Fraser said the gathering had a list of three preferred sites for next year’s event.
“Council has done to us what the old land owners did to the Scots in the 1800s but we’ll be strong and look at maybe moving to Deakin University, Geelong Grammar or Eastern Gardens but we need council approval to do so,” he said.
Gathering organisers would run a public meeting at Geelong RSL on December 9 to recruit new members.
Geelong Highland Gathering runs on the third Sunday in March.