Having finished on top of the ladder at the end of the home and away season, Queenscliff's U/19 netballers - coached by Hannah Stephens and Luci Hedley - went into their September 16 grand final showdown with Anglesea as favourites and did not disappoint.

​After trailing narrowly at the end of the first quarter, the Coutas put their foot down and ran away 19-point winners. Defender Felicity Rush was named player of the match.  
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Queenscliff needs a “common, shared, compelling narrative” to attract visitors and  promote a strong year round economy, according to a newly-released blueprint for future growth of our municipality. 

The Draft Economic Development Strategy, prepared by Deloitte, has listed our failure to properly tell our own story as one of the borough’s key challenges.  

“Previous efforts in developing this have not been thorough and inclusive, and so have not been successful,” the report says. 

The $65,000 strategy, jointly funded by the state government and Borough of Queenscliffe, highlights a “fractured” retail and hospitality landscape and warns against further fragmentation. 

Our size, ageing population and rents and rates are also listed as challenges to growth. 

“The relatively small size and the peaceful village atmosphere is undoubtedly more opportunity than challenge when looking to the future. But the borough is not an island and cannot see itself as such. Proactive, managed economic activity is the key to not just preserving the past but also enabling the future,” the strategy says. 

Unlocking and maximising the tourism potential of Queenscliff Fort, an integrated arts and culture calendar and building our reputation as a health and wellness destination are listed among potenital measures for success. 

The Queenscliff Council has just awarded Deloitte a $200,000 tender to prepare a Fort tourism masterplan. It denies the contract undermines the objectivity of the Economic Development Strategy's recommendations. 
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‘The resolution to appoint Deloitte to undertake the EDS work was undertaken under the CEO’s delegation on 20th March 2017 and the resolution to appoint Deloitte head of the Fort of Queenscliff business case was made at the Council meeting of 24 August 2017,” said Phillip Carruthers, General Manager Organisational Performance and Community Services. 

The Queenscliff Recreation Reserve is set to be the new home of a 10-cabin development, after the Borough of Queenscliffe was forced to scrap plans to build the dwellings on Shortland’s Bluff. 

Councillors unanimously approved a motion last week to investigate building the mostly two-storey dwellings at the southeast end of the reserve, currently housing seven single storey cabins. 

The backflip follows an ultimatum from Bellarine MP Lisa Neville to either find a new home or miss out on $2.69 million in state government funding towards the borough’s $7 million Destination Queenscliff Project – of which the cabins are a key component.  

It also follows a sustained community campaign opposing development on the Bluff. 

“There’s been rightly some really strong views in the community about what should happen in that area and whether there should be any development like eco-cabins,” Ms Neville told residents gathered at a public meeting last week. 

“I do remember saying to Council that as far as I can see, people aren’t happy about it but show me otherwise, and that’s hasn’t happened. 

“Although there’s been a view that we need the cabins to support some kind of tourism… I think largely, overwhelmingly, people did not think that was the right place to put those eco-cabins,” Ms Neville said. 

“This is a strong community that has strongly made its views known to everyone and you have been heard, you’ve been heard by me,” she said. 

A report on the change of location will now be prepared for this month’s Council meeting and the search for a “world-leading” architect to design the cabins is continuing. 

Council officers are also examining where the reserve’s manager’s lodge and existing cabins can be relocated.
 
“It will probably include the moving of the existing house to make more space and of course we’re also going to get a new kiosk,” said Cr Bob Merriman, who put forward the motion. 

“The intention is not to in any way impose upon the existing recreation area for the sporting bodies. 

“One of the options could be to relocate some of them to Golightly [Caravan Park] but we need to go through the department… there’s certainly space there to look at relocating the existing rec reserve cabins,” Cr Merriman said.  “We know that we‘ve got to put them somewhere to earn money from them.” 
 
The federal government has agreed to amend its existing Destination Queenscliff funding contract, worth almost $3.5 million, to enable the relocation away from the bluff.
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The outcome as a “terrific victory for people power,” said Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson.

FOOTBALL – One of Queenscliff's favourite sons is coming home. In a major pre-season coup, the Coutas have secured Steve "Otis" Clark as coach for the 2018 season.
 
And he says he can’t wait to get his teeth into the role.

A life member of the Club, Clark played junior football here before coaching the Coutas for seven years between 2000 and 2006. 

“This has all happened a bit quick but it’s exciting to be back around the club and back around family, the father of three says. 

Last year Clark coached GFL side Leopold to a drought-breaking premiership and this season coached his own sons, Billy and Jhye, to a Queenscliff U/16 premiership. 

He takes over the reigns from Jonno Casey and Andrew Hodgson, who stood down after the Coutas narrowly missed the finals. 

“There have obviously been reasons for that but the blokes that I’ve spoken to – Jonno, Hodgy and Tom [former captain coach Tom Limb] have been really positive about where the improvement can come from,” Clark says.“

“I haven’t seen much of them playing obviously in the last few years so I’m watching a bit of vision at the moment and talking to a few people. 
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"Looking as an outsider you raw with Newcomb, then you beat Torquay, so for whatever reasons there were inconsistencies but the difference between making the finals and not making the finals can be minute.

“I think it’s exciting that there’s improvement there straight away and you’ve just got to get your teeth into it. “

Clark’s arrival I likely to be a draw card for new players to the club, with players from Leopold and elsewhere indicating an interest in following him here.  He’s also sounded a willingness to give young players a better go. 

“You’ve definitely got to play the juniors at your club, there’s no doubt about that. 
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"Everywhere I’ve coached I’ve played kids, that’s something I have done. I’ll recruit, no doubt as we need to, at the same time you always have to get a balance of the youth that you’ve got coming through.” 
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