The News, April 13, 2017, lauded the Shepparton-inspired bid for a regional “people’s” Commonwealth Games as bold and visionary.
Our editorial following the announcement was not dismissive of the concept, despite the scant detail provided.
We said at the time that “all grand projects require two cornerstones — a bold dream anchored in reality”.
The reality, even then, was clear.
The Commonwealth Games was facing an uncertain future with few countries, let alone cities, prepared to take on the difficult and expensive task of hosting the event.
The South African city of Durban was elected to host the 2022 Games but pulled out due to financial constraints, leaving Birmingham to step in.
Victoria was aiming for 2030 but was able to snare the 2026 slot because it was a serious bid, and there were no other bidders.
Our capacity as a state, and a nation to host major international sporting events would have also helped.
That Greater Shepparton has not to date been rewarded for its leadership and vision is the only negative about the start of the countdown to 2026.
Four hubs, Gippsland, Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo, have been announced as the central pillars of the regional games — the rest of regional Victoria has been thrust into the Commonwealth equivalent of The Hunger Games.
Originally pitched by City of Greater Shepparton as an event spread across 11 regional cities, the field currently sits at five, including Melbourne.
Those five will logically consume most of the infrastructure and therefore the benefit of a Games legacy.
The rest are hoping (and lobbying) for something: sporting events, cultural events, anything.
The longer the public campaigns and arm twisting are allowed to continue by those towns and regions who are currently missing out, the more animosity it will create.
The real legacy of the Games should be the shared sense of achievement and confidence generated by successfully hosting a major international event.
Every region, every major regional city, should have that opportunity, but especially Shepparton, which had the foresight and gumption to pursue the dream in the first place.