Message from Patron & Founder

Chairman - Harvey Bates

There is no doubt that East Gippsland can boast its share of young athletes who aspire to reach the elite level in their chosen sport and ultimately represent that sport at the National or International level.

However, available information would suggest that when compared with other regional and rural communities, relatively few athletes from East Gippsland have proceeded to the elite level.

Apart from personal and disciplined dedication, essential components in an athlete's development include experience gained in high levels of competition and exposure to specialist training regimes. Due to the tyranny of distance and the associated costs, neither of these latter two components are readily available to young athletes living in East Gippsland.

Notwithstanding, with financial assistance from family and friends as well as ad hoc donations from local businesses some athletes have demonstrated the value of expert training and elite competition only available outside of East Gippsland.

In late 2004 a small group of business people met to discuss this unsatisfactory situation and decided as a first step to raise funds to support those athletes showing potential and secondly establish an organisation capable of identifying those who deserved funding and to mentor their progress and development.

Subsequently the organisation was incorporated as the East Gippsland Sports Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation with these objectives.

It gives me great pleasure to continue as Patron of this Foundation.

Harvey Bates, MBE
Chairman