Lions Club wants to build two public charcoal grills at Indian Landing and Creekside Park

Indian Landing in Port Sydney may see the return of a permanent public barbecue grill thanks to the local Lions Club.

Representatives from the Stephenson Lions Club presented their idea at the General Committee meeting on March 28. They’d like to build an outdoor barbecue structure at Indian Landing to replace one that was there previously, as well as one at Creekside Park near the Port Sydney beach.

“There used to be one at Indian Landing for years,” noted Lion Jamie Vanderveer. “I think it was old when I was a kid. They last a long time if they are built properly.” He added that visitors to the park are already using open hibachis which could potentially be a fire hazard. “We plan to do something more contained that people could put charcoal in and we’ll be able to keep the ashes confined.”

The club’s president, Dean Smales, said that they have labourers and masons available to build the structures and that the Lions would commit to maintenance of the barbecues at no cost to the town. Each structure would be approximately seven feet square with a charcoal grill on each side.

Smales also suggested that the club take on cosmetic maintenance, like painting, of the gazebos at Indian Landing and the Port Sydney dock.

In exchange, the Lions have asked committee to consider reducing the fees the club pays for bimonthly use of the Port Sydney Community Hall for its meetings.

At the start of the meeting, Councillor Det Schumacher made committee aware that both he and Councillor Jason FitzGerald are Stephenson Lions Club members but did not declare a pecuniary interest as neither would gain financially from the project.

During later discussion, FitzGerald noted that in addition to the general public, the barbecues would likely be used for events by the Lions Club and Port Sydney Parks and Recreation, and that having them available could enhance rentals of the parks for private events like weddings and family reunions.

Schumacher said that the club currently uses the Port Sydney Community Hall twice a month at a cost of $50 per meeting.

Staff were directed to bring back a report outlining the future costs associated with the donation of the barbecues and reduced rental fee options for the Stephenson Lions Club’s use of the community hall for meetings.

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