Club News – Page 16 – Noble Park Dandenong Cycling Club

25th August 20188th December 2018

Velodrome or soccer fields?

City of Greater Dandenong has put out plans to demolish the Historic Maurice Kirby Velodrome to make way for an additional soccer field.

The historic velodrome was built between 1954-1955 and named after Maurice Kirby, a Noble Park resident who founded the Pedal Clubs of Victoria which reached 50,000 members strong. He was also a well known sports commentator for 3XY radio and Channel 9 tv station.

This is the only velodrome remaining in the region and the City of Greater Dandenong have no plans to resurface, rebuild or replace the historic venue.

25th August 201817th May 2024

Parkfield Reserve Draft Master Plan

The masterplan released by the council can be seen below.

Point 3 reads: “Demolish the existing velodrome and expand the existing cricket oval”. If you look at the masterplan carefully, it is clear the historic velodrome is mainly removed to make way for an additional soccer ground.

Kirby3

24th August 20188th December 2018

Outcry against velodrome plan

Dandenong Journal: Outcry against velodrome plan. By Cam Lucadou-Wells (24 August 2018)

Riders John Inguanti, David Koroknai,Kim Nguyen and Alan Giang at the velodrome.

The daughter of Noble Park sports legend Maurice Kirby has spoken out against draft plans to demolish a velodrome named in his honour.

Gayle George told Star News the family was not consulted by Greater Dandenong Council, which had proposed to remove the Parkfield Reserve cycling track for a shared cycling path, soccer fields and cricket nets.

“The first I heard of it was when I was recently messaged on Facebook.

“I was very disappointed.”

Her larger-than-life father Mr Kirby ran a cycling shop in Noble Park, was a sports caller and set up the enormously popular Pedals Club for hundreds of children in the 1950s. Continue reading “Outcry against velodrome plan”