The Clarendon community has a new place to band together three years on from fires that devastated the region.
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Moorabool Shire Council mayor Paul Tatchell, Jon Rofe from Fire Forest Management Victoria and CFA District 15 Operations Manager Brett Boatman officially opened the Clarendon Community Centre on Saturday.
Clarendon Recreation Reserve committee of management president Trevor Smith said the new centre would improve community connections and engagement by providing a place to meet locally.
"With no school and no hall there has been no place for us and no reason for us to gather," he said.
This became harshly apparent during the fires of December 2015 when community members had to travel to Scotsburn to meet and receive information.
With no school and no hall there has been no place for us and no reason for us to gather.
- Trevor Smith, Clarendon Recreation Reserve
Minister for Emergency Services James Merlino announced the Moorabool Shire Council would receive a $300,000 grant to deliver the Clarendon Community Hub project in September 2016 as part of a boost for community recovery.
The new centre, located at Clarendon Recreation Reserve, includes new building with kitchen facilities, a social area, toilets and amenities.
READ MORE: Clarendon Community Hub nears completion
Stage two of the project will involve work to upgrade the Clarendon tennis courts and landscaping around the building which is due to be completed by the end of June.
A community barbecue hosted around 100 people at the centre in December, while the official opening on Saturday attracted around 70 community members.
"On Saturday there were members of the community we haven't seen before come along," Mr Smith said.
"It is a great place for us to gather, socialise and get back to meeting people and our neighbours. It is good to have somewhere local we can meet to get together."
The next big community event is a film screening scheduled for April 5 at the Clarendon Community Centre.