Veolia Arena Opening Today

A new, 500-seat sporting and recreation facility will open in Goulburn today, following a ground-breaking partnership between the Goulburn Mulwaree Council, local residents and Veolia.

The new Goulburn Arena which cost $5.7 million to build, will be the largest facility of its type in the region; and will be used by the community, for a range of sporting and other local activities, as well as hosting visiting artists and performances.

Veolia’s NSW General Manager, Danny Conlon, said the opening of the new arena was the culmination of 2 years of hard work by the local Council and residents, with co-operation and financial support through the Veolia Mulwaree Trust.

“The Veolia Mulwaree Trust is very happy to have been a major contributor to this $5.7 million council project. We believe this will provide diverse and quality facilities for an active and connected community for many years to come. The Veolia Mulwaree Trust has been in place since 2005 and in that time, we have been able to contribute more than $10 million to a number of projects in the local area, with funding coming from Veolia’s Woodlawn Bioreactor near Tarago.”

The Managing Director/CEO of Veolia Australia and New Zealand, Doug Dean, said that as well as contributing to local projects, Veolia had many long-term partnerships nationally and globally.

“As a responsible corporate citizen, Veolia believes in lending our support to the local communities where we operate. We feel this is part of our wider responsibility, as well as an ideal way to partner with local communities to help fund major and small projects and facilities that make a difference to the way we live. Veolia is the first waste company to establish a grant scheme, such as the Veolia Mulwaree Trust, that is governed by the community rather than the organisation itself, and that is important to us.”

Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Geoff Kettle welcomed the new arena, saying it was the culmination of many years collaborative work.

“The Veolia Arena shows council’s vision and commitment to providing high quality facilities strategically located to be accessible for not only the City of Goulburn but the region. We now have a regional indoor facility that has a strong focus on organised sport and the capacity to draw people from across and beyond the local government area.”

Located on Braidwood Road in the Goulburn Mulwaree Council Recreation Area, the new arena is just two kilometres from the centre of Goulburn. Construction of the Veolia Arena commenced in March 2013.