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Back at the Start
The Officer Sports Club formed in 1928 and was made up of a group of Officer residents who ran family friendly community sports days to help raise funds to purchase land and build a sports oval for football, cricket and the community of Officer to enjoy.The Officer Sports Club was the owner and management committee of the Reserve up until 1972, when at that time it handed over the title to the (then) Pakenham Shire Council who installed a management committee made up of the sporting clubs and interested community members to maintain the Reserve on their behalf (the Officer Recreation Reserve Section 86 Committee) who still does so to this day.
The Officer Sports Club reformed in 2018 with its purpose to build, then manage and operate the Officer Recreation Reserve's new Joint Use Sporting Community Pavilion which commenced operation in late 2023.
The Early Years 1928-1950
This photograph was taken in 1932 of members of the Officer Sports Club installing the goal posts at the recreation reserve.
Both the Officer Football Club and Officer Cricket Club would use this oval in Winter and Summer.
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Memorial Gates 1951
Funds were raised by the local community and the Officer Memorial Gates were constructed and proudly opened on 24 October 1951.In 2013 due to widenning of Starling Road the gates were de-constructed, refurbished and moved 30 metres closer into the reserve. The site now holds the annual ANZAC Day Dawn Service and Remembrance Day Service.
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Western Pavilion Stage One 1972
The original football changerooms for the reserve were a tin shed located near where the current playground resides (near the tennis club car park).
In 1972 the Reserve became managed by a Council appointment Management Committee made up of Members of the sporting clubs and community (Section 86 Committee). The newly formed volunteer Committee of Management got to work and built new change rooms (which doubled as social rooms) completed in 1973. [This is now the middle section of the Western Pavilion that was recently retrofitted and is currently the medical room, home change rooms and a small section of the social rooms.] Those in the picture (not all confirmed): Rob Porter, Robin McCoubrie, John Tivendale, Ron Flynn, Peter Holland.
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Western Pavilion Stage Two 1983 RG Porter Social Rooms
More funds were raised by the committee and the football club and a purpose built and designed building to house social rooms and canteen were built adjacent to the changerooms. This is known as the RG Porter Social Rooms.
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Western Pavilion Stage Three 1992
The need for further extensions and imporvements lead to the changerooms being extended to the Western side of the existing pavilion.
With funds raised by the football club and rec committee, a small extension was made to the RG Porter Social Rooms pushing the wall on the Northern side outward.
Eastern Oval & Pavilion
Throughout the 1990's the Section 86 Committee lobbyed the Council to purchase McMullens paddock so the Reserve could expand and build a second oval.
In the late 1990's the Section 86 carved out a oval and ran the early years of Auskick on it. After funding was rpovided by the Council a full sized oval was contructed (circa 2007) followed by the pavilion (2009).
Netball Courts & Pavilion
The netball courts were originally in the Western corner of the Reserve adjacent to the Princes Highway. Due to intersection works the courts were moved to the Northern part of the reserve and tdoay the ROC netball club have a fantastic set up - two courts with a modern pavilion.
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Various Old Photos of the Officer Recreation Reserve
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