By Rowan Forster
The community has spearheaded an effort to salvage some history and nostalgia from the wreckage of the iconic Lion’s Den building.
It comes several weeks after the site – which was the original home of the Pakenham Football Club – was completely demolished, despite Cardinia Shire promising to preserve the bulk of the premises.
Prior to the den’s official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony in 1982, 200 bricks were auctioned off to buyers.
Those who donated had their names etched on the slabs, which were then used during the building’s construction.
Since the demolition, community stalwart and long-time secretary of the Pakenham Football Club Graham Treloar has been hunting down the bricks.
More than 140 have since been recovered.
“The Pakenham spirit is really coming out,” he said.
“A lot of people have been searching for these bricks, and we’ve found a lot of them.
“I think it was a tragedy that they knocked down the rooms, but at least we have salvaged something from the wreckage.
“We now have some wonderful memories to keep forever.”
In November, councillors opted to renovate and transform the site into a thriving education space, leasing the site to Community College Gippsland (CCG) under a 15-year agreement.
Under the arrangement, the facility’s change rooms were set to be demolished – while the social club was set to be maintained.
However, those passing Henry Road in January made the grim discovery that the building had been completely torn down.
Council claims that when contractors were demolishing the change rooms, the rest of the building began to collapse and was deemed “unsafe”.
Mr Treloar has refuted concerns about the Lion’s Den’s structural integrity.
“This is a bloody disgrace – I am in shock,” he said.
“This is a sheer act of mass destruction.
“I think they always wanted to pull it down and it’s a great waste and extremely disappointing.”
“I drove past when the change rooms were down, stopped the car and went for a look – there was no way the other rooms would crumble.”
Prior to the arrangement with CCG, the site had been earmarked for complete demolition by council officers.
Jillian Ronald, who had rallied to save the building from destruction, said she was extremely disappointed.
“I worked hard a couple of years ago to save this building from destruction – presenting a submission, lobbying councillors, investigating its history and community importance,” she said.
“I wanted it available to be used by the community.
“So sad to lose another piece of local history.”
Councillor Michael Schilling, who fought to have the iconic site preserved, was devastated by the outcome.
“From my point of view, it’s quite disappointing,” he said.
“That PB Ronald Reserve area is a hub of learning and it would have been great to have the CCG moving in.
“Unfortunately, some of the building was structurally unsound and it wasn’t meant to be.”
It is not yet known where the CCG will relocate to.
