PORT Albert Fishing Club is one of the first recipients of the state government’s Stronger Fishing Clubs Grant Program, with $10,000 to go towards the rebuilding of its popular clubroom kitchen.

You can find the club behind the Port Albert Mechanics’ Institute Hall on Victoria Street.

Club president Ian Blackmore told the Gippsland Times the money has been received and they hope the new clubroom is finished by Easter.

“Our secretary applied for the grant as we heard that money was on offer,” Blackmore said.

“The work hasn’t started yet. We’re going to get one of the local cabinet makers to carve up a kitchen for it, and we’ll probably do the rest of it.

“It will be modern kitchen cabinets … it will be more user friendly. We figured that an upgrade to give us a bit more storage … would be handy for us.”

“When the club was (originally) built, they used an old second-hand kitchen and old cupboards that were donated to the club from various members.”

Minister for Outdoor Recreation, Steve Dimopoulos said the Stronger Fishing Clubs Grant Program was a $1.2 million investment funded by the reinvestment of fishing licence fees.

“We know fishing and getting into nature plays a huge part in Victorians’ busy lives, so we’re investing significantly to help community clubs get more people fishing, more often,” he said.

“We want to support the wonderful work of angling clubs, which are often the first port of call for newcomers to the pastime and home to local experts who have decades of experience to share about fishing in their patch.”

The program is part of the state government’s $96m investment which aims to improve fishing, boating, piers and aquaculture for communities across the state.

Applications for the second round of grants will be available in 2024 and more applications are currently being considered.

Fishing in Port Albert has been negatively affected by floodwaters in recent months, but Blackmore says the town remains a much-loved place for fishing enthusiasts to visit.

“It’s a fairly popular place at the moment. It’s been a bit trickier with the floodwaters … making the water dirtier in the bay, but from what I can see, there’s still a few fish being caught around, and it is clearing up,” he said.

“Port Albert is sheltered water. It’s usually considered internal water rather than open water like Bass Strait, although a lot of people from here do go out into Bass Strait and go fishing which is fine by us if that’s what you want to do.”

This year is set to be another busy one for the club, with competitions running for the entire month. The club’s annual meeting will be held in July, and regular meetings take place at the club’s building on the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm.

“New members would be more than welcome to stick their nose in the door,” Blackmore said.

“Memberships are for all ages. For one year, $30 for a single membership and $40 for a family membership.”

For more information, phone Ian Blackmore on 0429 998 799.

To learn more about the Stronger Fishing Clubs Grant Program, visit vfa.vic.gov.au/strongerfishingclubs