An out-of-service and broken elevator in a council building left a senior citizen unable to compete in her bi-weekly table tennis tournament for the entirety of this year.
“I’ve been trying to get it fixed since the beginning of this year, and I’ve just given up,” the senior said.
The Express asked the Shire, “Does council have any plan to service or replace the elevator?”
Organisers of the seniors table tennis group, who meet on the second floor of the Kyneton Toyota Sports and Aquatic Centre, received an email from the council mere days after this media enquiry.
“We are pleased to share some positive news,” it read. “Following a recent visit from a service technician, the lift is now operational and available for use”.
It turns out, it was never broken. Just tired, old, sensitive.
Children at the rec centre would often cause ruckus in the four walls and the lift would stop lifting. It became a cost-burden to keep servicing, so the council opted to put a sign on its door that read, “lift is closed until further notice”.
About 25 members of U3A Kyneton attend the centre each Monday and Wednesday, and its members struggled to use the residual stairwell with ageing physical health.
Helen Metcalfe is 88 years old. She spoke to the Express last week and said she could not climb stairs, so stopped playing at the centre.
“I haven’t played this year because I haven’t been able to get up there. Will I ever get back up there? The season’s nearly over,” Ms Metcalfe said.
“I was very sad when I realised, I couldn’t get up there anymore and play the one thing I can still play. It’s the one thing that keeps me active. It clears the mind, makes you more active.
“It’s also a social thing. They’re my friends. I miss my friends.”
The organiser of the U3A table tennis group, Cate Burton, said she was told in February the group was no longer allowed to use the elevator.
“The aquatic centre told me it’s beyond repair. It needs replacement,” she said.
The Express emailed Macedon Ranges Shire Council last Wednesday and asked the question. It responded Friday with a statement.
It read, “The elevator at the Kyneton Toyota Sports and Aquatic Centre had been experiencing recurring operational issues for an extended period due to its age and design, requiring multiple reactive repairs over the past two years”.
“Despite these interventions, its performance continued to deteriorate, and we sought detailed assessments and advice from our contracted service provider”.
“Council allocated funding in the Budget 2025-26 to undertake proactive repair works to the elevator, however further scoping identified that the extent of the works required exceeded the original budget provision”.
“As a result, council is now evaluating options to deliver a full replacement of the elevator, including consideration in future budgets”.
“We will shortly put in place procedures to reopen it for essential use only (must be staff-assisted). Importantly, we are confident it remains safe to use as necessary.”
Two hours after this email was sent, organisers of the table tennis group received their own email, advising the “positive news”.
The update reached Ms Metcalfe quickly.
“I’m so happy,” she said.
“But why couldn’t they have done that sooner?”
