Ejected: basketballers ordered to tear down community court at church site

The Rochester Basketball Association had the courts installed in February 2023 at the Rochester Presbyterian Church, which was being used as a relief centre for residents.

The courts and line-marking were donated by Basketball Victoria and basketball hoop company Goalrilla.

"It was quite uplifting to have something for our youth," Rochester Basketball Association president Meagan Keating said.

But on May 27, the Presbyterian church issued a 'notice to vacate' to the association, giving the group until Monday, June 24 to remove the hoop and line-markings.

The Bendigo Advertiser understands the basketball court had been installed on the church's tennis courts.

Ms Keating said she was disappointed the court would have to be removed.

"Basketball is such a generational activity that as a family you can go and you can shoot with mum and nan and dad, or with your mates you have somewhere to go to ... it still gets used today," she said.

"It's such a great facility that they have, so it will be sad to see it not getting utilised."

In the notice to vacate, seen by The Bendigo Advertiser, the church informed the association it had "the desire and intention ... to occupy and use the land for its own purposes".

"You, the occupant, are required to remove all fixtures and improvements you have installed on the land and return the land to the church in its condition," the notice read.

"The church, failing the removal of such fixtures and improvements by the due date, will be entitled to deal with such fixtures and improvements and restore the land without further notice to the occupant and may claim as against the occupant its reasonable costs associated with such removal and restoration works."

The Rochester Presbyterian Church declined the opportunity to comment.