The multi-purpose Hutchinson Builders Centre, home of the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys, is about to begin its expansion as a sports science and medicine hub with the first commercial tenants moving in from next week.
Dr John Maguire from Townsville Orthopaedics & Sports Surgery will commence practising from his Level 2 offices on Monday, while Jonathan Crawley and Steve Sartori from the North Queensland Physiotherapy Centre will open their new premises from 29 March.
The new tenants will be followed closely by James Cook University, who will expand their sports science and research facilities from their new offices overlooking the new community training field and Castle Hill.
Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel welcomed the club’s first neighbours, who will also continue their official roles in providing specialist medical support directly to the NRL team.
“We have a long association with John as our surgeon, and Jonathan and Steve as our physiotherapists, and are thrilled to have them joining us in our state-of-the-art facility,” Mr Reibel said.
“Their tenancy is part of our long-term plan to establish the Centre as a world-class ecosystem for high-performance training and sports science and medicine, supporting the people of North Queensland and elite sporting talent from within our region and beyond.
“We also welcome their staff and clients, who along with our Cowboys people, will be part of the renewal of the Townsville City Waterfront Priority Development Area adjoining our CBD.”
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Maguire described the move as the “chance of a lifetime” for his practice and patients.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to operate from a state-of-the-art facility and will allow my practice and our patients to be in close proximity to cutting-edge equipment for treatment, analysis, research and learning,” Dr Maguire said.
“It’s a dream come true really – we’re looking forward to being closer to the Cowboys and other medical providers in a modern and progressive environment, surrounded by achievement and positive energy.”
North Queensland Physiotherapy Centre principal director Jonathan Crawley said it’s exciting to be part of the growth and development of the Centre.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to expand our footprint for our physiotherapy and rehab services, while engaging with multiple allied health care providers to deliver quality outcomes for our patients.
“We’re really looking forward to continuing our long-standing and close relationship with the Cowboys and being able to offer our clients and referrers rehab technologies that are not typically available to the public.”
The Hutchinson Builders Centre combines community areas, multi-sport high-performance training spaces, sports medicine and sports science laboratories on a 5,000m² parcel of land.
Funding was secured through the Federal Government ($15 million grant), Queensland Government ($5 million grant) and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility ($20 million loan).
The Cowboys have a long-term development lease with Townsville City Council for use of the land, which includes a user agreement for the adjacent 12,000m² community training field.
Commercial space in The Hutchinson Builders Centre is still available, with all enquiries to be directed to Jeff Reibel on 4773 0700.
