and Merri Park. In the early 1900s the growing Fitzroy Cricket Club (the original parent club of the Fitzroy Baseball Club) was in need of an additional field for its teams to play on. To develop a solution the club arranged a meeting on 17 August 1909 between the Mayor of Northcote, the Mayor of Fitzroy, Councillors from both cities, the committee of the Fitzroy Cricket Club and the Minister for Lands Mr McKenzie. The Cricket Club urged that the 10 acres of the Crown land known as the Inebriates' Retreat, at Northcote, be sold to the Club for recreation purposes at a nominal price. The Minister promised to take the matter to the Cabinet and the outcome was the following letter : The ground was used by the Club as an adjunct ground from 1910 with the club undertaking a number of improvements together with the Northcote Council. In 1912 with the help of the Fitzroy Council the cricket club filled in the unused watercourse that crossed the park with 4,000 square yards of filling. In 1914 considerable improvements were made by the Cricket Club with the pavilion re-erected and caretakers quarters added as well as a 4 ft 3in picket fence being erected along the length of the western and southern boundaries of the field to prevent cricket balls going into the Merri Creek so often. The improvements made by the club up to 1914 totalled £750, including the filling of the storm water channel. In 1915 the club continued to make improvements in order to fulfil the terms of the land grant, the pavilion was re-painted, the water supply was laid to the park and the showers connected proving a great convenience to players. In 1927 Merri Park was made into a permanent reserve after the Minister of Lands allowed the Education Department to use part of the reserve for Northcote High School. During the 2011–12 summer season Merri Park was resurfaced and underwent a warm weather turf conversion to protect it from the drought conditions which had seen it become a dust bowl in previous years. Fitzroy relocated for the majority of the season to Elder St Reserve, Greensborough Baseball Club's winter ground. Club song To the tune of "La Marseillaise" We are the boys from old Fitzroy, We wear the colours maroon and blue, We will always strive for victory, We will always see it