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It was a classic battle of age versus youth — and this time youth won.

When Seymour Masonic Lodge had to decide on a worthy local organisation for which it would try to win a grant from the organisation’s Board of Benevolence, it knew where to turn.

‘‘I asked (Mitchell Shire councillor) Robert Parker if he knew of anyone, and he said the (Seymour) Youth and Fitness Centre,’’ lodge secretary Andrew Fleming said.

‘‘They share the same values as us of fostering moral standards.’’

The lodge then competed with eight others from around the state, and its presentation, spearheaded by lodge master Clint Crout, won a $1000 prize.

That was donated to the Chittick Park-based centre last week, with grateful chairman Sergio Prado saying the money was likely to go towards a new treadmill.

The centre is as popular as ever, and Mr Crout said it was its work with the marginalised that swayed the lodge to back it.

‘‘Most of the other lodges we were up against had aged-care projects but the youth won out on the day,’’ he said.

‘‘Everyone says there’s nothing to do for the kids in this town but (the centre) is great, especially for disadvantaged kids who can’t afford other activities.’’

His presentation used the saying ‘‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’’.

‘‘Even people like us, if we have a friendly word in their ear if we see them doing something wrong and watch out for their best interests, everyone wins.’’

Cr Parker, a long-time supporter of the centre, said it taught many kids things they weren’t learning at home, such as good manners.

Mr Prado said that was due to the teamwork of the volunteers, and the older kids who mentored younger ones.

‘‘It might be a village raises a child but also sometimes it requires a few boys and girls to educate the community,’’ he said.

■Despite not being part of an official athletics club — there isn’t one for those ineligible for Little Aths in Seymour — some of those being trained by Mr Prado distinguished themselves at a recent round of the Athletics Victoria Aberfeldie Shield.

Ben Harvie was quickest in the under-20 men’s 100m and 400m events, Joseph O’Connor was quickest in the open 400m while his twin brother Dominic was third in that event as well as the open 100m, Maxine Paholek filled a similar placing in the open women’s 1500m (as well as finishing eighth in the under-14 400m), Brad Weaire was 11th in the under-18 men’s 1500m and the men’s open division three 4x100m relay side finished eighth of 14.