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Members of the Gloucester community have joined forces to petition MidCoast Council about the playground at Billabong Park, with the result that the park will be upgraded.
Having a fun, safe and modern playground was the motivation behind the movement that saw many people write letters of support for funding a new playground.
In 2016, needles were discovered in the sandpit and after council emptied the pit there was intention to replace it with something “that is fun and safe for kids.” At this stage, the area has been filled in but nothing new has been added.
Council's manager of community spaces, recreation and trades, Dan Aldridge visited St Joseph’s Primary School in 2017 after the students had written letters to council about upgrading the playground. He told the students that letters tell council what is important to the community and the more people involved in the request shows council how important it is.
Deputy mayor Katheryn Smith had been receiving messages from concerned residents about the state of the playground and decided it was time to act. She put a call out on Facebook for people to write letters of support.
“The play equipment needs to be replaced with something more modern,” Katheryn said. “It’s a bit outdated.
“It also lets down our beautiful park.”
But Katheryn isn’t alone in her feelings about the playground. Gloucester mother of three, Tara Jennings has been taking her children to the park for the past seven years and agrees with Katheryn.
“It’s tired, dirty and damaged,” she said. “It’s a let down to our visitors as well.”
Tara is one of the parents who contacted Katheryn and council with concerns about the state of the equipment.
As a result, council has said it will be upgrading the playground facilities at Billabong Park during the next financial year.
The upgrade will include the installation of new equipment and refurbishment of existing equipment. Council informed the community the project is currently in the planning stage, and it aims to submit a report at the May ordinary council meeting.