Southern River families will soon enjoy new barbecues, playgrounds and sports facilities after council backed a funding shake-up that ensures two local parks will benefit.
At last month’s council meeting, councillors unanimously supported an amendment from Deputy Mayor Serena Williamson to split funding between Aldenham Park and Tiger Circle Reserve.
Councillor Williamson said early consultation showed residents wanted natural play equipment at Aldenham Park that would blend with the environment while keeping the large trees and open grass for ball sports.
“Council staff will now work on draft playground designs that will then be open to community consultation,” she said.
She added that many residents also asked for active sporting elements such as a multi-use space for pickleball, badminton or volleyball at Tiger Circle Reserve. “These are great multigenerational sports options for families, teens, adults and seniors, so it will be a fantastic investment for the community,” she said.
The move follows years of lobbying from residents, led by local dad Denis Coleman, who started a petition calling for better park facilities.
Mr Coleman said he was inspired after organising regular community picnics in Bletchley Park Estate.
“To do this often, we would have to bring down all of the equipment for these events, tables, chairs, even BBQs so that we could spend quality time together,” he said. “After having done this a few times a year, I believed it would allow us to more easily do so if there were facilities in the parks that we often use.”
He said the upgrades would better reflect the changing needs of the community.
“Ten years on, with older kids in the area, new equipment was necessary to be engaging for this older audience,” he said. “Having something for families to use locally is a great thing.”
Mr Coleman also praised the support from both Ms Williamson and Southern River MLA Terry Healy.
“Without her efforts and support I don’t think we would have gotten to this point,” he said. “It would also be remiss if I did not mention the support of Terry Healy MLA. In his last election campaign, he included funding for facilities in our parks, which would have enabled this project to be better than it initially was planned to be.”
Mr Healy said Cr Williamson deserved credit for ensuring the project stayed on track.
“I’m happy to say that Cr Serena Williamson is the real champion who has saved the day by amending the motion when the funding was at risk so that this build can proceed,” he said.
Mr Coleman, a board member and founder of the Fathering Project in Southern River, said the new facilities would provide a much-needed meeting point.
“Since the announcement of the approval of the BBQs our Fathering group has been waiting with anticipation for having a local area for us to meet,” he said. “Having a location that is accessible will enable us to meet regularly easier, in a setting that is safe and great for our kids too.”
He added that the upgrades would help strengthen bonds in the community.
“Every day people are walking in our neighbourhood, exercising and spending time together as a family,” he said. “I truly believe this will also happen in our area once we have this improvement of facilities.”
