By Brett Kennedy
TWO Mount Gambier children are leading a neighbourhood campaign to have a playground established at a community reserve on Matthew Flinders Way.
Imogen Lines, 10, and Olivia Lauterbach, 6, are spearheading the push for a children’s play space at the currently vacant reserve to service children and families residing in the expanding north-western residential development.
The Stuart Court residents recently engaged residents in the area through door-knocking and letterbox drops, taking their argument to Mount Gambier City Council’s monthly meeting on Tuesday night.
While praising council for its development of the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre, the young girls urged the local government body not to forget the importance of neighbourhood playgrounds.
“They are an essential tool in our development, they are so much more than fun and games,” Olivia said.
“Families gather, children climb, slide, swing, laugh, shout and the benefits improve quality of life for children now and for the rest of our lives,” she said.
Olivia said playgrounds also encouraged children to play outdoors away from screens and devices, telling The Border Watch she had developed the strength to use the monkey bars through regular playground use.
Imogen highlighted the benefits of increased self confidence, self esteem and relationship building provided by community playgrounds, as well as numerous health and wellbeing benefits.
She also said the “empty” Matthew Flinders Way reserve was more than a kilometre from the nearest small neighbourhood playground at AF Sutton Reserve, 2.5km from Vansittart Park and over 3km from the rail lands.
In response to the deputation, council acting chief executive Barbara Cernovskis encouraged supporters of the playground proposal to make a submission to the Mount Gambier Sport, Recreation and Open Space Strategy consultation, launched last week.
According to council, community input will guide the future development of sporting, recreation and open space facilities in Mount Gambier and help sourcing of grant funding from State and Federal governments for future capital works projects.
Council will use information collected during the initial strategy community engagement process to prepare the draft Sport, Recreation and Open Space Strategy, which will be then be released for further community consultation later in the year.
Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said the youths made a “compelling case” and they had given council the reasons why it should do the project.
“It is wonderful to see young people in our community taking such an interest in our community and coming forth in this venue and having such passion in your argument,” Ms Martin said.
Praising the girls for their deputation, councillor Ben Hood asked the speakers if they had given thought about the type of playground they would prefer at the site.
“We did think about a sustainable playground because there’s lots of plastics playgrounds but sustainable playgrounds are good for the environment,” Imogen responded, agreeing with Cr Hood’s follow-up question regarding whether a nature play space was preferred.
WHAT COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE OR OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD? – editorial@tbwtoday.com.au
