WATTLE Range Council will ask Penola’s Catholic community about moving carved statues from Father Woods Park into the township.
Prompted by an approach by a local farmer concerned about aspects of the route for the rail trail, which is currently under construction, the decision to discuss the statue moving proposal with church authorities was made at council’s monthly meeting on Tuesday.
Attending the meeting was Churinga Park farmer, Peter Hocking, supported by two other farmers, George Kidman and Tom Edwards.
Mr Hocking’s wife, Elke, who could not be in attendance, provided a recorded visual presentation in which she outlined the Hocking’s concerns in relation to the intended construction of a path from the rail trail which would use an unmade road reserve through their property. The path is included the current plan for the rail trail project to allow users of the trail to access Father Woods Park where the statues are located.
During extended discussion, several councillors expressed concern about the planned route due not only to the Hocking’s issues but also due to costs associated with providing amenities at Father Woods Park and potential safety issues with trail users crossing the Riddoch Highway from the west to access the park which is on the east side of the highway.
Two motions, both carried with a vast majority of the councillors in favour, essentially asked for the construction of the rail trail to continue only along the disused railway corridor to the next road crossing and to await the outcome of discussions with church authorities, and information requested from the Department of Transport in relation to safety at road crossings, before considering the remaining route of the trail.
Cr Debbie Agnew said she and Cr Dean Burrows had met with two local farmers at the site the previous day.
“No reflection on your driving Cr Burrows, but I don’t mind telling you that I was nervous turning right into the carpark [Father Woods Park],”she said.
“Within about five minutes four b-doubles [trucks] and seven cars had passed along the Riddoch Highway.
“It’s a dangerous spot.”
Cr Peter Dunnicliff said that when the park was first opened in 2010, there were complaints that people slowing down to look at or enter the park was almost causing accidents for traffic on the Riddoch Highway and he asked if the speed limit in the area could be reduced to 80kph.
Council’s Director Engineering Services, Peter Halton, acknowledged the long term concerns with traffic at the site and said Council had requested protective turning lanes to be constructed to no avail. Instead the shoulders of the road in the park area had been sealed to provide some improvement.
“We had this discussion when I first came here to bring the speed limit down to 100kmph and that wasn’t supported at the time,” he said.
Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Ben Gower told the meeting that the rail trail was progressing at a rate of about 800 metres per day and that the catholic church was spending about $60,000 to upgrade the statues and move them further to the back of the park to allow room for the provision of a sealed carpark and installation of other facilities such as public toilets.
One of the successful motions came from Cr Dale Price after he was the first to suggest the possible movement of the statues.
“It’s just a case that the statues are in the wrong place,” he said.
“It’s not just the safety concerns of turning right into the park but even turning left.
“There are a range of places in Penola where the statues could go to condense the attractions in town.
“People would come down the street and maybe spend some dollars in Penola and support the community; they will not do that at Father Woods Park,” he said.
Cr Graham Slarks said Father Woods had travelled far and wide to deliver his sermons.
“Someone else celebrated that by donating the land [for the park],” he said.
“This was Father Woods’ spot so I don’t think we can move it; I think it is disrespectful.”
In closing the debate, Cr Price said he believed the church would be equally concerned about the safety issues.
After the meeting he said moving the statues would solve a multitude of issues.
“The relocation of the statues would be good for Penola economically and it also alleviates a serious traffic issue at the current location and also allows for the current proposed bike track to be redirected to a safer location which will connect with the track being created by the Naracoorte/Lucindale Council,” he said.
“There is also a benefit to the family affected by the current proposal down the unmade government road.
“In the long term there would also be savings to council as, under the proposed agreements [for Father Woods park], council would provide a bitumen carpark, toilets and the ongoing maintenance of the toilets, rubbish removal and grass slashing for a minimum of 20 years.
“It is my understanding that all the statues bar one will need to be replaced and so it seems appropriate timing to consider their location.”
Also after the meeting, the trio of farmers who attended expressed their support for the proposal to move the statues.
Mr Kidman said: “I have lived my whole life there and the safety issues are real. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
Father Woods Park is 21kms north of Penola on the Riddoch Highway and includes a series of statues sculptured from tree stumps depicting the life of Father Julian Tenison Woods and Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
The land for the park was provided by the Gartner family and is across the Riddoch Highway from a large gum tree known as Father Woods Tree which is said to mark an area where the parish priest conducted mass when he served in the area in the 1850’s and 1860’s.
The statues were sculptured by Kevin Gilders and were unveiled in 2010 by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson.
