Last time I wrote a an entry for the Pinarc blog I was discussing the difficulties faced by parents of children who are still in nappies but too big for standard baby changed tables. I am very pleased to see that the council is in the process of fitting out a new accessible toilet facilitiy which includes an adult sized change table. Great work Ballarat City Council!
So now on to my next crusade: playgrounds.
When I ask the parent group at the Specialist School what they would like to see change in Ballarat, the answer time and time again was “a fully fenced playground”. Many of these parents have children with autism, or other intellectual impairment, who like to run away. These parents would dearly love to be able to take their kids out (including neuro-typical siblings) to a park and not spend the while time chasing and worrying.
My daughter at the Special School is in a wheelchair so I am not very concerned about her running away, but I find it very difficult to stay within sight of her and simulataneously keep an eye on her very nimble little sister who is indeed quite capable of running. The liberty swing always brings a huge smile to my older daughter’s face, but it is unsafe for her little sister to be in the area when she is on it, but I can not adequately supervise her if she is outside the liberty swing enclosure(cage?).
What I would love to have is a place where my girls can play along side eachother, like other siblings get to. It sounds like a reasonable thing to ask but does such a place exist? Well actually yes, it does. Infact, several places like that exist. They are located in Lilydale, Montrose, Syndey, Kew, Bathurst, Dubbo, Glenelg, Ashburton, Brisbane, Lake Macquarie, Queanbeyan and Geelong… and these are just the ones I am aware of! Not only do these parks have accessible play equipment, they are also fully fenced. Some even have a double gate system so little escape artisists can’t just squeeze past as a mum gets her stroller through the gate. Many have barbeque areas, bike racks and toilets all within the fenced area. They have paved pathways in recognition of the fact that you can not push a wheelchair on bark chips or sand (not so easy for prams either). These play spaces are not parks for “disabled people”, they are engaging, fun places for all children and adults. Some even have equipment designed so adults with disabilities can play along side their able kids. These places become tourist destinations, particularly for families and school groups which include kids with disabilities (and these days, that is a large number of school groups!).
So why is Ballarat not on the list of places where such playspaces can be found? For one thing, it seems our council has had a fairly negative attitude about fencing playgrounds, despite the fact that parents of all types of kids would LOVE to have fenced playspaces. For another, council don’t seem to see how such a place would become a tourist attraction.
Ballarat is perfect day tripping distance from Melbourne and there are many, many families that would travel to visit a playspace of such high calibre. Of course, the main issue is the money. A playground such as this would take an investment of probably around a million dollars…
but if Dubbo can do it, and Bathurst… and Lilydale can do it, why can’t we? There are some organisations that work with all levels of government and with corporate entities in order to fund such projects, so it is likely the council will not have to fund it alone.
The council is currently reviewing how Victoria Park is used now and how it could be used in the future. Victoria Park is central, easy to find, has shade, great parking, public transport access, toilet facilities (yes, they would need upgrading). This would be a great chance to provide Ballarat with a fabulous tourist attraction, bring more people into Victoria Park, and, most importantly, make family outdoor recreation a possibility for the many families who currently are unable to safely visit a playspace in Ballarat with all of their children together.
The “Victoria Park Visioning” project is a great chance for us to promote this idea. As it says on the Ballarat City Council website “The project aims to set the direction for the park and will help Council to work closely with local residents and other stakeholders to ensure the best possible future for the park. For more information on Ballarat’s Victoria Park Visioning Project contact Council’s Public Spaces and Environment Team on 53205131.”
Rebecca Paton
