Memorial Ave land needs protection
Having written to the council Administrator several times about the progressive destruction of the once-beautiful park at 23 Memorial Ave, Blackwall, it was not a pleasant task to write again.
I can only hope that this time he will not delegate the reply to his writer-in-chief of platitudes.
This land, and our community, have suffered enough.
As you may remember, the reserve was taken over by mountain bike riders two years ago.
Since then, the locals who used the park for peaceful purposes have been afraid to enter.
To create an exciting biking experience, unknown men have dug deep holes and built huge bumps covered with carpet.
They have then invited other bikers to come and enjoy wrecking a beautiful natural environment - stealing it, in fact, from the local community.
What was once a place to hold yoga classes, walk, or just sit and listen to the wind in the trees, is now covered with weeds and rubbish, deep holes and earth mounds - not to mention the speeding bikes and their yelling riders.
Three days ago I was setting off on my walk when I noticed a boy going into the reserve through the trees.
Normally I don't do into the reserve alone, but, throwing caution to the wind, I followed him.
In the clearing was a young man digging new holes with a very sharp shovel.
He had already rebuilt some speed bumps and put new carpet over them.
When I took out my phone to take photos of the improvements, two younger boys took off on their bikes.
The older one hid behind a tree with his bag over his face.
I had no intention of taking their photos, but why were they so afraid unless they felt guilty? The "improvements" remain.
So does the rubbish, and the weed covered holes into which a member of the public risks falling.
I have asked the Administrator to restore this land to the condition it was in before the wreckers arrived: Remove the speed bumps, fill in the holes, cut back the weeds, mow the clearing and remove the feral creepers from the remnant trees of the Umina sand plain forest.
Protect the reserve from further incursions of spade-wielding bikers. In no society ever has it been OK to destroy public property just because you felt like it.
The reserve contains a registered midden, which should be preserved.
Both the Administrator and council staff have a duty of care to rate-paying residents, and a duty of protection to Council land.
SOURCE:
Email, 1 Sep 2023
Jane Hendy, Blackwall