Wee Waa mothers have launched a campaign to update the play equipment at Ludowici Park.
Young mums Rebecca Wager and Laura-Lee Chaplin are driving the campaign to raise funds for new, fully functional gadgets at the park.
They were inspired by a recent trip to Burren Junction, where they were surprised to find a vibrant new playground with plenty of features and a shade cloth overhead.
A photo of the Burren park posted on Facebook by the ladies has received more than 120 ‘likes’ from other district residents who would like to see similar infrastructure in Wee Waa.
Many supportive comments have also been left.
Two other local mums said they wrote to Narrabri Shire Council last year seeking an upgrade to Wee Waa’s playgrounds and are still hoping to see action.
But Rebecca and Laura-Lee are determined to see the park improved and are seeking information on available grants and help from local community groups.
They’d like to form a committee to gather community input and believe now is the time to act, as Wee Waa could benefit from the thousands of visitors who will descend on the town for the Daft Punk album launch at Wee Waa Show next month.
The ladies voiced their concerns at a chamber of commerce meeting in Wee Waa last Thursday night, where Wee Waa Rotary president Kerry Watts said Rotary may be able to help.
He will take the issue to the club’s next meeting to request support.
Equipment at Ludowici Park has degraded over the years and pieces have been removed and not replaced, including the only slippery slide.
“We would like things that have been taken away to be replaced,” Laura-Lee said.
“The slide’s been missing for three years. A park has to have a slippery dip.”
In its place is a rusted metal barrier.
Laura-Lee said that without the slide, there’s no way off the equipment unless the children can climb backwards, and this is a hard task for her three-year-old daughter Lucy.
“It’s really a safety (issue),” Laura-Lee said. “And also with obesity being such a concern, you want your kids to be able to use equipment and run around.
“It’s good for exercise and for coordination.”
A toy helicopter at the park is also broken and covered in gratifi.
It used to spin when children pedalled, but the pedals are no longer intact.
Ludowici has four swings, but no baby swing.
It also has two covered picnic tables in good condition, but local mums would like to see benches with a back rest added.
These are much more comfortable for breast feeding, they say.
A shade cover is also a priority.
“We’re not saying that the main equipment has to go, we just want to add on to it,” Laura-Lee said.
The park recently had a new toilet block and fence installed, which the mums love.
They say these features, and the quiet location, make Ludowici Park a better candidate for an
upgrade than the playground at Dangar Park, which also adjoins a highway. Cathead burrs are a particularly big problem at Dangar Park.
“The lawn here isn’t great, but it’s much better than Dangar Park,” the ladies added.
Rebecca and Laura-Lee believe parks play a broad social role as they help parents unwind and provide a meeting place.
But at the moment, “There’s no outlet, no place for them to meet,” Laura-Lee said.
Mother’s groups and playgroups use the park and also want action.
“We all go and get our coffee from the bakery, then we go to the park,” Rebecca said.
Or they take turns hosting the groups in their backyards.
“There’s so many parents in town who want to see something done,” the girls said.
Laura-Lee and Rebecca say Ludowici has great potential, with plenty of space, beautiful trees and some new infrastructure already in place. They said it also had room for exercise equipment, which could benefit active mums, teenagers and other residents.