Gerald Lynch
Calls for already established areas in Hume to not be left behind were voiced in a recent council meeting.
At the March 25 Hume council meeting, the public had a chance to put forward ideas for the next budget expenditure, with one passionate Campbellfield resident pleading for more recreational facilities to be built in the area.
Amira spoke passionately about the need for better playgrounds for children in Campbellfield.
She said she has long advocated to council for better facilities and feels her pleas have been “brushed off” and there has been a lack of community consultation.
“The William Canning Reserve had a new playground put in with all these amazing plants and flowers – nobody uses it,” she said.
“You need to reach out to residents, see what we need, what the kids need. There is one barbecue in all of Campbellfield.”
She said more soccer goals and upgraded basketball courts are needed to keep kids active and outdoors.
“Amazing playgrounds are being built in Mickleham and Donnybrook, but unfortunately the established suburbs are forgotten,” she said.
“We don’t want to keep travelling to Mill Park or Wallan or the Fawkner pools… our kids deserve better, we shouldn’t be going to Merri-bek for the best playgrounds, we should have it here in our own backyard.”
She also submitted a response for a water play park to be built in Broadmeadows, estimated to cost $500,000.
A request was sent in by Hume City Football Club for $300,000 to upgrade the synthetic surface at the John Ilhan Memorial Reserve.
The club said an increase in children using the pitches had led to a need for a resurface of the 10-year-old facility.
The Gladstone Park Lawn Bowls Club requested $1.2 million to fund a new synthetic green with a dome roof.
Another proposal was made for a $300,000 redevelopment of Destination Park in Greenvale. An anonymous resident said the park needs an overhaul to ‘meet evolving community needs’ including sensory-rich features and accessible structures.
