‘Best playground’ opens

By Jo Kennett

pound pom in 1960 and lived in Sydney for many years.

The couple went through tough times in the 1960s and ‘70s due to the building crash.

Love is what kept them together.

“A family that prays together stays together,” the couple said, who attend Church Life Anglican Church.

“Follow your dreams together and stick together, support one another.”

The couple said they love to travel together and have been all over the world.

“In a way life can be an adventure if you stick together,” Mary said.

“We always had a five-year plan to work towards what we want. We feel we are really blessed.

“We purchased a motorhome after selling the farm and purchased a home.”

Allan has had a stroke but has recovered well.

“If you find the right one, you can have a wonderful life,” they said.

“Make your plan, work together and follow your dreams together.”

DESCRIBED BY some as the ‘best playground ever’, Livvi’s Place at Goorimahbah Place of Stories, an inclusive playground at Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads, was officially opened on Wednesday, February 23, after stage 1 of the $980,000 precinct upgrade was completed in December.

Designed in collaboration with the Touched by Olivia Foundation, local landscape architect Dan Plummer, Tweed Shire Council’s Aboriginal Advisory and Equal Access and Advisory Committees, and the community, the playground places inclusion at the heart of its design, allowing children of all abilities, ages and cultures to enjoy the play space.

Mayor Chris Cherry said she was excited to see how the community had embraced Livvi’s Place at Goorimahbah Place of Stories.

“Since its completion a few weeks ago, the play space has been a huge drawcard with families flocking to this beautiful park from across the Tweed and even north of the border,” Cr Cherry said.

“It has breathed new life into Jack Evans Boat Harbour and is a significant step in the transformation of Tweed into a vibrant regional centre that champions good design, the environment and cultural heritage to create attractive and diverse public spaces.”

Tweed MP Geoff Provest called it “a fun play space with stimulating play areas for everyone to enjoy.”

“This new project has been designed to cater for people of all abilities, including those with mobility, sensory, sight and hearing challenges,” he said.

Founder of the Touched by Olivia Foundation Justine Perkins said she was proud to add the play space to the national network of Livvi’s Places and loved working with Council, “who place the utmost value on a child’s right to play.”

The playground celebrates Bundjalung cultural heritage with Indigenous artwork and storytelling, including an Aboriginal calendar celebrating six seasons.

Fingal Head artist Christine Slabb completed the six seasons design in collaboration with Tweed Regional Museum, Tweed Byron Aboriginal Land Council and local (cultural consultation) business Banaam with Kyle Slabb.

“We represented those stories in the park because it is a place of stories and it was good to see the outcome with heaps of kids interacting in the park,” Christine said.

The play space design was funded by Children’s Charity Variety with stage 1 construction funded by the NSW Government in collaboration with Council.