Dear Campaspe Shire, 

I am a Kyabram resident, mother of four children aged 5, 3, 2 and 0, and a general practitioner in Echuca. I write to you regarding the lack of/state of play equipment in the parks in Kyabram.

Kyabram is lucky, in that we actually have quite a few parks around the town, however, the lawn in them is dry and prickle-riddled and the play equipment is inadequate. Most of the parks have equipment in excess of 20 years old, where pieces have been removed over the years and not replaced. A lot of it hasn't been updated since I was a child living in Ky.

We live in a town where obesity rates are high, inactivity is the norm and social issues are rife. Having some well resourced parks would encourage parents to get their kids outside and away from screens; encourage them to get active; encourage them to spend time together as a family. All of this would be beneficial for the physical, social and emotional health of Kyabram's kids now and in the future.

The Kyabram Fauna Park used to have a playground with equipment that suited 1-2 year olds in one area and another set for 3-7 year olds beside it. An update a couple of years ago saw the removal of equipment for 3-7 year olds and it was replaced with things suited to 7+ year olds. It is no longer a place to meet for parents' groups or to venture to regularly for family groups. Why couldn't the new stuff be an addition, rather than a replacement?

The Kyabram Club has good, albeit slightly limited, equipment. However, they are not open in the mornings when people are out and about with their kids and they, reasonably, expect a purchase of food and drinks when you go there. For some people, this is not an option.

The park in the town centre, on Fenaughty St, is in a great location, but has a slide that bores most 2 year olds. Other than a couple of swings, there is certainly little appeal for kids above toddler age.

Edis Park has a few pieces of okay equipment and a barbecue area, but is also an off leash dog park, which puts some parents off. On top of this, the lawn is horrible.

The parks in Hibiscus Court and Banyule Court have variable equipment but are graffitied and, again, limited in the age group they appeal to.

The park in Wilson/Bond St used to be pretty good when I was a kid. It is a great size and has some nice trees in it, however, in the past 10 years or so, almost all of the equipment has been removed and just a swing, a rocking horse and a slide remain. They, too, are covered in graffiti and are sun-damaged. Anytime I try to take my kids here, their bike tyres end up punctured with bindiis.

On Sunday, we drove through Kerang and took the kids to a fantastic park there. There was equipment for all ages - from my 6 month old to my 5 year old. There was shade. It was enclosed so you didn't have to worry about your kids running on the road. The landscaping was amazing and natural. The kids couldn't get enough of it. We have previously found parks of a similar high quality in Cohuna, Swan Hill, Shepparton, Merrigum, Echuca, Apollo Bay, Torquay, Bendigo and on recent holidays in Canberra and Port Douglas. Why does Kyabram have to miss out? Why do kids who are already on the back foot in terms of social wellbeing get forgotten in this regard also? Why must we take our kids out of town to have a play at a decent park, for goodness sake?

I really hope that council will take the above on board and address this short-coming in the very near future.

Yours sincerely,
Jessica Halstead