Swings, wins and happenings

Scarborough Beach just got better with the popular Whale Playground now offering play facilities for children with disability. After a short closure for works and routine maintenance, the playground now has an accessible triple swing with "You & Me" swing seat and a bird’s nest swing with rubber soft fall base. I’m thrilled to report that local youngster Charlotte was impressed with the new additions after giving the bird’s nest swing a workout just prior to the re-opening of the playground earlier this month.

Still at Scarborough, last week we officially opened Stirling Community Centres - Scarborough Beach. The multi-purpose centre next to the Scarborough Beach Pool took shape as part of the Scarborough foreshore redevelopment, which was jointly funded by the City of Stirling and State Government. The centre offers a multi-purpose space that can cater for a variety of functions with the stunning Scarborough Beach as a backdrop.

The new venue replaced the former Maureen Grierson Community Centre at Scarborough Beach. We paid tribute to Mrs Grierson at the launch by unveiling a new plaque that will be placed where the centre once stood, not far from the Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre. A champion for the community, Mrs Grierson – now aged 88 – was a City Councillor for close to a decade and served as Deputy Mayor.

Mrs Grierson has also been a long-time supporter of the Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club over the years. It was great to catch-up with Mrs Grierson at the launch event and for her to see the plaque first-hand before it’s added to the foreshore, just to the north of the amphitheatre.

Boosting the number of trees across the community remains a priority for the City, so it was terrific that one of our programs promoting the importance of trees has won a state award. Earlier this month, the Stirling Tree Trail picked up the Community Based Initiative of the Year Award in the 2019 Parks & Leisure Australia Awards of Excellence.

For the past couple of years, the Stirling Tree Trail program has offered children aged 4 to 11 years a fun way of learning about local trees. Youngsters have followed trails around Lake Gwelup and Carine Regional Open Space to discover interesting tree facts, find clues and solve a secret message to win a plant-able prize. Congratulations to the City’s Parks and Sustainability team on their win and delivering such a popular and free school holiday activity to the community.

A big thumbs up goes to everyone who rolled up their sleeves at the City’s first Community Tree Planting event for 2019. Thanks to the efforts of locals and volunteers, 115 trees were planted on Oakleaf Circle and surrounding streets. These newly-planted trees have given the area a breath of fresh air and will provide shade in the future as well as add value to nearby homes.

More tree planting events will be held in suburbs across the City throughout the cooler months. The events offer a tree-mendous opportunity for residents to get together, plant trees and even name them!

It was all about ‘Alpacas with Maracas’ when I met some of the City’s youngest residents at a recent storytime session to celebrate National Simultaneous Storytime. Now in its 19th year, the fun program encourages libraries, schools, pre-schools and families across the country to read a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator.

Balga Ward Cr David Boothman attended the WADJAK Northside Aboriginal Resource Centre in Balga this month to acknowledge a group of respected Aboriginal women who have become ambassadors for the centre. For the past four years, the centre has offered programs to create a strong, healthy and thriving future for local Aboriginal people. The City’s support for the centre is a key component of the Reconciliation Action Plan 2018-2020.

The five senior medical professionals named as patrons hope to inspire the next generation of Indigenous students to pursue their studies. Over the years, each of the academics has gone on to make their mark in the field of health, including roles as a senior researcher at Curtin University and lecturer at UWA’s Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health.

Osborne Ward Cr Adam Spagnolo dropped into the Karrinyup Community Men’s Shed recently to chat to members and check out their latest projects. This month marks the first birthday for the shed at 6 Jedda Road in Balcatta and members will celebrate the occasion with an open day on Friday 21 June from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

Visitors to the upcoming open day can size up the nifty workshop, chat to members, have a cuppa and check out the veggie garden now taking shape. About 50 gents have become shed members, but the group is ready to welcome more woodworkers of all skill levels.

The City recently approved a lease for the group to use the Jedda Road building for a nominal annual fee for the next five years. Visit www.karrinyup.mensshedswa.org.au for more details about the group.