Robinson Reserve is now looking picture perfect

The official opening of stage one upgrades at Robinson Reserve in Tuart Hill was an excellent opportunity to welcome a couple of our newest residents. The nifty cow sculptures named Olive and Daisy by talented artist Mehdi Rasulle now have a permanent home near the reserve’s new playground. Taking about three months to complete, the sculptures acknowledge the Osborne Park Agriculture Society’s annual show and the site’s history as a dairy farm.

A huge thank-you goes to the State Government for supporting the overall revamp of the reserve and providing a $1.5 million funding commitment via the Community Sport and Recreation Fund. I would also like to thank the community and the passionate local groups who helped shape the project. As well as a new playground, the reserve now has a new barbecue area and seating, new sports half-court facilities and a new skate/scooter area.

It was great to have Minister for Sport and Recreation Mick Murray MLA and Balcatta MLA David Michael at the recent opening ceremony to see the completion of stage one. Osborne Ward Crs Adam Spagnolo and Giovanni Italiano along with Doubleview Ward Crs Elizabeth Re and Stephanie Proud were also on hand to help celebrate the milestone.

Still on Robinson Reserve, the annual Osborne Park Show will be happening before we know it. This year, the show will offer loads of family fun including rides, amusements and live entertainment on Friday 15 November and Saturday 16 November.

The Osborne Park Agriculture Society puts in a lot of work to stage the popular event each year and recently put a call out for interested stallholders. For more details on how to become a stallholder, visit the Osborne Park Show Facebook page. The City is proud to continue its sponsorship of the event, and we’re looking forward seeing this year’s show at the new-look Robinson Reserve.

Events like the Osborne Park Show are a great way to bring the community together and we are continuing to work on ways to add more vibrancy to the City. A proposed scheme amendment to the Local Planning Scheme hopes to pave the way for markets to trade in a broader range of areas across the City.

To make this happen, the City has prepared a draft ‘Markets - Exemption from Development Approval’ policy that includes making markets exempt from development approvals if they meet certain criteria. Visit the City’s Your Say Stirling webpage at www.yoursay.stirling.wa.gov.au by Friday 4 October for more details and to have your say.

It was an extremely tasty occasion when our Meals on Wheels team helped celebrate National Meals on Wheels Day by preparing a special menu for our clients. The annual event serves as a reminder that the City delivers delicious and nutritious two-course meals across the community on an ongoing or short-term basis. It also highlights the efforts of about 100 volunteers who deliver meals and provide a friendly social interaction to a lot of people.

When it comes to the numbers, the City’s Food Services team prepares about 5,000 meals each month at its purpose-built kitchen in Balcatta. If you would like to give the service a try, delicious two-course meals are available to buy from Meals on Wheels headquarters at 97 Delawney Street in Balcatta on weekdays between 10.00am and 3.00pm. Visit www.stirlingcommunitycare.com.au for more information about the program.

Have you taken your pooch to one of the City’s dedicated dog parks yet? There are now five fenced dog parks across the City. A must-visit destination for your four-legged friend, the parks offer a secure alternative for dogs and their owners to play and socialise. Facilities include drinking fountains, sand pits, outdoor seating and dog agility equipment.

Inglewood Ward Cr Bianca Sandri and her pooch Bentley recently visited the dog park at Dianella Regional Open Space to get amongst the fun. Along with the Dianella venue, the City has fenced dog parks at Charles Riley Memorial Reserve in North Beach, Inglewood Oval and Princess Wallington Reserve in Balga. We opened our newest dog park at Carine Regional Open Space in July.

Just lastly, I’d like to share that the industrious group at the West Stirling Neighbourhood House in Doubleview has had a name change to Doubleview House. For decades, the not for profit group has supported local families with a range of services including weekly playgroup sessions and fun workshops. The group recently launched its new logo and welcomed a new group of volunteers. For more details about the group, head to Facebook.