Play park fencing funded at last

Toddler Travis McCarron, who drowned two years ago while at day care. His death prompted the council’s playground safety audit.

NEARLY two years after toddler Travis McCarron drowned while on a day care outing to a park, Tweed Shire Council has been given government money to fence playgrounds.

Five weeks ago the council finally completed fencing around playground equipment at Russell Way Park in Tweed Heads South near the pond where the 21-month old toddler drowned.

But it has faced a continuing campaign for the fencing of other playgrounds to protect children from hazards including other ponds and traffic.

It now has $67,500 in Federal Government funding to implement the findings of a lengthy playground safety audit it conducted in the wake of Travis’s drowning.

The audit recommended fencing a number of playgrounds and erection of safety warning signs.

The money is part of a more than half-a-million dollars in infrastructure grants for work which Mayor Warren Polglase said the council otherwise would not be able to complete.

Yesterday one young mum who has been campaigning for a playground in Knox Park in Murwillumbah to be fenced, Lisa Townsend, applauded the funding but said it should go on fencing, not signs.

“Money would be very welcome to fence the playground at Knox Park, so that if you are looking after a number of small children it is reasonably safe,” she said.

“At the moment a moment’s distraction, ie, by a suddenly screaming baby, could mean a drowning.”

Mrs Townsend said signs telling people to watch their children would be a waste of money unless they were water hazard signs. which should be “large and pictorial”.

Mayor Polglase said four projects including the playground fencing now had the green light following the funding.

The funds include the $67,500 for playground fencing and signage upgrades, $180,000 for a rock wall on the remaining 430 metres of endangered bank along the Tweed River at Chinderah, $152,000 for work on the Tweed Heads Civic Centre auditorium and $150,000 to provide shaded seating and barbecues, drinking fountains and a playground facility at the southern Fingal boat harbour.

“The four projects are important to improving our community infrastructure. Without this funding these are activities that Council would otherwise not be in a financial position to complete,” Cr Polglase said.

Travis McCarron drowned in a pond in April 2008 while on a day care excursion with Tweed Shire Family Day Care Association to Russell Way Park.