Australind skatepark petition signed by hundreds

Two young Australind skaters have lobbied Harvey Shire Council for improved skating facilities in their town.

Nigel Heidt, 10, and Dwight Eckersley, 11, said the skatepark opposite the Australind police station was inadequate and did not allow them to advance their skills.

Dwight and Nigel, along with Nigel’s mother Sabine Heidt, put together a petition which they presented to the council with more than 400 signatures.

They have also created a Facebook group which has attracted more than 100 members.

Nigel, who rides a scooter, said the skatepark needed to be improved because of the portable jumps that were at the park.

"With the portable jumps, people can move them around and tip them and the coping (the metal parts at the top) stick out too much and when you hit them you go face first into the pole," he said.

Dwight said the portable jumps also meant people could move them from their right positions.

The size of the park was also a problem for Dwight and Nigel.

"With a bigger skatepark, there is less chance of crashing and when it’s busy, we will be able to ride with a bit of room to do our jumps," Dwight said.

Mrs Heidt said she was concerned the difficulty level of the skatepark was inhibiting her son’s and other skatepark users’ skill growth.

She also said the users of the skatepark were continuing to grow and that it was a "no-brainer" that the council expand the park and improve the facilities.

"People use the skatepark now more than netball, basketball, football, and soccer all together," the mother of two said.

"The Australian Bureau of Statistics found out just in April this year that 49 per cent of children use the skatepark for either skating, scootering, or BMX for three hours per week and not any other sports have nearly the same participation rate."

Lyn Watt from LOT 208 Youth Inc said the youth organisation was supporting the appeal and presented the petition on behalf of Nigel, Dwight and Mrs Heidt to council.

Mrs Watt said LOT 208 Youth Inc was happy to work with the council to identify funding possibilities.

Shire president Peter Monagle said he appreciated the presentation but upgrading the skatepark would have to be considered with other proposals next year in the council’s budget.