Windgap triumph at Local Gala Day

Jellicoe Park was the location for a great day of football when our local Windgap Warriors took on the MRS (Multicultural Respite Services). I am told there was a lot riding on one particular match which last year ended in a 7all draw.  Well, each team must have got that much better this year as it still ended in a draw only this time it was 11all. Both teams have vowed to return to battle it out again next year!  The day was organised by Windgap, Pagewood Football Club and the Special Olympics Team New South Wales.  Well done to the Windgap Warriors who have been training with the Pagewood Football Club for the past couple of years.

Pool Opens next weekend

Botany Aquatic Centre, home of the Botany Big Splash Waterslides, will open its gates on Saturday October 2 for the summer season. Hopefully the weather will be kind and we all have a great season enjoying the activities on offer including the 50 metre pool, the toddlers wading pool and the well kept grass area together with picnic tables and barbeques. Just a reminder if you are an Aged Pensioner who lives within the City of Botany Bay entry is free.  Simply fill in an application form when you arrive at the pool for your first visit and you will be issued with your season pass.  Aged Pension Cards must be shown. The season pass is not transferable and admits only one Aged person.

Little Athletics back on the track

The 2010 season for Randwick Botany Little Athletics is off and running … training on the new track will begin in October but in the meantime they are all warming up at Mutch Park for the big comeback! Registrations for this season are up but they are always ready to welcome any young athlete who wants to train and have fun.  Joining Little A’s is the perfect way to get an edge over your team mates for next seasons winter sports.  Increase your speed and agility and run rings around your mates on the footie field next season! Give Tony Vecellio a call on 93494862 and find out how you can keep fit, have fun and improve your athletic skills all at the same time.

School holidays in the Library

The library staff have organised some events to keep local school children occupied during the holidays.  

First up is Christmas Baubles - Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to prepare than making your own Christmas baubles to decorate the Christmas tree.  You will have an opportunity to use different techniques to create a wide range of effects for your personalised baubles.  You’ll need to book for these sessions which will be held on Monday, 27th September between 2:30 – 4:30 pm and Tuesday, 5th October between 10:00am and 12:00 noon. This one is for those aged over 6 and there is a small charge of $3 per child per session to cover costs.  Call Candy at the Central Library Eastgardens on 9366 3888 to make your booking.

“Backyard Bugs” show  This one is not for the faint hearted.  Rangers on the Run will visit the Central Library at Eastgardens on Friday, 1st October  between 10.30am and 11.30am with their show Backyard Bugs which focuses on the world of mini beasts. Three groups of bugs are investigated– Myriapods, Insects and Arachnids. Backyard Bugs is totally interactive and allows children to hold and screaming! Backyard Bugs is for those aged 4 and over and bookings are essential as places are limited. There is an entry fee of $3 per child, which includes one parent per family (if desired). Bookings need to be made in person to Candy on 9366 3888.

Playgrounds - upgrades and improvements

Our outdoor staff are very excited about two new “regional” playgrounds that are underway and, when finished, will complement the very popular Booralee Park playground, in Botany.  If you’re around Jellicoe Park you’ll see that excavation is progressing for the new playground.

The first lot of new equipment is due in the next week or so and we plan to have this new playground open for the Christmas school holidays.  The new playground in Sir Joseph Banks Park is about 40% done and we plan to have it at a safe level by the end of next month – for “testing” by the kids who live in the area.  All other playgrounds  - there are 46 in total, varying in size – are also being inspected in preparation for the warmer months when the kids have energy to burn on swings, slides and all the other playground equipment.  Some of our smaller ones, which meet the needs of the children living nearby, need some updated equipment and soft fall and the like. We’ll be doing the work progressively as we match population statistics to playgrounds.  What we do is check the population figures, see where there are children of different age groups and plan playgrounds to meet the particular needs.  

Special weeks coming...

In the next couple of months we have some special weeks to celebrate and promotions to organise.  First is National Water Week (in October) when we’ll place emphasis on saving water while keeping gardens and communities sustainable.  After that we’re into National Recycling Week (in November) when we’ll be focusing on recycling and reuse of resources.  In the next few weeks I’ll give more information about these events and not only what we’re doing but also some of the special things we’ve got planned.

Athletics Associations

With the new season of little athletics ready to launch forth on the track and facilities at the upgraded Hensley Athletics Field, the difference in athletics between the various levels of competition has never been more apparent. We will have at Hensley a new season of great competition by young athletes who are the future of their various disciplines.

To watch them any Saturday is to see athletics at its most exuberant. I contrast that with the organisation of athletics at the national level. Remember when we were going through all the planning for the Hensley upgrade and the criticism we got. The alleged elite athletes were our constant critics. Nothing we were doing was right. Our crime at the stage was not to hand over a valued community asset to a small group of athletes who, in their minds, knew better than us We resisted the entreaties of the critics and went ahead and delivered a new community asset that will benefit our City and athletics in our region for generations.
 
This was brought home to me in the past week when reigning Commonwealth 400 meter champion John Steffensen withdrew from the Australian team for the Delhi Commonwealth Games.
 
He withdrew because of the inflexibility and bureaucratic mindset of officials in Athletics Australia – one of the organisations that was used to criticise us over Hensley.
 
Steffensen is the Commonwealth champion and he won’t be competing in the Commonwealth Games.
 
His crime, as far as the officials were concerned, was that he had to follow their inflexible rules when it came to qualifying. He’d had a back operation and wanted an exemption on qualifying. His operation was timed so that he could compete in Delhi – but that wasn’t good enough for the black and white bureaucrats who love their official roles.
 
If he didn’t run to qualify – and that would have been after surgery – his spot could be guaranteed. Even though he was the champion, others with lesser times could take the spot. The official inflexibility means the Commonwealth champion won’t be at the Commonwealth Games representing Australia. Steffensen isn’t the only one.
 
Long distance runner and Melbourne Commonwealth Games hero Craig Mottram was another. Mottram had an Achilles tendon injury and could do the qualifiers.  Others have filled the places and he’s left out.
 
Having had some experience with athletics officials, I cannot only sympathise with John Steffensen and Craig Mottram, I see but don’t understand the bloody mindedness of athletics officials.
 
These two elite athletes experienced it in their quest to represent their nation.
 
We saw it, on a much smaller scale, over the redevelopment of Hensley. We persevered and produced a community asset for this City. Our community won.  Steffensen and Mottram lost and athletics is the poorer for that loss. But the officials go on regardless.