It's always disappointing when a community playground, park or tree is vandalised. It's even more distressing when we know just how much love and enthusiasm went into a project.
In recent months, the giant outdoor story book located in the newly constructed Cringila Hills playground has been the target of repeated destructive vandalism. Council is calling for residents who may have any information about the incidents to contact either Council or the NSW Police.
This unique book is a beautiful part of the playground that many residents and children have enjoyed. Written in English and braille (with a QR code to read in different languages), the book tells the story of Gudgad the Greedy Frog, a Dhawaral Dreaming story.
This project was a new idea from Council as a way to offer something fun, interactive and inclusive for all members of the Cringila Hills community to enjoy. It took many hands to make this project a reality, and we have to thank the following community members and people who came together to create the book.
- Artist Celeste Celeste Coucke, who also installed the artwork in the playground.
- Aunty Lorraine Brown at Coomaditchie who collaborated with Celeste on the Dreaming story so that it could fit into an abbreviated version for the book.
- Vision Australia for their work transcribing the story into Braille.
- Around 180 children from Warrawong Public School, Cringila Public School, Cringila Children's House, the Southern Suburbs Mobile Pre-School and the Aunties and young people at Commaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation in Warrawong who provided artwork that was included in the book and playground.
"Council has previously included braille maps in some of our playgrounds – they're the maps that allow children and adults who are blind or have low vision to understand the layout of the playground space. The Cringila Hills playground book was an ambitious project to combine different skillsets and ideas to create a book that everyone can enjoy when they visit the playground," Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.
"This project was truly a work of love from so many people. All those involved in the project are devastated by the fact that the book has been vandalised a number of times since we opened the playground at the end of last year.
"The vandalism was deliberate and destructive as the book itself was made out of a form of Perspex that's very hard wearing, and what we had originally thought, as almost vandal proof. Whoever decided to destroy it, would have had to exert a lot of effort to damage it so severely."
If you have any information about these incidents – or any other acts of vandalism – we ask that you contact Council on (02) 4227 7111 or NSW Police and share what you know.
