The majority of the cool kids were in the popular areas where you could catch a puppet show, have a dance, pat the animals or ride a pony. In the middle of the area you could see some finger-paintings being hung up to dry around a picnic blanket. In the next tent over, people were handing out fruits and drinks for the kids, and there was also some fitness involved with a basketball hoop and soccer nets close to an old fire engine.
The jumping castles were a big hit and I could see many kids in their 30s wanting to have a go! On the other side of the area was the new fire engine and the local fire brigade providing tours of the truck, whilst the work experience fire-fighter did demonstrations. “The number of kids here is just sensational. They see us in the streets now and they wave hello. It’s great to see the families out here and they get to see the other kids having fun, plus everyone gets a nice little break,” said Neil Duncan, station officer at Redfern Fire Station.
As this is a not-for-profit event, there were stalls around the area with information flyers for the adults to take and learn about the services within the area. “The families enjoyed all the activities provided. It was good to see them bringing their own picnic lunch and mingling together. We hope to have other Playgroups in the Park next year, to be held in mid-April, mid-June and mid-September 2013,” said event co-ordinator, Natasha Sitanala.
All the people involved had a great day. It was impressive to see families outside of the local areas coming down to say hello and to enjoy the day.
