Lord Mayor Clover Moore officially opened the park with Aboriginal elders and representatives from the park planning committee.
She said she was delighted that Reconciliation Park was now a much better place for kids and their parents. “The tree house beneath the shade of a tree and a slide and swings are brilliant additions, while parents can now enjoy better seating with better views across the park.”
The renewal project followed a public consultation process that began when 33 Darlington Primary School students made more than 500 suggestions for the park.
While 14 of the park’s trees were preserved, seven along its perimeter had to be removed to make way for the community garden and a safer entrance to the community space at the junction of George and James streets.
The prominent “Think Globally Act Locally” mural along the side of the park was fenced off and protected during the construction works. It was painted in the early eighties by the Public Art Squad, which pioneered community murals in Australia.
The park was named Reconciliation Park in recognition of the special place and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians.
