From The Editor
The Asbestos riddled Coddington Park in Murrumburrah did little to excite or attract travellers to the TwinTowns over the Christmas/school holiday period of 2024/2025. In fact it scared families with young children, wary of getting out of the car. Although when travellers pulled their cars and caravans in to the carpark for a well-earned break, toilet stop or barbecue, where they could view the silo art, many were left scratching their heads as to why asbestos would be left in such a highly visible and normally family friendly place, fenced off with orange bunting and no explanation except that it was present and that it was dangerous via the red, white and black signs the asbestos had not been dealt with.
The Times’ staff asked several travellers what they thought and the most prominent word used to describe the issue was ‘scary’.
Dangerous’ and ‘off-putting’ were also thrown in to the mix. Locals voiced their concern that Council wasn’t taking the issue seriously due to the fact the matter wasn’t being dealt with in a timely fashion.
The issue has now no doubt caused untold damage to the reputation of the Twin Towns.
Coddington Park failed to meet the expectations of several Councillors when redesigned and a large contingent of the community when it was recently renovated. Sala4D provided a large array of beautiful artists’ impressions which in the end did not come to fruition. A lesson for Council’s to be realistic when designing imagery for the general public to get excited about before severely underdelivering due to budget constraints and common sense.
My children have not played there and won’t, which is sad because my husband grew up about 150 metres from the Murrimboola Creek. It shaped a carefree lifestyle from another era. He watched the footbridge behind Albury Street wash away when in infants school when a huge storm came through the area in the early 1990s. He watched it go again in the early 2010s when Sutherland Council, our then sister city, helped with the clean up and gifted $100,000 to establish a new footbridge. The brass plaque signifying this gift is now gone. He used to go through the property of Helen and Bob Molloy with friends and family and at times attempt to leap the distance over the creek via a large rock to the other side when water was down. I’m told there was plenty of mischievous play at the park and then later on at Robert’s Park playing footy and soccer. It was the quickest route to have fun.
When we allow those who we entrust to spend our rates money to do what has been done to Coddington Park, it certainly can become disheartening watching what went on over the last few months. There’s no shade for kids, the park is contaminated and the creek has basically all but stopped running. Was this down to the original design with the so called ‘ponds’, new causeway and fish ladders? With plans afoot to attempt to get some grants for all purpose change rooms at Robert’s Park, who will be entrusted with delivering the next project or failure?
Let’s hope the Harden Councillors can speak up and that their counterparts at Boorowa and Young will see sense and listen to the locals who know the area. Why? Well it can’t get much worse than it is now.
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