Kids play again at new-look Wilson Park

22 November 2016

Playground and open space reinstated after highway interruption

Childhood nostalgia flowed during a small gathering to officially open the new-look Wilson Park at East Banora Point recently.

Wilson family members were joined by residents’ association members, media and Council project officers to celebrate the new playground and open space, which replaces the old Wilson Park which made way for the Pacific Motorway bypass in 2012.

The new playground and space sparked many childhood memories for 83-year-old Ross Wilson and long-serving local journalist Bob Anthony.

Four generations of the Wilson family have lived in the Tweed since Ross’s grandfather moved to the area in the 1880s. The family established a farm in Terranora some 110 years later, around 1990.

“There’s no doubt about it, the old man would be very pleased with the way the park has turned out,” Mr Wilson said.

“The kids’ playground, in particular, has come up really well and a lot of kids are using it.

“This place really was paradise when I was a child and this space is still a lovely spot.”

The site was reinstated as a land bridge over the realigned highway and handed over to Council in 2015.

Council consulted the East Banora community to help design the new community space, leading to the decision to retain the community-built tennis court. The new playground was built next to the court.

A few finishing touches, including a new water fountain and signage celebrating the Wilson family’s connection to the site, were completed earlier this month in time for the official reopening on Friday 11 November.

The original dedication plaque to the Wilson Family was reinstated.

Banora and District Residents Association President Cliff Clothier said it was an important recreational space for the area because it was the only large open public space in Banora Point, east of the highway.

“It’s just great to have a playground here again and to see so many people using it,” Mr Clothier said.

For more information visit www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/ParksAndGardens

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Caption: Ross Wilson raises his hat in celebration of the new-look Wilson Park, with his wife Annette