Melbourne has been hosting this week the international Healthy Parks, Healthy People congress, and Alan Saunders on Radio National spoke to two of the keynote speakers this morning.
Having people enjoy public parks, and the effect it has on neighbourhood vitality and personal wellbeing, is a cause close to my heart. Last year I established a community project called A Walk in the Park to get people out of their cars and get them walking. One of the goals was to increase usage of our beautiful local park, Como Park.
Melbourne is, of course, famous for its parks. It’s one of the things that entranced me about the city when I moved here from Sydney 10 years ago. I was amazed that in suburb after suburb, block after block, someone had set aside some land for nothing other than enjoyment and reflection. And each was so lovingly tended.
The little pocket parks are my favourite. Look at this little beauty I spotted today: The Dame Nellie Melba Memorial Park in Coppin Street, Richmond. Note all the little details including the treble clef and other musical notation wrought in iron to celebrate the famous soprano. How wonderful to live in a city where someone would go to such trouble for a small park in a side street of a suburb still shaking off its slum past.
*****
To listen to Alan Saunders’s program, click here:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bydesign/stories/2010/2867745.htm
And each was so lovingly tended.
there is evidence of people in these beautiful pictures, but where are the people? :)
i am jealous of these images! where has thomas been? i miss his posts.
sheila, i need your landmark wisdom. there is a nutter who is stalking my posts (on another blog) even after i have unsubscribed to the nutter’s blog. is this common?
let me guess, ignore, ignore, ignore? i am trying to have pity for the attacker, but the posts are nasty.
hope all is well with you. XXXX
Well, that’s another thing about these pretty little parks … not many people use them. And yet still they’re tended and loved.
Sorry to hear about the stalker, sister. What’s the person doing? Are they sending you things? Or do you mean the person is commenting on your posts?
commenting on my posts in a very disrespectful manner.
since it is healthy parks healthy people week, how about you add yourself or some pals to the pictures?
if i understood your limited sharing of landmark insight, one point is “don’t project”. BUT, my gut tells me this person is miserable and has chosen me as a target to lash out upon. why me? the person has revealed they have their health and though they complain of their financial state, mine is far worse (they revealed their income on a blog). so why attack me?
does this happen often? stalking on blogs? there is a lesson in here somewhere for me, regardless of the other person.
glad you haven’t got a big head from all the press, he he he.
it’s after 1:00 am here so i’ll look forward to your wisdom in the morning.
oh, i forgot to congratulate you on the online marketing campaign @ work, well done!
I’ve got a suggestion which I’ve emailed to you. N x