But,in the end,there was little controversy to be seen as an excited group of children and their parents were welcomed to Eora country by Uncle Allan Barnes at the opening of the $2.2 million Leichhardt Skate Park on Saturday.
Skateboarder Jett Dehaan at the opening of Leichhardt Skate Park on Saturday.Flavio Brancaleone
First proposed by the then Leichhardt Council 12 years ago,the park most recently made headlines in November when neighbouring wedding venue Le Montage made an unsuccessful last-ditch effort to stop its construction,after.
The venue,which hosted former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer’s wedding in 2015,sought a court order to halt the project due to the impact on its views.
In an affidavit,a town planner retained by Le Montage claimed the planned 10 trees on the boundary of the park would be insufficient to block the view of the park or soften the impact of its LED lighting.
Unrelated to the final court attempt,the venue’s senior managing director John Navarra also over the land,given to him by a “personal treaty” with Lady Crown Turikatuku III,a local singer of Maori descent.
Addressing the crowd on Saturday,Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the opening of the park showed that “no private business gets to dictate to the community what happens with public land”.
“Unfortunately,the young people who first started advocating for this are now in their late 20s,” he added.
But on a sunny Saturday morning,the next generation appreciated the new place to scoot and skate.
Sporting butterfly face paint,four-year-old Maisie won a few fans by fearlessly taking her scooter across the ramps during a pro skateboarding demonstration.
Four-year-old Maisie,front centre,with (from left) Kylian,four,Maggie,six,and Brooklyn,five.Flavio Brancaleone
Teigan Butchers,president of the Inner West Roller Derby League,said.
“Roller-skating is a sport that unites so many people,and it’s most often marginalised people:women or people who are gender diverse,” she said.
“Skating brings wonderful things to that community.”
The league books outdoor skate parks for its learn-to-skate programs. Its oldest member,Dilys Norrish,68,began 18 months ago after picking up roller skating during lockdowns.
Inner West Roller Derby members Teigan Butchers (player name:Rainbow Smash),left,Dilys Norrish (player name:Flower Power),centre,and Aja Cordner (player name:Vicious D’Licious).Flavio Brancaleone
In the past five years,new skate parks have opened at Sydenham,Meadowbank and Sydney Park. But the facilities often face opposition:Woollahra Council’s bowl has been.
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