PEACE AT LAST

Gerda Keast from Amnesty, Paul Czulowski from Kiama Council and Cr Trevor Fredericks from the Kiama Tidy Towns Committee lend a hand to start work on the bluestone wall foundation for a new-look Peace Park in Manning Street.

I am just absolutely excited. I really thought I was going to God before it eventuated, was how Winsome Barker greeted Saturdays turning of the first sod for the redevelopment of Peace park in Kiama.

It was Winsomes brainchild almost three years ago to gain Kiama Tidy Towns and community support to beautify the small park in Manning Street.

Since then Kiama Council, Kiama Lions and Rotary Clubs, Kiama Garden Club, the Kiama Branch of Amnesty International and the Kiama Rose Society have all combined to form the Friends of Peace Park and come up with plans to work together for the redevelopment.

A bluestone wall at the entrance to the park, rose garden, gazebo and walkways are all part of the new concept to reinvigorate the park.

"?Getting the job done: from left are Lions president Ray Redgrave, Cr Trevor Fredericks, Gerda Keast, Jim Webb, Winsome Barker, Paul Czulowski and Murray Fookes.

The park will be a great asset to the community and visitors to the area, Cr Trevor

Fredericks, chair of the Peace Park Friends Committee, said. It will be a welcomed extension of councils beautification of the lower end of Manning Street.

The Lions Club have committed to a series of working bees and skilled supervision to assist with the construction of the Parks new features.

Peace Park was opened in 1986 for the International Year of Peace and a plaque commemorates the many prisoners of conscience that the local Amnesty group have had released.

Friends of Peace Park are seeking sponsors for the arbors and gazebo and community members are able to purchase a Peace Park Name brick from Kiama Council.

The bricks provide a unique and lasting record of peoples support. They are also a wonderful way to mark special occasions such as birthdays, a new baby or anniversary, Winsome Barker said.

Mrs Barker came up with a buy a brick scheme to help raise funds for the work and the service clubs involved will provide the work force.

I think the community will really take an interest in the park now, Mrs Barker told the Kiama Independent as she watched Murray Fookes of Kiama Bobcats dig the foundation trench for the bluestone wall with a small backhoe.

The worker was supervised by local builder Ray Redgrave, this years president of Kiama Lions Club.

We still have plenty of bricks to sell theyd make an ideal Christmas gift, something for posterity with the familys name on the brick, she said.

So far $12,700 has been raised through the buy a brick scheme.

The bricks will be used to border the walkways into the park.

For Kiama Lions, president Ray Redgrave said, Peace Park was a great community project.

It will be a community effort working with Rotary as well as Kiama Council, the Garden Club, Rose Society and Amnesty to make something really lovely in Peace Park, Mr Redgrave said.

I think it is just a marvellous way of giving the project a good community feel.

And it is only by Winsome Barkers constant persistence that it has come to fruition, he said.