Reflective- Molly Irvine pictured at her family’s memorial seat at Reid Park Jamberoo. Picture: ELENOR TEDENBORG
Sun sets on memorial seats
March 10, 2010
Section: News
MELISSA MICHIE
mmichie@kiamaindependent.com.au
A MEMORIAL park bench in Jamberoo’s Reid Park could be one of the last, as Kiama Council has removed a policy on installing them.
For the past 13 years council has allowed people to donate a bench style seat, plaque and foundation material for $1900.
However, at February’s council meeting it was concluded that any further seating would be an over servicing of such facilities.
In December a Reid Park bench was unveiled by the Jamberoo Red Cross Branch in honour of one of its members, Molly Irvine.
Ms Irvine, her three sisters and her mother have volunteered almost 200 years of combined service to the Jamberoo Red Cross.
“It (the bench) is in memory of the Irvine family,” she said.
Ms Irvine said it was good that people visiting the park were able to enjoy the seat but understood why the council had decided to stop the practice.
A council report said the council had approved applications for a considerable number of seats, mainly on headland reserves.
“Whilst this has been affective means of both addressing a desire for loved ones to install memorials and providing public seating these reserves have now been more than adequately provided with seating,” it stated.
“The installation of further seating in most instances would be an over servicing with such facilities.
The policy has been successful in providing facilities to date however is now considered to have reached a natural conclusion.”
