By Afraa Kori
There is growing concern about the lack of shade at Drouin Civic Park, leaving children and families exposed to the harsh Australian sun with little protection.
Drouin Civic Park is a popular gathering place for locals from Drouin, Warragul, and surrounding towns. It also hosts local markets and community events, attracting visitors from across Victoria.
Jamie Power, a local mum in Baw Baw Shire, spends countless hours at local playgrounds with her children.
She also runs the local mums’ Facebook community page, where the lack of shaded playgrounds in Baw Baw is a frequent topic of discussion.
After engaging with many parents in person and through social media, she launched a petition calling on the council to take action.
“I have received a receipt for a request to discuss shade sails with a councillor last week,” she said.
“A petition allows the government to see what areas need focusing for improvement and allows the government to prioritise what the public believe is lacking.”
“We are hoping that by next summer at least one of the civic parks will have shade sails, ideally Drouin and Warragul. But we want to start with Drouin as so much wonderful equipment has been installed for children to use.”
In just one week since launching the petition on February 19, Jamie is pleased to have gained 100 signatures and hopes to reach at least 500 to drive meaningful change.
Jamie urges the community to support the petition, even those who may not directly benefit from shade sails in playgrounds.
“This is an urgent appeal to Baw Baw Shire Council to prioritize the installation of shade sails at our major local playgrounds. Together let us ensure the health and safety of our children.
“Please demonstrate your support by signing the petition to call upon the Baw Baw Shire Council to put shade sails in all major local playgrounds”
Australia’s sun poses significant health risks which makes shade infrastructure critical for playground areas. However, the majority of the playgrounds in Baw Baw lack appropriate shading.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, in large part due to exposure to the sun’s harmful rays (Cancer Council Australia).
Currently, families and children are compromising their health, leading to a decline in playground attendance and usage.
“Often the equipment is too hot to play on and children cannot enjoy themselves,” Jamie said.
“Often families avoid the parks during peak sun times as the equipment is too hot and playing outside directly in the sun is uncomfortable for both parents and children.”
“In Baw Baw Shire it is a huge challenge. Majority of the things for our children to do are outside, we don’t have a local playcentre to avoid the sun so we rely on the local playgrounds to keep the children entertained. Families will often travel to other towns for more appropriate playgrounds when it is sunny.”
While wearing a hat and sunscreen is important, having shade sails at local playgrounds add another important preventative measure for our harsh climate.
If the council installs shade sails, it will significantly improve local community spaces.
“The ability to use the playgrounds all year round, as the equipment will not be too hot and children can enjoy the spaces more when they are shaded.”
“Our summers are so hot, with adequate shade over playgrounds our children are able to make more use of these spaces during the warmer months.”
“Providing shade, in particular through shade sails, in our playgrounds is an easy way to offer safety to our children while they play outdoors, to significantly decrease their exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.”
Sign the petition at: change.org/p/install-shade-sails-in-baw-baw-shire-council-playgrounds?source_location=tag_
