What started as a conversation over cups of tea between neighbours has grown into a community-led vision for the future of Burrill Lions Park.
For local residents Laura Grabia and Simi Chee, the idea first emerged while raising young families and regularly visiting the park together.
“We both had young children at the time who we’d take down to the park,” Simi said. “We were just going, ‘Oh wow, it’d be really nice to upgrade the playground.’”
At first, the ideas were simple. A better playground. More green space. Somewhere teenagers could gather and be active.
“I’ve got three boys, and they like to skate,” Simi said. “I was thinking it would be cool to put a skate park in there maybe, or even a running track, or just beautify it a little bit.”
Curious about what might already exist for the space, the pair contacted Shoalhaven City Council and discovered something exciting already sitting in the background: a master plan for the park.
“They actually sent us the master plan and it was amazing,” Simi said. “Pump track, skate park, amphitheatre, upgraded playground, beautiful green spaces, fitness equipment.”
What began as a small neighbourhood idea suddenly felt much bigger.
But like many grassroots projects, momentum came in waves. Between raising families and navigating the early planning stages, the project paused for a time before eventually finding new energy again.
“Many cups of tea later, we were like, ‘Hey, remember that master plan? Let’s have another look at that again,’” Simi laughed.
As their children grew older, so did their understanding of what the community was missing.
“I grew up in this town too,” she said. “I think it’s really important that we have areas that have a mixed demographic of ages that come together and are able to enjoy different spaces.”
The project gained traction when Laura and Simi joined the Ulladulla Milton Lions Club, who came on board to support the vision and help move it forward.
“That was a great way to help push this forward,” Laura said. “We presented our ideas to them and they fully supported us and helped us take the next steps. The Lions Club strengthened the project’s legitimacy and gave us a pathway to secure funding.
One of the strongest signs of community support came through a public survey released during the Community Connect Expo. The response far exceeded expectations, with more than 800 people contributing feedback and ideas.
“I felt really excited about that because we touched so many different age groups,” Simi said. “A quarter of them came back from young people between 12 to 18, which I think is pretty outstanding for a survey.”
For Simi, the responses reinforced just how strongly local young people are craving more spaces designed with them in mind.
“It clearly showed that younger people are looking for more spaces to be in,” she said. “And families are looking for more active spaces for their children too.”
The survey captured input from parents, grandparents, dog walkers, teenagers and local families across the community.
“It was pretty overwhelming actually,” Simi said. “I have people coming up to me in the street now asking how the project is going and wanting to be involved. I think that’s pretty extraordinary.”
Community feedback has already begun shaping the evolving vision for the space. One consistent request was for a fenced off-leash dog area, which is now being incorporated into early concept plans.
“We got a lot of feedback from the community that they really wanted a fenced off-leash area at the Lions Park,” Laura said. “And we’ve just received funding from FRRR which is going to help us do an initial concept design for the dog off-leash area to present, as well as help us with our community consultation and engagement.”
The project has now reached a critical next stage, with the proposal for a Community-Led Project being submitted into Shoalhaven City Council. Now, Shoalhaven City Council is seeking broader community feedback through their Community Infrastructure Strategic Plan Survey to help shape the future direction of this space as well as others in the Shoalhaven.
Laura and Simi are encouraging local residents to take part in the survey and help demonstrate strong community support for the vision.
“We need everybody’s support again,” Laura said. “The belief that it should be a destination-level play space, inclusive of all ages, all abilities, something for everyone.”
Community members can find the survey steps and information here: https://lionsparkburrill.wixsite.com/lions-park-burrill-1