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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-11-14 Daily Xml
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Wilfred Taylor Reserve

Ms COOK (Fisher) (15:40): I rise today to discuss a great piece of community and recreational infrastructure in my southern suburbs community, the large multipurpose Wilfred Taylor Reserve. Located in Morphett Vale, Wilfred Taylor Reserve is a diverse recreational hub for the many children, families and budding athletes of Morphett Vale—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I've been there.

Ms COOK: I'm sure you have visited many times, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I've played there recently.

Ms COOK: —and the surrounding suburbs. Wilfred Taylor Reserve is home to 11 regular user groups utilising both indoor and outdoor facilities, hosting thousands of participants and visitors every week year round, from the chilly August mornings of soccer through to the sweltering December evenings of netball.

These user groups include Basketball SA, whose stadium also houses the Southern Tigers Basketball Club and hundreds of social competitors; Southern Table Tennis; Noarlunga United, as well as now the Southern United Women's and Girls' Soccer Club; Onkaparinga Rugby Union Club; Southern United Netball Association and the many clubs that compete at the courts; Morphett Vale Miniature Railway; Southern Vales Archery Club; South Coast Sports and Social Club; Southern Districts Kennel and Obedience Dog Club; Southern District Model Car Club; and Morphett Vale Riding Club.

Of course, many of these associations, including Southern United Netball Association, Southern Table Tennis and Basketball SA, utilise Wilfred Taylor Reserve as a venue for state carnivals and events, drawing visitors from across the state and beyond to Wilfred Taylor Reserve in our southern suburbs community.

I started playing at Southern United Netball Association as a junior, in the 1970s shall we say, for Morphett Vale Netball Club. I played representative netball for the association and later played there for Southern Stars. I still attend regularly to support many local junior and senior clubs. My children and husband have been players at the basketball stadium, the soccer pitch, the rugby club and so on over decades.

Along with thousands of southern residents, I have regularly visited and enjoyed the miniature railway, only recently riding on the trains with my five-year-old, Sid, and my husband. My boys have had birthday parties there. We have also attended many celebrations for other children and families. Of course, Wilfred Taylor Reserve is more than the sum of its parts, with playgrounds, barbecue facilities and community areas scattered throughout.

Wilfred Taylor Reserve continues to play an important role in our family as lifetime locals of Morphett Vale and Woodcroft communities. It is one of the central heartbeats of the community. But, as good as the reserve is, it can be improved upon to deliver better amenities and more cohesive community infrastructure to the residents of Morphett Vale and the surrounding suburbs.

This has been my focus this year. As soon as I was sure of my selection to stand in the new seat of Hurtle Vale, to which Wilfred Taylor Reserve is central, I began considering how I could support the community and its use of this space. I first spoke in March with members from the City of Onkaparinga regarding this in terms of opportunities for improved open spaces, and I have spent time with experts in the field of outdoor play.

I have conducted a community round table, discussing with community stakeholders and users of Wilfred Taylor Reserve regarding what could be improved or added to the reserve from their own perspective. Along with my team, I have been busy speaking with thousands of local residents, house by house, street by street, learning what features of Wilfred Taylor Reserve they utilise, what matters to them and perhaps what could be done better.

I have spent this time engaging with the City of Onkaparinga, sharing my vision for Wilfred Taylor Reserve and drawing on my extensive community consultation and my own deep connection over decades to this space in order to help deliver improved facilities and amenities to the Wilfred Taylor Reserve local community. The abundance of outdoor space Wilfred Taylor Reserve provides is an extraordinary privilege and, while I have been and will continue to fight hard for new and improved facilities at Wilfred Taylor Reserve, its beauty lies in its open access and abundance of space, both of which must be protected so that there is a balance.

I am pleased that the state government continues to support, make plans and invest in many local community facilities such as Wilfred Taylor Reserve not just in my area but statewide. The Fund My Neighbourhood program, which still has voting open for a week, is one such initiative that puts the control of public spaces like Wilfred Taylor Reserve back in the hands of the local community. There are projects up for voting around that area and in other areas of the southern suburbs.

I have been and will continue to fight for improved community services in Wilfred Taylor Reserve; it is a lifetime commitment for me. I have been involved with and committed to the improvement of the southern community, including Wilfred Taylor Reserve, for years and in fact decades; I am in it for the long haul. I look forward to continuing to work hard with stakeholders, clubs, organisations and the local community to improve Wilfred Taylor Reserve for the years and generations ahead.

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