AFTER the Friends of Yerrabi Pond gained more than 1000 signatures in a petition calling for the pond to be revitalised, the ACT government has today (April 23) passed a motion to do just that. 

The passionate group of locals expressed concerns in “CityNews” in its April 1 edition, saying the site lacks proper safety lighting, has numerous cracked pathways, weeds and an outdated toilet block.

After meeting with representatives from across the political parties and having the petition presented to the ACT Legislate Assembly by Labor MLA for Yerrabi Michael Pettersson, the friends have been more than heard, with representatives from across the assembly agreeing the site is in need of vital upgrades.

“We recognise just how popular this recreation area is and we want the community to provide feedback on how they use the space and what outcomes they would like to see from improvements in the area,” said City Services Minister Chris Steel.

Instigators of the petition John and Kay Beagle, and treasurer of the Gungahlin Community Council, Darron Marks, were in attendance as the motion was passed, and are optimistic moving forward.

“We want the Friends of Yerrabi Pond to be the conduit the government uses to be in touch with the local community and what they want,” said Darron.

“We’ve made a huge effort to make sure that members across all parties were on the same page. We want a situation where all political parties hold a shovel to demonstrate to the community that sometimes there are things that go beyond political alliances. We don’t see that enough.”

It’s something John, leader of the friends, couldn’t agree more with.

“This morning is a great result,” said John.

“We’ve come away from there having achieved what we wanted to achieve. It’s about cooperation, not confrontation.”

Consultation from the community is open until June 4 and can be provided at yoursay.act.gov.au