by Shane Sody
Your physical presence, and your umbrella, will speak louder than words on Sunday 4 June 2023.
On that day, you can be part of a group providing “cover” to save a large, biologically diverse part of your Adelaide Park Lands from planned State Government destruction.
From 12.30pm on Sunday 4 June, your intervention can make the difference.
First, a picnic in the Park. Then, from 1.30pm, with hundreds of others, you’re invited to raise an umbrella on the edge of the threatened area, to show the State Government that it needs to look for alternative non-Park sites for its proposed huge new police compound.
The event is jointly organised by Adelaide Park Lands Association, Trees for Life, Conservation SA, Nature Conservation Society of SA, and Butterfly Conservation SA.
Why? What’s the issue?
The Government is targeting this site in your Park Lands to build a security-fenced compound; to include stables for 40 horses, offices and meeting rooms for 30 staff, a kitchen, change-rooms, showers, toilets and lockers, horse “tack” rooms, a veterinary suite, fodder stores, a secure gun room, garaging for horse floats, staff car parking and more.
Looking south, across Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W) with Whitmore Square and South Terrace in the foreground and Greenhill Road and the Wayville Showgrounds in the background. This is an artist’s impression of how the proposed SA Police compound would dominate what is now part of your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.
The eight hectares supposedly required would be much larger than the Adelaide Oval stadium; much larger than the present Thebarton police barracks.
Such a semi-industrial facility does not belong anywhere on your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands, and especially not at this site, which has been nurtured for years by Bush for Life volunteers as a haven of biodiversity and is now home to the endangered chequered copper butterfly.
See the story links below, for info about the biodiversity of this site.
Artist’s impression of new SAPOL barracks, fencing off your Open Green Public Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W)
The State Government is purchasing 524 properties to upgrade South Road. But so far, it's been unwilling to purchase any land for its planned massive expansion of city police barracks.
Join us on Sunday 4 June at 12.30pm, starting with a picnic lunch at Princess Elizabeth Playground off South Terrace (where it says ‘Meet Here’).
Then, at 1.30pm, raise your umbrella as part of an unbroken human line around the massive eight-hectare proposed police barracks site (marked here in orange) to show your support for the biodiversity of Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W).
Your involvement will help to create a powerful image that the State Government will not be able to ignore.
Your body and your umbrella will demonstrate to everyone how much your Park Lands are valued, and that they have you “covering” them.
Please spread the word
This event is being promoted on social media. https://www.facebook.com/events/551865857128078/
You can help by sharing one of our social media posts.
A limited number of A5-sized leaflets have been printed and are being distributed. If you haven’t got one and would like one or more, please download and print the PDF here.
We will need your assistance to make this event a success and save your Park Lands.
What else can you do?
You can join the chorus of support for your Park Lands. See our suggestions for action here: https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/blog/2023/4/5/premier-needs-more-encouragement/#what-can-you-do
If you want to be involved in “direct action” to protect Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W) from the proposed Police Barracks and Stables, then contact Charlotte Nitschke at Conservation SA: charlotte.nitschke@conservationsa.org.au
