By Max Davies
Romsey Ecotherapy Park will soon host its ‘Party in the Park’, celebrating the opening of the park after 14 years in development.
The park officially opened in October last year with original Party in the Park celebrations set for late November, but severe weather forced the event to be postponed to February 12.
Now with optimal weather forecast and artists, performers and musicians prepared, the community is invited to join in the free celebrations and recognise the achievement of the park’s completion and the efforts of the Romsey Ecotherapy Park committee.
Committee member Jenny Stillman said the Party in the Park was not just a celebration for the park’s contributors, but for the whole community.
“Given it was a very long time coming, we thought it would be good to have some kind of celebration to mark the milestone and have everyone out together,” she said.
“It’s not just a celebration of the park but it’s a celebration for the whole community. There’s so many different areas and things at the park for people of all ages to enjoy and appreciate.”
14 years ago a small group of Romsey community members, now known as Romsey Ecotherapy Park Inc, came together with a vision to transform a neglected historic school site into a regionally significant place to improve health and wellness in nature for people of all ages and abilities.
The site, at the corner of Palmer and Main streets in Romsey, was later purchased by Macedon Ranges Shire Council from the State Government, with a Federal Government-funded active nature space for younger children and a State Government-funded climbing forest for older children and young adults completed in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
The remainder of Romsey Ecotherapy Park was jointly funded by Bendigo Bank, the State Government through Regional Development Victoria, and Macedon Ranges Shire Council, allowing the construction of the sensory therapeutic space, arts culture space and woodland ramble.
The park’s construction was completed in mid-2022.
“We started as a group of people with young children trying to get a play space installed,” Ms Stillman said.
“It was pretty tough at the start. We were holding sausage sizzles and running stalls at local events just to keep the group going.
“We didn’t have a site then so it was tough to get funding and support because it was hard to show people what we were planning.”
With the park now complete the committee is expected to disband this year and be replaced by a Friends of Romsey Ecotherapy Park group to continue liaising with council on future ideas.
The Party in the Park will be from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday, February 12 at Romsey Ecotherapy Park at 140 Main Street, with live music, food vans, storytelling and an opportunity to meet the artists of the park’s sculptures.
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Award
The Romsey Ecotherapy Park committee was a recipient of the Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Connecting Communities Award, presented at the annual Australia Day Awards in Kyneton on Thursday.
The Connecting Communities Award is awarded to a group that has made a significant contribution to community life, either through physical or social connections that improve the lives of community members and contribute to a sense of belonging.
The park committee was nominated by a member of the community for its contributions through Romsey Ecotherapy Park’s physical activities and features, as well as its encouragement of social connections between people of all ages.
“We’re really honoured to have been selected for the award, it’s a testimony to the belief and resilience that went into making the project a reality,” Ms Stillman said.
“The lesson is that if you’ve got a vision and you can prove it and believe in it and persevere for as long as it takes, it will happen.”
Other Macedon Ranges Shire Council Australia Day award winners were Healthy People and Environment Award: Woodend Masters Football Club and Friends of Daly Nature Reserve; Business and Tourism Award: Matthew Barry, Woodend; Citizen of the Year: Sue Anderson, Gisborne.