Sutherland Shire Council continues to upgrade local parks and ovals to make them more enjoyable for children and their families. The latest plans include a brand new playground to be built at Old Bush Rd Oval, Engadine.
The $102,000 investment in the playground means that families will be able to enjoy a range of new play equipment, seating and pathways. They will replace existing facilities, which are located next to the community hall in Laurina Ave.
The new equipment will have a different location to the existing playground with the new location being situated near the car park at the southern end of the Old Bush Rd reserve. The site, located near the sports fields, was chosen to make it easier for younger children and parents when older siblings are participating in team sports.
The range of playground equipment will include a climbing net, slide, heavy-duty swing set and a mini digger. The new equipment, along with the seating, will provide parents and carers with a greater area for families to enjoy together.
To complete the upgrade, new picnic tables, rubbish bins, pathways and bubblers will be installed along with landscaping and fencing. These additions will improve the overall appearance of the area.
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Diamond Jubilee celebrations for St John Bosco parish
This month, St John Bosco parish in Engadine is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee.
The history of the parish and celebrations for the jubilee reflect the strong commitment to the local area over the past sixty years. Father Thomas Dunlea was appointed Priest-In-Charge of the new parochial district of Engadine after resigning from his position as parish priest of Sutherland. He then founded Boys’ Town in 1939, carrying out joint roles as Founder/Director of Boys’ Town and his duties to the Engadine parish.
Boys’ Town and the parish were passed into the care of the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1952, where the care and work carried out then is continued today. The parish has grown from humble beginnings, with only a few hundred parishioners to large congregation, a primary school, college, youth centre and retirement village.
St John Bosco Primary School and St John Bosco College each educate over 800 pupils. The Youth Matters Centre caters for the social and spiritual care of the young people in the parish. Each weekend hundreds of children compete in a wide range of sporting activities throughout the Sutherland Shire under the banner of the St John Bosco Youth Centre.
John Paul Retirement Village at Heathcote provides three stages of care – nursing home, hostel and self-care units - for nearly 400 elderly people.
Today, Boys’ Town continues to provide specialised social welfare and education for underprivileged and disadvantaged boys although numbers are down on previous years – work that will continue for many years to come.
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Pollution protection for Port Hacking
The southern end of the peninsular at Cronulla is set to have a storage system as part of Sydney Water’s multi-million dollar Sewerfix program. The aim of this program is to upgrade Sydney’s 3,000km, 100-year old sewage system. The result will be significantly improved sewage handling for South Cronulla and greater protection from pollution for the waters for Port Hacking.
The work currently being undertaken at Salmon Haul Reserve includes increased capacity storage and the updating of pumping and electrical equipment. It’s at this point where the Port Hacking River meets Bate Bay – the increased storage capacity will be big enough to prevent overflows for days, giving a three-day leeway for replacement, repairs or removals by tanker in the event of breakdowns.
Sewage from the area around Salmon Reserve is collected in the tank for pumping into the sewage system, which is connected to the Cronulla sewage treatment plant.
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Dean loves living in the Sutherland Shire. In fact he was born, raised and schooled in the Shire and currently lives with his
young family at Engadine. In his younger days he was an accomplished sportsperson and is still actively involved in local amateur
sports administration. Dean operates his own business in the area and is keen to support and promote the wider community in any
way he can with his new role. | 
