Casey mayor Neil Lucas congratulates the man who had a special dream for a park in Berwick’s heart, Bill Hudson.From left: Casey mayor Neil Lucas, National Trust Casey Cardinia branch president Ruth Crofts and Bill Hudson.By Jim Mynard
PIONEERS Park Berwick will be officially opened at 2.30pm on Sunday.
The park is a dream come true for people who dedicated themselves to getting a part of the old Berwick Primary School site at the corner of Peel Street and Lyall Road, Berwick, for community use.
The best that many people hoped for was to retain the old school building and a small slice of the school grounds for a little park.
However, lifetime Berwick businesspeople Bill and Helen Hudson and their friend, the late George Wilson, gathered a few other friends together and raised more than $100,000 to start a community appeal to buy as much of the land as possible for a park.
Mr Hudson said he never dreamt in the beginning that they would end up getting the entire site.
Casey chief executive Mike Tyler worked with Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato to broker a land swap with the State Government that enabled the entire site to be acquired.
Money was also found to restore the school building and develop the site as a park.
Development is well advanced and the official opening will provide the first glimpse of the $4 million facility for the public.
Visitors will be able to walk around the park, see the restoration of the old school, take in the views at the Ellis Loveridge Memorial and listen to the band playing in the new Rotary Club of Berwick Rotunda.
Mr Tyler said the park would be a treasured area for the community to enjoy, with the stunning old school building to house heritage displays by the National Trust Casey Cardinia Branch and the BerwickPakenham Historical Society.
“The Australian Plant Society has landscaped garden beds around the old school,” Mr Tyler said.
“Pioneers Park is a wonderful example of the council and the community working together to preserve history.
“This facility will become a focal point for recreational, social and cultural activities.”
The council has leased part of the building to a cafe proprietor and another section for use by the BerwickPakenham Historical Society and the Casey Cardinia Branch of the National Trust of Australia.
