NORTH Arm Cove residents gathered to celebrate the completion of upgrades at Yallarwah Park and the official opening of the new potting shed at the Community Garden, held on-site on Friday, 5 December.
More than 40 locals attended, joined by neighbours from Carrington, creating a warm and energetic atmosphere under the gum trees.
Special guests included Port Stephens MP Kate Washington, representatives from MidCoast Council, and John Manton and Shawn Stowe of the Gummipingal Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
The celebration was organised by the North Arm Cove Community Association (NACCAi), led by President John Kugel and Vice President Terri Horton, who both contributed to the delivery of the grants that enabled the park and garden upgrades.
Mr Manton offered a Welcome to Country, which reflected on the enduring Aboriginal presence across the North Arm Cove landscape.
Mr Kugel then acknowledged the support of the NSW Government in funding the upgrades, including $90,606 through the NSW Stronger Country Communities Fund for Yallarwah Park, and an additional $14,000 via the Community Building Partnership program for the community garden potting shed.
A formal ribbon cutting preceded a chance for guests to explore the garden and its growing produce before returning to Yallarwah Park.
Many took the chance to walk the new 260-metre loop path, try out the exercise stations, and read the interpretive signage, which tells the story of Yallarwah’s cultural heritage, environmental values, and history.
“The celebration recognised not just the upgrades themselves, but the volunteers and community leaders who made them possible,” Mr Kugel said.
“Former NACCAI Presidents Bob Reid and Doug Kohlhoff, both of whom played critical roles in securing the initial Yallarwah grant, should be acknowledged for their ongoing dedication to the village.
“These upgrades will continue to bring people together, encourage healthy outdoor activity, and strengthen the resilience of the Cove for many years to come.”
Mr Kohlhoff, who was President of NACCAi at the time of the original Yallarwah Park project, told NOTA, “I called the project ‘Give us a Heart’, but as I noted also, our village’s true heart is also found in the generosity, empathy and community spirit of its inhabitants.
“The Community Hall, the Tennis Court, the Community Garden, Yallarwah – these are places where the true heart of our village can beat.”
Mr Kohlhoff said the seeds for the park project were sown in mid-2014, when the Rural Fire Service was assessing what could be done to make the North Arm Cove community safer from bushfire risk.
Suggestions include a “massive reduction” in the number of trees opposite the hall.
“I walked across the road and stood amongst those tall trees thinking that it would be sad to see them chopped down,” Mr Kohlhoff said.
“They were homes to so many birds.
“[I thought] if most of these trees really did need to go, then this area absolutely must become community land.”
After drawing inspiration from a small village in England visited years earlier, Mr Kohlhoff argued that a community needs a ‘village green’.
Standing amongst those tall trees in 2014, he realised the chance for North Arm Cove to have one was upon them.
Grants were secured, working bees were organised, and during 2017, the park evolved.
An opening was planned to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Community Association, but the park still needed a name that reflected the site’s heritage.
“After consulting the local Aboriginal Land Council, ‘Yallarwah’ seemed a great choice: a place to rest, a place of recreation and rejuvenation,” Mr Kohlhoff said.
Members of state and local government were at the celebration this month, with Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington invited to speak about the road so far.
“I’ve just been on this journey with you (the community) for some time and just to see what is now here is so impressive,” she said.
“It just speaks to how beautiful and strong and connected this community is – it’s a bit of a rarity these days.
“What you have here is really, really quite unique and very, very special, and it does take work from hard-working people.
“I know that we’ll keep walking this journey together because there are next steps that obviously need to happen.”
By Thomas O’KEEFE
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