Karuah’s St Columba’s Church seeks to augment grant for kids playground

FAMILIES in Karuah may soon have another place to play, if local fundraising efforts can bridge the financial gap on a newly planned playground at St Columba’s Anglican Church.

“Back in February, we applied for a State Government grant to build a playground, and were officially notified in August,” Church Warden Timothy Scheuer at Karuah told News Of The Area.

“The school has been very supportive, as has been the Karuah Progress Association and the Karuah RSL, along with many other local businesses.”

Now the grant has been received, next comes the due diligence phase, including the ordering and design finalisation of the new play equipment, supplied by FourPark.

St Columba’s Church already runs a large family-friendly set of activities, including the “Messy Church” for kids every second Sunday of each month; “Big Fish Fridays” for kids every Friday during school terms; and the ‘Little Fish’ playgroup for infants.

The play equipment will fill the existing fenced-in area behind the church and include a significant upgrade complete with a safe, enclosed space with a childproof gate, mere metres from the Op Shop.

“Even the local Johnson’s Mill has indicated they would provide seating at no cost, which was mentioned with the original grant,” Timothy said.

“Last year Port Stephens Council helped fund our new outdoor stage with a Vibrant Spaces grant, and we have benefitted greatly from the construction of the Parklets along Tarean Road, another major community initiative.”

“It is all part of the beautification of the centre of Karuah.”

Despite all the local support and the grant itself, the project is still going to be short $6500.

As a result, St Columba’s is planning a major fundraiser for Sunday 2 November to make up the gap, featuring cake stalls, live music, crafts, and some realistic depictions of where the equipment will be installed.

By Thomas O’KEEFE