The playground was funded by a $65,000 state government grant for community housing. 

The new equipment at Emora Park means that, for the first time in years, residents of Bowenfels will be able to access a playground without crossing the Great Western Highway. 

“There has been no playground equipment for the children in that community at all. Now there will be a playground for children as well as seating for parents,” Lithgow Council community and culture manager Matthew Johnson said. 

Bowenfels has the highest concentration of Department of Housing dwellings in the Lithgow LGA. A council social strategy from as far back as 2008, which referenced a focus group of Department of Housing residents, details the isolation of Bowenfels’ families from play amenities, and the disrepair of Emora Park.  

The parkland is owned by the Department of Housing not Lithgow City Council, Mr Johnson said. 

“There was playground equipment originally but it was removed several years ago because it was old and vandalised. But there has been nothing there for several years since.

“The push for playground equipment really came from the community,” he said. 

The idea to submit for funding arose from a series of monthly barbecues held at Emora Park throughout 2016, organised by Lithgow police inspector Chris Sammutt and Aboriginal liaison officer Sonia Cox.

Aimed at fostering social inclusion, the barbecues brought together residents, police, Aboriginal elders and health workers. 

“The monthly barbeques have been a great way to connect with the community, engage more people with local health services and, importantly, an opportunity for us to listen to what they have to say,” Aboriginal liaison officer for the Nepean Blue Mountains Health District Sandra Cox said. 

“The playground equipment is one of things that has come from those discussions. My hope is the park will soon be alive with the sound of kids playing and parents chatting and it becomes a real hub for the community.”

A resident who lives close to the park expressed his concern that the new playground would be vandalised preventing its use in the future. 

Mr Johnson said lighting had been installed in the park and trees cut back to improve visibility of the park by neighbours. CCTV cameras have not been installed. 

A further grant submission has secured funding for basketball hoops to be placed in the park’s tennis courts.