By Christien Wilson
West Footscray locals Christian Fagan and Hayley Pinkham have taken urban renewal to the next level by revitalising a long abandoned council managed reserve.
The couple have taken it upon themselves to plant trees and install irrigation into Dempster Street Reserve in West Footscray.
“It was a deceased estate … and had no living there, so the council just acquired it after thirty, forty years and after decades of being pestered to sell it or do something with it they officially turned it into a park just a couple years ago,” claims Mr Fagan.
“And park means they don’t have to do anything with it”
Mr Fagan says Google Street View shows that the block has been sitting vacant as far back as 2007. The couple has reached out to Council about the park but there’s been no direct response. Mr Fagan says he doesn’t think Council is especially interested in the site.
“Nobody there I’m going to talk to is gonna … be terribly passionate about that (reserve) and on the flip-side they’re not gonna be terribly passionate in the negative direction if I… just plant things”.
“Especially (because) when you’re out there,” adds Ms Pinkham, “building a little trench to put your irrigation in, that’s attached to our tap, we are paying for it.”
“It’s for the community, it’s for the next generation,” she says.
“We won’t be here in forty years, but the idea of somebody else’s children sitting under (the tree), having a picnic, is so lovely to us.”
While the couple is passionate about revitalising the park, Mr Fagan realised they couldn’t do it themselves and has received support from as far away as the Middle Park Cricket Club, that he is a member of.
“Couple of guys two years ago helped out… (they) set the bar pretty high,” he says. “When I get competent guys… you just, think of more stuff to do”
Mr Fagan says most of the volunteers are British and Welsh backpackers who live across Melbourne’s inner-suburbs. “It’s only seven stops out to here… when you’re a traveller, that’s nothing.”
When asked what keeps the backpackers coming Ms Pinkham laughs. “Because they love us! We give them pizza!”
But this park begs the question; why have reserves like Dempster Street, been neglected by council for so long? With the current housing crisis, plans for high-density housing, and influx of new families within the Maribyrnong City Council, these vacant parcels of land are waiting to be utilised as much needed green spaces.
Dempster Street reserve is one of more than a hundred parks and reserves managed by the Maribyrnong City Council. Notably, Hansen Reserve, J A McDonald Reserve, and Anders Park are all close to this location. The latter being an excellent example of what Dempster Street Reserve could look like with seating space, a rotunda, and community-managed herb gardens.
