BUILDING A PLAYGROUND IN ONE DAY

Progress, Volume XIV, Issue 2, 1 October 1918, Page 327

BUILDING A PLAYGROUND IN ONE DAY

The building of a large playground for children and others, covering over ten acres of ground, with its full complement of equipment and its completion in one day by 3000 workers at Port Pirie, South Australia, marks a step forward by those interested in town planning and civic welfare generally.

Port Pirie is an important seaport, situated near the head of Spencer’s Gulf, 228 miles north of Adelaide by rail, and where are smelted vast quantities of tin, lead, silver, etc., mined from Broken Hill in the far interior. The population of the town is over 10,000. It lies on the extreme edge of an old subtidal flat, exposed to the extremes of summer temperature. The site of the town is devoid of natural attraction and native vegetation is but sparse and scanty. The town is one of a number of communities in South Australia, planned in earlier days by the Government with a wide belt of parklands enclosing

Port Pirie’s Big Effort.

and separating the central area from its suburban districts. Increased rents and building costs in recent years had created a housing problem before the war, but except for the original plan providing for streets li chains wide, little had been done towards meeting its problems in town planning or housing.

It grew instead under the influence of land and building speculators.

The Broken Hill Associated Smelters, Limited, is a new company with new ideals. It came into a legacy of antiquated works and a town dominated by nineteenth century ideas of industrial enterprise and social responsibility. Strikes and industrial discontents generally had become indigenous to the place and its people, likewise overcrowding, high rents, and social disabilities. Prior to 1914 high and increasing wages had failed to prevent a general speeding up of bad housing and living conditions, and their inevitable reaction on industry. These ex-

isting evils were multiplied when war came, and with it the need for increasing the output of munition minerals. The new company, however, came in with a sense of responsibility with a keen appreciation of the value of healthy well-paid workers decently fed, housed and possessing a civic interest for the welfare of their town and surroundings.

The company has now set to work to reduce the cost of living, and established economic advantages and social amenities for its employees. Co-operative stores are started. The cost of certain necessaries has been reduced by eliminating the middlemen’s profits. Others are to follow. Recreation clubs, hospitals, parks, etc., have been provided. A holiday camp across the gulf is now being planned and built. The works are rapidly becoming reorganised. Free meals for the employees, attendance bonuses, and other innovations have been accepted by the men. A start has been made with the building of houses in accordance with plans for a model suburb designed by the South Australian Government Town Planner’s Department. Latterly has come the model playground, with its sensational achievement organised and carried through with brilliant success in one day. The original project contemplated taking up an area of two or three acres on the parklands of Port Pirie opposite the principal school. But at the suggestion of the Department the area was increased to ten acres. The design of the playground by the Department and carried out by the Company, and its men, is reproduced herein. Port Pirie is a place devoid of any means of recreation other than those provided by hotels, bookmakers, and film houses. The shopping streets are the rendezvous of the people. In the height of summer weather when the temperatures in the daytime are up to 115 deg. and 120 deg. in the shade, and during the evenings when they seldom fall below 90 deg. indoor life is very trying. Beyond the street there is nowhere to go. The belt of parklands until recently was bare, hot, parched waste. The object of the playground scheme, therefore, was to provide a place of recreation for all classes, including the children, of whom nearly 1,500 are of school age. In place of a children’s playground only, the town planner scheme has been followed for a community centre of recreation where parents and children can all assemble, especially during summer evenings. Hence the plan provides for a central recreation pavilion, containing lecture hall, with movable walls, kindergarten, creche, etc., and wide verandahs on all sides. Adjacent is a shelter designed as a tea house and refreshment kiosk. The principal assembly ground (150 x 150) is equipped with flagpole, seating, etc., for the purpose of public displays, saluting base and free play. Adjacent is the principal wading pool (40 feet wide) flanked by the boys’ and girls’ gardens. Hygienic drinking fountains, seats, and shelters for mothers are provided ip the different portions of the ground. These are designed to give proper supervision of the respective areas, viz.:—

(a) Senior boys’ ground; (b) junior boys’ ground; (c) senior girls’ ground; (d) junior girls’ ground; (e) infants. In addition a bowling green, quoits ground, open air pictures, and other amusements are prodded lor older people. The playground and its activities is controlled by permanent supervisors acting in association with a committee of management comprising representatives of the men, the local corporation (which owns the site), and the company. The work of erecting the playground and completing its scheme of road, pathways, shelters, pavilion, appliances, etc., was a large undertaking. But the organisation was complete and efficiently done. At 8 o’clock in the morning the place was a medley of timber, uprooted palms (some 40 feet high) carts, horses, plows, scoops, tools, coppers, and people. By noon many hundreds of tons of earth, sand and gravel had been carted, and spread. The waste of parklands was filled, and transformed into an oasis of winding paths, fully grown trees, and flowering shrubs, and gardens. By 6 p.m. the playing appliances were all in position, the shelters completed, the fences and gates erected, electric lighting and water services installed, and the big pavilion finished. Likewise the wading pools, gardens, games and courts, etc., were an accomplished fact. Over 3000 men, women and children gave their services gladly. The enthusiasm was infectious. No person was to be permitted to wear his coat on the ground. A small army of ladies fed the workers with sandwiches, cakes, tea, and saveloys. The night descended on a great and completed work. On the day following (Sunday) it was formally opened and handed over after a special service of dedication in the presence of thousands of spectators. The whole effort was recorded by moving pictures, but it has left a more indelible impression on the minds and lives of the workers who carried the task through to its splendid realisation.

The playground idea is really the outcome of the First Australian Town Planning Conference and Exhibition held in Adelaide during 1917, when a fullsized playground, properly equipped and supervised was one of the exhibits. A similar playground is now in course of preparation for the children living in the back lanes and overcrowded portions of the city of Adelaide.