Over 3300 letters of support have been collected so far as the City of Gosnells and the local community continue their drive to secure funding to bring the $132 million Sutherlands Park Leisure, Aquatic, and Sports Hub (SPLASH) proposal to reality.
Last November, 2,300 of these letters were sent to Federal Member for Burt Matt Keogh and Southern River MLA Terry Healy.
“The local community is behind our push to make a SPLASH in the City of Gosnells – building a life-changing and life-saving facility,” Gosnells Mayor Lynes said.
“Swimming is an essential part of the Western Australian lifestyle, and our community is in dire need of a new facility that will deliver life-saving benefits to our culturally diverse community and support the health and wellbeing of our growing population.”
As part of a recent online campaign, Mayor Terresa Lynes and several councillors recreated an iconic scene from the 2003 romantic Christmas comedy Love Actually, holding up signs outside residents’ doorsteps, asking for their support of the project.
Also joining the City’s call to action are people from a range of backgrounds – including swimmer Anisha Azzizi, 76-year-old resident Pam Ruocco, basketballers Lexi and Archie King and Alexia Pang, and Gosnells Chinese Association’s Stephanie Chan.
Sixteen-year-old competitive swimmer Anisha Azzizi, who has travelled interstate for national championships, lives in Huntingdale but makes the journey to Trinity College in East Perth up to 12 times a week for training.
“My mum drives me to East Perth twice a day, up to six days a week, so I can train,” she said.
“To have an outdoor 50-metre pool nearby would make such a difference, not just for me and my family, but for many other swimmers I know who live in the City.”
Junior domestic basketball players Lexi and Archie, who grew up in Beckenham, keep their dad, Tobe King, busy driving them to and from training and games at basketball venues in Willetton and Kalamunda.
Lexia, also a junior domestic basketball player who lives in Southern River, is within walking distance of the proposed SPLASH site. Her mum, Belinda Pang, stays busy driving Lexia to and from training and games at various venues in Leeming, Willetton, and Kalamunda due to the lack of local facilities.
According to the City of Gosnells, both the Pang and King families agree that a facility like SPLASH would significantly cut down on the time and money spent each week driving their children to various basketball commitments.
Gosnells’ grandmother Pam, who raised her children in Thornlie, sees great value in the proposed new facility.
“I have lived in Gosnells for most of my life, so I know how much a facility like SPLASH would make a difference not just for me but for my children and grandchildren,” Pam said.
People from multicultural backgrounds are over-represented in drowning deaths in Australia, according to a Royal Life Saving report, and with the City of Gosnells being one of the most culturally diverse local governments in the Perth area, Mayor Theresa Lynes recently highlighted this as a key reason for the urgent need for the SPLASH facility.
Currently, the City has committed $66 million towards the $132 million cost and is seeking the rest from the state and federal governments.
