In the heart of Gosnells, a grassroots campaign first started by one woman has completely transformed her local community with the launch of a Community Street Library and a Recycling Depot at Mabel Davies Park.
Last Sunday week, an official opening ceremony was held to celebrate the new facilities, drawing a crowd of enthusiastic residents and local leaders, including Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes and Chris Tallentire, the Member for Thornlie.
Founded by locals Karry Fisher and Barry Watts, the initiative has transformed local attitudes towards sustainability and community engagement.
Ms Fisher said that what was once a degraded space, Mabel Davies Park, was revitalised through a petition for a barbecue, which the council approved and helped unite the community.
From that, Ms Fisher spearheaded the creation of the Community Street Library and Recycling Depot with the community’s support and funds from the Containers for Cash program.
“The cost involved in doing the street library and recycling facility has been completely funded by the containers for cash program,” Ms Fisher said
“I went around to my community and asked people if they’ve got containers that they normally put in bins and if they would be interested in saving those so that we could use those to raise money for internal infrastructure at the park, the community recycling and Street Library.
“So far, we’ve raised close to $2500, and that’s been done in less than a year.”
In just four weeks, the completely self-funded community program, driven by local participation, has collected around 180 kilos of recyclable waste material, 5 bags of used batteries and more than 80 books for the community library.
Ms Fisher is especially proud of the fact that the program not only supports local sustainability efforts but also contributes to global causes.”
“The bottle tops are a really special part. What people put in there is sent to a recycling facility where it’s converted into a powdery material and then shipped off to Africa to be made into prosthetics,” she said.
“The community also raised about $1056 for new trees to be planted in the park.”
Member for Thornlie, Chris Tallentire MLA, was at the Community Street Library and Community Recycling Depot launch and couldn’t speak highly enough of the project, praising its positive impact on community engagement.
“As well as gathering items together, sorting them and achieving scale which adds value, the community-building value of this project is magnificent. Bringing people together, so they can share companionship and ideas, is so important,” he said.
“People want to do the right thing with their waste; a local gathering point makes the task easier. The way this project has been so beautifully integrated into a very attractive garden setting is truly inspirational.”
Through the creation of a Facebook group titled ‘Community Street Library and Community Recycling Depot – within the City of Gosnells,’ Ms Fisher hopes to inspire and work with others who are passionate about making a positive difference in the community.
“Thirty years ago, when we came here, it was just such a beautiful estate within Gosnells, and now we’re bringing it back to that position it was when we first purchased our property,” she said.
“It’s so wonderful to see this part of Gosnells finally receiving the respect it deserves, thanks to the community coming together.”
If you want to start your own Community Street Library or Community Recycling Depot, you can contact Ms Karry Fisher JP at 0475 769 984 for advice or assistance with setting up your project.
