Pressure on Council to Fix Fencing

By Marcus Braid on October 8, 2015 in News

Randwick Council is under increasing pressure to act on the lack of fencing around Maroubra’s Broadarrow Reserve.

A community movement for a fence around the off-leash park has gathered significant momentum in the wake of yet another tragic incident.

Sarah McMahon’s dog, Maxie, was hit by a car and killed on Fitzgerald Avenue in late July. The incident occurred just months after another dog was killed running across the road from Broadarrow Reserve earlier this year.

“All the people down at the dog park think that it’s an issue that needs to be addressed,” Ms McMahon said.

“We’re worried about what it’s going to take. Is it going to take a dog running across the street and causing a pile-up? It’s such a simple thing for them to do, just to fix the fence that’s already there.”

A change.org petition has gathered more than 650 signatures, which is an indication of the burgeoning level of community support for action on the fencing.

“We’re happy that they’re looking into it, but we’re feeling like they’re not listening to what we’re saying,” Ms McMahon said.

“We keep hearing that they think we’re talking about enclosing the whole park, which is not what we’re really asking for. We’re just asking for them to fix the existing fences that are already there, especially the one which is on Fitzgerald Avenue. That’s the priority, because that’s the main road.”

A spokesperson for Randwick Council extended sympathies to the McMahon family.

“Randwick City Council is supportive of companion animals and we have 14 off-leash dog parks that provide a large amount of open space for dogs to exercise,” the spokesperson said.

“Randwick City Council’s existing dog parks are not fenced due to their large size and shared use.

“Council is currently investigating the request and we are looking at a range of issues such as the impact of fencing on other users of the park, cost and maintenance.

“Councils that have fenced dog parks generally fence smaller areas within parks and this provides less space for dogs to exercise.”

However, local resident Emily Beale – who started the original petition for a fence – dismissed Council’s responses to the issue as a “brush-off”.

“Every single response we’ve had from Randwick City Council so far has been a brush-off,” Ms Beale said. “Speaking candidly, it’s a council that doesn’t give a shit about dogs.

“Everything that is provided for dogs within Randwick is really inadequate. I just don’t think they give it any value.”

Maxie was a highly popular and well-known dog within the Maroubra community, and she was walked once or twice a day at Broadarrow Reserve.

“The last few weeks have been some of the hardest of our lives and we do not wish anyone to have to go through what we have been going through,” Ms McMahon said.

“That is why we are making it our mission to make a change and make the dog park safer for both dogs and the local public. We want something good to come out of something tragic.”