Reclaiming the street
The first section of Riverside Drive - which runs beside the Brisbane River between Orleigh Park, West End, and Kuilpa Point, South Brisbane - has been closed to vehicular traffic and has been declared public space.
Local Councillor Helen Abrahams joined a group of local residents to celebrate the occasion, and to recount some of the events of the past 30 years which led to the occasion.
Councillor Abrahams paid particular tribute to local resident Vic Feros who discovered, back in the early 70's, that Riverside Drive had never been officially declared as a street on any map or plan of the area, and began agitating for its reverting to parkland.
Helen also made mention of Mary Maher, whose work as a founding member of the Local Push and, subsequently, the West End Community Association, kept the issue alive.
Darren Godwell, president of WECA, also acknowledged Mary Maher’s efforts and paid a glowing tribute to the vision and tenacity of Norma Morgan, a local resident, who at 82 says she’s not waiting the 15 years Council has said it needs before it closes the whole road and makes it riverside park!
Councillor Abrahams said that the stretch of Riverside Drive between Kurilpa and Victoria Streets was only the beginning, and further sections of Riverside Drive would revert to parkland in future.
For more information, see www.helenabrahams.com
