Events planned to celebrate Quota Park's refresh after a tough year
Nambour’s Quota Memorial Park is being reclaimed as a welcoming community space, with a calendar of free Sunshine Coast Council events planned following a year of intense public concern and sustained community advocacy.
Families, skaters, dog owners and community groups are being invited to rediscover the refreshed park. Council is partnering with Nambour Community Centre and Trinity Youth & Community Services to deliver skate lessons, yoga, family playdates and a skate competition.
Division 10 Councillor David Law said the events would help community members reconnect with the space, known locally as Quota Park, and celebrate the collaborative efforts that have helped keep the park beautiful and welcoming for everyone.
“Quota Park has always been an important community space, so it’s wonderful to see Council along with Queensland Police Service, IFYS and local community organisations making this a key focus area and all playing a role in helping this park shine,” Cr Law said.
Cr Law said the upcoming events were an opportunity for residents to experience everything the park had to offer. “Quota Park is a great local asset with a fenced playground and climbing play area for older kids, picnic area and barbecues, skate park, dog park and plenty of open space for recreation,” he said.
“I encourage locals to come along to an event and be part of the park’s next chapter as a valuable community hub.”
Quota Park Events starting in August include:
• Battle for Nambour on 22 August – free skate lessons, community park competition and best trick jam. Register your spot online or find more information on Battle For Nambour Instagram
• The Great Quota Park Playdate on 5 September – a family event featuring activities including art and craft workshops, skate clinic, games, yoga, face painting, storytime, music and drumming
• Regular Playdates from 17 September – ongoing fortnightly playdate sessions on Thursday afternoons at 2-4pm, with skate instructors on hand. Check Nambour Community Centre Facebook page for updates.
• Free yoga classes now run on Tuesday mornings in Quota Park through the Healthy Sunshine Coast program. Visit Healthy Sunshine Coast to register your spot.
In recent months, Council has completed clean-up activities, maintenance works, weed management, graffiti removal and signage improvements in the park area.
As with all Sunshine Coast parks, cleaners visit daily to maintain the BBQs, shelters and amenities, while playground inspections take place every month and detailed operational checks are carried out every three months.
Parts of Quota Park are prone to flooding, presenting unique challenges and requiring strategic timing on some maintenance works.
“If you see something that needs a fix, please log a request through the Sunshine Coast App and we’ll get to it as soon as we can,” Cr Law said.
Tumultuous year for park
As previously reported by the Gazette, council workers and Petrie Creek BushCare volunteers were withdrawn from parts of the park last year because of reports of threatening and aggressive behaviour.
The park’s condition became a major community issue and safety advocate Helen Tagg launched a petition calling for public spaces to be made safe.
It attracted more than 1600 signatures and also called for suitable alternative locations with hygiene facilities, outreach and support for people experiencing homelessness in order to keep parks safe for families and school children.
That advocacy kept the condition and safety of Quota Park on the public agenda while encouraging a response that considered both community safety and the needs of vulnerable people.
