Volunteer pricked by syringe during Quota Park clean-up
A Nambour volunteer has spoken out about safety concerns in local parks after being jabbed by a discarded syringe while helping with a Clean Up Australia Day effort at Quota Park.
The resident, who asked not to be named, was assisting other volunteers to tidy the park when the incident occurred. He later attended Nambour Hospital to be checked and was told he was regarded as low risk but will continue to be monitored.
He said the experience highlighted the risks facing residents who step in to clean areas they believe should already be maintained.
“I was cleaning out an abandoned shopping trolley from the camp site which was torched last year,” he said. “It was during that clean-up that I was jabbed by a disused syringe needle.”
He said volunteers removed a significant amount of rubbish during the effort, including multiple syringes, raising concerns about safety in a park located close to schools and children’s play areas.
“There were a lot of needles picked up during the clean-up,” he said.
The volunteer stressed he did not want the incident to discourage community members from participating in Clean Up Australia Day events or helping care for local spaces.
Instead, he said the episode should prompt a more serious response to long-running concerns about the condition and safety of some Nambour parks.
“My main issue is that residents had to give up their Sunday to clean up the park which is the role of council,” he said.
The man wrote to Division 10 Councillor David Law and Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli about the incident and said he appreciated receiving messages of concern from both.
Despite that, he believes the broader problem remains unresolved. He said Quota Park was clearly an unsuitable location for camping due to safety concerns and its proximity to families and schools.
“Australia is a first world country with the highest standards in the world but we see none of this in Quota Park,” he said.
“Here a homeless situation with a drug problem has been allowed to develop in our town park which is totally unsuitable for this purpose being prone to flooding, has no ablution facilities and the safety aspect of being in close proximity to schools.
"No one is wanting to see the homeless swept back on the street, just a more appropriate location found.”
The man’s experience comes amid ongoing debate in Nambour about public safety, drug use and rough sleeping in parks and playground areas in the CBD.
Concerns have been raised repeatedly by residents in recent months and years, more recently by safety advocate Helen Tagg and the Nambour Now community advocacy group.
A Nambour volunteer has spoken out about safety concerns in local parks after being jabbed by a discarded syringe while helping with a Clean Up Australia Day effort at Quota Park.