Thanks to 11-year-old Brock Jurd, Penrith Council is looking into providing a skate park behind Cambridge Gardens Public School.
It comes after the young Cambridge Gardens resident took local development into his own hands and rounded up residents’ support through a petition.
With the help of his neighbour, Bob Pullen, the petition made its way to Penrith Councillor John Thain, who presented Brock’s idea to a council meeting last month.
With plans to be a professional scooter rider when he gets older, Brock had been stewing on the idea for two years, and said it will make it safer for he and other Cambridge Gardens kids to practice.
“It’s so dangerous crossing the main roads. You have Cranebrook and Cambridge Park skate parks, and they’re both across main roads,” he said.
The site Brock chose behind the public school and next to the batting nets has several access points for locals, that means surrounding residents don’t have to cross busy main roads.
Brock said he even knows people who ride as far as Jamison Park because the skate park at Cambridge Park isn’t as good, but hopes for a better one at Cambridge Gardens.
“There’s a skate park at Glenmore Park and it’d be good to get a bit of that and a bit of Jamison Park, with a pump track where you get heaps of speed for a jump,” he said.
Mr Pullen said he wanted to support Brock after the young boy came to his house asking him to sign up, so he called Councillor Thain to see what could be done.
“When Brock had enough signatures on the petition, it just so happened there was a Council meeting coming up that week,” he said.
“Then Councillor Thain took it to the Mayor – he was captivated with the young boy’s diligence. I think great credit to the young fellow.”
Brock said the hardest part was getting all the signatures, but thanked Mr Pullen for his support with a very manly handshake.
Brock dismissed the idea he could be on Council one day, and wants to stick to his dream of learning tricks to become a professional scooter rider.
