Jack Watkins Reserve

Jack Watkins Reserve is a park in the Australian state of South Australia situated adjacent to the Islington Railway Workshops in the suburb of Kilburn within the local government area of City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The park was named after Jack Watkins, a union organiser and former president of The Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia who successfully lobbied to remove asbestos and other toxic contaminants from the railway site and adjacent properties.[2][3] The park was opened in late August 2003 as a tribute to the large number of former railway workers who succumbed to asbestos-related diseases while working at the yard.[2]

Jack Watkins Reserve
Typelandmark
LocationKilburn, South Australia
Coordinates34°51′41″S 138°34′54″E[1]
Operated byCity of Port Adelaide Enfield

The park contains a memorial walkway leading to a central memorial featuring four pillars, inscribed Tough Times, Strength, mates and ratbags.[4] The park also contains a playground, public murals, barbecue facilities and a dog park.[5][6] A memorial service is held each year in the park on 24 November to honour the victims of asbestos related disease.[7]

On 25 November 2016, the day after Asbestos Victims Memorial Day, the park was shut indefinitely due to eight pieces of asbestos being found, risking a health hazard to members of the public. Mayor Gary Johanson stated that "someone deliberately went and seeded the reserve with asbestos particles".[8] The park has since been decontaminated and reopened while a full investigation is underway [9]

See also

References
  1. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  2. "The Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia". www.adssa-inc.com.au. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  3. "Jack Watkins Reserve". Monument Australia. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  4. https://www.weekendnotes.com/im/008/04/parks-and-reserves-public-restroom-play-equipment-61.jpg
  5. "Adelaide's newest pooch park opens". Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  6. Walsh, Dave (26 November 2012). "Jack Watkins Reserve". Weekend Notes. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  7. "Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia Annual Memorial Service". Safe at work. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  8. "Asbestos planted near memorial at Kilburn park, mayor says". 5 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  9. Enfield, Port Adelaide (10 December 2016). "Jack Watkins Reserve has now reopened". Port Adelaide Enfield. Retrieved 21 December 2017 – via www.portenf.sa.gov.au.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.