NEW PLAYING AREA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19957, 28 May 1928, Page 11

NEW PLAYING AREA.

THE MORNINGSIDE RESERVE. FACILITIES FOR CHILDREN. FORMAL OPENING CEREMONY. The official opening of the children's playing area occupying the southern portion of the Morningside Reserve was performed by the Hon. G. Fowlds on Saturday afternoon. The Mayor of Mount Albert. Mr. L. E. Rhodes, presided, and there was a large gathering of residents and children of the district. Formerly a mental hospital reserve, the whole area of over 28 acres was some time ago vested in the Mount Albert Domain Board. The present improvements affect only a small portion at the southern end, but a comprehensive scheme has been planned to convert the whole of the area into a recreation reserve, containing playing fields, sports grounds and tennis courts and bowling greens. The section opened on Saturday is well-equipped with chutes, round-abouts, and other apparatus, and it is intended to instal additional* equipment as soon as funds are available. Referring to the development of the children's area, the Mayor said £IOOO had been spent to date. In accordance with a promise made some time, ago, the Government had already donated £155 toward the cost of the work, and a further subsidy was yet to be received. The Domain Board had decided that any scheme undertaken would have "'to be suitable to conform with major improvements which had been planned, and the children's area had been laid out with this in mind. Competitive designs had been called for the lay-out of the whole reserve, and it would probably be necessary to place loan proposals before ratepayers before further work was carried out. However, it would not be necessary to call for a very large sum. The borough was, for its size, well provided with areas suitable for recreational purposes, the Mayor added. There was the Gribblehirst Park of 14 acres, formerly known as Cabbage Tree Swamp, the present borough quarry-site of 12 acres, the Kerr-Taylor estate comprising five acres in Edendale, the Mount Albert Domain itself, and a small area near Oakley Creek, all of which would one day be converted into ideal playing areas. He paid a tribute to the work of the women members of the Aroha League, who bad been largely responsible for raising sufficient money to make possible the initial improvements to the Morningside Reserve. In formally declaring the reserve open, Mr. Fowlds recalled that he had been able to have the area transferred to the jurisdiction of the Domain Board. He emphasised the importance of providing adequate playing reserves throughout urban areas, and said it was imperative that the artificial life which necessarily followed the centralisation of population should be counter-balanced by the provision of healthy "breathing places," especially for the younger generation.