The All Abilities Play Space


 
The Jo Wheatley All Abilities Play space (AAPS)
 
A low key “after party” at the AAPS on 13 September 2019 to mark practical completion of the last major item – the accessible toilet block -  had many of the key players, with Rotary project champions Angus Buchanan from West Perth Rotary and Cheryl Jennings from Subiaco Rotary, plus representatives from Nedlands Council, Inclusion WA, Australia’s Bridge, Matilda Bay Rotary and the local community. All played key roles in the project, which took several years from inception to completion. Nedlands donated “The best  Playground site in Australia”  - Beaton Park on the Dalkeith foreshore  - and paid for the design by renowned landscape architect Fiona Robbe plus committed to ongoing maintenance. Rotary was responsible for fundraising approximately $4m, which included significant pro bono donations of design drawings and materials.
 
Stage one of the AAPS was officially opened and named the The Jo Wheatley All-Abilities Play Space on 7 June  2018. This incredible facility at Beaton Park on the Dalkeith foreshore of the beautiful Swan River is the culmination of seven years of hard work by a team of volunteers led by Rotary and the City of Nedlands. 
The All Abilities Play Space is for everyone! Children, teenagers and adults with disability, their families and carers, have all been involved in the design, to make sure it works for everyone. Above all it is a vibrant community activity space where everyone may meet, play, socialize and use play equipment. See you on the next sunny day!

Artists, designers, landscapers, engineers, planners, earth-movers, builders and project managers have all had something to add to this unique space. Children, too, were consulted about their needs and wants for a play space where families and children with different needs could play alongside each other.

 

 The project involves Rotary plus the City of Nedlands, Inclusion WA, Disability Advisory Committee, Australia’s Bridge, Wood and Grieve engineers, local disability workers, families and community members, with development of the designs based on extensive community involvement and consultation.

A community partnership project, the play space is located on a premier site - Please view these short videos:
Verity James describes the AAPS
 
Justin Langer is a huge supporter
 

If you would like to help complete this innovative state of the art project -------

Sponsorship enquiries: please contact Angus Buchanan, West Perth Rotary, on a.buchanan@curtin.edu.au.  

Pro Bono work: please contact Margot Matthews, Australia's Bridge, on margot.matthews@australiasbridge.org.au.

This is a 10,000 square metre play space designed for people of all ages and abilities. The space has 17 play zones including sand play, nature play, active spinning, active climbing, decks and slides, music play and much more.

Teenagers and adults often feel excluded from playgrounds, partly because most conventional play equipment is only designed to take the weight of a child. In contrast to this, the All Abilities Play Space will welcome teenagers and has also been designed with the needs of adults in mind. No more boring visits to the park for Mum and Dad - there will even be play equipment for seniors, so grandparents can have fun at the park too. The high quality surrounding fence will give parents peace of mind!