Should Warringah Council take over Waratah Park?
WARATAH Park may have a new ally with Warringah Council considering joining the fight to save the fading Australian icon. A motion was due to be put to council last night that seeks to return the park, the former home of Skippy, as a place of public recreation and environmental protection. Now leased by Melbourne-based Prudentia Investments, the park has been closed to the public and all the native animals removed. The six-point motion outlines strong opposition to Waratah Park being privately acquired and called on Lands Minister Tony Kelly to terminate the lease. It also declared an interest in acquiring the lease at no financial cost. Cr Julie Sutton, who put forward the motion, said Waratah Park had been an icon in the area for generations. “We all used to take our kids there,” she said. “It was a wonderful place and a tourist attraction and somehow or other it fell into disrepair and is now just a wasteland.” Cr Sutton said council feared for the park’s future following its takeov
