Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt has congratulated the Cairns Regional Council for passing a motion today to give in-principle support to the reopening of Sugarworld waterslides.
Mr Pitt said the waterslides at Edmonton are a valuable community asset for residents in the southern suburbs that attract tens of thousands of families each year.
“The south side of Cairns has a rapidly growing population and it is important to have quality recreational facilities that are affordable and within easy reach for families,” Mr Pitt said.
“I applaud Council on today’s decision and look forward to the outcome of the forthcoming workshop that will look at the cost of repair or replacement of the slides.”
Mr Pitt said more than 70,000 people visit the Sugarworld waterslides each year.
“Sugarworld is a destination for numerous community, indigenous, youth, sporting and vacation care groups,” Mr Pitt said.
“I grew up going to Sugarworld with school trips and on weekends. My favourite slide was always the Banana Bender.
“School groups are still a major user with nearly 90 per cent of schools visiting Sugarworld at least once each year.”
Mr Pitt said he was one of the more than 6,500 fans of the ‘Save Sugarworld’ page on Facebook.
“Hats off to Raj Patel for establishing the page. It’s been a really good example of the kind of strong community support that’s out there,” Mr Pitt said.
Park lessee Ersilia Phipps said she wanted to see Sugarworld to be operational as soon as possible as she had concerns about the impact on staff.
“We have a minimum of seven staff from May until July, and up to as many as 15 in the summer months from September until April,” Ms Phipps said.
“Sugarworld attracts people from all over Australia during the school holidays. It is on the list of things to do in Cairns.
“It is not uncommon to see people from Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Alice Springs and so on. These people regularly comment on what a great day they have had and how lucky we are to have a facility that it is so affordable and family friendly.”
Mr Pitt said he understood the reasons why Council had to close the park at short notice after being presented with an engineers report highlighting concerns with the structural integrity of the slides.
“I support this action because safety is paramount. We can’t be too careful when it comes to our children,” Mr Pitt said.
Recent Comments