Kids in the remote Northern Territory community of Ltyentye Apurte or Santa Teresa are eagerly awaiting the opening of a new skate park this weekend.
The event celebrates the vision of Spinifex Skateboards founder and eastern Arrerntre man Nicky Hayes, who took his idea for the skate park to a community meeting two years ago.
For the past four years he has been running weekly skateboarding workshops at the recreation hall and spreading the word about the mental and physical benefits of skating.
Mr Hayes says he hopes the skate park will bring happiness to the kids in the community.
“I wanted the skate park to improve the wellbeing of the kids in Ltyentye Apurte,” Mr Hayes said.
“To ensure they stay active and to have an outdoor skate park where families can hang out and
accommodate young people’s needs of having fun within a safe space for skateboards, bikes and scooters.”
The remote community, one hour’s drive south of Alice Springs, decided to fund half of the projected project costs on the condition that the balance would be sourced from grant funding.
A grant from the Aboriginals Benefit Account and in-kind support from the Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation and the park’s designers and builders, East by West and Grind Projects, allowed the project to be completed in August.
CLC chair Matthew Palmer congratulated community leaders for putting young people first.
“My nieces, nephews and grannies are lucky to grow up in a community that is doing good things with its lease money, keeping them happy, busy and out of trouble.”
