Members and friends of the Kingborough Dog Walkers Association (KDWA) gathered at Dru Point on Sunday, July 26 for the opening of the upgrades to the dog exercise area.
Established 20 years ago as the first dedicated dog exercise area in Tasmania, the Dru Point Dog Exercise Park has not had a facelift in some time and the upgrades are expected to increase the accessibility and enjoyment of the facility for both two and four-legged community members.
KDWA and Kingborough Council celebrated the completion of the project together, which was made possible by an $11,650 grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund (TCF).
TCF is an independent Fund which supports and strengthens Tasmanian communities by distributing funds to projects which will be beneficial to community members and has allocated approximately $58.6 million over 1700 state-wide projects since it was established in 1999.
The project involved refurbishing the existing exercise area by:
- replacing aged and unsafe dog agility equipment
- creating a separate puppy enclosure
- adding an improved water-access system for dogs and humans
- providing two bench seats.
The pre-existing agility equipment was provided by KDWA in 2000 as part of the Dru Point Bicentennial Park initiative, with some in-kind support supplied by local businesses and the Kingborough Council.
KDWA President, Dr Peter McIntosh, said the area has been well used by dog owners over the 20 years of its life.
“The dog walking community voted this site 'most popular dog area' in Kingborough in a KDWA survey in 2016 and a council survey in 2018 relating to community use of the whole Bicentennial Park complex showed that the dog exercise area was second only in usage to the children's playground,” Dr McIntosh said.
“Dru Point offers a best-practice circular trail for dogs and owners to enjoy exercise and now adds valuable opportunities for training and enrichment to stimulate dogs’ minds and increase dog/human bonding.
“We are very grateful to the Tasmanian Community Fund and the Kingborough Council for supporting a project that benefits the whole community by enhancing a popular meeting place that encourages happy and well-adjusted dogs.”
Mayor of Kingborough, Cr Dean Winter said the project was another example of council working closely with the KDWA to achieve good results for dog walkers.
“The KDWA has been passionately and expertly representing dog walkers’ interests to council since 1998,” Mayor Winter said.
“Their contribution and advice on projects like this and our Kingborough Dog Walking Handbook are invaluable.
“We really appreciate their advocacy and hard work.
“I know a lot of dogs have been enjoying increased time with their owners during COVID-19 and this upgrade just adds more reason to get dogs and their owners out for exercise.”
Pictured above: Vice President of the Kingborough Dog Walkers Association Venie Phillips and founding member Tony Walsh cut the ribbon to officially open the upgrades to the Dru Point dog exercise park on Sunday, July 26. Members and friends of the association gathered for the official opening and enjoyed a barbeque together afterward.
Pictured above: Mayor of Kingborough, Cr Dean Winter with Buzz, past Kingborough Dog Walkers Association (KDWA) president Carl Mann, KDWA Vice-President Venie Phillips, Tasmanian Community Fund representative Frank Barta, KDWA Treasurer Simon Barnsley, KDWA founding member Tony Walsh, KDWA member Georgia Clark KDWA President Dr Peter McIntosh and KDWA member Su Jan New Clark with Dusty at the official opening of the new dog exercise equipment at Dru Point.