At the heart of our community, we value safe, clean public spaces where everyone can come together, learn and enjoy activities. We appreciate having facilities and events that cater to all ages and backgrounds, fostering a sense of connection and harmony. We also value health and wellbeing services that support every member of our community, especially those who need it most. Our strategic objective is to ensure that our community services and facilities are high quality, sustainable, inclusive and strengthen our collective resilience.
Major achievement
Through major initiative 1.4, we improved community spaces by demolishing the Ferguson Stand to make it easier to see and move between Glenferrie Precinct and Grace Park.
Glenferrie Oval in Hawthorn project
Glenferrie Oval in Hawthorn is one of Boroondara's most loved sporting and community precincts. We’re investing in several upgrades across the precinct to bring new life back to its community spaces and facilities.
One of the upgrades included the creation of a new open space. The old Ferguson Stand was demolished in mid-2023. It now has 500 square metres of new open space for the community.
A landscape design plan for the new open space was made in consultation with the community to make sure it meets their needs now and in the future. The new space is now open to the community to enjoy.
Highlights for the year
- Completed the Canterbury Community Precinct, including the Maling Heritage Centre, Lewin Reserve Pavilion in Glen Iris and Anderson Park Community Centre in Hawthorn East.
- Lewin Reserve Pavilion won silver in the Melbourne Design Award 2024 for Architecture - Public and Institutional. The building includes sustainable elements such as solar panels, all-electric heat pumps and underground rainwater tanks, and is used by sports clubs and U3A.
- Awarded construction contracts for the Willsmere Park Pavilion in Kew East, Canterbury Sportsground Pavilion in Surry Hills and JJ McMahon Kindergarten in Balwyn.
- Adopted and launched the Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2024-28.
- Conducted the first 2 LGBTQIA+ community roundtables to gather insights on how to make Boroondara more welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQIA+ communities.
- Completed the Sport and Recreation Inclusion Guide. The guide gives advice, resources, and practical ways for clubs to help everyone join.
- The Sport and Youth Awards were held to honour the important work of local sports clubs and the important roles of young people in the Boroondara community.
- Boroondara libraries attracted over 800,000 visitors and recorded more than 6 million interactions, including visits, loans, and program attendance, during the reporting period.
- Boroondara Arts successfully concluded its 2024 season of 'Summer in the Park', receiving widespread community acclaim. Spanning 6 weekends from 3 February to 10 March, the series featured:
- Boroondara’s picturesque parks and gardens held 16 free events, drawing a total of 5,300 attendees. Notably, ‘Jazz in the Park’ in St James Park, Hawthorn, achieved a record-breaking attendance of over 1,300 people, more than double the previous year.
- Performances such as the opera 'L’Elisir d’amore' (The Elixir of Love) at Canterbury Gardens, the Boroondara Seniors Film Festival and a screening of 'ET: The Extra-Terrestrial' at Riversdale Park. Additionally, the Hawthorn Pipe Band performed at Fairview Park, a Guzheng concert was held at Read Gardens and a theatrical production 'Not Another Shakespeare in the Park' by the Arts ETC Collective was featured at Summerhill Park.
- An increase in community satisfaction from 94% to 96% in 2024. Attendees' satisfaction rate for our park and garden venues reached an impressive 95%, reflecting high praise for event settings and the overall organisation.