11 YEARS: A Reflection

11 YEARS: A Reflection by Dee Hudson

11 years of driving back and forth along the service road of Mt Lindesay Highway to my daughters’ school, Parklands Christian College.

Local landmarks: Park Ridge Primary School, Park Ridge Swimming Pool, Ingham’s Chicken, not to mention the towing place, the bus depot, Park Ridge Baptist Church and the adorable brown pony that lives next door.

The two majestic trees that stand in full view at the old Ingham’s Chicken site.   I could confess that I’d always known they were there, but that would be a lie. I spotted them around 2016 and only because it was obvious the building was quietly vacating and “things were happening”.   

The thought of them disappearing fills me with dread and I visualise concrete paths and housing estates in their place.

A new school-day ritual – slow to 30(km) at the pool; crane neck to the left; take in the view; “aaah, they’re still there”; breathe (a sigh of relief).

 “You don’t want them to go do you Mum?”, My Tween-ager quizzed.

How did she know?

On this day, I stop with a feeling of urgency. Face pressed against the fence.  Snap a pic.  A moment in time, grasped before the landscape changes.

2019 – they’re still there.   The foliage continues to change in colour and depth, in sync with the seasons – a bit like a (now) teenager’s daily mood swings in sync with, well, Life.

Maybe my fears are groundless.  Maybe they’ll stay.

I sometimes drive past during school holidays, to catch a last glimpse, “just in case”.  I don’t know how I’ll feel if, one day, they’re not there – actually, I DO know.  

Will they endure the major development taking place – will they continue to be part of an ever-changing landscape?  Or maybe it’s time for me to embrace change.  Only time will tell.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Doug H

    Hi Dee,

    I moved to Park Ridge in 1996. Yes, the place is almost unrecognisable now. I have vivid memories of the place you describe.

    We had an old shopping centre on the site where the current Park Ridge Woolies is now. It was pretty dilapidated by then, being 20 years old. But I have heaps of good memories. Walking my brothers to school along that service road. There were old houses there. Now there is just the car park for the school. I’m happy the roads have changed, honestly. It used to be so unsafe for pedestrians. It’s hard to tell what will change in the future, but one thing is for sure – the heritage of Park Ridge needs to be properly documented and preserved.

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