After almost two years of fundraising and co-designing the park with local youth and the community, project manager Alex McNeilly said it was a proud moment. 

“It was a great moment with families and community watching site works and excavation get underway this week,” he said. 

“Our plan is to have the skate park facility completed for the upcoming festival so our kids, youth and visitors can give the new skate park a good test run and get to use the park we have waited so long for.

“Stage two is scheduled for July-September 2017 and includes completing the fitness gym area, half-court basketball area, play gym, BBQ communal area, footpaths and toilet amenity. 

“We are hoping for some good sunny days and less rain to ensure we complete our new community park on time.”

While the rain has slowed progress, Alex said the builders were doing everything possible to meet the May 12 deadline in time for the Culburra Beach Festival. 

Community project member John Segol said everyone was looking forward to putting the park to use. 

​“We are all pumped and looking forward to getting on the park and giving our boards a go very soon and running a few skate park workshop days and activities for the kids when finished,” he said. 

James Harris, Social and Infrastructure Planning Unit Manager at Shoalhaven Council commended the community on their efforts. 

“The Curleys Bay Community Recreational Park is the largest single funded community led park project in the Shoalhaven to build a new community asset by a local community committee through a collaborative approach working with local, state and federal government,” he said. 

South Coast MP Shelley Hancock attended the sod turning. 

“I congratulate the wonderful effort of the Culburra Beach Community Project Committee and community to make this new park and community asset happen. Projects like this make me happy, it’s great to see the community building a park for the community by the community for everyone to enjoy,” she said.