With only the faint sound of the rustling gum leaves and the odd chirp of a small bird, Kim O’Keeffe feels at home at Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake.
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City of Greater Shepparton’s mayor often seeks solace in the peaceful surroundings, finding comfort on a park bench or strolling around the lake’s edge.
This is her favourite place; a place she regularly visited when she was young; and a place she brought her own two daughters to explore when they were children.
It’s a place she goes to escape the challenges of daily life.
Liz Mellino reports.
Standing at the edge of Victoria Park Lake, Mrs O’Keeffe recounts her childhood memories of days at the lake.
‘‘Growing up, the lake has a lot of significant memories, memories of coming here with my Dad; he’s not here anymore, he passed away 26 years ago,’’ she said.
‘‘I always think about it. We had seven children in my family and every Sunday morning we would come to the lake. It would usually be about 7am and we would go to the milkbar to get an ice-cream first, and then we’d come here.’’
Mrs O’Keeffe acknowledged the lake looked different back then, with a big steam engine sitting proudly near the water’s edge and an island in the middle that regularly played host to community concerts.
‘‘Back then they had a big steam engine which was amazing and I’ve noticed that is still over at the Heritage Museum, so often I’ll drive past there and spot it and have a smile,’’ she said.
‘‘Growing up, that was certainly one of our good memories.’’
With the lake having a special place in her heart after the death of her father, Mrs O’Keeffe made a tradition of bringing her own two daughters, Emma and Olivia, to the lake for regular outings.
She fondly remembers spending many Sundays visiting Trash ’N’ Treasure at the old drive-in movie site — where Riverside Plaza sits — as a family before heading to the lake for morning tea and a play in the sunshine.
‘‘I look back on bringing my girls here when they were little and the family times we shared,’’ Mrs O’Keeffe said.
‘‘I think Emma was actually on the front page of the Shepparton News when she was about three, there was a photo of her with her Dad on one of the pieces of play equipment.’’
Looking around at the lake’s surroundings, Mrs O’Keeffe notes the impressive establishment of Aquamoves.
Previously known as the Raymond West Swimming Pool, she said she and her siblings spent many years as lifeguards looking after the safety of other children at the outdoor facility.
‘‘The pool had no fences and was a huge swimming area with a three-tier tower that you could jump off into the pool,’’ Mrs O’Keeffe said.
‘‘My brothers and I were life-savers at the pool and I remember at the age of 10 being on patrol walking around the huge pool; in fact at that time I wasn’t a very strong swimmer, so I’m not sure how I qualified to be a life-saver.’’
While she has many memories from before the lake’s redevelopment, Mrs O’Keeffe is also a regular visitor to the new site.
She can often be seen walking around the lake at 6am, enjoying some exercise and a catch-up with some friends or a morning walk with her daughter Emma.
‘‘I think for me it is really about getting outdoors and also thinking about fitness and wellbeing and the mental health of walking,’’ she said.
‘‘It really helps with my stress to get back to nature and peace and be mindful of it.’’
While her days consist of many hours indoors at meetings and appointments, Mrs O’Keeffe said the lake had provided a place of calm at many stressful times in her life.
She said she regularly found shade at one of the park benches behind the lake, where she spent time between meetings reading background papers and enjoying a coffee.
‘‘I think in my role where it is such a busy role and indoors most of the time, it makes me just stop and actually really take in the moment and have some peaceful time to clear my head,’’ she said.
‘‘It is also a really good message for everyone to just stop some days and take some time for themselves.’’
While reflecting on her favourite place, Mrs O’Keeffe said she was excited to see how the space would evolve during the next 10 years.
With the development of the new Shepparton Art Museum set to begin on the banks of the lake, and work recently completed to revamp the play equipment and public toilets, Mrs O’Keeffe said she hoped the area continued to evolve into a public space which encapsulated the heart of Shepparton.
Now a real tourist attraction and a place many families visit for an afternoon play or a picnic in the shade, Victoria Park Lake is somewhere Mrs O’Keeffe said she would continue to cherish as a proud member of the community.
‘‘I’ve always lived here so I think I’m very connected to this place, I’m really excited to think about what it’s going to look like in the future with SAM coming,’’ she said.
‘‘Ten years from now I’m sure it will continue to progress and be beautiful, but it will look quite different ... in the meantime I intend to enjoy my time spent at the lake and I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy this beautiful space and community facility.’’