The Riverdale Park in Meadowbrook is getting some work done and is set to be the first dinosaur park in the city.

The $2.5million staged upgrade will replace the playground, exercise equipment, picnic shelters and barbecue facilities.

Months ago, the year nine Signature Class (academic excellence) from Loganlea State High School were led by Cr Tony Hall and tasked with being councillors for a day with the purpose to debate and decide what the new park would be based off.

There were several ideas including a pirate park and dinosaur park with students coming down to talking about the type of play that would happen.

Students believed a pirate theme could be violent and aggressive and against each other where if it was a dinosaur park it meant that the kids would be playing together and working as a team at discovering things. 

After the plans went through council and were signed off, it was time to bring those students out to the park for the official sod turning.

Cr Hall and Mayor Power were both present at the park and gave the students a few words before the shovels were dirtied.

“What you’ll find is when you change something it’s quite often you are doing it for the right reasons and you’re doing it to benefit the whole community, but sometimes when you do change things you can’t make everyone happy and that is part of the process of being a change maker,” said Cr Hall.

“Change is always necessary because it’s when things change in life, we grow the most. So, whatever you do in life, whatever you change in, you need to be proud of what you do, and I want you to be proud of this when because you are basically part of this process.

“I want to congratulate you for being bold and coming together to make a decision and arrive somewhere.”

Mayor Darren Power said that you’re never going to be able to please everyone.

“Every project I’ve done in the city in the last 27 years as a councillor or mayor, there’s always been opposition to it. So, you must be strong in your convictions, when I say that you must be sure to be sure that you’re doing the right thing.

“This is good that Tony has shared this with you because being part of the process is something that I think you’ll look back in years to come and say ‘hey, I was a part of that’.”