Ninety year old Altona author Joan Healey is proof that age is just a number, publishing her first book on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of cubbies, Australia’s first adventure playground in Fitzroy. Afraa Kori reports.
As a former journalist, the writing skills were there and the path was paved, but Joan Healey’s journey to becoming an author was a surprise twist.
On an overseas travel adventure in the 1970s, Joan worked in an adventure playground in London’s East End.
After returning home to Melbourne, she agreed to run an adventure playground as part of a short term holiday program in Fitzroy.
“It started as a six week holiday program, and for various reasons, I stayed on and it kept going,” she explained.
“So I wasn’t inspired by anything, it just happened accidentally.”
Joan’s book, ‘The Cubbies The Battle for Australia’s First Adventure Playground’, is based on her personal experiences and observations.
According to Newsouth Books Joan’s book is “the rollicking tale of Australia’s first true adventure playground when children were allowed to use a ptach of public land as their own backyard, to play in freely as they wished not as adults directed them”.
The playground comprised scavenged materials used to build cubbies, experimental gardens, boats and whatever other flights of fancy overtook chidren’s imaginations.
The book details the struggle to make the adventure playground permanently accessible to children and her concerns that today’s children are missing out on the freedoms enjoyed by past generations.
“I just wanted to write a story about the resilience of children. I was driven to publish my experiences because of society increasingly putting the lid on kids with regulations, rules and helicopter parenting, which is curtailing their opportunities to play freely and take risks,” she said.
“Kids don’t want their parents around all the time and that’s one of the difficulties now. Their parents want to hover around and make sure they’re all right. So I hope people can see that you’ve got to let kids go, it’s necessary for healthy development. They need that freedom and we should be supporting the spirit of kids.”
According to the Newsouth Books, “The Cubbies is a tale of battles with local police and the Catholic Church, but also shows visionary politicians and bureaucrats on both sides supporting children, while others made devious attempts to close the place”.
“Playground workers, struggling with on and off funding, steadfastly continued to support children in their right to play freely, while becoming entangled in defending the cubbies. After trials, tribulations and questionable adventures, it became Australia’s first true adventure playground, inspiring the creation of others in the county.”
When Joan launched The Cubbies in August at Fitzroy Library, she was overwhelmed by the support of colleagues and the community.
During the launch, CEO of Play Australia Robyn Monro Miller awarded a Lifetime Achievement award to Joan, and announced a new scholarship for those working in the adventure playground field, in her name, for playwork training.
“Joan bought adventure playgrounds to Australia, and has been a constant in the lives of so many children. I spoke to one gentleman in his sixties that attended the cubbies and he said it was life changing for him. Her lifetime achievement award is recognition not just of the impact she had on Play Australia 50 years ago, but that 50 years later she is still advocating and championing it,” Ms Mill said.
“Play Australia’s mission is to build healthy communities through the power of play, and Joan’s work is a tangible example of how play not only is essential for children’s healthy development but through adventure playgrounds play a sense of belonging and builds social cohesion.”
Dr Ro Roberts, who worked with children and families at the cubbies, said not many people can publish a book like Joan, especially in the modern risk-aversion climate of bureaucracy, rules and regulations.
“Joan has been a colleague and close friend for 50 years. I supported her in finishing her book and with early editing. I and other colleagues joined with Joan and the publisher to plan the book launch. Joan is a wonderful woman – an unsung heroine. She is an inspiration as a community worker dedicated to children’s play.
“The book describes how the adventure playground puts into practice Play Australia’s goals, mission and values. This is not easy in such a risk-averse, fearful and over-regulated, over-structured culture.
“The book documents the institutional barriers to providing free play spaces as parents, community and society grow ever-more fearful of litigation and personal responsibility. It is a very readable, straightforward and humorous account that puts the children first as the creators of the Fitzroy Adventure Playground. As Joan says: it is the children that did it and own it. They had a place where they were in charge of making their own decisions.”
Joan encourages others to be true to themselves and chase their dreams regardless of their age.
“I’ve always followed what I wanted to do, I’ve wandered around the world and experienced different lives and things. I would say that you’ve got to believe in yourself and follow your passion as much as you can, particularly before you’ve turned 90 when the wheels fall off the truck. I do advise that if you’re going to do things, do them before you turn 90, as you can get physically tired by this stage. But I think the only way to keep alive is to keep moving, one way or the other.”
Cubbies, Fitzroy Adventure Playground is on the corner of Condell and Young streets, Fitzroy.
Joan’s book is available at various retails as well as through Amazon for $36.99.
