By JESSE GRAHAM
SHELTER from the rain and the summer heat is now available at Coldstream’s Margaret Lewis Reserve, with a $20,000 gazebo and meeting place opened recently.
The gazebo, which includes a sitting area and a picnic table, was opened by Yarra Ranges mayor Fiona McAllister, Casey MP Tony Smith and Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve’s Morris Maxwell on 25 October.
The three were joined by a large number of Coldstream residents and reserve users, who celebrated the opening with a slice of cake.
Cr McAllister said the new gazebo, which was funded with $20,000 from the council, would provide a meeting place for residents, visitors and Friends group members and added to the appeal of the reserve.
“People come from many parts to spend time in this beautiful reserve, with dogs to have the opportunity to have them off-lead,” she said.
“It’s enjoyed in so many ways and it is an absolute treasure.
“I’d like to say a very big thank you to the Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve, not just for making the gazebo come about, but for everything you do for making this place for all of us to love and enjoy.”
Mr Smith joked that the gazebo would also provide shelter for residents from the boomerangs that Mr Maxwell liked to throw in the reserve, recalling a near-miss around 12 years ago.
He joined Cr McAllister in congratulating the group and Mr Maxwell, and Mr Maxwell said he hoped the new structure would bring more people to the reserve, both to visit and to assist the Friends group.
The Margaret Lewis Reserve was established in 1981, when Margaret Lewis died and bequeathed 15 hectares of land – the Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve care for the area.
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