Today I wanted to post a tribute to a longstanding icon of inner-city Brisbane - Victoria Park golf course, which is set to permanently close on May 31st of this year so that a new stadium can be built for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
Despite valiant and continuous community efforts to oppose the destruction of one of Brisbane’s central landmarks, the state and local government have ultimately decided that the progression of the Olympics surpasses the sentimental heritage and value of this site. Therefore, as Victoria Park enters its final days, I wanted to invite all Brisbane residents here on Tumblr to reflect on this place. Enjoying a swing either alone or with your friends. Playing mini-golf with your family. Enjoying a meal at the Bistro. For many of you, it was here that you were married.
Though we failed to save Victoria Park from destruction, we must ensure that memory of this beautiful place lives on, and that a cold, soulless stadium does not become what this place is remembered for. Our best hope now is that after the games are over, someone will tear the stadium down so that Victoria Park can someday be restored, but this pipe dream should not prevent us from honouring the place so many of our fellow city dwellers have valued. I myself had a date with my girlfriend not too long ago here - it was a truly great day, and it saddens me that we’ll never get to have that same kind of experience again.
Farewell, Victoria Park. Brisbane salutes you and the decades you’ve stood in our community, and we will keep your memory alive.
