Children should be able to roam free in their own home without parents worrying about their safety, but for Kate Payne letting her children play in their own backyard is not the safest option.
After finding two used syringes shoved under their backyard fence, the Bligh Park resident said such events were becoming the norm in her neighbourhood.
The mother of two told the Gazette last week she was deeply concerned for the safety of her children and had considered moving out on numerous occasions.
The home on a corner block on Porpoise Crescent borders the footpath and floodway that leads from an oval to the Tiningi Community Centre.
Mrs Payne said there were always teenagers and youths hanging around those areas at various times of the day and night, with some causing havoc.
‘‘Both of our fences face the common area so in the past four years living here, we have had many issues with rubbish, graffiti and damage,’’ Mrs Payne said.
‘‘We occasionally get empty beer bottles thrown over our fence, as well as fence panels graffitied and kicked in. But finding syringes is a whole different story, especially when you have children. I shudder to think what could’ve happened.’’
Mrs Payne told the Gazette that she and her husband were forced to thoroughly search the backyard and make sure it was safe before the children could go outside.
‘‘To say I am furious is an understatement,’’ she said.
‘‘We can’t afford to move out at the moment, so we always need to be careful when the children play outside.’’
Directly opposite the Paynes’ is a childcare centre which has prompted the owners to be extra vigilant of anything that might harm the children.
After contacting Council last Monday, Mrs Payne said she was yet to hear anything back.
In 2012, the Gazette published a story on used syringes found in a gutter outside Hobartville Public School after a number of parents expressed concerns.
Before that, Hawkesbury councillor Christine Paine found used syringes thrown over the back fence into her Windsor garden where her grandchildren played. She suggested that there needed to be more facilities available where people could dispose of used needles conveniently and safely.
Bligh Park is not the only area susceptible to such incidents:
Sarah Taylor: North Richmond shops now have to lock the toilet doors and have a blue light due to people leaving their needles there.
Paul Manning: Lots of teens gather, drink and take drugs at Richmond Park and, in particular, the grandstand. There is childcare there and a children’s playground just metres away.
Brad ‘Smutts’ Schmutter: Seen them in the sand at Windsor beach, where kids play. Also at Longneck Lagoon.
Kristy Whitehead: I have often seen syringes around Bligh Park shops near the playground, clothes bins and up near the post box.
Janet Roxburgh: We went to Navua Reserve and as soon as we got out of the car there were several discarded used syringes. I called Hawkesbury LAC and they sent a car out to clean it up. Thanks to the police [who] came so quickly to correctly dispose of these objects.
Cat Austin: [Someone dropped] a whole box including used needles all over our front lawn [in] South Windsor.