The dream site for any skateboarding kid is lying in storage in the Illawarra because the right space to set it up still hasn’t been found.
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Fresh from starring in a fancy Nutri-Grain ad campaign, two truckloads of skate ramps are lying dormant after being gifted to the Northern Illawarra Skateboarders Alliance.
Together the structures form an 8m-wide mini half pipe and a 35m street course.
The alliance, which has been pushing for years for land to build a skate park in Thirroul or surrounds, drew the attention of the Kellogg’s cereal company with its campaigning.
The breakfast giant had just finished a new marketing and filming day in Sydney, where it had built the ramps to use in advertising as it sought to reposition Nutri-Grain’s image to go along with extreme sports.
A marketing representative saw an article in local media about the Thirroul push and contacted them.
With help from WIN TV and BlueScope two semi-trailers were used to transport the ramps and they are now stored at Cringila.
But a great asset is going unused. Glen Beadman, spokesman for the Northern Illawarra Skateboarders Alliance, said they had been searching for a suitable warehouse to lease, without success.
“We’d like it in the northern suburbs – preferably Corrimal to Thirroul, because there’s definitely nothing big enough north of Thirroul,” he said.
“It would need to be 500 square metres and it needs to be indoors – these ramps would only last a little while outdoors.
“There had been some interest from the council but it seemed to have faded.
“It would need to be large enough to house both ramps – we have a street course which is 35m long, with quarter pipes at the end, with street course obstacles in the middle – and it’s painted glow in the dark,” he said. “There’s also a half pipe.”
Mr Beadman said the ramps were some “very good gear”, but needed to be housed indoors.
He said after several years of trying to find land for a Thirroul skatepark to meet the needs of the northern staking community, the ramps presented themselves.
And with progress from council not moving quickly, leasing indoor space could be the way forward.
“I’m open to ideas from people but it seems like the only way is to start a commercial venture and open it – but it needs to be a suitable space,” Mr Beadman said.
“We could do coaching clinics, lessons, and operate a fully supervised facility.”
He asked anyone who may have a suitable warehouse to lease or otherwise modify to contact him on his email grbeadman@gmail.com
