General News
2 February, 2023
End of an era for merry-go-round
AFTER more than 40 years of entertaining countless children, Camperdown Lions Club members have made the difficult decision to retire their merry-go-round.
AFTER more than 40 years of entertaining countless children, Camperdown Lions Club members have made the difficult decision to retire their merry-go-round.
Originally built by the late Stan Lee senior, to a design he saw in northern Victoria, the ride was donated to the Lions Club with one proviso – that it would always be provided free of charge at the local St Patrick’s Primary School fete.
There have been many alterations and upgrades over the years to conform with safety requirements and for ease of operation by members.
Children from as far away as Lorne, Dunkeld and Port Fairy have experienced the ride, however in later years bookings have been restricted to events within 50 kilometres of Camperdown.
Club member Maree Belyea said with ride charges always affordable, at $1 in the beginning and rising to only $2, the ride has operated as a community service rather than a fundraiser.
“Recent government rule changes, brought in due to incidents on other entertainment equipment, make it mandatory for the merry-go-round to have an expensive annual inspection by a qualified structural engineer,” she said.
“A recent inspection report highlighted immediate changes that need to be made, requirements at every outing and major cyclic maintenance.
“The ride would also be restricted to a minimum height limit, those of primary school age and the speed at which it operates reduced considerably, resulting in fewer children being either allowed on, or interested in the attraction.”
Mrs Belyea said with all these constraints, “the ever-present threat of litigation and a reducing number of members willing to both tow and operate the unit, it was reluctantly decided our best option
was to immediately cease operations”.
“The Lions Club has appreciated the efforts of past and current members who over 40 years have spent countless hours ensuring that the community has been able to enjoy the merry-go-round,” she said.
“Generations of children have enjoyed the ride over the years, without any incidents.
The club would like to take the opportunity to thank the Bendigo Community Bank for their sponsoring registration and insurance costs during covid lockdowns, our communities, local organisations and businesses for their wonderful support over the years.”
The final outing for the merry-go-round was at the Camperdown Show in October 2022.