GUEST BLOG - What's in a name?

Amy Rudd, our community champion and all round inspiring human, talks about her project - Pia's Place. 

What’s in a name?

Dreams of Pia’s Playground were made at a time when our family needed to find hope.  At a time when we were grappling with the loss of our first-born child, we found hope in play and we dreamed of a playground that would bring a community together:

A place for all children. 

A place of fun, laughter, learning and discovery. 

A place of peace. 

And a place of hope.

These words come from our original proposal and notebook I used in the early days of grief.  I have been reflecting on them a lot lately as we make a name change from Pia’s Playground to Pia’s Place.  Originally, the word playground seemed the right fit and one that people could relate to…I mean, most of us would have memories from our favourite playgrounds growing up, don’t we? So, why the change?

As part of the Livvi’s Place National Network, it makes sense to call the first Touched by Olivia project in WA a “place” as well.  But it’s more than that…we are building an inclusive place… Pia’s Place is not just a place for children to play…it is a place for everyone in the community to go, reflect, enjoy and experience life.

In the early days of using the word playground, people pictured a swing and a slide and thought we had a “nice” idea.  It took a bit of explaining about what a playground could really be and why inclusive play is so important to really help people understand the scope of our vision. 

To be located in the beautiful, natural setting of Whiteman Park, “Pia’s Place” intends on being a regional playspace where everyone has the opportunity to play in nature, get dizzy, move fast, move slow, watch sunlight play through leaves, rock, slide and create, regardless of ability or age. Our daughter’s name, Pia Maeve, means ‘pure joy’ and we hope that is what people experience when they play and explore at a place that will be built in her honour. 

Part of a national network of inclusive places and supported by the local Lions community, “Pia’s Place” is more than ‘just’ a playground.  It truly has become a place where everyone is welcome.  It is with great pride that I would like to launch our new name and logo for Pia’s Place….a place that we hope will inspire everyone to follow their dreams….