A Plea from Mother Cubbon Park

To all who find refuge in my shade, who have seen your children grow under my canopy, I speak to you now, from the heart of the city, where I stand as a testament to nature's enduring spirit.

For years, I have been your green emerald, a sanctuary amidst the urban sprawl, A place where you come to recharge, revive, and rejuvenate. In a world of increasing city pressures and pollution, I have remained your haven of hope and solace, Welcoming you on weekends to relax under my green bounty.

Yet, despite all I have given, despite all I have protected and nurtured, I am under constant attack by those I aim to protect. From 300 acres, I have been eroded to a mere 197 acres, Piece by piece, my green expanse chipped away by those who seek to "improve" me.

The Lawn Tennis Association, High Court Annexe , High Court cement parking, the Press Club, the Government Services Club, and many others,

All have taken from me, leaving me smaller and smaller. They try to pretty me up, to make me more palatable, But in doing so, they strip away my natural beauty, my habitat for trees, insects, birds, and biodiversity.

If not a parking area, then forced development under Smart City. If not a seven-story building, then a ten-story one. If not an outdoor jogging trail, then granite pavements for people to slip on. If not sharp-pointed fences to lock me in, then wireless towers for better connectivity.

When will it ever end?

Now, there's a new effort to carve into me at Kasturba Road, To create touchpoints, amphitheaters, activity spaces. For what, I ask? Aren't my natural contours, my boulders, my trees, my fragrant trilling canopy of green sunlight, the leaves on the grass, and the call of the birds sufficient magic to draw you in?

Why must commercial activity, disguised as "improvement," encroach on my sacred spaces?

Please, stop this assault on a simple space that has served the city so well. Let me do what i have done for centuries - take care of you. Let me remain whole, organic, nostalgic, historic, relevant and real. Look after me, maintain me, conserve me, clean me up, and protect me. But if you have any value for how I have loved, nurtured, and protected you over the years…

Please, I beg you, stop assaulting me.

Yours faithfully,

Mother Cubbon Park