Playing for keeps

On the edge of Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake stands a playground.

Filled with all the classic favourites like monkey bars, slides, swings and a state-of-the-art jungle gym, this is a place for children all over the region to come and immerse themselves in a kingdom of fun.

To the regular person it appears to be your average run-of-the-mill playground, but when you take a closer look you will see the inclusive features that make it a godsend for so many families.

It’s the region’s only All Abilities playground, making it a haven for children with a disability.

One warm Wednesday morning in February, the playground is its usual hive of activity as kids run franticly from activity to activity and parents take in the serenity of the lakeside setting.

Among this hustle and bustle is three-year-old Dylan Godger.

With a grin spanning from ear to ear, he takes on the challenge of his favourite pieces of equipment, while his mother Cassandra watches on and offers her vocal support from a nearby bench.

For Cassandra, watching her son joyfully experience the fun of a playground was something she did not think was possible six months ago.

Dylan has a rare birth defect called spina bifida, which occurs when the spine and spinal cord does not form properly.

As a result he requires a brace to walk and becomes incredibly fatigued from everyday activities such as kindergarten, which he started attending this year.

Cassandra, who is a single mother of three children, explained the plethora of challenges her family has faced to get her son the help he needs.

“Fatigue is the biggest one,” she said.

“And then the second thing is the travel back and forth from Melbourne, now it is at least once a week but back when he was a baby it was three or four times.

“The expenses that come from that are huge, but you just have to go down there for the type of treatment he needs — we just don’t have the facilities up here to cater for Dylan’s needs.

“He has two older brothers as well, so having to fit that travel in around their school schedules, it is just not physically possibly, so we do get a lot of help from the community.”

But while there are a whole host of negatives that come with this situation, for Cassandra there is one shining ray of positivity that makes all the sacrifices worth it.

Over the past six months, Dylan’s development has progressed at a rapid rate, to the point where Cassandra said he was doing things she never thought possible.

“Dylan is a legend,” she said.

“When he was first born I thought he wouldn’t walk, he wouldn’t talk — so for the past two-and-a-half years of his life we communicated through sign language.

“It has only been the last six months that he is talking now, he is walking around, socialising.

“I’m not stressing about him running off and playing because he has learned to mobilise himself and be safe.

“I thought he would be wheelchair-bound, so the recent strides he has made have been overwhelming to see and I’m very proud.”

So what has been the secret behind this growth?

According to Cassandra, multiple trips to the All Abilities playground each week has transformed her child.

“The playground is very important for us, he just has so much energy to expel that he can’t do at home.

“So to come here and be able to enjoy a swing set that can support him and climb the monkey bars, it is great physiotherapy for his spine.

“It is basically a free gym here. He loves it and it makes my life easier as he is able to go out and use the equipment without my support.

“He is also a lot more independent. Even six months ago he would be attached to my leg, but now he is out there talking to the other kids and being social, which has helped with his transition into kinder.”

As a result of Dylan’s rapid development, Cassandra has been able to start thinking about an exciting future for her son, which involves starting school at the age of five.

“My biggest hope for Dyl is to slip into mainstream school like nothing is different and I feel like that is going to happen now.

“If you had asked me six months ago I wouldn’t have said that — it is amazing how much things change in that time.

“My biggest goal is to get him through kinder, get him socialising and get him starting school in 2025.”