Playcentre shuts after 30 years

EAT UP: Lansdowne Playcentre children mark the end of an era with a barbecue lunch.

The sun was out, the sausages were sizzling and the children happy to play in the sandpit, on the swings and with the playdough - but it was still a sad day for Lansdowne Playcentre.

Friday morning was the Roberts Rd centre's last session, before closing its doors and merging with Westside Playcentre in Renall St.

The centre had served the Lansdowne community for more than 30 years, but was forced to close due to plummeting rolls and funding shortages.

As a farewell, Lansdowne Playcentre parents, past and present, and their children hosted a barbecue, with food donated from Countdown and Masterton New World supermarkets.

Also attending were representatives from Plunket and Playcentre New Zealand, and Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson - whose two adult children both attended Lansdowne Playcentre.

"I started taking [daughter] Anna here when she was five months old," said Mrs Patterson. "She's now 33, and I'm still friends with some of those mums I met today.

"Organisations like Playcentre help new mums become part of a community and a family. It's a sad day for Lansdowne."

Dany Haira, a tutor from Plunket's Parents As First Teachers (Paft) programme, brought her son to Lansdowne Playcentre in 1986.

As a playcentre parent, she gained early childhood training through Playcentre New Zealand's parent education programme - which helped lead to increased employment opportunities. "Because of everything I learned through playcentre, I got my job with Paft," said Ms Haira.

"Playcentre is great, because you get a chance to use your brain again - there's more to it than just playing with some blocks. [Lansdowne Playcentre] was such a great community - it really helped a lot of us mums get through the day."

Lansdowne Playcentre secretary Kate Spackman, whose daughters now attend Westside, said she felt "teary eyed" to be leaving the centre behind.

"But life goes on. It will be hard for the kids, as they're so comfortable and at home here.

"But, hopefully going to Westside will be an exciting new start, for them and us."

Former president Rowena Stauber said she had loved watching the children become "confident little learners and great explorers" at Lansdowne.

"It's great to see them go up and play with any parent, not just their own. Sometimes, you can't tell whose kid is whose."