With Collector children attending various schools, the pump track offers a local space for kids to mix, play, and connect within their own community. Photo: Hayley Nicholls.
Collector kids are pumped thanks to the (near) completion of the Bushrangers Reserve Pump Track, a long-envisioned community project set to connect local residents.
Built on Bushrangers Reserve – more than 88 hectares of land set aside for public recreation, environmental protection, and tourist facilities – the area is managed by the volunteer-led Collector Bushrangers Reserve Trust in collaboration with the NSW Government.
Nestled between the local oval and St Bartholomew’s Catholic Church, the new pump track has already become a popular after-school ritual for local families.
Collector Bushrangers Reserve Board of Management member and longtime local volunteer John Gorman said the response was everything they’d hoped for.
“The track has been open for about eight weeks now, and most nights after school all the kids are down there,” he said.
The pump track is a lasting tribute to the late Gary Poile – the beloved community leader who kick-started the project. A lifelong Collector resident whose family has called the village home for generations, Gary was a driving force in the community. He served as a unit controller of the Collector SES, was a dedicated Rural Fire Service volunteer and a passionate environmentalist. He passed away in late 2023 at 62 after battling an aggressive form of cancer.
Gary Poile with a prize-winning entry in the Collector Pumpkin Festival, an event he helped establish and ended up raising thousands of dollars for the local community. Photo: Hannah Sparks.
“Gary was the big mover of all of this – but that was Gary. If something was happening in Collector, it was either Gary behind it or he was right there helping run it,” said John. “With him gone, we had to take over and get it finished.”
Gary was one of the founders of the Collector Pumpkin Festival, which was cancelled during COVID and never returned – primarily due to logistical challenges caused by the event’s wild popularity. After its cancellation, Gary and the committee at Upper Lachlan Shire Council set about finding alternative uses for the $80,000 raised from the festival.
Unearthing professional development plans for Bushrangers Reserve from 2007 revealed the potential for a pump track.
Designed with close community consultation and driven by volunteer efforts, the Collector Pump Track is a testament to the community. Photo: Hayley Nicholls.
“Nobody had looked at the plans in a long time,” said John. “But after a visit to Shoalhaven Heads Pump Track, Gary saw all the families gathering, having barbecues and enjoying picnics, and thought this was a much better way of getting people together.”
With redirected funding from the festival and grant funding from the Collector Wind Farm Community Fund, the Collector Pump Track was designed by Dirtz Tracks and built by local earthmovers Stewie Works.
John said the whole community was engaged in the project from the very beginning.
“We actually piled a bunch of local kids into the community minivan with a box trailer on the back full of bikes and scooters, and we all went to Kangaroo Valley for the day to try out their track,” said John, “just to see if the kids were interested and what they enjoyed most. It was such a fantastic day. After that we said – yep, we need a pump track!”
With surrounding landscaping works still needed, the community is now calling for ideas and support to help fund the final stage of the project and ensure the pump track is an inviting space for everyone.
“Collector is a unique place because we’ve got kids from a variety of different schools – we have a local primary school, some families send their children to Goulburn, and many newer residents work in Canberra and take their kids to school there,” said John. “The pump track gets all those kids together and helps build their relationships in their community.”
With a diverse population and many people living, working and going to school outside of the village, the pump track provides the community with a valuable opportunity to meet on their doorstep.
“There are many new residents in the area, and we’re eager to get to know them. I’ve lived here for a long time, but I still don’t know many of the newer faces. Our goal is to create a place where the community can come together and build a stronger sense of belonging for everyone.”
