Today I had the privilege of receiving the Kidsafe award for best Public Playspace up to $500,000 for the Botanic Gardens Play Space on behalf of the City of Greater Bendigo.  It brought back memories of the intense and exciting construction period, and of all the talented people who contributed to the project.

Although during the process I thought we were creating something special, it is really rewarding to have others assess it and find it worthy. I have been involved in previous conversations about why awards are really necessary, and whether just doing your job well should be enough, but awards programs exist in many professions, particularly design. It seems to me that even if you work hard and diligently, you are not always blessed with a remarkable outcome. When you are, it should be celebrated.

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Why is making things with your hands such a deeply satisfying act?

For some people cooking is a ritual as well as a functional and necessary act. Gently pressing short crust pastry into a flan mould, always conscious of the firmness of the buttery texture, requires concentration and a commitment to doing it the right way.

For me it has always been drawing. The simple act of applying line, tone and colour to a page to produce something with life was always a magical conjuring trick. The results were often surprising; developing a life of their own as the drawing progressed. Drawing was one of those beautiful activities that cause you to apply effortless focus and to lose time; the psychological concept of “flow”. Perhaps that physical act of creating is a way of thinking about life and relating to the world?

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