Here is a picture sent by Suzanne Michard of her and other children on the dreaded “buckeroo” at the Willingham play area in 1953. This set of equipment was location on the “rec” between the bowling pavilion and West Fen Rd. The play area was every health and safety officer’s nightmare. It was on a patch of Tarmac and comprised swings and various dangerous contraptions like this one and an “umbrella roundabout” which was a sort of inverted cone of metal bars which rotated and swung about wildly while the kids tried to get on without having their teeth knocked out. The “buckaroo” swung gently back and forth while granny was in charge but it could be worked up to the point where it swung so far it hit the end stop and the child in the back seat was likely to be thrown off. In those days all children had scabby knees! The equipment lasted until the late 1990s before removal but the Tarmac square is still there.
December 2024
