ROBERTSON Park was the focus of two community events on the weekend, the FOOD Week Night Market and the Easter Family Festival.
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Both are major events on the city’s calendar, with another, Anzac Day, set to attract thousands of visitors to the park.
As one of Sunday's’s event organisers said, “the only thing missing is toilets”.
In July 2012 this newspaper reported that after a 10-year debate council had decided to go ahead with a plan to build a three-cubicle $260,000 toilet block in the park, with the installation expected to be completed by Christmas that year.
In the few days prior to publication, several people had been arrested for using the central business district as a public toilet, saying they had no option - and nothing has changed.
While organisers of some events in the park pay to bring in their own toilets, for others, particularly those with small children or the elderly, have to rely on the generosity of nearby hotel owners to access toilet facilities.
In 2001 a current sitting councillor began a campaign to have more toilet blocks located in the city and in particular Robertson Park.
Despite his best efforts, this city still has no public toilets in the park and the building of the toilets has become bogged down in council.
It seems extraordinary that Orange is still in the position where visitors approaching from both sides of the city struggle to find a public toilet, particularly when many smaller towns and villages in the region boast easily-accessible and prominent public facilities in their town.
Old timers may well remember the art deco toilet block on the western side of the park, which was demolished by council more than 25 years ago to discourage ‘undesirables’.
If the plumbing remains it place it may be a relatively simple task to look at that as an option.
In the meantime residents and visitors are left holding on.