A family was enjoying a day at the beach and set up an inflatable pool for their quadriplegic son… then rangers did something truly shocking
A council has come under fire after rangers flipped over an inflatable pool that had been set up by a family on a beach for their quadriplegic son who has cerebral palsy.
Walter Siola’a, 8, was celebrating Australia Day with his family at Kurnell, south of Sydney, when their fun turned into a nightmare.
The Siola’a family had brought an inflatable pool for their son who loves the beach, although the sound of crashing waves makes him nervous.
His disabilities also make it difficult for him to get into the ocean.
A beachgoer dobbed in the family, prompting two Sutherland Shire Council rangers to show up an hour later and order the family to deflate the pool.
The council claimed that any blow-up pool that can hold more than 30 centimetres of water is ‘subject to the same fencing laws as in-ground pools’.
‘At first, we just wanted to comply. We didn’t want to cause a whole kerfuffle there,’ dad Richard Siola’a said.
However, rangers intervened after Mr Siola’a started to empty the pool.
Walter Siola’a with his dad Richard and mum Siu
Walter by his pool which council rangers tipped over
‘And that’s when he stopped us and said, what we’re doing is illegal, is we’re going to get in trouble from council because we’re dumping water,’ Mr Siola’a said.
Walter’s parents chose a spot to set up their picnic and pool that was away from other people and insist their son was never in any danger.
He had been enjoying sitting by the very small and extremely shallow pool.
‘We just wanted him to be safe and feel comfortable at water level that was comfortable for him,’ mum Siu Siola’a told 7News.
Disability worker Sophie Wellard, who was walking past at the time, said she was ‘shocked’ at what she saw.
‘The councilman picked the pool up and flipped it. Walter at that time was very upset,’ Ms Wellard said.
Sutherland Shire Mayor Jack Boyd later apologised to Walter and his family.
Mayor Boyd also admitted his rangers ‘should have used discretion.’
Sutherland Shire Mayor Jack Boyd later apologised to Walter and his family
‘Our rangers enforce the rules as they exist, not as what they would want them to be,’ he said.
Walter’s mum also had a final message to the person who dobbed them in.
‘If she just enjoys her life, I’m sure this world would be a better place,’ she said.
