The couple moved to Greater Shepparton, in northern Victoria, in 2017 after they bought a new house.
However, they soon realised that the nearest playground was almost two kilometres - or nearly a half an hour's walk - away.
The absence of a nearby playground for Oxbow Avenue residents was forcing children to play on the streets, Ms Samar told SBS Hindi.
Highlights:
- Following their move to Shepparton in late 2017, Neha Samar and Samar Patel began campaigning for a new playground for residents
- After launching a petition, the couple say they knocked on nearly every house in the area
- Last year, Greater Shepparton City Council approved the playground for construction
"We started asking around our neighbourhood about why there was no playground and we were told that there had been a plan but it failed to mature," the 32-year-old mother of two said.
The couple, who then had a one-year-old son, realised that such recreational facilities were needed as almost every household in the vicinity had kids.
Children need playgrounds to develop social skills, such as negotiating and sharing
So the family decided to launch a petition for the cause.
"Initially, several pleas for a playground were rejected by the Greater Shepparton City Council. And then this unused piece of land caught our attention which we thought was ideal for a playground," Ms Samar said.
"We decided not to give up on our mission and we started door-knocking and posting letters to the residents by ourselves to get support for the playground. We both are both full-time employees but we managed our time to do this with our son Asher every evening," she said.
The space allocated for a new playground on Oxbow Avenue. Source: Supplied by Neha Samar
It took us almost a year to get the community together on this.
"We went from house to house and told people, 'We are not selling anything, we're just here to see if you would like to support a playground'," she said.
The petition obtained 38 signatures and the support from residents was high.
Maree Hoare, one of the residents of Oxbow Avenue, recalls how Ms Samar knocked on her door one day requesting her to sign the petition.
"We all have got young children and we are all very appreciative of what she [Ms Samar] has done for us by putting her time into it. We are very grateful and the kids are very excited about their new space," Ms Hoare told SBS Hindi.
Ms Maree Hoare (L), her husband Matthew Hoare and their three kids. Source: Supplied by Maree Hoare
Ms Samar said she and her husband went to almost 55 residents and tried to get their signatures on the petition.
"After receiving such an overwhelming response, I personally met the councillors and explained to them how difficult it was to manage children and that a playground was much needed in the current times of the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.
Last year, the playground was finally approved and Ms Samar said the councillors were pleased to see how the entire community had come together for a cause.
"We put it all together, we gave it to the council, we got the council's attention and, thankfully, the council also supported our application," Ms Samar said.
The playground is now being built and a fence has been erected around the area.
Neha Samar (L), Samar Patel (R) and their sons Raed and Asher Patel. Source: Supplied by Neha Samar
Ms Samar is excited that not only will the park have swings, but it will also have a community BBQ which would be perfect for family picnics.
"This playground has got us all together... the way we have bonded... I want to now work and create the same bond with other Indians living in the Shepparton area," she said.
Listen to the full interview by clicking on the audio icon inside the picture at the top.
