But as I am a bird lover I’ll ditch that metaphor and just say that we can go for a series of “win-wins” in our approach to the future of Centennial Park.

It would appear there are a few different desires that could impact on the future of the park bordered by Seymour, Lambert, Bentinck and Rocket streets.

One is a desire to expand the cultural facilities that now exist in and around the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre. Another is the council’s long-held desire for more office space as the population – and therefore the population of council staff – grows.

Then there is money, which is always looking for safe-bet investment opportunities. It sees something like the big expanse of gently sloping ground called Centennial Park and feels an itch.

Then there are the desires of the residents surrounding the park, many of whom are members or supporters of Friends of Centennial Park. They are keen to protect nearby public open space from development. (Keen the way a lioness is keen to protect her cubs.)

Then there is the need to future-proof a growing city in a time of climate change. The need to preserve parks and urban trees for their shade and refuge-island effects for humans and other creatures. The need to save the full-grown trees that we already have, as well as planting of new ones.

There’s the need to protect the history and heritage of the city. Centennial Park, like any park or public open space, is the repository of rich local stories, some well known (like the circus animals that used to get tied up there), others private and myriad, of children growing up, of cricket games, of quiet walks to work and the shops.

Surely we have the resources within Bathurst to meet all these needs, to cover all these bases, with what we’ve got.

We’ve got old heritage buildings (such as the TAFE building and surrounds) as well as space above the post office. Cultural facilities and council offices could surely, creatively, be built into the existing footprint of the built environment.

Beautiful old buildings and empty spaces in the CBD could be brought to life through judicious use of space.

Perhaps a consideration of “all options” for Centennial Park could be accompanied by a thoroughgoing consideration of “all options” for the expansion of council offices and cultural facilities in Bathurst.