Common open for tributes to loved ones

Judy Moore was the first to make a memorial donation, having her partner Neil Buckman's name engraved on a plaque and put on a table.

"It was very emotional actually. We got up late on a Sunday afternoon, my daughter and three grandsons, the kids were doing the pump track," Ms Moore said.

"We sat at the top of the track for a while. There was the nicest sunset that I have seen since I don't know when. It was a very emotional afternoon just to see it and the table was really nice."

Mr Buckman passed away in June of 2023 after a three-year battle with brain cancer.

Mr Buckman and Ms Moore lived in Glen Martin, both working in the mining industry.

Ms Moore said that his passion for mountain biking began on a trip to Mudgee. Soon after this Mr Buckman began riding in the Dungog Common.

"There were boys from all over the place in Mudgee working and they started bringing bikes," she said.

"He would come home he would go to the common, that became his home. That was the first place that he did an endurance race. It was back in the early days of the common," she said.

Ms Moore said the idea to donate for a memorial plaque to be placed in the common came because Mr Buckman was so passionate about the mountain biking park.

"I thought, wouldn't that be nice, you can just go and sit and have lunch or a cuppa or things like that," she said.

"He was so passionate about the common, it's nice to put things in to help promote those places."

Ms Moore wants to encourage anyone who wants to preserve the memory of a loved one to consider donating to the Dungog Common.

"It was a really good feeling to know that from his passion, that the family could put something back into the common," she said.

"It's a great place, it's not just for mountain bikers, it's for walkers, it's for everyone."

The Dungog Common's Development Director Daniel LeBlanc said that the idea for memorial donations came after a number of requests from the public. "We had a number of requests over the last few years which were of a general nature but then we started to get specific requests, including the one from Ms Moore," he said.

Mr LeBlanc said that the donation for a memorial donation needs to be equal to the value of the asset that the memorial will be attached to.

He said that there are currently plans for the creation of a memorial tree lane, planting a series of trees with the intention of installing memorial plaques. If you're interested in making a donation email the Dungog Common at info@dungogcommon.org