Additionally, while the call for volunteers to help care for and maintain the park, off Endeavour Dr, has been heard, there is still more support needed.

The “temporary” barricade that has been there for several years is in urgent need of replacement, and then there is the care of the animals.

“The animals need caring for and the place needs to be kept presentable,” Tamworth Regional Council Section 355 Committee chair Gary Chillingworth said.

“All are things that could be addressed with a little bit of effort and some more funding.”

The committee is charged with the responsibility of overseeing the operations of the Victoria Park precinct, which includes the botanic gardens, miniature railway and marsupial park.

Mr Chillingworth said he would like to establish a Friends of the Marsupial Park committee that would look after the park and restore it to what it was when it first opened.

“There was a time when you couldn’t get a spot up here on a Sunday for all the families having picnics and barbecues,” he said.

“It used to be very popular and then the people stopped coming and the upkeep fell by the wayside.”

At present, the park is unmanned.

Mr Chillingworth has suggested a friends-of group could man the park throughout the day to deter vandals and thieves.

“We need more volunteers to keep an eye on the facility,” he said.

“We don’t necessarily need people who can do a lot of physical work, although that is something that we also need.

“I would like to thank everyone for the initial response, but as we all know you can never have enough support.”

People interested in forming a Friends of the Marsupial Park group should call Mr Chillingworth on 6765 5821 or 0418 164 913.