In 1970 Helen van den Berg moved to Niddrie with her husband Jos. Steele Creek wove its way through the scrub and weeds at the end of their house block.  Activists already, Helen and Yos were familiar with guerrilla planting but were soon advocating for their creekline to be a nature park, more than a parkland full of playgrounds.  They wanted, “a park for nature where people can experience it”.

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Helen says, “People need space to connect with nature.  [Originally] we were the only people who enjoyed that creek because we had cut a path down to it. People couldn’t see the beauty in the creek. But the more we’ve planted, the more the community has got involved, and the more beautiful it has become, the more people enjoy it.”