Kenmore’s Plum Cafe Bistro has closed for good after a decade and a half, serving its last cuppa with a farewell gathering for its loyal customers and staff. A burger place now replaces the cafe.
“We would like to thank everyone who has supported our business over the past 15 years and helped make our cafe a name for itself amongst the beautiful Kenmore community,” Plum Cafe Bistro’s farewell post on their social media reads.
“We are leaving the Plum in good turn. I can retire in my own wish,” added owner Lance Zhou, about their June 5 closure.
Mr Zhou, who had a successful career in the hospitality industry since emigrating from China three decades ago, finally decided to retire and close their bistro at Kenmore Plaza Shopping Centre which has for years been a favourite dining spot among the locals.
Member for Moggil Dr Christian Rowan recognized Lance and his wife Christine’s contribution to the community with a Moggill Electorate Community Service Award presented to them in May.
Photo Credit: Dr Christian Rowan MP / Facebook
“After more than 14 years, Lance and Christine Zhou are closing the much-cherished Plum Cafe Bistro. Thanking them both, as well as their staff, for their loyal and dedicated service to our community, and local economy,” Dr Rowan wrote on his social media.
Dennis O’Meara, another recipient of the Community Award certificate and owner of Dennis’ Espressivo on Wongabel Street, Kenmore has likewise retired after thirteen years as a small business owner. But unlike Plum Cafe Bistro, it will be business as usual for Espressivo which now runs under new management.
Grill’d Healthy Burgers has taken over the former Plum Cafe Bistro site.
Australia’s housing boom has welcomed hundreds of suburbs, including the Kenmore property market, into the million-dollar club for 2021. However, economic experts predict that the red-hot market may be due for a slow down.
Figures from Property Market Updates showed that Kenmore experienced a 27.98 per cent median house price growth from April 2021 to March 2022. This has placed the median house price at $1,005,000, up from $785,250 in the previous period.
There were 204 houses sold for this period at an average of 23 days on market, indicative of a strong market. The brisk sales were driven by demands for comfortable and family-friendly homes in safe areas with good schools and accessible amenities. More families with older kids and professionals in their mid-30s are also looking into Brisbane’s western suburbs for their potential forever homes.
Whilst the growth has been positive for sellers, there have been some downsides for first-home buyers who are more sensitive to the house price increase.
This period has reflected a marked decline in property purchases from entry-level or first-home buyers. Most buyers in Kenmore are also on to their second or third home, with the intention of staying for the longer term.
Kenmore Unit Price Growth
Kenmore’s unit market from April 2021 to March 2022 reflected strong median growth of 18.56 per cent, pulling the median unit price to $805,000 from $679,000.
As interstate migration into Queensland reached record highs, buyers who want to move their families into areas with good schools have been fueling the demand.
For this period, 47 units were sold within 20 days on market. However, Kenmore’s unit volume has been shrinking alongside the rental vacancies. Not a lot of people, especially downsizers and retirees, are prompted to leave this suburb; they are staying put in their houses and units.
Kenmore Property Market — Post-Flood
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Whilst median prices experienced an uptick, property market experts are seeing a shift with some homes selling less for their asking price after the February 2022 floods, especially in areas around Kenmore, Brookfield, and Moggill.
However, it’s a trend that the experts believe will not yet trigger forced sales as prices are still significantly elevated despite the slight fall.
After the 2011 floods, Kenmore and several riverside precincts in the west experienced the steepest price drops as well but most recovered within three years. These areas are still attracting premium values because of their livability, with its quiet tree-lined streets, friendly neighbours, and a strong community vibe.
Feel like celebrating the start of the school holidays? The Brookfield Bar will party with you and the whole family with a Japanese street food spread, gourmet Italian desserts, and more!
On Friday, 24 June 2022, The Brookfield Bar has a massive night planned to celebrate the end of the school term with its Dry Night Pizza & Japanese Street Food event. Brisbane’s best food trucks will be parked at the showgrounds for the guests to enjoy their meal with a beverage on the alfresco deck.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Unfortunately, no alcohol is being sold; just soft drinks and juices as there is no liquor licence for this event.
Make sure to bring your appetites because Samurai Kitchen (the food truck that offers ‘the best karaage chicken in the world’) and The Italian Stallion by Na Pizzetta Organic Street Food (which offers wood-fired gourmet pizzas) will be serving up their delicious specialties.
Ice cream van Aaravices from Ipswich is also joining the event. Not to be missed is Mama Mus Cucino Italian desserts, serving Italian donuts, cristoli, and cannoli.
There will be firepits and heaters to keep the winter chill at bay. The night is sure to heat up anyway, with some dancing as Danny Black & CK rock the mini stage.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Danny Black has a long history with Brookfield and those who come to the celebration will enjoy listening to him play his acoustic folk-rock sounds with his partner.
Photo Credit: Supplied
The children will surely be thrilled to meet Queen Elsa! The beloved character will make a special appearance in the early evening! Families can enjoy chatting with her, blowing bubbles, and having fun with balloon creations.
The end-of-school term celebration will start at 5:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Guests are asked to enter via the Colquhoun Showgrounds Gates.
The Brookfield Bar is run by the not-for-profit Brookfield Show Society with all Bar proceeds being funneled towards upkeep and repairs of the historic grounds, as well as management of community events.
Trax International is conducting a series of Community Focus Groups among Brisbane residents affected by aircraft noise. For West Brisbane locals, the two-hour focus group will take place this weekend in Upper Brookfield, where a dialogue with Airservices Australia for solutions will take place.
Inputs from the focus group will be added to the final report Trax International will submit to Airservices Australia, which launched the Post-Implementation Review (PIR) into the aircraft noise. Residents are enjoined to be at the Upper Brookfield Hall on Sunday, 12 June 2022, at 3:00 p.m. Participants are required to register to attend.
“The main goal of the focus groups is to share information and listen and learn from people affected by aircraft noise; with this in mind, the focus groups intend to:
Discuss the potential improvement opportunities identified in the Interim Report;
Gather feedback from communities about their experiences of aircraft noise in different areas;
Start a dialogue with communities about options to manage and mitigate noise impacts.”
Those who cannot attend may personally approach Trax for an informal discussion as they will open a drop-in session at Aviation Australia on 20 Boronia Rd, Brisbane Airport on 14 June 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
BAC Issues Apology to Brisbane Residents
The Brisbane Airport Corporation, on the other hand, issued an apology to the residents.
“BAC acknowledges that aircraft noise is a genuine issue for some residents living under flight paths. We are sorry that aircraft noise can cause some people distress.
“BAC is working with the Federal authority responsible for flight paths and air traffic control, Airservices Australia, to explore options that would allow more planes to depart and land over the Bay.
“We fully support Airservices Australia’s decision to engage airspace design experts Trax International to identify opportunities to increase over the Bay departures and arrivals, among other improvements.
“Similarly, BAC supports Airservices Australia’s submission to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to allow 7 knot tailwind operations at Brisbane Airport (BNE).”
Tailwind Increase from 5 to 7 Knots Opposed
Meanwhile, a proposal to increase the tailwind limits from five to seven knots has been opposed by the Australian Airline Pilots’ Association. Whilst this may mean that the aircraft can take-off and land over Moreton Bay, thus moving away from the city and reducing the noise, the pilots said it will affect the safety levels.
AusALPA president Captain Tony Lucas said that they understand the residents’ mental and physical anguish over the aircraft noise, he explained that there should be a better way to fix this issue “rather than increasing the risk for both pilots and the travelling public.”
Kenmore District Kindergarten is among the eight Brisbane community organisations that were identified to receive support under the Rebuild and Recover – Club Partnerships Programme of BCC.
Kenmore District Kindergarten will receive $56,160 worth of funding to go towards roof replacement works set to commence in August this year.
Photo Credit: Kenmore District Kindergarten / Facebook
Other recipients of the much-needed funding include Brisbane City Football Club – Newmarket, Carrington Boating Club – Corinda, Norman Park Sports & Community Club; Queensland Gaelic Football Association – Willawong, Sandgate Hawks AFC – Taigum, Valley Hockey Club, and Western Districts Netball Association – Graceville.
The Rebuild and Recover program is being fast-tracked by Brisbane City Council to help flood-affected sports and community clubs rebuild sooner.
The first tranche of the Rebuild and Recover Community Partnership Program will see eight not-for-profit community organisations share in the $566,000 grant to assist in the repair works to their buildings, electrical services, irrigation, playing field lighting, and playing surfaces.
“Last week I announced Brisbane’s biggest-ever clean-up would become Brisbane’s biggest-ever rebuild and we’re not wasting any time with our new club partnership program investing $566,000 to help some of our hardest hit clubs and community groups recover stronger and sooner,” the Lord Mayor of Brisbane posted on social media.
According to the Council’s Rebuild & Recover May 2022 report, 331 out of the 640 community-leased facilities were heavily impacted by the flood whilst 198 buildings, 61 irrigation systems, 106 sports fields and 40 sports field lighting installations were also damaged. The Lord Mayor also revealed that the damage cost of the February flood has reached $330 million or three times more than that of the 2011 flood.
Following a six-month pause, Pizzeria Violetta has reopened in Kenmore with a new chef, Mario Miljkovic. Check out their redeveloped menu, featuring new flavours and a new dough for their wood-fired oven-baked pizza.
Owner Renata Roberts shared that Mario was eager to move his family from Newport in Sydney to Brisbane’s Western Suburbs. He’s bringing years of experience as a pizzaiolo who was originally raised in Vicenza, Italy.
Before joining Pizzeria Violetta, Mario was the head chef at Pizzeria Rosso Pomodoro and Terrazza Pizzeria in Sydney. He also led a team in the kitchen at Merivale’s Newport for nearly five years.
Photo Credit: PizzeriaVioletta/Facebook
“Being passionate about everything is something us Italians are known for, but when it comes to food that’s a whole different story,” said Mario.
“Bringing authenticity to my food, and having the freedom to create and explore, while honouring the rich tradition around Italian food brings me a particular joy. I can’t wait to share with Brisbane what I have in store!”
Assisting the new chef is Ajay Ghimire, who has worked with Mario in Merivale. Together, the pair has come up with new flavours and new dough for Pizzeria Violetta’s redeveloped menu. Mario and Ajay have created a 36-hour proved dough, delivering a crispier crust once it is cooked in the woodfired oven.
Some of the old favourites remain, however, such as the classic pizza Margherita, primavera, or diavola. The restaurant also introduced Mario’s, a delicious and refreshing vegetariana pizza.
In October 2021, Renata sadly announced the shop’s temporary closure due to the pandemic. The owner said that they wanted to preserve the integrity of the pizzeria. Thus, they had to ride it out until the restaurant could re-open and provide the authentic dining experience that their loyal patrons love.
Now that Pizzeria Violetta is back, Renata said that they are still getting “into the swing of things” but the team is slowly rebuilding and Mario will soon introduce more new flavours in the kitchen.
Find out what’s the latest at Pizzeria Violetta through their Facebook page.
Young Kenmore artist, Jensen Dean, has sold his very first painting to YouTube celebrity Logan Paul after months of trying to get in touch with “people who knew people” in his network.
Whilst the details of the sale were not disclosed, Jensen said that he created a Pokemon painting with Logan in mind after he watched the social media star and boxer/wrestler detail the story of how he was swindled $3.5 million for buying fake Pokemon cards.
The young Kenmore artist said that he personally does not know Logan, who has more than 85 million followers on social media, but he reached out to him by sending direct messages to people who may have links to the celebrity.
After some months of trying to get his attention, Jensen and Logan were exchanging messages and the celebrity confirmed he wanted the Kenmore local’s painting. Logan told him he plans to hang this in his million-dollar mansion in Puerto Rico.
Aside from being a boxer, wrestler and social media star, Logan is also well-known for his love for anything Pokemon.
Jensen said that closing this deal was a big deal because someone with Logan’s stature could be looking for Pokemon art anywhere but he chose the young Kenmore artist.
The experience has made Jensen decide to pursue art and perhaps venture into filmmaking as well. A year ago, Jensen was not quite serious about his craft until a friend helped him land work painting graffiti art for a band’s practice room wall. He also ventured into making art for children’s nursery rooms.
But his deal with Logan has jumpstarted his social media infamy as his Instagram followers have also grown. The artist is also working on two more paintings for still-unnamed celebrities.
The Brookfield Show, Brisbane’s biggest little country show that celebrates the very best of regional and metro agriculture, has returned and will kick off with the Brookfield Show Ball, a night of fun, laughter, and plenty of dancing!
Who doesn’t love an excuse to don their party finery and enjoy a celebration with friends and family? Scheduled a week prior to the Brookfield Show 2022, the Brookfield Show Ball is always a massive hit, so be part of it and kick your heels up!
Photo Credit: Supplied
Expect a whole lot of fun, laughter, and plenty of dancing at this stand-up cocktail-style ball. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of seats and tables around the place too!
Date & Time: Saturday 7th May at 7:00 p.m. Location: Top Field at the Brookfield Showgrounds. Near the Art Pavilion (where the markets are currently held). Dress code: Formal & Fabulous!
Tickets are $150 and includes gourmet food and drinks. The premium Ab.Fab Caterers will be serving canapés and a buffet as the main meal. Beverages include beer, wine, sparkling and non-alcoholic drink, with Champagne on arrival.
Entertainment for the evening is brought to you by the action-packed country duo Route 33. These guys always impress with their energetic sets.
2022 Brookfield Show
The 2022 Brookfield Show is scheduled for 13-15 May and this year is going to be bigger and better than ever! Many locals are working hard behind the scenes to ensure the landmark event delivers everything and more to the community, with some new exciting entertainment planned.
The roving silt walkers blowing bubbles will be back, plus the Mask Trio Family of the comedic Lollypop Ladies, the English Bobbies, and the Tamborine Band – helping to give everyone some light relief and a giggle or two!
Photo Credit: Supplied
There will be lots of fun rides for the children, showbags, the baby animal patting area, and many competitions to check out including the guinea pig races and horse show jumping. The woodchop arena is always a showstopper too!
Traditional competitions will continue to thrive at this year’s show with Needle Crafts & Patchwork being back after a three-year hiatus and Cookery too. So it’s time to start painting, knitting, baking, and planting in advance to prepare entries.
Check out Art; Needle Crafts & Patchwork; Cookery; Horses and Horticulture. Other competitions, such as Guinea Pigs and Woodchop will be released shortly so please keep checking the website for updates, subscribe to the newsletter and follow them on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Plenty of food options will be available, including many new food vendors, such as Sorella & Co and The Italian Stallion Gourmet Pizza.
Local businesses, not-for-profit, and community groups will also have their usual stands to say g’day to Show attendees and share what they do.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Night entertainment will include the ever-popular Rodeo and live bands on stage whilst The Brookfield Bar will be open serving beverages for the Show to continue into nightfall.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Gates open from 9: a.m. and close at 11:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. entry on 13th) at 550 Brookfield Rd, Brookfield.
The full Entertainment schedule is being finalised and will be released soon. Please contact Rebecca Petrie (Marketing Manager) for any further details. Ph: 0401 28 29 59. Email: r.petrie@brookfieldshowsociety.org.au
Still have no idea what to give the mums in your life for Mother’s Day? Drop by the Moggill Markets at St Michael and All Angels’ Anglican Church and check out its Mother’s Day-themed celebration this weekend so you can be ready for May!
Ahead of Mothers’ Day in May 2022, Moggill Markets will have heaps of stalls full of gift ideas for mums, wives, grandmothers, sisters, or daughters. The Mother’s Day-themed markets will be on Saturday, 23 April 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
There will be fresh produce, homeware and homemade items, as well as plenty of fashionable finds for women. However, market visitors may also get a chance to meet and talk with the local makers and perhaps arrange for bespoke and one-of-a-kind creations on Mothers’ Day while there is still time.
Aside from the stalls, Moggill Markets have a lot of family-friendly entertainment lined up so there’s something to do for everyone who visits the markets, including the children. Grab breakfast, coffee, or brunch at the street food stalls joining for the week.
Photo Credit: Moggill Markets
This will be the second event of the year for Moggill Markets after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were totally overwhelmed by the huge support and positive feedback we had from the community at our very first market in Moggill,” JAMboree Events Director of Operations Melanie Lee said. “We were so thrilled you all loved it and we will be working to make it even better as we hold each one!”
“Needless to say we can’t wait till the next one on Saturday 23 April 2022 8-12 noon with loads in store ready for Mothers Day!!!”
Once a victim of bullying because of her size, plus size model Georgina Burke from Anstead is now a champion of greater size diversity in fashion, an advocacy that she has kept throughout her increasing successful modelling career that now includes a highly coveted cover on Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition.
Born in Brisbane but now based in New York, Georgina recalled being bullied in elementary school for her size. Her parents even pulled her out to go to a private school for girls, but it eventually didn’t work out.
She felt awful going through primary school, as she would get yelled at, picked on, pushed and shoved because of her weight.
Throughout high school, she weighed around 100kg, until she started horse riding, which became her passion. That’s when her weight started dropping off and joined Miss Teen Australia in 2007, where she won the title.
At 17, she moved to London to pursue a full-time career in modelling. Since then, she has worked with a range of prestigious brands such as Lauren by Ralph Lauren, 11 Honoré, Saks Fifth Avenue, J. Crew, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.
Georgina, also known as Geo to her family and friends, recalled a teacher calling her the “ugly duckling that turned into a swan” –a statement that made her laugh because she thought it’s true.
Today, the 31-year-old model has been chosen to feature in the Swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated magazine in 2022, along with eight other rookie models.
The opportunity was a dream come true for Geo, because being featured on the magazine has been on her vision board for a long time. She even thought her agent was just kidding when she was told she will be shooting in Barbados for Sports Illustrated.
Georgina continues to lead the way for body positivity, encouraging women to embrace what they have, whatever their size. Aside from modelling, Georgina manages her own size-friendly, fully adjustable swimwear range, Burke NYC.
