Kenmore Christmas Giving Tree Sends Holiday Cheer to Elderly

Kenmore Village Shopping Centre is sending Christmas cheer to elderly folks who would not have any gift to open this season of giving.

Through efforts of the Rotary Club of Kenmore and Helloworld Travel Kenmore, the Christmas Giving Tree lets shoppers at the shopping centre spread a bit of happiness to those living in age homes.

Currently, there are still tickets left, so anyone wanting to express their generosity can head over to the Christmas Giving Tree located in front of Helloworld Kenmore. Choose a suggestion from the remaining labelled gift tags hanging from the tree and return the gift to the people at Helloworld Travel.

Aside from the Christmas Giving Tree at Helloworld Travel, Kenmore Village Shopping Centre is also partnering with Kenmore Rotary Club to receive donations from shoppers through its Christmas Hamper Collection Box. The gift hampers will be given this Christmas season to people in need.

Visit the collection box at Centre Court to see the full list of suggested items to donate.



Council Bans Townhouses in Low-Density Suburbs, Emerging Communities in Kenmore and Other Suburbs to be Rezoned

Brisbane City Council has voted in favour of banning townhouses in low-density suburbs and rezoning of emerging suburbs, such as Kenmore, as part of the proposed citywide amendments.

The Council pushed for the townhouse ban in a bid to protect the city’s character suburbs, following feedback from residents during the citywide consultation. The ban will prevent large developments in low-density residential suburbs by restricting the consolidation of lands into 3,000 sqm or more lots. 

Also, under the amendment, more than 40 hectares spanning 54 parcels of land in suburbs including Belmont, Carindale, Kenmore, Tingalpa, Wishart, Mansfield, Robertson, Runcorn and Sunnybank will be rezoned from emerging community to low-density residential zone.

Approved as well is the amendment to protect important sites such as the heritage-listed Lamb House and other identified pre-1911 houses across Brisbane, as well as the addition of 128 new sites to heritage mapping.

Other amendments include the adjustment of car parking space requirement: a minimum of one car park per bedroom; two car parking spaces for apartments with two to three bedrooms; and two-and-a-half car park spaces for apartments of four or more bedrooms. 

In its submission regarding the townhouse ban in single-home areas, Property Council of Australia recommended Council to abandon the proposed amendment, outlining the long-term growth and affordability challenges Brisbane faces and the likely impact of the ban.

“The proposed ban on townhouses and apartments in low density residential areas in BCC is likely to result in increased pressure on the housing market and less diverse and liveable housing in high-demand areas of Brisbane,” Property Council of Australia said.

PCA also added that the amendment could result in 322 fewer direct and indirect jobs per year and potential gross value loss for the Queensland economy of about $47 million per annum. 

The amendment package will be sent back to the State Government for final review and approval.



Celebrate All Things Merry and Bright at Brookfield’s Bush Christmas and Twilight Market

‘Tis the time to have a joyful evening full of food, shopping and entertainment as Brookfield’s Bush Christmas and Twilight Market is set to happen on 6 December 2019 at the Brookfield Showgrounds.

Ho ho ho! Who’s ready for Christmas?

Whether you’re still on the hunt for some Christmas presents or you just want to have a relaxing yet fun Friday night out, Brookfield Showgrounds for the Christmas Twilight Market and Bush Christmas celebration surely sounds like a great idea.

Brookfield Markets and Brookfield Show Society have joined forces in creating this free family-friendly event, and it’s deemed to be the best Twilight Market there is yet.

Photo credit: Brookfield Markets/ Facebook

Running from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., the event will feature a number of local businesses and handmade lane stalls to offer guests a variety of items that are perfect gift ideas for Christmas.

Also in line with the Holiday season, the Brookfield Showgrounds will be decorated with Christmas trees, ornaments and lights.

Food stalls and an open bar will also be placed at the venue for everyone’s enjoyment.



Photo credit:Brookfield Markets/ Facebook

Apart from the food and shopping stalls, there will also be plenty of entertainment activities lined up for the night. These activities include pony rides, bush animals, face painting, jumping castle, and even a visit from Santa Claus himself.

Visitors will also delight in merry Christmas carols and line dancing that will take place at the event.

Brookfield’s Bush Christmas and Twilight Market is a fundraising event for the Brookfield State School.



Speed Limit on Brookfield Road Reduced

The Council will finally cut the speed limit on Brookfield Road to 50km/h, nine years after the community petitioned for its reduction. The new speed limit, down from 60kmh, will take effect by the year-end as pavement markings and other signs and safety measures have yet to be set in place.

Pullenvale Councillor Kate Richards confirmed the speed limit reduction on Brookfield Road in a press statement. It comes after a hearing with the community, which also involved parents of the students attending the Brookfield State School.



Apart from enforcing the new 50km/h speed limit, the Council plans to install the following features along Brookfield Road and the stretch of Boscombe Road, where the school is located:

  • Speed Awareness Monitors (SAM), before school term one in 2020
  • Two flashing Horse Crossing Ahead signs, projected for early 2020
  • Pedestrian crossing near bus stops and between Brookfield and Boscombe Roads, subject to consultations and availability of funds

Unfortunately, Cr Richards said that Brookfield State School “did not the criteria for a school zone,” which commonly has a 40km/h speed limit. 

Photo Credit: chuttersnap/Unsplash

Brookfield Road is a downhill slope, which makes it easier for motorists to speed. During the summer season, the cast of the western sun makes the road stretch quite difficult to see. Council is making these changes in the interest of public safety. 

“We are committed to actions that improve safety for all road users and will continue to deliver projects to make Brisbane an even better place to live,” said Cr Richards. 



Kenmore is Among the Top Brisbane Suburbs for Auctions Clearance Rate

Whilst it is not considered as an auction-led city, Brisbane has shown notable  auctions activity growth in recent years, especially in sought-after suburbs like Kenmore. 

The latest Domain report analysed the number of auctions data in each suburb, as well as the number of properties sold by auction and its correlating clearance rate, over the 12-month period to August 2019.

The study revealed that Kenmore and WIshart are the top Brisbane suburbs for auction clearance rates with 62 percent. That figure is more than double Brisbane’s average of 30 percent during the same period.

The attraction of Kenmore lies in its value for money, considering the 10 percent price difference between Kenmore and Chapel Hill. Wishart, on the other hand, have some properties selling for $200,000 to $300,000 over their reserve. Low turnover and the Mansfield catchment are its main auction clearance rate drivers.

Other suburbs with high clearance rates include Kallangur-60%, Chapel Hill-57%, Chermside West-55%, and Wavell Heights-54%. 



The report, however, notes that these suburbs, including Wishart and Kenmore, have low number of auctions. It is therefore important to look at other factors that affect the auction activities on a particular suburb, such as the number of properties listed, how many of these properties were withdrawn, and the number of auctions that were held.

As far as Brisbane suburbs that recorded the largest number of auctions, Camp Hill leads the list with a total of 104 auctions in the 12 months to August 2019. Other auction-heavy suburbs include Sunnybank Hills, Paddington, Calamvale, Wynnum, New Farm, Bardon, and West End. 



My Energy Got a Massive Boost from Ashwagandha and Rhodiola

My passion to help people live healthier lives brings me into direct contact with a broad range of physical issues and ways to help them. This includes feedback from regular customers at Amcal+ Pharmacy in Kenmore

In one such recent conversation, David, a regular customer from Kenmore Hills, told me about how he had been suffering from very low energy, mediocre sleep and lack of mental clarity until a year ago.

daytime sleepiness
Photo credit: Kenmore Amcal Pharmacy / Facebook

So many of us feel there are not enough hours in the day. We run from one thing to the next until we fall into bed at the end of the day. It is estimated that 1.5 million Australians see their doctor about fatigue.

There can be many reasons for fatigue, such as medical, lifestyle choices, work-place related, and emotional concerns. There are many ways that you can help yourself to combat fatigue.

Photo credit: Kenmore Amcal Pharmacy / Facebook

When it comes to lifestyle factors, there are a few things that can be considered. On average an adult should be getting 8 hours sleep a night, yet many people don’t make this a priority. Also, a lack of exercise and a poor diet can affect our ability to deal with stress and can lead to fatigue.

Rhodiola and Ashwagandha Against Fatigue

In David’s case, his research unearthed two supplements that were getting strong reviews. He bought both at our store and started to take them based on the recommended dose on the container.

“Initially I just took Rhodiola and I was amazed at how it gave me a boost of energy and mental clarity for several hours, my productivity improved dramatically it felt like  I now had a lot more capacity to work my brain,” David said.

Rhodiola rosea plant (Photo credit: Opioła Jerzy [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

Rhodiola rosea is a herb that grows in the cold, mountainous regions of Europe and Asia.
A study by Anghelescu et al found that Rhodiola offered a comprehensive treatment of stress symptoms. The study also found that the herb can prevent chronic stress and stress-related complications. Another 11 studies were conducted, of which 8 found that Rhodiola enhanced physical performance and eased mental fatigue.

David continued: “Then I started to try Ashwagandha and frankly the feeling that gives you is not easy to describe other than to say something that would have caused me great stress before now feels easily manageable, the feeling of wellbeing and optimism lasts for several days for me after taking one small capsule.”

Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha
(Photo credit: Wowbobwow12 at English Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

There are studies that show Ashwagandha helps make your body more resilient by significantly improving your body’s ability to deal with stress and anxiety. One study showed that through the use of Ashwagandha, their cortisol levels decreased by 28%. Cortisol is a hormone that increases when the body is responding to stress.

The Amcal+ Pharmacy Kenmore family. (Photo credit: Kenmore Amcal Pharmacy / Facebook)

At Amcal+ Kenmore, our team is trained in knowing what supplements suit common ailments and conditions. There are also many products that combat unusual ailments as well as target general wellbeing. The science of living healthily is evolving rapidly and embracing it can bring many health benefits to our daily lives.

Peter Jones is the owner of Amcal+ Pharmacy Kenmore and he has over 10 years experience as a pharmacist. Peter has a special interest in skincare and is passionate about helping the local community.

You can find Amcal+ Pharmacy Kenmore at Shops 33/34, 9 Brookfield Rd, Kenmore QLD 4069, Australia.

Kenmore Filmmaker Peter Hegedus Wows Festival Circuit with ‘Lili’ Documentary

Kenmore local Peter Hegedus has once again put his hometown on the map as his powerful documentary, “Lili,” was featured in two major film festivals this year. 

In June, Mr Hegedus submitted “Lili” to the Sydney Film Festival competition for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award. The documentary emerged as one of the 10 finalists. 

Mr Hegedus’ work was also one of the highlights of the Brisbane International Film Festival, where he graced the panel discussion with the audience after the screening. 



Filmed in 2018 in his native land of Hungary and across the continent in Canada, “Lili” is about a young mom who had no choice but to leave for Australia without her two-year-old daughter at the height of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Her second daughter, Edie Hart, found out about her missing sister, Lili, named after her mom, as a teenager living in Brisbane. 

Sixty years since the deadly revolution, Edie is still looking for an answer on why her mother abandoned her older sister, an answer she seeks for closure, to heal the trauma once and for all. Mr Hegedus and his film crew followed her family in their search to deliver an emotional story of desertion, facing one’s demons, and ultimately, reconciliation. 



“This film is about how people justify their actions and expose themselves, how history shapes the fate of families,” Mr Hegedus, who also works as a professor at Griffith University, said. “What happens to families who are torn apart  and how that trauma is passed on to the next generation.” 

Photo Credit: Lili Documentary

Mr Hegedus has long been an unwavering part of the Hungarian community in Brisbane. Born in Budapest, he moved to Kenmore in 1991 and studied film at the Queensland College of Art. He has been gracing and bagging several awards at film festivals in Australia and around the world since becoming a professional filmmaker in the late ‘90s.

Visit the ‘Lili’ website to buy the film or request a screening. You can also join their mailing list to know if it’s showing in your area.

Funding Commitment for Kenmore Roundabout and Everton Link Park Road Announced

The notorious Kenmore roundabout is now a step closer to getting its much needed fix with the announcement of a $12.5-million commitment from the State Government.

“The Palaszczuk Government will invest $3.3 billion in transport and roads projects across Brisbane over the next four years, with some of that funding going towards fixing the Kenmore Roundabout as part of our plan to invest in better suburban roads,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said.

“Not only is it a gateway to growing communities further west, the roundabout sits between a school, shops and the entrance to the increasingly busy Kenmore Village shopping centre.

“The volume of traffic passing through it today demands action and that is what the western suburbs will get with this upgrade”  he said.

Funding Commitment for Kenmore Roundabout and Everton Link Park Road Announced
Photo credit: Google Earth

The planning study that looked into the upgrade project has been completed and the preferred option to replace the Kenmore roundabout has been identified. The upgrade option includes a redesigned intersection with traffic lights, as well as safety improvements for cyclists and pedestrians at the Moggill and Brookfield Roads intersection.



The State Government funding commitment will match the Federal Government’s $12.5 million commitment, bringing the total amount committed to the project to $25 million. The next step is for the State Government to seek agreement from the Federal Government on the project’s next steps, including the timing for the design and construction.

Also,  Mr Bailey announced that tenders for the construction of the  $26 million Everton Park Link Road — linking South Pine Road, north of the Kedron Brook Creek, to Stafford Road, east of Mountridge Street — are now being sought. 

The project is stage one of a two-stage plan aimed at improving traffic flow and safety at the intersection of Stafford and South Pine Road.

Kenmore Cat Spa Now Offering Members-only Experience

To make booking an appointment hassle-free, this  Kenmore cat spa, Australia’s first cat exclusive grooming salon, is now a members-only club.

Formerly known as “Nose 2 Tail Pet Care,”  Aristocats Feline Day Spa has been in the business for more than 10 years, offering sedation-free cat grooming service. To cope with rising demand for regular grooming appointments and to make the booking process easier, Aristocats Feline Day Spa is now offering new membership packages.

There are two types of membership package currently on offer:

  • Diamond Package is designed for long or short-coated cats and entitles you to deluxe grooming session. For $160 a month, the package will include bath, blow dry, groom, comb cut, de-shedding treatment, toe-tuft trim, sanitary trim AND soft paws — vinyl nail caps — every month.
  • Sapphire Package is for short-coated cats only. Membership fee is  $100 a month and entitles you to a bath and blow-dry with a de-shedding treatment AND soft paws (optional) every month.
Busting the myth – Cats DO like being bathed |
Video Credit: Aristocats Feline Day Spa / YouTube

An Aristocats membership enables you to: book an appointment up to a day before you need it; choose your preferred day for grooming; easily manage monthly payments (no $50 Direct Deposit payments required!); change your appointments easily online; and lock in your grooming price.

Aristocats Feline Day Spa  cat spa
Australia’s first cat exclusive grooming salon
Photo credit: Aristocats Feline Day Spa / Facebook

Appointment will be offered to non-members who are on the waitlist, but only after the maximum member numbers have been reached; cost per appointment is $220.

For any inquiries, you may email Aristocats Feline Day Spa at info@aristocats.com.au  or visit them at Shop 8, The Courtyard, 2060 Moggill Road, Kenmore.



Substation Upgrade Secures Supply for Kenmore, Four More Western Suburbs

A $3.1 million upgrade to Kenmore’s Energex substation will help secure power supply in the region and will benefit nearly 10,000 local homes and businesses. 

The project will involve installation of new electricity switching equipment at the Mirbelia Street facility, and associated electrical work. These upgrades will be handy during storms and other emergency power outages.

Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the upgrades would improve reliability and help accommodate local growth in Kenmore, Kenmore Hills, Brookfield, Chapel Hill and parts of Fig Tree Pocket.

“The upgrades will secure the substation’s capacity while at the same time vastly improve the technical capabilities of the substation allowing Energex technicians to switch power around the local network much faster,” Dr Lynham said.

Dr Lynham added the upgrades are designed to cater for the current and future electrical needs of the area. These western suburbs have experienced steady growth over many years.

“A safe and reliable electricity network is essential for the western suburbs and surrounds to provide a safe and reliable power supply to homes, and to support growth for local businesses,” he said.

The $3.1 million investment, which is in the Palaszczuk Government’s 2019-20 State Budget, is part of the Queensland government’s investment in infrastructure to support current and future growth in the community. 

The substation upgrade and associated changes to the electricity network are expected to be completed in December 2019.