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Brookfield Old Friary in Kenmore Hills Seeks Expression of Interest

The heritage-listed Old Friary in Kenmore Hills is on the market, but some concerned locals are pleading for the Anglicans of the Diocese to reconsider the sale.

The Anglican Church first investigated the possibility of selling when it launched an Expression of Interest campaign for the property at 139 Brookfield Road in October 2018. According to the sale listing, the owner will consider sale, partial sale, joint venture or lease of the 2.64-hectare site.

Old Friary Kenmore Hills — Old Friary site seeking Expression of Interest. (Photo credit: www.realestate.com.au)

On the site are two houses, a chapel and a community facility used for events. The listing also states potential options for the site, including an aged care, retirement, place of worship, childcare and community residential. It is situated in close proximity to Kenmore Village Shopping Centre and various cafes, restaurants, schools and medical facilities.

Local Opposition

Some locals are not happy that the Anglican Church is selling the Old Friary as they are concerned that future developments would endanger the heritage listing.

Since the launch of the Expression of Interest, some residents have expressed opposition to the possible sale or lease of the property. They have started a petition on Change.org to urge the Anglican Church to retain the Old Friary.

The petitioners said that the site’s buildings, community resources, green spaces, peace and tranquillity should be protected from development. They are primarily concerned that if the potential developer levelled all or part of the site for development, it would be a great loss to the community.

Concerned locals also pointed out that if the property is sold, the church should ensure that it is offered to a buyer who would look to improve and cherish the character of the place. They are united in the hope that the Old Friary will continue to be a community-focused site for generations to come.

Properly named ‘Brookfield Centre for Christian Spirituality, the Old Friary open to the public during daytime as long as there are no booked events. The public can freely visit the grounds to enjoy the peace and tranquillity or spend some quiet time in the chapel.

Find out more about the Old Friary.

Kenmore Container Deposit Site Backs Out

The government’s Container Refund Scheme (CRS) has been encouraging Brisbane residents to recycle in exchange for money. However, residents from the west side would need to find an alternative as the planned Kenmore container deposit site did not materialise.

To stop residents from the west side having to drive a little farther, Kenmore Rotary has stepped in with local partners to organise collection points in the Kenmore area.

Kenmore Rotary has established collection points at two locations:

Ewaste Connection, 98 Brookfield Rd, Kenmore Hills
Pullenvale Marketplace, 8 McCaskill Rd, Pullenvale

By leaving your containers at those two drop-off points, all funds raised will go to good causes as Kenmore Rotary members donate their time to raise money for worthy causes.

Before the CRS started in November 2018, Kenmore was one of the suburbs where a container deposit facility was planned. Unfortunately, the charity behind the initially proposed site did not push through with their plans when the refund initiative started. This means that the nearest container refund points are the Envirobank site at Jindalee Home Centre and Re.Turn-it site at Salvos, Sherwood.

Container Exchange, the organisation responsible for developing and running the container refund scheme in Queensland, and its operator Return-It are still looking for other solutions to cater to residents from Kenmore. They are hopeful that more deposit sites will be available once more operators get onboard.

Container Refund Scheme

Credit: Queensland Environment/YouTube

CRS is one of the government’s programs that promote the recycling rate in Queensland whilst reducing the amount of drink containers that are littered everywhere.

Queensland calls its container refund scheme as Containers for Change. This program provides people with an incentive to collect and return eligible containers for recycling, in exchange for a 10 cent refund payment.

Eligible containers for the container refund scheme. Photo credit: www.qld.gov.au

Eligible containers include most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard beverage containers between 150ml and 3L. Containers that are NOT eligible for a refund include the following:

plain milk containers
glass containers which have contained wine or pure spirits
large containers (1L or more) which have contained flavoured milk, pure juice, cask wine or cask water
cordial or vegetable juice containers
sachets above 250ml which have contained wine
registered health tonics.

Take note that all containers smaller than 150mL and bigger than 3L will not be eligible for a refund.

Non-eligible containers. Photo credit: www.qld.gov.au

Read more about the container refund scheme through the Containers for Change website.

Kenmore State High School Student First Ever FAI World Drone Racing Champion

A teen from Kenmore State High School was proclaimed as the first-ever FAI World Drone Racing champion in Shenzhen, China.

Fifteen-year-old Rudi Browning bested 127 other drone racers from 34 countries after four days of fast-paced competition. The FAI World Drone Racing Championship, the first-of-its-kind competition, was designed to showcase the drone pilots’ racing skills as thousands of fans watch the competition that was streamed online.

The first FAI World Drone Racing Championship ran from 1-4 November at the Shenzhen Universiade Stadium. Apart from the general individual and national team classifications, it also included female and junior pilots classifications.

The FAI World Drone Racing Championships 2018 involved three stages:

Qualification: competitors race to determine the placing for the first round of the elimination stage
Elimination: successive rounds that lead up to the semi-finals.
Final: the ultimate and final race to determine the eventual Champions and Vice-Champions.

Video Credit: MERCADRONE/YouTube

The drones used in the competitions are multi-rotor aircraft with at least three motors or propellers. Each drone weighs no more than 1 kg (including batteries). For real-time flight video images, the drones were fitted with an on-board video camera that transmitted images to the headset worn by the pilots. This allowed the competitors to steer the tiny aircraft around the circuit.

The track in China is considered as one of the best ever built for a drone racing competition. The 650-metre long track was created in the shape of a Chinese knot. There were three levels with obstacles and gates that the drone pilots had to fly up, down, over, and through. The drone race course was lit up at night with 7,000 metres of LED lights that created a stunning visual experience to everyone watching.

For winning the drone racing championship and placing third in the junior competition, as well as for being part of Team Australia that won the national classification, Rudi took home more than $US 24,000 in prize winnings.

Kenmore: One of the Generous Suburbs in Brisbane

If there is one thing that Kenmore locals can be proud of, apart from scoring high on the healthiest suburbs study, it is that the latest Domain Healthy Brisbane research also revealed that residents in this generous suburb also have giving hearts.

Domain, in partnership with Deloitte Access Economics and Tract Consultants, brought the first ever Domain Healthy Suburbs–an in-depth study of suburbs in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane and the health opportunities that these places provide to its residents.

A total of 10 indicators, including Volunteering, that either help or hinder health were used to determine the healthy suburb score. These indicators are categorised under Recovery, Hindrance, and Promotion.

The healthy suburb indicators:

Walkability
Active transport to work
Open space
Tree cover
Access to fresh food/supermarkets
Volunteering
Fast food stores
Liquor stores
Hospitals
Allied/Community health

*Photo Credit: Domain/domain.com.au/healthy-brisbane/*

Domain reported that the volunteering population in Kenmore is very high. In fact, some better-known charity organisations have a waiting list of individuals wanting to volunteer and the waiting time is quite long. Such is the case of Tom Bassingthwaite, who said that he had to wait a year before a spot was opened for him. Mr Bassingthwaite has been doing volunteer work for the past two-and-a-half years for a charity initiative called “Meals on Wheels”—delivering food for the frail and/or aged, and people with disabilities.

*Photo Credit: sabinevanerp/Pixabay.com*

Authors of the study also underscored the difficulty of measuring social indicators such as feelings of community and belonging, yet they are important and can influence the mental health outcomes. For this study, the use of volunteering as an indicator is based on the assumption that the level of volunteerism in a community affects the level of social connection amongst its residents.

Not only did Kenmore score well on volunteerism, it also scored high on Tree Cover and Walkability. The top ten suburbs teeming with kind-hearted individuals are Chelmer, St Lucia, Ashgrove, Kenmore, Bardon, Fig Tree Pocket, Corinda, Chapel Hill, Grange, and Graceville.

Kenmore: Among Home Renovation Hotspots in Brisbane

Home renovation activity in Brisbane suburbs such as Kenmore is on the upswing and it’s a sign of the growing appeal of Brisbane properties, a property valuation website reports.

Annerley, Greenslopes and Holland Park, Tarragindi, Stafford Heights, Paddington, Chapel Hill, and Kenmore are currently experiencing an uptick in renovation activity, as cited in the Herron Todd White Month in Review report for October.

“One of the excellent litmus tests of our growing appeal must be the amount of building activity underway in our suburbs. Spotting those locations where construction is at its most feverish helps give appreciation for where prices might be set to rise.”

“If you live in one of our more established neighbourhoods, these sounds of progress really should be seen as a good thing. It means the neighbours are stepping up and raising the bar,” the report said.

Older areas in Chapel Hill and Kenmore have post-war timber homes as well as 80s and 90s homes in other sections. Homeowner and investors are now looking to upgrade these homes.

Annerley has plenty of local retail sitting just five kilometres south of the CBD. There are older detached homes, with original construction mostly by weatherboard builds from the first half of the 1900s, already due for renovation.

Tarragindi offers excellent schooling options such as Wellers Hill State and Saint Elizabeth’s that are attracting new families into this suburb. This has become more evident with the number of new constructions and renovation activity in this area.

Stafford Heights also has plenty of post-war timber homes ripe for renovation. Increased interest from those looking to buy in and take advantage of a decent-sized block is seen. Paddington, on the other hand, also has works that are underway which home buyers with more money to spend may find very appealing.

“In general, we believe Brisbane can expect to see more of this sort of activity. We have options aplenty and our appeal is growing,” the report concluded.

Cancer Atlas Tags Kenmore, Other Brisbane Suburbs Highly at Risk of Melanoma | Learn More about the App

Kenmore and a number of other Brisbane suburbs are at high risk of melanoma, according to a new innovative cancer atlas.

Launched in September 2018, the Australian Cancer Atlas is a state-of-the-art interactive atlas that puts cancer statistics on the map. This app was developed to give Australians a visual insight of cancer incidence in their suburb or town.

The atlas provides statistical representation of 20 of the most common cancers in Australia. Diagnoses and excess deaths are compared against the Australian average for each particular cancer type.

In the case of melanoma, Kenmore is shown to have diagnoses 73% above the national average. Excess deaths figure is pegged to be 12% below the Australian average.

Suburbs surrounding Kenmore show figures of more than 60% above the Australian average in terms of diagnoses. Kenmore’s neighbouring suburb, Fig Tree Pocket, has one of the highest diagnoses score for melanoma at 93% above the national average.

The statistics should not come as a surprise since Australia is known to have one of the highest rates of melanoma diagnoses in the world. A huge portion of melanoma incidence in the country occurs in Queensland.

Australian Cancer Atlas showing melanoma across Queensland and other states.

Read: No Money Involved: Brookfield Food Swap Promotes Sustainable Living at Monthly Event

Read: Explore Quality Meat Options in Kenmore’s Boutique Meats Kitchen

About the App

Through the Cancer Atlas, the proponents hope to drive new studies that will result in effective policies to help control cancer.

The interactive app is the product of years of collaboration amongst Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Cancer Council Queensland and FrontierSI. The atlas puts together the efforts of statisticians, cancer researchers, visualisation experts and IT specialists.

Mapping cancer incidence is a way for researchers to better understand cancer patterns in different areas.

“In 2018 an estimated 138,000 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer, but we know that some people face greater risks of diagnosis and death than others, due to a mix of lifestyle characteristics, behaviour, genetics and other unknown factors,” said Cancer Council Queensland CEO Chris McMillan.

“The atlas enables readers to easily visualise those differences and offers critical insight into patterns of cancer and outcomes in Australia, depending on where people live, which can be used to drive research and policies going forward.”

Using the Atlas

To use the app, simply go to atlas.cancer.org.au/app and click the type of cancer in the dropdown at the upper right corner of the screen. Search for the suburb or zoom in or out of the map and click on a specific suburb to display the statistics.

The interactive map can show visuals representing statistics for diagnoses and excess deaths. It can also show estimates for male or female in case of sex-specific cancer types.

Each area will be shown with cancer incidence estimates, indicating if the area is above or below the Australian average.

Learn more about the Australian Cancer Atlas.

Explore Quality Meat Options in Kenmore’s Boutique Meats Kitchen

Having a great butcher is important, especially for serious meat eaters. For locals looking for quality meat options in Kenmore, Boutique Meats Kitchen has been one of the most recommended butchers in the area.

Getting meat from a butcher proves to be way better than buying them from a supermarket. First, you are assured of having fresh and high-quality meat. Plus, butchers usually give helpful advice on how to properly cook them. Reputable butchers can also do extra preparation for you depending on your needs.

Boutique Meats Kitchen Kenmore

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We love to have steak on days ending in ‘y’ Pictured here is our Cape Grim Grass Fed T- Bone. Hands down, some of Australia’s BEST beef! @capegrimbeef 🙌 . . #brisbanefood #brisbaneeats #brisbanefoodie #brisbaneblog #brisbanebutcher #butcher #beef #capegrim #aussiebeef #brisbanebbq #steak #tbone

A post shared by Boutique Meats Kitchen (@boutiquemeatskitchen) on Sep 12, 2018 at 3:10am PDT

Boutique Meats Kitchen has been serving high-calibre meat at 841 Moggill Rd, Kenmore since 1994. With their extensive experience in the industry, the shop has already gained a following from the local community.

Photo credit: Boutique Meats Kitchen/Facebook

The family-run butcher aims to provide “beautiful meat experiences” that reflects an authentic Australian way of life. Most of their fans are recommending the shop not only for their meats but also for their friendly and helpful staff.

“We are never disappointed here, we’ve been shopping with them for years now and have literally never had a miss- in fact, their quality is always head and shoulders above everyone else. The staff are also brilliantly helpful and friendly, you can’t go wrong!”

“Fantastic products with friendly and helpful staff, I travel around Brisbane visiting shopping centres and this is one of the best butchers I have ever come across – the marinated fillet steaks were exceptional!”

More Than Just Meats

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A post shared by Boutique Meats Kitchen (@boutiquemeatskitchen) on Sep 20, 2018 at 7:15pm PDT

The local butcher is famous for their prime cuts of top quality meat such as the Cape Grim beef, Tasmanian lamb, and locally grown 9Dorf Farm free-range chickens.

Boutique Meats Kitchen’s Smoked Salmon Quiche Photo credit: Boutique Meats Kitchen/Facebook

Apart from their meat options, Boutique Meats Kitchen is also favoured for their Filet Mignons, sausages, quiche, and hams.

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A post shared by Boutique Meats Kitchen (@boutiquemeatskitchen) on Jul 20, 2018 at 4:00pm PDT

They also offer pre-made gourmet pastries for days when you don’t have much time to whip up a hearty dinner. Don’t worry, their staff will tell you how to cook them properly.

Boutique Meats Kitchen Kenmore is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and only until 5:00 p.m. on the weekends.

Brookfield General Store and Cafe | An Old-School Dining Experience

The Brookfield General Store and Cafe is a charming, quaint-looking cafe and general store nestled in the midst of an old wooden Anglican church and Brookfield showground. The restaurant offers a rustic dining experience with a laid-back atmosphere.

*Photo credit: Brookfield General Store & Cafe/Facebook*

Built in 1874, the building was a school teacher’s residence for the National School, which would later become the Brookfield State School on Boscombe Rd. The Trustees of the Hall bought it and moved the building to its current location after the Department of Education decided to replace it with a bigger structure.

The Brookfield Store, or “The Shed” as the locals call it, opened in 1934 and has now transformed from a convenience store into a cafe with large indoor country-style table and chairs to match its rustic al fresco dining area. Their store is a perfect place to find fresh produce, bread, milk, chocolate, homemade sweets and condiments, and fine wine.

From morning ‘till night, the Brookfield General Store and Cafe is a place where locals and tourists go for a wonderful serving of hearty meals. This place, however, is best known for its wood-fired ribs and pizza variety including the Smoked Ham and Pineapple pizza and the Brookfield Meat Lovers pizza.

The cafe opens at 6:00 a.m. offering breakfast meals like the Salmon Scrambled—three eggs scrambled with sliced avocado on ciabatta, smoked salmon, and fresh mint leaves.

Lunchtime is a great time to enjoy their mouth-watering burgers and salads, including their Pulled Pork Burger–slow cooked Australian pork lavished with pineapple salsa and coleslaw on a sourdough bun.

Wood-fired Pizza

Apple Pie

Chicken Cobb Salad

Grilled Salmon

Kale and Spinach Omelette

Quinoa and French Lentil Salad

Brookfield General Store and Cafe is open daily from 6:00 a.m. serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and ice cold beer on tap and wine by the bottle.

550 Brookfield Road, Brookfield, Queensland

Brookfield Median House Price Among Highest in Brisbane, Kenmore Posts Strong Increase

The REIQ recently reported the latest housing market statistics which showed Brookfield median house price to be among the highest in Brisbane at $1,670,000, a 15.2% increase over the last 12 months and 17.8% over the last 5 years. In the 2nd quarter of 2018, there were 3 homes sold in the suburb.

Meanwhile, Kenmore posted a 4% annual increase in median house price at $687,500. The figure is 28.9% higher over a span of 5 years. During the 2nd quarter, 37 houses were sold in Kenmore.

Cliveden Park in Fig Tree Pocket Designated as Launch Area for Drones

Drones weighing 500 grams to 2 kilograms can now take off and land at Cliveden Park in Fig Tree Pocket.

Following Brisbane City Council’s six-month trial of the designated areas for launch and landing of recreational drones in 10 parks across the city, permanent drone launch pads have been established in the selected public parks.

According to Environment, Parks and Sustainability Chairman Cr David McLachlan, the trial, which started in December 2017, is a response to the growing number of hobbyists and drone users across the city.

Cliveden Park in Fig Tree Pocket Photo credit: www.brisparks.com.au

Cr McLachlan said that the Council has received positive feedbacks from its trial of 10 sites and hundreds of people have been taking advantage of the designated areas to take off land their drones that are up to 2 kilograms.

“More than 700 people provided feedback to Council following the trial and 80 percent of those support Council in providing spaces in parks for the launch and landing of drones,” Cr McLachlan said.

“After reviewing the current locations, Council has determined the current sites will remain available to drone users and Council will look to additional sites that could be leased by clubs for drone racing and fixed-wing aircraft activities,” he added.

flying drone — Photo credit: CC0 Public Domain / Max Pixel

Cr McLachlan stated that regulations for drone activities during flight will still be governed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority while the Council is responsible for the regulation of the launching and landing of these unmanned aircraft from Council land, including parks.

Drones weighing less than 500 grams can be launched from any Council park but users must comply with CASA restrictions and flight-restricted areas for the Brisbane Airport, Archerfield Airport, and helipads. Here are helpful drone resources and links that every drone user should know.

For drones weighing 500 grams to 2 kilograms, other designated areas for launching drones, apart from the Cliveden Park in Fig Tree Pocket, include The Common Park in Coorparoo; Preston Road Park in Carina; Carindale Recreation Reserve; Canterbury Park in Bald Hills; Lacey Road Park in Carseldine; Wishart Community Park; Voyager Drive Park in Kuraby; Moggill Ferry Reserve; and Keperra Picnic Ground Park.

Learn more about the CASA rules for flying drones recreationally from the CASA droneflyer website. These rules are designed to protect other people, both in the air and on the ground and must be followed at all times, even when you are flying from Council parklands.

Visit the Council’s flying drones in Council parks page for more information.