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New Presbyterian Church Development in Kenmore; Locals React

On the 23rd of January, the Pullenvale Presbyterian Church called for a meeting to discuss their DA to the Brisbane City Council at the Kenmore Library.

The church has lodged a development application covering 1 Pullenvale Rd, just next to the Pullenvale Reserve, in collaboration with the Mantle Group. The application involves the building of a church, childcare centre, a carpark that can accommodate 118 cars, and a rooming accommodation.

Since 2006, the church congregation has been holding their meetings in school halls and other spaces. The DA reflects their desire to build a church that will be a valuable addition to the community in the future.

Controversial Plans

The now-controversial DA has two stages and stage two may be broken down into parts.

Stage 1 of the project involves the retention of the existing house for use by the church for office/administration and small church-related gatherings and activities.

Stage 2 is divided into two parts.

Part 1

Main church auditorium with capacity for 300 visitors
Partial construction of 118-slot car park

Part 2

Entry foyer
Multi-purpose building with removable partitions for Sunday School rooms and various other possibilities during the week
Church administration building
Courtyard and outdoor room
Completion of the 118-slot car park, with two handicap-accessible spaces
Site landscaping such as plans for a community garden in the Moggill Road corner

What Locals Have To Say

So far, locals are skeptical about this development. Most of them are concerned about the koalas found at the Reserve, whilst others express their curiosity as to why an international property developer that specialises in entertainment precincts is building a church.

Another Controversial Development

A campaign against developments on the site is also supported by the Australian Koala Foundation.

Just last year, the Kenmore Bridge Club announced their plans of turning the Reserve into a 40-space carpark. However, loopholes resurfaced that prevented them from pushing through with their development plans.

Despite the fact that the council has approved the Bridge Club development, the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) explained that the council cannot use the standard agreement for a Trustee Lease because, in principle, it doesn’t have the Minister’s consent for issuing a lease. Also, the bridge club doesn’t have tenure for the reserve.

Catch Good Live Music this February in Kenmore & Other Western Suburbs

If you’re a fan of live bands and live music, the western suburbs in the city offers a great selection of musicians that will make you groove, rock, and roll.

Kenmore

The Retro Bar, Kenmore
2071 Moggill Road

Date	Time	Musician / Band
2 Feb	8:00 p.m.	Quiet Carriage
3 Feb	7:30 p.m.	Black Creek Band
5 Feb	7:00 p.m.	Weekend Warriors
9 Feb	8:00 p.m.	The Bone Merchants
10 Feb	7:30 p.m.	Critical Last Chance Years
16 Feb	8:00 p.m.	Maureen de Waal & John Hogan
17 Feb	7:30 p.m.	Helen Ashworth supported by Merinda Dias-Jayasinha

You can buy your tickets here.

Saint Lucia

Red Room
Union complex, Bldg. 21, UQ/Union Rd Level 2

Wednesdays – Catch the Live N Local from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Thursdays – Uni Night happens here from 4:00 p.m.
Fridays – acoustic sets from 3:00 p.m.

Paddington

Bungalow
155 Baroona Rd.

Spend your February lazy Sundays here with good live music from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ashgrove

The Junk Bar

Photo credit: Hole in the Wall – Brisbane

Date	Time	Musician / Band
2 Feb	7:30 p.m.	Francesca De Valance
3 Feb		Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments
9 Feb		Sabrina Laurie & The Shambolics
18 Feb	6:00 p.m.	Poetry in Motion by Melissa J Evans, Anthony Detorri & Kristy Apps
23 Feb		Jordan Wearn
24 Feb	7:00 p.m.	Dave Graney & Clare Moore

February Thursdays at the bar will be The Neighbourhood sessions featuring local artists Tim Steward with Skye Stanford, Kellie Lloyd with Luke Peacock, Ben Ely with Seja and Tyler with Adele Pickvance. (1, 8, 15, 22 Feb respectively)

Make your February nights sizzle with good music, good food and drinks at these places!

Brookfield Markets To Resume in February

Established in 2016, the Brookfield Markets continues to thrive as it resumes on the 3rd of February this year from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Brookfield Showgrounds.

The market takes place every first and third Saturday of every month, bringing fresh and quality produce to the locals of the west.

The event is established in support of local farmers and to encourage sustainability and reduce food miles.

What To Expect

It’s not a market without an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s the perfect place to be on a Saturday morning as stalls are laden with colourful produce that embodies “healthy” and “organic.”

Photo credit: Brookfield Markets / Facebook

You will find exotic and unusual produce at the Brookfield Markets. There are specialist mushrooms, tomato, potato and citrus.

There are also dairy and delicatessen stalls, a vendor of cheeses, olives and many more.

A wide selection of fresh breads, chutneys and jams also await.

Bring the whole family and enjoy a great shopping experience!

Skip Bin Explosion in Fig Tree Pocket Leaves Locals Rattled; Innovative Bins On Its Way

A recent explosion in a skip bin in Fig Tree Pocket last December, which injured two men, has prompted calls for locals to be more vigilant in following proper waste disposal procedures.

Three men were filling the bin on McLaren Street when it exploded, which left one with minor burns whilst the other was in shock. They were quickly taken to the hospital. The eruption was so strong that the windows of three nearby houses were shattered.

According to witnesses, the men poured petrol over the pile of rubbish and shrubs in the bin to burn it and reduce it. However, it seems that the vapours have been trapped in the skip bin thus causing the explosion.

It seems like the rubbish found in the bin are mostly garden waste, which easily ignites. The Brisbane City Council has guidelines on where to properly throw your garden wastes:

at a Council transfer station
as compost and mulch in your garden
using Council’s green waste recycling service

There have also been developments in waste collection and reduction over the years to prevent this from happening.

In 2016, Solar Bins Australia developed BigBelly Solar Bins, which are powered by solar panel harnessing the energy of the sun and storing it within the battery. Once it reaches a particular level, the compactor initiates and will compact everything inside that waste basket. It was deployed in 23 areas in Australia.

Photo credit: Solar Bins Australiafig tree

Such innovation has proven to be effective in particular areas in the nation and has significantly reduced garbage collection times and eliminates the need for locals to burn waste in bins.

Pullenvale Takes Highest Number of Workers From Home in Brisbane

Oh, the joys of working from home! No wonder an increasing number of Australians choose to work from home. They don’t need to travel to their work and sit in traffic during peak hours, plus they also get to work in their pjs! In Brisbane, Pullenvale is the suburb with the highest percentage of residents who work from home.

Recent census data reveals that most workers-from-homes are 60% women. In Pullenvale, 10.8% of the labour force are workers-from-home; that’s majority in the city. It has also been* observed that the type of job that allows people to work from home are the ones that are highly skilled or highly creative.

Most of these workers from home are bookkeepers, office managers, secretaries, graphic and web designers, advertising and creative professionals, private tutors and teachers, journalists and writers.

Still, with this “gradually” growing number of Australians who work from home, there is still a much larger percentage of Australians who don’t. Some perceive working from home could disrupt their workflow and restrict them from fully collaborating with other professionals to develop ideas and solutions, hence most Australians still choose to take a normal working life.

For now, working from home is more viable for workers who have the skills and workplace to still deliver their work conveniently from the comforts of their own home.

Be A Wildlife Keeper at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket For A Day

If you’re looking for ways to keep your kids learning and having fun at the same time during this school holiday, then you might want to head on over to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket.

On the 10th of January, you can have your kids be Junior Keeper for a day at the sanctuary. There are three Junior Keeper Programs for your children:

Junior Joeys (5-7 year olds)
Senior Serpents (8-11 year olds)
Teen Keeper (12-17 year olds)

Each program is kept to small groups only to ensure that each child will be able to interact and learn.

Each child will have the chance to experience being a wildlife keeper from preparing food for the animals and feeding down down to cleaning and maintenance as well as training and other enrichment activities.

This program is only available during school holiday periods so make sure that you sign up your kids now! It will be a great experience and one not likely to be repeated until the next holiday break.

Kenmore Welcomes a New Greek Restaurant Plus a New Cocktail Bar on Wongabel Street

Kenmore welcomes a Greek restaurant from Renata Roberts, the owner of other boldly conceptualised restaurants in the western suburbs such as the Sichuan Bang Bang and Pizzeria Violetta.

Stavros, located on Wongabel Street, can accommodate 100 people and will come with a separate 20-seat cocktail bar just beside it, which will be called the Sunset Bar.

Ms Roberts aims to offer simple Greek dishes such as saganaki graver with herbs served with pepper and lemon. She also said that they will be making their own pita bread in the ovens at Pizzeria Violetta. They will also offer four-five souvlaki, slow-cooked lamb shoulder and a wide selection of seasonal salads.

Different kind of dishes from snacks up to a $49 multi-course banquet will be available. The banquet and the menu will change each season. However, guests can expect some delicious slow-cooked lamb shoulder with skordalia to mark the opening of the restaurant.

Sadly, those who are excited to get a few drinks at the bar will have to wait until January of next year due to liquor licensing delays.

They also have a plan to make their Greek-style gelato whilst the Sunset Bar, maintains an intimate and elegant vibe.

Are you excited for these new additions to the Kenmore scene? Official opening will be on 2nd January 2018.

Koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket Caught In a Rare Footage

There are always hidden treasures to be found in history. Just recently, rare footage from the archives of the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket revealed a rare and beautiful sight.

The footage shows a large German Shepherd running around a field, but what catches one’s eyes are the two Koalas on his back. The dog’s passengers seem to be enjoying it as well.

One koala is shown clutching the dog’s neck as if holding on for dear life whilst the other one is positioned further down the dog’s back. The weight of these creatures don’t seem to bother the dog and looks to be enjoying the company as well.

Credit: Clip from YouTube/New News using footage marked ABC News

This isn’t the first time that this marsupial has done something silly in the sanctuary. Just last year, a koala was caught striking a pose at the top of a gum tree. The koala was photographed grabbing a tree trunk and leaning back — like a pole dancer!

Preserving the habitat of these precious creatures and ensuring they continue to thrive are why the Brisbane City Council has invested $2 million to build a koala research centre in Fig Tree Pocket. The research centre will aid with habitat loss and the threats posed by dogs, cats, cars and diseases.

Absence of Bike Lanes Between Pullenvale & Bellbowrie Plus Cyclists Plight Prompts Plea for Improvements

Chris Cox of Space4Cycling Brisbane and Brisbane West Bicycle Users Group has long been actively campaigning for additional bike lanes for various parts here in the west. Just recently, he again pointed out the absence of bike lanes and paths between Bellbowrie and Pullenvale following an incident that happened to a cyclist in Anstead.

The cyclist had a close call with a prime mover due to the lack of a shared path for bike riders and pedestrians in Anstead. Mr Cox, on the other hand, said he had a similar experience as he frequents Jindalee and Moggill as part of his commutes. He said that the road is very dangerous for cyclists because it’s a steep climb, plus there is no road shoulder. It’s just all about hearing vehicles behind you and praying that they notice you.

In light of this, Mr Cox asks for a shared path for cyclists and pedestrians along Mt Crosby Road between Kangaroo Gully Rd and Boyle Rd as he thinks that this is the easiest and quickest solution for now.

Around 1m / 1.5m is the required distance between a cyclist and a vehicle on the road. In April 2016, the Department of Transport and Main Roads revealed that there have been 140 infringements issued in Queensland for failing to meet this distance.

For narrow roads and bridges, they advise all motorists to always use common sense and be obedient on road rules.

Great Treasures at Vintage Etcetera in Kenmore

Vintage Etcetera in Kenmore will have you walking away with a smile on your face, laden with a shopping bag full of great finds.

Photo credit: Vintage Etcetera / Facebook

The shop delivers promising items, which means that you can always buy something here that you will find nice and useful. Owners Arthur and Robyn Rowland have always been passionate about antiques.

The assortment of items in this shop changes all the time. There is always something new to see. From antique rocking horses, globes to jewellery, there really is something for everyone here.

One of the great things about the shop is that you don’t walk in a shop that smells of old furniture filled with dusty items. You will be surprised of how fresh and welcoming it is inside.

Go check the counter for some of the most amazing homemade cards as well.

The staff also has plenty of unique stories to tell behind some items on-sale. Make sure that you ask about the pieces you like. Sometimes, knowing a little bit of background about an item makes all the difference.