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Churches of Christ Community Centre in Kenmore Continues to Get Backlash From Residents

The new Churches of Christ Headquarters in Kenmore just can’t really catch a break. Residents around the area seem appalled at how it’s shaping up. Apparently, they didn’t expect the building to be “so modern” and many consider it to look out of place in the suburb. There are other issues as well that have been raising eyebrows among the locals.

Last year, residents were complaining about how the whole construction process of this development seemed so disorganised. In fact, it was described as literally a “messy work-in-progress.” The development had brought in roadwork and footpath closures that adversely affected traffic around the area.

Now, as the Churches of Christ community centre slowly begins to take shape towards the end of its stage two completion, residents are shocked at how big it is turning out to be. The centre will house a 350-seat auditorium, a 75-seater cafe, and over 240 car spaces. Many say that its modern aesthetic makes it unseemly in a suburb that for the most part is not so modern.

According to one resident, at night, the centre is so well-lit that it’s hard to miss. The loss of trees to pave way for the development has also increased road noise by reducing sound cover. She also said that they didn’t understand how it would look like when it was proposed, hence their surprise now.

The nearby roundabout is also a cause for worry as it is anticipated that more vehicles will use this once the centre is finished, which can take longer travel time to get through it at school leaving time.

The acting chief executive of Churches of Christ David Swain said that their design and construction adhere to the development approval and the topography of the site. Mr Swain said that they are about to begin landscaping soon which will add more greenery to the area. To address the traffic issues, he said that there will be a new turning lane into the campus and the driveway to improve the flow of traffic.

Kenmore Village Encourages Everyone to be Extra Kind on Strive To Be Kind Day

The death of Allison Baden-Clay has shone more light on domestic violence and has helped to empower thousands of people to help fight it. More like a wake-up call that domestic violence is very rampant nowadays, a foundation was built in honour of Mrs Clay.

Be a Ball of Sunshine

Photo credit: Strive to Be Kind / Facebook

On 28 July, the Kenmore Village Shopping Centre is taking part to help the foundation. The shopping centre will celebrate Strive to Be Kind Day of the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation and they are encouraging everyone to wear bright yellow. The stores will also “turn yellow” for that day. Everybody is encouraged to make a donation to help rebuild the lives of victims of crime.

Allison’s Story

Photo credit: Allison Baden-Clay Foundation

Allison was close to perfect — she was smart and beautiful. She was Miss Brisbane in 1993. She caught the eye of Gerard Baden-Clay, the great grandson of Scouts founder Lord Baden-Powell. Smitten by him, they got married and had three kids. Everything looked perfect until her death, where the secrets started unraveling. It turned out that her seemingly perfect life was just a facade.

Apparently, her husband was violent and abusive. Allison tried so hard to fix her marriage but failed. On 20 April 2012, Allison went missing and the police came to their home in Brookfield. Gerard spoke to the police with scratches on his cheeks, which he said to be shaving cuts. The search for Allison continued and it was one of the biggest missing person searches Brisbane had.

During the search, the support was overflowing. The community was helping. Ten days later, Allison’s body was found under the Kholo Creek Bridge at Anstead. And everything just came crashing down. Gerard was charged and his affairs and a million-dollar insurance benefit were unearthed. In July 2014, Gerard was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his wife.

The Allison Baden-Clay Foundation

The foundation hopes that this story will help reach others who need help. Most of the domestic violence victims remain quiet, terrified of their abuser. This foundation aims to put a stop to that.

Strive to Be Kind Day started in 2012. This day makes the whole community come together and show a little more kindness. The concept has gained enormous support from businesses and shopping centers including Kenmore Village. Schools also show support as well as the Ipswich City Council.

The funds that they will raise through this event will help them fund their programs that educate and empower people in people, schools, community, and workplaces about respectful relationships, how to recognise and deal with unhealthy relationships and understanding domestic violence in all its forms.

Brighten up someone’s day on the 28th of July. It will go a long way.

Woolworths Phases Out Plastic Bags Nationwide, Ban at Kenmore and Other Queensland Stores Starts 2018

This is a major step for the supermarket chain, which currently gives out over 3.2 billion plastic bags a year.

Woolworths Group will be phasing out single-use plastic shopping bags at all its stores in the country in the next 12 months. Kenmore and other Queensland Woolworths stores will start the ban next year.

This means that plastic bags will be phased out at Woolworths stores in NSW, Victoria and WA. Woolworths is already implementing the ban at stores in South Australia, Tasmania and ACT, which have laws banning plastic bags statewide.

The state government of Queensland has legislated a ban on plastic bags and this will take effect on 1 July 2018. NSW, Victoria and WA are yet to legislate a similar ban.

The ban will cover all Woolworths supermarkets, Big W and BWS. The plastic bag ban is already in place for Cellarmasters and Dan Murphy’s.

Customers can either bring their own bag or pay 15 cents for a reusable bag.

Woolworths Kenmore, along with other Queensland Woolworths stores will enforce the ban starting July 2018 (Photo credit: Google Streetview)

In a statement, the supermarket giant’s CEO Brad Banducci expressed the company’s commitment to listing to its customers and doing the right thing for the environment. “We feel this is an issue we need to take a stand on,” Mr Banducci said.

“We currently give out more than 3.2 billion lightweight plastic bags a year and hence can play a significant role in reducing overall plastic bag usage.

“Whilst we know this is a major decision, we will work very closely with all of our store teams to ensure the transition for our customers is as simple as possible.”

Queensland Government Welcomes Move

The Queensland government has welcomed the move by the supermarket chain and praised the company for showing national leadership.

Environment Minister Steven Miles described the move as a major step forward in the war against waste.

“As the biggest retailer in the sector, this shows they are listening to customers and demonstrates that they take their environmental and community responsibilities seriously,” Mr Miles said.

The minister believes that this is the perfect time for consumers to start thinking about how they can change their behaviour and lessen reliance on plastic bags.

“We need Queenslanders to get ready for the ban, which comes into effect from 1 July 2018.

“We will continue education and awareness in lead up to 1 July 2018 including in partnership with the National Retail Association who are running workshops for retailers.”

Fig Tree Pocket’s Iconic Moreton Bay Fig Tree’s Disappearance Remains a Mystery

A tranquil suburb located between the Centenary Motorway and Brisbane River, Fig Tree Pocket represents a leafy, quiet beauty with its tree-lined streets. Who would have thought that a place like this is just 12km away from the CBD?

The suburb’s name is taken from the Moreton Bay fig tree and just recently, a Facebook user, Stephen Sheffield shared an old photo of the huge fig tree that influenced the name of the suburb, which he shared on Old Brisbane Album’s Facebook page.

Along with the photo comes a letter from A.V. Herbert at the Department of Lands and Works to the Surveyor General and it states:

“Sir, I have been desired to request you to be good enough to reserve the land situated about halfway between Oxley Creek and the Seventeen Mile Rocks on the left bank of the Brisbane River and upon which a remarkable fig tree stands of which a photograph is closed – it is assumed that there will be no difficulty in recognising the spot…”

The letter was dated 14th June 1866 and can be found at the Queensland State Archives.

According to history, the huge tree can shelter 400 people.

Sadly, this is the only memory of the enormous fig tree as today, the tree is no longer there. There are many reasons that could have caused its disappearance such as fires, land clearing, and floods.

The Moreton Bay fig tree, or the Ficus macrophylla can reach heights of 600m. Currently, these trees can still be seen around the suburb specifically at the Fig Tree Pocket Equestrian Grounds. Currently, the tallest Moreton Bay fig is located on the Nuhimbah Valley of Queensland.

Pullenvale Hall Continues to Promote a Sense of Community

Photo credit: http://pullenvalehall.com/

Pullenvale Hall is the residents’ go-to place for events that involve the local community and even their personal celebrations and get-togethers. The Hall, considered an institution in the area, has been the centre of the community for almost 80 years.

The Hall is run by the Pullenvale Progress Association. They rely on fundraising events and donations to maintain the hall. The funds are acquired through various events. Since the hall is open for community use, it gets bookings for weddings, private functions, yoga and dance classes, pop-up restaurants, and other events.

The Hall used to be an old pineapple packing shed which was purchased from local resident Jack Woodward in 1943. In October 1860, a couple named John and Mary Ogle arrived in Brisbane and purchased the land where the Hall now stands.

Little is known about the Hall’s history aside from that it used to house plenty of pineapples back in the day. Today, the hall is bursting with so much life as it welcomes the community in what has been several generations of events.

To sustain the Hall, the association that handles it has a regular program of social events that has provided a regular stream of bookings for years.

Old Time/New Vogue Dance (every third Sunday of the month)
Friday Night Off movie nights
Melbourne Cup event
Back to Pullenvale Day
Market Day
Business Expo
Screening of major sporting events

Photo credit: Pullenvale Hall / Facebook

The weekly programs vary. These activities cater to both adults and children and usually involve physical activity such as dance classes and yoga.

The Pullenvale Hall brings the community together. You don’t want to miss the awesome Friday movie nights here at this beautiful suburb that will make you feel right at home. For updates on their events, you can check out their official Facebook page as well as their website.

Yellow Brick Road Leads to the Brookfield Animal Country Fair

Get ready for the annual country fair, an event organised by the Brookfield Produce & Pet Pavilion and Brookfield Vet, to be held this year on the 16th of July at the store.

From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., enjoy family-friendly activities and events. There will be a range of activities that must not be missed, such as Surgery Tours of Brookfield Vet, Dog Beauty Competitions & Best Dressed Pet, pony rides, and petting zoos. There are also going to be a showcase of exotic birds and displays of fancy chicken breeds that you can interact with.

Photo credit: Brookfield Produce & Pet Pavilion / Facebook

There will be loads of family activities such as face painting, a watermelon eating contest, egg & spoon races, ball games and kids crafts to keep the young ones busy.

Down the Yellow Brick Road

This year’s event theme is The Wizard of Oz. Everyone is encouraged to come as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, or the Tin Woodsman! Or maybe even come as Glinda or the wizard himself. Make sure to have your pets in costume too. Awesome prizes await the most awesome costumes.

A Chance to Give a Pet a Lovely Home

Aside from all the fun this event will bring, you can also get the chance to adopt a pet. New Beginnings Greyhound Adoption and Precious Paws Animal Rescue will be at the event along with dogs that are ready for adoption.

Animal Knowledge

A few animals specialists will also be on site to talk about animal welfare and nutrition.

Always for a Cause

A BBQ cookout will be held by New Beginnings and Precious Paws to raise funds for animal welfare. All profits will go towards the organisation’s causes. A Toffee Apple Sale and a Bake Sale will be hosted by the Brookfield Produce & Pet Pavilion, for the benefit of Precious Paws.

The Wizard

The Brookfield Produce & Pet Pavilion was established in 1975. They started off as a local produce store and soon expanded to animal welfare and nutrition through selling animal products. Today, they also provide expert advice on animal care, supplies, and even plumbing and irrigation services for pet needs.

The store has become the go-to place for animal owners in the suburb and nearby suburbs.

Admission is free.

Kenmore Hills Residents Experience Slow Internet with NBN, ACCC To Investigate

NBN was rolled out in Kenmore Hills just last month; however, instead of the residents feeling happy with the speed of their internet connection, their reaction was quite the opposite.

Unhappy Residents

Kenmore Hills resident Martin Lack has represented all 31 households on his street in their internet connection speed struggles. Having worked in the computer industry for almost 50 years, Mr. Lack definitely qualifies as their go-to guy for their internet connection woes. Living on a street that houses senior executives and business people, the residents were all using HFC, a pay-TV internet cabling since 2003.

Recently however, they were all forced to connect to the NBN. Six of his neighbours who took the plunge have nothing else to say except how bad their experience is now. He said that their internet connection has become worse compared to the speed they had before.

Mr Lack said that after 6:00 p.m. their connection takes a turn for the worse and becomes erratic. This was unlike their prior internet speed under Telstra HFC. Since availing of the 100MB NBN package through Telstra, his expectations were high. He was very disappointed upon noticing the erratic connection that he started documenting it since 1 June. He has since come to the conclusion that the connection he’s getting is less than a quarter of the plan he’s paying for.

ACCC Takes Action

This is not a new complaint, though. Last month, the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) revealed that they are formally investigating broadband retailers’ speed claims. This investigation will also let them know whether the NBN is to blame for the current issues.

As NBN rolls out in major cities, more Australians are spending a lot of money on fixed-line broadband services. However, plenty of people are complaining when they found out that the speed is far less than what was being advertised. The NBN advertised that it can deliver “lightning fast” speeds.

There has been a recorded 117% rise in official complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman since last year.

The ACCC’s investigation program will run for four years beginning late 2017. This will help them identify if the NBN is to blame or if the retailers have failed to buy sufficient capacity to accommodate households. They aim to have 4,000 households connected by the fourth year; however, in order to achieve this, they plan to choose a specific mix of users in cities and regions that use different technologies on basic and high-end packages with different retailers.

First Pullen Vale Folk Festival in Moggill Happening in July

Non-stop folk, blues and boots music will fill the air of John Sprent Reserve in Moggill with the inaugural celebration of Pullen Vale Folk Festival on Saturday, 8 July 2017.

Everyone is invited to come to the free event, which promises to be a fun-filled family day of music. From 11:00 a.m. up to 4:00 p.m., some of the finest local musicians from the Western side of Brisbane will perform on stage.

Performers include songwriter Gerry Miller, Caroline Hammond, Mike Barber, Abbie Cardwell, 8 Ball Aitken Band, Silk ‘n’ Oak and The John Fegan Band.

Event Details:

Date: Saturday 8 July, 11am to 4pm
Venue: John Sprent Reserve, Vanwall Road, Moggill
Cost: FREE

Take a listen to the soothing music of Abbie Cardwell, one of the performers at the Pullen Vale Folk Festival.

Family Fun Weekend

Pullen Vale Folk Festival is filled with activities to keep kids entertained. There’s face painting, jumping castle, wall climbing and Pullenvale fire truck. There will be pop up library, pop up litter shop and so much more.

Attendees can enjoy great food courtesy of a great selection of food trucks, including The Bun Mobile, That Greek Truck, Sushi To The Max, Fule FMC Pizza, Spud The Food Truck, Those Food Guys, MEXI HOT DOGS and Queen of Pops.

Photo credit: Pullen Vale Folk Festival/Facebook

The event is supported by the Brisbane City Council, the Rotary Club of Kenmore and Cr Kate Richards.

“My vision for the festival is to honour the sacredness of the past, acknowledge the present, and deepen community connections into the future. Pullen Vale Folk Festival is intended to bring the local folk together, here on common ground – our ground, to celebrate the beauty and significance of each other and our very special part of Brisbane.”

~ Festival Organizer Councillor Kate Richards (Pullenvale Ward)

Free Bus Service

Free public transport will be provided to go directly to the venue. Buses will run from the following pick-up points:

Booker Place Park, Birkin Road
Moggill State School, Moggill Road
Brookfield Recreation Reserve, Brookfield Road

The buses will provide transport beginning 10:00 a.m. up to 5:00 p.m. continuously.

Attendees driving to the venue will not be permitted to park along Vanwall Road, Joseph Avenue and Bloomsbury Crescent as the buses will need to move through these streets.

Visit the Pullen Vale Folk Festival Facebook page for more details.

Recent Hendra Scare in Brookfield Fuels Cry to Have All Horses Vaccinated Against the Virus

The recent Brookfield Show was a success, hampered only by the incidence, albeit well-handled, of a horse that was suspected to be carrying the Hendra virus. Thankfully, a test conducted by Biosecurity Queensland came back negative.

In another case, an infected pony in the Gold Coast hinterland had to be euthanised. These recent events have prompted The Australian Veterinary Association to pursue the administration of the Hendra vaccine for all horses.

In 1994, an outbreak which affected 21 racehorses and two human cases in a Brisbane suburb became the first recognised outbreak in Australia. Since then and up to 2016, over 70 horses have been reported to be carrying the virus.

Presently considered rare, Hendra is classified to have a severe and often fatal effect on horses and humans. Despite its relative rarity, it is considered a cause for alarm as the number of infected horses seems to be growing over the years. Because of this, an effective horse vaccine against the virus was introduced in 2012.

The AVA urges owners to have their horses vaccinated, particularly those who live in high-risk areas. They said that this is the only way to guarantee good health quality of horses whilst protecting humans from contracting the deadly virus as well.

The virus occurs naturally in flying fox populations. According to a recent AVA study, the virus can be passed on to horses through the bats’ urine; in turn, humans can acquire the virus from horses.

For the drive against Hendra, prevention is definitely better than cure. Vaccination is widely regarded to be the best way to prevent an outbreak, as testing for the virus or disease could take a long time. Some small comfort can also be derived from recent reports of a decline in the flying fox population in Queensland.

Kenmore’s The Single Guys Continues to Grow, Second Branch Opening at The CBD

In 2013, Kenmore welcomed a Scandinavian-inspired coffee house run by gentlemen Ben Graham and Scott Wilson, aka “The Single Guys.”

How It All Started

It all started when these guys met at The Valley Cafe where Graham worked as a barista whilst Wilson is one of the cafe’s regulars. The two guys were looking for a new venture and that’s when they discovered their shared passion for high-quality coffee. They settled in the leafy suburb of Kenmore because this is where they grew up. The two guys also spent time volunteering in Africa, which is why they have made it their mission to remain close to the farmers.

The Cafe

The cafe incorporates soft tones of wood with splashes of blacks and blues, perfectly complemented by the Edison bulbs surrounding the cafe. The bar and tables were built by Wilson himself. The delicious and rich aroma of coffee brewing from the bar just simply evokes authenticity of the beans used to concoct delicious coffee the West has never tasted before.

Photo credit: The Single Guys Coffee Co. / Facebook

Their Coffee & Food

Serving a mild house blend, which is a combination of Costa Rican and Ethiopian beans, along with more adventurous feature blends, will surely energise your day. Creamy and sweet brews are available whilst cappuccinos and hot chocolates are even made tweeted with Bunker chocolate.

If you’re feeling hungry, try their delicious homemade muffins and brownies, or if you want something heavier, their baked eggs and mushroom, asparagus and pecorino on toast will surely satisfy that appetite.

Thriving, Expanding, Continuously Brewing

In mid-2016, Wilson and Graham felt the need to sell the cafe, and Janey Guo was able to snatch it. Ever since then, Guo has been looking to expand the legacy of The Single Guys.

Recently, they have announced that their expansion plan has finally come to fruition. The second iteration of the Kenmore cafe brand will be opening at Brisbane’s CBD later this month. It will be at 201 Charlotte Street, formerly Bacano Coffee.

The look and feel of the place will be very similar to the one in Kenmore. In this new location, a Slayer Steam espresso machine will brew delicious coffee from former owner Graham’s Parallel Roasters. There will be other roasters as well, which will come as “guests” to shake up what they have to offer. The breakfast and lunch menu will be the same.

The place will also be a perfect place to wind down after a long day with a glass of red or beer. A licensed bar will be set up to cater to night crawlers.