kenmore Archives - Page 5 of 12

350 Jobs in Jeopardy as Kenmore-Based Churches of Christ Withdraws From Government Contracts

Around 350 people working for Kenmore-based Churches of Christ could lose their jobs in the wake of its decision to cancel its government contracts to provide care to children who have not been placed with foster carers.

Despite its longstanding relationship with the Queensland Government, Churches of Christ announced its withdrawal from its contracts during a video-conference held on Tuesday, 27 June 2023. Concerns about funding prompted the decision, raising alarm among advocates who fear that other organisations may follow suit.

View Page

Despite cancelling its government contract for care services, Churches of Christ will continue to provide foster and kinship care services. In the coming months, all staff members will remain employed as Churches of Christ assists the government in transitioning the care to another provider that is yet to be determined.

Although the exact number of individuals at risk of losing their jobs is uncertain, the spokeswoman for one of Queensland’s largest child protection services gave assurances that no redundancies have been made thus far.

However, she regretfully disclosed that the organisation had notified both their staff and the State Government of their intent to transition out of youth residential, supported independent living services, and family support services. She explained that this difficult decision was commercially necessary.

Tom Allsop, Executive Director of child safety advocate group PeakCare, warned that the financial viability concerns in the child and family sector could lead to the departure of numerous organisations if immediate action is not taken.

He said that the insufficient funding for these sectors, unable to keep pace with rising service costs, poses a threat to the continuation of services.

Allsop stressed that if the funding crisis is not adequately addressed, it could result in the collapse of the non-government child and family care sector in Queensland, jeopardising the well-being of vulnerable children and causing significant job losses.

Published 30-June-2023

Kenmore Local Barbara Wintringham Celebrates 100th Birthday

Photo Credit: CrGregAdermann

Popular Kenmore local Barbara Wintringham, who served as a volunteer guide at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens for over two decades, is now 100 years old! Did you know that this amazing lady worked as a volunteer until she was 93?

Ms Wintringham has received a certificate and special gift in honour as she officially becomes Kenmore’s newest centenarian.

Well-remembered for her loyal service at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens in Mt Coot-tha for over 25 years, Ms Wintringham has also released a booklet about the Gardens, with fellow volunteer Ray Steward.

The booklet outlines the history of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens and highlights the individuals who made significant contributions towards making the Gardens, which officially opened in 1976, into what it is today.

Photo Credit: Brisbane Botanic Treasures

The England-born Ms Wintringham came to Brisbane in the 1950s. She fell in love with the city and decided to stay to set down roots with her family.

She worked for ABC and then spent her retirement years at the Gardens until she quit volunteering in 2016, at an amazing 93 years old.

Ms Wintringham now spends her days reading books and going on walks with her friends.

Published 26-April-2023

Proposal Up for a New Facility at Kenmore South State School

Photo Credit: CrGregAdermann/Facebook

After funding has been secured, a proposal has been lodged for a new three-storey facility for Kenmore South State School.

Under the Department of Education, the proposed development for the new building, filed under (MID-0123-0666), includes the construction of seven GLA spaces and additional four GLA spaces for a future fit, a new STEM learning space, and amenities like lifts and associated spaces and footpaths for both the students and staff use.

The plan also includes increasing the size of the carpark along the southeastern side. The existing playground equipment will have to be relocated before the building construction starts. Building refurbishments for Kenmore South State School’s C and D Blocks will also be covered by the project.

Kenmore South State School — Photo Credit: MID-0123-0666

Per the MID’s Building & Design:

“The proposed development has been carefully designed to ensure the siting of buildings adequately respond to the existing site characteristics. Specifically, it is noted:

The new building is within proximity to existing learning buildings to ensure a high level of connectivity with the remainder of the campus.
The design encompasses a mix of innovation and cost-effective solutions, which take into consideration the character of the adjacent buildings.
Built form, materials and finishes align with the palette of the existing school buildings to provide a complimentary transition from existing to new. Natural cross-ventilation and solar shading have been incorporated into the design, to provide a comfortable and efficient teaching and learning facility.
Site constraints have led to locating the new facility to sit neatly between the existing Hall and the oval minimising the number of existing trees which need removal.
A landscaped courtyard is proposed between the new building and the existing Hall to provide a green outlook for the Hall and the south facing spaces in the new building.
Location of the building has been carefully considered to enable the building to provide compliant connection of all buildings to the entire length of the campus from Kersley Road footpath down to the oval.”

Kenmore South State School, established in 1967, services from Prep to year 6. As the local area has grown, the school-aged population has also increased thus the needed additional facilities to meet the demands of enrolment.

The school’s current study body is 712 students with a Student Enrolment Capacity (SEC) of 704. If approved, the development will raise the SEC to 896.

Kenmore locals can have their say on the proposal by making a submission to the Infrastructure Designation team on or before 28 April 2023.

online: https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/mid-consultations
email: infrastructuredesignation@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au; or
post: PO Box 15009, City East, QLD, 4002

Published 18-April-2023

Developer Amends Moggill Road Childcare Centre Plans Into a Facility for 125 Kids

A three-storey split-level childcare centre occupying three lots may soon be built along Moggill Road in Kenmore if the development application receives the green light from Council.

The Kenmore Childcare Unit Trust wants to build a new childcare centre for 125 children along 1067, 1075 & 1079 Moggill Road. The facility will cover 888 square metres of ground floor area and will have a large outdoor play centre.

The proposal details changes to a previously submitted plan. Acoustic fencing and attractive landscaping will be reinforced across the boundaries as detailed in DA A006159171. An existing house will be demolished as a result of the development.

The plans also include the construction of an under-croft open car parking site for at least 30 car parking spaces. Access to the facility will be via Moggill Road but a pedestrian path via Cedarleigh Road will be incorporated into the construction.

Childcare Centre Moggill Road Kenmore — Photo Credit: DA A006159171/BCC

The childcare centre planners underscored that a previous proposal was originally submitted in 2020 as it “supports the needs of the surrounding community.” However, design changes were made and submitted in 2022 to expand the plans to suit a growing need within the Kenmore neighbourhood.

Some residents, however, have expressed objections to the proposal citing congestion on Moggill Road.

“For most of the day the road is busy; at peak times it is one of the slowest into the city in the morning/outbound later in the day. Around Kenmore there are two schools (OLR and Kenmore State) with associated extensive local car usage, which exacerbates the traffic congestion. I cannot believe anyone would imagine that the addition of a childcare centre on this already busy road would be sensible,” one local wrote in the DA’s submissions.

“A number of new Child Care centres have been opened in the last couple of years and each one has resulted in a larger number of vacancies, threatening the ongoing viability of the existing childcare centres and kindergartens in the area. This indicates that another childcare is not needed in this area,” another resident said.

The development application is still under review with Council and the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA).

New Three-Lane Bridge Between Kenmore And Jindalee Moves Closer To Reality

A new three-lane bridge planned between Kenmore and Jindalee is now closer to becoming reality, as works for Centenary Bridge upgrades are scheduled to finally start in early 2023.

Read: Kenmore Property Market Shows Strong and Steady Growth

Construction was expected to commence in 2022, but works were delayed due to some issues with the contract. The Transport Department explained that an alternate bid for the project, which required thorough due diligence, caused complications in the project’s timeline.

In December 2022, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk released a statement announcing the Queensland government’s agreement with Georgiou Group and BMD Constructions to build the three-lane bridge, along with an upgrade of the existing bridge.

Artist;s impression of Centenary Bridge upgrade (Photo credit: https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au)

Aside from a new bridge travelling northbound and the remediation of the existing bridges to create three southbound lanes, works will also include upgraded active transport facilities for pedestrians and people who ride bikes.

The project will double capacity across the river and will improve access to Amazon Place Park while preserving Jindalee Skate Park.

“More than 85,000 cars use this bridge daily, and that number will increase,” said the Premier.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads estimates that the number of vehicles passing by Centenary Motorway is expected to reach 152,000 per day by 2036, as the population in west Brisbane grows.

“This is an important step towards busting congestion through our growing region” said Premier Palaszczuk.

Benefits of upgrading the bridge includes improving safety to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes on the Centenary Bridge and increasing capacity to improve travel-time reliability and cater for current and future traffic needs.

Read: Kenmore Roundabout Upgrade Project Scrapped in Favour of Moggill Road Bikeway

Works are estimated to cost $298.5 million, around $50 million higher compared to the estimates announced in 2020.

Kenmore Family Appeals for Return of Heirloom Accordion Mistakenly Left at Kerbside

A Kenmore family has publicly appealed for the return of a family heirloom, a 20-year-old accordion that was left on the footpath and might have been picked up by someone who had thought it was for disposal.

Kylie Jayasinghe shared that the missing accordion was supposed to have been loaded in the car by her father-in-law. However, he had unknowingly driven off without it, leaving the instrument remained on the footpath. When he returned an hour later to retrieve it after realising his mistake, the accordion was gone.

The Kenmore mum believes that it may have been picked up by someone who had seen it on the kerb, thinking that it was for disposal and therefore, fair game for scavengers. There was no kerbside collection run scheduled in Kenmore for that week.

The old accordion has great sentimental value for the Kenmore family. The family heirloom originally belonged to Seeya, the 89-year-old grandfather of Kylie’s non-verbal 14-year-old son, Oscar.

“Seeya plays it to my special needs child (his grandson) and Oscar loves the music and the interaction with his grandfather,” Kylie wrote.

“I assume that somebody thought it was on the grass as a giveaway but this is not the case and we would very much like it back.

“Please can you return it as soon as possible. It is really important that it is returned and no questions will be asked. We just want it back. It is a big loss for everyone but especially Seeya and Oscar.”

The family has tried asking neighbours if they had seen anybody pick it up, also posting about the missing accordion on Facebook in hopes of finding someone who may have seen it around.

The instrument is described as a pretty red accordion, about 60 centimetres by 50 centimetres in size, with shiny red enamel trim. Per reports, the brand’s name is “Preddie” and it’s smaller than traditional accordions, although still a heavy instrument.

Kenmore Roundabout Upgrade Project Scrapped in Favour of Moggill Road Bikeway

The delivery of the Kenmore Roundabout Upgrade Project will no longer proceed, following pushback for the planned solution by local residents and a re-routing of proposed funding, that appears to be a win for cyclists and a loss for Kenmore motorists.

Original funding for the Kenmore Roundabout Upgrade Project stood at $25 million, being $12.5m from State Government and $12.5m from Federal Government. However having surveyed local residents, resulting in a 94% disapproval of the planned traffic light intersection to replace the roundabout, State Government decided to re-allocate their $12.5 m into preliminary planning of a new cycleway for the area. It isn’t clear at this stage what will happen to the Federal Government’s $12.5m pledge.

Queensland Transport & Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey confirmed that the delivery of an active transport solution will now be the priority as it was very clear Kenmore locals “don’t want lights to replace the Moggill Road roundabout.”

“We’ll work with local residents on how we can deliver something fit for purpose, so keep an eye out for more information as we kick start the planning process,” Mr Bailey said.

Mr Bailey also confirmed that the Moggill Road Bikeway will be divided into three sections comprising Centenary Highway to Chapel Hill Road, Kilkivan Avenue, and the intersection on Moggill Road and Rafting Ground Road.

The minister, who supports active transport as a bike rider himself, is aware that bikers accessing the Centenary Cycleway to the CBD are at great risk as Moggill Road traffic is at 60km/h. However, planning for a separate cycleway on this site has to be carefully considered since Moggill Road is narrow.

The community will be informed and asked for feedback before any plans are finalised.

After campaigning for a Moggill Road Bikeway for years, Brisbane West BUG welcomed Mr Bailey’s announcement to shift their plans.

“We think it’s also important to thank Dr Christian Rowan MP who has for years backed our calls for investment in safe cycling infrastructure on Moggill Road. Just last month Dr Rowan asked a question on notice what cycling infrastructure will be funded and delivered in the Moggill electorate,” the group stated.

“We’re thrilled with the answer!”

“As Minister Bailey said at the Safe Streets for All ride this morning, active transport is not an optional extra, a nice to have or an add on, it’s an essential component of the transport system. It is wonderful to see that essential component getting the investment it needs in the western suburbs.”

Kenmore Business Strip to Get New Restaurants

Did you know that the business strip at 2071 Moggill Rd in Kenmore will be redeveloped into a three-level complex for food and drink tenancies?

The restaurants are expected to trade at night when there is less traffic in the area. This Kenmore shopping strip is near the Kenmore roundabout, Kenmore State School and the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic primary school.

The planned development on 2071 Moggill Rd, popularly known as the home of Kenmore Cycles, will also have lower-ground car park areas with a new rear access easement. Deep plantation has been envisioned for the site, as well as a pedestrian corridor entrance. Studio Arkitecture is designing the new building.

New food and tenancy site in Kenmore business strip — Photo Credit: DA A006134569/BCC

“The proposal reflects positively on the streetscape by incorporating balconies which address the street, a range of colours and materials, as well as modern, subtropical design elements such as a green wall fronting Moggill Road,” Plan A Town Planning stated in the development code-assessable application. (DA A006134569)

Kenmore business strip — *Photo Credit: DA A006134569/BCC*

“The proposed extensions represent a significant upgrade to the existing built form and will reflect positively on the surrounding streetscape. The proposal will provide three new Food & Drink Outlet tenancies in a highly accessible location and are designed to promote the location as an active frontage”.

“The proposal will also involve the closure of an undesirable access point to Moggill Road, with new access proposed through the Council carpark to Princeton Street. This will greatly improve safety outcomes for pedestrians and vehicle users on Moggill Road.”

Three Ways to Enjoy Halloween in Kenmore

Photo Credit: Mayur Gadge/Pixabay

Not one, not two, but three! Here are three ways to enjoy Halloween in Kenmore, Kenmore Hills, and nearby Mt Coot-tha.

Halloween Carnival

Kenmore Hills Early Learning, located along Brookfield Road, will host a spook-tacular Halloween Carnival on Saturday, 29 October 2022. This FREE event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m and everyone is invited!

Kids can expect a number of activities, including face painting, and a jumping castle, whilst parents and companions enjoy catching up over morning tea.

To sign up for this event, follow this Facebook invite.

Halloween Crafts

On the same day, at the Kenmore Library, a Halloween crafting activity will take place from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Children between 6 to 12 years old can try their hand at making creepy Halloween decor to bring home to mum and dad. Participants are encouraged to come in their favourite costumes. Book a spot by phoning 07 3407 0258.

Halloween Tour

Get ready for more spooky surprises and learn about flesh-eating plants and palm trees that rouse the zombies. The Botanic Gardens at Mount Coot-tha will be the site of a Halloween Tour on Monday, 31 October 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

This tour is suitable for all ages but make sure to wear closed-in shoes and a hat. Bring water bottles to stay hydrated. Slot reservations will be open until noon on the 29th. Phone (07) 3403 2535 for more information.

Safety Tips

Meanwhile, here are some reminders from the Office of Fair Trading, who is reminding Brisbane locals to remain safe when celebrating Halloween.

“Light up novelties and flashing objects such as jack-o-lanterns, cauldrons, fake candles, torches and wands are often powered by button batteries. But we know the statistics on button batteries are very concerning,” Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman said.

“In Australia one child a month is seriously injured after swallowing or inserting a button battery, with some of them sustaining lifelong or even fatal injuries.

“That’s why it’s so important when buying button battery-powered Halloween novelties that you check the battery compartment is secured with a screw or similar fastener to prevent children gaining access.

“Also check that any novelties are age appropriate and don’t pose choking hazards.

“If you or your children will be wearing black or other dark coloured costumes for Halloween, add glow sticks or a reflective strip to your costumes and carry a torch to ensure drivers and other trick-or-treaters can see you,” Minister Fentiman added.

“And while it goes without saying to take care around open heat sources such as jack-o-lanterns and heaters, you should also check costume labels for their fire risk and choose those marked ‘flame resistant’ or ‘fire resistant’.

“If you’re completing your look with fake tattoos, face paint, makeup, or fake blood, ensure they come with ingredients labels and keep them handy throughout the night.

“If someone in your group has an allergic reaction to a product, having a list of ingredients available for doctors can save them vital time when determining how to treat them.

Kenmore Petrol Prices High at the Bowser, End of Fuel Excise Relief May Trigger Further Hikes

The end of Australia’s fuel excise relief may trigger higher prices at the bowser, with Brisbane, particularly in areas like Kenmore that are already experiencing higher than average prices, bracing themselves for the possibility of further hikes.

For the last six months, the national fuel excise tax has afforded service stations a 22-cents discount on unleaded petrol to cushion motorists with the rising cost of living.

Experts say the average price for unleaded petrol may reach $2.13 once the full fuel excise is reinstated to 44.2 cents after September 2022.

Revenue from the excise tax is used for vital road safety upgrades and infrastructure.

Brisbane and some suburbs, as of 28-Sept. Data from Fuel Radar

Analyst Geoff Trotter of Fueltrac said that petrol companies will theoretically raise prices by 30 cents per litre in a week or two, with the average price at $1.88 per litre. Some experts believe that prices could soar to $2 per litre in the next few weeks.

as of 27 Sept 2022
Photo Credit: Fuel Radar

As of 27 Sept 2022, Moggill Road service centers EG Ampol Kenmore and Ampol Foodary Kenmore are selling unleaded petrol at 195.9c p/l.

kenmore prices before end of fuel excise relief — Photo Credit: Fuel Radar

The cheapest source, selling at 181.7c p/l, is found at United Sherwood along Sherwood Road, a 9-km ride from Kenmore.

kenmore prices — *Photo Credit:* Fuel Radar

Mr Trotter also said that prices will rise because there will be no supplies coming from Russia, a major supplier of diesel and heating oil. The market has remained volatile following the war in Ukraine thus prices are harder to forecast as well.

On Why the Price Hike May Not Happen

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, however, said that motorists would not be saddled with the price hike as the Federal Government has purchased and stockpiled litres of petrol at lower prices in anticipation of the end of the fuel excise relief.

In a press briefing, Mr Chalmers said, “You would have seen industry estimates that there would be more than 700 million litres of lower excise fuel in the system. This is 700 million reasons why the price should not shoot up by the full 23 cents on the night the excise ends.”

Brisbane Fuel Price Monitoring

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has been tasked to monitor the price increase and ensure that motorists are not on the losing end. Below is an ACCC chart tracking the price of unleaded petrol in the last 45 days.

ACCC Brisbane fuel price — Photo Credit: ACCC

Consumers are advised to compare fuel prices using price monitoring apps before filling up.