kenmore Archives - Page 5 of 13

Fifteen-Year-Old Snooker Phenom Lilly Meldrum Claims Historic National Title

Year 10 Kenmore State High School student Lilly Meldrum made history when she defeated defending champion Jessica Woods 4-2 to become the youngest ever winner of the Australian National Women’s Snooker Championship in Albury.

Meldrum, 15, first started playing snooker at the age of 9 on her family’s home table. Despite needing a jigger to reach across the full-size table, she quickly demonstrated a prodigious talent for the sport.

By 2019, Meldrum was already ranked 4th in the world in the under-16 age group. Her recent victory over seven-time national champion Woods underlined her rapid progress in snooker.

Lilly Meldrum defeats fellow Queenslander in comeback fashion

Woods, also from Queensland, jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Meldrum in the championship final. However, the young phenom showed resilience beyond her years and captured the next four frames in a row to claim the national title.

In doing so, Meldrum became the first player other than Woods to win the Australian women’s championship since 2018.

World championship in sights

Earlier this year, Meldrum was a semi-finalist at the World Under-21 Snooker Championship in Thailand.

At just 15 years of age, Lilly Meldrum has already etched her name into the record books and hinted at greater things to come. Her historic national title highlights the arrival of an exciting young player on the global snooker stage.

Published 19 August 2023

End of An Era: Kenmore Cycles Tracks Closure After 27 Years

Kenmore Cycles, a favourite westside landmark and cycling institution, is tracking the end of an era after its owners announced its impending closure, after 27 years of serving the local community.

Alison and John Forbes, along with their son Ben, made the difficult decision to end the lease of their popular store on Moggill Rd, citing insurmountable challenges in finding an appropriate new location for the shop. They were told to vacate the place as early as August 2021 because the owner had plans for the building but have been unable to find another suitable place for the shop.

The Forbes family expressed their gratitude to their loyal customers and shared their future plans as they bid farewell to the shop that has been a cornerstone of the cycling community. The announcement comes as a disappointment to many cycling enthusiasts who frequented the store for its wide range of bikes, accessories, and repair services.

Alison and John also expressed their concerns about the escalating rents in the region, particularly given the unique nature of their business, which relied heavily on destination visitors more than walk-in customers.

Over the years, Kenmore Cycles became known not only for its comprehensive selection but also for the personalised service and expertise that the shop offers to its customer.

Throughout its 27-year run, the shop navigated challenges such as the rise of online shopping by focusing on building lasting relationships with their patrons.

Despite the difficulties, the Forbes family maintained a six-day workweek, with only limited breaks, ensuring that their customers’ needs were always met. Kenmore Cycles had even managed to weather the storm of online retail, adapting to changing times without compromising the essence of their business.

John said that whilst the decision to close was a tough one, he looks forward to spending more time with his family and potentially assisting his son Ben with his growing coaching and bike hire business, Forbes MTB. This venture has been gaining traction and presents an opportunity for the Forbes family to remain connected to their passion for cycling and the local community.

In October 2022, a Development Application (DA A006134569) was lodged to redevelop the property as a retail and food site. The application is still being assessed as of press time.

Moggill Road development — Photo Credit: DA A006134569

Published 9-Aug-2023

Low Crime Rates Make 4069 Among Brisbane’s Safest Postcodes

Residents of Kenmore, Kenmore Hills and surrounding areas can rest easy knowing they live in one of Brisbane’s safest postcodes. With only 31 crimes reported per 1,000 properties over the past five years, the crime rate at postcode 4069 is well below the Queensland average of 130 crimes per 1,000 properties.

Read: Local Groups To Provide Inputs for Kenmore Community Centre Redevelopment on Brookfield Rd

Postcode 4069 spans many suburbs, including Kenmore, Kenmore Hills, Brookfield, Chapel Hill, Fig Tree Pocket, Kenmore East, Pinjarra Hills, Pullenvale, Upper Brookfield, Kenmore Dc and Lone Pine.

A recent analysis has shown that the area has one of the lowest rates of property crime in Brisbane.

Based on Queensland Police Service’s Online Crime Map, the entire postcode 4069 recorded one case of robbery, 27 cases of trespassing and vagrancy, 29 cases of assault, among other offenses reported between July 13, 2022 to July 12, 2023. A total of 657 offences of varying natures were reported for the whole postcode.

Meanwhile, the analysis found the safest Brisbane postcode is 4055, covering suburbs like Ferny Hills, Upper Kedron, Bunya, Ferny Grove and Ferny Hills, which had the fewest property crimes.

Many homeowners and would-be home buyers are increasingly worried about the risk of robberies or home burglaries, assault, trespassing, and other types of crime. Whilst living in a low-risk suburb helps, Queensland Police says it’s still important for all homeowners to take action to reduce the chance of break-ins, which can happen anywhere.

Read: Kenmore Property Market Remains In Demand With 15% Median Growth

This includes increasing the level of security within their homes, getting involved in the community such as the Neighbourhood Watch program, and minimising the number of unknown visitors they allow into their homes.

Published 13-July-2023

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.

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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.”