FOCUS On Burnside - the news hub

Move Your Way

Active ageing includes staying physically active, staying mentally active, and staying socially connected and active within your community. Connecting with others, learning new skills, making an ongoing contribution to society, and doing the things that give us a sense of purpose are all important to ageing well.

Kana Nathan

At almost 83 years old, Kana Nathan is more active than most 50 year-olds! He runs a weekly Fit and Fab class at Burnside Council to help seniors improve their health and fitness. “As we mature our body undergoes physical and physiological changes,” he says. “We have to accept that as a reality if we want to actively age.” Losing muscle mass means losing muscle strength. With age we are less flexible and our joints less forgiving. Mobility is challenged, reflexes slow, coordination is poor and our balance is affected. “We can’t stop the ageing process but we can slow it,” Kana says. “We concentrate on resistance training to increase and maintain muscle mass and power and that is also good for bone health.” In Kana’s group the youngest member is mid 70s and the oldest is 94! Kana says there is a focus on balance exercises as better balance means less falls and injuries. “We teach them what to do if they have a fall at home, how to safely roll from their back to their side, to use furniture to help get themselves up, and always call a family member to let them know.” The class always contains some general health and wellbeing tips such as how to walk safely on uneven surfaces by lifting the toes and placing the heel down first. “I also show them how to breathe properly,” Kana says. “Increasing the volume of lung capacity helps the body absorb oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.” In addition there are brain exercises, meditation and mindfulness. “The class is not just about exercise, it is health education as well,” Kana says. “Did you know that 50 per cent of the body’s bones, muscles, nervous system and blood supply is in the lower limbs?”

Annie Reid was terrified of the prospect of retirement as she had no hobbies. “I put a spurt on and joined a Bonsai Club,” she says. After two years with a regular hobby she retired in 2014 at the age of 64. Having been a teacher for more than 40 years she soon missed it and after only a year she returned to short term contracts and relief teaching.

“I am not good at being bored,” she says. “I had been selling some of my art at Pepper Street and I liked the feel of the place.” So she signed up as a volunteer and spends 3 days each fortnight working in the coffee shop and gift shop. “After a career of teaching adolescents it was nice to have adult conversation,” she jokes.

She ‘officially’ retired at the end of 2020 at the age of 71 but keeps very active both physically and mentally. “I have done more reading in retirement than in my life,” she says. “I read more than 40 books in a year, fiction and non-fiction.” She also walks a lot to keep fit.

But it was her love of Japan that brought about her art passion. “We had visited Japan several times and I had seen the Temari, exquisitely embroidered material balls. Temari balls are a folk art form and Japanese craft, originating in China and introduced to Japan around the 7th century A.D. ‘Temari’ means ‘hand ball’ in Japanese. “The balls were used for play by young girls and then the mothers started embroidering them and they became an art form,” Annie says. Annie learnt how to make them and now displays and sells them at Pepper Street.

Concept design for the intersection

To improve community road safety, the Greenhill Road/Hallett Road intersection will be upgraded following a successful grant allocation from the Federal Black Spot Safety Program.

Greenhill Road is under the care and control of the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT). A staged, formal design process has been undertaken that includes consideration and approval by DIT as it progresses. Complexities and considerations have delayed the works due to the unavoidable bus and heavy vehicle movements having to be accommodated.

Detailed design has been undertaken to upgrade the intersection based on a DIT approved concept plan included on the reverse of this letter. This design has now reached 100 per cent completion.

The upgrade involves restricting the right-hand turn from Hallett Road into Greenhill Road to one lane. A dedicated right turn lane into Hallett Road from Greenhill Road will be created and there will be a dedicated lane for traffic turning right out of Hallett Road onto Greenhill Road.

Efficiency of right turn movements from Hallett Road will be improved due to the dedicated receiving lane on Greenhill Road. Traffic modelling indicates this will offset the loss of the second right turn lane.

It is anticipated that these arrangements will reduce the vehicle conflict at the intersection and make it simpler and quicker to move through. In particular, the focus is to address the high number of right angle crashes.

The upgrade works will include resurfacing the intersection, installing a small traffic island, landscaping of the central island, minor kerbing realignment and new line marking. Minor extensions to on-street parking restrictions are also required.

It is anticipated that the works will take approximately four to six weeks to complete.

Council apologises for any inconvenience this may cause, however these works are essential to ensure improved safety of the area.

***

In October 2020 Council submitted a funding application for the program after concerns had been raised by residents about the intersection. As part of the application process, Council arranged for an independent assessment of the intersection to be undertaken that confirmed the need for crash mitigation and intersection improvement works.

A Black Spot intersection is defined as one where three ‘injury’ crashes have occurred within a five-year period. At the intersection of Greenhill Road and Hallett Road, 28 crashes occurred at the intersection with ten (10) of those resulting in injury within the relevant five-year reporting period 2014 to 2019. Of the ten (10) crashes, eight (8) were a result of ‘right angle’ or ‘right turn’ crashes. Note: the human body is particularly vulnerable to injury from ‘side on’ impact.

Greenhill Road is an arterial road under the care and control of the Department of Infrastructure and Transport while Hallett Road is a primary collector road under the care and control of the Council. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 vehicles travel through this intersection every day.

The proposed treatment will involve the modification of lane line markings, kerb alignments and the installation of a seagull traffic island. This will reduce right turn movements from Hallett Road into Greenhill Road from two lanes down to one in addition to creating an exclusive receiving lane for west bound traffic. An exclusive right turn lane will also be created for vehicles turning into Hallett Road from Greenhill Road.

The changes will also include:

• Modified slip lane kerb returns that will better accommodate bus turning movements within this intersection.
• A much simplified and clearer intersection that removes uncertainty created mostly by the two uncontrolled, offset right turn lanes on the Hallett Road approach.
• A review of public street lighting and upgrades as part of this project to provide greater visibility of the intersection at night time.

Given the overwhelming community road safety benefits this project will achieve at no financial cost to Council, the project work will commence as soon as practicable.

Adelaide has experienced a few cold days this week, but not this cold! This photograph from the Local History Collection is of the Burnside Council Centre car park in the 1980s before the Civic Centre redevelopment. Have you ever seen snow in the Burnside area?

Council hosted an event for Young Leaders in the Ballroom on Tuesday 21 September with 40 students from Seymour College, Pembroke School, St Peter’s Girls’ School, Mary MacKillop College and Marryatville High School with a theme of Respect.

The Welcome to Country was given by Senior Kaurna man Mickey O’Brien.

The students heard a key note address from former Senator Natasha Stott Despoja. Natasha spoke of her own personal journey as the youngest woman ever to enter Federal Parliament in Australia and her leadership roles in the Australian Democrats from 1995 to 2008.

She said her first take out about leadership is inclusion. “Leadership is under scrutiny in Australia now,” she said. “Some attitudes are being called out and challenged. It is important as this forms our attitudes towards leadership.”

She advised the audience to look at who they admire and the traits that they have, both the good and bad traits.

Her second take on leadership is about respect. “Violence is preventable,” she said. “Gender inequality and disrespect is at the core of this violence. And this is at the core of the solution.”

She urged the students to do what they could, no matter how small. “Support charities, look at school policies, be a good bystander and call out inappropriate behaviour. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”

Natasha said education is the great equaliser. “It is a serious global challenge for girls to access education. The best leaders are investing in girls through education,” she said.

She described empowerment as giving someone the tools to create change and then to listen to what they have to say. “Leadership is a mindset. Real and lasting improvement requires us all to be leaders. In home, school, sport clubs.”

A discussion panel followed with Fiona Dorman, Chair Premier’s Council for Women, John White, Young Australian of the Year for City of Burnside and Amber Brock-Fabel, Young Achiever of the Year SA Environment winner, They encouraged people to stand up and be heard, to call out injustice when they saw it and to recognise that young people sometimes need guidance, mentoring, direction and support.

The students then undertook a workshop to discuss key learnings and takeaways.

The City of Burnside’s Council Assessment Panel (CAP) has rejected a request to demolish a Local Heritage Place located at 2 Wootoona Terrace, St Georges. Built in 1919-20, the house is an example of an ‘Interwar’ sandstone Californian Bungalow style dwelling.

The CAP, that comprises four Independent Members and one Elected Member, assessed the application to demolish the house on Monday 6 September. The application was refused on the basis that local and state heritage places should be preserved and enhanced, and the building was able to be rehabilitated.

The house was built for Florence and Richard Duncan. Richard was the youngest son of James Duncan, founder of Duncan and Fraser, a vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1865 in Adelaide that built horse-drawn carriages and horse trams, and subsequently bodies for trains, electric trams and motor cars, becoming one of the largest carriage building companies in Australia.

At the time the house was built in 1919, Duncan and Fraser was solely focused on manufacturing the Ford Model T motor car.

Florence and Richard, along with James, were the founding members of The Automotive & Motor Cycling Club of South Australia in 1903, now known as the Royal Automobile Association.

In 1986 a Burnside Heritage Survey recognised the house at 2 Wootoona Terrace as one of local heritage significance. It was listed as a Local Heritage Place in 1998.

The applicant has a right to appeal the decision in the Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Court.

Mayor of Burnside Anne Monceaux with the Burnside Highlights from our 14 September Council meeting.

Keep an eye out for the fruit fly field teams in your area in September and October, with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) checking gardens across outbreak areas as part of the fruit fly eradication program.

Now spring is upon us, fruit fly are more active in the warmer months and it’s more important than ever to be vigilant for this pest. PIRSA teams are organic baiting the leaves where fruit fly like to rest, and collecting fallen fruit and checking ripe fruit for maggots.

Please give them access to your yard to do this important work. PIRSA’s trained fruit fly teams are identifiable by their orange overalls and ID cards; all staff are police-checked.

PIRSA can’t do this alone – we must all play our part to help eradicate fruit fly.

• Pick ripe fruit from your trees.
• Collect fallen fruit from the ground and place it in the green bin* – don’t compost or bury. *If you do not have a green bin and you are in a red outbreak area, put at-risk fruit and veg in an airtight plastic bag and call the Fruit Fly Hotline 1300 666 010.
• Check your fruit for blemishes or maggots.
• Call the Fruit Fly Hotline if you suspect fruit fly – 1300 666 010.

Remember, red areas are outbreak areas. Do not share at-risk fruit and vegetables with your neighbours, and don’t pack any at risk fruit and vegetables in your lunch for school or work. For more information including a full list of fruit and vegetables at risk from fruit fly, visit fruitfly.sa.gov.au

Visit the fruit fly website to see which areas fruit fly officers are baiting (https://fruitfly.sa.gov.au/news_and_resources/updates_and_newsletters/fruit_fly_visits_in_spring)

PIRSA’s fruit checking and collection teams will be visiting gardens until January.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) need your help to stop fruit fly spreading during ‘Spring Clean’ month.

PIRSA is asking you to dust off your snips, saws and secateurs, grab a bucket and get your garden up to scratch.

This time of year is especially important when it comes to fruit fly, as the pest can emerge from the soil and become more active as the weather warms up.

Now it’s more important than ever to give fruit fly no chance of stinging your fruit and to be vigilant for signs of fruit fly in your garden. The goal is to remove fruit so it’s not available to fruit fly in spring.

The best ways to prevent fruit fly include:

• Picking any ripe and fallen fruit and vegetables at risk from fruit fly to break the life cycle (this gives any female fruit flies no chance to lay eggs or for pupae to dig into the soil below your tree).
• Placing unwanted at-risk fruit and vegetables in your kerbside green bin (do not compost or bury) if you live in a red outbreak or yellow suspension area.
• Picking up your saw, snips or secateurs and pruning back fruit trees so you can pick your fruit more easily.
• Checking your fruit for blemishes on the skin (this is where the female can lay eggs) and cutting it up to look for maggots.

Remember, if you see anything suspicious, seal the fruit in a plastic bag and contact the Fruit Fly Hotline on 1300 666 010.

If you compost at-risk fruit and vegetables, you could be burying fruit fly maggots and letting them develop into flies which emerge in Spring.

PIRSA has arrangements with councils in affected fruit fly areas to ensure green waste is appropriately managed to kill off any maggots or flies.

Check if you live in a red outbreak or yellow suspension area and find out what you need to do to help protect SA and break the fruit fly life cycle.

Visit https://www.fruitfly.sa.gov.au/outbreak-restrictions/home-garden

Cooking For a Cause is a free four-week course offered to people of high school age who live, work, study or play within the City of Burnside.

At each session participants are taught how to cook a healthy, nutritious meal which are then delivered to various organisations for the homeless in South Australia, via Oz Harvest.

Twins Alice and Daisy Braithwaite, 15, have completed the course as part of their participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Alice says they both enjoy cooking at home. “This is a chance to make meals for others and learn new cooking skills,” she says. Daisy agrees saying “We are helping people and it makes me thankful for what we have.”

The girls have the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the meal they have prepared.

Chef Kate Williamson says basic kitchen skills such as holding a knife correctly are important to learn. “I see huge improvement in them over the four weeks,” she says. “Also some fussy eaters find they are happy to try something different as they have prepared it themselves.”

There is a limit of eight (8) students at each course and pre-booking is essential.

Courses for 2021 are full but dates for 2022 will be announced soon. For more information please contact Aleisha Sullivan, Community Development Officer on 8366 4200 or asullivan@burnside.sa.gov.au

Alice and Daisy in the kitchen.