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Dulwitches, a group of local artists, are getting ready to celebrate 50 years as part of the City of Burnside community.

Currently home to more than 20 talented South Australian craftspeople, Dulwitches’ store offers a wide range of products including baked goods, baby products, clothes, and around-home necessities.

Artist Lisa George said Dulwitches is continuing to grow even as it enters its half-century.

‘The shop changes week to week and we constantly have artists evolving,’ Lisa said. ‘We have customers come in whose mothers and grandmothers used to come in to buy, we’ve become a family institution.’

With the goal of brightening the lives of their customers through personal and distinctive artworks, Dulwitches are looking forward to sharing this outstanding milestone with the community in 2024.

Artist Tanya Curran said the team is planning to host a morning tea on Devereux Road in late April as a celebration for the big 50.

‘We have members coming who have been here from the start,’ Tanya said. ‘We can’t wait to celebrate such a milestone.’

Sometimes you can find beauty in unexpected places, and thanks to the Your Neighbourhood Budget funding and the artistic touch of a Burnside native, the Tusmore Park toilet block has gone from grey and gloomy to purple and proud.

As part of the 2023/24 Your Neighbourhood Budget, six projects around the City of Burnside were approved following public voting. One of which was the commissioning of a mural to be painted on the exterior walls of the toilet block on the eastern side of Tusmore Park, near the tennis courts.

Genevieve Byrt of Gen + Tonic Art who submitted the Your Neighbourhood Budget project proposal, was the artist to bring the space to life.

Born and raised just a few doors down from Tusmore Park along Northumberland Street, Genevieve, now in her 30s, said the park has maintained a special place in her heart ever since her childhood days in the wading pool.

‘I love the idea that my future kids will be able to come down here and see something I have created and be in a welcoming space,’ Gen said.

‘I grew up around the corner and I’ve spent a lot of time in this park, so it was really important to me that I painted something that was not only going to be engaging for people to watch being painted but to also come and enjoy on a regular basis.

‘For a space that is so heavily involved in the community and so many families and children around - I wanted to try and ignite energy and joyfulness. I suggested the project as part of Your Neighbourhood Budget and one thing led to another and it was approved.’

Composed of bright purples and blues, the mural design was created to reflect elements of the Burnside area. Featuring native flora and fauna and highlighted by a striking wave through the middle that represents the Burnside creek system. Come have a look yourself and see if you can identify all the symbols of Burnside.

Painted towards the end of January in near 40-degree heat, Tusmore Park was teeming with hundreds of visitors taking advantage of the wading pool. Gen said community feedback from those at the pool had been overwhelmingly positive.

‘I’ve met so many people who travel from all over Adelaide to come to this spot – the wading pool especially is such a great resource for kids. Everyone has loved the mural, especially the kids.

‘Seeing art in public spaces is not only interesting and exciting, but it shows young people and other community members that art doesn’t have to be in a gallery and you can create interesting spaces that are engaging to be in.’

In total the mural took around 60 litres of paint and roughly 35 hours across four days to complete.

2024/25 Your Neighbourhood Budget submissions are now open to all City of Burnside residents. To submit your suggestion for the 2024/25 Your Neighbourhood Budget, head to https://engage.burnside.sa.gov.au/your-neighbourhood-budget-2024

Artist Genevieve Byrt

full mural design

An unlikely community hub, a lone bench in Kensington Gardens Reserve/Kensington Wama has become the daily meeting place for a dog group comprised of over 40 pooches and their owners.

Located along the perimeter of Ford Oval, the northern most oval in the reserve, the bench was installed with support from Kensington Gardens & Magill Ward Councillor Kerry Hallett and the rest of Council.

All originally strangers to each other, the group formed organically over the love of their four-legged friends. Now encompassing dozens of members, the group is an amalgamation of a wide spectrum of people from local residents to residents of the wider Adelaide region, students to retirees, lifelong Australians to new citizens, small dogs to big dogs and everyone in between.

Group member and one of the catalysts behind its creation (and owner of dog Tic Tac) Drew noted the installation of the bench had become a necessity following health issues of some of the members.

‘After Doreen and Judy, two of our women who have had knee operations, came back from their procedures we were all very nervous and we thought we needed a safe space for them,’ Drew said.

‘This bench was mentioned as an opportunity and Kerry Hallett decided to take it to Council, so now this is where both Doreen and Judy sit sometimes, just in case.’

Riding his bike to the reserve in the morning, Drew also takes advantage of the installed exercise equipment to get in a quick workout and said everyone in the group personally took something slightly different from their experience.

‘I’ve been coming here for about three years now and in doing so, I’ve found it’s very helpful for me on several levels.’

With no pressure or requirements on attendance – or even the prerequisite of a dog, the unofficial group meets three times per day in the shade of one of the reserve’s many gum trees. Welcome to stay for as long or as little time as desired, the group use the time as much for human interaction as for puppy playgroup.

‘There are different groups that come in the morning, lunchtime and evenings,’ Drew said. ‘A lot of us will come down in the morning and we sit for at least an hour watching the cricket, it’s just great fun while the dogs are running around.’

Jess of Kensington Gardens said as a doctor the group dynamic fits in well with her inconsistent schedule and helped support her work/life balance.

‘Everyone is really invested in each other’s lives,’ Jess said. ‘We’ve had people go away or have surgery and other people in the group will look after their dogs or go and bring them to the park, so they don’t miss out.’

Diligent in their respect for others utilising the reserve, the group take pride in self-policing their member’s dogs and always keeping a heavy supply of doggybags on hand to leave the space clean after use.

Former Kensington Gardens resident Jennifer said that even though she doesn’t have a dog of her own, the group had been extremely inclusive and acted as a support network for her. Jennifer so enjoyed her time with the group that even after moving outside of the City of Burnside, she continued to make the trip to Kensington Gardens Reserve/Kensington Wama numerous times per week.

‘I moved in at a bad time of my life - I was very, very lonely,’ Jennifer said. ‘I got sick of doing work, home, work, home and not doing anything else. And I kept seeing the same people walking the same dogs around five-ish and I finally got up the courage to just go “Hi, you don’t know me, can I pat your dog?” and they went “Yeah sure,” … and then they couldn’t get rid

of me.’

Youngest member of the group is Phoenix from Kensington Gardens, who attends every Thursday afternoon with his grandmother. One of the most popular members of the group amongst both people and pups, Phoenix is the go-to group ball thrower and Chief Patting Officer.

‘If I get bored of playing with the dogs I’ll go over to the fitness area – there is always something to do at the park,’ Phoenix said. ‘You get to talk about your day, it is interesting to hear about everyone’s week.’

With plenty of seating, walking paths and a plethora of shade and cover, the group is spoiled for choice even through the extreme weather months. Rain, hail or shine many of the members make an effort to attend at least one session, like local Bill who has been coming to Kensington Gardens Reserve twice a day for 32 years.

‘The dogs love it and I enjoy the relationships forged with the other walkers,’ Bill said.

‘I love what Burnside has done to develop the park. It’s been a marvelous investment.’

Just a few of the Kensington Gardens Reserve dog group members and Cr Kerry Hallett.

You may have seen a certain purple and white van roaming the streets of Burnside.

But this van is no ordinary vehicle - it contains stories of love, families, danger, mystery, history, philosophy, biographies and travel, and the latest and most popular titles. This van is used by the Burnside Home Library Service.

Available to all City of Burnside residents who are unable to access the Burnside Library in person due to frailty, disability, sickness or their role as a carer, the Home Library Service brings the library to you. Established in 1975 and now part of the City of Burnside’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan, the service aims to reduce isolation and promote the inclusive community nature for which Burnside is so renowned.

Burnside Home Library Service staff Melissa and Amanda said the service is essential to maintaining community connections for those unable to make it to the Library.

‘The Library is an incredible community resource, and we want to ensure that every resident, no matter their circumstances, has the opportunity to access it,’ Melissa said.

Amanda added ‘It is about more than just the books; the social aspect of our visits can be just as important to some of our customers.’

Whether you are looking to borrow books, DVDs, magazines, audio books, large print or even to receive minor tech support, the Home Library Service has you covered with items specially selected for you.

On the road Monday to Friday, our staff offer a personalised library service direct to your door with scheduled visits once every four weeks, visiting residents who would otherwise be unable to use one of the City of Burnside’s most in demand facilities.

We are always looking for more people to call on. If you or someone you know might be interested, give the Library a call on 8366 4280 or visit us at www.burnside.sa.gov.au/library and apply online.

The Burnside Home Library team

A hybrid of basketball, netball and European handball, korfball is the most popular sport you’ve never heard of. Designed as a mixed gender sport, korfball was created in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 20^th century with the IKF World Korfball Championships hosted every four years in alternating countries.

With support from a City of Burnside Quick Response Grant, Linden Park resident Jazz Zulfic was a member of team Australia representing the green and gold in the 2023 World Championships in Taiwan last year. Jazz received the maximum $500 to assist with an international competition.

A two-time World Championship representative Jazz said the process of applying for the grant was straight forward and simple.

‘We have to raise funds ourselves for the trip,’ Jazz said. ‘Myself and another teammate both applied successfully for the grant through Burnside.’

‘The trip was incredible, being exposed to a different way of life and culture, it is very interesting to see how other people live.’

With eyes already on the 2027 World Championship in the Netherlands, Jazz will be looking to apply for the Quick Response Grants again when eligible.

The City of Burnside Quick Response Grants are intended to be a fast approval form of Community Grants open to both individuals and community groups with a maximum of $500 available to each applicant – depending on event specifications.

Criteria for applicants include:

• Quick Response grants open on the first day of every quarter (January, April, July and October).
• Grants will be closed once quartely allocation funds has been exhausted.
• An applicant can only apply for one quick response grant per financial year.
• Individuals can apply for a maximum:
  • $150 for state events/competitions
  • $300 for interstate events/competitions
  • $500 for international events/competitions
• Community groups can apply for a maximum of $500 for a project/event/activity.

Visit our website for the full list of grant criteria.

Jazz at the 2023 IKF World Korfball Championships

Active Citizen of the Year – Burnside Military History Research Group

Ian Fitzgerald, Colonel Peter Scott and Ian Sando (dec).

Over the past year, the Burnside Military History Group has spent countless hours researching soldiers honoured in the Burnside District Fallen Soldiers Memorial (WWI) located in Rose Park, known as the Avenues of Honour.

This site is a part of the State Heritage List and acts as a community point of remembrance for those who lost their lives.

The Burnside Military History Group were responsible for auditing the current memorial plaques, revealing spelling errors, inaccuracies in service history details, as well as other discrepancies. To fill in the gaps in information, the group accessed primary sources such as service records and provided the City of Burnside with the accurate information. As a result, details of each soldier will be updated to include correct information on all plaques across the Memorial. The findings of the Burnside Military History Group’s research will contribute to the ongoing preservation of the Memorial and will have a lasting role in honouring the fallen in the District of Burnside.

The City of Burnside is currently using the research of the Burnside Military History Research Group to update the plaques and interpretative text along the Avenues of Honour. Updates are expected to be completed by mid-2024.

Left to right: Brett Sando (accepting on behalf of Ian Sando), Colonel Peter Scott and Ian Fitzgerald

Young Citizen of the Year – Brandon Marlow

An inspiring community leader demonstrating remarkable mentorship abilities at age 18, Brandon was selected to be a South Australian Youth Forum Member (SAYF) in 2022 and progressed to Executive Member and Mentor for the Forum in 2023.

The Annual Report is the main goal of the Forum and includes meeting discussions, models of engagement and data collection from surveys. At the conclusion of each year, Forum members meet with ministers, politicians, community leaders, local government and businesses to present findings from the report and to educate decision-makers on their role in helping to enact change.

Brandon’s other achievements include:

• (As part of SAYF) Co-led the Gender Inequality sub-committee conducting research into young people’s experiences with gender inequality at school.

• (As part of SAYF) Worked with the Department of Human Services (DHS) on their new coercive control campaign, the See The Signs campaign.

• (As part of SAYF) Commenced a partnership with Flinders University to collect world-first data on how loneliness affects young people.

• Contributed to the development of the DHS’ new Youth Action Plan.

• Collaborated with SA Power Networks as a youth representative, offering insights into their Regulatory Reset 2025–2030 Plan.

• Provided evaluations as a Voice of Youth Representative for the Uniting Communities #UnlockingLoneliness campaign.

• Premier’s Recognition for Outstanding Service to the Community

• Volunteering SA Award for being a Community Changemaker.

• Elected Head Boy of Pembroke School.

Citizen of the Year – Andrew Bills

A staple of the Burnside community, Andrew Bills has been the Area Coordinator of Neighbourhood Watch in Linden Park for 13 years. Andrew is described as a dedicated and valued leader of Neighbourhood Watch.

The Neighbourhood Watch program is instrumental in educating the community on safety and security strategies, raising awareness and inspiring local action to prevent crime by working between police and the community.

With only three Neighbourhood Watch groups left in the City of Burnside, Andrew’s contributions and commitment have been a key factor in keeping the Linden Park group running for as long as it has.

This Friday marks the beginning of the Adelaide Fringe, with over 20 shows coming to the City of Burnside! Find out about this and much more in this episode of Burnside Highlights.

Here to help the community, that is the mantra of the City of Burnside’s award-winning Customer Experience team.

Recently named one of the Snap Send Solve Top 10 Australian Solvers of 2023 as rated by the community, the Snap Send Solve Solver of the Year Award highlights the organisations that make a notable difference to their local communities throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Chief Executive Officer Chris Cowley said this win is a testament to Burnside’s approach to customer service.

‘Our OneTeam approach is fully collaborative and integrated across the entire business,’ Mr Cowley said. ‘This means our teams work together to deliver quality results for our community.’

‘This acknowledgement from Snap Send Solve is fantastic and a testament to our customer focussed approach,’ Mr Cowley said.

Team Leader of Customer Experience Kate Royle said while the award was greatly appreciated, it was the recognition by the community that was the most significant.

‘To know this award was based off of feedback by those we have assisted, means we have been consistently delivering positive outcomes for the community.’

Interacting with hundreds of people everyday, the Customer Experience team remains ready as the first point of contact for the community. Excelling under pressure, the team was put to the test following a freak storm event on the morning of 11 December 2023. Facing 150 customer contacts within the first 2.5 hours of business the team handled the surge with their usual professionalism and knowledge, assisting inquiries from across the city.

This weather event saw rainfall of over 30mm, winds of up to 69 km/h, numerous trees felled and property damaged throughout the city.

Congratulations to the City of Burnside Customer Experience team!

The Burnside Customer Experience team