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August 2023 marked 30 years since the passing of Bill Potts, whose legacy is still felt throughout the City of Burnside’s local parks and reserves today.

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1917, Bill served in the Royal Engineers during the Second World War and was evacuated from Dunkirk, captured in North Africa, and escaped captivity from a POW camp in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet’s westward advance in 1945.

In the 1950s Bill emigrated to Australia and he became the City of Burnside’s first Director of Parks and Gardens, a position he held from 1959 to 1982. During his tenure he was instrumental in leading works in many parks and reserves including Hazelwood Park, Tusmore Park and Michael Perry Botanic Reserve.

For Bill’s son, Ian, this ongoing legacy is felt in more ways than one.

‘Dad was a racer; we have that sort of racing blood… I was raised in that racing household,’ Ian said.

‘I remember driving around the Wayville Showgrounds for the Royal Show, just around the main arena on the dirt track getting sent sideways a little bit, thinking “This is pretty fun!”

‘The funny thing is he was really into cars whereas I was more into racing dirtbikes growing up, but I also had an appreciation of the cars.’

In the 1960s, Bill purchased and completed the assembly of an HRG 1500, which had been a collection of parts in 1939, assembled as a chassis for export in 1947, and never fitted with a body.

‘This car, along with four or five others, came to Australia in a chassis form, just a rolling chassis,’ Ian said.

‘So, my father designed the body on the Le Mans model and there was an Italian coachbuilder in Adelaide who used to work for Maserati. My father got in contact with him, and he built the body and that would have been around 1968, ever since then it’s been in the family.’

After completing his education at Norwood High School, Ian followed in his father’s footsteps and worked at the City of Burnside from 1979 to 1989, learning the ropes in landscaping and completing further education at TAFE. Today Ian operates his own landscape gardening business.

Ian said he has fond memories of working at the City of Burnside during his father’s tenure, and that Bill was well respected by his peers.

‘He was a people person, everybody liked him,’ Ian said.

‘He respected all his workers, and they respected him. It was a big team effort; it wasn’t just him.

‘My father had an eye for detail and perspective, he was more interested in civic landscaping on a big scale rather than gardens.’

Bill Potts passed away in August 1993 and is commemorated at the Bill Potts Memorial Garden in Hazelwood Park, featuring a magnificent Moreton Bay fig tree as its centrepiece with ornamental planting beds in the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, Ian continues to hold warm memories of his father and plans to keep the HRG 1500 close by as a family member.

‘When I drive by Greenhill Road and I look over at Hazelwood Park it fills me with so much pride, knowing how much my father contributed to this place,’ Ian said.

‘He always said to me in Australia he spent most of his time getting water into the garden, whereas back home he spent all the time getting water out of the garden because it just rained so much.

‘He really was nature’s gentleman.’

Did you know electricity is super-cheap in South Australia during the middle of the day when solar power is pumping into the grid? As of 1 July, the City of Burnside has been taking advantage of this cheap power, maximising low electricity costs from 10 am - 4 pm through a newly signed ‘Time of Use’ electricity plan - this is called the ‘solar sponge’ rate.

This six-hour window provides the optimal time for charging, heating, cooling, pumping, and anything else that consumes electricity. Outside of this timeframe, electricity prices can be five times more expensive, even rising to nine times higher during out-of-business peak use hours (5 pm – 9 pm).

Further, during the winter quarter, from May to August (inclusive), when solar power is least productive, there is an additional morning peak to avoid, with electricity being nine times more expensive from 6 am - 9 am during these four colder months.

It is not just businesses and local governments that are eligible to take advantage of these cheaply rated hours, residential households can also signup for Time of Use plans.

Many large appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, and pool pumps all pull a lot of power, but they are also programmable and can be set to run during the day during cheaper hours.

Maximising the consumption of solar power is a win-win. Saving money is a big win. It’s also saving nasty greenhouse gas emissions by focusing our consumption when solar power is available.

If you’d like to compare electricity retailers for your home, visit www.energymadeeasy.gov.au. You will need an invoice to upload or some data from your electricity meter – it could save you hundreds of dollars every year!

Later this year City of Burnside residents and visitors will have access to the fastest electric vehicle (EV) chargers in South Australia, following the installation of four new charging points at the Burnside Civic Centre as part of a statewide infrastructure initiative.

The chargers, provided and installed by the RAA, will be Tier 1 Ultra-Rapid chargers with an output 200kW, capable of charging an EV in 10 – 20 minutes. These will be the fastest EV charging points in South Australia and will be accessible for all EV plug types.

These chargers will be installed as part of a joint RAA and State Government project to establish a statewide EV charging network, with a total of 536 charging points to be installed at 140 locations by 2024.

The first of four chargers were installed onsite on Thursday 13 July.

You can find out more about the new EV chargers, which are expected to be installed later this year, in the Spring 2023 edition of Focus.

The Glenside Lions Club supports an environmental initiative of the City of Burnside to provide residents with two free rolls of compostable rubbish bags per year.

Approaching the City of Burnside in 2022, the Glenside Lions Club was eager to become involved in more community environmental initiatives.

Prior to the partnership, residents could only pick up their allocation of bags from the Burnside Civic Centre, however, the stock is now also available to pick up from the Bookmart on Kennaway Street, Tusmore.

Originally receiving over 100 rolls of bags back in November 2022, the Bookmart has distributed their entire allocation with incredibly positive public feedback.

President of the Glenside Lions Club, Leonie Varga said the initiative came back to servicing the community.

‘We are always welcoming of promoting programs like this through our channels,’ Ms Varga said.

Operating out of the Bookmart, with 27 local members, the Lions Club also provides community services including free vision and skin checkups with partnering charities, as well as donating Bookmart proceeds to local and international causes.

This July, the City of Burnside will join millions around the world in aiming to reduce plastic waste.

Plastic Free July is a movement to be the solution to plastic pollution, meaning cleaner streets, oceans and communities for all.

Throughout the month we are encouraged to abstain from single-use plastics and to maintain awareness of our environmental impact through unnecessary waste.

There are many ways we can partake in Plastic Free July including – bringing a reusable cup for your daily coffee, storing food in reusable containers instead of using cling wrap, and avoiding pre-packaged foods by instead choosing bulk or loose items.

At Burnside, we are serious about reducing our environmental impact as both a council and a community.

On Thursday 27 July, the City of Burnside Environmental Sustainability team will be hosting a Know Your Council – Plastic Free July session at Burnside Library to engage with the community and discuss with residents about how you can reduce your reliance on single-use plastic.

The team will also cover the problems and solutions to plastic waste and the measures Burnside Council takes to minimise and manage it.

Burnside Civic Centre will open a Plastic Free July stall available to the public.

The July school holidays are nearly here, and the City of Burnside has plenty of options available to help keep the kids entertained.

From chess to Picture Book Putt-Putt, crochet lessons to STEM programs - Burnside Library will be hosting a variety of activities under our July School Holiday Collection, suitable for all ages ranging from five to eighteen!

An opportunity to try something new in a safe and encouraging environment, these events allow kids of all skill and experience levels the chance to let out their creative side.

Over this time Burnside Library will be continuing normal daily operations including regularly scheduled events like Author Talks, Book Clubs, and more.

All events are limited in availability, so make sure you’re getting in early to reserve your child’s place.

For a full view of upcoming Burnside school holiday events for kids, parents, and anyone who is interested - click here.

School holiday art class

School holiday author talk

School holiday arts and crafts class

Grandma Era - Learn to Crochet

Mayor Anne Monceaux brings you the latest news from across the City of Burnside, including:

✅ Plastic Free July begins on Saturday, NAIDOC Week begins on Sunday
✅ New trail signage at Mount Osmond
✅ Only two days left to have your say on where the pump track goes next (www.engage.burnside.sa.gov.au/rideburnside-pump-track-future-locations)
✅ Join us for Tartan Day at the Burnside Ballroom on Saturday 1 July (bit.ly/TartanDayBurnside2023)

Find out more about what's going on in the City of Burnside at www.engage.burnside.sa.gov.au

St Peter’s Girls’ School in Stonyfell understands the importance of encouraging student engagement with local government, having for the third time in recent years, visited The City of Burnside to learn about all things council and the importance of environmental sustainability.

Meeting with Mayor Anne Monceaux, two classes of Year 4's were taught about the many services the City of Burnside oversees, before touring the toy library and spending time with the Burnside Environmental team to learn about recycling.

Mayor Anne Monceaux, St Peter’s Girls’ School alumni herself, said educating future leaders of the community about the vital functions of the City of Burnside is always a pleasure.

‘Seeing the next generation of our community so involved and eager to learn is a promising sign for the future,’ Mayor Monceaux said.

‘It is important for students to understand that council provides many more services than just the three R’s of rates, roads, and rubbish.’

Educator at St Peter’s Girls’ School, Ms Olivia Coulter said part of the school curriculum was to study local council, how it affects the lives of its citizens, and the democratic processes behind it.

‘This visit helps them feel more involved in their community,' Ms Coulter said. 'When the students get hands-on experience, it is much more impactful. It helps bring the council to life.’

‘They get back to school from this visit and want to make immediate changes, “Can we compost? Do we have the right bins? Can we do this and that?”’

During the visit Environmental Sustainability Officer at the City of Burnside, Sarah McConaghy-Beasley ran the students through the importance of proper at-home waste disposal and hosted the ever-popular Recycling Relay Challenge.

‘The students love the recycle relays,’ Sarah said. ‘This is where they take one item and run to place it in the correct bin, then run back and tag the next person, then when all the items are in the bins, we talk about a few key items that were right or wrong and why.’

Sarah also mentioned the students are always keen to share the proper recycling practices once back at home.

‘I do notice that they talk about what they do at home, most students understood the importance of placing food waste in the green bin and were already doing so at home. They are all very excited to tell everyone at home the importance of recycling and composting.’

If your school is interested in visiting the City of Burnside for a tour with Mayor Anne Monceaux, a peek at our award-winning Toy Library and a talk with our Environmental Sustainability team, send us an email at burnside@burnside.sa.gov.au

Mayor Anne Monceaux brings you the latest news from across the City of Burnside, including:

✅ Burnside Business Award winners recognised recently including SA Youth Forum, Baptist Care SA youth team and Let Them Eat
✅ Help us determine the future locations of the pump track, consultation open until Friday 30 June (www.engage.burnside.sa.gov.au/rideburnside-pump-track-future-locations)
✅ Your Neighbourhood Budget voting closes this Friday (bit.ly/YNBVoteNow)
✅ Dulwich Community Centre redevelopment continues.

Local students have done their part to bolster the City of Burnside’s beautiful environment, with dozens of Rose Park Primary School pupils planting over 400 native plants at Gurney Road Garden last weekend. The school community was joined by Deputy Premier Susan Close, Member for Sturt James Stevens, Member for Bragg Jack Batty, Mayor Anne Monceaux and Rose Park & Toorak Gardens Ward Councillor Peter Cornish to assist with the planting project.

The project was brought to life through the combined support of the City of Burnside and Green Adelaide. Council proudly supported the initiative with a donation of two trees and over 200 tube-stock plants, all of which were grown at Council’s Biodiversity Nursery on Conyngham Street. Green Adelaide supported the project with a donation of over 250 tube-stock plants, tree guards and irrigation, as well as funding for site preparation works.

Mayor Anne Monceaux said she was delighted to see the environment play such a prominent role in the students' education.

“We are happy to be supporting Rose Park Primary School in its endeavours to increase environmental awareness and increase canopy cover,” Mayor Monceaux said.

“It will be marvellous when the children come back one day, bringing their own children back to this school and see the growth and development of these plantings. In 10 or 20 years’ time, they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they played a part in this.”

Rose Park Primary School principal Dr Dora Iuliano said the school’s Year 6 Environmentalist team had played an important role in bringing the project to fruition.

“This has been a big collaborative effort between students, staff and parents, as well as the City of Burnside, to replant and revegetate this whole area,” Dr Iuliano said.

“It’s been exciting because our environmentalists have taken on this initiative, they researched the species to bring to this area and we really hope these trees and plants will flourish. We’re really trying to promote student agency and student voice to help them become responsible citizens who are mindful of the environment and of the future.”

Later this year, Kaurna elder Elaine Magias will host a series of educational workshops for students to teach them about Kaurna knowledge of plant species and the importance of protecting the habitat of the area, which will complement the students’ ongoing environmental learning.

Bunnings Kent Town will also provide support for the project with workshops to be hosted for students to allow them to build wooden nest boxes which will support wildlife in Gurney Road Garden.