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This photo is an aerial photograph of the entire City of Burnside region, taken by the Authority Air Board in 1936. It was pieced together from over 100 individual photographs, combined to form a complete mosaic of the area.

Can you see your house? How much has your neighbourhood changed since 1936? What other landmarks are visible in this photograph that can still be seen today?

Photograph from the Burnside Library Local History Collection.

Hanging by a Thread 107 SA artists collaborate on global project

Burnside Council is proud to be hosting a giant handmade glass mosaic scarf, made by South Australian artists as part of international project to support Afghan women and girls.

The Hanging by a Thread, project is backed by the UN International Year of Glass (UNIYOG22) and involves over 1,200 mosaic artists from 46 other countries. Each have made segments of 10 cm x 25 cm in glass mosaic.

This international collective work represents the resilience of Afghan culture beyond its own borders.

Afghanistan is a diverse country with 34 provinces and over fourteen (14) ethnic groups who each have their own traditional outfits. Traditional dresses are beautiful and colourful, they feature intricate patterns, rich colours, gold embroidery, they are all emblematic of Afghan culture.

The Mosaic Association of Australia and New Zealand have teamed up with the international collaborators to bring the project to life in the region. There are seven scarves weaving through six Australian states and New Zealand in 2022 and 2023 culminating in an exhibition in Canberra.

Burnside Council is proud to be hosting this display in the foyer of the Civic Centre until Wednesday 8 March 2023.

It is our pleasure to host this week the ‘The Holy Quran Exhibition’ in the cloisters space at the Burnside Civic Centre. Displayed by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association South Australia, this exhibition invites attendees to gain a deeper insight into the texts of the Quran as well as the religion of Islam. Every day during Burnside Library opening hours a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association will be available to answer any questions you may have about Islam, allowing you to gain a deeper insight into one of the largest religions in the world. We hope you enjoy this fascinating exhibition, which is open until Friday 10 February.

Last week it was our great honour to welcome Judy Lovett from the Zonta Club of Adelaide and Heather and Helen Oxenham OAM from Ripples Across SA to Hubbe Court Reserve where we unveiled a bench in memory of victims and survivors of domestic and family violence. The bench, which holds a plaque that reads 'A Place of Courage', provides a space to not only remember those who have experienced domestic and family violence, but also contemplate how we can bring about a positive change through open dialogue and support. The next time you’re at Hubbe Court Reserve, please take a quiet moment to reflect here.

Do you recognise this nature trail?

For over 150 years, Waterfall Gully has been a popular nature escape, although today it would be unusual to see someone hiking the trail in a suit!

The hills surrounding First Creek were once covered with open woodland vegetation, including eucalypts, casuarinas and native grasses. During autumn, the Kaurna people moved from the coastal areas to the creeks and gullies of the foothills.

European settlers initially used the land around Waterfall Gully for timber cutting and sheep grazing. By the 1850s, the gully was a popular spot for walks and picnics. It was widely referred to as ‘Waterfall Gully’ by 1906.

Photo: Waterfall Gully circa 1908 – Photograph courtesy of Margaret Ford, donated to Burnside Library Local History Collection.

In October 1966, the Burnside Swimming Centre (now known as the George Bolton Swimming Centre) opened at Hazelwood Park on Greenhill Road. Pictured here is Olympian Dawn Fraser diving off the starting block. Dawn flew to Adelaide to officially open the pool and swim the inaugural lap. She drew quite an enthusiastic crowd!

Picture – Dawn Fraser diving into the pool at the new Burnside Swimming Centre at the grand opening in 1966 – courtesy of the Burnside Library Local History Collection.

Shajir Bran and his wife Srinita moved to Australia in 2021, with their two children, Ryan and Rihana. The young family originally comes from India, but recently lived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for eight years. Ryan was born in Austria and Rihana was born in the UAE.

The family’s Australian dream was kept on hold for nearly two years due to Covid 19 border closures and restrictions. As soon as the Australian government announced that the borders would be opening for all visa holders, the family booked their flights and prepared to move. They finally arrived in Australia on Christmas Day, a warm and welcome introduction to their new home.

Upon their arrival, the family quarantined at Peppers Waymouth Hotel in the Adelaide CBD for two weeks. The staff members there took excellent care of them and regularly dropped off paper-based activities, such as crosswords and Sudoku at their door. Their first Christmas was made extra special by hotel staff, as the children were dropped off a small present each from Santa. The children were delighted and said “see Santa still loves us and came to Australia to give us presents, so we will definitely be good kids throughout the year!’’

Burnside’s library, swimming pool, tree lined streets, walking trails, beautiful nature and houses are just some of the family’s favourite features of the area. Since their arrival, they have found the community to be welcoming, friendly and hospitable. They find Burnside to be very different to the UAE and they enjoy the slower pace and family atmosphere that they’ve discovered here.

“Life here is the opposite to what we had in the UAE,” said Shajir.

“Our main intention to move to Australia was to have a well-balanced life with work and family. We are a family of four and we find so much pleasure in growing together.”

“When we moved here, we barely knew Australia and didn’t have any friends or relatives here,” he said. “We stayed in a hotel for a month while we were waiting to find a house. The first property that was offered to us was in Burnside and we didn’t give a second thought choosing it as our home. From the very first day we moved in we felt so comfortable. Green surroundings, amidst nature and beautiful people around made us very comfortable. Most importantly we even got our kids into a school which is in the next lane. Slowly we learnt about Burnside council and the facilities provided to its residents.” The family has already made some great memories in Burnside.

In 2022, exactly a year after their arrival, the family celebrated Christmas in their new home for the first time. As a part of this, Ryan entered his artwork into the City of Burnside Christmas Card Design Competition. Much to his delight, he placed as a runner up in the competition. The theme was “what makes an Australian Christmas?”. Ryan’s entry featured a sunny beach scene with Santa barbecuing, a fireman saving a koala, Santa and his sleigh, and even some of Burnside’s iconic Jacaranda flowers. It is evident that Ryan has truly embraced his new home and has quickly learnt what an Australian Christmas is all about! Ryan’s parents are so proud of his first major achievement since arriving in Australia.

Ryan, age 8 and Rihana, age 6 are loving their Burnside school and have quickly made some close friends. They are both actively involved in their school community and are doing very well in school.

“Their teachers tell us they are very resilient and that they perform well in class,” said Srinita.

The family hopes to apply for Australian Citizenship as soon as they can.

“We have no plans to go back. We have certainly made our mind to make Australia our home,” said Shajir. “We are looking forward to applying for Permanent Residency in December 2023.”

We wish this wonderful family all the best for their future in Burnside. If you see them around, please wish them a warm welcome!

The Bran Family (Srinita, Rihana, Shajir and Ryan)

Ryan with his winning artwork and City of Burnside Mayor Anne Monceaux

Did you know we once had trams in the City of Burnside? There used to be a number of lines that ran through the City of Burnside area, from horse drawn trams in the late 1800s and early 1900s to the electric trams that ran until the late 1950s. To this day there remain tram poles in the Council area, some that you may possibly drive or walk past each day! Have you seen any in your daily travels?

Photo: Electric tram in Kensington Gardens in the early 1900s. Burnside Library, Local History Collection.

Water is a valuable resource. It is important to save water. It is also important to manage stormwater to avoid flooding. Good management of urban water helps to create a Water Smart City.

There are many examples of smart water management in the City of Burnside, like the beautiful new wetlands at Kensington Gardens Reserve/Kensington Wama. But much of the management of urban water happens underground, where it can't be seen. Council has developed a new website to help uncover how Water Smart the city really is.

Find out more! Explore the Water Smart Burnside website.

Nominations are now open for the annual Environment Awards.

These Awards celebrate excellence and sustainability practices within our community by showcasing our local champions who have demonstrated a substantial environmental impact.

The Awards will be presented at the Environment Day on Friday 3 March 2023 at Kensington Gardens Reserve.

There are three categories:

• Environmental Action Champion

• Inspiring Garden

• Young Environmentalist Award

Please use the form on our website to nominate.

One of last year's winners, Andrew Compton, was awarded for his work over many years at Waterfall Gully. Andrew says there are so many people working away doing good things for the environment who often go under the radar. "They don't want to blow their own trumpet but they should be recognised," Andrew says.

Andrew is third from the left with the other award winners from 2022.