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Known as a prosperous native flora haven that blends leafy suburbia with woodland areas, the City of Burnside is committed to providing every opportunity for residents to contribute to regional habitat enhancement on private property, especially across the Hills Face Zone, with the aim of assisting biodiversity.

Council is proactive in managing its Hills Face reserves, creek lines and urban biodiversity sites by controlling invasive plants, encouraging natural regeneration, and revegetating with local native species. At the same time, it manages fuel loads to prevent bushfires. These actions protect and enhance habitat for local native fauna and other valuable species. It is hoped residents in corresponding zones also act proactively to uphold the natural beauty of the area.

Two residents who have shown their commitment to restoring their Hills Face Zone property to its natural beauty are Anne and Mervyn, whose land was inundated with feral olive plants since they moved in over 20 years ago. Following their move they have been slowly chipping away at the infestation, following advice from Council’s Conservation and Land Management team. The major overhaul has seen them clear the area and replace the olives with native flora from the City of Burnside’s Biodiversity Nursery.

‘We’ve been clearing olives for a long time.’ Mervyn said. ‘We have removed several olive plants from the main section of our property. You can see the natives they have been replaced with starting to flourish.’

Now seeing the aftereffects of their hard work, Anne said the advice from the Conservation and Land Management team was invaluable.

‘We received a lot of support. As soon as Donna and the Conservation and Land Management team came up and saw what we wanted to do, she advised us on the best way forward. The team were very helpful through the process,’ Anne said.

The City of Burnside’s Native Plant Giveaway is a yearly service offered to residents of the City to promote the restoration of residential properties with native flora.

Mervyn and Anne discussed options with City of Burnside Conservation and Land Management team.

Now trialling at George Bolton Swimming Centre, the City of Burnside’s Fitness in the Park program has a new class activity – AquaFit.

AquaFit or aqua aerobics is a low-impact exercise that improves cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility while being gentle on the joints. The water provides natural resistance, helping to build muscle and enhance mobility, making it an ideal workout for people of all ages and fitness levels, or those recovering from injury.

Spearheaded by Burnside Ward Councillor Jenny Turnbull following community requests, AquaFit joins the Fitness in the Park series that also includes land-based activities like yoga, Zumba and EasyFit. These classes take place in the beautiful parklands and reserves across the City of Burnisde.

AquaFit instructor Katherine said it was great to see a full and enthusiastic class for last Thursday’s first session and that the classes will be a relaxed atmosphere supporting all skill and experience levels.

With a packed out first session, this Thursday morning class time will fill out fast for coming sessions. If you are interested in taking part, register your spot now.

For more information on AquaFit classes, visit our website.

Burnside Ward Councillor Jenny Turnbull at George Bolton Swimming Centre

The Honourable Jennifer Cashmore AM (1937–2024) became the third woman to be elected to the House of Assembly in 1977, serving as the Member for Coles (today known as Morialta). Cashmore was a resident of the City of Burnside for much of her adult life.

Cashmore served with distinction in Parliament for 16 years, including 12 years as the only woman representing the Liberal Party. Her political career was characterised by unwavering dedication to the causes she believed in. A strong advocate for the provision of quality palliative care, she also led a passionate opposition to proposed development at Wilpena Pound, going so far as to pledge to stand in front of bulldozers to prevent any destruction.

Upon her retirement from Parliament, Cashmore continued to serve the public through her involvement in numerous boards and committees. In recognition of her outstanding service, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1998, acknowledged for her contributions to the South Australian Parliament and her advocacy in the fields of palliative care, women’s issues, and economic development.

Photograph: Jennifer Cashmore September 1979. Courtesy of SLSA B37324.

The Burnside District Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial in Rose Park is an important cultural landmark within the City of Burnside.

This World War I memorial is significant to the community and is a high-quality example of a living war memorial.

The memorial’s history began on Peace Day, 19 July 1919, when a crowd gathered at Alexandra Avenue to acknowledge the fallen soldiers of the Great War. As part of the ceremony, relatives were invited to plant a tree along the Avenue and Prescott Terrace in honour of their lost loved ones. The trees chosen to stand along this site are particularly poignant – a living, evergreen memorial that must be maintained by those who come after.

In 1920 the next step in the memorial’s evolution began as the Burnside Memorial Committee raised funds for a monument to be added to the Memorial as a further tribute to the fallen of the District of Burnside. Australian sculptor Charles Web Gilbert (1867–1925) was commissioned to design the bronze statue. On 14 December 1924, the Governor of South Australia, Lieutenant General Sir Tom Bridges KCB KCMG DSO, unveiled the statue depicting a soldier climbing over the top of a trench and turning back to offer a helping hand to his mate. The Ferdinand Barbedienne Foundry in France cast the figure, which is mounted on a granite plinth with bronze plaques bearing the names of 87 fallen soldiers of the Burnside District.

A project to update the memorial was initiated in 2020 by Ian Fitzgerald, Retired Colonel Peter Scott and the late Ian Sando, who approached the City of Burnside for support. Together, they formed the Burnside Military History Group and dedicated many hours to researching the names of the 87 soldiers commemorated in 1919. Their research uncovered inaccuracies and inconsistencies on the plaques throughout the Memorial, including a proposal that some fallen soldiers from the Burnside District had not yet been recognised.

On 4 August 2022, additional trees were allocated to fallen soldiers on Alexandra Avenue, west of Victoria Terrace. Through intensive research, these soldiers were identified for their strong association with the District of Burnside and were added to the memorial to recognise their sacrifice alongside their mates.

In recognition of this work the Burnside Military History Group was named the 2024 Active Citizens of the Year at the City of Burnside Australia Day Awards.

In 2024, the individual soldiers’ tree plaques were replaced with corrected and additional information. The rock plaques across the memorial were also updated, and an interpretation plaque was installed at the Field Gun on Prescott Terrace. The final phase of the project included the installation of interpretive signage behind the inspiring statue with a map to help visitors locate specific soldiers’ memorial trees. With assistance from the City of Burnside the group secured two grants to support the project - one from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and another from the History Trust of South Australia.

During the ceremony on 14 December 2024 commemorating the statue’s 100 years, Mayor Anne Monceaux, and Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, unveiled a plaque to be added to the new interpretive signage.

Mayor Monceaux expressed the great honour of this occasion and emphasised the importance of preserving the memory of the fallen through both Council and community efforts.

‘I wish to thank Ian Fitzgerald, Peter Scott and the late Ian Sando for their foresight and diligence as they were committed to getting the history right and honouring the fallen from World War I. As a living memorial, these Avenues of Honour require continual care by the City of Burnside and the community to ensure their Legacy is not forgotten,’ Mayor Monceaux said.

Left to right: Ian Fitzgerald, Her Excellency Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Retired Colonel Peter Scott, Mayor Anne Monceaux and Graeme Gatley

In this episode of Burnside Highlights we bring you all the latest, including news about the already popular AquaFit program which begins tomorrow.

Putting their general knowledge skills to the test, the members of the City of Burnside Let’s Get Trivial competition are looking for more residents over 65 to join the program.

Maintained as part of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), Let’s Get Trivial is a group social support activity based on the Australian tradition of the local pub quiz nights – minus the alcohol.

Held in the morning of every second and third Tuesday of the month (and fifth if the month allows) at the Burnside Civic Centre, Let’s Get Trivial has been running since February 2023 and is a great way for members of the community to come together and bond over a little friendly competition and general knowledge.

Vida, a resident of Burnside, has been a member since the program’s inception in 2023 and said she always looks forward to the event.

‘We love the Let’s Get Trivial program; we wish we could do it every week,’ Vida said. ‘We always look forward to it, but we would love to get more people.’

‘I know the City of Campbelltown runs a similar program and they get about 40 people. We would love to get to that number.’

‘It is a great activity for mental stimulation as well as the socialisation.’

Currently attended by around 20 residents per session, Let’s Get Trivial is always open and encouraging of new members. In December the program celebrated the fiftieth meeting of the group with a homemade cake by Vida and a morning tea.

Andrew, a former Burnside Citizen of the Year has also been attending since day one and has watched the group flourish.

‘I’ve been trying to encourage more guys from the other programs to come along,’ Andrew said. ‘They’re worried they won’t know the answers to the quiz – but that is not what this is about, it is about fun and socialising.’

Designed for individuals over the age of 65 who want to connect with their community. Let’s Get Trivial is funded by the Federal Government through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), the program is accessed via a My Aged Care referral.

If you or a family member would like to join the Let’s Get Trivial program, contact Council’s Home Support Program on 8366 4193.

Edith Agnes Hübbe (1859-1942), born Edith Agnes Cook, was a pioneering teacher and the principal of Knightsbridge School in Leabrook.

In 1876, Edith became the University of Adelaide’s first female student, studying Latin, Botany, and Physiology.

Edith’s career in education began in 1879 when she took on the role of Deputy at the Advanced School for Girls on Franklin Street. At just 21, she was promoted to Head of the School in 1880, after receiving an exemption from the regulation that required school heads to be at least 25-years-old.

In 1885, Edith’s sister Harriet founded Knightsbridge School in what is now Leabrook. The school moved to Edith’s home on Statenborough Street in 1886, where the sisters ran the school together until 1921. The school produced many successful and notable alumni, including the pioneering modern artist Dorothea Foster ‘Dorrit’ Black.

Hubbe Court and the accompanying Hubbe Court Reserve are both named in commemoration of Edith.

Photo: Portrait of Edith Agnes Hübbe, approximately 1885, State Library of South Australia, PRG 1415/35/5/11.

On Tuesday 18 February 2025 the City of Burnside secured a successful conviction and $10,000 fine against an individual who illegally felled a 2.1 metre circumference regulated gum tree in Rosslyn Park.

The action, which occurred in June 2023, saw the illegal removal of a River Red Gum by Levi Kinsman of Great Fellers Tree Services, who had been engaged by the owners of a vacant block at 40 Hyland Terrace, Rosslyn Park.

Council officers from the City Development and Safety team conducted a site inspection at the property following a complaint regarding a tree on the property and, after referring to a past arborist report, identified that a regulated gum tree was no longer present on-site.

His Honour Senior Judge Michael Durrant recorded a conviction and a $10,000 fine against Mr Kinsman, and said the defendant had conducted "gross carelessness" in his actions.

'The law in respect of this offending aims to protect significant trees from unlawful clearance,' he said.

Mr Kinsman was also ordered to pay Council's court costs of $1,621.50 and a Victims of Crime levy.

City of Burnside CEO Julia Grant said this was a positive outcome and would act as a strong deterrent against further instances of illegal tree damage.

'Any type of vandalism against our urban forest is unacceptable. While the majority of our residents are doing the right thing to support our environment, we hope this sentence will act as a deterrent against those who would seek to damage Burnside's urban forest,' Ms Grant said.

'Using development documentation and information from the owner of the property, our City Development and Safety team was instrumental in securing a conviction, fine and the payment of our court costs.

'I would like to thank our community and staff for their ongoing efforts to protect our urban forest.

'We continue to encourage our community to help us protect our urban forest by contacting the City of Burnside and sharing photographic or video evidence of anyone who may be damaging a significant or regulated tree. Our urban canopy is of extreme importance and we will do all we can to safeguard it for future generations to enjoy.'

In May 2024 the State Government made major changes to the rules that apply to regulated and significant trees across Greater Adelaide. The updated regulations mean that:

• Regulated trees are trees with a circumference of 1 metre or more when measured 1 metre above the ground level (previously a circumference of 2 metres prior to May 2024)
• Significant trees are now trees with a circumference of 2 metres or more when measured 1 metre above the ground level (previously a circumference of 3 metres prior to May 2024).

These changes followed the City of Burnside's intensive lobbying efforts for major changes to be made to tree protection laws in SA, with Council making a presentation to the South Australian Parliament in late 2023. As part of our submission to the Urban Forest Inquiry headed by the Environment, Resources and Development Committee, the City of Burnside recommended:

• A significant increase in fees for legal removals and fines for illegal removals of trees
• The removal of exemptions that can be exploited via loopholes
• A broadening of regulations to protect more trees
• The establishment of an Urban Forest Fund.

The City of Burnside is committed to planting approximately 1,000 trees each year to support our urban canopy, which has a wide variety of benefits for our community, local wildlife and the climate.

Find out more about the rules and regulations around tree vandalism, and what you can do to help prevent it, at https://www.burnside.sa.gov.au/Environment-Sustainability/Trees/Tree-Vandalism

In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March, we are shining a spotlight on remarkable women from Burnside throughout the month of March. Today, we honour Mary Penfold (1818 - 1895), a trailblazer in South Australia's winemaking history.

Penfolds, one of the state's most renowned winemaking companies, owes much of its early success to Mary Penfold. In 1844, alongside her husband Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold (1811 - 1870), she helped establish the vineyard in Magill, South Australia, where she not only oversaw winemaking but also managed the property. After her husband's death, Mary continued to build the business, demonstrating remarkable business acumen and resilience. By 1900, Penfolds had grown to become the third-largest winemaking company in South Australia. This growth was evident in the expanding vineyards, larger cellars and the company’s esteemed reputation.

While much of Mary Penfold's life remains a mystery, her contributions to Penfolds and her role as a pioneering businesswoman are undeniable. Her legacy as an early vigneron and visionary is deserving of recognition, and her story continues to inspire.

Image: Mary Penfold, circa 1869. State Library of South Australia B 22970.

Following lobbying efforts by several Council Members in 2024, residents utilising the Wattle Park Shopping Centre on Kensington Road have now received a much-needed safety upgrade.

Burnside Ward Council Members Mike Daws and Jenny Turnbull, and Kensington Gardens and Magill Ward Council Member Jo Harvey are extremely pleased following a decision by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport to build a pedestrian refuge island in the high foot traffic area, allowing for easier and safer crossing.

Previously without a designated area to cross the two-lane section of Kensington Road, residents were tasked with navigating traffic to access the shopping precinct or nearby kindergarten.

With concerns for community safety the three Council Members, along with Jack Batty MP, contacted the Department and expressed the urgent need for the installation.

At this time, the refuge island has been installed and is safe for community use.

If you know of any community hubs that require safety upgrades contact your local Ward Council Member.

Councillors Mike Daws and Jo Harvey with Jack Batty MP outside Wattle Park Shopping Centre and the newly built pedestrian refuge island. Not pictured Councillor Jenny Turnbull.