FOCUS On Burnside - the news hub

Did you know that Dulwich used to have its very own horsecar service? Pictured is Charles Adams in 1913 with his "horse bus" which he routinely drove up Greenhill Road via Watson Avenue, Dulwich. Adams retired from the Municipal Tramways Trust on 4 March 1914 when the "Dulwich Horsecar Service" was closed.

Image: State Library of South Australia, B53124

The City of Burnside ran a recent campaign giving away Globber scooters to local children who were asked to write in and tell Council why they love the pump track.

Alicia, 3, was one of the lucky winners. Her mum thanked Council for "providing this brilliant competition to encourage everyone to enjoy their outdoor activities and using the pump track."

"The different heights bring a great sensory experience and she can train on her balancing. Alicia will definitely visit the track and enjoy her go bike very soon," she said.

Two other winners were Jacob, 5 and Danniella, 6. Jacob said he learnt not to be scared of taking risks and loved spending more time outside being active. Danniella said the pump track boosts her confidence, improves her balance and is "fun! fun! fun!"

The pump track is currently at Langman Recreation Reserve, Burnside until Tuesday 1 November. It then relocates to Bell Yett Reserve, Wattle Park until the end of January 2023. The pump track has been a hit with local kids across Burnside, with over 100,000 laps recorded in 2022.

Left: Alicia collects her scooter from Fiona, Community Centres Support Officer.

Right: Danniella and Jacob celebrate their Globber prizes.

The George Bolton Swimming Centre is looking for extra staff for the 2022/23 summer season.

We have vacancies for Pool Lifeguards and Swim Instructors.

Are you flexible, resilient, community minded and engaging to approach? These are key attributes we are seeking for successful Lifeguards

Are you customer orientated, empathetic and driven? Do you have a passion for working with children and teaching water safety? We are recruiting multiple 'learn to swim' instructors.

Both positions pay a generous casual hourly rate of $36. Specific job qualifications also required.

Find out more by clicking on Swim Instructor and Pool Lifeguard or call Maxima Recruitment on 1300 669 859.

To commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the first of a batch of trees have been planted within Seaforth Avenue Reserve, Hazelwood Park. This is the first stage of an ongoing program throughout 2022 and 2023. These English Oaks will mature over 50 to 100 years up to 15 metres tall.

This project is jointly funded through the City of Burnside and the Australian Government's Planting Trees for The Queen's Jubilee Program, in honour of Her Majesty's 70 years of service as Australia's Head of State.

If you would like to find out more information regarding the species to be planted, you can visit our Urban Forest Interactive website at trees.burnside.sa.gov.au

Do you recognise these Burnside streets? Perhaps you even live on one of them!

These "new" street signs were installed in 1938 by the Burnside District Council. These street signs were the first of this particular style to be installed in South Australia. They have been updated since, and look quite different now as the images show!

Image credit (left): State Library of South Australia. B10329

The City of Burnside mourns the passing of Her Majesty The Queen and passes its sincere condolences to the Royal Family.

We would also like to thank Her Majesty The Queen for her 70 years of service.

As a mark of mourning and respect, the Australian National Flag at the Civic Centre will be flown at half-mast.

There is a condolence book available at the Customer Service counter at the Civic Centre should you like to leave a message of condolence.

For an online version of the condolence book, please go to https://www.pmc.gov.au/her-majesty-the-queen

Should you wish to leave flowers as a tribute to Her Majesty, please ensure they are not wrapped in plastic. Flowers can be left at the Civic Centre in the grassed area shown below:

Along Glynburn Road there are remnants of former tram poles from the original electric tramline which ran along Glynburn Road to the Burnside terminus at Waterfall Terrace. This line was opened in September 1911. After the conversion of tram lines to bus routes in the 1920s, many poles were converted to use as supports for electrical wires. None of these poles are fully intact but are a significant reminder of the early transportation routes through the suburb.

Pictured is what may be the Burnside terminus at what is now the Glynburn Road/Waterfall Terrace intersection.

Image from State Library of South Australia. B28339.

Do you know the difference between a Sydney Blue Gum and a Spotted Gum? Do you know what trees on your property are protected by legislation?

The answers are more important than you think.

Regulated and significant trees, even on privately owned land, are protected in South Australia, and it is illegal to prune, kill, lop branches, top, ringbark, cut down or damage the root system of these trees without development approval.

However if a regulated tree is located within 10m of a dwelling or in-ground swimming pool, it can be damaged or removed without development approval (as per the Regulations). The exception to this instance is if the tree is a species of Eucalyptus or Willow Myrtle (Agonis flexuosa).

Before carrying out any work on protected trees, contact Council to find out more about your tree. Unapproved activities affecting regulated and significant trees could attract court penalties up to $120,000, or even a criminal conviction.

The Sydney Blue Gum vs Spotted Gum question - although both species are called 'gums', only one is a eucalypt.

Earlier this year, a regulated Sydney Blue Gum was cut down on private property in Beaumont without consent. The tree was growing within 10m of the house.

An arborist, who was engaged to assess the removal of the tree, incorrectly identified it as a Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculate) rather than a Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna).

However, the tree was listed on the Council's register of significant trees and thus protected by legislation. In this case, the arborist had failed to check the status of the tree.

The Environment, Resources and Development Court fined and recorded a conviction against the arborist who removed this tree.

The Court fined the defendant $8,000, discounted by 35 per cent given the early guilty plea, thereby reducing the fine to $5,200. The Court also ordered the defendant to pay the Council's court costs of $2,725.07 and the payment of a Victims of Crime levy.

His Honour Judge Durrant noted that this sentence should be considered a deterrent for anyone who is considering damaging a protected tree; and that it is important in cases such as these that customers who engage arborists should be able to rely upon their expertise to "get it right" when it comes to an understanding the governing legislation relating to protected trees.

Sydney Blue Gum vs Spotted Gum

At 27m in height and a crown diameter of 18m, this tree was cut down as it was within 10m of the house, and potentially as the tree was wrongly identified as a Spotted Gum. At first glance, the tree species appear similar; however, a closer look at the fruits and leaves reveals a different story.

Above: the Sydney Blue Gum growing on private property that was illegally cut down.Above: an example of a Spotted Gum.

Above: A photo illustrating the difference between Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata) debris (left-hand side) and Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna) debris (right-hand side).
The Spotted Gum fruits (gum nuts) are larger, more rounded, and have valves hidden within the fruit. The Sydney Blue Gum fruits are cone-shaped, and the valves are raised beyond the rim.

Davenport Olive Reserve is a small reserve in Beaumont containing approximately 20 mature olive trees, part of Sir Samuel Davenport's original olive plantations which at their peak held over 14,000 trees.

The trees within this reserve were planted in 1864 and as the plaque at the reserve states "are retained as a memorial to the founding of the Olive Oil industry in South Australia". Samuel Davenport and Luther Scammel of Faulding's Pharmaceutical Company were energetic promoters of the olive oil industry.

Davenport's plantations were the largest and covered a wide area of the eastern foothills of Burnside. Along with the wine industry, the olive oil industry was a major area of growth within Burnside during the 19th century.