FOCUS On Burnside - the news hub

The autumn issue of Focus newsletter is being delivered to letter boxes this week by Australia Post.

In this issue meet our Citizens of the Year, see pics from the Citizenship Ceremony, get an environmental update and learn about Safer streets in Burnside.

$35,000 is available to spend on projects in your neighbourhood. Tell us how you would spend it to benefit the Burnside community.

Have you ever thought of great and creative ideas that would improve your experience at your local park? Can you suggest improvements to community spaces or buildings in Burnside?

Your Neighbourhood Budget is a participatory budgeting process. Council is seeking nominations from the community for projects to be completed on community land such as parks, reserves, road verges and community centres in the City of Burnside. These projects will be installed and maintained by Council in conjunction with you.

What is Participatory Budgeting?

Participatory budgeting is a different way to manage public money, and to engage people with local government, by giving community members the chance to vote on how to spend part of a public budget.

Every year the community contributes to the creation of Council's business plan and budget via the Annual Community Survey (in November) and the Annual Business Plan and Budget engagement process (in May).

Your Neighbourhood Budget is another opportunity for the community to have a say in how some of their rates are spent.

In 2023/24 $35,000 has been allocated towards the implementation of small projects on Council land. Council will construct all successful projects, in line with the community's submission and in conjunction with the successful applicants.

What kind of projects are eligible?

Capital projects subject to certain criteria are eligible. However, design work and research is not. Creative ideas or suggestions that will improve the community experience of a public place are eligible.

Some possible ideas include defibrillators, little libraries, possum boxes and native bee hotels.

Be creative - all suggestions are welcome.

To review the assessment criteria see engage.burnside.sa.gov.au or the documents in the Related Information section to the right of screen.

How will my application be assessed to go into the voting stage?

Council staff will review your application against the assessment criteria. Council will also need to take into account any impacts on the local area and community. If submissions do not meet the criteria, Council staff will work with you to improve your submission. Submissions must pass these criteria to progress to the community voting stage.

How are the winning projects selected?

Each resident/ratepayer will be able to select their four favourite ideas that they want installed. The most popular projects that fit within the $35,000 budget will be delivered by Council.

Applications open on Monday 27 February 2023 and close Friday 7 April 2023. Voting will be online via engage.burnside.sa.gov.au

Things to keep in mind

Council will be available to provide guidance and advice to help you with your submission. It is important that you consult with Council's Projects Community Engagement Officer, Joe Marchington, for information about the location you select for your project, and the costs of materials, by phone on 8366 4200 or jmarchington@burnside.sa.gov.au

Please encourage your neighbours to vote from 22 May - 16 June 2023 online at engage.burnside.sa.gov.au

Who can apply?

Everyone is encouraged to submit a suggestion. All that is required is a clever idea that meets the criteria. Individuals, community groups, schools and businesses are all eligible to apply.

Voting is only open to City of Burnside residents and ratepayers.

How do I apply?

1. Discuss your idea with Council's Projects Community Engagement Officer, Joe Marchington on 8366 4200 or jmarchington@burnside.sa.gov.au
2. Once you have all the background information, complete an online suggestion form at engage.burnside.sa.gov.au

Key dates to remember:

Applications open Monday 27 February 2023

Applications close Friday 7 April 2023

Voting opens Monday 22 May 2023

Voting closes Friday 16 June 2023

Winning projects announced July 2023 on engage.burnside.sa.gov.au

As Adelaide faces a heat wave this week spare a thought for the many men and women who volunteer with the Country Fire Service (CFS).

Most of the City of Burnside area is leafy suburbia with no direct bushfire risk. However on the eastern extremes of the Council area is the Mt Lofty Ranges Fire Ban District. This area extends along the foothills of the southern Mt Lofty Ranges, one of the most fire prone areas in the world due to the Mediterranean climate and the characteristic hot summer months.

Burnside CFS Captain Grant Davis says they will be looking for new recruits later this year. “Applicants must be physically and mentally fit, live within 3 km of the station and be able to respond to emergency incidents,” Grant says. “It is important that applicants live or work close to our station as our aim is to have the fire appliance mobile to an incident soon after a 000 call. You must also be 18 years of age.”

Vacancies are advertised on the Burnside CFS Facebook page but Grant says you can register your interest at any time at https://burnsidecfs.org.au/join-us/

New members undergo a period of in house training on Thursday nights to prepare them for firefighting. “This includes appliance and equipment location training, safety and procedure training and area familiarisation,” says Grant. “New recruits then attend a three day (Friday night and weekend) course run by the CFS to obtain their qualification to start attending incidents.” After that members attend weekly training on a Thursday night along with specialist training in areas such as breathing apparatus, road crash rescue and Hazmat incidents.

A recent recruit is new Australian citizen Jose Nevares of Tusmore. Jose came to Australia from his native Peru in 2003 to study Year 12 at Eynesbury College. He completed a Marketing and International Business degree at UniSA and now works as an IT Product manager in private business.

After gaining residency he felt he wanted to contribute more to his adopted country and could not vote unless he became an Australian citizen. He achieved this at the Ceremony in Hazelwood Park on 26 January. “It is a huge honour,” Jose says. “This great country has accepted me in an official way.”

He also wanted to join the CFS but did not live in the vicinity of a brigade until three years ago. COVID put a hold on recruitment but as soon as he could, he applied, undertook his probation and is now a qualified firefighter with the Burnside brigade. He has attended various incidents of car accidents, fires and trees down. He helped fight a large blaze on Gorge Road at Montacute last month which burnt 45 hectares and at one stage threatened to cross the road and head towards Paracombe and Castambul. Jose, 37, says the CFS is a well-trained and disciplined group. “Safety is paramount,” he says. “We have excellent training and supervision and personal protection equipment (PPE).” Jose works from home three days a week and is available on call for any CFS callouts.

Burnside CFS currently has 40 members representing a mix of the Burnside community, including corporate professionals, other emergency services workers, business owners, students and a range of both male and female members.

Jose receiving his citizenship certificate from Mayor Anne Monceaux.

with partner Hannah-Claire

and with his CFS colleagues.

This is an aerial photograph of the whole of the City of Burnside from 1981. This photo was taken by the Department of Lands. It is pieced together using over 100 photographs taken from an aeroplane and then pieced together like a mosaic.

Can you see your house?

How much has your area changed since 1981?

Notice the difference between this one and the 1936 one shared last week?

Can you see where the Civic Centre is?

What other landmarks are visible in this photograph that can still be seen today?

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

✅ Adelaide Fringe kicks off in Burnside on Friday 17 March
✅ Penfold Park playground now open to all
✅ Council workshop being held before the end of February to determine pump track locations
✅ Nominations for City of Burnside Environment Awards closing on Friday 17 March
✅ New LED signage at Waterfall Gully to be installed later this month
✅ And more!

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

We are glad to announce the pump track, #rideburnside, will be moving to Newland Park on Saturday 4 March.

The track will remain at Bell Yett Reserve until 27 February and will move to Newland Park between 1 - 3 March.

Council Members will take part in a workshop before the end of February to determine the future of the pump track.

Your ward councillors welcome your feedback on the track. Find out who your local councillors are, and their contact details, at https://bit.ly/3K3tfzM

The community will be provided with an update on the future of the track as soon as a decision has been reached.

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.