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Curious about the origin of the suburb name Tusmore?

In 1838, William and Ann Rogers made the journey from England to South Australia and established a farm on land leased from the South Australian Company. They named the farm Tusmore, honouring their hometown in Oxfordshire. At its height, the farm had 800 sheep, 50 cattle and over 100 acres of wheat and other cereals.

Tusmore House, constructed of bluestone and featuring 10 rooms, was located near today’s Stirling Street, Tusmore and the house’s entrance gates were on Greenhill Road. William Rogers planted a row of gum trees along the driveway, some of which are still visible from Greenhill Road today. Although the house was demolished in 1962, its historic entrance gates have been preserved and are now situated at the Stirling Street entrance of Tusmore Park.

Photos: Left - Gates to Tusmore House on Greenhill Road, circa 1898. Burnside Local History Collection. Right - Gates to Tusmore Park on Stirling Street, 2024.

In this episode of Burnside Highlights we take a look back at our Olympic history, our recent Citizenship Ceremony at the Regal and our ongoing SALA exhibition at Pepper Street Arts Centre.

Did you know that Waterfall Gully was South Australia’s first National Pleasure Resort?

When the foothills around Waterfall Gully were subdivided in 1856, the State Government retained one section, which included the falls, as a reserve. In 1884 it was gazetted as “a place for the amusement and recreation of the public”. Waterfall Gully was a popular spot for picnickers – so popular that by the early 1900s foot traffic through the area had significantly diminished the natural landscape.

In 1915, Waterfall Gully was declared the state’s first National Pleasure Resort – the State Government’s response to the need for designated and suitably equipped public recreation areas. The National Board of Pleasure Resorts entered into the work of restoring the natural beauty of the area, with revegetation efforts as well as facilities to accommodate visitors.

Central to the vision for the National Pleasure Resort was the construction of the kiosk in 1912. The kiosk is one of the first examples of a refreshment room in a National Park setting. This significance is reflected in its State Heritage listing.

Waterfall Gully became part of the Cleland Conservation Park in 1972.

Last month two of our City Clean team found an injured peregrine falcon on Portrush Road in Linden Park.

Distressed and unable to fly, the adult female bird was in danger, exposed to heavy foot traffic areas and major roads.

Jumping into action, the staff did an incredible job keeping the falcon safe from vehicles and people. Soon after, City of Burnside Team Leader of Natural Resources Heath arrived on the scene to assist. A trained wildlife rescuer with Fauna Rescue SA, Heath was able to safely capture the falcon with a towel and take her to the team at Adelaide Bird and Exotics Vet Centre.

As the fastest animal in the world, the peregrine falcon can reach speeds over 300 km/h while hunting. By flying above their prey, the falcon will spot its target below then fold its wings and fall into a nosedive reaching their maximum velocity. The falcon will then close its talons and uses them to knock the prey out of the sky.

Considered a rare species in South Australia, the peregrine falcon has seen its numbers flourish in past decades following near extinction in the 80s and 90s due to pesticide use and poaching. Now thriving both rurally and in cities, the peregrine falcon mainly feeds on smaller birds including feral pigeons and has adapted better to city life than almost any other native animal. Naturally found nesting on steep cliff faces the falcons have replaced their rocky nests for high-rise buildings and window ledges, proving a safe vantage point to hunt and raise their chicks.

If residents come across any injured wildlife, please call Fauna Rescue SA on 8289 0896, or another wildlife rescue group.

In this episode of Burnside Highlights we recap Mayor Anne Monceaux’s and CEO Chris Cowley’s lobbying efforts in Canberra to restore funding to the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass, reflect on a weekend of amazing events, look ahead to welcoming 64 new citizens at the Regal Theatre and much more.

A resident of the City of Burnside for 71 years and now living in Pineview Village, Bess Welch is as deeply Burnside as they come.

Building her family home on Devereux Road, Beaumont in 1953, Bess lived in the suburb for 63 years, relocating to Pineview in 2016 seeking a smaller home and garden.

Unable to picture herself living anywhere else, Bess adores the area with Beaumont Common especially holding a place in her heart.

‘Council does amazing things and have an incredible reputation,’ Bess said. ‘When I speak to friends of mine about things that are happening, they say “oh my council doesn’t do that”’.

Taking advantage of many of the services offered by Council, Bess is a frequent attendant at Strength for Life classes at the Civic Centre. Strength for Life (SFL) is an affordable way for older South Australians to gain strength and stay fit. SFL also offers social opportunities, with the class (pictured) often staying around after for a cup of coffee and chat. This is where Bess met Elected Member Jenny Turnbull with whom she speaks with about the history of her Burnside residence and appreciation for the community.

Bess also utilises the popular City of Burnside transport bus and is a customer of the Burnside Library Home Library Service – for whom she sings high praise.

‘The Library girls call in with a book for me every month. When I was no longer able to read because of my eyesight they delivered me several audio books.’

Now settled in seamlessly to Pineview Village Bess can sum up her time living in the city with one quick statement – ‘What a good decision!’

Bess Welch (back left in purple) and the Strength for Life class take in a coffee break after their morning workout.

Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs, a Burnside based charity, has been recognised for their environmental impact at the South Australian Environment Awards 2024, named the winner of the Working Together Award.

Having set up a network of over 500 bread tag collection points, Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs recycling partner, Transmutation, accept 250kg of tags each month. Transmutation then donates back to Aussie Bread Tags, enabling the provision of the wheelchairs. Transmutation uses the bread tags to produce bowls and boards, making the partnership a successful social enterprise and example of the circular economy in action.

Representatives of the Aussie Bread Tags regularly give talks about the program around Adelaide and occasionally on Zoom for communities in other areas. Many local councils around Australia including the City of Burnside host collection points and promote the collection of bread tags. You can find the City of Burnside’s collection point located at the Civic Centre.

Founder and Coordinator, Jenny Cooper, was also the City of Burnside 2021 Citizen of the Year award in recognition of her environmental contribution.

To date Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs have recycled 13 tons of bread tags and provided 101 wheelchairs.

In this episode of Burnside Highlights we take a look at our lobbying efforts to restore funding to the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass, our upcoming Disability and Inclusion Expo and much more. Find out more details below!

The slow, lumbering bullock dray would have been a familiar sight in the early 1900s. Bullock teams, consisting of as many as 20 oxen, were used to transport goods or passengers over distances of up to 15 kilometres a day. While not as quick as a horse, oxen were cheaper to purchase and care for, and also less excitable. The person driving the team was known as a ‘bullocky’ and walked on the left of the bullocks and used a whip to guide them forward.

For those interested in discovering more local history, visit the Local History Room at Burnside Library.

Photograph: A bullock team pulling a large tree trunk in Glen Osmond, circa 1922.

The City of Burnside has announced the 2024/25 rate rise following the decision of Council at their 24 June 2024 Special Council meeting last night.

Following an intensive community consultation process the Council has adopted a 9.8 per cent rate rise as part of a three-year recovery model, with a number of operating and capital projects removed. This rate would then be followed by rate rises of between 4-7 per cent for the following two financial years, achieving a breakeven position within three years.

Mayor Anne Monceaux said that this budget results from listening to the wishes of our community and making compromises.

“It was a very difficult but important decision to make in setting the next financial year’s rates rise, taking into account the valued and varied feedback from our community,” Mayor Monceaux said. “The Council listened and compromises were made by all Members for the benefit of the whole community,” Mayor Monceaux said.

CEO Chris Cowley said that the Council adopted a 9.8 per cent rate increase following a comprehensive community consultation process and that Council has listened to the feedback.

“I thank our ratepayers who took the time to be involved in the community consultation to understand the position that Council is in and the hard decisions that need to be made,” Mr Cowley said.

“Two thirds of the residents that responded to the community consultation were comfortable with at least a 9.8 per cent rate rise however they also asked us to review our service levels and asset renewal intervention levels to investigate savings opportunities,” Mr Cowley said.

Mr Cowley said that Council’s decision will ensure that the many services that are valued by the community will still be delivered, while dealing with the inflationary pressures impacting on the costs of providing those services.

“In the coming year Council will focus on finding savings and reviewing our existing services and service levels,” Mr Cowley said.