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Henry Davis has been a Burnside Councillor since November 2014 and joined Burnside CFS as a volunteer, along with his wife Avril, after being invited to their Christmas party in 2016. “Our first job was actually a flood, not a fire,” Henry said. “We worked at Waterfall Gully sandbagging houses and going door to door warning people.”

When fires ravaged NSW in November and December 2019, Henry and Avril each did a stint helping local firefighters over on the east coast. The Cudlee Creek fire started on 20 December and both Henry and Avril worked fighting this fire up until New Year’s Eve.

Just when they thought they could have a break, a call went out on New Year’s Day from Kangaroo Island. Henry was first to go and soon found himself facing a massive fire, burning at incredible speed. “We knew it was going to be bad,” he says. “It started as 2,000 hectares and soon spread to 155,000 hectares.” On Friday 3 January the fire took off with north easterly winds. “We were trapped on the Playford Highway, surrounded by fire,” Henry said. “We were trying to save a property while also planning our escape.”

Henry was travelling in a command car with no water or breathing apparatus and relied on his fellow volunteers to get him out safely. “You have to stand together. You rely on crews beside you and protect each other. I am incredibly thankful all the CFS volunteers came home that day,” Henry said. “The fire was so intense all the water in the world would not have put that out.”

Back home Avril was watching the news intently, not knowing where Henry was and unable to contact him by phone. “When he went to NSW I had already been so I knew what he was facing. But on KI I had no idea how bad it was,” she said. Later that night Henry had limited phone reception near Parndana and was able to call home to let Avril know he was safe. “The fire was still going and I had to go back and fight the next day so I didn’t know if this could have been my last phone call,” he said. Avril knew the dangers her husband faced but says “It’s your job – you just do it. You don’t disregard the risk but you don’t panic either.”

Henry returned home after 5 days and Avril took her turn to volunteer on KI. “We worked with a lot of firefighting units from farms. They were exhausted,” she said. “But they were protecting their livelihood not just their assets. A lot of locals lost their homes while they were fighting the fire with us.”

Henry and Avril are determined to return to Kangaroo Island on a holiday, to help local businesses recover.

A Kenyan family are set to become Australia Citizens at Burnside’s Australia Day ceremony on Sunday 26 January.

John Oloo, his wife Mercy Achieng and children Nicole, 20, Samuel, 16, Nelson, 11 and Naomi, 6 will all take Australian Citizenship after migrating from Kenya in 2011. Naomi was born in Australia but does not automatically become a citizen. The family first settled in Bordertown in the state’s south east where John worked as a General Practitioner. “We moved to a country town so it was easy to fit in to a small community,” Mercy says. John says they came to Australia for an adventure and wanted to experience something different. They miss family in Kenya but have made many friends here and try to return to their homeland every couple of years. The whole family is excited about becoming Aussies and are planning a big lunch with 150 friends after the ceremony.

L-R: Samuel, Nelson, John, Naomi, Mercy, Nicole.

2019 ended in tragedy and devastation for many in our community with bushfires in the Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island and across other parts of the country.

The work of the emergency services and the thousands of volunteers across the nation has been extraordinary. Council is not only inspired by these actions but deeply grateful for their dedication and selflessness. It has also been a time when the community has united with kindness and generosity.

The effects are still being felt in the Adelaide Hills with the impacts to homes, livelihoods and wildlife still being realised. At a local level the Burnside CFS has put in countless hours to protect families and defend properties, with residents and community groups continuing to help the clean-up effort and providing various forms of support.

As well as the loss of life and property, the impact upon our nation’s wildlife cannot be underestimated.

As part of the response effort Adelaide Koala Rescue (AKR), a volunteer group, set up an emergency triage site for koalas injured and orphaned in the Cudlee Creek fires. In the past three weeks they have been caring for more than 100 koalas with some still being found and brought in for treatment. Paradise Primary School kindly provided their gymnasium as a hospital space and it has been operating around the clock, staffed with veterinarians, nurses, trainees and a host of committed volunteers. They are still seeking a space large enough to host the hospital once school resumes and needs the space next week. Groups like this are providing an invaluable contribution in nurturing our native species and in the recovery process.

At a chance meeting in early January Mayor Monceaux was advised by AKR volunteer and Burnside resident, Joylene Fraser, of the plight of these many animals and of the work this group was doing. The Mayor approached Council administration to see if they could help with any suitable eucalypt leaves to feed these unique animals.

Mayor Monceaux advised that Council was able to deliver a truckload of food to the AKR hospital, within three days of the official request. “Like many Australians, I have been saddened and felt the horrific impact to our wildlife from the recent fires in the state,” the Mayor said. “The need to help and protect these Adelaide hills koalas, even in a very small way or gesture, has been meaningful and testifies to the true community spirit in our City, and our willingness to help other council areas.”

Burnside’s Arboriculture Team has a list of trees that they work to prune every week as part of managing Burnside’s Urban Forest. The team reviewed this list and brought forward their pruning of an SA Blue Gum, collecting these cuttings and delivering them fresh to AKR on the same day.

In thanking and recognising Council for the delivery Ms Fraser corresponded with the Mayor on 5 January that "arriving at the hospital early this morning [and…] there in front of me was a Burnside Council Depot truck, full of luscious moist leaf, delivering food to the injured koalas. I cried, tears just poured down my face. Last night we were almost empty. How good was this, my own Council to the rescue; I was overwhelmed with pride and gratitude.”

The AKR hospital featured on the television news that evening and Ms Fraser wrote “if you saw the footage on TV [news] tonight all the greenery was from Burnside.”

If you want to help Adelaide Koala Rescue donations can be made to their gofundme page http://bit.ly/2FPdhXG or via their website akr.org.au

To see more images click on the article's title above

Above: The gum supplied by City of Burnside at the AKR hospital. Each pen houses an injured or orphaned koala.

Above: The City of Burnside truck delivering SA Blue Gum

Above: Andrew Strauss, left, with LGFSG team members for the Cudlee Creek fire

Andrew Strauss has had 14 years’ experience as a CFS volunteer and 33 years with local Councils. He has worked for Burnside council as City Coordinator for 8 years. He needed to use all those skills and experience when called to assist in the management of the Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island fires. Andrew was Local Government Liaison Officer for the Local Government Functional Support Group (LGFSG) based at Mt Barker, from Friday 20 December – when the fire started – through to 30 December.

Under the State Emergency Management Plan, the LGFSG is responsible for coordinating the response from councils during emergencies, as well as efforts during the recovery phase.

The LGFSG has been very active over the past two months, working around the clock with councils to help the CFS and other agencies respond to, and recover from, the bushfires that have swept across our State. This support has included:

• Providing coordination of local government resources

• Providing staff at the State Emergency Centre

• Providing local government liaison officers at the CFS Incident Command Centre

• Representation on the State Recovery Operations Group.

Andrew played a pivotal role in assisting multiple agencies by allocating resources and identifying appropriate field staff. “It was important that all the agencies involved knew where and how to get extra resources they needed,” said Andrew. “My role was to delegate tasks to the appropriate agency or, if a Council task, to allocate staff and equipment.” So when the CFS wanted to hold a community meeting it was Andrew who liaised with the local council to hire a venue. “It was like a bigger scale of my day-to-day job but with the added pressure of knowing people’s lives and properties had been lost.” Andrew also ensured a local council staff member was in the field with teams that have come to assist from other council’s so they could use their local knowledge.

Eleven councils assisted with the Cudlee Creek fire in the Adelaide Hills region, and 12 helped on Kangaroo Island (with an additional 13 councils on standby, ready to contribute if needed). This support has come not only from metropolitan areas but also very small regional councils, who have sent the limited staff and resources they have available.

One of the big tasks to be done was to assess all the burnt and damaged trees to ensure they were safe or needed to be removed. Councils around the state pulled together and provided teams of arborists to inspect a huge number of damaged trees. Chris Hawkins led the Burnside team on Monday 23 December, which was allocated several large streets at Harrogate. Chris had been one of the first arborists on scene after the 2015 Sampson Flat fire and drew on that experience. “Assessing trees which have suffered through a bushfire requires a different skill and experience level,” says Chris. “Fire can burn underground in the roots of trees for several metres.” Chris and his team inspected thousands of trees to assess if they needed removal, were safe or needed ongoing monitoring. “The basic rule was – if there’s smoke, it (the tree) goes!” They assessed the trees’ structure including signs of burning underground which will impact the trees roots and stability. On the first day Chris and his team identified more than 20 large eucalypts which required removal – after that they stopped counting! But they did save as many trees as possible. “It was hot and tiring work. I’m asthmatic so the smoke was a problem for me,” he said. But even more distressing for Chris were the numbers of injured and dead wildlife he came across. “We saw lots of dead wildlife, the loss was devastating.”

A week after Christmas Andrew got a call from the Local Government State Duty Officer. The Kangaroo Island fire was out of control and Andrew was needed there as Local Government Planner to assist the Incident Management Team. “It was a challenging time,” he says. “The speed of the fire was frightening and the remoteness of the island meant communications were not always the best. There were times when I wasn’t sure where all the crews were.” Andrew says the locals were generally supportive and happy to have the extra help. Over five days Andrew clocked up more than 80 hours in the field. But he does not want extra pay or time off. “That was my duty,” he says. “It was my contribution and was great experience for me. I am better trained and have even more experience for the next time.”

Let’s hope ‘the next time’ is a long way off.

On Sunday 19 January 2020 the City of Burnside’s iconic Regal Theatre will join forces with Australian cinemas and film distributors in raising funds to assist Australian’s affected by the recent bushfire tragedy / situation.

$2 from every movie ticket sold at the Regal Theatre will be donated to one of the three charities supporting bushfire relief efforts.

In thanking the firefighters, volunteers, defence personnel, charities, organisations and communities who are working tirelessly to protect and support fire-affected Australians, City of Burnside Mayor, Anne Monceaux, said that Council understands the circumstances facing many ordinary Australians and will play a part where possible in supporting bushfire affected communities.

“The loss of loved ones, homes and property, livelihoods and wildlife is heartbreaking,” Mayor Monceaux said. “I remember the impact of the Ash Wednesday fires in 1983, and the effects of these fires and trauma still impact on the lives of many to this day.”

“Council will continue to partake where possible in the public effort to support our fellow citizens and community members. Having recently assisted with a food supply for injured Koalas, this is another example of how, through our service offerings, we can uniquely contribute to the recovery effort,” Mayor Monceaux said.

100% of the proceeds raised through each tickets contribution will be shared across three Australian charities doing incredible work in fire-affected communities:

Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal - providing immediate emotional and material support to firefighters, volunteers and evacuees;

Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery - supporting thousands of people in evacuation centres and recovery hubs across the country, and the;

RSPCA Bushfire Appeal - protecting animals in threatened or affected areas and long-term rescue and rehabilitation efforts

A new ‘all wheels - all ages’ pump track is coming to Burnside. #rideburnside is a new and free recreational facility for all wheeled sports including bikes of all types, scooters, skateboards and the very cool balance bike for toddlers.

The track will be part of a 12 month trial across four locations in the City the first location will be at the Civic Centre:

- Civic Centre (cnr Portrush Road and Greenhill Road) *29 Feb - 15 Jun*
- Newland Reserve, Erindale *15 Jun - 14 Sept*
- Miller Reserve, Linden Park *14 Sept - 30 Nov*
- Kensington Park Reserve, Kensington Park *30 Nov - 22 Feb 2021*

*look out on engage.burnside for updates*

On 12 November 2019 Council resolved to purchase a portable pump track and conduct a 12 month rotating trial across four locations: Kensington Park Reserve, Newland Reserve, Miller Reserve and the Civic Centre.

Members of the popular Men’s Shed Program visited the Conyngham Street Depot this week to inspect the new facilities. The program will be based at the new Shed from mid-January. With brand new facilities and more space, the men were pleased with the prospect of moving in. “It looks very good,” said John. “It’s pretty plush for a shed,” said Peter, both regulars.

Men’s Shed Coordinator Evan Reay said the men would plan and decide on the interior layout and fit out. “It will be a team effort,” Evan said. “The men will probably make their own shelves and design the interior space to suit their needs.

The new Conyngham Street site will also incorporate a nursery, community garden and Depot storage.

Do you have a special Christmas light exhibit you would like to share with others?

The Paspaliaris family of Wattle Park have shared these photos and encourage people to enjoy the lights nightly 8 pm - midnight at 5 Rosedale Avenue Wattle Park. Visitors are welcome to come up to the front windows to view the window displays. Collection tins available to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Australia.

Merry Christmas from Tom & Alice, Natasha & Demetrios.

Michele Alexandrou moved back to Glenunga in 2009 after spending two years in Broome, WA. In the 10 years since she has become an integral part of the Burnside community, currently serving her second year as President of the Lions Club of Burnside.

“I was waiting for my possessions to arrive and went to the Burnside Lions garage sale to buy a kettle and toaster,” Michele says. “I got chatting to the (then) president and he asked me to join. My mother and father had both recently passed and I found the members mostly their age so it was a good fit.”

Michele says she was the youngest member at that stage. “Most members were retired and in their 70s and 80s. I was very active and fit and helped out with lifting heavy things.”

As the only member working full time (as a real estate agent) she resisted calls for her to stand as President. “I just didn’t think I had the time,” she says. “But then it seemed the Club may close without a new President so I put my hand up – for one year.”

Inducted as President in July 2017 Michele enjoyed it so much she volunteered for a second year.

“It is great networking and everyone is warm and kind – I have made some great friends,” Michele says.

In a plan to engage younger residents to join the Club Michele recently established a Facebook page. “There was some resistance from members who don’t like change,” she says. “But it worked and we now have younger members wanting to join. We even have more women than men.” Women were first granted membership as Lions in 1987.

Michele says the work of the Lions Club of Burnside is wide ranging and very satisfying. “We work closely with Council helping out with events, doing barbecues. We helped build a kitchen at Burnside CFS, the largest event that takes all year to organise is the annual Carols in the Park, and on the first Saturday of each month a garage sale at Glebe Road Glen Osmond.”

The carols take a year of planning and the whole weekend of the event to set up and clear up. “It’s a great event to bring the community together,” Michele says. “We set up a stage for 120 people, portable toilets and chairs. The CFS help us out by running the barbecue.” The proceeds from this year’s event and from the sale of Christmas cakes will be donated to support bushfire ravaged communities.

Another major project for the Club is supporting the Burnside War Memorial Hospital. “We’ve helped build their oncology ward over the past 20 years,” Michele says. “Last year we gave them a cheque for $17,000.”

Michele encourages people from all walks of life to consider joining and giving back to the community. “If we attract younger people who are working then we may move the second meeting of the month from the afternoon to evening.”

She also called on residents to consider the Lions Club when clearing out their garages or moving house. “We are always looking for donations for our garage sales. Good quality bric-a-brac, household goods and clothing. We will even come and collect (as long as it’s not large furniture).”

And will she go for a third term as President? “I am still learning,” Michele says. “My Vice President Bob Rowell and Secretary Barry Taylor have mentored me and I have learnt a lot from them. I’ve really enjoyed that.”

For her community service Michele was recently awarded the Real Estate Institute of South Australia (REISA) Community Service Award. 2019.

The Lions Club of Burnside meets twice a month, one for business and one a dinner meeting at the Arkaba Hotel with a guest speaker. Check out their website. facebook.com/lionsburnsideclub

The Toorak Burnside Bowling Club recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the opening its greens.

Club historian Carl Hopkins says that just before the end of WWI, a group of public-spirited residents in the new suburb of Toorak Gardens decided to start a recreation club. “The committee was formed in July 1918, and within 18 months had raised money, bought land and established the building,” says Carl, 88. “The greens were officially opened on 1 November 1919.” He added that researching the colourful history of the club revealed humorous anecdotes from the last century that speak to rogues and thievery, arson, and the rise of the women’s movement that eventually toppled the bastion of male dominance within lawn bowls.

Carl has been a member for 35 years but says many members have been in the club longer than that. With 150 members (about a third of them women), the club consists mostly of older retired people with an average age of about 60. “We have some members still working full-time so they play bowls on Saturdays,” he says. The greens are natural lawn which is mowed weekly and rolled twice a week. Rolling involves literally rolling the lawn flat and smooth with what looks like a mini steamroller to ensure the best playing surface.

Bowls takes quite a bit of skill and is dependent on technique. The Club provides coaching for beginners and often hosts students from local high schools. Carl says he enjoys the competitive nature of bowls and also the social gatherings. While bowls is a summer sport they still meet during winter for social activities. “We have a strong membership but are always looking for new members,” he says. “Come to one of our night owls evenings and give it a go. It is not physically demanding but does require a lot of concentration.”

For the club’s centenary, Carl authored a book of history and he recounts one story:

The robbery

In 1982, the club held a major three day bowls tournament. It was extremely well patronised and, being a hot weekend, the finance committee was very pleased with the bar takings and general revenue generated.

The following Monday morning, after the event, the treasurer and a committee member turned up at the club planning to deposit the takings at the bank. However, they were dismayed to find trolley scuff marks leading from the office, right across B green, to the northern gate. On entering the office, it was a shock to discover that the safe had been stolen, and that the villains had also borrowed the club’s sack truck to facilitate the deed.

Two days later, the safe was found by the police up in the Adelaide Hills with its back blown off. Unfortunately for the club, not only did a large amount of money go missing, but all of the club’s early minutes and records that were stored in the safe had been distributed to the four winds and lost forever. According to Colin Harvie, a member who later held the post of president from 1998 - 2000:

- to have known there was such a large amount of cash inside the building

- to have known the layout of building

- to have known there was access to the sack trolley, and

- to have positioned the get-away vehicle in the precise location

“…Definitely an inside job!"

(scroll to top and click main title to see more photos)

Below: 1938 Miss M Nicholls rolls first bowl