FOCUS On Burnside - the news hub

One of Burnside’s younger residents has decided to grow her hair long and then have it cut off to raise funds for Variety the Children’s Charity. Jade is a Year 3 student at Rose Park Primary school and lives with her family in Dulwich. Her mum Alice is very proud of her and says Jade’s commitment has not waived since she made the decision more than two years ago. Jade tells her story in her own words.

“Hi my name is Jade and I am 9 1/2 years old. About two years ago I heard an ad on the radio about a girl that had just cut her hair for kids needing hair. I asked mum and dad if I could do the same, so I have been growing my hair ever since.

I'll be chopping off approximately 38 cm on Saturday 7 December at Windsor Hair L'Estrange Street, Glenside.

Wigs cost families up to $6,000, lasting 1-2 years, meaning families can spend tens of thousands of dollars on the purchase of wigs throughout a child’s youth. A donation to Variety - the Children's Charity, can help towards providing a wig or other vital equipment to a child in need.

I would appreciate any donation towards this cause. Thank you.”

You can donate here.

Malcolm Dixon has enjoyed cycling all his life. To encourage more people to participate in active transport and improve facilities in Burnside, he with some other like-minded guys, have started a Burnside Bicycle User Group (BBUG).

“My bicycle and a football were my two greatest possessions as a child,” Malcolm says. A Burnside resident since migrating from England with his family in 1948, Malcolm believes children should enjoy the extra benefits gained from riding to school. “It is a proven fact that bike riding improves their health and minds,” he says. “When I was a teenager the bike shed at school was always full. Now you are lucky to see a dozen.” Malcolm, 84, says parents can be overprotective and he would like to see safe cycling routes designed for children to ride to school. “All studies show cycling is good for you, it is low impact exercise,” says Malcolm. “With the increase in obesity and heart disease any exercise you do is good for you.”

The Burnside Bicycle User Group formed last year and held a history ride in October with the assistance of the Burnside Historical Society. Starting from the Civic Centre to Tusmore Park, Leabrook, Knightsbridge, Hazelwood Park and Burnside village. About 20 people took part in the two hour ride which was well received. BBUG hopes to run more rides next year.

Malcolm has a wish to see Burnside Council have a cycling plan which integrates with our neighbouring Councils. “If you put in safe cycling routes and infrastructure, they will get used and remember, it is cheaper to construct a cycle lane than a motor lane.” The new law which requires motorists to give bikes a one metre clearance has made the roads safer. “Most motorists are good,” he says. “Most cyclists are also motorists.” Malcolm hopes Elected Members will be more focused on active transport and realise the health and environmental benefits of cycling in our great district.

To inquire about the group go to ‘Burnside Bicycle User Group’ on Facebook.

For the 10 weeks leading up to November 2019, the City of Burnside disposed of 93 tonnes of waste to landfill less than the same 10 week period in 2018, saving Council over $10,000 in waste levy (plus service charges). Waste warriors and starter-recyclers, and everyone in between, are becoming more conscious of reducing the amount of waste disposed in their waste-to-landfill red bins.

This means more use of the yellow lid recycling and green lid organics bins in our City.

We all benefit if we do the right thing with our bins. If we stay on this course we could save 500 tonnes of landfill for the year. With the waste levy increasing again in January 2020, that would save Council $65,000.

Look out for the summer 2019 Focus newsletter hitting letterboxes in early December. We find out that you can ignore those 'recycling numbers' on the bottom of plastic containers. This old system is slowly being phased out and replaced by the Australasian Recycling Label that gives you easy to understand recycling information.

Pictured: L - R: Cr Harvey Jones, General Manager Martin Cooper, Mayor Anne Monceaux, Cr Peter Cornish, Cr Helga Lemon, Cr Paul Huebl.

Eastside BEC has been relaunched as Propel SA. The not-for-profit membership based organisation has been helping hundreds of small businesses in the eastern suburbs for over 20 years, providing advice and assistance, workshops and networking opportunities. Propel SA is proudly supported by three Councils, City of Burnside, Campbelltown City Council and the Town of Walkerville.

Two playgrounds in the City of Burnside are in the top five in the east, as voted by South Australians! Tusmore Park, featuring the popular wading pool, and Wombat Waterhole in the State Heritage listed Hazelwood Park were voted fourth and fifth in the East/Inner South/ Hills.

Tusmore Park is a tranquil park featuring mature trees, lawns and landscaped areas. The First Creek traverses through the park in winter. During the summer the covered unsupervised Toddler wading pool is a great place for children to play in.

Hazelwood Park is one of Burnside's major reserves. It is traversed by First Creek and includes natural stands of River Red Gum and SA Blue Gum. Some of the early plantings from the "Hazelwood" garden can be seen near Hawthorn Crescent, including a large Bunya Pine. A small war memorial is situated near the entrance to the George Bolton Swimming Centre Burnside, Adelaide's most picturesque swimming centre. Hazelwood Park has an extensive network of paths with seating, barbecues and playground equipment. The all-access playground caters for children of all ages and abilities, providing a diversity of physical, explorative, interactive and imaginative play opportunities.

Well done to the Depot and Asset management teams that maintain these beautiful parks and playgrounds.

Once a week more than 40 people gather in the Burnside Ballroom for 50 minutes of Mindful Meditation. The class is run by Sabine Toh, a local resident who gives her time to share her skills with others.

“I'm very passionate about seeing people shine their own brilliance and drop their limited beliefs and habits,” Sabine says.

With a background as a yoga teacher and a biologist (biochemistry/immunology) Sabine has studied quantum physics, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and hypnotherapy and is undertaking a PhD in breathing and sleep. She teaches meditation and balanced lifestyle techniques both in group sessions and one-on-one.

Sabine, 50, says we tend to program ourselves with statements like ‘I am always late’, ‘I am too old’ or ‘I can’t do that’.

“I teach people to change that. I have a smorgasbord of information and people pick what they want. I explain a combination of science and the ancient wisdom of the ages,” Sabine says. “I don’t preach – I teach.”

A key part of her session is deep breathing and self-awareness. “You have a unique life and you have to find the peace inside. There is so much information out there people get confused. I am passionate that the direct route to peace is within.”

Sabine welcomes anyone who wants to experience her unique teaching style. “The more the better,” she says. “More people means more energy – the circle is getting huge.”

Every class is different. “I have taught cancer patients to face their fear – of dying, of chemo, of having an MRI. I love seeing people happy and I have a lot of tools to help them.”

“People say to me ‘I feel so good - you have changed my life’. I feel uplifted and they keep coming back.”

One of her biggest challenges was teaching a class of high school boys how to deal with ‘study stress’. “I taught them to sit up straight, breath deeply and find their inner core. I convinced them they could be cool and confident at the same time, without slouching around. If I can teach them I can teach anyone!”

What do you like about living in Burnside?

I really appreciate the facilities at the Civic Centre. The things people can do is amazing. Tai Chi, cards, organic food – it’s free or cheap. Lots of activities for our treasured older people. It’s a beautiful space with free parking.

Thursdays 1.10 pm – 2 pm in the Burnside Ballroom $2 per person

Learn how easy it is to meditate, stretch and be mindful, using breathing to revitalise and also to de-stress.

Sabine is also available for public talks and in-house classes.

Volunteering is in John Carrangis’ blood. He has memories from the early 1950s when, as a child, he went collecting donations from his neighbours for the Crippled Children’s Down Every Street Appeal and Red Cross Calling. His mother, a widow of Greek background, was left to raise four boys on her own but was very involved with charities. “Despite her own difficult situation she was determined to help others,” says John. “That instilled in me a desire to help and contribute to the community.”

For 16 years John, 72, was convenor of the Rosefield (now Highgate) Men’s Breakfast Group. He still attends monthly but has pulled back from the organising. He helped to get the Rosefield Community Shed up and running at the Adelaide Showgrounds where he regularly provides pastoral care.

When his two adopted sons were at Glen Osmond Primary John invited their class mates to join a youth group to develop social skills, “We had movie nights, cooking classes and visited markets,” John says. “I got to know my sons’ friends and it gave the youth an outlet.”

As a volunteer with Anglicare SA John helped organise an annual 3-course dinner for more than 70 people who were “doing it tough”. He has also been a mentor with the Kairos Prison Ministry which visits inmates at Mobilong Prison. “We run a three and a half day course to help the men to encourage trust and to make good choices (when they are released). We then follow up each week for 6 months as they settle back in to the community.” John gains satisfaction seeing the inmates ready for release and knowing Kairos has made a difference.

Over the years John has worked with country Councils on health, building and planning. He spent some years with the SA Health Department working in health promotions and education on infectious diseases and vaccination.

A keen gardener and cyclist, John believes mindfulness and motivation are the keys to a happy life. “My principal motivation is ‘Bloom where you are planted’,” he says. “Make the most of your situation and always seek to improve it.”

For the past 10 years John has been a member of Blaze Aid, a group of volunteers who step in after bushfires to repair and replace damaged fences. He has assisted in bushfire fence recovery at Wirrabara and the Pinery bushfire (Roseworthy area). “We all have a few handyman skills and between us we get the job done,” he says. He has also assisted Goyder CounciI implementing a health and wellbeing program for residents of small towns affected by declines in population and services.

Father of two adopted sons and a ‘miracle’ daughter and grandfather of three, John is also full time carer for his wife Margaret. The family regularly holds community gatherings in their Beaumont Street for neighbours. “It is just a casual get together every year,” John says. “But it helps keep us connected.”

And if his days were not already full he has started campaigning both state and local government protesting their proposal to allow note receptors in poker machines. “Where is our moral compass?” he says. “Is it time local government stepped up?”

With his long history of community service it is no surprise that John was recently awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

New planning reforms will change the way development applications are lodged and assessed. This new system forms the rules that will govern all future development.

This new legislation introduces the biggest changes to the South Australian Planning System in 25 years and will affect how development policy is formed and amended and how development applications are lodged, assessed, approved and publicly notified in the future. It will include changes to which types of development will trigger notification to neighbouring property owners, residents and other community members, and when they have legal appeal rights. It may also have sweeping impacts on the look and feel of our suburbs and, potentially, property values.

Most importantly, the new Code will become the State's single planning rule book for assessing all development applications, removing the existing Council specific Development Plans. This means that Council’s current Development Plan will be revoked by July 2020, at which time current zoning will be replaced with a single state-wide planning and design code. Council is lobbying the State Government for better heritage protection and hopes the community can help by having a say on the new Code.

In early May 2019, the State Planning Commission released its proposals for neighbourhood change and its proposed approach for transitioning heritage and character policy from current development plans into the Planning and Design Code.

Currently Council has Historic Conservation Zones (HCZ) in our Development Plan. They are areas that have valued historic buildings with particular historic character and are sought-after areas to buy residential property. Contributory Items are buildings within the HCZ that make a positive contribution to the heritage value and desired character of the area.

Property values in Burnside’s HCZ traditionally perform well. Removal of these buildings will result in the loss of our City’s valued heritage and will significantly change the character of an area and thus potentially threaten property values. Less protection for heritage could change the look and feel of those suburbs such as Rose Park, Eastwood and Toorak Gardens, potentially reducing the value of properties in these areas.

And this is no different in suburbs that do not have heritage protection. The proposed new planning system could change our City’s landscape and the cost being the residential character of your street or suburb, potentially affecting your general sense of community as well as the bottom line of property values.

Council is lobbying the State Government for better heritage protection and hopes the community can help by having a say on the new Code.

Council has presented the Minister for Planning, the Hon. Stephan Knoll, with a Statement of Intent to convert our current Heritage Conservation Zone policy areas into nine ‘Local Heritage Places’ through a Development Amendment Process. This approach will better recognise and protect the important value that these heritage places have for our community

While the State Government has indicated that the intent of the new draft code is similar, it is not identical, to what Burnside currently has in place.

As the draft code stands now you could start to see tree removals, increased subdivisions, increased traffic, parking congestion and larger buildings. Notwithstanding potential limited rights of appeal.

Council will continue to lobby the State Government to protect our residential character, built heritage and trees.

Wattle Park couple James and Wendy Muir fulfilled a dream in October of last year when they travelled to France to complete a two-week Artist-in-Residence fellowship on writing and art. They produced a book, Orquevaux Mindfulness, from their time in France, with words by James and paintings by Wendy.

Soon after they returned home they saw an advertisement for Council’s Fund My Place project in the local paper. Fund My Place was a pilot project in 2018/19, aimed at bringing people together to transform a public space in their neighbourhood.

They formed the idea of combining James’ writing skills, his interest in mindfulness and Wendy’s art to produce postcards to be available in Bell Yett Reserve right opposite their home in Wattle Park.

“Each month we plan to produce a postcard with an original artwork image of Bell Yett Reserve and a brief mindfulness reflection linked to the image,” says Wendy.

September’s postcard shows an image depicting ‘The last light of winter’ with a reflection to ‘Slow Down’.

James says he wanted to add to people’s enjoyment of the reserve. “It’s about community building,” he says. “This area is absolutely beautiful.”

The project enhances the experience of people visiting Bell Yett and strengthens their connection.

“We want it to foster a stronger sense of identity with the Reserve and the neighbourhood generally’” says James.

From the front room of their house they can see the entrance and the small box in which the cards are placed. “It’s fun watching people walk in and check it out,” says Wendy.

More than 50 cards have already been taken and they are hoping the take-up will be about 200 a month. The Fund My Place grant covers the cost of printing, the box, art materials and signage.

The project is dedicated to the memory of Colin Pryor, a resident of Wattle Park for more than 50 years. “Colin was a true gentleman and loved his local community,” says James. “Over the years he walked his various dogs in Bell Yett and enjoyed it immensely.”

Other successful applicants were Preethi Kotera and Susila Palani.