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Coralie Soward was a trailblazer, becoming the first female Elected Member of the City of Burnside in 1968. Later, from 1979 to 1982, she served as Mayor. In recognition of her dedicated service, she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 1999 for her contributions to social welfare and health organisations, as well as local government. In honour of her contributions, the Coralie Soward Hall at Burnside Community Centre was named after her.

Dorothea Black (1891-1951) is one of Australia’s most highly recognised modern artists. Born and raised in Burnside, she studied at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts and the Grosvenor School of Modern Art in London. Modernism was not always popular, but Black continued to paint, exhibit and teach modernist art principles throughout her life.

She painted from her house in Magill, painted landscapes of the Adelaide Hills, taught at the School of Arts and Crafts, was on the committee of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts in 1938, vice-chair of the Contemporary Art Society of South Australia and was an active member of the Australian Labor Party. She worked across mediums – watercolour, oil, still life, portraiture and landscapes. Dorrit is buried with her family at the Historic Magill Wesleyan Cemetery.

Photograph: Dorrit Black, 1921, photograph by Judith Fletcher.

Mary Penfold nee Holt was born circa 1818 in Edmonton, England. In May 1835, Mary married medical student Christopher Rawson Penfold (1811-1870). In 1844, Mary, Christopher and their daughter Georgina migrated to South Australia and purchased land in the Village of Makgill (now known as the suburb of Magill). Winemaking on the Magill property began in 1847, with the wine intended to treat Christopher’s patients. Mary assisted in this process, supervising workers and completing the bookkeeping.

After Christopher died in 1870, Mary became the sole owner of the vineyard. Under her care and with the support of vigneron Joseph Gillard junior (1836-1927) the business thrived. According to newspaper articles of the time, all blending of wines and the selection of grape varieties was done under her direction, according to her judgement and taste. At age 77, Mary died on 3 December 1895. Mary had a significant role in pioneering the company and is worthy of recognition as a pioneer vigneron.

Pictured: Mary and Georgina Penfold, circa 1850. Courtesy of Geoffrey Bishop.

Last week we were thrilled to be named a Tree City of the World for a fifth year running, and we have plenty coming up in the next few weeks to get excited about! Find out more in this edition of Burnside Highlights with Mayor Anne Monceaux.

Do you know where this olive grove is?

Hint: The olive trees are believed to be remnants of Sir Samuel Davenport’s olive plantations. Sir Samuel Davenport (1818-1906) of Beaumont House, is responsible for the proliferation of olives in the Burnside area. A nearby road, Olive Grove, takes its name from these trees which grow to its north.

Answer: The olive grove is located in Hazelwood Park. Olive Grove (the adjacent street to the western side of the park near Greenhill Road) was originally part of the Hazelwood estate owned by the Francis Clark family and was named in 1935 after the olive plantation in this area. This land at Olive Grove was subdivided for houses in the 1930s.

Dulwitches, a group of local artists, are getting ready to celebrate 50 years as part of the City of Burnside community.

Currently home to more than 20 talented South Australian craftspeople, Dulwitches’ store offers a wide range of products including baked goods, baby products, clothes, and around-home necessities.

Artist Lisa George said Dulwitches is continuing to grow even as it enters its half-century.

‘The shop changes week to week and we constantly have artists evolving,’ Lisa said. ‘We have customers come in whose mothers and grandmothers used to come in to buy, we’ve become a family institution.’

With the goal of brightening the lives of their customers through personal and distinctive artworks, Dulwitches are looking forward to sharing this outstanding milestone with the community in 2024.

Artist Tanya Curran said the team is planning to host a morning tea on Devereux Road in late April as a celebration for the big 50.

‘We have members coming who have been here from the start,’ Tanya said. ‘We can’t wait to celebrate such a milestone.’

Sometimes you can find beauty in unexpected places, and thanks to the Your Neighbourhood Budget funding and the artistic touch of a Burnside native, the Tusmore Park toilet block has gone from grey and gloomy to purple and proud.

As part of the 2023/24 Your Neighbourhood Budget, six projects around the City of Burnside were approved following public voting. One of which was the commissioning of a mural to be painted on the exterior walls of the toilet block on the eastern side of Tusmore Park, near the tennis courts.

Genevieve Byrt of Gen + Tonic Art who submitted the Your Neighbourhood Budget project proposal, was the artist to bring the space to life.

Born and raised just a few doors down from Tusmore Park along Northumberland Street, Genevieve, now in her 30s, said the park has maintained a special place in her heart ever since her childhood days in the wading pool.

‘I love the idea that my future kids will be able to come down here and see something I have created and be in a welcoming space,’ Gen said.

‘I grew up around the corner and I’ve spent a lot of time in this park, so it was really important to me that I painted something that was not only going to be engaging for people to watch being painted but to also come and enjoy on a regular basis.

‘For a space that is so heavily involved in the community and so many families and children around - I wanted to try and ignite energy and joyfulness. I suggested the project as part of Your Neighbourhood Budget and one thing led to another and it was approved.’

Composed of bright purples and blues, the mural design was created to reflect elements of the Burnside area. Featuring native flora and fauna and highlighted by a striking wave through the middle that represents the Burnside creek system. Come have a look yourself and see if you can identify all the symbols of Burnside.

Painted towards the end of January in near 40-degree heat, Tusmore Park was teeming with hundreds of visitors taking advantage of the wading pool. Gen said community feedback from those at the pool had been overwhelmingly positive.

‘I’ve met so many people who travel from all over Adelaide to come to this spot – the wading pool especially is such a great resource for kids. Everyone has loved the mural, especially the kids.

‘Seeing art in public spaces is not only interesting and exciting, but it shows young people and other community members that art doesn’t have to be in a gallery and you can create interesting spaces that are engaging to be in.’

In total the mural took around 60 litres of paint and roughly 35 hours across four days to complete.

2024/25 Your Neighbourhood Budget submissions are now open to all City of Burnside residents. To submit your suggestion for the 2024/25 Your Neighbourhood Budget, head to https://engage.burnside.sa.gov.au/your-neighbourhood-budget-2024

Artist Genevieve Byrt

full mural design

An unlikely community hub, a lone bench in Kensington Gardens Reserve/Kensington Wama has become the daily meeting place for a dog group comprised of over 40 pooches and their owners.

Located along the perimeter of Ford Oval, the northern most oval in the reserve, the bench was installed with support from Kensington Gardens & Magill Ward Councillor Kerry Hallett and the rest of Council.

All originally strangers to each other, the group formed organically over the love of their four-legged friends. Now encompassing dozens of members, the group is an amalgamation of a wide spectrum of people from local residents to residents of the wider Adelaide region, students to retirees, lifelong Australians to new citizens, small dogs to big dogs and everyone in between.

Group member and one of the catalysts behind its creation (and owner of dog Tic Tac) Drew noted the installation of the bench had become a necessity following health issues of some of the members.

‘After Doreen and Judy, two of our women who have had knee operations, came back from their procedures we were all very nervous and we thought we needed a safe space for them,’ Drew said.

‘This bench was mentioned as an opportunity and Kerry Hallett decided to take it to Council, so now this is where both Doreen and Judy sit sometimes, just in case.’

Riding his bike to the reserve in the morning, Drew also takes advantage of the installed exercise equipment to get in a quick workout and said everyone in the group personally took something slightly different from their experience.

‘I’ve been coming here for about three years now and in doing so, I’ve found it’s very helpful for me on several levels.’

With no pressure or requirements on attendance – or even the prerequisite of a dog, the unofficial group meets three times per day in the shade of one of the reserve’s many gum trees. Welcome to stay for as long or as little time as desired, the group use the time as much for human interaction as for puppy playgroup.

‘There are different groups that come in the morning, lunchtime and evenings,’ Drew said. ‘A lot of us will come down in the morning and we sit for at least an hour watching the cricket, it’s just great fun while the dogs are running around.’

Jess of Kensington Gardens said as a doctor the group dynamic fits in well with her inconsistent schedule and helped support her work/life balance.

‘Everyone is really invested in each other’s lives,’ Jess said. ‘We’ve had people go away or have surgery and other people in the group will look after their dogs or go and bring them to the park, so they don’t miss out.’

Diligent in their respect for others utilising the reserve, the group take pride in self-policing their member’s dogs and always keeping a heavy supply of doggybags on hand to leave the space clean after use.

Former Kensington Gardens resident Jennifer said that even though she doesn’t have a dog of her own, the group had been extremely inclusive and acted as a support network for her. Jennifer so enjoyed her time with the group that even after moving outside of the City of Burnside, she continued to make the trip to Kensington Gardens Reserve/Kensington Wama numerous times per week.

‘I moved in at a bad time of my life - I was very, very lonely,’ Jennifer said. ‘I got sick of doing work, home, work, home and not doing anything else. And I kept seeing the same people walking the same dogs around five-ish and I finally got up the courage to just go “Hi, you don’t know me, can I pat your dog?” and they went “Yeah sure,” … and then they couldn’t get rid

of me.’

Youngest member of the group is Phoenix from Kensington Gardens, who attends every Thursday afternoon with his grandmother. One of the most popular members of the group amongst both people and pups, Phoenix is the go-to group ball thrower and Chief Patting Officer.

‘If I get bored of playing with the dogs I’ll go over to the fitness area – there is always something to do at the park,’ Phoenix said. ‘You get to talk about your day, it is interesting to hear about everyone’s week.’

With plenty of seating, walking paths and a plethora of shade and cover, the group is spoiled for choice even through the extreme weather months. Rain, hail or shine many of the members make an effort to attend at least one session, like local Bill who has been coming to Kensington Gardens Reserve twice a day for 32 years.

‘The dogs love it and I enjoy the relationships forged with the other walkers,’ Bill said.

‘I love what Burnside has done to develop the park. It’s been a marvelous investment.’

Just a few of the Kensington Gardens Reserve dog group members and Cr Kerry Hallett.

You may have seen a certain purple and white van roaming the streets of Burnside.

But this van is no ordinary vehicle - it contains stories of love, families, danger, mystery, history, philosophy, biographies and travel, and the latest and most popular titles. This van is used by the Burnside Home Library Service.

Available to all City of Burnside residents who are unable to access the Burnside Library in person due to frailty, disability, sickness or their role as a carer, the Home Library Service brings the library to you. Established in 1975 and now part of the City of Burnside’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan, the service aims to reduce isolation and promote the inclusive community nature for which Burnside is so renowned.

Burnside Home Library Service staff Melissa and Amanda said the service is essential to maintaining community connections for those unable to make it to the Library.

‘The Library is an incredible community resource, and we want to ensure that every resident, no matter their circumstances, has the opportunity to access it,’ Melissa said.

Amanda added ‘It is about more than just the books; the social aspect of our visits can be just as important to some of our customers.’

Whether you are looking to borrow books, DVDs, magazines, audio books, large print or even to receive minor tech support, the Home Library Service has you covered with items specially selected for you.

On the road Monday to Friday, our staff offer a personalised library service direct to your door with scheduled visits once every four weeks, visiting residents who would otherwise be unable to use one of the City of Burnside’s most in demand facilities.

We are always looking for more people to call on. If you or someone you know might be interested, give the Library a call on 8366 4280 or visit us at www.burnside.sa.gov.au/library and apply online.

The Burnside Home Library team