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Top Taste Bakery to Close Kedron Factory After 50 Years

A major transition is taking place at Top Taste Bakery. After 50 years of operation, its factory on Gympie Road in Kedron will cease operation by May 2020.

Former Top Taste Bakery owner George Weston Foods (GWF) sold the business to the global company Newly Weds Foods in the first week of December 2019. The new owners, headed by CEO Calvin Boyle, plan to focus operations at the Newly Weds facility in Wetherill Park, Sydney.

Whilst 120 workers at the Kedron factory will lose their jobs, some staff will be absorbed by its Sydney site. According to reports, the company has hundreds of employees across its business sites in Queensland but transitioning will be prioritised for workers in Kedron.

In acquiring Top Taste Bakery, Mr Boyle said that there are plans to expand its bakery line with foods developed and created by the Kedron factory all these years.

Mr Boyle hopes that the transition will be fully completed by July or early August.

It’s still unclear what will become of the Kedron factory’s 3.63-hectare site. Per GWF, its parent company, Associated British Foods, has the say over the property.

Concept Plan for Chalk Street Park Project Has Been Finalised

Brisbane City Council has announced that the concept plan for Chalk Street Park has been finalised and will now move into the detailed design and construction phases.

The proposed Chalk Street Park, a 6,900-sqm urban recreation park, is bounded by Chalk, Marita, and Wellington Streets in Lutwyche and comprises 10 lots. The finalised concept plan follows a community consultation which showed that respondents are supportive of the project with preferences for picnicking and socialising facilities, a children’s playground, quiet reflective areas and walking and sporting activities.

The final concept plan include: new picnic shelters and an accessible drinking fountain; new playground equipment; an open space for informal sports and activities; a new pathway through the park; and a new planting area with shade trees to separate the playground from the street.

There will also be a new park entry; bollards along the park boundary; new shade tree planting to open space; pathway and streetscape planting; a safety fence to the playground; shade for the playground; fitness equipment; bike repair station; and an off-street parking on Marita Street.

*Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / brisbane.qld.gov.au*

Chalk Street Park is one of the list of 11 identified future park and reserve enhancements which also includes Colmslie Beach Reserve, Murarrie; Eildon Hill Reservoir, Windsor; Grinstead Park/Shand Street Park, Enoggera; Keperra Bushland, Keperra; Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve, Mount Gravatt; Stephens Mountain Reserve, Greenslopes; Wembley Park, Coorparoo; and Wishart Community Park, Wishart.

Council expects the Chalk Street Park’s construction to commence in late 2020.

Padua College and Mount Alvernia College Announce Expansion Plans in Kedron

Photo credit: Padua College Kedron (Official)/Facebook

Padua College and Mount Alvernia College in Kedron are planning to expand by acquiring a Council-owned depot, with plans to transform it into a sport and cultural precinct.

Mr Mark McSweeney, Chairperson of Padua College, and Mr Michael O’Brien, Chairperson of Mount Alvernia College sent a letter to their alumni, announcing the possible acquisition of the Stafford depot. Also, BCC has already accepted their letter of offer to buy the land.

The board of directors from the two Catholic Franciscan schools will come up with a master plan over the next year for the long-term use of the precinct. The master planning will involve a consultation period to ensure that the schools consider all input for the best use of the land.

They want the site to offer some community use as part of the long-term plan. But for the meantime, they are considering to build playing fields and a base for their combined Franciscan Colleges instrumental program.

“This opportunity has been made possible by more than 120 years of combined prudent financial management of Mount Alvernia and Padua Colleges. This has enabled us to be in a position to responsibly acquire this land,” Mr McSweeney and Mr O’Brien said in the joint statement.

All proceeds of the sale would go to the Brisbane Green Future Fund, which was established by the Council to expand the city’s greenspace and is part of the Council’s 2019-20 Budget.

About the Depot

The Stafford depot measures 44,476 sqm and is bordered by several streets including Broughton Rd, Wayland St, Lennon St, Hutchins St, Bradley Ave and Wood St. This parcel of land is located south of the two Cathoic schools and used to be a quarry.

Lennon St, Kedron (Photo Credit: Google Street View)

The site currently houses State Emergency Services facility. It will remain there until the council’s relocation strategy is complete. With its huge size, the land can still be used to build a residential space, but Finance Chair Cr Adam Allan said he is pleased it will be used for both education facilities and sporting fields for future generations.

Have Your Say on Bradbury Park Kedron Upgrade

What are your thoughts on the proposed Bradbury Park improvement project? You still have until 16 December 2019 to provide your feedback.

A central section of the Bradbury Park, located on Batten and Lawley Streets, Kedron will undergo upgrade works to enhance the look and feel of the park and ensure that it is able to meet the community’s growing demands.

Public consultation on the proposed improvement project is currently ongoing and the public is invited to provide feedback through an online survey on the draft concept plan.

The proposed park improvements, which will begin in 2021, involve:

Existing car park to be closed and replaced with grass
Driveway off Batten Street and car park with 40-50 spaces
Bus and passenger drop-off zone
Grass area with picnic facilities including shelters, seating, and electric barbecues
Large playspace built around existing trees, including challenging features to suit children aged 10-15
Toilet block
Connecting pathways

Beginning in early 2020, Council will also commence with the construction of following facilities:

Nature play features provided under existing grove of shade trees
New fitness equipment
Looped scooter track with a range of features for children to navigate

Information that will be gathered during the consultation will be used along with site investigations to help finalise the concept design for the Bradbury Park improvement which is expected to be released mid-2020. Construction commences in 2021.

The Bradbury Park improvement project is part of the Council’s initiative to enhance and maintain the more than 2,100 parks across the city, with more sites identified for future improvements, including Eildon Hill Reservoir, Wembley Park, and Wishart Community Park.

Alderley Is Brisbane’s Most Liveable Suburb of 2019

Alderley residents has one more reason to be proud, as the inaugural Domain Liveable Brisbane study names their leafy suburb as the most liveable Greater Brisbane suburb.

The Domain Liveable Brisbane study findings have shown that the ten most liveable suburbs were situated in the inner north, and sitting at the top of the ranking of 260 suburbs is Alderley which scored the highest overall, 10 out of 10 in public transport and open space.

Alderley also scored well across other criteria including low crime rate and access to schools. Apart from public transport and open space, however, Alderley scored best for tree cover and topographic variation.

The top 10 Greater Brisbane suburbs for liveability are Alderley, Wilston, Ascot, Paddington, Newmarket, Red Hill, Kelvin Grove, Windsor, Albion, and Grange.

The Domain Liveable Cities study is authored by Deloitte Access Economics and Tract Consultants which, based on several indicators, measures liveability in suburbs across Melbourne, Sydney, and for the first time this year, Brisbane.

The indicators used in the study for Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane were:

Culture – the density of cultural services such as libraries, museums, and galleries
Retail – the density of retail offerings and the proportion of a suburb covered by retail outlets
Cafes and restaurants – the density and proximity of cafes and restaurants in a suburb
Employment – the proportion of a suburb’s population that can walk to work
Train/bus/tram – measures the access to train stations and bus stops
Ferry – the average distance from the suburb’s centre to the closest ferry wharf
Open space – percentage of a suburb that is a public open space
Tree cover- percentage of a suburb’s tree canopy cover
Crime – the number of offences per 100,00 resident population
Education – the proximity to primary and secondary schools from the centre of a suburb
Airport noise – only for Sydney and Brisbane
Mobile and Broadband – the quality and availability of mobile and broadband services
Topography variation
Walkability – measures a suburb’s walkable access to employment, shops and or transport
Traffic congestion – measure the difference in average trip time between peak and off-peak hours
Coast proximity – measures the average straight line from a suburb’s centre to the closest coastline or beach
Harbour and ocean views – the proportion of the suburb that has harbour, bay, or ocean views.

Access to ferries was also used as an additional indicator in Sydney and Brisbane and access to trams was measured in Melbourne. Also, for Brisbane and Sydney, airport noise was also considered, and for Sydney alone, harbour and ocean views.

The study revealed that higher-density suburbs are more likely to be liveable, particularly because older suburbs undergoing transformation may likely experience increased traffic congestion. The findings underscored the importance of a suburb’s ability to provide amenity for its residents to make it more liveable.

Woolworths Full-Line Supermarket Now Open in Lutwyche City

Woolworths latest full-line supermarket has finally opened in Lutwyche on Thursday, the 21st of Nov 2019! The store, spanning 3,500 square metres, is part of Lutwyche City’s $60 million transformations, which began in 2017.

Lutwyche City welcomed the latest addition to the shopping precinct by posting a photo of the Woolworths Lutwyche on its Facebook Page. The massive chain store is expected to employ over 100 residents of Lutwyche and the nearby suburbs.

Woolworths Lutwyche was built with a $5 million fund. Aside from all the conveniences, items and ingredients you’ll need from the supermarket, the store will also feature the following key sections:

healthy living products, organic snacks and goodies
wholefoods
heaps of fresh fruits and vegetables
a substantial butcher’s section
a full service bakery and deli filled with fresh goods
seafood selections

Originally built in 1974, Lutwyche City’s transformation is in keeping with the global trend of turning neighbourhood centres into the hub and heart of the community.

In addition to Woolworths, this shopping precinct also has ALDI and Coles supermarket, a balcony dining area, an upgraded common mall with a health and medical hub, and a Papilio Early Learning childcare centre with a parent’s room.

“Woolworths will complement the existing Coles and ALDI supermarkets, delivering a centre that can service and dominate its catchment areas in which they operate,” Lutwyche City manager David Smith said.

Since 2015, Lutwyche City has been owned and managed by Abacus Property Group.

Gympie Road at Kedron: Among Brisbane’s Crash Hotspots in 2019

Gympie Road is Brisbane’s most dangerous road, particularly its sections running through Kedron, Chermside, and Aspley making it on the Crash Hotspots list, according to the 2019 AAMI Crash Index.

The analysis is based on data from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019 of the more than 340,000 motor accident insurance claims across Australia by customers of AAMI, GIO, Suncorp Insurance, Shannons, APIA, Bingle, CIL Insurance, Vero, Terri Scheer, and Essentials by AAI.

Gympie Road has been identified as the worst road in Brisbane. Its stretch running through Chermside and Aspley has occupied the first and second spot; same as last year’s ranking. Logan Road, Mount Gravatt; Mains Road, Sunnybank and Browns Plains Road, Browns Plains round out the first five.

Gympie Road at Kedron is tied at 7th-8th spot with Logan Road at Eight Mile Plains. Bruce Highway, Caboolture; Morayfield Road, Morayfield; and Ipswich Road, Annerley placed 6th, 9th, and 10th respectively.

“These hot spots are generally busy major arterial roads, that intersect with local streets. When you combine this with heavy traffic and frequent stopping, it is a perfect recipe for vehicle collisions,” AAMI Head of Motor Claims Anna Cartwright said.

The top crash locations for each capital city are:

Melbourne – Plenty Road, Bundoora
Sydney – Hume Highway, Liverpool
Brisbane – Gympie Road, Chermside
Perth – Albany Highway, Cannington
Canberra – Monaro Highway, Hume
Adelaide – North Terrace, Adelaide
Hobart – Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay

AAMI Behavioural Economist Phil Slade added that a crash is likely to occur when the driver is less than 10 kilometres from home or familiar route because we tend to slip into autopilot,” as opposed to driving in an unfamiliar location where we tend to pay more attention on the road.

“Driver distractions such as mobile phones and digital devices are big issues because they take away from your ability to react. It’s best to always expect the unexpected, leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front and be patient especially if traffic is congested,” Mr Slade said.

Frustration, impatience and road rage contribute to vehicle collisions, so drivers should be patient and present while driving, Mr Slade concludes.

Kedron Catholic Schools to Undertake 30-Minute Stop Work Action

School staff at 206 Queensland Catholic schools, including three schools located in Kedron, will undertake a 30-minute stop work action on Tuesday, 19 November 2019.

Mount Alvernia College, Padua College, St Anthony’s School are among the authorised Catholic schools to participate in the short work stoppage. The latest action was announced by Independent Education Union – QNT following a range of work bans on 7 November.

The work bans undertaken in 195 authorised Chapters include the banning of attendance at any meeting of staff; banning duties during scheduled meal breaks; banning supervision or cover periods; banning playground/transport supervision; and banning employer requests for data collection or analysis.

Whilst an agreement was reached on a number of issues raised during the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) meeting, IEUA-QNT said that they were left with no choice but to escalate their campaign after employers failed to implement meaningful interventions to address work intensification, resolve middle/senior leader issues, and continued to stand against $1250 on-off payment to all school staff.

“The 30-minute stop work will allow Chapter members to meet to consider the employers’ positions and the member actions necessary to address our final remaining issues.”
Independent Education Union – QNT

Authorised Queensland Catholic schools will participate in a 30-minute stop work action from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on 19 November as a result of “employers’ continued failure to put in place meaningful interventions to deal with work intensification or resolve middle/senior leader issues,” Independent Education Union – QNT said.

The outstanding issues that led the union to consider a 30-minutes stop work action include: striking a better work-life balance; middle and senior Leaders issues; and contemporary pay and wage parity.

Queensland Catholic Education Commission, on the other hand, announced that Catholic schools will be open and operating on 19 November and said that all students would be appropriately supervised and that QCEC would keep the impact of the stop work action to a minimum. Moreover, QCEC said that employers are still keen on finalising the negotiations as soon as possible.

“Employers have put forward an offer that includes a 2.5 per cent general wage increase, a generous package of improved benefits for Middle and Senior Leaders and increased pay for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers,” QCEC Executive Director Dr Lee-Anne Perry said.

“Employers have also offered to cut classroom contact time for primary teachers to allow more time for collaboration.”
The full list of 206 authorised Catholic schools can be found here.

Host Your BYO Parties in Stafford at the Benga Box

Did you know that you can host a BYO party in Stafford at a secured and spacious location without fear of disturbing the neighbours or paying for a sky-high price for the venue? Enjoy the kind of party you want to celebrate at the Benga Box, a unique industrial BYO venue for hire.

Located at 24 Stone Street, the Benga Box offers flexibility and has everything you need to mount a party: PA system, lighting, projector, lectern, DJ Box, tables and stools. You can build a bespoke event by arranging the layout of the venue based on your theme or gimmick.

With the physical set up in place, all you have to do is choose a caterer for the food and drinks and hire the talents and waitstaff who will ensure your party will go without any hitches. Benga Box has an industrial double glass door fridge for hire as well if you’re self-catering your food and drinks supply.

Benga Box has a 100-seating capacity within its 105 square-metre area. It’s perfect for birthday celebrations, hen’s party or buck’s night, functions, launches and exhibits, provided that your party happens on a Friday or Saturday night.

For an additional fee, you may request for a LED dance floor, a stage and security details. For enquiries, fill out their form online.

Coles Lutwyche Customers: Among Top Soft Plastic Recyclers in Qld

Coles Lutwyche has been named among the most dedicated soft plastic recyclers, as the amount of soft plastic collected at Coles increased by 32 percent in 2018.

The latest Sustainability Report by Coles revealed that customers have recycled a total of 905 tonnes or 226 million pieces of soft plastics — including packing which cannot be recycled through most kerbside recycling services such as biscuit packets, lolly bags, frozen food bags and bread, rice, and pasta bags. That’s enough plastic to go around the world one and a half times, the report said.

State by State, VIC was the top state with 266,690kgs of soft plastic recycled, followed by NSW with 254,392kgs and SA & NT with 152,281kgs. Queensland, on the other hand, recycled a total of 106,690kgs of soft plastic.

*Photo credit: REDcycle Pty Ltd / redcycle.net.au*

The top Qld Coles stores include (Qld Coles Store / Recycling amounts in kg):

Kenmore / 2,506
Indooroopilly / 2,496
Fairfield / 2,295
Greenslopes / 2,190
Arana Hills / 2,183
The Gap / 2,071
Aspley Hypermarket / 1,999
Toowong / 1,986
Corinda / 1,887
Lutwyche / 1,802

Soft plastic collected at Coles is used as a raw material by REDcycle partners such as Australian manufacturers, Replas, and Plastic Forests for a range of uses like playground benches, garden edging, wheel stops, walkways in parks, bollards, and even the customer seats used in Coles supermarkets.

Coles Chief Property and Export Officer Thinus Keeve said that reducing waste has become a significant issue for customers which resulted in the increase in use of REDcycle bins.

“We know that recycling is important to our customers, and we are seeing many people changing their habits to reduce waste that ends up in landfills.”

He furthered that since Cole partnered with REDcycle in 2011, customers have recycled enough pieces of plastic to go around the world five times.

“We want to become Australia’s most sustainable retailer, so we are looking at ways to divert even more waste from landfill and reduce packaging.”

“The beauty of this program is its simplicity. We’re not asking people to change their routines – it’s just a matter of remembering to take their plastic packaging with them next time they visit their local Coles supermarket. And we were delighted to roll out our bins to Coles supermarkets across the country, it’s made a huge difference,” RED Group Director of Development Elizabeth Kasell said.