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Council Reviews Burial Practices at Mount Gravatt Cemetery

The Brisbane City Council is currently conducting a six-month review of the burial practices being done at Mount Gravatt Cemetery. The review was prompted by the number of complaints expressed by different families against the spiking of the graves of their deceased loved ones.

Mt Gravatt Cemetery is a 100-year-old burial ground located at the South of Brisbane. Each year, an estimate number of 760 burials and 620 cremations are being held at this cemetery. It is also known for being the only cemetery run by the Brisbane City Council that offers distinct cultural burial areas.

Community Complaints

Over the last three years, complaints about the Mt Gravatt cemetery had risen tremendously. Concerned community members not only call for a higher standard of burial practices and arrangements but the overall proper maintenance of the cemetery as well. They believe that cemetery workers must be properly trained or re-trained in order for them to be efficient and well-equipped in managing all the graves placed at the cemetery.

Just last November 2018, when the flooding of graves has taken its toll to a number of families, the Council finally agreed on conducting a review for the Mt Gravatt Cemetery. The six-month review will run until June 2019.

Spiking is a process of consolidation of a burial land by placing a hose with running water unto it shortly after the burial ceremony. According to the Council, this process of spiking has always been part of the burial process since it stabilizes the graves and prevents the land’s subsidence. But with the ongoing review of the Council, the burial process of spiking has been currently put to stop. This news brought up positive reactions to the families who were previously displeased and even traumatized with the ill-treatment of their loved one’s graves.

Members of the community are now hoping for the Council to conduct series of consultation sessions as part of their review for the Mt Gravatt Cemetery. They are also looking forward for all their complaints to be resolved soon.

Opposition for the Controversial Townhouse Development on Carrara and Nurran Street, Mt Gravatt East Continues

Mt Gravatt East locals continue to oppose the proposed townhouse development on Carrara and Nurran Street, Mt Gravatt East as it undergoes public notification.

In December 2018, the developer has officially lodged the development application for the 29-townhouse development at Mt Gravatt East. Since the commencement of the public notification on 11 January 2019, Council has received several submissions against the development.

Prior to the lodgement of the DA for the townhouse development, local residents have already voiced their disapproval for the multiple dwelling proposal.

Proposed site for the Carrara and Nurran Street, Mt Gravatt East townhouse development. Photo credit: Brisbane Planning and Development Online

The Mt Gravatt East Townhouse Development Action Group particularly pointed out their disapproval of the tree clearing that happened on site before the DA was even submitted to the Council.

Now that the development is still open for submissions, the action group is urging other concerned members of the community to have their say on the development. Council will be accepting submissions until 4 February 2019.

New Mt Gravatt East Development

The developer seeks to construct 29 townhouses at 64 and 68 Carrara Street and 6 and 8 Nurran Street. They also want to realign the boundary between 6 and 8 Nurran Street. This is to create a wider access driveway for the proposed townhouse development.

Credit: Mount Gravatt East Townhouse Development Action Group/Facebook

In preparation for the development, the developer had already cleared the site. Unfortunately, it included the removal of mature trees that are home to native wildlife such as koalas.

As a response, Council has confirmed that they will buy two of the large blocks from the development site to revegetate it.

Furthermore, the Council also told the action group that they do not support the DA. However, by law, the Council has to allow the process to take its course.

Donate or Borrow Books for Free at Local Street Library in Mt Gravatt East

If you are a bookworm, you wouldn’t have any problem adhering to a New Year’s resolution to read more books. Well, here’s one more reason to get a headstart on the year as The Bookworm’s Local Street Library in Mt Gravatt East lets you borrow books for free.

The Bookworm’s Local Street Library is a community library where people can borrow or donate books without cost.

Open since July 2017, this simple literary haven is the product of the owner’s desire for sharing her love for books. Since its opening in a front yard in the suburb of Mt Gravatt East, so many people had already used the library.

Borrow Books for Free

The humble street library has a dedicated cabinet for kids’ books and a separate one for adults. With the help of supportive locals who donated their books, The Bookworm’s Local Street Library now houses an ever-changing collection of books.

The Bookworm’s Local Street Library in Mt Gravatt East is still accepting book donations. For adult fiction books, the library is only accepting those that are published in the last eight years. On the other hand, they accept all non-fiction and children’s books.

Visitors can come and borrow or donate books any time of the day as the library is open all day.

A friendly reminder for borrowers: remember to return the books as all of them are carefully stamped, stickered, and covered in plastic. This only shows how much the ‘librarian’ cares for every book donated to them.

For further information and updates on the community street library, you may visit The Bookworm’s Local Street Library’s Facebook page.

Pepperoni’s Wishart Offers Innovative Pizza with a Twist

Whilst many people are still arguing whether pineapples should be on a pizza, a new pizza trend is making waves across Australia. Pepperoni’s Wishart is one of the few pizza places in Brisbane that serves pickles over pizza.

Yes, you’ve read it right. Pickle Pizza is currently a growing trend and although pickles may seem like an odd ingredient for a pizza, for some people, it actually works.

Photo credit: Pepperoni’s Wishart/Facebook

Pepperoni’s Wishart, for instance, got their hands on the peculiar ingredient and offered the ‘Tropical Hawaiian’ pizza. It was even one of their pizzas of the week for 2018. Their creative pizza comes with ham, pineapple, cheese, pickles, Roma tomatoes, avocado, and honey mustard dressing.

This is not their only pizza that contains pickles as their popular ‘The Cheeseburger’ pizza also comes with the star ingredient. One customer even said, “this is the only place that does justice to this great food fusion”.

Pepperoni’s ‘The Cheeseburger’ comes with meatballs and cheese topped with lettuce, diced onion, pickles, more cheese, and special sauce. Probably good news for those who love burgers, pickles, and pizza.

Pepperoni’s Creative Pizza

Pizza with pickles is not the only unique offering from Pepperoni’s Wishart. They are also serving chicken and avocado pizza that comes with crumbed chicken, red onion, bacon, and cheese topped with avocado and honey mustard sauce.

They even serve a pizza with chips which they called Chicken Yiro’s. This unique offer consists of red onion, cheese, and chicken topped with yogurt sauce, bbq sauce, and chips.

Curious about Pepperoni’s other offers? You may check their menu online to have a glimpse of their vast selections of pizza.

Pepperoni’s Wishart is open from 12:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays and from 12:00 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., Fridays to Sundays.

As the new year begins, would you try something new and have a taste of pizza with pickles?

Mains Road, Sunnybank and Logan Road, Mt Gravatt: Among Top 20 Car Crash Hot Spots, Data Revealed

Motorists beware! Be more alert and always obey road rules, especially when driving down Mains Road, Sunnybank and Logan Road, Mt Gravatt — two of the top car crash hot spots, according to the latest insurance claims data.

The latest report from the State’s peak motoring body, RACQ, revealed the list of 20 most accident-prone areas. The report is based on insurance claims data covering 1 January 2015 to 31 October 2018.

The 20 car crash hotspots list ranked Mains Road, Sunnybank and Logan Road, Eight Mile Plains, fourth and fifth respectively. Gympie Road, which runs through Chermside, Aspley, and Kedron, is the top car crash hotspot, according to the report.

“Unfortunately, the top 20 list is made up of a lot of the usual suspects. Gympie Road took out the top three spots, with Mains Road at Sunnybank and Logan Road at Eight Mile Plains rounding out the top five,” RACQ spokesperson Kirsty Clinton said

Roads that made the list, Ms Clinton said, are the typically heavily congested, high volume, and multi-lane roads with many intersections and locations for interactions between multiple vehicles.

Mains Rd, Sunnybank QLD 4109, Australia

“A large portion of the crashes will be rear-end crashes which happen during congestion and at traffic lights and sideswipes and crashes where drivers have failed to give way properly.”

“As always when behind the wheel, but even more so on busy roads, drivers need to avoid distraction, obey traffic signals, give way correctly, travel at a safe following distance and carefully check blind spots and indicate when merging or change lanes,” advised Ms Clinton.

Some road rules for everyday driving according to the Queensland Government website:

Changing Lanes

Give way to any vehicle in the lane you are moving into, even if your lane is ending and you have to cross a lane line.
Before you change lanes, you must indicate for long enough to give warning to other road users
You must turn off your indicator after you have changed lanes or merged.

Merging

On roads where there are lanes marked on the road—if your lane comes to an end, you must give way to traffic already in the lane you are moving to.
On roads where there are no lanes marked on the road—when lines of traffic merge, you must give way to any vehicle that is ahead of you.

Queensland Road Rules – merging

Video Credit: TMRQld/YouTube

Giving way

You need to give way if:

the rules say that you must
there’s a give way or stop sign
there are stop or give way lines on the road
you’re turning right across the path of an oncoming vehicle at an intersection
you’re turning left or right at a T-intersection
you’re moving onto a road from a driveway or land next to a road
you’re moving off from being stopped on the side of the road
you’re doing a U-turn
you’re turning left at an intersection with a ‘left turn on red after stopping’ sign.

Queensland Road Rules – giving way

Video Credit: TMRQld/YouTube

Safe Following Distance

Drive at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front during ideal conditions.
When driving a vehicle towing a trailer or caravan, you should add 1 second extra for each 3m of trailer length.

Queensland Road Rules – safe following distances

Video Credit: TMRQld/YouTube

The top 20 most accident-prone locations in Brisbane (1 January 2015 – 31 October 2018) :

Gympie Road, Chermside
Gympie Road, Aspley
Gympie Road, Kedron
Mains Road, Sunnybank
Logan Road, Eight Mile Plains
Moggill Road, Indooroopilly
Sandgate Road, Clayfield
Ipswich Road, Annerley
Anzac Avenue, Kippa-Ring
Anzac Avenue, Rothwell
Sandgate Road, Virginia
Milton Road, Milton
Pacific Motorway, Greenslopes
Logan Road, Mt Gravatt
Hamilton Road, Chermside
Coronation Drive, Milton
Beaudesert Road, Calamvale
Ipswich Motorway, Oxley
Old Cleveland Road, Carindale
Ipswich Motorway, Darra and Gateway Motorway, Nudgee

Koalas Win as Bushland Acquisition Stops Townhouse Project at Mt Gravatt East

Instead of accommodating a townhouse development, the lots on Carrara Street, Mt Gravatt East will continue to provide safe passage for koalas. This, after the Brisbane City Council moved to purchase the block through the Bushland Acquisition Program.

The move to acquire the two parcels of land at 68 Carrara Street and 8 Nurran Street was celebrated by locals who have been fighting against the proposed townhouse development on the block. In a Facebook post, they felt the success in the campaign they started, celebrating the feeling of being heard.

In a statement, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said that the land purchase will add to over 400 hectares of native bushland acquired in the last two years.

“This 4,320 square-metre parcel of land sits right in the middle of a koala corridor that runs between Toohey Forest, Whites Hill Reserve and the Mt Gravatt Lookout and will prove invaluable to the local koala population that is known to move through this area,” Cr Quirk said.

Cr Quirk noted that the land acquisition is part of the Council’s plan to fast-track 10 years of bushland purchase into four years.

“All of the land chosen for purchase contributes to the rich tapestry of Brisbane’s ecology, with acquired sites including koala movement corridors, locations with rare and endangered plants and animals or freshwater and wetland habitats,” he said.

Councillor Krista Adams said it was disappointing that the area was privately cleared in the first place. However, with the decision of the Council to obtain and revegetate the land, local wildlife has a better chance for safe passage.

“Council has a strong record when it comes to protecting our native wildlife, including a comprehensive koala detection program, 4,000 hectares of acquired bushland as well as a koala research centre to understand the genetic diseases these species face,” she said.

After the block is obtained, it will be revegetated with a range of plants, including fast-growing Eucalypt.

Mansfield Tavern to be Transformed into Wecker Road Markets

Two separate development applications have been lodged for the three-stage Mansfield Tavern transformation proposal.

Mansfield Investment Queensland plans to redevelop Mansfield Tavern and add new centre activities, including shops, offices, health care services, indoor sport and recreation, and food and drink outlets.

Should the Council approve the development applications, Mansfield Tavern will become Wecker Road Markets.

Wecker Road Markets

Photo credit: Brisbane Planning and Development Online

Located at 181 Wecker Road, Mansfield, the proposal for the shopping precinct involves the development of a supermarket and mix of health care services, education establishments gym, food and drink outlets, specialty stores, and shops.

Designed by Cottee Parker, Stage One of the Mansfield Tavern transformation includes a new tavern and bottleshop fronting Wecker Road.

Furthermore, there will be three two-level retail and commercial tenancies included in the first stage.

For Stages Two and Three, the proposal plans include a fresh food supermarket, eight two-level tenancies fronting Larina Street, and three two-storey tenancies on the southern boundary of the site.

The project seeks to provide a unique and contemporary development that provides public outdoor spaces supporting commercial and retail tenancies. However, the existing tavern, liquor store, and associated hardstand car park will be removed to make way for the proposed development.

Community Feedback

So far, some residents are also onboard with the idea of redeveloping the site. In fact, a couple of submissions support the development proposal.

Read more about the Mansfield Tavern transformation proposal by checking the Application Details for A005055079 and A005054823.

10-Storey Commercial Building Could Rise on Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road

A ten-storey commercial building has been proposed at 34 Mount Gravatt-Capalaba Road in Upper Mount Gravatt.

CEL Group lodged the Development Application (A005059709) for the commercial tower, which the company intends to use to accommodate its future expansion. The building would have a gross floor area of 6,401 square metres and would sit on a 1,687-square-metre site.

Location of the proposed development. (Photo credit: pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au)

Its location would take advantage of a close proximity to The Village Shopping Centre and the Westfield Garden City. Access to the tower will be provided from Mount Gravatt-Capalaba Road and Sanders Street.

The plan is for the building to house multiple businesses and services. These would include offices, a child care centre, food and drink outlets, healthcare services, indoor sport and recreation as well as retail shops.

At the rooftop, there would be dining and barbeque areas, a lounge, gym and a basketball court. The commercial building would also provide 103 parking spaces for employees and seven visitor car parks. There would also be spaces for 30 employee bikes and 12 visitor bikes.

Photo credit: pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

In the DA, the applicant states that the proposal complies with the Mt Gravatt Corridor Neighbourhood Plan Code, which limits buildings in the area to a maximum of 10 storeys. The applicant also says that the proposal is in line with the surrounding built form context of the precinct and community expectations for high-ride non-residential development.

Find out more about the Development Application (A005059709).

Mansfield State School Takes Part in Pilot Recycling Scheme

Mansfield State School and Mansfield State High School, along with 28 other Queensland state schools, will be taking part in a pilot project to find ways for schools to get actively involved in the recently launched Container Refund Scheme.

The government will be providing a grant of $100,000 towards the $150,000 total cost for P&Cs Queensland to undertake the pilot project. The project is aimed at encouraging schools to find ways to get involved in the waste reduction efforts of the government.

Beginning November 2018, the Container Refund Scheme allows customers to exchange eligible containers for a 10-cent refund per item. Eligible containers include those made from glass, plastic, aluminium, or liquid paper board, ranging from 150 ml to 3 litres in size.

“This is a fantastic scheme and one that I would love to see school communities from across the State get behind,” Education Minister Grace Grace said.

“The participating schools will trial ways to collect containers within their school communities and work to harness the energy of everyone associated with their school, including parents and carers, students and teachers.

“P&Cs Qld will report back to the government by mid-2019 on the success of the pilot project and we hope to use these findings to encourage more schools to join the scheme,” Ms Grace said.

Most Queensland schools will one day benefit from this scheme, Ms Grace said. Like other countries that offered financial incentives to boost success of their recycling programs, the current initiative could increase the approximate 40 per cent recycling rate that Queensland has now, to up to 80 per cent.

Video Credit: Return-It/YouTube

In partnership with Refund Point Operators—Return.It Schools and Envirobank–Bag Drop Pilot, P&Cs Qld will work with the following state schools across Queensland:

Brisbane Southside

Chatswood Hills State School
Kimberley Park State School
Loganholme State School
Mansfield State High School
Mansfield State School
Robertson State School
Rochedale South State School
Shailer Park State High School

Brisbane Northside

Albany Creek State School
Aspley State Special School
Aviation High
Earnshaw State College
Eatons Hill State School
Mitchelton State Special School
Nundah State School
Wooloowin State School

Cairns

Balaclava State School
White Rock State School
Yorkeys Knob State School

Gold Coast

Bellevue Park State School
Coombabah State School

Sunshine Coast

Mountain Creek State High School

Townsville

Currajong State School
Pimlico State High School
Townsville Central State School
Townsville Community Learning Centre
Townsville South State School
Woodstock State School

Toowoomba

Harristown State High School
Highfields State School

Return.It Schools – Purple Wheelie Bin Pilot

Envirobank – Bag Drop Pilot

“We see the Container Refund Scheme pilot program as an ideal opportunity to establish on-site donation points in Queensland state schools and we will be working with Refund Point Operators on a sustainable and safe plan to maximise benefits flowing to these schools,” P&Cs Qld President Gayle Walters said.

“The scheme has the potential to provide invaluable education for our students on caring for their environment as well as providing a real boost to P&C funding,” Ms Walters said.

Mt Gravatt | Mega Zipline Alternative Location?

Mt Gravatt was once proposed to be site of a zip line project and the prospects of it as an alternative location to the controversial Mt Coot-tha zip line has surfaced again.

A zipline attraction was once proposed to be developed at Mr Gravatt, according to real estate firm executive Michael Sunderland and suggested for the council to reconsider the project. The proposal for the zip line along with gondolas attraction was said to have been made back in 2000 but did not materialise.

A development application has already been submitted for the Mt Coot-tha zip line and canopy walk project amidst growing resistance from the locals. Mt Gravatt would be the perfect alternative for the project and save everyone from the hassles at Mt Coot-tha whilst saving Mr Gravatt central businesses, the executive said.

A petition to stop the zip line project has collected over 1,500 signature to date. Petitioners are calling for the Brisbane City Council not to proceed with the Mega Zipline proposal for the Mt Coot-tha Reserve, “because of its impact on local green space, surrounding communities and the iconic heritage values of Mount Coot-tha.” The closing date for the online petition is 24 November 2018.

The gondola and zipline proposal was said to have merit but would require support from the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds. The Council, for its part, has not looked at alternative locations for the Mt Coot-tha zipline project.

Brisbane Mt Coot-tha Zipline

Video credit: Sarah Kennedy/YouTube

About the Mt Coot-tha Zipline

The Council lodged a development application on 3 September 2018 and selected Zipline Australia to design, build, operate and maintain the zipline. The proposed zipline design will consist of three experiences: tree canopy zipline tour, scenic zipline tour, and indigenous cultural heritage tour and skywalk.

Among other benefits, the Council stated that the Mt Coot-tha zipline project “will provide $232 million worth of economic benefits to South East Queensland over 30 years by encouraging international and domestic tourism and contributing to the range of local recreation experiences.”

The zipline forms part of the Council’s Our Shared Vision Mt Coot-tha 2030 and commitment to creating a leisure and adventure precinct at this famous landmark.