Mater Little Miracles

 

LET US CHANGE THE LIVES OF OUR MUCH LOVED CHILDREN!! Dasera Solutions are raising money for the Mater Little Miracles 5km walk on 3rd June 2012. You can make a difference as every cent counts…. Simply log on to Mater Little Miracles and donate to the Dasera team at http://materlittlemiracles5ks.org.au/dasera_solutions

‘Gloria’ is coming

 

 

A VISIT to sculpture Mark Andrews’ studio in the Gold Coast hinterland brought immediate surprise at the size and enormity of Gloria, a piece commissioned by Brisbane City Council and destined for the streets of Teneriffe.

Mark put an enormous amount of effort and intricate detail into the stainless-steel commissioned sculpture which many believe will become a tourist attraction for Teneriffe.

Gloria is a wool store ewe, complete with handbag which Mark says, with a wry smile, is “a Gucci original”.

Local artist and former Central Ward councillor, David Hinchliffe, said the sculpture he commissioned from his Central Ward Trust Fund was named Gloria in honour of local historian Gerard Benjamin’s late partner Gloria Grant.

He said Gerard and New Farm & Districts Historical Society president Ross Garnett support the name.

“I think it’s great to have a name for (it) and I think Gloria Grant’s sense of the irreverent would have been tickled. I hope one day that this sculpture will be joined by a ram, perhaps with the name ‘Gerard’ to complete the picture,” David said.

“The whole idea of having sheep sculpture is to remind residents and visitors to Teneriffe that this suburb was built on the sheep’s back. Teneriffe’s magnificent wool stores made countless millions of export dollars in selling wool from outback Australia to the world and shipping it out from local wharves,” he said.

Mark said that, after several delays over two years, due to personal problems, the council decided to cancel the contract which was originally for two sculptures – of a sheep and a ram standing up and with a suitcase reading to board the boat at the Teneriffe wharves.

Mark said that, despite the delays and the tearing up of the contract, he wanted to complete what he had already started – even at great personal and financial hardship.

He said the $7000 he has received, which was the original deposit, would see him deliver the sculpture to the council at an enormous financial loss as his materials alone were well over that.

David Hinchliffe, said he was initially surprised at the amount of detail in the sculpture and, considering what the council had paid for others sculptures Mark had been hard done by.

Vicki rises above election carnage in Central Ward

THE Liberal National Party’s Vicki Howard’s win in April 28’s Local Government elections was five years in the making.

Vicki said she had worked hard to turn around a 100-vote loss in Central Ward in 2008 into a resounding victory second time around: “It’s so what I want to do”.

Now about to be Cr Vicki Howard, she defeated Dr Heather Beattie, the wife of a former Queensland premier, and the Green’s candidate Rachael Jacobs to claim victory in the poll in what some in the media described as a drubbing for the Australian Labor Party.

The seat was held by Labor councillor David Hinchliffe for 20 years. He did not seek re-election.

David Hinchliffe said, on his first day of his retirement from politics, the Labor Party had a long road back after the election defeat.

David said that, while he was disappointed for Dr Beattie, given the decision by the ALP’s Paul Crowther to pull out of the race just three weeks before poll date, “the result was inevitable”.

He said that, despite residents and business owners being unhappy with the LNP-led council on important issues such as parking, development, drainage and bus routes, still they “overwhelmingly endorsed” Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and “strongly backed” the LNP candidate.

Vicki Howard, a New Farm resident and mother of two, told the media the win was a long time coming: “I’ve been campaigning since 2007,” she said, describing her electorate as `diverse and wonderful’.

She described the win as fantastic and, despite being overwhelmed with the result and the attention immediately after her win, promised to tackle the “diverse issues” of the ward with enthusiasm.

She also congratulated the LNP’s Cr David McLachlan, from the neighbouring Hamilton Ward, who was returned in another clear result, and said she looked forward to working alongside him in council especially on delivering the policies which would benefit both wards – and on such events as the Teneriffe Festival.

Dr Beattie congratulated Ms Howard on her win and thanked David Hinchliffe for his role in the community over many years and the help he was to her in the election campaign.

Dr Beattie said she would not stand again.

She said she was surprised that so many still trusted the LNP council.

Dr Beattie said that many people were frustrated with the LNP on many issues but returned it to power.

While she said she believed the ALP had a lot of soul-searching to do, Dr Beattie said it was not time to give up.

She said the ALP faithful needed to continue to be part of the community, part of action groups, part of neighbourhood groups.

“We can’t retreat,” she said.

Dr Beattie said she now would focus on spending a lot of time with her 80-year-old mother “who’ve I’ve ignored for three weeks” and then she and husband Peter would look at taking a nice, long holiday.

Over in Hamilton Ward, which covers Teneriffe south and Newstead, it is to be business as usual as the LNP’s David McLachlan cruised to an easy victory ahead of the ALP’s Philip Anthony and the Greens’ Alex Cousner.

Cr McLachlan, said he had to reacquaint himself with his dogs and mow the lawn after spending most of his time campaigning.

He said he also looked forward to working the his colleague over the ward fence in Vicki Howard who he said had worked hard over the past five years to “get the ID necessary” to have the electorate confident she would do a good job as their representative.

Richard keen to give back to a community which he has happily “grown up” with

THE name Richard Bodley has become synonymous with Teneriffe.

He and his wife, Jennifer Lockley, have “grown up” with the buzzing little suburb on the banks of the Brisbane River and they both want to put it fairly and squarely “on the map”.

Richard’s eyes light up and the adrenalin begins to pump when he is asked to talk about what life is like living and working in the suburb which was only a locality up until a couple of years ago.

“We’ve grown with Teneriffe,” he said adding that Jennifer’s drive and enthusiasm for the area matched his.

The couple, who married 12 years ago, first moved into the area from Clayfield when the locality on the edge of Newstead was derelict buildings and historic wool stores.

Across the road from the offices of his modern real estate business were timber wharves “right up to the road” and railway lines “snaked their way” up Macquarie Street and Paddy’s Market was a thriving enigma.

“No one lived here,” Richard said. “That’s what confronted us.” That was in 1994 – less than 20 years ago. Since then, the area has been transformed, thanks mainly to the Urban Renewal Program initiated by the late Trevor Reddacliff.

Richard said Baulderstone Hornibrook began to develop land along the riverfront and its first project was to breathe new life into the Mactaggarts wool store which was the only such building on the riverbank when he arrived.

Richard and Jennifer became immersed in the development with Jennifer, as an agent with L.J. Hooker, selling apartments off the plan.

That was the catalyst to begin Teneriffe Realty and they opened a shop front in Goldsborough Place – which is across the road from where the agency’s modern office suite is housed in the London Wool Stores.

Richard said some of the residents of the Cutters Landing development upstream on the Brisbane River were originally owners of apartments in Mactaggarts.

He said that, back then, a one-bedroom apartment cost $95,000 and a new two-bedroom riverfront floorplan $195,000. In 2000, the average price was $300,000 and, by 2008, $800,000. Today a wool store apartment costs more like
$1 million.

“Teneriffe has its own vibrant community,” he said adding that it had “a certain demographic” that was attracted to the style of architecture, the style of living and the lifestyle that had been created.

He said it was “a unique area” so close to the city with “fantastic transport infrastructure” with the catalyst for that being the Brisbane River.

“There is no suburb like Teneriffe anywhere in Australia which combined such a flexibility of lifestyle,” he said.

He said development in the area sought to maintain the heritage aspects while transforming Teneriffe into a modern precinct.

Two of Richard’s passions are the annual Teneriffe Festival, which, as its inaugural chairman, he was instrumental in getting started two years ago (and now has a “six-figure budget”), and the Teneriffe Chamber of Commerce, which was launched on Thursday, March 29, at Claret House Wine Bar. The launch was addressed by the newly elected LNP member for Brisbane Central, Rob Cavallucci.

Richard and another name synonymous with Teneriffe – Murray Sutherland from the Basis Group advertising agency – have a strong mateship and forming the chamber was an idea they hatched about 12 months ago.

Richard is the inaugural chamber chairman with Carol Gordon, from the VCC (Valley Chamber of Commerce), the treasurer. Murray also is on the board, along with Ben Pritchard, from Pritchard Planning and Property, Julie Bulle, from Zinc Recruitment, and Lily Dyer, from Claret House

Richard said that being part of the chamber and being on the board of the Teneriffe Festival went some way to giving back to the community which had given so much to he and Jennifer.

“It gives me great satisfaction to give to the community,” he said.

He said the TCC would compliment the recently started Teneriffe Progress Association and applauded the people who had the vision to begin it: “It’s great (starting the TPA). It shows how passionate people are of our community.”

“The association has an important role to play in maintaining the legacy put in place by Trevor Reddacliff; maintaining the integrity of his vision.

“Someone needs to worry about trees, parking, congestion and parks,” he said.

He said the chamber would give business owners in the suburb a forum to meet together informally, “network” and have a collective commercial voice.

The TCC has been aligned with the Fortitude Valley Chamber of Commerce – “a branch in effect”.

He said he had tried to form a business association about eight years ago but there were not enough businesses in the area to sustain it. “There certainly is now,” he said, adding that there were more than 150 prominent street-front businesses trading today.

For further information on the Teneriffe Chamber of Commerce, telephone 3854 0860 or email admin@teneriffechamber.com.au

Trounced ALP moves to sure up marginal Central Ward

WITH the ALP still licking its significant wounds from the mauling it got in the state election on March 24, the party has turned its attention to the battle for City Hall – which is controlled by the LNP.

Almost before the last of the cardboard voting stands in polling booths had been packed away, the party had moved to ensure defeated Brisbane Central MP Grace Grace’s role in public life lived on, seeking to persuade her to stand as a candidate in the council election scheduled for April 28.

Ms Grace lost the seat the LNP newcomer Rob Cavallucci,

The endorsed candidate for Central Ward, Paul Crowther, voluntarily stood aside for personal reasons and offered Ms Grace the candidacy but the Electoral Commission put an end to that gesture. By law, people who stood for the state poll in 2012 are ineligible to stand for a council seat in the same year. Also, a candidate in the state poll is unable to stand for a council ward until the poll in the electorate in which they stood is declared.

By the time the closing date for nominations for the local government elections closed on March 27, the result in Brisbane Central had not been declared, ruling her out.

Mr Crowther said he was disappointed from a personal perspective he would not be contesting the election as he had worked hard in the electorate to ensure he had a grasp of all the issues facing constituents but it was his decision to withdraw to, in the first instance, allow Ms Grace to stand.

He said that it was too late to reverse his decision once it was learnt Ms Grace could not contest the seat.

Up stepped Dr Heather Beattie, the wife of former Queensland premier, Peter Beattie. Dr Beattie announced on March 26 she would stand in Central Ward, which is described as marginal with about 100 votes having decided the outcome at the last election.

Dr Beattie stressed strongly that Mr Crowther was not pushed to give up his political aspirations. On the contrary, she said. She and several party colleagues had tried to persuade him to stay in the race.

She said that, while she initially had reservations about standing for the seat, she believed the ALP needed now more than ever a strong voice in Local Government in Brisbane.

She took poetic license with the  phrase: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party.

Dr Beattie has not always been as keen. She is believed to have declined an approach by the ALP in 2007 to run against Campbell Newman for mayor – the same year her husband stepped down from Queensland’s top job.

Central Ward is held by long-serving councillor, David Hinchliffe, who decided last year to not seek re-election and to retire from politics to concentrate on, among other things, his paintings.

The race now is on for Dr Beattie to get a grasp on the issues most concerning to New Farm peninsula residents including the lack of parking and the spread of parking meters, traffic management, CityCycle, clean suburbs, development rights and protecting the area’s heritage.

Dr Beattie’s main opponent in the battle is the LNP’s Vicki Howard.

Ironically, Brisbane Central, which Ms Grace lost at the state poll, was held by Peter Beattie until he quit politics in 2007 forcing a by-election which Ms Grace, who lives at New Farm, won.