A mini golf course and bar is set to open in Westfield Chermside, offering a multi-sensory maze of uniquely themed holes plus a full-service bar to boot.
Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre will be welcoming Holey Moley this coming November 2022, the third location in Brisbane to establish putting greens after Wintergarden and Fortitude Valley. The 350-person venue will deliver 18 themed holes, including four new courses exclusively designed for Chermside – Surfs Ups, Dart Board, Moonshot, and the Mini Sonic Loophole. To also make appearances are crowd-favourites Simpsons Evergreen Terrace and Flintstones Bedrock n Roll.
Photo Credit: Facebook / Holey Moley
Now to bring the party into full swing, the 80s and 90s-themed bar, Caddyshack, will also be on hand to serve specially concocted drinks including signature cocktails Sugar Caddy and Rub a Dub Tub. The bar will also offer a range of spirits, beers, ciders, wine and ready-to-drinks.
But what is putting and some sipping without a bit of munching? So, an array of scrumptious eats will be also available including BBQ chicken and Margherita pizzas, mouth-watering sandwiches, burgers and toasties such as Brisko Sando, Cheesesteak Burger and Cuban Toastie – all served with kettle-cooked chips and a Victorian dill and apple cider pickle.
As for the pricing, golf starts at $14 per adult and $10 for kids for 9 holes plus party packages available starting at $50.
Photo Credit: Facebook / Holey Moley
Holey Moley is set to open on 18 November 2022 at the Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre. To pre-book a spot, click here.
Holey MoleyMini Golf Course and Bar is part of a family of brands operated by Funlab which also includes Archie Brothers fun park, Strike Bowling, B. Lucky & Sons Arcade and Game Bar and Juke Karaoke.
When: Sunday, 16 October 2022 Time: 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Let the Brisbane Symphonic Band rouse your Halloween spirit as you listen to some of your favourite scary movie soundtracks at the 7th Brigade Park, along Kittyhawk Drive. Delight in a fang-tastic afternoon of spellbinding music that could also serve as a costume inspiration for trick or treating.
This is a FREE event for all ages and won’t require any booking, just drop by the park and find a spot to listen to the band.
When: Sunday, 30 October 2022 Time: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Geared for the under-5 kids and over 60s grandparents, this Halloween event is being held in celebration of Grandparents Day. Participants can expect to play games with their family members and create their very own dangly spider to add to their Halloween decorations at home.
Participants should dress in Halloween costumes. The session encourages active, healthy outdoor fun so bring a picnic rug and water bottles, along with essentials for sun protection.
Booking and a $5 payment are needed for this activity by phoning 0411 246 487 or signing up online. The meeting place is at the playground area of the 7th Brigade Park.
Date: Monday, 31 October 2022 Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Do you prefer quiet but productive Halloween activities? Creative children between 4 to 12 years old will enjoy this free spooky makerspace session at the Chermside Library along Hamilton Road.
Allow the kids to unleash their creativity by calling 07 3403 7200 to reserve.
Two women supporting thousands of families through their charities and an Aboriginal elder who has been mentoring young people for 30 years have been named Westfield Local Heroes for 2022 at Westfield Chermside.
Kerry Gordon, founder of Precious Wings charity, is this year’s Local Hero, receiving a $20,000 grant for her organisation. Ms Gordon is a paediatric nurse practitioner working in the Paediatric Palliative Care Service.
The creation of Precious Wings was driven by the experience of the loss of a child. Through the charity, Ms Gordon offers love, hope, understanding, and support to families, so they never feel alone after their bereavement. The charity also educates healthcare staff about caring for bereaved families.
Rebecca Adams | First Light Widowed Association
Like Ms Gordon, Rebecca Adams is also touching people’s lives. After losing her husband at 33, six weeks after their wedding, Ms Adams put her energy into helping others in her position.
She is one of the founders of First Light Widowed Association, which provides practical and emotional support to thousands of people.
Rebecca Adams (Photo supplied)
As a finalist of Westfield Local Heroes, Ms Adams received $5,000 to help her continue their work of her organisation.
Gary Cobbo | Kurbungui Youth and Family Development
Another finalist who received a $5,000 grant for his organisation was Uncle Gary Cobbo. He is a respected Aboriginal leader who has dedicated over three decades of his life mentoring and supporting hundreds of local young people.
At Kurbungui Youth and Family Development, he is always ready to offer people food and a safe place to have a yarn, efforts that he hopes will lead to life-changing interventions.
Garry Cobbo (Photo supplied)
Pam Wilson, National Community Experience Manager and creator of the Westfield Local Heroes program congratulated the recipients and thanked the communities for casting their votes to help determine the 2022 Westfield Local Heroes. “As we celebrate our fifth year of the Westfield Local Heroes program, we are once again overwhelmed by the inspiring nominations this year. Through the success of the program, we are proud to be able to continue to recognise and reward everyday people doing extraordinary work in our communities,” Ms Wilson said.
About the Westfield Local Heroes
Photo credit: westfield.com.au
Scentre Group’s Westfield Local Heroes program was established in 2018 to celebrate community role models whose work benefits others across a broad range of sectors, including family and youth support, health and wellbeing, inclusion and equity, community resilience and environmental sustainability.
They are nominated and voted by their communities, and they represent a diverse range of sectors. Westfield will award one Westfield Local Hero per Westfield centre a $20,000 grant for the organisation or group they represent, whilst finalists receive a $5,000 grant each.
Through the years, Hummingbird House in Chermside has helped hundreds of children with life-limiting conditions. Read all about four children whose lives have been touched and their families helped through their stay at the Hummingbird House.
Clara
Barely two years old when diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, Clara is a little fighter who underwent months of rigorous treatments and tests. When her family learned that her cancer was palliative, they went to stay at Hummingbird House, where they spent her final days and had some quality family time that will be cherished forever.
Jack was diagnosed with Anencephaly, a neural tube defect, and passed shortly after being born. His parents, David and Elizabeth van der Giessen were referred to the hospice, which provided the family with care, compassion, and support when they needed it the most.
Johnny was diagnosed with Vanishing White Matter Leukodystrophy, a rare genetic disease that affected his motor and cognitive function. The hospice is a very special place for Johnny, because it’s where he can be most free and be himself. He gets to enjoy his art therapy and music therapy at the hospice, helping him develop the skills he loves.
McKenzie was a 14-year-old sassy little soul, who suffered from a rare movement disorder caused by a mutated gene known as GNA01. In 2015, she was the seventh person to be diagnosed with GNA01 in the world.
McKenzie spent her last five years at the hospice, where she loved the arts and crafts, the music therapy, the hydrotherapy, discos in the pool, parties, and simply watching the sunsets from the rooftop.
Hummingbird House is the only children’s hospice in Queensland and one of the only three children’s hospices in Australia.
With more than 5,700 babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions across Queensland, Hummingbird House is a home away from home, providing specialised, paediatric, palliative care services and supporting families.
To help Hummingbird House and the families they support, Coles launched a fundraising program, where customers can purchase $2 donation cards at Coles stores across the state, featuring four unique designs created by Hummingbird House families.
Coles Queensland State General Manager Jerry Farrell said Coles is proud to be a fundraising partner with Hummingbird House.
“Our customers and team members have been passionate about supporting Hummingbird House since 2014 when the hospice was just in the planning stages, and over the past eight years we’ve raised $3.5 million together,” he said.
The first Miss Voluptuous International pageant, held in Nashville U.S., has crowned its queen and it is none other than Chermside beauty, Amber Jane Powson.
Ms Powson bested several gorgeous plus-size women and role models over 14UK/AU from all over the world, including U.S., Greece, Wales and Ireland, during the April competition. Country representatives competed in the following areas: Panel Style Interview (40%), Personal Introduction (10%), National Wear (25%) and Evening Gown/Formal Wear (25%).
The pageant, however, was also about showcasing how these women are making a difference in their communities. The 25-year-old is an advocate for mental health support, after having been diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and depression in 2017.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Ms Powson has been raising awareness about mental health and body positivity after she overcame her own struggles, including a previous attempt to take her own life. The young advocate decided to join Miss Voluptuous as she knows the platform will help reach more people to break down the stigma associated with mental health.
“Around 30% of young Australians say they’re extremely, or very, concerned about their body image. This creates a higher risk of anxiety, depression and other mental health problems,” Ms Powson said.
“Only with awareness and support about body positivity and mental health was I able to graduate with a university degree, while working a part time job at a hotel, acting as an extra on blockbuster film sets, and be a plus size runway and print model.”
Photo Credit: Supplied
Apart from her new achievement as Miss Voluptuous International, Ms Powson is also an ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation Australia and Women’s Mentoring Foundation.
“The advice I give during these talks includes having compassion for yourself like you do for those you love.
“I would never tell my own sister the things I tell myself. I would never say she is a waste of space – so why on earth did I say that to myself?
“I’ve had countless women around the world reach out to me lately after hearing this message and reminding them to be more compassionate to themselves and their bodies.
“I’m truly hoping to share this message as much as possible.
Natalie Carley, the Director of Miss Voluptuous Pageants, said that the candidates were judged not so much on their beautiful face but also on their “passion for making a difference, a willingness to work hard and a determination to be heard.”
Whilst a beauty contest, Miss Voluptuous is also focused on platforms, volunteerism, hard work and efforts to build confidence from within. The pageant is open to all ladies aged 18 and above, size 14+, married, divorced, single, with or without children.
Meanwhile, Ms Powson’s next public appearance will be on the runway for award-winning Australian Designer Sonia Stradiotto at the Spring Fashion Show on the 28th of September 2022 in aid of The Carers Foundation Australia.
When Karen’s Diner burst onto the dining scene last year, the novelty of a restaurant that dishes ‘burgers with a side of snide’ instantly became the talk of the town. But its unique and daring concept, along with recent incidents at their Chermside and Melbourne venues, have sparked some concerns.
“Karen is a pejorative slang term for an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people’s behaviors.” – Dictionary.com
Undoubtedly, Karen’s Diner’s unique gimmick has become a must-try hit, with most customers taking (and dishing out!) the verbal rough-housing in the spirit of fun that the concept intended.
However, some experts have expressed concerns, pointing out that incidences of verbal ‘abuse’ (albeit in the spirit of getting into the ‘swing of things’ at the restaurant) could compromise the psychological and physical safety of the establishment’s staff.
Photo Credit: Karen’s Diner / Facebook
Professional therapists have also pointed out that customers who are on the receiving end of the playful and naughty antics are also exposed to psychological dangers themselves.
This is particularly concerning for the kids, one clinical psychologist said, as some jokes could potentially cross the line that could leave damaging effects on the child’s psychological health.
Photo Credit: Karen’s Diner / Facebook
A Karen’s Diner – Westfield Chermside incident made the social media rounds in July 2022. Caught on the already-deleted video was a staff member making vulgar comments and doing an inappropriate sexual gesture in front of a 14-year-old girl, forcing the restaurant to apologise to the family.
A spokeswoman assured their patrons that their staff undergo stringent hiring and training processes and that the restaurant will make sure to put in place stricter training rules so that similar incidents would not ever happen.
In early June 2022, a family was escorted out of a Karen’s Diner restaurant in Melbourne after an altercation with the staff which the management said ended amicably.
House rules at Karen’s Diner | Photo Credit: Karen’s Diner / bemorekaren.com
Karen’s Diner is an interactive burger joint that attempts to make the dining experience more fun with their purposely rude staff and bad service that dares customers to channel their “inner Karen”, in a not-so-serious way.
The interactive restaurant’s house rules posted on its website reads, “no racism, no sexism, no homophobic commens, no body images comments, no ableist comments, do not touch our staff, no sexual remarks towards staff members.”
Make your pick known for the 2022 Westfield Local Heroes and shine the spotlight on the inspiring individuals who make such a positive impact in their communities. Here are the nominees from Chermside.
The 2022 Westfield Local Heroes awards program recognises the people whose work and advocacy contributes to the upliftment of the community. About 126 grants will be given across Westfield outlets in Australia and New Zealand.
These individuals, and their organisation, are recognised for their work in in areas like family and youth support, health and wellbeing, inclusion and equity, community resilience, and environmental sustainability.
Here are the nominees from Chermside.
Kerry Gordon
Photo Credit: Westfield Local Heroes
Kerry, a paediatric nurse practitioner, is also the founder of Precious Wings, which helps families and educates the healthcare staff of those caring for the bereaved. If Kerry is successful, Precious Wings will use its funds to set up its new premises with storage racking, furniture, and IT equipment.
Rebecca Adams
Photo Credit: Westfield Local Heroes
Rebecca founded the First Light Widowed Association, which offers practical and emotional support for widows, especially those who have lost their spouses at a young age. If Rebecca is successful, the First Light Widowed Association will use its funds to cover the cost of producing information packs and running support events.
Uncle Gary Cobbo
Uncle Gary, a respected Aboriginal Elder runs the Kurbingui Youth and Family Development, which mentors hundreds of young locals. If Uncle Gary is successful, Kurbingui Youth and Family Development will use its funds to run programs that provide assistance and linkages to employment and training for the youth.
Winners of this recognition per centre will receive a $20,000 grant that will support their work for the organisation they represent. Each of the finalists, on the other hand, will get $5,000.
Chermside chef Trinity Garcia, who works at The Kneadery, has won the regional Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award. She will soon be competing in the longest-running, most credible culinary competition for young chefs in the country, Fine Food Australia in Melbourne.
At the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award competition, Ms Garcia clinched the gold medal after impressing the judges with her complex technical skills and her ability to create delicious flavour combinations.
She prepared Asian-inspired pork with a legume and pork broth and celeriac for the main course, and apple and pear bavarois, with cardamom and lime for dessert.
Photo Credit: Supplied
The impressive selection placed the Chermside chef in the Top 12 ranking of new chefs in Australia and New Zealand, who are gearing for their next kitchen battle in Melbourne in September 2022. The winner of this competition will be named the Golden Chef of the Year and win a $10,000 cash prize.
Apart from the grand prize, two new $2.5-K culinary tuition cash prizes for Best Savoury Dish and Best Dessert Dish will also be given this year. These prizes will recognise the individual skill of the young chefs and contribute towards the completion of their culinary tuition fees.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Ms Garcia aimed for the Golden Hat to test herself against other young chefs in the industry and improve her cooking skills.
“I really love and want to keep pushing myself in my career. There is something quite thrilling about competing and I’m stoked to be getting back into it and giving it my all.”
“I love to challenge myself and see this as a great opportunity to put myself out of my comfort zone. It’s a high-pressure environment but I really thrive in that.
“I can’t wait for the grand finals, getting to go up against the best young chefs around will be an awesome experience and another learning curve for my progression.”
“I’ve always had a love of cooking from a very young age. Since the age of three, I’ve helped my mum with cooking dinner, baking and making celebration cakes. We always talked about how I was going to be a chef/pastry chef one day and I am so happy that I have fulfilled that and now have my dream career.”
The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award is now in its 57th year of presenting regional and grand final live cook-off heats.
“Our 2022 line-up of chefs have their cooking rated by world-class judges,” said Karlie Durrant, Communications & Sustainability Manager at Nestlé Professional.
“Whilst this can be challenging, being judged to globally recognised standards is the best way for young chefs to challenge themselves to create magic on a plate. Zoe really delivered on the day with a considered and well-executed menu. We’re excited to see what she creates under the intense pressure and thrill of the grand finals.”
The Type 1 Diabetes National Screening Pilot for babies 6 to 12 months old has been launched in North Brisbane, providing a FREE TEST for families in Chermside and other suburbs to see if their children are at risk for developing the condition.
The Type 1 Diabetes National Screening Pilot consists of a simple test for infants to determine their risk of developing the disease. Registration for the free test kit is online, which will be delivered to their house.
Parents need to get a saliva sample from their child’s mouth and then post the sample back to the laboratory. The test will be analysed to determine if their child is at risk of developing type 1 diabetes in childhood.
Babies with an “increased chance” of type 1 diabetes, based on their screening test will be offered free follow-up testing that can detect type 1 diabetes, even before symptoms appear.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Screening is a Lifesaver
Mom Jackie Goldston said that access to screening has been a benefit for the family. Her daughter, Freya, was diagnosed at 11 months old and this changed the family’s life forever.
“We had no experience or history with type 1 diabetes. It was December and so of course, being Queensland it was hot and humid, so her symptom of being very thirsty didn’t seem strange. It was only when she started showing signs of distress and breathing extremely rapidly that our GP sent us to the emergency department.
“It took three emergency doctors to diagnose her and by this time she was falling in and out of consciousness due to DKA. She was eventually rushed via ambulance to the (then) Royal Children’s Hospital where we didn’t know if she was going to survive the night.
Jackie with a diabetes insulin pump on her leg Photo Credit: Supplied
“I will be forever grateful to the team that saved her and for the fact that she is now a healthy, happy 13-year-old. But I only wish that we could have had an inkling of what to look out for.
Photo Credit: Supplied
“I don’t want any other parents to have to go through what my husband and I went through. Early screening will mean that parents know what may happen if and when their child starts to show symptoms and what to do. It will hopefully mean that their child will not be DKA at diagnosis and the family will already have some understanding of what to expect.”
The Benefits of Screening
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune disease that develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin helps the body convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. Without insulin, glucose can build up in the bloodstream to dangerous levels.
The disease is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting children and adolescents, with approximately three children diagnosed in Australia each day. While 90 per cent of those diagnosed have no family history of type 1 diabetes, the genetic risk of developing the condition can still be detected through screening. It is therefore important that all children are screened to determine if they are at risk.
“Early signs are often vague and can be missed or confused with other minor childhood concerns. As a result, at least 1 in 3 Australian children with type 1 diabetes are not diagnosed until they require emergency medical care,” said Dr Gary Deed, a GP who got involved with the project on a personal and professional level.
Photo Credit: Supplied
“Screening in infancy has been shown to support earlier diagnosis before the child becomes seriously unwell. While there is no cure yet for the disease, early detection can prevent serious health problems and support a better prognosis and long-term management of the condition.”
“I live with diabetes so his project is naturally a passion for me,” the doctor added.
“I have seen the impact of the undiagnosed type 1 person with full-blown diabetic ketoacidosis and how devastating this is for the person and their family. If this trial shows some benefits – we are hoping to refine this to have a national screening program to help improve the early diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, contribute to the reduction of mortality and severe morbidity associated with ketoacidosis at diagnosis and provide support for family members in a more structures less reactive way.”
National Screening Planned
Dr Kirstine Bell says the goal of the pilot program is to make early detection available for every child in Australia – ultimately becoming part of routine childhood screening.
“It’s an ideal time to start offering type 1 diabetes screening to children in Australia. There is a wealth of strong evidence showing the benefits of screening and we now have new technology that makes screening tests simple, safe and effective,” Dr Bell said.
Photo Credit: Supplied
“[This] has always been a passion area for me and I started this pilot to help children and families at risk of type 1 diabetes. It is my hope that screening for type 1 diabetes can be offered nationally for all Australian children in the future.”
The pilot is funded by JDRF, the leading supporter of type 1 diabetes research in the world. JDRF is dedicated to ending type 1 diabetes, and making the lives of people already diagnosed, or at risk of diagnosis, easier, safer, and healthier until that happens.
After two years of construction, The Salvation Army welcomes residents who could be at risk of homelessness at the new Salvos Housing in Chermside. The beautiful facility is funded by philanthropist Doug Cory.
The Cory Centre, located at the former Glenhaven complex, is a three-storey apartment with 21 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units for single parents with kids or families of vulnerable households. It has its own basketball and tennis court, a rebound wall, vegetable and flower gardens, a children’s playground, a common room indoors, and a library.
The Salvos Housing in Chermside was designed as a contemporary residential complex that blends well with its neighbours. It is meant to be an inner sanctuary where the kids can enjoy their childhood.
Photo Credit: DA A005168702/Developmenti/BCCPhoto Credit: DA A005168702/Developmenti/BCC
Mr Cory donated $5.5 million so that The Salvation Army can rebuild the Glenhaven complex for families. The businessman will never forget how the Salvos helped him, his eight siblings, and his single mum, Irene, when their family arrived in Brisbane.
Photo Credit: The Cory FoundationPhoto Credit: Google Maps
Before this complex became a women’s centre, it was a motel with 13 units. In 1988, the Salvos bought the property for its charitable work.
Mr Lambert said the housing complex will no longer be called Glenhaven.
“Internally, we’ve been calling it the Cory Centre because of the donor’s relationship with the project but there hasn’t been a designated name for it,” Tim Lambert, the Army’s senior development manager with the property department in Queensland, said.
Photo Credit: DA A005168702/Developmenti/BCC
“If you are an average person with an average job and you’re walking down an average street…you couldn’t tell the difference between us and anyone else. You should be able to live in the same street and have the same rules and show the same respect as everyone else. It’s meant to be a true blended community.
“It will have a mixture of men and women and it’s not a women’s crisis centre. It’s not a domestic abuse centre. It certainly will have people who have suffered all those things, but there will be enough separation and security for people coming out of those situations … but will have the ability to feel safe and secure within the complex itself.”
