Did you know that the All Saints’ Anglican Church, located at 501 Hamilton Road in Chermside, now has a soup kitchen and may soon have other facilities to help the homeless? The new feeding program takes place once a week to supplement their hamper donation drive and other programs that the church members deliver to the community.
Organized by Fr Daniel Jayaraj, the soup kitchen is open every Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. It’s held at the church halls and welcomes the homeless, the needy and the lonely to partake in a meal of vegetables, meat, coffee and cake.
Since the soup kitchen started over a month ago, the volunteers said that they saw people coming back.
Photo Credit: All Saints’ Anglican Church, Chermside/Facebook
“They feel comfortable, welcome and accepted,” Margaret Coombs said. “[The soup kitchen] reaches out to those in the community who need care, who need a meal, a time for fellowship with other people in the community.”
Fr Daniel, who arrived from Gladstone to Chermside sometime before Christmas in 2018, saw the need to open the soup kitchen when he realized that there are people sleeping outside the church. He also learned that the Chermside community has plenty of old people who dine alone in their homes.
“We want to fight against hunger and loneliness. The congregation is really excited about it and willing to help,” Fr Daniel said.
The soup kitchen complements the church’s grocery hamper donations to struggling families. This has been the practice since 30 years ago.
The church also plans to set up a charity shop, as well as a laundry and shower facility. Once installed, the needy may get coffee or second-hand clothes at the shop for $5, or take a shower and wash their clothes.
Under the State 2019-20 Budget, a total of $27,946,000 will be allocated for the Adolescent Extended Treatment Facility at the Prince Charles Hospital, which is already undergoing construction, as well as the construction of two new adolescent Step Up Step Down units in Brisbane and the refurbishment of two adolescent Day Program spaces at Logan and the Gold Coast.
Being one of the State Government’s key priority sectors, Healthcare will get a record allocation of $19.2 billion, up by $929 million from last year’s under 2019-20 Budget. The health budget will ensure that more doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals are employed and more hospitals are built to keep Queenslanders healthy and active.
The Prince Charles Hospital Adolescent Extended Treatment Facility
Located at the Prince Charles Hospital campus in Chermside, the Adolescent Extended Treatment Centre is being constructed for adolescents from across Queensland who are suffering from severe mental health issues.
Photo Credit: The State of Queensland (Queensland Health) 1996-2019 / health.qld.gov.au
Once it opens in 2020, the Treatment Centre will provide inpatient treatment and rehabilitation for an extended period. The facility will have 12 residential places/beds with statewide catchment area and 10-day treatment places for the local community catchment.
Photo Credit: The State of Queensland (Queensland Health) 1996-2019 / health.qld.gov.au
More health infrastructure spending to meet growing demand
Under the Building Better Hospitals Program, the State Government will spend $956.9 million to help meet the growing demand for health infrastructure.
“This year’s health infrastructure budget will deliver projects to ensure there are enough beds available to keep meeting increased demand.”
The health infrastructure investments this year will include:
$36.3 million commitment for the redevelopments of the Logan, Caboolture and Ipswich Hospitals as part of the Building Better Hospitals program.
$78.6 million to continue the redevelopment of the Roma Hospital and upgrade of the Gladstone Hospital Emergency Department.
$1.4 million for the upgrade of the Redland Hospital, to provide additional Emergency Department beds and birthing facilities.
$40.7 million for projects in the Rural and Regional Infrastructure Package, including the construction of a new community hospital in Blackall and redevelopments of the Sarina and Kingaroy Hospitals, Townsville Hospital’s Clinical Services and Maryborough Emergency Department and Specialist Outpatient Department.
You’ll be surprised at what you could find at an antique fair and if you love vintage stuff and old things, the Kedron-Wavell Services Club will be mounting the Albion Antiques and Collectables Fair this July.
Now in its fourth year, the Albion Antiques and Collectables Fair will run from Friday, the 19th, to Sunday, the 21st of July 2019. Kittyhawk Drive will be filled with a treasure trove of silverware, homeware, jewellery, furniture, and other interesting pieces.
Photo Credit: Albion Antique and Collectables Fair/FacebookPhoto Credit: Albion Antique and Collectables Fair/Facebook
Antique dealers from all over Australia will be at this major antique fair in Brisbane. But aside from scoring deals on some prized items, visitors may also get a chance to talk to antique experts like Paolo Bertelli of Albion Antique Auctions and Rob Neilson or Roundabaout Antiques.
Do you have budding music lovers in the family? If you think they’d like to mix music like DJs do, then sign them up for a different kind of school holiday event at Westfield Chermside’s DJ Academy.
By popular demand, the shopping centre will hold a DJ Academy sessio for children. This event will teach young boys and girls above 7 years old how to handle DJ equipment and to mix music and create an awesome playlist.
Happening at the first level of Westfield Chermside near the Samsung store, the DJ classes will begin from Monday, the 8th of July, until Saturday, the 13th of July 2019. Sessions are for $15 per child for 45 minutes and kids can choose their schedules between 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Then, on Thursday, the 11th of July, DJ Academy will host boogie night from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the centre’s second level events venue, Under The Dome. The kids can watch MC Dr Rhythm in action beginning 6:00 p.m., as he spins and plays dance music for this special children’s disco.
iFLY Brisbane, the newest and most thrilling attraction to come to Chermside and Brisbane’s first indoor skydiving centre is now open!
Nir Davidson, iFLY Australia – General Manager, is no stranger to taking risks. The former freestyle skydiving champion dropped out of medical school in his 20’s to open his own skydiving centre, using two credit cards and a whole lot of faith and determination.
From there, he went on to invest in US-based iFly and pitched to open its Australian arm. After franchises in the Gold Coast, Perth and Penrith, iFly has now landed in the Brisbane area, with its Westfield Chermside location being iFly Australia’s first company-managed facility.
The Chermside location is the result of a six-year search for a suitable location. Happily, it is also quite near Wavell State High School, a place Mr Davidson holds in fond regard.
At Westfield Chermside, iFLY’s $15-million Indoor Skydiving facility simulates the skydiving experience inside a state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnel (VWT) that generates wind from the top, then channels it down the sides and pushes it back up through the floor. This recirculating action creates a steady cushion of air on which the participants float.
Delivering the Dream of Flight – iFLY Brisbane | Video Credit: iFLY Brisbane / YouTube
It offers a safe way to experience the thrill of bodyflight to participants aged three years and older, and all physical ability; no parachute needed and no need to jump out of a plane.
Photo Credit: Niklas Daniel / niklasdaniel.com
“This is a completely new experience for the Brisbane market,” Davidson said. “The ability to deliver that dream of flight to everyone – regardless of their age or physical dexterity – is a key vision for us as an organisation. Additionally, the advanced technology used by iFly enables us to operate to the highest safety standards and maintain an immaculate safety record.”
Two iFLY-certified instructors supervise the first-time participants during the experience: one will assist the participant inside the tunnel whilst the other controls the air speed.
Each flight is equivalent to an outdoor freefall skydiving from 14,000 feet and is about one minute long but not shorter than 50 seconds. The minimum package for first-time flyers offers 2 flights equivalent to 3 tandem skydiving freefalls from 12,000 feet.
Do you want to be an indoor skydiving pro? iFly instructors can also design a suitable training program for you, so you can advance your flying skills and maybe someday participate in indoor skydiving competitions.
Flying High
Barely a month after opening, iFLY has started looking into a second Brisbane site. Demand has been very high at Westfield Chermside and the company has had to extend trading hours to accommodate bookings, which now need to be made several days in advance. Plans are also being made to open company-managed centres in Sydney and Melbourne.
iFLy Brisbane is open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 10pm. Participants are advised to arrive an hour before the flight to check in and go through a comprehensive pre-flight briefing.
For available packages and prices, you may check here.
Chermside unit vendors are the most generous when it comes to asking price discounting, a recent property market study revealed.
The latest report by Domain analysed the average rate of vendor discounting across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast. The analysis covered six months data to March 2019 and used a minimum of 30 observations whilst excluding properties that were sold through auction or were without a listed price
The report shows that in some suburbs, asking prices have dropped by as much as 12 percent. For units, Chermside was the top suburb where vendors provide the biggest discount on their unit asking price with an average of 8.90 percent whilst Carindale gave the largest percentage of discount with 8.50 percent
According to Domain, the median price of a two-bedroom unit in Chermside, based on sales within 12 months, is $370,000 or a decline of 4.6 percent from 2018. The average days on market for the same period was 177 days with a total of 70 units sold.
The unit median sale price in Chermside has been dropping since 2015, according the realestate.com.au data says. From $461,000 in 2015 and $389,000 in 2018, the median unit price further dropped to $384,085, based 100 units sold from 1 May 2018 – 28 May 2019.
Other suburbs on the list with the highest average price discount for units are Redcliffe (8.60%), New Farm (8.10%), South Brisbane and Coorparoo (8.00%), Annerley (7.70%) Fortitude Valley (7.50%). Kangaroo Point, St Lucia, and Brisbane City round out the list with a unit price discount average of 7.20%.
Clontarf, on the other hand, followed Carindale as top suburb for house sale asking price discounting with 7.70%. Rounding out the list are Redcliffe (7.60%),Rochedale South (7.40%), Cleveland (7.30%), Kippa-Ring (7.20%), Banksia Beach (7.10%), Margate and Redbank Plains (7.00%), and Scarborough (6.90%).
Whilst the average price discounting provides a good glimpse of how a suburb’s housing market is doing, several factors could trigger discounting despite good buyer demand, experts say. Some suburbs, for example, saw vendors eventually discounting their price because expectations were unrealistic which eventually led to overpriced house or unit or even longer days on market.
Chermside fashionistas, ready your wallets as the Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market returns!
Set for Sunday, the 9th of June 2019, this fashion bazaar will be held at the Chermside Bowls Club on 468 Rode Road to shop for discounted, barely-worn or gently-used designer labels for tops, bottoms, shoes, handbags, and accessories.
Stalls at the Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market will open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and you’ll likely come across famous brands like Prada, Versace, Kate Spade, Mimco, Camilla, Zimmerman, and other top designer brands.
Keep in mind that while many of these items are pre-loved pieces, these have been cleaned and are still definitely wearable or useful. After all, Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market was organized to help reduce landfill wastes and promote repurposing or recycling. So, if you love fashion but don’t mind buying second-hand items to reduce your carbon footprint, then this bazaar is definitely for you!
And to make it really easy for you to drop by, this year’s Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market has scrapped the entrance fee! So head on out to the stalls and purchase your fashion haul.
Congratulations, Chermside! This year’s bi-annual sustainability festival, the Green Heart Fair, is now on its 10th year!
Endorsed by the Brisbane City Council and managed by CitySmart, the first Green Heart Fair for 2019 will take place on Sunday, the 2nd of June 2019, from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Families are enjoined to take part in the celebration. Head to the 7th Brigade Park to meet and mingle with eco-activists green experts, conservationists, eco-businesses and the average green thumbs and eco-enthusiasts of the community.
Discuss sustainability efforts as well as gardening tips over food and drinks provided by food trucks. Bring your kids along since they would not only to learn about how to take care of the Earth; they will also enjoy the activities, games, and performances provided by mascots and entertainers.
Photo Credit: Green Heart Fair/Facebook
Photo Credit: Green Heart Fair/Facebook
The Green Heart Fair will also feature demonstrations and talks from eco-experts to educate and inform the public on how to reduce carbon footprint and create less impact on the environment. At least 100 stalls will be laid out comprising zones like Green Home and Cleanaway Waste.
Photo Credit: Green Heart Fair
As this is an outdoor sustainability event, participants will be asked to be mindful of the following:
Use reusable water bottles, coffee cups and drinking cups when purchasing drinks at the fair.
Walk or use a bike when going to the event.
Take the bus and use a go card instead of bringing a car.
Brisbane City Council has received a development application for a multiple dwelling on a 4,158-sqm site at 1004 Gympie Rd in Chermside.
Lodged by The Salvation Army (Queensland) Property Trust, the proposal is seeking to build a three-storey residential building with 21 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units.
The development aims to provide housing choice for vulnerable and low-income households who are transitioning out of crisis accommodation services offered by The Salvation Army.
If approved, the applicant will include 1,427 sqm of communal open space at the ground level that will have a sports area, turfed lawn, and a variety of informal seating.
Prepared by DC8 Studio, the architectural design showed the central communal meeting spaces will be connected to outdoor space to provide added amenity and space for families in addition to their private home and balcony.
It will include an undercroft level for 20 car park spaces, with 16 of the car park spaces allotted for the residents and the rest for the visitors.
The proposed three storeys exceeded the building height expectations in Gympie Road, as the subject site is located in a low-density residential zone where dwellings are predominantly one or two storeys in height.
TSA believes the additional height and density are required to maximise the amount of housing choice they offer to vulnerable persons.
The proposal has not received any public submissions yet but the applicant needs to provide further details regarding the DA based on the initial review carried out by BCC.
To know more about this proposed residential building, see Full DA- A005168702.
Cupcakes make life a little sweeter and if you’re craving for a bite right now, head to The Cupcake Patisserie on Hamilton Road in Chermside for a serving of tasty, moist, and fresh cupcakes.
They have an ever-changing menu, although you can expect the following flavours every day of the year, regardless of the season or special holiday: Vanilla, Double Choc, Red Velvet, Tim Tam, Fairy Floss, Salted Caramel, Rocky Road, Choc Fudge & Choc Peppermint.
The Cupcake Patisserie opened its first location in 2013 after owners Amanda Scott and Aimee Wilcox quit their corporate careers in hopes of bringing the home-made, hand-decorated baked goods they grew up with to the people of Brisbane.
Fast forward to the present day, the Cupcake Patisserie has earned a good reputation in Brisbane for their classic baked cupcakes and cakes. The success of Amanda and Aimee’s cupcake shop eventually led them to expand the business.
The ladies recently announced that they are opening a second shop in Clayfield this month. They will introduce a few more sweets like muffins, slices, and brownies in addition to their famous cupcakes and whole cakes.
The Cupcake Patisserie is located at the Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre in Hamilton Road and opens 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
