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St Gerard’s Christmas Lights Display Won 4KQ Competition

St Gerard’s Christmas Lights Display of Our Lady of The Angels Chermside was awarded the Best Light Display Overall and 7 News Best Church and Community Group Award in the annual 4KQ Christmas Lights Competition. Winning the Best Light Display Overall was a milestone for the church as it was the first time that it won in the category in the last 15 years.

Read: Our Lady Of The Angels Chermside Turns Lights On for Christmas Festival 2017

In media interviews, Chermside parish priest Fr Gerard McMorrow shared that there were less than 12 people who helped the church in setting up the Christmas lights display. Fr Gerard hires a cherry picker so that he can assemble the angel and lights on the church roof.

In another interview, Fr McMorrow said that he believed the lights had been instrumental in drawing thousands of people to attend the Christmas Vigil Mass. He noted that this number was bigger than the usual attendees that the church had in the previous years. The parish priest highlighted that the St Gerard’s Christmas Lights Display has put the church on the map, but, more importantly it influenced the community to stay in the church rather than at the malls. He also believed that the Christmas Lights Display brought the church and Christmas traditions closer to the hearts of the younger generation. As an additional benefit, the parish’s Christmas Festival had helped them with needed church renovations.

Meanwhile, Our Lady of The Angels Chermside’s weekend masses every Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. continues for 2018. Reconciliation Saturday will take place as usual at 4:15 p.m. Weekday Masses continues every Mondays at 8:30 a.m. and during Fridays at 9:00 a.m. Assumption Vigil, meanwhile, is scheduled on the 14th of August at 7:00 p.m.

The complete list of winners of the annual 4KQ Christmas Lights Competition can be found here.

Event Cinemas in Chermside Is Open on Christmas Day

Event Cinemas announced that their selected sites, among them the one at Chermside, will be open from 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Day and will show all the big Boxing Day blockbusters a day earlier.

Here are the top four films that all members of the families can enjoy, particularly the kids.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

The film is rated PG and stars Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, and Bobby Cannavale. It is the sequel to “Jumanji”, a 1995 adaptation of the 1981 children’s book of the same title, starring the legendary Robin Williams.

The late Williams remains to be an integral part of the film as his character, Alan Parrish, is instrumental to both the physical and emotional journey that the younger characters will take on in the film.

The plot follows four high school students who discovered an old video game console that allows them to literally be the adult avatars that they chose to play. In order to escape the Jumanji world and come back to the real world, they will use the clues left by Allan Parrish 20 years ago.

Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing Australia YouTube

Paddington 2

The film is rated G and stars Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, and Peter Capaldi. It is a sequel to the 2014 film titled “Paddington”. The plot now follows Paddington as he is happily settled with the Brown family and the whole community. He is seen working different odd jobs to buy a gift for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday. The gift has, unfortunately, been stolen. What follows are unscrupulous events that Paddington will all need to overcome to get that gift back for Aunt Lucy.

Credit: STUDIOCANAL Australia YouTube

Ferdinand

This animated film is rated G and features the voices of Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale, and John Cena. It follows the story of Ferdinand, a gentle bull who is mistaken for a dangerous beast. The people capture him and take him away from home. Knowing that he is not what the people think he is, Ferdinand will find his way back home together with some equally misfits that he meets along the way.

Credit: 20thCenturyFoxNZ YouTube

Coco

This animated film is rated PG and features the voices of Benjamin Bratt, Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, and Renee Victor. It follows the story of Miguel, who despite his family’s ban of music still aspires to become like his favourite musician, Ernesto de la Cruz. His pursuit of his music dreams takes him to the Land of the Dead where he unlocks the story behind his family’s history on music.

Credit: WaltDisneyStudiosNZ YouTube

Enjoy the movies!

For the complete list of what’s showing on Christmas Day at Event Cinemas Chermside, click here.

Chermside Library Keeps Kids Busy for the School Summer Holiday

Kids can attend free activities at the Chermside Library to keep them occupied for the duration of the school summer holiday from December to January. There are DIY workshops, sessions on drama, puppets, collage, role playing, poetry, even a musical show, and their favourite Harry Potter characters to life. Chermside Library will surely make kids’ vacations extra worthwhile.

Activity	Date and Time	Description
Bazil Grumble: Fantastic Mr Fox	19th of December from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.	An interactive drama and puppetry workshop inspired by the tale of Fantastic Mr Fox by author Ronald Dahl. Children will learn the essentials of voice and movement during creative storytelling. Children will also be taught how to create their own puppets. Ideal for kids six years and older.
Christmas Magic Show with Super Steph	22nd December from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.	Children will be encouraged to participate in a role playing activity where Santa is coming to town but Super Steph’s house is a mess and there is nothing to eat. Children will then make their edible Christmas decorations of which at some point Frosty the Snowman will come alive. Ideal for kids two to five years old.
Christmas Maker Space	23rd December from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.	Children will participate Christmas-themed craft making activities. Ideal for kids six years and older.
Create Your Own Visual Poem Workshop	5th of January 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.	Poet June Perkins and illustrator Helene Magison of the “Magic Fish Dreaming” will teach fun, imaginative, and interesting ways on how to write and illustrate poems using watercolours techniques. Ideal for kids aged eight to 12 years old.
Live Performance by Professor Frankie Falconnette	11th of January 2018 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.	Australian theatre artist Nadia Sunde will have a creative reading of one of the books from the Harry Potter series. All children are encouraged to bring their copies of the novel. Ideal for children aged nine years and older.
What’s the Joke Show with Andy Jones	13th of January from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.	Bestselling children’s author and entertainer, Andy Jones will perform a hilarious musical show, made more interesting with jokes and humour. Children will also be taught on how to inject comedic elements when performing. Ideal for children from six to 12 years old.
The Story of Collage	17th of January 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.	Artists from the Brisbane Collage Club will discuss the history of collage art dating back from the 1900s. Children will also be trying their hand in making a collage. Ideal for kids 12 years and older.

Whilst these events are free, bookings are essential to reserve a spot. Please click here.

Fashion Brand Sabo Skirt Opens Store in Chermside

Sabo Skirt, a fashion label which has already been worn by celebrities such as Bella Hadid, Ariana Grande, Vanessa Hudgens, Demi Lovato, and Kylie Jenner, is opening its first brick-and-mortar store at Westfield Chermside. The grand opening happens on 9th December at 11:00 a.m. and programme takes place until 5:00 p.m.

The first 100 customers are entitled to goodie bags filled with giveaways from Bali Body, Batiste, OGX HairCare, FrankBod, T2, and copies of Style Magazine. Everyone is also encouraged to take photos of the event, share them using their iPhones, and tag @saboskirt, @thessy.k, and @yiota for a chance to win an exclusive, private styling session with Sabo Skirt founders, Thessy & Yiota Kouzoukas who are also attending the event.

Adelene Lace Gown
Credit: Sabo Skirt Facebook

Humble Beginnings

Thea Thessie ❤️ @thessy.k

A post shared by Yiota Kouzoukas (@yiota) on Nov 18, 2017 at 4:00am PST

Brisbane’s very own Thessy and Yiota started their journey to the fashion world as fashion bloggers. Sabo Skirt had in fact started as a simple fashion blog in 2010 and a year after, as an online fashion store in Brisbane. Around this time they also started to post their photos on Instagram, whilst adding 50 new styles to the online store each month and then releasing them weekly.

At present, they have already acquired 1.6 million Instagram followers and Sabo Skirt has since then became one of the most popular social media success stories. Over the past five years, it has penetrated the whole of the Australian market and has started penetrating the international arena. It also caters to different age group at present, including children.

Match your Mini Me
Credit: Sabo Skirt Facebook

Lulu Tie Gingham Dress and Haily Gingham Dress
Credit: Sabo Skirt Facebook

In 2016, Sabo Skirt and its exclusive label Sabo Luxe, launched a debut collection at New York Fashion Week. In the same year, Thessy and Yiota were included in Forbes 30 under 30 Entrepreneurs in Asia. Just this October 2017, the duo was also named fashion designers of the year by Cosmopolitan Women of the Year Awards. The two ladies had already been interviewed by different renowned media institutions such as the likes of Channel TEN News, Channel 9 News, CNN, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Girlfriend, The Collective Hub, Courier Mail, and Sunday Mail.

Thank you so much to @cosmoaustralia for such an amazing award and event! To all of our followers who voted, we owe this to you, so thank you!! And to our amazing @saboskirt team, we couldn’t have done it without you all ❤️

A post shared by Thessy & Yiota (@saboskirt) on Oct 25, 2017 at 11:03pm PDT

In one interview, Thessy and Yiota shared their next journey into the fashion world: expanding the Sabo Skirt label, acquiring more wholesalers, and growing Sabo Skirt’s presence overseas with more American celebrities wearing the merchandise.

To see more of their products, click here.

Check out their Instagram photos too!

Sabo Skirt is located at Westfield Chermside

Address: Cnr Gympie & Hamilton Rds Chermside/Brisbane QLD 4032

Catch the last Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market for 2017 in Chermside

The final Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market for this year happens on Sunday, the 3rd of December from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Chermside Bowls Club. Entry is $2 per person and children are free.

Credit: Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market Facebook

The Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market has always been known for its massive offering of pre-loved designer clothes, shoes, bags, and other fashion apparels. Fashion lovers have always flocked at the bazaar to snatch vintage pieces at an average of 50% reduction compared to their original prices. Shoppers can choose from high-end brands such as the likes of Camilla, Sasha Drake, Sass and Bide, Ginger and Smart, Alannah Hill, Saba, Alex Perry, Jason Brunsdon, Zimmermann, Kate Spade, Versace, Mimco, Leona Edmiston, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Ted Baker Bags and many more.

THOUSANDS of new, once worn & pre-loved designer label and vintage fashions in one big air-conned venue.
Credit: Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market Facebook

While the bigwig brands have always been the “hook” for the bazaar, runners of the Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market have consistently promoted the environmental benefits of recycling and upcycling. They believe that buying pre-loved items helps save the Earth because it minimises the carbon footprint accumulated when new apparels, bags, and shoes are made in factories.

Elsewhere in the world, pre-loved shopping has always been a movement against what has been termed as “fast-fashion,” where business moguls are creating seasonal designs so they can enjoy continued cash flow within the financial year. “Fast-fashion” has always been attributed to exploitation. Workers from Third World countries, including children, are reportedly being paid minimum but were overworked and were made to work at dilapidated buildings so corporations can save up both on wages and on rentals.

On the flip-side, pre-loved shopping supports the creators of “slow-fashion”, where artists design classic and elegant pieces that although slash a good amount of budget during first purchase, can be worn timelessly – hence, can be re-sold in places like the Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market.

Those who are new to the concept of pre-loved shopping might initially be concerned about hygiene. Rest assured that runners of legit pre-loved bazaars have always practiced cleanliness. After all, soiled, tattered, and items that are obviously in very poor condition would not be purchased and would give them a bad name.

In the case of the Boudoir Bazaar Fashion Market, it guarantees that everything sold by them is in clean wearable condition. In fact, one of their requirements for those applying as sellers is to make sure that their items are undamaged, hygienic, and remains wearable – “nothing ratty or low quality”.

Chermside Bowls Club is at 468 Rode Road, Chermside. It is an air-conditioned structure with a bar, a restaurant, and ATMs for more convenient shopping experience.

Our Lady Of The Angels Chermside Turns Lights On for Christmas Festival 2017

The St Gerard’s Christmas Festival 2017 officially starts when it turns on the lights this 1st of December. From then, the festival runs nightly until the 23rd, two days before Christmas. Families can enjoy different stalls that sell coffee, BBQ, light meals, drinks, and ice cream. Santa is available for photo opps from 7:00 p.m. until about 8:00 p.m.

The festival has always been popular for families and kids because of its amazing Christmas lights display. The St Gerard Majella Lights, has won the best church and community group category in the 4KQ Christmas Lights Competition for several years running.

St Gerard’s Christmas Festival 2017
Credit: Our lady of the Angels Chermside Website

The highlight of the St Gerard’s Christmas Festival 2017 is the outdoor Christmas vigil mass that takes place on the 24th of December. There will be a live gospel procession, which includes a crib, a donkey, a sheep, and camels. Carols start at 6:00 p.m. with a mass at 6:30 p.m.

Live Crib
Credit: Our lady of the Angels Chermside Website

For the rest of the festival, the crib lays empty until the night of the Christmas Eve, in time for the Christmas Midnight Mass. Carols start at 11:30 p.m.

Christmas Morning Mass for 25th of December is held at 8:00 a.m. and again at 9:30 a.m.

For those who are looking for affordable gifts, there are a variety of options available in the festival. There are nativity sets, angels, snow globes, musical toys, and other gift items.

There is free musical entertainment from local community members in each evening at 7:30 p.m. with an exciting line-up of talents.

1 Dec – Irish Pipe Band

2 Dec – Santa and the Kids followed by Brett Lee

3 Dec – Queensland Accordion Orchestra

4 Dec – Orchestra Concertino

5 Dec – Brisbane Concert Orchestra

6 Dec – St Andrew’s Community Orchestra

7 Dec – Bayside Divas

8 Dec – South Brisbane Federal Band

9 Dec – St Gerard’s Family Carols and Sing-a-long

10 Dec – Brisbane City Pops Orchestra

11 Dec – Nostalgia

12 Dec – Classic Clarinets

13 Dec – Apollo Men’s Choir

14 Dec – Oompah Band

15 Dec – Brisbane Brass 3

16 Dec – Pantastic Steel

17 Dec – Paradise City Jazz Band

18 Dec – Redcliffe City Choir

19 Dec – Indooroopilly Chamber Orchestra

20 Dec – Brisbane City Sounds

21 Dec – Serenata Singers

22 Dec – Brother James

23 Dec – Renata Children’s Show

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church is located at 146 Maundrell Tce in Chermside.

Santa Is Coming to Chermside And Here’s Where to Catch Him

Santa is coming to town!

Children can have quality time with Santa at Westfield Chermside from 9th November to 24th December. All family members can have photos taken with Santa and beloved pets can have a moment with Santa too. The kids can even join a parade.

The Search For Santa’s Little Helper

Santa Claus
Credit: Westfield Chermside Facebook

During the first week of November, Santa has been in the lookout for a Little Helper who can assist him during the arrival parade at the mall. This lucky child will get to ride a Mercedes-Benz to get to the mall and will be the lucky one to walk with Santa during the arrival parade.

Santa’s Arrival Parade

Those who have missed the chance to be Santa’s Little Helper can still catch him on Level 2 of the Westfield Chermside shopping mall, in the new Dining Precinct. This is where his whole entourage will convene at 10:30 a.m. for the parade that starts at 12:00 p.m. on the 12th of November.

As soon as Santa arrives at the Westfield Chermside mall on 12th November, everyone can have the chance to take photos with him at the Santa Set located outside of the Coffee Club on level 1. The photo sessions will run until 24th December and all children will receive a free gift from Santa himself.

Weekly prizes will also be given for the duration of the event. Everyone is welcome to colour Paddington Bear at the Santa Set. Anyone who participates can leave their details with any of Santa’s little helpers.

Santa Pet Photography

Santa’s Pet Photography
Credit: Westfield Chermside Facebook

Pets can celebrate Christmas too and can have fun with Santa as well. From 19th November to 17th December, your precious furballs can also have their photo opportunity with Santa at the mall. For booking information, please click here.

The Santa Pet Photography session makes a comeback this year in partnership with Paddington 2, with a release scheduled for the 21st December. Paddington 2 casts include Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, and Peter Capaldi.

Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

Credit: FilmSelect YouTube

Paddington 2 will also have an advance screening on the 3rd of December at 11:00 a.m. at Event Cinemas. It will be an exclusive charity event with all proceeds to bedonated to children’s hospitals around the country. For more information, click here.

Credit: Event Cinemas YouTube

For more information about Santa’s stay in Chermside, click here.

Chermside’s Hummingbird House Dubbed as Carers Queensland’s Great Service Provider

In line with the National Carers Week 2017, the Hummingbird House was awarded as Carers Queensland’s “Carer-Friendly Business Awards’ Great Service Provider” for 2017. The “Great Service” category acknowledges non-profit organisations that are going “above and beyond” in providing their services.

What is Carers Queensland and its Carer-Friendly Business Awards?

Photo credit: Carers Queensland/Facebook

Carers Queensland works collaboratively with their partner organisations to raise awareness and provide services and programs to support the state’s carers and the people they care for.

Carers Queensland formed the Carer-Friendly Business Awards as an encouraging indication that there is an increasing number of organisations that recognise the value of supporting carers. Year 2017 marked the 14th year of the awards program that is recognising some of the most dedicated people and organisations in Queensland.

2017 Carer-Friendly Business Awards Winners

Great Service Provider	Hummingbird House, Brisbane
Great Employee	Naomi Kiehne, Townsville
Great Employer	Jamie Blackman, Target Country Roma
Great Service	Adrienne Penny, Rainforest Beach Studio B&B, Sunshine Coast

Who are the carers?

Melanie's twin boys were born with severe eczema and allergies. After years of going it alone, Melanie found a way to get the support she needed, and help other families along the way.To learn more about Melanie's support group, visit the Hands to Hold Facebook page.

Posted by Carers Queensland on Monday, October 30, 2017

Carers are the people who are supporting and walking beside a patient with a terminal illness. Research suggests that carers go through the same pain and emotional challenges as the patient does. Carers Queensland and the winners of the annual Carer-Friendly Business Awards show support to the carers who are continuously giving a part of their lives to their loved ones.

About Hummingbird House

Hummingbird House is the only children’s hospice in Queensland that provides palliative care, not just to children with chronic and terminal illness, but also to their families. They are eager to support everyone’s emotional and spiritual needs.

It’s not just a house, it’s a home. Hummingbird is a home to children with life-limiting conditions and their families, allowing them to reconnect and create memories that will last a lifetime. They provide the “above and beyond” service that the Great Service Provider award seeks through short break stays, family support services, therapies, and care at the end of life.

Photo credit: www.hummingbirdhouse.org.au

Hummingbird House was founded because of Paul and Gabrielle Quilliam’s goal to help every children and their families to treasure precious moments together after they had fostered a child with a life-limiting condition. Their dream came true last October 2016 when finally, they opened the doors of Hummingbird House.

Families from all over Queensland placed 37 hummingbirds over their front door to represent 37,000 children in Queensland with life-limiting conditions. Since then, Hummingbird House has been fulfilling their goal of giving assistance, not just for the patient, but also for their carers.

Chermside’s Gympie Road Remains to be One of Brisbane’s Worst Accident Hotspots

AAMI, an insurance company, recently released their Crash Index for 2017. Bad news for Chermside residents. Gympie Road still ranks high in Brisbane’s top five worst accident hotspots, ranking in the third spot, following Ipswich Road in Annerley and Mains Road in Sunnybank, which claimed the first and second spots.

Traffic Bottleneck on Gympie Road

Gympie Road claim to notoriety has been its consistent inclusion in Brisbane’s worst crash hotspots. In fact, it was Brisbane’s worst accident hotspot in 2015. Although now down to third place, Gympie Road clearly remains to be a problem, mostly due to the heavy volume of traffic that passes this major artery.

As a major road in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Gympie Road caters to a lot of vehicles travelling between the CBD and the northern suburbs, including the Sunshine Coast. Just this month, Snarl Live Brisbane Traffic Updates recorded multi-vehicular crashes along the Gympie Road. Throughout the year, these multiple crashes often result to multiple fatalities.

Artist’s impression of a multi-transit Gympie Road.
(Photo credit: Brisbane Development)

According to the study conducted by Brisbane Development, Chermside has seen urban densification that attracted people to move in the suburb and propose new dwellings within the Chermside-Kedron area along the Gympie Road. This urbanisation and densification has led to constant gridlocks covering large sections of the road.

Brisbane Development has said that road widening and remarking bus lanes would not address the issue, but a shift of mode of transport can. Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner mentioned that the Brisbane Metro will be expanded to Chermside, and that this should reconfigure Gympie Road from a car-centric road to a multi-transit road, hopefully reducing congestion and the incidence of multiple crashes.

This proposal is not new. In fact, Gympie Road has a dedicated Chermside Line with tramcars running down the road in the 1950s. The line is in between two lanes of traffic with enough space to accommodate vehicles and even rose gardens.

Main Causes of Road Crashes

Aside from the traffic bottleneck on the Gympie Road, the AAMI Crash Index reveals that 45% of motorists believe that distractions, such as mobile phones, are the common cause of crashes. Despite the dangers of “texting while driving”, a significant number of motorists are still taking the risk. AAMI study shows that 3% of Queenslanders text while driving and 47% engage in conversation with a hands-free kit.

“Concentration is key, especially when travelling in heavy traffic. It’s important to leave enough room between you and the car in front, keep to the speed limit and avoid distractions like mobile phones … Even when used legally, mobile phones can be very distracting for drivers – particularly phone calls. We would urge drivers to limit their use of phones while they’re driving and only operate them when it is absolutely safe to do so,” AAMI Spokesperson Michael Mills said.

Overspeeding and tailgating are also common causes of road crashes. Motorists should be mindful of safe driving behaviour when travelling Gympie Road and any other road. For travellers on Gympie Road, it’s best to be safe, than sorry.

Kidspace Playground Chermside Holds Picnic to Help the Hummingbird House

Mums of Brisbane is inviting every mum, dad, and parent-at-heart to bring their bubs and kids to the Kidspace Playground in Chermside for a free picnic. Mums of Brisbane is a new group that brings mums together to help them with social isolation and give them informative talks about unique and local perspectives of mum life. They organise family-friendly services and events, such as this social get together.

Event Details

Date	Thursday, 12 October
Time	10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Venue	Kidspace Playground

Everything is FREE. Mums of Brisbane will bring some gourmet food and drinks. You don’t even need to BYO picnic blanket, because they’ll bring picnic blankets for you and for the kids. The Kidspace Playground provides a kid-friendly environment where kids can play, crawl, and roll all they want.

There’s a catch, but it’s a very noble one. Just remember to bring any gold coin donation that you can wholeheartedly drop in the donation tin. Mums for Brisbane organised this picnic to raise funds for the Hummingbird House Foundation.

Hummingbird House Foundation

The Hummingbird House is the only children’s hospice in Queensland. For the record, there are only three children’s hospices in Australia. A children’s hospice is a home for children that provides a type of care that focuses on the palliation of chronic and terminal illness and attends to the child’s emotional and spiritual needs.

Hummingbird House provides a “home” where kids and their families can reconnect and create precious memories that will “last a lifetime”. They help children with life-limiting conditions by providing short break stays, family support services, creative therapies, and care at the end of life.

Hummingbird House began in a home and will always be a home.

Paul and Gabrielle Quilliam founded the Hummingbird House as “Queensland Kids” in 2011. Paul and Gabrielle were just typical Queensland couple until they fostered a child affected by a life-limiting condition. Since then, they made it their mission to build a “home” to the children with similar conditions.

Although the initiative started in 2011, the Hummingbird House just officially opened in October 2016. The foundation had gone through a lot of hard work in raising awareness about their mission throughout the years. The State and Federal Governments’ commitment and other organisations and businesses’ donations to fund the construction of their permanent location were the results of this hard work.

Families from all over Queensland hanged 37 hummingbirds at the front door, which represent the 3,700 children in Queensland living with life-limiting conditions.

To support the Hummingbird House Foundation, visit their website. You may also check the Mums of Brisbane Picnic’s event page for the picnic details.