Category: News

Boundary St markets organiser Fred Drake is praying for a break in the rain as the markets enter their third weekend.

Last week’s high temperature and humidity saw crowds thin out a little in the afternoon but the stall holders remained optimistic, assuring Westender that “markets take time to build” and that “no-one controls the weather – not even Fred!”

The $3 parking on the Absoe property in Mollison St is a big drawcard for punters and assuming the rain clouds do break as the bureau predicts it could be a great place to do the Christmas shopping.

The markets are open from 7:00am until 2:00pm both Saturday and Sunday.

Straws in the wind – three sites that will carry West End’s future

From the middle of last century, West End has welcomed successive waves of migrants. The latest wave of change, however, has been economic.

Within the peninsula there are sites that have the potential to either advance the suburb or, equally, to undermine its future. Proponents carry a very real responsibility.

North by North West

City Council has recently declared the process for master planning the 26 hectares of riverfront from the milk factory down to the concrete plant in Montague Road. The sheer scale of this land so close to our river and city underscores its significance. It lies in the middle of flood prone lands, thus demanding a responsible and sensitive response.

Smack bang in the middle

The second site on our watch list is the current ABSOE location on Boundary Street. This collection of industrial and heritage buildings will be an attractive canvas to the creative developer, with imagination enough to embrace the values and spirit of West End. The project will also fundamentally shift the centre of gravity on our main street.

Central Park

The third site, although not large in square metres, is equally as significant. The small lot at 68 Vulture Street was declared public open space by City Council in 2011. It was just one of three new parks identified by council (See councillor Abraham’s story – this page) to meet the extra 25,000 residents projected for growth in the neighbourhood. The Lord Mayor deserves credit and support for delivering on the legal planning scheme, notwithstanding 11th hour lobbying from the owners of the longstanding dirt car park.

As the increased density of extra residents is approved by Council, the pressure on urban social infrastructure increases. Parks, even small urban open spaces, are essential. Lord Mayor Quirk deserves our support in his efforts to deliver this one small space.

These three developments are illustrative and emblematic of the urban development of our exciting suburb. They deserve your attention, ideas and comment.

Readers of Westender enjoy a regular breakfast with the South West Chamber of Commerce as we promote those who promote local business. Until now, I have failed to mention the bottles of wine that I have scooped each visit as the regular winner of the local door prize.

Scott McDonald from McGarry’s (featured in October) has banned me from dropping a Westender card into the lucky door prize.

The impact on the West End Trader’s Association has been somewhat more measurable. The membership of the organisation has more than doubled since we started promoting it regularly back in July. Welcome to the host of new members and we look forward to getting a similar increase in the traffic through your doors.

As we turn our minds towards another Christmas, many people start to draw up the presents list.

This Christmas, why don’t you start by committing to make all your purchases locally?

It’s well documented that dollars spent locally stay in local hands longer, and bring greater benefits to local communities.

The task of shopping locally brings about an element of creativity. Who likes a voucher for which restaurant or bar? Can you source ethically made products? What about presents for the kids?

In West End the answer is: absolutely!

The Westender continues to focus on independent, local businesses that help you maintain the vibrant, unique community that makes waking up in West End so delightful.

West End continues to offer some of Brisbane’s most exciting retail options.

The benefits of buying locally continue to give far beyond 25th December, 2013.

Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

The Local Shop logo will instantly identify participating businesses

For local businesses

Put this in your window think about opening early and late to make it easy for Westender readers to do their Christmas shopping on the way to and from work.

If mobs of youths start baying for David outside your shop, they are probably addicts of the 90’s BBC show League of Gentlemen. Send them down to the butcher for a ‘special package’.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) is an active lobby group for Queensland business. Its Industrial Relations resources are well respected and many a business owner has sworn that one unfair dismissal case avoided more than justifies the annual membership fee of $560 (5-9 employees).

Like all major business lobby groups, with the exception of the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA), CCIQ represents large and small business so the local chambers of commerce have flourished by focusing on the small to medium enterprises who can get swamped in a statewide industry body.

There were rumbles of discontent, then, when CCIQ announced an aggressive program to merge as many of the local chambers under its auspices as possible. A story published in Westender on October 17 got a swift reaction from the publicity team at CCIQ correcting some of the language that we had picked up at the Kenmore meeting that inspired that story.

Since then Westender has spoken to the presidents of four local chambers who are going to become satellites of CCIQ Central, none of whom are concerned that the CCIQ now controls their boundaries and their membership.

The consensus is definitely that the fears of a CCIQ takeover are ‘paranoia’. Let us hope that the founder and long-term CEO of Intel was not correct when he said that he lived by the adage, “Only the paranoid survive.”

Exactly twenty years ago, Brisbane theatre company La Boite graduated from the pro-am theatre groups dotting suburban Brisbane and went fully professional. This year Harvest Rain Theatre has made the grade, announcing their  2014 season with a stunning line up at QPAC.

First onto the boards is the musical GUYS & DOLLS from 20th of March 2014 with Daryl Somers (yes that one) alongside Stenlake & Angela Harding (recently adored in Oklahoma).

There will be five only performances of CATS staged at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in July starring Marina Prior. Followed by Monty Python’s Spamalot, the musical version of their famous Holy Grail movie. Spamalot will star Julie Anthony, Jon English and Simon Gallaher.

Harvest Rain Artistic Director, Tim O’Connor, said “Brisbane audiences love their musical theatre and Harvest Rain will be bringing them the very best in 2014. The best shows and the BEST of Australian Musical theatre talent.”