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Former Ballerina Now Serving At The Canossian Daughters Of Charity In Oxley

Sr Monique Singh (centre) with Bishop Ken Howell, Sr Hildegardis Fatin, Sr Melissa Dwyer, and Sr Rosanella Ganzetti (Photo credit: Canossians Australia/Facebook)

Sr Monique Singh, who recently made her final vow as a full member of the Canossian Daughters Of Charity in Oxley, once had her heart set on becoming a world-class ballerina. Everything changed when she realised she had a higher calling to serve God.

Read: Oxley Man Excited to Retire Early and Live a Nomadic Life

To Sr Monique, dancing was not just a dream. It was her first love. In fact, after high school, she studied dance full-time at a school in Sydney. The only daughter of Barbara and Graham Singh from Taree in New South Wales, Sr Monique once dreamed of traveling the world as a ballerina.

One day, whilst she was 16 years old, God spoke to her through a small book she was reading. It was at that moment when she first sensed a calling to religious life. At the time however, she could not picture how that would become a reality.

Eager to pursue her dream to dance, the young Monique moved to Brisbane to further her dance studies. Whilst studying choreography in a Brisbane university, she saw a flyer about a retreat organised by the Canossian Daughters of Charity.

Photo credit: Canossians Australia/Facebook

That’s when she met the Canossian Sisters, whose joy profoundly moved her. Even though she subsequently explored other orders, Sr Monique felt that with the Canossians, her heart was at home. Eventually, she felt torn between pursuing dance and staying in touch with the Sisters.

“I surrendered the desire to control and allowed the Spirit to gently guide me to new possibilities and opportunities for growth that were beyond all of my imaginings. I was amazed at the journey and how, in letting God take the lead in this dance of life, a new perspective of the world unfolded,” Sr Monique shared.

At 27, she entered postulancy in the Philippines, where she studied with other young women discerning religious life. Then finally, in July 2021, she made her final vows inside the Canossa chapel in Oxley led by Bishop Ken Howell.

“It has been quite the adventure so far – and the journey is just beginning. I am so very grateful for the people who were placed on my path, as God’s instruments, to help light the way,” Sr Monique said.

Queensland Introduces New Measures to Protect Faithful Servants Deployed from Oxley

Faithful, well-trained dogs and horses deployed from Oxley to help fight crime and protect the community will have more protection following the proposal to establish new measures aimed at individuals who harm or kill these animals.

The State Government plans to create new laws that will make it a crime to injure or kill Police Dogs and Police Horses. If signed, the offence will be punishable by up to five years in prison.

The Queensland Police Service will also create a new meritorious service award for Police Dogs to recognise their hard work for the community.

“Queensland has some of the strongest laws in the nation in relation to dangerous sex offenders, Organised Crime and Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and hoons,” Police Minister Mark Ryan said.

“Now we are moving to add another layer of support to the faithful servants, our Police Dogs and Police Horses, who help police do their critically important work.”

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers, alongside Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Guy Ford and Sergeant Kerrie Haines, was instrumental in the drive to create new laws for the animals’ protection. The Queensland Police Union also acknowledges the work of Sergeant Shayne Treasure, who helped develop the Police Dog meritorious service award.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll supports this plan, knowing that these animals work as hard as their handlers and the police officers.

“The bond between a Police Dog and their handler is particularly special and together the crime-fighting partnership is extremely valuable to the entire Service,” Ms Carroll said.

“Anyone who tries to hurt our Police Dogs or Police Horses should, as the Queensland Police Union have proposed, be held accountable and face serious consequences.

“We are grateful for the commitment of the Queensland Police Union and the Government in pursuing the new offence to further protect our invaluable four-legged members of the Service.”

New Building At Corinda Retirement Village Fast-tracked To Meet Demands

Photo credit: Aura Holdings

To meet the demand for retirement villages in Brisbane’s southwest, developer Aura Holdings is moving forward with the construction of Kingsford Terrace Corinda’s fifth stage building, dubbed as ‘Lingrove.’

Read: Plans Lodged for Stage 1 of Archerfield Wetlands Parkland

According to Aura Holdings, they received keen interest from retirees after launching its fourth-stage building ‘Francis’ that they decided to move forward on the construction of both buildings in June 2021.

Lingrove is one of six buildings planned for Kingsford Terrace Corinda, which will have a total of 250 independent living apartments. Stages 1 and 2 were completed in 2016 and 2018 whilst Stage 3 was completed in December 2020. The original plan was to develop the village in subsequent stages over the next two to three years.

Lingrove will offer 30 apartments in one-bedroom, two-bedroom with study, or three-bedroom options, whilst Francis will provide 18 two and three-bedroom apartments. The pet-friendly village offers residents facilities including a heated indoor pool, café, gym, hairdresser, a stunning cellar to store and enjoy wine, a billiards room, library, dining and functions room and consulting areas for allied health professionals.

Aura Holdings’ director Mark Taylor said since the start of 2021, the demand for independent-living apartments at Kingsford Terrace has been at a record high.

“In the past two months alone, we have sold 16 apartments – it seems everyone wants to retire to Kingsford Terrace! We believe this unprecedented demand is the result of the excellent reputation the village has established in the local area,” he said.

“So many of our buyers are word-of-mouth referrals from our happy residents. Our community of retirees has flourished and as their friends and family visit and experience the lifestyle too, word is out about Kingsford Terrace,’’ Mr Taylor added.

The construction of Francis and Lingrove buildings is expected to be completed by the second half of 2022, weather and construction conditions permitting. The apartments that remain for sale range from $590,000 to $980,000.

Meet Etta and Kaos, Two Best Pups of the QPS Dog Squad

In the fight for peace and order, two impressive four-legged service dogs have become the pride of the Queensland Police Service Dog Squad in Oxley. Police Dog Etta is a young recruit with a bright future ahead of her and Police Dog Kaos is a heroic service dog who recently received a medal for bravery.

Police Dog Etta is the first tech detection dog, whose main role is to help QPS track down illegal activities by terrorists and paedophiles in investigations involving counter-terrorism and child abuse crimes.

She has been developing her ability to sniff out particular odours to find concealed hard drives, SIM cards, USBs, and other devices that police officers may overlook.

Highlights

Etta is the first tech detection dog for the Queensland Police Service Dog Squad.
She will help Taskforce Argos detect concealed tech devices in police operations.
Kaos received a medal for his bravery from the German Dog Shepherd Council of Australia.
He has recovered from the stabbing he incurred whilst chasing vehicle thieves.

The pup will work alongside Taskforce Argos and has been training under Sergeant Jaye Lilley. After a careful study, QPS officials said that they had a great need for tech detection service dogs and started training Etta, who could be ready for her first operation in September 2021.

Etta is part of the Dog Squad, where 103 service dogs have been proving to be QPS’ assets in finding dead bodies, assisting in rescue operations, and tracking down evidence in critical police work.

Meanwhile, Police Dog Kaos received the highest medal of honour for a German Shepherd from the German Shepherd Dog Council of Australia (GSDCA) for his heroic accomplishment. In February 2020, Kaos was seriously injured while in pursuit of vehicle thieves.

The experienced police dog was stabbed in the throat but showed no fear or weakness despite the injury. Kaos recovered from injuries a month after the horrible incident and was back on duty, patrolling the streets.

“We are pleased to award Kaos after his seven years of service with the Queensland Police Service,” Annie Tamblyn from GSDC said. “He is a dog that was both feared by criminals and loved by children, especially when he would visit them at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.”

Senior Constable Jim Griffiths, Kaos’ handler, accepted the award on the dog’s behalf.

“Our police dogs do amazing things every day, so I am honoured Kaos has had the opportunity to be recognised for what he did.”

Controversial Graceville Childcare Centre Now Approved Despite Opposition

Artist’s impression of childcare centre (Photo credit: developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au)

Plans for a childcare centre on Honour Avenue in Graceville have been granted approval, despite strong opposition from the community.

Read: Iconic Chelmer ‘Doll House’ Sells for $2.265 Million

An application (A005541414) lodged by Graceville Skies Pty Ltd reveals the facility will be a two-storey, 822-sqm building with space for 135 children and operating hours between 7:00 am to 7:00 p.m.

The site will have 34 car parking spaces including 12 spaces allocated to childcare centre staff. Access to the subject site will be from Verney Road West, whilst pedestrians are also able to access the site via Honour Avenue.

In addition to a childcare centre, the applicant also lodged plans for an 811-sqm space for office and retail that will operate from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

View from Honour Avenue (Photo credit: developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au)

Those in opposition said they feel the childcare centre is not compatible in design or scale with the surrounding homes. Residents are also calling on Council to take into account the massive spike in childcare centres approved and pending approval.

In the present, there are established childcare care centres in Graceville offering hundreds of places. Then there’s another proposed childcare centre at 232 Graceville Ave (now in pre-lodgement) which aims to offer up to 82 places.

Subject site at 293 Honour Avenue, Graceville (Photo credit: developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au)

“Verney Road West is already a narrow street at that end and this purpose of development (childcare) would dramatically increase the car noise, traffic and congestion in Verney Road West which would also flow into Honour Ave,” one submitter wrote.

On the opposite side of the road, another developer lodged plans to build an integrated two-storey commercial building. Area resident Josephine Kennedy said she’s one of those who welcome the redevelopment of the former Nanette Lilley site, but not in its current form, as it fails to comply with numerous aspects of City Plan 2014 including the Sherwood Graceville Neighbourhood Plan.

Artist’s impression of the childcare centre (Photo credit: developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au)

Under the Neighbourhood Plan, streets and areas will present strong traditional building character and will retain pre-1946 houses. It also indicates that new houses and extensions to houses will be built in keeping with the local pre-1946 streetscape characteristics.

Submitters are entitled to lodge an appeal with the Planning and Environment Court against Council’s decision to approve the proposed development.

New Mobile Police Beat Arrives in Oxley

Did you know that a new mobile police beat has rolled into Oxley to provide the community with more access to services like taking witness or victim statements, reports, and conducting field interviews?

The South Brisbane Mobile Police Beat, parked by the entrance of the Oxley Railway Station, will also be going around the community to provide more police presence. The set-up will allow the locals to comfortably talk to the authorities about their concerns for public safety and security, including issues on domestic and family violence.

Aside from Oxley, the service will also be visible around Corinda, Sherwood, Graceville, Rocklea, Chelmer, Tennyson and parts of Yeerongpilly, according to the Queensland Police Service (QPS).

“Mobile police beats are an agile solution to policing in the districts and we look forward to being able to provide a “station on wheels” to predetermined areas that we identify require a policing presence most,” Chief Superintendent Graham said.

It comes the QPS recently welcomed 96 new officers, who were inducted as First Year Constables (FYC) at the Oxley Academy. They are the first graduates of the distance-based study option and received their deployment orders to serve various precincts across Queensland. They have also been issued their QLiTE devices to issue banning notices on the spot.

As FYCs, the new officers will further undergo station-based training for 12 months to improve their abilities whilst immersed in actual police scenarios.

“These new FYCs are the future of policing in Queensland, and the training they have undertaken up to this point has prepared them for the variety of situations they will encounter throughout their policing careers,” Commissioner Katarina Carroll said.

“The ability to graduate with QLiTE devices will enable these officers to hit the ground running, being equipped with the tools are necessary to perform their new roles.

“We are always looking to deliver the latest technology available to our officers to give them the equipment required to provide a modern approach to crime prevention, community safety and all other aspects of police work.”

Oxley Musician Ed Kuepper Wants Park With His Name to Become a Tourist Spot

Oxley musician Ed Kuepper received a great honour from the community after a park on Lawson Street was named after him. Now, he’s campaigning for this site to become a tourist spot and hopes that more people will visit and promote the location.

The founder of the Brisbane band, The Saints, said that the Ed Kuepper Park should be “known by everyone” around the world as it is a magnificent green space. He also believes that locals should venture around their own neighbourhood to “understand” Brisbane’s cultural history better.

It comes as he celebrates his 45th year in the music business with a series of shows around Queensland. Mr Kuepper has had a couple of successful shows in early June 2021 at The Triffed and the Imperial Hotel. In August, he’s set to perform at the Tanks Art Centre in Cairns and another venue in the Gold Coast.

Mr Kuepper, who was born in Germany and moved to Brisbane as a child with his family, founded The Saints with Chris Bailey and Ivor Hay in the 1970s and mostly rehearsed and wrote songs at the Kuepper family’s garage. They released three albums under EMI Records before disbanding in 1978.

The musician then formed The Laughing Clowns immediately after The Saints and then established ’90s grunge band, The Aints. Mr Kuepper has also thrived as a successful solo artist.

In 2017, some 800 locals signed the petition, spearheaded by Oxley resident Maurice Murphy, to name the park on Lawson Street after Mr Kuepper.

During the dedication of Ed Kuepper Park, the musician said that he has always loved it when people would point out to him where “certain things happened” and he appreciated seeing little plaques bearing the history of significant sites.

Dates Revealed as Kerbside Collection Resumes in Jamboree Ward

Residents of Jamboree Ward, you may now start sorting through your unwanted stuff and prepare for the return of kerbside collection. The service will resume a year earlier than originally planned and the schedule for pick-up has been confirmed.

In Jamboree Ward, kerbside collection will return on August 2021 so take note of the following dates:

DATE	SUBURB
9 August 2021	Jindalee Jamboree Heights Middle Park Westlake Riverhills Sinnamon Park Mt Ommaney
16 August 2021	Oxley Seventeen Mile Rocks Sumner Graceville Corinda
30 August 2021	Darra Ellen Grove Wacol

Photo Credit: Brisbane Retro Collection/Facebook

In April 2020, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced that regular kerbside collection for large household disposals will be temporarily cut off until July 2022. The mayor redirected the funds for this service to support economic measures to lessen the blow of the pandemic for small businesses, community groups, sports clubs and charities.

During the announcement of the 2021-2022 Council budget, Mr Schrinner confirmed that kerbside collection will be restarted in July 2021. Brisbane homeowners from other suburbs may look up their scheduled pick-up dates on the official site.

Residents are reminded that kerbside collection guidelines remain the same. Please only include the following acceptable items below as unacceptable items will not be picked up.

bath and laundry tubs
bicycles and sporting equipment
carpet and rugs
electronic waste (e.g. televisions and computers)
furniture and white goods (e.g. fridges and stoves)
small household appliances (e.g. fans and toasters)
wood products less than 1.5 metres

Keep tabs on the collection updates via the Brisbane Bin and Recycling App.

Rocklea Showgrounds Now One of the First QLD Vaccination Hubs

Did you know that 14 community hubs in Brisbane, including one in Rocklea Showgrounds, are now open for youth vaccinations?

One of the first of the 14 vaccination hubs to open in Brisbane is the Rocklea Showgrounds hub, with people lining up to receive the Pfizer vaccine after the community registered their interest in May 2021. The establishment of these hubs marks Queensland’s push towards mass vaccination, which is estimated to begin later in the year once supply increases.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath commented that all 14 hubs are expected to be open before July, ready to offer vaccines to people under the age of 40. Because health workers initially anticipated to get five shots out of each Pfizer vaccine and discovered that they could actually get six, surplus vaccines will be used at the hubs. This means that five appointments can be made per vial, even if there were six shots.

According to Ms D’Ath, all of the community hubs will provide Pfizer vaccines. Though Queensland is readying itself for mass vaccination, not everyone is eligible to receive their shots just yet. Those eligible for vaccination must fall under either the following priority groups:

1a priority group

COVID-19 frontliners and healthcare workers.
Quarantine and border workers.
Staff and residents at aged care communities.
Disability care residents and staff.

1b priority group

Anyone aged 70 or older.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged 50 or older.
Young adults with underlying medical conditions.
People living with disabilities.

The new vaccination hub can be found at the Rocklea Showgrounds at Goburra St and Ipswich Rd, Rocklea.

FoodWorks Oxley Serves Last Customers After 18 Years

FoodWorks Oxley on Oxley Station Road served its last customers in southwest Brisbane after 18 years in the business and the owners, Rebecca and Chris Antonieff, received such a heartwarming send-off from the community they’ve embraced like family.

Prior to the store’s closure on 30 May 2021, Oxley locals called on each other to stock up on the essentials and make their final purchases at the family store. At the same time, the locals also said their goodbyes to the Antonieff couple in messages on the Oxley Community Facebook group.

“That is sad news. They have worked so hard to keep afloat. They are going to be missed in the community,” one local said.

“Devastating news for our community and for Western Suburbs State Special School. Thank you for taking our kids in for work experience and making them feel like they’re are a part of our community too. So grateful, best wishes for the future.”

“A great loss to our community. I’m really sad to see Chris, Rebecca and the team leave. Their work during the 2011 floods and the way they have looked after people will be remembered for years to come.”

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The Antonieff pair were also recognised for mounting programs at their store to help people with disabilities and newborn parents. They also advocated for the environment and supported other small businesses in the suburb.

FoodWorks Oxley’s closure followed Liquorland next door, which shut down in mid-2020 due to the rising cost of the rent. No word yet on what will happen to the vacant site.