oxley Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Over The Walter Taylor Bridge

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.

Oxley Man Excited to Retire Early and Live a Nomadic Life

An Oxley man is thanking his lucky stars as an unexpected $1.8-million windfall now means he can retire early, buy a caravan, and pursue the nomadic lifestyle of his dreams.

The man said he had been going through a tough time lately and is grateful that his challenges have seemingly come to an end. “Now all those worries have just disappeared,” the winner said. “This is magic!”

With his $1,818,181.82 Gold Lotto win, the Oxley resident said he plans to pay off his mortgage and then set the course for his early retirement. He’s also planning to buy a caravan to travel around Australia with his wife.

“This means retirement is going to be a lot more enjoyable too and I can be a grey nomad!”

The Brisbane local bought his winning ticket at the Oxley Newsagency at The Station Shopping Centre. Owner, Ray Betson, immediately informed his customers that the division one winner’s ticket came from his store but it took a while for The Lott to locate him.

Mr Betson said it was such a great feeling to know that another division one winner come from Oxley Newsagency. As someone who has operated the store for 18 years, Mr Betson has come across a handful of winners in his business.

The ticket was one of 11 division one winners for the Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4153. Since 2020, there have been 122 Gold Lotto millionaires in Australia.

Fire Pit Complaints Slightly Increase One Year After Council Lifts Ban

Fire pit complaints across Brisbane’s suburbs have had a slight increase nearly one year since the Council overturned the ban and following a trial that came about because of an incident involving an Oxley mum.

In September 2020, Brisbane City Council amended the order on brazier and fire pit use in residential areas.

Under the new law, backyard fire pits are now allowed provided it’s safe, compliant, monitored at all times, and at least 2.5 metres away from the property. The smoke shouldn’t be burned overnight or impact the neighbours, especially those who have respiratory issues. or be burned overnight.

According to Councillor Kim Marx, the Community Health and Safety Chairperson, Council had 487 complaints pertaining to backyard fire pits and 136 complaints about smoke nuisance since June 2020.

Yet Ms Marx said most of the residents have been following the safety practices as the ban has been lifted after the three-month trial.

In contrast, before the trial and the amended order, an Oxley mother’s backyard fire pit party for her kids in April 2020 received 158 complaints and 11 smoke nuisance complaints. The following month, the complaints increased to 203 and 40 for backyard burning and smoke, respectively.

The Oxley mother’s experience raised awareness for the Council’s laws on brazier and fire pit use, which many residents said they were not aware of until this incident. Ms Marx said that the law has been existing since 2000 under the Health, Safety and Amenity Local Law.

Backyard fire pits became popular in 2020 due to the lockdowns as families tried to find other activities with their children.

Queensland Police Academy in Oxley Welcomes 117 New Recruits

The largest intake of new police recruits in nearly a decade has started their comprehensive training program at the Queensland Police Service Academy in Oxley .

Of the 164 new recruits, 117 intakes from Brisbane will be trained at the Oxley school, where they will be taught skills to develop their capabilities to become a world-class police officer. The other 47 recruits will be trained in the Townsville academy.

The training is a six-month course that will assess the recruits on their physical and mental strength, as well as first aid proficiency.

This year, the Queensland Police Service Academy will also conduct distance-based learning for the theory-based elements of the curriculum for the very first time.

Commissioner Katarina Carroll personally welcomed and congratulated the recruits on Monday, 4 Jan 2021, alongside Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, the Honourable Mark Ryan MP.

“Today they will begin a world-class training regime to prepare them with the skills required to face a range of policing scenarios,” the commissioner said.“I know that their time at the Academy over the coming months will be exciting, challenging and ultimately very rewarding and I am extremely pleased to be here today to share this experience.”

“The strength of our frontline services has never been more important to the safety and security of our state and I am confident that each person here today will play an important role in keeping our community safe,” Mr Ryan said. “The training each of these recruits will embark on today will equip them with skills to ensure they are well prepared to handle future challenges with professionalism and dignity.”

Upon completion of their training, the intakes will be inducted into the First Year Constable program where they will further learn from the job.

More details about the Queensland Police training program is on the official site.

The Fort in Oxley Added Into Queensland’s Heritage Register

The Fort, a 19th century house currently owned by Passionist Community Oxley, has been added to the Queensland Heritage Register. Many may have recently seen it as the venue of the State Government’s media conferences during the early months of COVID-19 restrictions.

Also known as Regina Coeli Retreat or the St Mary’s Retreat, the house is a single-storey detached house originally built in 1882 by architect Francis Drummond Greville Stanley, for sheep and cattle farmer Henry William Coxen.

Who is Henry William Coxen?

Henry, who is from Croydon, England, came to Tasmania in his teens with his uncle and aunt, ornithologist John Gould and his wife Elizabeth Coxen. The family lived as guests at Governor Franklin’s home and then later moved to New South Wales, where Henry’s other uncle, Stephen Coxen, had a farm.

Henry was sent north of Darling Downs to join a European settlement and expand his uncle’s farming business.

In 1845, Henry returned to England and eventually married Mary Ann Shelton. The pair decided to return to Australia in 1852, where Henry established 17 grazing lands (pastoral stations), including in Oxley.

Henry William Coxen’s land title from Queensland
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland

By 1866, Henry divorced his first wife and then remarried Margaret Moorhead. The couple traveled back to England in 1867 but following many failed investments, Henry and Margaret, along with their four children, settled in Queensland in 1880.

For much of his life, the farmer involved himself with community building and was a board member of the Yeerongpilly Divisional Board and the chairman of the Sherwood Divisional Board.

Who is Francis Drummond Greville Stanley?

In 1882, Henry had his family house built in his nine-hectare property on Fort Road. His architect’s reputation was on the rise in Queensland.

Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland

Stanley helped built a substantial number of buildings around Brisbane, such as the Brisbane General Post Office, Telegraph Office extension office and the Queensland National Bank’s headquarters. The architect also designed the Sidney House, Whinstaines, the Robert Hart villa and Tighnabruaich in Indooroopilly.

Tighnabruaich in Indooroopilly
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland

What’s in The Fort?

The location of the Coxen home had a sweeping view of the Brisbane River and was at the highest point in the area. It had all the right elements important for affluent Queenslanders: spacious, hilltop view, near a gorgeous river, far from the city crowd. The house had 15 rooms, a two-hectare garden, stables, and outbuildings for laundry and the stockyard.

In 1906, Coxen sold the property to the Irish Corkran family, after Margaret’s death. Thomas Knight Corkran was with the Western Queensland police but ran a dairy herd. He rebuilt The Fort to scale this down to six bedrooms. However, he expanded the lounges and halls and built a larger dining room and kitchen with a storeroom.

According to his daughter, Olivia, The Fort had “two huge rooms for the men.” The Fort also had a cellar for the dairy and cream separator.

Photo Credit: Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland

Following Corkran’s death in 1937, The Fort land was subdivided to his family but by 1955, it was sold to the Provincial of the Congregation of the Passion in Australasia. Originally from Italy, the Passionists are Catholic missionaries. The group was the first Catholic outreach to work with Queensland’s Aboriginal people in the mid-1800s.

Photo Credit: Queensland Heritage Register

The order turned one of The Fort’s front rooms into a chapel and then added a new wing to the house with four bedrooms and a washroom. The first mass at this house was celebrated in November 1955 with Archbishop Duhig as one of the guests. Public Sunday masses started two years later but The Fort was mainly used for retreats, religious celebrations, and missions and markets for charity.

More changes to the house were done in the ’70s and the ’80s as the membership grew. It remains a Passionist Retreat today and its priests have been serving Oxley for more than 60 years.

By 2005, the Brisbane City Council bought 10 hectares of The Fort’s land for housing. After objections from the community, the area was turned into the Fort Bushland Reserve.

Pieman Gets Warm, Sweet Welcome in Oxley

Family pies. Gluten-free pies, Sausage rolls. Vegan pies. Lamingtons. Tarts. The list goes on and people are steadily streaming in Pieman‘s door, ever since the pie shop braved the uncertainties of the coronavirus economy and opened in early May 2020.

Co-owned by brothers Jaden, Adam, and Ryan Donnelly, along with their father Stephen, this family-run business has been showing Oxley why Pieman’s crust is worthy of their trust, and giving more established bakers a run for their money.

Grandpa’s Tasty Legacy

The pie shop is built upon the legacy of the boys’ grandfather and his collection of recipes, tried and tested over almost eight decades in the industry.

Despite being open for barely half a month, Pieman already has quite a following. Their passionfruit vanilla slices are consistent bestsellers and run out shortly after they’re put on display.

Passionfruit vanilla slices
Photo Credit: Facebook/Pieman

Breakfast favourites include their Pieman special, steak, bacon, cheese, onion and a whole egg!

They also offer a scrumptious selection of gluten-free products, from sausage and vegetable rolls to pies in several delicious kinds — chunky steak, pepper steak, lamb and rosemary & chicken, and vegetable!

Customers who love gluten-free are given the option to purchase them as an unbiased product, to be baked at home. With a couple of hours’ notice, Pieman can also bake them in-store, where they use a separate, strictly used for gluten-free products only.

Family pies, gluten-free pies and sausage rolls & vegan pies — bake them at home!
Photo credit : Facebook/Pieman

Brunch or a quick snack or dessert can also be part of the agenda. They have steak and mushroom pie, bacon and egg, sausage rolls, laminators, caramel tarts, apple turnovers … you get the picture.

Expansion

During a time when most businesses are taking a step back or contemplating their next move extra cautiously, Pieman is making bold steps towards growth and their confidence and hard work are paying off in spades.

The shop has been busy every day, with people in and out for more of their delicious wares! Things are looking up on the expansion front as well. The family has plans to open in Cleveland by June and at the Gold Coast after that. In a classic “strike while the oven is hot” manner, the family will be opening several more stores before the end of the year and plans to license the brand next year to tap even more markets out there.

To get your pie fix and be among the first to taste what is now Oxley’s hottest new sensation, check out Pieman on Oxley Road.

Upcoming Kerbside Collection for Sherwood and Surrounding Suburbs: the Do’s and Dont’s for Scavengers

Brisbane City Council’s Kerbside Collection is coming to Sherwood and its surrounding suburbs including Chelmer, Graceville, Sherwood, Corinda, and Oxley on Monday, 4 June 2018.

The Kerbside Collection may be an annual event, but it still pays to check some of the good old advice on getting ready for the collection day. You can even get the Council’s free Brisbane Bin and Recycling app to help you prepare for the event.

Read: Kerbside Collection for OWT Bridge Areas Upcoming: 4 Tips on How to Get Ready

Scavengers are not new to Kerbside Collection since they have been “operational” for years now. As they say, one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure, so who wouldn’t want to get useful stuff for free?

For creative scavengers, some of the stuff that is thrown out the kerb can easily be repurposed or upcycled into something new. Like this old television that has been upcycled into a fish tank.

Photo credit: CC-BY/Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar/Flickr

Or this fridge that has been transformed into a chic dog house.

Other scavengers also scour piles on the kerbside for copper that they can get from the discarded electronics. This is where some things get really dirty.

Photo credit: CCO Public Domain / Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay

In the past, residents have been complaining about scavengers who pry their discarded electronics open in search for the money-making copper which can be sold for up to $7 per kilo. Whilst there is no problem with people trying to make money out of trash, the problems start when scavengers leave the pile of discarded metal they just opened scattered all over the place.

For scavengers who are ready to go out there for their loot, here are some friendly reminders for you before you hit the kerb.

Know when to go

Check the dates for the Kerbside Collection online so you can be updated with the collection dates for your area.

Come prepared

Take a ute or a truck so you can have room for the awesome stuff you might find.

Be considerate

Even if you’re only scavenging for copper from a pile of electronics and appliances, make sure to leave the pile as tidy as you can. There might be children running around the place and anything that’s broken can pose some serious hazard for them.

Keep other scavengers in mind

You might be inclined to only take what you need and break some stuff, but there are scavengers out there who might be able to repair those stuff and actually use them.

Scavenging can be helpful to a community since it is a great way to recycle unwanted things. Just remember to be mindful of your manners as you go about scavenging and have fun, you’ll never know what surprises could be out there.

Oxley’s Abandoned School Might Be Turned Into An Aged Care Facility, Locals Encouraged To Attend Information Sessions This Month

Earlier this year, the site of the abandoned Oxley Secondary College caught fire in an accident that later on triggered fears of asbestos inhalation around the neighbourhood. The building has been abandoned for years and locals fear the possibility of asbestos infiltration.

Even before the fire, the building had been under an ongoing debate about what to do with it and now, there finally seems to be some clarity on the fate of the derelict building.

Also read: Fire Broke Out At An Abandoned School In Oxley, Residents Warned Of Asbestos Exposure

Ongoing Work

Currently, rectification works are ongoing to resolve critical issues on the site. A huge percentage of the locals want the area to be transformed into an area for public use.

Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick is psyched about planning and implementing something for the benefit of the locals at the building site.

Previous Plans

In 2016, a panel of eight residents talked to Economic Development Queensland about the best approach for the disposition of the building. The main concern of the residents was that the area is not suitable for a residential property as the site is prone to flooding and landslides. However, they are not entirely averse to the idea of residential development. Should a residential development ensue, they would like to see the land developed safely.

The site was acquired from Education Queensland by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines in 2002. At the time, it was used as a police dog training facility. In 2001, it was declared surplus to government needs. Currently, the site occupies 19.28 hectares of land but the average lot size proposed for the site should the aged care facility pushes through is 800 square metres.

Current Plans

Plans for turning the building into an aged care facility is currently on the discussion table. It will be pitched to the community at various information sessions at the end of May. The information sessions will tackle a combination of residential and community outcomes with the intent to preserve open spaces.

The plans will also involve the relocation of an existing C&K child care centre to the site. Also, 60% of the site will be for public use.

Have your say on 31 May at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on 2 June at 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Oxley Bowls Club. Register here.

Hunt For The Best Hot Cross Bun Happening In Oxley

The Great O-Town Hot Cross Bun Bake Off is happening on 25 March at the QCWA in Oxley from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Last year, Lou Bromley held a tasting campaign all on her own. This time around, she has the support of the Oxley Country Women’s Association (CWA).

Judges include Ms Bromley, MP Jessica Pugh, MP Milton Dick, Lyn Lincoln and Ms Pugh’s father, David

If you want to be a part of the competition, register your name by sending a Facebook message here. You will also be required to bring six hot cross buns to share during the community morning tea after the judging.

Get a chance to win a gold coin entry and generous prizes sponsored by Mr Dick.

The QCWA is the largest women’s organisation in Queensland. It’s an organisation that allows the meeting of women from all over the state to make new friends, learn new skills, and get involved in the community.

Address: QCWA Oxley Hall, 76 Lincoln Street

Two Different Paths, Two Exciting Destinations at Oxley Creek Common in Rocklea

If you are in Rocklea and you’re looking for a place where you can really get close to nature whilst the birds chirp above you in different colours and aesthetics, the best place for you to go to is the Oxley Creek Common.

If you haven’t discovered it yet, the area has two easy walking trails and picnic amenities, perfect for those who really want to take some time off and just be in peace.

Discover the Secret Forest

The area isn’t just for bird-watching, although the presence of over 180 species of birds is certainly a good reason to do so.

There is actually a secret forest, just a short way from the Red Shed along the main walking path that hugs Oxley Creek. Walk through the main walking path and you will notice more vegetation as you walk further. Consider this a good sign. Whilst there, you might just spot the Eastern Yellow Robin, the Varied Triller or the Fairy Wren here.

As you walk along, the path will curve via the creek and loop back on itself. You will find eventually find yourself at the hoop pine grove, which is The Secret Forest.

Here you can enjoy more peace and see the pied butcherbirds as this is where they live.

Watch Them Fly

Another walking trail that you can go for is the Pelican Island Walk. Depart from the Red Shed also but after 1.3km, turn off to the left to Pelican Island. You will pass by Jabiru Swamp, which is where you can see the Great Egret and the rare urban dwelling Jabilu. The Pelican Lagoon is known for its biggest variety of grassland and waterbirds.