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Annerley’s Lucky Cat Cafe Looking For New Owners

The Lucky Cat Cafe in Annerley, one of the only three cat cafes throughout Queensland, is ready to pass the torch to its new owner.

Read: Former Jones Corner Shop in Annerley to Undergo a Transformation

In October 2021, owner Katie Phelan put the cat cafe up for sale for $60,000. Although they survived the pandemic and more establishments have been reopening, Ms Phelan thought it may be the right time to let go of the cafe.

“We’ve built this small business from the ground up with a lot of help from friends and our amazing community. Personal family issues are necessitating an interstate move for us & we’d love to find someone to pass the torch to,” Lucky Cat Cafe has stated in a social media post.

“You’ll find this business in a significant growth corridor in southeast Queensland, located close to a major arterial road with very high visibility makes it an easy find for customers. The spacious premises includes an onsite car park and council approved licences. The opportunity to extend trading hours delivers excellent future growth opportunities,” the listing for the business stated.

For the last six years, the cafe has become a go-to for cat lovers who enjoyed visiting their adorable rescue kitties whilst relaxing with a ‘catpuccino.’ In addition to food and drinks, the cafe also has merchandise for both people and pets.

Ms Phelan has announced that they may be forced to close for good if they were not successful in finding a new owner. Fans of the unique cafe were sad to hear the cafe’s impending closure, with some even expressing interest in adopting the cats.

“Sad that you have to sell! I will be forever grateful that I was able to adopt my beautiful boy Archie a few years back from you, here he is being my office buddy at work. He is so affectionate and still loves to lick the rims of empty coffee mugs!” shared one of the cafe’s regulars.

As with the rescue cats currently living in her cafe, Ms Phelan said they will be adopted out or come with her back home.

Top of the Hops! Helios Wins Sustainable Business Award

Helios in Yeerongpilly is the top of the hops after winning the Urban Utilities Award for Environmental Sustainability at the 2021 LM’s Business Awards!

Scott Shomer, the co-founder of Helios Brewing Company, was at the gala event held at City Hall on 22 Oct 2021 to receive recognition from LM Adrian Schrinner, who praised the finalists and winners who have been making their mark as the global leaders in their field.

As the top business for Environmental Sustainability, Helios has demonstrated its excellence in clean business practices and sustainable resource use, including energy, waste, water, and recycling.

Mr Shomer, who was an environmental scientist before shifting his career to brewing craft beer, helped develop a brewing process that harnessed the sun’s power and incorporated innovative engineering techniques that cut water use by one-third and power use by one-tenth.

To date, Helios has reduced CO2 emissions by 98, 807KG, which is the equivalent of planting 1831 trees and has saved 572, 800 litres of water which is equal to 1,347,765 schooners of beer!

“Responding to climate change is one of my core values. In 2007, I was trained by Al Gore to give climate change talks to businesses on the importance of being more sustainable on behalf of the Australian Conservation Foundation and so I wanted to put my expertise into practice when establishing Helios,” Mr Scott said.

“Building a sustainable brewery was a dream project for me that is paying off commercially as we use very little gas and electricity compared to similar-sized operations. That means we have been able to grow through COVID and enhanced our ability to be resilient during the lockdowns because we are green.”

Helios’ win comes as the United Nations Climate Change Committee conducts the COP26 conference among world leaders in Glasgow from 31 Oct to 12 Nov 2021. Mr Scott believes that businesses, community groups, and local governments are going to lead in creating a sustainable future, ahead of big governments, but adapting green practices should not come at an expensive cost.

“Operating a business through the lens of sustainability can have some serious competitive advantages and cost-savings.”

“Harnessing the power of the Aussie sun to make our craft beer was just the start of our sustainability goals. From minimising waste, reducing our carbon emissions, and investing in eco-friendly initiatives, we are continuously pushing our sustainability ambition; we see it as a journey, not a destination. And we also make great beer,” Mr Scott said.

Helios in Yeerongpilly Up for Lord Mayor Business Awards

Helios, the brewing company based in Yeerongpilly, is vying for the highest recognition for businesses in Brisbane as a finalist in the Lord Mayor’s Business Awards under the Environmental Sustainability category.

Since its inception, Helios Brewing Company founder Scott Shomer has always had sustainability in mind with his background as an environmental scientist. Applying his expertise and experience, Mr Shomer was able to develop a sustainable craft beer production using solar power energy.

Although many businesses utilise solar power, this technology has not been harnessed well in beer manufacture. So, Mr Shomer worked hand-in-hand with solar manufacturers to come up with an innovative and effective sustainable brewing system.

In addition to going solar, Helios is also using an electric van for deliveries and has been repurposing grain waste from brewing as livestock feeds. Some of these feeds are also prepared as dog treats offered at its bar and brewery along Palomar Road.

Mr Schomer’s initiative has driven Helios to reduce its carbon footprint by 98,807kg or the equivalent of planting 1,831 trees or saving 572,800 litres of water.

“Harnessing the power of the Aussie sun to make our craft beer was just the start of our sustainability goals,” he said. “From minimising waste, reducing our carbon emissions and investing in eco-friendly initiatives, we are continuously pushing our sustainability ambition; we see it as a journey not a destination.”

The Lord Mayor Business Awards recognise the most enterprising and innovative businesses that drive Brisbane’s economy. For 2021, 32 companies have been named as finalists in 11 categories.

The Urban Utilities Award for Environmental Sustainability in Business honours “companies operating in Brisbane which demonstrate excellence in clean business practices and sustainable resource use, including energy, waste, water and recycling.”

The awards ceremony will be on Friday, 22 October 2021, at the City Hall.

Parkside Yeronga Mixed-Use Community Development Proposed

Did you know that a former TAFE site in Yeronga could be transformed into ‘Parkside Yeronga,’ a new mixed-use community development that will be carried over in four stages if approved?

Four private companies form part of the development, located on the corner of Park Road and Villa Street, which will provide residential, commercial and, recreational precincts to form the master-planned community under the Yeronga Priority Development Area.

The 3.3-hectare site will be divided among Brisbane Housing Company, JGL Properties, Children Health Queensland, and Retire Australia. Each consortium will then submit separate dedicated plans for Parkside Yeronga.

Photo Credit: Development Application/EDQ

The residential development consists of at least five separate blocks of multiple dwellings with a retirement and residential care facility. The commercial sites will have a childcare centre connected to a public plaza filled with shaded trees and vegetation, alongside the rest of the community facilities that may include a place of worship, offices, and healthcare establishments.

The plans also include a new home for the Yeronga Community Centre. Provisions for several pedestrian paths have also been considered in the proposal.

“The proposal guides future development within the YPDA by prescribing various controls and subdividing the site to make it ‘construction ready’ for future developers,” as per the detailed plan submitted to the State Government in September 2021. (Application #DEV2021/1221)

“This involves establishing, four (4) precincts to spatially organise development and set land use expectations for a range of stakeholders, including MEDQ (the asset owner) and the community (the end users). This process ensures only primary land uses, and some secondary land uses (generally at a lower scale) are located consistently with the intent of the Development Scheme.”

Shoppers At Woolworths Annerley Impressed With Store’s New Self-service Feature

Photo credit: https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/

Have you tried using the Scan&Go scales at Woolworths Annerley? This new self-service feature has got some shoppers raving, as it allows them to skip the queues and spend less time shopping for groceries.

Read: Former Jones Corner Shop in Annerley to Undergo a Transformation

Scotty McDonald, a shopper from Woolies Annerley, uploaded a video on TikTok, showing how the scale works. He placed a sweet potato on it, selected the loose item on the screen, and scanned the barcode using the Woolworths app.

“The pay and go scale at Woolies Annerley can work out what fruit or veg you put on it,” he wrote. The video has received over 60,000 views since he first uploaded it in September 2021.

“I was so impressed when I first saw it. Now I always use Scan&Go because it saves so much time doing groceries,” said one of the commenters on McDonald’s video.

Woolies Annerley is one of the 36 stores nationwide that has this Scan&Go system. The giant retail company has expanded this new technology after receiving positive feedback from its first trial in Double Bay in 2018. This buy-and-walk-out feature is the first of its kind in Australia.

@scotty_mcdonald
Organise yourself a day trip to Annerley for this one! ##brisbane ##australia ##ai ##woolies @woolworths_au ##queensland ##robot ##brisbaneanyday
♬ original sound – Scotty McDonald

How Scan&Go Works

The AI-enabled scales can automatically detect the type of fruit or vegetable weighed. It’s reserved for Scan&Go checkouts, which allow customers to use their smartphones to scan and pay for items.

Please note that this feature is only available for Everyday Rewards members, who need to upload an accepted credit or debit card within the app.

Former Jones Corner Shop in Annerley to Undergo a Transformation

Did you know that a new cafe and ice creamery, along with some office spaces, will soon occupy the former Jones Corner Shop along Stephens and Waldheim Streets in Annerley? Whilst the shop has been closed for years, a development application seeking to revive the business site has been filed on behalf of the current landowner.

Per DA A005834241, sections of the property, which has a house on the back and the shop on the front, will be knocked down to make way for the new cafe and ice cream shop. The proposal includes plans to expand the floor space with a second level whilst the backside will be redeveloped as a two-storey commercial occupancy. A parking space for 13 vehicles will also be set up on Waldheim Street.

Prior to the lodging of the application, the developers met with Brisbane City Council in March to discuss the size and bulk of the building. The initial plan exceeded the allowed conditions under the Commercial Character Building Activity Overlay, which has been amended in the DA.

Jones Corner Shop was an old family-run store, owned by William Bond Jones and Winifred Nancy Ethel Jones, whose main customers were the students of the Junction Park State School right across the street.

Per Mapping Brisbane History, the store, established in the 1920s, was the “unofficial off-site school tuckshop” where the students could find many basic needs, and food favourites like toffee apples, doughnuts and meat pies.

The property was sold to the new owners in early 2021.

Excerpts from “No Regrets in the Evening of Life”

Women Of Stephens To Be Featured At Local History Conference In Annerley

Ivy May Hassard, ca. 1935, who will be one of the topics at Annerley-Stephens History Group’s 4th local history conference (Photo credit: State Library of Queensland)

Join the Annerley-Stephens History Group as they shine light on the contributions of women in the Stephens area at their fourth local history conference in Annerley.

Read: Circle of Men Aims to Build Volunteer Support in Yeronga

To be held on Saturday, 16 October 2021 at the Mary Mac Community Centre, the conference will feature stories of women from all walks of life and background who lived and worked in the Stephens area.

The event will start with Katharine Wiltshire’s recollection of the lives of Queen Kitty and her daughter Topsy and other Chépara headwomen. Wiltshire, who is assistant to the Yugara-yugarapul Aboriginal Corporation, will be the speaker for “The headwomen of the Chépara People.”

Among the topics in the conference is the two maiden Neil Aunts of Annerley and their multi-generational legacies. It will be held by Rose Broe and Liza Neil, who will share how their respective aunts were highly respected in the community as doctors and teachers.

Photo credit: Annerley-Stephens History Group Inc.

A number of speakers will address the careers of women from all walks of life, from well-known high flying professional women like Ivy May Hassard to business women such as Yeronga’s Maude Summerlin.

Annerley’s Gwyneth Richardson, the first woman pharmacist in the Australian Defence Force, will also be one of the topics at the conference, to be led by Former Queensland senator, Dr Michael Macklin.

Born in 1917 in Brisbane, Richardson attended the Annerley State School and the Brisbane Girls’ Grammar School. She was trained by her father, John Richardson, a pharmacist at the family pharmacy at Ipswich Road, Annerley after completing her secondary education.

Richardson’s Chemist Shop (far left) where Gwyneth Richardson trained as a pharmacist under her father’s tutelage, photo taken circa 1960s (Photo credit: Annerley-Stephens History Group Inc/Facebook)

She graduated as a pharmacist in her final examinations in 1940 and was registered with the Pharmacy Board of Queensland in 1941. Unknown to many, she’s also an artist whose works can be found at the Queensland Art Gallery.

You can get to know more about Annerley’s Gwyneth Richardson and other women of Stephens during Annerley-Stephens History Group’s full-day local history conference which will start from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. You can book your place at the event via Eventbrite.

Circle of Men Aims to Build Volunteer Support in Yeronga

Circle of Men is a not-for-profit charity that runs weekly companionship sessions for men in aged care facilities in Yeronga and other Brisbane sites. The initiative is trying to build its volunteer support so that more men, especially those with limited mobility, will feel less isolated.

Formed by Washuntara Roberts in Queensland nearly two decades ago, Circle of Men does 90-minute sessions at different care facilities, where the men share their life experiences and talk about simple and complex issues. Spearheaded by volunteer facilitators, the circle has helped the men deal with depression, grief, anger, loss, boredom, or fear.

Sessions begin with the men forming into a circle, where they are warmly welcomed by volunteers. Often this is by touch, be it a handshake or a hand on the shoulder, or sometimes through voice and eye contact. The meetings close with everyone having a great time cracking jokes, reminiscing & singing songs.

Kevin James experienced the challenges of recreating social connections after his retirement at 52 years old due to a chronic condition. After meeting Mr Roberts and learning about the circle, Mr James realised that isolation is an all-too-common problem faced by elderly men in aged care facilities around Australia.

“The work of Circle of Men is not only rewarding, but it is also synergistic, in that volunteers get back in return as much as they give, with huge mental health benefits for Residents & volunteers alike,” Mr James, who now heads the volunteer program, said.

“Many men enter an aged care facility as a last resort, after they’ve lost their health, mobility and final network of support, & for 90 minutes each week, Circle of Men volunteers break through that wall of isolation.”

In Yeronga, the circle is held every Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Regis Yeronga on 5 Cansdale St.

LEARN ABOUT BECOMING A VOLUNTEER

Annerley House from ZUZANA&NICHOLAS Wins at the 2021 Houses Awards

Annerley House, created by accomplished architectural practice ZUZANA&NICHOLAS, has won one of the six major categories in House Magazine’s 2021 House Awards.

ZUZANA&NICHOLAS took on a renovation project of the Annerley House, which has been recognised for its effective use of space and design for a dwelling under 200 square metres.

The team turned a small timbre cottage into a family home that also incorporated the homeowner’s love for gardening and outdoor play with the children. The work entailed extending the back of the house to create a bespoke space with a reconfigured kitchen, a lovely garden view, and a playroom that doubles as a guest bedroom.

Photo Credit: Christopher Frederick Jones/ArchDaily

ZUZANA&NICHOLAS opened up the small house with interconnecting spaces between the indoors and the outdoor garden, with plenty of hidden storage and large windows. Prior to the renovation, the Annerley House was a dark and compartmentalized home that didn’t look inviting for a young family.

“Annerley House is a renovation and extension to an existing cottage that suffered from a poor connection to the backyard and introverted public rooms. The new extension was conceived as an outdoor room that when open, would become part of the garden and connect the house to its setting.”

Winners of the 2021 House Awards were announced in July 2021 and received cash prizes. Meanwhile, Zuzana and Nicholas also worked on the Bardon House, which was shortlisted for New House of the Year over 200sqm Category in 2012, and the Royal Adelaide Hospital Site, which was recognised at an International Design Competition.

PA Giving Day Brings Back ‘We’re all 4 the Heroes’ Initiative

Did you know that more than 700,000 patients have been healed and cared for at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba, widely considered as one of Australia’s world-class health centres? Now you can support the research and medical people behind its success, through their PA Giving Day: We’re all 4 the Heroes initiative.

In recognition of the work of its local healthcare heroes, who have worked tirelessly to deliver the best care possible to each and every patient, the PA Research Foundation is bringing back the fundraiser to raise $500,000.

The funds collected at this event, which will run on Thursday, 2 Sept 2021, will go to medical research, staff education, and purchase of state of the art equipment that will allow the staff to provide the highest quality of patient support in Queensland.

All donations on PA Giving Day will be quadrupled by generous donors, giving supporters the chance to have four times the impact.

“The PA Hospital is renowned for the care of its patients as well as the medical research undertaken on the campus, and PA Giving Day gives people the chance to quadruple the impact of their donation towards a health-related cause they are passionate about,” PA Research Foundation Chief Executive Officer Damian Topp said.

“That could be to further research into leading causes of death among Australians like breast cancer, prostate cancer, and melanoma, or to help patients with brain and spinal injuries or people in need of a liver or kidney transplant and much more.

“It’s also a chance to stop and reflect on the dedication and commitment of our healthcare heroes and thank them by donating directly to their work.”

In 2020, donations to the campaign, totalling $654,000, funded research projects like the management of kidney disease, which affects over 600,000 Queenslanders, research into mammographic density for breast cancer patients, genetic testing of melanoma patients and their families, and the profiling of lung tissues of COVID-19 patients to find better treatment outcomes.

PA Giving Day also facilitated improvements at the radiation treatment therapy centre, where patients are now more comfortable in their treatment bunkers directly under new skylights. Physiotherapy patients are also using brand new equipment for their rehabilitation after surgery, cancer treatment, and other serious health challenges.

There are numerous ways to support PA Giving Day including donating, raising funds in a team or individually, volunteering on the day, or even sharing the campaign with family and friends on social media.

“Healthcare budgets can only go so far, donating to PA Giving Day ensures every Queenslander treated at the PA benefits from the exceptional healthcare that the PA is known for, now and for years to come,” Mr Topp said.

We’re all 4 the Heroes PA Giving Day campaign can be viewed online at pagivingday.org.au.