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Dudley Street Espresso in Annerley Ends 12-Year Run

Another popular Brisbane stomping ground has folded up. Leticia Cowburn, the owner of Dudley Street Espresso in Annerley, has said goodbye to the little cafe corner she called “home” for the last 12 years.

The go-to breakfast spot for many south Brisbane locals has shut down operations in the first week of May 2021 as Ms Cowburn said that they could not cope with the economic impact of the pandemic.

In a post on Facebook, Ms Cowburn said that her decision to close Dudley Street Espresso permanently was not made lightly.

“I know this will be a shock to most of you. And I want to apologise for not being able to say goodbye in person,” the shop owner said. “But after some back and forth with our landlords, we’ve decided to call it a day.”

“Times have been tough, for everyone. But for your little local cafe, it’s been extremely tough,” Ms Cowburn said further. “The struggle is real and only getting tougher, which is why we had to make the gut-wrenching decision to permanently close our doors.”

Mr Cowburn will spend the next few months mapping her “next possible venture” but for now, she will take time out and spend it with her loved ones.

The shabby-chic facade of this corner cafe contributed to the value of Dudley Street Espresso as a local treasure. Behind this unassuming facade was one of the friendliest places to hang out in Annerley, whilst enjoying reasonably-priced coffee with a generous order of the best-toasted paninis.

Annerley locals said they are sorry and sad to see the cafe fold up but they understood the business decision.

“I lived in Annerley for nearly 20 years and when the boys opened Dudley it was stand out the best thing ever. You should be so proud of all you’ve achieved because you’re a superstar. You will be so so missed.”
Abby Mollie

“Big congrats to you guys on an amazing cafe that is leaving on a high note. A big chunk will be missing from Annerley for all that you guys brought to the area. Very excited for everyone’s new chapter ahead. And you all have definitely earnt some R&R.”
Emily Clare

“So sad to read this but at the same time and so incredibly proud of you and the team. Like so many others, I’m grateful to have met you and your beautiful team. Always will be hands down the best piccolo and savory muffins in Brisbane!”
Kasia O’Shea

No word yet on will take over the lease of the former cafe.

Now 150, South Brisbane Cemetery Hosts Belated Anniversary Event

Better late than never! South Brisbane Cemetery will celebrate its 150th anniversary one year late, with a special “150+1” commemoration, complete with displays, demos, and guided tours — all FREE.

After the cancellation of the South Brisbane Cemetery’s true 150-year anniversary in 2020 due to COVID-19, the special “150+1” event will be held at the cemetery on the 8th of May.

Two public history talks will top-bill the event and are sure to generate much public interest: “History of the Cemetery” and “Headstone Detective.” These talks will be primarily dedicated to researchers interested in learning more about the cemetery, the people buried in it, as well as its rich history.

A stall dedicated to historical books and photographs will be available to the public. There will also be a variety of self-guided tours that acquaints visitors with the park and how to navigate it while simultaneously teaching them about particular gravestones and the people buried below them.

Food and drink stalls will also be available at the cemetery during its 151st anniversary, along with interactive demos that allow participants to learn how to clean headstones properly. Those interested will also be able to learn more about their family’s history and locate specific graves.

The South Brisbane Cemetery can be found at 185 Annerley Rd, Dutton Park, open every day from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. The special 151st anniversary will be held on the 8th of May from the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Entry will be free of charge, and those interested in learning more about the cemetery or the anniversary can visit their website here.

Repair Cafe Woolloongabba: Free Repairs Scheduled This May

Repair Cafe Woolloongabba is scheduled to return on the 15th of May 2021, and the local community will be able to bring their broken goods in for free repairs.

After a successful launch in March 2021, Repair Cafe Woolloongabba intends to host yet another fix-it session for interested locals. Repair cafes are unique in the way that they allow customers to bring in broken goods for free repairs conducted by volunteer workers.

The cafe’s volunteer Fixers will be able to cater to a wide range of damaged products, with each volunteer possessing the know-how and knowledge needed to fix a variety of items. Events such as this spare items from entering landfills. Repairs trump replacements in terms of cutting costs and saving the environment.

Currently, Repair Cafe is in need of volunteers of any and all ages, genders and backgrounds with knowledge of the following skills: clothing and textile, bicycles, electrical appliances, furniture and wooden objects, information technology, knife sharpening, jewellery, or general glueing and fixing.

The next Repair Cafe event will be hosted on the 15th of May 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 7 Burke Street, Woolloongabba. Those interested in participating can confirm their attendance via their Facebook event page. For more information, visit their website here. Follow their Facebook page for the latest updates and announcements concerning item repairs, volunteers, and upcoming events.

Those who wish to volunteer their services and assist the Repair Café can send an email to: repaircafewoolloongabba@gmail.com

Plans to Develop New Hospital on Annerley Road, Woolloongabba Contested

Plans to replace the derelict Urban Paradise Gallery on Annerley Road, Woolloongabba with a private hospital are being contested by community figureheads.

The Urban Paradise Gallery in Annerley Road, which has been left in a state of complete and utter disrepair for over three years, could be demolished and replaced with a new privately owned hospital developed by the Pikos Group.

Earlier in September 2020, the Pikos Group had applied for a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) to create a 24-hour 10-storey private hospital complete with healthcare facilities, food and drink, and a childcare centre.

Plans for the new hospital.
Photo credit: PD Online/Brisbane City Council

The new development will consist of an inpatient unit, operating theatres, areas for recreation, basement parking, support services, and other facilities. It is estimated that the new hospital will be able to provide care for approximately 100 patients, with full-time staff numbers reaching an estimated 355.

Community Figureheads Voice Their Concerns

State Member for South Brisbane Amy McMahon.
Photo credit: Facebook/Amy MacMahon – Greens MP for South Brisbane

State Member for South Brisbane Amy McMahon and Councillor for Woolloongabba Jonathan Sri have remarked that they were concerned over the potential negative impacts the project would have on the community primarily due to the implications a private hospital would have on already-busy streets.

Another issue raised was how MIDs are reserved for generally non-profit facilities such as police and fire stations, schools, and arts and sports buildings.

However, due to changes made by Queensland Labor, private entities are now able to apply for MIDs as they are faster and cheaper approval processes. This opens up the floor for private for-profit hospitals.

In this particular case, this building will mark the sixth hospital in Brisbane’s south. These hospitals are the Mater Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Greenslopes Hospital, and QEII Hospital which can all be found within the region.

The site of the proposed private development can be found at 52-64 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba. To learn more about the Pikos Group, visit their website here.

New Petition Calls for Extension of Fairfield Library Hours

A new petition has been lodged with the Brisbane City Council calling for an extension of the opening hours of the Fairfield Library.

The petition, created by Fairfield resident Nicole Johnston, was created as a bid to have the Fairfield Library located in Fairfield Rd open for six to seven days a week. Currently, the library is closed on Sundays and Mondays despite being positioned in a busy shopping centre and community hub at Fairfield Gardens.

Though the ideal number of working days is seven, the petition calls for the council to increase it to a minimum of six in the event that having the library open the entire week would be too difficult or problematic.

Given the library’s popularity, extending its operating hours will also allow the Brisbane City Council to support the local community by offering them additional services and activities.

The library can be found at Fairfields Garden Shopping Centre, 180 Fairfield Rd. Those interested in signing the petition, which closes on Friday the 30th of April 2021, can do so here.

It’s a Go! Plans For New Annerley Supermarket Proceed Despite Concerns

Photo credit: pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

The proposed Coles supermarket in Annerley may have been given the green light, but construction could still be delayed as locals hope to stop the development due to various concerns.

In March 2021, Hopgoodganim Lawyers lodged a notice of appeal to the Planning and Environment Court for the refusal of the development application citing its incompatibility to the area.

“The proposed development will have a function more than that of a local neighbourhood service provider and is of a scale which is not consistent with surrounding detached housing,” the notice of appeal reads.

Plans submitted by Capital Transactions Pty Ltd described that the proposed development involves a new neighbourhood centre, which will consist of a supermarket with liquor store and offices at 776 – 792 Ipswich Rd, Annerley.

Read: New Supermarket Proposed for Ipswich Road In Annerley

Before Council approved the development on 12 February 2021, it received a total of 105 submissions. Located on one of the busiest roads in Brisbane, the biggest issue raised by the community is traffic, especially around the intersection of Ipswich and School roads, which is a T-intersection. Traffic congestion will be created on the already-busy road, residents say, once construction of the new supermarket starts.

Intersection Upgrade Concept Layout (Photo credit: pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au)

The developers are also seeking the creation of two additional pedestrian crossings, one on the northern leg of Ipswich Rd parallel to the existing southern leg crossing and one across the new entrance to the basement carpark.

Lambert & Rehbein noted that a right turn lane from Ipswich Road into the development site at the Ipswich Road /School Road intersection does not form part of the application. In an email sent by Council to traffic engineering consultants reads: “Council does not intend to accommodate a right turn (north bound) for this site as part of Ipswich Rd corridor upgrade.”

“This four-way intersection was not considered in the long term plan, with this intersection planned as a T-intersection,” L&R wrote.

In line with this, an alternative location for right turning vehicles has been proposed as part of this application from the initial traffic impact assessment onwards.

Engineers at L&R said the existing right turn lane at Aubigny Street has been shown to have sufficient capacity to adequately meet the demands of both the background and design traffic volumes in the 10-year design horizon.

“A revised Traffic Engineering Report endorsed by an RPEQ engineer is to be provided which addresses these issues and demonstrates the proposed mitigation of this increased crash risk and satisfactory operation of the right turn from Ipswich Road into Aubigny Street,” L&R wrote in response to Council’s advice.

World Down Syndrome Day: This Dutton Park Local Is Living His Dream

Like any determined 26-year-old, Sean Fisher, a Dutton Park local, is living in his own unit and supporting himself with two jobs. The most amazing thing is that Sean has Down syndrome and hearing loss but he’s still living his dream as an independent and contributing member of the community.

According to his mother, Lisa Bridle, Sean didn’t have an easy time exploring his independence when he decided to move out of his mother’s house.

“It took about two months for him to be able to cook his own breakfast independently on a new stove, four to five months to be confident in taking the train and about nine months to feel completely okay about shaving himself,” Lisa shared.

But Sean is getting a lot of help with his transition from Billy, a support worker for Carers Queensland‘s NDIS program. He has cooking sessions with his carer every Monday, along with some friends.

“He is developing lots of nice local connections and becoming independent in planning shopping; each time he achieves a goal, we work on the next,” Lisa said.

Sean is also accessing NDIS benefits for his two jobs at Multicultural Australia and at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

“At Multicultural Australia he does shredding, photocopying, laminating, printing and event set ups for workshops. This job is a great match for him as it is a big organisation and he likes the social side of things,” his mother said.

“At the Convention Centre on Tuesdays he works in the uniform room taking in and organising the uniforms and folding laundry, and Fridays he works in setting up for functions like getting table and chairs out; he likes being one of the guys on the set up team.”

Photo Credit: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre/Facebook

Billy also goes to work with Sean to guide and coach him with his tasks. He mostly does his work independently but the support worker keeps track of his progress.

When he’s not at work, Sean also carries out a fitness routine with Billy and a team composed of a physiologist, a personal trainer and a dietician. Lisa said that her son is actually close to achieving his weight loss goal since becoming a gym buff in 2019.

So impressed was Billy by his buddy’s progressed that he promised to take him to Sydney to visit the set of Home and Away, Sean’s favourite TV show.

“In early February, Sean and his support worker, Billy, set off for three nights in Sydney which included catch ups with friends, sightseeing including a harbour cruise and the Home and Away visit. They were lucky enough to see filming and also visited sites such as the Bait Shop, the Diner, the Lighthouse, the Pier and much more.”

In time for World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March 2021, Lisa expressed her gratitude to Carers Queensland and said that her son’s experience has been very positive.

“The main quality that I have appreciated has been a willingness to listen and really understand our goals, sharing knowledge of the NDIS system and making the decision making and timelines as transparent as possible, and upholding Sean’s choices and respecting his goals by demonstrating flexibility.”

To learn more about Carers Queensland and the NDIS program, phone 1300 999 636, or email cq.enquiries@ndis.gov.au.

Backlash After Council Approves New Development in Boggo Road Gaol

Brisbane City Council has approved the addition of Stockwell’s controversial commercial building to the historically rich, heritage-listed Boggo Road Gaol site in Dutton Park.

The site of the project is located between the gaol and the CSIRO building in Dutton Park, and Stockwell’s planned development is set to replace an 11.5 metre pedestrian and cycling boulevard. Annerley residents have complained that a commercial building had no place near Boggo Road Gaol, and that it was not appropriate given the site’s historical significance. One of the primary complaints was that 70% of the proposed development was going to be dedicated to a car park.

Photo credit: PD Online/Brisbane City Council

Large chunks of historically-rich land would be demolished to pave the way for a busy and noisy commercial centre. Another large complaint was how the public never asked for this development, and that Stockwell had not consulted the community or gauged their interest.

In order to meet the public’s demands, Stockwell has modified their proposal, widening pedestrian and cycling paths across the precinct. However, feedback from the community through the Facebook group Boggo Road Futures is still largely negative, with many insisting on no commercial development at all.

Boggo Road Gaol’s Dark Origins

The Boggo Road Gaol has stood in Annerley since 1883, serving as a maximum-security prison that housed some of the most dangerous criminals in Queensland. Executions were commonplace for the inmates, who were typically convicted for heinous acts such as murder and other serious crimes.

The jail was eventually closed in 1992, and almost three decades later, plans have been drawn to build a shopping centre right beside it. The new building, which is to be an office and retail development, proposed by Brisbane property company Stockwell has garnered negative attention from the public.

Photo credit: CC-BY-SA/Ché Lydia Xyang/Wikimedia Commons

The proposed site can be found between Boggo Road Gaol at 21 Boggo Road, and the Ecosciences Precinct Dutton Park building at 41 Boggo Road.

New Dutton Park School Hopes To Bring More In-Catchment Students

Photo credit: Brisbane South State Secondary College/Facebook

Brisbane South State Secondary College has welcomed its first batch of Year 7 students for 2021. However, about 65 percent of these 203 students are from outside the school’s catchment zone.

Based on data released by the Education Department, a similar scenario exists in another Brisbane inner-city school. In Fortitude Valley State Secondary College, 46.5 percent of this year’s enrolment is composed of out-of-catchment students.

The irony is that Brisbane South State Secondary College was constructed to ease pressure off Brisbane State High School, which still suffers from overcrowding. As of the latest data, BSHS received additional 90 students, pushing them to hold classes in the library.

The students of BSSSC (Photo credit: Brisbane South State Secondary College/Facebook)

Brisbane State High School school council chair David Gillespie said Brisbane South State Secondary College has not seemed to alleviate enrollment pressure off their school.

Despite this situation, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is hopeful that in-catchment enrolments will build as the new school establishes itself and its reputation in the local community. She believes the number of in-catchment students in Brisbane South State Secondary College would grow as more year levels are added.

About Brisbane South State Secondary College

Photo credit: Brisbane South State Secondary College/Facebook

Positioned at the heart of Brisbane’s Knowledge Corridor, the school opened with Year 7 for 2021 and plans to continue enrolments of Year 7 students each year as each level progresses, until the school reaches full enrolment for each grade in the future.

According to the school’s website, in-catchment applications and out-of-catchment expressions of interest and details for selective entry for 2022 will be available in Term 2 this year and will soon be advertised on their website, social media page, and newsletter.

In February 2021, the new inner-city state school opened their brand new laboratories and launched new programs, including Instrumental music lessons and band rehearsals to help students showcase their musical talents at events.

Brisbane South State Secondary College students with their Adopt-A-Cop’, Constable Lauren Jervis (Photo credit: Brisbane South State Secondary College/Facebook)

The school recently announced the ‘Adopt-a-cop’ program, which is intended to keep young people safe, by having access to the police. They also initiated a rewards program where students earn points for special acts of good behaviour and can ‘purchase’ items after saving those points up.

For more information about Brisbane South State Secondary College, visit their website or qed.qld.gov.au.

First Vaccine Rollout: Woolloongabba Hospital is a Queensland Hub

Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba has been picked as one of three vaccine hubs in Queensland, following the Federal Government’s confirmation of the first vaccine rollout this February 2021.

Per Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Princess Alexandra Hospital will get its supply of vaccine doses on Wednesday, 24 Feb 2021. The first jabs will be for Pfizer vaccines but the government expects the supplies of AstraZeneca vaccines to arrive in the following month.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said that the Pfizer vaccine is quite complex because of its storage, transport and distribution limitations. As one of the state’s largest hospitals, the Woolloongabba hospital has been deemed suitable to carry out this particular rollout.

Given the Pfizer vaccine’s logistical requirements, Ms Palaszczuk said that the process will start “very slowly” in the first week.

The first priority group will be the residents and cares of aged and disability care facilities. Healthcare frontline workers will be invited to the hospital for their jab as well.

As the vaccine supplies increase, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said that more people will be invited to other hospitals. Apart from Princess Alexandria Hospital, Gold Coast University Hospital, Cairns Hospital, Townsville University Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Hospital and the Brisbane and Women’s Hospital will also become vaccine hubs.

The government is aiming to vaccinate some 27,000 individuals in the first vaccine rollout by the end of March 2021.

For now, however, the priority is to give the vaccine to those most at risk of getting the virus.