Mayor4Unley

Councillor Bob Schnell is seeking re-election in Goodwood Ward. He is experienced and has the drive and passion to deliver the best outcome for the local community. He knows the issues and works hard to resolve problems. He has a solid track record of delivering outcomes. His commitment to Wayville, Goodwood, Forestville and Everard Park is strong. There will be more detail on this commitment, on his 3 opponents and on what he has delivered (over the past 4 years) in a newsletter that will be popped into your letterbox. VOTE 1 Bob SCHNELL Play it safe and vote for Bob!

Why blog? Many people ask me that question. Blogging allows me to provide information on matters that interest me. Some stories are Council related; most are not. I enjoy reflecting on my observations. When I started, I committed to make the blogs interesting and to add a bit of spice at times. I've covered a lot of distance in a relatively short time. With the Council election approaching, take the time to skim through the blog and get a feel for the author. You should be able to determine a lot about my character, my personality, my sense of humour, my integrity, my achievements ... Should he remain a Masterchef at home or should his apron strings be cut so that he can join the next Unley Council? That's the question I hope you will be able to easily answer. Enjoy reviewing my blog over the past 9 months. When the postal ballot packs arrive in your letterbox in late October, I ask that you reflect on what I have achieved and ... VOTE 1 Bob SCHNELL

It's the end of a long, but glorious ride ... Cadel Evans has announced that he will retire in February 2015. The good news is that he will be riding in the 2015 Santos Tour Down Under in January. The start in Unley next year will be huge. I'm sure that there will be a big crowd to farewell Cadel.

A few weeks back, I was on the tram to the city. It was peak hour in the morning. It was a wet day and the tram was packed. It was like being in a can of sardines. No need to hang on. The surrounding bodies kept you upright. No risk of falling if the brakes were applied. It was humid and stifling and uncomfortable. Passengers encroached heavily on others’ private space. There was a lot of unintentional body to body contact. Someone near me had cheap earbuds and was listening to some crap music; we all had to share the noise. Someone near me was wearing a back-pack. With every tram movement I had the back-pack pushed into my side. Damn annoying. Etiquette should be that passengers are advised to remove back-packs and place it between their feet. These people take up the space of 2 people. Someone near me was sniffing and snorting loudly. It was terrible. Disgusting. I suspect that it was the person with earbuds. Next to me was a tall elderly man. Probably a grandf

What a fantastic achievement by Goody Saints. Each of their 3 top divisions won their grand final! There’s a lot of excitement in the western sector of Unley. There is enormous support for Goodwood Saints across Wayville, Goodwood, Forestville, Everard Park, Millswood, Clarence Park and Black Forest. The Saints would have to be ranked as THE footy team in SA. For more detailed information, here is a link to  Councillor Don Palmer's blog

Herman the German Friendship Cake Ten days ago I was given a starter mix of Herman the German Friendship Cake by Councillor Mike Hudson. It came with instructions on how to feed and nurture over the next ten days. It was a gooey and bubbly mix, alive with a base of yeast. It sat on the kitchen table (as instructed) and grew each day. On day four it needed a feed. On day nine it needed another feed. On day nine it was divided into four portions and three are set aside. Three are to be given away as starter packs, hence the name of a Friendship cake. On day ten fruit and spices are added and the cake is baked. The result? Excellent. If anyone is interested and wants a starter mix, then let me know. A bonus - the starter portions can be frozen and started at your convenience. I reckon the starter mix will make an excellent base to make a 36 hour sourdough bread. I'll experiment this weekend.

Nominations for the Council election have closed. Here are the full names and addresses of the other candidates for  Goodwood Ward  in the order in which they will appear on the ballot paper: Luke Peter Smolucha 18 Hardy Street, Goodwood Bob Schnell 10 Halmon Avenue, Everard Park Benjamin Bruce Holland 36 Highgate Street, Highgate Thomas Richard Russell Jones 14 Cranbrook Avenue, Millswood Vote 1 Bob Schnell Election disclaimer

There is no chance of saving Urban Myth, but there is a big push to save Warren , a play that has been in the pipeline for 2 years. Fifty youth performers have been working on Warren. They deserve to have their dream realised. Urban Myth has folded due to failure of its business plan. It would seem that its move from a humble home in Unley to the big lights at the big theatre in Goodwood was not well planned. In the end it was a bad decision. I urge you to contribute to the Save Warren campaign on Pozible. So far more than $4,182 has been raised and there are just 8 days left to reach the $7,250 target. Tickets to Warren can only be purchased through the Pozible campaign.

Nominations for the Council election closed today at noon. Here are the names of the candidates for Goodwood Ward in the order in which they will appear on the ballot paper: Luke Smolucha Bob Schnell Ben Holland Thomas Jones It's a pity that there is no female candidate. Vote 1 Bob Schnell Election disclaimer

I found this cartoon. It's a good representation of any Council.

The new train station at the edge of the Showgrounds came alive to the sounds of farm animals last week. The temporary ticket validators at the station were programmed to make cow, chicken and sheep noises when passengers validated their Metrocards. The assessment is that the innovation was well received by the passengers – it brought a smile to many faces. I would have added the sounds of dogs and horses. Maybe next year ...

I was fascinated to read about a soccer pitch in Rio Brazil that has lights powered by the kinetic energy generated by players during games. An incredible use of emerging technology! The soccer pitch has 200 weatherproof tiles made from 80% recycled materials installed beneath the new pitch to capture the players’ kinetic energy during games. This energy provides 100% of the power to the lights. Perhaps we could consider this energy source to power the lights at Unley and Goodwood Ovals. Perhaps we could incorporate the tiles into board-walks used at community events in the parks. There are endless possibilities. It’s worth a review. Here’s a link  to the news story.

Last night I attended Goodwood Vibe, the Mayor's Community Round Table @ the Goodwood Institute (the former home of Urban Myth). Key Goodwood identities were present. Our challenge was to identify how to generate more vibe about Goodwood Road. How to get more people to shop, eat and be entertained @ Goodwood. It was a great night of buzz and ideas. I look forward to the rejuvenation of Goodwood.

Recently, Unley Council negotiated a new waste management contract. As a result, the SOLO Resource Recovery company will handle all waste disposal in Unley. From a resident’s perspective, has anything changed? No . Trucks with arms will still pickup and empty your bins . Do the Blue, Yellow and Green bins get collected on the same day as before? Yes . The only change might be the time when the bins are collected. As always, put your bins out the night before. It saves that mad dash in the morning in your pyjamas. The change will take effect on Monday 22 September. For all bin repairs, missed collections, theft and other collection enquiries you are advised to contact the Waste Hotline on  8159 5059 .

I was fascinated by news of a study by University of Adelaide of monitoring drugs in the sewerage system. It’s quite an innovative approach to mining sewerage data. The drugs detected (and passed by people at the toilet) show alarming increases, especially with methamphetamine (ice). There are differences between types of drugs used in the country vs. in metro Adelaide. Samples were taken from 15 sewage treatment plants across South Australia and tested for traces of ecstasy, methamphetamines and cocaine. There is increased use of methamphetamine over the weekend. Methamphetamine was the drug of choice in the city, while country people preferred ecstasy. Cocaine was last on the list everywhere. I’m curious about the stated intention to develop a biomarker to determine how many humans contribute to the flow (of data). At the moment, there are only estimates of the population size served by each sewage plant. I’ll try to flush out more information about how the biomarkers wo

The Show is alive in Goodwood and Wayville. There’s a huge background buzz. I live a kilometre away and I can hear the noise – screams, rides, cars on the track and the nightly fireworks. The local area has been transformed by the huge influx of people. Cars are heavily parked in nearby streets. Next year we must extend the limited time parking zones to help the residents. The trams and trains are chockers with people travelling to the Show. It is interesting to observe those who go to the Show. You get all types, each with different expectations. Some go just for the rides; others go to inspect the livestock and poultry; others go to see … there’s a huge range of what to see. If you’re thinking of getting a dog or cat (or budgerigar) it’s an ideal time to check out breeds and colours and talk with breeders. Now, back to the travellers on the tram … At any other time of the year you would be concerned about a passenger carrying an axe. At Show time, it’s qui

This week I had a letter published in the Eastern Courier Messenger. I’m annoyed that they removed two sentences and I'm sure that it wasn't to save space. Here is the full version … I may not be popular with some of my fellow Unley Councillors, but I believe we need to review the IT equipment provided to Elected Members (and funded by the ratepayers). Currently Councillors receive a telephone line, a fax machine, a notebook PC, software, an iPad, a colour printer, a modem and an Internet service. That is excessive and unwarranted. I use my own PC, software and printer funded by my modest Council allowance. I have never requested a PC or printer. I have asked the Unley CEO to review the list of equipment available to Councillors. We need to do that now, prior to the election. That may need a policy revision. Some Councillors may squirm at the suggestion, but let's face it - during the approaching Caretaker period, they will not be permitted to use Council ass

Here’s an update on the new overhead cycle/pedestrian path over Goodwood Road, adjacent to Millswood Railway Station. The path was closed for a few weeks to replace the concrete inserts. The old ones were decaying and dropping bits on the passing traffic. Since re-opening it has regained its popularity. There is a huge amount of people who regularly use this crossing. (How else do you cross Goodwood Road in this vicinity?) Good news for the ratepayers – the actual repair bill (of $74k) was half that expected. As promised, the Department of Transport will fund 50% of the expense. Also, the Department of Transport has accepted responsibility for future maintenance. Now, all we need is for Millswood Station to re-open. This is expected in 2 months. I have been lobbying for the re-opening prior to the last State Election.