Mayor4Unley

Fantastic news that an Australian company has bought Vegemite (from mega USA food giant Mondelez) and brought it back home. Bega Cheese did the $480m deal and now owns Vegemite. It's in safe hands as half of the share holders of Bega are dairy farmers who supply milk product to the company; they were originally part of a local cooperative. Like most Aussies, I enjoy Vegemite on toast at least 5 days a week. The history of Vegemite and its nutrient value should be a question on the new Australian citizenship test. Fail that test and citizenship should not be granted. Bega chairman Barry Irvin is delighted that the deal was done and the iconic product has been returned to Aussie ownership. The company intends to aggressively promote Vegemite in 43 countries across the globe. A great outcome Barry. I anoint thee, Sir Barry of Bega, for services to Vegemite and promoting Australian values. On behalf of Australians, we salute you. What better than a Bega cheddar ch...

The Messenger 'local rag' newspaper must be doing it tough. I've just received a leaflet from the Messenger in my letterbox. It says 'We have identified a group of suburbs that have a lower than average tendency to pick up delivered copies of the paper. Your suburb is in that group.' Messenger wants my feedback. Further, it suggests that in the future the options may be to drive somewhere and collect a paper from a retail outlet or subscribe for an online edition. I gave feedback and replied that I want the delivery to continue. Yes, a high % of people leave the paper in the driveway and mulch it with their car tyres. However, many (and I would suggest a good 50%) do pick it up and read it. Perhaps the high number of flats in the area is distorting the figures and suggesting a lower than average readership. I suspect that when the Messenger refers to a group of suburbs, the size of that group is high and the real push is to stop paper copies and force r...

The new Unley Tree Strategy is a practical blueprint for maintaining and enhancing the green cover of trees across Unley. Ageing and unhealthy trees will be removed, but they will be replaced. Where possible more trees are to be planted, especially in vacant (tree) sites along the streets. Over time, the green (cool and shady) coverage of trees will increase along the streets. It's a great strategy and good outcome; a good long term outcome. Also, it's one of best looking reports I've seen at Unley Council. Read the Unley Tree Strategy here

Got home just in time; only missed 10 minutes. Damn. The Blues were up and it was their half. But in the second half the Qld Maroons did their mighty come-back; and won. Glorious. The final Origin match in 3 weeks will be on Qld turf. Here's hope that the Maroons win and send the Blues back over the border without a trophy. I know they will.

It was a good meeting last night at Mitcham Council. A joint informal meeting of Mitcham and Unley Councillors to review the options for establishing an authority/subsidiary to manage the works to reduce the risk of flooding in the Brownhill and Keswick Creeks. It will be an authority to act on behalf of the 5 Councils affected. It was declared a public meeting (on the night), but there were no residents present. They probably didn't know about it. Anyway, it was a good night with great comraderi between the 2 Councils. Lots of tiny pies and pasties and small talk afterwards. The State Government has 'decreed' that the subsidiary/creek management authority will be operational by February 2018. My reckoning is that it will be quite a challenge to get all 5 Councils in agreement on the responsibility of the subsidiary, let alone appoint appropriately skilled board members, by that date (which is 1 month prior to the SA State election).

The roadworks on Goodwood Road and Leader Street are nearing an end. Both projects will be complete by 30 June. Leader Street is currently being sealed and follow-up plantings will finish the work. After 30 June, the State Government will seal Goodwood Road at night. It's been a major upheaval and a period of frustration for nearby residents and local businesses. On the positive side, it will look great and the charm of Goodwood will return. Thinking ahead 12-24 months, work will commence on replacing the road and footpaths on King William Road. Council needs to learn from the Goodwood Road project and determine how best to minimise impact on the local residents and businesses eg. stage the work in smaller sections and perhaps have more night work.

Last night I attended the launch of the 'Living the DREAM' art studio @ Myrtle Bank. Dozens of friends and art lovers were there. Local visual artist Anthea Jones was celebrating her new studio; full of beautiful art work. My favourite was the charcoal woman with a red balloon; running freely on the beach. I was privileged to receive an invitation to the launch. A fantastic night of celebration. Anthea will open her studio for SALA in August, Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 3pm. Her SALA brochure says to contact her on mobile 0400482189 first to ensure that the artist is in residence. Get there. You won't be disappointed. Put some cash in your purse. I know that you will be tempted to buy.

Fantastic news that harness racing is returning to Wayville @ The Showgrounds. Years ago, many years ago, harness racing was hugely popular at Wayville. It drew crowds of 10,000s. The last trots race at Wayville was held in 1973. Wayville was the trots venue from 1925 to 1973. There will be 8 races over the year. The first event is on Friday 27 October. Put it in your calendar and get there. The first event will be a nostalgic return to the glory days of harness racing from yester-year. I am forecasting a huge crowd for the first race. See you at the track.

The Advertiser headline was Queen's Birthday Honours: SA's Tireless Heroes . It annoys me that people who get the prestigious awards are mostly people just doing their paid job; like the winemaker. Yes, he makes good wines, but he gets paid handsomely for doing his job. And then there's the actor who got a gong. Damn annoying. It annoys me that average Joe down the street doesn't get a mention. He works tirelessly as an unpaid volunteer. He contributes so much to his neighbours and the local community; but he gets no mention. He contributes so much more to the community than highly paid winemakers and actors and others who are just doing their job and earning a huge salary. Maybe it's my fault or your fault. Maybe we should have nominated average Joe or his wife Maud. If we had then Joe or Maud would have maybe got a lowly award; not a big one reserved for the high flyers (like the Qantas boss) with influential friends. It's all a bit sad. I'm sorry J...

En Japanese bar and restaurant on Goodwood Road @ Goodwood. From a recent return visit, my review is 4.9/5. Absolutely superb. Eat as little (or as much) as you like; delivered in small servings - ideal to share. The staff make you feel special and truly provide service with a smile. Nothing is too much trouble. On my recent visit I discovered a sake that I actually like. It's called 'Shirakawago Sasanigori' and comes in a blue bottle. A lovely cloudy appearance and ever so nice on the palate; and a nice empty bottle to take home.

The State Government has recently released a pilot IT facility that enables residents to subscribe (to DPTI) to receive email/sms alerts about upcoming scheduled works on the rail and tram network. I understand that the intent is reduce the extent of letter-boxing residents to inform them of scheduled track work, especially work scheduled at night. Here's the link to subscribe ... www.dpti.sa.gov.au/worksnotifications It's an excellent initiative. However, there must be an ongoing need to letterbox residents in the immediate location. Thinking about this, I propose that Council launch a similar facility and request all residents to subscribe. That way Council would be able to quickly alert residents of planned works in their local area eg. road works, road closures etc. The benefit would a reduction of letter-boxing the broader area; a significant cost reduction. I ask the Council Administration to assess and pilot this proposal.