Mayor4Unley

Fantastic news that SA's Golden North ice cream has been named as the best tasting ice cream in Australia. It's a worthy award because it is simply the best. It was rated the best by a survey of people across Australia. Golden North ice cream is made purely from fresh milk and cream; not powders and water like used by some other brands. Importantly for SA, it's local. A bit of history ... The Golden North factory is located in Laura, in the mid north of SA. It was founded by the Bowkers family in 1880. Initially they only sold milk and cream. When electricity arrived in the early 1900s and refrigeration became available, Golden North expanded into ice cream. It quickly became the market leader in SA; just as it is today.

Golden Gnomes are again popping up across the City of Unley. This time it is official. Council is rewarding residents with a small golden gnome for excellence in landscaping (and greening) their verges. Students from Concordia College assisted by painting the gnomes and creating gift tags. Also, at my suggestion, the students selected the worthy residents to get a gnome. A great outcome in helping to transform dolomite verges to blooming greenery. A year ago I unofficially launched the concept and bought a bag full of gnomes and painted them gold with a few special ones painted a distinctive rose gold. I delivered them to worthy homes across Unley. Residents have been delighted with the recognition. If you missed out in getting a gnome, why not buy one (or two) and paint them gold. They would make excellent Christmas presents.

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...

Australia Post has celebrated street art across the nation by releasing 4 stamps depicting the best examples. One image shows artwork on a house in Railway Terrace North in Goodwood. Fantastic recognition of the local street art. I give it a lick of approval. Oh, by the way, 2 of the stamps show images of street art in Adelaide. Not bad for a sleepy backwater town! Click on this link to view the 4 stamps

Not bad for a Welsh farmer who has created the world's hottest chilli. He wasn't even trying; rather he was trying to enhance the shape of the chilli bush and foliage to make it more attract. Now he is the record holder for creating the hottest chilli in the world. The chilli has been named Dragon's Breath. Eating it would most likely kill you by literally burning your airway; just like breathing fire. The Scoville scale is used to measure the intensity of chilli heat in units. The Dragon's Breath measures 2.48 million Scoville heat units (SHU). That means that one drop of oil from this chilli can be detected in 2.48 million drops of water. In comparison, pepper spray used by the US Army is 2 million SHU. Read the story

Australia Day is approaching and with it comes the gongs; the annual awards given to people deemed worthy. Upon reflection, some are worthy. We've had some great Australians of the Years; at the National and State levels. And there have been a few duds; at all levels of the awards. What really annoys me is that most recipients get awards for having simply done their job and were paid to do it; and usually paid quite handsomely ie. in high flying jobs. Real people who make a real impact and a huge contribution to society (eg. volunteers) usually get overlooked. It's quite sad that those most deserving get overlooked. Councils also have Australia Days awards for various categories. Unley Council has had some wonderful recipients; mostly deserved. I have enjoyed my past involvement on a Council panel to determine those most deserving; and to filter out the duds and crazy submissions. This year at Unley it's a Captain's Pick with Mayor Lachlan Clyne deciding who ...

Last Christmas I blog boasted about my stuffing for the chicken. It was the best ever, until this year. Here's a link to my blog in 2015. Last year the stuffing earnt a Gold Medal; awarded by the family. This year I was awarded a Trophy (and 3 Golds). What made it just that bit more special? For the first time I added these extra ingredients: Fresh, new season home grown garlic Home grown native bush tomatoes Home dried apricots Home dried cherries (yum) It was made with love and I enjoyed 2 glasses of sparkling red during the preparation 🍷🍷 I'm so excited about the Trophy. Enjoy the closing days of 2016. Cheers 😊

The Olympics at Rio 2016 just doesn't have the usual Olympic buzz. In fact, it seems to be a bit of a fizzer; just like the green slime (or whatever it was) it the swimming pool. Maybe it's just me, but I doubt it. People are not stopping work or dedicating time to watch events; like we used to. The Olympics is all about the gathering of the greats from every country, in a quest of a win for their country. Huge money is spent on nurturing and training athletes. I hear that $40m was spent just on our swimming team. Results for Australia (so far) have not been great; way below expectations. The reason for writing this is my annoyance at the expectations of success in certain events; and it didn't happen. He/She was a favourite, a certainty; and a win was just a formality; and it didn't happen. Shock when a perceived low chance SA swimmer Kyle Chalmers blitzed the pool and won Gold. That's what the Olympics is all about ... a gathering of talented athletes and ...

I am a member of the Infrastructure and Sustainability Committee @ Unley Council. At the meeting on 07 June, one of the agenda items was 'Greening Our Verges'. This item was given healthy debate. It involves encouraging residents to plant and maintain the verge in front of their home to beautify and help to cool the suburbs. Further, a street with healthy street trees and roadside plantings makes a welcoming visual impact and encourages drivers to slow down; rather than speeding down a bland looking street. The recommendation to encourage the greening of verges will go to Council in June 2016. What really appealed to me was the proposal to give Golden Gnomes as awards to residents for excellence in planting and maintaining their verge. It is a low cost proposal and I am sure that residents will embrace the concept and try to receive an award. It is considered appropriate that the Ward Councillors will decided on who gets a gnome. Each Councillor will have 4-5 gnomes to gi...

Recently I attended the launch of the Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience at the Showground in Adelaide. A wonderful exhibit and experience. I carried an iPod-like device and tagged exhibits that I found interesting and wanted a link for future reference. Excellent use of technology. My tagged exhibits can be viewed by this link Click here

Last night I went to see the Adelaide Fringe show Showtime @ Gluttony, East End of Adelaide. Absolutely fantastic. I rate it 9.5/10. It was a mix of circus, magic and music. All great acts. The magician was just, magical. And then there was the lovely (stunning) French chanteuse Rose who wowed us with her big and sexy voice. I was privileged to be invited onto the stage to accompany her on a drum. Took me back to my boyhood drumming days. The task I was given was simple - just beat the drum in tune with her gyrating 'ips'. I think I did ok. Just had to concentrate on those 'ips'.

Last year I blogged (boasted) about my top rated stuffing for the Christmas poultry. Have a read It gets better every year; with slight improvements and a variation of flavour. This year I was determined to use dried figs and fennel seeds; instead of the usual dried Aussie apricots. Ingredients and how to make it: One large bowl. Work out how much stuffing you need. (Trust me - there is not much you can do with excess stuffing.) Buy white sour dough bread a few days in advance; it can't be fresh. (Don't use cheap and nasty supermarket bread.) Slice each end off the bread loaf and put aside; about 2-3cm thick. Cut thick slices, 3-4cm thick and trim crusts from bread. Discard the crusts. Crumble the bread by hand; not too small and not too big. Half a cup of Tandaco seasoned breadcrumbs; or just plain breadcrumbs, to hold the larger pieces of bread together. (Although, this year I just used bread.) Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic if you wish. Finely slice and dice 1 on...

South Australia's elite judging panel has rated the Christmas (fruit) Mince Pies at the Black Forest Village Baker as the best in the State. The judges' comments included: Good look Pastry bottom raw Nice chunky Boozy filling Pastry melts Plenty of filling Fine short shell Not too sweet Love the apple and zest Looks handmade Pastry is crumbly The price is $1.80 each for a six pack. I visited the bakery and did the taste test. Fantastic. Best ever. Almost as good as my Nana made. The crust is deep and nice and crumbly - as it should be. Orders have gone through the roof. Do yourself a favour and pop in and buy a dozen.

Each year the Plain English Foundation highlights examples of poor communication and poorly constructed sentences. The really bad get awarded as the worst for the year. Here are some samples: Conscious uncoupling – used to describe the decision of a married couple to separate. Rapid disassembly – used by a car maker to describe the reason for the recall of 14 million vehicles with airbags that had a tendency to explode. Potential for dangerous aquatic organisms – a Queensland coastal Council erected signs warning about the potential for dangerous aquatic organisms in a local waterway. The Council CEO later explained that the danger was from bull sharks that could physically penetrate the waterway. and my favourite (that I will try to use a lot in 2015) … Appropriate financial envelope – used to describe staying within tight financial/budget constraints. Here are links to the Plain English Foundation … http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-23/conscious-uncou...

I'm not really one to boast. I don't flash about my titles, accreditation, memberships and awards. I don't sleep in my Council gown. (Black is not my colour.) I don't expect recognition when I venture out. During my recent stint as Deputy Mayor, I didn't request a new gown with a flash stipe or two to make me stand out. I don't wear my Council name badge (and I have a choice of gold or silver) when I go the local shops or coffee joints. If someone recognises me, then that's nice. If they don't (and I expect they won't) then that's understandable. I'm not one to boast, but I must say that my poultry Christmas stuffing is the best. Absolutely the best and this year I exceeded expectations. It was so good that I've awarded it as the best stuffing, ever. Christmas dinner would not have been the same without Bob's special stuffing. Ingredients: Home grown sage and thyme, chopped unsalted cashew nuts, chopped dried apricots, coars...

Last night I was out door knocking Wayville residents about various local issues. I was unable to attend the annual event to celebrate the major recipients of Unley’s Community Grants. Here is a brief mention of the recipients in the Goodwood area: The Goody Patch. (Grant to develop a fruit and nut orchard.) Goodwood Community Services (Grant for a customised air gym to be used in the Goodygym.) Goodwood Central Traders & Services Association (Grant to stage the family friendly ‘Goodwood Groove’ event.) Goodwood Volleyball (Grant to purchase volleyball poles and nets to enable disabled participation.) For more detail on this night of celebration, I refer you to Cr Don Palmer’s blog.

Black Forest and Goodwood pies have been declared amongst the short list of best pies in Adelaide by Simon 'The Pieman' Wilkinson and the 'Taste' team ... see the article in Taste, The Advertiser 09 July. The Village Baker (in the Black Forest shopping centre) was the runner up ie. won the taste test for the 2nd best pie in Adelaide. Owner/chef Ben Sachse declares his braised lamb shank pie a 'big hit'. The price is $5.20. Another must try is Ben's Portuguese custard tarts and later in the year his Christmas puddings. Nearby in Goodwood, the Goodwood Bakehouse scored well with its steak and kidney pie priced at $4.60. The bakery has a reputation as a cake specialist. The Village Baker is closer to my home and I buy bread there, to avoid the traffic and parking issues at Goodwood. The Taste article came as no surprise. Back  on 02 February  I blogged about the merit of the Villager Baker. Here is a link to  my earlier blog. I was a...

If you know or have heard of a great Aussie who deserves a gong, then consider making a nomination for the Australian of the Year. The person doesn’t have to be well known, doesn’t have to be a household name – just a person who deserves recognition for having made a contribution in the community or in a particular field. Someone who stands out and has made an impact. The following release is from Matt Miles , Executive Officer , Australia Day Council of South Australia Nominations are now open for the Australian of the Year Awards, one of the pre-eminent recognition programs in the country. Over 128 remarkable Australians across 4 categories (Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero) will be recognised across every State and Territory. In South Australia 16 outstanding people will be recognised at a ceremony to be held at Adelaide Oval on 12 November 2014 with 4 of these people heading to Canberra on...

It’s that time of the year for home cooks to consider entering the annual Royal Show judging competition. It may be a favourite sauce, chutney, biscuits, cake, pudding or sewing, embroidery etc. The cost of entering the baking competition is only $5. But be prepared for a harsh critic. The judges have been at it for years and they will show you no mercy. We are assured that the winners are picked absolutely on merit. I am considering entering my Harissa made with home grown chillies. Give it some thought. If you reckon your biscuits are the best in the street, then enter the competition and see what the judges think. For more information go to  the Showground website .

Give some thought about who in our community should be awarded for their community spirit. Consider nominating them for an SA Community Achievement Award. More details ... Nominations for the SA Community Achievement Awards are now open. These awards highlight and acknowledge the contribution of individuals, groups, businesses and organisations to helping local governments to build stronger and more vibrant local communities. Nominations are being sought under the following categories: ·         Volunteering Award ·         Carer Achievement award ·         Sports Award ·         Dementia Care Excellence Award ·         Community Road Safety award ·         Small business achievement award ·         Community group of the year award Further details can be found at  this link . Nominations close on 30 J...