Mayor4Unley

Recently I met a woman who told me that she intended nominating as a Councillor for Unley Park Ward, City of Unley - that's the Hyde Park and Millswood areas. She displayed enthusiasm and had a passion for the local community. After a brief chat, my assessment was that she would make a good Councillor. Her success would boost the % of women on Council. She asked about the commitment required and the number of hours per week. My reply was along these lines ... Some Councillors put in more effort than others. It's a personal commitment and dependent on work and family commitments. Some slow down after elected as the work load increases beyond that expected. There are 12 Council meetings per year, one per month, on a Monday. They run for 2-5 hours. There is usually 2-3 Special Council meetings a year. Another 12 Council meetings are tentatively scheduled fortnightly, just in case the monthly agenda gets over loaded. Work on an extra 4-6 fortnightly (mid month) Council me...

Recently I noticed a huge truck with a huge trailer carrying excavated soil from the former Annesley College site. It exited Bartley Crescent the wrong way out onto Greenhill Road. (Bartley Crescent is one way.) In doing so it mounted the footpath. Lucky no one was entering Bartley Cresent from Greenhill Road. Since then I have received a call from a resident about another truck making the same exit. I reported this matter to Council Administration who then held urgent talks with Resthaven (the site owner) and Badge (the site developer). Assurances have been given that it won’t happen again. If you do observe a similar incident then report it to the Police and also let me know. Provide as much detail as you can: day, time, rego … This development will be ongoing for 9-12 months and we need to ensure that there is minimal disruption to the local Wayville community.

On Saturday 01 November (9am to 3pm) there will be a free Hazard Waste Drop-off at the Wayville Showground, enter from Rose Terrace. This has been arranged by Unley Council. Residents will receive information in their letterboxes. Here are further details to help you prepare. The service is only for household hazardous waste. Commercial quantities will not be accepted. Keep original labels on all containers or put labels on known chemicals Package all materials securely to avoid spills Place old containers in plastic bags or buckets to avoid leaks Place smaller containers in a box or larger container to help with unloading. Transport chemicals in your vehicle’s boot or trailer for easy and safe handling. For your safety please stay in the car and let staff unload waste. Please note that no containers or boxes will be returned as we do not empty them on-site Goods Accepted Acids and alkalis Brake fluids and coolants Cleaning products Gardening chemicals (i...

AC/DC is just so Australian; simply a classic. When classical cellists (people who play the cello aka. chello) play an AC/DC song it is a mighty recognition of a great band. Here is a link to a video showing 2 Croatian cellists (a duo band called 2CELLOS) playing Thunderstruck. Enjoy ... acka-dacka-on-cello

It is sad news that Urban Myth (the youth theatre group) is about to initiate voluntary liquidation. It is financially unsustainable with a mountain of debt. Finding funds and grants has become too difficult. Urban Myth has been a part of Unley for 30 years. They used to be housed in a modest cottage on the Village Green behind the Council Civic Centre. I remember attending Shakespeare plays held outdoor on the Green. A few years ago they moved to a larger and more expensive accommodation at the Goodwood Institute (on corner of Victoria Street and Goodwood Road). Last year, Unley Council provided an interest free loan of $30k. It just didn’t work out. The business plan didn’t work. Last night at the Council meeting, many of the youths stayed. (They had artistically littered the entrance to the Council with props, posters, costumes and clothes to make their presence known.) They wanted to ask a question about future support, especially where they could hold wor...

The Council Meeting last night became quite heated during debate on whether or not to have a picket fence around Unley Oval. A lot was said that shouldn't have been said. The decision was Yes with a vote of 8 vs. 4 (against). For the record, I voted in favour of the fence. Having gates every 50m helped to convince me. I believe that based on the submissions received, it was the right decision. Another major decision was endorsing the Development Plan Amendment (DPA2) proposal which caters for the population growth required by the State Government (and its 30 year plan). Following recent consultation, significant changes were made to reduce the impact on the local amenity eg. in Everard Park, Forestville and Black Forest. As a member of the Development Strategy and Policy Committee, I ensured that there will be further consultation in 2015 after the endorsed changes have been finalised. The changes we made saved 100 houses from the dreaded 4-storey zone. The ne...

Unley Council has been working with other eastern inner city councils on documenting the available public transport network. You might ask why. I did, but the results are pleasing. There is a lot of information available, for example options for Seniors and how they can get the most out of their Senior's Card. The councils have developed a website called The Eastern Metro Community Passenger Network (CPN) . This project was funded by the State and Commonwealth Governments. It is a central point of contact for people in the eastern region seeking transport options and information. It may sound a bit uninteresting, but trust me you will find useful information. Here is the link http://www.easternmetrocpn.com.au/