Mayor4Unley

  I’ve been asked ‘so what happens now’? My understanding is that the matter needs to be referred to ICAC and it will likely be investigated by the Ombudsman. Unley Council is obliged to self report it to ICAC.

  High-Rise Everard Park Yesterday I attended a gathering of Everard Park and Black Forest residents organised by local Badcoe MP Jayne Stinson. There were about 150 people in attendance. The meeting was to review concerns about the proposed 4 storey aged care facility on the Life Care site, bounded by Norman Terrace, Fourth Avenue and Ross Street, Everard Park. So many concerns. The same as what was voiced at the public meeting held by Unley Council. Unley Council dismissed the voice of the residents and approved the development. It has now been approved by the State Minister for Planning. A final step (and probably just a formality) is consideration by a parliamentary committee. Jayne will be addressing that committee and presenting the residents’ concerns. Now, back to yesterday’s gathering in the park ... Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson (who had voted for the high-rise) was there. However after 20 minutes he must have figured that he was not welcome and he hopped on his bicycle an...

  Aglianico wine Enjoyed a bottle of  Aglianico  wine, from ‘Bittern by the Grape’, Mornington Peninsula. Never heard of it before. I don’t normally enjoy the lighter style wines, but this Italian wine was superb. Very easy drinking. A dusky brown and brick dust coloured beauty. Excellent with an oozy Brie cheese. I was given it some years back by a local who was visiting Victoria; back in the days when you could (or would want to) visit Victoria. Keep an eye out for it and treat yourself  🍷 Read about Aglianico

  Unley Council needs to take a fiscal reality check about spending $6.1m on a second stage redevelopment of an Unley Oval Grandstand. The project may have merit, but it is irresponsible to add huge debt just after spending $15.5m on upgrading King William Road. Ratepayers will bear this new debt by future rate rises. I urge Unley Council to postpone the project for a few years until the growing debt is reduced. It’s simply time to tighten the belt ✅ It’s time for Unley to recalibrate its fiscal strategy ✅

 I get lots of emails from wineries spruiking their wines 🍷 don’t we all? Anyway, the latest was from a Coonawarra winemaker who explained that his 2019 Shiraz was a bit ‘tight’. He gave a great tip on how to loosen it, rather than decant it. A great tip for when you open a red ... see the winemaker’s comments below 🍷 While this vintage is tighter than Kylie's gold hotpants - all is not lost. A tight wine usually refers to young wine, and it can be applied to a wine's aromas, flavours or structure. Being tight isn't always a bad thing. In fact, it's kind of a backhanded compliment.  So how do you loosen up a tight wine? Pour a single glass for starters. Whack the lid back on and 'shake it like a polaroid picture' Alternatively, if Outkast is not your thing you can just gently roll the bottle on its side which creates a greater surface area for the wine, allowing it to breath. Consider this a cheeky wine saving way of decanting in the bottle. Tannins bind toget...

  I am dismayed by the proposed 4 storey high density 46-dwelling apartment complex on Fullarton Road, Fullarton; 295 Fullarton Road, on the site of the old FuIlarton Private Hospital. Despite an Unley Council recommendation for approval, it was refused by the independent Council Assessment Panel due to height, setback and insufficient car parks. However, the developer has said it will submit an amended plan. I’m sure that it come back as 4 storey with a few more car parks. They always seem to have a plan B in case of refusal. Given that back in 2018 residents had strongly objected to another inappropriate high density development further south on Fullarton Road, I am staggered that Unley Council did not urgently pursue rezoning this main road. And without trying, there’s no point saying the Minister for Planning would not approve it. The character and amenity of Fullarton Road and the adjacent streets will be destroyed by the current development plan that allows inappropriate high...

It looks like there will be quite a few candidates for the position of councillor, in Parkside Ward, Unley Council. It will be difficult to replace the calibre of Mike Hudson who has retired. He had a track record of speaking his mind and not being swayed by a faction. I met one of the candidates the other day and had a bit of a chat. My prediction is that due to Covid-19 there will be a lower % of residents voting. I reckon that those voting will be less than 20%.