Historical Evidence why Gold Coast City Council needs us...

Budget cuts may slow capital works projects

Posted Wed Jun 9, 2004 10:19am AEST

Capital works projects at Coomera, Beenleigh and Surfers Paradise will be deferred if Gold Coast city councillors agree to prune the city's proposed budget.

Council officers have found a way to save $6 million and will put the recommendations to the final council budget meeting today.

Outgoing finance committee chairman Eddie Saroff says the reduction will do away with the need for council to borrow money.

"The officers have identified a number of projects that won't be able to commence in the '04/05 budget and it was commonsense that those projects should be moved out of the budget rather than look towards taking up further loans simply to balance the budget and that's been achieved, and I am sure the rest of the council will see that as the right way forward," he said.

The budget is due to be handed down on June 25.

Beenleigh and Eagleby bagged by Gold Coast Bulletin

Hello everyone....this is really very important....if you ever thought that it was more prestigious
to be part of Gold Coast...read on and find out what people down there think of us...

On Tuesday September 4th the Gold Coast Bulletin published a front page story entitled...Do we want to keep Eagleby. As this article has now been removed from the website www.goldcoast.au which archives the Gold Coast Bulletin stories verbatim, I will transcribe it from my personal copy....

Do we want to keep Eagleby
Councillors voted last night to hold a referendum on whether Eagleby
and Beenleigh should remain part of the Gold Coast, which raises
the question: why bother?

Premier Peter Beattie has said he will push ahead with plans to include the northern suburbs in a new Logan City super council regardless of a Federal Government offer to pay for the referendum.

The gritty, inland commuter centres have little in common with the Gold Coast holiday playground. Beenleigh has a rum distillery and fields of sugar-cane, while Eagleby is a classic struggle town with the social problems that brings.

Mayor Ron Clarke is a strong supporter of the referendum, along with councillor Ted
Shepherd who says losing the rates base would be a massive blow to the city's economy.
But residents of the suburbs contribute much less to city coffers than other Gold Coast
ratepayers. The average rates payment in most of Eagleby and parts of Beenleigh is $1550,
compared to $2300 in Robina.

Even Beenleigh councillor Ray Hackwood admits the taxpayer-funded vote 'isn't going
to make a difference'. The referendum will quiz more than 40, 000 residents of the suburbs, but you can vote now on our website.

So that was what appeared on the front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin...I checked the website
and ironically the vote was around 80% to keep us and 20% to dump us....remember voters would
be readers of the Gold Coast Bulletin...of course it did not tell you how many votes there had been....

Ok ....so the story continued on page 4....this article remains pretty much as printed except they have changed the title...the original title was....

Eagleby a sore point
'Let whole Coast vote on keeping low-rate areas'
by council reporter, Geoff Chambers

Opposite the story was a google-earth style map of the area....and a box which showed comparative statistical data highlighting the differences between Eagleby and the Gold Coast, including:

Unemployment Rate
Eagleby 11.2% Gold Coast 5.8%

Average Individual Taxable Income
Eagleby $32,968 Gold Coast $36,602

Population with Bachelor Degree
Eagleby 2.6% Gold Coast 7.3%

All I can say is 'how rude'...They must have got quite a lot of flack because they have
since removed the original front page article and changed the title of the page 4 story....
it now appears as below....

September 7, 2007 07:02am

Council backs referendum for Eagleby

04Sep07

THE Gold Coast City Council knows a vote won't change anything but last night still decided to press ahead with a taxpayer-funded referendum on amalgamations.

After the council retained the Yatala industrial cash cow in the August State Government local government reform announcements, the consensus of most Gold Coasters was that the northern divisions -- home to the Gold Coast's lowest rate-paying housing estates -- wouldn't be missed.

At yesterday's meeting, southern Gold Coast councillors argued that many Gold Coasters were happy with the reform and that Beenleigh and Eagleby were always going to amalgamate into the new Logan City super council.

But the council's decision to allow the referendum will now see more than 40,000 Beenleigh and Eagleby residents included in the statewide postal vote, asking them whether they support the local government reform process in which 156 councils will be slashed to 72.

Councillors Greg Betts, Rob Molhoek, Ted Shepherd and Eddy Sarroff remained against the referendum and argued the vote should include the entire Gold Coast.

"I am against the motion. I don't think it will properly reflect the feelings of the entire Gold Coast. Some on the southern Gold Coast are quite happy about the whole process," said Cr Betts, who supports the amalgamation.

Cr Dawn Crichlow said in the Greg Hoffman report from 1995, which recommended the Albert Shire and Gold Coast council amalgamate, he mentioned that Beenleigh and Eagleby could not remain part of the Gold Coast City Council.

"That report said that within 10 years Beenleigh would have to become a council on its own or be amalgamated," she said.

Cr Molhoek said the entire process was politically motivated by the Federal Government to win votes.

"This is a process which is pushing forward and regardless of the vote these parts of the council are going to become part of Logan. This is ratepayers', or in this case taxpayers' money, and it's a waste because there is a political agenda at play," said Cr Molhoek.

The Local Government Association of Queensland last week pushed for October 20 as the preferred date for a vote but the Federal Government is expected to hold the referendum two weeks before the federal election, which is yet to be announced.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says the amalgamations will go ahead regardless of the referendum.

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke put forward the motion.

"This vote is to approve a referendum north of the Albert River and conduct plebiscites to allow these residents a fair chance to express their views about the reform which I know many of them aren't pleased with," said Cr Clarke.

"Just today we have received a petition against the amalgamation and if the Australian Electoral Commission funds the referendum I believe we should allow these people that democratic right."

Long-time Beenleigh councillor Ray Hackwood said he was interested to see what his 'local residents were thinking'.

But, he remained sceptical about whether it would change the looming amalgamation.

"I don't have a problem with one being held but no matter what the results are, this is not going to stop the inevitable," he said.

"But at least I would get a feeling of what they are thinking. This was always going to happen and I have resigned myself to that fact.

"It isn't going to make a difference."

Cr Shepherd claimed the loss of Beenleigh and Eagleby could potentially devastate the Gold Coast economy.

"This is a big issue and it will affect the entire city. There are great ramifications south of the Albert River," he said.

"We are going to lose up to 40,000 residents and the $696 million in assets without compensation. This loss of rates is going have repercussions and I support a full referendum across the Gold Coast."

The average rates payment in most of Eagleby and parts of Beenleigh is $1550, compared to about $2300 in Robina.

Cr Sarroff said he did not want to give local residents 'false hope'.

Beenleigh Community....Urgent Attention....Read what the Gold Coast Bulletin is saying about us

September 7, 2007 06:54am

Limbo locals lost to Logan

05Sep07

EAGLEBY and Beenleigh residents claim they are the 'forgotten people' after being forced into amalgamation with the Logan City super council and shunned by the Gold Coast.

The neighbouring townships have been handed no assurances by the Gold Coast City Council or Logan City Council about their future.

On Monday, the Gold Coast City Council voted to hold a referendum on whether Eagleby and Beenleigh should remain part of this city, even though area representative Ray Hackwood said the taxpayer-funded vote 'isn't going to make a difference' under the State Government's reforms, which demand amalgamations and boundary changes.

Eagleby Community Association president Ian Bray said yesterday the three buildings used by the organisation were leased from the council and the Eagleby festival relied on council funds of $12,000.

"We are in limbo and we are all pretty fed up by how we have been treated, especially in terms of the lack of information that has been provided to us. It seems that we are the forgotten people," said Mr Bray.

"Eagleby as a whole supports the referendum because it gives us a say and anyone who says anything else than that is wrong because a lot of people around here would like to stay a part of the Gold Coast.

"If it is going ahead we want to know what is happening. It's small things that are going to affect us as well, like having to cut down from two bins to split bins."

A local, Julie Bishop, and other residents The Bulletin spoke to yesterday, said Eagleby had become their own patch of heaven.

"I moved here from southern Brisbane when I realised that housing in the area was much more affordable," said Ms Bishop.

"Once you get here you find that it's still like a small town with the rivers and bushwalks only a short walk away.

"Eagleby isn't as developed as Beenleigh and it still has its community halls and CWA meetings. You won't get that on the Gold Coast."

The suburb also includes an Islamic mosque, with a major influx of Sudanese refugees in the area.

The Eagleby wetlands and a major sewerage plant are also found there along with a Driza-Bone factory.

Acting Logan City Mayor John Grant yesterday confirmed that under current circumstances, rate notices for Eagleby and Beenleigh residents would likely increase when the new council was formed.

"As part of the transition committee, which I am chairing in the absence of the mayor, we are working as best as we can to ensure the right thing by them," said Cr Grant.

"We can only set up the dialogue and analysis before March 15 but we don't make the final decision. This is an important process and in terms of a referendum I think that was a decision the Gold Coast council could make but it will not change the outcome."

Cr Hackwood, who oversaw the amalgamation of the region into the Gold Coast in 1995, said he was dismayed the northern Gold Coast had been shunned by its southern counterparts.

"The description of Eagleby asserted that it was a low socio-economic outcast with huge social problems.

"This is far from the truth," said Cr Hackwood, who has a park named after him.

"The mystery to me is that often people who criticise the area have not taken the time to visit and make their judgment from afar. The Eagleby wetlands attract many visitors both nationally and internationally.

"The riverfront parks in the area are the equal of any elsewhere in the city and the BMX facilities are of world standard and the historical village is visited by hundreds of school children."

Farther west, Boonah Shire Council yesterday released the questions it will include in a survey to its residents. Boonah, which will become part of the new Scenic Rim council, has avoided spending taxpayers' money on a referendum after being threatened with legal action by the State Government.

Mayor John Brent said the council had decided to go with the survey as part of the council's weekly newsletter.

"The survey asks residents five questions, including whether they support the process used by the State Government to amalgamate the Boonah Shire Council into the new Scenic Rim regional council," said Cr Brent.

Residents will also be asked whether the changes would affect a range of community-based activities, including local representation.

Beenleigh is an area with a long history of
endemic social issues (refer SEIFA Index
of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage).
Low income, low educational attainment,
high unemployment and people with low-skilled
occupations are the variables that reflect or
measure relative disadvantage. All these
factors contribute to influence how a community
copes with changing circumstances (ABS 2001b).

Although the factors which contribute to our area’s
social disadvantage may not be entirely the responsibility
of Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) the GCCC Corporate
Plan, 2005-2009 pledges commitment to Community
Capacity Building. I, personally, would like to know how
GCCC have, for instance, ‘worked in partnership with
the Beenleigh community to develop local support
networks‘? (GCCC Corporate Plan, 2005-2009,
Strategic Priority 3.3.5).

Beenleigh is also a community crossed by lines.
Divided and on the fringe of each divisional boundary.
Socio-economic factors (and the lack of a coordinated
response by all levels of government to address them)
place us, as a community, in extremely marginalized
circumstance. Marginalised not only by our poorer
demographic (in relation to other parts of Gold Coast)
but also by our isolation factor in relation to ALL
of our boundaries.

Major barriers therefore exist for people in our area,
particularly the barrier of access to relative and appropriate
information. Our local paper, the Albert & Logan News,
has such a wide circulation, predominantly in Logan areas,
that Gold Coast City news receives limited coverage. There
are anomalies unique to Beenleigh residents, also, in
the dissemination of information from Qld State government.

When the Queensland government puts out its budget report,
telling us where the money is spent, residents of Beenleigh
receive information for Gold Coast Hospital, TAFE, University,
police etc despite the fact that we do not use these institutions.
We access tertiary education at Logan TAFE and Griffith
University in Logan because of closer proximity. We use Logan
Hospital and our police and ambulance response is coordinated
from Logan. We should, therefore, receive information about
Logan Hospital, TAFE, University, police, etc.

Studies confirm social isolation is the most significant factor
contributing to the onset of depression, particularly for people
with disabilities and the frail aged. So it may not be surprising
that my greatest criticism of Gold Coast City Council (GCCC)
is their neglect in providing adequate footpaths in the long-term
established areas of Beenleigh and surrounds. It is a disgrace
that so many people with mobility problems, and there are many
of these people in Beenleigh and surrounds because we have
a high level of public housing, are virtual prisoners in their own
homes because there are no footpaths in most suburban streets.

I, personally, have seen footpaths in newer areas all over
the southern Gold Coast. If there is any prioritising by GCCC
on a needs basis then Beenleigh and districts have certainly
been neglected. All the money that has been spent on massive
road re-constructions such as Harburg Dve (which is a total
overkill at the present rate of development) could have provided
many footpaths all over the district. Community Renewal has
funded some work on footpaths but it is only in highly visible
local routes. As we are experiencing an unprecedented growth,
the lack of footpaths also causes safety issues. People pushing
prams and people in motorized wheel chairs must currently use
the roads, which are now becoming heavy with traffic.

Another area of neglect is the fact that our roads, particularly
in less visible areas such as Bethania and Eagleby, have not
been maintained to a standard consistent with most parts
of southern Gold Coast. People here have told me ’GCCC
think slap-dash patching-up is good enough for Beenleigh…
after all nobody important ever sees them’. However, all
the many bumps and potholes on much-traversed roads (such
as Riverhills Road in Eagleby) are safety hazards and contribute
to premature wear and tear on our older model cars.

Every afternoon around 3pm our traffic is in gridlock in various
parts of town. This situation is directly caused, I think, by a lack
of vision and planning by GCCC for our current growth.
Considering that GCCC approve every development that happens
in our area this situation is reprehensible. Our GCCC Division 1
Councillor tells us constantly in the media that the Beenleigh Ring
Road extension is vital to sorting out traffic problems in Beenleigh.
Many residents in the area would dispute his notion, in fact 12,000
people have signed a petition to stop this road.

This Ring Road was planned over twenty years ago
and patterns of road use have changed dramatically
since that time. If there has been a recent GCCC traffic study
in our area it has not been publicised. Instead of consulting
the wider community, our Councillor seems to make decisions
which affect traffic in Beenleigh based on the opinions of a ‘couple
of Beenleigh-Yatala Chamber of Commerce’ members (see Albert
& Logan News, Beenleigh edition, Wednesday, May 16^th, page 8,
Letter to the Editor, ‘Creating Parking Confusion’).

Additionally, increased traffic over the past ten years has caused
many ‘hot spots’ and despite verbage within their Corporate Plan
(see Strategic Priority 2: Advocacy – ‘….Advancing the interests
of the city, through proactive representation and effective working
relationships, in particular with State and Federal governments’)
GCCC do not seem to have effective processes established for
negotiation and cooperation with Queensland Main Roads to
rectify these dangerous traffic problems.

Where a council road and a main road intersect, each authority
shirks their responsibility to resolve the problem leaving residents
at risk. Examples of these ‘hot spots' include:

• Kokoda Street and Milne Street - a much used local route
• to Beenleigh town centre for people in Mt Warren Park
  

and the scene of many accidents over the years

· Tallegandra Road and Beenleigh-Beaudesert Rd – GCCC

have created a traffic problem at this intersection by completing

a massive up-grade of Harburg Dve allowing through traffic

from Logan access to the M1.

We must put up with dangerous situations for many years, like

the lack of traffic lights at Distillery Rd and Fryar Rd, until they

are termed ‘hot spots’ and receive Federal government funding.

However, the strongest case I think against Beenleigh remaining

in Gold Coast is the fact that our rates will inevitably increase.

According to FiscalStar (the peak body which assesses councils,

nationally, for their fiscal sustainability), GCCC’s ‘existing financial

policies are not sustainable, with disruptive increases in rates &

charges and/or cutbacks in services likely going forward as imbalances

evident in its financial performance and position are tackled’.

FiscalStar has assigned GCCC a one-star financial sustainability

rating on account of its unsustainable operating deficit. Logan City

Council which operates with a considerably smaller rate pool was

assigned a two star rating in the same study.

Logan City Council (LCC) takes a responsibility for providing human

service infrastructure and support to assist people with a diverse

range of social problems. GCCC pays lip service to ‘helping’ the

community, but provides very little assistance to community groups

here in Beenleigh. We have a decrepit Neighbourhood Centre,

white ant ridden and depressing. This building is sited in a

ridiculously inaccessible part of town and has no parking spaces

available for visitors to the Centre.

LCC has numerous Community and Neighbourhood Centres

together with other premises rented by community groups at

‘peppercorn’ rents. The availability of these community houses

allows many human service agencies to provide low cost

programs to help people experiencing family relationship problems,

domestic violence, child abuse, depression and other more serious

mental health problems. A distinct lack of similar council buildings

in Beenleigh, particularly over the past ten years has inhibited

the growth and development of numerous community groups

endeavoring to address these problems.

In conclusion, I reiterate these points for your consideration :

• Beenleigh’s continuing level of relative social

disadvantage is unacceptable, particularly in the current

environment of rapid economic development in our area

• Beenleigh needs a local government that will pay more

than ‘lip service’ to strengthening our communities capacity

to take ownership of the social problems in our area

and work towards change

• GCCC’s unsustainable operating deficit and the inevitability

of rate increases or decrease in services would have

more impact on Beenleigh residents than residents from

less disadvantaged socio-economic areas of southern Gold Coast

• Regardless of our local area boundary, we are intrinsically

linked with Logan due to the fact that we use Logan-based

institutions, trades and services

• GCCC have failed to plan proactively for the rapid

development which has occurred in Beenleigh

over the past ten years

• Our footpaths, roads and community buildings are below

par and highly visible examples of this neglect.

Beenleigh’s position needs to be strengthened by any amalgamation.

We can hardly be a Qld State Development classified Major Economic

Centre if our community development does not keep abreast

of our economic development.

Thank you for offering me an opportunity to vent…

Beenleigh - are we really better off in Gold Coast?

hi there folks...have been a little busy lately with one thing
or another but wednesday's albert & logan news has
inspired me to write....i used to write letters to the editor
but don't like to see them edited...lol...so i love the blog!!

ok...what is it that has raised my hackles this time?..
propoganda....and bees wax...
front page story in large print...'coast yes, logan no'
businesses in beenleigh aparantly have 'overwhelmingly'
endorsed staying in gold coast city...then you read on
only to discover that they surveyed only 25 percent
of beenleigh yatala chamber of commerce members
and 70 per cent (of the 25%) want to keep the same
boundaries....

now come on....overwhelmingly?....hardly....i have
studied 'survey design' at university....and i have some
questions to ask....did all chamber members get
the opportunity to participate in the survey?...i have
been told that a few may have been overlooked...
so the survey falls down right there....if that is the case
it is more like a manipulated response than a survey...

just so you don't think i am jumping to conclusions...
turn your wednesday albert & logan to page 8
and read david phillips' letter to the editor...
david takes exception to the fact that our local
councillor apparently asked a 'couple' of people
in the chamber before changing the parking in
george street to 'nose in'...

my objection is....decisions are often made about
beenleigh that affect everyone here and we are
not adequately consulted and often not even
informed prior to the change occurring...
reminds me a little of joh's... 'don't you worry
about that now'....

for instance....has anyone been told about
the revitalise beenleigh project ??
found this info on gccc website...

Gold Coast City Council, through the Economic
Development and Major Projects Directorate,
coordinates a signature geographic industry
development program titled the 'Pacific
Innovation Corridor' project. A key centre
identified for economic enhancement within
this project is the Beenleigh Town Centre,
which is recognised as one of the oldest original
communities within the Gold Coast and
a centre experiencing rapid growth.

An important project that was identified
by Beenleigh Town Centre stakeholders
and the Council for this precinct is the
'Revitalise Beenleigh' project, which will
commence this month and will be managed
with consultants The Hornery Institute.

Revitalise Beenleigh contains four
components, which together will combine
to enhance and direct sustainable economic
growth within the Beenleigh Town Centre,
these include:

1. Beenleigh Town Centre Visioning -
which will develop in consultation with town
centre business stakeholders, a high level
vision and design for a future Beenleigh,
which will be incorporated into the Council’s
Local Growth Management Strategy

2. Invest In Beenleigh – undertaking a Town
Centre property and business audit to identify
business gaps and available sites for future
development and the creation of an investment
attraction campaign to stimulate investment
and provide developers, investors and current
business operators with a future vision, data
and promotional material to embrace
and develop Beenleigh

3. Town Centre Business Development Program -
identifying, developing and delivering a tailored
business-training program

4. Engaging Beenleigh Youth - engaging youth
in these revitalisation components and developing
a project that will enable them to take ownership
over the developing Beenleigh Town Centre

The Revitalise Beenleigh project will be coordinated
and delivered over the next 12-months and there
will be opportunities for involvement by businesses
and the community.

Revitalise Beenleigh is supported by funding from
the Australian Government under its Regional
Partnerships programme, in conjunction with
Council, the State Government and Beenleigh
Yatala Chamber of Commerce.

So that is very promising...it says there will be
opportunities for involvement by community...
if only the community would get involved...
come on beenleighites....change your lives...
get involved in the decision making process
that will affect the way you live....put up all
your good ideas that you bore the family
talking about...magic comes from action...

well back to my discussion (with myself)...lol..
(my children tell me they read every word
i write...yeh sure...)....are we better off
sticking to the old horse....gold coast?

before you start on about losing the prestige
of our address....get a grip....this is beenleigh...
it doesn't matter one iota that we are part
of gold coast because no-one else realises
this....be honest... don't your friends from
other places... (like my friends) say to
you...."are you sure you live in gold coast"...
and don't you answer (like i do)...."well that's
the council that i pay my rates to"....

it is total snobbery in my opinion to say that
logan is of a lower social standard than beenleigh...
maybe....a while back....before community
renewal spending had changed the physical
face of logan....and way before the current
logan city council (which incidentally takes
a responsibility for providing human service
infrastructure to assist people with a variety
of social problems)....

there are very few services in beenleigh
or surrounding districts....we have that decrepit
neighbourhood centre hidden up mansfield walk
....no parking for visitors....white ant ridden and
depressing....go over to logan and visit some of
the many community centres in their district...
see how many programs that are running to
help people with family relationship problems,
domestic violence, child abuse, depression and
other more serious mental health problems...

where do people in beenleigh go for this sort of help?
...to logan...we also go to logan hospital, logan tafe,
logan griffith...the trades and services we use
come from logan....not gold coast....

when the state government puts out it's budget
report telling us where the money is to be spent...
they always put the gold coast hospital, tafe,
university expenditure on the one they post to
us in beenleigh...i have informed them we should
be getting the logan one as we do not use the gold
coast institutions....they still persist in sending us
information about gold coast....

but perhaps the most important point for wanting
to merge with logan is money....sure our rates
are cheaper at the moment but the gold coast city
council got a lower assessment than logan in a national
fiscal assessment of councils...i will now paste this
information...or check it out yourself on
http://fiscalstar.com.au/content/category/17/72/
note the bit where it says our rates are going up!!!
cheers for now....elle

The Council (gold coast) is assigned a one-star
financial sustainability rating on account
of its unsustainable operating deficit.
We estimate it has an underlying
operating deficit in excess of 30% of
revenue from rates & charges.

The deficit is being funded mainly by
borrowing, with the Council’s debt at 71%
of its annual operating revenues.
However, to date, any associated
deferral of asset renewal expenditure has
not been significant, with the average
remaining age of the Council’s assets still
almost 70%.

Despite its below-average
underlying growth in spending on
services, the Council has insufficient
capacity to address its financial
imbalances without also putting
substantial upward pressure on future
rates & charges.

Our assessment therefore is that the
Council’s existing financial policies are
not sustainable, with disruptive increases
in rates & charges and/or cutbacks in
services likely going forward as
imbalances evident in its financial
performance and position are tackled.

now what do you think???

out and about in beenleigh

hi all...
had a great day on sunday at the beenleigh markets...
by the time i got there about 9am there was hardly
a park to be had...on the way in i stopped to have a chat
with cec clark (who has been collecting signatures to stop
the ring road going right through the middle)....
12,000 people have now signed...amazing....

for the past few weeks my elbow has been very
painful...doc says it's 'tennis elbow'...but i haven't played
much since i was a kid...although i did try out the new
nintendo wii which has bowling, tennis, golf, boxing etc.

this is not a couch potato game...you have to use
the control, attached to your wrist, and go through
the physical motions of playing the game...two people
can play against each other or you can play on your
own against the animated computerised challenger....
it is so much fun...love the bowling...it has all the
sounds happening just like in a bowling alley...

anyway...back to the markets...my sore elbow led
me to the man selling a herbal potion that helped
his wife recover from very painful rheumatoid
arthritis in her hands...he massaged some of this
magic stuff into my elbow and as we spoke
i could feel the pain ease...i am not kidding...

he claims the tincture is absorbed and draws
out the acids trapped in the spot that is painful...
well i have been applying it regularly ever since
and let me say ... it works for me...

so on i trecked, with the pain in my elbow
diminishing... to find that treasure...buy my fruit
and veg....snag a bargain ....

have you seen the 'birdman'?...he has hand-raised
parrots....sitting out untethered.... without their
wings having been clipped.... picking away at their
fruit and seed...absolutely beautiful and amazing
birds...as free as they could be but choosing to stay
with their benefactor....that alone is worth a look !!!

ever had home-made ginger beer?...i love it...so i
always find the lady that sells it for $2 a large
bottle...delightfully refreshing when i get home
weary from my shopping...

trecking on ... i have a good look at all the stalls
full of nick nacks and junk...snag a pair of diana
ferrari sandals (brand new...and beautiful)
for the amazing price of $3....bargain!!

onions frying on the grill get my taste buds
salivating....so of course i have to stop at the
food stand for a sausage and onion roll...these
sausages are the best ...from beenleigh
butchery...they specialise in ham and pork
and smoke all their ham on the premises..

did you know that brett ....has recently bought
the butchery after serving his apprenticeship
and working there for twenty years (since he
was fifteen)....brett is a legend...apparently
he has only had two sick days in his life....

on ward in pursuit of bargains....i stumble
upon a man selling really good second-hand
cd's....i find a couple that i like....elvis (30 #1
hits) and kasey chambers double cd (the
captain)...cynically i open them up only to find
they are in immaculate condition...no scratches!!
i get busted by the guy and he tells me he cleans
all his cds....so i snap them up at 2 for $10...
i'm happy...

my favourite stall is the 'little alpaca shed'...
before you buy any winter woollies go and have
a look at some of the stunning garments made
from alpaca...did you know that this is
the warmest fibre of all??...try it and you will
agree...and all so cheap here at marilyn's shed...

so on i go....only to find a great framed gauguin
print, $10....some home-made jam drops, $2...
a rather unusual brommiliad in flower, $6....
a wooden shutter-style blind...just the size for my
office, $10....millet sprays for my love-birds, $1..
a jar of local grey gum honey, $6...

i am now getting weary and realise it is time to get
the fruit and veg and head on home...such choice
and all so fresh and cheap...a bag of apples, $1...
3 cobs of corn, $1....kg of beautiful tasty tomatoes,
$2...a whole butternut pumkin, $2...

so, have i got you interested?...do yourself a favour..
go check out our beenleigh markets...it's a great
place to spend a sunday morning !!

are you bored? ...have nothing to do this weekend?

Hi folks...

Has everyone in Beenleigh Community checked out the fitness machines which have been installed in Logan River Parklands and Doug Larson park (the duck park)??? .... so now you don't have to pay money to go to the gym to get fit....there is quite a range of machines and they are lot's of fun....go on....check them out..

Live Well !!!

Good morning everyone on this lovely Friday the 13th....

Today is the first meeting of a new program entitled - Live Well -
to be held each Friday, for the next seven weeks, between 10am - 2pm,
at Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre, Mansfield Walk (off Kent St)
in Beenleigh, phone (07) 3287 2840.

This program is inclusive of people from many different ethnic backgrounds....
it is all about living well as the name suggests....and how better to begin to live
well than to eat well. Each week will feature a cooking demonstration by
various members, who will cook one of their favourite national dishes.

And then comes the best part ....for all you 'foodies' like me....
after the demonstration we will all sit down for lunch...... to share the meal.....
and to learn something of the culture and traditions from that particular country.
Today's program, Friday 13th April, will feature some wonderful traditional
recipes from Sri Lanka....mmmm !!!!

But this program is not just about eating.....we hope that this group will grow
and develop....sharing their stories and contributing ideas for other programs
of interest to people in the Beenleigh Community. All the recipes featured
in the program will be collected together into a cookery book....which will be
sold to raise money for future programs.

So if you are a little bored with your life right now?....think you might make
a few changes?....need to meet some new friends?.....want to participate more
in your community?.....

Give Lucretia a call at the Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre
on 3287 2840....Come along and join our group..... find out about other
activities run at the Centre....or talk to Lucretia about any idea you may
have for another group or activity....

We look forward to meeting you !!!!

why would anyone want to blow up beenleigh, continued?

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			Print Email Last Update: Monday, February 26, 2007. 10:12pm (AEDT) Amundsen mulls bail application A Brisbane man facing multiple charges after police allegedly found explosives in his home says he may reapply for bail now that the most serious charges against him have been dropped. John Howard Amundsen, 41, was the first Queenslander to be charged under federal anti-terror laws after police raided his Aspley home last May. The terrorism-related charges were dropped last week, but he still faces multiple charges, including fraudulently obtaining explosives and making counterfeit money. At a mention of his case today in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, Amundsen asked the prosecution to return personal items to him, such as a book on Osama bin Laden and letters to his girlfriend. He also indicated he may once more apply for Supreme Court bail before his committal hearing begins in a fortnight. Print Email

beenleigh....join the dots...

A beenleigh perspective on the albert & logan news

hi beenleigh bloggers,,,

love to read the local paper, don't you?.... Today's albert & logan (albert edition, wednesday april 4th) did not disappoint.... judith maizey's article on page 2...titled 'not enough space' is certainly newsworthy....the canefields clubhouse has excellent programs for people with mental health issues...clubhouse's are all over the world...people who attend make a commitment to a normal working day....they work, cook and eat together and become friends who support each other through the bad times...

judith informs us that they are in dire need of new premises...lease on the dump runs out in august....sorry to whoever owns the place and has been collecting the $450 a week... but it sounds like a dump to me!.... only one toilet ...hole in the hall ceiling where rain pours in....airconditioning, oven and microwave can't be used at the same time....come on????....sounds very dodgy....

so the clubhouse needs a nice new place that they can call home....come on all you generous public benefactors....put your hands in your pockets....they used to have a lovely garden when they ran from manilla st....that's what they need...somewhere to feel safe and to establish an atmosphere of normalcy....

ok...i am off my soapbox...next story....by judith again....hello judith....our own beenleigh butcher.....brett brooks, of beenleigh butchery....what a champion guy he is....bought the butchery last year after working for twenty years (since he was 15 !!)....for three different owners....good on you brett.....

hey this guy deserves our support....he has only ever had two sick days in his life....legend....
i hope everyone has tried their ham....it is unbelievable....smoked and cured on the premises...by brett....if you have ever won a meat tray at the beenleigh bowls club, then you have had beenleigh butchery meat....beautiful pork chops....goodluck in your new business venture brett...

i am getting off the albert & logan stuff now.....but i just had to mention while we are talking food...has everyone tried the bakery called 'the just loaf' in main street ???....up the hill abit from hux's....beautiful breads, cakes and all sorts of goodies....all made from scratch....nothing artificial....my particular fave is their digger pie....oh and they make the best death by chocolate....mmm

currently....and excuse the pun....they have the best hot x buns on the planet....$5 for 6 (bargain)....lovely people....best bakery in town....

ok....back to the albert & logan....ah, letters to the editor...my favourite....
i won't get into all the logan stuff....just beenleigh....otherwise i will be here all day...lol.....
first of all young monique stevens of windaroo's letter on page 11 'tragedy looming at school road' gets the best letter award from me....she is a year 12 student and probably headed for a career in journalism....you go girl....

monique implores people to take notice of the dangerous situation on the xing in front of windaroo high....she eloquently explains how it is only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously hurt....so slow down you commuters coming into beenleigh on the beenleigh-beaudesert road....how would you feel if you killed a kid on a school xing....about as bad as the guy who hit sophie delizio i would imagine....once again well done monique, excellent letter!!!...

andrew stevenson of eagleby has an excellent idea for capturing rain water when we have a torrential downpour....roadside gully traps....seems like andrew knows his stuff....i would mention also that there are some underground aquafirs coming off the mt warren hill....it seems this water just runs into storm water drains and is also wasted....so come on you decision makers take a little notice of the people....commonsense ideas usually work....people are the experts in their own lives and people like andrew....observe and ponder solutions to problems that are occurring in their own backyard....practice your own philosophy....don't waste a drop!!!... great letter andrew, well done...

ken wood of mt warren park thinks that people in the media should learn to enunciate more clearly..... so that they don't mispronounce words .....just think of pauline hanson saying these words and you will know what ken means......'australya' (australia).....inviroment (environment)....dias (dais).....don't hear that one so much.....next one's definetely a kath & kim...i really never hear it used in the media that much...obstropolus (obstreperous).....

well yes ken...i abhore hearing people saying 'austraya'....but it is a very hard word to pronounce if you notice.....like a person of chinese decent trying to say.....'synnny' (sydney)....unfortunately in this day and age with txt and the like we are losing the pure english 'english'.....but it is a global thing....and soon we will actually spell things differently....bring it on i say....note the fact that i do not use capitalisation....it makes for easier communication and isn't that the most important thing....

i want to keep in touch with my kids....so i learnt to txt....i luv how they have made up all these short forms for words that are 2 difficult to type....eg....i typed '2' it was one stroke as apposed to three strokes for 'two'...u c?....better we remember the 'queen's' english as something old and quaint....like the queen....

well that's it folks....the rest of the paper was the same old....adds mostly....oh that's right its a free paper, i forgot....

Beenleigh - our heritage

hi all you history lovers....here is the history of beenleigh....short form....from the gold coast city council website...

Beenleigh

View of George Street near the intersection with City Road, Beenleigh, 1886. A remnant from the scrub cleared for the Beenleigh Sugar Plantation pictured here in 1873. Aerial view of Beenleigh 1998

Beenleigh is the most northern town in the Gold Coast. It is located in a pocket of land between the Albert and Logan Rivers. When Europeans first settled here, news of their arrival quickly spread, no doubt, among the local aboriginal people the Yugambeh. The rivers were an important food and transport resource for both the aboriginal people and European settlers. In the 1860s, the area was referred to as the Logan & Albert District.

Beenleigh Sugar Plantation: Around 1864, brother-in-laws, Francis Gooding and John Davy established their Beenleigh sugar plantation near the northern bank of the Albert River. The site was located a little distance upstream from where this river joins the Logan. They named their plantation after the family’s estate in southern Devon, England. The Gooding and Davy Family continued to successfully operate their sugar plantation and mill here until the late 1880s.

In a similar pattern to the development of the Nerang sugar and cotton plantations, other syndicates and family groups took up large parcels of land in the Logan & Albert District. Beenleigh became known as the planter’s town. A government ferry was established at nearby Yatala on the southern bank of the Albert River.

A town develops: In 1868, a Mr Savage opened a general store at the crossroads of five roads leading to the Logan and Albert Rivers, Cedar Creek and farther south to the Nerang District. By 1869, Michael Tansey opened the first hotel the ‘Planter’s Rest ‘near Savage’s General Store. The hotel became a convenient stopping place for passing coaches and travellers. Prior to the hotel’s opening, the nearest pub for thirsty travellers was at Eight Mile Plains, south of Brisbane. This ‘halfway between destinations’ attribute shaped the character and businesses of Beenleigh.

As horse and coach traffic increased, the settlement acquired the services of a hotel and blacksmith and was referred to in the Brisbane newspapers as the township of Beenleigh. A government land survey of Beenleigh town-ship was completed in 1870, and a school opened in the following year.

In 1871, the deciding factor for the future of Beenleigh was the erection of a Court House – again at the intersection of the roads. Because of its relative distance from Brisbane, Beenleigh too served as a local administrative centre for the Lands Department. Farmers from as far away as Coolangatta dealt with the Land Agent’s Office in Beenleigh.

German Immigrants: Another factor that shaped the early character of Beenleigh was the influx of German immigrants who joined the Irish, Scottish and English settlers in and around the township. When the large plantation holdings were subdivided, it was generally the German settlers who acquired the smaller blocks and who continued to cultivate and manufacture sugar in the area.

The Germans had a great respect for the unity of family and this was reinforced by a strong religious focus. In some areas German settlers soon outnumbered their British neighbours. In these times, many districts around the town were nicknamed ‘little Germany’ or ‘German Pocket’. Branches of these families moved to areas like Coomera or Gilston in the Hinterland, where they dairy farmed or worked in the timber industry. Some families settled around Southport and were pioneers of the early fishing and oystering industries.

By the mid 20th century, tourists, passing through Beenleigh by car or train used the town, or nearby Yatala, as a refreshment stop. This was all part of the excitement, later a nostalgic reminder of a trip ‘down the coast’. When the Pacific Highway bypassed the town in the 1960s, it was the highway signs, ‘Beenleigh is Rum’ or the Yatala Pie Shop which caught the eye of motorists and their passengers.

Beenleigh - where's our gold? where's our coast for that matter?

hi folks...
found this interesting article on johnbradford.org ... i would like to throw
the topics mentioned within this article open to debate....

what do you think about beenleigh's connection to the gold coast?....
do we get a fair go?...

what about the twenty-five year old argument over the ring road?...

• the show society have owned the land for 130 odd years....
• 12,000 people have now signed the show society's petition....
• brisbane city council tunneled under the ecka because of it's historical value....

do you think the ring road will solve the traffic problems in beenleigh?
read this article and make your comments......
cheers 4 now,
elle

November 22, 2006 on 5:17 pm | In 4CRB Editorials

Beenleigh

The integration of Beenleigh into the City of the Gold Coast has been difficult. Beenleigh’s demographics are different and it is geographically separate.
But Beenleigh is part of Gold Coast and looks set to remain so. Perhaps in the future with the huge population growth occurring in the north of Gold Coast City and extending west into Beaudesert there might eventually be a separate local Government area.
In many respects the Gold Coast City is becoming too big. I have always believed that one essential feature of local Government is that it is in fact local. As local government areas become too big this is less likely to happen
There is still a strong feeling in the Beenleigh area that it is a neglected part of the city despite the best efforts of their own local Councillor and a very active Chamber of Commerce.
One example of this is the serious traffic problem, which exists in and around the centre of Beenleigh. Plans have been afoot for some time to address the issue but they require the dissection of the historic showgrounds and there has not yet been any agreement about how this should happen. Until that issue is resolved the centre of Beenleigh with its roundabout featuring six intersecting roads cannot be solved.
The Council needs to make solving Beenleigh’s traffic problem top priority. And making Beenleighites feel that they are an important part of the city, albeit with some unique characteristics, is also an important challenge.

Why would anyone want to blow up beenleigh?

Man used US actor's photo 'to buy explosives'

---

Original News Source

By Kevin Meade
Article from: The Australian

JOHN Howard Amundsen, the Brisbane teacher accused of building bombs in his bedroom, allegedly used a phony licence bearing a photograph of the star of the US television show The Shield to buy explosives from a Queensland company.

In Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday, police accused Mr Amundsen, 41, of producing an explosives licence carrying a photograph of Michael Chiklis, the actor who plays tough-guy detective Vic Mackey, when he applied to buy explosives from Orica Quarry Services at Beenleigh, south of Brisbane.

The slightly built, shaven-headed Mr Amundsen, who is conducting his own defence in a committal hearing, challenged the police claim that he had used a photo of the well-built, shaven-headed actor to buy the explosives.

Cross-examining Sean Edwards, the detective who led the investigation into the discovery of 53kg of Powergel explosives at Mr Amundsen's Brisbane home on May 9 last year, the accused high school teacher said a facial recognition expert would give evidence that, apart from their bald heads, he bore little resemblance to the actor.

The expert, he said, would testify that while Chiklis had raised cheeks, his own cheeks were sunken, and while the actor had a prominent chin, Mr Amundsen's was weak.

"I'm not suggesting you're twins," Detective Sergeant Edwards said.

Asked why a person fraudulently buying explosives would produce a licence carrying a photo of someone else, Sergeant Edwards said Mr Amundsen might have been trying to avoid being identified.

Mr Amundsen is charged with fraudulently obtaining explosives and detonators. He is also charged with possessing incendiary devices, carrying dangerous goods in a vehicle, illegal possession of a New Zealand passport, making counterfeit money and using a carriage service to make a threat.

The "carriage service" charge relates to emails Mr Amundsen allegedly sent to police, threatening attacks by al-Qaeda terrorists.

It is alleged that while applying to buy the explosives, Mr Amundsen phoned Orica staff several times, using the aliases David Engels, Ian Galloway, Sue Bailey and Peter Oliver.

"Do you believe," he asked Sergeant Edwards, "I could supposedly have used an English accent for David Engels, an American accent for Mr Galloway, a female voice for Sue Bailey and an Australian voice for Peter Oliver?"

Sergeant Edwards replied: "Mr Amundsen, I wouldn't put anything past you."

The hearing continues today.

Good News Story

I have been shopping at my local supermarket at Mt Warren
Park (it's now called 'Foodworks') for just over ten years.
During that time I have seen the business change hands
several times. Currently, the latest owner is an Indian
gentleman with a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Aussie wife.
I believe the man is an Indian of the Sikh religion. I am
guessing this because I know the previous owners were
of the Sikh religion (not Muslem, as some people thought)
....(they wear different turbans, if you notice).

So..... back to my story.....Yesterday, when I was scraping my
last ten dollars in cash to buy a few essentials – my special milk
(lactose free), greek yoghurt (yum!) and cranberry juice –
the gentleman (and he is a gentleman) said to me ‘you shop here
regularly..... don’t ever worry if you are a little short'.....(I wasn't
short ...I actually had the exact money...in change...lol)
.....he continued.... 'you are a good customer and we want you
to enjoy your shopping here….’.

So in other words.....he very kindly extended to me.... credit.
What a rare attitude in today's world. Usually there is
a sign on the counter.... ‘please don’t ask for credit as refusal
may offend’.

So I say thumbs up to the generous people at Foodworks at
Mt Warren (and here comes my free plug)
by the way they have great specials!.....eg...
Helga's bread and
muffins - $3.09...Pantene - $5.49....Jalna Yoghurt 500g $2.69..
Peters Heaven Multi Packs - $3.99....Cottonelle 6pack - $3.79)

See what I mean....great deli and chooks also....cheers 4 now

please

for all you pet lovers...this is my dog....very cute don't you think?