Seasons Greetings to All
The BAG Committees would like to extend their warmest wishes to you, and your loved ones, for a happy and safe Festive Season. The use of the word “warmest” seems most appropriate for, as I prepare this Christmas newsletter a 42 degree max. day is forecast!!!!
Living in a high bushfire prone area, as most of us do, it is always in the back of our minds that we should have a plan, but having lived in the same house we built over 50 years ago we have always thought we would stay and defend. Complacency is our worst enemy. Just because we have never experienced a serious fire in this neck o’ the woods doesn’t mean that we will be safe forever!
We trust we will be saved from any future fire disasters due to the wonderful efforts of our CFS and SES volunteers, but we must be prepared to take reasonable action ourselves – and certainly not leave any evacuation plans to the last minute!
We trust we will not have to face the same fate that people living in many other areas of our great Nation and State are currently experiencing. For more useful advice we suggest you log onto the CFS website or visit the City of Mitcham website. This Thursday (28/11), Mitcham Council's consultation on their Development Plan Ammendments for Blackwood closes at 5PM. If you have not had a chance already, please check out their proposals and fill out the survey.
BAG has enjoyed another successful year of many achievements as reported in our Newsletters. Many thanks again must go to our willing band of dedicated volunteers and supporters.
Christmas is the traditional time of the year when we party big time. Our diaries and calendars are filling up fast - with many double bookings! We hope we will catch up with you in the next few weeks and very much look forward to seeing you in 2020.
Best wishes
Geoff Bartlett
BAG Secretary and Newsletter Editor
Mob: 0408 117 003
Upcoming BAG Events
WE ARE fast coming to the end of another year but there are still a couple of events planned which we hope you will be able to attend. BAG cordially invites you to join us at any of our functions/working bees etc. which interest you. NEW MEMBERS are always welcome. Check out the BAG Web site or Face Book page for more information.
BLACKWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE & FAIR - Friday 6 December @ Waite Street Reserve
CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL - SAT 7th and SUN. 8th. December @ Blackwood Community Centre (see above)
RAIL CARE’s “THANK YOU” LUNCH - Saturday 7 December | 12PM - 3PM @ National Railway Museum, 76 Lipson Street Port Adelaide (Volunteers only)
BAG’s CHRISTMAS BREAK-UP DINNER - Wednesday 11 December - 7PM @ Blackwood Memorial Hall
DIARY DATES
THE following COMMUNITY EVENTS have come to our notice. We encourage you to support these local activities where possible.
MITCHAM CAROLS at KINGSWOOD OVAL - Saturday 30 November | 5.00pm to 9.00pm @ Kingswood Oval, Belair Road. Includes performances from Rachael Leahcar, The Greatest Showman, Boomstars, Local School Choirs, and lots more
FESTIVAL at FLINDERS - Saturday 14 December | 3.00pm to 9-00pm @ Flinders Uni. Grounds. Includes Christmas Markets, Christmas Movie, Peter Coombe, The Tutti Choir and more. Flinders multi-cultural food venues and selected food trucks open all day. Ample parking available
HEWETT RESERVE CAROLS - Tuesday 24 December - 6.00pm to 9.15pm @ Hewett Reserve Blackwood. Includes free Camel rides, Live Nativity, Sausage Sizzle, Bouncy Castle and more
BAG’S CHRISTMAS DINNER
WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER from 7.00 pm
at the Blackwood Memorial Hall 21 Coromandel Parade Blackwood
COST? ONLY $15.00 p.p. covers a variety of sumptuous foods, including a yummy Christmas Cake and all drinks.
You are invited to join us for a great social night of chit-chat and reflections on another successful year for BAG and the Community.
PLEASE NOTE: NUMBERS WILL BE STRICTLY LIMITED! To avoid disappointment we ask you to RSVP to Secretary by Monday 2nd DECEMBER (Contact details above)
BLACKWOOD CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 7th and SUNDAY 8th DECEMBER
10.00 am to 4.00 pm
BLACKWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE
4 Young Street Blackwood
Experience a Wonderland of Christmas Trees and Creations
Visit Santa in his Blackwood “Magic Cave”
Children’s activities
“Giving Tree” – Please donate a gift (unwrapped) for children or adults
Christmas Trees for sale
Entry - Gold coin donation (Proceeds to local Charities)
CHRISTMAS RED BOWS
IN THE next couple of weeks you will see Red Bows springing up along the main road approaches to Blackwood, and many residential streets. The arrival of Father Christmas in Blackwood (on Friday 6th December) is the time when the town comes to life with Red Bows adorning fences, shop front posts, trees etc. 2019 will be the 18th year Blackwood has been participating in this project.
You too can get involved by buying a pack (or two) for $5.00 each, from HABITAT Gifts, (Foodland S/C.); FAIRLEY’S SHOEX (Shoe Store in Woollies S/C) or SAM DULUK, MP’s Office in Young Street. We encourage you to join in the spirit of Christmas.
Many thanks to our Red Bows Coordinators, Joan and Adrian Beech, for their untiring efforts.
BLACKWOOD CHRISTMAS PAGEANT & FAIR
FRIDAY 6th DECEMBER The iconic Blackwood Pageant Event, organised by Blackwood Lions Club volunteers, claims to be the second largest in South Australia. The procession commences at 6.30 pm (corner of Main Road and Gulfview Road Blackwood) and travels down Main Road to Young Street, turns right and then enters Waite Street before ending at the northern entrance to the Waite Street Reserve.
The Coromandel Valley Rotary Club will be holding its traditional Christmas Fair and entertainment after the Parade. It is a night for the whole family not to be missed – a great Blackwood experience for all generations with lots of fun, food and entertainment.
BAG will be conducting its popular Sausage Sizzle (in the north west corner of the Reserve) so we would love you to pop along to our stall and say “Hi” ....... and grab a snag “with the lot”!
BAG’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Congratulations to the following residents who were elected to the BAG Committee for 2020.
PRESIDENT: BRIAN Ferris
SECRETARY: GEOFF Bartlett
TREASURER: PETER Manthey
COMMITTEE: LIS Bartlett, ROGER Henderson, JAKE Hodgman, KAY Leverett, TOM Morrison, LIZ Sawyer, ANDREW Tidswell, JENNY Tidswell
FUTURE BAG PUBLIC MEETINGS
THE new BAG Committee met recently and after much discussion it was decided to change our Bi-Monthly format for our Public meetings (held in the Blackwood Memorial Hall) to QUARTERLY.
Hence the following dates will be the 2020 Program:
FEBRUARY 26th
MAY 27th
AUGUST 26th
NOVEMBER 25th (A.G.M.)
DECEMBER 9th (Christmas Dinner)
Please make a note of these new dates in your diaries now.
“GREENING BLACKWOOD” PROJECTS
COROMANDEL and BLACKWOOD STATIONS
BI-MONTHLY Working Bees have been conducted at both our local railway stations. Many thanks to our dedicated bunch of “green thumbs” who devote a lot of their time to maintaining these gardens. Without wishing to be biased! we believe that Coromandel and Blackwood Station gardens have to be the best on the Adelaide Metro train network.
During the year our volunteers were involved in the production of a Rail Care Video (see below) and also appeared in a Channel 7 News clip filmed at Blackwood Station when Transport Minister Stephan Knoll, MP. joined BAG Members and our friends from the Rosetta Street Greening Group in West Croydon, for the official release of the video.
BLACKWOOD PHARMACY TRIANGULAR GARDEN BED
BAG volunteers continue to maintain the planter boxes along Main Road and special thanks must go to Joan and Adrian Beech, Brian Ferris and Kay Leverett for their ongoing efforts in watering and maintaining these attractive additions to Blackwood’s streetscape. Recently, Joan and Adrian concentrated on upgrading the corner garden bed at the entrance to the Foodland (Drakes) car park.
I think you will agree, as the photos below indicate, that the transformation has given this area a much-needed lift. Thank you Joan and Adrian.
BARTY’S PARK
THIS shady little “oasis” in the Foodland (Drakes) car park is proving to be very popular with many people including shop staff using the table and seating for their lunch-time breaks. Thanks to our friends in the neighbouring Church of Christ, the gardens are now irrigated and our special appreciation must go to BAG volunteers, Libby Moore and John Kennedy for their untiring efforts in maintaining the site.
A new load of Cottage mulch will be spread next week to further enhance the gardens, and protect them from the heat of summer.
VERGE GARDEN PLANTINGS
WHEN work commenced on the new Blackwood Roundabout, DPTI agreed to give all the plantings from the centre of the old roundabout to BAG. So far we have concentrated on the verge garden in front of Nos. 22 and 24 Coromandel Parade. The garden is irrigated by the property-owner and Mitcham Council gardening staff have kindly spread Cottage mulch along the entire verge garden. Check it out sometime – we are sure you will be impressed! We hope to do similar plantings along Coro. Parade in the near future.
BUNNINGS EDWARDSTOWN SAUSAGE SIZZLE
BAG volunteers conducted their first ever Bunnings BBQ last Saturday. It was a great opportunity to give our Group some exposure – and earn some money for future BAG projects. The operation went like a “well-oiled machine” and was quite successful - thanks to all our willing helpers on the day. Bunnings Staff were very supportive -nothing was too much trouble. We will now be looking at running similar ventures in the future - so watch this space!
BLACKWOOD - THEN and NOW!
OUR October Newsletter mentioned the historical reference to the Chapman Street site where the new ALDI Supermarket now stands..... from an overgrown paddock in the 1950s to a modern well-landscaped shopping complex today.
Many of our senior citizens will recall when Blackwood was referred to as large country town but today the population has expanded so that we are more of a suburb - albeit one in which we feel privileged to reside.
(Photo: courtesy of the Ruth Sabine Collection)
Another relatively new Business in Blackwood is “Bracegirdles – Home of Fine Chocolates” which has just celebrated its 1st birthday in our town. The photos above show this prominent site on the corner of Coromandel Parade and Shepherds Hill Road today, and as it appeared mid-last century.
It is interesting to note that the Barber Shop is still operating, as is Fairley’s Shoe Store next door.
“Jones the Butcher” established the Butcher shop around 1920 whilst Joe Fairley opened a shoe repair shop in a small tin shed down the road in 1927, and later, with his brother George, expanded to a bigger retail store in central Blackwood, where the present even larger shoe store still stands.
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