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Road to 10,000 Signatures to Save Raymond Park in Kangaroo Point

A group of concerned locals has been aiming to gather 10,000 signatures to save Raymond Park in Kangaroo Point from becoming an Olympic training ground. 

Read: Raymond Park Upgrades As Brisbane Prepares To Be Olympic-ready

The petition, created by Melissa Occhipinti of the Friends of Raymond Park, has secured over 2,700 signatures so far. It cites the potential disruption and reduced usability of the green space if Raymond Park is converted into a temporary training ground for the 2023 Brisbane Olympics. 

The Kangaroo Point green space was chosen as the temporary warm-up ground for the athletes due to its proximity to The Gabba, one of the central Olympic venues. As it stands, there are not enough green spaces for residents in inner city locations. 

If the park becomes an Olympic training ground, the residents said they will lose their off-leash dog park, fitness spaces, basketball and cricket grounds, as well as outdoor recreation sites including children’s parties. 

Photo Credit: Friends of Raymond Park/Facebook

“Raymond (Pineapple) Park is a crucial green space and vital to the mental health and wellbeing of the local Kangaroo Point and Woolloongabba community.  It is effectively our backyard,” the petition stated. 

In a separate interview, Ms Occhipinti said that installing Olympic-ready training tracks will likely remove the dog park, and impact the century-old fig and palm trees, as well as the picnic grounds and community gardens. The residents also believe that there could be a resumption of houses. 

Instead, the petition recommends constructing the Olympic training ground at the Coorparoo Giffin Park precinct, located 2.1kms away from The Gabba.

Per Ms Occhipinti, this will create more positive outcomes compared to the Kangaroo Point site since Giffin Park is also the site for many sporting activities from local clubs and schools.

Friends of Raymond Park are also urging locals to email MP Terri Butler to present the concerns of Kangaroo Point residents and oppose the planned training ground in Parliament. 

Read: Locals Concerned About Losing Green Space After Raymond Park Upgrades

In mid-2021, Lord Mayor Adrian announced a $50-million plan to upgrade parks before the Olympics. Raymond Park will get $287,000 while Giffin Park will receive $750,000. Also receiving upgrades are Emerson Park in Grange ($459,000), and the Chelmer Sports Grounds ($1.2 million). 

New sports parks will also be built across the city for a budget of $19 million, whilst the rest of the funding will be used “for maintenance and improvement works at existing sporting clubs.” 

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Pfizer Acquires Brisbane-based Diagnostics Tech Company ResApp Health

Did you know that Pfizer, one of the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccine makers, has acquired Brisbane-based ResApp Health, the developer of a smartphone application that can accurately diagnose the infection?

Read: Meet Lilian Cooper And Josephine Bedford, Notable Women Who Once Lived In Kangaroo Point

Dr Tony Keating, the managing director of ResApp Health, said that this $100-million deal with the pharmaceutical giant will accelerate plans to commercialise the smartphone app to help families manage COVID-19 better. 

On the other hand, Pfizer’s chief digital officer, Lidia Fonseca, said the partnership will boost the company’s efforts to “pave a new era for digital health.”

Pfizer and ResApp Health will also collaborate on creating and launching other products to fight COVID-19. 



Prior to the sale, ResApp just completed its pilot clinical trial of a new cough audio-based algorithm among 741 patients in India and the U.S. The company said that the technology logged a 92 per cent sensitivity for detecting the virus. UQ Associate Professor Udantha Abeyratne developed the technology, which uses audio recordings on the smartphone to diagnose the severity of the respiratory disease. 

ResApp Health will also be useful in the healthcare and office setting, aged care facilities, schools, sports and entertainment venues, and for screening travellers.



“The WHO have recently warned that the pandemic is not over, that health systems globally continue to strain under the current caseload and that we should be prepared for the potential of more dangerous variants to emerge,” Mr Keating said.

Read: Kangaroo Point Green Bridge Project Commences, Receives Additional Funding Support

“We intend to accelerate commercialisation by immediately engaging with regulators globally and we have already commenced discussions with global health and technology companies with the goal of rapidly bringing this product to market.” 

Meet Lilian Cooper And Josephine Bedford, Notable Women Who Once Lived In Kangaroo Point

Did you know that the Old St Mary’s, the location of St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Kangaroo Point was once home to Lilian Cooper, QLD’s first female registered medical practitioner and Josephine Bedford, noted philantropist and family welfare advocate?

Read: ‘Harrow’: Popular Australian TV Show Highlights Kangaroo Point, Other Brisbane Locations

Dr Cooper and Ms Bedford were both born in England in 1861. Both women lived in Chatham, a town located in North Kent in Southeast England, before migrating to Brisbane.

In 1891, Dr Cooper and Ms Bedford arrived in Brisbane, where the former started her professional career shortly after completing her education at the London School of Medicine for Women.

St Mary’s rectory c1930 (Photo credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland)

After living in South Brisbane for a few years, the two bought the house adjacent to St Mary’s in 1926 where they spent the remaining years of their lives.

Conquering Gender Bias in Medicine

Dr Lilian Cooper c1898 (Photo credit: John Oxley Library, State Library Queensland)

At the time, being a female doctor came with many challenges. Dr Cooper had to stand up to preconceived notions from men of her profession and the innate mistrust on the part of the public generally as to a woman’s ability in the field of medicine and surgery.

She was appointed to the staff of the Children’s Hospital and the new Mater Misericordiae Hospital at South Brisbane, an association which was ongoing for the rest of her professional life.

She assisted Dr Booth at his practice prior to setting up her own at The Mansions on George Street. Back then, she would make house calls in her horse and sulky but she later managed to have her own vehicle.

Life As A Philanthropist

Meanwhile, her lifelong companion, Josephine Bedford or Miss Bedford, did not have professional ambitions but spent most of her life organising charitable work. 

Ms Bedford (Photo credit: John Oxley Library, State Library Queensland)

She was a councillor and representative at the inception of the National Council of Women in 1904, where they discussed important social issues and was an ideal platform for both women to pursue the social justice agenda in which they believed so passionately.

After the first world war, they returned to Brisbane in 1918, picking up where they left off. Ms Bedford became a Founder of the Creche and Kindergarten (C&K) Association and in 1920 she was elected to the National Council of Women.

On the other hand, Dr Cooper became a Foundation Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Founder of the Queensland Medical Women’s Society.

Recognising the women’s outstanding service, each of them received an Order of St Sava from the King of Serbia.

Dr Cooper and Ms Bedford’s gravestones at Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, 2008. (Photo credit: State Library of Queensland)

Dr Cooper died in her own home on 18 August 1947 and was buried in Toowong cemetery. Following her death, Ms Bedford offered their home to the Anglican Church.

Later on, the Catholic Sisters of Charity agreed to convert the house into a hospice for the aged and dying. It has evolved into the Mount Olivet Hospital, or the St Vincent’s Private Hospital as it is known today.

15-Storey Development Beside Shafston House Unpopular with Kangaroo Point Locals

Plans to develop a 15-storey residential development beside Shafston House, Brisbane’s third oldest heritage home, have become unpopular with Kangaroo Point locals.

Read: Shafston House: Brisbane’s Third Oldest Estate Sold to a Developer

The proposal for the revamp, from Burgundy Group Property Development Pty Ltd, was filed in January 2022 (DA A005933994) but has since been met with hundreds of submissions opposing the plans. The application is not subjected to a public notification since the location of Shafston House is code assessable.

However, residents, including members of the Kangaroo Point and Districts Historical Society have filed their comments in the said application. According to Christa Gerard from the heritage group, the 15-storey plan “would dwarf the beautiful historic house and dominate the site.”  

Burgundy Group Property Development Pty Ltd bought Shafston House in one of the biggest auctions in late 2020. The group said it will work with Council to restore the heritage-listed property to its former glory.

Photo Credit: Kangaroo Point and Districts Historical Society

Apart from the 15-storey residential tower, the developer has detailed future uses for the property:

  • Shaftson House proper as a luxury private residence
  • Orderlies building as communal recreation facilities
  • Wards building for residential dwellings
  • Postal Depot building as ancillary space for the residential dwellings in the estate
  • Northern riverhomes
  • Communal recreation area to the north-west of Shafston House proper

“The proposed development ruins the remarkable and historical property. It is hideous and will overshadow Shafston house. The property should not be zoned for development up to 15 stories. The land is heritage protected but the development makes a mockery of that. For one of the oldest and most significant houses in Brisbane to be developed into apartments is embarrassing,” one submission stated.

“Shaftson House is a much-respected and treasured piece of our colonial history. This development would be a shockingly distasteful and irreversible blight on an important landmark, and sets a precedent for more of our city’s heritage to be crammed away into the recesses between buildings such as the one described in this proposal,” another local said. 

Read: Shafston House in Kangaroo Point | A Heritage-Listed Victorian Gothic-Style Villa

On 11 April 2022, the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) notified the developer of a couple of preliminary approvals for Material Change of Use for future Multiple Dwelling on the site of a Heritage Place and Filling and/or Excavation within the Coastal hazard and the waterway corridor overlays.

However, SARA has extended the assessment period for May 2022 for the following requests: 

  • Building work for a Multiple dwelling on the site of a Heritage place and
  • within the Waterway corridor overlay
  • Multiple Dwelling on the site of a Heritage Place
  • Operational work on the site of a Heritage Place involving changes to
  • landscaping or natural features

Earlier, SARA has also notified the developer that it cannot support the future plans for  Shafston House as it “does not clearly articulate the intent or relevant impacts of these proposed uses on the significant natural and built elements across the Queensland heritage place.”

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge Project Commences, Receives Additional Funding Support

Work on the proposed Kangaroo Point Green Bridge has already started and the project is slated to receive an additional $190.2 million in funds as a priority initiative.

Read: Kangaroo Point Green Bridge Construction Commences

Demolition of the roundabout on Edward and Alice Streets commenced in early 2022. Construction by the river has also started and mooring areas for the sailboats and yachts have been closed off. 

The new green bridge is expected to be completed in late 2023. 

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge
Photo Credit: Artist’s Impression/BCC

Additional funds for the project will be made available through a newly inked SEQ City Deal worth $1.8 billion.

“The SEQ City Deal will provide the platform for SEQ to become one region that is connected locally and competing globally.

“This connectivity will drive productivity for our businesses, improve the liveability of our communities and lift the global competitiveness of our region. 

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge
Photo Credit: Artist’s Impression/BCC

The bridge will be named in honour of the Olympic Games as it has been seen as the element that will define Brisbane prior to the 2032 Olympics. 

“When people around the world start considering coming to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I am sure one of the drawcards will be images of this spectacular pedestrian bridge,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“Not only will pictures of the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge help convince people to venture to our corner of the world, but it will also be a critical piece of infrastructure during the games, helping spectators get to the Gabba Stadium.

Read: Design for New Kangaroo Point Green Bridge Includes Above-Water Restaurants

“For Brisbane residents, this bridge will deliver a link that people have talked about for years while improving connectivity and being a destination in its own right.”

Meanwhile, also included in the landmark SEQ City Deal are the following projects:

Photo Credit: Infrastructure.Gov

The SEQ City Deal will be implemented in late 2022 between the Commonwealth of Australia, the State Government of Queensland, and the Council of Mayors of South East Queensland with connecting infrastructure as the priority.   

Coles Express Myer Center Steps up to Reduce Chroming Activities

Photo Credit: u/circuitbreaker53 / Reddit

Wondering why Coles Express Myer Center and other Coles stores, along with several other retailers across Brisbane, have locked away their aerosol deodorants? The move to put these products behind glass in a locked display cabinet is meant to thwart chroming incidents among youths.

Read: Interpreter Training Boost Program Launched at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Kangaroo Point

What is chroming?

Chroming is a form of substance abuse involving the inhalation of solvents such as deodorants and other household products. Such practice is more prevalent among young people and teenagers, primarily because these abused products are easily accessible and can be purchased over the counter. 

Chroming can be addictive, pose long-term effects and can even be fatal. In 2019-20, 115 people were admitted in hospitals due to chroming compared to 98 in 2018-19; 63 of those were aged 19 and below compared to 45 from prior period.

Currently, chroming is not an illegal practice in Queensland. 

Last year, Woolworths and Coles stepped up to help reduce the prevalence of inhalant abuse among youth in the Northern Territory by storing away their deodorant spray under lock and key. Since then, customers need to ask for assistance from a sales staff if they wish to buy the product.

And now, Brisbane businesses are following suit. A Coles Express Myer Center customer took notice and shared to social media a photo of aerosol deodorants inside a locked glass display cabinet.

Coles Express Myer Center city… now these eshay mall rats will be smelly everywhere from brisbane

Coles explained their decision is their way of helping minimise the misuse of aerosol products which causes harm, particularly to young people. They justified the move by citing the Northern Territory supermarkets’ decision to lock away aerosol deodorants which resulted in a dramatic reduction of chroming.

Read: Flood Victims in Brisbane, Including Kangaroo Point, May Get Over $1,000 Disaster Assistance

For support services concerning alcohol and other drug abuse call 1800 177 833. For emergency medical assistance call triple zero (000).

Interpreter Training Boost Program Launched at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Kangaroo Point

Interested in a career as an interpreter? About 120 spots will soon be filled following the launch of the interpreter training boost program at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Kangaroo Point.

Read: Free Parking! Brisbane Turns Off Parking Meters to Help Businesses Bounce Bank

This is open for people who want to undertake interpreter training in new and emerging languages and will ultimately provide better communication for Queensland’s multicultural communities. Those who are familiar with in-demand languages such as Arabic, Chin languages, Farsi, Hmong, Karenni, Kinyarwanda/Rwanda, Kirundi/ Nyarwandwa/ Rundi, Kiswahili and Kurdish may become part of the program.

Applications will close by 21 March 2022. 

TAFE will conduct a 12-week online Interpreting Skills course endorsed by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI), whilst a 20-week English Language Bridging Course will also be offered to interested participants who may need to complete the next round of Interpreting Skills course.

The Queensland Government has invested $730,000 in these programs, in partnership with TAFE, 2M Language Services and the NAATI, to provide jobs for much-needed interpreters.

“Interpreters are very important for those Queenslanders who are not proficient in English. There is no doubt we need more interpreters, across a wide range of languages and I would encourage anyone considering a career as an interpreter to find out more,” Minister for Multicultural Affairs Leanne Linard MP said during the launch at the Queensland Multicultural Centre.

Photo Credit: 2M Language Services/Facebook

“While this training is about jobs, it is also about delivering better services to our multicultural communities and ensuring they have the most up-to-date information as we move through this global pandemic,” she added.

“We need to ensure everyone can access services and information in an equitable and timely manner.  We hope to see up to 120 Queenslanders gain jobs as a direct result of undertaking this training.”

Read: Flood Victims in Brisbane, Including Kangaroo Point, May Get Over $1,000 Disaster Assistance

“The collaboration between government, private sector, and training organisations are the first of its kind in Australia,” Mark Painting, NAATI CEO, said. 

“NAATI looks forward to working with all the stakeholders and hopes to see this type of initiative replicated in other states.”

To apply or to learn more, visit 2M Language Services or email interpreterboost@2m.com.au