The Mount Coot-tha Protection Alliance (MCPA) has expressed strong disappointment with the Council’s decision to approve the Lumina light show at Brisbane Botanical Gardens, citing a flawed consultation process. On 28 July, 2023, Brisbane City Council approved an application from the private company LightDreaming to establish a permanent light show in Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens at Mount Coot-tha….

Brisbane City Council under fire as residents question parkland acquisition plans in West End.
Imagine receiving a letter from Council telling you that your home is located on land earmarked for a new park. In the first week of August, eleven homeowners of character homes and town-houses in Rogers, Ida and Raven Streets in West End and residents in Gloucester Street in South Brisbane were distressed when they received…

The Great Urban Crimes that We Permit by Law – fifty years later.
Fifty years ago, in 1972, urban planner and architect, Constantinos Doxiadis, presented a paper to the World Conference on World Peace Through Law titled, The Great Urban Crimes that We Permit by Law. In his paper, Doxiadis focussed on what he terms two great crimes (he says there are more), “which I am convinced create the…

From homelessness to security: Danny’s story of hope and resilience.
Before he found a permanent home at Brisbane Common Ground (Common Ground), Danny had endured the harsh realities of homelessness and living in overcrowded boarding houses. The daily challenges of cold nights, hunger, and a lack of stability were all too familiar to him. “It was a nightmare”, Danny told me. I met with Danny…

Common Ground Queensland’s CEO urges expansion of proven model after a decade of impact.
Sue Pope, CEO of Common Ground Queensland (CGQ), and her staff are at the frontline of the current affordable housing crisis. They work within a model that has proven outcomes but which, after ten years, is still unique in Brisbane. Before taking on the CEO role at Common Ground Queensland, Sue Pope spent 25…

Join the Artists for a stroll along Brisbane’s Outdoor Gallery.
If you’re looking for a unique and culturally enriching experience in Brisbane, consider taking a stroll along the Outdoor Gallery to reflect on the striking works of First Nations artists.

Celebrating Fiona Stager’s OAM for services to literature.
There were celebrations at Avid Reader on Monday evening. We all knew something was up, but Kevin and Fiona had managed to keep a tight lid on their reasons for inviting us along. Some thought it might be a marriage announcement, others thought perhaps retirement, others, a Winter Solstice ritual, but the real reason had…

Community Friends founder, Mark McDonnell, recognised in King’s first Birthday Honours.
Today, founder of West End’s Community Friends, Mark McDonnell, was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours, “for service to the community through charitable initiatives”. Typically self-effacing, Mark accepted the award “on behalf of my volunteers and supporters.” “I think it is an ideal opportunity to draw attention to the…

Dylan Bolger at Brisbane Street Art Festival.
Maiawali-Karuwali-Pitta Pitta-Gomeroi artist Dylan Bolger was at work on his Brisbane Street Art Festival (BSAF) mural in Albert Street on weekends throughout May. The work features the Macaranga plant, a motif Dylan often returns to in his art. “It is of old-world genesis and is considered a re-coloniser or pioneer plant, meaning that…