Hi everyone – please spread the word to your networks, facebook groups
etc; there will be a mass rally where east meets west at Victoria
Square on 31st October at 1pm to protest against the rampant
destruction of our farmlands and open space by this Labor government.

The western contingent will meet at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel at
11.30am in preparation for the walk into town to meet the eastern
contingent, some of whom are walking all the way from Mt Barker! We
need to make this a really good one and add to the pressure on this
government to change its modus operandi and back down on the land
grabs happening all around Adelaide.

Please pass this onto all the community groups you know that are
concerned about the loss of open space and the influence of
development interests over the government.

Thanks and Regards Kirsten

Dear Members – a quick update on progress with our campaign to get
independence restored to the Charles Sturt Council; in addition to
myself running for Mayor, I am pleased to report that we have some
excellent candidates running for Council in the local government
elections. They include:

Rina Russo and Max Galanti – Hindmarsh
Jay Antoney and Peter Udycz – Woodville West
Robert Grant and Leni Brown – Woodville
Joe Ienco – Findon
Bob Randall and Grantley Anderson – Henley
Luciano Agostino – Grange

In the last two wards, Semaphore Park and Beverley it is suggested
that we support the existing Crs Ghent and Harley, who both
demonstrated their independence by voting against the land swap. We
will also contact the other candidates in those wards and keep you
posted on the outcome.

Please get behind these people who have put up their hands and are
volunteering their time to represent you; please help us by spreading
the word to your friends and neighbours and encourage people to vote
for these independent candidates. It is a postal vote and papers will
be distributed between 25-29th Oct and are due back before the 12th
Nov.

If you can help with distributing flyers in your neighbourhood
please let us know; we really need your help in the leadup to the vote
and it could make the difference on whether we save our park or not.
Thanks again to all of our walkers and cake stall volunteers who have
really helped to raise community awareness and gathered a lot of
support for the campaign – keep up the great work everyone! Next cake
stall is on 9th October so please get your donations to Leni and Marie
and don’t miss out on buying something yummy!

STOP PRESS: Don’t Miss the St Clair Variety Show at the Gov!!
Please see details below on an event that is being hosted by the
Governor Hindmarsh for us to help support our campaign to get
independent representation back on Council and save St Clair. Please
join us for what promises to be an excellent show from some talented
local musicians and other entertainers. Look forward to seeing you
there!!

Regards Kirsten Alexander
SCRRA Chair and Candidate for Mayor, Charles Sturt

Local musicians and performers will be donating their talents to help save
the St Clair Recreation Park in a fundraising event at the Governor
Hindmarsh Hotel this Sunday 10th October 2010.

The event will also be the launch of a mayoral and council election campaign
by members of the Save St Clair Committee.

Artists include rock-cabaret group Tongue ‘n Cheek, The Adelaide Ukulele
Appreciation Society, bluesman Anthony d’Antonio, 70′s gurs Flashback and
the infamous Lord Stompy on harmonica.

All proceeds from the event will aid the Save St Clair Council election
campaign.

Note from Kirsten Alexander about the above event:

The St Clair group are having a show at the Gov on the
10th October at 1pm to support independent candidates running for
Charles Sturt Council positions – it costs $20 per person or $30 per
couple, children are free. It should be a really fun afternoon with
lots of local musicians throwing their support behind it, so please
help us by coming along and by spreading the word to your friends and
networks.
Thanks and Regards Kirsten Alexander
Enquires can be made to Kelly on 0405 385 117

Kirsten Alexander with her family at St Clair Reserve

Kirsten Alexander, Chair of the St Clair Reserve Ratepayers Association has been a driving force behind efforts to counter the unjust development at St Clair Reserve in Woodville.  Kirsten will stand for the position of Mayor in the upcoming Council Elections.  More information will follow.

I attended the above workshop arranged by Council at the West Torrens Football Clubrooms on Wednesday 21st April 2010.  There were around 80 people in attendance, with each of the 9 tables of around 8 people having 2 Council staff, plus a number of other Council staff & members, including the Mayor Harold Anderson and the CEO.  The workshop was led by a Gilbert Rochecouste, employed by the to guide us in, I believe, accepting Council’s unmovable point of view.

The workshop commenced with  Mr Rochecouste providing a summary of what was proposed.  His view was that the precinct would be revitalised (with an additional 2,000 new residents & 4 new roads into Woodville Road – which he omitted to mention), by new shops, restaurants, cafes and markets as well as “Indian Traders” (what the?), & multi-story high density housing.  Mr Rochecouste claimed that such developments worked internationally and were warranted in the St Clair development to draw people to the Woodville Road precinct, with a particular target being those on the south side of Port Road (e.g. the QEH district) who currently had difficulty utilising the area.

The workshop progressed with a number of by-table discussions, wherein thoughts were gathered on participants’ vision for the area, and then compiled into lists by council staff.

Some of the key issues raised were:

• The development would totally change the heritage character of the Woodville area, something that was not favored.
• The increase in traffic into Woodville Road from new roads in the development, noting that all who lived there would not necessarily utilise the train station for transport to and from work, given that the rail network access to major employment centres other than the CBD was limited.  Each participant was asked to prepare post-it notes with the 3 major opportunities and  3 major negatives.  By a significant majority, traffic increase was the major concern, with the post-it notes covering over 40% of the window space allocated to stick them.  In summarising the 11 major issues identified however, Council staff produced a point sheet which just simply omitted to include that major issue, that is until I approached staff to rectify that anomaly.  If council does not even take record or notice of the most prominent of concerns, what hope do we have in being listened to and our concerns and opinions being taken notice of and acted upon by this Council?
• The lack of parking facilities.  One Council staff-member suggested the potential for underground parking, however that was quickly ridiculed by those at my table based upon the high ground-water table, which would ensure flooding of any underground parking development with some certainty.  Interestingly, I noted a conversation between one council staffer and a participant wherein the participant suggested Woodville would soon be beachfront.  The council staffer suggested his view that existing coastal suburbs were indeed at risk. If this is the case, what are Council doing about it?
• The security risks to children playing on St Clair Reserve (or what’s left of it), noting that the new high story TOD will overlook  playing and playground areas and form a barrier that Woodville High students must pass through on the way to the train station.  The sort of people that will live in this type of development must be considered in my view. As the high density housing will not have yards for pets or children, the likelihood of a typical family-oriented development is nil.  We must question just what type of people Council are targeting to attract to this area, given they most certainly won’t be families.
• Alarmingly, there was a suggestion by one group that a major shopping centre should be incorporated in the development (where will the space for that come from and how could it compete with West Lakes and Arndale?) and that Woodvile Road should be closed for markets. There was reasonable support for a market atmosphere generally, with stalls and the like.  It was also noted there were no hotels or drinking places in the area, and some support was heard for such facilities.
• Our group strongly supported a full and extensive and fully transparent engineering, roads and planning study, noting the high risk of flood in the area, particularly given that Cheltenham Racecourse, which should be a wetland in its entirety.
• Support was voiced for a significant “buffer zone” between the TOD and Woodville Road, primarily for the safety of children walking from school to the train station.  A council staffer suggested a corridor with a width of a mere 2 metres, grossly inadequate.
• Strong support was voiced for a low density development, which by council’s definition is still comprised of buildings up to 3 stories in height, which is by no means low density. Also that buildings maintain the heritage character of the Woodville area, rather than a Mawson Lakes type development or the dog boxes that no-one wants at the Quays in Port Adelaide.
• There was a call for the plaques council had removed from St Clair Reserve being returned and that significant trees be retained, noting that many had already apparently been poisoned.
• Strong support was maintained for retention of the St Clair Reserve as is, given that Charles Sturt had one of the lowest ratios of open space of any Council in Australia.

During the proceedings, a council staffer started filming participants, until I voiced my objection, as did the participant sitting next to me.  I requested that the video be deleted, however have no assurance this occurred.  For council to video us without authority is a serious breach of privacy in my view.  Our Mayor and CEO did not participate in discussions, but stood or sat at the rear of the room along with what I can only call were a number of “heavies”.  Other council staff and Mr Rochecouste milled around tables listening in on discussions and offering less than helpful opinions.

In summary, this was yet another attempt by a council that will not listen to the opinions of residents and ratepayers, to whitewash the real issues and to justify the corruption of the heritage of Woodville in favor of new residents, who won’t be families, who have never paid a cent in rates.

The heritage character of the suburb is in serious risk, as is the safety of children near such a development, and the resultant effect on traffic in Woodville Road will simply be horrendous.  Its all about a pack-em and stack-em development on a park that was given to the people, but stolen by the council. They are merely engineering a future slum in my opinion.

Why can’t council address the area the other side of Torrens Road and the housing opposite Arndale Shopping Centre which is ripe for development and refurbishment? The area is also in dire need of much more green space, something the City of Charles Sturt is determined to take from us all. Let council develop a Village there, instead of stealing our pristine park (which was never theirs to take) while giving us much less valuable contaminated land in return.

This proposal is all about stealing from existing ratepayers and residents and making money to their detriment.

Mark Walker

Note: Council will hold 3 more events as part of this review process:

1. Monday 17th May 2010 7.00 to 9.00pm at the Civic Centre
2. Wednesday 19th May 2010 7.00 to 9.00pm at the above venue
3. Saturday 22nd May 2010 2.00 to 5.00pm at Council (Open Day)

Phone 1300 116 747 to register attendance – all are encouraged to come along and voice their opinion and to fight for our heritage and open space.

Just a reminder everyone the feedback to the council needs to be done by Friday the 16th of April 2010 at 5pm. Things that you could write about are the increase of traffic on Woodville Rd if there was to be a road coming out onto there, the increased risk of flooding, the unfair exchange of land as it isn’t one for one (roads and already allocated space does not equal 4.7 hectares) the disadvantage to existing residents by moving the new park onto the Cheltenham racecourse making it really a backyard for the new residents and the TOD.
Also reading in last weeks messenger the 170 people that went through the community day want a pooch park and an outdoor adult gym! well those things also eat into the open space. Why can’t we have the open space that already exists in St Clair and add those things onto the Cheltenham site?

The feedback form can be downloaded from the following link, filled out electronically and emailed to council@charlessturt.sa.gov.au – Note: We do not recommend using the “email” link at the bottom of the form as it is set to access multiple links and may pose a computer security risk.
Download Link: http://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Community_Open_Day_-_Feedback_Sheet.pdf
Kelly Thomas

We are ready to continue our fight on behalf of the people of South Australia to protect and defend what we value and believe in. There will be a public protest meeting this Sunday, March 28th at 1pm on the Steps of Parliament, North Terrace.

Come along and let your voice be heard.

Mr Rann has said the Labor Party is out of touch. Here is your chance to come and tell him what you think about his party’s election fraud in the key marginal seats as well as reminding him that he hasn’t been listening to the people of South Australia with regards to Glenside Hospital, St Clair Reserve, Cheltenham Race Course, relocating the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Protecting our Parklands and our Communities from inappropriate development, and a range of water-related issues including the Murray and Desalination.

Bring your posters, bring your banners, and bring your family and friends. Its time to remind the Government of South Australia who is in charge of this state, namely we the people of South Australia.

Please publicise this article by sending it along to your fellow South Australians who care about the future of our State. I look forward to seeing you there. The text of the flier is below.

Community Voice Coalition – Community Protest

Come Join Our Community Protest and Help Stop Labor’s Election Fraud

When – Sunday 28 March 2010 at 1:00 PM
Where – Parliament House Steps – North Terrace, Adelaide

Real Community Action Against Fraudulent Election Processes
The Community Voice Coalition is organising a public protest rally against the fraudulent how-to-vote card practices of the Labor Party during last weekend’s elections. Like most in the community, we are disgusted and dismayed by this fraud perpetrated against the people of South Australia by candidates of the Labor party who want us to entrust them with the responsibilities of public office and government.

Come along and express your opinion regarding this election, the lack of the most basic principles of honest behaviour expected by our Community, and the loss of your support for these people to represent their electorates and the people of South Australia.

Mike Rann has said that they have lost touch and he wants to know what you think! Come tell him.
Come tell Mike what you think of his government. Its failure to expel these candidates and its failure to call fresh elections in the electorates where these un-ethical, immoral, and un-Australian activities of fraudulent how-to-vote cards took place.

If you want honest, ethical government, you have to fight for it. Its never been any different. Come join us in the next battle for honest, open, and accountable government.

Community Voice Coalition

CVC is a cooperative undertaking by disaffected citizens who care about our community – including the St Clair Reserve, Glenside Hospital, Cheltenham Racecourse, Burnside Save Open Spaces, Save Our Suburbs Adelaide, Parkland Preservation, Save The RAH and a range of water-orientated issues.