Coming soon – our bumper Summer Reading edition

After all the excitement of 2014 – G20, Ebola, ISIL, the broken promises of the Abbott and Newman governments, etc – we reckon our readers deserve a break.

That’s why we’re putting out a special Summer Reading print edition of the Westender in December.

So we can have enough room for all the great material we want to publish, we’re making this edition eight pages bigger, a record for the print Westender.

The edition will be full of interesting reading from all our regular columnists, contributors and citizen journalists, as well as few lengthy opinion pieces. We’ve even commissioned our regular astrologer Sudhir to compile a comprehensive astrological forecast for 2015.

The Summer Reading Special Edition of the Westender will hit the streets in the first week of December, so keep an eye out for it.

Westender Summer Reading – don’t go on holidays without it!

G20 peoples’ summit

BrisCAN has released the program for the counter-G20 Peoples’ Summit: Visioning Another World. The program is available here: http://briscan.net.au/program/ The G20 Peoples Summit will be a three- day festival of symposiums, idea- sharing, art, creative activities, education and action. It aims to develop community responses to world economic, social and environmental problems. It will take place in various locations across Southbank and …Read more.

A four day feast for art lovers!

Brisbane’s hottest emerging artists, designers, photographers and filmmakers will present their work at a free public event over four days in South Bank from 27 November. The Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, presents its annual graduate showcase in festival style for the very first time, inviting art lovers to explore a huge range of exhibitions, artist talks, …Read more.

Be a Superhero World Toilet Day

Dress like a Sanitation Superhero on World Toilet Day, Wednesday 19 November, to raise money and awareness for the 2.5 billion people living without access to a toilet. Paul Nichols, Chief Executive of WaterAid Australia, said the Sanitation Superheroes fundraising campaign is a fun way to shed light on a serious issue. “At present, Read more.

Gough Whitlam's appeal transcends generations

We received this letter from Fiona McKeague, a 28 year old Westender contributor, and thought to share it with you. Dear Gough, I always meant to write you a letter. You told us that it was time, but we didn’t listen. Now time has passed on, and so have you. I’m sorry. The loss is unexpectedly full of nostalgia and …Read more.

Elves out in force at BOQ West End

In support of The Smith Family’s Toy & Book Appeal, BOQ West End has transformed their branch into Santa’s workshop and throughout November will be collecting presents to help bring Christmas to disadvantaged Australian kids. BOQ West End Owner Manager Paul Cluff encouraged everyone to consider donating at least one gift. “For most of us Christmas is a time of …Read more.

Protests erupt in the Pilliga

A Coonabarabran mother of three is this morning courageously halting work and risking arrest by stopping bulldozers in the Pilliga forest in north west New South Wales, where gas giant Santos has begun work for its latest round of coal seam gas exploratory drilling. Santos' exploratory drilling program earlier this year was delayed and interrupted by repeated protests by farmers …Read more.

Green sale at Grovely TAFE

TAFE Queensland Brisbane’s Grovely Plant Sale is just around the corner for the second time this year, but this time with a bit more fanfare for the horticultural hordes! Not only will the public be able to do their usual purchasing of a wide range of plants at their customary bargain prices, an array of Saturday morning staples such as …Read more.

A Christian approach to the G20 Summit

Micah Challenge is a global movement of Christian agencies, churches, groups and individuals which aims to deepen people's engagement with the poor and to help reduce poverty as an integral part of their Christian faith. Here’s what they’re planning for the G20 Summit. The G20 Leader’s Summit is now just around the corner, with the world’s most powerful leaders set …Read more.

A Role Model For Scott Morison?

Asa Jennings was born in Upstate New York, USA on September 20, 1877. Very little is known about Asa’s childhood. And, according to Giles Milton, Asa grew up to be a very unremarkable adult. Giles said Asa was a ‘shy individual, five feet tall and diminutive of build, he wore large glasses and had an uncommonly large mouth’. And ‘when …Read more.

Is West End our Silicon Valley?

Most of us already know that the West End is a creative place, but is it be destined to be Australia's Silicon Valley? Well, the team at hub4101 reckons it could well be, and that the growth in advertising, tech-savvy companies, filmmakers and creative industries, mean that it is already on the way. Bruce Wolfe, Managing Director of Conrad Gargett, …Read more.