Welcome to Winter in West End

Greetings one and all!

To begin with, a big thank you to all the people who've purchased a copy of our Commemorative Edition, and for the positive feedback it has generated. In my humble opinion, the Commemorative Edition provides an invaluable insight into the recent history of West End, and is chock full of fascinating reading.

Copies are still available for sale at Avid Reader, West End News, Junky Comics and the Hope St Café in Boundary Street, or you can order online through the Westender website.

This edition of the e-newsletter features some of the news stories that have appeared on the website recently for your reading pleasure.

Enjoy, and keep warm.

Kerrod Trott
Publisher

Local schools to get much-needed boost

Two new schools will open in the inner-city in Brisbane, and another will be significantly expanded, as part of the Palaszczuk Government's plan to deliver better education for all Queensland students. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the State Budget would include a $500 million Building Future Schools Fund to build new schools, secure land in Queensland's fastest growing regions and create …Read more.

Who doesn’t like dressing up?

History Alive: A Journey Through Time is a not-for-profit family-friendly community festival held at Fort Lytton National Park this weekend. The event is presented by Queensland Living History Federation and run by passionate volunteers. The iconic Fort Lytton National Park is the perfect backdrop for such a unique event where more than 500 re-enactors and historians portray and display almost 10,000 …Read more.

Support grows for Brisbane peace activists

A growing number of veterans, and relative of veterans, have signed a statement supporting the recent removal of a sword embedded in a cross at a WW1 memorial in Toowong cemetery, Brisbane. The sword was then beaten into a garden hoe in what is known as a "ploughshares action". The support statement describes the act by the pacifist Catholic Worker …Read more.

Got a story to tell? Tell Roly

If you have a short story you're proud of, Roly Sussex would be delighted to hear from you, and perhaps award you $7,500 as part of The ESU-Roly Sussex Short Story Award 2017 The English Speaking Union, QLD is running the competition, and Professor Sussex is a Consultant to the Judging Panel. He is an Emeritus Professor of Applied Language …Read more.

Vets count the cost of cuteness

The rise in popularity of certain dog breeds is causing major concerns among veterinary professionals, here and abroad. At the recent Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Annual Conference, Dr Sean Wensley, senior vice president of the British Veterinary Association, discussed the health and welfare problems associated with several dog breeds including the English bulldog, Pug and French bulldog. "We used to …Read more.

Discovering the healing power of art

For Queensland College of Art fine arts graduate Cielle Van Vuuren, art is "deeply personal and therapeutic", helping her and others to express and explore feelings and emotions. So much so, The Gap resident, the fifth of six artists in Anglicare Southern Queensland's six-week Arts&Minds campaign is these days spending a good deal of her time interstate as she completes …Read more.

Pop-up art space for South Bank

South Bank Corporation to reveal new creative and performance "pop-up" venue in southern heart of the parklands, using the slower winter period to oversee a series of renewal projects to its retail areas. In a significant change for the Parklands, the Corporation will transform the ageing Arbour View Cafes into an innovative pop-up space that will showcase the creativity of …Read more.

Do good, be happy this June

Australians are being asked to rise to the challenge this June and bring more good to the world by helping people overcome crisis, hardship and disadvantage. In a study of more than 10,000 people, Australian Red Cross found that only 14% believe Australia is doing enough to care for the most vulnerable in our society and 50% disagree that Australia …Read more.

Vale Meg Kanowski

Meg Kanowski - Dramaturg, director, lyricist, poet, feminist, social activist community gardener, mad-aunty-godmother and friend. I first met Meg Kanowski, per chance, in the old back bar of the Boundary in the late 1990’s. It was shortly after I moved here from interstate. It was a meeting that would have an effect on me that lasts till this day and …Read more.