On 14 April, catch a flick outdoors at the Brookwater Golf & Country Club as they host their first outdoor cinema, “Movies On The Green,” from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Bring the whole family and catch their free screening of Trolls.
There will be food and drinks available that night. Cool prizes and giveaways will also be up for grabs.
For the best experience, there will also be a VIP section that includes:
Premium seating (Terrace seating)
3-course dinner
Two glasses of wine
A bottle of Pol Roger champagne
You get a chance to win the VIP experience by clicking “love” and sharing their post on Facebook. Click here.
Register to get your FREE ticket to the movie here.
Recent research done by Poolwerx showed a spike in the number of drownings in Australia. CEO and Founder of the largest pool and spa maintenance network in the country, John O’Brien conducted a research and found that 75% of people don’t know how to do proper CPR to save a life. This prompted Mr O’Brien to launch the April Pools Day campaign.
Save A Life, Refresh Your CPR Skills
On 3 April, Poolwerx in Springfield Lakes will provide a free online CPR course. This will help refresh the community’s knowledge of CPR. The facility is located at Shop 6A, Springfield Lake Metro Shopping Centre.
One of the best ways to practice CPR is on a specially-designed dummy. To kickstart this year’s campaign, a free online course is also available here from Kids Alive. There are two videos:
How to perform CPR on an adult
How to perform CPR on babies and small children
Each video has a step-by-step guide on the proper administration of CPR.
The Australian Red Cross will also provide 2,000 free online introductory CPR courses for the month of April. All you have to do is visit a Poolwerx store from 3 April to get the special redemption card and codeword.
The campaign promotes the importance of CPR and to encourage people to learn it. Drowning is the greatest cause of accidental death in Australia in children under five years old.
This safety initiative has acquired the support of the Australian Red Cross and Laurie Lawrence of Kids Alive.
The Kids Alive Program
Kids Alive was established in 1988 by Mr Lawrence to combat drowning in the nation. As part of their support to the newly-launched safety campaign, they have teamed up with Poolwerx through the “Kids Alive – Do the Five” message to people all over Australia.
The Do The Five program covers:
Fence the pool
Shut the gate
Learn to swim
Supervise
Learn to resuscitate
They will be prioritising homes where water safety is critical.
Recent Drowning In Ipswich
Earlier this year, Aliyana Caplin died after drowning in a backyard swimming pool. The two-year-old was seen unconscious in their family pool at Raceview and was rushed to the Lady Cilento Hospital. Unfortunately, the toddler didn’t make it.
Save Our Schoolkids Campaign
Queensland is also the only state in Australia that does not have a comprehensive State Government-funded swimming program in primary schools. An S.O.S. campaign named “Save Our Schoolkids” was launched in January this year by Queensland publications with the support of the Australian Water Safety Council, Royal Life Saving Society Australia, and leading Olympians.
The campaign is to urge the government to implement compulsory swim and water safety lessons in Queensland primary schools.
After winning silver in the last Olympic freestyle relay competition, Ipswich’s very own, Leah Neale, is all hyped to compete in her first Commonwealth Games in April 2018.
Adding to her excitement is the fact that this time around, she will be swimming in the individual 200m freestyle event.
Leah Neale is excited to compete in the individual 200m freestyle event. (Photo credit: Australian Dolphins Swim Team/Facebook)
During the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games, Neale was hoping to participate in an individual swim competition, in addition to the Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay.
The former St Mary’s College student made the cut after placing third in the 200m freestyle selection trial. She clocked 1 minute and 56.86 seconds, coming next to Ariarne Titmus (1:55.76) and Emma McKeon (1.56.57).
Joining the Australian Dolphins in the Com Games is a big deal for the Ipswich international medallist, who missed out making the swim team in the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow.
International Experience
Neale, who now studies at the University of the Sunshine Coast, is using her memorable experience at the last Olympics to boost her confidence as she prepares for the Gold Coast games. It was her Olympic debut when she and her teammates grabbed silver, coming second to the USA in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay in Rio 2016.
Ipswich international athlete Neale with her teammates showing their Olympic silver medals at the Rio 2016. (Photo credit: Australian Dolphins Swim Team/Facebook)
International exposure at major sporting events such as the Olympics gives the 22-year-old athlete a better picture of what to expect in the Com Games.
Prior to the Olympics, she also represented Australia at the World Championships in Kazan, Russia, where the Australian team ranked 6th in the 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay. She placed 21st in the 400m freestyle and 26th in the 800m freestyle during the same competition.
Last year, the Olympic medallist once again represented Australia at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Neale first joined the Australian Dolphins in 2014. She has the distinction of being the first 15-year-old in Australian history to get a time of under two minutes for the 200m freestyle.
The freestyle specialist is just one of the Commonwealth Games competitors who hail from Ipswich. Also competing at the Games are Ipswich athletes Cassie Purdon (High Jump), Deborah Acason and Alyce Stephenson (Weightlifting), Joseph Deng (Athletics), Matt Hodgson (Basketball) and Jordyn Holzberger (Hockey).
When and Where to Watch Leah Neale
Neale will be swimming against the best in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Thursday 5 April 2018 for the Women’s 200m Freestyle event. Heat 1 will start at 11:00 a.m.
She will join the Australian team on Saturday 7 April for the Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final at 9:50 p.m.
The individual and relay swimming contests will happen at the Optus Aquatic Centre in Gold Coast. Use the official Journey Planner from the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games website to find the best transport options to the venue.
Proper behaviour during bus travel is being taught to students at various Queensland schools via the Step Up program and Springfield Central State School is the latest school to benefit.
As part of the “Governing from Ipswich” initiative, the Queensland Government’s Step Up Program ensures safe journey for students, other passengers and the bus driver.
TransLink Senior Network Officers and bus drivers met with the school’s Year 6 students. They talked about positive behaviour on buses and what they should do if someone acts inappropriately.
The program also educated parents and students about making small changes that would help bus travel become safer.
Residents of Springfield Lakes are expressing concern about the safety of wildlife trapped in the Springfield Rise development site in Springfield Central.
Kangaroos have been spotted in the area whilst the residential project’s construction is in progress. Residents are worried that there is no path for the animals to escape the area and they could be harmed during the ongoing construction.
Four thousand homes will be built as part of the Springfield Rise project and a significant area has been cleared for this purpose.
The residents’ concerns have reached environmental groups, Environment Matters 2 Us and Springfield Lakes Environmental Advisory Group (SLEAG). The groups have already filed a complaint with the Ipswich City Council regarding the matter.
The groups believe that the council should take responsibility since they were the one who approved the development.
A spokesperson for Springfield Rise at Spring Mountain also reassured residents that their clearing has been approved and that the process was based on their comprehensive Environmental Management Plan. They also employ a wildlife spotter on site throughout the clearing activities.
The developer asserts that all their management plans posted on their website have all been approved by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment. They are assuring the public that their plans are in compliance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999.
Families from Augustine Heights may soon be able to send their children to one of the city’s most prestigious schools with ease, thanks to a plan for new school bus service in the area.
School Takes Action
The suburb is one of the fastest growing areas in Queensland, along with Ripley and Redbank Plains. The growing population translates to more traffic in these areas and with minimal public transport available, St Edmund’s College has taken action.
St Edmund’s College, in partnership with St Mary’s College, is exploring the possibility of starting their new bus service, set to operate in 2019. Should everything go as planned, it will cover Augustine Heights, Ripley, and Redbank Plains.
This is the school’s initiative to help parents who wish to send their boys to the school without worrying about transportation.
What The Council is Doing
For its part, Ipswich City Council continues to find ways to improve its transport system. Cr Bromage is supportive of better transportation in the city. This, after a recently released traffic data showed that Augustine Heights and other outer eastern suburbs have maintained the highest five-year growth at 31%, based on the council’s 2017 Strategic Traffic Count Program.
“In particular, the continued high growth trend in vehicle trips provides justification for the need for Ipswich residents to be provided access to viable and high quality public and active transport alternatives,” Ms Bromage said.
Quest Hotels in Springfield Central has officially opened on 12 March as the Health City continues to take shape.
The serviced-apartment style hotel wanted to set an early opening on 5 March. However, noisy construction at the nearby site prompted it to delay the opening. The site next door is the location of the Greater Springfield Specialist Suites comprised of medical suites and professional offices. It is expected to open in May 2018.
The Quest Hotels management didn’t want to disrupt the patrons on that day whilst construction was taking place on the site next to theirs.
You Can Now Book a Stay
The new 82-room hotel is in the Greater Springfield’s Health Care Precinct. Despite the delay, room bookings are now available online.
It has six floors, four for Quest, a single floor for additional child-care and the bottom level is dedicated to retail.
Health City
Springfield City Group envisions the hotel as a strategic support to the 52-hectare Health City precinct and to further establish the city as a destination for business and leisure.
The Health City in Springfield Central is the designated central core of the health and wellness offering in Greater Springfield.
Springfield Lakes is hosting the Inaugural Pest Fishing Classic.
The first Springfield Lakes Pest Fishing Classic will be held Saturday 17 March 2018 from 6:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Spring Lake.
Fishing is generally not allowed at any of Springfields’ man-made lakes, however, the pest fishing event has been given permission by wildlife authorities and the local council of Ipswich, as a way for officials to educate residents about the effects of pest species in their bodies of water, while doing so in a controlled and monitored manner.
Photo credit: queenslandplaces.com.au
The event is a collaboration between Lendlease, Ipswich City Council, and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries which will be strictly managed under a Biosecurity Queensland pest fishing permit through fishing event management group, 2 Bent Rods.
Pest fishing is not new in Springfield Lakes since, despite the no fishing rule in the lake, some anglers are still throwing a line in to help get rid of pest fishes like Tilapia and Carp.
Pest fishes, like tilapia, for example, was first introduced to Australia as an ornamental fish in the 1970s and is now regarded as one of the greatest threats to Australia’s natural biodiversity, according to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).
Photo credit: Leonie Kellermann/Wikimedia Commons
These species are not naturally found in Springfields’ three lakes and can cause substantial damage to the local biodiversity, as they compete with endemic species for food and space, become predators of the local species, and may even bring diseases to the area they inhabit.
Invasive species typically do not have any natural predators in the wild to control their population.
According to the World Conservation Union, invasive species are the second most significant threat to biodiversity, with habitat loss being the first.
In a statement by Ipswich City Council Health, Security and Community Safety Committee chairperson Cr Sheila Ireland, she said that the council are aware of pest fishing activities in the area. With this, they thought that having an organised pest fishing event in a controlled environment is the best way to teach locals about pest fishes.
Photo credit: Facebook/SEQ Carp & Tilly Busters
With the aim of raising awareness in the wider community about the detrimental impacts of pest fish, education sessions on the pest species will be provided during the registration for the event. Trained helpers will also be available to make sure that catches are correctly disposed of in dedicated waste bins.
Fishing is typically frowned upon by residents of the area, due to previous experience with some fishermen who leave dead fish and their entrails scattered about the boardwalk.
Some residents are also concerned that the event may cause the incidence of illegal fishing in the area to increase but event organisers are hopeful that the event will be a good opportunity for locals to support a good cause.
Registration is required for the event which will start at 6:45 a.m. and a fee of $5 will be collected. The proceeds from the registration will be used to restock native species in the lake after the event.
Pest fishing starts at 7:00 a.m. and prizes will be up for grabs. A weigh-in station and sausage sizzle will also be available in the event.
On 24 March, celebrate Harmony Day Festival at Robelle Domain Parklands in Springfield Central from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The aim of the event is to connect multicultural and main stream communities and organisations as well as enhance and develop more harmonious communities.
A Family Event
There are many activities for kids and adults, so make it a family affair. Enjoy the fun rides as well as the free face painting. For $10, you get yourself unlimited rides already.
You can also join in several workshops such as the martial arts and the lion dance workshops.
There will also be a Lucky Door draw. Who knows? You might just win a Nintendo Switch Console. All you need to do is fill up the raffle ticket and submit it to the Festival Information Stall. You have to be present during the raffle time, which will start at 7:50 p.m.
Don’t miss out on the Free Red Bag, which will be distributed at 5:30 p.m. and the $2 unlimited land train, a Westside Community Care fundraiser.
The WCC is a not-for-profit organisation in Greater Springfield that provides programs and services to the meet the needs of the community. They reach out to struggling individuals and families not only in Springfield but across Queensland as well.
At 8:00 p.m., end the night with fireworks!
The event is organised by the World Harmony Society. Established in 2012, they aim to promote universal harmony through intercultural understanding. They also provide assistance, relief, support, education, and care to any person in distress.
