The heart of Ipswich transformed into a massive orchestra as musicians of all skill levels gathered for a historic attempt. Organisers had hoped for a strong turnout to eclipse the previous benchmark set in the United States, but the final count far exceeded expectations.
People travelled from interstate and across regional areas, bringing together veterans of the brass scene and novices who had barely held an instrument before.
The enormous ensemble focused their efforts on a single, joyful performance of the classic march 76 Trombones. Veteran performers stood side by side with school students and retirees, creating a collective sound that reverberated through the city square. Local leaders joined in the ranks as participants shared a collective moment of music-making that put local talent on the map.
The grand scale gathering served as the final centerpiece for the SPARK Ipswich Arts Festival. Over five days, the festival brought color, creativity, and community events to families during the school break.
While the official verification process from Guinness World Records is still underway, organizers noted that the true value of the morning lay in bringing people together through shared creativity rather than just the numbers.
On any given afternoon at Orion Springfield Central, the air is filled with the warm, ordinary rhythms of everyday life. Children laugh in the nearby playground, shoppers stroll with coffees in hand, and families carry their groceries home. Yet, right in the midst of these everyday moments sits a bright red bench with a simple, quiet message: “Domestic Violence: Let’s Change the Ending.”
It’s a striking, vivid splash of crimson set against a backdrop of community life in Greater Springfield. Part of the Red Rose Foundation’s Red Bench Project, this seat, installed in 2022, serves as a gentle reminder that love should always mean safety.
It whispers a truth we often find difficult to voice: that domestic and family violence isn’t a distant headline. It touches suburbs, neighbors, and people’s hearts.
Honoring Katherine: A Name That Touches the Heart
On 23 July 2026, the message carved into the wood carries a deeply tender local connection.
When the Red Rose Foundation gathers in Brisbane for its solemn Red Rose Rally, a list of names will be read aloud—lives cut short, loved ones deeply missed, and stories that deserve to be remembered with grace. Among them is Katherine Sanowski, from Greater Springfield.
In early 2026, Katherine’s life came to a heartbreaking end in nearby Bellbird Park, an event that rocked the community and led to formal charges under domestic violence legislation. While the legal process moves through the court system, the community’s heart turns toward healing and honour.
Katherine is not just a statistic in a news file. She is a neighbor, a soul who belonged to our streets, and her memory now lends a powerful urgency to the words written on Orion’s bench.
Her life is a reminder of why breaking the silence matters so profoundly.
While the red bench asks people to stop, pause, and remember, the Greater Springfield community has ensured that no one has to carry their burdens alone. Up on Level 1 of Orion Springfield Central, hope takes a practical, compassionate shape at The HOPE Hub.
Managed by Beyond DV alongside dedicated partners like Small Steps 4 Hannah and The Sunlight Centre, the Hub was created with a deep understanding of human vulnerability. Seeking help when living in fear or uncertainty can feel like climbing a mountain.
The HOPE Hub exists so no one has to make that journey alone—or travel far to find a safe ear.
A Safe, Welcoming Space: Located conveniently right inside the shopping centre, residents don’t need to navigate central city transit to ask for guidance.
No Pressure, Just Support: Whether you need immediate advice, mental health resources, or simply a quiet space to explore your options without judgment, the Hub is there to listen.
Direct Line: 0422 723 435 (Please check current operating hours prior to visiting)
A Shared Journey Toward the Light
Ending family violence takes collective courage. Together, the red bench, the Brisbane rally, and the HOPE Hub form a safety net of remembrance and action.
The bench keeps the conversation visible in our daily lives, while the Red Rose Rally offers a dedicated space to honour lives like Katherine’s so they are never forgotten. Remembrance turns into real support at the HOPE Hub, where compassion becomes a safe doorway toward healing.
Pain may be part of this story, but it doesn’t have to be the final chapter for others. Every time you pause, remember, or reach out, you help write a safer, softer ending for the community.
Australia’s first automated textile sorting and decommissioning system is being introduced at the Carole Park textile facility, which will be capable of processing up to 5,000 tonnes of material each year.
Located at 6 Krypton Court, the Salvos Stores Textile Recovery Facility will use artificial intelligence and robotics to sort unwanted clothing and other textiles by material type.
The technology will also assist with removing components such as buttons and zippers, preparing damaged or unsellable textiles for reuse and recycling pathways.
Wearable clothing will continue to be prioritised for resale through Salvos Stores. Material that cannot be resold can instead be separated and prepared as more consistent textile feedstock for recyclers and manufacturers.
Automated Recovery At Carole Park
Salvos Stores is introducing the automated sorting and decommissioning system in 2026 as part of its efforts to extend the usable life of clothing and other textile products.
The Carole Park textile facility is intended to process large volumes of unsellable garments while producing sorted bales of recovered material suitable for recycling trials and larger-scale manufacturing.
Recovered fibres could be used in products including acoustic panelling, insulation, yarn, homewares and new clothing.
Businesses using or disposing of textiles may also work with the facility on take-back, resale and recycling arrangements. Potential partners include clothing brands, organisations disposing of uniforms, manufacturers using reclaimed fibres and recyclers seeking sorted textile material.
Photo Credit: QLD Gov
Facility To Handle 5,000 Tonnes Each Year
A $4.97 million investment supports the facility, which can process up to 5,000 tonnes of textiles annually for reuse and recycling.
About 200,000 tonnes of clothing is sent to Australian landfills each year. Some synthetic materials, including polyester, can take hundreds of years to decompose.
Recycling clothing can be difficult because garments often contain combinations of fibres, dyes, labels, fasteners and finishes. These components can be costly and time-consuming to separate before the material is suitable for another use.
The automated system is designed to complete part of that sorting and preparation at scale, creating cleaner and more consistent material for potential reuse by manufacturers.
Employment And Volunteer Opportunities
The facility also supports employment, volunteering and industry partnerships in Ipswich.
Volunteering opportunities are available for individuals, community groups and workplace teams interested in assisting with textile recovery activities.
Participants may contribute to the facility’s operations while gaining practical experience and developing skills. Salvos Stores is also seeking connections with businesses and organisations involved in clothing, textiles, recycling and manufacturing.
Ms Harding To Tour The Facility
Ms Teresa Harding is scheduled to visit the Carole Park facility on 22 July for a guided tour of its textile recovery operations.
The visit will include meetings with staff and volunteers involved in recovering, sorting and extending the life of textiles that might otherwise be sent to landfill.
Ms Harding is also expected to view the automated processing work and learn about the facility’s employment, volunteering and industry partnership activities.
Ipswich Soldiers Memorial Hall will undergo an approximately $700,000 restoration after investigations identified slumped flooring, damaged drains, rising damp and defects in surrounding surfaces.
Exploratory work began in 2025 as Ipswich City Council and the Ipswich RSL Sub-Branch examined the condition of the Nicholas Street building. CCTV inspections of the drainage system were carried out alongside survey work and ground-penetrating radar.
The investigations found clogged and cracked drains, movement in the flooring and rising damp affecting the floors and walls. Defects were also identified in the footpath and other hard surfaces around the hall.
The findings showed the repairs would be more extensive and costly than initially anticipated. Architectural and engineering plans have now been finalised, with an architect and heritage consultant engaged to assist with the design documentation.
Ipswich Soldiers Memorial Hall Through The Decades
The three-storey brick hall was designed by Ipswich architect George Brockwell Gill and built by F. J. Lye between 1920 and 1921. Governor Sir Matthew Nathan officially opened it on 26 November 1921.
Created as a First World War memorial and a recreation and meeting place for returned servicemen, the building was funded through government assistance, contributions from the returned soldiers’ organisation and fundraising by local community groups.
The basement originally contained a billiards room, games room, refreshment room, showers and a bath. The ground floor housed the memorial hall, assembly room, office and lounge, while the Ipswich School of Arts Library occupied the upper floor until 1947.
Caption: Soldiers Memorial Hall, Ipswich, circa 1920s Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The hall later accommodated groups including the Red Cross Blood Bank, Legacy and the RSL Women’s Auxiliary. It remains associated with local service organisations and Ipswich’s Anzac Day and Remembrance Day commemorations.
Its Nicholas Street facade includes classical detailing and a rising sun military emblem. The memorial chamber contains a marble First World War memorial and honour boards connected with later conflicts.
The building was entered on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. Its listing recognises its architectural character, association with returned service organisations and role in Ipswich’s commemorative and community life.
Authorities set aside $150,000 in its 2025–26 Budget, of which $50,000 has been spent, and allocated a further $650,000 in its 2026–27 Budget.
Funding of $228,475 through the Honouring Our Veterans Grants Program will contribute to the overall restoration cost of approximately $700,000.
Planning for the project has involved the Ipswich RSL Sub-Branch, which uses the building as its headquarters and provides support, advocacy and connection for local veterans and their families.
Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2026 after Remembrance Day on 11 November. Completion is expected in March 2027, with the hall intended to be open for Anzac Day commemorations on 25 April 2027.
Springfield Lakes families have a rare chance to watch the Brisbane Lions train live at their home ground during the school holidays, with the club opening Brighton Homes Arena to fans for a free morning session.
Gates open at 8.30am on Tuesday 7 July at 16 Eden Station Drive in Springfield Central, just over 100 metres from Springfield Central Station — which the club describes as the closest train station of any similar venue in Australia. For local families, it’s an easy, unticketed morning out with free entry at the gate.
The Lions are one of the competition’s premier clubs, and watching them prepare at their own training ground is a different experience from game day. The session puts fans on the grass level with the players, watching them work through drills and conditioning before the crowd gets access for photos and autographs.
Getting close to the players after the session
The real drawcard for young supporters is what happens after training wraps up. Players come off the track and are available for selfies and autograph signing, giving kids the kind of up-close access that is not available on a match day when the action never stops.
Pull on the maroon, blue and gold and come ready with a phone charged and, if the kids have one, a piece of Lions merchandise to get signed.
The Lions encourage fans heading to Brighton Homes Arena to build in a bit of time before 8.30am, particularly if travelling by car. Limited street parking runs along Australia Avenue, and the P3 carpark sits on the northern side of Eden Station Drive.
The Springfield Park ‘n’ Ride on Springfield Greenbank Arterial is a larger multi-storey option for those who prefer covered parking.
Coming by train or bus
For families who want to skip the parking entirely, Springfield Central Station puts you literally steps from the venue. Train services run regularly from the CBD, and the journey from Roma Street takes around 45 minutes. Bus routes 526, 527 and 528 also service the Springfield Central and Orion Shopping Centre precinct for those coming from nearby suburbs.
For a tailored trip plan, use the Translink Journey Planner and enter Brighton Homes Arena as the destination.
Roar Espresso is open for the visit
The arena’s on-site café, Roar Espresso, will be open throughout the morning. They run an all-day menu with everything from takeaway snacks to sit-down meals, so you can grab a coffee while the kids watch the team on the track
Accessible parking is available at Springfield Central Station and in the Park ‘n’ Ride, with covered accessible spaces on a first-come basis. For full transport and venue information, visit lions.com.au or brightonhomesarena.com.au.
A Spring Mountain family that had nearly given up on installing a pool has had a 500kg plunge pool flown into its backyard by helicopter after steep access made other delivery options unworkable.
A Spring Mountain family’s difficult backyard has become the site of an unusual pool installation, with a helicopter used to lower a fibreglass plunge pool into place after other companies had said the job could not be done.
The homeowners had been told the pool could not be installed because of the steep road and the position of the excavation area. After approaching Narellan Pools – Ipswich and South Brisbane, the project was taken on by Kimberley and Brendon Etheve, who operate the business.
The solution was not a standard crane or truck delivery. After other options were exhausted, Helicopter Lifting Services was engaged to move the pool shell from above.
The plunge pool weighed 500kg and measured 4.5m by 3.5m.
Photo Credit: Narellan Pools Ipswich & South Brisbane/Facebook
Steep Access Left One Workable Option
The lift required aviation approvals, insurance and road exclusion zones before the pool could be moved.
Helicopter Lifting Services arranged the operation, with the shell waiting on a truck before being collected by helicopter and carried into the yard. The pool was airborne for about three to five minutes before being lowered into the prepared excavation.
The installation was described by those involved as the only practical solution after the family had previously been turned back elsewhere. The homeowners had nearly gone without a pool before the helicopter lift was arranged.
Spring Mountain Lift Draws Online Attention
Footage of the Spring Mountain pool lift was later shared on social media and drew more than 800,000 views.
The response included comments about the cost and questions about why a normal crane was not used. The helicopter lift cost $27,000, covering aviation approvals, insurance and road exclusion arrangements.
Ms Etheve said she believed the lift was a first for Ipswich. Since the footage was shared, the business has received inquiries about two more helicopter pool lifts.
Photo Credit: Narellan Pools Ipswich & South Brisbane/Facebook
Ipswich Operators Behind The Job
Kimberley and Brendon Etheve have operated Narellan Pools – Ipswich and South Brisbane since 2023.
The business installs fibreglass pools and carries out whole transformation packages. It has reported installing up to 150 pools a year, with at least one installation a day during summer.
For the Spring Mountain family, the result was a pool installation that required a short flight, detailed planning and a delivery method rarely seen in a suburban backyard.
Frontline domestic and family violence (DFV) support services are now available seven days a week in the heart of Greater Springfield, following the opening of the new HOPE Hub at Orion Springfield Central.
The hub officially opened to the public on 1 June 2026, following a ministerial unveiling several days earlier. On 26 May, state leaders and community partners gathered at Orion Springfield Central to cut the ribbon on the purpose-built space, paving the way for staff onboarding and final preparations ahead of the public rollout.
Operated by Queensland charity Beyond DV, the Springfield facility marks the second HOPE Hub in the state and the first major delivery under a $7.8 million, five-year investment package. The funding rollout will ultimately see three new hubs established across Queensland over the coming years.
Low-stigma, high-access support
Placing the specialized recovery hub inside a bustling retail precinct is a deliberate strategy designed to lower barriers for people seeking help. For victim-survivors navigating complex or unsafe domestic situations, visiting a major shopping centre is vastly easier and safer than walking into a dedicated service agency or police station.
The service directly targets the Springfield-Ripley corridor, which remains the fastest-growing residential footprint in Queensland. The rapid population influx has historically outpaced the delivery of localized social infrastructure, making the addition of a centralized crisis and recovery asset a critical milestone for the expanding region.
The layout features a welcoming reception area, private consultation rooms for sensitive casework, a dedicated training room, and an outdoor balcony breakout area. The facility is fully staffed across all seven days by a dedicated team, including a trained counsellor, a receptionist, and a program coordinator.
“Having the Springfield HOPE Hub located within Orion Springfield Central helps make support more visible, approachable and accessible for people who may otherwise never seek assistance,” said Beyond DV Founder and Managing Director Carolyn Robinson.
“The model is designed to remove barriers by creating a safe environment where people can walk in, ask questions, seek advice and access practical help.”
A comprehensive framework for recovery
The hub delivers free, confidential wrap-around support that spans immediate crisis response and long-term rebuilding programs. Community members can access trauma-informed counselling, legal and health advocacy, housing assistance, and financial guidance through specialized “Money Clinics.”
The service framework mirrors the highly successful pilot program at Carindale, which opened in March 2022 and has since logged more than 6,000 community interactions. Experience from the Carindale site shows that these hubs also serve as vital conduits for law enforcement; police officers frequently utilize the trauma-informed environment to conduct sensitive victim interviews when individuals feel unsafe speaking at a station.
Mirvac Orion Springfield Central Portfolio Manager Melanie Hodge expressed pride in the partnership, noting that hosting the space allows the precinct to leverage its position as a central community destination to make a genuine difference in families’ lives.
Support beyond the hub
The rollout of local support infrastructure coincides with stricter enforcement mechanisms active across the state. Under updates to the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012, Queensland Police have been utilizing Police Protection Directions (PPDs) since 1 January 2026. These directions allow field officers to issue immediate, on-the-spot protection orders lasting up to 12 months against perpetrators, eliminating the dangerous lag time spent waiting for a court date.
Combined with community assets like the HOPE Hub, the parallel strategy aims to ensure that when a victim-survivor takes the initial step to reach out, immediate legal protection and long-term recovery support are both readily available.
Accessing assistance
The Springfield HOPE Hub operates seven days a week at Orion Springfield Central.
Online Resources: Visit Beyond DV for service details, or click here for statewide support directories.
Crisis Support: Anyone experiencing or at risk of domestic and family violence can contact the hub directly via Beyond DV. The national 1800RESPECT hotline is also available 24/7 on 1800 737 732. In an immediate emergency, always call 000.
St Mary’s College in Ipswich is giving senior students a head start in healthcare before they finish Year 12, offering a specialised Assistant in Nursing certificate pathway found at very few other secondary schools in Queensland.
What sets it apart from the health certificates offered at other secondary schools is not just the content but the outcomes: graduates have moved directly into paid roles with West Moreton Health, St Andrew’s Hospital, Mater hospitals and residential aged-care facilities across the Ipswich region.
For families in Springfield Lakes and the broader south-west growth corridor, where demand for local healthcare workers continues to outpace supply, the programme represents a direct pipeline from classroom to workforce.
From nursing ward to classroom, and back again
The programme’s effectiveness starts with who teaches it. Melanie McAndrew, the school’s Program Leader for Studies, spent more than 20 years working as a nurse before moving into education. That clinical background is not incidental to the programme’s design. It shapes how the content is delivered, which industry connections get built, and how students understand the gap between theory and real working healthcare environments.
“It’s an incredible privilege to teach something like this,” McAndrew said. “I get to use my clinical experience, industry connections and passion for education to inspire the next generation of healthcare workers.”
She said the programme gave students both financial independence post-school and a clear pathway into further healthcare careers. “It’s a great opportunity for students to gain confidence, earn an income and kickstart their healthcare career pathway while helping meet local workforce demand,” she said.
The programme launched in 2023 and graduated its first cohort in 2024. In the roughly two years since, a number of those graduates have taken up roles locally, with employers drawn from both the public and private health systems as well as the aged care sector that is absorbing significant demand across the Ipswich region.
Skills that go well beyond what a textbook covers
The AIN nano-qualification sits above the standard certificate requirements and gives students additional clinical competencies that make them genuinely job-ready on graduation. The day-to-day learning at St Mary’s reflects that higher bar.
“Our Year 12 students might start their class by doing hand hygiene, taking observations, bandaging a snake bite, or practising CPR and defibrillation,” McAndrew said. “These are skills we practise every single day.”
Students also work through modules covering patient transport, dementia and delirium care, and other specialised clinical competencies that translate directly to the range of settings where AINs typically work. The programme builds practical muscle memory alongside theoretical knowledge, which is precisely what aged care and hospital employers look for when hiring entry-level clinical staff.
A clear-eyed reason to show up every day
For Year 12 student Addison Costello, the programme confirmed what she already suspected about herself.
“I took up the certificate because I’ve always wanted to do something in the healthcare field,” Addison said. “I’m working towards a dual degree in paramedicine and nursing, and doing this qualification means I can get into a hospital environment earlier and gain more experience.”
The clarity that comes from working in a real clinical setting, even as a student, is something the programme delivers consistently. Addison described the sense of purpose it gave her cohort.
“I’ve always wanted to help people and be that person who can say, ‘you’re going to be okay, I’m here to help,'” she said. “I just want to make sure people are able to get the assistance they need.”
That sense of purpose matters beyond the individual student. Queensland’s healthcare workforce faces significant structural pressure over the next decade, particularly in aged care and community health settings, and programmes that produce work-ready graduates at 17 or 18 years old are an increasingly important part of how the system plans to fill that gap.
Finding out more
St Mary’s College is located in Ipswich and is part of the Brisbane Catholic Education system. Families interested in the health services programme can find further information here. The programme is open to students entering the senior years of secondary schooling.
My First Aid Course has opened a new training venue in Redbank, giving residents across Springfield Lakes, Goodna, Collingwood Park, Riverview, Ipswich and surrounding western corridor suburbs a locally accessible option for CPR and first aid certification without travelling into central Brisbane.
The Redbank venue is one of two new locations the Brisbane-based provider has recently launched, alongside a new venue at 74 Station Road in Indooroopilly.
Together they bring My First Aid Course’s Brisbane network to eight locations, spanning the city’s north, south, east and now its western and inner-western corridors, with the Redbank site sitting closest to the outer south-west growth suburbs.
Easier access for the western growth corridor
My First Aid Course trainer Mal Thompson said convenience is what ultimately determines whether people stay current with their first aid certification. “If people can attend closer to home, they are more likely to stay current and more likely to remember what to do when it counts,” he said.
“The first few minutes of an emergency matter. We want more people to feel confident stepping in, whether that is at work, at a sports field, at home, or in a shopping centre.”
That friction — the time, the parking, the distance — is particularly real for the western corridor. Springfield Lakes alone has grown substantially since its first residential stages opened in the late 1990s, and its residents work across construction, logistics, healthcare, childcare, disability support, aged care and retail, industries where first aid certification is often a mandatory workplace requirement.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
The Redbank venue runs bi-weekly first aid and CPR courses, delivering both standard and advanced workplace-ready training, giving the corridor reliable and regular access rather than an occasional offering.
A training model built around flexibility
My First Aid Course uses a blended learning format, with most theory completed online at each student’s own pace, followed by a short practical assessment at the venue. The HLTAID011 Provide First Aid course, the standard requirement for most workplaces, schools and community organisations, requires a two-hour practical session after online pre-reading is complete.
The practical component covers CPR technique, defibrillator awareness, emergency scenario management and hands-on skills that cannot be developed through online learning alone.
Certificates are issued the same day on weekdays when online prerequisites are completed in advance, making it straightforward for workers who need documentation quickly for a new role or compliance renewal.
The Redbank venue offers CPR (HLTAID009, currently $49), first aid (HLTAID011, $98), childcare first aid (HLTAID012, $123) and advanced first aid, covering the full range of certifications most residents and workplaces in the western corridor are likely to need. Onsite group bookings are also available for workplaces wanting to train multiple staff members without requiring them to travel.
For small businesses, childcare centres, trade teams and community organisations in Springfield Lakes and surrounding suburbs, having a venue this close makes compliance renewals considerably easier to manage.
To book or view upcoming course dates at the Redbank venue, click here.
Ipswich is recruiting 400 trombonists of all ages and abilities to attempt a Guinness World Record for the largest trombone ensemble at Tulmur Place in the Nicholas Street Precinct, as part of the 2026 SPARK Ipswich Arts Festival.
The massive attempt kicks off on Sunday 12 July. To smash the current world record of 369 musicians set in the Netherlands back in 2012, Ipswich needs at least 370 players to show up and play on the day. Organisers are not just looking to scrape through, targeting 400 trombonists to clear the line with a comfortable margin and make the moment truly unforgettable.
Players of all ages and skill levels can sign up now to help secure the title, though everyone will need to bring their own trombone along.
For anyone who has ever played a trombone and let it gather dust, or for young students still learning the slide positions, this is a genuinely once-in-a-generation opportunity to be part of a piece of history in a city that takes its arts seriously.
The man behind the plan
The record attempt is being organised by Matt Chambers, Music Director of the Ipswich City Big Band, who came up with the concept as a way to celebrate the instrument and bring the community together through music. His son Callum Chambers is involved in the preparations alongside him.
“We welcome people of all ages and abilities to be part of the world record attempt,” Matt said. “Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, we’ll have music suited to different skill levels and plenty of support in the lead up. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attempt this world record, have fun and put local musicians on the world stage.”
The piece the ensemble will perform is 76 Trombones, the iconic march from the 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man, written by Meredith Willson, which has since become one of the most recognised pieces for trombone in the world, performed by marching bands, orchestras and brass ensembles across every continent.
There is something almost perfectly fitting about a world record attempt for the largest trombone ensemble being anchored by a song that has always celebrated exactly that image.
A festival that sets the scene
The record attempt forms part of SPARK Ipswich Arts Festival, which returns for 8 to 12 July 2026 with a programme of arts, music, theatre and live experiences across the city. The full programme will be announced on the SPARK website in coming months, but the trombone world record attempt on the final day of the festival is shaping up as its centrepiece event.
Ipswich has a strong musical heritage, with the region producing talented musicians across multiple genres, and the Nicholas Street Precinct provides an ideal open-air setting for a performance of this scale, with Tulmur Place offering a central, accessible gathering point in the heart of the city.
Registrations are free and open now. Participants of all ages and abilities are welcome. You must bring your own trombone on the day. Music will be provided at different skill levels to ensure everyone can participate confidently, and support will be available in the lead-up.
To register, visit the Ipswich World’s Largest Trombone Ensemble World Record Attempt website. For more on the SPARK Ipswich Arts Festival, click here.
