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Rocco Polito owns the Gawler South property, formerly the Gawler Skin Cancer Clinic, which has been steadily deteriorating since April 2006. The dilapidated building has suffered severe cracking at the front of the premises, with gaps of more than 20 centimetres now appearing in some of the walls. A number of supporting props have been used to prevent the front of the house falling over, with two of these since removed by vandals, who have also smashed the inside of the property and used it as a rubbish dump.
Despite having three separate plans drawn up for a new business development on the site, Mr. Polito said he had been left “bewildered” by council’s refusal to allow an unsafe eyesore to be transformed into a functioning building.
“I have put my entire life savings into Gawler, but decisions like this could ruin me financially,” he said.
“I’m a landlord, but I’m not an idiot.
“I will go to a certain extent to please the council, but I’m not going to spend a million dollars on this property...when we may never get our return back.” Mr. Polito said plans to expand Gawler’s population with proposed housing developments were at odds with council’s “anti-progress” stance towards business developments in the town.
“If we can’t get through council simple things on a house that’s falling around our ears and is in danger of hurting someone if it falls down, how is Gawler going to progress to cater for an extra 20,000 people in the next 15 to 20 years?” he said.
“Thieves are now vandalising the property and they are at risk of killing themselves in there, but we can’t do anything about it, we’re still nowhere after three years.”
The Bunyip first covered Mr. Polito’s plight in June last year after council had denied two applications for new developments on the site, each of which featured heritage style frontage to fit the appearance of the street. He was then instructed by council to obtain new plans for the redevelopment, drawn up by a recognised heritage architect.
After paying Bruce Harry – an architect recommended by council – more than $25,000 to design a two-storey building for the site, he was again asked to make
further adjustments to the proposed structure, including a 10-centimetre reduction in its width. Despite complying with the requests of council’s director of development and strategic planning Michael Wohlstadt, Mr. Polito said the future of the property remains in limbo.
“That was six months ago and we have not heard any more (from council),” he said.
“We have bent over backwards to meet the requirements of what Michael Wohlstadt wants and yet we still can’t get it off the ground, we still haven’t got an answer one way or another.”
Mr. Polito said he had also lined up three potential business tenants for the redeveloped building, but has since lost each of these due to council’s delays.
While agreeing several properties in the Gawler area should be maintained as heritage buildings, he said council’s judgement on his Adelaide road property has left him confused.
“We have a building like this, that’s falling down, has no heritage value at all, but we’re not allowed to do anything with it,” Mr. Polito said.
“They (council) won’t give me a reason why, other than to say repair this building even though it’s unrepairable.
“We’ve been left in disbelief there is nothing we can change because of this group of people...these people are holding Gawler at ransom and keeping us from progressing.”
Mr. Polito said he has begun reviewing his business interests in Gawler, which include several other prominent commercial properties he rents out to tenants.
“We are so disillusioned that the only thing we can do is sell-up and invest our money somewhere else,” he said.
“This is just too hard, it’s taken too long and it’s too consuming, not just financially – I can’t put into words the stress it’s causing myself, my wife and my children.
“I gave my family an assurance that if this property was not resolved by June I would sell it and get out, but who would want to buy a building like it is?”
Mr. Wohlstadt did not return calls from The Bunyip prior to deadline.
For sale: half a local reserve
BAROSSA Council is going ahead with plans to sell half of Kalbeeba Parklands Reserve, despite opposition from local residents.The reserve, at Lucks road, Kalbeeba, will have its community land classification revoked if approved by the state government.
Kalbeeba Parklands Reserve Management Committee secretary Michelle Mackenzie has written a letter to local government relations minister Gail Gago, asking the department to reject council’s application.
She said the land was given to the people of Kalbeeba by the former landowner, and should be retained as a public reserve.
“Adults and children use the reserve regularly for horse riding, running their dogs off leash, kite flying…and that’s important for our kids,” Mrs. Mackenzie said.
“The other reason why we want to retain the land is because of the new housing development (Gawler East), and with more cars on the road, this reserve is just a safe place for us to go, and it’s the only reserve in the area.
“Reducing the size of the land into half, when you consider people walking the dog, hitting the golf ball…it doesn’t give us a functioning piece of land.”
Council wants to sell about half of the five-acre reserve, with $20,000 from the sale to maintain and develop the remaining land in consultation with the committee.
The rest of the proceeds will go towards the new Barossa Health and Recreation Centre, as part of the council’s strategy to raise $2 million in asset sales to help fund the project.
Les and Joan Hansford live opposite Kalbeeba Reserve, and said residents are upset their concerns are not being addressed.
“Even after all the letters and submissions the council received from everyone from around here, the council have totally disregarded the wishes of the people,” Mrs. Hansford said.
“Besides not wanting part of the reserve sold off, they find it unbelievable that it is being sold so that the sale monies will be put towards building a health and fitness centre in a place so far removed from Kalbeeba, none of us will ever use it.
“We will be made to pay twice, once by losing our own recreation site, Kalbeeba Reserve, and by the huge hike in our rates that we are all going to be made to pay to help cover the costs of this health and fitness centre.”
Council CEO David Morcom said although some residents opposed the sale, the council needed to sell parcels of land to meet funding targets for the leisure centre, to be built in Tanunda.
“Council acknowledges that some residents are unhappy about these sales, and while council will move ahead on building the new aquatic and health facility, we are committed to consulting with our entire community to find the most balanced outcome,” Mr. Morcom said.
“We will continue to work with the Kalbeeba community to manage the balance of the reserve which is over 11,000 square metres in size.”
Public consultation on the sale of Kalbeeba Reserve closed on May 1, with 12 written submissions and two letters signed by 68 parties and nine parties respectively.
At its April 21 meeting, the council also received a 233-signed petition entitled, ‘Support the Barossa Ratepayers Action Group to Stop the Barossa Council Selling our Reserves and Parks and Stop the Rising Debt.’
COMMUNITY consultation and a long-term development plan is key to Gawler’s future, according to state opposition leader Martin Hamilton-Smith.
At a shadow cabinet meeting at the Gawler Arms Hotel on Monday, the current Liberal leader re-affirmed his position following speculation of a replacement.
“I was elected to lead up to the March 2010 election, and that’s what I’m committed to do,” Mr. Hamilton-Smith said.
“These instances arise on both sides – Labor went through it last October…you just keep pushing.”
When asked about the proposed Gawler East development, Mr. Hamilton-Smith said such major developments should be done in consultation with local residents – both prior to and during planning.
“This is another example of the government going ahead with something without properly consulting the community,” he said.
“Gawler is a very historic town and I think you need to conserve the character – it’s important for tourism and for people’s sense of place.”
Mr. Hamilton-Smith also suggested a long-term development plan was needed for the region, so residents know what the future holds.
“One of the criticisms we have made of the government is they need a 20-year redevelopment plan, not just an election plan,” Mr. Hamilton-Smith said.
The increase of population under the proposed DPA – which allows for an additional 10,000 people – has also raised concerns of traffic congestion in and around Gawler.
Liberal candidate for Light Cosie Costa said a detailed plan was needed to address the region’s current traffic problem.
“I experience the traffic everyday, and to introduce that many more cars is going to be hectic,” he said.
“You need to work out the plan properly, rather than just put streets here and there.”
Mr. Costa has also written to federal health minister John Hill regarding the removal of Gawler’s rural health status.
He said a compromise might need to be met to suit Gawler’s needs, in between metropolitan and rural classifications.
“We need to make sure we maintain the quality of health services in the region,” Mr. Costa said.
Retirement village planned for Kapunda
Light Regional Council (LRC) has initiated a development plan amendment (DPA) to pave the way for a 160-unit retirement village in Kapunda.Land Services wants to develop the land bordered by Nash, Jaffrey, Maxell and Shannon streets to cater for retirement living.
The proposal put to LRC includes 160 detached independent living units, a large community centre with 24 serviced apartments, a commercial kitchen, hairdressing salon, dining area and indoor recreational facilities.
Outdoor activity areas would also be developed including community gardens and low impact recreational spaces.
If approved, the development would be expected to occur over the next six to eight years.
The Kapunda (North-East) Residential and Retirement Living DPA has been released for public consultation.
The document seeks to create a new zoning classification called Residential (Kapunda) Policy Area 16 Seniors Living over a section of the land, and rezone the remaining portion to residential to allow for residential subdivision of the block.
LRC mayor Robert Hornsey said it is “extremely important” for retirement living to be developed in the region.
“Kapunda has a large aging population and those people are looking for places to retire,” he said.
“They’re looking to downsize, to have smaller, more manageable homes, homes that they can leave to go away holidays, touring and leave them feeling that they are relatively secure and safe in the environment that they’re in.
“And we’ve got the land, we’ve got the wherewithal to go and provide that within our township.”
Mr. Hornsey, who expects the town’s population to increase by about 300 people as a result of the development if it is approved, said the proposed land is ideal because of its close proximity to the Kapunda hospital and the town centre.
“There will be people who will sell other homes to move into a smaller home which then makes those other homes available on the market for younger families…so the increase in the population is probably going to come in other areas,” he said.
“Whereas the people who live in the retirement living (area), some will come from outside the town but a lot may come from within the town anyway.”
The draft DPA is available for public inspection and purchase at the Kapunda and Freeling council offices, at council’s libraries and on its website www.light.sa.gov.au.
The public consultation period will end at 5pm on August 21.
Written submissions should be addressed to the chief executive officer of the Light Regional Council, PO Box 72, Kapunda, SA, 5373.
A public hearing to discuss the DPA and public submissions will be held at the Kapunda council chambers on Tuesday, September 1 at 7.30pm.
Written submissions should indicate whether the author wishes to speak at the public meeting.
The meeting may not be held if the submissions indicate no one wishes to be heard at the hearing.
A 43-year-old Stockport woman died when the car she was driving crashed into an embankment on the Hamley Bridge to Stockport road near Hamley Bridge on Monday night.
The crash occurred at about 6.30pm, and the woman was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Barossa Police and Major Crash investigators are looking into the accident.
The woman’s death brings the state’s road toll this year to 68, compared to 40 at the same time last year. Police are seeking witnesses who may have seen the crash or the car, a white Ford Laser sedan, prior to the accident. Witnesses are asked to call Bank SA Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The fatal crash is the sixth on local roads since May. A public meeting to discuss ways to minimise fatal road accidents will be held at the Barossa Arts and Convention Centre from 7pm tonight (Wednesday). The meeting has been organised by road safety campaigners and Lyndoch residents, Kim Michelmore and Malinda Melbourne.
Xavier College sustained $10,000 damage over the weekend when an unknown number of offenders smashed 25 windows.
Twenty-four separate reports of graffiti were taken in the Barossa on Sunday morning.
Later that day Nuriootpa Police arrested three teenage males from the Barossa area and reported another in relation to the series of overnight graffiti vandalism in the Tanunda and Nuriootpa areas.
All were bailed with curfews and non-association conditions to attend court in Tanunda. Police are continuing their investigations into this series of crimes and ask anyone with further information to phone Bank SA Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or local police.
Ahrens' new headquarters 'world class'
The Ahrens Group has begun a new chapter in its 103-year history with its world-class facility just outside Gawler.
Having based its headquarters at Sheoak Log since 1906, the multi-faceted construction and engineering company has moved to Kingsford Industrial Estate, near Gawler Belt.
And with the move, the company, which fabricates steel, designs and constructs industrial and commercial buildings and supplies rural products, has developed a world-class system that will streamline the production of structural steel.
Ahrens managing director Stefan Ahrens said the family-owned company now has the ability to do “everything from engineering, through to manufacturing steel beams, right to the full painting, with all the process on one site”.
“We’ve got a facility that can produce tapered web beams which significantly reduce the amount of steel used in a building, which also reduces our carbon footprint,” he said.
“And we also have a state-of-the-art shot blast and paintline facility and to be quite honest, there is nothing quite like it in the world. It’s based on technology from the automotive industry so it’s going to be a really high quality, low cost painting.
“We were sending our steel to Adelaide and getting it painted, so we’re really centralising everything on the one site.”
Ahrens’ new facility also has a strong focus on the environment, harvesting rainwater on-site for its gardens and using energy efficient lighting systems, among other initiatives.
As reported in The Bunyip in August 2007, the company decided to transfer to Kingsford Industrial Estate to accommodate its expanding operations.
Staff began moving into the new 12,000 square metre facility about three weeks ago, while the remaining staff will make the transition over the coming weeks.
Of the nine divisions of the company Australia-wide, five of them will be based at the new location, as well as more than 100 employees.
The Sheoak Log site will continue to be used by the company for the upcoming silo season, with plans to lease it out in the future.
As part of the relocation and diversification, Ahrens is embarking on a recruitment campaign with plans to employ an additional 20 people.
Report recommends more babies, less oldies
BAROSSA and Light councils should encourage fertility and discourage in-migration of older groups, the latest Population Policy for Barossa-Light recommends.Expansion of the main Barossa towns should also be kept to a minimum, while Gawler should accommodate for metropolitan overspill growth.
The report, commissioned by the Barossa and Light Regional Development Board and completed by Professor Graeme Hugo and Peter Smailes of the University of Adelaide, is used to help councils develop social, economic and environmental policy.
While the total fertility rate (TFR) –the rate at which women in the population have children – has declined in South Australia from a high of nearly 4 in 1961 to 1.788 in 2006, the TFRs for Barossa and Light are above average at 2.06 for Light and 1.90 for Barossa.
However the report said migration of older groups should be discouraged.
Population growth for Barossa-Light is expected to continue at an above-average rate.
The population for Barossa-Light in 2006 was 33,350, and is expected to increase to 39,700 by 2021 – a growth rate of 1.42 per cent for Light and 1.02 per cent of Barossa.
The state average is 0.24 per cent.
The report also recommends significant population increases should occur in ‘concentrated enclaves’ such as Roseworthy or Concordia.
The South Australian government developed a population policy for the state in 2004, which was followed with an increase in population growth.
Barossa mayor Brian Hurn said he was yet to read the report, which is currently being reviewed by council officers.
Designing a positive future for the Barossa
Residents of the greater Barossa region need to be part of the future they want to see.
This is the view of Thinker in Residence professor Laura Lee, speaking at last Thursday’s Barossa and Light Regional Development Board (BLRDB) business forum at Seppeltsfield Winery.
Titled ‘Sustainable futures: an integrated design strategy for the Barossa region’ the event, the fourth forum organised by the BLRDB in recent years, attracted more than 120 participants from a diverse range of backgrounds.
As keynote speaker, Prof. Lee spoke about the importance of good design in planning future places, spaces and communities in the local area.
She said the aim of the forum was to establish guiding principles to help create a vision for the Barossa 10, 20 and 30 years into the future – an aim that fits neatly with her role.
“The objective of my residency is to look at the value of design and the impact of the built environment on the quality of life...I need to look at social, economic and environmental conditions in equal balance,” Prof. Lee said.
“The Barossa has been an incredibly important partner in the residency because it represents something outside of Adelaide.
“Quite frankly, coming from the outside, the Barossa was one of the things I did hear about South Australia before I came, so it (the forum) is also the opportunity for me to engage in something that has an international profile, but also puts the spotlight on a really beautiful landscape.”
Prof. Lee is professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, and has been based in South Australia for the past eight weeks, employed in an advisory role by the state government.
Her opening presentation explained integrated design and its potential worth to the region.
She said the design and construction industry, government agencies, professional associations and universities need to work collaboratively to come up with “long-term cycle solutions” for the Barossa.
“The other important aspect of design is that it tries to imagine a world that we don’t see...but it should generally be guided by the serious challenges that are facing society,” Prof. Lee said.
“Today we will look at the serious challenges that are facing the Barossa and what we need to solve the problems.”
Prof. Lee discussed pre-manufactured houses and buildings and their potential worth to new developments, using the example of a luxury house that was built in 30 days and can be disassembled in 30 days.
“The carbon footprint of every material in this building has been tracked and it is a zero carbon house,” she said.
The forum, which offered ample opportunity for comments and questions from participants throughout, also included several brainstorming exercises in small groups.
Prof. Lee discussed the use of images rather than words in describing or promoting the identity of a region or product such as the Barossa, and asked the floor to put forward the most distinct characteristics that describe the area.
She also asked participants what the major challenges facing the Barossa are. Responses ranged from concerns over “unplanned and unsympathetic” development and a loss of the region’s identity, to a lack of public transport and the uncertain future of the wine industry.
Attendees discussed the positive outcomes they saw in the Barossa’s future – an abundance of water, heritage listed farming land, a series of satellite villages where urban development had occurred and international recognition for local produce making the region financially sustainable.
Residents discuss DPA implications
About 80 people attended a meeting organised by the Urban Growth Boundary Community Forum Committee on Monday night, to talk about the proposed Gawler East Development Plan Amendment (DPA).
The meeting aimed to look at the implications surrounding the DPA and the proposed Gawler East development.
The document could rezone 400 hectares of land, paving the way for an influx of up to 10,000 new residents over the next 10 years.
Meeting convenor Paul Koch said the forum gave local residents an opportunity to have a detailed look at the implications of the development.
“Views on the night ranged from concerns about traffic, the social impact, increased demand on already stretched services through to the appropriateness of the site for a major development and whether the community has an effective voice in the consultation process,” he said.
Those at the meeting were urged to lodge a submission to the state government by the July 16 deadline.
“People were encouraged to talk to their friends and neighbours to look closely at the issues, as the development will have a major impact on all people living in Gawler, not just the people living in Gawler East and Gawler South,” he said.
Mr. Koch said if people needed some assistance to write their submission, information can be downloaded from the group’s website at www.blogawler.wordpress.com, or to call him on 8523 2859 or Scott Fraser on 8523 3220.
Football codes all answer the call
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Angle Vale Soccer Club and Angle Vale Football Club will next month participate in the national fundraising event, raising awareness of men’s health issues and financially supporting life-saving cancer research. Players from the soccer club will wear yellow arm bands and collect donations during its clash with Polonia on Sunday, July 5 at Ridley Reserve, Elizabeth Grove. Soccer club vice chairman and senior coach Grant Warner said the club has joined the campaign for the first time, after he was personally touched by cancer last year.
“A close friend of mine on Kangaroo Island passed away from the disease – everyday I think of him and think this is a good reason to be a part of the Call to Arms,” Grant said.
“I spent a lot of time with him as a kid and went over to see him when he was crook.
“You don’t realise how serious it is until it actually touches you in some way or form.”
Grant said the club will place collection boxes around its home ground, with donations also accepted on Saturday, July 4 during its junior games at Angle Vale Primary School.
He encouraged as many people as possible to attend both days and support the cause.
“You have to source all possible avenues to raise money and raise awareness of the whole issue,” Grant said.
“Sooner or later most people are touched in some way, whether it’s cancer or some other health problem.
“As long we can get the awareness out there more – it’s a really good thing for our club to be part of.”
Football club president Colin Sheriff said both the junior and senior sections of the club had joined the Call to Arms, and on Saturday, July 25 players will don yellow armbands for the match against Houghton Districts at Willaston Oval.
Team members will also be asked to make a gold coin donation to the cause, with collection boxes set-up for spectators to support the charity.
Colin said the club was part of the campaign last year and is delighted to lend its support once again.
“We’re all blokes and we’ve had a couple of guys at our club who have been affected by cancer in one way or another to varying degrees,” he said.
“Anything you can do to help with those sorts of things as a club is good.
“If every club does their little bit, then it can be quite a substantial profit made for the research they are doing.”
Money raised by the Call to Arms also funds education programs to reduce the number of men who get cancer and support services for men facing tough times.
Colin said it is important for sporting clubs across the country to use their prominent position to publicise male health issues which often receive less publicity than other diseases.
“Most people have had some sort of exposure with cancer – I’ve actually had skin cancer, a malignant melanoma many years ago,” he said.
“I know that it’s a very stressful time, even though mine was quite easy to cut out and be finished with.
“Sporting clubs have that community focus so they are probably the best way to help the community.”
Clubs from the Barossa, Light and Gawler Football Association also participated in the Call to Arms on the weekend, with all players wearing yellow armbands and collections taking place at each ground throughout the league. For more information on the Call to Arms or to make a donation to the cause, visit www.calltoarms.com.au.
Promoting the Barossa around the world
BAROSSA tourism operators were in Melbourne last week to represent SA at the southern hemisphere’s largest tourism trade show, the Australian Tourism Exchange.
More than 700 wholesalers and tourism operators from all over the country came together to promote their products and experiences, with the chance to be included in brochures and programs sold by travel agents overseas.
Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre manager Elaine Radcliffe and Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage co-owner Sharyn Rogers joined forces to represent the Barossa region.
“The UK and USA have been the main markets that we have had interest from,” Ms Radcliffe said.
“Everyone we have met with has been to the Barossa and there is a really high awareness of the region.”
Ms Rogers said international travellers are keen to immerse themselves in the Barossa’s unique culture.
“I’ve been surprised at the interest in my very small, niche property,” she said.
“There’s a lot of interest in a large spectrum of tourism operations, from businesses the size of Jacob’s Creek to smaller niche accommodation.”
Adelaide is set to host next year’s Australian Tourism Exchange for the first time since it held the inaugural event in 2006.
Penny Rafferty of The Louise in Marananga, who also represented the Barossa in Melbourne last week, said hosting the ATE is a chance to show the world the best the state has to offer.
“Quite a few wholesalers that we spoke with haven’t been to the Barossa for a while and are looking forward to coming next year, with ATE being in SA,” Ms Radcliffe said.
“It’s a great opportunity to get them out to the Barossa region.”
o o o
It may be a good time for international wholesalers to come out to the local region, with new research showing only 10 per cent of US respondents had heard of the Barossa Valley as a wine region.
The Wine Intelligence survey, conducted at the London International Wine Fair in May, asked 2000 wine drinkers in the US and 1000 in the UK about regional name recognition.
UK participants produced a more encouraging result, with 38 per cent of wine drinkers familiar with the Barossa Valley.
On a roll off the ice
Peter King has made a name for himself on both the ice rink and the floorboards, and has now begun a competition for local youngsters interested in roller hockey.
King last week started a four-team junior league at the Gawler Sport and Community Centre, which is set to popularise the sport.
“Roller hockey is a development sport for inline hockey, and because I knew a lot of people wanted to play, and the sport needed more players, we started the competition,” King said.
“We currently have 20 players in the junior league, with a senior competition due to start on July 19. Eventually I hope we have an inline side to represent Gawler, although we can not play here, as there isn’t a suitable venue.”
The Williamstown resident, with a degree in sport and recreation management, is a rec officer at the community centre, as well as being a lifeguard at the Trevor Bellchambers Pool.
Although only 21-years-old, King has an impressive résumé, having represented his country in inline hockey over the past seven seasons and recently joined Adelaide Adrenalin in the ice hockey superleague.
Last year South Australia won the under 21 national inline hockey title, with goalkeeper King only conceding three goals in the qualifying games. Then, after a 5-4 victory over Victoria in the semi-final, he led the team to a 5-0 win over Western Australia in the final – for an overall 96 save percentage.
In the ice hockey metro league, the young gun has played A grade with Blackhawks for the past four seasons, for four premierships, and in the past three years has been named the competition’s leading goalkeeper.
“It’s part of the reason I’m keen to get roller hockey going, as it’s such a great sport and we need to develop pathways for young players,” King said.
“Roller hockey is fast and full of action. The best players are the ones who can skate, because even a five-year-old can be better than someone years older if they are a better skater.
“Players need good hand-eye co-ordination, and while there are plenty of spills, it’s all good fun. They all bounce straight up and get back into the action.”
Currently King umpires both games of roller hockey in Gawler – with some assistance from Rhys Page – which are played from 10am on Sundays.
Games last 30 minutes, and the inaugural season is expected to run until the end of term four of the school year. In 2010 there will be two seasons.
King has played inline hockey for 13 years, having to travel to Elizabeth, the Parks Community Centre and as far
away as Blackwood to play his chosen sport.
While King has been to the USA, Canada, New Zealand and all around Australia through inline hockey, he also hopes to represent his country in ice hockey.
“The ice hockey superleague has six teams, Melbourne Ice, Newcastle Northstars, Gold Coast Bluetongues, Sydney Ice Dogs, Penrith Bears and the Adrenalin,” King said.
“I’m aiming to make the ice hockey national team after tryouts later this year. But in the meantime, I just want to help roller hockey get off the ground here.”
For further information on roller hockey in Gawler, contact the Gawler Sport and Community Centre.