Westender

Community stories, news and events from Brisbane's West End. First published in 1992. Independent, ad-free news, by and for the local West End community.

Hyper-local, independent, and community-based with an inclusive vision for the local community.

30/08/2024

30/08/2024

Brisbane Festival has arrived! Planning a trip to Lightscape? Westender has you covered.

First seen in 2023, Lightscape is back and re-imagined for this year’s Brisbane Festival, presented in conjunction with Sony Music Entertainment. Lightscape is described as an after-dark wonderland of light, colour and sound, and a globally-renowned, multi-sensory phenomenon showcasing Brisbane’...

30/08/2024

An exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra featuring the work of French artist Paul Gauguin is drawing crowds and asking some serious questions.

29/08/2024

https://westender.com.au/first-australian-show-a-huge-success-for-madison-beer/

Madison Beer’s Australian debut kicked off in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley last night with great success. Fans lined the block waiting to pour into the Fortitude Valley Music Hall wearing bows in their hair ready for the pop princess to perform on The Encore tour. The night began with opener Kita...

29/08/2024

https://westender.com.au/community-members-storm-developers-office/

Angry community members and tenants from the neighbourhood surrounding the Kurilpa commons at 250 Boundary Street have stormed the Brisbane offices of McNab, the latest developer to threaten their beloved common farm. About 30 farmers from the commons, neighbours, and local tenants entered McNab’s...

29/08/2024

The West End's hottest new venue opens tonight at The West End Electric with LIMBO- THE RETURN, just in time for the Brisbane Festival. https://westender.com.au/limbo-the-return-heats-up-the-west-end-for-brisbane-festival/
Strut & Fret

Clara Fable has always been on stage, whether it be singing in cabarets, musical theatre, bands, or writing her own originals. Growing up in Brisbane from the age of five, Clara was working with the iconic vaudevillian variety show Dracula’s Cabaret on the Gold Coast and was on tour with them in N...

27/08/2024

❗The WLSQ Rural, Regional & Remote Advice Line has extended its opening hours. The Advice Line will now be available to call from Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm.

The Priority Advice Line is a dedicated phoneline for women in rural, regional or remote areas seeking legal assistance in relation to domestic and family violence, family separation or divorce, parenting matters, child safety matters and the protection of counselling notes in sexual assault matters.

You can contact the RRR Advice Line on 📱1800 457 117

27/08/2024

The Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) is calling for the immediate rejection of the renewal application for Exploration Licence Q/23P, which expired on August 17, 2024. Despite the application for renewal being submitted in 2023, the decision has not been made, leaving Traditional Own...

27/08/2024

Petition for free 86 bus loop to be kept https://www.epetitions.brisbane.qld.gov.au/petition/view/pid/1363

22/08/2024

https://workersbushtelegraph.com.au/2024/08/23/save-kurilpa-commons/

From 1972 till 1975, I lived directly opposite 5 Dudley Street, Highgate Hill, called Kurilpa Commons since 2020. I do not recall Riviera apartments being there then. In those years, there were no …

22/08/2024

There’s something special about the neighbourhood bookstore, home to many budding creative minds and the place of many discoveries: it’s a marker of place, of community and of creativity. Think Readings in Melbourne, Better Read than Dead on Sydney’s King Street and Fullers Bookshop in Hobart.

22/08/2024

'Save Victoria Park Advocacy Group' is not a fan of Graham Quirk's proposed Olympic stadium.

DETAILS: https://nine.social/MlK

22/08/2024

Sad to hear of the passing of Merle Thornton, who famously chained herself to the bar at the Regatta Hotel as an early feminist protest.

In 1965 Merle Thornton AM and a friend chained themselves to a bar at the Regatta Hotel in Brisbane in protest of a ban on women drinking in public bars. It became regarded as a pivotal moment in women's liberation in Australia.

21/08/2024

https://westender.com.au/new-container-recycling-machines-have-landed-in-west-end/

Offering fun for all the family, TOMRA now gives Containers for Change customers at their 241 Montague Road, West End, refund point, as well as at Salisbury, Geebung, Crestmead and Ipswich, a quicker, more convenient way to return large volumes of drink containers for a 10-cent refund. The new Tip ....

20/08/2024

https://westender.com.au/what-does-a-week-in-the-life-of-a-farm-worker-look-like/

Photographs by Migrant Farm Workers in regional Queensland Webb Gallery, Queensland College Of Art & Design, Griffith University, South Bank Exhibition curator, artist and researcher Dr Kaya Barry set out to discover this, handing out disposable cameras to over 50 seasonal farm workers across region...

19/08/2024

Let’s celebrate!!

We can not thank you enough for your contribution to Vernon Ah Kee’s Charcoal Stories at Avid Reader.
This work is not only a testament to the power of collaboration but also to the power of a community coming together to celebrate their place.

We are thrilled beyond words with the impact the work has had in transforming the street, it’s a gift to the whole neighbourhood and to the Brisbane Literary world who in the words of Fiona Stager ‘Authors are our eyes, ears and heart. Charcoal Stories pays homage to them as we and our communities are nothing without them.’

Please join us to celebrate
Saturday August 24
AVID READER
5-7 PM.

We will be auctioning a signed unique piece of Charcoal Stories that is not on the wall but is still part of this incredible series.

Please RSVP to me BEC MAC by Wed August 21

06/08/2024

Violin virtuoso Maxim Vengerov is touring and classical music lovers are in for a rare treat with his recital concert alongside Polina Osetinskaya.

In celebration of his 50th birthday this August, Maxim Vengerov is touring Australia for the first time since 2015, and classical music lovers are in for a rare treat. Ahead of a tour of New Zealand and Asia, Vengerov is holding a series of one-off recitals and masterclasses in Brisbane, Melbourne a...

06/08/2024

https://westender.com.au/meet-the-candidate-dr-barbara-oshea-labor-for-south-brisbane/

With a State Election due for October, the Westender will once again feature profiles of all of the candidates standing for the seat of South Brisbane. First cab off the rank is Dr Barbara O’Shea, who is the endorsed candidate for the Queensland Labor Party. Dr. O’Shea: I believe in a fairer fut...

06/08/2024

Support the Kurilpa Derby: A Celebration of Community and Creativity

05/08/2024

The Creative Brisbane Collab. Management Committee is pleased to invite you to our second Collab. in Conversation, 5.30pm - 7.30pm on Tuesday 27 August: Stopping artists becoming an endangered species.

We will be tackling the challenging issue of a living wage for artists.

Our keynote speaker (via video link) will be Sharon Barry Director, Culture Ireland who will discuss that country’s recent trial of a Basic Income for Artists. Joining the panel discussion will be Libby Harward, Ngugi woman, practicing artist and co-founder of Blak Laundry. We hope to announce a third panellist soon. Our own Bec Mac Mac will facilitate the evening.

According to the latest research supported by Creative Australia and reported on by the authors in The Conversation, Australian artists earn on average only $23,200 a year from their core art practice.

Do artists need a basic income in Australia?

What other ways can we start to rebuild the broken creative economy?

This is an important discussion and we hope you can join us.

Details are bellow. Tickets are $20 and we are delighted that the Thomas Dixon Centre will again host our Conversation. A cash bar is available on the night.

Tickets here
https://lnkd.in/g7WZwvMa

https://events.humanitix.com/collab-in-conversation-2-stopping-artists-becoming-an-endangered-species

05/08/2024

https://westender.com.au/always-was-always-will-be-new-book-by-thomas-mayo/

Thomas Mayo, a leader of the Yes 23 campaign to constitutionally enshrine a Voice to Parliament in Australia and the co-author of the bestselling book The Voice to Parliament Handbook, has penned an important new book that addresses ‘what next’ - Always Was, Always Will Be. Although the majority...

04/08/2024

It appears there's a fake Kerrod Trott - "Kerrod Trott II" - on FB, soliciting your friendship. Please don't accept friend requests from this impostor.

03/08/2024

As we all know team work, makes the dream work 💪 🌿

Welcome to the Inaugural Citywide Urban Coalition

Brisbane’s community-led groups have decided that a collective effort is required to impact and influence positive change in urban planning, development, and our environment. This initiative, which aims for greater community participation in city-planning has a long-term agenda, starting now with our eye on the next election cycles.

📢 Stay tuned for updates and how you can be involved.

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The dates for National Reconciliation Week remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The NRW Theme “Now More Than Ever” reminds us that, no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will – and must – continue. The Whoopee Do Crew performed and recorded Blackfella / Whitefella by the Warumpi Band as their submission to Voices for Reconciliation 2024 #NowMoreThanEver #NRW2024 #ReconciliationWeek #community @reconciliationaus @reconciliationqld #blackfellawhitefella #communitychoir #neighbourhoodcentre #warumpiBand #4101 #whoopeedocrew Reposted from @westendcommunityhouse

FINISHED - DUANE DOYLE'S FLOOD MURAL Post from artist, Sue Loveday @trueloveday "Finished! Working alongside Duane Doyle on his Riverside Drive, West End mural has thrown all sorts of challenges, but his stamina and talent saw it finished…and it is singing. "The mural tells the story of the 2022 floods, when Duane wasn’t sure about Kochie on Sunrise TV describing the river as a brown snake, rather than a healthy river in flood, going through its cycles. He picked up a pvc pipe from the wash up and painted a didgeridoo as a tribute to the community who pulled together to help each other out. "Thanks to Councillors Jono Sri and Trina Massey, who picked up the story and found DD a wall. Also thanks to Community Plus for employing me to work with Duane. "There will be an opening event. Stay tuned. #firstnationsart #westendbrisbane #communityplus " Reposted from Sue Loveday @trueloveday

What's On? A few upcoming events. #whatsonbrisbane #whatsonWestEnd https://westender.com.au/events/

@We stand for Yes! Human Sign Event

HUMAN SIGN FOR YES - WEST END The WE stand for Yes! Human Sign Event brought together hundreds of people today - elders, elected representatives and community members, stood in solidarity at Davies Park for a YES vote at the 14 October Referendum. Queensland for Yes Yes23 #yes23 #westend4101 #westendbrisbane Community Plus+ West End Community House

See full interview with Jonathan Sriranganathan here. https://westender.com.au/full-transcript-jonathan-sriranganathans-interview-with-westender/

Residents say they are rallying for better planning. Kurilpa Futures - Planning for People West End Community Association

JOIN THE ARTISTS FOR A STROLL ALONG BRISBANE'S OUTDOOR GALLERY If you're looking for a unique and culturally enriching experience in Brisbane, consider taking a stroll along the Outdoor Gallery to reflect on the striking works of First Nations artists. On 19 June – 2 October in Brisbane's CBD, at Howard Smith Wards and Fish Lane in South Brisbane. https://westender.com.au/join-the-artists-for-a-stroll-along-brisbanes-outdoor-gallery/

KURILPA FLOOD LIBRARY

KURILPA FLOOD LIBRARY - CAN YOU HELP? The Westender is a partner in the Resilient Kurilpa initiative with community groups, West End Community Association, Kurilpa Futures - Planning for People, Community Plus+ West End Community House and West End Business Association . One of the group's projects, with PhD candidate Paula Hardie, is to create a Kurilpa Flood Library. You can submit your short story to the Kurilpa Flood Library via the link below. We're all on a journey, learning how to respond to flood impacts while caring for each other. You can write about the following: – the way floods impact you and your household, – what you did to prepare, recover or help others, – what you saw or learnt that others should know about, – your ideas about Kurilpa in a future of floods... Take the 10-minute 'What's Your Flood Story' survey. yours:https://researchsurvey.griffith.edu.au/index.php/718729...

First Nations Women travel to Healing Gathering. Fund raiser to support four grass-roots First Nations Women who have been invited to attend the 'Healing our Spirit' Global Indigenous Gathering in Canada. The Ninth Gathering brings together thousands of Indigenous leaders and health care professionals from around the world to share and celebrate the healing power of traditional Indigenous knowledge and cultures. You can donate via this link. https://www.gofundme.com/f/first-nations-women-travel-to-healing-gathering

COMMUNITY LAUNCHES CROWDFUND FOR THE KURILPA FLOOD LIBRARY Paula Hardie, with the support of community group Resilient Kurilpa is launching a crowdfunding campaign for the #KurilpaFloodLibrary. Paula aims to raise $10,000 to build an online library of Kurilpa flood knowledge, as told by our community. “Our collective memories of 2022, 2011, and even earlier floods, are a vital source of knowledge to inform how we prepare, respond and recover from floods. They also allow recognition and learning about what our community does each time floods occur.” #floodanniversary #Brisbaneflood #Kurilpa #WestEnd4101 #WestEndBrisbane #Meanjin READ MORE AND FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP https://westender.com.au/announcing-the-kurilpa-flood-library/

DAVIES PARK IS GETTING A NEW ADDITION The home of West End Markets and Queensland's oldest Rugby League Club, Souths Logan Magpies is welcoming newcomers, PJ from espresso XO. They are open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 5.00 am to 12.00 pm starting Wed 1 March. Find them at 120 Jane Street, Davies Park, West End, 4101. #coffee #westend4101 #westendbrisbane #DaviesPark MORE AT LIN IN OUR BIO https://westender.com.au/davies-park-is-getting-a-new-addition/

SNATCHED MEMORIES OF LIFE IN THE ‘HOOD. Janelle Christofis shares her memories of growing up in Hill End where she attended West End Primary and Brisbane State High Schools and studied ballet and dance. Thomas Dixon Centre Montague Road Project #montagueroad #westend4101 #WestEnd Read More at link. https://westender.com.au/snatched-memories-of-life-in-the-hood/

BRISBANE'S BRAZILIAN COMMUNITY CELEBRATING ELECTION WIN AT THE BURROW IN #WestEnd. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former president, has reclaimed the leadership and vowed to reunify his country. #BrazilElections The Burrow Thanks to Francesco Lopez for the video. https://twitter.com/FrankLopezCoach/status/1587038019546071042?t=1YZaiPytyU4lRPfNzKRJBg&s=19

THE FUN BEGAN 30 YEARS AGO More at link below or in the in our bio. #LocalNews #communitynews #westender #westend4101 https://westender.com.au/in-the-beginning-the-westender-turns-30/

PARTY LIKE A GREEK AT THE 2022 PANIYIRI GREEK FESTIVAL Paniyiri Greek Festival the largest cultural festival in Queensland, and the longest running Greek festival in the country, is back at #MusgravePark on 15 & 16 October. The official program has just been released on this epic event which features a huge lineup of entertainment including a dedicated kids' zone full of rides and activities, plus kids under 12 get in for FREE! READ MORE AT LINK https://westender.com.au/event/party-like-a-greek-at-paniyiri-2022/

STARTING TONIGHT WESTORIA – WEST END'S NEW WEEKLY FRIDAY NIGHT MARKET At Davies Park every Friday from 4.00pm to 10.00pm, Westoria has street food, treats, beers, wines, live music and fire dancers to stilt walkers, fortune tellers and more. https://westender.com.au/event/westoria-a-new-weekly-friday-night-playground-is-here-to-reimagine-your-reality/

ART SHED BRISBANE BIGGER AND BETTER AFTER THE FLOOD. The Art Shed - Brisbane our beloved and iconic art supply store, is back in business after the #FebruaryFloods in #westend4101. #ArtSupplies #floodresilience #westendbusiness SEE MORE AT LINK https://westender.com.au/art-shed-brisbane-bigger-and-better-after-the-flood/

MORE THAN 225 COUNCIL ACTIVITIES TO BRING SPRING SCHOOL HOLIDAY FUN More than 225 free or low-cost boredom-buster activities will be part of Brisbane City Council 's spring school holiday schedule. Abseiling, kayaking, comic book classes and remote-controlled LEGO, playgrounds, and pools. #schoolholidays #schoolholidaysfun https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/whats-on-in-brisbane/school-holiday-events

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Our Story

The Westender was first published in 1992. It is an independent, ad-free, community-based online-newspaper which promotes a caring, socially inclusive vision for the local community.

It has always highlighted the good works of the many not for profit and community groups which contribute so much to the social capital of West End and surrounding suburbs, and works closely with such organizations as West End Community Association, West End Traders Association, Kurilpa Futures Group, Spiral Community Hub, Micah Projects, West End Uniting Church, Community Plus (West End Community House) and many more. The Westender relies heavily on the support of the local community, especially for story leads and columns from the community. The Westender has provided mentoring and encouragement to many journalism students and citizen journalists, and allowed them the opportunity to be published.

The Westender has conducted numerous Community Forums to discuss contentious issues within the local area.

If you have any story ideas, or want to write one yourself, we’d love to hear from you.