North is Up Autumn 2012 - City of Playford - SA.Gov.au

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Waterproofing Playford Water runs purple in Playford The success of any system is measured by its outputs and for Council’s $19.2 million Waterproofing Playford Stage 2 Project, the output is water that replaces precious mains water. Stage 2 will collect, treat and store up to 1.0 gigalitres (GL) by 2015, adding to the 860ML capacity of Stage 1. This is interesting on its own, but would be useless unless it can create community value. This is where reticulation mains, better known as purple pipes, come in. Over 18 kilometres of additional purple pipe will be installed across the City in Stage 2 to distribute treated stormwater to where it is needed and these reticulation mains make it possible to use the system. As with all aspects of Waterproofing Playford, a combination of natural and engineering solutions have come together, as City of Playford’s reticulation project manager Rocco Ventra explains. “When you are talking about 1.0GL across 35km and water pressure around five times that of an average car tyre you need to make decisions that move water efficiently but to also ensure correct pressure and flow is provided to satisfy delivery to the irrigation system in question,” he said. “We have used the natural rise and fall across the City to assist in maintaining pressure throughout the network. This has a further benefit as it reduces the amount of pumping required and thus the associated energy required to power them. “A lot of planning and hydraulic modelling has gone in to the network - it is not just a matter of digging holes and making connections. We have strategically installed valves throughout the system so that the network can remain operational whilst being maintained. This will assist in minimising disruption during times of supply. In terms of construction method, Council has requested a mix of trench digging on easy to access Council reserves and directional drilling under roads minimising traffic and community disruption,” Rocco said. The network aims to connect 21 Council reserves and 15 schools with treated stormwater for irrigation. Some of the reserves include Argana Park, Ridley Reserve and Dauntsey Reserve. Once all customers are connected to the scheme a total of 1.0GL of mains water will be displaced. This $19.2 million latest stage of Waterproofing Playford also includes: • the $4.9 million, 2.6 hectare Curtis Wetlands, which includes landscaped and grassed areas with walking paths for community use; • community bore projects that play an important role in maintaining water quality and delivery; • a capture basin adjacent to the Northern Expressway which will capture and store stormwater; and • sophisticated ASR (aquifer storage and recovery) technology that transfers water above and below ground. These projects are scheduled for completion in mid 2013 and build on Waterproofing Playford Stage 1 projects such as Stebonheath Park Wetlands. Waterproofing Playford Stage 2 is jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Water for the Future initiative through the National Urban Water and Desalination Plan; the Government of South Australia through its Water for Good initiative; the Land Management Corporation; the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure and the City of Playford. Drilling in the right direction for Indigenous talent Major projects such as Waterproofing Playford provide many new work training opportunities, with one company, SADB Directional Drilling, deciding to work with the City of Playford and the Marni Waiendi centre to offer a training opportunity for Aboriginal youth. Five young candidates will undertake a five-day work placement working with a different crew each day as SADB undertakes its directional drilling program which will enable reticulation pipes to be laid. SADB General Manager Peter Clemente said part of his company’s charter included corporate social responsibility, as a result of which an Indigenous awareness program had recently been completed. The City of Playford is providing support to SADB as an employer by selecting the right candidates, providing initial off-site training in areas such as occupational health and safety, and providing appropriate work gear. This is the first time such a program has focused on Playford contractors. SADB, which has been providing directional drilling, trenching and civil services for more than 15 years, will provide the practical skills and training, and the possibility of future traineeships. The project overall is coordinated by Alan Jones from Marni Waiendi Indigenous Transition Pathways Centre, which aims to provide young people with learning programs that will promote social inclusion and cultural participation, while improving employment prospects. The City of Playford, which established the national awardwinning Marni Waiendi centre in 2005, has received funding over 36 months to deliver the Community Support Service to Potential training candidates get to see SADB in action installing purple pipes around the City. improve Indigenous access to mainstream services in Adelaide’s Northern Suburbs. The centre has achieved great success in providing skills training to Aboriginal students living in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, with more than 170 young people in the region so far using its learning pathways program. Many of the participants are seen as potential Indigenous leaders of the future. 10 C i t y o f P l a y f o r d C u s t o m e r S e r v i c e i s t h e r e f o r y o u P h : 8 2 5 6 0 3 3 3
People with a passion Colleen pushes all the right buttons Colleen Kirby has spent more than 60 years pressing the right buttons to make people get up and dance. When she was a teenager her mother took her to a concert in Adelaide that featured an accordion player: “I thought, how does he know how to put his fingers on the right buttons?” Colleen recalls. Within months she’d saved hard enough to buy her own first accordion. Nine months later she abandoned her accordion lessons – no doubt having learnt where all the buttons were, and she was off on a self-taught musical journey that continues today at the Grenville Centre with folk bands Filigree and Shenanigans – and the wonderfully named Ukulele Ladies and Company which meets in her rumpus room at home. “Music is my life now,” says 77-year-old Colleen, who has lived in the Elizabeth area since she was 12 months old. Born in Minlaton where her father was a butcher, Colleen says she grew up as a “real tomboy” with foxing and rabbiting high on the list of fun things to do. By the time she was in her early 20s she was playing the accordion for Irish dancing. Little wonder that her three children all grew up to be State champions at the art. And for 30 years or so Colleen specialised in designing costumes for Irish dancing – she now has around 1,000 different designs. “People would ask me how did I do it,” she says, “but I was always good at what I never actually learnt. I was no good at school, always bottom of the class.” Colleen is now absolutely at the top of the class, recently winning the Grenville Centre ‘Living Life to the Fullest’ Award. Folk group Shenanigans got its start nearly six years ago when Colleen (Hohner 120 bass accordion and occasional banjo, tin whistle, mandolin and keyboards) and her friend Janet Norris (tin whistle and recorder) came home after a visit to the Celtic Music Group at the Irish Club in Adelaide and Janet said: “Wouldn’t it be nice to have something like that in Elizabeth.” And so it came to pass. Sister group Filigree, which has become well known playing at events and especially at nursing homes around the city, also includes Colleen’s husband Patrick – who was the “and Company” part of the ladies’ ukulele band Colleen started in her home 21 years ago. There was Jean, Doreen, Sylvia, Joy and Maureen, with Colleen on accordion, who were booked out two years in advance. “We were fantastic,” Colleen says of the band that has now given up public performances. “We have a sense of humour – we called ourselves the ‘group with a droop’.” Now Colleen’s greatest joy are the three groups of musicians with disabilities she teaches as part of Council’s social inclusion program. She has developed unique ways of showing her keen students when it’s the right moment for them to strum their pre-tuned ukuleles or whack their bells and drums. The result can be a rather different form of shenanigans but for Colleen it’s the best reward of all… “This is what I really enjoy the most,” she says. “And what’s more, I get lots of hugs and kisses.” Helping students on their chosen pathway In some communities they would call on the village elders to provide advice to the young as they found their way in a grown-up world, but these days that’s rarely possible. Instead the Playford Pathways mentoring program has taken on this traditional role, using the skills and experience of older people in the community to help support Year 11 and Year 12 students at a critical period in their lives. “It’s about how the wider community can support improved school-based learning outcomes and create more constructive post school pathways for students who often do not have home based support,” says Playford internal consultant and mentor Rachael Siddall. “Our view is that students who are mentored will have the opportunity to potentially improve their SACE points and have a greater sense of where they want to go after they leave school.” Currently 10 Year 11 students from Fremont Elizabeth City High School are in the mentoring program, with mentors coming from both within the City of Playford and the private sector. One on one mentoring sessions lasting up to 40 minutes are held fortnightly, during which possible career paths and job options are discussed. Playford Pathways is a City of Playford initiative that connects community, schools, governments, agencies, training bodies, and industry to work together and create learning opportunities that will lead to jobs for young people. It especially focuses on helping students to achieve their full potential by supporting their school based education into their chosen post school learning to employment pathway. ‘We have young people from all sorts of backgrounds,” Rachael says, “but the key thing is they all want to make something of their lives. Having this sort of additional support can make all the difference.” N o r t h i s U p w w w. p l a y f o r d . s a . g o v. a u 11
Page 1 and 2: Playford’s Community Newsletter A
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM YOUR MAYOR PA
Page 5 and 6: A growing demand for healthy food c
Page 7 and 8: When it comes to safety Council is
Page 9: Australia Day award winners The Cit

North is Up Autumn 2012 - City of Playford - SA.Gov.au

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