Action packed August

Census night has been and gone and I hope everyone in Southbank participated.

I’m looking forward to seeing the statistics for Southbank when the ABS releases the data but there’s one thing we already know for certain.

The population of Southbank has exploded since the last census in 2011 and I’ll be interested to see what else has changed.

How do you think the demographics in Southbank might have changed in the last five years? In other news, we are pleased to report that the decision on the Boyd space is still yet to be finalised.

As the saying goes, no news is good news and we can still hope for a positive outcome for the community on this one. From my understanding our cause has reached the heart of some councillors and there has been some lively debate about where to from here.

I don’t know where it will end up but I have a feeling the community will have a win of some sort here, so please continue to support our change.org petition (search Boyd park).

We have almost reached the magical milestone of 1000 signatures which will attract a trigger to remind council of the community sentiments with this space before final deliberations, which I feel will happen this month.

Later this month Southbank Residents Association and Southbank Owners Corporation Network will be presenting to the Planning Minister’s C270 built-form amendment panel hearing.

This will be our opportunity to really tell the Minister just how his new amendment will impact the liveability of Southbank from a resident’s perspective.

Our invitation was a result of the detailed and thorough submission we made on behalf of Southbank and, after reviewing the list of other invitees, it appears we are the only residents’ group to be invited.

Get your diary out because we have confirmed the AGM date for Monday, October 17. Please mark this on your calendar and come along to hear what your local community group has achieved over the past year. I think you’ll agree, we’ve tackled quite a few topics this year important to Southbank and continue to make a difference any way we can.

If you’ve been impressed by the scope of our achievements, I wonder if you’ve ever considered volunteering yourself?

Volunteering your time for a not-for-profit group such as ours can be very rewarding and we are always in need of a few extra hands and minds. Those looking to boost their resume or gain some experience would do well to consider it (students welcome) as well as those with a few hours a month to spare (retirees also welcome).

As you can imagine, planning for the future of Southbank never stops and without a dedicated committee there is no one to hold the powers-that-be to account.

We’ve managed to tick some pretty major boxes this year but with more volunteers we could be achieving much more.

If you’re a little unsure, our secretary and I are at your disposal and happy to chat to you one-on-one so you can find out more before making a decision.

Our committee is a friendly and easy-going group of people and we will do everything we can to make you feel welcome.

Just remember though, you must be a member before you can nominate to join our committee, so please make sure your membership is up-to-date.

Have a great month and I hope to bring you some good news in the September column.