RRA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
6.00 pm Wednesday 30 March 2022
Mercure Hotel, Ainslie Avenue
Guest speakers*
- Luke Garner & Suzanna Holmes – Topic: UNSW Canberra City Campus Reid update
- Philip Leeson Architects – Topic: ACT Heritage Advisory Service
RSVP: info@reid.northcanberra.org.au
*With apologies: owing to her budget week commitments, Alicia Payne MP has kindly offered to reschedule her meeting with Reid residents to a date later this year.
CANBERRA AND REGION ‘Curiosity’ HERITAGE FESTIVAL 9 April – 1 May 2022
RRA is taking part in the ACT Government’s Heritage Festival and will be holding our very own event.
The Roaring Twenties in Reid
- Date: 10 April
- Time: 12–3 pm
- Cost: $10 adult, children free, families $15
- Bookings will be essential & available from 10 March on Trybooking https://www.trybooking.com/BXKSI
Dress to impress! Follow historic street signs and hear stories of the time from guides in their glad rags. Bring something to sit on & a picnic to enjoy in Dirrawan Gardens Reid where the walk ends.
Here the Tilt Trio jazz band awaits and a static display of classic cars that could easily have passed by Reid’s pebble signposts over the last 10 decades.
Prizes for those who enter into the spirit of the times. Be curious!
RRA Committee Membership & Volunteers
As you see from our newsletters and website, RRA undertakes a wide range of interactions with government, the private sector and individuals (residents and non-residents) for the benefit of the suburb of Reid, its heritage and residents and, in turn, the wider Canberra community. With the AGM coming up we would be delighted to have people coming forward to join the committee. Please find the nomination form on RRA website.
The Committee would love to do more for Reid but need more volunteers to be part of working parties. We will be painting the conserved pebble posts – and a big thank you to those who have already volunteered – as soon as a suitable time is scheduled for the short training session. You may prefer to take on specific short-term tasks to assist with events such as ‘Roaring Twenties in Reid’ (see above). Please offer your skills: help with social media, web content (text & images) would be really terrific.
Verging on the ridiculous!
Yes, a dreadful pun and, as if you don’t have enough to worry about these days, we are asking you to do a weed recce on your verge/nature strip if, and when, you have time. This follows concerns raised by a number of interested residents.
While you are probably familiar with dandelions and paspalum, there are other very invasive weeds include African Lovegrass, plantain, dandelion, mallow & Gazania weed. The focus here will be on African Lovegrass & plantain weed.
African Lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is a perennial highly invasive grass. The following articles provide useful background – the titles indicate the importance of this weed.
The Canberra Times articles:
- ‘The aggressive African lovegrass disrupting Canberra’s ecosystem’
- ‘Prescribed burn targets African Lovegrass in Majura’
Plantain weed or Ribwort (Plantago lanceolata) is regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. Plantain weed is not a grass but a dicotyledon and it has a nasty reputation for allergic reactions. For further information see ASCIA Pollen calendar – guide to common allergenic pollen.
Plantain weed is not the banana plantain which is used in many delectable Asian recipes. Please note there are native plantains including Plantago varia & there are agricultural uses for plantain species.
As black & white photography doesn’t give a good idea as to what to look for, we have provided Weeds of Australia links below to some colour images of these invaders:
The ACT Government has produced a useful guide ‘Your Nature Strip – Guidelines for us of residential nature strips’.
‘Your Nature Strip’ (p. 8) asks residents to help ‘Maintain and mow including weeding’. This guide also provides recommendations for grass species suitable for Canberra including native species (pp. 26-27).
Mowing can assist reducing seed production and dispersal with these two invasive species but try to mow prior to flowering and seed set. If you have the capacity & time, they can be forked out. It was an absolute treat to see a resident on his knees (wearing knee guards) with a long-tined fork doing exactly that in Euree Street.
It is recommended to replace these weeds with an exotic dryland grass mix suitable for Canberra – the mix has grasses that send out rhizomes (underground runners) or stolons (above ground runners) and some species have both. These grasses are much easier to mow than weeds that form clumps or mats.
Sustainable Gardening Australia provides information on how to go about establishing a native grass lawn.
ACT Government Mowing schedule
If you are concerned regarding the mowing of government parks, reserves and other land (Dirrawan & Geerilong gardens, Reid Railway Easement) please refer to the ACT Government’s schedule. This shows where mowing is to be undertaken within the next two and three weeks via a colour-coded map. For any issues contact Access Canberra on 132281 or via the Access Canberra website.
ACT NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Reid crime statistics for November and December 2021 and January 2022, see also www.nhwact.com.au.
| November | December | |
| Ainslie Avenue | Other property damage x 2 | Other property damage |
| Ainslie Avenue | Other theft | |
| Ainslie Avenue | Assault | |
| Allambee Street | Theft of vehicle number plates x 2 | Burglary dwelling |
| Allambee Street | Burglary dwelling | Other property damage |
| Allambee Street | Other theft | Assault other |
| Allambee Street | Other property damage | Theft of vehicle number plates |
| Allambee Street | Other theft | |
| Amaroo Street | Theft of vehicle number plates x 2 | |
| Anzac Park West | Other theft | |
| Boolee Street | Other theft | Bicycle theft |
| Constitution Avenue | Theft of vehicle number plates | |
| Constitution Avenue | ||
| Cooyong Street | Other theft | |
| Coranderrk Street | Other theft | Assault other |
| Coranderrk Street | Other property damage | |
| Currong Street | Other theft | Other theft |
| Euree Street | Theft of vehicle number plates | |
| Gooreen Street | Theft of vehicle number plates | |
| Kogarah Lane | Other theft |
Vehicle and vehicle number plate thefts
ACT Police are warning people about leaving keys in unlocked vehicles and the key being used to steal the vehicle. Thieves also check for unlocked vehicles in garages, parking lots & driveways. They are finding wallets, handbags, cash and phones in these unlocked vehicles.
Further, criminals regularly steal number plates and place them on a stolen vehicle to avoid police detection. Number plates can be secured with tamper-proof screws available free at all police stations.
Reid churches information
St John’s Anglican Church: welcomes the Rev. David McLennan as the new Rector. Having previously been St John’s Curate before moving to a parish in south Canberra, David has returned to St John’s with his wife and family. Also see St John’s website for other news.
St Peter’s Memorial Lutheran Church: please see St Peter’s Facebook page for current news.
Canberra Korean Uniting Church: please see https://canberrakorean.uca.org.au/ for current news.
Reid Tennis Club
All Reid residents would have received flyers in their letterboxes about the RALLY4EVER – Australia’s largest ever tennis rally for mental health held on the weekend of 15–16 January 2022. The initiative developed after Louise Pleming, a tennis commentator and high-performance coach, met a homeless man whose love for the game matched her own. It developed into a three-year friendship and an ABC TV Australian Story called ‘Bouncing Back’ which showed how their weekly tennis matches led to a life-changing transformation. Reid’s RALLY4EVER was a great success. Over 40 people attended.
‘Summer of Social Tennis’ for members and friends continues throughout February, Sundays 4–6 pm and it’s time to register for competition tennis for Reid in the Canberra Tennis League, March–June.
Age Friendly Suburbs project 2021–2025
A letter, dated 14 February, from Chris Steel, MLA, Minister for Minister for Transport and City Services relating to RRA Committee’s concerns on this project is on RRA’s website.
Preserving our Heritage – open consultations
It’s time to ‘Have your say’ on ACT’s significant sites provisional registration to the Heritage Register at yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/preserving-our-heritage.
This is the perfect day to say thanks for being a great neighbour or meet new neighbours. You can make Neighbour Day as big or small as you like, from a chat with the people next door to a cuppa with neighbours from down the road. You could even come and meet fellow Reid residents at the Mercure Hotel on Wednesday 30 March for the AGM and dinner at Olims Bistro.
Extension of Reid Oval fencing along Limestone Ave: reminder
Petition to increase safety
Again, a big thank you to those residents who have already signed this petition & to the principal petitioner, Gary Fan & the sponsoring petitioner, MLA Shane Rattenbury. You can access information by focusing your smart phone on the QR below:
RRA Committee
Contact via: info@reid.northcanberra.org.au
President: Marianne Albury-Colless, Secretary: Amanda Reynolds
Treasurer & Public Officer: Derk Swieringa
Committee: Sue Byrne, Robyn Bergin, John Henderson, Molly Henman, Roy Jordan