Summer seemed to turn into winter without a moment spent in autumn this year! I feel like I’ve been rugged up since April and my morning workouts down by the beach have been ravaged by wind and rain! Still, it’s good for our gardens and farmers, so I mustn’t complain!

Bad weather threatened to cause trouble for the centenary of Anzac commemorations, but those who gathered at the Hallett Cove foreshore for the dawn service would know that we were blessed with a break in the weather and a stillness settled over the cove for what was a very special event. The creation of Hallett Cove’s own war memorial has been a project close to my heart for many years and I was honoured to be given the chance to speak at the inaugural dawn service. You can read my speech here.

Special thanks must be extended to the Lions Club of Hallett Cove and former councillor Cheryl Connor for their dedication to the vision for the war memorial. Without their perseverance in the face of many hurdles, the project may never have eventuated and it has been a pleasure to work alongside these dedicated members of the community as we fought to make the memorial a reality.  

As always, if I can be of assistance with any state or local issues, please get in touch.

David.

It’s been over 20 years in the planning, but the new Hallett Cove community centre and library (to be known as the Cove Civic Centre) will open in August! 

In the early 90s, the Hallett Cove Progress Association began a campaign for a community centre and the library was set up in a ‘temporary’ location in the old chemist shop behind the shopping centre.

More than two decades later, a new centre has been built on the corner of Ramrod Avenue and Lonsdale Road and will house a new library with a collection of 35,000 books, ebooks, and DVDs; flexible community rooms which open out into a large meeting hall; an enterprise centre with specific support available for local businesses; and an outdoor community plaza.

On the Ragamuffin Drive side of the centre, visitors will be surprised to find a ‘shared space’ which accommodates both pedestrians and vehicles. This unique precinct is where parking is located for the new facilities and it links the Baptist and Lutheran church carparks.

It has been exciting to watch this project come together during my time on council and since entering State Parliament and I look forward to joining many community members as a user of the centre when it opens.

The Hallett Cove Police Station is now closed. Overwhelmingly the community told me that they felt more secure and confident with a local police presence and I was very disappointed that the government chose to shut it down.

Although this is not an ideal outcome, my discussions with SAPOL about community safety have been positive and I will continue to work closely with the Sturt Police Station to ensure that our community is as safe as it possibly can be.

Over 60,000 people have signed a petition, expressing their desire to save the Repat Hospital from closure. I am determined to continue this fight and to stop the State Labor Government’s short-sighted decision.

This hospital is viewed with affection by thousands in our community who have first-hand experience of how it has cared for loved ones, supported veterans, got seniors back on their feet, provided palliative care for people in the twilight of their lives, and simply provided a quality healthcare service to those who needed it.

The Liberal Party recently established the Save the Repat Steering Committee and this is another valuable plank in the strategy to prevent the closure of the hospital. This committee brings together veterans, community leaders and medical professionals, and it is my hope that they will be able to exert further pressure on the government and stop this reckless move.

I encourage you to join the fight by downloading a copy of the Save the Repat Petition, getting your neighbours, friends and family to sign it and then forwarding it to my office at Reply Paid 84660, PO Box 121, Brighton, SA, 5048.

The Cove Sports and Community Club is an important Hallett Cove organisation and provides a broad range of facilities and services for affiliated sporting clubs and the local community.

During the election campaign, Corey Wingard and I pledged to give the club $500,000 to facilitate an upgrade. Even though the Liberal Party didn’t win the election, our pledge prompted the government to match our promise, meaning the upgrade could go ahead no matter who won. Upgrade works on the club are now reaching completion with disability access provided (including a lift), new changing rooms, additional storage and new toilets among the new and improved facilities.

Pictured: Checking out progress on the Cove Sports and Community Club with Corey Wingard and Club Manager, Keith Noble

I am very pleased to inform you that the State Parliament’s Economic and Finance Committee has agreed to my proposal to undertake an inquiry into the capping of council rates.  

Council rates are one of the biggest bills South Australian households receive and, with council rate rises consistently above CPI, this bill is placing increasing pressure on household budgets.

The Economic and Finance Committee will now investigate how council rates are set and, in particular, focus on the creation of a rate capping policy, which would restrict annual rate rises imposed on South Australian households. This inquiry is a great win for South Australian households and businesses and I look forward to working with the committee to investigate this important issue.

Pictured: Speaking to Channel 9 about the inquiry into capping council rates

Photograph by Ben Heide Photography

Anzac Day 2015 marked one hundred years since the Gallipoli landings, a pivotal moment in the history of Australia. The Gallipoli centenary was especially significant for Hallett Cove residents who hosted a dawn service and other commemorative events at the Hallett Cove foreshore war memorial for the first time.

Official war memorial opening

Unfortunately, due to wild weather on the eve of Anzac Day, the official dedication for the new war memorial at Hallett Cove was cancelled. It was subsequently rescheduled and, on 8 May 2015, I had the opportunity to join members of the community at the official dedication.

Anzac Day Eve Youth Vigil

This year’s Anzac Youth Vigil was initially scheduled to be held at the Hallett Cove foreshore, but ended up being moved to the Marion RSL due to bad weather. 

Students from Hallett Cove R-12 School were among those represented and, along with Brighton Surf Life Saving Club, the Air Force Cadets and St John’s Ambulance, formed an all-night honour guard leading up to the morning dawn service. This unique event requires discipline and fortitude (especially in this year’s bad weather) and it was great to see our young people volunteer to be involved.

Anzac Day Dawn Service

The Lions Club of Hallett Cove and Districts hosted the inaugural Anzac Day Dawn Service at the new Hallett Cove foreshore war memorial. We were all anxiously keeping an eye on the weather and, despite wind and rain battering the area for hours leading up to the service, we were blessed with an hour of peaceful calm for the service and thousands turned out to pay their respects. 

It was a moving ceremony in a location that has some geographical similarities with the environment faced by our soldiers 100 years ago; the backdrop of Gulf St Vincent and the ever-changing canvas of the ocean is a perfect location for our new memorial.

The Lions Club, and in particular Lions stalwart, Graeme Botting, must be congratulated for their fantastic effort in putting on this excellent event. I know it was a big task for a volunteer community group and they did an excellent job. I look forward to commemorating Anzac Day at the Hallett Cove foreshore in the years to come.

Sacrifice: Anzac Day speech

Why resurface only half?

I am pleased that after significant pressure, the Transport Department finally resurfaced one section of the road. Despite this small improvement, however, there is still much work to be done to ‘fix Brighton Road’ and I will continue to push for immediate improvements such as further resurfacing, as well as long-term strategic improvements including a railway overpass at Hove. I am also in the process of working with Boral and the state government to see a haul road developed to take quarry trucks south towards Majors Road and South Road and away from Brighton Road. This will reduce traffic and will also reduce wear and tear on the road.

Recently I wrote to the Transport Minister to request that his department resurface the northbound section of Brighton Road, from Sturt Road through to Arthur Street, as I was baffled that they didn’t do this when they were resurfacing the southbound section. This is one of the stretches of Brighton Road in the poorest condition and I believe it poses significant safety concerns. I also raised the poor visual amenity of the median strip, which looks barren and unbefitting for Adelaide’s major coastal thoroughfare.

Condition of Lonsdale Highway

I am lobying the Transport Minister regarding the condition of Lonsdale Road, Hallett Cove. I am especially concerned about the undulating section of road between Barramundi Drive and Majors Road and I believe that the poor condition of this road presents safety concerns for those who use it.

At my request, the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure inspected the road, but didn’t agree that it needed to be made a priority. I disagree with this conclusion and I will continue to push for improvements to this road.

To help me fight for Brighton Road, I want to hear your feedback. What do you think are the priorities for Brighton Road? What are your experiences? Let me know at:

www.fixbrightonroad.com.au