On 18 June, Forest Lake will have its kerbside collection. This annual service by the Brisbane City Council helps residents dispose of large household items.
There are certain rules that must be followed to ensure that all of the items you place outside will be taken by the council.
Here you can find the acceptable and unacceptable items. You can also download the Brisbane Bin and Recycling App on your smartphones to keep up-to-date and at the same time, be fully informed when it comes to recycling, kerbside collection dates, and other relevant information.
Now, let’s talk about the unofficial rules. These rules also promote efficiency for kerbside collection.
If you think an item is still useful, you can donate it to an op shop instead.
You can get items from other people’s piles before collection time, but make sure to keep kerb tidy.
Should you get an item from other people’s piles outside of their homes, you are not allowed to knock on their front door and ask them questions about the items.
Forest Lake Active Group (FLAG) is determined to fight off development applications that don’t meet community standards. The current development application for the retirement facility, 5 The Esplanade, is in hot water as locals joined forces and gathered support to put a stop to it.
The development proposal was submitted in April to the Brisbane City Council. Upon learning about the application and the negative implications to the community standards, FLAG immediately planned their course of action.
An e-petition was launched protesting the eight-storey facility. So far, it has garnered over 500 signatures and it will be closing on the 10th of July. The petition is supported by Federal Labor MP for Oxley Milton Dick and Councillor Charles Strunk.
MP Milton Dick spoke in parliament on behalf of local Forest Lake residents against the planned high rise development by the lake.
Issues Raised
The residents’ concerns include the project not meeting the zoning requirements, the style, visual design, and the bulk of the building is non-compliant to the suburb’s landscape and architecture, obstruction of lake view for residents on the south, traffic congestion, and an increased on-street parking.
What angered the residents more is that they feel they got blindsided by JRD Number 2, based on the community meeting held in February in which the developer said that their plan is only a six-storey building, only for it to change upon the submission of the DA to the council.
Photo credit: BCC
With the e-petition ongoing, residents are determined to battle for this development not to proceed. FLAG continues to gather support and funds for a protest against this specific development. The group consists of real estate agents, solicitors, and residents who are determined to preserve the beauty of the suburb.
Looking for fun ways to stay fit? Check out these free fitness and well-being events that will be held at the picturesque Lake Parklands in Forest Lake.
Dancing is not only a fun activity but also a great form of exercise. It’s good for your heart, helps you become stronger, and aids in improving your balance and coordination.
A 30-minute dance class is said to burn between 130 to 250 calories which is the same as jogging.
Dance2BFit, a high-energy dance fitness class, provides a full body workout. It combines all styles of dance and movement. Try out a different form of full-body workout that is both fun and easy yet effective.
Dance2BFit is open to all ages so you can bring your family along. Booking is not required for this free event.
To learn more about the dance fitness class, you may call or text BFit4Life – Dance, Cheer & Fitness on 0415 651 290 during business hours.
Participants are asked to meet at the stage overlooking the lake. A car park is available on Forest Lake Boulevard.
Fitness 4 me
Saturday, 28 April 2018 (7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.)
Photo credit: Facebook/MONA Health Coach
Fitness 4 me is a skipping and hula hooping exercise class brought to you by Aggie at Mona Health Coach. It includes weight training, cardio and flexibility exercises that assist with join movements.
Open for all ages, this exercise class is free for all and no bookings required. For more information, call Aggie at Mona Health Coach on 0433 463 578.
Participants are required to bring an exercise mat or towel.
Meeting point will be under the blue shade sails of the Lake Parklands.
Yoga back to nature
Monday, 30 April 2018 (9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.)
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Yoga is considered as one of the most effective ways to heal and strengthen the body. Aside from being a full-body exercise, it brings stillness to the mind, filling your life with inspiration, purpose, and abundance while being a fun activity.
Yoga back to nature will help you reap the benefits of yoga in an outdoor setting. Practising yoga outdoors and being one with nature lets you experience yoga as it was originally intended.
This free event is open to all ages and bookings are not required. For more information about this activity, call Nicola at YogandU on 0406 574 454.
Don’t forget to bring your yoga mat.
Participants are asked to meet at the stage overlooking the lake.
Hairy caterpillars are taking over the South East Queensland. In Forest Lake, a local has also seen quite an infestation in their neighbourhood.
It all started when a resident in Noosa Heads area posted on Facebook a photo of caterpillars that have inhabited her home. After that post, other residents also shared photos of caterpillars in their properties.
Such species is called the Ochrogasterlunifera, a sub-species of the bag-shelter moth. They are also referred to as “itchy grubs” and can be a threat to humans and pets. Their hairs can cause irritation to the skin and eyes.
The sudden outbreak of the caterpillar may be due to the weather. Normally, these insects are seen between September and November. However, the recent wet weather, combined with extreme heat that Queensland has experienced, could have affected the life cycle of the insects. This has caused the increase in their numbers this month.
Last year, a sudden outbreak also caught the attention of many. In May 2017, hairy caterpillars were spotted in various areas in south-east Queensland.
University of Queenslandprofessor, Myron Zalucki said these caterpillars are social creatures that form a chain or what is mostly referred to as “procession.” Each procession is most likely one family group and they stick together as one.
The petition asks the council to clean the lake by removing algae, weeds, and pest fish.
Earlier this year, the fish ban in the lake was lifted for the Chillout Fishing Event. Participants were taught how to fish and they caught plenty of pest fish.
As they saw the huge number of pest fist in the lake, the locals as well as the participants felt more eager to catch pest fish in the lake and looked forward similar events in the future.
However, the council hasn’t committed to a regular fishing event in the area or to lifting its fishing bans.
Ibis Infestation Continues
Photo credit: Forest Lake News
Ibis infestation is another issue plaguing the area. Trees have been stripped of leaves, leaving other birds with no place to live.
There are also bird droppings that are not only an eyesore, but are causing an unpleasant smell around the area.
The Ibis issue has already been raised last year and the council has implemented rules such as reducing the food sources as well as installing signages that warn visitors not to feed the birds. They have also started cleaning picnic areas.
When the Ibis issue was raised, the council also encouraged residents to make an effort and contribute to reducing the number of ibis in their properties.
Filtration System
Locals are also asking for a better filtration system to make the water clear again. The surrounding infrastructure around the lake also needs attention with parks and pathways in need of maintenance whilst some needs upgrades or repair.
Lighting Upgrades
More lighting around the lake is also requested by residents for night time walking. They also seek for GPS coordinates for the Emergency Location signage around the lake. More rubbish bins are also needed to prevent littering in the area.
The petition has so far garnered over 800 signatures so far.
Actions Taken
A master plan for a revitalised parklands was revealed by Cr Charles Strunk in November last year to improve the lake and its surrounding areas. However, it will take some years to complete.
There are already some works underway such as the upgrade of walkway lighting, a new picnic area with family barbecue, and a new children’s playground equipment.
Cr Strunk may agree with the residents regarding the improvement of the lake and the facilities that surround it, but he said that there is no plan to change the filtration methods.
One of the success stories come from Forest Lake. Student and scholarship recipient Lucina Colbert graduated from Forest Lake College last year. She was also Queensland’s top performing Aboriginal and Torres Strait student.
The Scholarship
The organisation has delivered scholarships to 1,045 students in Queensland since 2010 to support Year 11 and 12 studies. Scholarship recipients are given $1,000 a year on their final two years of high school.
QATSIF aims to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait island student retention in Years 11 and 12. The funding is also used to build on existing school community programs and support for individual students.
Get Funded
The secretariat director of the organisation, Michael Nayer, has also invited parents who attended the recent scholarship grants ceremony this year at the Australian Catholic University to apply for the 10th round of scholarships in mid-June.
Families can approach their schools to apply for these scholarships.
Forest Lake residents have started another petition to deploy more cops in their suburb. The petition calls for an increase in the number of police officers in the area especially in the early morning and early mid-afternoon.
The demand for more local police officers is brought by the increase in crimes happening in the suburb. During the last Community Crime Watch meeting, a local police officer said that there were only two police cars patrolling the suburb after 8:00 p.m.
The petition has so far garnered over 300 signatures.
Currently, there is no stand-alone station in the area. The two police officers that patrol the suburb at night are from the Inala Police Station, the largest in the South Brisbane District.
Coffee With a Cop
In light of the residents’ concerns, they are encouraged to join the Coffee With A Cop on 10 March at Simple Bliss, which will start at 9:30 a.m. This is the perfect opportunity to discuss their concerns and for the police to hear them out.
Crime Hotspot
From June-August 2017, the suburb had reports of serious assault and break and enters between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
In March 2017, statistics from the QPS Crime Map show Forest Lake on the second spot on the list of the biggest burglary hotspots in Brisbane’s South.
The humid weather in southeast Queensland has given rise to more termite infestations. In particular, Gold Coast houses have found an increasing number of termite infestations. Amongst the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Forest Lake is one of the places with identified infestations.
Termites thrive in the summer. However, as the weather has gotten more humid throughout the year, termite infestations have become present all-year long. Plenty of homeowners in Forest Lake and the surrounding suburbs have dealt with termites in their properties. Termite control and eradication can be very expensive. In some extreme cases, people have had to rebuild their homes.
Forest Lake’s close proximity to bushland and the prevalence of large gum trees become more susceptible to termite attacks. In fact, termite nests can easily be spotted in the trees on almost every block of the suburb.
Photo credit: Termite Guys
Early detection is very important. Residents are advised to keep an eye out for cracks in walls and termite mud. Pest controllers are urging residents to have regular termite inspections. They recommend inspections every six months.
To report an issue to the Brisbane City Council, click here.
The existing fish ban in Forest Lake was lifted for the Chillout Fishing Event last 6 January. Now, anglers are more zealous to catch pest fish inhabiting the lake following the number of pest fish that were caught during the event.
The Chill Out Event is for 10-17 years old that helps them learn to tie fishing knots, bait hooks, cast a rod and hook up fish with two bent rods. They will be fishing for pest fish whilst native fish caught will be released. The program is fully funded by the Brisbane City Council’s Health & Active Program – Chill Out and is one of Brisbane’s most popular youth programs offering free and low-cost recreation activities for young people.
Over 100 pest fish were caught during the youth workshop. The species identified as pest fish inhabiting the lake are:
Tilapia
Carp
Barred grunters
Eel-tailed catfish
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries identifies these species as noxious fish. These species must not be released into Queensland waters or be used as bait. After they are caught, they must be killed and not returned to the water.
Today, fishermen are willing to catch pest fish in the lake and are asking for opportunities to do so. Cr Charles Strunk responded to their pleas and said that he would advocate for more events like this.
Matthew Bourke, Brisbane Lifestyle and Community Services chairman said that they are open to exploring opportunities to involve the community in keeping Brisbane clean and safe. However, the Brisbane City Council hasn’t committed to a regular fishing event at the suburb or lifting fishing bans across the region.
For now, pest fish sightings can be reported here.
