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.
Who doesn’t love dogs? A whole lot of people in Brisbane, it seems,as it is home to over 100,000 registered dogs. And the city’s top choice of breed? A labrador retriever!
The Brisbane City Council’s latest dog registration data shows that there are 9,195 registered labrador retrievers in the area, making it the city’s most popular dog. Other popular dog breeds include Maltese, Staffordshire bull terrier, poodle, and border collie.
Dogs such as dachshunds, pugs and French bulldogs are also popular in the city. Forest Lake shows that residents here have mostly owned dachshunds, with record showing 56, whilst there are 26 pugs registered in Bracken Ridge, and 22 French bulldogs in Morningside.
Still, the data reveals that the Brisbane suburb most populated by dogs is Forest Lake with 2,450 registered dogs.
Rank
Suburb
No. of dogs
1
Forest Lake
2450
2
Bracken Ridge
2342
3
The Gap
1920
4
Carindale
1690
5
Ashgrove
1493
6
Camp Hill
1438
7
Manly West
1427
8
Brighton
1426
9
Wynnum West
1313
10
Wavell Heights
1261
There are 25 suburbs where residents are living among more than 1k dogs.
On the other hand, suburbs with the least number of dogs are Moreton Island (1), Eagle Farm (1), Enoggera Reservoir (2), Karawatha (4), Kooringal (4), Lake Manchester (1), and Lytton (3).
The council continues to encourage the community to register their dogs as it is also under state government law. Dogs three months of age must be registered and you can check out the fees here.
Christmas is a time of giving and a Forest Lake resident made sure that she gives more than she receives.
Ms Elizabeth Ferguson first posted on the Forest Lake community page weeks before Christmas looking for strangers to have lunch with on Christmas day. She specifically posted that she’s looking for someone “who has nowhere to go and might not be able to have a nice X’mas lunch due to finances.”
The lunch will be for four adults in their 60s and 80s. Her kids couldn’t come for Christmas lunch so she was left with two empty seats. However, she thought that no one would come having no response for a few weeks but at the last minute, two adults turned up, one from Spring Lake and the other from Forest Lake.
Ms Ferguson was very happy to have the empty seats filled and the fact that she has gotten to know these strangers more.
According to her, she always wanted to open her home to the less fortunate and lonely but her family discouraged her in the past. This also comes from her parents dying many years ago and how she would always feel sad during Christmas day.
Next year, she plans to start a register to connect people spending Christmas alone with families willing to open her homes.
Situated in the heart of Forest Lake in Brisbane, Lake Parklands is one of the best places to go to if you want to get a taste of Queensland’s wildlife and take in the beauty of mother nature. Just recently, Cr Charles Strunk revealed the masterplan for a revitalised Lake Parklands area.
Following an election promise, Cr Strunk guarantees that he will restore the area. The $50,000 masterplan will be signed off by the end of 2017. The plan includes an ampitheatre at the lake stage to host council movie nights, bands and other events. There will also be an exercise park near the lake boat ramp.
Large areas would also undergo re-turfing along with the installation of new seating and barbecues in several locations. Rotundas will also be restored.
Cr Strunk held a public consultation meeting with the residents and said that all their feedback was being considered before the final draft is adopted.
A new $6 million STEM program will be piloted at 100 preschools in Australia in 2018. The Forest Lake Child Care Centre is one of the preschools that has been selected to take advantage of the program.
The child care centre is committed to introducing preschoolers to new and exciting learning opportunities. The first app will introduce the concepts of sorting, ordering and patterns through activities such as making decorations. The program will begin next year.
Having been selected for the program, the preschool will receive free workshops and be the first to use ELSA apps and resources to incorporate STEM practices into their preschool program. The practices include exploring locations, patterns, making, spatial reasoning and designing.
Even if these activities are based through applications, this program or way of teaching doesn’t mean children will be indiscriminately exposed to technology. In fact, STEM is in action through physical activities, making children future thinkers in an active way.
The 100 selected preschools were selected based on geographical locations and socio-economic backgrounds. This program will include six apps, with four apps focused on playful learning experiences. Children under the program should bring their own devices to school.
Some Forest Lake residents are expressing their disapproval against the Brisbane City Council’s tree-felling plans. They are saying that the trees that are to be removed are native trees and they don’t look like they pose any threats to merit their removal.
Trees marked with a blue “R” are prevalent in the suburb, which means an arborist confirmed indicated removal. A local who lived by the lake voiced out his concerns and said that he has never had problems with the trees that have been marked. He also thinks a simple removal of dead or protruding limbs or trees that really show signs or rot will suffice but most of the marked trees are in pretty good condition.
The council couldn’t confirm the number of trees that will likely be removed, but reports indicate that at least two dozen around the lake have been marked.
The unnamed local also pointed out that marking the trees are vandalism. A council spokeswoman said that that investigation of the trees are ongoing in the area following complaints from residents about the trees in the suburb that are impacting their properties adversely and posing safety risks for parkland visitors. In turn, the arborists were deployed to inspect the trees in the area. Some of the marked trees are subjected for further investigation.
There is no confirmation yet whether the council will replace the trees that are to be removed in the area. According to current procedure and guidelines, there is a one-for-one replacement policy for the removal of hazardous trees.
Queensland is on its wettest October on record yet and the abominable rainfall is set to continue. It’s only the start of the wet season in the state but some towns are already experiencing horrific summer storms. Southeast Brisbane is the most affected region, and this includes Forest Lake.
According to the recent National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA) data, the southeast Brisbane area such as Cleveland, Belmont and Capalaba were the most affected region in the state last financial year. Reports show that close to half of home claims in the state last year were related to storm damage.
Five most storm-affected suburbs in Brisbane
Forest Lake
Capalaba
The Gap
Carindale
Chapel Hill
Forest Lake is also included in the top five most storm-affected towns and suburbs in Queensland along with Proserpine (1st), Cannonvale (2nd), Mudgeeraba (3rd), and Capalaba (5th).
In the wake of cyclone Debbie, the suburb also had a high amount of fallen debris and trees.
Although severe weather is no longer new to Brisbane, the Brisbane City Council continues to work hard to ensure plans and resources are in place. This includes making sure that the communities are prepared for the quick recovery of the city when storms or other disasters hit.
In fact, the council has a communication campaign called “Be Prepared” that informs communities on preparing for severe weather, This promotes public awareness of the council’s online tools such as their severe weather Early Warning Alert Service and Flood Awareness Maps.
An All Hazards Disaster Management Plan is also in place that outlines prevention, preparation, response and recovery arrangements in the communities. You can view more about these guidelines here.
The ibis belongs to one of Australia’s protected species. In the south of Brisbane, specifically in Forest Lake, there is a huge number of them in the suburb’s Bird Island — to the point that they have caused damage to the area.
Due to the thousands of Ibis that have taken residence in the area, Bird Island is now also known as “Bin Chicken Island.” However, despite the jokes about the island, some residents are not happy with how these birds are causing havoc to the area. Trees have been stripped of leaves, leaving other birds with no place to live.
Not surprisingly, bird droppings have also caused an unpleasant smell around the area. Locals who frequently walk by the area have started to avoid it because it has become such an eyesore and the smell can sometimes be too overpowering.
A popular theory as to why these birds have taken refuge in the area is because of the high number of people who feed the lake’s ducks and swans with bread. There have even been sightings of people throwing as much as an entire loaf of bread for the birds. With that amount of food available, a lot of birds, including ibis, have been conditioned to stick around.
The Brisbane City Council is aware of the ibis problem. They are now closely monitoring the growing population of ibis in the suburb. They have also started to implement some rules, such as reducing food sources and installation of signages that warn visitors not to feed the birds. Cleansing of picnic areas has already begun as well.
Other efforts being done by the Council that are also applicable to other suburbs are the installation of covered ibis-proof litter bins, implementation of a bird management program in problem urban areas, and adopting a coordinated approach to ibis management with other councils in the city.
BCC also urges residents to make an effort to contribute to the reduction of the numbers of ibis in their properties. The guidelines to follow are listed here.
