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Community Warning: Clayfield Residents Urged to Secure Motorcycles Against Theft

Local authorities are urging Clayfield residents to exercise greater vigilance and take preventive measures to reduce the risk of their motorcycles being stolen.

Read: Stolen BMW Sparks High-Speed Chase in Clayfield

This comes after two incidents of motorcycle theft were reported in Clayfield during the early hours of Tuesday, 9 May 2023, prompting a warning from the police.

One of the stolen motorcycles, which had been parked on Montpelier Street, suffered damage to its steering lock and ignition before being transported to Oriel Road.

The alleged thieves, however, were interrupted in their attempt to load the vehicle into a white van, resulting in the motorcycle being dropped and sustaining significant damage as they fled the scene.

Meanwhile, the second motorcycle was reportedly taken from a driveway on the same street. Despite ongoing efforts, the stolen Yamaha MT07 with Queensland registration 259XQ has yet to be recovered.

Law enforcement officials suspect that the same culprits are responsible for both thefts, given the close proximity and similarity of the incidents. As a precautionary measure, the police are urging the public to remain alert and report any suspicious individuals or the presence of a white van near motorcycles.

Sergeant Constable Kim Richter stressed the importance of taking necessary precautions, as stolen motorcycles are often repurposed through the replacement of licence plates and sold, or dismantled and sold as separate parts. Owners are strongly advised to ensure their motorcycles are stored securely and appropriately.

clayfield residents — Photo credit: Bonus Studio/Pexels

“Their smaller size and weight allows them to be physically picked up and loaded on or into another vehicle,” said S/Con Richter.

In light of these recent thefts, the police are intensifying efforts to apprehend the perpetrators and safeguard the community from further incidents. Clayfield residents are encouraged to cooperate with the authorities and remain vigilant to help maintain a safe and secure neighbourhood.

Read: Police Warn Of New Scam Targeting Businesses In North Brisbane

Individuals with relevant information are urged to contact Policelink. They can provide information via the online suspicious activity form, accessible 24 hours a day, at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting. Alternatively, they can call 131 444 to report any information they may have.

Published 15-May-2023

Historic Anzac Day Service Moved Inside Kalinga Park as Attendance Soars

The Clayfield-Toombul RSL Sub Branch has a long-standing tradition of hosting its Anzac Day service at the historic gates of Kalinga Park in Clayfield since 1920. However, due to the substantial increase in attendance, reaching close to 3,000 people in 2023, the service has been relocated inside the park for the first time in more than a century.

Read: Clayfield Property Where Harris Farm Markets Located Sold at Auction

This change is part of a broader trend in Queensland, with over 350 Anzac Day services and marches expected to draw tens of thousands of people, signifying a return to pre-pandemic commemorations, as stated by RSL Queensland.

A representative from the Clayfield-Toombul RSL Sub Branch explained that the Kalinga Park gates no longer provided sufficient space as the crowds grew, fueled by a rising number of younger members.

Consequently, moving the service to the park’s main area allowed for an even larger gathering where individuals can come together to honour the fallen and serving Diggers.

The spokesperson further elaborated on the reasons behind the relocation, emphasising that the memorial gates at Kalinga Park are situated at the end of a residential street. This setting posed a challenge as the Anzac Day gathering continued to expand.

Photo credit: Clayfield-Toombul RSL/Facebook

By transferring the service to the park itself, the event can accommodate more attendees and facilitate its ongoing growth.

To enhance the commemoration, the Clayfield-Toombul Sub Branch has commissioned a new 3m ‘interactive’ cenotaph, wherein attendees will have the opportunity to attach poppy magnets personalised with the names of their loved ones who served.

Read: What Happened To Moira’s House In Wooloowin?

During the Anzac Day service in 2023, veterans and local school children marched the wreaths laid at the cenotaph to the memorial gates, paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Published 12-May-2023

Stolen BMW Sparks High-Speed Chase in Clayfield

Photo Credit: CC BY 2.0 / Miguel Gil / Flickr

A dangerous high-speed car chase through Clayfield, in Brisbane’s north-east has raised concerns about public safety in the area.

Eyewitness Nicholas reported that four youths drove the stolen BMW X5 involved in a high-speed car chase through Clayfield on Thursday, May 4. The incident caused disruptions along Sandgate Road and endangered the lives of bystanders.

The chase involved nine police cars, which provided ground cover, and a PolAir helicopter, which provided aerial support.

Stolen BMW Sparks High-Speed Chase in Clayfield — Photo Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 / TravellerQLD / Wikimedia Commons

During the “Ray Hadley Morning Show,” Nicholas shared with the hosts his experience of the incident that had just happened.

“They almost ran into me and went into the side of my van, and they got bolt cutters in the front seat,” Nicholas remembered.

Although his vehicle sustained some damage, Nicholas himself was lucky to escape unscathed.

The incident raised concerns about the growing number of car thefts and reckless driving in the area. Expect official sources to release further updates and details on the incident soon.

Published 06-May-2023

After Planned Dream Home Surprise Failed, Man Forced to Sell Property for $150K Profit

Photo credit: Scott Graham on Unsplash

After his wife declined to relocate, a Brisbane resident was compelled to sell his coveted dream home in Clayfield, which he had acquired for $2.15 million during an auction.

The desire of a Brisbane man to delight his wife with a new home has gone awry as she declined to relocate. The man acquired a multi-gabled period property in the prestigious Clayfield area for $2.15m during an auction last year, which boasted all the features typical of historic Queenslanders.

The dream home boasts four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a double garage. And despite the classic VJ walls, sleek timber flooring, lofty ceilings, exquisite leadlight French doors, casement windows, and stylish plantation shutters featured in the dwelling, his wife did not approve of the purchase.

The man had hoped to convince his wife to move in, but he had to resort to extreme measures and sell the house. The property was put on the market through the “best offers by February 28” campaign and was sold in just four days, a whole week before the campaign’s deadline.

Ultimately, a Brisbane-based family emerged as the top bidder, offering $2.3 million, which was $150,000 higher than the seller’s original purchase price in November last year.

The man attended the auction last year and bought the property without his spouse inspecting it. Despite the buyer’s positive expectations, the turn-out at the property was not as expected.

The recent purchaser was a woman who has reportedly sold her property in the latter part of last year. She had already viewed the house but couldn’t make the purchase at the time as she had not yet sold her own property.

The circumstance of the seller underscores the significance of comprehensively researching and reflecting before making a considerable investment in real estate and highlights the necessity of ensuring that all parties involved are in agreement prior to concluding the deal.

Published 19-April-2023

Clayfield Property Where Harris Farm Markets Located Sold at Auction

Did you know that the Clayfield property where Harris Farm Markets is located has been sold at auction? Find out why market-goers need not have any cause for alarm.

The property, located on Sandgate Road and spanning 3,300 square metres, has anchored the family-owned supermarket chain and the Clayfield Seafood Markets. The site also has a BWS liquor store, the office of JCDecaux Billboard, and Milk & Froth Cafe.

Following the sale, Harris Farm Markets, which bought Clayfield Seafood Markets next door in 2022 as part of its expansion, will continue to trade on the site alongside the other shops that have been operating for seven years or more.

Essentially, not much will change in the property apart from the new owner. In fact, Harris Farm Markets just signed a 10-year lease and will remain in Clayfield until 2032.

According to Lachlan O’Keeffe of Ray White Commercial, there was strong interest in the Sandgate Road property before its previous owner, who owned the site since 2003, decided to offload assets.

Given its tenant retention history and as the first Queensland home of Harris Farm, the property offered strong investment potential.

Published 25 March 2023

What Happened To Moira’s House In Wooloowin?

Ever heard of Moira’s House, a house in Wooloowin that was eerily vacant for many years before it was eventually torn down? Find out more about it here.

Read: Abandoned Clayfield Retirement Home to Transform Into Housing Complex

People who went to Moira’s House often wondered about its mysteriously abandoned air, like a home that’s frozen in time, whose residents simply left and disappeared.

Prior to its demolition, Brisbane explorers wanted to keep the exact location of Moira’s House a secret, concerned that it might be vandalised and ruined if the address was leaked. Nevertheless, because people couldn’t stop talking about the mystery that came with it, the house became popular among house explorers and even ghost hunters in Brisbane.

Photo credit: AHDB – Abandoned, Historic, Decayed Buildings/Facebook

Inside the house was a TV set from the ‘80s, a recorder, old letters, and postcards. Pots and pans were still on the sink whilst the kitchen drawers were open. There were still the clothes and even medication for some long-gone patient. Many people claimed that a lot of the stuff in the house could even date back to the 1960s.

People have doubted the existence of ghostly guests, although urban explorers said they had heard strange voices during visits. Everyone agrees on one thing though. There’s a story waiting to be told about the abandoned house.

The Story Behind Moira’s House

Moira’s House was built in 1955 for the Cross family, known to be one of the most prominent families in the area at the time.

For years, it became home to Moira and George Cross. Formerly Moira Catherine Shannon, Mrs Cross is the daughter of Patrick William Shannon, a former member of the Land Court.

Mrs Cross was born in Wooloowin on 5 June 1916. She grew up there and studied at the All Hallows School in Fortitude Valley. Moira became part of many social events from dinners to charity events, given that her mother Annie was the President of the Past Pupils Association of All Hallows.

She married Geroge Cross in 1954 in a ceremony led by his half-brother, Reverend Father Neal Shannon.

Sadly, Moira lost his husband, George just years later after he died at war at 63 years old. Moira got to live until the age of 97. She passed away on 20 December 2013 and was buried at the Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery and Crematorium at Bridgeman Downs where her sister Nuala was also buried.

After sitting empty for some time, the house was sold and then demolished in 2021.

Read: Clayfield Home on Milman Street Among Latest Acquisitions In QLD’s Flood Buy-back Scheme

Sam and Jesse Harrison, owners of the Facebook page AHDB – Abandoned, Historic, Decayed Buildings confirmed that they have collected and rescued various important family documents before the house was demolished. The documents have since been returned to family members.

Published 15-March-2023

Clayfield Home on Milman Street Among Latest Acquisitions In QLD’s Flood Buy-back Scheme

A stunning five-bedroom residence on Milman Street in Clayfield was among the latest buybacks through Queensland’s voluntary flood buyback scheme.

Read: Abandoned Clayfield Retirement Home to Transform Into Housing Complex

The house was owned by Cameron Russell, who once led a campaign against Brisbane’s Airport Link project for its alleged effect on the worsening flooding in the city.

Mr Russell’s house, located at 45 Milman Street, Clayfield was swamped by floodwater several times, including once in 2015 following a three-hour rain and just recently, after the devastating flood in February 2022.

Mr Russell was a spokesperson for the Clayfield Flood Affected Residents Group, a group of residents who are impacted by worsening flooding allegedly because of the failure to undertake required mitigation works associated with the Airport Link project.

Based on Brisbane’s Flood Map, his property is subject to high likelihood of flooding, which means there is a 1 in 20 chance (5 percent likelihood) of flood in any year.

Public records indicate that Mr Russell was the latest owner of the property, after purchasing it in 2015 for $1.17 million. The State Government reportedly acquired it for almost $2.5 million in 2023.

Under Queensland’s voluntary flood buyback scheme, the relevant local council manages removal of the home and future use of the land once a property is bought back.

Photo credit: Oleksandr Pidvalnyi/Pexels

Whilst Council is involved in the execution of transactions, it’s the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) which makes the decisions in buying back the properties.

In addition to Mr Russell’s home, the State Government also acquired three other properties in the area for $1.7 million.

Read: Mansion on Union Street in Clayfield, Among Biggest Home Sales of 2022

According to QRA, more than 210 properties throughout eight local government areas are currently identified for buy back, with 40 offers presented so far to eligible Ipswich and Brisbane residents.

The scheme is part of the Resilient Homes Fund, which comes with a $741 million budget. Of this, around $350 million has been allocated for buybacks, which is anticipated to buy 500 homes.

Sisters of Mercy Convent Site Transformation into New Childcare Centre Commences

Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/

The transformation of the former site of the Sisters of Mercy Convent has begun. The development will deliver a new childcare centre set within the $180-million, master-planned Greville community.

Situated on Morris Street in Wooloowin, the 110-year-old convent building is set to be transformed into a 110-place childcare centre. An additional wing, single storey in height, will be constructed at the rear of the building where children’s play areas will be provided predominantly on its ground level, as well as between the building and the car park area.

Car parking that can accommodate 22 cars will be provided within the site’s front setback whilst access to the building will be provided from Morris Street and the car park.

Works at the site will also include changes to landscaping, new fencing, and clearing of vegetation.

Sisters of Mercy Convent Site Transformation into New Childcare Centre Commences — Aerial perspective of childcare development at the former Sisters of Mercy Convent Site | Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/

The development will sit next to the Holy Cross Catholic Parish Church and Holy Cross Catholic Primary School. It is situated within the 3.688 ha site– previously owned by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy–where Cedar Woods plans to establish a housing community comprising 280 homes and a 4,000 sqm public park.

After acquiring the larger site Sisters of Mercy in 2015, Cedar Woods sold the 2,559 sqm portion of the site where the convent sits to De Luc Corporation in 2020 for $3.2 million..Cedar Woods said that off-loading the site would allow the company to focus on its integrated housing development.

The proposed hours of operation for the childcare centre will be 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday.

Published 12-February-2023

Power Restored in Clayfield Hours After Thousands Suffer Through Brutal Heatwave

Photo Credit: Geralt/Pixabay

Power has been restored for more than a thousand Clayfield residents amidst a sweltering heatwave gripping South East Queensland.

As the temperature peaked at 37.4C on Friday, the 3rd of February 2023, Clayfield locals lost power in the afternoon and spent half of the day in the crippling weather.

Traffic lights were out on the streets, causing a build-up along Sandgate Road, Junction Road and Oriel Road. Outdoor activities for the weekend were called off or postponed as the extreme temperature became unbearable and unsafe.

Despite this, Clayfield Seafood Markets remained open but stall operators were unable to cook as they needed electricity for the customers’ orders. Visitors to the markets were also not able to use the internet.

Power was also out in a large section of Jamboree Heights, Middle Park, Warren Park and Beaudesert but Clayfield had the biggest outage in Brisbane with over 1,800 customers impacted.

However, Energex restored the power by the evening and reported no more interruptions in South East Queensland as of 8:00 a.m. Saturday.

Justin Coomber, the Energex spokesman, clarified that the outage was not because of the heatwave.

“The network is coping pretty well at the moment,” he said on Neil Breen’s radio show. “[They were] just run-on-the-mill outages on the network.”

Planned power outages for critical maintenance will also continue for the rest of the schedule. However, Commber also asked locals to call 131962 if they are still experiencing power interruptions so they could investigate if there are unusual incidents.

Coomber also said that the peak load of the network is usually between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. when most people are back at home from work or school and are powering up all their appliances and gadgets.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said that the heat is expected to cool down by early Sunday with the temperatures going back to average by Monday. On the other hand, Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said that they have been doing system tests to ensure that any issues with the power supply will be manageable.

Locals are advised to look after the vulnerables like babies, the elderly, and people with medical conditions, and make sure that they are in a cool, well-ventilated area.

For more info on dealing with the heatwave, visit Get Ready Queensland.

Low to severe intensity heatwave conditions are forecast today and tomorrow for #QLD and #WA. With Fire Weather Warnings in WA and Thunderstorm warnings for SE QLD and NE #NSW

Latest: https://t.co/vOm4XFkh6r pic.twitter.com/Sx1uVjqYG2
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 3, 2023

Police Warn Of New Scam Targeting Businesses In North Brisbane

The Queensland Police Service has issued a warning about a new scam being reported across North Brisbane, that recently targeted a local business in Clayfield.

Read: Local Community Is Split Over Proposed Wooloowin Street Development

Senior Constable Diana Kratochvil said the police received information that a group of travelling men were alleged to be over charging, completing substandard work and using stand over and aggressive pressure tactics to attempt to secure payments.

With the new scam, victims are being approached to complete line marking services in car parks.

Photo credit: Queensland Police Service/Facebook

“The men have claimed to work for a line marking company which has since been found to be false,” S/Con Kratochvil said.

The men have been described by the Queensland Police as having Irish accents and driving a white Toyota Hilux utility with a modified tray.

Businesses who have any information regarding the scam are urged to contact local police. Members of the public are also being reminded to be cautious for scams.

If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24 hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting or call 131 444.

Tips to Protect Yourself from Scams

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launched Scamwatch to help consumers and small businesses in recognising, avoiding and reporting scams.

Scamwatch emphasises that scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get your money or personal details. Hence, it’s important to be alert and protect yourself from being scammed by following these tips:

Recognise the fact that scams do exist. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Do a bit more research to check the legitimacy of a business. If you’re not sure about the legitimacy of a business or if you just met them online, take some time to do more research.

Read: Man Who Attempts To Break Into Wolseley St Property Arrested

Don’t open suspicious messages. Immediately delete strange-looking texts or emails and don’t open pop-up windows nor click on links.

Ensure that your personal details are secure. When it comes to important documents and bills, shred them if you’re planning to throw them away or better lock them in your mailbox.