A date finally has been set for the long-awaited opening of Total Fusion Morningside, two years after a court battle with Australian Country Choice. Not only that, they’re recruiting 100 new staff members!
Advertisements for job openings have started running as Total Fusion Morningside, the largest and most highly advanced gym in East Brisbane, plans to hire 100 staff members to serve its clientele beginning the 1st of February 2023.
The gym was granted the approval to open in August 2022, after Judge Nicole Kefford dismissed the appeal of Australian Country Choice (ACC), to stop the gym’s operation at the transformed Rivermakers precinct.
Photo Credit: TotalFusion Morningside/Facebook
ACC was against having a gym close to its manufacturing facility, citing that there could be frequent complaints from gym members about the noise and odour from its neighbouring meat manufacturing plant. ACC was also concerned about the size of the gym in an industrial precinct.
However, Total Fusion head Leon McNiece said that the plant is not even visible from the carpark at Rivermakers. Thus, gym goers are likely not going to complain about the meatworks.
Mr McNiece said that the court decision has reaffirmed that the community wants to have a premium fitness and wellness facility in Morningside. In preparation for the opening, tours to the facility will be underway in the coming weeks.
Photo Credit: TotalFusion Morningside/Facebook
Aside from the fitness areas for yoga, pilates and other group workouts, the wellness site will also have saunas, compression booths and massage areas, a cryotherapy section (cold temperature therapy), recovery tools, and an on-site nutritionist.
Photo Credit: Total Fusion Morningside/Facebook
The gym is set to operate daily from 5:00 a.m. to late evening.
From its humble beginnings distributing cakes in Morningside in 1995, Priestley’s Gourmet Delights has now grown into one of Australia’s leading suppliers of sweet and savoury treats, picking up an ecoBiz Star along the way, all whilst upholding their advocacy for environmental sustainability.
For over two decades now, this family-owned business has been an over-achiever, known for supplying cafes with a range of delicious treats, including cheesecakes, slices, muffins, loaves, lamingtons, pavlovas, quiches, and gourmet cakes.
All the products are manufactured in their purpose-built plants in Morningside, and more recently, in Tauranga and Blenheim in New Zealand. Everything for the international and domestic markets is supplied frozen for optimum quality control.
Some of their creations include Choc Berry Tart, a tangy blueberry and creamy baked cheesecake; Mississippi Mud Cake, their version of mud cake; and the Choc and Raspberry Lamingtons.
Beyond creating high-quality and show-stopping treats, they support local businesses by sourcing their ingredients, packaging, and equipment from fellow Australian manufacturers.
Around a decade ago, the business started its journey to sustainability by reducing its carbon emissions by 38 percent and water usage by 31 percent.
Despite increasing the number of cakes they bake, they have also managed to reduce their energy consumption by 6.4 percent since 2016, attributing it all to their effective implementation of energy-saving initiatives.
The business is all about sustainability and has set production initiatives, such as recycling bins introduced in the factory and reducing water consumption, with that in mind. They have also installed solar lighting in their bin area, as well as installed motion sensors in the toilets and locker rooms.
In recognition of their resource efficiency improvements, the Queensland government has given them an ecoBiz star rating, which is being given to businesses with excellent practice measures in places, verified by experts.
Their core value is to consistently improve, not just for their customers, but also for their staff and the planet. Some of their goals include eliminating plastics from packaging by 2022, and using recyclable packaging by 2025.
The Christophersen and Jones families will celebrate 27 years in the business in December 2022.
Since the start of the wet season, Queenslanders have been told to be prepared for flooding as La Niña 2022 is expected to make it harder to predict the intensity of rainfall, especially in areas near the river like Morningside.
Showers, thunderstorms, and rain bombs will cause flooding that will change quickly and likely not provide enough time to warn the locals but here are five tips to mitigate flooding disasters for Morningside residents.
1. Fix your home or property, especially outdoors.
Home and business owners must survey their lawns and outdoor area and then cut down overhanging branches to prevent these from falling and damaging properties. Check and clean the gutters and then get on with fixing broken roof tiles and other minor damages around your house or building.
Come up with an evacuation plan in case of major flooding and consider moving valued possessions from the lower level of your house to the upper floors.
2. Collect your free sandbags.
For the first time ever, Brisbane City Council is giving away 150,000 free sandbags for residents. Morningside homeowners may collect these at either the Balmoral Depot on Redfern Street or the Lota Depot on Herbert Street.
Staff and volunteers from the State Emergency Service (SES) will train locals on how to use these sandbags.
Per Council, “Sandbags can be used to reduce the impact of flooding on your home or business. Sandbags will not stop flood water entirely but can reduce the amount of water entering your premises.”
3. Don’t forget to pack an emergency bag.
Be sure to pack an emergency bag that has all your essentials in case the family needs to move out. Get Ready Queensland has a comprehensive list of items that should be in the bag, including toiletries, drinking water, and batteries.
4. Sign up for the new Flood Information app.
Photo Credit: Screengrab from the Flood Information tool
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is urging all residents to sign up for the new Flood Information service so they can be better prepared during a major weather event.
“During the February flood event, this service distributed about 2.7 million email and SMS alerts to residents who had signed up to receive them,” the mayor said. “These alerts are based on the latest Bureau of Meteorology advice. We need more Brisbane residents signed up for this service.”
Residents who sign up for the alert system before 1 December 2022 may have a chance to win prizes, including an all-expense paid holiday to Tangalooma Island Resort in Moreton Island. Learn more about this incentive.
Remember, hope for the best but prepare for the worst!
Attempts to stop plans to remove the Cairncross Naval Graving Dry Dock, a World War II facility in Morningside, have been gathering steam as more people say they want the site added to the Heritage Register.
Nikki Archer, an activist based in Gold Coast, and architectural historian Marianne Taylor are working with a group to help save and protect the Cairncross Naval Graving Dry Dock from future redevelopments.
It comes as Lendlease filed a DA A006123190 on 10th October 2022 to carry out operational works to fill the dry docks and prepare the site for the River Gateway Neighbourhood Plan, which includes no provisions to save the retain and protect the facility.
Bulimba East Development Pty Limited currently owns the land where the dry dock exists and has given its consent to the developers.
Photo Credit: DA A006123190/BCCPhoto Credit: DA A006123190/BCC
Absence of Heritage Protection Explained
Ms Archer believes that the government is aware of the site’s cultural and historical significance to Australia but was not proactive in preserving its heritage. Ms Taylor, on the other hand immediately filed a request to Brisbane City Council to add the dry dock to the Queensland Heritage Register.
“How is this not already on a heritage register? Great question! It seems it used to be on the BCC Heritage Overlay but has since been removed. It is not on the Queensland or any National Registers and as it is now privately owned, there should be no reason it couldn’t be,” Ms Taylor outlined on her Facebook Page, The House Detective, where she also encouraged locals to file their objection to the development application.
“I don’t normally get involved in these 11th hour protests, but this is too big and too important to ignore!”
Ms Taylor and Ms Archer’s campaign has the support of the Friends of the Heritage Movement.
Peter Lawler, a member of the group, believes that there were never any attempts to save the site because no one thought of the property’s potential redevelopment until now. The locals believe that the dry dock could be turned into an educational site for both residents and tourists, especially among the students, who should learn more about the history of Brisbane and its contribution to the world.
Despite the objection, Lendlease said it will be working with stakeholders on the options for the dry dock.
History of the Cairncross Naval Graving Dry Dock
The Cairncross dockyard is one of the country’s largest graving docks and was built in late 1942 after the bombing of the Darwin dockyard during World War II. It was built at a remarkable speed with more than 1,000 workers employed and working 24/7 to complete the facility.
The dockyard was ready for the first ships by June 1944. Until May 1946, 128 ships from Australia and the Allied Forces were serviced at the dockyard, which was capable of receiving vessels “800 feet long, with an 80 foot beam and a draught of 32 feet,” including aircraft carriers, merchant ships, tankers, destroyers, and submarine tenders.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The government closed the dockyard in 1987 but was re-opened by a private consortium in 1995. It has been private property since then. In 2016, the Forgacs Group sold the 14-hectare property for potential housing redevelopment and rezoning.
Genevieve Gregson, Morningside Olympian mum, is enjoying as much time as she can spend with her new baby, Archer James Gregson, born at Mater Mothers’ Hospital on June 15, whilst she eagerly awaits her clearance to start training for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The new mum is also taking the time to heal and regain her strength and endurance before she starts another chapter in her Olympic career, with a renewed perspective and motivation.
Genevieve, a middle-distance runner, had a major setback at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when she ruptured her right Achilles after falling on the last water jump of the women’s 3000m steeple chase final. She left the stadium in a wheelchair but had a stark realization that this was her chance to finally get on with her plans to expand her family with her husband, Ryan Gregson.
“Up until Tokyo, my main goal and what drove me was running and my sport. It’s my hobby and passion,” the Morningside Olympian mum said.
“The way Tokyo unfolded was heartbreaking at the time. As an athlete, I was looking for something to set in my sights. My injury was horrible, and it was going to be a long recovery.
“If I hadn’t done that injury, I wouldn’t have had Archer. It’s a blessing in disguise. I have put everything into perspective.
“I still have so many running goals and plan on qualifying for my fourth Olympics.”
The Gregsons have been enjoying having Archer in the family, who was home from the hospital two days after he was born. Genevieve acknowledges the exceptional care extended to her and her baby at the Mater Mother’s Hospital.
Photo Credit: Supplied
“I didn’t know you could love something so much,” the new mum said.
“I did too much research prior to having him and heard all the scary stories of sleepless nights and scary birth stories, but it has been a dream run for us.
“I think it also helps that I am a high-energy person and used to running off little sleep.”
Following a two-year court battle with Australian Country Choice, a judge has ruled that Total Fusion Morningside may proceed with opening the largest gym complex in the industrial area of East Brisbane.
In her decision, Judge Nicole Kefford turned down the appeal of ACC despite gaining support from a town planning expert. The 5,577-square-metre fitness complex is within the new recreation and leisure precinct Rivermakers, owned by mogul Balfour Irvine. Rivermakers is 500 metres away from the ACC’s facilities.
ACC’s owner, the billionaire Trevor Lee, has lobbied against the development following the fallout of his long friendship with Irvine. Lee insisted that the gym was not appropriate for an industrial precinct.
Photo Credit: TotalFusionMorningside/Facebook
Judge Kefford noted that ACC had town planner Greg Ovenden on retainer, who tried to convince Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Steven Miles to establish a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) for the Morningside location.
Photo Credit: TotalFusionMorningside/Facebook
However, the judge said that Rivermakers’ development was not inconsistent with the TLPI. She also didn’t have any confidence in Mr Ovenden “to express objective opinions about the appropriateness of the proposed development,” as the town planner.
Judge Kefford gave Total Fusion Morningside a two-year condition to operate as a gym with only 300 patrons at a time. She said that after two years, the gym’s building must be reverted for industrial use, which would support the workers in the area.
For updates about the gym’s opening, follow the Facebook page.
Mark your calendars! The Rivermakers Heritage Quarter in Morningside is hosting its official Open Day packed with BBQs, beers, live entertainment, and fun for the whole family and pets!
On Saturday, 9th of April 2022, come down to the heritage-listed gem sitting on 30 hectares of riverfront land to dine, drink, or dance. See and experience what this unparalleled destination has to offer Brisbane’s east side.
The exciting Open Day at HQ will kick off at 11:00 a.m. with a slew of live music on the lawn, DJs and pop-up bars overlooking sweeping views of the Brisbane River. The whole family can discover a lineup of workshops, art showcases and guided brewery tours with food trucks and cocktail vans lining the heritage-listed walls.
Photo Credit: Supplied
This is Morningside’s answer to James St Food & Wine Festival!
Children are free to roam the green spaces, play in the jumping castles at the Heritage Playground, or join in the lawn games.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Revel Brewing Co, which opens its second digs at HQ after the success of its Bulimba outlet, will impart some tricks of the trade through their guided brewery tours and tasting sessions running throughout the day. The site is well equipped with a production site, beer garden and eatery serving up modern pub bites.
Incidentally, the Revel team is pouring for the cause, donating a share of the proceeds from their Sunset Haze IPA to support flood relief.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Next door to Revel is the soon-to-open Bavay Distillery, which will be offering the first sip of their artisan spirit range with tasting paddle specials inside their moody, century-old stillhouse. They’ll be rolling out their pop-up gin bar to get their outdoor space cranking.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Gourmet BBQ and butcher Low n Slow Meat Co are pulling out all the stops with free sausages from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Throughout the day, Low n Slow Meat Co will conduct yummy steak workshops, hamper giveaways. and all their low n slow-style meats being sold to the hungry punters.
Finally, tap into your creative side at the stalls for the mother/daughter duo behind Mas & Miek Ceramic House and the brother/son team of Jesse-Jack De Deyne, the Indigenous art curator behind A Secondary Eye.
Photo Credit: Supplied
History buffs and Morningside natives can sift through memories of a bygone era in the HQ archives exhibit, plus information sessions will be available throughout the morning, where the community can have their say and give input into future plans for Rivermakers.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Donations during the Open Day, which will go towards the flood relief efforts in Queensland and NSW, will be welcomed. The proceeds will go towards flood relief (QLD & Northern NSW).
This is just the beginning of a series of events at Rivermakers Heritage Quarter! For more information head to the official site.
The FareShare facility in Morningside is making strides and seizing the opportunity to divert food wastes away from the landfill, which is an important objective of the newly-launched Queensland Organics Strategy and Action Plan.
Following extensive consultations in the past year, the Queensland Government has unveiled the 10-year plan to encourage Queenslanders to improve their food consumption habits and turn discarded organic material into a “valuable and useful commodity.”
The launch took place at the FareShare site along 46 Steel Place in Morningside in February 2022.
“The Strategy and Action Plan is the result of an extensive consultation process over the past year which included a survey, written submissions, workshops and information sessions,” Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said.
“We waste too much food, leaving it to be dumped in landfill, while others go hungry.
“This is not only having an increasing cost on our household budgets – estimated at $2,200 a year – but on our environment as unwanted food and garden waste dumped in landfill produces damaging methane gas.
“By 2030, we want to halve the amount of food waste generated, divert 80 per cent of the organic material going to landfill, and achieve a 70 per cent recycling rate for organics.”
Ms Scanlon has also cited FareShare’s success in reducing waste as it turns food supply excesses into free, nutritious meals for those in need.
With the help of a $160,000 food rescue grant, FareShare has secured a storage and rescue capacity by constructing a second cool room, completing the purchase of a forklift, and hiring extra workers.
Meanwhile, measures under the Queensland Organics Strategy and Action Plan will include the following:
2.1 billion waste package over the next ten years which includes the $1.1 billion Recycling and Jobs Fund to support increased household recycling, help build new resource recovery infrastructure and create more jobs in more industries.
Nearly $1 million in Food Rescue grants for Fareshare, Foodbank, SecondBite, IFYS Urban Angels Community Kitchen, Ozharvest and The Rock Family and Community Support to divert surplus food away from landfill and help Queenslanders experiencing food insecurity.
$770,000 to support Food Organics, Garden Organics (FOGO) Kerbside Collection Trials in Townsville, Rockhampton, and Lockyer Valley.
Nearly $500,000 Organics Waste Smart Schools Program to help state schools improve the management of food waste in the schoolyard.
$11 million in grants committed through the Food Waste for Healthy Soils Program to support new and improved organic waste recycling infrastructure.
For the last 130 years, St John Ambulance has been on a mission to educate, equip and prepare people to help other people who are in distress, injured, sick, or in danger.
The self-funding charity group, with its nearly 150 staff members across Queensland, also takes care of the lonely, marginalised and disadvantaged members of the community in various clinical, practical, and prehospital care.
Photo Credit: StJohnAmbulanceQLD/Facebook
In 2018, St John Ambulance reached a milestone of training a million Australians in first aid. More than 500,000 of these trainees have volunteered their hours in health agencies. Many have gone on to help their communities as emergency responders.
Photo Credit: StJohnAmbulanceQLD/Facebook
Apart from first aid training, St John Ambulance also provides social support services, community visits, mental health training, community transport, and sales of medical products.
St John Ambulance Morningside
In Morningside, St John Ambulance has a store, located on Beverly Street, that carries first aid, incontinence, and mobility supplies for home use and for workplaces, first aid rooms, and motor vehicles that need to be ready for emergencies.
First Aid Kits
Stocking and replenishing your first aid kit is also so much easier with St John Ambulance Morningside. First aid kit products carried by St John Ambulance have been tried, tested, and regularly used by its over 13,000 volunteers around the world.
Did you know that some items in a typical first aid kit have a shelf life of only 12 months and may need to be replenished every year? Actually, it’s highly advisable to replace any items as soon as they are used, so that your kit stays ready in case of an emergency.
Products that appear deteriorated or unsealed, as in the case of sterile items, must also be replaced to ensure that everything is still safe to use in case of an incident.
Phone 1300 ST JOHN (785 646) for support in restocking.
Mobility Aid and Continence Products
St John Ambulance Morningside provides a variety of mobility and continence products to aid individuals who may have difficulty getting around or controlling their bladder movements.
Photo Credit: StJohnAmbulanceQLD/Facebook
These devices fit every need, purpose, and preference, as well as allow independence for the users as they enjoy their daily activities.
Other Services
Photo Credit: StJohnAmbulanceQLD/Facebook
The Morningside unit also works with community members in various stages of their lives through these programs:
School-age kids (5-12 years old)
First Aid in Schools (FAIS) initiative, a program offering first aid education among kids
Teenager and young adults (11 to 35 years old)
Health and Medical Services (HMS) program, especially during sports or high profile events, including vaccination drives
First Aid and CPR Training program
Middle-aged adults(36 to 59 years old)
First Aid and CPR Training program, especially for the workforce
Volunteering Opportunities, including home visits or telephone calls to seniors so the individual maintains a social connection with the community.
Seniors (60 and above)
Community Visitors Scheme, where the volunteers spend time with the seniors for coffee talks and table games
Transport services to help seniors get to their clinic appointments or favourite cafe
Social Trips to enhance the lives of the older generation
The services provided by St John staff and volunteers won’t be possible without the community’s help.
During a restricted pandemic year, the organisation as a whole managed to train 17,125 youngsters and 25,785 adults in first aid. Over 25,000 volunteer hours were conducted by 360 selfless individuals. All across Queensland, 35 events were held, including COVID-19 clinics, to facilitate community services.
Heads up, Morningside, Murrarrie and Cannon Hill residents! Kerbside collection will be back on Monday, 14 Feb 2022. Make sure that you have your items sorted out and ready for collection before 6:00 a.m.
Council has resumed the kerbside collection service since mid-2021 and Morningside, Murrarrie and Cannon Hill will finally get their turn after more than a year of pause due to the pandemic.
As with the previous collections, Council has a list of acceptable and unacceptable items for kerbside collection. Residents are encouraged NOT to include the following on their pile:
bricks and concrete
commercial builders waste
car parts and tyres, including car batteries
dirt and stones
garden waste (e.g. trees, grass, potted plants)
gas bottles
general household waste (e.g. food scraps)
glass and mirrors
hazardous wastes (e.g. chemicals, oil, asbestos)
household waste that normally goes into your waste or recycling bin
liquids
Items that are deemed unacceptable will not be picked up by the collectors. Kerbside piles with sharp objects and dangerous items, or are too heavy to be lifted by two people might not be collected as well.
In preparing the items for collection, remember to keep the piles organised by the kerb, freeing the footpaths and roadways. Items should also be secured, especially if severe weather is expected.
Photo Credit: BCC/Facebook
Doors from cabinets or refrigerators should be removed to ensure that no animals or curious small children will be trapped inside. There are serious threats of children suffocating in refrigerators that still have doors attached.
Illegal dumping fines may apply if unacceptable material is not removed within seven days of the notified collection period. As of July 2021, a penalty unit is equal to $137.80.
For items that were not collected, residents have the option to bring these to resource recovery centres or donate to reuse and recycle facilities or organisations like GIVIT and Charitable Recycling Australia.
