09 March 2012
Irish Heart get town planning approval at Goodna
Planning and Development Committee Chairman Paul Tully
A GOODNA hotel is set to gain more room through a planned extension approved by Ipswich City Council.
Planning and Development Committee chairman Paul Tully said Falvey's Irish Heart Hotel in Queen St had been given permission to construct a covered deck extension at the rear of the existing hotel.
Cr Tully said the hotel planned to use a void created by the design of the current buildings for the new 90m2 deck.
"This part of the hotel premises has been used for a keg room, building plant, small deck area and car parking," he said.
"An internal reconfiguration of the hotel layout is planned with billi
ard tables to be located in the current dining area and the dining area to be relocated to the deck."
05 March 2012
27 February 2012
Wivenhoe Dam releases to cause minor flooding in the Brisbane River
SEQWater have advised that they will be increasing releases from Wivenhoe Dam later this evening.
This will result in the closure of Colleges Crossing from approximately mid morning tomorrow until Saturday at this stage.
Line dancers share the fun at Goodna's Shiloh Church each week
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Heather Lutvey organises a line dancing group every Thursday at the Shiloh church in Goodna.
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The calmly choreographed steps of line dancing seem hardly comparable to intense magnitude of Olympic competition - yet the two could share the same stage at this year's London games.
Line dancing has been put forward as a demonstration sport for the summer games, the first time a demonstration sport has been included since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
As far as sports go, the average sports watcher may be scratching their head right now and asking "line dancing is a sport?"
But when compared to some other demonstration sports, line dancing doesn't seem like such a stretch.
In Melbourne 1956 Aussie Rules made an appearance as did roller hockey at Barcelona 1992 and fire fighting in Paris 1900.
Heather Lutvey runs line dancing classes at the Shiloh Christian Church in Goodna and says at an Olympic level line dancing is very technical.
She said the judges would watch each step for the slightest mistake.
"It's all about dressing up and looking the part if you are going to take it on as a sport. Their feet and hands have to be in a certain position. It's very technical," she said.
Ms Lutvey said the exposure line dancing would get during the Olympics would give average punters some insight into the sport's finer details.
Each week up to 40 people join her class, using the dance as a way to exercise their bodies and mind.
Line dancing has been put forward as a demonstration sport for the summer games, the first time a demonstration sport has been included since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
As far as sports go, the average sports watcher may be scratching their head right now and asking "line dancing is a sport?"
But when compared to some other demonstration sports, line dancing doesn't seem like such a stretch.
In Melbourne 1956 Aussie Rules made an appearance as did roller hockey at Barcelona 1992 and fire fighting in Paris 1900.
Heather Lutvey runs line dancing classes at the Shiloh Christian Church in Goodna and says at an Olympic level line dancing is very technical.
She said the judges would watch each step for the slightest mistake.
"It's all about dressing up and looking the part if you are going to take it on as a sport. Their feet and hands have to be in a certain position. It's very technical," she said.
Ms Lutvey said the exposure line dancing would get during the Olympics would give average punters some insight into the sport's finer details.
Each week up to 40 people join her class, using the dance as a way to exercise their bodies and mind.
Ms Lutvey has seen line dancing help with people's balance, memory and mobility.
"It's a great way to exercise. It can be pretty intense at times and it's easy to learn and then you can move up a grade. Once you get the basic steps you are ready to go."
Despite the older demographic which make up her classes, the music genres vary greatly from the traditional country and western.
"I listen to what's on the radio. I have used quite a lot. It's just that you want to make them get moving. It's still the same steps."
19 February 2012
How Australian soccer was born in Goodna
Occupational therapy patients of Wolston Park help to build Ellerton’s cricket ground in 1911.
ON a winter's afternoon in August 1875, two teams gathered on the lawn of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum in Goodna for a game of football. This was the birthplace of Australian soccer.
If you are stunned right now I'm not surprised. So was I.
Each and every football code in Australia has one game, one event or one day that is commonly accepted as the birthplace of the code in this country.
In Australian Rules, it's a match between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School in 1858, playing a game conceived by Tom Wills a year earlier.
Australia's first rugby union club was formed at Sydney University in 1864, ahead of the first metropolitan competition a decade later. Rugby league's breakaway from union ranks occurred in 1907/08.
These events are promoted as the genesis of each sport, mainly for the purpose of marketing history to followers of the game.
Many historians will argue evidence to support these claims is often flimsy, and the original version of the sports we know today occurred much later than the dates and times suggested by football administrators.
With that in mind, the Goodna claim may come as a surprise.
It's long been accepted that the first game of soccer in Australia to be played under British Association Rules was in 1880, between the Wanderers and the King's School at Parramatta Common in Sydney.
Football Federation Australia has accepted the date as the first official game played in Australia and even promoted that. However, new evidence uncovered by a team of Australian Football historians proves Goodna is the true home of the Australian round ball game.
An extract from The Queenslander on Monday, August 9, 1875 is the first piece of evidence supporting the claim.
A report of a football game at Goodna described the contest between a visiting football team from Brisbane and a team of inmates and wards men from the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum. Within that report was clear indication soccer was being played rather than rugby, which was the dominant code of the time.
BRISBANE CLUB V. WOOGAROO ASYLUM.
IN accordance with a challenge issued by the Woogaroo players, eighteen "braves" of the Brisbane Football Club donned their war paint, left Brisbane per rail at 12.5 on Saturday last, and arrived at Woogaroo at 1.15 p.m.. Play commenced at half-past 2, after arranging the rules and appointing umpires; Mr Sheehan acting as such for Brisbane, and Mr Jack for Woogaroo.
One rule provided that the ball should not be handled nor carried, and this condition gave a great advantage to the "bedlam" folks, as the active little Brisbane fellows thereby lost half the benefit of their "lissomeness", nuggets was "bound to cipher up in a muss".
The reference to a rule stating the "ball should not be handled or carried" appears to be a clear reference to the British Association Rules for soccer penned in England in 1863.
A second reference to the same match appearing in the first edition of The Footballer publication in Melbourne in 1875 goes even further; leaving no doubt the match was a game of soccer.
Under a section entitled Football in Queensland, the page lists seven matches played during the 1875 season. A specific reference is made to the Woogaroo game.
• Aug 7 - Fourth Match - Brisbane Club v. Woogaroo Asylum. Drawn - 2 goals for each.
• This match was played without handling the ball under any circumstances whatever (Association Rules). The rest of the matches all under the Rugby Union.
Dr Ian Syson, lecturer at Victoria University and writing a cultural history of Australian football, discovered the game during his research. The Melbourne academic confirmed the Goodna game is the earliest known game of soccer ever played in Australia.
"It's a pretty amazing story," Dr Syson said. "This is the earliest game where you can say for sure they are playing soccer.
"It's a massively complicated argument because when does codified football start? When people are just kicking a ball around, what are they playing when there are no rules?
"This is the earliest example that we found using codified soccer rules."
Most football fans are happy to accept the history of their code as told by the current guardians of the game. The reality of the genesis of the different codes within Australia and in Europe is far more questionable.
"It's the great myth of the evolution of football codes in this country," Dr Syson said of the accepted history of Australian football. They are put forward by contemporary organisations that have a great need to have ownership of the game's history."
The rules section of The Footballer, 1875 seems to back up the claim. Eleven years after the accepted establishment of Rugby Union and 17 years after the "first Australian Rules match", the rulebook seems to suggest football in 1875 remained a melting pot of all codes.
Considerable misunderstanding existed at this time regarding the rule about running with the ball, which was designed absolutely to mean that the ball could not be carried further than was needful for a kick, unless bounced on the ground every five or six yards, but from some ambiguity in the wording several players had adopted the Rugby practice of tucking the ball under the arm and running for goal with it, which led to innumerable scrimmages.
Even this short extract shows the game being played in Victoria at the time contained actions relevant to all three different codes we know today. Specific rule sections speak of four posts being at either end of the field, and marks being awarded to players who caught the ball on the full, a clear comparison to today's Australian Rules.
Codified rules are the key distinction between our great football codes, and with that in mind Goodna is clearly soccer central in Australia.
So if you are a devotee of the beautiful game, a history buff, or a bit of both, take a moment to think of the "eighteen braves of the Brisbane Football Club" and the "bedlam folks" of the politically incorrect Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum. These men were there, front and centre in the heart of Ipswich, on the day football began.
18.02.12
Media Release from Ipswich City Councillor Paul Tully: Flood-ravaged Goodna tops the list in house price rises
Flood-ravaged Goodna has topped the list following a late surge in house prices in Brisbane and Ipswich.
In figures releases today by the REIQ, the average price of a house in Goodna in the December quarter jumped 32.7% to $272,000.
This follows a drop of 13.3% over the previous year.
The nearest increase in the Brisbane region was 24.1% at suburban Coorparoo in Brisbane.
The leafy upmarket Brisbane suburb of Ascot recorded the biggest drop in property values plummeting 33.8% in the December quarter with a 26.6% drop over the preceding 12 months.
Goodna was the hardest hit suburb in southeast Queensland in the flood of January 2011 with 600 homes destroyed.
Property prices in the suburb plummeted immediately with homes being sold for as little as $100,000.
Goodna councillor Paul Tully who lost his own home at Goodna in the flood said the latest price rises were fantastic news for the suburb.
"We are slowly bouncing back from the devastation of 2011.
"Businesses are getting back to normal and ninety percent of homes have been reoccupied.
"There is a new spirit of optimism in Goodna as the latest house prices boosts the momentum of recovery," Cr Tully said.
17 February 2012
Caloundra gets new top priest who served at Goodna
THE new parish leader will start work at one of the state's largest Catholic communities on Easter Monday, April 9.
Father Kevin Smith will take the reins of the Caloundra parish from Fr John Dobson, one of the most high-profile priests in Queensland.
Fr Dobson, 66, who only last month was reappointed for five years as University of the Sunshine Coast's Chancellor, announced late last year that he planned to retire early in this year.
Though no official reason has been offered for the delay, Queensland Archbishop John Bathersby retired at the end of last year and a new archbishop has yet to be appointed.
Fr Smith said yesterday he was looking forward to meeting the Caloundra community.
The 50-year-old, who has been parish priest of Tugan-Coolangatta on the Gold Coast for more than 18 years, grew up in Ipswich.
"Our yard backed on to Allan Langer's family's," he said yesterday. "Is he still in Caloundra?"
Fr Smith was schooled at St Edmund's College, and, after being ordained in 1985, served in parishes in Stafford in Brisbane, Goodna and Redcliffe before heading to the Gold Coast.
The people of Goodna, who were hit during last year's floods, still held a special place in his heart.
"There are some real tragedies there, but the sense of community it has and the courage and optimism of its people. I enjoyed being there," he said.
Fr Smith served as a deacon in Caloundra in 1985, before he was ordained a priest.
"Kevin has a rich humanity, a good sense of humour and is a very compassionate man," Fr Dobson told masses on Sunday.
"I look forward to watching Caloundra parish as it advances further in its journey of faith and of life with Kevin as its leader."
Fr Dobson has been at Caloundra for the past 30 years.
He has been involved with the USC for 10 years, and was appointed chancellor in 2007.
17.2.2012
16 February 2012
Media Release: Irish conmen target Ipswich suburbs
A notorious gang of Irish conmen has hit Queensland targeting suburbs in Ipswich.
The gang known as the "Irish Gypsies" offers householders cheap asphalt driveways and car parks claiming it is left over from nearby roadworks and construction sites.
Yesterday, the gang struck at Augustine Heights near Greater Springfield promising local residents high quality driveways provided they agreed on the spot.
They were driving a silver Toyota sedan with registration number starting with 313.
Local Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully said the fast-talking gang usually offered to drive the unsuspecting householder to the bank to pay for the job.
Cr Tully said the scammers either disappear with the money or do a rough job which falls apart within days.
He said one of the gang's tricks was to cover their poor work with a thin layer of white sand telling the property owner not to remove it for a 7 days while the bitumen "cured".
"These dodgy operators hit Australia every summer to avoid the overseas winter and rip off hundreds of home owners.
"They deserve to be jailed for their fraudulent scams and not simply face deportation for working on tourist visas if they are caught."
Cr Tully called for the Immigration Department to be more vigilant to stop the bitumen conmen entering Australia.
"These crooks have a free holiday in Australia every year laughing all the way to the bank as they rip off trusting home owners.
"These fraudsters make Al Capone look like an honourable citizen."
Cr Tully said householders with any information about the gang should contact the Office of Fair Trading on 13 74 68 or his office at Goodna on 3818 6900.
The Queensland Office of Fair Trading warns consumers against these itinerant bitumen conmen on their website at www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/itinerant-bitumen-layers.htm
The gang known as the "Irish Gypsies" offers householders cheap asphalt driveways and car parks claiming it is left over from nearby roadworks and construction sites.
Yesterday, the gang struck at Augustine Heights near Greater Springfield promising local residents high quality driveways provided they agreed on the spot.
They were driving a silver Toyota sedan with registration number starting with 313.
Local Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully said the fast-talking gang usually offered to drive the unsuspecting householder to the bank to pay for the job.
Cr Tully said the scammers either disappear with the money or do a rough job which falls apart within days.
He said one of the gang's tricks was to cover their poor work with a thin layer of white sand telling the property owner not to remove it for a 7 days while the bitumen "cured".
"These dodgy operators hit Australia every summer to avoid the overseas winter and rip off hundreds of home owners.
"They deserve to be jailed for their fraudulent scams and not simply face deportation for working on tourist visas if they are caught."
Cr Tully called for the Immigration Department to be more vigilant to stop the bitumen conmen entering Australia.
"These crooks have a free holiday in Australia every year laughing all the way to the bank as they rip off trusting home owners.
"These fraudsters make Al Capone look like an honourable citizen."
Cr Tully said householders with any information about the gang should contact the Office of Fair Trading on 13 74 68 or his office at Goodna on 3818 6900.
The Queensland Office of Fair Trading warns consumers against these itinerant bitumen conmen on their website at www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/itinerant-bitumen-layers.htm
14 February 2012
Floods Inquiry Sensation; New evidence may undermine Seqwater
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| Brisbane River Flood at Goodna 12 January 2011 looking east from Barram Street towards the Ipswich Motorway. |
A sensational development with the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry may emerge in the next 24 hours involving the accuracy and reliability of flood modelling on the Brisbane River.
Serious questions are also likely to be raised regarding the adequacy of the professional qualifications of the Seqwater dam engineers.
It will be difficult for the Inquiry to properly finalise its task without scheduling further hearings to fully test the new claims.
The proposed release date of the final report of Friday 16 March 2012 - just 8 days before the state election - may be quite problematical.
PaulGTully@gmail.com
09 February 2012
Ipswich Motorway changes st Redbank
Over two weekends (starting this Friday night) the Redbank on-ramp to the Ipswich Mwy westbound will be closed.
Detours in place.
Call 1800465682 for more info.
08 February 2012
02 February 2012
26 January 2012
25 January 2012
24 January 2012
Flash flooding hits Goodna
Notorious trouble spots closed to traffic include Albert St and Smiths Rd Goodna with Lower James St and parts of Woogaroo St likely to be closed in the next few hours.
Local councillor Paul Tully said no homes were threatened at this stage but the community was "on edge" as localised flooding intensified, bringing back memories of January 2011.
Cr Tully urged motorists and pedestrians to exercise extreme caution around Goodna over the next few hours.
Pic: Albert St Goodna under water as localised flooding hits the suburb.
23 January 2012
21 January 2012
18 January 2012
Flood Update: Rats remain a problem
Brian Kneebone from Common Courtesy Pest Control places a tamper-proof bait station under an outdoor shed.
Twelve months after the floods, rat infestations remain a common problem in Ipswich.
Reports of high rates of infestations follow the rat population explosion last winter in the flood-hit Goodna area.
Ripley-based Common Courtesy Pest Control owner Brian Kneebone said he was attending more rat control jobs this summer than in any of his previous 30 years in the industry.
"Jobs are up, and some places use much more bait than usual," Mr Kneebone said.
"If rodents are this bad in summer, then people will probably start noticing them even more when they seek shelter in winter.
"You'll (usually) get some rats in the summer, but nothing like this.
"We had one job in Ipswich where we found 120 rats, and that's only what we found.
"They're particularly bad in Goodna and Forest Lake, where you have vacant properties so people might not realise what's going on until they move back in."
But Mr Kneebone said people needed to be practical when it came to rat control.
"Not every house has rats, but they are bad this year," Mr Kneebone said.
"You're going to smell and hear something if there is a problem.
"The best thing home owners can do ahead of winter is clean up to deter the rats.
"Get rid of any rubbish and tidy up overgrown gardens, and also seal up any dog or chook food."
Councillor Paul Tully said he had not received any complaints since Ipswich City Council used fox terriers and baits to combat the initial plague.
"We're under the impression that they weren't completely eliminated, but they're under control," Cr Tully said.
"They are in the Goodna area and it could be an issue for another 12 months.
"Abandoned buildings are unusual and they make it difficult because rats can go unnoticed for some time and breed up."
Cr Tully said council had taken a number of proactive steps to reduce rat numbers.
"We have served a number of notices in relation to people not mowing and maintaining their property," he said.
He advised anyone who notices rats in the area to contact his office on 3818 6900.
Rat facts
A group of rats is called a pack or a mischief
A pair of rats can reproduce at a rate of six to eight offspring every two months
Diseases linked to rats include classical swine fever, foot and mouth disease and the bubonic plague.
More Ipswich News: www.QT.com.au
Goodna Flood Update: Higher-set homes worth higher values
A Goodna home raised after the 2011 flood.
IPSWICH home owners in flood areas who lift their homes to meet a post-flood planning standard can expect the value of their homes to be higher than those who don't or can't.
An Australian Property Institute report has found house prices have dropped in flood-hit suburbs but that the market "may view more favourably the properties that have been raised to try and mitigate any future flooding events."
These include properties where "the owners have raised the dwelling to the new minimum habitable floor level (to 500mm above the January 2011 flood level) as well as carrying out repairs."
Ipswich councillor Paul Tully pointed to a Goodna home on the corner of Lower James and Norfolk Sts that has been lifted out of the flood level.
"If people can do that, it gives them a high level of flood immunity in most cases," Cr Tully said.
"Most people have had their houses repaired and have gone back in - so the prospects of raising their houses are quite limited. But for those people who do it, the value of their houses will be significantly higher in the short term than other properties."
More Ipswich News: www.QT.com.au
16 January 2012
2012/2013 Viva Cribb Bursary
Applications for the 2012/2013 Viva Cribb Bursary open on 16 January and close on 2 March 2012. The Bursary of up to $5000 is available to an individual or Group in Ipswich to assist with the costs of a project to document, record or publish a significant aspect of the local history of Ipswich. Bursary winners will be advised during May 2012.
For further information regarding the Viva Cribb Bursary or a current application form please contact the Ipswich Library and Information Service on 3810 7272 or visit Council's website athttp://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/community/grants_sponsorships/index.php
14 January 2012
13 January 2012
Call for Aussies to back the McOz burger and keep Australia's beetroot industry alive
The future of Australia's beetroot industry based in the Lockyer
Valley west of Ipswich could depend on how many Australians tuck in to
the revived McOz burger over the next month.
Valley west of Ipswich could depend on how many Australians tuck in to
the revived McOz burger over the next month.
The McOz burger is back by popular demand according to McDonald's
television advertisements across the nation with a message flashing
across TV screens that it is only for a short time.
Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully, Queensland's longest serving city
councillor, has launched a Facebook campaign to help the farmers of
the Lockyer Valley who produce 90% of Australia's beetroot crop.
Cr Tully said he was urging individuals and families to "Buy a McOz
Today" and save Australia's beetroot industry.
"Locker Valley beetroot farmers have gained a small reprieve signing a
temporary deal with a cannery at Cowra in New South Wales.
"I am urging all Australians to take up the fight and buy a McOz every
day to send a message of support to our farmers and to McDonald's to
keep the McOz burger on its menu permanently.
"From today, I will be putting my money where my mouth is and buying a
lunchtime McOz burger from my local store.
Cr Tully said Australia was being overwhelmed with foreign imports
including New Zealand apples and Philippines bananas.
"Australia's beetroot farmers deserve a break.
"That's why all Australians should join the campaign of support.
"I am urging McDonald's to come to the party and keep Australia's
beetroot tradition alive," Cr Tully said.
Media Release: Call for Aussies to back the McOz burger and keep Australia's beetroot industry alive
MEDIA RELEASE FROM IPSWICH CITY COUNCILLOR PAUL TULLY
[Cr Tully will be at his local McDonald's store cnr Brisbane Rd and William St Goodna at 12.00pm today to launch his "Buy a McOz Today" campaign]
The future of Australia's beetroot industry based in the Lockyer Valley west of Ipswich could depend on how many Australians tuck in to the revived McOz burger over the next month.
The McOz burger is back by popular demand according to McDonald's television advertisements across the nation with a message flashing across TV screens that it is only for a short time.
Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully, Queensland's longest serving city councillor, has launched a Facebook campaign to help the farmers of the Lockyer Valley who produce 90% of Australia's beetroot crop.
Cr Tully said he was urging individuals and families to "Buy a McOz Today" and save Australia's beetroot industry.
"Locker Valley beetroot farmers have gained a small reprieve signing a temporary deal with a cannery at Cowra in New South Wales.
"I am urging all Australians to take up the fight and buy a McOz every day to send a message of support to our farmers and to McDonald's to keep the McOz burger on its menu permanently.
"From today, I will be putting my money where my mouth is and buying a lunchtime McOz burger from my local store.
Cr Tully said Australia was being overwhelmed with foreign imports including New Zealand apples and Philippines bananas.
"Australia's beetroot farmers deserve a break.
"That's why all Australians should join the campaign of support.
"I am urging McDonald's to come to the party and keep Australia's beetroot tradition alive," Cr Tully said.
ends
11 January 2012
Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the flood marker unveiling at Goodna this morning
It was an eventful day at the opening of Goodna's Pillar of Courage and Historic Flood Marker at the corner of Queen St and Church St Goodna.
Prime Minister Gillard addressed the people of Goodna one year after the devastating flood of 11 January 2011.
One year on and the people of Goodna are still suffering from the 2011 flood
A year ago today, the residents of Goodna awoke to light showers not realising that within 12 hours the suburb would be inundated with a flood almost as high as the one which devastated Ipswich and Brisbane in 1974.
By nightfall, the Brisbane River was a kilometre wide between Goodna and Moggill.
Six hundred homes and 70 businesses were destroyed over the next 24 hours making Goodna the worst affected suburb in southeast Queensland.
As flood efforts continued in the Lockyer Valley, Ipswich and Brisbane, the extent of Goodna's plight did not emerge until the following Thursday.
Local Councillor Paul Tully who lost his own home in the flood described the situation as a natural disaster on an unprecedented scale.
Cr Tully said the floodwaters did not recede until the Friday morning leaving a scene of devastation with hundreds of families fending for themselves in emergency accommodation.
"By the weekend, thousands of volunteers had descended on the suburb in a cleanup effort which is still going on.
"Goodna was forced to endure sightseers, looters and six hundred destroyed homes.
"Even today, many absentee landlords with no insurance have left their homes to rot surrounded by unkempt lawns which have become a habitat for rats and snakes."
Today, an historic flood marker depicting all major floods in Goodna since 1893 will be unveiled at 10.00am at the corner of Queen and Church Sts.
Cr Tully said the marker would be colour-coded to identify the individual flood levels with the flood of 1893 eclipsing all other known floods at Goodna on February 5, 1893 at 22.77 metres.
The 2011 flood at Goodna was 16.4 metres.
"The new marker will also be the pillar of courage representing the strength and resilience of the Goodna community as it dealt with floods over the past 120 years."
10 January 2012
Goodna marks flood disasters from 1890 to 2011
Joy Rissman, Division 2 Councillor Paul Tully and Barry Rissman look at photos of the past two major floods, in 1974 and 2011.
IT'S a monument that will, quite literally, mark some of the worst disasters in Goodna's history.
Coinciding with the anniversary of last January's flood, Queensland's tallest flood marker will be unveiled at Goodna today (January 11).
The 10-metre high flood marker depicts all the major floods at Goodna since 1893, and pays tribute to the local community, emergency services workers and volunteers.
Ipswich councillor Paul Tully, himself a victim of January's flood, said the marker would be an important historical and art installation.
"It will serve as a way in which we can recall the effect of the flood and how the community has come together in a time of need,"Cr Tully said.
The marker will be broken into different coloured sections representing each major flood and will be lit up at night.
It will be erected in Alf Harris Park, just off the main Goodna roundabout, and will also include paths and landscaping.
The flood waters at Goodna peaked at 16.4 metres above sea level on January 12.
A special commemoration event will be held on January 11 - from 10am to 11am - when the flood marker is unveiled.
Cr Tully said the event would be an opportunity for the community to come together, support one another and remember the events of a year ago.
"The Goodna community has endured so much, particularly during the last year of rebuilding," Cr Tully said.
"And as we approach the first anniversary, the marker serves as a timely reminder of this event."
The unveiling is just one of a number of events planned for the January 11 anniversary.
Mayor Paul Pisasale said Ipswich City Council would host an Ipswich Flood Commemoration Event from 5.30pm to 6.30pm at River Heart Parklands on Roseberry Pde, Woodend.
Goodna Flood: Invitation to official opening Wednesday 11 January 2012
All residents are invited at 10am tomorrow (Wednesday 12 January 2012) to the official unveiling of the Pillar of Courage / Historic Flood Marker at Alf Harris Park corner Queen and Church Sts Goodna, next to the old Chemist Shop near the Ipswich Motorway.
This will be an opportunity for the people of Goodna to come together after the flood of 11 January 2011 and thank all the emergency service workers and volunteers who helped in the massive cleanup.
A light morning tea will be served after the unveiling.
Goodna residents still fighting on
With her home fully restored and refurbished after last year's flood disaster, Goodna resident Marie Manski's hardest recovery will be the emotional one.
"I don't want to remember it. There was too much stress and trauma and emotions," 73-year-old Mrs Manski said.
One year on and the terrible memories of the 2011 are just starting to settle for Mrs Manski.
The Spalding Crescent home she shares with her partner William Fellows, 60, was flooded up to its skylights at the height of the floods.
Mrs Manski said with the mammoth rebuilding effort behind her, she now has time to rest and reflect on the events of 2011.
"I think it's more or less catching up with me now," she said. "It leaves you feeling very flat."
Before the flood hit some volunteers helped stack everything up on furniture but it was a waste of time, she said.
When they evacuated she took her medication, some books and photo albums.
Not much else survived the flood, just her prized crockery and a precious glass bowl which she found wedged behind debris in her kitchen.
Mrs Manski and Mr Fellows moved back to their home last July.
Mrs Manski thanked all the volunteers who helped the couple rebuild and for the support they received from The Salvation Army, the St Vincent de Paul Society and Springfield's Westlife Church.
08 January 2012
Alice St Goodna resurfacing commences tomorrow
Road resurfacing works at Alice Street, Goodna (Stuart Street and Albert Street) will take place on Monday 09 January 2012.
The works involves placing a new asphalt surface to this section.
All Emergency Services have been notified.
Residents adjacent this section have been notified by letter box drop.
11 year old Goodna boy on arson charges
An 11-year-old boy is one of four young people charged with vandalising and setting fire to about 40 vehicles at a car dealership south of Brisbane.
The attack occurred at Slacks Creek on New Year's Day, police say.
The 11-year-old boy from Goodna has been charged with wilful damage and entering a premise and committing an indictable offence.
A 13-year-old Slacks Creek boy has been charged with arson, five counts of wilful damage and entering a premise with intent to commit an indictable offence.
A 16-year-old Slacks Creek boy faces charges of entering a premise and committing an indictable offence.
These three are being dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.
A 17-year-old boy from Kingston is facing similar charges, as well as unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
He is due to appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on February 1.
31 December 2011
Emerging talent Goodna's Lama Tasi in QAS squad
Rising Roosters enforcer Lama Tasi takes a break at his family home in Goodna.
IF YOU want to know why Lama Tasi has been named in the QAS Emerging Origin squad after only nine games of top grade football, you may want to ask Greg Bird.
In his first top grade NRL match, the new Sydney Roosters enforcer delivered a bone-crunching shoulder charge to the Gold Coast Titans lock that had left Bird seeing stars and Roosters fans screaming for more.
So despite an injury-interrupted first season where he missed as many games as he played, Tasi has made enough of an impression to secure a place at the Emerging Origin camp in Brisbane from January 20-22.
No one was more surprised at his selection than the softly spoken-footballer himself.
"I was shocked more than anything, I really didn't expect it," Tasi said of his reaction when told he was in the squad.
Tasi's selection may be as much about securing the 104kg prop as a future Queensland and Australian player as rewarding his debut season.
Having already played for the New Zealand under-20 team, Tasi, like many other NRL stars with family ties to New Zealand, found himself having to decide where his representative future lay.
Would he commit to a representative career for the Kiwis, where he lived until the age of four, or take his chances on a future with Queensland and Australia?
The former Goodna player said, in the end, the choice wasn't really a choice at all.
"In the last off-season, I had a talk to my family and close friends and everything just started to make sense," he said.
"I've played all my junior footy in Queensland.
"This is where I developed as a player.
"This is where I've been brought up my whole life."
After spending nearly his entire childhood in Queensland, Tasi said there was one reason above all that confirmed his representative future.
"Internationals are good but at the end of the day the pinnacle of rugby league is State of Origin," he said. "Everyone around the world no matter who you are ... everyone watches Origin."
If toughness is the key ingredient to a successful transition to Origin football, then Tasi may have already shown Maroons powerbrokers he has what it takes.
The 190cm (6ft 3in) forward's pain threshold was on display during the Roosters match against the Newcastle Knights in May when he returned to the field in the second half despite suffering a fractured ankle.
The decision proved the 21-year-old was willing to put his team ahead of himself, a key ingredient to Origin success.
"We were running low on troops so I got an injection and kept playing," he said
"I probably shouldn't have."
The injury kept Tasi on the sidelines for six weeks but he returned late in the season and rubber stamped his talent with a series of strong performances.
Tasi will join Roosters team-mate and former Ipswich player Martin Kennedy at the January camp which will be overseen by QAS head coach Wayne Bennett and Maroons mentor Mal Meninga.
More Ipswich News: www.QT.com.au
30 December 2011
A star of a house at Goodna to be heritage listed
Contributed
Goodna resident Dot McGreevy and Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully admire the historic home at Queen St Goodna which once hosted Hollywood entertainers.
THE childhood home of cinema mogul Edward Carroll has been identified as a place of historical significance to Ipswich.
The Queenslander, built in 1906 at 16 Queen St, Goodna, will be marked with an Ipswich City Council historical plaque to encourage its conservation.
Carroll, of Birch Carroll and Coyle cinema fame, lived in the Goodna home with his brother Dan and teacher parents.
The boys grew up to co-own local theatres and screened silent films in Brisbane and Ipswich in the early 20th century.
Carroll achieved fame when he partnered with Birch and Coyle to build some of Queensland's first cinemas in the 1920s.
They built the first cinemas in Ipswich and Rockhampton before expanding across Queensland.
Over the years, the family hosted many famous entertainers at their Goodna home, and became well-known for their large parties and dances.
Current owner Dot McGreevy said she was surprised to learn that Scottish entertainer Harry Lauder had visited the house.
"They always had famous violinists, singers and pianists over, but to hear Harry Lauder stayed here was very exciting," Ms McGreevy said.
"We bought the house not knowing anything about its past, and the neighbours used to tell us all these amazing stories.
"Apparently Harry Lauder came to a party here one night and burst out in song.
"It's a very nice, ordinary home, so you wouldn't suspect a thing about all those ballroom parties and big, glamorous events."
Planning and Development Committee chairman Paul Tully said council launched the historical marker project in 1999 to promote public awareness of historic sites.
"Through these markers we are providing a permanent and enduring way for the memories of the past to be kept alive," he said.
OTHER MARKERS
Former Blackstone Congregational Church, 14 Mary St, Blackstone. Built in 1879.
Rhossilli, 4 Glebe Road, Newtown. Originally a dairy farm, now a family residence.
Chasely, 51 Salisbury Rd, Eastern Heights. Built in 1908.
29 December 2011
Home is where the heart is for Goodna's ex-Eagle and Roosters' recruit Lama Tasi
Former Goodna Eagle's player Lama Tasi (far left) with his family at their Goodna home.
TO SAY family is important to Sydney Roosters forward Lama Tasi is possibly the understatement of the year.
Anyone who has the opportunity to sit down and chat to the former Goodna Eagles enforcer will quickly find out family comes first, second and last on his list of priorities.
It's not surprising then the Auckland born 21-year-old was smiling from ear to ear this week as he spent Christmas with his family at their Goodna home.
The oldest of seven children, Lama said he was finally getting used to life in Sydney but Goodna is never far from his thoughts.
"It (Sydney) was hard at the start, but at the end of the day you just have to think you're doing it for your family and yourself," Lama said.
"I come home whenever I can.
"Obviously during the off-season, whenever I get a couple of days off or even when we have the bye."
Lama will return to Sydney next week after enjoying a 10-day break with proud dad Faasaai, mum Sialaia and siblings Sia, 19, Tautaltasi, 17, Sani, 15, Faatali, 13, Anne-Marie, 10 and Laki 8.
But he may not be alone at the Roosters for long.
After graduating from Ipswich Grammar School last month, 17-year-old Tautaltasi is also packing his bags for Bondi as he prepares to trial with the Roosters S.G. Ball development side.
With 15-year-old Sani also on the Roosters books, the Tasi family may soon have a home away from home in the New South Wales capital.
Big brother Lama said he was excited about the prospect of having his younger brother at the club.
"It would be exciting - everything would change," he said. "We'd have to get a place together."
For now, Lama will focus on building a name for himself after his breakout season in the NRL this year.
One thing is certain though, this family man's heart will remain in Goodna long after his plane lands back in Sydney.
More Ipswich News: www.QT.com.au
26 December 2011
Hit run accident at Augustine Heights
Police search for hit-and-run driver
POLICE are appealing for public assistance to find a driver who ran over a teenager at Augustine Heights this morning.
A 16-year-old girl sustained bruising when she was hit at Trinity Crescent, about 8.10am.
The driver failed to stop at the scene.
Police said they were looking for a man of Indian appearance who was driving a faded maroon sedan.
Witnesses were unable to provide police with a registration number or vehicle make and model.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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23 December 2011
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