Published December 2023
If you do not know what Something to Bragg About is - STBA is my monthly forum where I profile a member or members of our community doing great things!
It has been special to celebrate the incredible individuals of Bragg and the value they bring to our community. You can read below for a breakdown of this year's nominees.
Frankie was profiled in January for her outstanding list of achievements in 2022. Valedictorian of Rose Park Primary School in 2022, she was recognised for being an outstanding and conscientious student by her peers. She was a Student of the Year, winner of the Steele and Cooper Award and winner of the Maths Award. Frankie also is a talent in running, representing South Australia as one of six athletes who competed at the u/12 National Cross Country Championship.
Sisters Penny and Amber were profiled in February for their recognition as two Young Citizens of the Year for 2023. Inspired by their grandmother who lives with a heart condition, these two young activists applied through the Your Neighbourhood Budget for the installation of a defibrillator at Tusmore Wading Pool and were successful following a community voting process.
Graeme was profiled in March for his recognition as the Burnside Citizen of the Year for 2023. Graeme is a stalwart of our community. He continues to volunteer for a countless number of organisations including the Burnside Legacy Widows Group, the Burnside Justice of the Peace Service, St Matthews Anglican Church and previously as Secretary of the Kensington Park RSL. Graeme has also served in numerous leadership roles across veterans services that provide vital financial and educational support and aid to ex-service families.
Jane was profiled in April for her talented work as a local artist. Critically acclaimed, Jane's diversity of talent has made her a finalist seven times in the prestigious biennial Waterhouse Art Prize. Her work has been exhibited in countless competitions and art shows, displayed across the world in residences at Park Lane, Mayfair, London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and all across Australia. Jane's recent bronze bust of her great-grandfather and former South Australian Premier, Thomas Price, was recently unveiled at Parliament House.
The Environment Club was profiled in May for their recognition as the City of Burnside's 2023 Young Environmentalist Award winner. The Club has undertaken major work in habitat management, working alongside the Friends of Ferguson Conservation Park, established new school-wide recycling initiatives and looks after a school fresh produce garden. With 33 members, the Club regularly meets to tackle environmental problems and promote sustainable practices within our community.
Josh and Cam were profiled in June for their selection in the Australian Men's Lacrosse Team for the World Championships. Playing for the Burnside Lacrosse Club, Josh and Cam have represented South Australia in Lacrosse on multiple occasions, dominating local competition. Training morning and evenings with full-time work in between, it was a incredible achievement of the two to make the Australian team.
Mavis and Heather from the Burnside Meals and Wheels were profiled in July for win in the inaugural "Scone Off" baking competition. With an incredibly tough competition, Mavis and Heather's win was a fitting celebration of the hard work all our local Meals on Wheels volunteers do to serve our community, providing meals and deeply important social connection with some of our most vulnerable.
The Burnside Painting Group were profiled in August in recognition of 2023 being their 60th consecutive year the group has served our community. Often running different community classes, events, and exhibitions, the Group provide members of our community an open, friendly and creative space to share their work and meet with like-minded individuals.
The Rams were profiled in September for their continued representation and service to our community in football. Boasting the largest women's football program in the state (250 girls across eight teams!), the Club offers a positive sporting outlet for over 850 players in junior and senior football. With such a large participation rate the Club continued to top the competition in 2023, with several junior teams being awarded Premiers and both Senior A and B grade teams making the Grand Final.
The Friends of Cleland National Park were profiled in October for their continued service volunteering as conservationists at the Cleland National Park. With a dedicated team invested in ensuring a strong future for the Park's habitat, the group work hard to revegetate and conserve the beautiful park that our community enjoys. I was fortunate enough to join the team in June where they had me hard at work revegetating a strip along the creek!
A group of residents at Pineview were profiled in November for their conscientious efforts in recycling. I was pleasantly surprised to hear such a large contingent of this community had developed a keen passion for recycling everything they can, from bread tags to toothbrushes to empty pill packets. The residents also have a keen passion for giving, recycling their material into new goods by donating many knitted pieces for the homeless and hosting a community Foodbank that had donated over 642kg for the year as of November - the equivalent of 1284 meals.
Ann and Cathy were profiled in December for their continued service as part of the Lions Club of Glenside. Ann was recognised for her longstanding service as a volunteer in the Glenside Lions Bookmart, leading a team of 17 volunteers to sort, classify, price and shelve over 40,000 volumes in what is South Australia's largest second-hand bookshop (and its found right in our electorate!). Cathy was recognised for her service as a longstanding member of the Art Show Committee, becoming a crucial factor in the Show's recent success through her innovation. Combined, Ann and Cathy's work on these two projects help generate an annual turnover of $600,000.
