Authorities have charged a 35-year-old man from West End in connection with the discovery of a suspicious device at a business premises in Brendale yesterday.
According to the Queensland Police Service, officers executed a search warrant around 10:30 AM on Monday at a business located on Leitchs Road. During the search, they uncovered a suspicious device, prompting the declaration of a crime scene.
The device was safely destroyed by police explosive technicians. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the 35-year-old West End man, who now faces three counts of unlawful dealing with explosives or noxious substances.
The accused is scheduled to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, May 15th. Police have stated that investigations into the matter are ongoing.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting or call 131 444.
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, a leader in advancing the energy transition, is starting the construction of a 250 MW/2 hr Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at their Brendale site.
This project, named the “Supernode,” is set to become one of the largest BESS installations in the state, significantly enhancing renewable energy storage capacity.
The $2.5 billion “Supernode” project’s first stage includes the integration of a renewable energy and battery storage-powered data centre facility. Origin Energy has already committed to purchasing the full capacity of stage one, solidifying its role in bolstering Queensland’s renewable energy portfolio.
The strategic location of the “Supernode” project near the South Pine electricity substation provides a significant advantage for the 2,000-megawatt BESS. This prime positioning ensures optimal access to power supplies and enhances energy security for Queenslanders.
Premier Steven Miles expressed his enthusiasm for the construction of the Battery Energy Storage Systems.
“The construction of stage one here in Brendale is more evidence that business believes in our vision. Renewable energy generation and storage like this will power us towards our 70% renewable energy targets,” he said.
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners Co-Founder David Scaysbrook emphasised the importance of the project in decarbonising power systems.
“The successful close of Supernode stage one is significant for Queensland as it delivers valuable large-scale storage at the best possible location in the state’s power grid.”
Mayor Peter Flannery of Moreton Bay City Council echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the economic benefits and enhanced energy security that the project will bring to Queenslanders.
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, known for its focus on driving the energy transition, continues to play a key role in advancing renewable energy infrastructure both locally and globally. With projects underway in the UK, US, and Australia, Quinbrook is at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution.
Amidst the warehouses and industrial buildings of Brendale, an oasis of craft beer and culture has emerged at Hip Hops Brewers, which opened its doors earlier this year.
Housed in a converted warehouse space, the brewery boasts 21 taps of fresh brews, seltzers, and sodas. Step inside and you will be greeted by the cavernous, vaulted-ceiling taproom anchored by the long bar.
Colourful street art in graffiti style adorns the walls, giving nods to old school hip hop artists. There’s plenty of seating options – intimate corners for small gatherings, mid-sized tables, and long picnic-style tables for big groups. Additional outdoor seating lets you soak up the Queensland sun whilst sipping a cold brew.
Photo credit: Hip Hops Brewers/Facebook
The beer lineup covers all the bases with XPA-Lidocious Extra Pale Ale, Samford Sessions American Pale Ale, Craic & Crainn Dry Irish Stout, and more. Non-beer options include three fruit seltzers like Ginger Zing and Hard Sarsaparilla, along with sodas from LongRays and fermented fruit sodas from Ibis Brewing. There’s even wine from the nearby Moreton Bay winery Ocean View Estates.
Photo credit: Greg Mullins/Google Maps
The brewery is the brainchild of owner Shaun Reeves, who worked as a business advisor and accountant in the area for over three decades before opening his own brewery.
He’s joined by an experienced team of local brewers, including Adam Gibb from the now shuttered White Brick Brewing in North Lakes and Barrett Bravo, former senior brewer at Newstead Brewing and more recently head brewer at Happy Valley.
Photo credit: Mark Blackwood/Google Maps
Meanwhile, the onsite kitchen dishes out bar bites like wings, nachos and fries plus gourmet burgers to satisfy your hunger. Options range from the Queen Bee burger with bacon, cheese and honey glazed onions to the fried chicken, slaw and chipotle mayo.
Photo credit: Emma Crameri/Google Maps
With space for intimate gatherings in cosy corners or big groups at long tables, this hip hop themed brewery offers a unique industrial chic vibe. The graffiti art, booming hip hop soundtrack, and tantalising beers and eats make this urban oasis a must-visit in Brendale.
Kids and dogs are welcome to join in the laidback fun. So leave your inhibitions at the door, and come enjoy the blend of craft brews. Learn more by visiting their website.
Dirk Kotze was struck by lightning at a Brendale golf course and his family cannot be more grateful for the kindness of friends and strangers alike, to the wife and children he left behind.
Dirk, 56, was with his wife, Hannelé, and children Dané, Tiaan and Duan, at Brendale’s Wantima Golf Course in the afternoon of Sunday, 11 March 2023, when an intense storm swept across Queensland. His family said he was trying to seek shelter from the storm when lightning struck him.
Immediately after the accident, his family and the other guests rushed to help Dirk out and administered CPR whilst waiting for emergency responders to arrive.
Dirk was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where he bravely fought for his life for 19 days. However, Mel Stewart, his daughter-in-law, said that his body could no longer endure the trauma it suffered due to the lighting strike and he eventually went into a fatal cardiac arrest.
The family is thankful for all of the doctors who tried to save Dirk and the Brisbane community for their immense support. A friend of the family opened a GoFundMe for Dirk’s loved ones, an effort which has so far received $16,050 in donations.
“Dirk was a man who was known for having a larger-than-life personality. His faith in God, love for people and for being the epitome of a ‘shirt off the back’ kind of man defined him – there was no one in need he wouldn’t put his own life on hold to help out. His life has impacted many and he won’t soon be forgotten,” Conrad Oberholster wrote in the fundraiser.
According to AustraliaWide First Aid, over 100 Australians are injured by lightning strikes per year and a single bolt of lightning carries five billion joules, which can measure about 30,000 degrees Celsius. Victims of lightning strikes may suffer a cardiac arrest, respiratory muscle paralysis, superficial skin burns, neurological damage, hearing damage (partial or permanent), optic nerve injury, organ failure, and amnesia or memory loss.
Professor Peter Adams from the University of Queensland said that any Australian has a 1 in 12,000 chance of getting struck by lightning. Some of the situations where a person risks his chances include being out in an open area, such as a golf course, being wet and soaked during a thunderstorm, and being swept by a side flash or when the lightning strikes a taller object and the current jumps to the person below it.
To lessen your risks, the experts suggested the following:
If you hear a “buzzing” sound or your hair is standing on end, you need to recognise that you are in an area that is about to be struck by lightning and must leave immediately.
Do not seek shelter in the highest object in the area. Stay away from tall objects such as trees, powerlines and metal poles, since they can absorb lightning strikes and conduct electricity to nearby objects through the surface of the ground.
Do not go to water sources.
Remove all metallic items and jewellery from your body.
If you are outside during a thunderstorm, stay in your car or other solid structures.
With a mission to further drive employment to the Moreton Bay region, Australian Trade Training College has lodged plans for a new training centre in Brendale.
Australian Trade Training College, a not-for-profit training organisation, is planning to offer workshop-based practical activities in order to train local apprentices and trainees across several traditional trade areas.
Besides the workshop-based practical activities, ATTC will also provide classroom-based theory learning.
Proposal plan (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council)
The subject site, located at 36 Kremzow Road, Brendale, would be transformed into an educational establishment which will offer real-world educational experience to students.
The first level office, amenities and lunch room will accommodate staff administration whilst the ground floor offices and amenities will be built for student training.
The ground floor warehouse areas will be used for hands-on training of mechanical and tool components in a controlled environment and another existing warehouse will be used for storage requirements, including storage of the 1.1m3 bulk bins, bicycle parking and lockers.
Participants attending the site will primarily be those who are already engaged in apprenticeships and traineeships, employed by local businesses, many already in the Brendale area or are visiting the site to fulfill their off-the-job training requirements.
“A range of benefits will be derived from the proposal, including local employment generation and additional services that better meet the needs of the community,” the planning documents read.
ATTC provides training for various industries, such as automotive, building and construction, cabinet making, electrotechnology, plumbing, telecommunications, and work health and safety.
At present, ATTC also operates other facilities within the MBRC region along Scarborough Road, Scarborough and other locations within Brisbane. They currently have a training centre in Banyo.
Touted as the largest data storage facility in the southern hemisphere, the Supernode data project on a 30-hectare site in Brendale will bring new jobs to the Moreton Bay area.
In keeping with the new theme of renewable energy in QLD, the whole facility will be powered by solar and battery storage with a capacity of 800 Megawatts.
The Supernode project is expected to deliver large-scale storage facilities of both data and battery energy to a single site and would leverage access from the battery-energy storage in Brendale to the adjacent South Pine electricity substation.
Supernode is among the key components of Quinbrook’s APAC Green Data strategy of developing and constructing renewable energy solutions for green data centres.
The project, according to the firm’s Managing Partner David Scaysbrook, is a $2.5+-billion investment that will be developed in stages at the 30-hectare site.
Although construction is not expected to commence until mid-2023, Quinbrook has already started pitching the 2,000 MWh Battery Energy Storage System facility, out to prospective data centre operators, after having received approval for the project from the Foreign Investment Review Board, and planning permission from the Moreton Bay Regional Council.
Photo Credit: Supernode / supernode.com.au
“We provided $15 million to support the Sunshine Coast Council in delivering Queensland’s first direct International Broadband Network Cable Landing Station and we are seeing the benefits of that investment.
“The digital technology industry can now leverage the speed of the Sunshine Coast’s new international undersea fibre optic connection for uses such as efficient, large-scale data storage.
Why Brendale?
“Our Supernode site at Brendale in Moreton Bay is also an unrivalled location for power supply resilience due to its access to three independent high voltage connections forming the major power transmission node for Queensland at South Pine substation,” Quinbrook’s Mr Scaysbrook explained.
Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery recognised the impact of the project in the region and said that he looks forward to its economic benefits, particularly the jobs it will create once it is fully operational.
“Knowledge, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a priority in Council’s Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS 2020-2041) to position the region as South East Queensland’s $40 billion engine room and to be a top regional innovation hub,” he said.
“As Council, we’re delivering jobs by actively working with the private sector and the state government to facilitate more investments and create 100,000 jobs.
‘’Brendale is a well-established industrial precinct that has been named one of the top 10 places to work in the greater South East Queensland region. Its credentials are buoyed by smart city infrastructure, high productivity, a sustainability focus and easy logistics and market access.”
Generating More Jobs
The Supernode in Brendale is a show of confidence in the Moreton Bay Region and in the state’s potential as a renewable energy powerhouse in the future and an opportunity to generate more jobs, Assistant Minister and Member for Pine Rivers Nikki Boyd said in welcoming the project.
“In the future, the large-scale batteries and data centre could be powered by pure Queensland wind and sunshine.
“Large scale data storage will support new jobs and allow the region to continue to boom in the lead up to Brisbane 2032.”
Statewide Focus on Renewal Energy and Digital Technology Infrastructure
“This is one of the major new economy projects coming to Queensland thanks to the government’s strategic investment in digital technology infrastructure and renewable energy,” Acting Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said.
“It also offers ample scope for powering our large-scale batteries with locally produced solar, wind and hydro sourced renewables which will also power the data centre campus as it grows.”
“This is exactly the type of digital technology enabling project Queensland needs in the lead up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, supporting data-intensive industries such as post-production for the burgeoning film industry here in Queensland,” he added.
Le Bon Choix has just moved into its new production facility in Brendale, to expand their bread-making facility that’s already supplying eight chains across Brisbane and one in Gold Coast.
The $5-million, state-of-the-art Brendale property measures1,600sqm, twice the size of the bakery’s former facility in Geebung. It features a warehouse kitchen to service all of its shops across the city and a small cafe to service the precinct’s industrial workers.
Photo credit: Le Bon Choix Ascot/Facebook
Ben Jeffries, a representative of the property developer JLL that handles the lease, said that the location appealed to the owners of the boulangerie as it “provided more efficiencies within the bakery” as being able to increase production is instrumental to meet their existing demand.
They use European baking equipment in the facility to ensure that the products, which include mini pastries, cakes, and savories, are of high quality standards.
Photo credit: Le Bon Choix Ascot/Facebook
In May 2022, the bakery held a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was attended by Federal Member for Dickson and current Defence Minister Peter Dutton. He supported the new facility, which has employed around 150 staff.
In addition to moving to a bigger facility, Le Bon Choix will also open its ninth chain in Indooroopilly in August 2022.
Le Bon Choix, which translates to “The Good Choice,” in French is looking to add more chains by venturing in Western Australia and the international market, by launching stores across Dubai, Singapore and Mauritius where founder and director Savico Basset Rouge originally came from.
The brand currently has outlets in North Lakes, Upper Mt Gravatt, Ascot, Carindale, Chermside, and Edward and Queen Streets in Brisbane CBD, and at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
The treatment was laid down at Bult Drive and at Forgan Road, Joyner as part of a trial of an innovative road surface that shreds tyres during burnouts.
A calcite bauxite treatment is a thin overlay applied to asphalt and concrete roads and highways to improve surface friction. It helps drivers and motorcycle riders retain control on roads by decreasing braking distances as well as skidding and sliding.
Bult Drive, located in an industrial area in Brendale, was chosen for the trial to measure how the surface would hold up under heavy vehicle use whilst the intersections along Forgan Road were identified as a result of residents’ complaints.
The trial will not only determine if it stopped hooning. Council will also find out if the surface caused noise impacts and how well it held up under the weight of daily traffic.
The surface will be monitored for up to nine months, with Council then determining whether to roll it out at other hooning hotspots, identified from residents’ complaints.
Photo credit: JESHOOTS.com/Pexels
According to Cr Cath Tonks, residents have been reporting regular instances of a lot of hooning noise, speeding vehicles, with tyre marks and rubber being left behind at the intersections.
Cr Tonks said many business owners got in touch with her as they were also impacted by the damage and rubbish left behind by the hooning activity.
“Sunday nights were particularly bad, with masses of people gathering, doing burn-outs and leaving behind tyre marks, beer bottles, a terrible smell of burnt rubber – and even tyres,” Cr Tonks said.
Mayor Peter Flannery clarified that the surface would not damage tyres under normal conditions, such as when people drive according to the road rules and conditions.
“We’re working with residents and businesses and so far we haven’t had any more reports of hooning in the locations with the new road surface,” said Mayor Flannery.
Report Hooning Incidents
Moreton Police District Senior Constable Jo Arthur said hooning included illegal street racing, speeding, burn-outs, playing loud music, and dangerous and reckless driving.
“We have been asked more about hooning offences in the region recently – and what can be done to stop this behaviour,” she said.
Authorities are encouraging residents, particularly those who live near council traffic cameras, to report all hooning incidents.
Residents can report hooning or suspicious behaviour by calling the Hoon Hotline on 134 666 or by making a report to Policelink on 131 444.
Brendale-based electronics designer and manufacturer Elexon Electronics is on the look-out for new Quality and Processes professionals, a business development manager, an HR manager, and an IT specialist.
These job opportunities arise as a result of the company’s defence engagement and preparedness project.
Elexon Electronics has proudly passed the external ISO 9001 audit for the past 15 years and is set to build on their success by completing the ISO 14001 and AS 9100D certifications by the end of November 2021.
“By achieving ISO 14001 and AS 9100D certifications later this year, we’ll continue to build on our reputation and deliver even greater quality to our customers from the defence, mining and other niche industries” said Frank Faller, CEO of Elexon.
Photo supplied
To help achieve this significant milestone, Elexon has recently recruited Kylie Warren to the role of Quality Manager and Jordan Metlikovec as an NPI & Process Engineering Manager to oversee the development of the quality system and manufacturing process quality respectively.
“The ISO 14001 and AS 9100D certifications are integral certifications for companies working in the defence sector and I’m looking forward to being a part of the Elexon team who achieves this,” said Ms Warren.
Mr Metlikovec said his plan is to actively connect engineering, manufacturing and quality departments and with a hands-on approach, actively contribute towards the continuous improvement of Elexon’s processes, products and services.
Elexon Electronics, a Brandale-based electronics engineering and manufacturing company is a significant employer in the area and has been contributing towards the development of entrepreneurship, reputation and innovation of the Moreton Bay region.
Sales have boomed in the gel blaster industry, currently taking off all across Queensland. Plans are in the works to open gel ball stores in various suburbs all over the state such as Brendale.
Ever since the hobby became regulated by the state government, gel blasters have been on the rise as one of the country’s most prominent up-and-coming industries with numerous stores launching all over Queensland. A grand total of 15 gel blaster-related businesses have opened throughout the state, with many more on the way.
Brendale in particular is due to receive a regulated gel ball store in the near future, and plans are in the works to construct gel ball skirmish fields due to the sheer success of the industry following regulations, which were introduced in 2020.
Photo credit: CC BY-SA/Dottasriel2000/Wikimedia commons
Queensland regulations have declared that gel blasters are not firearms, making them perfectly legal to own and purchase without a licence, however they must still be kept out of sight when being transported. Due to the sheer popularity of gel blasters, regulations are now being examined in other states across Australia.
Those interested in taking part in the hobby must take the community into consideration as the appearance of gel blasters could cause distress. They are difficult to differentiate from real firearms and can only be identified properly with close inspection. The Queensland Police released an informative video to address this issue.
Adhering to the rules and regulations is paramount, especially for Brendale residents as the suburb is slated to receive a slew of new gel ball businesses, according to Police Minister Mark Ryan.
