Queensland Archives - Albany Creek News

Eatons Hill Unite for Family Left with Nothing After Blaze

An Eatons Hill family with three children is starting again after a house fire destroyed their home and car, and the community is moving quickly to help the parents, Terry and Jess, get back on their feet.

The family’s verified GoFundMe fundraiser went live on August 6, 2025, created by a relative, Leah, to cover urgent needs such as temporary housing, clothing, food and school supplies.

Reports say the blaze tore through the family’s Eatons Hill home within minutes, taking treasured belongings along with everyday essentials and their vehicle. The fundraiser explains that everyone made it out safely, but the loss was near total. It sets out simple aims: keep the children settled, replace basics and help the family rebuild step by step.

Schools and Neighbours Step In

Two of the children, Isabella and Layla, attend Albany Creek State High, and their younger brother is a student at Samford State School. In a message to families, Albany Creek State High invited the school community to contribute and share the fundraiser so help reaches the people who need it most.

Photo Credit: Albany Creek State High School/Facebook

Neighbours also amplified the call, encouraging residents in Eatons Hill and nearby suburbs to spread the word and donate if they can.

How You Can Help

Donations through the verified GoFundMe will go toward accommodation, clothing, food, school needs and other essentials while the family secures stable housing and begins to replace what was lost. If giving isn’t possible, sharing the fundraiser with friends, local groups and sports clubs can still make a real difference by keeping support flowing.

This story is about more than a fire. It is about a suburb pulling together so children can return to class with what they need and parents can focus on the next steps. School posts and community shares show a clear message: when hardship hits in Eatons Hill, people look out for one another .

Published 20-Aug-2025

Eatons Hill Residents Are Queensland’s Biggest Online Shoppers: Report

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Common / DealDrop via Flickr

Did you know that Eatons Hill residents are some of the biggest online shoppers in the country? According to a new report from the Australian Post, Eatons Hill ranks third among the postcodes with the most shopping activity at major stores or discount outlets, online marketplaces, and home ware outlets.

In 2020, about 82 percent of households shopped for goods online during the pandemic, with some postcodes shopping twice as they did in 2019. Whilst Victorians spent more money on goods online, the whole country’s online shopping activities increased to 57 percent.

“As social distancing, border closures and lockdowns became commonplace, Australians turned online for the things they needed. And they did so in record numbers with over four in five Australian households – almost 9 million – making an online purchase at some point during the year,” said Rodney Boys, CEO of the Australian Post.

Highlights

Eatons Hill residents shopped online the most among Queenslanders in 2020.
The whole country’s online shopping activity increased to 82 percent during the pandemic lockdowns.
Online shoppers mostly bought home and garden items or furniture.

The report also revealed that new and distinct groups of online shoppers have emerged during the lockdown. The first are the young families who are conscious of where their money goes and the second are older households in retired or rural communities. From these groups, purchases of home and garden items have been significant. Homeware items were also popular with seasoned online shoppers, alongside appliances.

“Many retailers have done incredibly well through COVID-19, including those in household goods. With so many of us confined to our homes during the pandemic, and now choosing to work flexibly, people have invested in household items like new furniture or office and tech equipment, said Paul Zahra the CEO of the Australian Retailers Association.

“Having said that, brick and mortar stores still have an important role to play – it’s where the bulk of retail sales still occur – so store managers, sales assistants, and the like are still in-demand roles. Hence, we expect to see retailers continue to reduce their physical footprint and invest heavily in digital.”

Top 10 Suburbs in Australia with Highest Online Shopping Activity

Narre Warren North, VIC

Secret Harbour, WA

Eatons Hill, QLD

Frenchs Forest, NSW

Wakerly, QLD

Jerrabomberra, NSW

Wattle Grove, NSW

Narangba, QLD

Mount Annan, NSW

Warrandyte, VIC

Albany Creek in First Vaccine Rollout for Queensland

Albany Creek has been included among the first 41 locations in Queensland that will carry out Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine program commencing on the week of 21 February 2021.

Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt announced the start of the rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with priority for aged and disability care residents, as well as the facility workers.

There are over 240 aged and disability care facilities across the country and the Federal Government expects to vaccinate all residents and care workers in the next six weeks.

Mr Hunt confirmed that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines have arrived following approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Supplies of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines, on the other hand, are expected to be in Australia by March.

“These are two outstanding vaccines that will be available to people in Australia free of charge,” Mr Hunt said.

“The vaccination program will save and protect lives. Both of our vaccines will prevent serious illness. That is our primary goal.”

Along with the initial rollout, Queensland will activate three vaccine hubs at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Cairns Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that 100 vaccines will be given to Gold Coast by Monday, 22 Feb 2021, whilst Princess Alexandra Hospital will receive the vaccines on Wednesday and Cairns will get the vials on Friday.

Ms Palaszczuk also said that rollout will start slowly and individuals will be asked to go to their specific centres. As the next supplies arrive, the hubs will be expanded.

The COVID vaccine will start to roll out in Queensland from next week.

Here’s how it will work 👇 pic.twitter.com/Nkbh4OVG1t
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) February 17, 2021

Meanwhile, border, quarantine and frontline healthcare workers are also part of the first rollout. Health Department head Brendan Murphy said that the vaccination program is expected to be the “single-biggest, and most complex, vaccination task” with many players involved.

Check the full list of vaccination locations for the first rollout via the Department of Health.