Queensland Archives - Albany Creek News

Ball and Doggett’s New Experience Hub in Brendale Brings the Future of Print to Brisbane’s North

Australia’s largest distributor of printable materials has opened a purpose-built Experience Hub at its Brendale site on French Avenue, giving print, sign, packaging and textile businesses across the Albany Creek and Brendale corridor hands-on access to the country’s most comprehensive range of production technologies under one roof.

Ball and Doggett launched the Experience Hub at an exclusive industry event on 18 March 2026, drawing more than 50 guests from the print, sign and graphics, packaging and textile sectors for an afternoon of live demonstrations, industry networking and technology exploration.

Designed to provide customers with a hands-on opportunity to explore, test and compare a wide range of print and finishing technologies, the Experience Hub represents Ball and Doggett’s commitment to innovation and customer support in the evolving sign, display and packaging markets.

The Brendale site on French Avenue sits squarely in the industrial heart of Brisbane’s northern growth corridor, a short drive from Albany Creek and surrounded by the manufacturing and trade businesses that line the Strathpine Road and South Pine Road precincts.

For the print and signage businesses operating throughout this part of Brisbane’s north, the Experience Hub removes a significant barrier: the need to travel interstate, attend a trade expo or rely on a sales brochure to evaluate high-value production equipment before committing to a purchase.

What the Experience Hub Offers

The Experience Hub currently carries a diverse line-up of equipment available for demonstrations, from wide-format printers and finishing equipment to CNC routers, lasers, DTF printers and heat presses. It also holds a selection of consumables and substrates, allowing visitors to experience full workflow demonstrations from print through to finishing.

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The launch event showcased live demonstrations across wide-format printing, finishing, cutting, laser technology, CNC routing and garment decoration, with technologies on display from Roland DG, Mimaki, HP, Kongsberg, Kornit Digital, IECHO, Eclipse DTF and Impact CNC, alongside finishing and specialty production equipment.

The mezzanine level of the hub displays wide-format machines, and the space is configured as a working production environment rather than a showroom, meaning visitors see equipment running real jobs rather than standing idle behind glass.

Photo Credit: Ball and Doggett/Instagram

Rob Brussolo, Ball and Doggett’s general manager for Sign, Display and Digital, described the hub as a space where production challenges can be discussed openly and ideas can be tested in a live environment.

The hub’s design philosophy centres on bringing together technology partners, equipment specialists and customers in one place so they can work through problems together and explore possibilities beyond traditional markets, including diversification into new and emerging product categories.

A Company Built on Australian Print Industry Foundations

Ball and Doggett is Australia’s largest distributor of printable materials and consumables, and is part of the OVOL Japan Pulp and Paper Group. The company’s principal activities focus on the sale and distribution of paper products, printing inks, digital finishing equipment and wide-format equipment, and the supply of publication-grade papers to the web offset printing industry. Its Queensland operation is based at 7-9 French Avenue, Brendale, and services print and sign businesses across the state.

In addition to the equipment demonstrations, the Experience Hub carries a selection of consumables and substrates, and Ball and Doggett will continue adding equipment ahead of further programme milestones.

The hub will operate as an ongoing resource for the industry, hosting regular demonstrations, training sessions and industry events, with customers able to book visits to see specific equipment in action or work through a production challenge with the team’s equipment specialists.

Opportunities for TAFE and Vocational Training

Brendale’s French Avenue precinct serves as one of Brisbane’s key industrial hubs, housing trade suppliers, manufacturers and service businesses that underpin much of the northern suburbs’ commercial activity. The arrival of a dedicated equipment experience centre of this scale is a significant addition to that ecosystem, particularly for the small and medium print and sign businesses that make up the bulk of Ball and Doggett’s Queensland customer base.

For business owners across Albany Creek, Strathpine, Petrie and the broader Moreton Bay corridor, the Experience Hub closes a gap that has long pushed decision-making about major equipment purchases onto the floor of interstate trade expos or into the hands of catalogue-based sales calls. Being able to drive to Brendale, run a job on a machine, test a substrate and speak to a specialist on the spot changes the quality of those decisions, and ultimately the quality of the work those businesses can offer their own customers.

The hub also opens a practical pathway for TAFE and vocational training providers in the region. Representatives from TAFE Coomera attended the March launch event, signalling early interest in how the facility could support hands-on skills training for the next generation of print and sign technicians in Queensland.

Visiting the Experience Hub

The Ball and Doggett Experience Hub is located at 7-9 French Avenue, Brendale. Customers and industry partners can book a demonstration visit or enquire about upcoming events and training sessions by contacting their local Ball and Doggett representative or visiting ballanddoggett.com.au/the-experience-hub. General phone enquiries for the Queensland site can be directed to (07) 3490 5800.

Published 26-March-2026.

Bald Hills Footballer Tilly Leeman Meets the Matildas Before Rejoining Moreton City Excelsior

James D. Morgan/Getty Images

Bald Hills footballer Matilda “Tilly” Leeman flew to Perth last month to meet the Matildas as part of an Allianz resilience campaign — then registered to play again for Moreton City Excelsior on the same night Australia opened the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup with a win over the Philippines.

Australia defeated the Philippines 1-0 on 1 March at Perth Stadium, with Sam Kerr heading home her 70th international goal in front of 44,379 fans in her hometown. For Tilly, sitting in the crowd that night, the win carried a meaning far beyond the result.

Two Comebacks and the Sport That Connected Them

Tilly’s relationship with football is not a straightforward one. At 16, she held a sports scholarship and was tracking toward representative football when she found out she was pregnant. Three months after giving birth, she joined a Brisbane club and won a grand final at the end of that season — a comeback by any measure. Then a second child, postnatal depression and the compounding isolation of the COVID pandemic pulled her away from the game entirely.

She stayed away for a decade. In her 30s, she came back through MCE’s Rebels side and found in the sport something more than fitness. She found structure, connection and community — the same things football had given her as a teenager, now more deliberately sought.

Her story sat unpublished until she answered a Facebook call-out asking for accounts of resilience through sport. She wrote it down without much expectation. A month later, Allianz contacted her and invited her to join a national resilience campaign alongside the Matildas.

What the Perth Trip Involved

Tilly was one of three fans selected by Allianz to travel to Perth and meet the Matildas during their pre-tournament camp. The group met Holly McNamara, Amy Sayer, Michelle Heyman and Katrina Gorry, and presented the squad with a giant inflatable football printed with messages from 16 Allianz-selected superfans. Tilly also brought along personalised friendship bracelets for the squad.

Tilly and the Matildas — Photo Credit: James D. Morgan/Getty Images

The Allianz campaign centres on Matildas midfielder Amy Sayer, who spent 457 days on the sidelines recovering from an ACL injury before returning to international football. Sayer has since started for Australia at the Asian Cup and scored her first senior tournament goal in Australia’s 4-0 win over Iran. The Matildas have since advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament, defeating North Korea 2-1 in the quarter-finals and booking a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in the process.

The campaign draws on Allianz research finding that two thirds of Australians experienced adversity in the past year, with financial pressure, physical health challenges and a lack of confidence cited as the most common factors. The research also found that 44 per cent of Australians named the Matildas as a source of personal resilience and motivation.

Back at Wolter Park

Immediately after the final whistle on 1 March, Tilly opened her phone and registered to play for Moreton City Excelsior again. She has since been at futsal training at Brendale Indoor Sports Centre and is preparing for the Rebels’ first pre-season match.

For the Albany Creek and Bald Hills communities, Tilly’s story is grounded in a local club — MCE has its home at Wolter Park in Albany Creek — and in a very familiar form of resilience: the kind built not through elite sport, but through showing up to training on a weeknight after the kids are in bed and the week has been hard.

More information about Moreton City Excelsior is available at moretonexcelsior.com.au. The 2026 Women’s Asian Cup continues through to the final at Stadium Australia on 21 March.

Published 13-March-2026.

Josh Arieni Legacy Program Grants Unpaid Carers a Well-Deserved Break Through The Carers Foundation

The Carers Foundation

The Carers Foundation Australia, in collaboration with Brendale businessman Mike Arieni and Solar Bollard Lighting, runs the Josh Arieni Legacy program to honour unpaid family and community carers by granting them an experience of their choice to rest, rejuvenate and feel genuinely appreciated for the work they do.

The program was established in 2023 in memory of Mike’s son Josh, who cared for his grandmother for several years before his death in a car accident in 2020. Josh Arieni was born in 1992 and was known for his kindness and compassion. Mike worked with The Carers Foundation to create a legacy that reflected those qualities, focusing on carers who give without recognition and rarely ask for help.

Josh Arieni's portrait — Photo Credit: The Carers Foundation

About The Carers Foundation Australia

The Carers Foundation Australia was established in 2015 under the leadership of founders Ronnie and Michael Benbow, delivering wellbeing programmes for unpaid family carers across Queensland and beyond. The organisation runs carer wellbeing retreats, wellness days and annual Christmas lunches across the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Brisbane and beyond, with each event attended by approximately 80 or more carers. All carers at Christmas lunches receive gift bags, recognising that many will not receive gifts on the day due to their caring responsibilities.

The Carers Foundation sits within a broader context of significant unpaid care across Australia. Hundreds of thousands of Australians provide full-time unpaid care for family members, saving the health system billions of dollars annually while receiving little to no government support. Young unpaid carers number in the hundreds of thousands, with some as young as eight caring for a sick parent or sibling.

What the Josh Arieni Legacy Program Does

Each year, Mike Arieni dedicates funding through Solar Bollard Lighting, alongside contributions from supporters, to grant a small number of carers an experience of their choice. Community members, family or support workers can nominate a carer they know, or carers can nominate themselves, through The Carers Foundation website. Recipients receive a fully funded experience tailored to what they most need.

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Past recipients have included George, who cared for his ageing mother while managing his own health challenges and fulfilled a lifelong ambition to complete a camel trek through outback South Australia. Samantha, who cared for her mother and uncle around the clock and had reached a breaking point, attended a five-day writers retreat that allowed her to reconnect with a creative life she had set aside.

Louise, a sole carer for more than two decades for her son who lives with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, spent two nights at Hastings Street, Noosa, and enjoyed a pamper day at a day spa. Bob and Val, who have cared for their daughter for more than 55 years following her birth with significant disabilities, received a five-night stay at Golden Beach. Anne, the mother of two boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy both requiring 24-hour care seven days a week, fulfilled her dream of visiting Sea World and swimming with dolphins.

John and Anna, the couple referenced in the source article, are among those receiving a gift this year through the program — a weekend away to recharge, which John described as something the couple was unaccustomed to but deeply needed after years of balancing full-time work with full-time caring responsibilities.

How to Nominate or Support the Program

Nominations for the Josh Arieni Legacy program are open to the public. Community members wanting to nominate a carer can do so through the nomination form at thecarersfoundation.org/josh-arieni-legacy. Those wishing to contribute financially to the program can donate at the same address. Solar Bollard Lighting, Mike Arieni’s Brendale business and the program’s founding supporter, is at solarbollardlighting.com. Further information about The Carers Foundation Australia’s full range of carer wellbeing programmes is at thecarersfoundation.org.

Published 3-March-2026.

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.