Connect - 21 May 2021

Falie refurbishment

The Tallship Falie is looking snug for winter as works are under way to replace external hull coatings and perform minor repairs. These works have been commissioned by the Department to prolong the life of the ship.

The Falie has played an important part in the state’s history, contributing to early coastal trade and also serving briefly as a Royal Australian Navy vessel during World War II.

I look forward to seeing this beautiful vessel open in the Port where a group of dedicated volunteers will again provide tours of the vessel and explain its proud history.

The Falie beneath its containment structure, designed to prevent pollution of the Port River.

Gathering Hahndorf feedback

Consultation continues following the recent release of three options for the Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Upgrade Project, with more than 130 people braving the cold last week to attend a community information session.

Such engagement is vital, as the feedback received informs project design decisions for the greatest benefit to the community and general public.

The Engagement and Planning teams do excellent work and their effort to ensure communities have a voice in project planning is greatly appreciated.

Interest in the Hahndorf project is high.

Walk Safely to School Day

A fitting lead-in to National Road Safety Week was National Walk Safely to School Day, last Friday. Our Road Safety Partnerships team accompanied Minister for Road Safety, Hon Vincent Tarzia MP to Walford Junior School at Unley to generate some publicity for the two-fold message being promoted under the special day’s banner: healthy activity and road safety for children.

It was also very pleasing to see Channel Seven promoting the day on their previous evening’s news with journalist, Amelia Mulcahy and students from Walkerville Primary School sporting THINK! Road Safety caps. Good work by Emily Wren and Andrew Nitschke from the Road Safety Partnerships and Comms teams respectively for pushing our road safety message at Walford and Walkerville.

The Walford walk is underway.

Masterful performance

Providing opportunities for our staff to develop their skills is important for personal development and, of course, the individual’s career. The Department and our community also benefit greatly when those skills are applied.

In 2018, we collaborated with the University of South Australia to create a Masters of Applied Project Management (Contract Management) degree. This was offered to staff as a three-year part-time course and I am very pleased to be able to congratulate our four 2021 graduates: left to right below, Jingxuan (Peter) Du, Joseph Royle, Steven Robertson and Adrian Macolino. Well done!

Staff spotlight falls on …

Two people whose names would be known by many, but likely not their faces, are Lucy Hollow and Jill Johnson. Lucy and Jill make all the arrangements for staff travel within South Australia and interstate.

Lucy (front below) has totalled 25 years in the role, Jill has 16 years and they’ve been a team for seven, since the function was centralised.

Friday Flashback

Today’s Friday Flashback shows flooding on Unley Road in 1934. The buildings in this photograph are now a part of the Unley Shopping Centre at 204 Unley Road.

SLSA B 18046