Nick Hopton
A SMALL but determined Gawler Neighbourhood Watch group is looking to grow as it continues to help the community.
The Gawler East Neighbourhood Watch district 111 group, in its 33rd year, may have only eight current members but co-ordinator Trevor Bellchambers said it had big plans to build on its successful work.
“We are small in number but have been very effective in gaining improvements in our area for our community,” he said.
Mr Bellchambers hoped more residents would join the group to strengthen its efforts to make Gawler East a safer and happier community.
He said the group, formed at a public meeting in Gawler Town Hall in early 1989, initially set out “to develop an identity in our area and get neighbours talking and looking out for each other”.
“We have since developed into a lobby group seeking to find ways to serve our community by working to have improvements made to this area and our environment,” he said.
“Our first major neighbourhood project was the house numbering on the kerb of all buildings in our area. We saw this as a critical activity as one of my neighbours died before medical attention arrived as the ambulance could not find his location.”
Mr Bellchambers, a retired school principal and founding 111 group member, said the group’s zone was “bounded by Calton Road, the northern side out as far as the Springwood roundabout, then north to the railway line then follows that into Murray Street and includes the small area bounded by Clonlea Park, Murray Road and the railway line. The eastern boundary goes well past the Springwood roundabout out to the next intersection where Balmoral Road leaves Calton Road”.
“It’s a big, big area - it would have to be 1500-1800 houses now,” he said. “We print 1000 newsletters and that doesn’t do all the areas. Some of us are getting a bit old and slower so it takes a bit longer to get them all out.
“The people we’ve got are happy to be there – we have a sense of fun in our meetings. They’re formal with a format but if someone wants to raise a real matter, we just do that.”
Mr Bellchambers outlined an impressive list of achievements by the 111 group.
“There was a parking problem on East Terrace that restricted traffic and put children at risk so we were able to get parking only on one side of the street in that area,” he said.
“There was also a problem with cars parking on Hutchinson Road next to the hospital so that is parking only on one side now.
“The Cheek Avenue/Lyndoch Road intersection had the wrong camber and no lane for traffic turning left into Cheek Avenue from the Barossa, so we lobbied to have an approach lane and the camber altered to make that corner much safer.
“We lobbied strongly to not have the dangerous right turn into Murray Street from Calton Road as there were frequent accidents there and poor visibility for those turning left. The present turn left only entry is much safer.
“We have lobbied for major improvements in the Cockshell Estate area - the provision of street lighting; the resealing of Cockshell Drive with kerbing; the drainage of Cockshell Estate and preventing the flooding from the higher areas of Gawler East.
“We worked long and hard to have the street lighting of Cheek Avenue upgraded from the orange glow of substandard lights to double the number of compliant street lighting so Cheek Avenue is now a safer well-lit street. This action had a flow-on effect to other streets in Gawler.”
Mr Bellchambers said the group also pushed back against Cheek Avenue becoming a wide main access to the proposed Gawler Eastern Bypass.
“We drew attention to the dangerous right-hand turn from the Barossa Way into Rebbeck Court and the highway was widened at the point for safer traffic movement,” he said.
“We are preparing to streetmark the numbers on the kerb of all buildings in our area 111 as there are newly kerbed streets that have no marked numbers. We have the support of all emergency services and now Gawler Council for this project.
“We believe it could save lives.
“We have also made security card holders available so people are able to protect their precious bank cards in their wallets. We held a day during Crime Prevention Week at Bunnings to promote these cards and made them available to the public.”
Mr Bellchambers said the “small band of concerned citizens and friends” met briefly – “less than an hour” - in the Gawler East Primary School library on the first Tuesday of each month (except January) at 7.30pm.
The group has a police liaison officer, Senior Constable Randal Murch, who gives a police report, and often Sergeant Michael McNally, in charge of local crime prevention, attends and “strongly supports us”.
“Please consider joining our group and working with us,” he said. “Our members are always on the alert in our community and one member and his wife collected six large bags of street rubbish in their area.
“We welcome ideas from any member of our community.”
If you would like more information about joining Gawler East Neighbourhood Watch district111 group, please contact Trevor Bellchambers on 0414 397 737 or email trevorbell@adelaide.on.net