Police dogs tracked the male driver of an allegedly stolen Holden Commodore to a drain 4 km away from the scene of atragic collision that occurred in Kippa-Ring, involving said car and a Suzuki Swift carrying two women, one of whom died at the scene.
Emergency services promptly responded to the scene at the junction of Anzac Avenue and Oleander Street in Kippa-Ring, following reports of the collision that occurred at approximately 6:53 a.m. on Friday, 22 Sept 2023. .
The elderly fatality was trapped in her vehicle and received immediate CPR at the accident scene. She sucumbed to her injuries. Her adult daughter suffered serious injuries and has been rushed to the hospital.
#UpdateFinal – One patient in a serious condition has been transported to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital following a serious two-vehicle crash on Anzac Avenue at 6.53am. #KippaRing
The 27-year-old male driver of the Commodore fled the accident scene on foot and was subsequently discovered in a drain near Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe, four kilometres from the accident scene.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the Suzuki was making a left turn out of Oleander Street when it was struck by the eastbound-travelling Holden Commodore on Anzac Avenue. According to the authorities, the utility vehicle was stolen from a Stafford address sometime between 18 and 19 Sept 2023.
“It’s a terrible scene for emergency personnel, a terrible tragedy for anyone involved,” Inspector Craig White of the Moreton Bay Police said.
“Our units did an exceptional job in finding him; he was tracked 4 kilometers from the scene by police dogs and was taken into custody without further injury.
The Queensland Police Services charged the man in custody, who hails from Aspley, with charges of “dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing grievous bodily harm, driver fail to remain at incident and render assistance, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and stealing.”
Currently, officers from the Forensic Crash Unit and detectives from Redcliffe are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.
Authorities are urging anyone who witnessed the collision or possesses dashcam footage of the event to come forward and cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
This comes after developers, who also own the lot at 403-407 Elizabeth Ave, lodged plans to subdivide the lot into three and establish new food outlets at the site.
Based on planning documents, the 220sqm and 200sqm single-storey outlets, which will operate 24/7 will feature drive-through facilities and additional parking spaces.
Plans (Photo credit: Thomson Adsett)
The new food outlets will provide up to 167 car park spaces spread across the site, with shared car and pedestrian access which can be accessed via Elizabeth Avenue.
Designed by Thomson Adsett, the proposal incorporates generous landscaping along the front boundary of Elizabeth Ave and a pedestrian-friendly entrance into the food and drink outlet.
To facilitate the development, other buildings and structures on the Elizabeth Ave frontage would be removed. Only the large existing building and carparking in the middle of the site will be retained.
Photo credit: Thomson Adsett
“The development has been strategically designed to cohesively integrate with the existing Indoor entertainment facility building currently improving the site at 403 Elizabeth Avenue, which is to be maintained as part of this development,” the planners at Town Planning Alliance (TPA) stated.
The indoor entertainment facility is a former ten pin bowling centre constructed in the early 1980s and is in derelict condition. It is set to be repurposed for a gymnasium.
Meanwhile, the award-winning Beardy’s Bar and Kitchen will continue to trade until 10 July 2022. Owners Ross and Lee Willson announced on social media that they have been given an extension on their current space and will continue to trade as usual until the said date.
Photo credit: Beardy’s Bar and Kitchen/Facebook
“Beardy’s Kippa-Ring will close its doors on Sunday the 10th of July. We hope to have some exciting news to share with you all soon on Beardys 2.0 but until then thank you for all your support over the last 5+ years we couldn’t have done this without this fantastic community. Thanks again and watch this space!” the Wilsons announced through the business’ page.
The popular burger place, which operated in Kippa-Ring for five years, is still looking for a new home and promised to keep fans posted through social media.
A woman from Kippa Ring can kiss her stress goodbye now that she has gained a big windfall of nearly two million dollars, something that she says will make her dream of having a new home come true.
The woman won one of three division winning entries during the Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4229 on 29 Jan 2022, totalling $1,937,209.61. Her identity remained a mystery since her winning ticket wasn’t registered.
All The Lott knew was the winning ticket was purchased at Redcliffe Dolphins Discount Drug Store, Shop 5, 110 Ashmole Road, Kippa-Ring. The store manager, Alycia Whalley, said that this will be life-changing for the winner.
“This is the first division one winning ticket we’ve sold, so it’s a big moment for us. Our entire team is thrilled to have made one of our customers a millionaire,” Ms Whalley said.
On Tuesday morning, 1 Feb 2022, the Kippa Ring woman went to Redcliffe Dolphins Discount Drug Store on her way to work to verify her winning ticket. The Lott confirmed that she was indeed the new millionaire.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
“I was absolutely gobsmacked. I could barely stand up and I wasn’t making much sense,” the woman said.
“I wanted to be pretty discrete about it all, but I let out a little scream and yelled, ‘Holy sh**!
“It’s absolutely brilliant. I can’t believe it! I’m still in shock now.
“Ah, I can’t believe I’m a millionaire. It’s crazy! It’s a dream! I don’t know how this is going to sink in.”
The woman said she was going to begin house shopping after work.
“The timing couldn’t be better either,” the woman added. “I’ve been desperately looking for a house, but it’s so difficult to buy or rent in this current market. I’ve been so stressed about it all, but this just takes away all of those pressures. I can buy a house now! And not just any house, a really nice house!”
Did you know that Kippa-Ring was named after an Aboriginal bora ring near Klinger Road? The ring was nearly destroyed in 1950, but its significance remains up to this day.
The word “kippa” is a Kabi indigenous word that means an “uninitiated man” whilst the ring was a reference to the bora ring, a raised platform of dirt arranged in a circle where most important ceremonies of the Aborigines took place.
Considered as one of the lost rings of South East Queensland, the ring was a double-ring complex and located 30 metres north of Klinger Road West. Moreton Bay Regional Council said it was situated off Anzac Avenue in the vicinity of Boardman Road. To be exact, it was approximately 21 chains east of the Anzac Avenue turn-off and on the crest of a low sandy ridge partly cleared of timber.
Satellite view of Kippa-Ring in 2021, where the bora ring was said to be located (Photo credit: Google Maps)
In his book, “Aboriginal pathways on South East Queensland and the Richmond River,” author John Gladstone Steele wrote that the bora rings, across the top, measured around 24 metres north-south and 22.5 metres east-west.
The ring was also mentioned in “Tom Petrie’s Reminiscence of Early Queensland,” a book published in 1904 and was known as one of the best authorities on Brisbane’s early days. Recorded by his daughter Constance Campbell Petrie, Tom mentioned that remains of the ring were still seen near Humpybong, the former name of Redcliffe, from the Aboriginal word umpi bong meaning “dead houses.”
Tom Petrie is of Scottish descent but his family moved to Australia at a young age. He spent much time with the tribe from his childhood. He mixed freely with Aboriginal children whilst studying in Moreton Bay penal colony (now Brisbane).
Tom, who learnt to speak Turrbal and was encouraged to share in all Aboriginal activities, described the ring as a large saucer-shaped depression in the ground. Tom also went on to say that the circle itself was about 40 or 50 feet (around 12m to 15m), slightly smaller than what Steele mentioned in his book.
“The greater ceremony of kippa-making was carried out in the following fashion and what is known as the ‘bora’ ceremony of other tribes is not unlike it. First a circle – called ‘bul’ by Brisbane blacks and ‘tur’ by the Bribie Island tribe – was formed in the ground, very like a circus ring, the earth being dug from the centre with sharp sticks and stone tomahawks, and carried to the outside on small sheets of bark to form a mound or edging round the ring about two feet high.,” Constance wrote, based on the recollection of his father.
Bora Ring’s Fate
As with many lost Bora rings in Queensland, the Bora ring near Redcliffe is now hidden in the rural scenery. According to T. Houghton, of the Redcliffe Historical Society, it was offered to the Redcliffe City Council. However, the offer was declined and the bora ring was ploughed over, now forming part of farm cultivation. The stone axes and grinding stones found in the surrounding area were turned over to the Redcliffe Historical Society Museum.
Aerial photos taken in 1956 showed that the location of the ring was already cultivated by that time. However, Armchair Histories noted that a closer look would show remnants of the ring. It was also mentioned that the bora may be gone, but it’s still appropriately used by aboriginal community groups.
Near the location of Bora ring (Photo credit: Google Street View)
Global Web Builders, a historic archive, stated that the site is identified as Lot 1 of RP 139809 and is freehold land, meaning the owner can use it for any purposes but in accordance with local regulations.
The article on GWB further claims that the five-acre land was bought by the Clarke family in 1901, with the present generation of the family claiming there wasn’t any evidence that will prove a bora ring existed on the site. The Clarkes then sold it to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brisbane, whose Corporation of Trustees sought rezoning of the area for residential use. Later on, it was acquired by Dellmere Pty Ltd, which planned to develop the site into a housing estate.
In 1997, the late Senator John Herron wrote a letter to former Liberal Party Representative for Brisbane Teresa Gambaro, stating that the site was under serious threat for the proposed development. In the letter, he also wrote that he requested advice from the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) as to whether they would consider purchasing the property on behalf of the Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (FAIRA).
The foundation sought the protection of the area for the purposes of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (the Commonweatlh Act). Under section 9 of this act, it was clear that the minister can make declarations to preserve and protect places, areas and objects of particular significance to Aboriginals under the following circumstances:
The Minister receives an application made orally or in writing by or on behalf of an Aboriginal or a group of Aboriginals seeking the preservation or protection of a specified area from injury or desecration
The Minister is satisfied that the area is a significant Aboriginal area; and that it is under serious and immediate threat of injury or desecration
Herron, who was a Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs in the Howard government at the time, said the ILC Board approve the purchase of the property on behalf of the traditional owners and that Dellmere Pty Ltd agreed to sell it.
The former senator, who was known for being a champion of Indigenous Australians, said a condition of the purchase is that the land can’t be developed as it was acquired for cultural reasons and that the land cannot be rezoned without prior approval of the Redcliffe City Council.
A new development, featuring a service station, retail store, and fast food restaurant, is being proposed at a general residential zone on Elizabeth Avenue in Kippa-Ring.
Last December 16th 2019, a development application has been lodged for a new service station, retail store, and fast food restaurant at 403 and 405-407 Elizabeth Avenue in Kippa-Ring.
Photo credit: Google Maps
According to the submitted DA, the proposal seeks the three properties to be placed along the street frontage, in the north east portion of the overall site. The proposed development will include two single-storey buildings with a maximum building height of 8 metres.
To remain the overall balance of the site, the existing ten pin bowling centre building and car park will remain. However, the two existing stand-alone fast food buildings will be completely removed in order to facilitate the proposed development.
Victor G Feros Town Planning—the planners for this proposed development—have stated that their given proposal is consistent with, complementary to, and compatible with the surrounding environment and other commercial facilities nearby.
They also ensure that the proposed development would remain consistent with developing a cluster of non-residential uses as a neighbourhood hub on a main street, given that Elizabeth Avenue is used as a main access road between Kippa-Ring and Clontarf.
