Neighbourhood Watch

Hackett Newsletter Electronic copies of the newsletter

www.nhwact.com.au & http://northcanberra.org.au

May, 2010
Neighbourhood Watch* Neighbourhood Watch* Neighbourhood Watch* Neighbourhood Watch* Neighbourhood Watch*

Emergency 000
North Canberra Community Council Attendance 13 1444
Meeting on Policing Issues in North Crimestoppers 1800 333 000
Canberra Inquiries 6256 777
Chair
Wednesday, 19 May 2010, 7.30 pm, ACT Sports House, 100 Dorothy Mackenzie, 6248 9281
Maitland Street
Mackenzie2602@optusnet.net.au
Guest Speakers Superintendent Mick Calatzis & Sergeant Andrew
Bailey, ACT Police Treasurer
Pat McNamara 6249 1669
All welcome! This is your opportunity to hear about and discuss pmcn@webone.com.au
policing issues, activities and initiatives in North Canberra.
See http://northcanberra.org.au/ for details Engravers
Hillig Volker 6257 0506
Hackett Community Association
The Hackett Community Association is delighted by the Chief Minister’s announcement that traffic lights will be installed at the
intersection of Phillip Ave and Majura Ave (see separate article). The Association has campaigned for these lights over the last
4 years. The lights should assist in reducing the amount of traffic though the suburb in the morning.

The Association will have a table at the Hackett shops on Saturday 29 May from 8.30am to 11.30am. This will give residents
an opportunity to talk to Committee members about local issues, and to join the Association or renew their membership.
Membership for 2010-11 will be $5 per person, $2 concession, or $7.50 per household. The first 20 new or renewal
memberships taken out from 29 May will receive a $2.50 voucher for Wilbur’s Cafe/Bar (donated by Wilbur’s).

The next HCA committee meeting will be on Tuesday 18 May at 7.30 pm at ACT Sports House (the old Hackett Primary School
on Maitland St). Several items will be discussed, including the Hackett 50 Year book. The Committee would like to invite
anyone interested in participating in the research and writing of the book to come to the meeting.

Dancing with toddlers

A dance class for pre-school children is held at St Margaret’s Uniting Church Hall, 10 to 11 am on Tuesdays during
school term. Designed for children from “babes in arms” to four year olds – and parents – emphasis is on
playfulness, forming parent-child relationships, creativity and fun. Participants enjoy dancing with other parents
and children, and friendships form.
Conducted by Canberra Dance Theatre, the class has operated for over 2 years and is unique in Canberra. Cost:
$10 per family group per session. For information, go to www.canberradancetheatre.org or call: 0435 025 365.

Hackett Activities
Hackett Neighbourhood Watch is compiling a list of social activities in Hackett open to residents. We already
know about the social activities run by churches and the folk dancing, but we would like to hear of anything
else operating in the suburb or nearby. If you know of anything like this, please send details to
pmcn@webone.com.au. The list will be published in a future issue of the newsletter.

University Experience
Tuesday 6 July, 9.30 am to 2.30 pm, Australian Catholic University, 223 Antill St Watson. The ACU will
hold an open day for future students to meet university staff and current students, and to inspect the
university’s facilities. For details, contact the Marketing Officer on (02) 6209 1295.
 Chief Minister’s statement on
Hackett roadworks
A major upgrade of the intersection of Phillip Avenue
and Majura Avenue in Hackett will be funded as part
of the 2010-11 Budget to improve the safety of this
busy intersection and discourage ‘rat running’ on
residential streets.
Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the $1 million
upgrade would involve the provision of traffic lights
at the intersection and a left-turning slip lane into
Majura Avenue from Phillip Avenue.
“As our city grows it is often the case that the flow of
traffic increases on streets that were not originally
designed to carry such volumes,” Mr Stanhope said.
“An ACT Government safety audit of the intersection
of Phillip Avenue and Majura Avenue identified a
need to invest in a major upgrade of this important
junction.
“The work will have two purposes. The first is to
improve road safety at the intersection, and the second
is to encourage rat running motorists to stick to the
arterial roads that are built to accommodate large
volumes of traffic, rather than making inappropriate
use of local Hackett streets.”
Mr Stanhope said the project was developed in
consultation with the Hackett Residents Association.
He said he was pleased to be able to respond to local
concerns and fund the upgrade in the 2010-11 Budget.
The tender for the works is expected to be advertised
in November 2010 and the project completed by mid
2011.
Eyes on the street pilot program
ACT Police are currently trialing an ‘Eyes on the
Street’ intelligence gathering program. It encourages
employees of business and government agencies to
identify suspicious people, vehicles and criminal
activities, and to report them to police. A similar
program has been successful in Western Australia.
Participants report suspicious activities via an ‘Eyes
on the Street’ incident report form that is sent to
Crime Stoppers, which then processes and
disseminates the data.
Participating organisations include ACTION Buses,
Canberra City Rangers, the ACT Chamber of
Commerce and members of the retail industry.
For further information on the Eyes on the Street
program, contact the Crime Prevention Business
Liaison Office via email act-business-liaison-
officer@afp.gov.au or on (02) 6245 7526.
Free Engine immobilisers still
available
The ACT Government is continuing to subsidise the
cost of engine immobilisers to residents owning a pre
2001 car. People with health care or pension cards
may qualify for a full subsidy to install an
immobilizer, and anyone not holding such cards may
qualify for a subsidy of $100. For information contact
Canberra Connect 13 22 81.
Outside key safe
As criminals know all likely hiding places, ACT
police advise that house keys should never be left
outside unless secured in a key safe. These can be
obtained from hardware stores and locksmiths or from
the Australian Red Cross, Red Cross House, 1st Floor,
Corner Hindmarsh Drive and Palmer Streets, Garran.
The contact at Red Cross is Stacey (ring 6234 7628 to
ensure availability). Costs are $55 (general public),
$35 (Red Cross clients) or for those unable to pay,
arrangements can be made to lend a key safe.
“You Can Speak Out” Youth
Program
ACT Police have launched a ‘You Can Speak Out’
campaign to make youth aware of family violence
issues and to encourage people to report such
incidents to police.
Family violence is not limited to relationships
between husbands, wives and their children; it also
includes violence and abusive behaviour between
defacto couples, gay and lesbian couples, boyfriends
and girlfriends and even extended family members.
Acting Sergeant Mark Rowswell of ACT Police’s
Crime Prevention Team said that the safety and
protection of young people is essential.
“ACT Police urge victims of crime to report incidents
by calling Police Operations on 131-444”. In life-
threatening emergencies call 000 (Triple Zero). For
information on family violence visit www.afp.gov.au.
For support call the Domestic Violence Crisis
Service (DVCS) 02 6280 0900 (24 hours) or visit
www.dvcs.org.au
Hackett Statistic.
In the 2006 Census (8 August, 2006), there were 2,881
persons usually resident in Hackett. 1,383 (48.0%)
were males, and 1,498 (52.0%) were females. Of the
total population in Hackett, 1.1 per cent were
indigenous persons compared with 2.3 per cent for
Australia as a whole. (ABS)
 Crime in Hackett and nearby suburbs March 2010
Assault Burglary Vehicle Other theft Criminal Total
dwellings theft damage

Ainslie

Campbell

Dickson

Downer

Hackett
O’Connor

Reid

Turner

Watson

Offence Street Date Offence Street Date

World Environment Day 2010

Celebrate World Environment Day on Sunday 6 June, from 1.00 pm to 3.30 pm. Local bushcare groups
-The Friends of Mount Majura, the Mount Ainslie Weeders and the Watson Woodland Working Group -
will host functions showing results of their work.

Events will start at two places at 1 pm. You can go to either (i) the Phillip Ave- Kellaway St gate, to see
revegetation work at the old Ainslie tip, or (ii) the Roma Mitchell Crescent gate into Justice Robert
Hope Park in North Watson. Both groups will walk to the Hackett Reservoir off Rivett and French
Streets for afternoon tea and a talk from local resident and ecologist Dr. Phillip Gibbons, at 2.15pm. See
the benefits of rabbit control and weeding. (You can skip the walks and go direct to Mt Majura for the
talk at 2.15 pm.) For information visit www.majura.org or contact a ParkCare Coordinator: Mount
Majura 62477515; Mount Ainslie 62477684; Watson Woodland 62413024

Weeding Blitz
Come along for a serious weed massacre on Sunday, 16 May, from 9.00 am to 12.00 noon, at the
Hackett reservoir off Rivett / French Streets.Wear: Enclosed footwear, garden gloves, and densely
woven clothing to minimise the attachment of horehound (don’t wear woolen clothing as you will look
like a hedgehog after the weeding). Also, bring a weeding tool, such as trowel or a small mattock. Tea
and coffee will be provided.

Last year we made big reductions in weeds in this area. By working in from the edges and broadcasting
seeds of native plants, we plan to eventually clear the area of weeds, and transform it into native habitat
for our furry and feathered friends. Enquiries to Waltraud Pix, FoMM co-ordinator,: Ph 62477515 or
Email admin@majura.org
 ! !
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29 Richards St Hackett
6248 8339