Watzon 126 - Summer 2025
The Watson Community Association Inc. acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Canberra and pays respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We recognise that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from across Australia now call Canberra home, and we celebrate their cultures, diversity and contributions to the ACT and region.
Please note that the views expressed in this Newsletter are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the Watson Community Association.
Welcome From Your Chair
By Merinda Nash
Chair of Watson Community Association
It's been a busy month for the WCA.
Local planning issues are once again demanding attention. The WCA has lodged submissions on two significant proposals: Draft Major Plan Amendment DPA-09 (Northern Gateway), which proposes increased housing density along streets backing Northbourne Avenue, and the expansion plans for the Academy of Interactive Entertainment on the former Watson High School site.
Our Northern Gateway submission raised serious concerns about increased traffic congestion, pressure on local schools and services, loss of larger family homes, fundamental changes to our suburban character, and the destruction of mature tree canopy. Similar concerns about tree canopy loss were highlighted in our AIE submission.
The proposed Thoroughbred Park rezoning (DPA-08), allowing mixed commercial and residential development, is open for comment until 1 December. Thoroughbred Park CEO Darren Pearce and an ACT Government representative presented the plans at our 11 November meeting, fielding questions on everything from noise abatement to waste management. Fun fact: the racecourse runs its own worm farm, turning horse manure into compost!
Looking to get involved locally? The Friends of Watson Greenspace (beautifying the area beside the 'dog dam') run activities for all ages, while the Friends of Mount Majura conduct regular conservation work. We also welcome your engagement on planning issues.
For those interested in community safety, we're establishing a working group to maintain proactive engagement with the ACT Government, ensuring Watson remains safe for all residents, especially our older and more vulnerable community members.
Have a happy and safe Christmas everyone
Editor’s Note
By Nora C. | Editor of Watzon Newsletter
I think I might have jinxed the weather in my last editor’s piece — I’m writing this one in a hoodie and long pants. I refused to turn the heater on because that would be ridiculous… but here we are. My bad!
You may have noticed the newsletter has been a bit thinner since Issue #124. The pages might be light, but the force is strong. I appreciate all feedback on the hybrid format. It’s been a steep learning curve for me, but a worthwhile one. I can’t speak on behalf of Mary, but I do want to give her a proper shoutout — a huge amount of work goes into adapting our printed content for the webpage, and she does it with such care.
Thank you all for your ongoing support — your feedback, GoFundMe donations, and the time many of you give to delivery truly keep this little newsletter running. Also a big pat on the shoulder to my partner, Dan, who remains my technical support when I run into formatting issues.
With new apartment blocks popping up around Watson, we’re also welcoming new neighbours into the community. And if I’m not wrong, we’re still the only suburb in Canberra with a printed newsletter — so I hope this one shows up in your mailbox as a small, pleasant surprise.
Here’s to rolling with the changes and seeing what 2026 has in store!
Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Spring Fair
By Rosalie Ariston | Youth With A Mission
It is always heartwarming when neighbours come together and connect like they did at YWAM's Spring Fair (Sun Oct 12). Some memorable 'snaphots' were of the girls selling creatively decorated cupcakes, while their brother sold his pre-loved toys; of Vince, the former local bus driver, skirling bagpipe tunes; and of Anayah on her violin with a moving rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon. Kudos to WCA for meeting & greeting both familiar & new faces; the gardeners from the YWAM community garden informing interested green thumbs of available plots; and Watson Early Childhood Education and Care Centre showcasing their centre located just across the street. Such fun to see young ones happily tearing open their 'lucky dip' from Betty's Craft stall & the teens rush to play water balloon volleyball! A sold out favourite was Hazel’s home made lemon butter - funds raised go towards projects working with the marginalized in India and Haiti. Tracey (a professional hairdresser who volunteers her time at The Pantry at YWAM on Thursdays) raised funds towards 'Breeze of Hope', a project to help women prisoners in the Philippines acquire basic hairdressing skills. And good on Ned for setting up his makeshift key cutting work table by the entrance.
Connecting with each other, having coffee with mates, catching up with neighbours - that's community. Thank to all those who came along and supported the Fair in some way (can’t name them all). We hope the free coffee & scones warmed you against that chilly breeze and you got some good Christmas stocking stuffers, and maybe even blessed the young boy from the neighbourhood who was probably looking for some profitable margins :) Hope to see you next year!
web ywamcanberra.com | instagram @ywamcanberra
Watson Buzz
By Aileen Conroy
🐝 How do bees discern temperature and humidity, so they can decide when to cluster around their brood to keep it close to 34 degrees or to spray water and fan their wings to cool their hive? Their antennae sense this and much more!
🐝 When worker bees are scouting for nectar, pollen, water and ingredients for propolis, their antennae guide them by sensing odour, then their five eyes search for colours. The antenna’s taste sensors are more sensitive than those on the bee’s tongue.
🐝 Antennae also sense flight speed and this contributes to bees’ clever ability to navigate accurately for kilometres with a tiny brain the size of a sesame seed.
🐝 Bees do not have ears but their antennae sense vibration in stereo helping them to locate the source of the sound.
🐝 Touching their antennae to one another bees communicate pheromone messages and tastes of nectar to the thousands of bees in their colony.
🐝 Bees have a specially designed cleaning hook lined with stiff hair on their front legs to groom these vital sense organs (see diagram). Grains of pollen from flowers and dust are carefully combed off.
🐝 By planting a variety of nectar rich plants which flower throughout the year you will attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Bees sense of smell is 100 times more sensitive than humans so they will find you.
🐝 Please avoid using pesticides, especially the neonicotinoid class and organophosphates which are highly toxic to bees
Honeybee using her antenae
Bee leg showing the antenna cleaner
From Buzzaboutbees.net
The Concept of Giving
By Living Streets Association
In the ideal community, people use their energy towards helping others and enjoy contributing to creating a sense of belonging, happiness, and well-being in their community. The spirit of reciprocity and sharing can be achieved through the work of community building in urban residential cities.
Dr. Thomas W. Nielsen believes that young people need to learn to ‘give’ to become a complete person, and says that “one of the healthiest things we can do is to give, as this leads us to be healthier, happier and possibly even to living longer”. Pointing out the need for children to have the opportunity to give daily, he says that, “giving is also a strong predictor of increased mental and physical health into adulthood and reduced adolescent depression and suicide risk,” and that, “there is increasing research evidence supporting the view that being something for others creates unparalleled wellbeing and resilience in children”.
Living Streets Association believes that anyone can practice this concept of giving and volunteering within their neighbourhoods, regardless of their age. Living Streets Youth, an initiative under the Living Streets Association, was established to encourage and inspire young people to actively engage with their neighbourhoods and extend their impact to the broader community. These community events provide an opportunity for adolescents to serve as contributors, take on leadership roles, engage with younger children, and participate in meetings with their peers to plan future events. Through youth-led community events, the experience of connecting with others can be enhanced, and young people’s social competence and social responsibility can be developed.
We also see so many examples of selfless giving in the Watson community; in the committed members of Majura P&C, the volunteers across the various local community groups, the people laying out stepping stones, clearing paths or planting flowers and bushes in our parks and Microforest, the bike enthusiasts carving out mini pump tracks, the book lovers building street libraries, the dog lovers building stick libraries, the neighbours offering their toys, sports equipment, or outdoor seats for people to enjoy, and many others who are quietly contributing to the beauty and community of our suburb.
What are some ways that you could practice giving within your street and neighbourhood?
Discover what’s happening on Mount Majura—news, nature, and community updates on our website.
Majura Café Poets
Bet You Can't
I can change a flat tyre on a ute in a bog
without so much as blinkin'
I can kick goals blindfold and drunk
without knowing which way I'm facin'
I can solve third order differential equations
without even resorting to thinkin'
But I can't fill an electric jug
in a motel bathroom basin.
Laurie McDonald
Near
Near to me
your breath whispering
gentle as a morning's breeze
so near your lips
smiling an inner glow
so near your happiness
spreading hope
in a world of doubt
so near angels can be heard
singing hallelujah
to be near you again.
David Turbayne
Old McDonald
I once was full of go
never knew the word slow
Now I'm old McDonald
and there ain't no farm
EIEIO
Old McDonald's creativity's gone
he's got no more poems to show
Will have to resort to Artificial Intelligence
AIAIO
Laurie McDonald
Monitor, Yuraygir National Park
Sleepy monitor, slowly staring
From an ancient yesterday,
Moving from a time-warp mirror,
Primeval owner of this land.
Stretched along the tall angophora,
Placid lord of all below,
Gum-grey, bark-brown banding
Binds him hard to somnolence.
Beneath the leather stripes of strength
Tapering to a slender whip,
Cling spotted tendrils poised to strike
A rival for his branch on earth.
Blood-warmed by a solar fire,
The same ever-burning light
Inflaming his ancestral giants,
To lumber through the jungle swamps.
Now, speed evolves from smaller frame,
So bursting from apparent sloth
Dart fiery sparks of steely swiftness,
Unleashing anger to defend.
Jenny Burgess
Murrumbidgee Wombats
I sit beside the Murrumbidgee,
Tracing a lonely wombat
As it shuffles by so close to me.
I breathe a sigh, it’s cute as a cat!
I want to stroke and draw it to me,
A bundle of love, as round as a vat
Hairy and gentle soul I see,
Adorable hugs. But no, I shan’t!
It meanders and struts along, it veers
To a deep and cavernous pit.
Another whiskered nose appears
Two wombats closely fit.
They merge as one, together again,
In their snug little home, their very own den.
Ruth Chipman
Visit
Visit a place from the Dreamtime
wild and remote
with fast flowing rivers, ancient rocks
majestic forests reaching to the sky
Visit a place where constellations of stars glow
where myriad birds sing their songs
animals prowl into the night
Visit a place where spirits of ancestors dwell
a place of inner peace
where Nature nurtures the soul.
David Turbayne
Other People’s Pegs. . .and Mine
My daughter’s pegs
Quietly emanate
Environmentally friendly vibes.
But in these sunny climes
My fingers sweat and slip
And fail to grip
The shiny metal.
Like little butterfly sculptures,
Fluttered down from rainforest trees,
They rest their silver frames
Along the green line.
Judy Smith
Shine
Happiness: how to achieve?
A thousand books guide us
To this popular goal.
A state of Utopia
Or the top of the ladder?
Permanent bliss?
No! It’s fluid, evasive,
Sand through your fingers,
Sometimes you glimpse it
From the corner of your eye,
A tiny scene, transient.
Or a quote from a book,
A brilliant poem,
An act of kindness
Which pierces your heart.
A love letter,
A blue wren at your window,
A golden sunset,
Dew on a leaf,
A lacey web.
Grey shadows come
To darken our lives
Yet through the gloom
A tiny spark
Bursts into flame
And our soul shines.
Jenny Burgess
Watson Property Sales
Kindly Provided by Home by Holly
Address | Price |
|---|---|
1/23 Tay Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $497,000 |
10 Dickinson Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $955,000 |
10/35 Tay Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $378,000 |
10/7 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $920,000 |
106/215 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $882,000 |
108 Irvine Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,400,000 |
11 Dickinson Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,270,000 |
11 Street Place WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,049,000 |
113/215 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $882,000 |
116 Irvine Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,075,000 |
123/395 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $855,000 |
125 Knox Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,265,000 |
135/395 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $598,000 |
14 Stow Place WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,020,000 |
14/3 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $417,500 |
15 Ehrlich Circuit WATSON, ACT 2602 | $840,000 |
163/395 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $530,000 |
17 A'beckett Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,100,000 |
17 Mcclemans Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,431,000 |
17 Molesworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,100,000 |
18 Manning Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,425,000 |
2 Therry Place WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,277,500 |
20 A'Beckett Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,606,000 |
20/18 Negus Crescent WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,000,000 |
20/28 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $450,000 |
207 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $950,000 |
22 Kerferd Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,045,000 |
23 Piddington Street, Watson | $2,210,000 |
26 Carcoar Terrace WATSON, ACT 2602 | $700,000 |
26 Phippard Court WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,200,000 |
26/15 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $730,000 |
27 Ehrlich Circuit WATSON, ACT 2602 | $700,000 |
28 Windeyer Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,000,000 |
28A Molesworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $837,500 |
29 Williams Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,000,000 |
29 Woolcock Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,100,000 |
30 Kilduff Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,225,000 |
315 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,160,000 |
32 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $980,000 |
32 Blair Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,197,000 |
32/15 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $690,000 |
34 A'Beckett Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,175,000 |
37 Ehrlich Circuit WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,025,000 |
37/23 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $560,000 |
38 Irvine Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,300,000 |
4 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $810,000 |
4/20 Federal Highway WATSON, ACT 2602 | $405,000 |
4/6 Bicheno Mews WATSON, ACT 2602 | $810,000 |
43/1 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $619,900 |
44 Williams Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,400,000 |
44/15 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $592,500 |
44/25 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $543,000 |
47/23 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $395,000 |
48 Ian Nicol Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $690,000 |
5 Blair Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,180,000 |
53 Cullen Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,620,000 |
56/1 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $- |
57� Ehrlich Circuit WATSON, ACT 2602 | $999,000 |
6 Harding Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $2,200,000 |
6/25 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $820,000 |
63/20 Federal Highway WATSON, ACT 2602 | $450,000 |
63/23 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $540,000 |
7 Simpson Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,471,000 |
70 Whitmore Crescent WATSON, ACT 2602 | $688,000 |
73/215 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $885,000 |
8/113 Knox Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $380,000 |
8/115 Knox Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $380,000 |
8/156 Knox Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $200,000 |
8/25 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $750,000 |
80 Irvine Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,177,000 |
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