Watzon 125 - Spring 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 another busy few months in Watson. Top of the list has been the opening of the new playground beside the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) (For those old timers like me- still referred to as the old Watson Highschool). This has proven popular from the moment the fences started coming down, with people and kids flocking in like seagulls to a picnic. The official opening day was jam-packed. Kids, grandparents, dogs politicians. Chief Minister Andrew Barr, and Rachael Stephen-Smith MLA, acting Minister for City and Government Services, spoke to the co-design process with the community. The AIE CEO excited us all with plans for the open-air amphitheater, under design and due for construction around 2027. The Majura Scouts ran another very popular sausage sizzle. And the beautiful spring-edge weather was a gift.
WCA had a stand at the opening, and we spoke with many Watsonites, hearing about concerns regarding community safety and other local issues. We also received much encouragement to continue with the printed version of The Watzon.
Several weeks prior to the opening, WCA wrote to various ACT ministers and the local police, asking about community safety plans for the new playground, particularly around the toilet. We are awaiting formal responses, however, on the opening day I did a walk and talk with Rachel Stephen-Smith and she explained their plans for active monitoring, daily checks of the playground ground facilities and design elements intended to mitigate crime risk. She also offered to attend a WCA meeting to engage in more detail. WCA has reached out to arrange a date. Watch this space for a date.
Vacancy on the WCA committee: Simon Clarke, a longstanding committee member is stepping down and we are looking for keen locals interested in being involved at a committee level. We thank Simon for his extraordinary work over the past years engaging in all thing’s planning related. Simon was an integral part of advocating for the new playground area to be kept as a community space rather than converted to apartment blocks. If you have an interest in local issues and joining the committee, please contact WCA Watsoncommunityassociation666@gmail.com for more details.
That’s the wrap. Happy Spring everyone!
Editor’s Note- Longer Days, Lighter Layers (Hopefully!)
By Nora C. | Editor of Watzon Newsletter
The days are slowly stretching out and warming up—dare I say, spring is around the corner? I hope I haven’t jinxed it and summoned another cold blast… Though I’m definitely not as rugged up as I was just a few weeks ago when heading out in the early morning chill.
Like many locals, I take the light rail into work during the week, and one thing that has brightened up my commute—aside from the sun rising earlier—is the annual Rail Safety Week poster competition. Last year’s student submissions made me smile and made my mornings a little less miserable. Have you spotted any that caught your eye this year?
By the time this issue of Watzon reaches your letterbox, the winner of the 2025 People’s Choice award should have been announced. I can’t wait to see who takes the top spot—check out Transport Canberra’s socials to find out!
Stay warm (or cool?) out there—Canberra weather keeps us on our toes
Here are the four designs that were in the running for the people's choice award, created by
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Amelia Bobbin and Paddy Collins from Dickson College
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Lailani Arizapa and Liam Osborn from Daramalan College.
GP Coming soon: Watson General Practice revamp
By Dr Andrew Palfreman | Watson General Practice
Did you know that your local general practice has been at 34 Windeyer Street (across from the shops) since the mid-1980s? The building last had a facelift in 2012 and our ten regular GPs currently hot desk around only four consulting rooms. It’s been great, but like our suburb it’s time to grow.
You may have heard about some planned extensions and renovations. Well, we’re proud to announce that we have a builder engaged and we are in the very final stages of approvals so you should see some movement very soon.
We’ll have an additional 2 rooms added to the front; the existing consultation rooms enlarged and finally have a separate office space for Practice Manager Maddy (who currently sits in a corner of the tearoom!). There’ll be a new air purification heating/cooling system to keep you safe and comfortable, and we finally get to go solar in line with our practice value of sustainability (FYI our other values are empathy, thoroughness, respect and loyalty).
So please forgive us if things are a bit disrupted for a few months while it all happens. We’ll continue to offer as many appointments as we can, including telehealth when we can’t see you onsite. Hopefully the revamped practice will be all done by early in 2026. We look forward to welcoming you in, old patients and new😊
Watson Buzz
By Aileen Conroy
🐝 Rapid vibration of bee’s wings at up to 230 beats per second results in buzzing sounds.
🐝 Larger bees such as native blue banded bees have a lower pitched buzz. Some plants such as tomatoes require “buzz pollination” (also called sonication) which can only be achieved by buzz pollinators such as native blue banded bees.
🐝 Buzzing results from contraction of muscles connecting the wings to a bee’s thorax.
🐝 Beekeepers learn to differentiate between the sound of flight buzz, pollination buzz and agitation buzz (which means we’re feeling threatened and will soon sting).
🐝 With practice various native bees, flies and wasps can also be recognised by their distinctive buzz.
🐝 A passionate citizen scientist in NSW has recoded and studied the pitch of bee buzz. It revealed pitches varying an octave from middle C.
🐝 Spring is an ideal time to plant some more flowers for beauty and to feed pollinators. They will then help feed us!! Planting near your vegetables attracts them to increase the number and size of your produce. Please hover your camera over the QR code for guidance.
Fun fact: the honeybee is the only insect which creates food humans can eat
Bee pollinating Aileen's Lemon tree
Watson Street Celebrates a Festive Christmas in July
By Rowan L. | Living Streets Association
On Friday, 5 July, the families of a Watson street came together for a heart-warming Christmas in July celebration that was full of laughter, good food, and festive spirit. With 13 children and 13 adults in attendance, the event was the perfect blend of community connection and holiday cheer.
The afternoon was a vibrant mix of activities and shared meals. The children, dressed in colourful outfits and festive accessories, played together while the adults caught up over delicious food and warm drinks. Tables were adorned with Christmas-themed tablecloths and decorations, creating a cosy and joyful atmosphere reminiscent of the December holiday season – but with the mid-year twist of winter warmth.
One of the highlights was the sense of togetherness. Neighbours who might usually just wave hello in passing had the chance to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Conversations flowed easily, new friendships were made, and the kids’ laughter filled the air, proving that community events like this are invaluable for strengthening local bonds.
The event also featured plenty of photo-worthy moments – from children posing together after a shared meal to a tiny puppy stealing hearts as it explored the festivities.
By the end of the day, everyone left with full bellies, big smiles, and a renewed sense of belonging. The Christmas in July gathering was more than just a fun afternoon – it was a reminder of how important it is to connect with those around us and celebrate the simple joys of community life
Discover what’s happening on Mount Majura—news, nature, and community updates on our website.
Majura Café Poets
US, OR YOU AND ME?
when we are worlds apart
how do you measure the world?
we have only one
lonely inhabited planet
in solitude amongst stars
my world
an imaginary space
clashing against
the fenced opinions
of what should be
your world
a space in a different zone
maybe
an open field of dreams?
perhaps
we could run
towards a bridge
however narrow
where
hands joined
we can treasure our space
together.
Belinda Ketley
Bulldozer
Church Street, Goulburn
They have sent the bulldozer
into our old garden.
Peony petals fall
on forget-me-not carpets,
rose bushes planted a hundred years ago
are crushed to the ground,
their thorns cannot protect them
All shade disappears
as silver pears and scarlet maples
lie mangled in the sun.
Jaunty Hollyhocks and Canterbury Bells
wilt on cobble stones
The beast crawls forward,
butts the verandah,
carved wooden columns fall
onto the mounds of felled flowers
Next the house
that held six generations,
thick stone walls
offer their resistance.
The chimney topples
Our son once played beneath these trees,
turned on taps to flood the garden,
kicked a ball and chased the bees
Today our civic fathers
park their cars
on the glare of shiny concrete,
amble to their council meetings,
grandly impose a Heritage Order
Jenny Burgess
Mandala
I made a mandala
of tile chips
and chipped tin
to cover
a hole
in a wall
letting in cold air
rather than mend
I chose
to transform
a cover
become art
in its own voice.
Belinda Ketley
A haiku
Daffodils yellow
heralding Spring's first dances
winter chill lingers
David Turbayne
‘Watson the Roundabout'?
Only a Majuran could know the cool green stripes
Of a metal seat looking over the school to our gentle mountain!
Try shopping in the late winter night for dinner...
The perfume of the early plum blossom
Wafting through big spreading casuarina
And the silhouettes of tall deciduous trees
Still pricking the softening sky.
Dogs are quieter and engines of returning workers purr
With their children ready for baths and stories,
Whilst workshops and conversation of thoughtful birds
Bring blessings to close their Watson day.
Jill Sutton
Solstice
Solstice to solstice
the world leans this way
and the world leans that.
Curious, the ancients build
structures aligning with this
shadows aligning with that
dreaming up calendars
and answers to why.
Does this revolve around that
or does that revolve around this?
Who will die for proving this
and who will persecute who
on behalf of that?
I wonder who wondered first.
I wonder was he ever allowed
to wonder again
or did the emperor, in his wisdom
behead the wonderer?
Sometimes you lean this way
sometimes I lean that.
Do I revolve around you
or do you revolve around me?
I hope I don’t die wondering.
Laurie McDonald
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
Watson Planning Snippets- Spring 2025
By Simon Clarke
WCA Committee | Planning Group Convenor | planning2602@gmail.com
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Inner North Play Space
Have you tried it out yet? It seems to be getting a resounding tick of approval from the important people – our kids! The opening was very well attended and a great display of Watson community spirit. I have heard 3 big questions being asked so let’s try to answer them.
1. Why only one toilet? – The original plan has no toilets and we were repeatedly told we had no chance of getting toilets! One toilet is not optimal but it’s far better than none at all.
2. What about parking? A fair slab of the open space on the A’Beckett St side has been earmarked as a future car park. The Planners were working with a limited budget and made the decision to optimise facilities now rather than spending up to half their budget on car parking. So keep emailing access Canberra and try to get a Budget allocation in future budgets.
3. There’s not much shade? The planning decision was to try to limit engineered shade and instead plant for shade. It’s not ideal now but it will be great in 5-10 year’s time – remember the Arboretum in the early days?
Block 76
The works to allow access and subdivision are starting in September and will go into 2026. Our friends at CoHousing Canberra have their bid before the Gov’t being assessed. We wish them well and support their efforts to explore different ways of creating housing.
Car-o-tel Site
Their application for a Territory Plan Variation has been approved and came into effect in May. So now we watch!
Planning Laws
The North Canberra Community Council has put in an excellent submission regarding the Missing Middle Planning Reforms. It’s available on the WCA’s new improved website! – Thanks Mary! https://www.watson.org.au/
Farewell
This is my last Watzon as I have had to resign from WCA committee and my planning role. I have loved my 7 years of involvement and urge you all to consider getting involved. You’ll get back far more than you give as being involved in community is very rewarding.
Enjoy the new shoots of spring and keep supporting your WCA
Loneliness By Degrees
I have mixed feelings about voluntary redundancies. Was an employee smart to accept a payout, or ‘deadwood’? And in accepting one, would a stigma follow me?
Some called me brave. But I’d had health issues — an MRI to eliminate dementia — and rationalised accepting a payout made sense. I’d lost the taste for work; I’d write. Like ‘The Alchemist’, the universe was leading me to my heart’s longings!
When the writing expectations joined forces with the shame, the paralysis arrived. I couldn’t write. I struggled to do anything.
Of course, no one could know. So I’d head off to my cafe, like I had my shit together, swapping lazy adjectives for nouns with grunt, wrestling with voices saying I didn’t deserve to spend my fixed income on an editor because my writing was shit. I was in a bind. I couldn’t will myself forward, and I couldn’t go back. I stood perfectly still, taking shallow gasps.
Without work, this world was lonely, surrounded by neighbours I’d ignored. Easier to rush, head down, from driveway to door.
The thing gladdening my heart was my succulents, forcing me to use my hands, choosing design, colour, pattern. I did with my succulents what I couldn’t with my writing, longing to display it. After all those COVID years out back, something drew me towards the front garden.
I followed my nose, joining my local ‘buy nothing’ group, collecting pots, demanding cuttings, dragging a table out front.
And one day, I decided to invite my neighbours over.
The entry price? Succulent cuttings!
I talked myself into adding my mobile number to the invites, brushing off the neighbours’ texts: ‘Sorry, busy’. I breathed deep, baked a cake and dressed the table. Even if just me, it’d be worth it.
But I was never so relieved as when the first of seven households arrived, in our street of twenty.
Tibetan nun Pema Chodron writes that ‘hot’ loneliness keeps to itself, feeling shame, wanting no one else to see your insides, while ‘cool’ loneliness accepts what is, creating space for other lonely souls to enter.
There is no shame in ‘cool loneliness’. Only the hope that a loneliness warrior following their nose might, in the next breath, encounter another lonely warrior.
And guess what? The nation’s capital, Canberra — my home — records the highest levels of loneliness in Australia.
Breathe deep, fellow loneliness warriors, for we have work to do.
Watson Property Sales
Kindly Provided by Home by Holly
Address | Sold Price |
|---|---|
1/10 Irvine Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $325,000.00 |
18/35 Tay Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $350,000.00 |
42/23 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $357,000.00 |
17/23 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $360,350.00 |
9/115 Knox Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $362,000.00 |
19/21 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $363,000.00 |
73/20 Federal Highway WATSON, ACT 2602 | $420,000.00 |
29/1 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $430,000.00 |
Negus Crescent WATSON, ACT 2602 | $430,000.00 |
31/20 Federal Highway WATSON, ACT 2602 | $440,000.00 |
8/35 Tay Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $455,000.00 |
32/3 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $459,900.00 |
28/28 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $475,200.00 |
24/1 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $494,900.00 |
23/21 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $495,000.00 |
Negus Crescent WATSON, ACT 2602 | $509,900.00 |
15/28 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $575,000.00 |
135/395 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $598,000.00 |
43/1 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $619,900.00 |
64/1 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $663,000.00 |
84 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $680,000.00 |
47/14 Federal Highway WATSON, ACT 2602 | $690,000.00 |
65 Ian Nicol Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $707,500.00 |
19/10 Federal Highway WATSON, ACT 2602 | $720,000.00 |
23/19 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $720,000.00 |
6/10 Federal Highway WATSON, ACT 2602 | $735,000.00 |
1/408 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $740,000.00 |
22 Tay Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $740,000.00 |
34/28 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $740,000.00 |
1/404 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $750,000.00 |
404 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $750,000.00 |
5/21 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $750,000.00 |
434 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $755,000.00 |
4 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $810,000.00 |
83/45 Negus Crescent WATSON, ACT 2602 | $830,000.00 |
106/215 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $882,000.00 |
13/45 Negus Crescent WATSON, ACT 2602 | $900,000.00 |
82/215 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $916,000.00 |
116/215 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $919,000.00 |
116/395 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $919,000.00 |
24 Cullen Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $920,000.00 |
56/215 Aspinall Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $950,000.00 |
56/395 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $950,000.00 |
237 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $995,000.00 |
84 A'beckett Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,025,000.00 |
285 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,100,000.00 |
6 Stow Place WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,130,000.00 |
3 McCawley Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,150,000.00 |
14 Phippard Court WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,160,000.00 |
319 Antill Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,160,000.00 |
2 Stow Place WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,185,000.00 |
11 Dickinson Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,270,000.00 |
14 Windeyer Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,270,000.00 |
99 Phillip Avenue WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,275,000.00 |
6 Peden Place WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,400,000.00 |
17 Mcclemans Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,431,000.00 |
25 Ada Evans Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $1,453,000.00 |
6 Harding Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $2,200,000.00 |
77/1 Buninyong Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | $4,300,000.00 |
11/62 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | Contact agent |
21/28 Beechworth Street WATSON, ACT 2602 | Contact agent |
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