17 April 2023
Gathering and Place
Sporting events have an ability to bring us together in the spirit of competition, and we love a good battle on the field, particularly in South Australia.
Unless you hate footy or didn’t turn the radio or TV on, the AFL’s Gather Round was held across greater Adelaide over the weekend and it was a revelation to see how great the city looked, felt and behaved.
As a mad Sydney Swans supporter (sorry, old habits), it was great to sit in the Western Stands of Adelaide Oval on Sat night and play the Tigers (beating them convincingly!) and to feel proud that Adelaide is indeed a great city to live in. I am slowly being convinced the Adelaide Oval is the best stadium to experience a place, as well as sport, in Australia (which is really hard to admit as the SCG is also a great place).
The story of how the new State Government (in particular, Premier Malinauskas) secured the event will be folklore in years to come, edging out Sydney and the Gold Coast, and represents how important it is for our smaller cities to take some risks and provide experiences most people may not have considered.
Seeing Mt Barker on the big and little screens hosting a national sport was uplifting, and indeed shows off a little bit more of South Australia.
Heartening is to know many LA’s were involved in many of the venues, shaping the experiences in and around them. My involvement in the external spaces around the Western Stands at Adelaide Oval a decade ago a small but proud moment 😉.
2023 is an election year!
We’ve had local, state and federal elections – now it is AILA’s turn! This year is an election year for AILA SA and nominations for Chapter Executive open this week so keep a look out for these and we hope to have some new nominations for the SA team this year with four of our existing Executive members planning to step down from their roles. Please reach out if you would like to discuss what it involves. It is a great opportunity to shape the work of the chapter, to advocate for the role of Landscape Architects in greening our state, the value of climate positive design as well as nurturing our growing profession and so much more.
Awards Update
We are excited to be showcasing the 2023 Awards Entries on Wednesday 3 May at our Award entries Reveal and Presentation to Jury Online event. Please share the event details far and wide so we can showcase the profession and the significant contribution of the projects shaped by Landscape Architects with local communities.
LA’s In the Media
I am pleased to report that the new Ministerial Built Environment Education Liaison Group met recently, and you may want to check out the recent INDAILY Article that features discussion on the skills shortages in South Australia and the role of this new group, which is a fantastic initiative of the new State Government through Minister Champion. It profiles the pathways to registration as well as the importance of built environment design professionals.
AILA SA is also delighted to be attending the Careers + Employment Expo in May to showcase the career pathway to students in SA. Please encourage anyone you know to visit us at the Expo at the Built Environment Professions booth, proudly sponsored by the Office for Design and Architecture SA.
As always, if there is any issue, event or idea you have please reach out to Sally or myself, or any of the AILA SA Exec team.
Cheers (and go Swannies!)
DJB