Page 892 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015
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Gungahlin—Crace
MR COE (Ginninderra) (6.47): I rise today to speak about Crace, a vibrant community in my electorate. The Crace joint venture was formed in January 2008. From the beginning, the suburb of Crace was designed to be a different type of suburb, one that would challenge people’s perceptions of what a suburb should be. Construction of the suburb commenced in 2008 after a master plan had been developed. The master plan combined a vibrant, high density urban core surrounded by the suburban precinct. The suburb has been designed to offer the highest levels of community, sustainability and amenity. The near-completed suburb includes a shopping centre, childcare facilities, a community garden, medical facilities and 23 hectares of parkland.
After the first sales of terrace homes in April 2009, the Crace builders panel opened the demonstration village. Suburban land was released in 2010 and the final blocks in the suburb were sold in 2013.
The suburb of Crace was named after Edward Kendall Crace. As I have mentioned before, Edward Crace was a pastoralist who owned extensive landholdings, including several properties in the area: Ginninderra, Gungahlin and Charnwood. Edward Crace travelled to Australia in 1865 on the Duncan Dunbar. The ship was shipwrecked off the coast of Brazil on the way. After his arrival in Australia, he spent time in Sydney and Toowoomba before making a visit to England. In 1871 Edward married Kate Marion, who had also been travelling on the Duncan Dunbar, and they had six daughters and two sons.
Not only was Edward Crace a very successful businessman but he was also an active community member, including being president of the Ginninderra Cricket Club. Tragically, Edward drowned in 1892. The Hilltop Reserve has a memorial honouring Admiral Sir John Crace, the son of Edward and Kate, and the 1,500 Australians who fought under his command in the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.
The Crace Community Association has recently been formed and is becoming an active part of the community. The association has been involved in planning and running community events, including street parties and Christmas celebrations. The association is also helping residents to become involved in local activities, including gardening workshops, walking groups, book clubs and playgroups.
The Crace Community Association’s next community event is a party at the shops later in the month. The party will include live music, stalls, face painting and other activities for children. It promises to be a wonderful community gathering.
The Crace Community Association includes many enthusiastic residents. The president is David Pollard; the vice president is Jennah Hollowczak; the treasurer is Srihari Embar-Gopinath; the secretary of minutes is Nicky Reading; the community facilitator is Sally Skuse; and members of the committee include Helen Berry, Steve Cross, Sridevi Embar-Gopinath, Chris Mansfield, Gerry Musgrove, John Musgrove, Bill Reid, Karl Schaffarczyh, Nick Sloane, Alan Timmiss, Maudi Timmiss, Andrew Tyler and Nira Tyler.
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