The Pink Party at Hamilton Neighbourhood Hub marks International Breast Cancer Awareness Month and brings together a full morning of community activity. It has become a regular part of the local calendar, and it keeps its focus on simple, useful support.
The event runs from 8am to 12pm on Saturday 10 October at Hamilton Neighbourhood Activities Centre, 68 Oxford Street. It begins with a cake stall, a re-loved stall, and a plant and produce stall. A fitness session also starts at 8am, with bookings encouraged and a $15 entry fee.
The Pink Puppy Parade follows at 9am. Children and their dressed-up dogs can enter for $2, with prizes on offer. It adds a family-friendly touch and gives the morning a bit of movement early on.
A full morning program
The Pink Party at Hamilton Neighbourhood Hub continues with BBQ and Devonshire morning tea from 9.30am. HHS students will perform at 10am. Violinist Liz Young will also provide roving entertainment through the morning.
Children will have their own activities too, with HSS PCYC running programs and a treasure hunt available. Prizes for the best pink outfits will be awarded throughout the day, which helps keep the event visually lively.
The program is straightforward, but that is part of the appeal. Visitors can stop in for a short time or stay longer and move between the stalls, music and food.
Money raised will support Be Uplifted Inc, Breast Cancer Network Australia and Cancer Council. This year, a small portion will also support the Hub’s own community programs and help keep the lights on.
That local element gives the event added value. It supports large charities while also helping the neighbourhood centre that hosts so much day-to-day community activity. The event is supported by the Lord Mayor’s Community Fund, which reflects its place in the area.
For Ascot readers, the Pink Party at Hamilton Neighbourhood Hub is an easy event to back. It is close by, clearly community-minded and built around a cause that matters.
A new multi-level electric go-kart raceway will anchor a 3,600-square-metre entertainment complex at Skygate, bringing racing, bowling, arcade games and other attractions to the Brisbane Airport precinct.
Game Over plans to open the purpose-built venue in 2027, with an eight-lane ten-pin bowling alley, interactive attractions, food and beverage facilities and dedicated spaces for parties, corporate events and group functions. The go-kart circuit, described by Brisbane Airport as Queensland’s largest electric track, will cater for guests from four years old.
From The Starting Grid To The Bowling Lanes
The multi-level track will operate with a large fleet of electric karts and cater for guests from four years old. This puts racing at the centre of the new venue.
Beyond the circuit, plans include an eight-lane ten-pin bowling alley, arcade games and a range of interactive attractions. Dedicated areas for birthday parties, corporate events and group functions will also be built into the complex, alongside a food and beverage precinct.
Photo Credit: Brisbane Airport
Game Over is already established elsewhere in Queensland, with venues at Oxley, North Lakes and the Gold Coast, as well as locations in Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown. Its existing Oxley venue combines electric go-karting with laser tag, mini golf, arcade games and indoor play facilities.
Skygate’s Leisure Line-Up Keeps Growing
The arrival of Game Over will add another large indoor attraction to Skygate, where retail is increasingly sharing space with recreation and entertainment. Dinos Alive, Area 51, Golf Central and Landers Pocket are among the attractions operating or announced for the precinct.
DFO Brisbane and Queensland’s only 24-hour Woolworths remain part of Skygate’s established retail mix. The precinct also offers free parking and access to major arterial roads.
Photo Credit: Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport Executive General Manager Commercial Scott Norris said Game Over would add another reason for people to spend more time at Skygate as the precinct continues to move beyond its earlier retail focus. Game Over General Manager Brad Ward said the Skygate venue would bring racing, bowling, arcade games and interactive attractions together under one roof, expanding the company’s Queensland presence.
The project has been announced during Brisbane Airport’s wider $5 billion Future BNE transformation. Game Over is scheduled to open at Skygate in 2027, with a more specific opening date yet to be provided.
Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA is entering its final week at Eagle Farm, bringing Brisbane’s stint under the Big Top close to an end before the production moves on to Sydney.
The final performance is scheduled for Saturday, 3 October, at 465 Curtin Avenue East, behind Royal Queensland Golf Club. The 125-minute production, including a 25-minute interval, has brought 53 artists from 19 nationalities to the Eagle Farm site for the Brisbane season.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Queensland Gets Its Turn In The Spotlight
Among the international cast is Gold Coast performer Mitch Wynter, who appears as The Trickster, one of KOOZA’s central characters. Six live musicians and two singers perform at every show, accompanying a mix of acrobatics, clowning and high-risk acts including the Wheel of Death.
Cirque du Soleil says the Brisbane season has drawn audiences from across Queensland, including people travelling from Cairns, Caloundra, Charleville, Toowoomba, Mount Isa and Texas. The audience mix has ranged from children seeing Cirque du Soleil for the first time to long-time followers returning to the Big Top.
Photo Credit: Supplied
KOOZA first premiered in Montréal in April 2007 as Cirque du Soleil’s 20th original touring production. Since then, it has been seen by more than 10 million people across more than 5,500 performances in 87 cities and 23 countries.
The name comes from the Sanskrit word koza, meaning box, chest or treasure. It is a reference to the production’s original idea of a circus contained within a box.
Photo Credit: Supplied
The Show Ends, Then The Pack-Down Begins
Once the Brisbane season closes, the Eagle Farm site begins its own final act. The touring footprint covers about 17,000 square metres, while the Big Top seats 2,500 people, stands 56 feet high and spans 164 feet in diameter. Building the site takes seven days, while dismantling it takes three.
More than 120 people travel with the production, supported by two performance medicine specialists and a kitchen catering for cast, crew and staff. Behind the performances are more than 175 costumes, 160 hats and more than 1,200 handcrafted costume pieces, including an army costume made with 400 individually sewn metallic flaps to create the appearance of armour.
KOOZA is the 11th Cirque du Soleil Big Top production to visit Australia in 26 years. After the final Eagle Farm performance, the tents, costumes and touring operation will be packed for the move south to Sydney.
Patrons attending the remaining Brisbane shows can access the site from Curtin Avenue East. On-site parking costs $20 and opens up to one hour and 45 minutes before showtime, with the Brisbane run concluding on 3 October.
Suthermere, at 1 Sutherland Avenue, sold on 12 September following an auction at The Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Four registered bidders competed for the six-bedroom property, which occupies a 2,024-square-metre corner allotment.
Bidding opened at $12 million and continued until reaching $16.8 million, when proceedings paused for discussions with the vendor. The auction later resumed at $17 million, with the property declared on the market before the hammer fell.
Photo Credit: RayWhite
Four Bidders Compete For Ascot Estate
The bidder pool included two Brisbane locals, a participant from Sydney and another from the United States. The successful buyer’s identity was not disclosed.
The $17 million result was reported as the highest residential auction sale nationally for the weekend and Brisbane’s second-highest auction sale on record.
Ray White Collective Luxury marketed the property, with Matt Lancashire acting as the selling agent. Haesley Cush conducted the auction.
The campaign attracted close to 100 groups through the home during three weeks of inspections. About 10 interested buyers were also reported to have had the capacity to purchase at that price level.
Photo Credit: RayWhite
Family Owned Suthermere For About 25 Years
The early-1900s Federation-era home had been held by the same family since 2001, when it was purchased for $1.66 million.
A major renovation and rebuild was completed in 2007.
The residence now contains six bedrooms, five bathrooms and three-car garaging. Its layout includes formal and informal living spaces, a children’s lounge and study, a self-contained guest suite with a kitchenette and separate entry, and a primary suite with two walk-in wardrobes, an ensuite and balcony.
Photo Credit: RayWhite
Other areas include a performance room with a stage, fitness space, temperature-controlled wine room, freezer room and two outdoor kitchens.
Outside, the property has landscaped gardens, terraces, a heated swimming pool, magnesium spa and outdoor shower.
A family room sits beneath a glass-pyramid-inspired ceiling, while the home also includes automated lighting and other controls, security systems and irrigated gardens.
Photo Credit: RayWhite
Sutherland Avenue Records Another High-Value Sale
The sale adds another eight-figure transaction to Sutherland Avenue.
Number 32 Sutherland Avenue sold for $23 million in late 2024, setting what was then a new Brisbane residential price benchmark.
Suthermere’s $17 million auction result followed about 25 years with its previous owners and a three-week sales campaign that drew bidders from Brisbane, Sydney and overseas.
The Eagle Farm grandstand long known as the John Power Stand is set for demolition from August, ending nearly seven decades of use at the Ascot racecourse as plans progress for its replacement, The Terraces.
The John Power Stand at Eagle Farm Racecourse is preparing to come down after nearly 70 years as part of a major change to the Ascot racing precinct.
The final winter carnival meeting at Eagle Farm marked the end of a long chapter for the ageing stand, which was built in 1957 and has capacity for about 4,000 people.
Engineers have determined the structure presents health and safety concerns for patrons, with the stand scheduled to be decommissioned in August 2026. Demolition is expected to begin from August and take between four and six months.
Named after former Queensland Turf Club president Dr John Power, the stand has long formed part of the spectator precinct at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Queensland’s premier thoroughbred racing venue.
Photo Credit: MID-0524-0842
The Terraces Planned For Ascot Precinct
The Eagle Farm grandstand will be replaced by The Terraces, a four-level facility planned with updated safety, accessibility and race-day amenities.
The proposed new stand will include bars, a restaurant with tiered seating and five private suites that can be reconfigured into a larger function room. Planning for the facility has also included public and patron areas, a ground-floor plaza and a rooftop restaurant and bar.
Hassell and RWA Sports Architecture have been linked to the design, which is planned around racecourse views, hospitality spaces and improved facilities for spectators.
Construction of the replacement stand is not expected to start until the new year at the earliest.
Photo Credit: MID-0524-0842
Funding Still Being Finalised
An initial $25 million has been secured to start the first phase of the redevelopment.
The broader project has been placed at $100 million, with Brisbane Racing Club continuing negotiations for the remaining $75 million.
The new spectator facilities are being delivered through a partnership between Racing Queensland and Brisbane Racing Club.
Photo Credit: MID-0524-0842
Racing To Continue During Redevelopment
Eagle Farm is expected to operate under a different model while the redevelopment proceeds.
Both the John Power Stand and the adjoining heritage stand will be closed to the public, with the heritage stand also due for upgrades. The racecourse is scheduled to host its next Saturday meeting on 25 July.
Planning has included exclusion zones to keep race meetings operating during the works. Brisbane Racing Club has spent months preparing for the transition and has said maintaining racing continuity remains a priority.
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School Old Girl Maggie James has been recognised by the school for a career shaped by music, clinical care and service to critically ill children at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Maggie James, nee Leung, from the Class of ’97, was named the 2026 Spirit of Service Past Student Award recipient at the school’s Past Student Awards Dinner in March.
The award was introduced in 2024 to recognise alumni whose work demonstrates servant leadership, contribution and service to others. James was honoured alongside Professor Catherine Greenhill from the class of 1987, who received the Distinguished Past Student Award, and Natalie Charlton from the class of 2012, who received the Young Past Student of Distinction Award.
The evening brought together Old Girls, current students and members of the St Margaret’s community. Music also formed part of the event, with performances by the Sculthorpe String Quartet and Year 7 student Minh, who performed a solo cello piece accompanied by Mr Ng.
For James, the award recognised a career that has taken music from the school environment into hospital rooms, where it forms part of care for children and families facing serious illness.
James is a Paediatric Music Therapist and Clinical Lead of the Music Therapy Department at Queensland Children’s Hospital. She has spent 23 years with Children’s Health Queensland.
Her work centres on children who are seriously unwell, including patients in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and some receiving palliative care. In that setting, music therapy is used to support pain management, rehabilitation, emotional expression and regulation of heart rate and breathing.
James’ pathway into the field began with a long-standing connection to music. She began playing piano at the age of two and later studied Music Therapy at The University of Queensland. Her interest developed into a specialised clinical career focused on how music can support sick children and their families during treatment and recovery.
Her work includes singing, music listening, songwriting, music-making and the use of instruments. Sessions are adapted to the needs and condition of each child.
In one example from her clinical work, James used percussion instruments and a rearranged children’s song as part of therapy for a toddler recovering from an acquired brain injury. The therapy supported movement goals for the child’s right arm and hand alongside physiotherapy.
Photo Credit: St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School/Facebook
Music Therapy Work Beyond Brisbane
James’ work has also extended beyond Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Her specialisation in neurologic music therapy in paediatric intensive care has taken her into volunteer roles in critical-care orphanages in China, involvement with the Board of the Butterfly Children’s Hospice, and participation in the International Conference on Children’s Music Therapy in Norway.
She has also completed an MBA at The University of Queensland, extending her leadership work in the field. Her focus includes developing sustainable and equitable music therapy services for children and families.
St Margaret’s Connection Continues
The Ascot past student’s connection with St Margaret’s has continued through family and music.
James’ daughters began their own time at St Margaret’s this year. A collaboration has also begun between the school and Queensland Children’s Hospital, with the St Margaret’s Primary Choir and String Quartet set to perform for children and families in hospital care.
It is the kind of career milestone that tends to feel both earned and surprising at once, but for those who watched Akari move through St Margaret’s music programme between 2017 and 2021, the trajectory makes complete sense. She arrived at school not particularly fond of musical theatre. She left bound for one of the most celebrated stage productions in the world.
A teacher’s suggestion that changed everything
Akari credits a pivotal conversation in her final year of school for setting her on the path to musical directing. Her music teacher, Mr Ng, suggested she look into the field, a career direction she had never previously considered. After researching it herself, she realised musical directing combined everything she loved about music into a viable profession.
Before that conversation, her school years had already been building something. Akari performed in three St Margaret’s school productions, and by her own account, the experience transformed her relationship with musical theatre entirely.
“The school musicals were life-changing experiences,” Akari said. “I didn’t really like musical theatre at first, but I had the chance to play in three school productions, and with each one, I felt my love for the art form grow more and more. In the end, I went from disliking musical theatre to wanting to live and breathe it, and that’s when I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career.”
From Ascot, Akari went on to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), graduating with a Bachelor of Music Honours in Composition and Sonic Arts, before landing her role on The Lion King.
Sitting in the pit at the Capitol Theatre
The Music Associate role places Akari directly inside the production’s musical operation, and her first show as Keyboard 1 in front of a live audience was an experience she has described in vivid terms.
“It’s such a surreal and overwhelming feeling being part of this show,” Akari said. “From the very first note of ‘Circle of Life’, you can feel the audience shift as they’re taken back to the film and their childhood.”
“A moment that made it feel real was playing my first show as Keyboard 1 in front of an audience. I don’t think I’ve been that nervous in a long time — my arms and legs were shaking during the first song but by halfway through Act 1 I started to relax and really felt present with the rest of the band and cast. That was the moment when it really hit me.”
The production she is now part of has reached more than 124 million people worldwide across its decades-long run. The Australian season brings the full scale of that production to the Capitol Theatre, with the visual artistry, costume design and live musicianship that have made it one of the most recognised stage shows in history.
The show’s themes land differently from inside the pit
Working on The Lion King has given Akari an unexpected personal resonance with the story she helps tell every night.
“In the short time I’ve been working on the show, it has made me more aware and prouder of my Japanese heritage,” she said. “That idea of understanding who we are because of the people who came before us is such a powerful message that should be constantly retold, and it’s something that resonates with me. To be able to play even a small part in sharing that legacy story with so many people is incredibly special and something I’m so grateful to be a part of.”
That reflection extends to how she thinks about the arts more broadly, and about the role that school communities play in shaping what young people believe is possible.
“The arts is truly a unique and powerful community,” Akari said. “It’s provided me with a sense of purpose and direction. It also fosters empathy and understanding in a world that should strive more towards those qualities.”
Experience the production live
Disney’s The Lion King is currently in a strictly limited season at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. The production runs approximately two hours and thirty minutes including a 20-minute interval and is recommended for ages six and up. Accessible performances including Auslan-interpreted, audio-described and relaxed sessions are available during August.
Tickets and session information are available here.
OKO OKO, a new Japanese micro-restaurant at Eat Street Northshore in neighbouring Hamilton, is serving what its founders describe as the world’s first wagyu kare pan — a panko-crusted, deep-fried Japanese curry bun built around Queensland wagyu from the Darling Downs.
For Ascot residents who already make the short trip to Eat Street on a Friday or Saturday night, the new addition gives a compelling reason to visit. OKO OKO on 12 June behind a Shinjuku-styled pagoda facade, at 221D MacArthur Avenue, Hamilton, one of the most distinctive new fit-outs in the precinct’s history.
The kare pan — Japan’s beloved deep-fried curry bun, invented in Tokyo in 1927 and now the subject of its own annual national grand prix and a 50,000-member enthusiast association — has never previously been made with wagyu at its centre.
OKO OKO’s version uses Darling Downs wagyu from Sandalwood Feedlot, one of Australia’s oldest and most awarded producers, combined with a cheesy curry filling, panko-crusted and cooked to order.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Six months on a single dish
Founder Michael Otway says the kare pan took six months of development before the team was satisfied. “The dough, the curry, the wagyu, the cheese, the fry,” he said. “Queensland wagyu changes the dish. No kitchen in Japan or anywhere else has done it this way.”
Photo Credit: Supplied
The global head chef behind the menu previously worked at Nobu London and Yoko Brisbane. The full menu extends into okonomiyaki, yakisoba, yakisoba pan and other Japanese street food staples, all built to the same level of care as the hero dish.
Photo Credit: Supplied
OKO OKO is open at Eat Street Northshore every Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 10pm and Sunday from 4pm to 9pm. Entry to Eat Street is $6 per person. Drive or take the CityCat to Northshore Hamilton, a 250-metre walk from the gate.
From school years in Ascot to performances across major opera and concert stages, Brisbane-born mezzo-soprano Xenia Puskarz Thomas is building an international career shaped by training, travel and a growing list of demanding roles.
Xenia Puskarz Thomas has been named the 2026 Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award recipient, receiving AUD $25,000 to support the next stage of her artistic development.
The award comes as the Brisbane-born mezzo-soprano continues a career that now stretches across opera houses, festivals and concert platforms in Australia, Europe and North America.
Rather than standing as a single career highlight, the recognition sits within a wider story of current international work, New York-based freelance practice and years of training that began in Brisbane.
A Career Now Playing Across International Stages
Xenia is now based in New York and working as a freelance artist, with recent and upcoming engagements placing her in several major opera and concert settings.
Her recent work includes The Woman in Picture a Day Like This at Teatro di San Carlo, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Calgary Opera, and mezzo-soprano soloist appearances in Michael Haydn’s Requiem in C minor with the Munich Philharmonic and Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Berlin Philharmonic.
She has also performed in Rossi’s Orfeo at the Adelaide Festival with Ensemble Pygmalion under Raphaël Pichon.
Her 2025/2026 season continues that international run, with appearances connected with Teatro San Carlo, Glyndebourne Festival, Adelaide Festival, Münchner Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker and Gewandhaus Orchester.
Upcoming performances include roles in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at the Glyndebourne Festival, Mozart’s Lucio Silla at the Salzburg Festival, Mozart’s Zaïde for Opéra Comique, and Die Walküre at the 2027 Salzburg Easter Festival.
Photo Credit: Xenia Puskarz Thomas
Ascot School Ties Behind A Wider Opera Path
Before the international schedule, Xenia’s story included school years at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot.
Her formal training continued at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University before she later studied at The Juilliard School. She was also a Melba Artist in 2019.
That training path was followed by time as a Young Artist at the Bayerische Staatsoper Opera Studio in Munich during the 2023–2024 seasons, adding another major step in her development as a performer.
The result is a career that now links Brisbane and Ascot school ties with professional work across several major opera centres.
Photo Credit: Xenia Puskarz Thomas
A Legacy Linked To New Opera Careers
The Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award was established in 2013 and supports emerging opera singers from Australia or New Zealand as they continue their professional growth.
It honours Dame Heather Begg DNZM OBE, a New Zealand opera singer whose career extended across Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and North America.
Dame Heather made her professional debut in 1954, later performed with J. C. Williamson’s Italian Opera Company, studied in London, appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and became a principal mezzo-soprano with Sadler’s Wells Opera.
Her later career included performances with the Royal Opera, La Scala, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Australian Opera and other companies and festivals.
The award has previously supported twelve artists, including Samuel Dundas, Janet Szepei Todd, Amina Edris, Jeremy Kleeman, Emily Edmonds, Lauren Fagan, Nicholas Jones, Fleuranne Brockway, Filipe Manu, Nathan Bryon, Anna-Louise Cole and Madison Nonoa.
Administered by Melba Opera Trust on behalf of the trustees of Dame Heather Begg’s estate, the award continues to support opera artists during important stages of their professional development.
For Xenia Puskarz Thomas, the recognition places her Ascot school ties and Brisbane training within a broader career now moving through international opera and concert programs.
The Ascot home of celebrated interior designer Anna Spiro has sold immediately following its auction, passing to new owners who have taken on one of Brisbane’s most personally curated properties. Located at 10 Kidston Street, the circa-1920 character home spent two years bearing Spiro’s signature layering of colour, pattern and original period detail.
Spiro and her husband Luke Warwick, managing director of Melbourne-based Elliott Clarke Textiles, purchased the home in 2023 for $2.5 million. It changed hands on 16 May 2026 via Ray White Collective agents Matt Lancashire and Will Blewitt, with the final sale price withheld. The couple have already purchased another property in the immediate Ascot area, which Spiro is looking forward to transforming next.
“This house was always a temporary house for us,” Spiro said of the decision to move on. “We weren’t sure if we were moving to Melbourne or staying here at the time, and we’ve decided we need something bigger. Now it’s time for the next custodians to come and enjoy it.”
A home that wears its history well
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on a 607-square-metre corner allotment with a wide 20-metre frontage along Kidston Street. Privately set behind lush greenery, the property is positioned 250 metres from St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, 5.5 kilometres from the CBD and 13 minutes from Brisbane Airport.
Photo Credit: Ray White
The circa-1920 bones remain beautifully intact, featuring classic hoop pine floors, a covered front verandah, sash windows and original pressed-metal ceilings.
Photo Credit: Ray White
The living and dining rooms feature a traditional fireplace, while the stone-top kitchen features premium Qasair, Miele and Smeg appliances. Outside, the property includes a swimming pool, courtyard and secure yard, complemented by extensive under-house storage and workshop space downstairs.
Photo Credit: Ray White
Spiro added her own distinctive style without disrupting the home’s historic integrity. She repainted the property inside and out, installed new cabinetry, air conditioning and fresh carpets, and hung her own custom window coverings.
The result balances more than a century of Queenslander character with the maximalist, pattern-driven aesthetic that has made her one of Australia’s most recognised interior voices.
Photo Credit: Ray White
The designer behind the home
Spiro began her design career at 17 as a junior assistant before establishing Anna Spiro Design a decade ago. Her portfolio spans residential projects across Australia, the UK and the US, alongside major hospitality commissions including northern New South Wales boutique hotel Halcyon House and Brisbane riverfront venues Mr Percival’s and Arc Dining.
Her connection to the classic Australian architectural form is genuine and long-running. “This is a quintessential Queensland home for a family,” she said. “It’s all done and has a gorgeous garden.”
For international design enthusiasts, the home draws immediate comparisons to the fictional Heeler family house from the animated series Bluey—itself modelled on a classic, elevated Brisbane Queenslander—bringing global attention to how these iconic properties look and feel to live in.
The new owners inherit a very particular version of Brisbane history, shaped by a designer whose response to a place is always deeply personal. Spiro’s next residential project is already underway, located just one street over.
