In June, I held a community catchup at the Next Chapter Gourmet Café, Oaklands Park. Local residents and I chatted over coffee about issues affecting our lives and community.

This was the first in my series of catchups at local cafes that I hope will keep people connected and offer the chance to raise issues with me or other community members, all while supporting local businesses. Some issues we touched on at this meeting included housing density, public housing maintenance and visa applications.

I was recently invited to a birthday party at Sturt Palms Retirement Village, Brighton. It was a very special occasion with Sturt Palm’s oldest resident, Geoffrey Edmonds, turning 100 years old.

Surrounded by fellow residents and good food, Geoffrey regaled us with stories from his incredible life. As well as living all over the world, he’s had a lifelong interest in the music and once played the Spanish guitar for Nana Mouskouri!

Fantastic news for our local community as Hamilton Secondary College receives a $9 million upgrade as part of the Marshall Government's $66 million investment into South Australian schools.

Firstly, a big thank you to the Dover Gardens community and a number of residents who raised their concerns about anti-social behaviour at our first Community Forum in December last year.

Since then, I've been working with SAPOL, Housing SA and Marion Council to improve our community's local amenities and engagement.

As reported by a SAPOL representative at our follow-up Community Forum earlier this year, SAPOL have now undertaken District Policing Model 2 in the Dover Gardens area with a dedicated Sergeant leading the team based at the Sturt Police Station.

Many of you have been following this closely since our first community forum in mid-December 2019, and I'm very pleased to provide you with the latest update.

I recently met with the Minister for Human Services, Hon Michelle Lensink MLC who advised the tender process is still underway with a number of shortlisted proponents having received an invitation to supply.

You'll be pleased to know that all proponents have proposed demolition of the Quintus Tce site, with construction expected to begin later in the year.

Anti-social behaviour and community safety around the Dover Gardens area has been an ongoing concern for many residents, which is why I've been working closely with SAPOL, the City of Marion and Housing SA to help find a solution to a range of issues raised at my previous community forum in mid-December 2019.

Significant progress has been made in a number of areas to improve local amenities and community engagement.

The Marshall Liberal Government has revealed more designs for school upgrades in the Southern suburbs, as part of its record $1.3 billion capital works program that will create thousands of jobs across the state.

Congratulations to Marion Mall Walkers on celebrating their 19th birthday!

Another congrats to one of their inaugural members, Pauline Barber who was awarded Life Membership for her dedication and support to the club and its members. She's filled just about every position on their committee since 2001!

If you haven't already heard, Hove is now home to a brand new school! The first students walked through the doors at McAuley Community School as Term 1 of school commenced.

It was a pleasure to receive a personal tour from Leanne Prior, Principal of Paringa Park Primary School of the newly-opened Outdoor Learning and Nature Play area and learning more about how the school community is encouraging our students to be active and engaged in outdoor learning experiences.