All News and Events
12 Oct: Tim Costello Q&A
Rising Sun Inn, 60 Bridge Street, Kensington
3pm start
Tim Costello AO is one of Australia’s most respected community leaders and a sought-after voice on social justice issues, leadership and ethics. For 13 years Tim was Chief Executive of World Vision Australia. He is a spokesperson and advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, which campaigns for law reform to prevent harm from poker machine and online sports gambling.
On Sunday 12th October 2025, commencing at 3pm, Tim will be speaking at a Q & A session at the Rising Sun Inn in Kensington.
This is your opportunity to meet Tim and ask him questions on world affairs, national politics, social issues, sport and anything else you like!
The Kensington Residents’ Association will be providing finger food and you can purchase drinks from the bar.
Numbers are limited, so book your FREE seat on TryBooking now https://www.trybooking.com/DEBHU
Borthwick Park working bee
Borthwick Park is nestled between Second Creek and Thornton, Richmond Street and Bridge Streets in Kensington 5068. This lovely green space has been the focus of a community-driven revegetation project, supported by the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and Green Adelaide, for the past 15 years. It’s hard to imagine when you visit the Park today, but when the project began the creek bank was choked with weeds and badly eroded, and the precious remnant river red gums were marooned in an expanse of kikuyu grass.
🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳
Working bees are held on the 2nd Sunday of every month 9-11am to maintain the understorey plants established since the project began in 2009.
Join us in the park on Sunday 12th October between 9am and 11am. We’ll be pulling out Spring weeds, topping up mulch, tip pruning shrubs, hose-watering the new plantings if rainfall is insufficient… whatever needs doing!
Volunteering locally is a great way to meet new people in your neighbourhood. Bring the kids. Invite a friend or neighbour to volunteer with you. Jobs for all ages and capabilities. No prior gardening experience necessary. All training and tools are provided. Wear enclosed footwear, hat and clothing to suit the weather. Bring your KRA volunteer vest if you have one or we’ll issue you with on on the day.
🍰🍪🫖☕🧁
If you can’t manage physical gardening work, you are most welcome to join us for morning tea from 11am. Free tea, coffee, and a delicious spread of morning tea treats on offer.
19 Oct: Pizza in the Park
Join the annual Pizza in the Park community gathering! Free wood oven pizza for KRA members!
Thanks to PGH Bricks & Pavers for the use of their mobile pizza oven.
Where? Borthwick Park, Thornton St Kensington
When? 19th October 2025, from 4pm til dark
The KRA’s most popular event is back for a fifth year! We’ll be stoking the fire in the pizza oven yet again on 19th October, ready for you to descend on the park with chairs, drinks, good spirits, and a hearty appetite. Bring plates & cutlery if you want them.
The KRA committee will make and serve pizza until everyone is happily full. The usual team will be there, rolling, topping, baking, and slicing delicious pizzas for you as you mingle with fellow Kensingtonians, enjoying our beautiful Borthwick Park, and listening to live music performances by local musicians. We’ll open up the mic to anyone wanting to perform after the Norwood Brass Band has finished.
This is a family friendly event and a perfect opportunity to invite new friends or neighbours to meet other locals and make new connections.
Registration essential! Let us know the number of people in your group and alert us to any dietary needs through Trybooking https://www.trybooking.com/DEVRU
Not a KRA member yet? No worries! It’s just $15/household/year to join. Click here to download a membership form. Payment options are listed on the form. Return your completed form to our Secretary at 42 Regent Street or email to contact@kra.org.au
26 Oct: Rising Sun Inn celebrates 180 years
—- THIS IS A RISING SUN INN EVENT —
The Rising Sun Inn will celebrate 180 years of history on 26th October from 12 noon to 7pm with
• live music
• giveaways from Coopers Brewery & Paracombe Wines
• prizes for the best period costumes, and
• special guest Robert Bria, Mayor of the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, cutting the birthday cake!
Outdoor dining available in the carpark (high tables & stools under umbrellas) with a duo performing live from 1pm.
The Inn’s restaurant will be open for lunchtime a la carte dining, phone 83330721 to book a table.
No dinner service in the evening; however, the bar will remain open as from 4.30-6.30pm live band Sound Factory plays music of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
5 Oct: 5 Years on the Green
—- A HIGH STREET CAFE EVENT —-
A one-day music and food festival celebrating High Street Café’s 5th birthday.
Sunday 5th October 2025, 10am-8pm, Mary MacKillop Reserve, Phillips Street (adjacent to High Street Cafe)
Family fun from 10am – magic show, face painting, balloon art, and more.
Acoustic sets over lunch, building to a full evening of live bands including Mr Buzzy, Eric ‘Tooch’ Santucci and the Gold Coast’s McKenzie Band. DJ between sets to keep the energy pumping!
Early bird tickets $20 adults, $10 children 5 to 15 years – buy online through Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1450788
Upgrade to $100 VIP entry (adults only) for festival entry plus premium stage-front access during headline acts with a 4-hour drinks + food package 4–8pm.
Bring your friends, enjoy the vibe, and celebrate High Street Café’s 5 Years on the Green!
2025 Care for Kensington grants open!
We think Kensington 5068 is the best place to live and we hope you do too.
Two community grants are available in 2025 to be spent on projects which benefit the Kensington community:
Adults (18 and over): a grant of up to $1000 is available.
Children (under 18): a grant of up to $250 is available.
Any project that benefits our fabulous suburb will be considered! It may be environmental, cultural, artistic, social, even virtual. The 2024 Care For Kensington grant recipients were Shyla and Jason Mills with their Compassionate Kensington project. Click here for some ideas to get your thoughts bubbling! Full grant guidelines are available here.
Who is eligible to apply? Anyone living in Kensington or on its perimeter roads who is a member of the Association (or living in a member household). Non-members may join on payment of our $15 annual fee.
How to apply? Download an application form here. Applications to be received by 30th September 2025. Successful recipients will be notified in October. Funds must be expended by the end of June 2026.
Enquiries: Andrew Dyson, Secretary, 08 8331 9654 or email contact@kra.org.au.
High Street heritage under demolition threat
This modest building at 69 High Street was formerly the Kensington Village school house. It is thought to have been built in the 1840s-1850s.
Although the building has stood firm for approximately 180 years, it now stands cordoned off, urgently requiring maintenance. In February 2025 the property owners submitted a Development Application under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA) seeking to demolish this Local Heritage building. The relevant authority considering the application is the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters Council Assessment Panel/Assessment Manager.
Both the built and natural heritage of Kensington – the character-laden buildings, the magnificent remnant river red gums, the ancient creekline – were here before we arrived. It’s important to remember that we are not so much ‘owners’ but rather ‘custodians’ of the living history in our suburb. The Kensington Residents’ Association was formed in 1977 by a group of concerned residents seeking to protect the suburb’s heritage and resolve other issues of community concern.
The Association was instrumental in the declaration of Kensington as an Historic Conservation Zone: three levels of heritage listing protect many buildings that otherwise might have been demolished. In 2014 the KRA campaigned to preserve 63 Maesbury Street (pictured below). Take a stroll down Maesbury Street to No. 63 and and you’ll see how subsequent owners successfully restored and extended this quaint cottage.
The KRA has now opposed the demolition of 69 High St through written and verbal presentations to the Council Assessment Panel (CAP). Approximately 30 KRA members and supporters attended the CAP meeting at Norwood Town Hall on 19th May 2025. Heritage consultant Sandy Wilkinson and Trent Kuchel from Urathane Solutions submitted their professional assessment that the damage to 69 High St is readily repairable, therefore demolition is not warranted. The Council Assessment Panel deferred their final decision on the 69 High Street demolition application pending further consultation.
The KRA will advertise to members when the demolition application for 69 High Street will next be considered by the CAP. The public can observe the meeting from the gallery and we encourage as many people as possible to attend to show the CAP how important heritage preservation is to the residents of Kensington.
Watch this space, watch 69 High Street, and if you share our concerns for its future write to :
Member for Dunstan, Cressida O’Hanlon MP (dunstan@parliament.sa.gov.au)
Council’s General Manager Urban Planning & Environment, Carlos Buzzetti (cbuzzetti@npsp.sa.gov.au)
Ward Councillors Christel Mex (cmex@electedmembers.npsp.sa.gov.au) and John Callisto (jcallisto@electedmembers.npsp.sa.gov.au)
KRA AGM August 2026
The next Kensington Residents’ Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held in August 2026.
Date, time and venue to be advised closer to the time.
Agenda items typically include:
Treasurer’s Report
President’s Report
KRA Committee election – KRA members present elect committee members and office-bearers to drive KRA activities for the coming year*
Other business
Guest speaker/s
Supper, wine, tea and coffee after close of meeting – a great opportunity to talk with the KRA committee, guest speakers, and Kensington friends and neighbours whilst enjoying one of the supper spreads the KRA is famous for!
* If you are interested in joining the KRA Committee, please contact our Secretary NOW to nominate via email to contact@kra.org.au. Joining the KRA Committee is a great way to get involved with YOUR Association and work with other locals to make Kensington the best possible neighbourhood.
11 May: Mothers Day working bee
Since 2010 the residents of Kensington have been working together to replenish the biodiversity and beauty of Borthwick Park.
This lovely green space bounded by Thornton Street, Richmond Street, Bridge Street and Second Creek is the focus of a community-led project supported by the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and Green Adelaide.
Borthwick Park working bees are held on the 2nd Sunday of every month 9-11am. Come along on Sunday 11th May and see what we get up to.
It’s Mothers Day so we’ll be mothering our young plants, tucking them into comfy beds of mulch and giving the place a good tidy up!!
Volunteering locally is a great way to meet new people in your neighbourhood. Bring the kids. Invite a friend or neighbour to volunteer with you. Jobs for all ages and capabilities. No prior gardening experience necessary. All training and tools are provided.
Wear enclosed footwear and clothing to suit the weather. Bring your KRA volunteer vest if you have one or we’ll issue you with on on the day.
Call John for more details on 0422 909 710.
If you can’t manage the physical work, you are still most welcome to join us for morning tea from 11am. Free tea, coffee, and a delicious spread of morning tea treats on offer. We’d love to see you.
Winter Plant-a-thon … June/July 2026
Winter is planting time in Borthwick Park!
Mid 2026 we will once again be planting and staking, then mulching around native seedlings in the Borthwick Park garden beds.
Jobs for everyone! Full training provided. Come by yourself or bring the family or a friend. All welcome! Kid-friendly events! Please wear clothing/footwear suitable for gardening.
Bring your KRA volunteer vest if you have one (if not, we’ll issue you one) and a couple of buckets if possible. Buckets are always in demand on planting days!
Why are we still planting in Borthwick Park? It seems to be already full of plants!
🌱Weed suppression – More native ground covers = less weeds in the beds.
🌱Replacement – Species like wattles and soft herbaceous plants are short-lived. Plants are regularly damaged during park activity or due to storms or heat.
🌱Diversity – Increasing the diversity of plant species maximises the health of the park. Every year we try out new species of shrubs, grasses and groundcovers to attract new butterflies and birds and benefit our ancient River Redgums. All species planted are indigenous to the local area, mostly sourced from Trees for Life as seedlings. In the past local volunteers have also provided plants grown from seeds and cuttings collected in Borthwick Park.
Find out more about the widely acclaimed biodiversity project which has transformed Borthwick Park since conception in 2009 by clicking here.
