All News and Events
Proposed pool cuts voted down
The agenda for the Council’s June meeting, released Thursday 28 May, included a Council staff recommendation to shorten the 2026/2027 swimming season by 5 weeks and remove early morning and evening swimming hours (read Item 13.2 here).
In essence it was an attempt to save Council approximately $103,000 by limiting access to the Kensington & Norwood Pool. No consultation with the community was undertaken in preparing the proposal. Separate agenda items moved to offer school students and potentially all ratepayers a free pass to the Payneham Pool when it re-opens (predicted cost $144,000 minimum) (view relevant agenda pages 1-9 here).
A short fierce burst of activism ensued! InDaily ran a good article, including an interview with Kensington resident Trish Hansen, long-time advocate for the pool, and the KRA’s President Roger Bryson. Read the article here. Regular pool users and other concerned locals emailed the Mayor and Councillors ahead of the Council meeting on Tuesday night, 2 June. Residents Trish Hansen and Tim O’Loughlin, along with KRA VP Jane Godsmark each made 5 minute deputations to the Council meeting. There were a number of concerned residents in the public gallery observing the deputations and the Council’s deliberations. Thankyou to everyone who cares enough about this precious local place to get involved.
Finally, after much discussion, the Council voted to retain the current operating hours of the Kensington & Norwood pool and committed to engaging the community in exploring how to cultivate the vitality and future of the Pool. What a relief!
This close call has caused us to reflect on what this pool means and has meant to our community over the past 70 years, and what role we would like it to play in the lives of future generations.
If you’re interested in shaping or contributing to the future activation of the Kensington & Norwood Pool either email the Secretary of the KRA at contact@kra.org.au or message the We Love Norwood Pool Facebook group.
12 Jun Mural Unveiling & Bake Sale
Where: Regent Garden beside McKellar Stewart Kindergarten
Intersection of Thornton & Regent Streets, Kensington
When: Friday 12th June, 3.15pm start
Two beautiful new murals will be unveiled in Regent Garden on Friday 12th June at 3.15pm and everyone is invited to the party!!
Artist David Booth created the murals, called Sunset on Kaurna Country and Moonlight on Kaurna Country, with McKellar Stewart Kindergarten children and staff in 2025. The project was funded by a City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters community grant and the Kensington Residents’ Association provided in-kind support.
🎨David Booth will be at the event to speak about the story of the murals and officially unveil them.
🧁 Home-baked treats will be available for purchase at the Kindy’s Bake Sale fundraiser. All proceeds will be put towards purchasing a new oven for the Kindy.
See you there!
Winter Solstice Workshop 13 Jun & Gathering 21 Jun
Hosted by the Kensington Residents’ Association, with support from the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.
Images kindly shared by the Walking Wings community project, Fleurieu Environment Centre
The Kensington community warmly invites you to a joyful and family-friendly Winter Solstice Gathering, celebrating the changing seasons and our local creatures.
This community project invites children, young people, families and neighbours of all ages to gather in wonder, imagination and connection. We invite you to come dressed as a local creature, wearing masks, costumes or creature-inspired creations. You might arrive as a moth, a bird, a frog, a possum, a plant or another being of nature – or simply come as yourself.
In the weeks leading up to the gathering, two free creative workshops will be held at St Matthew’s Activity Hall, led by cherished South Australian artist Laura Wills.
These workshops will support participants to create masks, costumes and wearable artworks inspired by local creatures and the magic of winter. They are a chance to come together, meet neighbours, spark imagination and prepare for the celebration. You are welcome to attend one workshop, both workshops, or none at all and still join the Winter Solstice Gathering.
Everyone is welcome.
Key dates and bookings links:
Creative Workshop 1 – COMPLETE – visit our Facebook page to see the fun that was had (CLICK HERE)
Creative Workshop 2 – BOOK HERE
Saturday 13 June 2026 | 12:00pm – 3:00pm | St Matthew’s Activity Hall, corner of Bridge Street and Wellington Street, Kensington 5068
Winter Solstice Gathering – BOOK HERE
Sunday 21 June 2026 | 4:00pm – 7:00pm | Borthwick Park, Thornton Street, Kensington 5068
On Sunday 21 June, we will gather at Borthwick Park beside the creek, beneath the ancient Story Tree – the magnificent old Red Gum that has watched over many seasons.
As dusk arrives, we will take a playful neighbourhood procession through the suburb, celebrating the turning of the seasons and the beauty of winter, before returning to the park for music, storytelling and seasonal refreshments.
The winter solstice is the longest night and shortest day of the year — a time honoured across cultures as a moment of reflection, togetherness and welcoming the return of light. Our gathering reimagines this tradition through local nature, creativity and community connection. Whether you arrive as a glowing moth, a wise owl, a frog from the creek, a possum of the trees, or simply as yourself wrapped warmly in winter clothes — you are most welcome.
Come rugged up. Come dressed up. Come celebrate the longest night and welcome the returning light.
20 Jun Kensi’s Got Talent
Our Annual Winter Solstice Concert at The Kensi is on again in 2026!
Join friends and neighbours on the LOOOOONGEST night of the year to listen to local musicians, poets and story-tellers.
Enjoy warm savoury snacks and happy hour drink prices generously provided by The Kensi.
If you’ve got talent that you’d like to share, sign up now for your open mic spot! Beginners more than welcome, we are a very supportive audience.
Register to attend or book your open mic spot on Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/kensi-s-got-talent-winter-solstice-concert
Where: The Kensi Hotel, 23 Regent Street Kensington (find us in the Regent Room/Alfresco Area)
When: Saturday 20 June from 7pm
The Tale of the Trash Rack Heroes
Next time you’re in Borthwick Park, head down the stone steps in the Nature Play Area. On the edge of Second Creek, look toward the old stone bridge on Thornton Street and consider the ‘trash rack’.
It’s part of a network of some 20 sites across metro Adelaide, all owned and maintained by Green Adelaide. Data from the last 7 years show between 5 and 25 tonnes of debris is caught and removed each year from the Thornton Street rack. In the year ending June 2025, over 10 tonnes of material was removed from Adelaide’s waterways at this key location, right here in Kensington.
A site inspection occurs when 7mm of rain falls in 24 hours or 10mm of rain falls over a 7 day period. Without a rainfall trigger, sites are routinely checked every 21 days. Cleans are scheduled as needed.
The Rack Phone rings! Who answers the call? Never fear, residents of Kensington, Mechanical Vegetation Solutions will soon be here! These dedicated contractors appear from nowhere, clean up the neighbourhood, then zap off to fight trash elsewhere, a bit like the comic book super heroes of old. Check out the Tale of the Trash Rack Heroes.
Monthly 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.
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Working bees are held 9-11am on the 2nd Sunday of every month (except January) to maintain the understorey plants established since the project began in 2009.
Join us in the park on Sunday 14th June 2026 between 9am and 11am. We’ll be pulling out weeds, topping up mulch, tip pruning shrubs… 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.
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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.
Merch survey
Are you proud of our village suburb? Take our merch survey!
To celebrate our proud Kensington community, the KRA is organising official merchandise. These items will be available for purchase, as well as being used as prizes and recognition gifts.
Let us know what you would like to see as official Kensington 5068 merch by taking our online survey – click here – ranking the suggested items from 1 (most liked) to 14 (least liked).
The survey results are anonymous.
All Ages Scavenger Hunt 4-10 May 2026
This event is part of the Friendly Kensi Project.
Kids, teens and adults of all ages are invited to take part in the Friendly Kensi Scavenger Hunt at any time in the week 4-10 May. Work solo or in pairs or groups. Perhaps ask a neighbour if they’d like to team up with you.
Follow the clues and explore Kensington • Find the items • Win prizes!
Sign up by emailing Steph at stephkubank11@gmail.com and you’re in the hunt!
Guidelines:
• Sign up and get your instructions.
• Work alone or in pairs or groups to solve clues and find items around Kensington.
• Be respectful: don’t disturb people, property, or wildlife.
• Ask Steph if you’re unsure about a clue.
Good luck!
Friendly Kensi
My name is Steph Kubank. I am a counsellor, cat-lover and Kensington resident of almost four years, and I know how easy it is to feel disconnected. This is why I applied for the 2025/2026 Care for Kensington grant, which I was lucky to receive from the Kensington Residents’ Association (KRA). My Friendly Kensi initiative aims to create more community connection for people in Kensington, so our suburb feels friendly and emotionally safe.
✨One part of this is creating a directory with basic info about us, like our name, lifestyle or interests and perhaps a mobile or email contact so we can reach out to locals with similar interests more easily! Being included in this directory is optional and you can share as much or as little as you like.
✨Another idea I had for a Friendly Kensi event is a scavenger hunt in Kensington, solving clues and finding objects. It will involve prizes and chocolate!
Sign up now to participate in the Friendly Kensi Scavenger Hunt 4-10 May 2026, just email me at stephkubank11@gmail.com! Find more information here.
I would appreciate anyone’s ideas about what they think Kensington needs. Some examples include:
✨Skill swaps – help someone with a skill and get help with something in return
✨Item swaps – clothes, books etc.
✨Creating a community board for posting art, humour and ‘good news’.
It would be amazing to hear from kids, teens and young adults – these voices are often not heard as much in our neighbourhood.
Please contact me at stephkubank11@gmail.com with any ideas or questions.
Planting Days 4 & 12 July
Winter is planting time! Come and help us build the biodiversity in Borthwick Park, Thornton Street, Kensington.
Saturday 4th July, 1pm-5pm planting with afternoon tea provided + drinks and nibbles afterwards
Sunday 12th July, 9am-12.30pm planting with morning tea provided + lunch afterwards
We will be planting locally-indigenous native seedlings, staking them, watering well and covering any exposed soil with mulch.
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 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 more 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.
