Residents address a popular subject

By Rebecca Fraser
THE song says that everybody needs good neighbours and Berwick couple Campbell and Kaye Jackson understand this more than most.
The pair recently organised a community barbecue with their neighbours and residents from Scanlan Street and Turner Street in Berwick to get to know each other better.
Mrs Jackson said they had moved to Berwick eight years ago and had held one local gathering seven years ago but had not organised one since.
They held the barbecue at Kirkham Reserve late last month and said they now planned to make the get together an annual event.
“We had a fantastic time together,” Mrs Jackson said. “Usually people do not have time to organise these things but we named a place, a time and a date and people came.
“Most of the time you just walk past your neighbours and nod or wave and smile so it is good to get to know each other a bit better.
“We brought the barbecues and everyone brought their own meat and it was a really lovely experience.
“I always kept thinking we must all get together and now that we have done it I want to do it again.
“It was just gorgeous to see older people coming out too,” she said.
In September the couple applied to council to hold a Casey Neighbourhood Barbecue in their area but due to the large number of applications that council received, they were unsuccessful.
However, council did provide them with 20 free “hello” cards as part of the World Hello Day initiative.
The cards had the word ‘hello’ translated in various global languages to reflect Casey’s culturally diverse community and Mrs Jackson used them as invitations.
Casey’s Youth and Community Development manager, Janette Green, said council had been conducting many Casey Neighbourhood barbecues to bring residents together.
She said four barbecues would be held this weekend, weather permitting, as well as more throughout summer.
Ms Green said the initiative was proving popular but due to demand not all applicants, such as the Jacksons, had been able to have a council run barbecue.
But she said council had still provided some residents with the hello cards so that people could hold their own gatherings and she praised those who had done so.