What used to be strawberry, potato and bean farms and horse paddocks is rapidly becoming one huge housing estate. Dozens of separate developments have evolved over the last 20 years into a single solid suburb. Moss Road and Arenga Street barely used to see any traffic and New Cleveland Road is far busier now as well. The old Hargraves cannery which later became Edgells is a distant memory. Back then it was common to see young Donnie Brewer driving the old Hargraves flat bed Chevvy truck around the streets of Gumdale, Wynnum, Manly and Wakerley picking up the workers who’d sit on the back of the truck on metal bench seats with wooden plank seats ( without seatbelts ) taking them to and from work.
There were limited public transport options back then. There was a bus depot on Whites Road Lota where the Retirement Village now stands beside Wynnum Hospital. It was owned by Mrs. V.E. Lewis who ran the operation until her death in the 70’s. The bus lines were known as Black and white, Blue and White and Pioneer Bus Lines. Children walked or rode their bicycles to school and Gumdale school was the most prominent building in the area. Teachers and Students of Gumdale State School were very proud of their School. 60 years later, Gumdale State School is still a fine school.
Now that the building work around Wakerley has subsided somewhat, the local wildlife is beginning to return. Some creatures are received with open arms, such as the kookaburras. Some are a mixed blessing, possums for example (just ask my parsley). Then there are the really unwelcome ones. Redback spiders and Termites.
Many houses in these new estates have some form of physical termite protection incorporated into them for protection from Termites. This could be Termimesh, Kordon, Granitgard, an exposed slab edge or any other of a numerous number of systems. Check the electrical meter box located on the side of your house for the Termite Protection Notice which was required to be installed by the builder. There should be a sticker there with information about what (if any) protection you have. There may also be a sticker under the kitchen sink, don’t confuse it with stickers from pest control which may also be there. The original documents you got from the builder (plans etc) should also contain a treatment certificate(s) from the termite company involved. Both the sticker and the treatment are valuable documents and will increase the sale price of your home… keep them safe and in good nick. Annual termite inspection notices and reports, are also an asset.
All homes with physical termite protection STILL NEED REGULAR TERMITE INSPECTIONS. There are many ways termites can bypass these systems.
Amongst the most common are:
– covering the protection with soil, concrete or decking
– the system was damaged after installation by other
– incorrect installation
– lack of communication (the termite company is not always informed of late changes to plans, or the builder goes bust and a new builder takes over unaware that more protection is still needed )
– the home owner is uninformed (many systems require that you, the homeowner, also do regular checks)
-Tradesmen unwittingly damaging the protection.
Termite attacks can and do occur in new homes, even when they have physical termite protection. Why would you spend thousands of dollars on a Termite Protection system only to see it fail through lack regular maintanance?
If you are a resident of Wakerley or Gumdale, please read the attached brochure because the Technicians at Termite Solutions have identified Wakerley as a Termite Hot Spot area.
Firstly, we are finding lots of Termite Issues in the older homes around Caladium street built before 2001 with chemical barriers, as the barriers have expired and termites are finding their way in to their untreated pine wall and roof frames and causing some serious structural damage.
Secondly, we’ve attended and treated 4 near new homes in Gordon Street, all built by the same builder, with termite infestations. It appears that the termite protection was not adequately installed. The builder went broke and can’t be contacted to rectify the issue damage, so the home owners are left to pay for the termite repairs and treatments.
If it’s been more than 12 months since your last termite inspection, then your home may be at risk of undetected serious termite damage. Your builder won’t take responsibility for the damage if you haven’t carried out your annual inspections. For around $220, can you afford not to have your home inspected for termites? Call 1800 009 229 to organize your annual inspection.
.png)
.png)
%20(1).jpg)
