Kambah Village’s temporarily ‘dangerous’ sculpture. Photo: Kambah Community Noticeboard, Facebook.
A seemingly rogue metal “saw blade” dangling from a sculpture at Kambah Village shopping centre caused a stir last week – but authorities say there’s no cause for concern.
A local couple who had popped into the new Bewitching Brew & Co café for a morning coffee on 21 October looked up to notice “one of the saw blades” decorating the tall wooden poles that hold up the shade sails was hanging precariously above customers.
“Happenchance there was a group of firemen having a coffee at the Prospect Café, so my husband drew it to their attention,” the post by Rita Capeling-Evans on Facebook’s Kambah Community Noticeboard read.
“They very quickly devised a strategy (throwing an object at it) to dislodge it from its precarious situation.”
Each pole is adorned with differently shaped metal stencils for decoration – and the loose blade, it seems, was the exception. While it might have looked lethal, the ACT Government has since confirmed the structure is safe.
A government spokesperson said the pole is inspected regularly, but the issue hadn’t been spotted during the last inspection, and hadn’t been reported by the public through the online maintenance portal Fix My Street.
However, earlier this month, a nearby shade sail had been replaced after wind damage, so the same storm may have rattled the blade loose.
“Government crews returned to the site on Monday, 27 October, to secure the top blade and ensure the others remained firmly attached,” the spokesperson said.
“The ACT Government attends this site daily to undertake litter removal. The playground is also inspected every two weeks, with the last inspection on Tuesday, 21 October 2025. Residents are reminded to report similar issues online via Fix My Street.”
Ms Capling-Evans has since told Region she reported a possibly loose second ‘blade’ on Sunday.
“Given no Firies were around, we lodged it with Fix my Street,” she said.
For the nearby café’s owners and patrons, however, the incident is unlikely to spoil their excitement about the new location.
Bewitching Brew & Co moved into Kambah Village last month, after their lease at Kambah’s nearby Carleton Street Shops came to an end in late August.
In a Facebook post announcing the move, the owners said, “We love this beautiful community … we’re so thrilled that we have somewhere to call home now!”
