Not too many waves here - The Big Kangaroo stands 16.4 ft (5 m) tall at Border Village, on the border between South Australia and West Australia. Named “Rooey II“, the papier-mache and fiberglass statue was built in 1986 to capitalise on traffic going west to Perth where the America’s Cup yacht race was being held. Photo by and courtesy Linda Wiadrowski
2018 NSW State Junior Titles And 2018 School Surfing Titles
Just over a century since Hawaiian icon Duke Kahanamoku brought surfing to Australia, arguably kick-starting a love affair with the sea that continues to this day, ocean athletes of all persuasions from Down Under continue to achieve success in one of sport’s toughest challenges.
Nigel Penn (Bilgola) was awarded the President’s Medal for 20 years of dedicated service. The current club vice president is also an experienced and passionate IRB official and recently served as Deputy Referee at the Australian IRB Titles.
“I see this award as for all my colleagues and for those who patrol the beaches. I absolutely love what I do, it’s why I do it. It’s about the passion, it’s about the community, and it’s about looking after the public,” said Penn.
Nigel with David Murray, President
Beryl Driver OAM was awarded her 20 Year Certificate this year, and counts that among highlights, along with getting to visit Uluru. Her only sad note is that this is the last Bash Elyse Cole will do 'on the road', although Elyse will continue to help fund-raise - as next year, it's the 21st Bash for young Beryl!
Reports and wonderful pictures from the road by Viktorija run as this Issue's Pictorial - HERE
Richard Roxburgh
Former Newport resident, Prof. Kerryn Phelps AM
October 21, 2018
The loss of the federal seat of Wentworth by the Liberal Party in yesterday’s by-election should be a warning to the Coalition over its plans for Mona Vale Hospital, campaigners for acute services at the facility said today.
Save Mona Vale Hospital chairman Parry Thomas said the win in Wentworth by Independent Kerryn Phelps – who grew up in Newport – should be a wake-up call to the NSW government.
“The same attitude toward the needs and wishes of the local community that has caused the federal government to lose the critical seat of Wentworth has been displayed by the state government when dealing with the community over Mona Vale Hospital,” Mr Thomas told Pittwater Online News.
The campaign is fighting the state government’s decision to close all acute services at Mona Vale Hospital – including emergency, surgery, intensive care and maternity – when the new Northern Beaches Hospital at Frenchs Forest opens at the end of the month.
However, Pittwater MP Rob Stokes revealed an apparent change of heart over the emergency department at Mona Vale Hospital in an announcement on Friday.
“My job is to listen to our community and take action,” Mr Stokes said in a statement.
“That’s why I’m calling on health authorities to make further enhancements to ensure an Emergency Department will continue as part of the redevelopment and modernisation of Mona Vale Hospital.”
Mr Thomas said the announcement offered hope to the community but the Save Mona Vale Hospital campaign would continue unabated.
“The community has a right to be sceptical about the statement because in recent years Mr Stokes has continued to support the removal of all acute services from the hospital,” Mr Thomas said.
“At this point it’s not about promises or appeals to his cabinet colleagues – it’s about achieving concrete results for the community.”
Mr Stokes and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard came under pressure this week from revelations that the new hospital is having problems recruiting enough doctors.
Medicos were taking legal action in the Industrial Relations Commission against Northern Beaches Hospital’s operator Healthscope and the NSW Health Department, Seven News reported on Monday.
If the doctors did not sign the contracts they had been offered, the hospital would not have enough staff to open, Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation spokesman Dr Tony Sara told Seven News.
Last Sunday, thousands of residents joined a rally at Mona Vale Village Green, hosted by MC, actor and activist Shane Withington, after the most direct route to the new hospital - the Wakehurst Parkway - closed due to flooding from rain overnight. The rally was followed by a march to Mona Vale Hospital.
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Shane Withington at MVH Rally
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Mr. Parry and residents outside the Mona vale Hospital ED last Sunday
In addition to Mr Thomas, speakers at the rally included Sea Eagles footy legend Max Brown.
The former winger recounted his experience of a heart attack last October and how Mona Vale Hospital saved his life in the nick of time before transfer to Royal North Shore Hospital.
“Now I can assure you that from what I was told at that hospital (RNS), if I had not had that intervention, the immediate treatment at Mona Vale Hospital, I would have died,” Mr Brown told the rally.
“… And I hope Mr Stokes you listen to that because it could be your mother, your children, your father, your aunt, your uncle, it could be anyone of us because we won’t have a facility to save lives.”
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Max Brown speaking at the MVH Rally
Christina Ambrose-Keys, Nic Carroll and Patsy Clayton-Fry in the Murals Arcade yesterday before Christina's 'Wave'
Following a particularly bad trauma season in 2016 (bushfires, heat-stress events, drought) Joan Reid - one of our most dedicated Sydney Wildlife volunteers - was determined to devise a plan to provide immediate treatment for our injured wildlife. In one of the bushfire-affected areas, she noted that rescuers were filtering in and collecting as many victims as possible and then having to drive them long distances to veterinarians who were prepared to see them. Many of these animals would have benefited from immediate onsite veterinary treatment. And so, the idea of a mobile clinic began to form in Joan’s mind.
Knowing that it would be a huge pioneering project, Joan enlisted some help. I joined the ranks and my daughter, Kayleigh, asked if she could get involved. We decided her cute face might just help in raising much-needed funds for the project!
Joan Reid and Lynleigh Grieg - photo by Kayleigh
We did some costings and calculated that we would need at least $200,000 to buy a second-hand van, gut and re-fit it with veterinary equipment and then stock up on supplies required for treating wildlife.
We had meetings with many of our local politicians, applied for Government Grants and approached companies for sponsorship. We started up a Go Fund Me page and a Mobile Wildlife Clinic Facebook page to start getting the word out about our goal.
Our first-ever fundraiser was held at the beautiful home of Sue and Peter Glasson in Bayview. We raised $26K! Our second major fundraiser was held a year later at the Cardinal’s Palace up on the hill in Manly. With the help of Lisa Oldfield (television celebrity, businesswoman and author), Laurie Sword (our graphic designer extraordinaire) and Ali Watlington (wildlife rescuer and seasoned fundraising champ) on the committee, we raised a further $50K!
Between major fundraisers we were lucky enough to receive some sizeable donations from the amazing Harris family, the wonderful Scott and Andra of Future Vet Kids Camp, the indefatigable Bob Irwin and magnanimous megaentrepreneurs, Dick and Pip Smith. These donations, teamed with a few extra mini-fundraisers (Santa Paws photos by Pampaw’d Pets; Mona Vale Veterinary Hospital’s Open Day, Pittwater High’s Green Day and Pittwater Doggies to name a few) and radio support from Wendy Harmer from the ABC ensured that we were sitting on a grand total of $162,000 by the time our final fundraiser rolled around.
The Go Wild Garden Party was set to be our goal-breaker. It was held, once again, in the Glassons’ glorious gardens in Bayview.
Well it was a roaring success! And, guess what…?
We reached our $200K target!!! So now we can go shopping for a van!
A few weeks back some may have had a giggle over a Channel 9 report where the Premier, in opening a new bridge at Penrith and being confronted by that vocal resilient core of protesters trying to save the historic and iconic Thomspons Square at Windsor, told them that today was about Penrith ‘so just keep quiet’.
Some may have even emitted their own little ‘no’ in chorused answer, unheard and unseen in their own living rooms.
Following on the back of revelations by Warriewood residents that yet another section of Warriewood’s green creek areas had been razed by a developer comes the finally released knowledge that a development for 22 dwellings in a buffer zone (Narrabeen creek), and the amending of the Pittwater Local environment Plan (LEP) so that can proceed, has been progressed by the NSW Dept. of Planning.
Spoken against by the community and Pittwater council years ago, and knocked but by the even the most recent version of a council foisted in the community by the current state government, but approved by that same state government’s also foisted on the community ‘planning panel’, the inappropriate development has been ticked off by that same state government’s planning department as the final 'LEP - Gateway part' of the process.
An old photo of Macpherson St but still relevant with regard to flooding.
The ‘news’ comes the same week that department is asking the populace to ‘have its say on community consultations’ and crowing about how building approvals and constructions have gone up and this will produce ‘housing affordability’. [1., 2.]
The median sale price of 2 bedroom houses in Warriewood in the last 12 months is $2,200,000, townhouses are averaging 1.3-1.4 mill. The median sale price has grown 24.9% in the last 12 months. [3]
The average salary in Sydney, New South Wales is $67,026 according to one source and $83,517 via the ABS.
Always a fun, relaxed day, this years Palmy Rally was no exception. Glassy little waves early on peeled left and right across the bank up the north end of the beach, giving competitors nice little walls to work with.
When the southerly kicked in the better waves were hard to find but some great rides and manoeuvres were witnessed anyway. The usual suspects were in very good form and made the most of every bumpy section.
The Rally is growing with each year and attracting new surfers to this classic style of surfing, as well as those who are Australian legends in the sport. Great to watch, visitors saw Lachlan Meakes' excellent rail work and the smooth riding of longboard champion Jack Norton, and that's before you get near multi competition winner Tully White or Blaze Roberts, who only took to the longboard just over a year ago, great fun her sister Hunter is getting amongst too.
Some Lachlan Meakes 'rail work'.
Those who strolled through Careel Bay playing fields or along the shore at Careel Bay during the pre local government elections would have been approached by people forcing on them the below 'how to vote' leaflet. The lobbyists were not interested in any discussing any other point of view.
The same councillor preferenced, who voted against Pittwater Council seeking to defend its right to exist via legal action, action that proved successful for those who did so and remain intact, secured a seat as a representative for Pittwater in the forcibly amalgamated council and pushed for what was promised to the 'how to vote card' volunteers.
As a result the community is now asked to have its say on allowing dogs off-leash into an area known for its endangered ecological community, known for being beside a golf course where an errant ball may whack someone in the head, as has occurred at Mona Vale since a public pathway was installed alongside it, known to be a place where seabirds live and have lived for a long time, known to be a place where people who breakfast at The Beach House stroll, known to be a place where thousands of visitors to Barrenjoey Headland and Lighthouse visit, and known to be a place where Palm Beach residents are already walking their dogs, leaving a faeces trail behind them.
In the most recent State of the Beaches report Station Beach/Barrenjoey Beach, showed the highest range of faeces present of all estuary beaches. If it is not dog leavings, per the definitions of such annual reports, then the faeces present must be that of birds, lots of birds, and not an area suitable for dogs to be running around off-leash in.
Considering there are places in Pittwater where it would be safe for those who insist on claiming for themselves areas in which to share dabbling their feet in saltwater with their dog, areas such as the south end of Whale Beach where there is actually enough parking to keep owners and pooches safe, a green lawn area for doggy rolling around on, and an outdoors café wherein company and coffee may be enjoyed, the selection of Station Beach is not a popular one with the thousands of other residents who live here - that other 97%.
The Dog Act 1966 evolution to the Companion Animal Act 1998 shows a shift from controlling dogs to governing dog owners. They were preceded by the Dog and Goat Act 1898, for those who like to look deeper.
The impetus for the Companions Animal Act 1998 was a changing pattern of pet ownership, ‘partly as a result of different approaches to urban development and workforce participation’, and a change in community expectations about what is required of a responsible pet owner. In the 1960s, houses were further apart, with smaller houses on a block than now — that is, there was more yard and more distance between houses. During this period, dogs were allowed to wander the streets. Women being in the workforce was also much lower in the 1960s. These factors meant dog barking or dog attacks were less frequent than now, as they had more yard in which to entertain themselves and freedom to roam, and there was a much greater chance that someone would be at home during the day.
Urban growth has required changes to the regulation of cats and dogs, changes to the way common communal spaces may be used, to provide for the protection of wildlife, protection of people (children for example), and protection of the environment.
This was the 53rd consecutive running of the annual regatta. In the 1970’s and 1980’s the Beware The Bullets regatta was conducted from Governor Phillip Park where over 200 off-the-beach catamarans would attend.
Every year we see catamarans flying a hull very high as a result of the bullets and, if you are not careful and react swiftly, the bullets can make the boat capsize and sailors lose their position in the race.
Newport Artist Mick Glasheen is taking his exhibition Drawing on the Land - GARIGAL COUNTRY on the road from Palm Beach to Pasadena.
First held in the Newport Community Centre last year, Mick is staging this exhibition in three local reserves over three weekends in December to raise money to support the purchase of the endangered littoral rainforest above Porter Reserve, Newport, so that it may be integrated into the adjoining Attunga and Porter Reserves.
The exhibition began yesterday in the Governor Phillip Park, Palm Beach for the weekend of December 1/ 2.
Featured are large scale panoramic paintings of Aboriginal rock engraving sites in the Kur-Ing-Gai National Park - such as the iconic “Emu in the Milky Way” and “Rainbow Snake” sites off the Elvina track.
Also showing is Dancing with Strangers, Mick’s first History painting - depicting the first encounter of Europeans with Aboriginal people on the shores of Pittwater in March,1788. The work fuses a sketch by William Bradley with Mick's luminous visions.
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Dancing with Strangers
Bowen Bungaree descendant Neil Evers gave the Welcome to Country, sharing insights into his ancestors connection with the very spot he stood on and some of the Europeans Bowen would have had interactions with along the stretch of sand we now call 'Station Beach'. Neil recounted Bowen's service for those he found in his home while standing alongside Barrenjoey Headland, where his ancestor once had a camp.
Monika and Pepper
