Profile of the Week Rebecca Capell: Vice President of Newport SLSCAs the proud mum of two boys and a girl 'Bec' Capell has long been focussed on equipping her by no young adults with everything and anything they need to become all they want to be.
Her focus has been on keeping it real and relative. After joining Newport SLSC as a Nippers mum, Bec has undertaken various roles in the club - everything from womanning the shop to looking after the littlies and now looking after members across the club structure as VP of Newport surf club.
Bec introduced 'The Top 5' at Newport, a newsletter featuring the top five stories for club members, when her role was Member Protection Information Officer, contributing a story for the first edition on Tips for Schoolies and how to stay safe if attending. The other 4 stories for that edition were about Newport athletes excelling at surf sports, a working bee on the garden at the front of the club, and the Return and Earn scheme for bottles the club had recently signed up to and Bec again penned an update on Taking 3 for the Sea the Nippers were involved in, setting up the under 7s, 8s and 9s to be current and future custodians of their own and any other beach they find themselves on.
Bec is also an athlete - especially in water sports; a love and passion that commenced when she was young and has been renewed through the opportunities being a member of a surf club provides for all ages and all genders.
Bec won Gold in the 2022 Aussies in the Champion Lifesaver event. That had been preceded by a Silver in the same event at the NSW State Championships in 2020. Bec also takes part in the Patrol Competition team event, again with great team results from Newport SLSC's volunteers working as one crew.
However, getting in the swim of things runs in the family with her daughter Abigail part of the next generation of athletes coming out of the club that sees commentators at Branch, State and National carnivals calling out 'Newport!, Newport!, Newport!' as competitors cross the finish line.
Surf sports have their grounding in honing the skills that enable surf lifesaver volunteers to save lives on the beach and in the water; everything from sprinting on the sand to being able to successfully complete a surf rescue via a range of equipment, and should that be needed, complete first aid and resuscitation once a patient is brought back to the shore.
The carnivals held locally and across Australia also bring together old friends and continue to foster the camaraderie of one team all working together to look after each other and the hundreds of thousands of people who visit our beaches each Season. This, in essence, creates an extended family centred in every surf club - a foundation available for all Bec says gives everyone a place to belong to because all are welcome as all belong - there is something you can do in your local surf club to help your community, help complete strangers, even if you are not an athlete.
This week a few insights into a Season at Newport SLSC from a lady who has undertaken 'Vigilance and Service' for over two decades on glorious Newport Beach.
Park Bench Philosophers 
Community News Tilly Rose Cooper's Swimwear Drive For Fijian Youngsters, Ministry changes, North Bilgola Directional Marker: Do you have a photo of the surface?, New Fire Truck for Ingleside Rural Fire Brigade, Breeding time for Little Penguins: Boaters urged to stick to speed limit, Funding for Community Groups: Griffin, Mackellar wants an end to gambling advertising, Strike Force Arrests - Assault at Manly: Update, Woody Point Yacht Club's 2025 Wooden Putt Putt & Gentleman's Launch Regatta, Three charged over alleged property and traffic offences - Central Coast, Warriewood To Mona Vale Swim Cancelled, Roadwork - Utilities: Wakehurst Parkway, Warringah Rats Sevens by the Sea 2025, Paddle out to honour Guy “Creature” Haymes, Pittwater Outriggers: join us for a free trial, Narrabeen Dragonboat Club Open Day, Woody Point Yacht Club's 2025 Wooden Putt Putt & Gentleman's Launch Regatta, Australia Day Breakfast at Newport, 189th Australia Day Regatta on Pittwater hosted by Avalon Sailing Club, Sydney Wildlife Needs Volunteers, Purple Poppy Day Service - Monday 24 February 2025, Spanish Moss killing critically endangered local trees, SLS SNB and NSW Surf Life Saving Championships: when and where, Monika's Doggie Rescue Pets of the Week: Missy + Buzz and Woody, NSW residents urged to take care this mosquito season, Zonta's International Womens Day Breakfast 2025, Avalon Beach SLSC turns 100 in 2025!, Changes to Public transport Timetables, $4.25 million In grants for community-led programs to prevent domestic violence, Council invites EOI for Pittwater Golf Centre, Pittwater Offshore Newsletter, Pittwater Organisations, Sports, Social, Environment, Residents Associations and Groups
Environment Wildlife killed by Same roaming dog Pair Again: Elanora-Ingleside-Warriewood, Breeding time for Little Penguins: Boaters urged to stick to speed limit - NSW Maritime Blitz 2025, Ball shaped debris washes up on Local Beaches: Call for Sydney Water to 'Come Clean' on How much Sewerage is leaking into environment, Community rallies against accelerated logging in Great Koala National Park: Scruby Not backing Down Until GKNP Formalised - Higginson Calls for Labor to Honour its Election promise, PNHA Newsletter 102: Summer 2024-2025 - Station Beach seagrass meadow, New project, what's in Avalon's ponds?, Pelican singing in the rain at McCarrs creek + More, Sydney Wildlife (Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Services) Needs Volunteers: new course starts in February, An egg-cellent beach activity, Draft Plan of Management for Dogs offleash On South Mona Vale Beach Open for feedback: closes Feb. 9, Garigal National Park: ‘1080 pest management’, Plastic Bread Ties For Wheelchairs: Mona Vale drop-off point, Volunteers for Barrenjoey Lighthouse Tours needed, Stay Safe From Mosquitoes, Mountain Bike Incidents On Public Land: Survey, Report fox sightings, marine wildlife rescue group on the Central Coast, Watch out - shorebirds about, Possums In Your Roof?: do the right thing, Aviaries + Possum Release Sites Needed, Bushcare in Pittwater: where + when, Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Activities, Gardens and Environment Groups and Organisations in Pittwater, Ringtail Posses, NSW marine life – the importance of seagrass, Study shows hot leaves can’t catch carbon from the air. It’s bad news for rainforests – and Earth, We tracked the Tasmanian boobook as it flew a remarkable 250 kilometres non-stop across Bass Strait, Nothing new under the sun: Australia’s long history of missed chances to build sustainable homes, Cabana drama: 5 expert tips on how not to be branded a twit when using a beach tent, This summer please leave the sea shells by the seashore, How is Antarctica melting, exactly? Crucial details are beginning to come into focus, Arctic has changed dramatically in just a couple of decades – 2024 report card shows worrying trends in snow, ice, wildfire and more, Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change, Property developers installing as few as half of promised ecological features – new report, How the world’s tallest bridge saves thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions, Pittwater Reserves: histories + Pictorial Walks, Pittwater's Birds, + more
Aquatics Marine Rescue NSW completes another demanding year returning more than 10,500 people safely to shore in 2024
Children Sunday cartoons and animations - This Issue: A Winter Fairy Tale: A Magical Story from The Glen by Victoria Beata, Congratulations Joel!, This summer, please leave the sea shells by the seashore, NSW marine life – nature’s art, Curious Kids: why are people colour blind? + Interactive: What Earth’s 4.54 billion-year history would look like in a single year + Why does a rocket have to go 25,000 mph to escape Earth? + How long would garden snails live if they were not eaten by another animal?, Stories this week: Chocolatina + 'Too Much Glue' read by Nicole Byer, + more
Youth Congratulations Joel!, Applications open for 2025 Tertiary Health Study Subsidies, Applications to join the DOVES Council are open for 2025, Hottest 100 Voting now open, TAFE Fee-free* courses - semester 1 2025 enrol now, The Rions - Physical Medicine (Official Music Video), School Leavers Support, Word Of The Week: psithurism, 50 years of Triple J: challenging censorship, supporting Australian artists, and ‘no dope in the studio!’, Going for a bushwalk? 3 handy foods to have in your backpack (including muesli bars), No, you don’t need the ‘Barbie drug’ to tan, whatever TikTok says; Here’s why melanotan-II is so risky, Behind the viral selfie location of Saint Ignatius is a 350-year-old story of an optical illusion, Staring blankly at your screen? You probably have post holiday blues; The good news is you can get through it, Beware of bad customers – and 3 other ways small and medium businesses can thrive in 2025, Looking for a summer or longer-term job? Here’s how to find one and avoid being exploited, Research suggests those who use buy-now-pay-later services end up spending more, A bright ‘Sun-skirting’ comet will grace southern skies this week; Here’s how to see it, This summer please leave the sea shells by the seashore, The history of women cyclists – an uphill climb to equality, How Sydney’s cultural festivals cultivate a sense of hope and optimism for Australia’s future, If Greenland were for sale, what would it be worth? How to put a ‘price tag’ on a territory, Fruit and veg, exercise, frequent bloodletting and more tips on staying healthy from medieval travellers, These 16 nuns were guillotined in the French Revolution. Now the Pope has declared them saints, local services for you
Seniors Ground-breaking work in geriatric pharmacology: NSLHD News, Why some people deserve an age pension before others: new Australian research, Household spending rises with Black Friday sales: ABS, Assistive Tech and Home Modifications List now available, Avalon Beach SLSC turns 100 in 2025!, Going for a bushwalk? 3 handy foods to have in your backpack (including muesli bars), Remembering Simon Townsend as a conscientious objector and fearless anti-Vietnam War activist, How we diagnose and define obesity is set to change – here’s why, and what it means for treatment, 50 years of Triple J: challenging censorship, supporting Australian artists, and ‘no dope in the studio!’, ‘AI agents’ promise to arrange your finances, do your taxes, book your holidays – and put us all at risk, The history of women cyclists – an uphill climb to equality, Local events, services, groups for you + more
Inbox News New study challenges a major theory on why some kangaroos mysteriously went extinct, A deadly brain-eating amoeba lurks in freshwater swimming holes – here’s what you need to know, Children with traumatic experiences have a higher risk of obesity – but this can be turned around, Australia has a new autism strategy but questions remain for those who don’t get NDIS support, Aboriginal message sticks are a fascinating insight into a complex system of written communication, A bright ‘Sun-skirting’ comet will grace southern skies this week; Here’s how to see it, LA is on fire; How will Australia cope when bushfires hit Sydney, Melbourne or another major city?, Ecology of Fear: Mike Davis’ history of LA and natural disaster is re-read whenever fire rages in California, Blinking radio pulses from space hint at a cosmic object that ‘shouldn’t exist’, ‘Solar shepherds’ earn big by grazing sheep on solar farms — and they benefit everyone involved
Food Summer Peaches
Large Australian Yellow Peaches are currently available in shops and very sweet and juicy. The boxes state they're from Wyong - so no cold storage and long travelling times there - and the prices, at around $3-4 a kilo, indicate we are in the middle of harvest season for this particular variety of scrumptious Summer fruit.
DIY Ideas DIY A Summer-Autumn Salad Garden for a Balcony or at Waist-height
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s long-range forecast, issued 9 January 2025, states the forecast for February to April shows above average rainfall is likely for much of coastal parts of New South Wales and warmer than average days are likely across much of eastern Australia along with warmer than average nights being very likely with an increased chance of unusually high overnight temperatures across Australia.
As everyone in our household are BIG salad consumers, and ‘getting on’, this Issue we’d like to share a DIY project that will suit those who now want to garden at waist-height or have access to food they can harvest from their flat’s balcony.
All seeds, planter boxes and pots, as well as the seed-raising mix and watering can, were bought online through Johnson Brothers Mitre 10. To avoid the traffic jam that happens at this time of year, known as dodging the Bilgola Bends Barrage of cars heading north, we arranged to pick up everything needed from the Avalon Beach store.
Who wants to sit in traffic when you could be on the beach or pottering in the garden?
You can simply drive around the back of the Avalon Beach store once notified your order is in, to what's known locally as 'Johnson's Lane', and load up from there - thus avoiding that Avalon Parade in Summer trying-to-get-a-parking-spot challenge as well.
Pictures A Mid-Summer Irrawong Falls Walk by Joe Mills
Events Woody Point Yacht Club's 2025 Wooden Putt Putt & Gentleman's Launch Regatta, Australia Day Breakfast at Newport Beach, 189th Australia Day Regatta on Pittwater hosted by Avalon Sailing Club, Australia Day 2025 events: North Narra to Palmy, Mezcaltones ‘Big Hat No Cattle’ Album Launch, Warringah Rats Sevens by the Sea 2025, Shorty's Surf School open for 2025 bookings: Warriewood, Pittwater Regattas, Music, Markets, Social Groups, + lots more.