Pittwater Life February 2017 Issue

Celebrating 25 Years
FEBRUARY 2017
FREE
pittwaterlife
HOME, NOT AWAY
PITTWATER PATRIOT
SHANE WITHINGTON
+
WIN A JONAH’S
ROMANTIC ESCAPE
WALK ’N’ RIDE: OUR BIG
BEACH CONNECT
SPECIAL: FOCUS ON
WOMEN’S HEALTH
What’s
The
Buzz?
LOCAL HONEY
PRODUCERS’
ECO MESSAGE

Editorial
Bees are the latest buzzword
Pittwater is breaking out in
hives! And no, it’s not an
allergic reaction to council
amalgamations. Rather it’s the
result of a bunch of ecologically
aware locals turning their hand
to beekeeping and harvesting
the sweet byproduct that is
natural honey.
Read about this growing
band of artisan producers and
find out how you too can get
involved through seminars on
the peninsula this month (see
p20).
Also this month we get
Northern Beaches Council’s
briefing on the current
algae blooms and also some
residents’ concern over
perceived increased seagrass
volumes in Narrabeen Lagoon.
Plus, Council unveils its
plans for new secure boat
storage racks around the
Lagoon – necessary to stamp
out the practice of boats being
dumped on sensitive riparian
vegetation which is responsible
for stabilising the bank of the
lagoon.
Plenty of ratepayers will
scoff at the new permit-only
arrangement ($75 annually) but
before anyone jumps on the
“this is a cash grab” wagon it
should be pointed out a similar
boat storage system is already
in place around Pittwater’s
foreshore. Fair enough.
Thanks to Shane Withington
for agreeing to be our ‘Life
Stories’ subject this month – his
is one of the best yarns we’ve
run to date (p26).
Resident surfing guru Nick
Carroll ponders the future
of the sport at a professional
level (p34); and Lisa Offord
has compiled a comprehensive
guide to women’s health (p38).
Last, with Valentine’s Day on
February 14, we give one lucky
reader the chance to win an
overnight Romantic Escape for
two to the beautiful Jonah’s
boutique hotel and restaurant,
with breakfast and an a la carte
dinner thrown in (see p31).
– Nigel Wall
FEBRUARY 2017 3

FREE
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DISTRIBUTION
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Delivered to householders
& businesses throughout
the Pittwater area at the
beginning of each month.
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Tel: 0438 123 096
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Email:
info@pittwaterlife.com.au
Website:
www.pittwaterlife.com.au
Publisher: Nigel Wall
Managing Editor: Lisa Offord
Graphic Design: CLS Design
Photography: iStock
Contributors: Rosamund
Burton, Gabrielle Bryant, Brian
Hrnjak, Jennifer Harris, Nick
Carroll, Sue Carroll, Dr. John
Kippen, Janelle Bloom, Simon
Bond, Geoff Searl, Maclaren
Wall, Matilda Wall
Distribution: Ray Drury
Published by
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Phone: 02 4570 4444
4
Vol 26 No 7
Celebrating 25 Years
Celebrating 25 Years
FEBRUARY 2017
FREE
pittwaterlife
HOME, NOT AWAY
PITTWATER PATRIOT
SHANE WITHINGTON
+
WIN A JONAH’S
ROMANTIC ESCAPE
WALK ’N’ RIDE: OUR BIG
BEACH CONNECT
SPECIAL: FOCUS ON
WOMEN’S HEALTH
What’s
The
Buzz?
LOCAL HONEY
PRODUCERS’
ECO MESSAGE
26
34
38
WALKERS
WANTED
To deliver Pittwater Life
once a month.
Permanent and casual runs
in the Pittwater area.
Palm Beach, Avalon, Newport,
Mona Vale, Bayview, Church Pt,
Warriewood, Elanora Heights,
Ingleside, Narrabeen.
EARN TOP MONEY PAID PROMPTLY!
PHONE
0438 123 096
FEBRUARY 2017
thislife
COVER: There’s a real buzz around Pittwater of late – and
it’s all thanks to a bunch of eco-aware locals who are
getting into beekeeping and producing marvellous-tasting
honey (p20); meet the first-time author who set her novel
in Avalon Beach, and learn why she did it (p16); Actor and
true Pittwater patriot Shane Withington talks about his life
on and off the Home and Away set (p26); win a romantic
getaway for two people at Jonah’s (p31); last year’s Sydney
SUP Festival champion gives his tips for competitors in
this year’s event (p33); and our special Women’s Health
feature will improve your wellbeing (p38). Enjoy!
also this month
Editorial 3
Pittwater Community News 8-25
Life Stories: Actor Shane Withington 26-27
Valentine’s Day: Gift Ideas 28-30
Boating Life 33
Surfing Life 34-35
Sporting Life 36-37
Women’s Health Special 38-41
Hair & Beauty 49
Money & Finance 50-52
Law: Discussion on Elder Abuse Part II 54-55
Food 64-66
Crossword 67
Gardening Life 68-71
the goodlife
Restaurants, food, gigs, travel and gardening.
Also find our regular features on beauty, health, surfing,
art, local history, our guide to trades and services, money,
law and our essential maps.
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our MARCH issue MUST be supplied by
FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY
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COPYRIGHT
All contents are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced except with the
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News
Council explains lagoon ‘big stink’
Northern Beaches Council
has moved to allay
user-group concerns about
a perceived increase in the
level of seagrass in Narrabeen
Lagoon.
At the same time Council
says large blooms of algae
across some areas of the
catchment – caused by nutrients,
warm weather and
prolonged sunlight – will
disperse naturally with the
arrival of cooler weather.
Council’s executive
manager – Natural Manager
and Climate Change, Todd
Dickinson, said there were
no issues with seagrass.
“Seagrass comes and goes
according to environmental
conditions in the same way
your garden will respond,”
he said.
“What people may be
seeing is an increase in density…
potentially because
the entrance of the lagoon
was closed for a period – the
water level goes up when
the entrance closes. It’s like
putting the plug in the bath
– the water level increases,
which can make seagrass a
bit more invisible to people
because it’s further below
the surface.
“When the water level
drops it’s obviously closer to
the surface… and the fact is
it’s confined to the edges –
they are the shallower parts
and the warmer parts and
have more light and it’s not
surprising you would see it
more around the foreshore.”
Mr Dickinson said the putrid
smell around the lagoon
was the algae decomposing.
“It can break down in a
less pleasant way – it’s perfectly
natural and happens
up and down the coast,” he
said.
Mr Dickinson said Council
was committed to a balanced
management of the delicate
Narrabeen Lagoon ecosystem
and would continue its communication
with locals.
“We try very hard to manage
the ecosystem, to keep
it relatively stable and try
not to damage it with the
intention of it being a very
pleasant environment for
everyone to use,” he said.
He said the issue of
dredging the mouth was
fundamentally around recreational
access.
“When you strip it back it
is actually about people not
wanting to bog their boards
or their sailing craft in
some of the shallow areas –
but by and large the floor of
the lagoon is the same level
it was a decade ago.”
He added the navigation
markers installed around
the lagoon last year had
been well received.
“We put the navigation
markers in after quite a bit
of consultation – people are
excited about being able to
navigate the lagoon properly
now, without having to
worry about ploughing into
the shallower areas.”
– Nigel Wall
* New storage racks – P15
8
FEBRUARY 2017

Business and community
win out in beach connect
shared, walk-cycle path on the Bilgola
A bends linking Newport to Avalon is one of
the exciting highlights of a multi-million dollar
plan to “connect” the northern beaches.
Announced last month, Connecting Our
Communities is a $32 million initiative of
Northern Beaches Council and the NSW Government
who have pooled resources and come
up with a plan which will allow pedestrians to
traverse the 36-kilometre stretch from Palm
Beach to Manly on all-weather coastal walkways
without interruption.
But that’s not all… the proposal also includes
36km of new cycleways and shared paths connecting
north-south and east-west with links to
major bus transport hubs and services including
the Northern Beaches Hospital.
And funds have been put aside to encourage
more physical activity and play at all levels.
Northern Beaches Council Administrator
Dick Persson says the initiative was the direct
result of the creation of the new council.
“By removing the administrative boundaries,
it has unlocked the potential to interconnect
our villages and towns via cycleways, walkways
and transport hubs across the region.”
Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes added:
“This idea has been floating around for
decades but it’s never been able to get off the
ground due to insufficient funds and boundary
issues.”
It is expected the new infrastructure and
active transport options will be great for local
businesses and create extensive ecotourism
opportunities.
The walkways and cyclepaths will cost $22.3
million with major investment occurring in
the Pittwater area including:
n Palm Beach: ‘Quality, landmark infrastructure’
with a cantilevered walkway and
landscape between Palm Beach Wharf and
Governor Phillip Park to ‘maintain the natural
beauty of the area’ ($1.8 million).
n Newport and Avalon: Bilgola Bends shared
path to improve road safety for cyclists, motorists
and pedestrians on this challenging
stretch of Barrenjoey Road ($2.9 million).
n Narrabeen: A new pedestrian and cycle
bridge on the west side of Pittwater Road
over Narrabeen Lagoon ($3million).
A further $10.3 million will be spent on
playgrounds, sport facilities and upgrades to
Surf Live Saving clubs to promote an active,
social and inclusive community.
It is expected our communities will be “connected”
by January 2019. – Lisa Offord
News
FEBRUARY 2017 11

News
Timber boat revives regatta
near century-old yacht
A with a distinguished history
in Pittwater is billowing
interest among sailing enthusiasts
after being listed for sale
at Newport’s Rowell Marine.
Sea Rover, a 25ft Couta-style
single-mast timber boat built
in 1923, was one of Sydney’s
most competitive yachts and
a regular competitor in the
Pittwater Regatta in the 1920s.
The regatta, which ran from
1907 to 1979, featured a series
of races for yachts, powerboats
and row boats all on the
one day.
Sea Rover won the Sydney
Amateur Sailing Club ‘A’
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Sea Rover
sailing in Sydney Harbour in 1934;
as she is today; a program for the
22nd Pittwater Regatta in 1928.
Class Gold medal in 1924,
along with the Fred White
Trophy and the LJ Thompson
Trophy. The following year it
added the Cruiser’s Championship
and the HM Shelley
Trophy.
Business co-owner and
shipwright David Rowell said
magazines and an event program
found on board showed
Sea Rover competed in two
races in the Pittwater Regatta
on December 29, 1928 – starting
as second favourite off a
handicap of one minute in a
five-mile race, and backing
up off a two-minute handicap
in a 10-mile race (results
unknown).
Also, the yacht is the
subject of features in issues
of Australian Motor Boat and
Yachting Monthly magazine in
the 1920s and ’30s.
David said he had been
12
FEBRUARY 2017

memories
intrigued when owner Paul
Lhuede approached him to
broker the sale.
“She has a lot of history,
and it got me thinking about
how great it would be to bring
back the Pittwater Regatta as
a local event,” he said.
David described Sea Rover
as a traditionalist’s boat.
“She has original fittings,
rigging and mast… she’s teak
on top with Australian hardwood
and Oregon planking,”
he said.
“Some time over the years
some luxury was added, with
a steering wheel and a Pittwater
cabin added – she sleeps
two, or four cosy on roll-outs.”
David said his phone
started ringing as soon as he
stuck a ‘For Sale’ sign on Sea
Rover and moored her off the
point of The Newport.
“It just goes to show the
interest in a piece of local
yachting history,” he said.
Inspections can be made by
phoning David on 9997 1674.
– Nigel Wall
News
FEBRUARY 2017 13

6THINGS
THIS MONTH
News
Let the good times roll.
The Aveo Rocks Tour comes to
Bayview on Sat 10 and Sat 25
with The Hitmakers rocking out
all the best tunes of the ’50s and
’60s. Free; refreshments and
finger food on offer, held at the
very respectable time of 3-5pm.
Call 13 28 36 or visit aveo.com.
au/aveorocks
State surfboat challenge.
Support the best of the best at
North Narrabeen Beach on Sun
5. The challenge includes crews
from all six divisions from each of
the Regional/Branch Boat Series.
Try Mall Walking. Do some
window shopping before the
stores open and utilise the great
space at the newly renovated
Warriewood Square for fun and
fitness by joining a social group
of walkers who meet on Monday
and Wednesdays 7.30-8.30am.
Free; more info 0416 087 893 or
see ad p47.
Join the seed saving circle.
Permaculture Northern Beaches
is holding a seed saving afternoon
at Bungan Edible Sanctuary on
Sun 26 from 2-4pm. Exchange
seeds, package up excess
seeds for distributing at the
PNB monthly meeting and
share knowledge about what
grows well in our area. More info
jayatma108@gmail.com
Watch out for native
animals. Learn about the
animals under threat in the
Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment
on Mon 27 from 7pm at the
Coastal Environment Centre.
Wildlife experts Jacqui Marlow
and Lynleigh Grieg will speak
about reducing road kill and
how to care for injured animals.
Free; donations welcome
and bookings essential at
narrabeenlagoon.com.au.
Keep Pittwater clean. It’s
time to take a look around
to identify those rubbish
hotspots that need attention
and register a local site for
Clean Up Australia Day on
Sunday 5 March. Organise
your friends, family, workmates
and list your site online at
cleanupaustraliaday.org.au.
(Business Clean Up Day 28 Feb,
Schools Clean Up Day 3 March.)
14
FEBRUARY 2017

Fix for ‘damaging’
Lagoon boat storage
Northern Beaches Council
will build new secure
boat storage racks this year
around Narrabeen Lagoon
to address the increase in
demand to store watercraft
and reduce watercraft
dumping, overcrowding and
dangerous boat storage
practises.
Council General Manager
Mark Ferguson said the new
facilities, which will see the
introduction of mandatory
permits for storage, would
help protect the sensitive
Lagoon environment.
A similar boat storage
system is already in place
around Pittwater’s foreshore.
“It has become so
overcrowded that some boat
owners have been unable to
retrieve their boats because
other boats have been
stacked on top of theirs,”
he said.
“Boats are also being
dumped on sensitive
riparian vegetation,
damaging it. This vegetation
is important for habitat and
also for stabilising the bank
of the Lagoon.”
Council will place notices
on watercraft around the
Lagoon advising owners of
the changes and inviting
them to register their
interest to purchase a permit
and receive an allocated
position. The current cost of
the annual permit is $75.
Once the facilities are
in place, watercraft without
permits will be removed and
stored at Council’s compound.
Uncollected watercraft may be
disposed of.
Council will also
undertake a clean-up of
the foreshore and will
remove all old, broken and
discarded vessels.
For applications
email watercraft@
northernbeaches.nsw.gov.
au or contact Council’s
Property Officer on
9970 1111.
News
FEBRUARY 2017 15

Plot thickens for Avalon
News
When Sydney author
Penelope Janu contemplated
the setting
for her breakthrough novel ‘In
At The Deep End’ she immediately
thought of her days
growing up at Avalon Beach in
the 1970s.
Penelope realised it would
provide countless real-life
experiences to draw from and,
with a little licence, the suburb
and surrounds form the
perfect backdrop to the story
of the relationship between a
headstrong environmentalist
and a Norwegian Navy Commander.
In a quirky writer’s device,
Penelope named her characters
– Harriet Scott and Per Amundsen
– after the first explorers
to reach the South Pole.
An active traveller, mother
of six Penelope has had a long
career in law, working in legal
academia and with refugees.
The idea for ‘In At The Deep
End’ came to her when she
was teaching a university
course on Climate Change –
but she was also encouraged
by her daughter Tasmin, an
award-winning children’s
book author.
Pittwater Life: What/who
inspired you to write your
first novel?
PJ: I said to one of my writing
friends that I wanted to write
about climate change – I was
teaching in a course on the
legal regulation of climate
change at Macquarie University
at the time. My friend
looked a little taken aback
because she likes the romance
aspects of my writing! And
that was the challenge – to
look at climate change and
global warming… and write a
romance as well.
PL: How did you come up
with the plotline?
PJ: Some people plot their
novels chapter by chapter, and
even scene by scene, before
they start writing. This is an
entirely rational and sensible
thing to do, but I don’t write
like that. My heroine and the
hero both firmly believe that
the work they do is important,
but their approaches differ.
She doesn’t mind bending
the rules to communicate her
message. He is straight down
the line. The tension between
the characters drove the plot.
PL: Why set part of the novel
in Avalon Beach?
PJ: For my plot I needed a surf
beach, a house overlooking
the beach, sand dunes and an
ocean pool. Harriet had to live
at Avalon because that’s all I
could see when I was writing!
There is creative license used
– Harriet has direct access to
the sand dunes in North Avalon,
for example, and Dougal
the golden retriever gallops
on the beach without fear
(of council rangers). But the
essence of what I’ve always
considered Avalon to be – the
magnificent environment, the
ocean pool, and the community
– is all there.
PL: What was it like growing
up in Avalon?
PJ: I lived in Avalon between
the ages of 8 and 13 in the
1970s (I went to Avalon Primary
from years 2 to 6, and Barrenjoey
High in year 7) and
then I moved to Melbourne.
I came back to Avalon in the
1980s, and commuted to university
for five years (leaving
home at 6.45am if I wanted a
lift with my father, or catching
a double decker 190).
Our group used to spend
just about every day of the
holidays at the beach. Just us.
No parental supervision! My
nose was perpetually peeling,
summer and winter (at the
time, it was just part of growing
up at the beach).
Horses were common, and
most people who rode were
involved with Peninsula Pony
Club. Our grounds were in
Hitchcock Park, where the
tennis courts are now (we
were only allowed on the adjacent
oval (where the photo is
taken) for gymkhanas – if the
ground was dry.
I kept my pony Fudge in
the back garden, and used
to swim him at Careel Bay.
I had a friend who lived at
Whale Beach and she kept
two horses on a block of land
adjacent to the beach – we
were always on the beach with
our horses!
A Ruskin Rowe resident
once yelled at me for cantering
on his perfect lawn nature
strip. As a keen gardener,
I see his point now (it had
been raining and my pony
was kicking up great clods of
grass and earth). At the time,
I could not understand his
problem!
PL: How has Avalon changed?
PJ: I worked at the old Robin’s
Nest chicken shop when I
was at uni. Every week we’d
put any leftover barbequed
chicken into rolls (from the
traditional bread shop opposite),
and they’d sell out
quicker than we could make
them – but if you wanted a
16
FEBRUARY 2017

drink, you’d have to go to the
milk bar. There are so many
wonderful coffee shops and
cafes in Avalon now, two great
bookshops, and a modern library
and community centre.
But many things are still the
same like the relaxed atmosphere,
the sun-bleached hair,
the scruffy kids, the surfers.
A great mix of new, and the
way it’s always been.
PL: Any plans to move back?
PJ: As a matter of fact, my
family is house hunting in the
area at the moment! My husband’s
a little worried about
the commute…
HORSING AROUND: Penelope Janu used to ride her pony Fudge (top left) at
Hitchcock Park and swim him at Careel Bay. ABOVE: Growing up in Pittwater.
PL: What does Tamsin think
about your new career?
PJ: Tamsin was published and
winning literature prizes for
her children’s books when she
was 23! It took me a little longer
to get going. We are very
supportive of each other’s
writing and truly understand
how difficult it is to find the
time to write. I am so proud of
all she has achieved. This year
I have one book published,
and she will have two more.
It’s wonderful.
PL: What’s your opinion on
climate change?
PJ: I’m not a scientist but
I read a lot… there is an
abundance of accessible
scientific evidence that links
environmental degradation
to global warming, and the
implications of the relationship
between the two are
frightening. We have to look
critically at the evidence that
is out there, support further
research, and make calls on
how we can change the way
we behave, so that we can
preserve the planet for future
generations.
PL: Any advice for aspiring
authors?
PJ: If you don’t finish the novel,
or short story, or article,
it can’t be published. So keep
writing. Also, write what you
love to write. It’s a precious
thing to be transported to a
world that you, as a writer,
have created. Enjoy it as much
as you can.
PL: Do you have another
book in you?
PJ: I’ve completed two other
manuscripts and hope one of
them, set in Terrey Hills, will
be ready for publication next
year. I might even be back on
the northern beaches by then!
– Nigel Wall
* In At The Deep End by
Penelope Janu, published by
Harlequin MIRA; RRP $29.95.
Mona Vale
benefits as
record interns
hit hospitals
A record 992 interns will
begin work in NSW
hospital’s this year as part
of a $107 million funding
commitment by the NSW
Government – with 10 new
medical graduates slated
for Mona Vale Hospital.
“With such dedicated
and highly skilled medical
staff at Mona Vale Hospital
– these new graduates are
in great hands,” local MP
Rob Stokes said.
He said transitioning
from university to a
clinical setting was
an essential step in
developing professional
skills and experience.
“Work is continuing on
essential infrastructure
improvements at Mona
Vale Hospital – but a
boost to our community’s
medical workforce is
equally important,” he
continued.
“The upcoming
introduction of higher-level
medical services on the
northern beaches means
improved opportunities will
be available for graduate
doctors to train and develop
their skills locally.”
Eight new medical
graduates have also been
allocated to Manly Hospital.
News
FEBRUARY 2017 17

News
Conditions just swell for Ocean swims
Ocean swimmers from far and near
took up the Pittwater Ocean Swim
Series challenge again this season,
boosting urgently needed funds for the
five surf clubs involved.
The swims enjoyed good surfing
conditions and fine weather, boosting
numbers.
But co-organiser John Guthrie said the
swims still required surf swimming skills
to get out through the break as well
as a good level of fitness to complete
the courses.
“Ocean swimmers like the challenge
of getting out through the break
and coming back in again and on a
number of occasions there were tight
finishes that required a run up to the
finishing line to secure a place,” he
said.
The series kicked off at Bilgola
in December with 309 swimmers
revelling in the 1.5-metre swell. Next
in the series was the Newport Pool to Peak
which gave swimmers the option of an
800m as well as a 2km course. Numbers
totalled 511 – quite good given there was
an ocean swim at North Bondi the same
morning.
“Then it was on to Avalon where 653
ocean swimmers were given the options
of a 1km or a 1.5km course – this was an
excellent roll-up,” said John.
This year Mona Vale extended their
traditional swim from 1.5km to 2km by
moving the finishing line to the Mona
Vale basin. There was a fairly challenging
break to negotiate at the start at
Warriewood beach and viewing the
course from the road above made it look
daunting. Undeterred, 400 swimmers
took on the extended course.
“Mona Vale organisers are considering
adding a shorter course next year too,”
John said.
Organisers praised the strong volunteer
force that helped stage their events.
“On the day, there are myriad tasks,
such as set up on the beach, setting of
swim buoys, swimmer registrations,
timing, safety monitoring of swimmers by
a fleet of water craft,” John said.
They remain grateful for the
sponsorship provided by Northern
Beaches Council, with John adding:
“The series is a boost for the local
business community as swimmers and
their friends goes to the local cafes and
businesses while in the area.”
At this year’s Big Swim at Palm Beach,
an estimated 1600 swimmers set off on
the journey to Whale Beach giving
them a fantastic view of the cliff side
homes as they negotiated the choppy
conditions around the point.
“First-timers think they have
conquered the course at that point
but the old hands know there is still
a long way to go to the final turning
buoy,” John said.
Swimmers who swam three of the
five swims in the Series have been
entered into the draw for the soughtafter
series prize of airfares to Byron
Bay and accommodation for two, as well
as entry for two to the Byron Bay Ocean
Swim Classic in May.
Travel View Avalon have again provided
the air tickets and transfers for the
prize and Bay Royal Luxury Apartments
have provided three nights’ luxurious
accommodation (winner announced in
March issue).
18
FEBRUARY 2017

FEBRUARY 2017 19

Bees the local BUZZword
News
The humble bee – under
threat worldwide from
harmful backyard
pesticides – has plenty of
friends on the upper northern
beaches, with ‘backyard’
and other beekeeping and
honey-producing operations
flourishing over the past few
years.
Take Steve Hulley, the
owner of Zubi Bar at Newport.
Steve’s father taught him
about bees in his native South
Africa; now he’s passing on
the eco-aware message to his
children Austin, 10, Lily, 7,
and Ruby, 3 – with the sweet
by-product great-tasting,
natural honey.
Then there’s Joel Seaton,
his partner Alex van Os and
his brother Tim, whose Careel
Bay Honey co at started in
2014 with a single hive; it now
produces nearly two tonnes of
honey per year from 30 hives
at their Warriewood apiary.
Steve Hulley said he started
beekeeping when he was 10. “I
learned most of what I know
now from my dad and still
regularly call him for advice,”
Steve said. “Dad has kept bees
since he was a young boy and
actually financed his way
through University through
the sales of his honey.”
“We kept African honey
bees and they will sting you
for just looking at them! They
are a lot more aggressive than
their European cousins [the
Western honey bee, Apis millifera,
introduced to Australia
in 1822], which I keep now,” he
revealed. “We also had no bee
protection when I was younger
so we learnt how get the
honey frames out quickly!”
On the heavy pesticide use
and genetic seed interventions
that have pushed the honey
bee to the brink, Steve said: “I
felt that we could do our bit
by starting to keep bees again
and spread the word… for
us keeping the bees is more
about teaching the kids and
customers about bees and
what they do for us every day,
the honey is just a sweet byproduct.”
Steve recruited friend Tom
Herschell (aka The Bee Scout),
who left a career in media in
2014 to further the bee cause
– since then Tom has been responsible
for more than 1 million
bees being injected into
local communities, creating
meaningful dialogue around
the plight of the honey bee
and the positive impact they
have on the environment.
“We now have two hives on
the roof of Zubi in Newport
that produce the most delicious
honey which we use and
sell in-house,” said Steve. “The
roof is a great place because it
gets good sun and is elevated
so it reduces the risk of things
like beetle which can ruin a
HIVES OF ACTIVITY: Steve Hulley, Austin, Ruby and Lily on the roof at Zubi.
hive if they infest.
“One of the most rewarding
things about keeping bees
again is that I have got my
kids involved – it is so much
fun showing them how nature
works, even in suburbia.
“Austin loves how the bees
interact with their environment
and how they make
the honey and we have spent
many days on the Zubi roof
looking like a bunch of aliens
in bee suits extracting the
honey.”
Joel Seaton said his honey
was the result of a love of
nature and science, a fascination
with honey bees and an
evolving understanding of
how important the role bees
play in our own survival.
“The company’s philosophy
is to raise awareness and
understanding of the importance
of the honey bee to
humanity and the planet,”
Joel said.
“A third of the food humans
eat relies upon pollinators
such as the honey bee and
it’s argued that without bees,
agriculture – and in fact life
as we know it – would be
decimated.”
He said a decade ago,
scientists discovered a fossil
of a honey bee over 100 million
years old – illustrating
the evolutionary history and
incredible resilience of the
honey bee.
“But without proper knowledge
and understanding of
20
FEBRUARY 2017

specific bee mannerisms,
behaviour and disease the
health of a hive can deteriorate
and ultimately the
entire colony can be lost in
a matter of days,” he said.
Joel said their mission
was to make Careel Bay
Honey as environmentally
friendly as possible –
“We use recyclable glass
jars for our honey and our
entire apiary was constructed
utilising recycled
materials.”
He said a typical week
involved inspecting hives,
making repairs and preparing
for an extraction, which
was carried out roughly
every six weeks (except in
winter months when they
don’t take honey from the
bees, as pollen and nectar is
scarce).
He explained honey was
very seasonal, and the taste
and quantity of honey available
varied greatly depending
on the season.
“Often our stockists and
customers, many of whom
may have had a history of
buying supermarket honey,
are not aware of this,” he
said. “We try to educate all
our consumers and customers
and invite interested
people to come and visit the
hives with us to experience
the process first hand.”
What about stings?
Joel laughs – “I’ve had the
‘joy’ of experiencing bee
stings to almost every area
of my anatomy,” he said.
“But the funniest sting
I’ve witnessed was to the
face of celebrity chef Ed
Halmagyi who was visiting
our hives; Ed was gung-ho
photographing a hive up
close without a veil on and
GOLDEN GLOW: Joel Seaton retrieves a frame at his Careel Bay Honey Co.
PHOTO: Mark Stapelfeldt
copped a sting square on
his upper lip!
“The next day he was
accused of celebrity vanity
after he was mistakenly assumed
to have manipulated
his appearance with botox!”
Joel said there are many
ways to establish a hive
but urged anyone interested
in trying their hand
at beekeeping to research it
thoroughly.
“A hive takes lots of work
and understanding to make
it flourish and beekeeping
is so much more than
honey,” he said.
“As beekeepers it is vital
to register your hives with
the Department of Primary
Industries,” Joel said. “It’s
not the government’s ‘Big
Brother’ watching you – the
DPI provides fantastic support
and advice for beekeepers
through their website
and Apiary Officers and it
allows everyone to be aware
if there are bee disease outbreaks
in specific areas.”
Finally, Steve Hulley
urged people to buy local
honey, as it had a positive
effect on their immediate
environment.
“And it tastes better!”
– Nigel Wall
* Visit careelbayhoney.com.
au for stockists or to enquire
about their hive tours.
To find more info about the
plight of the honey bee visit
www.beethecure.com.au. To
discover bee-friendly plants
for your garden see p71.
Ways to get
in the frame
There are plenty of opportunities
for those wanting a taste of beekeeping,
support and/or hands-on
experience.
Northern Beaches Beekeepers
is a new club supporting novice
and experienced beekeepers from
Cammeray to Palm Beach.
“Sticking close to the coast”
Secretary Paul Hoskinson said
the club had a particular focus on
urban native or honey beekeeping
as a hobby in high-density areas,
rooftops and very small backyards
for more information head
to beekeepers.asn.au.
President of the long-established
North Shore Beekeepers Association,
Phil Cavanagh, said of their
330 members, as many as 150
come from the northern beaches.
NSBA is running a two-day beginner’s
course at the Bee Garden in
Terrey Hills on February 18 and 25;
cost is $200. For more information
email club@nsbka.org.au (make the
subject ‘Beginners Course’).
Permaculture Northern Beaches
is hosting a honey bee garden and
bees wax workshop on Sunday
February 12 from 10am-12.30pm.
The day will include a tour of
a beautiful native garden with
five honey bee hives at Elanora
Heights followed by a hands-on
workshop involving the uses of
bees wax – including how to make
candles, food wraps and furniture
polish; cost is $25. Visit permaculturenorthernbeaches.org.au
for
more info. – Lisa Offord
News
FEBRUARY 2017 21

News
Pittwater News
Leading policewoman
for Zonta brekkie
The 2017 Pittwater Woman of
the Year will be announced
on Wednesday March 8 when
the Zonta Club of Northern
Beaches host their annual Pittwater
International Women’s
Day Breakfast at Royal Prince
Alfred Yacht Club, Newport.
Zonta Club of Northern
Beaches is a member of
Zonta International – a global
organisation of executives
and professionals working
together to advance the status
of women worldwide through
service and advocacy. Guest
speaker at the breakfast will
be Superintendent Doreen
Cruickshank, APM. With over
45 years of service, Doreen
is Australia’s longest serving
policewoman. Growing up
in country NSW, and being
focused on a career in the police
from an early age, Doreen
has witnessed revolutionary
changes for women in the profession
– from policewomen
being a segregated group to
now being fully integrated into
the force. Doreen was Pittwater
Woman of the Year in 2008.
Early bookings advisable; cost
is $42. Phone Susie Lough on
0413 623 392 or email pittwateriwdbreakfast@gmail.com.
Barrenjoey golf
week turns 35
It was a plan hatched by a
group of northern beaches
mothers 35 years ago that
today sees more than 600
lady golfers from around
Australia and overseas
competing on the northern
beaches in the Barrenjoey
Peninsula Week of Golf. The
tournament, run by a committee
of three representatives
from Bayview, Cromer,
Long Reef, Manly, Mona Vale,
Monash, and Wakehurst,
was first billed as a “chance
to have a holiday after the
Christmas school holidays”.
And while a few things have
changed – the first golf week
in 1992 had 300 players and
was made possible with a
kitty of $50 donated from
each club – the spirit of the
tournament remains. One
of the founding members
Olwyn Johnstone is still
playing golf at her beloved
Bayview where she has been
a member for 59 years. The
Barrenjoey Peninsula Week
of Golf is running at the
seven clubs from 13-17 February.
More info barrenjoeyweekofgolf.com
Nuclear power
Probus topic
Nuclear power and how it
could fit into Australia’s
needs is the topic of the talk
at the next Pittwater Probus
Club meeting on Tuesday February
14. The speaker is Martin
Thomas, who has toured
the world with former Telstra
CEO and nuclear physicist
Ziggy Switkowski looking
at various nuclear plants.
Meeting starts 10.30am at
Mona Vale GC; all welcome.
More info Bill Marshall on
9999 5226.
View begonias
and frangipanis
Local garden and plant
enthusiasts are invited
to attend the first annual
Begonia and Frangipani
Weekend on the weekend of
February 25-26; there will
be displays, demonstrations
and talks, light refreshments
plus a selection of beautiful
plants for sale. Times are
22
FEBRUARY 2017

10am-4pm (Saturday) and
10am-3pm (Sunday). Venue is
the nursery complex at 226
Annangrove Rd, Annangrove;
entry by gold coin donation.
More info begoniansw.com.au
Matt makes Rukus
on Sculpture trail
Matt Dillon is the 2016
People’s Choice winner of
the Newport Sculpture Trail,
thanks to his sculpture ‘The
Island’s Keeper’. Sponsored
by Rukus cafe he received
his $500 cash prize as well
as a sale and commissions.
Organisers say the theme
for the Trail’s fourth year in
2017 will be ‘Something Old,
Something New’.
Funds to combat
crime hot spots
The NSW Government has
announced grants up to
$250,000 for infrastructure
and service delivery projects
which aim to prevent crime,
address anti-social behaviour
in communities and promote
safer and more inclusive use
of public space. Local MP Rob
Stokes said it was an important
opportunity for local
community groups, chambers
of commerce and the Northern
Beaches Council. Eligible
projects under the Community
Safety Fund might include
CCTV initiatives, street
lighting improvements, youth
programs and recreational
facility upgrades. “Often there
Continued on page 25
News
FEBRUARY 2017 23

Pittwater News
Continued from page 23
are small changes that can be
made to reactivate local areas,
encourage greater community
use and reduce the frequency
of anti-social activity,” he
said. Applications close February
20; visit crimeprevention.
nsw.gov.au
Local not-for-profit Easylink Community
Transport needs volunteer board directors
to help guide their future direction. Easylink
offers services for older northern beaches
residents or those with a disability, such as
door-to-door transport and social outings
with care, helping to retain independence and
social links. Private sector experts recommend
not-for-profit board experience as a
useful step in career progression, and Board
member of five years, Lawrie Croft, said
the roles are a great opportunity for people
with an interest in serving the community
and wanting to develop or use their skills
and networks. “We’re keen to attract people
who have a creative and innovative strategic
approach in this rapidly evolving environment…
it’s particularly exciting being on
the Board of a smaller organisation as you
Warriewood Valley
upgrade continues
Locals are reminded that
after a brief re-opening over
the busy Christmas period,
the section of Macpherson
St at Warriewood between
Boondah Rd and Warriewood
Rd has again been closed to
facilitate major works on the
$10.5 million Warriewood
Valley Upgrade project. One
lane is also closed on Hill
Street and Vuko Place with
phased traffic signals in
place. The road is expected to
re-open in October.
Easylink seeks volunteer board members
can quickly make a big difference,” said Mr
Croft. Volunteer bus drivers and other officebased
volunteers are also always in demand.
Originally called Manly Warringah Pittwater
Community Transport, over 30 years Easylink
has evolved into an organisation of more than
100 volunteers and 25 paid staff, serving over
2000 northern beaches residents with transport
and travel training, as well as social outings
and van hire. More info Easylink.com.au
or 9919 0700.
Vet
on
call
with
Dr Ben Brown
Vaccination is one of the
easiest ways we can protect
our feline friends against
potentially life-threatening
diseases and is an essential
part of your cat’s healthcare.
By vaccinating your cat,
you also contribute to herd
immunity, which helps reduce
the prevalence of contagious
diseases by reducing the
number of potential hosts.
At Sydney Animal Hospitals,
we recommend vaccination
against several infectious
diseases.
All cats should be vaccinated
against the causes of feline
enteritis and feline respiratory
disease. Feline enteritis is a
highly contagious and often
fatal disease that causes
uncontrollable vomiting
and diarrhoea and severe
abdominal pain. Feline
respiratory disease, often
called cat flu, is a common and
highly contagious disease that
causes sneezing, coughing,
runny eyes, nasal discharge,
loss of appetite and tongue
ulcers. Once contracted, cats
suffer lifelong flu symptoms.
Your cat may also benefit
from additional protection,
especially if it comes into
contact with other cats outside
the home. These include
vaccinations against feline
chlamydia, which causes
severe persistent conjunctivitis,
and two diseases that
affect the immune system,
feline leukaemia and feline
immunodeficiency virus.
When should you vaccinate
your cat? Many vaccines are
given to kittens in their first
weeks, but these do not
provide protection for the
rest of their life. Adult cats
require yearly boosters to help
maintain immunity. An annual
check-up, which includes an
assessment of which vaccines
are required, is the best way to
ensure your cat is healthy.
If you’d like to know more
about cat vaccination, our
hospital is open every day from
7am to 9pm; why not come by
– no appointment needed.
News
FEBRUARY 2017 25

Home,
not
Life Stories
Away
Actor Shane Withington knows he’s blessed
to be able to work and live in Pittwater.
Story by Rosamund Burton
Early morning Shane Withington sets
off from Church Point on Solitaire,
his 1945 wooden ketch, up Pittwater
to Palm Beach where he steps onto the
set of Home and Away. “I always motor to
work to ensure I’m there on time,” says
Withington, the funny irascible John
Palmer character, “and I sail back.”
We have met at the Church Point
Waterfront Café, where this highprofile
actor is able to drink his coffee
undisturbed, and locals pulling up to
the wharf in their tinnies just give him
a wave. In the city, he says, it would be
hard to walk down the street. Having
run for nearly 30 years, Home and Away
has a worldwide viewing audience of 50
million.
“People make pilgrimages from all
over the world to Palm Beach to watch us
film, and there are ropes and security, so
we can actually shoot the show.”
Shane Withington grew up in
Toowoomba, was expelled from school
aged 15 and worked as a jackaroo
on Lyrian Downs Station in the Gulf
country.
“I was a wild lad, uncontrollable,
passionate and troublesome. These
26
days I probably would have just been
diagnosed with ADHD,” he offers.
Shane hated jackarooing, so gave that
up after six months. As he had been in
amateur theatre as a child his mother
suggested that he apply for a theatre
scholarship. He won it and trained for
two years at the Twelfth Night Theatre in
Brisbane.
“We were the last theatre company
in the country to tour by train,” he
reminisces. “The cast included actors
such at Barry Otto, and we had a sleeper
carriage, which was shunted through
the rail yards at night. A voice would call
out, ‘What livestock are you carrying?’
And we’d reply, ‘Actors!’ We travelled to
places like Ingham and Cairns, and being
the junior cast member I put the set
up with the crew, then sold the tickets,
before changing into wardrobe and
doing the show. After the performance
I helped bump out (unload) and put
everything back on the train, and off
we’d chuff to the next venue. It was a
romantic and wonderful introduction to
the performing arts.”
Aged 19 he did a season with Theatre
On Sea on a cruise ship, met a girl from
FEBRUARY 2017
Pittwater, and moved in with her. “I fell
in love with Pittwater and just wanted to
be part of it, and I’ve never moved.”
He bought his first boat, and now being
a sailor, grew a beard. The beard didn’t
help his acting career, as it hid his face,
and it wasn’t until he had shaved it off that
he was offered the role of Brendan Jones
in A Country Practice. Playing Molly Jones,
his character’s wife, was Anne Tenney. “We
fell in love, and we’ve remained together
ever since,” he recounts.
These two young actors never realised
that those roles would stay with them for
their entire lives. They both won Logie
Awards for their performances, and the
episode featuring Molly’s death in 1985
was watched by 2.5 million Australians,
and is one of the highest rating moments
in the history of Australian television.
It was those years in A Country
Practice that enabled the young couple
to buy their house at Church Point where
they have lived ever since. “My only
regret is that I didn’t have two or three
more children just like Maddy,” says
Shane about their only child. “She is an
absolute delight.”
Madeleine Withington is following in

her parents’ footsteps and pursuing an
acting career. She trained at the Actors’
Centre in Surry Hills and recently had
a guest role in Home and Away. “She’s
getting a lot of work, doing Indy films
and profit-share theatre. She’s doing that
apprenticeship, as we did.”
In 2009 Shane was asked to do 12
episodes of Home and Away in a guest
role playing an angry father.
“I thought an angry father isn’t going
to last,” he recounts, “I’ll make him a
funny, angry father.” Eight years later
John Palmer has become one of show’s
most popular characters.
The show’s schedule comes out every
Thursday for the following week. But,
Shane explains, it can change. “You’ve
got to be available to go on set at short
notice any time from 5 o’clock on
Monday morning to 7.30 on Friday night.”
When he first started on Home and
Away he got a call from the production
office,
“Where are you?”
“Am I due in?” Shane queried.
“You are. Can you come in
immediately?”
“I can’t actually.”
“Why?”
“Well, I’m five miles off the coast
chasing whales on a boat, and it’ll take me
a day to get there.”
Since then, knowing how much it costs
to run the show, Shane lives in constant
fear of missing his schedule. “I set two
alarms so I don’t sleep in.”
Shane first came across Currawong
workers’ retreat in the late 1990s. “I
fell in love with the whole egalitarian
spirit of the place.” When he discovered
that there were plans to bulldoze the
buildings he took action to save the
heritage gem, little knowing that it was
going to be a 16-year battle. He was
the leader of a small group of people
fighting the union movement, the
developer lobby and the then State Labor
Government. Knowing that Currawong is
now protected, Shane says, is his legacy.
“The Friends of Currawong have left a
wonderful mark on the planet.”
As President of the Friends of
Currawong and also on the Currawong
State Park Trust, Shane wants to see the
heritage of the place maintained and
the buildings restored to provide more
accommodation, so the retreat can be
made available to working families and
also to run at a profit.
Shane is an ambassador for the Sydney
Swans and for NSW Police Force and has
always played an active part in the local
community. Hoping to prevent another
fatality he is currently lobbying for
improvements to McCarrs Creek Road.
Looking down at the luderick in the
clear water below the wharf Shane says,
“Pittwater is the finest body of water in
the world, and we need to look after it
with kid gloves, because it’s under threat
from development.”
After a long break over summer,
during which Shane spent several days
solo sailing on Broken Bay, he returns to
Home and Away. Recently John Palmer
suffered a brain injury, and just before
Christmas audiences were left believing
that the hooded Summer Bay arsonist
was him.
“This is one of the most extraordinary
storylines I’ve ever worked on, and the
writers deserve a big tick for pulling it
off,” he says. He is far too professional to
give any hint as to John Palmer’s future,
but describes the series as the most
exciting eight years of his life. “The only
certainty about a really good gig is that
one day it ends, and when that happens
what I’ll miss most about Home and
Away is the camaraderie, with its wicked
humour and appalling ribbing. I’ve loved
working on it.”
Life Stories
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: An early cast photo from A Country Practice;
Shane’s much-loved yacht moored in Pittwater; on location at Palm Beach
for Home and Away; campaigning to save Currawong (with the late
Harvey Rose); addressing locals on opposing council amalgamation; and
where’s Shane? That’s him next to daughter Madeleine...
FEBRUARY 2017 27
PHOTO: Supplied; Michael Mannington x 2

♥
Gift Ideas
Please Be My
Valentine
Gift ideas for February 14…
Sabi Japanism
Make your Valentine’s Day
extra special with a touch of
Japan! This boutique shop,
newly relocated from Newport
to Avalon, has a variety of
special gift ideas from Japan –
specialist artisan plates, bowls
and cups from Arita, Southern
Japan where Japanese
porcelain started 400 years
ago, plus Japanese themed
scarves, handbags and sweet
crane origami earrings.
“There are many porcelain
products newly arrived in
store, which will make practical
and long-lasting beautiful gifts
for everyday use,” said Yuko,
the owner of Sabi Japanism.
Yuko adds she will be more
than happy to help you to
choose the best gift for your
loved one for Valentine’s Day.
“Your gift will be wrapped
beautifully in a Japanese way
for a personal touch,” she
said. “We very
much look forward
to meeting
you in our store.”
Find Sabi
Japanism at
Shop 5, 25 Old
Barrenjoey Road,
Avalon. Trading
hours are 9:30am
– 4pm Tuesday to
Friday; 1pm – 4pm
on Mondays; 10am
– 2pm on Saturdays.
Closed Sundays. For
more information
phone 0430 238 850.
Utopia Lingerie
Owner Julia says it’s a given
that women love their men
to show their appreciation
of them – “and giving us
lingerie means we both
get to enjoy it!” Indecision
is no excuse either, with
Julia urging men who may
be uncertain about the
right gift to speak to one
of her trained staff, who
have years of experience
in knowing what women
want. She suggests you
could even give your special
someone a Gift Voucher
so that they can choose
themselves. Utopia Lingerie
was situated at Warriewood
Square for 10 years so if you
are wondering where they
have gone – they’ve moved
to bright new spacious
premises at Narrabeen (in
between The Sands and the
7/11, opposite Bunnings)
where they currently have
lots of items on sale. “We
have a huge range of brands
and can fit from first bras
to ladies’ soft cup, then up
28
FEBRUARY 2017
to H cups including sports
bras,” said Julia. “Many of
our European brands cater
for small to large cups and
backs. Our Simone Perele
range is extensive. Not
forgetting our sleepwear –
particularly for the elderly
ladies.” Brands include
Givoni, Schrank and many
more. “We can also arrange
trips from retirement homes
where we provide tea,
biscuits and extra discounts,
which makes a lovely day
out.” For more info phone
9913 7091.

Avalon Floral Art
To say “I love you” on
February the 14th, head to
what we think is the best and
most creative florist on the
Northern Beaches: Avalon
Floral Art.
You will find an amazing
selection of roses including
traditional red, soft pastels and
modern brights available in
single stems, dozens or more.
Tropical bouquets are a
popular choice with a wide
variety of exotic blooms
available this time of year.
Oriental lilies, lissianthus
and hydrangeas also prove
to be favourites. You can
choose to have your flowers
RitzyRocks
Give the gift of ‘1000 flowers’
this Valentine’s Day!
Millefiori is a term which is
a combination of the Italian
words ‘mille’ (thousand) and
‘fiori’ (flowers) – hence the
English word of one thousand
flowers. “This is a glasswork
technique which
produces distinctive
patterns of glassware,”
says Renata
from bespoke
jeweler Ritzy-
presented in a vase and for
that special touch include a
Knox/Cox candle which are
sold exclusively in Avalon.
Beautiful Phalaenopsis
orchids and brightly coloured
frangipanis are the perfect
choice if you prefer a potted
plant.
Avalon Floral Art offers
Sydney-wide delivery for
orders placed the previous day
and same-day local delivery
for orders placed before 2pm.
You can place your order
by phoning 9918 2711 or
visit their website www.
avalonfloralart.com.au and
order online.
Rocks. “The technique was
lost in the 18th century and
was not revived until the 19th
century. It involved producing
glass canes or rods known
as ‘murrine’ with multicoloured
patterns which are
viewable only from the cut
ends of the cane.” Renata
explained the rod is heated
in a furnace and pulled until
thin while still maintaining
the cross sections design.
It is then cut into beads or
discs when cooled. Renata
has now managed to obtain
a variety of these delicate
discs, which either have
gold or silver bezels,
presented on a beautiful
sterling silver
or 14kt gold filled
snake chain. “This
makes the perfect
Valentine’s gift being
presented in an
elegant RitzyRocks
display box,” she said.
Visit www.ritzyrocks to
view the unique designs.
FEBRUARY 2017 29

♥
Gift Ideas
Nothing Butt. Lingerie
Valentine’s Day is a special
day to spoil your loved one;
Nothing Butt Lingerie have
a lovely selection of suitable
gifts, from sexy G-strings to
silk nighties. Owner Chris
says Pleasure State, Heidi
Klum and Simone Perele have
delivered gorgeous lace bra
and brief sets perfect for
gift giving. “New Brazilian
label 2RIOS have designed
great printed and plain briefs
as well as seamless briefs
which are all very popular,”
she said. Ginia, Simply Silk
and Simone Perele have
beautiful silk nighties in long
and short designs. They also
still stock Essence nighties
and robes from New Zealand
as well as Pierre Cardin
satin print kimonos.
Triumph lace triangle
bras with matching
briefs in black, white
and pink are fabulous
and look great under
brief tops. New label
Palindrome have great
prints in bras, briefs
and kimonos as well
as black lace bras and
briefs. All gifts are
gift-wrapped. “We also
stock sports, maternity
and post-surgery bras
as well as non-wired
bras,” said Chris.
“Trained fitters are
in-store at all times – so
let us help you decide
on your gift or everyday
purchase.” P: 9999 1462
What could be better than a wedding by the beach?
The Avalon on the Beach continues to grow
its reputation as a stylish, yet laid-back
wedding venue – and now you have the chance
to have all the questions you have about
your special day answered by the experts at
their special Wedding Showcase on Sunday
February 26. Bookings are essential for this
awesome event, which will include examples
of dining (canapes + food installations) along
with beverage options courtesy of their
cocktail, whisky and champagne bar, plus
wedding styling from Cloud9. RSVP by Feb 17.
30
FEBRUARY 2017

an overnight
Romantic
Escape @ Jonah’s
Fresh from its 88th
Birthday celebrations
in January and with
Valentine’s Day looming
large, iconic local boutique
hotel and restaurant Jonah’s
is offering one lucky
Pittwater Life reader the
chance to win an overnight
Romantic Escape for two
people – including an a
la carte breakfast and
three-course dinner in their
award-winning restaurant.
Renowned for its
luxury, privacy and
comfort, Jonah’s has
hosted celebrities from
entertainment, politics,
business and royalty. Since
1929, Jonah’s has looked
after the likes of Lord
Laurence Olivier and Vivien
Leigh, Sir Anthony Hopkins,
Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall,
Bono, Rod Stewart, Justin
Bieber, Jeremy Clarkson
plus many others.
It’s the perfect Peninsula
destination for a special
breakfast occasion,
celebration dinner, relaxing
overnight (or longer)
getaway… or even wedding.
Jonah’s 11 Ocean Retreat
accommodation rooms
are stylishly appointed
with luxurious furnishings.
Each room features a
private balcony, spa and
spectacular 180-degree
views over the Pacific
Ocean. For small groups
or those wanting further
privacy, Jonah’s Private
is located adjacent to the
main lodge. This secluded
residence features its
own entrance, large
private balcony and
swimming pool.
Perhaps the only
feature that can divert
your attention from the
stunning view at Jonah’s
is the food. The awardwinning
Restaurant offers
excellent Contemporary
Australian cuisine under the
direction of Executive Chef
Logan Campbell and Head
Sommelier Luke Collard.
Logan’s exciting seasonal
menu offers Contemporary
Australian cuisine with a
strong emphasis on seafood
and subtle Italian influences,
including some of his
signature pasta dishes. From
a cellar containing over
6,000 bottles of vintage
Australian and International
wines, the extensive wine
list of more than 1,500
wines entices and rewards.
Proudly the team have
earned many awards
including a ‘Chef’s Hat’
from The Sydney Morning
Herald Good Food Guide
in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015,
2016 & 2017 along with
being awarded the Best
Australian Hotel Restaurant
Wine List in 2015 & 2016
and the Best Wine List
in NSW at the Gourmet
Traveller WINE, Wine List of
the Year Awards along with
‘3 Goblets’ and ‘2 Glasses’
in the prestigious Wine
Spectator Awards.
THE PRIZE:
n Overnight accommodation
in an Ocean Retreat Room
(Sun-Thurs);
n Three-course A La Carte Dinner
in the Restaurant;
n Full A La Carte Breakfast;
n Bottle of Bollinger Champagne
in room upon arrival and
chocolate-coated strawberries;
n Molton Brown his & hers
gift pack;
n Cabana Bag + scented candle
n Individually boxed long-stem
rose;
n Rose petals scattered i n room.
Total prize value: $1310
(Valid for stays before 30 September 2017)
TO ENTER:
In February, email your name,
contact phone number and
postcode to win@pittwaterlife.
com.au (don’t forget to Like us
on facebook); competition starts
February 1, 2017 and closes
February 28, 2017. The winner will
be notified by phone and their
name published in the April issue
of Pittwater Life. (Full Ts & Cs
www.pittwaterlife.com.au)
FEBRUARY 2017 31

Young Life
Young Life
Avalon kids’ eco award
E
nvironmentally aware local business Ecodownunder are
always on the lookout for good deeds – and they didn’t have
to search far for the recipients of their first environment award
for 2017.
Avalon siblings Dhara Cullen, 9, brother Balin, 7, and sister Locana,
5, won hearts after the trio selflessly spent their busking
money at the Sea Shepherd fundraising stall at Manly Markets.
The children bought Sea Shepherd t-shirts after performing
on the harp, didgeridoo and with accompanying vocals; it
earned them a $500 gift
voucher to spend in-store at
Ecodownunder.
Accepting the award, Dhara
said: “We hope Ecodownunder
and Sea Shepherd
keep saving more whales
and dolphins in the future
and other sea life.”
Ecodownunder continually
meet amazing people
who are doing something
that makes a difference to
the planet. These actions
are sometimes small but every step each of us takes to
improve the way we do things is progress, helps to raise awareness
and change habits.
If you know someone or see someone do something that you
think deserves to be thanked with an ecodownunder Environment
Award, let them know!
The Golden Child
Wendy James
Harper Collins RRP $32.99
Bad things happen to the
classmates of Lizzy’s
younger daughter, a popular
and confident sibling to a
conscientious and shy elder
sister. On the eve of their
return from a stint living
in the US, to a new home
in Newcastle, a young girl
falls dangerously ill during
a school yard initiation rite.
Surely just an accident…?
A former journalist, Lizzy
is a part-time mummy
blogger, investing hours
in portraying the perfectly
normal family life she
believes she lives for the
validation of her readers. In
the US she was cosseted by
convenience; the return to
Newcastle, old family issues,
a new house in dire need
of expensive renovations,
and a new career throws
everything into disarray.
And then another classmate
has an accident...
If you love Liane
Moriarty’s books, you’ll love
Wendy James’ The Golden
Child. Good contemporary
characters, themes and
settings you can place, plus
lots of suspense and twists
to keep you on your toes.
I didn’t pick the outcome!
(PS, speaking of the talented
Moriarty sisters, little sister
Nicola has a new novel
in March also by Harper
Collins. Look out for The
Fifth Letter.)
– Libby Armstrong
32
FEBRUARY 2017

Boating Life
Champion’s tips
for SUP field
It’s on again – the for-all-ages
weekend water celebration
that combines serious
competitive paddling with
just-for-fun participation – the
2017 Sydney SUP Festival.
Held on the weekend of
February 18-19 and once again
hosted by the Royal Motor
Yacht Club at Newport, the
two-day festival (this year
marks its fourth staging)
incorporates the Pittwater
Classic downwind marathon.
There are major cash prizes
to be won by avid paddlers
– although organisers, who
are expecting around 120
participants on each day,
stress it’s also very much
about fun racing for everyone,
with four races and events
over the two days, plus a SUP
Expo and supervised demo
area where novices can try out
the hugely popular pastime
and take lessons on technique.
The weekend aims to
provide a community and
family event with a major
focus on a healthy, active
lifestyle for all.
Local MP Rob Stokes, who
acts as event patron, is a
huge supporter and will be
participating again.
The Pittwater Classic 10km
marathon from Barrenjoey
to Newport commences 8am
on the Saturday – the course
is assisted by a NE wind and
in reverse (from Newport to
Barrenjoey) in a southerly,
which happens to be one of
Sydney’s best downwind runs.
(The race is boat and shuttle
supported.)
View the latest gear and
accessories at the SUP Expo
on the Sunday, when the 6km
Scotland Island race (and
fun 3km short course) kick
off from 8am (kids under 12
must paddle with an adult).
Plus there’s Naish One Design
Sprints, live entertainment and
a jumping castle for the kids.
Pittwater Life approached
the winner of last year’s 10km
Pittwater Classic marathon
and 6km Scotland Island Race,
25-year-old James Casey, to
provide some tips for this
year’s field.
James, who won’t be
defending his title as it clashes
with the opening event of the
2017 APP Tour in Hawaii – in
which he was crowned overall
champion in 2016 – says it’s
important for participants to
pace themselves.
“Choose the right board,
and not something too narrow
as Pittwater can get quite
choppy,” said James, who grew
up in Mona Vale. “Stability is
more important than speed,
so a broader board is better
– you don’t want to be falling
off and losing time and energy
getting back on.
“Also, find someone with
similar speed and work
together; often there can be
no wind, so ‘drafting’ is a
good idea – slipping behind
someone and swapping every
few minutes.” – Nigel Wall
More info and registrations
www.royalmotor.com.au
Boating Life
FEBRUARY 2017 33

Surfing Life
Surfing Life
Is it now surfing’s turn
for a Brave New World?
As the Australian
leg of the World Surf
League championship
tour draws closer, it
masks strange times
ahead for professional
surfing, writes Nick…
Who’s ever made real
money out of surfing?
The answer is: not
many people. A handful
have made fortunes out of
supplying raw materials to the
surfboard industry. Several
handfuls are sitting on piles
thanks to the big surf industry
brands and their various
boom times, now mostly past.
Who else? That’s it, as far
as real money goes. Heaps of
people make a living out of
various aspects of the sport:
the better pro surfers and
their agents, board makers,
surf shop owners, surf school
owners, travel agents, resort
owners, moviemakers, small
label crew, even a couple of
journalists.
But very little profit has ever
been made out of running
surf contests. They’re cultural
events. They’re rock concerts
without any ticket sales.
They’ve only ever cost people
money, not made it.
This cold fact seems now to
have dawned on pro surfing’s
owners, the World Surf League.
NICK’S FEBRUARY SURF FORECAST
We were a bit off with January, not in the basic structure of
the weather but in its insane scorching hotness. What did that
month think it was up to? I think early February will follow the
pattern, hot still days followed by cooler south easterlies, but
later in the month might see some changes, notably a shift to
more cloud and perhaps rain from the tropical north-east and
less mood-swing-style variation. Very warm surface waters
deep into the Tasman Sea will help encourage this trend,
and systemic onshores will usher away those pools of hot air
from inland, at least to some extent. Surf-wise it’s the least
predictable month for a while but there is a chance of something
big and heavy from the east or north-east at some point as that
surface water pushes moisture up into the path of the easterly
tradewind band and provides fuel for a possible off-season east
coast low or Coral Sea cyclone.
Nick Carroll
This little-known group
of private investors, led by
New York-based billionaire
Dirk Ziff, took control of
international pro surfing in
2013, and began running the
world championship tour at
the start of 2014.
Now, after three years
of intensive effort and an
estimated $100-millionplus
spent underwriting the
tour’s losses, the WSL’s CEO,
Paul Speaker (pictured), has
announced his resignation.
And while quite a few surf
addicts immediately posed
the obvious question – “Did he
jump or was he pushed?” – a
less obvious question remains:
“What are they gonna do now?”
Speaker was the face of
the organisation. An ex-NFL
marketing executive and
with Nick Carroll
movie producer, he spent a
year behind the scenes on
tour in 2012, talking surfers
and board members of the
then-Association of Surfing
Professionals around to the
idea underpinning the WSL.
Their idea was simple:
test pro surfing’s value in
the sports entertainment
marketplace.
The business plan called
for a tour that earned more
than its keep. Championship
Tour events would demand a
million dollars per event for
naming rights, while lucrative
tour partnerships with a range
of non-surf companies would
be sold across a range of
categories. Cars, electronics,
cosmetics, travel and airline,
beverage, and several other
categories were targeted. This
34
FEBRUARY 2017

PL’s FEBRUARY SURF CALENDAR
Feb 20-26: Toyota Pro, Merewether NSW
This humble tour qualifying event along with its outliers – there’s
a pro junior on at the same time – is a quiet king and queen
maker. Last year Matt Wilkinson got into gear by winning it; two
months later he’d won the first two major league pro events of
the year at Snapper Rocks and Bells Beach. Waves are often OK
to good although it’s not the best time of year for Merewether,
which is more of a winter surf zone set-up.
PHOTO: P34 pic: iStock, P35 pics: Redbull
REAL & UNREAL: Slater surfing Tahiti (left) and his wave pool (above).
as a stand-alone pro sport.
Huzzah!
It was epic blue sky
thinking. And for all the shiny
coherence of today’s tour, for
all the hard work of Paul and
his many loyal staff, it clearly
hasn’t quite worked. Deals had
to be cut immediately around
that naming rights fee; major
events in Fiji, Rio and Maui
remain without corporate
names (or fees) attached. A
fortune has been spent on
trying to lure non-endemic
backers through the door,
would all be in sync with a
with limited success; indeed
range of equally impressive
the WSL’s most prominent
new broadcast deals, which
partners, Samsung, Jeep
would work to secure the
and Corona, are carryovers
partnerships and open
– all had prior relationships
more and more doors for all
with ASP events. The media
concerned.
platform is still essentially
This was in stark contrast
the online event broadcast:
with the ASP’s previous plan, massively improved from the
in which the organisation was incoherent event-to-event ASP
basically a marketing tool version, for sure, but a long
of the big surf companies, way from the live network TV
and unable to move in any that provides most pro sports
particular direction of its own with their financial lifeline.
accord – while said companies, The WSL team has been
after years of mad prosperity, able to find some silver
were suddenly and ominously linings, especially in various
running out of moolah.
government-funded tourism
To the ASP staff and pro authorities, who kick down for
surfers, Speaker loomed as a range of events including
a saviour. Now, freed from Portugal and the whole
its tangled surfing roots, Australian tour, plus other bits
professional surfing would and pieces. Paddle-in Nazare!
embrace its true destiny Longboards in China!
Feb 27 into March: Australian Open, North Steyne
Second of the important second tier qualifying events in Australia
this year, and so much more. The Australian Open has
become known for its departure from regular surf contest programming
through the addition of arts festivals, music, and bowl
skating demos on site. Just what Manly needs! Will also boast a
grommet event to run just before the main show.
But mostly what they’ve
been doing is spending
money. LOTS of money.
Why hasn’t pro surfing
taken off like the rocket
everyone dreamed of in 2013?
If I were to take a wild guess,
I’d say the WSL’s plan has
fallen foul of the same thing
that’s knackered pro surfing
repeatedly through its history:
the surf. The stupid Ocean!
It comes and it goes with no
consulting, it goes flat in the
middle of major events, it
sneers at schedules. I mean!
What do you say about a sport
whose finest event, the Eddie
Aikau Invitational, goes on
hold for years?
It’s a worry – exactly how
much of a worry you can
deduce from the fact that the
previously super-private Dirk
Ziff is taking the reins now as
CEO. And if the rumours I keep
hearing are right, he thinks he
still has an ace in the hole.
Maybe you’ve seen the
YouTube footage of Kelly
Slater’s experimental wave
pool? The one where Kelly
keeps inviting small groups of
top pros, then releasing clips
of them riding what looks like
a captive version of a perfect
point break?
It’s still a prototype, yeah.
But… it’s not Kelly’s. The
pool and its technology are
majority owned by Dirk Ziff
and the WSL.
What if they could partner
up the wave pool, or its better
younger sibling, with holiday
resorts and tourism authorities?
Run everything to schedule?
Charge people admission?
Pro surfing, without the
ocean?
You know what, I don’t
believe it for a second. But
stranger things have happened
– and if it’s a choice between
that and nothing, I bet the
pro surfing community will be
happy to jump on board.
Nick Carroll is a leading
Australian and international
surf writer, author, filmmaker
and surfer, and one
of Newport’s own. Email:
ncsurf@ozemail.com.au
Surfing Life
FEBRUARY 2017 35

Sporting Life
Sporting Life
Maddie aims to make splash at Surfers
36
Surf school instructor, nipper
swim coach, promising
surf sports athlete and uni
student… when does Maddie
Spencer have time for a social
life?
There’s only one day of the
week when she has a sleep-in
and that’s on Sundays.
Then again, she’s up at 8am,
has breakfast and races down
to Mona Vale beach where she
trains about 20 kids, aged from
nine to 13. “The focus is on surf
skills,” she says.
Maddie (pictured) also does
her regular patrols as a volunteer
lifesaver with Mona Vale,
where she started.
She was a relatively late
bloomer, as her time throughout
high school was devoted
FEBRUARY 2017
to water polo. And she made a
rather good fist at it, representing
NSW squads.
Also at high school, Maddie
did board training for fitness.
She liked it so much that she
decided to see what she could
achieve in surf sports. Maddie
could swim and paddle a board
but then her coach asked if she
would like to paddle a ski.
Once she learnt to become
proficient, Maddie started to
enter some ironwoman events.
She loved it.
She also wanted to better
herself. That led to a competitive
rights switch to Newport.
“They had an iron program.
It was as simple as that,” Maddie
said.
Come the Sydney Northern
Beaches Branch Champs at
Palm Beach last season, Maddie
was ready and finished third
behind her Newport clubmate
Georgia Miller and Manly’s
Naomi Scott in the open event.
But she’s come on in leaps
and bounds in the past 12
months and there’s every
chance she could qualify
for the Nutri Grain finals at
Cronulla later this month.
“I have definitely surprised
myself,” she says. “I am probably
12 months ahead of where
I expected to be.”
She is determined now to
make the series. Her best results
in the Summer of Surf is a
second at Newport and eighth
at North Wollongong.
Take out those who are automatic
qualifiers and Maddie is
equal fifth with Manly’s Taylar
Puskaric on 102 points, five
ahead of three-time Nutri Grain
champion Courtney Hancock.
Maddie has been counting
the days to the last round at
Surfers Paradise on February 4.
“I wouldn’t be where I am
without my coaches Trent
(Herring) and James (Brooks),”
Maddie said.
So it seems getting up at
4.30am, six days a week is reaping
rewards. And when she’s
not training, Maddie’s either
off to Sydney Uni where she is
studying medical science or
working for the Sydney Northern
Beaches Surf School as an
instructor.
“What I like most is educating
those kids who rarely come to
a beach about the surf and the
dangers in the water,” she said.
– John Taylor

Save the date in Feb
for Avalon soccer info
Having reported a great
response since online
registrations opened on January
9, Avalon Soccer Club is
again confident of a stellar
new season down at ‘The Bay’
and would like to welcome
members, current and new, to
season 2017.
You can still register by visiting
avalonsoccerclub.com.au
– this is also the best source for
general information about the
club and the season ahead.
Also, the Club will be holding
registration/information days
at the Careel Bay Clubhouse on
successive Saturdays – 4th February
and 11th February from
9am-1pm – as well as Wednesday
8th February from 7-9pm.
They will also be selling new
playing gear and club merchandise
at great prices. Avalon SC
prides itself on a friendly, family
club environment. The club
comprises over 1,100 players
aged from 5 to 70, who enjoy
playing the beautiful game at a
variety of levels and is entirely
run by a group of highly dedicated
volunteers.
AVSC strives to provide
the best possible playing and
coaching environment with
the resources to their disposal.
They put a great emphasis on
player development and coach
education at all skill levels.
They are fortunate to boast
two experienced and professional
coaches as their Directors
of Coaching. This allows
them to provide members
with quality coach education
and academy-style coaching
‘in-house’.
Their dedication to player
development has led to some
great success in recent seasons
and they look to build on this
in 2017.
Some of their recent achievements
include:
n MWFA Women’s Premier
League FA Cup Winners 2016;
n W14-1 Champion of Champions
Finalist 2016;
n W18-1 Champion of Champions
Finalist 2015;
n W16-1 Champion of Champions
Winners 2013 & 2014;
n MWFA Presidents Cup for
Best Junior Club 2013;
n FFA Junior Team of the Year
2012 (W16-1);
n Five successful tours to
Vanuatu, promoting cultural
exchange and women’s football
in the region.
Planning and fundraising
for their 2017 tour of Vanuatu
is well advanced. Due to the
success of the annual Vanuatu
Tour for girls there are also
plans now for an equivalent
youth boy’s tour. The Club will
again be encouraging teams
to take part in the 2017 Kanga
Cup in Canberra.
As part of their effort to continually
improve the facilities
at Careel Bay, new lighting was
installed on the mini fields in
2016 which will greatly increase
the area available for training
after dark and future night
matches. New fencing has been
erected around field 1, with
plans to complete the other
fields in 2017.
A lot of the Club’s success
is due to the hard work of the
great committee and volunteers
at Careel Bay, who really
make everyone welcome and
ensure the atmosphere is one
of a friendly community club. If
anyone is interested in volunteering
or joining the committee
please contact the Avalon
Soccer Club President on
president@avalonsoccerclub.
com.au– John Kowtan
FEBRUARY 2017 37
Sporting Life

Women’s Health Special
YOUR HEALTH’S IN
YOUR
HANDS
Over the following pages, you’ll find general information on health issues that women should be
aware of with simple messages that can reduce the risks of chronic diseases and tips from local
experts to help you manage your health and keep you in good shape. Compiled by Lisa Offord
HEALTHY HABITS
Many of the chronic diseases that
affect women – heart disease,
cancer and diabetes – can be avoided or
managed by leading a healthy lifestyle.
A healthy lifestyle is all about choices,
finding the right balance between what
you put into your body, how you use your
body and… enjoying it.
The three main ingredients required to
lead a healthy lifestyle include:
n Eating a wide variety of nutritious foods
n Being physically active, and
n Maintaining a healthy weight
Cut out smoking and go easy on
alcohol (no more than two standard
drinks per day and two alcohol free days
per week) and you’re heading in the right
direction.
Also, being aware of your body and
your family history and visiting your GP
regularly will help you stay on the right
track and detect any health problems
early.
Don’t be concerned that you may have
38
neglected your health over the years – the
experts say it is never too late to make
lifestyle changes that can reduce the risks
of many health problems.
What’s a standard drink?
A standard drink is one that contains 10g
of alcohol. That is 100ml of wine, 285ml
full-strength beer, 60ml port or sherry,
30ml spirits.
Healthy eating
A balanced diet is the key to good
nutrition and good health. Quite simply,
there are certain foods that can be eaten
all the time (in certain amounts) that
help maintain your health and energy
and there are other foods you should
limit. Following a healthy balanced diet
however, isn’t always that easy, especially
when bombarded with mixed messages
about food and what you should and
shouldn’t be eating.
Your best source of information on
FEBRUARY 2017
healthy eating are The Australian Dietary
Guidelines which have been developed by
food and nutrition experts on behalf of
the National Health and Medical Research
Council.
Many of us don’t eat as well as the
experts recommend but even making
small changes to your diet can reduce
your risks of chronic diseases and other
health problems.
Physical activity
Beginning or resuming regular physical
activity will benefit your health,
regardless of your age.
Moderate activity (energetic but not
enough to make you breathless, such
as brisk walking or social tennis, for
example) for as little as 30 minutes on
most, preferably all, days is great for your
wellbeing and can help reduce the risks
of many health problems such as heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers,
anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal

problems and weight gain.
Australian guidelines recommend
people between ages 18-64
accumulate 2 ½ to 5 hours of moderate
intensity physical activity or 1 ¼ to 2½
hours of vigorous intensity activity, or
a combination of both each week and
do muscle strengthening activities on
at least two days each week.
It is also important to make an
effort to sit less and break up long
periods of sitting as often as possible.
Sedentary behavior is associated with
poorer health outcomes including an
increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Healthy weight
Being overweight increases the risks of
a number of health problems.
If you are within a healthy weight
range make an effort to stay there – by
watching what you eat and exercising.
If you are overweight, a crucial first
step is to do whatever you can to
prevent gaining more weight. Then,
when you are ready, plan how you can
drop some kilos and keep them off.
Healthy weight management tips
n Set a weight goal you know you can
meet, then aim to make permanent
changes to both food and activity
habits.
n Hunger is the best guide – be aware
of eating when you are bored or
stressed or eating out of habit.
n Change your eating and physical
activity habits in stages.
n For weight loss aim for 60 minutes of
physical activity a day.
n Seek professional advice on the best
way to manage your weight.
How do you measure up?
An easy way to determine if you are
a healthy weight is to measure your
waist with a tape measure. This gives
you an idea of whether you have a
lot of fat stored around your middle.
People who have a lot of fat around
the middle are at greater risk of
developing diseases such as heart
disease and type 2 diabetes. For
women, a waist circumference greater
than 80cm is associated with increased
health risk.
Emotional health
Hormonal and physical changes before
or during menstruation, pregnancy
and menopause can make many
women feel down, irritable and moody.
It’s perfectly normal to feel sad and
stressed at times. But if you have felt
depressed or anxious for more than
two weeks and lost pleasure in most of
your usual activities you should talk to
your doctor.
Nutrients: Are you
getting enough?
Nutritional and energy needs
change throughout life.
Calcium and iron are both
important nutrients for women
at certain ages and life stages,
says nutritionist Kylie Dowling.
“In the menstruating years iron
deficiency can cause anaemia
and calcium deficiency can be the
cause of PMS,” says Kylie.
“During pregnancy and
lactation additional energy is
required to cover the needs of
the growing foetus, placenta and
expanding maternal tissue.
“Also, for the production of
milk during the 3rd trimester
lactation period, calcium is
important.”
Osteoporosis is common
in postmenopausal women
because of hormone-related
changes. Paying attention to
the amount of calcium and
iron-rich foods in the diet before
menopause can help prevent
inadequate mineralisation of the
bones, says Kylie.
Some good dietary sources
of iron are red meat, chicken
and fish, nuts and legumes,
wholegrains and leafy green
vegetables.
“If you are vegetarian and
getting your iron from non haem
sources, combining sources
of vitamin C, for example
strawberries on your cereal or
lemon juice dressing on salad,
will help increase absorption,”
she said.
Some good sources of calcium
include dairy such as milk,
cheese, yogurt, fish with edible
bones, tahini and dried figs.
Smooth move
Struggling to squeeze in
moderate physical activity
and dedicated muscle
strengthening activities into
your routine?
“Pilates falls under
both of these categories,
especially when done with
weighted or spring resistance
based equipment,” says
physiotherapist Jen Smith
of Fix + Flex Pilates and
Physiotherapy.
Pilates is a great way to
tone, lengthen and strengthen
muscles at a resistance level
suitable for the female body.
HEALTH CHECKS
Regular health checks are an important part of
keeping healthy. Having regular health checks
and screening tests can help prevent disease and
keep you aware of possible health risks.
Health checks include the following:
n Physical examination including blood pressure,
height and weight, waist measurement every few
years
n Pap smear from age 18 (or two years after first
sexual intercourse) up to age 70 (note this will
change from May 1 when the Pap smear will be replaced
by a more accurate Cervical Screening Test)
n Skin examination for skin cancer
n Breast awareness – being familiar with the normal
look and feel of your breasts.
n Mammogram screening
n Bowel cancer screening
n Oral/dental health check – dental examination.
n Hearing tests
n The ‘45-49 year old Health Check’ – a once only
check with your GP for those at risk of developing
a chronic disease.
n The ‘75 year old Health Check’ – a health assessment
for people aged 75 years and older.
Talk to your doctor and find out what checks are
needed and how often you need to have them to
maintain your health.
Family planning:
‘an active choice’
Family planning is not just about contraception,
it is about making an active choice to have
children at the right time for you, your partner and
any children you already have, and being able to
optimise your health prior to pregnancy.
Dr Fiona Collins from Gilbert Collins Medical
practice in Mona Vale, said most women spend a
significant proportion of their lives either trying not
to get pregnant or trying to conceive, and unplanned
pregnancies are unfortunately still too common.
“As a GP with a special interest in women’s health,
I see many women who continue to take the pill and
have little knowledge of or have never been offered
other options,” she said. “The ideal contraception
would be 100% effective, have no risks, no sideeffects,
be cheap, readily available and easily
reversible... We are not quite there yet but there are
a good range of contraceptive options for women.”
Dr Collins cited Long-Acting Reversible
Contraception (LARC) which includes contraceptive
implants (Implanon) and Intra-Uterine Devices
(IUDs) – both hormonal (Mirena) and non-hormonal.
“These last for three, five and 10 years
respectively and are extremely reliable– in fact
more so than female sterilisation,” she said.
“Once in they do not require regular checks and
if wished can be removed early with restoration of
previous fertility levels within a week.”
Dr Collins urged all women wanting longer-term
contraception to discuss their requirements with
their GP – “and make an active choice.”
FEBRUARY 2017 39

Women’s Health Special
KNOW YOUR BODY
Chronic diseases such as heart
disease, cancer and diabetes
are caused by a combination of
different factors called risk factors.
Some of these risk factors are out of your
control (your genes or your age) others
can be changed (smoking, your diet, your
weight), while some are still unknown.
Risk factors are cumulative – the more
risk factors you have, the higher your risk
of developing chronic diseases.
That is why it is important to know
about diseases and conditions and learn
what you can do to reduce your risks.
Its important to note
having risk factors
for certain diseases
does not mean you
will automatically get a
disease and there are
some people diagnosed
with health problems
who don’t have obvious
risk factors.
Be aware of signs and
symptoms that may
indicate a problem but
don’t worry yourself sick.
You know your body
better than anyone else,
if you notice any changes
or you are concerned see
your doctor. Speaking to
a doctor can help allay
any fears you may have.
HEART DISEASE
Heart disease is the leading cause of
death in Australian women. It is caused by
the gradual clogging of the arteries that
supply blood to the heart. This can lead
to heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
The good news is heart disease is largely
preventable – leading a healthy lifestyle
can greatly reduce your risk.
Risk factors include:
n Smoking
n High blood cholesterol
n Overweight/ Physical inactivity
n Diabetes
n High blood pressure
n Depression
n Increasing age, a family history of early
death from heart disease or being
postmenopausal
What you can do
High blood cholesterol and high blood
40
Trouble hearing?
Women between the ages of
15-30 are the most at risk
of developing Otosclerosis.
“Otosclerosis is an abnormal
bone growth in the middle ear
that can cause hearing loss
– this hearing loss can often
be treated with surgery,” says
Audiologist Emma van Wanrooy
of Pittwater Hearing in Avalon.
Hearing loss affects 40-50%
of women over the age of 60
years of age, says Emma.
Awareness and treatment of
hearing loss is important to
ensure you can participate in
all social situations.
pressure and type 2
diabetes rarely give
warning signs which is
why it is important to see
your doctor for regular
checks so you know your levels and what
this means for your health.
To improve blood cholesterol levels eat
a healthy diet that is low in saturated fats.
Some people may also need medication
to improve their cholesterol levels.
If your blood pressure is high, reduce
salt intake, go easy on the alcohol and
follow your doctor’s advice. Medication
may be required.
DIABETES
Diabetes is a condition where there is too
much glucose (sugar) in the blood.
The rise in glucose occurs because the
body can’t make enough insulin or the
insulin produced is not working properly.
Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose
from the blood stream into the cells of
the body where it is used for energy.
High blood glucose levels over a period
of time will cause damage to your blood
vessels and nerves. This can result in
FEBRUARY 2017
heart disease, stroke, eye problems,
kidney disease and other complications
such as infections and foot problems.
Risk factors include:
n A family history of type 2 diabetes
n Being older than 55 years of age
n A waist circumference greater than
80cm for women
n Gestational diabetes
n Polycystic ovary syndrome
n Poor diet
n Any of the following cultural
backgrounds: Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islands, Pacific Islands, Indian
subcontinent or Chinese
n High blood pressure and/or high blood
cholesterol and/or a history of heart
disease
What you can do
The only way to know your blood glucose
level (BGL) is through a blood test
organised by your doctor.
There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, but
there’s plenty you can do to manage – or
prevent – the condition. Research shows
that up to 60 per cent of cases of type

Move towards a healthy lifestyle
Another year has flown by and
(yet again) you’ve chosen to address
your bad habits by declaring:
“This year I’m going to get
my fitness and nutrition back on
track…” Sound familiar?
Rachel Cohen from Xperteze
Fitness & Nutrition says it’s natural
we all start the year with good
intentions, then find it challenging
to implement change – so she
has framed her 6 top tips to help
you stay on track.
Be Specific
Setting “none specific” goals is
like a marathon without a finish
line. Be specific with goals and
time frames, such as “by June
I’ll lose 5kg, climb stairs without
puffing, reduce my cholesterol”.
You’ll be more likely to succeed.
Be Realistic
Training 5 times a week might
sound great, but is it realistic?
Set a realistic schedule and you’ll
be more motivated by achieving
it rather than feeling you’ve
“blown it” if you miss sessions.
Improve Nutrition
You can’t run a car on empty.
Fuel the ‘new you’ with good nutrition
and hydration and you’ll
feel healthier, sleep better and
have the extra energy you need
for training.
Mix It Up
The body is very clever at
learning the minimum energy
it needs for a specific activity.
Keep it challenged by mixing
it up. Alternate kettlebell work
with running, or Tai Chi with
Yoga. Regularly change your
number of sets and reps.
Have Fun
You’re more likely to keep doing
something you enjoy. Find a
training activity you love. Train
with a friend to share the fun
and remember: training doesn’t
always have to be at the gym.
Be Forgiving
Don’t beat yourself up if you
“fall off the wagon” – just pick
up and keep going. Start with
small steps and changes and
think long-term rather than
weeks and months.
More info visit
www.xperteze.com.au
Focus on eye health
Hydration is important for eyes as well as
our general wellbeing.
“Make sure you drink enough
water,” advises Robyn Milat from Milat
Optometrist.
“Contact lens wearers will have more
comfortable eyes when they drink enough
water.”
Regular eye checks with your
optometrist are important to check for
eye health and eye strain issues.
“After 40 years this should generally
be done at least every two years, after
65 years annual reviews are indicated,”
she said.
2 diabetes can be prevented by lifestyle
changes (eating a healthy diet and being
active). And if you already have diabetes
a healthy lifestyle can help reduce your
risks of complications.
If diet and exercise aren’t enough, your
doctor may recommend medication.
CANCER
Cancer is a disease in which cells in the
body grow out of control. Generally it is
not possible to determine what causes
cancer in any individual however there
are certain risk factors that increase your
chances of developing cancer.
Four of the five most commonly
diagnosed cancers – breast, bowel,
melanoma and lung cancer – are linked
to lifestyle choices and so potentially
preventable.
To reduce your cancer risk:
n Stop smoking
n Protect yourself from UV exposure
n Achieve a healthy body weight
n Cut down on alcohol
n Cut down on red and processed meats
n Eat more fruit and vegetables
n Be physically active every day
n Know your body
What you can do
Finding cancer early offers one of the
best chances to cure the disease. See
your doctor straight away if you notice
any unusual changes such as:
n Lumps, sores or ulcers that don’t heal
n Unusual changes in your breasts
n Coughs that don’t go away or show
blood, a hoarseness that hangs around
n A loss in weight that can’t be explained
n Any loss of blood, even a few spots
between periods or after they stop
n Moles that have changed shape, size or
colour, or bleed
n Blood in a bowel motion
n Persistent changes in toilet habits
n Persistent abdominal pain or bloating
Screening for breast and cervical
cancer saves lives, so regular checks are
one of the best health habits to get into.
Note: This special feature is intended as a general introduction to the topic and in no way should be seen as substitute for your own doctor’s or registered health professional’s
advice. Prepared utilising information from the National Health and Medical Research Council, The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary
Behaviour Guidelines, Dietitians Association, Heart Foundation, Cancer Council, Cancer Australia, Diabetes Australia and Jean Hailes for Women’s Health.
FEBRUARY 2017 41

Health & Wellbeing
Women’s Health Special
Health & Wellbeing
The benefits of getting
rid of ‘droopy’ eyelids
The eyelids are one of
the first areas to show
the changes associated
with ageing. Eyes and eyelids
are also the most commonly
observed facial features that
are noted when conversing.
Commonly people say they
look tired, angry… or old.
Skin excess, muscle excess
and drooping fat pouches
contribute to this appearance.
Each of these components
is assessed individually and
surgery is tailored to address
the varying amounts of each,
allowing differing amounts of
skin and muscle to be resected.
The fat may either be excised or
repositioned. Stitches then hold
and reinforce the structures that
retain the fat pouches.
Lower eyelid correction
Eyelids of Asian appearance
often lack the crease in the upper
lids. This can be surgically
reconstructed to give a fold in
the upper eyelids.
At times, very loose lower
lids may need to be tightened.
In cases where only fat needs
to be removed from the lower
lids, surgery can be performed
through an incision on the inner
surface of the eyelids which
leaves no skin incisions. If your
upper lid skin touches the eyelashes
or impedes vision, then a
Medicare or Health Fund rebate
may reduce the cost of surgery.
Hooding of the upper eyelids is
tion of discomfort. A gritty, dry
feeling is common and may
persist for a number of weeks.
Bruising and swelling is
variable from person to person
and even from side to side. It
is usually maximum at about
three days and usually tracks
downwards under the effects of
gravity. Elevation when sleeping
with the head raised helps
the swelling and bruising, as
does avoiding lifting, stooping,
straining and limiting strenuous
activity.
Dry eyes are common, as well
as redness and itchiness. Eye
ointment is useful to treat this
and routinely prescribed. Light
sensitivity, excess tearing and
blurred vision may occur temporarily
and sunglasses are very
useful. Small cysts may occur
along the suture line, especially
in the upper lids.
The outcomes of surgery
with Dr John Kippen
a skin excess that usually occurs
in the outer part of the eyelids.
Surgery can be performed
under local anaesthetic, twilight
sedation or general anaesthetic
depending on the complexity
and the amount required. It can
be performed in the rooms,
day surgery or in hospital. Cold
packs are often placed over the
eyes to reduce swelling and
bruising. These are not taped
or secured and can easily be
removed and replaced so even
people who suffer from claustrophobia
seldom have problems.
Incisions are usually well hidden.
The upper incision is made
in the skin crease, while the
lower incision runs just under
the lash line. These may need to
be extended into the crows’ feet
or smile lines at the out edge of
the eyes.
Most people do not report
much pain, but more a descripmay
be affected by thyroid
disease, high blood pressure,
smoking, glaucoma, dry eyes
and allergic eye conditions. Preoperative
consultations on at
least two occasions are required
for assessment. This allows
informed expectations and
outcomes to be discussed. All
these risks and likely outcomes
will be discussed at the time
of consultation. There is a very
low incidence of blindness of
approximately 0.04%. This is
usually associated with deeper
fat pouch resection.
Sutures are removed between
3 and 5 days. From about 2
weeks, sedentary-type work can
be commenced and most people
are able to return to work
and a post-operative plan will
be detailed after surgery.
Our columnist Dr John
Kippen is a qualified, fully
certified consultant specialist
in Cosmetic, Plastic and
Reconstructive surgery.
Australian trained, he also
has additional Australian and
International Fellowships.
Dr Kippen works from custom-built
premises in Mona
Vale. He welcomes enquiries
and questions. Please
contact him via johnkippen.
com.au or by email: doctor@
johnkippen.com.au
42
FEBRUARY 2017

Strength the key as
muscle mass declines
Women don’t often
associate getting
older with doing more
strength training – but it’s
an important consideration
when ageing, says fitness
centre owner Suset Frundt.
“A lot of women tell us
that they used to do a
lot more when they were
younger but stopped doing
it because of getting older,”
says Suset, who operates
Curves at Mona Vale.
“Women need to be
strong at any age – they
need to be strong to lift
their babies and grandbabies
and to cope with the
demands of living a busy
life.”
Suset said some of the
common forms of exercise
undertaken by women –
such as walking, swimming,
playing golf, netball, or even
treadmill exercise – don’t
really assist strength. Given
every decade after the age
of 30, women can lose as
much as 3% to 5% of their
muscle mass, the issue of
maintaining strength was
crucial.
Suset said the equipment
at Curves provided the
benefits of strength
training and cardiovascular
exercise in a highly effective
30-minute workout.
“Specifically designed
for women, every machine
works at least two muscle
groups and as many as four
at one time,” she said.
She added their boutique
club fosters a community
of like-minded women who
support each other along
their fitness journeys.
“Plus with a Curves coach
at every circuit to teach
and motivate, women never
feel alone as they progress
through their journey.”
– Nigel Wall
Women’s Health Special Health & Wellbeing
FEBRUARY 2017 43

Women’s Health Special
Health & Wellbeing
Health & Wellbeing
Hormones and oral health
Women’s hormone surges
can make you more vulnerable
to gum disease, says
Dr Astrid Kylstra of Avalon
Beach Family Dental.
“This is because more female
hormones (estrogen and progesterone)
cause more blood
to flow to your gums, which
causes them to become more
sensitive and “overreact” to anything
that may irritate them.
“The most common irritant
is the presence of plaque
which can cause your gums to
become inflamed, swell and
bleed.”
There are five main stages
within a women’s life where
hormones may fluctuate.
Puberty
Not only can the gums become
red and “bleedy” but an
additional irritant can also be
the presence of braces on the
teeth.
“Diligent brushing at least
two times a day with a soft
toothbrush and fluoride
toothpaste is vital to keep the
gums as healthy as possible
and reduce discomfort,” Dr
Kylstra said.
It is also important to keep
in mind that the gums will
probably bleed every time you
brush you teeth and not to be
worried or scared off by this.
Your period
Your gums may be more
sensitive before and during
your period. If so, it is best
to schedule your clean at the
dentist for the week after it
ends.
Birth control pills
“The advantage of being on
the pill is that it stops wild
hormone fluctuations so can
lessen gum bleeding,” Dr
Kylstra said.
“However, if you are getting
a tooth pulled out, you may be
more vulnerable to a subsequent
infection known as ‘dry
socket’.”
It is important to let your
dentist know beforehand.
Pregnancy
“Some women develop pregnancy
gingivitis – a mild form
of gum disease that causes
gums to be red, tender and
sore,” Dr Kylstra said.
Again, you can help keep it
under control through good
daily habits.
Your dentist may recommend
more frequent cleanings
during your second trimester
and early third trimester to
help control gingivitis.
Menopause
Menopause heralds a huge
change in a woman’s life
and also a woman’s mouth,
including altered taste, burning
sensations and increased
sensitivity.
“This can be related to a
drop in saliva flow which can
be hormone related among
other reasons.
“Saliva is vitally important
for washing the teeth and
keeping plaque levels down.
“It is important to keep
hydration levels up and you
may need to switch to a higher
fluoride containing toothpaste
which can be prescribed by
your dentist,” Dr Kylstra said.
44
FEBRUARY 2017

Mobile service gives
you peace of ‘Mind’
Megan Dunphy understands
how busy women can
be, which is why she recently
launched Pilates in Mind, a mobile
service offering physiotherapy
and private small-group
Pilates in a place to suit you.
Working as a nurse before
completing a Masters in physiotherapy,
Megan spent almost
a decade in private practice,
incorporating Pilates as a
method of rehabilitation.
With additional training in
Women’s Health Physiotherapy,
Megan was seeing more
prenatal and postnatal women
in the clinic.
She explained a common
trend among these clients was
their struggle to get to appointments
due to childcare,
or being distracted with an
unsettled baby.
“Providing a mobile service
takes the hassle of travel,
child-minding, and the stress
of having an unsettled baby
in the clinic out of the mix,”
she said.
“I can come to a client’s
house at a time that suits
them where they are in their
own environment.”
Pilates is not just for pregnancy
and postnatal rehabilitation.
“Pilates is great for anyone,
everyone will benefit from it
as it can be tailored to any
fitness level, from beginner to
elite athlete,” Megan said.
Pilates strength is the role it
plays in preventing problems.
“If you can maintain your
flexibility, strength, and stability,
especially moving into
middle age and beyond, you
are less likely to sustain an
injury or fall, and more likely
to maintain your function,
lifestyle and quality of life.”
Women’s Health Special Health & Wellbeing
FEBRUARY 2017 45

Women’s Health Special
Health & Wellbeing
46
FEBRUARY 2017

Health & Wellbeing
Eco Corner
We’ll have more plastic
than fish in the ocean
by 2050 if we do nothing!
Harvesting plastic and
turning it into something
valuable is a win-win,
saving our diminishing
marine life, reducing trash,
oil consumption and CO2
emissions!
Major brands are making
headway. Sports brands,
which rely on synthetics for
product performance and
durability, are reusing existing
plastics.
Abandoned fishing nets,
known as ghost nets, kill
100,000 marine animals every
year and account for about
one tenth of marine debris.
Kelly Slater’s ‘Outerknown’
is one of the new sustainable
clothing ranges made from
recycled fishing nets and
plastic found in the oceans.
And Sea Shepherd had a
coup, when after 110 days,
covering 10,000 miles, crews
on the Sam Simon and Bob
Parker were successful in
retrieving, off the coast of
Africa, 72km of gillnet from
the sinking poaching vessel,
the ‘Thunder’.
A Sea Shepherd and Adidas
collaboration to remove and
recycle plastic from the ocean
has led to Adidas converting
70 tons of fishing net into
shoes in a process referred
to by Sea Shepherd founder
Paul Watson as “ecological
alchemy”. Whilst these shoes
raise awareness of the issue of
plastic, Adidas can also profit
from the shoes; the message:
that it’s possible to profit from
protecting the ocean.
New products using
repurposed nylon are popping
up. We’ve seen a company
which made skateboards
from discarded fishing nets
branching out to make a range
of sunglasses! New carpets,
rucksacks,
bicycle seats
and socks.
What’s next?
Relief for pregnancyrelated
pelvic pain
During pregnancy, your
body undergoes tremendous
change to accommodate
the growing foetus. As the
pregnancy progresses, the
extra weight creates a shift in
your body’s centre of gravity.
Your supporting ligaments
also soften due to the release
of the Relaxin hormone to
assist the natural process of
birth.
These factors can add
stress to your body causing
problems like lower back pain,
pelvis pain and dysfunction
and sciatica.
Avalon osteopath Francois
Naef says those issues can be
addressed with good care.
“To go through pregnancy
and delivery with a minimum
of pain and discomfort it
is important to restore and
maintain pelvis alignment and
good pelvic muscles tone,”
Francois said.
He said pregnant patients
who presented with unilateral
sacroiliac joint pain often had
very tight adductors (inner
thigh muscles), which added
further stress on the pelvis. At
the same time, the pelvic floor
muscles become weaker due
to the increased intra-abdominal
pressure.
Francois recommends these
two exercises which can be
done daily during pregnancy
– although before you start
he advises you consult your
health practitioner to make
sure they are suitable for you.
Tailor sitting: Sit on the
floor with legs apart and
heels together. You will feel
a stretch in the inner side
of your thigh. Hold for 5-10
seconds. Relax and repeat 3
times.
Pelvic floor (Kegels) exercises:
Tighten the pelvic floor
muscles as if to stop urination
midstream. Hold tight for a
count of three and gradually
work up to a count of 10. Be
sure to breath. Repeat 3 times.
* Francois practises at
Level 1, 55 Old Barrenjoey Rd
Avalon.
Women’s Health Special
Health & Wellbeing
Russell
Lamb is the
Founder of
ecodownunder
FEBRUARY 2017 47

Women’s Health Special
Health & Wellbeing
Health & Wellbeing
‘GirlForce’ is all about
empowering young women
Do you have a
daughter, niece,
neighbor or friend
in need of an energy
or confidence
boost? Jazzercise
at Narrabeen has
launched an initiative
to support the growth
and development of
young women – in
February they’re
offering a month of
free classes for girls aged
16-21.
Dubbed GirlForce, the
program aims to empower
young women by giving them
a place to get fit, learn healthy
habits, and find a connection
within their community.
“Self-esteem, body image
and mental health issues
affect young and older women
in society and exercise plays
a key role in helping and
supporting girls as they
grow up and mature,” said
Jazzercise instructor Nicola
MacKay.
She said GirlForce would
encourage teens and
university-aged women to join
the movement and learn to
“dance their own path.”
“If they start young they
will have a greater chance of
staying fit for life,”
said Nicola. “As a mum
of two young girls, I
am already becoming
aware that females
confront unique
challenges.
“We know what
physical activity does
for us. We hope that
offering girls a safe
place for them to get
fit can help…so they
can become strong women.”
Girls who are interested in
joining the GirlForce initiative
can present this article
anytime in February 2017 to
commence one month of free
classes.
More information at
jazzerair@optusnet.com.au or
on the Narrabeen Jazzercise
facebook page.
– Lisa Offord
Take advantage
of tennis clinics
Inspired by the watching the
tennis over summer? Why
not get out there and do
something about it.
Goodwin’s Tennis offers
a range of Ladies Clinics on
most days of the week at
Careel Bay and Mona Vale.
Whether you are new to
tennis or just a little rusty
there’s a spot for you.
You can learn tactics, stroke
correction, work on your fitness
and match play over one to
two hours with costs varying
according to clinics selected.
And when you are ready,
you can mix things up a bit
by joining a Round Robin on
Thursdays at Careel Bay Tennis
Club from 8.30-11.30am all
doubles (and unisex) costs $10
and includes tea and coffee.
For more info go to
goodwinstennisacademy.com.
au or call Joel on 0410 523
726. – Lisa Offord
48
FEBRUARY 2017

Hair & Beauty
Monitoring the changes
to skin over the years
with Sue Carroll
Ageing begins the day
we are born. The rate
at which the skin ages
is determined by two main
components: the first is
dependent upon chronology
and genetics and the second is
based upon the environment
– which we often tend to
overlook in our youth.
Chronological ageing can be
broken into five groups, each
showing the ever-changing
landscape of the skin.
Phase One: 10-20 years
Puberty generally occurs
earlier in girls than in boys.
Early onset of menses in girls
can be an indication for a
faster rate of ageing. Changes
in skin colour and tone in
juvenile skin can be seen
through these years, along
with a change in the oil flow,
often creating some form of
acne. Through this age of
increased oil flow, often harsh
alkaline products are used
to try to dry out the oil. But
this may result in the reverse
happening, where the oil flow
is increased given that oil is
a protective medium for the
skin to help prevent bacteria
from entering. A pH-balanced
cleansing and rebalancing
home care program is
recommended to keep the
skin healthy and to prevent
premature aging.
Phase Two: 21 -35 years
During this stage, skin changes
are subtle, appearing mainly
on the face, neck and hands.
Cell turnover slows down, the
second layer of the skin, the
dermis, begins to lose some
bounce and volume, collagen
fibres aren’t as efficiently
meshed, and the environmental
damage of the harsh Australian
sun appear with the start of
hyperpigmentation and fine
lines. Cleansing, exfoliation,
hydration and sun protection
are very important in order to
slow down the environmental
as well as chronological ageing.
Phase Three, 36-50 years
Here ageing of the skin will
often appear to be more
evident in women due to
hormonal changes. The skin is
appearing to be a little looser
with more prominent lines
both from the environment
and chronological ageing.
Sebum production slows
resulting in dryer skin, dilated
capillaries may appear due
to a weaker dermis and
pigmentation is quite evident.
Often anti-wrinkle injections
are considered at this time,
along with volumising
injections and IPL treatments.
Phase Four, 51-65 years
Often called the fixation
period, as the physical and
mental changes that occur
can result in a definite older
appearance. Other visible
ageing signs are a thin
texture, the skin is loose, cell
renewal is slower resulting
in slow healing, circulation is
impaired, skin colour changes
becoming more yellow or
grey, along with more evident
brown hyperpigmentation,
structural proteins make
skin less elastic and less
firm, for women decreasing
estrogen and therefore an
imbalance with androgens
may lead to breakouts, and
the neck can take on the
‘turkey’ appearance (men
too). A healthy lifestyle and
a prescribed home care
regime (including the use
of gauze and toning lotion)
increases the circulation
and desquamation process
resulting in a brighter
colour and tone of the skin.
An at-home and in-clinic
skin needling routine will
stimulate collagen and elastin
production, decreasing fine
lines and wrinkles
Phase Five, 66 years +
Little or no oil flow and zero
natural moisture levels results
in extremely dry and fragile
skin. Genetic disposition to
certain problems becomes
evident, such as bags under
the eyes, along with increased
pigmentation and wrinkles
both from the sun and
from something as simple
as sleeping on your side.
Precancerous lesions are often
more evident and the skin
becomes droopier, which may
be from a combination of skull
changes and loss of elasticity.
Teaching children from
a young age about the
importance of a healthy
lifestyle and how to follow a
good homecare routine will
assist with a more radiant skin
that does not give away our
actual chronological age.
There are many tools at
our disposal to assist with
this such as fractional laser,
IPL, peeling treatments, radio
frequency and skin needling.
Be the best, the healthiest
and happiest you can be and
your skin will stand you in
good stead.
Sue Carroll of Skin
Inspiration writes on
beauty trends and treatments
for Pittwater Life.
She has been a fully qualified
Aesthetician for 33 years.
Sue has owned and
operated successful beauty
clinics and day spas on
the Northern Beaches.
info@skininspiration.com.au
www.skininspiration.com.au
FEBRUARY 2017 49
Women’s Health Special
Health & Wellbeing
Women’s Health Special

Business Life: Money
Business Life
Stay up to date through
New Year housekeeping
This month we look at
a range of financial
housekeeping matters
to address in the first half of
2017.
Hot on the heels
of changes to age
pension thresholds
on 1 January 2017,
we now have a raft
of changes that will
impact operation of
the superannuation
system from 1 July
2017. The ones listed
below are just the
main changes and
illustrate why retirees
will need undertake
adequate research or
obtain advice to ensure their
interests are protected under
these new rules.
n The introduction of a lifetime
$1.6 million pension transfer
balance cap
Those lucky enough to be
over the transfer balance cap
on 1 July 2017 will be looking
to balance up account holdings
with their spouses so that
each pensioner remains as
much as possible under the
threshold. This may require
the sale of assets to create
liquidity, checking eligibility
of the member with the lower
balance against the work test,
checking tax-free thresholds
of the member with the higher
balance and checking previous
contribution caps to ensure
that funds can actually be
transferred between members.
If you do find yourself over
the cap with no other options,
the question will be, do you
simply withdraw the excess out
of super or do you transfer the
excess back to accumulation
phase. The legislation contains
capital gains tax relief but
there is thinking required
around what and how assets
are held given that tax is being
reintroduced as an issue for
some retirees. One law firm
has identified a trap with the
CGT relief contained in the
legislation; they argue that
opting for the CGT
election has the
effect of resetting
the ownership
timeclock and that
assets sold inside a
12-month window of
making the election
will not be eligible
for the one third
discount allowable
to superannuation
funds.
For some larger
funds that hold
lumpy assets such
as property, there may be an
argument to create two funds
– a tax-free pension fund and
another taxed fund as the
option of asset segregation has
been limited by the legislation.
The transfer balance cap also
makes it necessary to look at
beneficiary death nominations
from 1 July as death benefit
pensions will be counted
against the recipient’s pension
transfer cap at commencement.
The government have provided
a 12-month window following
the date of death of the original
with Brian Hrnjak
pensioner for the beneficiary
of a reversionary pension
to consider options without
potentially having to pay
penalty tax.
Changes of this magnitude
also mean that trustees of
self-managed superannuation
funds should ensure that their
deeds have been updated
as none of these provisions
are likely to have been
contemplated in deeds issued
before 2017.
n Changes to transition to
retirement income stream
Australia’s most popular
retirement strategy is about to
become a little less attractive,
particularly for those under 60
who pay tax on the pension
income they draw from
superannuation. The strategy
will still work for those who are
using it for the originally stated
purpose which was to replace
cash flow while reducing their
working hours but for those
who were mainly employing
it as a tax strategy it is time
to have another look at the
benefits to see if it still stacks
up.
n A reduction in the
concessional contribution
(CC) cap
50
FEBRUARY 2017

The CC cap is the limit
applicable to employer salary
sacrifice and tax deductible
contributions. At present
the maximum cap stands at
$35,000 for those who were
over 49 on 30 June 2016
otherwise it is $30,000. From
1 July the CC falls to $25,000
regardless of age.
The remainder of this
financial year therefore is a
final opportunity to make a
sizable deductible contribution
to super. With five months of
the financial year remaining
regular depositors to super
may wish to check their yearto-date
contribution levels
to ensure they will achieve
the goal, particularly where a
company payroll department
may need to be involved.
Similarly, those depositing
the maximum should be aware
of the lower threshold in the
2017/18 financial year as the
company payroll department
is unlikely to take the blame
for excess contributions in the
following year.
n Catch-up concessional
contributions
This change comes in from
1 July, 2018 but it should be
considered as part of the
amendments to concessional
contributions. Those with
balances under $500,000 will
be able to access a higher
annual cap and contribute the
remaining unused portion of
their CC cap on a rolling basis
over five years. Accrual of the
unused amount begins from 1
July, 2018. The thinking here is
that it will benefit people with
lumpy earnings or people who
move in and out of full time
and part time work. There is
also an opportunity for those
who may be contemplating the
sale of a capital gains taxable
asset to use this feature
to make a larger personal
deductible contribution.
n Changes to the nonconcessional
contributions
(NCC) cap
The NCC cap is the
limit applicable to nondeductible
superannuation
contributions. Currently, the
cap is $180,000 per annum
with the ability to make three
years ($540,000) of bring
forward contributions for
those under 65.
Over 65-year-olds can
currently contribute up to
$180,000 per year provided
that they have first passed a
work test of 40 hours (paid
employment) over a 30-day
period.
From 1 July, 2017 the NCC
will fall to $100,000 per year
with eligible persons being
able to access a three-year
bring-forward amount of
$300,000.
Alongside the introduction
of the lifetime pension transfer
cap, you will not be able to
make further NCCs if your total
superannuation balance from
the prior 30 June is greater
than $1.6 million.
Those with sufficient capital
and NCC caps can maximise
the opportunity by 30 June
using the bring-forward rule
to contribute up to $540,000
(per member), especially those
whose account balance is
already $1.6 million or more.
With changes this extensive
combined with the hard
deadline of 30 June, there
is urgency for trustees and
members to be on top of their
administration and lodgements
to have adequate time for
planning, consideration and
implementation of changes if
required.
Business Life
Brian Hrnjak B Bus CPA (FPS) LREA is a Director of GHR
Accounting Group Pty Ltd, Certified Practising Accountants,
Authorised Representative of Australian Unity Personal
Financial Services Ltd, ABN: 26 098 725 145, Australian
Financial Services Licence Number 234459 and licensee in
charge of AltRE Real Estate. Offices: Suite 12, Ground Floor, 20
Bungan Street Mona Vale NSW 2103 and Shop 8, 9 – 15 Central
Ave Manly NSW 2095, Telephone: 02 9979-4300, Webs: www.
ghr.com.au and www.altre.com.au Email: brian@ghr.com.au
These comments are of a general nature only and are not
intended as a substitute for professional advice. This article
is not an offer or recommendation of any securities or other
financial products offered by any company or person.
FEBRUARY 2017 51

Business Life: Finance
Business Life
In 2017, prepare for the
concensus view to flip
I
hope you all enjoyed the
Christmas and New Year
break and had sufficient time
to consider your investment
options and outlook for the
upcoming year.
Over the break I used the
time to read some relevant
books in order to prepare
myself as much as possible for
the coming year’s surprises.
Four of the books were
related to the US Presidential
scenario: ‘The Making of
Donald Trump’ by David Cay
Johnston; ‘Great Again – How
to fix our crippled America’
by Donald Trump; ‘Electing
Donald Trump’ by Newt
Gingrich and Clair Christensen;
‘How Donald Trump won the
2016 Election’ by Alexander
Davis; and for self-education
purposes ‘Ian Fleming: A
Biography’ by Andrew Lycett.
All very illuminating and
interesting publications. What
is crystal clear is that the 2017
investment year will be full of
surprises. The consensus view
will, more often than not, be
turned completely on its head.
The usual geo political worries
will be amplified as Donald
Trump continues to negotiate
new deals and re-negotiate
old ones with countries and
companies.
It is important to bear in
mind that Trump is a “pluses
and minuses” thinker. Wall
52
Street and Washington, by
contrast, think in terms of
multiples and percentages.
Trump is above all a
dealmaker. This is what he
loves most and what he excels
at. He is not concerned with
macro-economics. He wants to
negotiate the best deal he can.
Right now, Trump is
playing the ‘New CEO move’.
That involves moving fast
and decisively on day one
to set the mood for the rest
of the Presidential term. So
far Donald Trump has set
the mood as an aggressive
negotiator on behalf of the
country, clawing and fighting
for every American job. So
far so good and consumer
confidence has soared since
the election.
In the past, US trade
agreements were made by
Washington lawyers. The
FEBRUARY 2017
other side employed their best
and brightest to negotiate
trade deals. In the Trump
Administration, America’s
most capable negotiators will
be the ones re-negotiating old
trade agreements and any new
ones.
The Trump government will
likely be run by some seven
or eight individuals, namely
the Secretary of State (Rex
Tillerson), the Secretary of
the Treasury (Steve Mnuchin),
the Attorney General (Jeff
Sessions), head of the newly
formed National Trade Council
(Peter Navarro), National
Security Advisor (Lt. General
Michael T. Flynn), Secretary
of Defence (General James
Mattis), the Secretary of
Commerce (Wilbur Ross) and
Vice-President-elect Mike
Pence. (Clearly, Steve Bannon,
White House Chief Strategist
and Jared Kushner, Trump’s
son-in-law, will be major
powers behind the throne.)
However, Trump will be less
radical than people think.
Every decision or action
by the new Administration
will be focused on getting
re-elected. Trump will only
pick battles that are winnable
and he will only implement
as much change as he thinks
the American population can
handle and adjust to before
the next election. (Assuming
he wins re-election, his second
term will be the time for
radical change.)
with Simon Bond
Trump is a master of
symbolism, turning a small
action, such as jobs at Ford
and Carrier, and cost overruns
for Air Force One, into the
appearance of a major victory.
Trump knows how to make his
actions as visible as possible,
even if they are more symbolic
than real. He wants to avoid
major “amputation” – to
use the words of one astute
observer – because he doesn’t
want the US economy to be
weak before the next election.
Suppose that inflation
surprises on the upside, and
long-term interest rates head
sharply higher.
There is an enormous
number of investors who have
purchased long-term assets
with short-term financing
which personifies the classic
characteristics of a financial
squeeze. These investments
were made on the premise
that interest rates would stay
“lower for longer”.
As interest rates rise, these
investors will find that they are
paying more in interest than
they are receiving in cash flow.
This has the potential to
cause significant financial pain
for those who are locked in
and the subsequent domino
effect will draw more into this
vortex.
In 2017, watch the US as Joe
Public continues his fightback
against the Establishment via
President Trump.
Simon Bond of Morgans
Newport (9998 4200) has
been actively involved in
all aspects of Stockbroking
since 1987. Simon’s area of
expertise includes equities,
portfolio management,
short-term trading, longterm
strategies, derivatives
and fixed interest. His focus
is on how technology is
changing the investment
landscape, demographic
trends and how they
influence equity markets.

FEBRUARY 2017 53

Business Life: Law
Business Life
Family arrangements &
Elder Abuse discussion
Last month we discussed
various forms of Elder
Abuse as highlighted in
the Australian Law Reform
Commission’s (ALRC) Discussion
paper on the subject and
noted some of the submissions
received to an earlier
issues paper.
This month we continue our
analysis, with particular emphasis
on family agreements.
As mentioned previously,
much Elder Abuse is financial
and is identified by ALRC as
‘Early inheritance syndrome’ –
which is on the rise.
A specific type of financial
abuse of older people
has been recognized in the
context of family agreements.
A ‘family agreement’, also
known as ‘assets for care’
arrangement, has a number
homes and hostels. This is
noted in the discussion paper.
Independence is cherished
above all else. With people living
longer and with disabilities
– to be cared for by family or
friends is prized.
Many people are obsessed
with preserving assets, particularly
the hard-earned family
home. It is therefore anathema
to the older person to dissipate
the asset of the home to pay
any premium for assisted care,
such as an accommodation
bond in a hostel.
Alternatively, some may
dispose of an asset to obtain
and maintain social security
entitlements and reduce the
tacit impact of ageing.
Finally, and perhaps most
importantly, the older person
has an understandable preferof
forms but is typically made
between an older person and
family member. The older
person transfers title to their
property, or proceeds from
the sale of their property, or
other assets, to a trusted person
(or persons) in exchange
for the trusted person promising
to provide ongoing care,
support and housing.
These agreements are not
typically put in writing. Where
they are written they may be
prepared by one of the parties
to the agreement, without legal
advice and the agreement
generally does not provide
for what happens if there is a
breakdown of the relationship.
These arrangements are
generally made by older
people who either live with
their spouse or alone. The
number of these arrangements
are increasing where an older
person/s make an arrangement
often mutually beneficial
to provide housing for both, to
live with children or a relative.
On occasion proceeds of
sale may be used to extend a
house or to build a Granny Flat.
If the arrangement is undocumented
and other family members
or siblings are not fully
informed of the arrangement,
friction may in time arise when
it is realised that one family
member is obtaining a benefit
– in the form of an extension
to a house or the construction
of a Granny Flat – to the exclusion
of other family members.
So many clients express
apprehension to eventual
‘institutional care’ – of aged
care facilities such as nursing
with Jennifer Harris
54
FEBRUARY 2017

ence to be cared for by family
rather than an unconnected,
well-meaning professional care
provider.
In the event of the older
person and family members
deciding to pool resources
and enter into a family arrangement,
how should it be
reflected?
The problem is the agreement
is usually made orally
without legal advice and without
consideration of what might
happen if things go wrong.
An older person may transfer
the family home to a daughter
or son in return for a promise
of lifetime accommodation and
care. The daughter or son’s
marriage breaks down, or the
daughter or son dies, leaving
the home to their spouse and
the older person is evicted with
no compensation and nowhere
to live and the prospect of
expensive legal action.
Civil litigation in these
circumstances is difficult, usually
because of the age of the
older person and the lack of
funds; the time it takes and the
extreme stress it places on the
protagonists – added to which
these disputes do not fall into
the type of matters for which
there is public funding.
Finally, litigation represents
an irretrievable breakdown
with the family members. It
could mean complete alienation
between the parties and
grandparents unable to have
access to grandchildren.
There may be equitable remedies
for older people in dispute
over for example the transfer of
the family home, e.g.
n Resulting trusts;
n Undue influence;
n Unconscionable conduct;
n Failed joint venture and
equitable estoppel (the
principle which precludes
a person from asserting
something contrary to what
is implied by a previous action
or statement).
As the discussion paper
notes: “… there are a wide
range of potential legal actions
available to an older person
who has suffered financial
loss on the breakdown of a
family agreement and their
success will depend on the extent
to which the facts of their
particular situation cancan
meet the required test in law
and equity. The fact that the
older person has suffered significant
financial loss may not
be sufficient. An older person
has to weigh up the strength
of their case in the context
of unwritten agreements and
conduct that may be evidence
for a range of intentions.”
Overall this assessment
must be made with an understanding
of the considerable
costs of equity litigation.
Before turning to the proposals
for low-cost options to
resolve disputes, one needs to
consider: how should family
be defined for the purposes of
an ‘assets for care’ matter?
The discussion paper
suggests that the definition
of family should be broad
enough to cover situations
where one partner in a de
facto relationship passes away
and the surviving partner may
wish to enter into a family arrangement
with the deceased
partner’s child or niece/nephew
and similar arrangements
could be put in place where
one partner has gone into
residential aged care.
Apart from turning to the
civil courts, are there other
options which could be introduced
to resolve disputes?
The discussion paper suggests
that state and territory
tribunals should have jurisdiction
to resolve family disputes
involving residential property
under ‘assets for care’ arrangements.
These tribunals, whose
jurisdiction would be limited
to disputes over residential
property, would be tasked
with providing a quick, simple
and informal form of low-cost
dispute resolution.
It should be noted that the
proposal specifically excludes
disputes involving family businesses
and farms and focuses
only domestic disputes involving
residential property under
‘assets for care’ arrangements.
Commercial arrangements
are considered better
suited to formal adjudication
through the courts.
Difficult as it may seem, for
older persons and families
contemplating a family arrangement
or ‘assets for care’
arrangement, it would be
prudent to be realistic. Seek
legal advice and document
the arrangement – everything
from mutual finances to the
type of care to be provided –
there are myriad matters to be
discussed and documented.
The funds spent on the advice
and preparation of documents
could well save much heartache
and cost in due course.
Submissions on the proposals
contained in the discussion
paper, not all of which have
been covered in these two articles,
should be made to the
ALRC by February 27, 2017.
Comment supplied by
Jennifer Harris, of Jennifer
Harris & Associates, Solicitors,
4/57 Avalon Parade,
Avalon Beach.
T: 9973 2011. F: 9918 3290.
E: jenniferha@pacific.net.au
W: www.jenniferharris.com.au
Business Life
FEBRUARY 2017 55

Trades & Services
Trades & Services
AIRCONDITIONING
Avalon Air
Call 0414 944 894
Local and dependable. They
specialise in domestic ducted
airconditioning, split systems and
central heating.
AUTO REPAIRS
British & Swedish
Motors
Call 9970 6654
Services Range Rover, Land
Rover, Saab and Volvo with the
latest in diagnostic equipment.
Narrabeen Tyrepower
Call 9970 6670
Stocks all popular brands including
Cooper 4WD. Plus they’ll do
all mechanical repairs and rego
inspections.
Barrenjoey
Smash Repairs
Call 9970 8207
barrenjoeysmashrepairs.com.au
Re-sprays a specialty, plus
restoration of your favourite vehicle.
Commercial vehicle specialist.
BOAT SERVICES
Avalon Marine
Upholstery
Call Simon 9918 9803
Makes cushions for boats,
patio and pool furniture,
window seats.
ELECTRICAL
Eamon Dowling
Electrical
Call 0410 457 373
For all electrical, phone, TV, data
and security needs.
FLOOR COVERINGS
Blue Tongue Carpets
Call Stephan 9979 7292
Family owned and run. Carpet,
rugs, runners, timber, bamboo,
vinyl, tiles & laminates.
Open 6 days.
GARDENS
Graham Brooks
Call 0412 281 580
Tree pruning and removals.
Reports regarding DA tree management,
arborist reports.
Palm Beach Property
Call David 0418 269 565
Total landscape, garden and
property maintenance, established
1988, fully insured.
Arbor Master Tree Group
Call Jason 0404 922 223
Environmentally friendy service;
Level 5 & Level 8 arborists.
Specialists in crane work. Stump
grinding and chipping.
Precision Tree Services
Call Adam 0410 736 105
Adam Bridger; professional tree
care by qualified arborists and
tree surgeons.
CLEANING
House Washing
Northern Beaches
Call 0408 682 525
Specialists in soft washing house
exteriors and high-pressure
cleaning of paved areas.
The Aqua Clean Team
Call Mark 0449 049 101
Quality window washing,
Advertise
your Business
in Trades &
Services
section
pressure cleaning, carpet
washing, building soft wash.
Martin Earl House Wash
Call 0405 583 305
Pittwater-based owner/operator
on site at all times. No travellers
or uninsured casuals on your
property. Ideal for selling.
MASSAGE & FITNESS
Avalon Physiotherapy
Call 9918 3373
Provide specialist treatment for
neck & back pain, sports injuries,
niggling orthopaedic problems.
Avalon Physiotherapy
& Clinical Pilates
Call 9918 0230
Dry needling and acupuncture,
falls prevention and balance
enhancement programs.
Treatment for neck and back pain.
Avalon Beach
Chiropractic
Call 9918 0070
Chiropractic, massage, dry
needling. Professional care for all
ages. Treatment for chronic and
acute pain, sports injuries, postural
correction & pregancy care.
Fix & Flex Pilates / Physio
Call Jen 0404 804 441
Equipment pilates sessions run by
physios. Mona Vale-based. Help
improve posture and reduce pain
while improving core strength.
PAINTING
Contrast Colour
Call 0431 004 421
Locals Josef and Richard offer
quality painting services. Tidy,
reliable, they’ll help consult
on the best type of paint for
your job.
Modern Colour
Phone
0438 123 096
Call 0406 150 555
Simon Bergin offers painting and
decorating; clean, tidy, quality
detail you will notice. Dependable
and on time.
56
FEBRUARY 2017

FEBRUARY 2017 57
Trades & Services

Trades & Services
PEST CONTROL
Predator Pest Control
Call 0417 276 962
predatorpestcontrol.com.au
Environmental services at their
best. Comprehensive control.
They provide a 24-hour service.
PUMPS & TANKS
Water Warehouse
Call 9913 7988
waterwarehouse.com.au
Rainwater tanks & pumps. Irrigation
& filter supply specialists.
RENOVATIONS
Rob Burgers
Call 0416 066 159
Qualified builder provides all
carpentry needs; decks, pergolas,
carports, renovations and repairs.
B & RD Williams
Call Brian 0416 182 774
Kitchen and bathroom renovations,
decks and pergolas. Small
extensions specialists.
SunSpec
Call Dustin 0413 737 934
sunspec.com.au
All-aluminium, rust-proof remotecontrolled
opening roofs & awnings.
Beat competitor’s prices.
SECURITY
Sure Security
Call 1300 55 12 10
Northern Beaches-based specialists
in Alarms, Intercoms, Access
Control and CCTV Surveillance
with solutions to fit your needs.
DISCLAIMER: The
editorial and advertising
content in Pittwater Life
has been provided by a
number of sources. Any
opinions expressed are
not necessarily those of
the Editor or Publisher
of Pittwater Life and
no responsibility is
taken for the accuracy
of the information
contained within. Readers
should make their own
enquiries directly to any
organisations or businesses
prior to making any plans
or taking any action.
Trades & Services
58
FEBRUARY 2017

the
good
life
dining
food
crossword
gardening
travel
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67
68
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Showtime
Peninsula Music Club’s
2017 concert program
Music lovers and learners
need not travel far to
appreciate world-class
performances thanks to our
very own Peninsula Music Club.
Through impressive contacts,
PMC brings talented
and professional Australian
and International artists to
Bayview for four concerts a
year including a supper for no
more than $25 a ticket (accompanied
students 18 and under
free).
President and Musical Director
Janice Tuynman said one
of the highlights of this year’s
program was the “music+art”
multi-media concert Monet:
The Flowers of War.
This concert brings together
the paintings the French Impressionist
Monet created at
Giverny during WWI, including
Beautful noise
over Pittwater
There are tribute shows
and there are tribute
shows – ‘Nearly Neil’ is
known for pulling some
of the best crowds
around town.
With nore than 20 years
under his belt playing Neil
Diamond, Canadian-born
performer Bobby Bruce has
all the moves down pat.
One reviewer said: “He has
all the laidback charisma,
the sheer essence of Diamond
– and his sideburns
too. What’s not to love?”
Nearly Neil’s Beautiful
Noise Tour features a
world-class band and is
supported by special guest
Asheligh Toole as Barbra
Streisand at Dee Why RSL
on Fri Feb 10 doors open
7.30pm. Costs $28 a ticket.
Equally impressive shows
this month include the
Australian ABBA tribute
show Abbalanche on Sat
18 and Roy Orbison Reborn
starring Dean Bourne Fri
24. All shows are 18+. More
info deewhyrsl.com.au
his Japanese Bridges, Water
Lilies, Weeping Willows, and
the Alley of Roses, alongside
the exquisite music written
during the period by French
composers such as Debussy,
Ravel, Koechlin and Boulanger.
The performance, on May 12,
will feature international flautist
Jane Rutter and distinguished
guest artists including tenor
Andrew Goodwin, pianist Tamara-Anna
Cislowska, cellist David
Pereira and violinist Christopher
Latham with Monet’s paintings
projected on a big screen.
This one is sure to be a sellout
so make sure you book well
ahead to avoid disappointment.
Other performances scheduled
throughout 2017 include
the popular Avalonian trio who
delight with a mix of great
classical and lighter styles with
a hint of swing; the First Prize
Winner of the 2016 Sydney
International Piano Competition,
Andrey Gugnin; and a new
and exciting chamber group
formed by four leading Sydney
classical musicians called Ensemble
Aspherical who bring
together the violin, viola, flute
and harp to produce elegant
and engaging music.
All concerts will be held at
St Luke’s Grammar School,
Bayview Campus, 1977 Pittwater
Rd, Bayview.
Join PMC for only $80 and
you will receive entry to all
four performances. Single tickets
$25 Students 18 and under
free when accompanied by an
adult, unaccompanied $10.
More info 9999 1937 or
0407 441 213 or peninsulamusicclub.com.au.
FEBRUARY 2017 59
Showtime

Dining Guide
Dining Guide
February’s best restaurants, functions, events and reader deals...
Hong Kong
Chinese Restaurant
332 Barrenjoey Rd,
Newport
OPENING HOURS
Dinner Tues-Sun 5pm
CUISINE
Chinese & Asian
PRICE RANGE
Entrees $5-20
Mains $12.90-26.50
*Deliver Whale Beach - Narrabeen
BOOKINGS 9997 4157
LIC
BYO
All
Who doesn’t love great Chinese
food? At this popular
Newport eatery you will be
amazed at the variety of
great dishes.
Order ahead for their wonderful
Peking Duck which
is offered as a dine-in-only
special Thursdays through
P
Sunday evenings.
There are two traditional
courses: Peking Duck pancakes
& duck sang choy bow
(bookings essential; mention
the ad when you call).
This long-established restaurant
on the eastern side of
Barrenjoey Rd has an extensive
menu based on traditional
flavoursome Cantonese with
touches of spicy Szechuan and
other Asian dishes and fresh
seasonal vegetables.
Entrees start at just $5
while mains are reasonable
too, starting at $12.90.
The menu ranges from adventurous,
like a Mongolian
chicken hot pot, to contemporary,
spicy salt and pepper
king prawns, to traditional,
fillet steak with snow peas
and bean sprouts.
New dishes are introduced
regularly so make sure you
check out the blackboard
specials.
The team are only too
happy to home deliver your
meal, with a range that takes
in Narrabeen to the south
to Palm Beach in the north.
Phone 9997 8379.
Barrenjoey
Bistro
Club Palm Beach
1087 Barrenjoey Rd,
Palm Beach
BISTRO OPENING HOURS
Lunch 11:30am-2.30pm
Dinner 6pm-8.30pm
PRICE RANGE
Lunch and dinner
specials $13.50
BOOKINGS 9974 5566
LIC
All
Head to Club Palm Beach,
conveniently located just
a short stroll from Palm
Beach Wharf, for great meal
specials in February.
The Members’ lucky badge
draw is held Wednesday and
Friday night (every 30 mins
between 5pm-7pm), and
jackpots by $100 each week.
Wednesday and Sunday
are meat raffle nights, with a
whopping 14 trays to be won.
Catch the NRL Auckland
Nines on the big screen, on the
weekend of February 4-5.
They’re offering a great
‘Cruising Palm Beach’ deal for
groups of 10 or more – enjoy
a round-trip cruise followed by
lunch at the club for $20pp.
Enjoy Trivia Night from
5.30pm on Wednesdays, plus
Bingo at 10am on Fridays.
The club’s Barrenjoey Bistro
is open for lunch (11.30am
to 2.30pm) and dinner (6pm
to 8.30pm) seven days. The
P
Bistro serves top-value a la
carte meals plus daily $13.50
specials of roasts (Mondays),
rump steak with chips and
salad (Tuesdays), chicken
schnitzel with chips and salad
(Wednesdays), homemade
gourmet pies with chips and
salad (Thursdays) and fish
and chips with salad (Fridays),
except on public holidays.
Entrees on the a la carte
menu range from $10.50 to
$17.50 (mains $14.50 to $25).
The club has a courtesy
bus which meets the 11am
ferry from Ettalong at the Palm
Beach Wharf at 11.20am daily,
returning on request.
It also makes regular runs
Wednesdays, Fridays and
Saturdays from 4.30pm to
9pm. Ring to book a pick-up.
* The Club celebrates its
60th anniversary in 2017;
the call is out for locals to
contribute their stories about
the early days. P: 9974 5566.
Oceanviews
Restaurant
Shop 4, 120 Narrabeen Park
Pde, Warriewood Beach.
OPENING HOURS
Open 7 days lunch and dinner
CUISINE
Vietnamese
PRICE RANGE
Entrees $2-$9.80
Mains $13.80-$19.80
Noodles $13.80
Lunch specials.
1/2 price daily deals.
BOOKINGS 9979 9449
BYO
All
P
60
FEBRUARY 2017
Book now for a great table
for lunch or dinner at
this friendy and popular
Vietnamese eatery.
Full ocean views across
Warriewood Beach may be
enjoyed from the restaurant
which offers one of the
most popular of Asian
cuisines.
Eat in and take-away
meals are available; plus

they offer free home delivery
for orders over $35.
Tantalising lunch specials
from $2 to $10.80 include egg
custard buns (two for $4.40),
Money Bags (four for $5.80),
prawn dumplings, fresh rice
paper rolls, pork dumplings
soup, noodles with veggies
and chicken or beef with rice
$10.80.
Chef’s specials include
mango king prawns, stir fry
scallops, red curry duck and
chicken laksa.
Each day there is a halfprice
deal for evening dinersin
(limit of one deal per table
of diners).
They include: on Thursday
satay king prawn for $10.40, on
Monday salt and pepper squid
for $10.40 and on Saturday
lemongrass chicken for $8.90.
Prices reduced across
the board, as well as lunch
specials and the daily halfprice
deals.
Find Daniel and the
friendly team at 120
Narrabeen Park Parade,
Warriewood Beach.
Advertise
in our
Dining
Guide!
Beach Road Dining
Palm Beach Golf Club
2 Beach Road, Palm Beach
CUISINE
Modern Australian
PRICE RANGE
Entrees From $18
Mains $26-$33
Kids’ meals $12
BOOKINGS 9974 4079
LIC
Visa
MasterCard
If you haven’t already tried
out the new Beach Road
Dining at Palm Beach Golf
Club, you don’t know what
you’re missing – Andrew and
Amy Towner and their team
from The 2107 Restaurant
in Avalon have taken over
the kitchen, serving up tasty
dishes from a new modern
Australian-themed menu.
A multitude of menu
options are available from a
Café style menu during the
week to an a la carte dining
menu on Friday nights and a
P
pub-style bar menu with all
the classics on weekends.
In February, join them for
dinner any Friday night and
receive a free garlic bread and
a glass of wine (limit 1 per
person) – just present the ad
on page 63. So get down there
for a bite to eat and enjoy the
views across the golf course
out to Lion Island.
Selections from the a la
carte menu include entrees
of flash-fried salt and pepper
squid and beef and vegetable
spring rolls (both $18), for
mains you can’t go past the
delicious 250g New York cut
sirloin with waffle chips, chef’s
slaw and chimichurri (pictured,
$33) – although the grilled or
battered WA barramundi with
chips and salad ($26) receive
plenty of return orders.
Palm Beach Golf Club is
offering an unbeatable fullplaying
golf membership
deal – only $590! That’s the
equivalent of three take-away
coffees a week!
They have great music in
the shaded garden bar every
Sunday from 1-4pm – see ad on
page 63 for acts in February.
Dining Guide
Phone
0438 123 096
FEBRUARY 2017 61

Dining Guide
Dining Guide
Royal Motor
Yacht Club
Salt Cove on Pittwater
46 Prince Alfred
Parade, Newport
OPENING HOURS
Breakfast Lunch & Dinner
Mon-Fri from 8.30am
Weekends from 8am
PRICE RANGE
Breakfast from $8-$18
Entrees from $9-$21
Mains from $16-$26
BOOKINGS 9997 5511
LIC
All
P
RMYC’s restaurant Salt Cove on
Pittwater’s summer menu offers
affordable meals and generous
servings including a variety
of starters and share plates,
seafood, burgers, grills, salads,
desserts and woodfired pizza.
In February, Friday night
entertainment kicks off in the
Lounge Bar from 7.30pm.
Great acts appearing this
month include Gordon Hunt
(3rd), Keff McCullough (10th)
Marty Stewart (17th) and Geoff
Kendall (24th).
Sunday Sessions are
continuing in the Compass
Terrace and Garden Forecourt
from 2pm-5pm every Sunday
during Summer. Look out for
Rohan Cannon (5th), Eric Lewis
(12th), Grace Fuller (19th) and
Antoine (26th).
Trivia is held every Tuesday
night from 7.30pm (great
prizes and vouchers).
On Saturday February 14,
Bobby Bruce returns with his
uncanny Neil Diamond tribute
show. Tickets $30 or $35 nonmembers.
Coming in March... get out
your knee-high boots and sing
along to the great hits of the
1970s when ABBASBACK take
to the stage.
Bookings are essential for
all events.
Club social memberships are
available for just $160.
www.royalmotor.com.au
Ninja
6/11-13 Avalon Pde,
Avalon Beach
OPENING HOURS
Dinner Tues-Sun 6-10pm
Lunch Tues-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm
CUISINE
Japanese Restaurant
PRICE RANGE
Entrees $6.80-19.80
Main $16.80-36
Corkage $2.50pp
*Takeaway available
BOOKINGS 9918 9963
LIC
BYO
Visa
MasterCard
Dine indoors or outside under
stylish new awnings, catching
the cool sea breeze at Ninja in
Avalon – it’s the perfect space
for a great dining experience
in authentic surrounds.
Ninja serves tantalising
Japanese dishes including fresh
sushi and sashimi, assorted
tempura, agedashi tofu and
char-grilled salmon teriyaki.
Owner/chef Hideaki
Serizawa is a qualified Japanese
chef, who graduated from Barrenjoey
High, and was trained
in popular restaurants in the
Akasaka district of Tokyo where
he learnt their secret recipes.
Recommended entrees
include the grilled premium
wagyu beef, and deep fried soft
shell crab with ponzu sauce.
Mains include Japanese-style
steak, California rolls, prawn
tempura and mixed sushi/sashimi
platter. Particularly popular
is the Grilled Hirimasa Kingfish,
chargrilled with your choice of
teriyaki or wasabi tartare sauce.
Ninja serves a mouthwatering
Agedashi tofu and
their Ninja Potatoes (deep fried
Advertise
in our
Dining
Guide!
Phone
0438 123 096
P
sweet potatoes with soy-based
sweet syrup and black sesame)
are a true taste experience.
Also, for a local lunch on
the run, Ninja offer takeaway
specials Tues-Fri, 11.30am-3pm,
including Chicken Teriyaki with
rice ($6) and Vegetarian Spring
Rolls (3 for $4).
Ninja can accommodate up
to 40 guests in the main dining
room – it’s perfect for parties
or for those special family get
togethers.
www.ninjarestaurant.com.au
The Avalon
on the Beach
Avalon Beach, Avalon
OPENING HOURS
The Avalon on the Beach:
Tues-Fri – midday til late
Sat/Sun – 8am til late
Kiosk: Tues-Sun 7am-4pm
CUISINE
Modern Aust / Seafood
PRICE RANGE
Breakfast: $15-$23
Lunch & Dinner:
Starters $15-$28
Mains $22-$33
P: 1300 339 093
LIC
All
P
Enjoy the last of summer at
The Avalon on the Beach,
so close to the sea you can
dip your toes in the sand!
Located on the upper level of
Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving
Club, this modern restaurant
space boasts stylish designs
and picturesque 180-degree
ocean views.
Their summer menu has
some exciting dishes and
enticing themes.
62
FEBRUARY 2017

Great dishes include The
Avalon fish and chips, the
‘Round Table’ burger (with
Black Angus beef, shoestring
fries and onion rings), chicken
katsu drumsticks, fresh fish
of the day, pasture fed rib
eye and spice rubbed flat iron
steak.
And what better way to
enjoy their new menu than
with a weekly BYO Wednesday
dinner, where your private
collection is raided and you
can bring your favourite drop
– with no corkage fee!
Make the best of Daylight
Saving with more time to
enjoy the downstairs Kiosk,
now with extended trading
hours and more seating with
table service. With direct
access to Avalon Beach and
the nearby reserve, the Kiosk
is an open, contemporary
and relaxed beach-side
experience.
Grab your friends and
head down for Happy Hour on
Friday to Sunday, 4pm-6pm,
including a glass of house
red, white or sparkling for
$5, plus $5 Coronas, $5 premixed
spirits and $8 mojitos.
More info visit www.
theavalononthebeach.com.au
Dining Guide
FEBRUARY 2017 63

Food Life
Ways to keep the spirit
of a BBQ summer alive
With the holidays a fast-fading memory, February is
all about settling into a new routine. Concentrating
on more quality family time, reducing our spending,
exercising more and eating well (or at least better than over the
holidays!) are usually high on the list. However, the hot nights
can often see us reaching for the phone and ordering takeaway.
Instead, try these delicious, easy recipes that will encourage
you to fire up the barbie.
with Janelle Bloom
Food Life
Recipes: Janelle Bloom Photos: Benito Martin; Andre Martin
Satay chicken with
coconut rice
Serves 4
600g chicken thigh or breast
fillet, trimmed
3 tsp finely grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp lemongrass paste
250ml can satay sauce
1 cup SunRice Jasmine rice,
rinsed
½ cup water
400ml can coconut milk
2 tbs crunchy peanut butter
beansprouts, coriander sprigs
and sliced red chilli, to serve
1. Cut chicken into 3cm
pieces. Thread onto 12
64
skewers. Place onto a tray in
a single layer. Combine the
ginger, garlic, lemongrass
and satay sauce in a bowl.
Spoon ½ cup satay mixture
over the skewers, turn and
baste so skewers are evenly
coated all over.
2. Put rice, water and 1 cup
of the coconut milk into
a saucepan, bring to the
boil over high heat. Reduce
heat to very low, cover and
simmer 15 minutes until rice
has absorbed the liquid.
Stand without removing the
lid 5 minutes.
3. Preheat grease barbecue
plate or grill on medium.
Cook the skewers for 10-12
minutes, turning or until
FEBRUARY 2017
chicken is slightly charred
and cooked through.
4. Combine the peanut butter,
remaining coconut milk and
remaining satay sauce in a
saucepan. Stir over medium
heat until hot.
5. Combine the beansprouts,
coriander and chilli, scatter
over the chicken. Serve with
coconut rice and peanut
sauce.
Janelle’s Tip: You can use
pork or beef fillet instead of
the chicken; just reduce the
cooking time to 8-10 minutes.
Barbecue prawn &
slaw rolls
Makes 4
1 tbs olive oil
20 green medium king
prawns, peeled, deveined
1 bunch broccolini, ends
trimmed
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs tahini
Janelle’s Tip: If you like
chilli, add 1 tsp chilli flakes
to the oil and prawns before
barbecuing.
½ cup Greek yoghurt or
mayonnaise
½ small red cabbage, finely
shredded
3 green onions, finely
chopped
1 pink lady apple, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled, grated
½ cup coriander leaves
1. Combine the oil and prawns
together in a bowl. Season
with salt and pepper.
Preheat grease barbecue
plate on medium-high.
Cook prawns 2 minutes
each side or until they turn
pink. Remove to a plate.
2. Cook the broccolini into a
saucepan of boiling salted
water for 1 minute. Drain
and refresh under cold
water. Drain well, pat dry
then thinly slice.
3. Whisk the lemon juice,
olive oil, tahini and yoghurt
together in a large bowl.
Season and whisk until

For more recipes go to www.janellebloom.com.au
well combined. Add the
broccolini, cabbage, green
onions, apple, carrot and
coriander, stir to coat.
4. Slice the baguettes in
half lengthways, leaving
attached along one long
edge. Pile the prawns
and slaw between the
baguettes. Season and
serve with lemon if desired.
Barbecue lamb with
tomato, bocconcini
& pomegranate
salad
Serves 4
12 lamb cutlets, trimmed
2 tbs spicy barbecue
seasoning
1 lemon, halved
olive oil, for cooking
1 pomegranate
½ baby endive
400g punnet medley
tomatoes, halved
250g punnet mini Roma
tomatoes, halved
150g cherry bocconcini, torn
in half
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp caster sugar
½ cup basil leaves
Janelle’s Tip: To remove
seeds for pomegranate,
roll uncut pomegranate on
bench. Score around the
middle and tear it into two
halves. Hold each half over
a bowl, seeds facing down
and tap the skin with a
wooden spoon, squeezing
a little to release the seeds
and juice.
Food Life
1. Preheat barbecue plate
or grill on medium-high.
Pound the lamb with meat
mallet to flatten slightly.
Rub the spice over both
sides of the lamb. Squeeze
over the lemon and drizzle
over a little olive oil.
Barbecue for 3 minutes
each side for medium
or until cooked to your
liking. Set aside to rest 10
minutes.
2. Remove the seeds from
pomegranate (see tip
below). Scatter the endive
over base of a large serving
platter or board. Top with
tomatoes, bocconcini and
pomegranate seeds.
3. Add the extra virgin
olive oil and sugar to
the pomegranate juice.
Season and whisk until
well combined. Just before
serving, pour the dressing
over the salad, scatter over
the basil leaves and serve
with lamb.
Compost cookies
Makes 25
These get their name because
they use combination leftover
ingredients, like oats, nuts,
dried fruit and coconut.
They great for lunchbox or
afterschool snacks.
1 1/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup traditional rolled oats
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup raisins
1/4 cup shredded coconut
150g butter, cubed, chopped
2 tbs golden syrup
1 tbs cold tap water
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ cup (100g) chopped
chocolate
Icing sugar for dusting
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C
fan forced. Line 3 large
baking trays with baking
paper.
2. Sift the flour into a large
bowl. Add the sugar,
oats, walnuts, raisins and
coconut. Stir to combine.
3. Melt the butter and golden
syrup in a small saucepan
over medium heat.
Combine the cold water
and bicarbonate of soda.
Stir into the butter mixture.
Pour the warm butter
mixture quickly into the
flour and stir until almost
combined. Add chocolate
mix well.
4. Roll tablespoons of mixture
into balls and place onto
trays allowing room for
spreading. Flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 minutes or until
golden around the edges.
Cool biscuits on the trays.
Dust with icing sugar to
serve.
FEBRUARY 2017 65

Food Life
In Season
Peaches
Food Life
Peaches, with their soft
skin and sweet flesh, are
a summertime staple.
Peaches come in ‘freestone’
or ‘clingstone’. Freestone
indicates when cut in half
the stone will slip out when
twisted slightly. Clingstone is
the opposite; the stone clings
to the fruit (these are great for
eating and poaching). White
peaches are a late-season
peach, considered by many to
be better than yellow varieties.
66
Also In Season
February
Apricots; Blueberries,
Raspberries and
Strawberries; Australian
Figs; Grapes; Limes
Lychees; Mangoes;
Nectarines; Free-stone
yellow and white Peaches;
Pineapples; Plums and
Watermelon. Also Hass
Avocadoes; all things
Beans – Butter, Snake, Flat
and Green; Cucumber;
Chilli; Corn; Capsicum;
Eggplant; sugar snap
Peas; Radish, Silverbeet,
English Spinach; Tomatoes
and Onions.
Generally more expensive,
when ripe they are blessed
with sweeter, juicier more
intense flavour than the yellow
ones.
Buying
Buying can be a difficult; for
ripe fruit the key signs are a
sweet, fragrant aroma when
at room temperature, highly
coloured skin (with no green
patches) and a little ‘give’
when the fruit is cradled in
hand (don’t squeeze the fruit
as you will bruise it). Firm fruit
will ripen if left in a cool, light
place for 1-3 days.
Store
Avoid stacking on top of each
other as this causes stone
fruit to bruise. Store ripe stone
fruit unwashed in a plastic bag
in the crisper section of the
fridge for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Peaches contain 10 different
vitamins including reasonable
source of vitamin A and C,
with lower levels of vitamins
E and K. The flesh and
skin contain significant
antioxidants which helps the
body eliminate free radicals.
FEBRUARY 2017
Barbecue peaches
with coconut
mascarpone
Serves 6
9 free stone peaches, halved
1 cup white sugar
salted caramel sauce, warmed
to serve
coconut mascarpone
250g mascarpone
300ml double thick cream
2 tbs coconut, lightly toasted
1. Preheat barbecue plate
on medium-high. Remove
stones from peaches,
dip, cut-side in sugar.
Just before cooking place
a large sheet of baking
paper onto the barbecue
plate. Place peaches, cut
side down on the paper
and cook 3-5 minutes until
lightly coloured. Transfer to
a platter, cut-side up.
2. Combine mascarpone,
cream and coconut
together, gently swirling
until combined.
3. Top the peaches with a
dollop of mascarpone and
drizzle caramel sauce; serve.
Quick ideas…
n Add chopped stone fruit
over the top of a basic
butter-cake before cooking.
n Heat butter, brown sugar,
vanilla and a little cream in
a frying until melted and
smooth. Add chopped stone
fruit, toss over medium heat
1 minute and serve with ice
cream.
n Top bircher muesli with
chopped stone fruit, drizzle
with a little honey and enjoy
for breakfast.

25 26 27 28 29
Pittwater Puzzler
30 31 32 33 34 35 36
37 38 39
40 41
42
43 44
Compiled by David Stickley
24 A boy and girl as sole children in a
family (6,4)
27 Sailors (9)
28 Creator of Pittwater Life’s recipes,
Janelle (5)
29 Body-like sculpture (6)
30 These, maybe surprisingly, are
available for hire from Jamieson Park
Paddle (8)
ACROSS
1 Organisation found at 5/48 Old Barrenjoey
Rd and 334 Barrenjoey Rd (3,5)
5 Any of the very numerous Australian
species of the genus Acacia, shrubs or
trees with spikes or globular heads of
yellow or cream flowers (6)
9 What students do at Avalon Public
School or Newport Public School, for
example (5)
10 Shane Withington’s boat that takes
him to work at Palm Beach (9)
12 Suburban home of Taylors Point (10)
13 Soft body powder (4)
15 Putting money aside (6)
16 Boutique hotel and restaurant at
Whale Beach (6)
19 A hard boiled sweet usually flavoured
with peppermint (6)
20 Local hang-outs (6)
23 An organised event at which a number
of races or other sporting contests
are held (4)
DOWN
1 Museum pieces (6)
2 Theatrical show (5)
3 Original name of the commercial
property built in 1929 at 1 Beach Road,
Palm Beach (10)
4 Periods of time used by musicians to
do their recordings (8)
6 Performs on stage (4)
7 Types of multi-hulled boats perhaps
seen on Pittwater (9)
8 What members should get at Freshstart
gym in Narrabeen (8)
11 Plant with showy flowers (4)
14 Small suburb next to Lovett Bay in
Pittwater (7,3)
15 Activities program at this time of
year supported by Northern Beaches
Council (9)
17 Avalon Beach Pharmacy and Newport
Pharmacy, for example (8)
18 Travel behind a speedboat being
pulled along (5,3)
21 Wind-up toy? (4)
22 Items of advertising publicising an
event (6)
25 Coral island (5)
26 Author of In At The Deep End who
grew up in Avalon Beach (4)
[Solution page 71]
Pittwater Puzzler
FEBRUARY 2017 67

Garden Life
Think low maintenance
Garden Life
& introduce some purple with Gabrielle Bryant
Flat, level gardens are easy evergreen plants that will
to maintain; across them, withstand the hot, dry days
a wheelbarrow can move and the cold winter nights.
any heavy loads and garden The scarlet coral plant,
greenery – but steep blocks russelia equisitiformis,
are very different. As time cascades over banks, holding
goes on and plants grow, the and protecting the soil from
maintenance can be heavy and erosion in a waterfall of
demanding.
scarlet bells. The fine, leafless
For gardeners with busy lime green stems complement
lives who like to have time other large-leafed tropical
off to go surfing or to sail, plants. It may be slow to get
it is essential to keep the going but russelia is unrivalled
landscape simple. Terraced for colour in the hot summer
banks, sandstone walls and months.
clifftop gardens look smart Let it tumble down to a
and trendy when they are meet a bank of silver/grey
planted with ground cover prostrate Cootamundra wattle
plants.
that will delight in early spring
Mass-plant the levels with with its soft creamy yellow
contrasting foliage colours puff balls of flower.
and textures, and let them Rosettes of grey/green
grow into a carpet that will Agaves, a low hedge of
choke out the weeds. Choose bronze-leafed cordyline
crowns of dark green cycads
or golden spears of dwarf New
Zealand flax flourish in hot
sun, above or below.
To make life easy, install
some irrigation sprinklers
before you plant – an
investment in a two-hour tap
timer will take away all the
worry of watering.
It is now, as autumn
approaches, that the bright
pink, violet or red berries can
be seen on the lilli pilli hedges
as they replace the white fluffy
flowers of spring. And scarlet
berries are appearing on the
viburnum, in contrast to their
huge glossy lime leaves.
The sacred bamboo has
sprays of red berries and the
Tuckeroos are laden with balls
of gold. Those that have been
clipped very sternly may not
have many but the ones that
have been allowed to flower
will be alight with colour. The
birds love the berries – but so
do the possums.
Plan your garden so that the
colour and display changes with
the seasons. Known as either
68
FEBRUARY 2017

Caring for ‘super Callas’
Calla lilies are flowering now. They are in
florist shops and garden centres. Their tall
trumpet-shaped flowers are in all colours
from white, through palest pink to pink,
bronze, yellow, lilac and darkest burgundy.
The stiff upright flowers stand high
surrounded by crisp, green spears of foliage.
Callas are not true lilies but they are the
dwarf hybrid forms of the Arum lilies that grow in the garden.
Both arums and callas are zantedeschias. They grow from
rhizomes that die down in winter. Callas can be grown in the
garden in a moist well-lit position although it can be hard to
keep them looking good. Snails and slugs love them. These
dwarf callas are better grown in pots, to be brought inside
when they flower.
bush cherries or riberries, lilli
pilli berries are great bush
tucker. Made into jams or jellies
they are delicious, or they can
be added to cakes or muffins.
However, they don’t taste very
good when eaten raw! Not all
berries should be eaten, some
are ornamental and some are
poisonous, so check before
eating.
If you are looking for foliage
colour in the garden, nothing
can compete with Snow Bush
(breynia nivosa rosea). It is a
very showy, ornamental shrub
with pink, white, green and
hot pink leaves. It loves the
heat and grows well in full sun
or semi-shade.
This very hardy tropical
shrub thrives in hot humid
weather; it loves plenty of
moisture and responds well if
fed in spring and late summer
with a complete fertiliser, and
watered regularly. It may lose
a few leaves if winter is too
cold but it will jump back to
life as soon as spring arrives.
It is an old-fashioned favourite
that has recently regained
popularity, as hedging or in a
mixed border.
Garden Life
Lipstick an attractive presence
If you are looking for a pot
plant for a really hot spot that
is salt-tolerant, easy to grow,
undemanding, attractive, that
will grow in full sun or part
shade, in the ground or in
a pot, then you should look
no further than Euphorbia
Lipstick.
This attractive plant has huge blue/green leaves and hot
pink flowers. The flowers are coloured bracts that surround
the actual flower – a tiny yellow bloom. The bracts remain
on the plant for many weeks.
A hybrid version of the crown of thorns, Lipstick has
soft thorns that are hidden by the leaves. It is a succulent
plant that has few problems. Make sure not to overwater
or leave water in the saucer, as it will cause rot. If it is kept
undercover it can attract mealy bug in the roots. This is
easy to control – sprinkle Richgro’s Bug Killa on the potting
mix and water it in well.
FEBRUARY 2017 69

Garden Life
Garden Life
Plan your next vegie crop
Haven’t the heat and the humidity taken their toll on our
local vegie patches! It’s time to invest in our edible friends
this month. If plants are diseased it is best to pull them out
and start again. As soon as the weather cools it is time to
prepare for winter planting.
Allow the soil to rest for a couple of weeks, then dig
in some cow manure, all-purpose fertiliser and dolomite.
Then water well, adding
Eco Hydrate to allow the
water to penetrate.
It’s not too late to plant
a last crop of zuchinis
or beans, and carrots
and silver beet can be
planted all year around.
Just make sure that you
leave enough space for
the winter crops at the
end of the month; that’s
the time you should plant
broccoli, cauliflower,
broccolini, spring onions,
celery, leeks, lettuce
and Brussels sprouts.
Don’t forget that you can
plant sweet peas on the
tomato lattices after the
tomatoes have finished.
Jobs this Month
Febru
After some of the hottest
days and nights on
record, our gardens are
simply bewildered. One day
hot and the next cold. Every
year January gives us another
weather pattern to cope with.
Seaweed solution is like a tonic
that will help the plants recover
from the devastation that they
have suffered. Water the garden
with Seasol at the end of a very
hot day. And for rejuvenation:
now’s the time to plant a new
gardenia into your garden.
Watch them grow
Time to feed your orchids at
monthly intervals with Strike
Back for Orchids. Cymbidiums
are beginning to form their
winter flower spikes. Also, feed
roses now with Sudden Impact
for Roses, after you have given
them a light trim. Sit back and
wait for an autumn flush of
flowers!
Transplant advice
Look at your garden and decide
if you want to move any shrubs.
Plants that are transplanted
in autumn have the time to
establish their roots before
spring, while the soil is warm
before the winter chill. If you
are going to move shrubs in
autumn, start to prepare them
now. Feed them with Seasol and
slowly trim them back over the
next few weeks. Dig a trench
around the root ball. This will
allow some cut roots to repair
and begin to grow again before
the move. Spray the plant with
Yates’ Droughtshield – this will
give the plant a protective cover
that will reduce the shock of
transplanting.
Choose cherry
If you want to plant a new
crop of tomatoes, go for the
cherry tomatoes that will crop
quickly. And there’s
just enough time
for some dwarf
beans before
winter.
70
FEBRUARY 2017

ary
Feed citrus
Although it is not
recommended to fertilise the
garden in hot weather, to
avoid new growth suffering
from sunburn, citrus trees
are the exception. Late
summer is a time
for citrus food.
Make sure that the
soil is wet before
applying and water
again to wash the
granules in. Gyganic
works magic. Also, watch
out for leaf miner on new
shoots on your citrus trees.
Spray with eco oil.
Damage
control
Some shrubs and plants
have suffered sunburn and
wind damage. Try to resist
the temptation to trim them
back. Wait until the very hot
days are past – the damaged
foliage will act as a protective
cover that will avoid additional
sunburn.
Makes high sense
If the hot weather continues,
let your lawn grass grow
longer than usual to protect
the roots from the very hot
sun. Cutting short will see
your lawn endure stress – and
it could die.
Potted
preparation
Potted bulbs from last year
should be emptied out of
their pots and put into the
vegetable drawer in the
fridge (not the freezer)
and left there for a
month before being
re-potted into new bulb
potting mix.
Order your bulbs
Spring bulb catalogues are
out now. Apply online for
Tesselaar, Garden Express,
Don’t want a hive but want
to help save the bees? Joel
Seaton from Careel Bay
Honey Co suggests you plant
the following…
Herbs: Anise hyssop, basil,
borage, catmint, chives,
comfrey, coriander, fennel,
hyssop, lavender, lemon
balm, marjoram, mint,
mustard, oregano, parsley,
rocket, rosemary, sage,
savory and thyme.
Fruit: Apple, apricot,
blackberry, black and
red currants, blueberry,
lemons, lime, mandarin,
passionfruit, persimmon,
plum, strawberries.
Vegies: Capsicum, chilli,
cucumbers, leeks and
Van Diemens, Broersens
and many more. Book your
purchases now and the
growers will deliver them
when the time is right. By
ordering now you will have the
full range to choose from. If
you contact the bulb growers
they will advise you of the
varieties that are suitable for
Sydney gardens.
Tips for a bee-friendly garden
onions (if left to go to seed),
pumpkins, squash (pictured).
Flowers: Alyssum,
cornflower, cosmos,
echinacea, echium, forgetme-not,
foxglove, geranium,
marigold, roses, sunflowers,
zinnia
Other: Banksia, callistemon,
eucalypts, grevilleas,
leptospermum, melaleuca.
Garden Life
Crossword solution from page 67
Mystery Location: NEWPORT
FEBRUARY 2017 71

Times Past
Times Past
‘Rendezvous’ on Beach Road
It’s possible that ‘The
Rendezvous’ (as it was
originally called) at 1
Beach Road is the oldest
continuously operating
commercial property in Palm
Beach.
It was built by Timmy
Gonsalves in 1929 and first
occupied when he moved
in with his new wife Hilda
later that same year, also
to begin the commercial
life of the store. They had
spent the first few months of
married life under a tent on
Tim’s mum’s block of land
in Waratah Street, where she
lived in a small cottage.
Tim recalled that the site
was originally Crown Land
on a renewable 15-year lease.
Although it cost 15 pounds
($30) annually to lease the
land, there were no rates,
being Crown Land. Originally
the site of ‘The Rendezvous’
was used as a dumping
ground for people’s rubbish
and this was cleared simply
by burying the rubbish.
The stone for the piers and
footings was cut from the
base of Barrenjoey Headland
and then rowed along the
western foreshore of the
isthmus to the site.
Tim recalled how
important it was to pick
the high tides to avoid
dragging the stone across the
mudflats. The stone was then
wheeled up on planks and
across to the site.
They soon built 23
‘summer houses’ along the
western foreshore between
the store and the Customs
House. Several of these show
on the western side of the
store in early photographs.
Unfortunately they only
lasted until the Depression
when picnickers demolished
them for use as firewood to
heat their billies to boil water
– ‘they were too stingy to pay
the 6 pence (5 cents) to buy a
billy of hot water’.
The Gonsalves kept the
store for around 20 years and
then sold it and moved into a
stone house in Central Road
at Avalon Beach built by Tim.
From there he carried on his
work as a stone-mason and
finally as the much-loved
‘Uncle Timmy’, the cleaner at
Avalon Public School.
Tim (or Harry as he was
christened) was born in 1902
and brought to Palm Beach by
boat from Rose Bay, Sydney,
when 8 years old.
Early Palm Beach builder,
Fred Verrills had an uncle
who ran a carrying business
with a few horses and drays.
When he died Tim took
over the business in the
early 1920s. All building
materials, goods and stores
arrived by water then, the
road being more of a path
than a vehicular track. Gow’s
Wharf was the only wharf
in those days, located where
Gonsalves’ Wharf is today
(to the north of the public
wharf). Tim would carry or
drag the goods over the sand
to the dray and then deliver
to the different houses or
building sites. He even picked
up timber from a mill at
Clareville Beach and carted it
to Palm Beach to be used in
the construction of the two
dressing sheds on the surf
beach in the 1920s.
Most recently the
Rendezvous site has operated
as a pop-up store for The
Boathouse; the owner’s plans to
build a residence on the site are
currently before NB Council.
TIMES PAST is supplied by local
historian and President of the Avalon Beach
Historical Society GEOFF SEARL. Visit the Society’s
showroom in Bowling Green Lane, Avalon Beach.
72
FEBRUARY 2017

Travel Life
Colour and majesty of ancient Kimberley
The Kimberley, with its
unmistakable ochres,
thundering waterfalls and
endemic wildlife, is a ‘bucket
list’ destination for most.
However, exploring this rugged
area can be an uncomfortable
and dusty experience
of endless, bumpy roads and
sleeping bag critters.
For a privileged few however,
exploring the Kimberley
with Coral Expeditions is an
epic experience that can take
in tidal movements, horizontal
waterfalls and Zodiac adventure,
returning in the evening
to sumptuous seafood, cool
linens and enriching lecturers.
Coral Expeditions are Australia’s
experts, and were the
first expedition cruise company
to enter the Kimberley. Some
33 years on, they welcome a
lucky few guests to the Kimberley
each year, on their bespoke
small catamaran, to retrace the
steps of explorer Philip Parker
King who visited there in 1818.
Highlights of the region are
the King George River and Falls,
and its ancient indigenous rock
art. Coral Expeditions’ Virginia
Edwards says guests are always
left speechless by the mighty
King George River and falls.
“The power of the water here
is phenomenal, and the rich
ochre surrounds leave a haunting
memory of thousands of
years of human habitation,” she
said.
“Boarding a Zodiac for a
speedboat excursion almost
directly under the falls offers
a magnificent vertical view of
the thundering
falls, and a chance to
be covered in ancient
spray, that had made
a journey through the
Ashton Range, across Drysdale
River National Park, past the
Seppelt Range, before emptying
into Koolama Bay and the
Timor Sea,” Virginia said.
“This area is replete in legends,
and – covering more than
400,000 square kilometres – is
as vast as it is ancient. Home to
just 30,000 people, it is a place
universally acknowledged as
one of the world’s last wilderness
areas.”
Virginia said tour members
can travel ashore to view the
world’s oldest known indigenous
art, the mysterious
Bradshaw (Gwion
Gwion) paintings.
“There are
estimated to be
over 100,000 rock
art paintings in the
Kimberley, but only
a fraction have been
recorded,” she said.
“The Gwion Gwion and
Wandjina Art are remnants of
an ancient time and culture.
They are deeply spiritual to the
Mowanjum people, who are the
custodians of this area.”
Truly a journey back in time,
Coral Expeditions offers guests
the opportunity to become
immersed in the culture and
wilderness of the Kimberley,
on 10-night expedition cruises
along the rugged west coast
between Darwin and Broom.
Voyages, with a maximum
of 72 guests, depart April
through October. For more info
call Travel View Cruise View on
1300 885 215.
– Nigel Wall
Travel Life
FEBRUARY 2017 73

Travel Life
Travel Life
Azamara Club expands with new ‘Journey’
In just under a month,
the 690-guest Azamara
Journey from boutique
cruise brand Azamara
Club Cruises will make
her Australian debut,
fresh from a US$25m
refurbishment.
Following in the wake
of her sister ship Azamara
Quest – who made
her maiden visit to Australia
last season – she will bring with
her a unique type of holiday
featuring longer stays, more
overnights and night touring.
Together, the boutique ships
offer travel-savvy Australians
an immersive way to explore
the entire world.
Azamara Club Cruises prides
itself on its ‘Destination Immersion’,
offering more frequent
overnight stays in port as well
as late-night visits, so guests
can completely immerse
themselves in destinations on
a more intimate level. Plus the
boutique size of the line’s two
jewel-box ships
means they
can enter ports
that the bigger
liners can’t,
so guests can
uncover unique
locations and
cultures all over the world.
In Australia and New
Zealand, guests can experience
homegrown beauty and
fascinating culture. Azamara
Journey will first arrive in
Darwin on February 8, as part
of her Asia repositioning, and
stay sailing in the region until
early March, offering two Aus-
tralia and New Zealand
sailings and a return Asia
repositioning voyage.
Unmissable destinations
such as the Great Barrier
Reef, Hamilton Island and
Port Arthur in
Australia, and
Milford Sound,
Akaroa, Bay
of Islands and
Picton in New
Zealand, all
feature.
Azamara’s Europe
itineraries
range from three
to 18 nights and
include all the
gems and highlights
travellers have come to
know and love, but also some
of the region’s lesser-known
locales: destinations in the
Mediterranean and Adriatic like
Kotor in Montenegro, Opatija
in Croatia, Durres in Albania
and Sorrento in Italy. And in the
Baltic, guests visit ports such as
Visby in Sweden, Gudvangen
and Geiranger in Norway and
Tallinn in Estonia.
And Azamara’s hotly
anticipated ‘World Journey’,
which departs from Sydney in
2018, will take guests on an
unforgettable, 102-day trip of
a lifetime calling at 60 ports in
29 countries.
More is included as standard
on board with Azamara: luxury
accommodation, gourmet
cuisine, alcoholic beverages
and soft drinks, gratuities,
self-service laundry, shuttle
transportation to city centres in
most ports as well as Azamara’s
signature AzAmazing Evening
Events, which deliver a bespoke,
complimentary evening of
culture created specifically with
Azamara guests in mind.
Best of all, guests only need
to unpack once, so every moment
of their holiday can be
spent enjoying the treasures of
the world. More info Travel View
Cruise View on 1300 885 215.
74
FEBRUARY 2017