Pittwater Life March 2017 Issue
The Soapbox Issue - Local Leaders Have Their Say. Great Scots. It's On For Young & Old.
The Soapbox Issue - Local Leaders Have Their Say. Great Scots. It's On For Young & Old.
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Celebrating 25 Years<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
FREE<br />
The<br />
Soapbox<br />
<strong>Issue</strong><br />
Local leaders<br />
have their say<br />
pittwaterlife<br />
GREAT SCOTS<br />
CASS AND BILL GYE<br />
IT’S ON FOR<br />
YOUNG & OLD!<br />
YOUTH WEEK AND<br />
SENIORS FESTIVAL<br />
+<br />
PALM BEACH REVAMP<br />
WEST HEAD CYCLE FUNDRAISER<br />
FASTER INTERNET IS COMING...
Editorial<br />
Reflecting on MP’s 10 years<br />
It may sound a romantic,<br />
idyllic lifestyle but spare a<br />
thought for the great levellers<br />
our offshore residents have to<br />
cope with to live their dream.<br />
Just hours after we captured<br />
the smiling faces of prominent<br />
Scotland Islanders Cass and<br />
Bill Gye’ for this month’s ‘<strong>Life</strong><br />
Stories’ feature, Sydney was<br />
swamped by storms and rain<br />
that plunged the island into<br />
four nights without electricity.<br />
Read this local power couple’s<br />
incredible story on p28.<br />
It’s easy to rip into politicians<br />
because, well, they’re<br />
politicians and they’re in the<br />
firing line when communities<br />
perceive their local area isn’t<br />
getting a slice of the broader<br />
infrastructure and funding pie.<br />
But credit where credit is<br />
due. This month marks Rob<br />
Stokes’ 10-year anniversary as<br />
the State Member for <strong>Pittwater</strong>.<br />
Borrowing from Monty<br />
Python’s <strong>Life</strong> of Brian: “What has<br />
Rob Stokes ever done for us?”<br />
We approached Mr Stokes’<br />
office for achievements<br />
delivered over the past decade.<br />
The list includes: Purchase<br />
of Currawong Beach and<br />
declaration as a NSW State<br />
Park; over $50m secured for<br />
infrastructure improvements<br />
at Mona Vale Hospital;<br />
commencement of the Mona<br />
Vale Road Upgrade project;<br />
expansion and upgrade of the<br />
Palm Beach Ferry Wharf; longterm<br />
funding for the protection<br />
of the Warriewood Wetlands;<br />
planning underway for a<br />
dedicated inpatient palliative<br />
care unit at Mona Vale Hospital;<br />
the new B-Line bus service;<br />
and the declaration of the<br />
Narrabeen Lagoon State Park...<br />
plus more (see our website).<br />
We know there will still<br />
be those who read this and<br />
say: “All right, but apart from<br />
[insert the above], what has Rob<br />
Stokes ever done for us?” LOL.<br />
In any event, we congratulate<br />
Mr Stokes on his milestone.<br />
– Nigel Wall<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 3
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Email:<br />
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Website:<br />
www.pittwaterlife.com.au<br />
Publisher: Nigel Wall<br />
Managing Editor: Lisa Offord<br />
Graphic Design: CLS Design<br />
Photography: iStock<br />
Contributors: Rosamund<br />
Burton, Gabrielle Bryant, Brian<br />
Hrnjak, Jennifer Harris, Nick<br />
Carroll, Sue Carroll, Dr. John<br />
Kippen, Janelle Bloom, Simon<br />
Bond, Geoff Searl, Maclaren<br />
Wall, Matilda Wall<br />
Distribution: Ray Drury<br />
Published by<br />
Word Count Media Pty Ltd.<br />
ACN 149 583 335<br />
ABN 95 149 583 335<br />
Printed by Rural Press<br />
Phone: 02 4570 4444<br />
4<br />
Vol 26 No 8<br />
Celebrating 25 Years<br />
GREAT SCOTS<br />
IT’S ON FOR<br />
YOUNG & OLD!<br />
CASS AND BILL GYE<br />
YOUTH WEEK AND<br />
SENIORS FESTIVAL<br />
+<br />
Celebrating 25 Years<br />
PALM BEACH REVAMP<br />
WEST HEAD CYCLE FUNDRAISER<br />
FASTER INTERNET IS COMING...<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
FREE<br />
The<br />
Soapbox<br />
<strong>Issue</strong><br />
Local leaders<br />
have their say<br />
pittwaterlife<br />
34<br />
36<br />
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WANTED<br />
To deliver <strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong><br />
once a month.<br />
Permanent and casual runs<br />
in the <strong>Pittwater</strong> area.<br />
Palm Beach, Avalon, Newport,<br />
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EARN TOP MONEY PAID PROMPTLY!<br />
PHONE<br />
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6<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
thislife<br />
COVER: Northern Sydney’s premier cycle ride is on this<br />
month – find out how you can enter (p13); hear from<br />
local leaders Rob Stokes, Jason Falinski and Dick Persson<br />
(p21-23); gear up for the <strong>2017</strong> Seniors Festival with great<br />
activities (p40) and a special Seniors Health feature with<br />
tips from local health experts to help you age well (p36);<br />
Nick Carroll documents the history of the world’s oldest<br />
surfing publication SURFING magazine (p34); hear about<br />
the fast new internet on the upper northern beaches<br />
(p50); and discover why you may not own your LinkedIn<br />
contacts (p54). COVER IMAGE: Amanda Westwood<br />
also this month<br />
Editorial 3<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> Community News 6-27<br />
<strong>Life</strong> Stories: Cass & Bill Gye 28-29<br />
Art <strong>Life</strong> 30-31<br />
Boating <strong>Life</strong> 32<br />
Surfing <strong>Life</strong> 34-35<br />
Seniors Health Special 36-39<br />
Seniors Festival Activities 40-41<br />
Health & Wellbeing; Hair & Beauty 42-47<br />
Money & Finance 48-52<br />
Times Past 53<br />
Law 54-55<br />
Crossword 67<br />
Gardening <strong>Life</strong> 68-71<br />
the goodlife<br />
Restaurants, food, gigs, travel and gardening.<br />
Also find our regular features on beauty, health, surfing,<br />
art, local history, our guide to trades and services, money,<br />
law and our essential maps.<br />
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS!<br />
Bookings and advert material to set for<br />
our APRIL issue MUST be supplied by<br />
FRIDAY 10 MARCH<br />
Finished art & editorial submissions deadline:<br />
FRIDAY 17 MARCH<br />
The APRIL issue will be published<br />
on WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH<br />
COPYRIGHT<br />
All contents are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced except with the<br />
written consent of the copyright owner. GST: All advertising rates are subject to GST.
News<br />
Bunny watch<br />
Rabbit owners on the<br />
Northern Beaches<br />
have been warned to<br />
vaccinate their pets<br />
given the release of a<br />
new strain of wild rabbit<br />
control virus (Calici-<br />
Boost) in <strong>March</strong>.<br />
Led by Greater Sydney<br />
Local Land Services,<br />
the new strain of Rabbit<br />
Haemorrhagic Disease<br />
Virus will be released in<br />
National Parks and other<br />
local reserves across the<br />
Northern Beaches and<br />
northern Sydney region<br />
where high feral rabbit<br />
populations occur.<br />
Northern Beaches<br />
Council Deputy General<br />
Manager Ben Taylor said<br />
that controlling feral animals<br />
was an important<br />
part of protecting native<br />
animals and the precious<br />
natural environment.<br />
“Feral rabbits have a<br />
significant impact on<br />
the Northern Beaches,<br />
competing with endangered<br />
penguins and<br />
bandicoots for habitat,<br />
as well as damaging<br />
reserves and residential<br />
areas,” he explained.<br />
The new strain of the<br />
virus is more suitable<br />
to temperate Australian<br />
conditions, has no impact<br />
on native or other<br />
animals, and is considered<br />
a more humane and<br />
effective form of control<br />
for wild rabbits than<br />
previous strains.<br />
“But we want to<br />
ensure no-one’s pet is<br />
harmed so I encourage<br />
all people with pet<br />
rabbits to speak to their<br />
vet and make sure their<br />
vaccinations are up to<br />
date,” Mr Taylor urged.<br />
He added it was<br />
important to note that<br />
current vaccinations<br />
for RHDV1 are perfectly<br />
effective in protecting<br />
domestic rabbits from<br />
infection from the new<br />
RHDV1-K5 strain.<br />
A litter bit that<br />
goes a long way<br />
R<br />
esidents of the former <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
Council region have demonstrated<br />
their deep connection to community by<br />
registering 25 sites for Clean Up Australia<br />
Day on Sunday 5 <strong>March</strong>.<br />
This represents more than 40 per<br />
cent of the total 62 sites registered<br />
from Manly to Palm Beach and west to<br />
Belrose in the new combined Northern<br />
Beaches Council area.<br />
Tonnes of new rubbish is strewn<br />
around our streets, parks and waterways<br />
each year, with residents encouraged<br />
to make a difference by pitching<br />
in gather and bag the rubbish from 8am<br />
to 1pm on Clean Up Day, with Council<br />
collecting the mess.<br />
Local school students will contribute<br />
with their own collections on Friday 3<br />
<strong>March</strong>.<br />
In 2016, more than 682,000 volunteers<br />
removed an estimated 14,000 tonnes of<br />
rubbish from 6,890 sites across Australia.<br />
It’s not too late to join a collection<br />
team – go to cleanupaustraliaday.org.au<br />
6<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
News<br />
Residents all ears as ‘cool’ change<br />
set to transform tired Palm Beach<br />
Change is coming to Palm<br />
Beach with tired, neglected,<br />
dangerous and incomplete<br />
areas of the beach precinct<br />
set for a massive injection of<br />
funding and rejuvenation over<br />
the coming 18 months.<br />
Northern Beaches Council<br />
Administrator Dick Persson<br />
revealed consultation in<br />
February with residents and<br />
their forums, including the<br />
Palm Beach Whale Beach<br />
Residents Association,<br />
had been productive, with<br />
discussion focussed on several<br />
key areas.<br />
On the checklist included<br />
improving parking availability<br />
for residents, delivery of<br />
the detailed design for the<br />
long-awaited Palm Beach<br />
Walkway from the wharf to<br />
Governor Phillip Park – the<br />
construction of which Council<br />
is targeting within 12 months<br />
– and “overdue” landscaping<br />
improvements to the southern<br />
end of Palm Beach.<br />
Mr Persson said he<br />
immediately realised the latter<br />
requirement after being driven<br />
around by residents, prompting<br />
the draft plan which is being<br />
exhibited for community<br />
comment this month.<br />
He said the final design<br />
would be sympathetic to the<br />
environmental, cultural and<br />
heritage values of Palm Beach<br />
and enhance the unique<br />
qualities of the location.<br />
It would include upgrades<br />
to furnishings, while built<br />
elements would use natural<br />
materials, timber, and<br />
sandstone and crushed<br />
sandstone.<br />
Additionally, the dunes<br />
would be replenished, reshaped<br />
and planted based on advice<br />
from a coastal engineer, with<br />
pedestrian access along the<br />
beach adjacent to Ocean Rd to<br />
be improved.<br />
“I know it is about defining<br />
the edges – currently you<br />
have worn areas between<br />
the pavement and the grass<br />
and it may well involve the<br />
sort of attempt to establish<br />
a walking path with those<br />
timber slats they have used<br />
in places like Noosa which<br />
most people think are a<br />
nice compromise between<br />
natural and needing to have<br />
something to stop erosion,”<br />
Mr Persson said.<br />
“The draft plan for<br />
community comment will<br />
be available this month,” he<br />
confirmed. “And I will make<br />
sure funds will be in the<br />
<strong>2017</strong>/’18 budget so we can<br />
get on with whatever work is<br />
finally determined.”<br />
Regarding the sore point of<br />
limited parking in <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
Park and surrounding areas<br />
which was in high demand<br />
during peak periods,<br />
Council was working with<br />
the community to develop a<br />
parking demand management<br />
strategy.<br />
Residents had been angered<br />
that the carpark was being<br />
taken up by tradespeople<br />
from out of the area, meaning<br />
residents and visitors to the<br />
local business precinct had<br />
nowhere to park.<br />
As an interim measure to<br />
help provide more short-term,<br />
high-turnover parking spaces,<br />
Council last year introduced<br />
changes to 17 parking spaces<br />
in <strong>Pittwater</strong> Park, resurfaced<br />
the car park, adding additional<br />
spaces including some more<br />
timed parking to increase<br />
turnover and support local<br />
businesses, and banning nonresident<br />
parking permit holders.<br />
“Council recognises it is a<br />
delicate task to balance the<br />
needs of local residents and<br />
facilitate access to the area for<br />
the broader community and<br />
visitors,” Mr Persson said.<br />
He added Council expected<br />
8<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
to move to the tender<br />
process for the $1.7m Palm<br />
Beach Walkway this month<br />
(<strong>March</strong>). This followed the<br />
development of detailed<br />
designs and engagement with<br />
the community – including<br />
residents on Barrenjoey Rd<br />
– to ensure the project was<br />
construction-ready.<br />
Design details included<br />
retaining the midway bus stops<br />
due to community support for<br />
their retention and preserving<br />
pedestrian access to Beach Rd.<br />
“It was not possible to<br />
incorporate a cycleway due to<br />
the narrowness of the road,” he<br />
added.<br />
Palm Beach Whale Beach<br />
Residents Association President<br />
Richard West welcomed the<br />
collective initiatives, saying<br />
Council was “doing quite a<br />
good job with the walkway and<br />
the landscaping plan”.<br />
However, he said the issue of<br />
resident parking needed to be<br />
tightened.<br />
“There needs to be more<br />
time restrictions imposed<br />
in the Southern carpark<br />
(<strong>Pittwater</strong> Park)… more fourhour<br />
parking is needed,” he<br />
stressed. “Perhaps Careel<br />
Bay could be used during the<br />
holiday periods and then the<br />
L90 brings people up every<br />
15 minutes.<br />
“We’re pleased Council<br />
are addressing the parking<br />
issue and getting input from<br />
residents… it’s a difficult issue<br />
– there’s limited parking and a<br />
number of competing parties:<br />
there are the residents, the<br />
offshore community and the<br />
campers who stay overnight at<br />
places like The Basin.”<br />
“The problem is residents<br />
get two stickers which applies<br />
to the whole of the Northern<br />
Beaches – this has increased<br />
demand on resident parking<br />
places and reduced availability<br />
for local residents.”<br />
Dr West agreed the<br />
beachfront and Governor<br />
Phillip Park also needed to be<br />
looked at.<br />
“And Ocean Rd and Palm<br />
Beach Rd leading up to Pacific<br />
Rd is getting very congested<br />
– there needs to be some<br />
restrictions put in place there.<br />
“We welcome the initiative –<br />
we’re waiting expectantly.<br />
“They’re doing quite a good<br />
job with the walkway and the<br />
landscaping plan… they just<br />
need to sort out parking, buses<br />
and a few other things.”<br />
– Nigel Wall<br />
News<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 9
News<br />
Teens swap oceans for opals<br />
For the first time, secondary<br />
school students living<br />
in the former <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
Council area will get a chance<br />
to sample life in the Australian<br />
outback when this year’s<br />
‘Beach To Bush’ youth program<br />
is staged in April.<br />
Northern Beaches Council<br />
is looking for six teens (three<br />
boys and three girls) aged<br />
14-19 who live on or are connected<br />
to the Northern Beaches<br />
to visit the remote north-west<br />
NSW town of Brewarrina from<br />
18-24 April.<br />
This is the first year the<br />
opportunity to help promote<br />
friendships between beach<br />
and bush communities has<br />
been open to young people<br />
the length of the Northern<br />
Beaches, having previously<br />
been confined to Warringah.<br />
The visit to Brewarrina is<br />
part of the Sister City Youth Exchange<br />
program and coincides<br />
with National Youth Week Celebrations<br />
– with applications<br />
closing <strong>March</strong> 13.<br />
Some of the activities<br />
Country ‘cousins’: (l-r) James Spencer from Davidson, Rachel van Dort<br />
from Dee Why, Monique Wright from Forestville, Rhiannon Marshall-<br />
Witte from Wheeler Heights, Charlie Orton from Forestville and Rupert<br />
Canning from Beacon Hill.<br />
planned include visiting<br />
Gundabooka National Park,<br />
learning sheep shearing, visiting<br />
an outback radio station,<br />
seeing first-hand the worldfamous<br />
opal mines at Lightning<br />
Ridge, learning about the<br />
40,000-year-old Brewarrina<br />
fish traps and interacting with<br />
the local community.<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong> asked three of<br />
last year’s Youth Ambassadors<br />
to describe their experiences.<br />
Rhiannon Marshall-Witte,<br />
16, of Wheeler Heights, said<br />
the trip was one of the most<br />
rewarding things she’s done.<br />
“I was quite apprehensive<br />
as I had never been more than<br />
four hours up and down the<br />
coast before, and I didn’t know<br />
anyone else who had applied,”<br />
she said. “However, when I met<br />
the five others, and we heard<br />
stories from the previous<br />
year’s group, I immediately<br />
knew this would be an experience<br />
I would never forget.”<br />
Rhiannon said travelling to<br />
the largely Aboriginal town of<br />
‘Bre’ and meeting its people<br />
was an eye-opener.<br />
“It really made me grateful<br />
for what we take for granted<br />
here in Sydney,” she said. “Bre<br />
is probably the size of one or<br />
two small suburbs here on the<br />
beaches. Everyone in the town<br />
knew everyone else, which<br />
showed their strong sense of<br />
community – something that<br />
isn’t as evident throughout the<br />
Northern Beaches.”<br />
Differences in education and<br />
facilities were stark.<br />
“Bre has one Catholic<br />
primary school and one K-12<br />
public school. They also have<br />
a small TAFE program. As<br />
a student, and after having<br />
been to Bre, I understand how<br />
fortunate we are with our large<br />
amount of options available to<br />
us in Sydney.”<br />
Charlie Orton, 15, from<br />
10<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Forestville, said forming new<br />
friendships was a highlight.<br />
“Meeting and hanging out<br />
with all the new people… I<br />
remember one time that was<br />
a lot of fun was on the last<br />
day when we were swimming<br />
in the river with the people<br />
we had met from Bre, and<br />
also some people from the<br />
surrounding towns: Walgett,<br />
Bourke and Lightning Ridge,”<br />
he said. “It was such an awesome<br />
way to end the trip.”<br />
Charlie said he had already<br />
caught up with his new friends<br />
from Bre after they visited<br />
Sydney late last year.<br />
“We took them around the<br />
city and then hung out with<br />
them and saw a rugby game.<br />
It was a lot of fun and I look<br />
forward to seeing them again.”<br />
Rachel van Dort, 17, of Dee<br />
Why, said learning about the<br />
outback and Aboriginal culture<br />
was a highlight.<br />
“It was such a great adventure,<br />
learning about the bush<br />
lifestyle and meeting kids<br />
from outback towns,” she said.<br />
“We spent fun times with the<br />
local kids in the Bre Youth<br />
Centre, around the fire, day<br />
trips like the Tri-Sports Day<br />
and at the ancient Aboriginal<br />
Fish Traps.<br />
“It’s amazing to realise that<br />
indigenous people have survived<br />
well here for over 40,000<br />
years – makes you realise how<br />
little you need, really.”<br />
Rachel too has already<br />
reconnected with her new<br />
friends. “We took them to Warringah<br />
Mall, a very different<br />
experience from their local<br />
shops!” she said.<br />
She agreed attitude to education<br />
was different.<br />
“It seems that many of the<br />
students don’t do their HSC,<br />
there is a lot less pressure to<br />
do it, so many seem to leave<br />
in Year 10,” she said. “Our<br />
schools here seem to have<br />
more facilities like science<br />
labs, and choices for subjects<br />
and sports.<br />
“Fortunately some indigenous<br />
kids do come to my<br />
school – Mackellar Girls – and<br />
get better opportunities. We<br />
are very lucky with what our<br />
schools can provide.”<br />
* Applications close <strong>March</strong><br />
13; to apply, visit the Council<br />
website or email justin.<br />
burke@northernbeaches.nsw.<br />
gov.au<br />
News<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 11
Don’t hoard your board<br />
– get ready to surf swap<br />
News<br />
Are you a surfer who is tired<br />
of being hounded by your<br />
mum or partner about your<br />
ever-growing collection of surfboards<br />
cluttering the house,<br />
garage or backyard shed? If so,<br />
a cool local event next month<br />
will give you the chance to<br />
offload some of your ‘babies’<br />
and leave you happy knowing<br />
they’re going to a good home.<br />
The first annual ‘Boardcollector<br />
Surf Swap Avalon<br />
Beach’ – staged in conjunction<br />
with the Avalon Palm Beach<br />
Business Chamber – hits Dunbar<br />
Park on Sunday April 9.<br />
Organiser Damion Fuller<br />
says that like every good vintage<br />
surf swap there will be<br />
pre-1990 surfboards for sale<br />
and to swap.<br />
“It will be a festival of surf<br />
culture involving vintage surfboard<br />
collectors sharing their<br />
collections, local surfboard<br />
makers showing their latest<br />
designs, local artists, craftsman,<br />
and businesses showing<br />
their wares plus gourmet food<br />
and drinks stalls,” he said.<br />
“The best part of every surf<br />
swap is the chance to pick up<br />
a new vintage stick or clean<br />
out the garage and turn the<br />
clutter into cash.<br />
“So far we have wooden<br />
tooth picks from the 1930s,<br />
Midget Farrelly’s personal riders,<br />
Hawaiian big wave guns,<br />
’70s single fins and twin fins<br />
Surfboard world record attempt<br />
Barrenjoey High will be attempting to set a World Record on<br />
<strong>March</strong> 16. All students and the local community are encouraged<br />
to attempt to lay more than 685 surfboards end to<br />
end around the school and Avalon Beach (the current world<br />
record was set in America’s Long Beach). Students will be<br />
raising both funds and awareness for the Disability Surfers<br />
Association (DSA) through the sale of raffle tickets and<br />
other activities on the day.<br />
right through to ’80s thrusters,<br />
quads and Lazor Zaps on<br />
display from collectors from<br />
Torquay to the Sunshine Coast<br />
– with a month to go we’re<br />
calling for more folk from the<br />
northern beaches to bring out<br />
their boards for display.”<br />
Damion said the surf swap<br />
would also offer free vintage<br />
‘Antiques Roadshow’ style<br />
surfboard appraisals by expert<br />
appraisers, with owners<br />
encouraged to bring down<br />
their “mystery” surfboards<br />
which would have their shape<br />
and design reviewed, plus the<br />
board’s history before a market<br />
value is calculated.<br />
The day will also highlight<br />
the best of today’s new<br />
surfboards and contemporary<br />
shapers, with previous events<br />
featuring shapers and surfer<br />
such as Hayenshapes (with<br />
Hayden Cox and Craig Ander-<br />
son), DHD (with Asher Pacey),<br />
Channel Islands (with Wade<br />
Goodall), Misfit Shapes, Dead<br />
Kooks, Mick Mackie and more.<br />
Also, STAB Magazine will be<br />
hosting a free ‘Filmlyfe’ Film<br />
festival on the green of the<br />
Avalon Bowling Club, screening<br />
some rare gems from their rich<br />
archive and premiering exclusive<br />
Northern Beaches content.<br />
The green will feature gourmet<br />
food stalls and will be licensed.<br />
“It will be a day of boards,<br />
bands, beers and burgers,<br />
kicking off at 9am in Dunbar<br />
Park and running through till<br />
9pm in the Avalon Bowling<br />
club,” Damion said.<br />
“In Dunbar Park there will<br />
a stage screen and bean bags<br />
on the grass to relax in and<br />
watch films and listen to Q&As<br />
with local surfing and shaping<br />
legends quizzed by guest<br />
MC Luke Kennedy, editor of<br />
Tracks,” he said.<br />
More than 50 stalls are available<br />
for businesses – including<br />
photographers, local artists,<br />
local clothing and accessories,<br />
plus coffee, food, craft beer and<br />
wine – to showcase their wares.<br />
Stalls (3 x 3 metres) cost $175 –<br />
or $150 if you are a member of<br />
the APB Business Chamber.<br />
* More info boardcollectorsurfswap.com<br />
or email info@<br />
boardcollectorsurfswap.com<br />
12<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Spokes-people for worthy causes<br />
More than 2,500 cyclists<br />
– including a mix of<br />
enthusiasts and recreational<br />
cyclists – are expected to<br />
hit the streets in this year’s<br />
Bobbin Head Cycle Classic on<br />
Sunday <strong>March</strong> 26, with the aim<br />
of raising a record $250,000<br />
for charities.<br />
The classic, the premier cycling<br />
event in Sydney’s north<br />
which was established in 2012<br />
and is organized by the Rotary<br />
Clubs of Ku-Ring-Gai, St Ives,<br />
Turramurra and Wahroonga,<br />
sees cyclists enter one of four<br />
circuits, from a leisurely 27km<br />
social ride from Turramurra to<br />
Bobbin Head and back; a 57km<br />
ride to Terrey Hills and back,<br />
an extended 80km ride (minus<br />
the Akuna Bay hills), or the<br />
“serious’ 104km ride to West<br />
Head and back.<br />
Rotary Club spokesman<br />
Doug Reid said the Classic<br />
raised important funds for<br />
charity partner <strong>Life</strong>line, and<br />
charity beneficiaries, KYDS<br />
Youth Development Service,<br />
Eagle RAPS, Hornsby Women’s<br />
Shelter, The Cromehurst<br />
Foundation, and a Rotary<br />
project to operate a Children’s<br />
Hospital in Bo, Sierra Leone.<br />
“Additionally, the event<br />
is an opportunity to involve<br />
the community in a healthy<br />
and enjoyable recreational<br />
activity, whilst highlighting<br />
important aspects of bike and<br />
road safety,” he said.<br />
Newport resident Glenn<br />
Rowe, 56 (pictured top left,<br />
centre) urged locals to get<br />
involved.<br />
“The Bobbo is fun, scenic<br />
and for a good cause! It’s a<br />
great opportunity to get to<br />
know friends and colleagues<br />
in a situation that can be physically<br />
demanding,” he said.<br />
“Suicide is the leading cause<br />
of death for Aussies aged 15<br />
to 44… sadly every day eight<br />
people will end their lives –<br />
this is twice as many people<br />
who die on our roads.<br />
“Last year, <strong>Life</strong>line was<br />
able to answer 85% of the one<br />
million calls received from<br />
people in crisis. The goal is to<br />
be able to answer all calls and<br />
the money we raise will help<br />
meet this goal.”<br />
Glenn will again team up<br />
with workmates from IT<br />
services company Datacom:<br />
“We’re hoping for at least eight<br />
riders this year… last year our<br />
Datacom team was amongst<br />
the leading fundraisers, we<br />
raised $7,000 for <strong>Life</strong>line – this<br />
year we are aiming at $10,000.”<br />
He said the 104km ride<br />
included amazing scenic sections<br />
at Bobbin Head, North<br />
Head and Akuna Bay.<br />
“Cadel Evans was quoted<br />
recently saying the only place<br />
he would ride in Sydney is<br />
Akuna Bay and West Head,”<br />
Glenn said. “Most motorists<br />
on this route on a Sunday are<br />
considerate to cyclists, something<br />
I’m very grateful for, but<br />
to ride through the National<br />
Park with next to no traffic is<br />
a huge privilege.<br />
“The downhill sections of<br />
Bobbin Head and Akuna Bay<br />
are the most enjoyable – they<br />
take me back to my childhood.<br />
The uphill sections<br />
bring me back to reality and<br />
don’t get any easier, but there<br />
is a great feeling of satisfaction<br />
on getting to the top of<br />
the hills.”<br />
He said last year the team<br />
had varied capability so didn’t<br />
stick together for the entire<br />
ride. “It took our riders between<br />
three and five hours to<br />
complete the 104km course,”<br />
he said.<br />
More info bobbinheadcycleclassic.com.au<br />
– Nigel Wall<br />
News<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 13
News<br />
Newport on the move<br />
Newport continues to<br />
evolve as a hospitality<br />
hub with a new trattoria, live<br />
music venue and bar and<br />
boutique beer establishment<br />
opening in recent months.<br />
Italian eatery Sotto Sopra<br />
joins The Kave Bar and Three<br />
Pines, all on Barrenjoey Rd, to<br />
provide new relaxed venues<br />
to get a bite to eat, have a<br />
drink and enjoy music.<br />
Sotto Soppra is a branchout<br />
venture from restaurateur<br />
Alessandro Pavoni (Ormeggio<br />
at The Spit), with partner Mattia<br />
Rossi joining as co-owner<br />
and head chef after working<br />
the pans at Ormeggio and its<br />
adjoining kiosk Chiosco.<br />
Alessandro’s wife Anna,<br />
who works with the team, told<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong> they had been<br />
hunting for another site on the<br />
northern beaches for a while.<br />
“Our criteria really is either<br />
on the water, or a site that<br />
has something memorable<br />
and different about it,” she<br />
said. “The site at Newport has<br />
those huge beautiful curved<br />
glass walls, and with its<br />
multi-level design we missed<br />
the water, but we certainly got<br />
something memorable and<br />
different.”<br />
She explained Sotto Sopra<br />
means “down/up” in Italian<br />
– reference to the interior design<br />
on the place (the kitchen<br />
is above the dining room), but<br />
Sotto Sopra also translates as<br />
“upside-down”... so as usually<br />
seen in other Pavoni ventures<br />
she says you can expect<br />
some twists on traditional<br />
Italian dishes.<br />
Anna said their welcoming<br />
communal table, which<br />
sits 16, had been embraced<br />
since their opening in early<br />
February.<br />
“We have found it to be<br />
really popular with families<br />
who want to go out together,”<br />
she said. “We’ve also been<br />
seating smaller groups in<br />
a communal setting and it<br />
always turns into a really<br />
convivial table.”<br />
Sotto Sopra is open for<br />
lunch on Friday to Sunday<br />
11.30am-3pm, and dinner<br />
from 5pm daily.<br />
6THINGS<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
History lesson. The Aboriginal<br />
Support Group is hosting<br />
educator Kerrie McKenzie<br />
OAM who (as a non-Aboriginal<br />
Australian) will speak of her<br />
journey exploring Australian<br />
history and creating pathways for<br />
all Australians. Mon 13 7.30pm<br />
at Mona Vale Memorial Hall. For<br />
more info ASGMWP.net.<br />
Australasian bat night. Join<br />
“batty” expert Dr Brad Law on<br />
an evening walking beautiful<br />
Warriewood Wetlands learning<br />
all about our native Australian<br />
Microbats and Flying foxes, while<br />
using bat detectors to identify<br />
their presence. Fri 17 from 7.15-<br />
9pm, all ages; meeting point on<br />
booking 1300 000 232.<br />
Party in the park. The young<br />
(and the not so young) will be<br />
flooding into Rat Park on Sat<br />
18 for a huge music festival<br />
featuring some of Australia’s<br />
biggest acts and a bunch of<br />
DJs, food, drinks and a craft<br />
zone. From 1-11.30pm. Details<br />
partyinthepark.com.au<br />
Enjoy some music. The<br />
Avalonian Trio comprising<br />
Bridget Bolliger (flute), Susan<br />
Blake (cello) and John Martin<br />
(piano) bring a delicious mix of<br />
romance and classicism with<br />
more than a hint of swing, laced<br />
with anecdote and sparkle to St<br />
Luke’s Grammar School Bayview<br />
Campus on Fri 24 at 8pm.<br />
Enjoy a sparkling wine supper<br />
and meet the artists. Details:<br />
peninsulamusicclub.com.au.<br />
Stay down to earth. Two<br />
guided walks, each two hours<br />
long, will celebrate Earth Hour<br />
on Sat 25. First up from 9am<br />
is a walk through some of the<br />
beaches’ most stunning areas;<br />
the other is a trek by torchlight<br />
through beautiful bushland<br />
from 7pm. Suitable for all ages.<br />
Meeting point on booking via the<br />
Coastal Environment Centre 1300<br />
000 232.<br />
Seniors Festival. Plenty of<br />
things for you or loved ones of a<br />
certain vintage to get stuck into<br />
as NSW celebrates seniors. See<br />
pages 40 and 59 for a selection<br />
of local activities. For more info<br />
go to NB Council website or<br />
seniorsfestival.com.au<br />
14<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
News<br />
Locals find clear<br />
way to improve<br />
Mona Vale Road<br />
Take a bow <strong>Pittwater</strong> –<br />
your sensible feedback<br />
on the Concept Design<br />
for the all-important Mona<br />
Vale Road West upgrade has<br />
triggered several significant<br />
improvements that Roads and<br />
Maritime Services officials<br />
agree will benefit traffic flow<br />
as the population grows.<br />
Following the amendments,<br />
the RMS has prepared a Review<br />
of Environmental Factors (REF)<br />
and a Species Impact Statement<br />
which is on display for<br />
further community comment<br />
until Monday <strong>March</strong> 13.<br />
Northern Beaches Council<br />
is working with the RMS to<br />
ensure the road upgrade takes<br />
into account projected traffic<br />
from future development.<br />
Since the original Concept<br />
Design was displayed for community<br />
consultation in late<br />
2014, Roads and Maritime has<br />
refined the design in response<br />
to community feedback and<br />
the release of the Ingleside<br />
Precinct Plan.<br />
The changes include construction<br />
of a new access road<br />
linking Powder Works Road to<br />
Harvey Road for current and<br />
future residents, changing<br />
access to the Baha’i Temple,<br />
Tumburra Street and Addison<br />
Road, and investigating new<br />
fauna crossings.<br />
On and off ramps and an<br />
overpass which were originally<br />
slated to solve the issue<br />
of access to the new Ingleside<br />
development have been abandoned,<br />
replaced by a new road<br />
extension into Harvey Road (at<br />
the major Powderworks Road<br />
intersection) that loops around<br />
and joins up with Tumburra St.<br />
The new plan sees Tumburra<br />
Street will be restricted to left<br />
turn in and left turn out, thus<br />
reducing traffic disruption on<br />
the corridor adjoining Garigal<br />
National Park.<br />
The road upgrade will<br />
require some property adjustments<br />
and acquisitions, with<br />
the RMS holding discussions<br />
with the affected property<br />
owners and continuing to work<br />
with the community to minimise<br />
impact.<br />
Major objectives include<br />
improving traffic flow and<br />
efficiency by providing additional<br />
lanes; improving safety<br />
for motorists, pedestrians and<br />
cyclists by improving the road<br />
alignment and widening the<br />
shoulders; providing safe and<br />
efficient travel for pedestrians<br />
and cyclists from a new shared<br />
path; providing better access<br />
for current and future Ingle-<br />
16<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
side residents; and enabling<br />
fauna to cross Mona Vale Road<br />
safely and access Garigal and<br />
Ku-ring-gai National Parks<br />
by constructing an overpass<br />
bridge and underpasses.<br />
“Extensive investigations<br />
have identified a number of<br />
fauna and flora species that<br />
may be affected, including<br />
Duffys Forest endangered<br />
ecological community,” a RMS<br />
spokesman said.<br />
He said mitigation measures<br />
would be implemented to minimise<br />
impact on threatened<br />
species, as well as common<br />
flora and fauna species.<br />
Residual impacts that cannot<br />
be mitigated would be<br />
offset in accordance with biodiversity<br />
offsetting guidelines.<br />
A 40-metre wide fauna<br />
bridge crossing is proposed<br />
across Mona Vale Road east<br />
of Kimbriki Rd, as well as two<br />
fauna underpasses. A fauna<br />
connectivity strategy would be<br />
prepared during the detailed<br />
design, including identification<br />
and detailing of fauna fencing.<br />
When given the green light<br />
construction on the upgrade<br />
is expected to take around 30<br />
months.<br />
“We will consider all<br />
comments in finalising the<br />
proposal and design and will<br />
continue to liaise with the<br />
community throughout the<br />
project,” the spokesman said.<br />
“Following the display of the<br />
REF and SIS, we will prepare a<br />
submissions report to respond<br />
to matters raised.”<br />
Printed copies of the REF<br />
and SIS are available to view<br />
until Monday 13 <strong>March</strong> at<br />
Mona Vale Library (1 Park<br />
Street, Mona Vale). – Nigel Wall<br />
News<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 17
News<br />
Swim ‘Around<br />
The Bends’<br />
<strong>March</strong> might be the month said Volker. “Here the rock<br />
when we finally bid shelves extend to large<br />
farewell to the scorching boulders and caves, and this<br />
heat of the summer period pristine world is home to<br />
– but don’t pack away those giant schools of fish… it’s not<br />
swimming costumes just yet! unusual to spot a turtle or a<br />
Two months after the friendly cuttlefish.”<br />
conclusion of the popular “I love the changes in the<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> Ocean Swim Series, underwater environment as<br />
Avalon Beach Surf <strong>Life</strong>saving we swim along – last time I<br />
Club is hosting the inaugural saw a lovely ray and lots of<br />
‘Around<br />
little fish<br />
The Bends’<br />
amongst the<br />
Newport<br />
bright green<br />
to Avalon<br />
beds of<br />
Ocean Swim<br />
seagrasses<br />
Challenge,<br />
just before<br />
raising funds<br />
getting<br />
for the Can Too<br />
into Avalon<br />
Foundation.<br />
Beach.<br />
The 2.5km<br />
“There’s<br />
swim on Sunday <strong>March</strong> 19 is no need to swim it at full pace<br />
your chance to conquer three – there are too many beautiful<br />
beaches before breakfast! distractions,” he said.<br />
Club member Volker<br />
Adds Kalinda Hawson,<br />
Klemm, who has swum the a newcomer to ocean<br />
course several times with swimming: “Even on an<br />
clubmates, says the start average day you can see<br />
from the northern end of the bottom of the ocean<br />
Newport Beach is currentassisted,<br />
taking swimmers reassuring. If you really want<br />
most of the way, which is<br />
easily around the headland. to enjoy the swim without<br />
Surrounded by fellow competitiveness, grab your<br />
swimmers (and plenty of flippers, wear a wetsuit and<br />
water safety observers) you join us in the Back of Pack<br />
continue across the sandy starting group.”<br />
bottom of Bilgola Beach to The swim is sponsored<br />
Bilgola Headland.<br />
by new Newport trattoria<br />
“Above the water the Sotto Sopra; cost is $40<br />
views are great – but the with registrations at www.<br />
underwater views are<br />
oceanswims.com or more info<br />
absolutely wonderful,”<br />
from Volker on 0403 193 337.<br />
A piece of Italy beside the beach<br />
Have you ever wanted to<br />
cook great-tasting Italian<br />
food just like an Italian<br />
chef? Popular Mona Vale<br />
eatery Cinque Cucina e Caffe<br />
has stepped up to the plate<br />
to accommodate, recently<br />
introducing their first 4-class<br />
cooking course, consisting of<br />
antipasto, pasta making, secondi<br />
(mains) and dessert.<br />
It was such a success that<br />
owners Guido Ferri and Peter<br />
Wood are in the process of<br />
offering a “second course” –<br />
and in time they plan to add a<br />
class for children as well.<br />
Located just a few steps from<br />
Mona Vale beach, ‘Cinque’ as<br />
it’s affectionately known has<br />
built an enduring reputation<br />
among locals and visitors alike<br />
for its honest fare.<br />
“We take pride in delivering<br />
an authentic and affordable<br />
Italian experience in a casual<br />
dining surrounding,” says<br />
Guido (top right). “Our menus<br />
change seasonally, with one<br />
underlying principle: Simple<br />
authentic Italian… done well.”<br />
Adds Peter: “Our produce<br />
and breads are locally<br />
sourced, whilst our meats,<br />
cheeses and olive oils are<br />
imported from Italy.<br />
“Head Chef Antonio Maturo<br />
is at the helm of the kitchen<br />
with the highly skilled support<br />
of Iacopo Carpentieri &<br />
Alex Morris.”<br />
The pair have also launched<br />
an innovative local wine supply<br />
service – Cinque Cellars<br />
– in which their imported Italian<br />
wine list (plus more) can<br />
be delivered to your door.<br />
“Treat yourself to something<br />
unique or impress<br />
your next dinner guests with<br />
something not found in bottle<br />
shops,” recommends Guido.<br />
Customers can also now tuck<br />
in to the eatery’s new pantry<br />
line of bottled sauces, infused<br />
olive oils and pickled vegetables.<br />
Cinque Cucina e Caffe<br />
offers breakfast and lunch<br />
seven days a week, plus<br />
dinner Wednesday through<br />
Sunday.<br />
For lunch Monday to<br />
Wednesday, they offer a main<br />
course and glass of Italian<br />
wine for $20 (see ad P3) whilst<br />
their $10 burgers are not to be<br />
missed on Wednesday nights.<br />
They also run a popular<br />
Sunday set menu for $55 per<br />
couple, with bookings highly<br />
recommended.<br />
– Nigel Wall<br />
18<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Marty is King<br />
of the Mona<br />
Vale kids<br />
He spent 28 years at<br />
sea serving the Royal<br />
Australian Navy. And<br />
before he received a promotion<br />
as a Lieutenant Commander,<br />
Martin Cowper<br />
was awarded an OAM while<br />
serving as a Warrant Officer<br />
on the aircraft carrier HMAS<br />
Melbourne.<br />
These days ‘Marty’, as he<br />
is better known, is the head<br />
coach of the Mona Vale SLSC<br />
juniors – and the kids absolutely<br />
adore him.<br />
Jayme Saggers says: “He<br />
puts so much time and effort<br />
into every training session.<br />
He’s always there on time<br />
and he cracks me up with his<br />
jokes.”<br />
Adds Kira Beuzeville: “He’s<br />
an amazing coach. He can be<br />
strict but then really funny.”<br />
And Mia Paltridge chips<br />
in: “He makes us do really<br />
hard stuff and he teaches us<br />
new things every training session.<br />
I’ll never leave Mona Vale<br />
unless Marty does.”<br />
High praise indeed. But<br />
Marty has no intention of<br />
leaving. His job is far from<br />
finished.<br />
Like his previous time<br />
at Newport SLSC when he<br />
coached just a handful kids,<br />
it was the same story when he<br />
arrived at Mona Vale.<br />
“I suppose there were about<br />
half a dozen kids at Mona<br />
Vale when I first got there –<br />
now there’s 40,” Marty said.<br />
“‘Now they are all making<br />
individual finals and qualifying<br />
for State… it says to me<br />
that all the hard work over<br />
the past two years, especially,<br />
is paying off and it is rewarding<br />
for the kids.”<br />
Marty developed some extremely<br />
talented girls at Mona<br />
Vale but, unfortunately, they<br />
moved to Newport.<br />
“Hopefully, we can hold onto<br />
this current group,” he said.<br />
While Nutri Grain rookie<br />
ironwoman Maddie Spencer<br />
competes for Newport,<br />
she coaches the swimming,<br />
while Kim Moran looks after<br />
the beach kids at Mona Vale.<br />
“We are lucky to have both of<br />
them,” Marty says.<br />
But one of the interesting<br />
things Marty has done with<br />
the older juniors is introducing<br />
them to ski paddling.<br />
“We’ve got them on the ski<br />
already at 13, to give them<br />
GUIDANCE: Super coach Marty Cowper with some of his Mona Vale juniors<br />
and Kris Monnock.<br />
a good grounding,” he said.<br />
“We’re thinking, ok, let’s get<br />
these kids having fun… we<br />
don’t work them that hard on<br />
the ski. Some are very competent<br />
paddlers on flat water.<br />
We’ll take them in the ocean<br />
in the off-season.<br />
“Next year the best of them<br />
I will send to Performance<br />
Paddling and put them onto<br />
K1s. They will be coached by<br />
two ex-Olympians.<br />
“We are trying to develop a<br />
craft ethos at Mona Vale.”<br />
Marty was over the moon<br />
with some of the results at the<br />
Branch Championships last<br />
month.<br />
The club picked up several<br />
medals in board relays<br />
and board rescue events<br />
and the combination of Kira<br />
Beuzeville, Mia Paltridge and<br />
Jayme Saggers won gold in the<br />
under 13 girls board relay.<br />
Mia’s younger sister Macy<br />
is one for the future. She won<br />
the under-9s surf and board<br />
races.<br />
What is Marty hoping to<br />
achieve at the State titles at<br />
Blacksmiths in Newcastle on<br />
<strong>March</strong> 5?<br />
“Obviously some finals<br />
and for the kids to give me a<br />
mistake-free race – that’s what<br />
I am really after,” he said.<br />
After he gained his Bronze<br />
Medallion at Palm Beach SLSC<br />
in Queensland, where he<br />
originally hails from, Marty<br />
then found his way to Avalon<br />
Beach, while stationed in the<br />
Navy at Quakers Hill.<br />
“I actually used to hitchhike<br />
to get to the beach,” he<br />
recalls.<br />
He spent time at Shoalhaven<br />
Heads SLSC and next stop<br />
was Newport.<br />
But he won’t be leaving<br />
Mona Vale in a hurry.<br />
– John Taylor<br />
News<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 19
Comment<br />
Ingleside to set bar for<br />
sustainable development<br />
The suburb of Ingleside is a<br />
largely unknown area, yet<br />
it performs an important<br />
role as <strong>Pittwater</strong>’s western<br />
gateway.<br />
Nestled between Ku-ring-gai<br />
Chase and Garigal National<br />
Parks, and the escarpment<br />
above Warriewood, Ingleside<br />
has been designated for<br />
residential subdivision since<br />
the 1920s. After many decades<br />
of inaction, and following a<br />
long and detailed investigation<br />
by Council and Government,<br />
Ingleside is now positioned to<br />
become <strong>Pittwater</strong>’s latest village.<br />
It is essential, however,<br />
that the unique character of<br />
Ingleside is embraced and that<br />
this important opportunity<br />
to increase local housing<br />
supply occurs in a carefully<br />
planned, well-co-ordinated and<br />
environmentally conscious way.<br />
Following the upgrade of<br />
Mona Vale Road, a new village<br />
centre will be created north of<br />
Mona Vale Road, a little to the<br />
east of the Baha’i Temple. New<br />
terrace homes, three-storey<br />
apartments and traditional<br />
detached houses will radiate<br />
out from the village centre to<br />
join with the existing large<br />
lot subdivisions and farmlets<br />
of Bayview Heights and the<br />
Wirreanda Valley.<br />
More than 200 hectares<br />
will be retained as public<br />
environmental lands,<br />
recognising the amazing<br />
biodiversity and natural<br />
landscapes of Ingleside, while<br />
the plan also proposes 15<br />
hectares of sportsgrounds and<br />
active parklands. Another three<br />
hectares is set aside for the<br />
creation of a new public school<br />
to serve the local community.<br />
Ingleside will set a new<br />
benchmark for sustainable<br />
development in Sydney<br />
by mandating the highest<br />
environmental standards.<br />
This includes water-sensitive<br />
and energy-efficient urban<br />
design, LED street lighting<br />
and infrastructure for electric<br />
vehicles.<br />
While the former Labor<br />
government planned to cram<br />
more than 4,800 homes into<br />
Ingleside, detailed transport<br />
modelling and environmental<br />
analysis means that we are<br />
aiming for around 3,400<br />
instead. This will enable<br />
a more appropriate and<br />
By Rob Stokes<br />
Member for <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
sustainable settlement pattern,<br />
allow greater environmental<br />
protections and avoid<br />
congestion on the expanded<br />
Mona Vale Road.<br />
New public transport<br />
connections to Macquarie Park<br />
and the North Shore railway<br />
line, plus the inclusion of up to<br />
10 per cent affordable housing,<br />
will mean that Ingleside will<br />
provide opportunities for<br />
younger working families, as<br />
well as retirees and downsizers.<br />
Important heritage sites<br />
such as ‘Whale Rock’, Ingleside<br />
House and the Katandra<br />
Bushland Sanctuary will be<br />
preserved and protected<br />
and, over the next 20 years,<br />
Ingleside will provide the bulk<br />
of new housing needed to<br />
support growth in <strong>Pittwater</strong>.<br />
Comment<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 21
Comment<br />
Comment<br />
‘Food For Thought’ will<br />
help shape local vision<br />
The new Northern<br />
Beaches Council is<br />
not yet a year old,<br />
but already we have made<br />
significant inroads building<br />
major infrastructure projects<br />
whilst continuing to deliver<br />
the same, if not better levels<br />
of service the community<br />
has come to expect.<br />
One of the most significant<br />
projects moving forward is<br />
the Connecting Communities<br />
program, which includes<br />
connecting the various<br />
and isolated stretches of<br />
walkway and cycle paths<br />
along our coastline to form<br />
a continuous iconic walkway<br />
from Palm Beach to Manly,<br />
with links to other centres<br />
and key transport hubs.<br />
An important part of the<br />
program is our focus on<br />
all-abilities playgrounds<br />
and connecting our children<br />
in play. Two new regional<br />
all-abilities playgrounds<br />
will be built at Lionel Watts<br />
Reserve in Frenchs Forest<br />
and another at Manly Dam.<br />
Fifty Northern Beaches<br />
playgrounds will have<br />
accessibilities upgrades<br />
and a new pilot local<br />
neighbourhood playground<br />
program that will see the<br />
introduction of various<br />
accessibility elements. The<br />
new Council is also funding<br />
improvements to our Surf<br />
<strong>Life</strong> Saving Clubs and<br />
sporting facilities. All of the<br />
Connecting Communities<br />
improvements will provide<br />
opportunities to get active,<br />
stay fit and healthy and<br />
create a more connected and<br />
inclusive community.<br />
This April the Northern<br />
Beaches Council opens the<br />
next round of applications<br />
for $500,000 Stronger<br />
Community Grants. The<br />
first round saw 25 not-forprofit<br />
community groups<br />
receive funds up to $50,000<br />
each that will help deliver<br />
projects that will make our<br />
community more inclusive,<br />
vibrant and sustainable.<br />
The grants are part of the<br />
Stronger Communities Fund<br />
established by the NSW<br />
Government under the Fit for<br />
the Future program. I hope,<br />
like me, you are pleased to<br />
see the Northern Beaches<br />
community is receiving<br />
direct benefits from the<br />
funds made available by<br />
the State Government to<br />
assist the formation of a<br />
new Council with additional<br />
funds available from cost<br />
savings as a result of the<br />
amalgamation.<br />
Some of the other major<br />
projects underway include<br />
the Church Point Carpark,<br />
which will complete stage<br />
one works around the<br />
middle of this year. During<br />
construction Council was<br />
able to find a more costeffective<br />
seawall and is<br />
using the money saved<br />
to improve the stage two<br />
works and modify the actual<br />
structure of the carpark to<br />
be more recessive. Staff<br />
have continued to work<br />
with the Aesthetic Advisory<br />
Committee, comprising<br />
architects and designers<br />
from the community, to<br />
ensure the carpark will<br />
both be functional and fits<br />
in with surrounding local<br />
environment.<br />
There is of course also the<br />
long-awaited Macpherson<br />
Street upgrade. These works<br />
are due to be completed<br />
at the end of the year and<br />
are essential in helping<br />
to reduce flooding in the<br />
Warriewood Valley as well<br />
as providing an evacuation<br />
route during extended<br />
rainfall. In addition, the<br />
works will improve traffic<br />
flow, provide new walkways<br />
and improve the general<br />
amenity of the area.<br />
I have continued to consult<br />
with many community groups<br />
across the Northern Beaches.<br />
During my first month, I<br />
met with the Palm Beach<br />
and Whale Beach Residents<br />
Association, and I am pleased<br />
that these discussions<br />
By Dick Persson<br />
Administrator, Northern Beaches Council<br />
have led to several planned<br />
improvements for that<br />
area. These improvements<br />
will include a safe walkway<br />
between the ferry wharf and<br />
Governor Phillip Park, South<br />
Palm Beach landscape plan<br />
and reserve restoration, and<br />
improved parking at the ferry<br />
wharf.<br />
Two-way communications<br />
is an important part of<br />
Council’s policy development<br />
process. Council is holding<br />
‘Food For Thought’ sessions<br />
throughout <strong>March</strong> and<br />
April where members of<br />
the community sit down<br />
for a light meal and help us<br />
shape the vision, goals and<br />
strategies for our area over<br />
the next 10 years. The Food<br />
For Thought discussions<br />
will help inform the Draft<br />
Community Strategic Plan<br />
and I encourage everyone<br />
to register their interest<br />
for a seat at the table and<br />
provide any other thoughts<br />
at yoursay.northernbeaches.<br />
nsw.gov.au.<br />
Northern Beaches Council<br />
believes in continuous<br />
improvement for the benefit<br />
of the entire community,<br />
particularly when it comes<br />
to communication and<br />
consultation, so I encourage<br />
everyone to visit our website<br />
for news, project updates and<br />
opportunities to get involved.<br />
22<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Comment<br />
Urgent need to upgrade<br />
demountable classrooms By Jason Falinski<br />
Federal Member for Mackellar<br />
The end of the year<br />
always heralds school<br />
celebrations for Families<br />
with Children, it’s a time<br />
where academic, sporting<br />
and leadership success are<br />
recognised. As a father with<br />
a young daughter, I know the<br />
pride parents feel for their<br />
children’s achievements.<br />
I myself attended many<br />
award nights as 2016 drew<br />
to a close: at <strong>Pittwater</strong> High,<br />
Barrenjoey High, Dee Why<br />
Public School and Mater<br />
Maria, to name but a few.<br />
Schools often come to<br />
Canberra to visit Parliament<br />
House and I spend time<br />
with them to talk about the<br />
parliamentary and political<br />
process. The exchanges are<br />
fascinating – particularly when<br />
the kids start to open up<br />
about what they’d like to have<br />
changed in our community. To<br />
date I have been able to see<br />
the Japanese School, Christian<br />
Covenant School and <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
House, and look forward to<br />
many more.<br />
There is often follow-up<br />
work for me to do after the<br />
visits. I was for instance asked<br />
to provide a timeline for the<br />
construction of the Cromer<br />
Skate Park for one group.<br />
Another raised the issue of<br />
demountable classrooms. As<br />
the schools in our area have<br />
had to deal with increased<br />
demand, they have had to<br />
erect temporary classrooms.<br />
These structures need to be<br />
upgraded to give kids longlasting<br />
and better-quality<br />
infrastructure. I am talking<br />
to my State colleagues to<br />
implement these changes.<br />
Meeting with as many of<br />
you as possible has been and<br />
continues to be a big part<br />
of what I do. During one of<br />
these meetings, I discovered<br />
the amazing work being<br />
done by the Be Centre – a<br />
charity dedicated to assisting<br />
traumatised children aged<br />
3-13 using Play Therapy.<br />
The Centre is relocating<br />
to Warriewood as it has<br />
outgrown its current facility. I<br />
am looking forward to helping<br />
make this transition a reality.<br />
I try to assist our<br />
many great community<br />
organisations secure<br />
government grants wherever<br />
I can. At the end of last year<br />
we provided $200,000 to the<br />
Kinma School at Terrey Hills<br />
for a new learning space.<br />
Many of you have filled<br />
out my community survey,<br />
for which I am very grateful<br />
(if you haven’t it’s available<br />
on www.jasonfalinski.com.<br />
au). One of the big issues that<br />
you have raised with me is<br />
the cost of living, particularly<br />
when it comes to affording<br />
child care. I know from my<br />
own conversations with you<br />
that often times the cost of<br />
child care is higher, or barely<br />
covered by the money earned<br />
if a parent goes back to work,<br />
creating a dilemma for a lot<br />
of our families.<br />
Your Liberal Government,<br />
led by Malcolm Turnbull,<br />
is determined to fix the<br />
outdated model we have now.<br />
Parents who want to return<br />
to work must have affordable<br />
childcare available to them.<br />
That is the liberal way. I<br />
believe in these reforms and<br />
will fight for our package in<br />
Canberra, because I believe in<br />
an environment where all of<br />
us parents, who want a better<br />
future for our families, have<br />
the opportunity to do so.<br />
Comment<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 23
News<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> News<br />
Make dates for<br />
<strong>2017</strong> Youth Week<br />
Early events scheduled<br />
for Youth Week this year<br />
include music, art and<br />
skater activities, with more<br />
planned before it kicks off in<br />
late <strong>March</strong>. Announced are:<br />
1 April: Shore Shocked, St<br />
Leonards Park, North Sydney<br />
– Free music festival featuring<br />
youth bands from across<br />
the Northern Beaches and<br />
broader Northern Sydney<br />
region; 31 <strong>March</strong>-1 April:<br />
Art Decko Workshops, 105<br />
Abbott Rd, Nth Curl Curl –<br />
Participants learn street art<br />
style artistic techniques for<br />
creating their own unique<br />
skate deck; 4-15 April: Art<br />
Decko Exhibition, 105 Abbott<br />
Rd, Nth Curl Curl – An<br />
exhibition of the skate decks<br />
created by local youth at<br />
the Art Decko Workshops: 7<br />
April: Northern Composure<br />
Band Comp Final – After battling<br />
it out in the heats local<br />
bands will compete for great<br />
prizes and to win the title<br />
of best Northern Beaches<br />
youth band; 8 April: Northern<br />
Beaches Street Skate and<br />
Scooter Comp at Mona Vale<br />
– A comp for all ages and<br />
abilities with giveaways and<br />
great prizes; 10 April: Free<br />
Comic Wallet Workshop<br />
at Manly Library – Young<br />
people aged 10-13 years will<br />
learn how to create their own<br />
comic wallet to take home.<br />
For more info on Youth Week<br />
activities call 9942 2401.<br />
Lucky Jason wins<br />
Swim Series prize<br />
Another successful <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
Ocean Swim Series<br />
in <strong>2017</strong> saw 2981 entries in<br />
the 2km+ events plus 693 in<br />
the 800-metre swims raise<br />
around $80,000 for the Bilgola,<br />
Newport, Avalon, Mona<br />
Vale and Whale Beach surf<br />
lifesaving clubs. Congratulations<br />
to Jason Fan, 29, from<br />
Northbridge, who won the<br />
‘Lucky Door’ prize of four<br />
nights’ luxury accommodation<br />
for two people at the Bay<br />
Royal Apartments in Byron<br />
Bay, including airfares, plus<br />
entry in the Classic Swim<br />
from Watagoes Beach to the<br />
Surf <strong>Life</strong> Saving Club on<br />
the main Byron beach. The<br />
draw was made by Rob Berry,<br />
Kylie Ferguson from Northern<br />
Beaches Council (Series<br />
Sponsor) and Gail Kardash<br />
from Travel View (Prize<br />
Sponsor). Jason was one of<br />
221 eligible swimmers who<br />
participated in three or more<br />
of the five swims.<br />
Submarines on<br />
PROBUS agenda<br />
The pair of Japanese minisubmarines<br />
that invaded<br />
Sydney Harbour in 1942 will<br />
be the topic of a talk at the<br />
24<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
next <strong>Pittwater</strong> PROBUS club<br />
meeting at Mona Vale Golf<br />
Club on Tuesday <strong>March</strong> 14.<br />
Noel Phelan, a volunteer<br />
guide at the Sydney Maritime<br />
Museum, will discuss the<br />
wartime events, which saw<br />
one of the submarines sink<br />
off Bungan headland. All<br />
welcome; phone Bill Marshall<br />
9999 5226.<br />
Rotary Club Golf<br />
Day at Bayview<br />
The Rotary Club of Upper<br />
Northern Beaches is calling<br />
for entries for their second<br />
annual Charity Golf Day at<br />
Bayview Golf Club on Friday<br />
<strong>March</strong> 31, with proceeds<br />
from the day going to the<br />
charitable projects of the Rotary<br />
Club. The 18-hole event<br />
will follow the popular 4-ball<br />
Ambrose format, in which<br />
each player can participate<br />
regardless of skill level. The<br />
day begins with a shotgun<br />
start at 8:30am, with teams<br />
starting on different holes<br />
and all finishing around<br />
1pm. A complimentary snack<br />
and drinks cart will be<br />
available, as well as optional<br />
novelty events. A two-course<br />
lunch will be served after<br />
golf, with prizegiving and<br />
a raffle, before the day’s<br />
activities wrap up around<br />
3pm. Players can register as<br />
individuals or as foursomes.<br />
Entry is $150 (or you can register<br />
for just golf for $100 or<br />
lunch for $60). Beneficiaries<br />
include the Palliative Care<br />
Centre at Mona Vale Hospital.<br />
Sponsorship details and<br />
entries golfday@rotaryuppernorthernbeaches.org<br />
or<br />
call Simon on 0402 037 032.<br />
Continued on page 26<br />
News<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 25
News<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> News<br />
Billabong Retreat<br />
Competition winner<br />
Congratulations to Janelle<br />
Osborne from Mona Vale,<br />
who won the Billabong<br />
Retreat Getaway competition<br />
run in our January issue.<br />
Janelle wins three nights’<br />
accommodation for two people<br />
the relaxing Billabong<br />
Retreat Comp, plus meals,<br />
two yoga classes each day<br />
and meditation workshops to<br />
the value of $1600.<br />
New FoodSt offers<br />
takeway alernative<br />
Foodst.com.au, Australia’s<br />
first online marketplace<br />
for ready-to-eat homecooked<br />
food, launches on<br />
the Northern Beaches this<br />
month. Founder Lorraine<br />
Gnanadickam says the service<br />
matches the time poor<br />
with home cooks who love<br />
to share their meals. FoodSt<br />
has been operating in Inner<br />
Sydney since late last year.<br />
“We have had an amazing response<br />
and we are excited to<br />
bring it to our home on the<br />
Northern Beaches,” Lorraine<br />
said. “Many of our customers<br />
are working families who<br />
don’t have the time to cook…<br />
people who don’t want to<br />
feed their family takeaway.”<br />
Food safety is paramount in<br />
the business model. “All of<br />
our cooks hold a valid Food<br />
Safety Supervisor Certificate<br />
which is the level required<br />
to supervise a team in a<br />
commercial kitchen,” she<br />
said. More info www.foodst.<br />
com.au.<br />
Local author for<br />
Bookoccino talk<br />
Local Author Amanda Hampson<br />
(above) will give a talk at<br />
Bookoccino in Avalon Beach<br />
from 11am on Wednesday<br />
<strong>March</strong> 8, to celebrate the<br />
release of her new novel ‘The<br />
French Perfumer’ set in the<br />
French Riviera. Bookoccino’s<br />
Margaret Hutchings says:<br />
“The novel is a gorgeous<br />
piece of escapism, written in<br />
the spirit of ‘The Little Paris<br />
Bookshop’ and ‘The Guernsey<br />
Literary and Potato Peel Pie<br />
Society’, both great favourites<br />
over the last few years<br />
– you can expect a lively<br />
discussion about the process<br />
of research and writing.”<br />
Tickets $10; includes light<br />
refreshments. Bookings on<br />
9973 1244.<br />
Grants for local<br />
war memorials<br />
Grants of up to $10,000 are<br />
now available as part of the<br />
<strong>2017</strong> Community War Memorials<br />
Fund (CWMF), ensuring<br />
the enduring legacy of our<br />
veterans. The fund is designed<br />
to protect, repair and<br />
improve the accessibility of<br />
local war memorials, statues,<br />
honour rolls, and memorial<br />
halls which commemorate<br />
the Anzac legacy. Minister for<br />
Veterans Affairs David Elliott<br />
said conserving and protecting<br />
war memorials was an<br />
essential part of honouring<br />
Australia’s service men and<br />
women. “The importance of<br />
young people understanding<br />
the sacrifices made during<br />
World War I and ensuring<br />
their legacy lives on has<br />
never been more important,”<br />
he said. The CWMF allocated<br />
a total of $250,000 to<br />
projects across NSW last year.<br />
“Funding applications can be<br />
made until Anzac Day and I<br />
26<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
sincerely encourage all communities<br />
who believe their<br />
local memorial needs a bit of<br />
love or protection to apply for<br />
a grant,” Mr Elliott said. More<br />
info veterans.nsw.gov.au<br />
Container deposit<br />
deadline extension<br />
The implementation date for<br />
the NSW 10 cent container<br />
deposit scheme has been<br />
delayed by five months following<br />
requests from environment<br />
groups and industry<br />
bodies. The container deposit<br />
scheme will now be rolled<br />
out from 1 December, <strong>2017</strong>,<br />
in order to ensure maximum<br />
possible state-wide coverage<br />
from implementation.<br />
“Clean Up Australia and the<br />
Boomerang Alliance, along<br />
with industry stakeholders,<br />
have asked for an extension<br />
of time to make sure the<br />
container deposit scheme<br />
is a world leading program,<br />
from day one,” NSW Environment<br />
Minister Gabrielle Upton<br />
said. “This will be the biggest<br />
initiative to tackle litter in the<br />
state’s history – stakeholder<br />
feedback is vital to get the<br />
scheme right.” The 2015-2016<br />
National Litter Index found<br />
that 49 per cent of litter by<br />
volume was made up of beverage<br />
containers – and 43 per<br />
cent of the total volume was<br />
containers that will be caught<br />
by the NSW container deposit<br />
scheme. Under the scheme,<br />
people in NSW will be able to<br />
return most empty beverage<br />
containers between 150ml<br />
and three litres to collection<br />
points for a 10 cent refund.<br />
The container deposit scheme<br />
will give people a financial incentive<br />
to “do the right thing”<br />
and recycle drink containers<br />
to significantly reduce the<br />
estimated 160 million drink<br />
containers littered every year.<br />
Cook up an<br />
Italian Storm<br />
Are you determined to master<br />
the secrets of cooking risotto?<br />
Head to the Royal Motor<br />
Yacht Club at Newport for<br />
their first Ladies Luncheon<br />
for <strong>2017</strong>, with foodie Melina<br />
Puntoriero demonstrating<br />
a 2-course meal for you to<br />
enjoy on the day. Melina<br />
has travelled extensively<br />
throughout Asia, Europe,<br />
South America and Australia,<br />
forming the unique flavour<br />
combinations that highlight<br />
her cuisine. Melina operated<br />
her own restaurant and catering<br />
business for 10 years,<br />
specialising in Italian Cuisine.<br />
In her demonstration,<br />
Melina will take attendees<br />
through the “10 commandments<br />
of a perfect risotto”.<br />
Plus she will deliver a latesummer<br />
twist on tiramisu.<br />
Bookings 9997 5511.<br />
Volunteers raise<br />
funds for hospital<br />
Mona Vale Hospital Auxiliary<br />
volunteers will be out<br />
and about again this month<br />
raising funds to purchase<br />
equipment for Mona Vale<br />
Hospital. Diary dates are: Sat<br />
4th – stall at <strong>Pittwater</strong> Place,<br />
Mona Vale, featuring sewing,<br />
knitting and craft (from<br />
8am-3pm); Sat 11th – Bunnings,<br />
Narrabeen, sausage<br />
sizzle from 8am-3pm; Fri<br />
17th – stall in the foyer of<br />
Mona Vale Hospital featuring<br />
baking, knitting, sewing,<br />
craft and books (9am-3pm).<br />
Did you know?<br />
Bungan Street General Practice<br />
has changed its name to<br />
Mona Vale Medical Practice.<br />
You can still find them at<br />
Suite 10, 5 Bungan St, Mona<br />
Vale.<br />
Vet<br />
on<br />
call<br />
with<br />
Dr Ben Brown<br />
If your dog or cat has blood<br />
in its urine, if it is urinating<br />
more frequently than normal,<br />
passing only small quantities<br />
of urine or straining then<br />
there’s a chance it could have<br />
bladder stones (or “uroliths”).<br />
These small stones can form<br />
in pets the same way they<br />
form in humans, starting out<br />
as tiny crystals in the urine<br />
that build up over time.<br />
What causes them? Well,<br />
bladder stones may be the<br />
result of many different<br />
factors including a diet rich<br />
in certain minerals, a pet<br />
not drinking enough and/<br />
or bladder infections. Some<br />
breeds of dogs such as<br />
Dalmatians and bulldogs as<br />
well as Burmese and Persian<br />
cats, are simply more prone to<br />
stones than others.<br />
Your vet may be able to<br />
confirm whether your pet<br />
has stones by feeling hard<br />
lumps through the bladder<br />
wall during an examination.<br />
In some cases a urine test,<br />
radiograph or ultrasound may<br />
be needed to see if stones are<br />
present.<br />
If stones are confirmed then<br />
they may either be removed<br />
with surgery, or an attempt<br />
can be made to dissolve the<br />
stone with a prescription diet.<br />
What your vet recommends<br />
will usually depend on<br />
whether your pet needs urgent<br />
treatment, how healthy it is<br />
and what type of stones are<br />
diagnosed by your vet (some<br />
types of stone cannot be<br />
dissolved). Surgery can be the<br />
most effective treatment, with<br />
most pets recovering quickly<br />
within a few days of their<br />
procedure.<br />
If you think your pet could<br />
have bladder stones it’s<br />
important to see your vet as<br />
soon as possible. Bladder<br />
stones can be extremely painful<br />
so it’s essential to get them<br />
treated, as well as to prevent<br />
the formation of any more.<br />
If you’d like to make an<br />
appointment for your pet, our<br />
hospital at Newport is open<br />
every day from 7am to 9pm.<br />
News<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 27
<strong>Life</strong> Stories<br />
Great<br />
Scots<br />
Long-term residents Cass and<br />
Bill Gye recount the decades of<br />
change and challenges living<br />
offshore on Scotland Island.<br />
Story by Rosamund Burton<br />
It’s Sunday afternoon and several<br />
Scotland Island residents have gathered<br />
at Church Point Wharf to enjoy a<br />
few drinks and the live music at the<br />
Waterfront Café. I am meeting Bill and<br />
Cass Gye, who arrive a few minutes late<br />
due to a problem with their outboard<br />
motor.<br />
Sitting on a bench looking across the<br />
water to Scotland Island, Cass tells me<br />
that she came here 40 years ago. Having<br />
grown up on the Northern Beaches, she<br />
was looking for somewhere to build.<br />
“I found this wonderful block at the top<br />
of the island, with a huge rock shelf and<br />
cave.” She bought the land with her partner<br />
at the time and started building. In 1980<br />
she met Bill, when he came to visit some<br />
friends, who had bought a house nearby.<br />
In 1981 Bill and Cass travelled<br />
together to India. Bill was attending a<br />
Transpersonal Conference in Mumbai,<br />
and Cass was keen to visit Mhow. Here,<br />
aged 16, her Anglo-Indian mother had<br />
married her English father, and three of<br />
her five siblings were born.<br />
Bill, it transpires, also has Asian roots.<br />
His great-grandfather was Chinese and<br />
came to Bendigo during the gold rush<br />
28<br />
in the 1850s. However, that did not<br />
precipitate Cass and Bill going to Canton.<br />
Instead, they travelled through India,<br />
Nepal and Ladakh for 18 months, then<br />
finished building the house on Scotland<br />
Island, before their daughter Tashi was<br />
born in 1985.<br />
When Cass first came here there were<br />
only 200 houses on the island. Today<br />
there are 360.<br />
“I loved it when there weren’t many<br />
people, but I also love the community<br />
now.”<br />
Scotland Island’s residents are a<br />
diverse group including people working<br />
in essential services, such as nurses and<br />
teachers, others in IT and banking, as well<br />
as many artists and musicians.<br />
“There is a certain eccentricity of the<br />
demographic, which unites people,”<br />
reflects Bill. “You’ve got to be a little brave<br />
to want to do that journey across the<br />
water every night to get home.”<br />
For a couple of years in the late ’80s<br />
Bill and Cass didn’t own a boat. Bill was<br />
doing his Masters in Cognitive Science<br />
at the University of NSW. Cass used their<br />
car, to drive from her administration<br />
job in Pyrmont in time to collect Tashi<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
from family day care and catch the ferry<br />
home each day. So, Bill used to travel via a<br />
change of buses from Kensington to Mona<br />
Vale and either catch a taxi or hitchhike<br />
to Church Point, where he’d arrive at<br />
11.30pm, and then wait at the wharf for a<br />
lift to the island.<br />
“I always got a lift – but once had to wait<br />
until 1.30am,” he says.<br />
Currently, Bill is a FIFO worker. He<br />
is CEO of Ostara Australia, the largest<br />
provider of employment services in<br />
Australia for people living with mental<br />
illness. “I fly to Melbourne on Monday<br />
morning and come home on Thursday<br />
night.” Prior to this he was General<br />
Manager for the Schizophrenia Fellowship<br />
of NSW Recovery Services, and used to<br />
drive from Church Point to Gladesville<br />
every day.<br />
Bill was awarded a Medal of the Order<br />
of Australia in 2014 for his work in social<br />
community, particularly disadvantage<br />
communities, as well as for his<br />
community service on Scotland Island.<br />
In 1992 he became President of the<br />
Scotland Island Residents’ Association, a<br />
year later Cass became the secretary, and<br />
they have contributed to the community
ever since. As committee members for<br />
many years they have grappled with the<br />
issues of the management of the dirt<br />
roads, drainage and storm water, as well as<br />
the island’s lack of water and wastewater<br />
and other infrastructure and services. On<br />
Australia Day Cass received an award for<br />
Outstanding Community Service.<br />
“Cass has the ability to influence people<br />
in a very collegial way,” Bill tells me, “and<br />
I’ve been fairly good at marshalling people<br />
together.”<br />
“We’re a bit of a double act,” interjects<br />
Cass. “Bill leads and I come from behind.”<br />
But, she stresses, they are just two of the<br />
many committee members and residents<br />
who put numerous hours into supporting<br />
the island community in a host of<br />
different ways.<br />
The kilometre-long Scotland Island<br />
does not have its own water, so residents<br />
rely on rainwater tanks and a water pipe<br />
from the mainland. For over 20 years<br />
until the end of 2016 Cass was one of<br />
two water monitors, checking meters<br />
and coordinating times for houses to<br />
get access to the island’s emergency<br />
water supply and keeping an eye on the<br />
maintenance of the waterline. Having<br />
done that job for so long means that she<br />
knows most of the island’s approximately<br />
715 inhabitants by name.<br />
“In an Island Players review one year<br />
there was a character called Queen<br />
Cassaurina, who people had to bow to,<br />
in order to get water. For a week after<br />
everyone was bowing to Cass,” Bill<br />
recounts.<br />
An issue that has consumed Bill for<br />
25 years has been the parking at Church<br />
Point. The Point, he explains, is sheltered<br />
from the wind, and is the closest landing<br />
place for most of the Scotland Island’s<br />
households, and also the 155 other<br />
offshore households at McCarrs Creek,<br />
Elvina and Towlers Bays on <strong>Pittwater</strong>’s<br />
western shore. The car ownership average<br />
for these communities is 1.23 cars per<br />
household, and all those cars need to be<br />
parked somewhere. Between 1992 and<br />
now, Bill says, he has been to 250 meetings<br />
regarding parking at Church Point.<br />
“I have 10 cardboard boxes full of old<br />
plans and minutes of the meetings, which<br />
nobody wants,” he grins. A car park, with<br />
spaces for 120 vehicles is currently being<br />
built, which Bill says will help alleviate the<br />
parking issue considerably.<br />
Bill and Cass talk about the island’s<br />
book clubs, music and theatre<br />
performances, the monthly fire shed<br />
dinners during winter, festivals and<br />
fairs and the annual Scotland Island Dog<br />
Race on Christmas Eve. The entry fee is<br />
a longneck of cold beer and a can of dog<br />
food for this 500-metre doggie paddle race<br />
from Bell Wharf to Church Point.<br />
“Sassy, the golden Labrador we’ve been<br />
looking after for the last week, won the<br />
Diesel Trophy, the award for the fastest<br />
local dog, two years in a row,” Cass<br />
recounts.<br />
But despite the camaraderie, island<br />
living isn’t for everyone.<br />
“People come here with a romantic<br />
idea of living on an island, but there are<br />
challenges,” explains Bill, such as getting<br />
over to the island in bad weather.<br />
Families often move away when the<br />
children are teenagers, because getting to<br />
and from the mainland becomes too hard.<br />
Tashi had a job at Terrey Hills Tavern as<br />
a teenager, and Cass would get in their<br />
tinnie at 1am to pick her up from the<br />
wharf.<br />
Bill and Cass make the 120-metre<br />
climb from Bell Wharf to their house via<br />
steps and dirt roads. They carry up small<br />
amounts of shopping and otherwise<br />
rely on the community vehicle funded<br />
through a community transport scheme<br />
and manned by volunteer drivers.<br />
“There’s a lot of physicality involved<br />
with living here,” Cass says, and now both<br />
well into their 60s, they are thinking about<br />
whether in 10 years’ time they’ll still be<br />
able to climb up the steps, or need to have<br />
a car on the island, or even move away.<br />
“I don’t like the idea of leaving the<br />
island or <strong>Pittwater</strong>,” says Cass. “It’s a very<br />
vibrant community, very unique, and I<br />
love being part of it.”<br />
<strong>Life</strong> Stories<br />
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Cass<br />
and Bill with their island home<br />
in the background; daughter<br />
Tashi with childhood friends;<br />
Cass and Bill dolled up for<br />
the Scotland Island Fireman’s<br />
Ball; mayhem and fun during<br />
the Christmas Eve Dog Race;<br />
accepting her Australia Day<br />
Award; the old Pasadena site<br />
at Church Point; an old land<br />
release poster for Scotland<br />
Island dating back 111 years.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 29<br />
PHOTOS: Supplied;
Art <strong>Life</strong><br />
Art <strong>Life</strong><br />
‘Cybele’ by Annette Golden<br />
Golden talent<br />
is helping to<br />
save sight<br />
What happens when a lawyer<br />
who is the head of a major<br />
company’s legal department – and<br />
who is also a talented violinist,<br />
music composer and mother of two<br />
– turns her hand to art?<br />
The results are a complexity<br />
of colour, pattern, line and form<br />
reflecting the synergies between<br />
those two powerful forms of<br />
expression – music and art. The<br />
ability to orchestrate a symphony<br />
and mix so many instruments into<br />
one comes out in the paintings of<br />
Annette Golden, where multiple<br />
images coalesce into a unified but<br />
complex and powerful work of art.<br />
Annette’s beautiful works feature<br />
imagery inspired by people, travel,<br />
conversations, memories, dreams<br />
and ideas.<br />
“I am not that special… I just enjoy<br />
painting,” says Annette, adding<br />
the words of one of her favourite<br />
artists Gustav Klimt as an insight<br />
into her and her creativity: “Whoever<br />
wants to know something about<br />
me... ought to look carefully at my<br />
pictures.”<br />
Annette is Eye Doctors Mona<br />
Vale’s feature artist for autumn; you<br />
can view and buy her works at their<br />
practice at 20 Bungan St Mona Vale<br />
from <strong>March</strong> through May – importantly,<br />
25% of the cost of each sale<br />
will be donated to support the prevention<br />
of blindness in Myanmar.<br />
Resident doctor Kwon Kang’s<br />
world-acclaimed project has taught<br />
the local doctors how to do vitreoretinal<br />
surgery; Kwon continues to<br />
visit Myanmar several times a year,<br />
improving their skills, with the aim<br />
of saving thousands of people from<br />
being totally blind over time.<br />
30<br />
Skate Park art celebrates<br />
youthful ‘possibilities’<br />
The Mona Vale Skate Park has come<br />
to life with the installation of a colourful,<br />
contemporary new public art<br />
work created by Brookvale-based artist<br />
Miguel Gonzalez.<br />
Northern Beaches Council General<br />
Manager Mark Ferguson said a<br />
dedicated working group comprising<br />
skaters, engineers and youth development<br />
staff collaborated with Miguel to<br />
design the work.<br />
“When we opened the Mona Vale<br />
skate park last September it was<br />
always our intention to bring it to life,”<br />
he told <strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong>.<br />
“The art work installed on the side<br />
of the skate ramp celebrates the park<br />
HSC graduates<br />
set to ‘Express’<br />
themselves<br />
The work of the northern<br />
beaches’ talented<br />
HSC students will again be<br />
celebrated when the monthlong<br />
<strong>2017</strong> ‘Express Yourself’<br />
exhibition opens at the Manly<br />
Art Gallery & Museum at 6pm<br />
on <strong>March</strong> 3.<br />
The vibrant and dynamic<br />
annual exhibition, showcasing<br />
the talent and creativity<br />
of the 2016 crop of HSC<br />
Visual Arts students, will be<br />
opened by Tristan Sharp,<br />
Director Programs & Engagement,<br />
Museum of Applied<br />
Arts & Sciences.<br />
Express Yourself celebrates<br />
the work of over 40 emerging<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
as being an inclusive place and the<br />
little boy depicted in a cape represents<br />
possibilities – in the skate park, it feels<br />
possible to fly.<br />
“This is an outstanding facility,<br />
which I am sure our local skating community<br />
will feel a strong attachment to<br />
for years to come,” Mr Ferguson said.<br />
Originally from Venezuela, Miguel<br />
Gonzalez is a well-known artist whose<br />
work is featured at other public venues<br />
in Sydney and across Australia.<br />
Locals are encouraged to head down<br />
to the public launch of the new artwork<br />
on Thursday <strong>March</strong> 9, from 3pm<br />
to 5pm, when attendees will be treated<br />
to live music and a BBQ.<br />
young artists from 18 secondary<br />
schools in the region<br />
and includes multi-media,<br />
digital, sculpture, graphics<br />
and drawing.<br />
The outstanding technical<br />
and artistic calibre of the<br />
works in Express Yourself<br />
reflect the artistic strength<br />
of the students in Sydney’s<br />
Northern Beaches region, and<br />
the high quality of teaching<br />
and learning in Visual Arts at<br />
the HSC level.<br />
Displayed alongside the<br />
artworks (including St Luke’s<br />
Grammar graduate Kate Farrugia’s<br />
‘Mindfulness’, above)<br />
are statements written by the<br />
students expanding on the<br />
inspirations and influences.<br />
The winners of the <strong>2017</strong><br />
Manly Art Gallery & Museum<br />
Society Youth Art Award<br />
and Theo Batten Bequest<br />
Youth Art Award will be<br />
announced on the opening<br />
night. These two awards are<br />
granted annually to students<br />
featured in the exhibition.<br />
Manly Art Gallery & Museum<br />
Society presents a $3000<br />
award and the Theo Batten<br />
Youth Art Award of $5000 is<br />
awarded to a student who is<br />
continuing tertiary studies in<br />
the arts.<br />
A feature will be the ‘Art<br />
Walk + Talk’ from 2-3pm on<br />
Saturday <strong>March</strong> 11, when the<br />
artists will walk through the<br />
exhibition and discuss their<br />
works.<br />
* The Gallery will also<br />
stage a tribute exhibition featuring<br />
15 works from the late<br />
Rod Milgate (left) from <strong>March</strong><br />
3 to April 2.
Chance for interior<br />
lovers to get creative<br />
W<br />
ith their students off campus in April, Sydney Design School<br />
are opening their doors for their Autumn short course series.<br />
This year at St Leonards they’ll be running hands-on workshops<br />
in interior decoration and styling for those with a passion for<br />
design – no experience required.<br />
“We find some people are a little self-conscious about their<br />
creative ability – so we run two-day workshops on campus to give<br />
interior enthusiasts a chance to play and build their confidence,”<br />
says Sydney Design School Director, Amanda Grace.<br />
Her hand-picked educators are all practising interior designers,<br />
architects, stylists and artists themselves which means they bring<br />
their real-world experience and energy into the classroom.<br />
Their Interior Decoration Masterclass is a sell-out each season,<br />
with would-be decorators accessing insider tips and building their<br />
own interior mood board for a space in their home.<br />
The Styling Essentials course is equally hands-on, teaching<br />
students to master the art of composing a beautiful image and<br />
capturing it for use on social media.<br />
For those with interiors experience who want to improve their<br />
presentation skills, there is also a two-day course in computer<br />
modelling software, SketchUp.<br />
Autumn School runs April 19-21; info sydneydesignschool.com.au<br />
Art <strong>Life</strong><br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 31
Boating <strong>Life</strong><br />
Boating <strong>Life</strong><br />
How a change<br />
in attitudes is<br />
changing lives<br />
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht<br />
Club prides itself on inclusion<br />
of all in the sport of sailing<br />
and on Friday 10 February<br />
the club along with ANZ Bank<br />
hosted a charity lunch for the<br />
Attitude Foundation raising<br />
awareness for social integration<br />
of those living with disabilities.<br />
More than 80 guests attended<br />
the lunch where<br />
chairman and founder of the<br />
Attitude Foundation and former<br />
Australian Disability Commissioner,<br />
Graeme Innes, spoke<br />
of the social change needed to<br />
promote better lives for those<br />
living with disabilities.<br />
“The Foundation aims to<br />
promote change through their<br />
own stories, stories of those doing<br />
work, doing sport and doing<br />
life,” he said.<br />
“These stories will help create<br />
a better understanding of what<br />
it’s like living with a disability<br />
that will change people’s attitudes<br />
and remove the barriers<br />
to promote inclusion in both<br />
society and the workforce.”<br />
Five-time Paralympic medallist<br />
in both wheelchair basketball<br />
and sailing, Liesl Tesch,<br />
spoke of the importance of the<br />
role sport plays in the promotion<br />
of change. After suffering<br />
from an accident when she<br />
was 19, Liesl told of how her<br />
discovery of wheelchair basketball<br />
opened her eyes to what<br />
she could achieve living with a<br />
disability.<br />
This passion for wheelchair<br />
basketball led to her winning<br />
silver at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics,<br />
Silver in 2004 Athens<br />
Paralympics and Bronze in the<br />
2008 Beijing Paralympics. From<br />
there her passion and competitive<br />
spirit propelled her into the<br />
sport of sailing.<br />
Meeting Daniel Fitzgibbon<br />
at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht<br />
Club, the pair teamed up and<br />
with the help of club members<br />
developed the award winning<br />
Integrated disAbled Sailing<br />
Program (IdS) which strives to<br />
encourage and assist sailors<br />
from all walks of life to participate<br />
into the club’s regular<br />
sailing program.<br />
Daniel and Liesl won gold<br />
medals at the 2012 London<br />
Paralympics and the 2016 Rio<br />
Paralympics in sailing along<br />
several world and national<br />
championships in between.<br />
As ambassadors of the IdS<br />
program, Leisl and Daniel have<br />
expanded the program to<br />
branch out to other organisations<br />
and community groups<br />
including Sailability Crystal<br />
Bay and Australia’s Soldier On<br />
organisation which assists in integrating<br />
the country’s veterans<br />
into civilian life.<br />
For the bigger picture the<br />
Attitude Foundation seeks<br />
to spread the message and<br />
encourage others to tell their<br />
story. In doing so the Foundation<br />
is raising money to produce<br />
a TV series to air on the ABC to<br />
show the stories told by those<br />
living with disabilities. To donate<br />
visit www.attitude.org.au<br />
For more info about the<br />
RPAYC IdS program visit rpayc.<br />
com.au – Stephen Collopy<br />
32<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Young <strong>Life</strong><br />
Abbotsleigh welcomes<br />
its new headmistress<br />
The 11th Headmistress<br />
of Abbotsleigh, Mrs<br />
Megan Krimmer, was<br />
officially inducted in February<br />
by the Archbishop of Sydney,<br />
the Most Reverend Dr Glenn<br />
N Davies, before a crowd that<br />
included Mrs Krimmer’s family<br />
and four past Abbotsleigh<br />
Headmistresses – Kathleen<br />
McCredie (1970-1987); Diane<br />
Nicholls OAM (1988-1996);<br />
Judith Wheeldon AM (1996-<br />
2004) and Judith Poole (2005-<br />
2016).<br />
Speaking at the service<br />
Mrs Krimmer honoured the<br />
School’s long history, saying:<br />
“Over the past 132 years<br />
Abbotsleigh has been led by<br />
10 extraordinary women of<br />
faith, wisdom and vision. I am<br />
honoured to join their rank<br />
and deeply humbled by the<br />
extraordinary support I have<br />
Book Review<br />
received from Abbotsleigh<br />
and the wider educational and<br />
Anglican communities.”<br />
Mrs Krimmer began her role<br />
as Headmistress in January<br />
<strong>2017</strong> as successor to former<br />
Headmistress Mrs Judith Poole<br />
who retired at the end of 2016<br />
after a 12-year tenure. Mrs<br />
Krimmer follows a long line<br />
of remarkable female leaders<br />
that followed after founder<br />
and first Headmistress of the<br />
School, Miss Marian Clarke<br />
(from 1885-1913).<br />
Mrs Krimmer’s<br />
commencement sees a period<br />
of new leadership at the<br />
School, with Mrs Krimmer<br />
joined by new Deputy<br />
Headmistress, Mrs Victoria<br />
Rennie – an Abbotsleigh Old<br />
Girl and current parent of<br />
students at the School.<br />
Beginning her career as an<br />
Mr Romanov’s Garden in the Sky<br />
Robert Newton<br />
Penguin Books $17.99<br />
Robert Newton, Melbourne firefighter<br />
and Prime Minister’s Literary<br />
Award-winning author, paid Beachside<br />
Bookshop a visit on the eve of<br />
publication of his latest young adult<br />
novel. He believes that the right<br />
book at the right time in someone’s<br />
life has the ability to change their<br />
path, and we believe Mr Romanov’s<br />
Garden in the Sky is one of those<br />
special books.<br />
Thirteen-year-old Lexie lives<br />
with her frequently absent mum<br />
in a housing commission tower. Lonely and trying to parent<br />
her mum, plus grieve the death of her dad, she by chance<br />
saves the life of an elderly Russian neighbour, Mr Romanov.<br />
An unlikely friendship is struck which leads to an epic road<br />
trip of self-discovery for all.<br />
Newton wrote this story to give a young girl he met in the<br />
line of duty a voice, and while some of us will never experience<br />
the big themes the characters of this novel tackle, there<br />
are readers who will. For the rest of us it’s about empathy<br />
and awareness and beautiful storytelling. We are reading Mr<br />
Romanov’s Garden in the Sky for our April parents & kids<br />
Book Club; contact us if you’d like to join.<br />
– Libby Armstrong<br />
New Abbotsleigh Headmistress Megan Krimmer (far right) with her predecessors<br />
(from left) Kathleen McCredie (1970-1987); Diane Nicholls OAM<br />
(1988-1996); Judith Wheeldon AM (1996-2004) and Judith Poole (2005-2016).<br />
English/History/Languages<br />
teacher, Mrs Krimmer has<br />
held a number of middle<br />
management and executive<br />
positions in the areas of<br />
administration, curriculum<br />
and pastoral care. Her most<br />
recent position prior to joining<br />
Abbotsleigh was as Principal<br />
of Roseville College, a position<br />
she held since 2011. Before<br />
her appointment at Roseville<br />
College, Mrs Krimmer was<br />
Director of Curriculum at<br />
Abbotsleigh, so she enters<br />
her new role as Headmistress<br />
with a strong understanding<br />
of the education of girls from<br />
Kindergarten through to Year<br />
12, as well as an appreciation<br />
of the School’s Early Learning<br />
Centre and Transition programs.<br />
Throughout her career,<br />
Mrs Krimmer has advocated<br />
strongly for the education<br />
and equality of girls, believing<br />
firmly in the importance<br />
of leadership training and<br />
‘student voice’ for girls. Mrs<br />
Krimmer holds a Bachelor of<br />
Arts, Diploma in Education<br />
and a Masters of Education<br />
from the University of Sydney<br />
and is recognised as a leader<br />
amongst her peers. She is<br />
currently the President of<br />
the Association of Heads of<br />
Independent Girls’ Schools<br />
(AHIGS) and a member of the<br />
Executive of the Association of<br />
Heads of Independent Schools<br />
of Australia (AHISA).<br />
Young <strong>Life</strong><br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 33
Surfing <strong>Life</strong><br />
Print wipeout: are surf<br />
mags a dying trend?<br />
with Nick Carroll<br />
Surfing <strong>Life</strong><br />
No doubt you’ve heard it<br />
before. “Print is dead.”<br />
This reductive sorta<br />
judgment has been bandied<br />
about in media circles, in<br />
surfing as much as anywhere,<br />
for over a decade now.<br />
But in late January, when<br />
SURFING magazine actually<br />
closed its doors, surfers<br />
worldwide got a bit of a<br />
shock.<br />
The California-based<br />
SURFING had been in<br />
continuous publication<br />
since 1964. As one of the<br />
two biggest surf mags in<br />
the world for much of the<br />
past 53 years (the other one<br />
being close rival SURFER), it<br />
34<br />
1964 1975-76 1984<br />
defined the modern trend<br />
toward high-energy highperformance<br />
surfing for<br />
generations of readers.<br />
At its peak in 1989, it sold<br />
over 120,000 copies a month,<br />
employed 38 people full-time<br />
and a couple of dozen parttime,<br />
and booked up to half<br />
a million dollars’ worth of<br />
advertising per issue, much<br />
of it from the surging young<br />
lions of the new surf industry<br />
of the day: Gotcha, Quiksilver,<br />
Body Glove and many more.<br />
A social and economic<br />
powerhouse, in fact! Yet the<br />
rise and decline of SURFING<br />
magazine tells a bigger story,<br />
about how its subject and<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
readership has swung with<br />
social change.<br />
When it began publishing<br />
as ‘International Surfing’<br />
in the early 1960s, modern<br />
surfing was still in its birth<br />
throes. The Baby Boomers<br />
were still almost just that,<br />
babies: a third of the US<br />
West Coast’s population<br />
was under 21 years of age.<br />
The lightweight foam and<br />
fibreglass Malibu surfboard<br />
was on sale everywhere to<br />
these kids, with their new-car<br />
mobility and desire to explore<br />
the world.<br />
Like those kids, SURFING<br />
took a while to figure out who<br />
it really was. In 1967 it briefly<br />
left SURFER in the dust,<br />
rolling with psychedelia and<br />
the shortboard revolution,<br />
before settling into a bimonthly<br />
groove – a sort of<br />
stoned stability that matched<br />
its 10,000-odd readers.<br />
That lasted until 1975,<br />
when the tendrils of the<br />
new pro surfing movement<br />
began to snake their<br />
ways into California’s surf<br />
consciousness. SURFER, the<br />
self-proclaimed “bible of<br />
the sport”, turned its nose<br />
up at this tomfoolery, but<br />
SURFING’s young editor, Dave<br />
Gilovich, saw a chance to do<br />
what all good editors do –<br />
separate your mag from the<br />
competition. SURFER might<br />
be the bible, but SURFING’s<br />
tagline read, “The Hot One!”<br />
In 1978 the mag was<br />
bought by Australian emigre<br />
Clyde Packer. Clyde signed<br />
off on a monthly publication<br />
schedule and gave his young<br />
staff its head. They dragged<br />
in brilliant LA designer Mike<br />
Salisbury and turned SURFING<br />
into a bright, brash showcase<br />
for the surf stars of the<br />
1980s. And everything lit up.<br />
The magazine kept finding<br />
new readers – the “echo<br />
boomer” generation, who
1992 2005 2013<br />
wanted to reject everything<br />
their boring 1960s parents<br />
had stood for. In that late<br />
’80s boom time, its average<br />
reader age got down to just<br />
under 17. SURFER’s publisher<br />
tried to disparage it with<br />
the nickname “Teen Beat” –<br />
but that was just what the<br />
advertisers wanted to hear.<br />
The recession of 1991<br />
hit that whole construct<br />
– advertisers and readers<br />
– hard. But magazine sales<br />
stayed bravely above 70,000,<br />
and rebounded with the<br />
emergence of sensational<br />
Kelly Slater and his generation<br />
of young wizards. SURFING<br />
spent the 1990s perfecting<br />
the role of conduit between<br />
Kelly and crew and their<br />
expanding fan-base – still<br />
youthful, yet less brash<br />
and more given to opening<br />
up new areas of surf, like<br />
Indonesia’s Mentawais chain<br />
and Tahiti’s Teahupoo.<br />
1999’s dot-com bubble<br />
had everyone predicting the<br />
End of Print. But the dot-com<br />
bubble came and went with<br />
little effect on magazines –<br />
specially not on the sharp<br />
niche press like SURFING.<br />
What did change was the<br />
ownership. A terminally ill<br />
Clyde Packer sold the title and<br />
its associated publications<br />
to a big New York publishing<br />
house for just over $20<br />
million.<br />
In one way this sealed<br />
SURFING’s fate. Magazines –<br />
all media really – exist in the<br />
tension between ownership<br />
and readership; once you’re<br />
a niche publication in a big<br />
corporate structure, things<br />
are bound to go south. A few<br />
years and acquisitions later,<br />
SURFING, SURFER and a third<br />
younger rival, Transworld<br />
Surf, were all under the same<br />
corporate roof, forced to<br />
share offices and even ad<br />
sales staff, trying desperately<br />
to chase readerships that<br />
were diffusing just as the<br />
mags themselves were<br />
congealing.<br />
Then came smartphones<br />
and social media, and<br />
that pretty much killed off<br />
SURFING’s raison d’etre – its<br />
role as conduit. What kid in<br />
a shrinking kids’ surf market<br />
needed “The Hot One” to<br />
check John John Florence’s<br />
latest clip? What surf star<br />
needed a mag when he or<br />
she had Instagram? The<br />
publication went back to eight<br />
per year, and recent sales had<br />
declined to something close<br />
to its 1975 average of 10,000.<br />
In the end – a very <strong>2017</strong><br />
end – SURFING was killed via<br />
corporate rationalising. It was<br />
it or SURFER, and “the bible”<br />
sounded better. One of the<br />
staff was game enough to<br />
offer just over $3 million for<br />
the title, but the corporates<br />
knocked it back, clearly<br />
thinking it was worth that just<br />
to prevent competition.<br />
In SURFING magazine’s 53<br />
years, Australia and the US<br />
saw 256 separate surfing titles<br />
come and go. Only a handful<br />
still exist, mostly surviving on<br />
niches within the niche: mostly<br />
older or more artisanally<br />
minded readers, who like the<br />
physical feel of a publication<br />
and who have the money to<br />
PL’s MARCH SURF CALENDAR<br />
<strong>March</strong> 14-25: WSL Championship Tour, Quiksilver and<br />
Roxy Pros, Snapper Rocks, Qld<br />
Two of the world’s biggest pro events kick off this year’s world<br />
championship tour. We say “biggest” not because of the prizemoney<br />
or entry list – they’re the same as any other CT event –<br />
but because of the crowd. More people show up to watch, surf,<br />
and have a holiday around this Queensland behemoth than any<br />
event except perhaps Rio de Janeiro. The crowd puts a lot of<br />
pressure on the pros, both during practice sessions (ever been<br />
asked for an autograph in a surf zone?) and in the closely observed<br />
heats, where every surfer’s every move is fully visible 50<br />
metres away across the famed Snapper “superbank” sandbar.<br />
Whatever else, the winners always earn this one. Watch it live at<br />
www.worldsurfleague.com (app also available there)<br />
NICK’S MARCH SURF FORECAST<br />
If you reckon the heat’s switched off now, you might have cause<br />
to think again. The monsoon trough that caused all that dead<br />
air to build up in western NSW and pour like fetid syrup over<br />
the coastal range on several too many occasions in January<br />
and February is still there, and it would not surprise us at all to<br />
see one or two more such occasions in the first coupla weeks<br />
of this month. But we sense the back end of <strong>March</strong> will be<br />
something different, as a late cyclone season takes hold of the<br />
SW Pacific and sends down some extra-tropical magic. It’s<br />
just a gut feeling, mind, but it’s encouraged by a strengthening<br />
easterly tradewind band between here and Tahiti and some very<br />
warm surface waters across the whole region. The whole thing<br />
is just waiting to blow, and if it does, late <strong>March</strong> might be some<br />
of the best surf this year. Watch for fairly calm days ahead of<br />
that period, with light winds interspersed with occasional southeasterlies<br />
and not a vast amount of swell. If you see any, get it<br />
while it lasts.<br />
Nick Carroll<br />
dead, but like surfing, it’s<br />
definitely middle-aged.<br />
Nick Carroll is a leading<br />
(*I should reveal here that I Australian and international<br />
wrote for SURFING it its glory surf writer, author, filmmaker<br />
years and was editor-in-chief<br />
and surfer, and one<br />
of Clyde Packer’s Californian of Newport’s own. Email:<br />
magazine stable from 1991 to<br />
pay for it. Print’s not quite 1997.)<br />
ncsurf@ozemail.com.au<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 35<br />
Surfing <strong>Life</strong>
Seniors Health Special<br />
‘ACTIVE’<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
Over the following pages, you’ll find general and specialist information on health issues<br />
affecting seniors, with simple messages to assist. Plus, tips from local experts will help<br />
you manage your health and wellbeing - so you can age well! Compiled by Lisa Offord<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
HEALTHY AGEING<br />
We have known for ages that healthy<br />
eating and being active is important<br />
to staying well and strong and it’s never<br />
too late to start paying attention to what<br />
you put into your mouth and how you use<br />
your body.<br />
Enjoying a wide variety of foods in the<br />
right amounts will ensure you are getting<br />
all the nutrients your body needs; while<br />
sitting less and moving more is good for<br />
your heart, your bones, flexibility and<br />
balance.<br />
Although you can’t control every factor<br />
that affects your health, adopting other<br />
habits – such as staying up-to-date with<br />
immunisations and health screenings and<br />
having regular dental, vision and hearing<br />
check-ups, taking steps to ensure you<br />
are getting enough sleep, learning about<br />
common conditions and how to manage<br />
them and staying safe and connected –<br />
will help you age well.<br />
Healthy eating<br />
As you age your nutritional needs change.<br />
For example, older adults need more<br />
calcium and vitamin D to help maintain<br />
bone health and can often find they<br />
need to eat more high-fibre foods (fruits,<br />
vegetable and whole grains) and drink<br />
more water to prevent constipation as the<br />
digestive system slows down with age.<br />
The National Health and Medical<br />
Research Council (eatforhealth.gov.au)<br />
recommends guidelines for maximum<br />
vitality, health and energy in people of<br />
all ages and life stages and provides<br />
36<br />
details on how many serves of food you<br />
need to eat every day, tips for eating well<br />
and healthy recipes. Also, check out The<br />
Heart Foundation and Diabetes Australia<br />
websites for easy-to-follow healthy eating<br />
tips and recipes.<br />
Make your move<br />
Too much time spent sitting around and<br />
not enough time being physically active is<br />
bad for your health.<br />
If you have always exercised keep it up<br />
to the best of your ability.<br />
If you haven’t been active in a while or<br />
you have a chronic health condition talk<br />
with your doctor or a health and fitness<br />
professional about the type and amount<br />
of activity suitable for you.<br />
And remember… the old saying “no<br />
pain, no gain” no longer rings true. If you<br />
feel pain, slow down or stop!<br />
The Australian Physical Activity<br />
and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines<br />
recommend people aged 65 years and<br />
over focus on four types of activities.<br />
Try to include at least one from each<br />
group:<br />
n Moderate activities for your heart,<br />
lungs and blood vessels for 30 minutes<br />
on most days. These include brisk<br />
walking, continuous swimming, golf,<br />
cycling, washing the car, walking the<br />
dog, gardening, tennis, water aerobics<br />
and dancing.<br />
n Strength activities to maintain your<br />
bones two or three times a week. These<br />
include weight, strength or resistance<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
training, lifting and carrying, climbing<br />
stairs, push-ups.<br />
n Flexibility activities to help you move<br />
more easily such as Tai Chi, bowls, yoga<br />
and dancing.<br />
n Exercises to improve balance and help<br />
prevent falls.<br />
(See opposite page for tips from some of<br />
our local experts.)<br />
Healthy sleep<br />
Sleep changes as we age, becoming lighter<br />
and more interrupted. There are however<br />
things you can do to improve the situation.<br />
Most adults need between seven and nine<br />
hours of sleep each day – in older people<br />
this sleep may not all occur at night (nap or<br />
after dinner snooze anyone?).<br />
To sleep well:<br />
n Keep regular times for going to bed and<br />
waking up.<br />
n Relax an hour before going to bed.<br />
n If you are in the habit of taking naps, do<br />
not exceed 45 minutes of daytime sleep.<br />
n Avoid caffeine at least four hours before<br />
bedtime.<br />
n Be aware that alcohol in the evening can<br />
interfere with sleep.<br />
n Exercise regularly, but not right before<br />
bed.<br />
n Avoid going to bed on a full or empty<br />
stomach.<br />
n If you cannot fall asleep after 20 minutes<br />
in bed go to another room until you feel<br />
tired again.<br />
n Get some sunlight during the day.
If you are having trouble falling asleep or<br />
not getting enough quality sleep and feeling<br />
sleepy during the day talk to your doctor.<br />
Sometimes certain medications can<br />
affect your sleep; also some sleep<br />
disorders such as insomnia and obstructive<br />
sleep apnoea are more common in the<br />
elderly but with diagnosis and care they<br />
can be treated and even prevented.<br />
People tend to fall<br />
off the exercise<br />
bandwagon with the<br />
arrival of the kids<br />
and/or heavy work<br />
commitments through<br />
our 30s and 40s, says<br />
Warwick Sargeant of<br />
Avalon Physiotherapy.<br />
“Bad patterns tend to<br />
extend into our senior<br />
years when some of us<br />
have already picked up a<br />
little blood pressure and<br />
cholesterol and obesity<br />
and maybe even Type 2<br />
Diabetes,” he said.<br />
“We see a lot of people<br />
who have an ongoing<br />
niggling injury which<br />
is certainly treatable<br />
by us in the short term<br />
but more importantly a<br />
symptom in itself of a<br />
larger issue such as the<br />
loss of general condition<br />
or fitness… especially<br />
in the postural muscle<br />
groups of the spine and<br />
pelvis.<br />
“We always assist our<br />
patients with a specific<br />
solution but include<br />
a return to a general<br />
exercise as a very<br />
important part of the<br />
total resolution,” he said.<br />
Find something you enjoy<br />
Warwick stressed: “It<br />
doesn’t really matter<br />
what the form of exercise<br />
is.”<br />
“The two most<br />
important factors<br />
are that you somewhat<br />
enjoy the activity and<br />
that you actually keep<br />
doing it... if you don’t<br />
enjoy it, you won’t.”<br />
Walking, swimming,<br />
cycling, playing ball<br />
sports like tennis,<br />
kayaking, aquarobics,<br />
aerobics, circuit training,<br />
Pilates, Tai Chi, yoga all<br />
have benefits to your<br />
health if you keep them<br />
up, he said.<br />
“Combinations of these<br />
give variety and if you<br />
can alternate between<br />
a leg-based fitness<br />
(walking, cycling) and<br />
arm-based (swimming,<br />
racquet sports) then you<br />
tend to get more all-over<br />
muscle group coverage.”<br />
Warwick says five<br />
important things to<br />
keep in mind are:<br />
You have to puff a<br />
1. bit. “Exercise at a rate<br />
or a speed that makes<br />
you a little breathless. By<br />
that I mean you can still<br />
maintain a conversation<br />
but you pant between<br />
phrases. Try to exercise<br />
for 20 to 25 mins.”<br />
Use the local terrain<br />
2. and/facilities.<br />
“Choose interesting<br />
local walks, use the local<br />
pool or <strong>Pittwater</strong> to swim<br />
or kayak on. So it is<br />
handy and you have no<br />
excuse for not returning.”<br />
Keep good posture<br />
3. throughout. “Even<br />
though you may not be<br />
doing a specific back<br />
exercise, by keeping<br />
good erect posture<br />
throughout the activity<br />
you will be toning those<br />
muscles adjacent to<br />
your spine without even<br />
trying.”<br />
Don’t push yourself<br />
4. too hard or you<br />
won’t return.<br />
Think about what<br />
5. you used to like<br />
doing when you were at<br />
high school and it will<br />
help you select a fun<br />
activity.<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Get ‘back’ on track<br />
Of all of the predictors of back pain<br />
and degeneration there is one that<br />
has a significantly larger amount<br />
of evidence, that being sedentary<br />
lifestyle – in other words, not<br />
moving your body enough, says<br />
Doctor of Chiropractic, Sam Garner<br />
from Avalon Beach Chiropractic &<br />
Wellness.<br />
“Our body was designed to move<br />
through the full range of motion of all<br />
of its joints; when we do not deliver<br />
this movement to the body, the joints<br />
begin to stiffen up and over time it<br />
can lead to permanent loss of motion<br />
and degeneration,” Sam said.<br />
He said when patients attend<br />
a Chiropractor, treatment such<br />
as mobilisation, chiropractic<br />
adjustments, dry needling, massage<br />
and rehabilitative exercises and<br />
stretches are given to alleviate pain<br />
and restore normal motion.<br />
“It is essential after treatment in<br />
order to prevent problems coming<br />
back (or occurring in the first place)<br />
to regularly move our bodies through<br />
their full range of motion.<br />
“For elderly members of our<br />
community with degenerative<br />
conditions I recommend water-based<br />
activity which may be as simple as<br />
walking back and forth in the water,<br />
swimming or water aerobics – due<br />
to the buoyancy in water there is<br />
minimal pressure on the joints while<br />
strengthening the surrounding<br />
muscles and allowing healthy<br />
movement.<br />
“Other gentle activity such as<br />
Tai Chi, gentle yoga and specific<br />
exercises directed by a Chiropractor<br />
or other health care professional are<br />
recommended,” he said.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 37
Seniors Health Special<br />
STAYING STRONG<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
There are plenty of things you can do<br />
to help prevent and/or manage the<br />
physical problems associated with<br />
ageing... the key is knowledge.<br />
Arthritis<br />
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more<br />
of your joints it is the leading cause of<br />
pain and disability. The main symptoms<br />
of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness,<br />
which typically worsen with age. The two<br />
main types of arthritis osteoarthritis and<br />
rheumatoid arthritis damage joints in<br />
different ways.<br />
Risk factors include<br />
n Being overweight.<br />
n Having a previous injury.<br />
n Repetitive use of joints.<br />
n Family history.<br />
n Smoking.<br />
What you can do<br />
The impact of arthritis on normal<br />
activities and lifestyle varies from person<br />
to person but there are things you can do<br />
to help manage the symptoms:<br />
n Maintain a healthy weight – being<br />
overweight can increase complications<br />
of arthritis.<br />
n Stay active… and know when to rest.<br />
n Learn how to manage pain and flareups<br />
and don’t try to ignore chronic pain<br />
– talk to your doctor.<br />
n Talk to your pharmacist to check you<br />
are taking medications correctly.<br />
Contact Arthritis Australia for more<br />
information arthritisaustralia.com.au<br />
Osteoporosis<br />
Bone health is a priority for over-50s.<br />
Osteoporosis is a condition where the<br />
bones become fragile and brittle, and<br />
can fracture more easily than normal<br />
38<br />
bones. Even minor falls can cause serious<br />
fractures. Osteoporosis affects women<br />
and men, however women are at greater<br />
risk because of the rapid decline in<br />
oestrogen levels during menopause. When<br />
oestrogen levels decrease bones lose<br />
calcium and other minerals at a much<br />
faster rate. Men also lose bone as they<br />
age however their bone mass remains<br />
adequate till later in life because of<br />
testosterone levels. It is important to try to<br />
prevent the development of osteoporosis<br />
– or at least treat it as early as possible so<br />
you can minimise its effects.<br />
Risk factors include<br />
n Little or no physical activity.<br />
n Smoking.<br />
n High alcohol intake.<br />
n Thin body build or excessive weight.<br />
n Low calcium intake.<br />
n Low hormone levels – in women: early<br />
menopause; in men: low testosterone.<br />
n A direct relative who has an<br />
osteoporotic fracture.<br />
n Conditions leading to malabsorption<br />
such as coeliac disease.<br />
n Rheumatoid arthritis, chronic liver<br />
disease or kidney failure.<br />
n A history of thyroid problems.<br />
n Long-term drug treatment with<br />
corticosteroids.<br />
n Some medicines for breast cancer,<br />
prostate cancer, epilepsy and some<br />
antidepressants.<br />
What you can do<br />
n Strong bones require a lifelong intake<br />
of calcium, adequate Vitamin D and a<br />
healthy, active lifestyle.<br />
n Check you are getting enough calcium.<br />
If your diet does not contain enough<br />
calcium or your do not get regular sun<br />
exposure your doctor may suggest you<br />
take supplements.<br />
n Vitamin D is also essential for healthy<br />
Mental health and wellbeing<br />
Studies of mental health and wellbeing in old age generally paint a positive<br />
picture however symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety among older<br />
people can be easily missed.<br />
According to beyondblue symptoms such as sadness, sleep and appetite<br />
problems or mood changes may be dismissed as a ‘normal’ part of getting older.<br />
Symptoms such as poor concentration and memory difficulties may also be<br />
confused with other conditions such as dementia.<br />
It’s normal to feel sad or moody or down from time to time but if these<br />
feelings are preventing you from getting the most out of life, help and support is<br />
available… not matter what your age.<br />
Asking your doctor for advice about your mental health is a good first start – if<br />
necessary they can refer you to services that best suit your needs.<br />
For more information go to www.beyondblue.org.au<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
bones. It is formed by the action of<br />
sunlight on the skin, and plays an<br />
important role in increasing calcium<br />
absorption from foods.<br />
n Regular exercise is important for bone<br />
strength, maintaining balance and<br />
preventing falls.<br />
Contact Osteoporosis Australia for more<br />
information osteoporosis.org.au<br />
Bladder and bowel health<br />
As you age your pelvic floor muscles –<br />
the ‘sling’ of muscles that supports the<br />
bladder, bowel and uterus in women and<br />
the bladder and bowel in men – may stretch<br />
and weaken. This can cause incontinence –<br />
the leakage of urine, faeces or wind when<br />
you do not mean it to happen. The good<br />
news is for many people simple exercises<br />
can help prevent problems.<br />
Risk factors include<br />
A number of factors may contribute to<br />
pelvic floor muscles weakening including:<br />
n In women, the effect of pregnancy and<br />
childbirth and changes in hormone<br />
levels after menopause.<br />
n Being overweight.<br />
n Chronic constipation.<br />
n Chronic cough.<br />
n Frequent lifting of heavy objects.<br />
What you can do<br />
n Eat plenty of high fibre from a wide<br />
variety of foods, to avoid constipation.<br />
n Maintain a healthy body weight.<br />
n If you smoke stop. Chronic coughing<br />
associated with smoking can weaken<br />
your pelvic floor.<br />
n When using the toilet, sit down properly<br />
with your feet firmly supported. This<br />
helps to fully relax your pelvic floor and<br />
sphincter muscles. Also, don’t strain.<br />
n Don’t get into the habit of going to the<br />
toilet “just in case”. Go only when you<br />
need to.<br />
n Visit your doctor if you suspect a<br />
urinary tract infection or if you have<br />
ongoing respiratory problems.<br />
n Daily exercise helps stimulate<br />
movement of the bowel and keeps your<br />
weight healthy.<br />
n Avoid heavy lifting as this weakens your<br />
pelvic floor.<br />
n Do pelvic floor exercises regularly.<br />
There are a number of health<br />
professionals that specialise in the area of<br />
continence who you can turn to for help.<br />
The Continence Foundation<br />
(continence.org.au) recommends talking<br />
to your doctor or a continence nurse<br />
advisor on the National Continence<br />
Helpline 1800 33 00 66 to help determine<br />
the best course of action.
Dental<br />
Health<br />
Regular oral health check-ups<br />
will help you retain your<br />
natural teeth, manage issues<br />
and encourage optimal health.<br />
Lynch Dental in Avalon has<br />
introduced a new member to<br />
the team, Oral Health Therapist<br />
Patricia Li (above) who has a<br />
special interest in maintaining<br />
the health of the elderly<br />
population.<br />
Key issues as you age<br />
include gum disease, managing<br />
restorative work and dentures<br />
and dry mouth.<br />
Regular dental check-ups for<br />
patients with dentures were<br />
essential to reduce the risk of<br />
developing fungal infections<br />
and ensuring they are kept in<br />
good condition.<br />
Certain medications can<br />
also dry out the mouth, which<br />
not only affects speech but<br />
increases the risk of oral<br />
bacteria which can lead to<br />
serious health problems.<br />
To reduce the risk of complex<br />
oral health conditions the<br />
health professionals at Lynch<br />
Dental recommend booking an<br />
appointment every six months.<br />
Dentists will professionally<br />
clean and scale your teeth, pick<br />
up on any little issues before<br />
they become more problematic,<br />
check your overall oral health<br />
and refresh your understanding<br />
of correct tooth brushing and<br />
flossing techniques.<br />
Calcium boost<br />
Osteoporosis Australia<br />
says three to four<br />
servings of dairy products<br />
(e.g. glass of milk, tub of<br />
yoghurt, slice of cheese) each<br />
day will generally provide you<br />
with the recommended daily<br />
calcium intake for adults of<br />
1000mg/day.<br />
In older adults, calcium<br />
is absorbed less effectively<br />
and more can be lost<br />
through the kidneys so<br />
intake needs to be<br />
maintained at a higher level<br />
– recommended calcium<br />
intake increases to 1300mg<br />
per day for women over 50<br />
and men over 70.<br />
Tips for increasing<br />
calcium intake:<br />
n Try products fortified<br />
with calcium (e.g. some<br />
breakfast cereals).<br />
n Eat canned salmon or<br />
sardines which contain<br />
bones.<br />
n Use yoghurt in soups and<br />
salads.<br />
n Try soy based products<br />
and tofu that contain<br />
calcium.<br />
n Include broccoli, Bok Choy,<br />
silverbeet, cucumber,<br />
celery, and chickpeas in<br />
your regular diet.<br />
n Eat almonds, dried figs<br />
and dried apricots.<br />
Pharmacy weighs in on<br />
Complementary medicine<br />
An increasing number of<br />
Australians are choosing<br />
to use some form of complementary<br />
medicine – but<br />
many of them are unaware of<br />
important things to consider.<br />
Complementary medicine<br />
– also known as traditional or<br />
alternative medicine –includes<br />
a wide range of therapies,<br />
vitamin, mineral, herbal, aromatherapy<br />
and homoeopathic<br />
products, said pharmacist<br />
Wayne Miller of Newport<br />
Pharmacy.<br />
“There are therapies and<br />
products that don’t work or<br />
are unsafe but there are many<br />
others with good evidence of<br />
effectiveness and safety that<br />
are becoming more widely<br />
used in conventional medicine,”<br />
Wayne said.<br />
It is estimated that more<br />
than two thirds of Australians<br />
use complementary medicines<br />
and spend four to six<br />
billion dollars a year on them.<br />
“Clearly many see a benefit<br />
in the products; however<br />
many companies also see a<br />
great opportunity to make<br />
money marketing products<br />
of little or no benefit… if it<br />
sounds too good to be true, it<br />
usually is,” he said.<br />
Wayne stressed just because<br />
a product was “natural”<br />
it was not necessarily “safe”.<br />
“Heroin comes from the<br />
poppy plant and in high<br />
doses is fatal… Potassium is<br />
a natural mineral but if you<br />
get too much it will stop your<br />
heart.”<br />
“Any product that affects<br />
your body’s highly regulated<br />
balance, even when intended<br />
for good, can have negative<br />
side effects or interact with<br />
other prescription medicine<br />
to make them less effective<br />
or possibly toxic,” he<br />
explained.<br />
Ask your pharmacist or talk<br />
to your doctor before taking<br />
any complementary medicine<br />
and always inform your<br />
doctor of any complementary<br />
medicines you take, so they<br />
can make the best decisions<br />
for your health when<br />
prescribing medications or<br />
treatments.<br />
“It is your body and your<br />
choice as to what medicines<br />
you do or do not take.<br />
“Your health care professional<br />
such as your doctor or<br />
pharmacist are available to<br />
help you make an informed<br />
choice,” Wayne said. – LO<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Note: This special feature is intended as a general introduction to the topic and in no way should be seen as substitute for your<br />
own doctor’s or registered health professional’s advice. Prepared utilising information from the National Health and Medical<br />
Research Council, The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines, Sleep<br />
Health Foundation, Arthritis Australia, Osteoporosis Australia, Continence Foundation, beyondblue and myagedcare.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 39
Seniors Health Special<br />
Seniors: The more you<br />
do, the more you can do<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Research shows that being<br />
connected and social can<br />
improve physical health<br />
and emotional wellbeing – the<br />
more you do, the more you<br />
can do.<br />
There’s always plenty to do<br />
in <strong>Pittwater</strong> and this month,<br />
when NSW celebrates the<br />
Seniors Festival, is a great opportunity<br />
to explore activities<br />
and services available close<br />
to home. Here are 20 local<br />
events to tap into.<br />
Fitness, health<br />
and wellbeing<br />
Exercises for<br />
independence<br />
Get a taste of the seven best<br />
exercises to help maintain<br />
your independence. Morning<br />
tea provided. Wed 8 from<br />
10.45-11.45 at Avalon Annex.<br />
Free. Bookings required call<br />
Mitch at Be Mobile Physiotherapy<br />
1300 859 509.<br />
Window shopping<br />
Get in some free exercise<br />
walking in total comfort rain,<br />
hail or shine supervised by a<br />
qualified trainer. Mon 6, 13<br />
and 20 and Wed 8, 15 and 22<br />
from 7.30-8.30am at Warriewood<br />
Square. Contact Becky<br />
0416 087 893.<br />
Try <strong>Life</strong>ball<br />
Similar to netball,<br />
<strong>Life</strong>ball is played at<br />
a walking pace. Mon<br />
6, 13 and 20 from<br />
11am-12.30pm Ted<br />
Blackwoood Hall<br />
Warriewood. Call<br />
Trevor 0416 050<br />
540.<br />
Beginners<br />
square<br />
dancing<br />
Learn simple dance<br />
moves and watch<br />
how good you can<br />
40<br />
become with practice on Tue<br />
7, 14 and 21 from 7.45-9pm at<br />
Ted Blackwood Hall Warriewood,<br />
Free RSVP by <strong>March</strong> 5<br />
Newport Ocean Waves Square<br />
Dancing Club 0475 821 976.<br />
Scottish Country<br />
Dancing<br />
Scottish Country Dancing is<br />
fun and easy to do. All experience<br />
welcome, no need for a<br />
partner at the Nelson Heather<br />
Centre Warriewood, Thurs 16<br />
and 23 from 2-4pm. $2 per<br />
session, bookings required<br />
call Noreen 0413 033 526.<br />
Wetlands walk<br />
Explore the unique Warriewood<br />
Wetlands. Thurs 9 from<br />
10.30am-12.30pm. Free, bookings<br />
essential RSVP by <strong>March</strong><br />
8 on 1300 000 232.<br />
Creative activities<br />
Art<br />
Get a feel for the regular art<br />
class run by Avalon Active<br />
Seniors group by meeting<br />
other students and an artist<br />
who will give a demonstration<br />
and tutorial. Mon 13 from<br />
1-3pm at Avalon Rec Centre.<br />
Call Carol 0413 666 406.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
Music<br />
Enjoy an afternoon of music<br />
with performances by U3A students<br />
from the singing, ukulele,<br />
recorder and acoustic guitar<br />
classes. Sat 18 from 2-4pm<br />
Narrabeen Baptist Church. RSVP<br />
Ruth 0401 203 368<br />
Photography<br />
Learn the tricks of the trade<br />
and how to shoot incredible<br />
pictures on your basic digital<br />
camera, phone or tablet on<br />
Wed 22 from 10-11.30m. At<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> Village Mona Vale.<br />
Free. Contact Deborah 9979<br />
5385.<br />
Social clubs and<br />
activities<br />
Fun and games<br />
Join Northern Beaches Creative<br />
Leisure and Learning for<br />
a morning of fun with cards<br />
and board games. Fri 3 and<br />
17 from 10am-12pm Nelson<br />
Health Centre Warriewood.<br />
RSVP Maureen 9913 1474.<br />
Lawn Bowls<br />
Avalon Bowling Club members<br />
will be on hand to<br />
encourage vision-impaired<br />
people to keep up or take up<br />
lawn bowls. Bowls provided,<br />
wear flat-soled shoes. Tue 7<br />
from 10am-12.30pm. Avalon<br />
Bowling Club. Free, bookings<br />
required by <strong>March</strong> 3; call<br />
Maureen 0412 092<br />
771.<br />
Discover<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
Youth Hostel<br />
Catch the ferry<br />
from Church Point<br />
to Hall’s Wharf<br />
and be guided to<br />
the <strong>Pittwater</strong> YHA<br />
where you will<br />
enjoy presentations<br />
and a morning<br />
tea. Wed 8 from<br />
9.20am-12pm;<br />
bookings required<br />
call Sharelle 9970<br />
1600.<br />
Toy workshop<br />
Learn about the Peninsula<br />
Seniors Toy Recyclers Group.<br />
Lunch provided. Tue 14, from<br />
9.30-11.30am. 169a Mona<br />
Vale Rd Terrey Hills. Free;<br />
RSVP by <strong>March</strong> 9. Call Matina<br />
9942 2732.<br />
Volunteer bushcare<br />
Join a one of council’s<br />
bushcare groups. Improve<br />
the wildlife habitat, remove<br />
weeds, replant native species<br />
and encourage healthy bush.<br />
No experience necessary all<br />
tools provided. Call Michael<br />
9942 2766 to find out about a<br />
group near you.<br />
Education and<br />
information<br />
eBooks and<br />
eAudiobooks<br />
Learn how to access Mona Vale<br />
Library’s collection of eBooks<br />
and eAudiobooks using your<br />
iPad. Mon 6, from 3-4.30pm;<br />
Wed 8, 10-11.30am or 11.30am-<br />
1pm; Fri 24, 10-11.30am. Free;<br />
bookings essential call Catherine<br />
9970 1600.<br />
Seniors fete<br />
A mixture of stalls and information<br />
for older members of the<br />
community and carers run by<br />
Anglicare at St John’s Church,<br />
Mona Vale. Thurs 9 from 11am-<br />
2pm. Call Jenna 9979 6832.<br />
Help to stay put<br />
Discover the support available<br />
to allow you to stay at home as<br />
you or a loved one ages. Find<br />
out how My Aged Care and<br />
other services work. Fri 10,<br />
from 10am-12pm at Northern<br />
Beaches Community College.<br />
Bookings call Kim 9970 1000.<br />
Stress-free downsizing<br />
Join downsizing expert Belinda<br />
Grundy to work out what to<br />
sell, keep and dispose of before<br />
you organise your downsize so
you don’t feel overwhelmed. At<br />
Dee Why RSL Club on Tues 7,<br />
11am-12.30pm or Mon 20 from<br />
2.30-4pm or 6-7.30pm. RSVP<br />
Belinda on 0433400 139.<br />
Legal and Financial<br />
matters<br />
The NSW Trustee and Guardian<br />
presents on wills, appointing<br />
an executor, power of<br />
attorney and guardianship;<br />
a local hostel and nursing<br />
home representative will talk<br />
about residential care options<br />
and access; and an aged<br />
care specialist will discuss<br />
financial maters. Fri 10 from<br />
12.30-3pm. $10 afternoon tea<br />
provided. Mona Vale Library<br />
Pelican Room RSVP by <strong>March</strong><br />
8, call Robyn 9931 7750.<br />
NBN and smart devices<br />
Find out about the NBN and<br />
also how to get the best out<br />
of your phones, iPads and<br />
tablets overseas. Tue 14 from<br />
1.30-3.30pm at Newport Community<br />
Centre. Call Gregory,<br />
Avalon Computer Pals for<br />
Seniors 0408 795 371.<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 41
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Buying a hearing aid: are<br />
you getting value for money?<br />
These days, there are<br />
plenty of options for<br />
purchasing hearing<br />
aids. You can go to a large<br />
retail outlet, purchase online,<br />
or visit an independent<br />
audiologist in a Hearing<br />
Clinic. The price of hearing<br />
aids is often cheaper when<br />
purchasing online – but<br />
what exactly are you paying<br />
for, and what are the<br />
hidden costs, or long-term<br />
implications of your hearing<br />
aid purchase?<br />
Local audiologist Emma<br />
van Wanrooy from <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
Hearing in Avalon has<br />
prepared a list of things to<br />
consider when comparing<br />
costs of hearing aids:<br />
l What does the cost of the<br />
device include? Are you<br />
paying for a package of<br />
services, or just the device?<br />
Can you return as often as<br />
you like?<br />
Says Emma: “Regular followups<br />
for fine tuning of the<br />
hearing aids are important as<br />
your listening preferences or<br />
needs may change over time.<br />
In addition, your hearing may<br />
change, so are you able to<br />
have your hearing checked as<br />
needed, and the aids adjusted<br />
as part of your package? Do<br />
you need to pay extra for<br />
these services?”<br />
l Are you provided a large<br />
choice of devices, or only 1<br />
or 2? Have you been offered<br />
devices that fit completely in<br />
your canal?<br />
Says Emma: “There are<br />
several styles of hearing<br />
aids, that come in about 4-5<br />
different levels of technology.<br />
It is the level of technology<br />
that has a large impact on the<br />
price, as well as all the other<br />
things that we are considering<br />
here.”<br />
l What are the features you<br />
are paying for?<br />
Says Emma: “Does the<br />
hearing aid have a narrow<br />
beamforming directional<br />
microphone to help you in<br />
noisy situations? Can you<br />
adjust the hearing aids using<br />
an app on your phone? Do<br />
you have access to quick<br />
audiological support and<br />
audiologists’ hearing aid<br />
adjustments via an app on<br />
your phone?<br />
l Do you have to pay<br />
extra for custom ear<br />
moulds, replacement<br />
parts such as tubing<br />
and domes and wax<br />
protectors?<br />
Says Emma: “Some<br />
clinics will include<br />
all parts for the<br />
first three years<br />
as part of your<br />
hearing aid<br />
purchase.”<br />
l Are you<br />
given<br />
the<br />
option of a custom-made ear<br />
tip, or are you only given the<br />
“one-size-fits-all” ear tips?<br />
How is the hearing aid fitting<br />
measured to ensure it’s best<br />
for you?<br />
Says Emma: “The gold<br />
standard for audiologists is<br />
to perform measurements in<br />
your ear, and speech in noise<br />
testing with the hearing aids<br />
to ensure the devices and<br />
settings are appropriate for<br />
you and your needs.”<br />
l Can your hearing aid be<br />
adjusted by another clinic if<br />
you move, or wish to change<br />
providers, or are you locked<br />
in to going back to the<br />
original provider for the life<br />
of the hearing aid?<br />
Says Emma: “And what<br />
happens if your hearing aids<br />
need repair? What is the<br />
warranty period? Do you need<br />
to courier the aid for repair<br />
yourself, or will your clinic<br />
do this for you? What is the<br />
turn-around time for repairs?<br />
How will you manage without<br />
your hearing aid? Some clinics<br />
will provide clients with a loan<br />
device while they wait 1-2<br />
weeks for their hearing aid to<br />
be repaired.<br />
“Of course, there is a lot<br />
to consider, and having<br />
time to discuss your options<br />
with an audiologist who can<br />
advise you on what features<br />
or styles are best for you,<br />
your hearing loss and your<br />
communication needs<br />
is essential. Don’t ever<br />
hesitate in getting a second<br />
opinion if you feel you<br />
need it.”<br />
For more info call<br />
Emma at<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
Hearing<br />
on 8919<br />
0008.<br />
42<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Search for home care<br />
gets more personal<br />
Seniors are now able to<br />
shop around for aged care<br />
services most appropriate for<br />
their circumstances.<br />
It is recommended first<br />
port of call for older Australians<br />
is the My Aged Care<br />
website that shows the options<br />
available in the aged<br />
care sector as well as eligibility<br />
and assessment for these<br />
services.<br />
Options range from home<br />
help – such as personal care,<br />
domestic help or nursing<br />
needs – to short-term assistance<br />
for health problems,<br />
improving independence and<br />
delaying or avoiding the need<br />
to enter longer-term care,<br />
through to types of residential<br />
aged care homes.<br />
The Federal Government<br />
subsidises a range of agedcare<br />
services but seniors<br />
are expected to contribute<br />
depending on their financial<br />
position and the services<br />
they receive.<br />
It pays to be informed at<br />
any age.<br />
Receiving help with regular<br />
activities at the right time<br />
can improve wellbeing and<br />
help people manage better<br />
at home.<br />
From this month, all home<br />
care packages will be provided<br />
to individuals rather than<br />
the previous method where<br />
packages were awarded to<br />
approved providers under an<br />
allocation process.<br />
This now gives people<br />
the ability to choose their<br />
provider and to direct the<br />
Government subsidy to that<br />
provider.<br />
You can search for local<br />
service providers on the My<br />
Aged Care website and compare<br />
fees and charges. Visit<br />
my agedcare.gov.au or call<br />
1800 200 422 for more info.<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 43
44<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Eco Corner<br />
We’ve had some big days<br />
for solar in <strong>2017</strong>! Heat<br />
waves have highlighted the<br />
challenges of supply and<br />
demand faced by the grid.<br />
Demand soared when air<br />
conditioners were cranked.<br />
Less than 14% of our energy<br />
is currently produced from<br />
renewable sources, the rest<br />
from fossil fuels. Our target is<br />
to produce almost one quarter<br />
of Australia’s energy needs,<br />
powering 5 million households<br />
by 2020. It’s a modest target.<br />
We have the sunshine, wind,<br />
geo thermal capacity and<br />
waves but do we lack the will,<br />
unlike China, and India. The<br />
world’s largest solar power<br />
plant in India covers 10 sq km.<br />
By 2022, India plans to power<br />
60 million homes by the sun!<br />
Our key challenges lie in<br />
generation, storage and peak<br />
demand management. The<br />
intermittent nature of wind<br />
and solar-powered electricity<br />
has impacted its viability<br />
but as battery technology<br />
is improved it’s becoming<br />
possible to store solar energy.<br />
If you’re home during the<br />
day, you can use your solar<br />
power as it’s produced to cool<br />
your house when you need<br />
it most, run the dishwasher<br />
and washing machine and<br />
recharge the electric car.<br />
And energy prices are<br />
going thought the roof. The<br />
great news is that people<br />
are developing smart,<br />
affordable storage and energy<br />
management solutions. The<br />
game changer is technology<br />
which is disrupting the energy<br />
market and gradually lowering<br />
the price, enabling renewable<br />
energy to undercut coalpowered<br />
electricity.<br />
Electricity is the largest<br />
source of greenhouse gas<br />
emissions in Australia. Thanks<br />
to technology, renewable<br />
sources are finally becoming<br />
viable. We’ve<br />
just got to<br />
move faster.<br />
Why you may not<br />
see eye disease<br />
Did you know a 360° eye<br />
consultation could save<br />
your sight? The Facts<br />
around Eye health in Australia<br />
don’t lie:<br />
l 4.1 million Australians have<br />
not had their eyes tested recently<br />
and one million have<br />
never had an eye exam;<br />
l 1 in 4 Australians are at risk<br />
of losing all or part of their<br />
vision due to eye disease –<br />
nearly half of these individuals<br />
wait until their eyes<br />
deteriorate before getting<br />
them checked;<br />
l The 2016 National Eye<br />
Health Survey (NEHS) revealed<br />
more than 50% of the<br />
4,836 participants found to<br />
have an eye condition were<br />
unaware they had that condition<br />
prior to the survey;<br />
and<br />
l 1 in 5 children suffers from<br />
an undetected vision problem<br />
and awareness around<br />
children’s eye health is low.<br />
Beckenham Optometrist, in<br />
conjunction with Optometry<br />
Australia, are launching the<br />
‘You may not see eye disease<br />
coming’ Preventive Eyecare<br />
Campaign to highlight the<br />
dangers of not having a regular<br />
eye examination.<br />
Our experience tells us the<br />
main reason someone visits<br />
an optometrist today is that<br />
they experience some sort<br />
of vision change. But many<br />
with Rowena Beckenham<br />
symptoms of eye disease are<br />
invisible, so it is essential that<br />
Australians of all ages not wait<br />
for a problem before seeing<br />
their local optometrist.<br />
Early detection of conditions<br />
such as Macular Degeneration<br />
and Glaucoma, as well<br />
as signs of Cardiovascular<br />
Disease and Diabetes can be<br />
detected in a comprehensive<br />
eye examination. This consultation<br />
is the main weapon<br />
against avoidable vision loss<br />
and blindness, picking up the<br />
early signs of disease so it can<br />
be diagnosed and treated.<br />
The 360° eye consultation<br />
includes a holistic and<br />
extensive eye examination<br />
plus advice on health, diet and<br />
lifestyle and the latest eyewear<br />
solutions for maintaining<br />
healthy eyes and vision.<br />
* The facts and figures<br />
in this release are sourced<br />
from research conducted<br />
by: Australian Institute<br />
of Health and Welfare<br />
(AIHW); Australian Bureau<br />
of Statistics (ABS) 2011–<br />
12 National Health Survey<br />
(NHS); Line of Sight blueprint<br />
by Optometry Australia;<br />
Vision Australia; aihw.gov.au;<br />
and visioneyeinstitute.com.au<br />
Comment supplied by Rowena Beckenham, of<br />
Beckenham Optometrist in Avalon (9918 0616). Rowena<br />
has been involved in all facets of independent private<br />
practice optometry in Avalon for 16 years, in addition<br />
to working as a consultant to the optometric and<br />
pharmaceutical industry, and regularly volunteering in<br />
Aboriginal eyecare programs in regional NSW.<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Russell<br />
Lamb is the<br />
Founder of<br />
ecodownunder<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 45
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Tele-medicine option for<br />
unplanned pregnancy<br />
Many Australian women are<br />
unaware of the options<br />
available when they’re faced<br />
with unwanted pregnancy, says local<br />
specialist Dr Paul Hyland.<br />
“One in four women will have a<br />
termination of pregnancy… it isn’t<br />
a topic that is widely discussed in<br />
Australia and many still think it is a<br />
surgical procedure, not aware there<br />
was an alternative,” Dr Hyland said.<br />
Dr Hyland has called for more<br />
education.<br />
“Not only does a woman have a right to<br />
choose, she now has a choice between a<br />
surgical and medical procedure and she can<br />
do it without visiting a doctor,” he said.<br />
A gynaecologist for more than 30 years,<br />
Dr Hyland is the medical director and founder<br />
of The Tabbot Foundation, an Australian-wide<br />
telephone service for home-based medical<br />
termination of pregnancy.<br />
Medical termination of pregnancy involves<br />
two medicines that can be taken up to nine<br />
weeks after conception.<br />
The Tabbot Foundation, established in 2015,<br />
assesses women living in rural and urban<br />
areas over the phone and then posts them the<br />
medications.<br />
A woman wanting access to the telemedicine<br />
service can call a toll free number<br />
and be referred to local bulk-billing<br />
providers for ultrasound and blood<br />
tests.<br />
A doctor then gets the results<br />
electronically to use in a phone<br />
consultation.<br />
If the treatment is approved the<br />
woman is posted the medications<br />
mifepristone and misoprostol,<br />
antibiotics, painkillers and antinausea<br />
drugs.<br />
(In some states approval also<br />
depends on the results of a mandatory<br />
psychological assessment).<br />
The woman is guided through the process<br />
by a registered nurse and a 24-hour on-call<br />
doctor.<br />
Dr Hyland said the Tabbot Foundation<br />
averaged around 100 visits a day on its<br />
website, with between 30 and 40 consults each<br />
week from all over Australia.<br />
The <strong>Pittwater</strong> resident said the foundation<br />
was moving towards becoming a registered<br />
charity, with the aim of providing the service<br />
free of charge.<br />
Unplanned pregnancies happen to women of<br />
all ages and backgrounds for many different<br />
reasons. The pro-choice Children By Choice<br />
website can be a useful resource.<br />
– Lisa Offord<br />
Simple steps<br />
to prevent<br />
Seniors falls<br />
F<br />
alls are a major cause of<br />
injury for older people –<br />
it is estimated that one in<br />
three people aged 65 and<br />
over experience at least one<br />
fall a year.<br />
Tips to prevent falls include:<br />
l Keep living areas neat and<br />
tidy and avoid clutter.<br />
l Tidy up overhanging<br />
curtains, bedspreads,<br />
cords, mats or rugs,<br />
repair loose fitting tiles<br />
and worn out carpet.<br />
l Place things within easy<br />
reach and not above head<br />
height.<br />
l Take care with slippery,<br />
wet or loose surfaces.<br />
l Keep your spectacles clean<br />
and use hearing aids.<br />
l Make sure shoes fit well<br />
and have flat soles with<br />
good grip.<br />
l Use walking aides if<br />
recommended.<br />
If you’ve had a fall or<br />
you often feel like you are<br />
at risk of falling talk to a<br />
health professional and ask<br />
about different options that<br />
might help you.<br />
46<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Hair & Beauty<br />
Don’t let wrinkles – life’s<br />
roadmap – get you down<br />
with Sue Carroll<br />
As we age our skin loses<br />
volume and begins to<br />
show wrinkles, mostly<br />
due to a loss of collagen and<br />
elastin which are essential<br />
substances that keep skin<br />
firm, supple and elastic.<br />
Lines and wrinkles may<br />
make a person look older<br />
and detract from their best<br />
features, while volume loss<br />
can cause sagging skin as<br />
well as unflattering hollows –<br />
especially around the cheeks,<br />
jawline and temples.<br />
Wrinkles may be caused by<br />
a variety of reasons including<br />
the way we sleep. Because<br />
wrinkles are not created<br />
equally, understanding the<br />
cause means it can be easier<br />
to correct their appearance.<br />
1) Mechanical distortion<br />
wrinkles are created while<br />
we sleep, or from the way<br />
we sleep. These wrinkles can<br />
appear on the face, neck and<br />
chest in the morning when<br />
we get up. Compression or<br />
mechanical distortion wrinkles<br />
tend to be perpendicular to<br />
expression lines, and they<br />
don’t respond significantly<br />
to animation. When we are<br />
very young these wrinkles will<br />
disappear very quickly, but as<br />
we get older they tend to stay<br />
for longer and then become<br />
permanent fixtures. The best<br />
way to treat these compression<br />
wrinkles is to sleep on your<br />
back and then the face and<br />
chest will not be squished into<br />
the pillow. If this cannot be<br />
done there are silicone patches<br />
that can be applied prior to<br />
going to bed on the facial and<br />
chest area. These will stop the<br />
wrinkle from forming and will<br />
reduce those that are already<br />
there. Failing this, often a filler<br />
can be injected to plump up<br />
the wrinkled area.<br />
2) Expression wrinkles can<br />
be seen in the forehead as a<br />
frown, around the eyes from<br />
laughing (known as crow’s feet)<br />
and also around the mouth<br />
(from laughing). These wrinkles<br />
are caused by repeatedly<br />
making the same expressions.<br />
Most people do not want to<br />
appear expressionless, and<br />
therefore a small amount<br />
of Botox or Dysport can be<br />
injected to reduce the amount<br />
of movement in a specific area.<br />
This means you do not have to<br />
look frozen, just a little more<br />
relaxed.<br />
3) Atrophic wrinkles are<br />
deep parallel lines on the<br />
forehead that appear when<br />
the eyebrows are furrowed.<br />
These wrinkles often make<br />
the person appear angry or<br />
worried, when in fact they<br />
have no idea their muscles<br />
are creating this movement.<br />
With this type of wrinkle,<br />
again the use of Botox alone<br />
or in combination with a<br />
filler are the best methods of<br />
treatment. Hydration of the<br />
skin with good quality skin<br />
care can assist with reducing<br />
the appearance slightly.<br />
4) Gravitation wrinkles often<br />
appear as saggy skin created<br />
by loss of collagen and elastin.<br />
This may be due to the natural<br />
aging process, sun damage,<br />
genetic predisposition,<br />
menopause or a combination of<br />
these factors. Treatments such<br />
as radio frequency, ultrasound,<br />
skin needling or a facelift may<br />
be the best solutions.<br />
5) Elastic wrinkles appear as<br />
tiny creases on the cheeks,<br />
lips and neck. These wrinkles<br />
are formed from too much<br />
direct sunlight. The UV<br />
damage thins the skin, and<br />
fine lines, wrinkles and<br />
hyperpigmentation result.<br />
The best way to prevent these<br />
wrinkles is to avoid the sun,<br />
wear sunscreen daily (and<br />
reapply every 2-3 hours), and<br />
use a prescribed cosmeceutical<br />
skin care program specifically<br />
for your skin condition. Intense<br />
Pulsed Light, Fractional Lasers,<br />
Skin Microneedling and peels<br />
are the best clinical treatments.<br />
Facial wrinkles, lines and<br />
folds are not formed purely<br />
from the expressions that we<br />
make. While having a little<br />
wrinkle here and there tells<br />
part of the story of our life<br />
journey, it is not necessary to<br />
have a road map criss-crossing<br />
from one side of our face<br />
to the other! With a healthy<br />
lifestyle, the blessing of good<br />
genetics, practised sun safety,<br />
the regular use of prescribed<br />
home care and a little clinical<br />
intervention, our skin can be<br />
kept in an enhanced condition<br />
we can be proud of.<br />
Sue Carroll of Skin<br />
Inspiration writes on<br />
beauty trends and treatments<br />
for <strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong>.<br />
She has been a fully qualified<br />
Aesthetician for 33 years.<br />
Sue has owned and<br />
operated successful beauty<br />
clinics and day spas on<br />
the Northern Beaches.<br />
info@skininspiration.com.au<br />
www.skininspiration.com.au<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 47<br />
Hair & Beauty
Business <strong>Life</strong>: Money<br />
Business <strong>Life</strong><br />
An $80 slice of pizza<br />
business now on special with Brian Hrnjak<br />
“If a cop follows you for<br />
small and medium businesses<br />
500 miles, you’re going to<br />
but at least these guys are not<br />
get a ticket.” This is how<br />
ripping off the staff wages.<br />
Warren Buffet once famously<br />
described the legal woes facing<br />
But what about those who<br />
have to compete in markets<br />
Jamie Diamond, the CEO of JP<br />
with perfect competition like<br />
Morgan Chase.<br />
exploitation, slavelike<br />
conditions and black<br />
fast food or groceries? What<br />
It seems the same cop was on<br />
happens when some bright<br />
the tail of ASX market darling<br />
market labour gangs found spark in a national fast food<br />
Domino’s Pizza (DMP).<br />
on farms and in factories company marketing meeting<br />
Stand back and look<br />
this latest supplying Australia’s biggest yells out “We should try $5<br />
at a long-term chart of<br />
news of wages supermarkets and fast food pizzas!” Usually the competition<br />
Domino’s share price<br />
rorting by local chains.” The companies<br />
has their own bright spark that<br />
and you’ll see evidence of<br />
franchisees has seen the implicated in this instance were yells out “we have to match<br />
impressive growth commencing<br />
with a float price of $2.20 per<br />
share in 2005 and peaking at<br />
around $80 per share in August<br />
last year – in round terms a very<br />
handy 3,600% capital return for<br />
investors!<br />
But a number of Domino’s<br />
franchisees have recently been<br />
exposed underpaying workers,<br />
according to reports by Adele<br />
Ferguson in The Sydney<br />
Morning Herald who was<br />
also the reporter responsible<br />
for outing the large-scale<br />
underpayment of wages at<br />
7-Eleven stores.<br />
Domino’s shares have been<br />
in a downward drift since their<br />
peak in August which is more<br />
than likely a reflection of global<br />
pizza market fundamentals but<br />
once $80 shares fall to around<br />
$55 per share in late February.<br />
I think it still surprises<br />
many of us that companies<br />
this big can be party to such<br />
poor practice and sloppy<br />
corporate governance. The<br />
fact is however that this sort<br />
of behaviour is being reported<br />
more and more in the press<br />
these days. 7-Eleven, probably<br />
the worst example of recent<br />
cases, even achieved the<br />
dubious honour of having one<br />
Sydney Morning Herald article<br />
that was headlined: ‘A sweat<br />
shop on every corner’.<br />
You only need to go back to<br />
2015 to another joint Fairfax<br />
/ ABC investigation shown on<br />
Four Corners that uncovered:<br />
“evidence of extreme labour<br />
supermarkets: Woolworths,<br />
Coles, Aldi, IGA and Costco;<br />
and fast food outlets: KFC,<br />
Red Rooster and Subway. An<br />
impressive list of brands if<br />
ever there was one – in fact, a<br />
list of the major food anchor<br />
tenants in just about any mall<br />
in Australia.<br />
The problem with our big<br />
business cousins behaving in<br />
this way is that we in small<br />
business have to compete with<br />
them on something that is<br />
not even close to being a level<br />
playing field.<br />
At our office we compete<br />
with big business every day of<br />
the week – in our case with the<br />
banks for financial planning<br />
and international accounting<br />
practices for the accounts of<br />
them!” and before you know it<br />
you’re in the middle of a messy<br />
pizza war. From the reporting<br />
mentioned above we know<br />
that at least some Domino’s<br />
franchisees cooked the wages<br />
books as much as they cooked<br />
the pizzas and last year we<br />
saw the toll such competition<br />
can take with the third biggest<br />
chain in the country, Eagle Boys,<br />
being placed into voluntary<br />
administration and sold to Pizza<br />
Hut.<br />
I’m not arguing against<br />
free market competition;<br />
the issue here is that some<br />
organisations need to be<br />
saved from themselves and<br />
employees should not be the<br />
ones that ultimately bear the<br />
brunt of a relentless fight for<br />
48<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
market share. An interesting<br />
common thread with all of<br />
these reported wages rorts is<br />
that in large part they affected<br />
workers on specific types of<br />
visas, such as holiday work<br />
visas and student visas.<br />
In terms of fixing this, from<br />
what I can see certain types of<br />
visa holders who are looking<br />
to work are required to apply<br />
for a tax file number via a<br />
specific ATO web site. The ATO<br />
therefore knows who these visa<br />
holders are, and where they are<br />
working, as they lodge tax file<br />
number declaration forms with<br />
their employers.<br />
The tax office that I have<br />
dealt with for the best part of<br />
30 years takes great interest<br />
in activities that are not only<br />
illegal but activities that are<br />
also popular.<br />
If it is the case that some<br />
large Australian businesses<br />
are relying on exploitation of<br />
a class of workers to maintain<br />
their competitive position it<br />
should not fall to the media to<br />
expose this activity if the ATO<br />
through relatively simple data<br />
matching can show clusters of<br />
workers with similar attributes<br />
concentrated under an<br />
employer or an industry. A few<br />
payroll audits and prosecutions<br />
in the big end of town should<br />
get the jungle drums beating.<br />
And I’ll venture to guess the<br />
States may even kick the tin as<br />
they would stand to recover<br />
lost workers compensation<br />
premiums and payroll tax.<br />
Brian Hrnjak B Bus CPA (FPS) is a Director of GHR Accounting<br />
Group Pty Ltd, Certified Practising Accountants. Offices at:<br />
Suite 12, Ground Floor, 20 Bungan Street Mona Vale NSW 2103<br />
and Shop 8, 9 – 15 Central Ave Manly NSW 2095,<br />
Telephone: 02 9979-4300, Webs: www.ghr.com.au and<br />
www.altre.com.au Email: brian@ghr.com.au<br />
These comments are of a general nature only and are not<br />
intended as a substitute for professional advice.<br />
Business <strong>Life</strong><br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 49
Business <strong>Life</strong>: Finance<br />
Business <strong>Life</strong><br />
High speed fibre internet<br />
= increased house prices<br />
A<br />
hot topic that has<br />
gotten people talking<br />
lately centres on the<br />
proposition that high Internet<br />
speed – or more specifically<br />
Fibre Internet – increases<br />
property value. Research in<br />
the US and the UK highlights<br />
the positive correlation<br />
between the two.<br />
Being a share market guy<br />
means I spend an enormous<br />
amount of time studying and<br />
researching companies and<br />
sectors. My particular area of<br />
expertise is where the… in<br />
fact, how the whole shooting<br />
match affects the future as<br />
we know it.<br />
When Google launched its<br />
gigabit Fibre service in July<br />
2012 they announced that a<br />
direct Fibre Optic connection<br />
50<br />
to a home would improve<br />
its value by between<br />
US$2,000 – US$5,000. A<br />
recent study by Wichita<br />
State University noted<br />
that “Kansas City’s<br />
housing market is clearly<br />
on the rebound” and<br />
that home values were<br />
expected to rise 2.7 per<br />
cent in 2014, roughly a<br />
year after Google Fibre<br />
was deployed.<br />
Verizon (USA) on<br />
its website cited a 2008<br />
study conducted by<br />
Park Associates: Multi-<br />
Dwelling Units (MDUs)<br />
residents estimated the<br />
rental value of a standard<br />
2-bedroom, 2-bathroom,<br />
1,000-square-foot apartment<br />
offering Verizon Fios Fibre<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
Internet to be an average of 5<br />
per cent more per month than<br />
one offering DSL/satellite/<br />
cable services.<br />
That study supported<br />
academic researcher Gabor<br />
Molnar from University<br />
of Colorado, whose<br />
2013 study found that “…<br />
the presence of fibre-based<br />
broadband was associated<br />
with a positive effect on<br />
property values in the<br />
neighbourhood”; hence Fibre<br />
availability may drive real<br />
estate prices upwards.<br />
There has been an<br />
explosion of demand for<br />
Fibre Internet in recent years.<br />
For instance, over 1,100<br />
cities in the US are in line<br />
with requests that Google<br />
introduce Google Fibre in<br />
their municipalities. Cities<br />
that fail to get picked for<br />
Google Fibre are looking<br />
for ways to either build it<br />
themselves or partner with<br />
someone who will do it for<br />
them.<br />
“It’s getting to the point<br />
where, if my neighbouring<br />
community has a gigabit and<br />
we’re still doing satellite, the<br />
property value in that town is<br />
going to go up,” commented<br />
Deb Socia, Director of Next<br />
Century Cities which is a<br />
coalition of cities working<br />
to provide Gigabit Internet<br />
services to their residents.<br />
with Simon Bond<br />
In the UK, broadband<br />
speed is now regarded<br />
as the “fourth utility”<br />
after gas, water and<br />
electricity, said BBC<br />
property expert Henry<br />
Pryor. “I was involved<br />
with a survey that<br />
looked at the impact of<br />
broadband speed on<br />
people looking to buy<br />
or rent and the potential<br />
impact on prices and we<br />
found a home without<br />
at least a standard<br />
broadband connection<br />
could be worth up to<br />
20 per cent less than<br />
a comparable property,” Mr<br />
Pryor said. A property needs<br />
21st century connectivity.<br />
“More people are making<br />
decisions to work from home<br />
fulltime or even part of<br />
the time. More demanding<br />
buyers now want Fibre-Optic<br />
superfast speeds for things<br />
like streaming entertainment<br />
and managing a host of<br />
equipment that relies on this.”<br />
According to a study of<br />
British homebuyers, a good<br />
broadband connection now<br />
tops off street parking and<br />
access to local amenities<br />
as one of the vital deciding<br />
factors for people buying<br />
a new house. The study<br />
also found that one in ten<br />
buyers have walked away<br />
from properties with poor<br />
internet connection – and that<br />
broadband is connected even<br />
before gas.<br />
Home owners in London<br />
are also willing to pay up to 8<br />
per cent above the market<br />
price for properties in areas<br />
offering very fast internet<br />
speeds. Statistics compiled<br />
over a 15-year period,<br />
from 1995-2010, show that<br />
property prices across the UK<br />
increase on average by about<br />
3 per cent when internet<br />
speed doubles.<br />
Website Rightmove.co.uk<br />
has added broadband speeds<br />
and availability to its lists
of houses for sale, and the<br />
information is attracting<br />
400,000 page views per<br />
month. Around 3,000 of<br />
its users have reported<br />
that speedy broadband is<br />
now more important than<br />
transport links or schools.<br />
One estate agent lamented<br />
that a buyer pulled out of<br />
bidding on a £6m house in<br />
the Cotswolds in England<br />
because the internet access<br />
was so poor. “Some buyers<br />
have the broadband tested<br />
and subsequently pull out<br />
because it isn’t fast enough,”<br />
says Rupert Fisher of real<br />
estate agency Savills.<br />
While demand for highspeed<br />
Internet in Australia<br />
is ever-increasing, the actual<br />
fibre roll-out is a different<br />
story. NBN Co has plans<br />
to use the existing copper<br />
to deliver the ‘last mile’<br />
connection to apartment<br />
units rather than utilising full<br />
fibre connection as it had<br />
done during a trial roll-out<br />
phase.<br />
This unfortunately will<br />
eventuate in less-thanstellar<br />
speed performances.<br />
Even more unfortunate is<br />
that other telcos are using<br />
a similar technological<br />
approach. Only residents in<br />
Australia privileged enough to<br />
receive true Ultra-Fast speeds<br />
rather than ‘up-to’ speeds<br />
could conceivably see their<br />
property value going up, as in<br />
the US and UK.<br />
To shine some light on why,<br />
one needs to understand the<br />
Contention Ratio (or over<br />
subscription ratio) which is<br />
the number of users sharing<br />
the same data capacity. The<br />
lower the contention ratio the<br />
higher the quality of service.<br />
A 50:1 contention ratio means<br />
that up to 50 broadband<br />
customers are sharing the<br />
same bandwidth at any one<br />
time.<br />
So, if you are on the<br />
top tier NBN connection –<br />
which is tier 5 – you<br />
will get “exposure to” 100<br />
mbps down and 40 mbps up.<br />
With a contention ratio of say<br />
15, this means your average<br />
speed down will be 6.66<br />
mbps down and 2.66 mbps<br />
up.<br />
Not enough to lift the<br />
value of your place sorry<br />
to say – but the good news<br />
is newportnet.com.au is<br />
bringing TRUE gigabit fibre<br />
internet to Newport, so we<br />
may yet be able to add some<br />
value to your place! Stay<br />
tuned…<br />
* Disclaimer: Simon Bond is<br />
co-director of NewportNet.<br />
Simon Bond of Morgans Newport (9998 4200) has been actively<br />
involved in all aspects of Stockbroking since 1987. Simon’s area<br />
of expertise includes equities, portfolio management, short-term<br />
trading, long-term strategies, derivatives and fixed interest. His<br />
focus is on how technology is changing the investment landscape,<br />
demographic trends and how they influence equity markets.<br />
Business <strong>Life</strong><br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 51
Business <strong>Life</strong><br />
Business <strong>Life</strong>: Finance<br />
Get down to business<br />
at Metro Mirage expo<br />
Boutique waterfront 4-star hotel, The<br />
Metro Mirage Hotel Newport, is hosting<br />
its annual Business Expo on Friday 31st<br />
<strong>March</strong> from 2pm – 5pm to showcase the<br />
property, its conference and function<br />
facilities and let attendees enjoy a small<br />
taste of what <strong>Pittwater</strong> has to offer.<br />
Meeting planners, event organisers<br />
and executive assistants will have<br />
the opportunity to view the hotel’s<br />
conference and meeting facilities<br />
while enjoying welcome drinks and<br />
canapes overlooking stunning <strong>Pittwater</strong>.<br />
Italian-born head chef, Raul Farnea,<br />
will demonstrate his pasta-making<br />
expertise, sharing his passion for all<br />
things Italian with a pasta-making cookoff<br />
in The Mirage Restaurant, giving<br />
visitors a chance to be hands-on and<br />
sample freshly cooked produce.<br />
The Business Expo offers an excellent<br />
opportunity to discuss your conference<br />
and event plans with the hotel’s<br />
dedicated and experienced conferencing<br />
team, and meet and brainstorm ideas<br />
with some of the hotel’s team building<br />
partners, says MMHN’s Tracey Scott.<br />
“Pinnacle Team Events, Skipper-A-<br />
Clipper, Let’s Party with Balloons, Visual<br />
Funk and The Conference Shop are<br />
just some of the companies who will<br />
be showcasing their offerings on-site,”<br />
Tracey said.<br />
Entry is free, and all attendees<br />
will be entered into a draw to win a<br />
complimentary overnight stay for two<br />
people in one of the hotel’s waterfront<br />
guest rooms, including full buffet<br />
breakfast, bottle of sparkling wine and<br />
strawberries on arrival and late check-out.<br />
“The Metro Mirage Hotel Newport has<br />
a custom-built conference centre ideal<br />
for a wide range of corporate events,<br />
from small business meetings to large<br />
overnight conferences for up to 100<br />
attendees,” Tracey said. “There are four<br />
conference rooms and multiple function<br />
spaces, including several break-out<br />
meeting rooms that can be configured<br />
depending on your requirements.”<br />
Located just 45 minutes from Sydney<br />
CBD, The Metro Mirage Hotel Newport<br />
offers accommodation including<br />
waterfront spa suites, outdoor swimming<br />
pool and spa, The Restaurant and Terrace<br />
function space overlooking <strong>Pittwater</strong>, a<br />
casual poolside area perfect for postevent<br />
networking or private functions,<br />
complimentary WiFi, 24-hour reception,<br />
on-site complimentary parking and a<br />
private jetty for arrival by water.<br />
Attendees will receive a drink voucher<br />
from the neighbouring The Newport to<br />
enable them to continue enjoying the<br />
Northern Beaches hospitality in this<br />
breathtaking location.<br />
* To register contact Tracey Scott<br />
on (02) 9997 7011 or email tscott@<br />
metrohg.com.<br />
52<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Times Past<br />
Dance hall<br />
days of early<br />
Palladium<br />
Over its 85 years the<br />
‘Palladium’ at 16<br />
Ocean Road, Palm<br />
Beach has been many things<br />
to many people – locals and<br />
visitors alike.<br />
It appears to have been<br />
built as a dance hall and<br />
especially used by (and for<br />
the benefit of) the early<br />
years of the Palm Beach Surf<br />
<strong>Life</strong> Saving Club. This is<br />
confirmed by a ‘jotting’ in<br />
the social pages of The Sun<br />
in December 1932:<br />
“The Palm Beach Surf<br />
<strong>Life</strong> Saving Club will hold<br />
their usual bright dance on<br />
Boxing Night and New Year’s<br />
Eve at the ‘Palladium’, the<br />
fine new dance hall on the<br />
beach front, instead of the<br />
little store, as in previous<br />
years…”<br />
(The ‘little store’ referred<br />
to was ‘The Rendezvous’<br />
which featured in our<br />
February issue.)<br />
The Boxing Night dance<br />
attracted 300 people, some<br />
of whom had travelled from<br />
the city for the occasion.<br />
Apparently numbers were<br />
boosted by many guests<br />
attending from the large<br />
number of ‘house parties’<br />
held locally.<br />
When local, Mavis Crowley<br />
(nee Hillier) and a sister<br />
(there were 10 siblings)<br />
arrived at Palm Beach from<br />
Cootamundra in 1926<br />
she recalled there was no<br />
electricity. In 1933 the whole<br />
family made the trek over<br />
the saddle (from their house<br />
next to Barrenjoey House)<br />
via Palm Beach Road to take<br />
part in the celebration of the<br />
connection of electricity to<br />
Palm Beach by Councillor<br />
Hitchcock in the ‘Palladium’.<br />
Apparently Councillor<br />
Hitchcock stood up and<br />
began his address with “In<br />
this ‘ere ‘all” when a cheeky<br />
local retaliated with “all<br />
what?”. Mavis noted that<br />
Hitchcock was “a real old<br />
country fellow from up the<br />
Hawkesbury”.<br />
She also recalled: “The<br />
Palladium was the local dance<br />
hall right up to when the war<br />
got going… we used to go<br />
around there and dance to a<br />
3-piece orchestra with people<br />
who came from Narrabeen.”<br />
Although Anglican Church<br />
services at Palm Beach were<br />
first held in 1933 at the home<br />
of Mr Goddard, they were<br />
later moved to the Palladium<br />
where still later, Sunday<br />
School was conducted by<br />
Mrs Barr, with four to five<br />
children attending initially.<br />
By the 1950s the left-hand<br />
side of the building had<br />
become the Dining Room and<br />
the right-hand side the Milk<br />
Bar, selling take-away food.<br />
In later years the large<br />
awning with the word<br />
‘restaurant’ on it had been<br />
removed, the centre door<br />
replaced with glass and the<br />
narrow ‘window box’ planter<br />
had been extended from the<br />
dining room entrance to the<br />
northern end of the building.<br />
Two windows were installed<br />
above the old awning to<br />
provide light for an upper loft.<br />
In more recent years it<br />
has served as a film studio<br />
and still more recently as a<br />
private residence.<br />
TIMES PAST is supplied by local<br />
historian and President of the Avalon Beach<br />
Historical Society GEOFF SEARL. Visit the Society’s<br />
showroom in Bowling Green Lane, Avalon Beach.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 53<br />
Times Past
Business <strong>Life</strong>: Law<br />
Business <strong>Life</strong><br />
Jury’s out: Do you ‘own’<br />
Linkedin connections?<br />
You are delighted to have<br />
got your prized job after<br />
the submission of your<br />
carefully crafted CV and a challenging<br />
series of interviews.<br />
You are ready to begin; there<br />
is just the contract of employment<br />
to be signed and you will<br />
be launched!<br />
In the euphoria of the moment,<br />
a careful reading of the<br />
contract and an understanding<br />
of its terms before you<br />
formally accept is essential.<br />
Remuneration and term are<br />
likely the main issues attracting<br />
attention – but pause and<br />
carefully consider the detail.<br />
Increasingly employers are<br />
including in the contract robust<br />
social media policies which you<br />
will be required to observe.<br />
These policies seek to<br />
establish clear rules governing<br />
post-employment conduct,<br />
particularly in relation to clients<br />
– e.g. there will probably<br />
be a reference to contact lists<br />
made in the course of employment<br />
and in particular those<br />
which are stored on Linkedin.<br />
There could be a requirement<br />
to agree on a list of clients<br />
which were yours prior to commencing<br />
employment and an<br />
obligation to require you to delete<br />
contacts established during<br />
your employment and not<br />
re-connect with those contacts<br />
for a specified period. There<br />
can be other clauses dealing<br />
company was terminated and<br />
started his own electronics<br />
company in Texas. When he<br />
originally commenced employment<br />
with the company he<br />
signed a contract in which<br />
he agreed that his employers’<br />
‘Proprietary information’<br />
would not leave the company<br />
‘physically or electronically’.<br />
Later he signed a confidentially<br />
agreement which covered his<br />
employers’ ‘proprietary information”.<br />
The employee’s work<br />
required him to work with<br />
procurement personnel from<br />
companies who would likely<br />
purchase product from his<br />
employer. His success depended<br />
on his ability to network<br />
and develop contacts. All his<br />
contacts were retained in an<br />
electronic contacts list maintained<br />
at work. Prior to his<br />
being terminated the employee<br />
mailed himself the contact list.<br />
The employer brought an<br />
action claiming damages and<br />
injunctive relief on various<br />
grounds including trade secrets<br />
and misappropriation.<br />
The employee argued that<br />
neither his computer file nor<br />
his Linkedin account could<br />
be considered a trade secret.<br />
However, the judge rejected<br />
the argument and found that<br />
the electronic contact list was a<br />
trade secret under Californian<br />
law and that the Linkedin conwith<br />
a multiplicity of social<br />
media but for the purposes<br />
of this article it is proposed<br />
to examine Linkedin and ask:<br />
Are your Linkedin connections<br />
trade secrets and who owns<br />
them?<br />
These questions have been<br />
and are being litigated around<br />
the world from the USA, UK<br />
and Australia.<br />
Linkedin, founded in California<br />
in 2002, describes itself as:<br />
“Linkedin is a business and<br />
employment oriented social<br />
networking service that operates<br />
via websites…”<br />
Within a year of operation,<br />
Linkedin had become an essential<br />
tool for the busy modern<br />
professional. Today it is seen<br />
as a most effective means<br />
of maintaining and exchanging<br />
information with your<br />
colleagues, clients, business<br />
partners and members of your<br />
professional network. It adds<br />
to and helps build business. It<br />
has an estimated 350 million<br />
individuals with 45 million<br />
businesses signed up.<br />
So what happens if you leave<br />
your employment and join a<br />
competitor or set up in business<br />
for yourself?<br />
Restraint of trade clauses<br />
in an employment contract<br />
usually cover protection of<br />
an employer’s confidential<br />
information, non-poaching of<br />
the employer’s clients and/<br />
or workforce, and limiting the<br />
ability of the former employee<br />
from working for, or setting up<br />
a rival business, in competition<br />
with their former employer.<br />
In 2010 in California an<br />
employee of an electronics<br />
with Jennifer Harris<br />
54<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
nections could also potentially<br />
be a trade secret. In California<br />
trade secrets are defined as<br />
information that is of value not<br />
being publicly known.<br />
In Australia however, various<br />
facts and circumstances are<br />
considered in determining<br />
whether your Linkedin connections<br />
are likely to be considered<br />
trade secrets. For example:<br />
n The details of any employment,<br />
confidentiality and/<br />
or restraint of trade agreement<br />
in place;<br />
n The privacy settings of an<br />
employee’s Linkedin profile<br />
during their period of employment;<br />
n The instructions given<br />
to the employee by the<br />
employer;<br />
n Whether the employer pays<br />
for the employee’s Premium<br />
Linkedin account;<br />
n What notes the employee<br />
may have made in relation<br />
to each contact on<br />
Linkedin; and<br />
n The skill and effort<br />
required to collect the connections.<br />
In a case before the NSW<br />
Supreme Court in 2012, a<br />
recruitment company alleged<br />
that a former employee had<br />
breached confidentially and<br />
restraint of trade clauses in her<br />
employment contract in relation<br />
to Linkedin contacts created<br />
during the course of her<br />
employment. From December<br />
2010 to 10th February 2011,<br />
the former employee’s Linkedin<br />
network had increased from<br />
approximately 150 to over 500<br />
– achieved, it was alleged by<br />
the employee, using names of<br />
individuals who had been previous<br />
clients of her employer and<br />
used to establish ‘connections”<br />
on the employee’s Linkedin<br />
account.<br />
Unfortunately this action<br />
was settled out of court and<br />
the judicial guidance hoped<br />
for by practitioners was not<br />
forthcoming.<br />
There have been two cases<br />
in the UK since 2012 where<br />
Linkedin accounts have been<br />
examined and although no<br />
definitive ruling was made in<br />
either case both suggest that<br />
even in circumstances where<br />
an employee owns the Linkedin<br />
account, the ownership of<br />
contact lists stored on the<br />
Linkedin account and created<br />
by an employee in the course<br />
of employment belong to the<br />
employer.<br />
This issue has now become<br />
a lively and contested legal<br />
argument awaiting judicial<br />
guidance. In Australia, the UK<br />
and USA, the position remains<br />
unsettled.<br />
So, as you accept your contract<br />
of employment be mindful<br />
that employers are trying to<br />
minimise risk in respect of the<br />
emerging use of social media<br />
and the rights associated with<br />
contacts made on professional<br />
networking sites.<br />
If uncertain of the meaning<br />
of your contract and your<br />
obligations, seek legal advice<br />
before you commit.<br />
Comment supplied by<br />
Jennifer Harris, of Jennifer<br />
Harris & Associates, Solicitors,<br />
4/57 Avalon Parade,<br />
Avalon Beach.<br />
T: 9973 2011. F: 9918 3290.<br />
E: jenniferha@pacific.net.au<br />
W: www.jenniferharris.com.au<br />
Window safety laws<br />
By this time next year all<br />
strata apartments and<br />
townhouses in NSW above<br />
ground level must be fitted<br />
with window safety devices<br />
to prevent children falling<br />
from windows.<br />
The safety devices must<br />
be robust and childproof<br />
and when the locks are<br />
engaged the window should<br />
not open more than 12.5cm.<br />
Jackie Jarvis from northern<br />
beaches Strata Window<br />
Safety company Urban Blox<br />
explained it was the responsibility<br />
of the owners’ corporation<br />
to ensure compliant<br />
locks were in place.<br />
The window safety<br />
requirments must be met by<br />
13 <strong>March</strong> 2018.<br />
“The laws mandate the<br />
installation of compliant<br />
window child safety locks on<br />
all openable windows in residential<br />
strata schemes where<br />
the window is in area where<br />
the floor is 2m or more from<br />
the exterior ground and the<br />
bottom sill of the window<br />
is less than 1.7m from the<br />
floor,” Jackie said.<br />
“For many strata unit<br />
owners, whilst they understand<br />
the good intent of the<br />
legislation around window<br />
safety locks, if they don’t<br />
have children or rarely have<br />
children visit their apartment,<br />
the legislation is<br />
yet another costly obligation,<br />
which in this specific<br />
instance they don’t believe<br />
applies to them.<br />
“However, this legislation<br />
is mandatory and statutory<br />
fines may apply for noncompliant<br />
owners corporations.<br />
“More seriously, noncompliance<br />
places owners’<br />
corporations at risk of a<br />
massive lawsuit if an accident<br />
happens and your<br />
insurance may be affected<br />
if compliant locks are not<br />
installed.<br />
“You must be compliant to<br />
be insured,” Jackie said.<br />
Business <strong>Life</strong><br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 55
Trades & Services<br />
Trades & Services<br />
AIRCONDITIONING<br />
Avalon Air<br />
Call 0414 944 894<br />
Local and dependable. They<br />
specialise in domestic ducted<br />
airconditioning, split systems and<br />
central heating.<br />
AUTO REPAIRS<br />
British & Swedish<br />
Motors<br />
Call 9970 6654<br />
Services Range Rover, Land<br />
Rover, Saab and Volvo with the<br />
latest in diagnostic equipment.<br />
Narrabeen Tyrepower<br />
Call 9970 6670<br />
Stocks all popular brands including<br />
Cooper 4WD. Plus they’ll do<br />
all mechanical repairs and rego<br />
inspections.<br />
Barrenjoey<br />
Smash Repairs<br />
Call 9970 8207<br />
barrenjoeysmashrepairs.com.au<br />
Re-sprays a specialty, plus<br />
restoration of your favourite vehicle.<br />
Commercial vehicle specialist.<br />
BOAT SERVICES<br />
Avalon Marine<br />
Upholstery<br />
Call Simon 9918 9803<br />
Makes cushions for boats,<br />
patio and pool furniture,<br />
window seats.<br />
ELECTRICAL<br />
Eamon Dowling<br />
Electrical<br />
Call 0410 457 373<br />
For all electrical, phone, TV, data<br />
and security needs.<br />
FLOOR COVERINGS<br />
Blue Tongue Carpets<br />
Call Stephan 9979 7292<br />
Family owned and run. Carpet,<br />
rugs, runners, timber, bamboo,<br />
vinyl, tiles & laminates.<br />
Open 6 days.<br />
GARDENS<br />
Graham Brooks<br />
Call 0412 281 580<br />
Tree pruning and removals.<br />
Reports regarding DA tree management,<br />
arborist reports<br />
Arbor Master Tree Group<br />
Call Jason 0404 922 223<br />
Environmentally friendy service;<br />
Level 5 & Level 8 arborists.<br />
Specialists in crane work. Stump<br />
grinding and chipping.<br />
Newscapes<br />
Call Craig 0416 238 506<br />
Specialist in lawn care, trimming,<br />
irrigation installation and repairs.<br />
Also house and paving cleaning.<br />
Precision Tree Services<br />
Call Adam 0410 736 105<br />
Adam Bridger; professional tree<br />
care by qualified arborists and<br />
tree surgeons.<br />
CLEANING<br />
House Washing<br />
Northern Beaches<br />
Call 0408 682 525<br />
Specialists in soft washing house<br />
exteriors and high-pressure<br />
cleaning of paved areas.<br />
The Aqua Clean Team<br />
Call Mark 0449 049 101<br />
Quality window washing,<br />
pressure cleaning, carpet<br />
washing, building soft wash.<br />
Martin Earl House Wash<br />
Call 0405 583 305<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong>-based owner/operator<br />
on site at all times. No travellers<br />
or uninsured casuals on your<br />
property. Ideal for selling.<br />
Avalon Physiotherapy<br />
& Clinical Pilates<br />
Call 9918 0230<br />
Dry needling and acupuncture,<br />
falls prevention and balance<br />
enhancement programs.<br />
Treatment for neck and back pain.<br />
Avalon Beach<br />
Chiropractic<br />
Call 9918 0070<br />
Chiropractic, massage, dry<br />
needling. Professional care for all<br />
ages. Treatment for chronic and<br />
acute pain, sports injuries, postural<br />
correction & pregancy care.<br />
Fix & Flex Pilates / Physio<br />
Call Jen 0404 804 441<br />
Equipment pilates sessions run by<br />
physios. Mona Vale-based. Help<br />
improve posture and reduce pain<br />
while improving core strength.<br />
PAINTING<br />
Contrast Colour<br />
Call 0431 004 421<br />
Locals Josef and Richard offer<br />
quality painting services. Tidy,<br />
reliable, they’ll help consult<br />
on the best type of paint for<br />
your job.<br />
Modern Colour<br />
Call 0406 150 555<br />
Simon Bergin offers painting and<br />
decorating; clean, tidy, quality<br />
detail you will notice. Dependable<br />
and on time.<br />
MASSAGE & FITNESS<br />
Avalon Physiotherapy<br />
PLUMBING<br />
Nick Anderson Plumbing<br />
Call 9918 3373<br />
Provide specialist treatment for<br />
neck & back pain, sports injuries,<br />
niggling orthopaedic problems.<br />
Call 0411 251 256<br />
All aspects of plumbing including<br />
gasfitting and drainage.<br />
Competitive rates, free quotes.<br />
56<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 57<br />
Trades & Services
Trades & Services<br />
PEST CONTROL<br />
Predator Pest Control<br />
Call 0417 276 962<br />
predatorpestcontrol.com.au<br />
Environmental services at their<br />
best. Comprehensive control.<br />
They provide a 24-hour service.<br />
PUMPS & TANKS<br />
Water Warehouse<br />
Call 9913 7988<br />
waterwarehouse.com.au<br />
Rainwater tanks & pumps. Irrigation<br />
& filter supply specialists.<br />
RENOVATIONS<br />
Rob Burgers<br />
Call 0416 066 159<br />
Qualified builder provides all<br />
carpentry needs; decks, pergolas,<br />
carports, renovations and repairs.<br />
B & RD Williams<br />
Call Brian 0416 182 774<br />
Kitchen and bathroom renovations,<br />
decks and pergolas. Small<br />
extensions specialists.<br />
SunSpec<br />
Call Dustin 0413 737 934<br />
sunspec.com.au<br />
All-aluminium, rust-proof remotecontrolled<br />
opening roofs & awnings.<br />
Beat competitor’s prices.<br />
SECURITY<br />
Sure Security<br />
Call 1300 55 12 10<br />
Northern Beaches-based specialists<br />
in Alarms, Intercoms, Access<br />
Control and CCTV Surveillance<br />
with solutions to fit your needs.<br />
DISCLAIMER: The<br />
editorial and advertising<br />
content in <strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong><br />
has been provided by a<br />
number of sources. Any<br />
opinions expressed are<br />
not necessarily those of<br />
the Editor or Publisher<br />
of <strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong> and<br />
no responsibility is<br />
taken for the accuracy<br />
of the information<br />
contained within. Readers<br />
should make their own<br />
enquiries directly to any<br />
organisations or businesses<br />
prior to making any plans<br />
or taking any action.<br />
Trades & Services<br />
58<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
the<br />
good<br />
life<br />
Showtime<br />
Angels take a long<br />
line to Terrey Hills<br />
dining<br />
food<br />
crossword<br />
gardening<br />
60<br />
64<br />
67<br />
68<br />
Legendary Aussie band<br />
The Angels promise some<br />
surprises when they take<br />
their high-energy brand of rock<br />
to the Terrey Hills Tavern on<br />
<strong>March</strong> 18 at the start of their<br />
new 4x4 Across Australia Tour.<br />
The band, who are celebrating<br />
their 44th year of touring,<br />
will be digging through their<br />
back catalogue to pick some<br />
of their biggest hits.<br />
The 4x4 concept sees the<br />
band select four of their most<br />
iconic records, and playing –<br />
back-to-back – four hits from<br />
each record.<br />
Lead guitarist Rick Brewster<br />
told <strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong> he enjoys<br />
performing now “as much as<br />
in the beginning and more<br />
than in the middle” of their<br />
vaunted career.<br />
“And it’s just as easy/hard –<br />
depends on the night!” he said.<br />
With new songs and their<br />
classic back catalogue of<br />
tracks such as No Secrets,<br />
Face The Day, Take A Long<br />
Line, Marseilles and Shadowboxer,<br />
the Angels are revered<br />
for their live shows.<br />
For Rick, the band’s longevity<br />
all stems in classic<br />
Aussie rock. “It is all about the<br />
songs,” he says. “Long Way To<br />
The Top, Eagle Rock… they are<br />
all as relevant today as they<br />
were when first released.<br />
“We are proud to have a<br />
large repertoire of songs that<br />
fall into this category and continue<br />
to become entrenched in<br />
the next generation. Our gigs<br />
are always filled with fans who<br />
want to hear the music they’ve<br />
grown up with.”<br />
Brewster, who plays alongside<br />
brother and co-founding<br />
member John behind ‘new’<br />
members including front man<br />
Dave Gleeson (Screaming Jets),<br />
said that while there will be<br />
a certain number of planned<br />
songs, some tracks will be<br />
decided on the night.<br />
“There will be no two nights<br />
that are the same,” he says.<br />
“The old rule will apply; something<br />
old, something new, and<br />
something blue.”<br />
(And by ‘blue’, we’re figuring<br />
that applies to the crowd<br />
favourite ‘Am I Ever Gonna See<br />
Your Face Again’.)<br />
Rick fondly remembers playing<br />
on the northern beaches in<br />
the 1970s and ’80s.<br />
“The northern beaches had<br />
some fantastic venues – the<br />
Manly Vale Hotel, Manly Flicks,<br />
the Royal Antler… sell-out<br />
crowds everywhere, hot,<br />
sweaty, sticky and smelly!”<br />
He added singer Dave Gleeson<br />
brought a new dynamic<br />
to their sets – “he has a great<br />
voice, great performance, real<br />
energy to burn!”<br />
Pressed for his all-time band<br />
catalogue favourites, Rick<br />
nominated three tracks.<br />
“Skid Row After Dark – I love<br />
the light and shade; Dawn Is<br />
Breaking – for its brooding<br />
atmosphere and lyric, poetry<br />
put to music; and Talk The<br />
Talk – a great rock track with a<br />
very pertinent lyric.<br />
And the demographic at an<br />
Angels gig nowadays?<br />
“It’s 18-65… it doesn’t matter,<br />
they all know most of the<br />
songs and are there for the<br />
music,” he said.<br />
* More info terreyhillstavern.<br />
com.au – Nigel Wall<br />
Showtime<br />
travel<br />
72<br />
A taste of old-fashioned fun for seniors...<br />
Dee Why RSL invites you and yoru friends<br />
to enjoy the movie The Notebook and a<br />
High Tea on Thurs 9; min two per booking<br />
$19.90 for members, non-members $22.50.<br />
Enjoy The Hits of 1977 on Sat 11 from<br />
7.30pm. Cost $35; present your Seniors<br />
Card at the show for one free champagne or<br />
beer. Join Andrew O’Keefe and Glenn Amer<br />
as they present Gilbert & Sullivan Forever<br />
at Glen Street Theatre Belrose. Enjoy all<br />
the romance and mayhem of The Mikado,<br />
The Pirates of Penzance and other glorious<br />
operettas. This feast of fun and much-loved<br />
melodies is on Tues 14 from 11am-12.15pm.<br />
Bookings required. Call 9975 1455 or go to<br />
glenst.com.au.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 59
Dining Guide<br />
Dining Guide<br />
<strong>March</strong>’s best restaurants, functions, events and reader deals...<br />
Hong Kong<br />
Chinese Restaurant<br />
332 Barrenjoey Rd,<br />
Newport<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Dinner Tues-Sun 5pm<br />
CUISINE<br />
Chinese & Asian<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Entrees $5-20<br />
Mains $12.90-26.50<br />
*Deliver Whale Beach - Narrabeen<br />
BOOKINGS 9997 4157<br />
LIC<br />
BYO<br />
All<br />
Who doesn’t love great Chinese<br />
food? At this popular<br />
Newport eatery you will be<br />
amazed at the variety of<br />
great dishes.<br />
Order ahead for their wonderful<br />
Peking Duck which<br />
is offered as a dine-in-only<br />
special Thursdays through<br />
P<br />
Sunday evenings.<br />
There are two traditional<br />
courses: Peking Duck pancakes<br />
& duck sang choy bow<br />
(bookings essential; mention<br />
the ad when you call).<br />
This long-established restaurant<br />
on the eastern side of<br />
Barrenjoey Rd has an extensive<br />
menu based on traditional<br />
flavoursome Cantonese with<br />
touches of spicy Szechuan and<br />
other Asian dishes and fresh<br />
seasonal vegetables.<br />
Entrees start at just $5<br />
while mains are reasonable<br />
too, starting at $12.90.<br />
The menu ranges from adventurous,<br />
like a Mongolian<br />
chicken hot pot, to contemporary,<br />
spicy salt and pepper<br />
king prawns, to traditional,<br />
fillet steak with snow peas<br />
and bean sprouts.<br />
New dishes are introduced<br />
regularly so make sure you<br />
check out the blackboard<br />
specials.<br />
The team are only too<br />
happy to home deliver your<br />
meal, with a range that takes<br />
in Narrabeen to the south<br />
to Palm Beach in the north.<br />
Phone 9997 8379.<br />
Barrenjoey<br />
Bistro<br />
Club Palm Beach<br />
1087 Barrenjoey Rd,<br />
Palm Beach<br />
BISTRO OPENING HOURS<br />
Lunch 11:30am-2.30pm<br />
Dinner 6pm-8.30pm<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Lunch and dinner<br />
specials $13.50<br />
BOOKINGS 9974 5566<br />
LIC<br />
All<br />
Head to Club Palm Beach,<br />
conveniently located just<br />
a short stroll from Palm<br />
Beach Wharf, for great meal<br />
specials in <strong>March</strong>.<br />
The Members’ lucky badge<br />
draw is held Wednesday and<br />
Friday night (every 30 mins<br />
between 5pm-7pm), and<br />
jackpots by $100 each week.<br />
Wednesday and Sunday<br />
are meat raffle nights, with a<br />
whopping 14 trays to be won.<br />
Catch the first round of the<br />
<strong>2017</strong> NRL season on the big<br />
screen, from <strong>March</strong> 2-5.<br />
They’re offering a great<br />
‘Cruising Palm Beach’ deal for<br />
groups of 10 or more – enjoy<br />
a round-trip cruise followed by<br />
lunch at the club for $20pp.<br />
Enjoy Trivia Night from<br />
5.30pm on Wednesdays, plus<br />
Bingo at 10am on Fridays.<br />
The club’s Barrenjoey Bistro<br />
is open for lunch (11.30am<br />
to 2.30pm) and dinner (6pm<br />
to 8.30pm) seven days. The<br />
P<br />
Bistro serves top-value a la<br />
carte meals plus daily $13.50<br />
specials of roasts (Mondays),<br />
rump steak with chips and<br />
salad (Tuesdays), chicken<br />
schnitzel with chips and salad<br />
(Wednesdays), homemade<br />
gourmet pies with chips and<br />
salad (Thursdays) and fish<br />
and chips with salad (Fridays),<br />
except on public holidays.<br />
Entrees on the a la carte<br />
menu range from $10.50 to<br />
$17.50 (mains $14.50 to $25).<br />
The club has a courtesy<br />
bus which meets the 11am<br />
ferry from Ettalong at the Palm<br />
Beach Wharf at 11.20am daily,<br />
returning on request.<br />
It also makes regular runs<br />
Wednesdays, Fridays and<br />
Saturdays from 4.30pm to<br />
9pm. Ring to book a pick-up.<br />
* The Club celebrates its<br />
60th anniversary in <strong>2017</strong>;<br />
the call is out for locals to<br />
contribute their stories about<br />
the early days. P: 9974 5566.<br />
Oceanviews<br />
Restaurant<br />
Shop 4, 120 Narrabeen Park<br />
Pde, Warriewood Beach.<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Open 7 days lunch and dinner<br />
CUISINE<br />
Vietnamese<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Entrees $2-$9.80<br />
Mains $13.80-$19.80<br />
Noodles $13.80<br />
Lunch specials.<br />
1/2 price daily deals.<br />
BOOKINGS 9979 9449<br />
BYO<br />
All<br />
P<br />
60<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
Book now for a great table<br />
for lunch or dinner at<br />
this popular Vietnamese<br />
eatery.<br />
Ocean views across<br />
Warriewood Beach may be<br />
enjoyed from the restaurant<br />
which offers one of the<br />
most popular of Asian<br />
cuisines.<br />
Eat in and take-away<br />
meals are available; plus
they offer free home delivery<br />
for orders over $35.<br />
Tantalising lunch specials<br />
from $2 to $10.80 include egg<br />
custard buns (two for $4.40),<br />
Money Bags (four for $5.80),<br />
prawn dumplings, fresh rice<br />
paper rolls, beef noodle soup,<br />
noodles with veggies and<br />
chicken, or beef with rice for<br />
just $10.80.<br />
Chef’s specials include Basil<br />
Mint Pork, Honey King Prawns,<br />
Sizzling Tofu Hot Pot and<br />
Chicken Laksa.<br />
Each day there is a halfprice<br />
deal for evening dinersin<br />
(limit of one deal per table<br />
of diners).<br />
They include: on Thursday<br />
satay king prawn for $10.40, on<br />
Monday salt and pepper squid<br />
for $10.40 and on Saturday<br />
lemongrass chicken for $8.90.<br />
Prices reduced across<br />
the board, as well as lunch<br />
specials and the daily halfprice<br />
deals.<br />
Find Daniel and his<br />
friendly team at 120<br />
Narrabeen Park Parade,<br />
Warriewood Beach.<br />
Advertise<br />
in our<br />
Dining<br />
Guide!<br />
Beach Road Dining<br />
Palm Beach Golf Club<br />
2 Beach Road, Palm Beach<br />
CUISINE<br />
Modern Australian<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Entrees From $18<br />
Mains $26-$33<br />
Kids’ meals $12<br />
BOOKINGS 9974 4079<br />
LIC<br />
Visa<br />
MasterCard<br />
If you haven’t already tried<br />
out the new Beach Road<br />
Dining at Palm Beach Golf<br />
Club, you don’t know what<br />
you’re missing – Andrew and<br />
Amy Towner and their team<br />
from The 2107 Restaurant<br />
in Avalon have taken over<br />
the kitchen, serving up tasty<br />
dishes from a new modern<br />
Australian-themed menu.<br />
A multitude of menu<br />
options are available from a<br />
Café style menu during the<br />
week to an a la carte dining<br />
menu on Friday nights and a<br />
P<br />
pub-style bar menu with all<br />
the classics on weekends.<br />
Selections from the a la<br />
carte menu include entrees<br />
of flash-fried salt and pepper<br />
squid and beef and vegetable<br />
spring rolls (both $18), for<br />
mains you can’t go past the<br />
delicious 250g New York cut<br />
sirloin with waffle chips, chef’s<br />
slaw and chimichurri (pictured,<br />
$33) – although the grilled or<br />
battered WA barramundi with<br />
chips and salad ($26) receive<br />
plenty of return orders.<br />
Palm Beach Golf Club is<br />
offering an unbeatable fullplaying<br />
golf membership<br />
deal – only $530! That’s the<br />
equivalent of three take-away<br />
coffees a week!<br />
This month, don’t miss<br />
the Club’s special event – a<br />
5-Course Degustation Dinner<br />
on <strong>March</strong> 16, when you can<br />
meet the winemaker from Plan<br />
B Wines in Western Australia<br />
(see ad page 51 for details).<br />
There’s great music every<br />
Sunday from 1-4pm – with<br />
performers in <strong>March</strong> including<br />
Liza Ohlback (5th), Mary Jane<br />
Guiney (12th), Rick Melick<br />
(19th) and Kate Lush (26th).<br />
Dining Guide<br />
Phone<br />
0438 123 096<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 61
Dining Guide<br />
Dining Guide<br />
62<br />
Cinque Cucina<br />
e Caffe<br />
5 Darley St East,<br />
Mona Vale<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Breakfast/lunch<br />
7 days 7am-2.30pm<br />
Dinner Wed-Sun 5.30-10pm<br />
CUISINE<br />
Italian<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Breakfast $9.50-$16<br />
Lunch:<br />
Starters $12-$22<br />
Main $15-26<br />
Dinner:<br />
Starters $13-$22<br />
Main $21-$28<br />
BOOKINGS 9999 5555<br />
Visa<br />
MasterCard<br />
Casual, authentic Italian at<br />
it best. Operating 7 days<br />
for breakfast and lunch<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
and Wednesday through<br />
Sunday for dinner, Cinque<br />
Cucina e Caffe brings a<br />
taste of Italy to Mona Vale<br />
Beach – with a pleasing<br />
price-tag.<br />
Relaxed indoor and<br />
outdoor dining areas provide<br />
a great setting for early<br />
morning coffee, a work<br />
meeting, a dinner date or<br />
whole-venue function for<br />
that special event (birthdays/<br />
anniversaries).<br />
With simplicity and fresh<br />
key ingredients in mind,<br />
the lunch/dinner menus<br />
comprise 6 to 8 starters and<br />
9 mains with gluten free,<br />
vegetarian and dairy free<br />
options.<br />
Start with a cured meat &<br />
cheese Antipasto plate ($21),<br />
followed by a Cartoccio Di<br />
Pesce ($28) an oven-baked<br />
parcel of Hoki fillet, calamari,<br />
prawns & mussels with white<br />
wine, olives, cherry tomatoes<br />
& garlic.<br />
Their signature 5-hour<br />
roasted Pork Belly ($24) is<br />
another must – whilst their<br />
famous burger is available<br />
Wednesday nights for just<br />
$10!<br />
The standout on their<br />
extensive Italian wine list<br />
is the Fantinel Pinot Grigio<br />
– crisp with a light finish –<br />
whilst the Nero D’Avola will<br />
be a hit with anyone looking<br />
for a full-bodied shiraz.<br />
There’s BYO too (wine only).<br />
Bookings are highly<br />
recommended on 9999 5555<br />
or ciao@cinque5.com.au<br />
Ninja<br />
6/11-13 Avalon Pde,<br />
Avalon Beach<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Dinner Tues-Sun 6-10pm<br />
Lunch Tues-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm<br />
CUISINE<br />
Japanese Restaurant<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Entrees $6.80-19.80<br />
Main $16.80-36<br />
Corkage $2.50pp<br />
*Takeaway available<br />
BOOKINGS 9918 9963<br />
LIC<br />
BYO<br />
Visa<br />
MasterCard<br />
Dine indoors or outside<br />
under stylish new awnings,<br />
catching the cool sea breeze<br />
at Ninja in Avalon – it’s<br />
the perfect space for a<br />
great dining experience in<br />
authentic surrounds.<br />
Ninja serves tantalising<br />
Japanese dishes including<br />
fresh sushi and sashimi,<br />
assorted tempura, agedashi<br />
tofu and char-grilled salmon<br />
teriyaki.<br />
Owner/chef Hideaki<br />
Serizawa is a qualified<br />
Japanese chef, who graduated<br />
from Barrenjoey High, and<br />
was trained in popular<br />
restaurants in the Akasaka<br />
district of Tokyo where he<br />
learnt their secret recipes.<br />
Recommended entrees<br />
include the grilled premium<br />
wagyu beef, and deep<br />
fried soft shell crab with<br />
ponzu sauce. Mains include<br />
Japanese-style steak,<br />
California rolls, prawn<br />
tempura and mixed sushi/<br />
sashimi platter. Particularly<br />
popular is the Grilled Hirimasa<br />
Kingfish, chargrilled with your<br />
choice of teriyaki or wasabi<br />
tartare sauce.<br />
Ninja serves a mouthwatering<br />
Agedashi tofu and<br />
their Ninja Potatoes (deep<br />
fried sweet potatoes with<br />
soy-based sweet syrup and<br />
black sesame) are a true taste<br />
experience.<br />
Also, for a local lunch on<br />
the run, Ninja offer takeaway<br />
specials Tues-Fri, 11.30am-3pm,<br />
including Chicken Teriyaki with<br />
rice ($6) and Vegetarian Spring<br />
Rolls (3 for $4).<br />
P
Ninja can accommodate<br />
up to 40 guests in the main<br />
dining room – it’s perfect for<br />
parties or for those special<br />
family get togethers.<br />
www.ninjarestaurant.com.au<br />
Royal Motor<br />
Yacht Club<br />
Salt Cove on <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
46 Prince Alfred<br />
Parade, Newport<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Breakfast Lunch & Dinner<br />
Mon-Fri from 8.30am<br />
Weekends from 8am<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Breakfast from $8-$18<br />
Entrees from $9-$21<br />
Mains from $16-$26<br />
BOOKINGS 9997 5511<br />
Bookings are essential for<br />
all events.<br />
Club social memberships<br />
are available for just $160.<br />
www.royalmotor.com.au<br />
Little Bok Choy<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> RSL<br />
82 Mona Vale Rd,<br />
Mona Vale<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Open 7 days<br />
Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm<br />
(3pm Fri, Sat, Sun)<br />
Dinner 5:30-8:30pm<br />
(9:30pm Fri, Sat)<br />
PRICE RANGE<br />
Entrees $6-$20<br />
Mains $12.80-$25<br />
BOOKINGS 9446 9613<br />
popular Chinese dishes are<br />
included, from Sweet and<br />
Sour Pork, Honey Chicken,<br />
Sizzling Mongolian Beef and<br />
Seafood Stir-fry. Plus, they<br />
have plenty of fried rice and<br />
fried noodles also available in<br />
kids’ size!<br />
Prices are very reasonable<br />
– Chinese mains start from<br />
$15.80, with gluten free and<br />
vegetarian options available.<br />
If you prefer Thai, be sure<br />
to check out their latest<br />
addition – Tom Yum Fried Rice,<br />
a modern twist on a classic<br />
favourite. And their range of<br />
Thai soups, salads, curries and<br />
stir fry noodles are fresh and<br />
exciting, all prepared by their<br />
skilled Thai chef.<br />
Walk-ins are welcome,<br />
although for larger<br />
groups (6+) to ensure they can<br />
comfortably accommodate<br />
you, call to book in advance.<br />
And don’t forget to present<br />
their ad on page 62 for 10 per<br />
cent off your bill in <strong>March</strong>!<br />
LIC<br />
All<br />
P<br />
RMYC’s restaurant Salt<br />
Cove on <strong>Pittwater</strong>’s menu<br />
offers affordable meals and<br />
generous servings including<br />
a variety of starters and<br />
share plates, seafood,<br />
burgers, grills, salads,<br />
desserts and woodfired<br />
pizza.<br />
In <strong>March</strong>, Friday night<br />
entertainment kicks off<br />
in the Lounge Bar from<br />
7.30pm. Great acts appearing<br />
this month include Jack<br />
Evans (3rd), TBA (10th) Keff<br />
McCullough (17th) and<br />
Antoine (24th).<br />
Sunday Sessions are<br />
continuing in the Garden<br />
Forecourt from 2pm-5pm<br />
every Sunday during Autumn.<br />
Look out for Chris Hallowes<br />
(5th), Jim Gannon (12th), Ange<br />
(19th) and Jesse (26th).<br />
Trivia is held every<br />
Tuesday night from 7.30pm<br />
(great prizes and vouchers).<br />
On Saturday <strong>March</strong> 11, get<br />
out your knee-high boots and<br />
sing along to the great hits of<br />
the 1970s when ABBASBACK<br />
take to the stage. Tickets are<br />
just $25 for members ($30<br />
non-members).<br />
And a special Ladies<br />
Luncheon on Wednesday<br />
<strong>March</strong> 15 features guest<br />
speaker Melina Puntoriero;<br />
tickets $65/$75.<br />
Have you discovered the<br />
hidden gem that is Little Bok<br />
Choy? Conveniently located<br />
inside <strong>Pittwater</strong> RSL, with<br />
plenty of on-site parking<br />
and public transport, it’s the<br />
ideal location for locals to<br />
get together to share great<br />
Asian food.<br />
With a vast range of menu<br />
options, you won’t know<br />
where to start in this Asian<br />
Fusion restaurant. Some of<br />
the secrets of LBC’s finest eats<br />
include traditional favourites,<br />
like Shao Long Bao – it’s the<br />
perfect starter; the juicy mini<br />
pork buns will get your taste<br />
buds excited for the coming<br />
courses.<br />
Tuck in to Yum Cha<br />
favourites including delicious<br />
Prawn Dumplings, BBQ pork<br />
buns, Spring Rolls and popular<br />
Thai entrees like Thai Curry<br />
Puffs.<br />
For mains, all the<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 63<br />
Dining Guide
Food <strong>Life</strong><br />
Food <strong>Life</strong><br />
Recipes: Janelle Bloom Photos: Steve Brown; Mark O’Meara<br />
Minimal effort, full-on<br />
flavour – in 30 minutes<br />
Summer’s hot weather often can carry over well into <strong>March</strong>,<br />
making the preparation of meals in a steamy kitchen an<br />
unpleasant chore. This month I thought I would inspire<br />
you with some quick, delicious meals that use minimal<br />
ingredients and equipment; you can serve them up in under<br />
30 minutes – and the entire family will love them!<br />
Moroccan Lamb<br />
skewers with herb<br />
potatoes<br />
Serves 4<br />
4 unwashed potatoes, peeled,<br />
cut into 4cm pieces<br />
2 tbs olive oil<br />
½ cup chopped parsley<br />
1 tbs pine nuts, toasted<br />
Grated parmesan cheese,<br />
optional<br />
Moroccan Lamb skewers<br />
2 tbs olive oil<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
2 tbs Moroccan spice blend<br />
64<br />
1 tbs lemon juice<br />
700g lamb fillet, cut into 2cm<br />
cubes<br />
Thick Greek-style yoghurt<br />
sprinkled with paprika, to<br />
serve<br />
1. Put the potatoes into a<br />
saucepan and cover with<br />
cold water. Bring to the boil;<br />
boil gently for10-15 minutes<br />
until just tender. Drain and<br />
transfer to a large bowl. Add<br />
the oil, parsley and pine<br />
nuts. Season; stir gently<br />
to coat. Set aside for 15<br />
minutes.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
2. Combine the oil, spice<br />
blend and lemon juice in a<br />
ceramic dish. Add the lamb;<br />
turn to coat well.<br />
3. Thread the lamb onto 8<br />
skewers.<br />
4. Preheat a barbecue plate or<br />
grill on medium-high heat.<br />
Cook lamb, turning occasionally,<br />
for 6-8 minutes for<br />
medium or until cooked to<br />
your liking.<br />
5. Serve the lamb skewers<br />
with potatoes and yoghurt.<br />
Minute steak with<br />
pepperonata<br />
Serves 4<br />
Pepperonata is one of my<br />
favourite things to make in a<br />
big batch and keep stored in<br />
the fridge. It’s delicious on<br />
ham sandwiches, over pasta<br />
or pan-fried haloumi, on a<br />
sausage bun… and the list<br />
goes on. It will keep 2-3 weeks<br />
in an airtight container in the<br />
fridge.<br />
1 tbs olive oil<br />
8 small ‘minute’ steaks<br />
Shoestring fries, to serve<br />
with Janelle Bloom<br />
Pepperonata<br />
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil<br />
1 small brown onion, finely<br />
chopped<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
2 red capsicums, cut into<br />
strips<br />
1 yellow and orange capsicum,<br />
cut into strips<br />
400g can whole peeled tomatoes,<br />
chopped<br />
1 tsp caster sugar<br />
3 tsp red wine vinegar<br />
1. For the pepperonata, heat<br />
half the oil in a non-stick<br />
frying pan over mediumlow<br />
heat. Add onion and<br />
garlic, cook stirring 3<br />
minutes or until soft. Stir in<br />
the capsicums, cover and<br />
cook for 15 minutes or until<br />
tender. Add the tomatoes,<br />
sugar and season with salt<br />
and pepper. Increase heat<br />
to medium-high; cook,<br />
uncovered, stirring often 8<br />
minutes or until sauce has<br />
thickened. Add vinegar and<br />
cook 1 minute.<br />
2. Heat oil in a large frying<br />
pan over medium-high heat<br />
until hot. Season steaks
For more recipes go to www.janellebloom.com.au<br />
Ice cream Tiramisu<br />
Makes 6<br />
2 cups strong-brewed espresso<br />
250g packet sponge finger<br />
biscuits, halved crossways<br />
1 cup vanilla custard<br />
250g mascarpone cheese<br />
3 cups vanilla ice cream, softened<br />
slightly<br />
¼ cup liqueur (such as Baileys,<br />
Tia Maria or Kahlua)<br />
Cocoa powder or finely grated<br />
milk chocolate, to serve<br />
1. Pour the warm coffee into<br />
a shallow dish. Dip biscuits<br />
one at a time into the coffee<br />
and use to line sides of six,<br />
large glasses (see Janelle’s<br />
Tip), bowls or ramekin.<br />
2. Gently fold the custard<br />
into the mascarpone, then<br />
stir into the ice cream with<br />
liqueur.<br />
3. Fill the glasses carefully with<br />
ice cream mixture. Cover<br />
and freeze for 15 minutes.<br />
4. Just before serving sprinkle<br />
the top with cocoa powder<br />
or grated chocolate to<br />
cover.<br />
Janelle’s Tip: Alternately you<br />
can use a 6-cup capacity loaf<br />
pan. Cover the base and sides<br />
with soaked sponge fingers,<br />
keeping some to cover the top<br />
of the loaf after it has been<br />
filled.<br />
Food <strong>Life</strong><br />
both sides just before<br />
cooking. Cook the steak,<br />
in batches, for 30 seconds<br />
each side (for medium) or<br />
until cooked to your liking.<br />
Serve with pepperonata and<br />
fries.<br />
Lemon, basil & pea<br />
spaghetti<br />
Serves 4<br />
400g spaghetti<br />
1 cup frozen peas<br />
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
1 red chilli, deseeded, finely<br />
chopped<br />
1 large lemon, rind finely<br />
grated, juiced<br />
1 tbs thyme leaves<br />
½ cup basil leaves, shredded<br />
250g piece fresh ricotta<br />
1. Cook the spaghetti in a<br />
large saucepan of boiling<br />
salted water until al dente,<br />
adding the peas to the<br />
pasta for the last 2 minutes<br />
of cooking.<br />
2. Meanwhile heat 2 tsp oil<br />
in a non-stick frying pan<br />
over medium heat, add the<br />
garlic and chilli and cook<br />
2 minutes until aromatic.<br />
Remove from the heat,<br />
add lemon rind, ¼ cup<br />
lemon juice, thyme and the<br />
remaining oil.<br />
3. Drain the pasta and the<br />
peas and return to the<br />
hot saucepan over low<br />
heat. Add the garlic lemon<br />
mixture and basil, season<br />
with salt and pepper and<br />
toss over low heat until well<br />
combined.<br />
4. Break the ricotta into<br />
pieces, add to pasta and<br />
toss gently. Season with<br />
pepper and drizzle with a<br />
little extra oil if desired.<br />
Serve.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 65
Food <strong>Life</strong><br />
In Season<br />
Watermelon<br />
Food <strong>Life</strong><br />
On a hot <strong>March</strong> day or<br />
night, there is nothing<br />
better than an icy cold<br />
piece of watermelon!<br />
Buying<br />
Watermelon don’t ripen after<br />
harvest, so they are ripe and<br />
ready to eat once picked.<br />
Select fruit with hard skin,<br />
which feel heavy and have a<br />
pleasant aroma. If cut, choose<br />
melon with bright pink- to redcoloured,<br />
firm flesh with no<br />
signs of bruising.<br />
Storage<br />
Store uncut fruit at room<br />
temperature for up to 1 week.<br />
Once cut wrap in plastic and<br />
store us in the fridge. Use<br />
within 3 days. If cut from the<br />
skin, store in a glass airtight<br />
container for 1-2 days.<br />
Nutrition<br />
Watermelon is very<br />
low in saturated<br />
fat, cholesterol<br />
and sodium.<br />
It is a good<br />
source of potassium, and a<br />
very good source of vitamin A<br />
and vitamin C. But note: watermelon<br />
is high in natural sugars,<br />
so too much will increase<br />
your daily calorie count.<br />
Also In Season<br />
<strong>March</strong><br />
Bananas; figs; grapes;<br />
kiwifruit; limes; mangoes,<br />
nashi pears; Valencia<br />
oranges; papaw;<br />
passionfruit; plums and<br />
quince; watermelon. Also<br />
Asian greens; beetroot,<br />
green beans; broccoli<br />
and broccolini; carrots;<br />
capsicums; cucumbers;<br />
eggplant; spinach,<br />
sweetcorn and zucchini.<br />
Watermelon & lychee with<br />
passionfruit slush<br />
Serves 4<br />
The fresh lychee season<br />
ends in <strong>March</strong>; try them –<br />
you won’t be disappointed!<br />
Alternatively<br />
use a<br />
565g can,<br />
drained.<br />
1kg seedless watermelon,<br />
peeled<br />
16 fresh lychees; peeled,<br />
seeds removed<br />
Passionfruit slush<br />
1 cup caster sugar<br />
4 limes, juiced<br />
3 passionfruit, halved<br />
66<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
1. For the passionfruit slush,<br />
combine the sugar and 1<br />
cup cold water in a medium<br />
saucepan over low<br />
heat. Cook, stirring, for<br />
3 minutes or until sugar<br />
dissolves. Bring syrup to<br />
the boil; boil uncovered,<br />
without stirring, for 5<br />
minutes or until syrup has<br />
reduced by half. Remove<br />
from the heat, stir in ½<br />
cup lime juice and the<br />
passionfruit pulp. Pour<br />
into an airtight container<br />
and freeze 2-3 hours or<br />
until semi-frozen.<br />
2. Cut the watermelon into<br />
2cm-thick slices, then cut<br />
each slice into 3-4cm triangles.<br />
Divide watermelon<br />
and lychees between serving<br />
glasses or bowls, spoon<br />
over passionfruit slush and<br />
serve.
25 26 27 28 29<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> Puzzler<br />
30 31 32 33 34 35 36<br />
37 38 39<br />
40 41<br />
42<br />
43 44<br />
Compiled by David Stickley<br />
28 Describing the food at Urban Curry<br />
in Avalon, no doubt (5)<br />
29 A written document describing the<br />
findings of some individual or group<br />
(6)<br />
30 <strong>Life</strong>saver who was once an important<br />
part of beach rescues (7)<br />
ACROSS<br />
1 What can be found at Central Rd opposite<br />
Nandina Terrace in Avalon (3,4)<br />
5 Abandon civilised life (2,4)<br />
8 Small light van (5)<br />
9 International Women’s Day event<br />
hosted by Northern Beaches Council at<br />
Manly Golf Club (9)<br />
11 Type of possum not uncommon on<br />
the Northern Beaches (8)<br />
12 Small bays or openings in a coastline<br />
(6)<br />
13 The state of someone’s romantic<br />
relationships (4,4)<br />
15 Green part of a calyx (5)<br />
18 Home of Bollywood (5)<br />
20 An item that wouldn’t be out of<br />
place at Mexicano in Mona Vale (8)<br />
22 Body of people (6)<br />
24 Boatbuilding site (8)<br />
27 An hors d’oeuvre of thin strips of<br />
raw meat or fish often eaten with a<br />
relish (9)<br />
DOWN<br />
1 Person essential to businesses like La<br />
Banette in Avalon (5)<br />
2 <strong>Pittwater</strong> <strong>Life</strong>’s finance commentator<br />
(5,4)<br />
3 Prickly plant possibly found on<br />
Scotland Island? (7)<br />
4 Advertising agent (9)<br />
5 Clarified butter (4)<br />
6 Swimmers seen on <strong>Pittwater</strong><br />
beaches, no doubt (7)<br />
7 Broad-bladed tool for digging (5)<br />
10 Vigorous fight (6)<br />
14 Time off in the evening of Saturday,<br />
25th <strong>March</strong>? (5,4)<br />
16 Local name for 16 Ocean Rd,<br />
Palm Beach, a one-time dance hall (9)<br />
17 Open-air meal popular in the many<br />
reserves in the <strong>Pittwater</strong> area (6)<br />
19 Guacamole ingredient (7)<br />
21 A situation from which further progress<br />
is impossible (7)<br />
23 <strong>Pittwater</strong> area has seven ocean rock<br />
pools and _____ swimming enclosures<br />
(5)<br />
25 Senior member of a group (5)<br />
26 Local islander like Cass or Bill Gye<br />
possibly? (4)<br />
[Solution page 70]<br />
<strong>Pittwater</strong> Puzzler<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 67
Garden <strong>Life</strong><br />
Garden <strong>Life</strong><br />
Tools you need to keep<br />
the garden in top shape with Gabrielle Bryant<br />
Now that summer veggies<br />
are finished, clear the<br />
veggie garden and add<br />
cow manure and compost,<br />
turning the soil and digging<br />
in the mulch that you have<br />
used. Leave it to rest for<br />
a couple of weeks before<br />
you plant. While you wait,<br />
it is time to take stock of<br />
the garden tools that you<br />
need. Whether you are an<br />
experienced gardener or<br />
planting your garden for the<br />
first time, there are some<br />
tools that everyone will need<br />
– and some that the retailers<br />
will try to convince you that<br />
you should have!<br />
Every garden should have<br />
the following basic list to<br />
make life easy: A strong<br />
garden fork; a spade; a<br />
plastic rake; a strong trowel<br />
and hand fork; a watering<br />
can; a hose with a watering<br />
wand attachment (preferably<br />
on a hose reel to avoid<br />
tangled hoses that can trip<br />
you up); a wheel barrow;<br />
gloves; 2 x 5-litre sprayers<br />
(one for fertilisers and one<br />
for weed killers or poisons);<br />
a compost bin; a pair of<br />
plastic garden hands to<br />
scoop up leaves and garden<br />
refuse; and a strong pair of<br />
secateurs.<br />
Choose carefully for<br />
the size tools that are<br />
appropriate for you. It is<br />
always a temptation to<br />
buy cheap tools that don’t<br />
last, but it is well worth the<br />
investment to buy the best<br />
that you can afford. Well<br />
looked after and kept clean,<br />
your tools will last a lifetime.<br />
Check plant mature<br />
sizes… or else!<br />
The ground is warm<br />
and ready for autumn<br />
planting – as soon as the<br />
days cool down. As I write,<br />
the 39-degree weather is still<br />
too hot for tiny seedlings<br />
and newly planted shrubs to<br />
flourish.<br />
Before you plant, check<br />
carefully the mature size of<br />
trees, shrubs, perennials<br />
and seedlings. So often I<br />
see gardens that have been<br />
“landscaped” with ridiculous<br />
overplanting. Nothing looks<br />
worse than a plant that has<br />
been butchered in an attempt to keep it small.<br />
The ‘Tuckeroo’ trees on Barrenjoey Rd at Newport are great<br />
as street trees but I have recently seen them planted just 70cm<br />
apart on the top of a stone retaining wall in a narrow bed. This<br />
is a recipe for disaster in five years’ time!<br />
Small 140mm pots of salvia can grow 1.5m tall and table<br />
poinsettias can out-grow the dwarfing chemicals to become<br />
small trees. Indoor pots of dracaena, when planted out, will be<br />
taller than the roof of a single-storey house!<br />
Be prepared for the mature size of plants because their<br />
removal in later years is very expensive, and if they are native<br />
trees or shrubs they may be protected and not allowed to be<br />
cut down.<br />
68<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Direct-to-public sale a must<br />
The Collector’s Plant Fair will be held at the Hawkesbury<br />
race course on April 8-9 – this show makes a great day<br />
out and is a must for any plant enthusiast.<br />
The fair is different to any other garden show. There will<br />
be a collection of more than 70 growers who will sell direct<br />
to the public. Many only sell online at other times of the<br />
year. They are not the big commercial nurseries but the<br />
small individual growers.<br />
Enjoy your day browsing through the stalls of orchids,<br />
frangipanis, begonias, bulbs, fruit trees, roses, cottage<br />
plants, water plants, veggies and many more. If you have<br />
time, listen to lectures by the experts. This is my favourite<br />
plant sale of the year.<br />
More info collectorsplantfair.com<br />
Pentas give you a<br />
spectacular starburst<br />
Occasionally known as<br />
Egyptian Starburst,<br />
Pentas are the most colourful<br />
garden plants. They flower<br />
non-stop for 12 months; even<br />
in the colder winter months<br />
I still have colour in the<br />
garden.<br />
The bee-attracting bright<br />
heads of tiny stars stand<br />
above the soft green foliage.<br />
These small shrubs are<br />
easy to grow. Often sold in<br />
140mm pots, they will grow<br />
into bushes up to 1-metre<br />
tall. Keep them trimmed and<br />
prolong the flowering by<br />
pinching back the tips of the<br />
new growth, and removing all<br />
the dead flowers.<br />
They come in many colours<br />
– including red, pale pink,<br />
lilac, white, mauve and hot<br />
pink. (There is also a bright<br />
red pentas ‘A touch of Ice’<br />
that has variegated leaves.)<br />
Many are grown from seed,<br />
so the colours vary; if you<br />
have one you love then you<br />
can propagate more. They<br />
strike readily during the<br />
warmer months from soft<br />
wood cuttings.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 69<br />
Garden <strong>Life</strong>
Garden <strong>Life</strong><br />
Garden <strong>Life</strong><br />
Plant new trees and shrubs<br />
this month. The warm soil<br />
will allow new root growth,<br />
giving the plants a head<br />
start in spring. Also, hail has<br />
damaged some of our gardens<br />
– but wait for cooler weather<br />
before trimming back. Another<br />
hot day will burn new growth.<br />
It is discouraging to see the<br />
damage but look on the bright<br />
side: use the leaf litter to make<br />
extra compost! If you want to<br />
plant a really beautiful tree,<br />
plant an Ivory Curl Tree. It is<br />
truly spectacular!<br />
Time to feed<br />
Feed and trim the garden<br />
while the ground is warm<br />
and still damp from the<br />
summer rains.<br />
Have a Heart<br />
The silver-leafed Sea Heart<br />
(brunnera) will brighten up a<br />
shady spot in the garden. It<br />
is a low-growing, clumping<br />
plant with huge heart-shaped<br />
silvery leaves that are heavily<br />
patterned with bright green<br />
veins. It looks good all year<br />
Jobs this Month<br />
<strong>March</strong><br />
round and in spring will<br />
delight you with a display of<br />
bright blue flowers. It looks<br />
great when used as a border<br />
plant.<br />
Frangipani care<br />
Frangipani have very few<br />
problems, but in the past few<br />
weeks of high temperatures<br />
and high humidity, many<br />
trees are being attacked by a<br />
fungal disease. Rust attacks<br />
the leaves, covering the<br />
underneath with a fine, rustcoloured<br />
powder. This disease<br />
can be controlled by spraying<br />
under the leaves with Eco<br />
fungicide. Remove all affected<br />
leaves and place them in a bin,<br />
wrapped in plastic to prevent<br />
the disease spreading. Once<br />
the trees lose their leaves in<br />
winter, spray the tree and the<br />
ground beneath with lime<br />
sulphur.<br />
Feed citrus<br />
Pull out summer annuals and<br />
plant now for winter pansies<br />
and poppies. Also, feed your<br />
citrus trees, before the colder<br />
months arrive. Protect new<br />
growth with Eco Oil. (And<br />
look out for a new round of<br />
Orange citrus bugs that will<br />
attack the flowers.)<br />
Flower watch<br />
Check out Camellia sasanquas<br />
that are flowering now. Then<br />
you will be sure to get the variety<br />
that you want (plants can<br />
often be wrongly labelled).<br />
A perfect patch<br />
It is not too late to patch up<br />
lawns with new turf. After<br />
planting, water well with Eco<br />
hydrate to help the water penetrate<br />
through to the roots.<br />
Snail deterrent<br />
Saucers of beer at intervals<br />
through the garden will control<br />
the snails. Snail baits are dangerous<br />
for pets and wildlife.<br />
Rotate vegies<br />
All the leafy vegetables<br />
grow well through the colder<br />
weeks. Plant baby spinach,<br />
rainbow chard, silver beet,<br />
broccolini, celery and Asian<br />
greens this month. Also,<br />
remember to rotate winter<br />
vegetable crops. Never plant<br />
the same crop in the same<br />
place as before. Plantings<br />
should be three years apart.<br />
Carrots grow all year round<br />
planted as a border. Eat them<br />
as they grow, thinning the<br />
babies to make room for the<br />
fully grown carrots.<br />
Crossword solution from page 67<br />
Mystery Word: OUTBOARD<br />
70<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
Prince of Orange<br />
leaves a happy glow<br />
The huge, orange, clustered<br />
flower heads of the Ixora Prince<br />
of Orange take on a rich glow in<br />
the autumn sunlight. Ixoras are<br />
tropical plants that are readily<br />
available in the warmer districts of<br />
Sydney. They come in<br />
many colours but the<br />
Orange is by far the<br />
hardiest – and I believe<br />
the only one worth<br />
growing in this climate<br />
(there will always be<br />
the exception to the<br />
rule if you want to<br />
experiment but you<br />
risk losing the plant in winter).<br />
Prince of Orange grows happily<br />
in full sun or shade, even as an<br />
understorey shrub beneath palms,<br />
or on the south side of the fence.<br />
The large, glossy, dark green<br />
leaves complement the outrageously<br />
brilliant orange flowers.<br />
Often grown as an indoor pot<br />
plant or in a pot on a balcony,<br />
once planted in the ground it<br />
will eventually reach a height of<br />
1.8m. It grows slowly and is very<br />
controllable. Ixoras respond well<br />
to a light prune in spring – they<br />
can be kept as a low<br />
hedge about 1m tall if<br />
trimmed regularly.<br />
They are related to<br />
gardenias and require<br />
very similar conditions:<br />
well-drained soil, with<br />
a mulch over the root<br />
zone. They thrive on<br />
neglect – so long as<br />
their basic needs are covered.<br />
They require a deep watering<br />
weekly in dry weather and a<br />
slow-release fertiliser applied in<br />
spring and early autumn. Ixoras<br />
are sometimes prone to scale<br />
or aphids that can be easily<br />
controlled with a regular spay of<br />
Eco-Oil.<br />
Time to<br />
train your<br />
Sweet<br />
peas well<br />
Don’t forget that <strong>March</strong> is the month to plant<br />
sweet peas. They are fantastic in the vegetable<br />
garden as a filler until you plant beans and<br />
tomatoes again in spring.<br />
Choose a sunny position and add garden lime, at<br />
the rate of 100g to the square metre. Dig it in well!<br />
For quick germination, soak the seeds overnight<br />
before planting. The seeds will swell in size. Plant<br />
the seeds in pairs – sweet peas love company!<br />
Water well at planting time; then, no more<br />
until the seedlings break through the soil. The<br />
seeds need to be well covered so that they can<br />
germinate in the dark. It is better to grow from<br />
seed as seedlings take a long time to recover from<br />
transplanting.<br />
Sweet peas seeds are available as small-growing<br />
ground cover or pot varieties, or as tall-growing<br />
climbers. If you like to pick the flowers and bring<br />
them inside, the taller varieties are best. The stems<br />
of the dwarf ones are very short. If you choose the<br />
climbing varieties, make sure that you erect a trellis<br />
or frame to support the plants as they grow.<br />
Garden <strong>Life</strong><br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 71
Travel <strong>Life</strong><br />
Travel <strong>Life</strong><br />
Relax as your luxury Indonesian<br />
archipelago adventure unfurls<br />
Searching for that elusive<br />
unique holiday experience<br />
in an exotic, seldom-seen destination?<br />
Joining Star Clippers’<br />
170-guest clipper ship, Star<br />
Flyer, fulfils all requirements.<br />
Gail Kardash from Travel View<br />
& Cruise View in Avalon Beach<br />
says not only are Star Clippers’<br />
ships unique in offering an<br />
authentic sailing experience,<br />
they each feature the comforts<br />
of a regular cruise ship making<br />
Star Clippers suitable for most<br />
well-healed travellers.<br />
“Sailing the Mediterranean,<br />
Caribbean and Asia, my next<br />
box was checked when I<br />
discovered a variety of 7-, 10-<br />
and 11-night round-trip cruises<br />
from Bali visiting the wondrous<br />
and rarely visited spectacular<br />
islands of the Indonesian archipelago,”<br />
Gail said.<br />
“These cruises take place<br />
during our Aussie winter, which<br />
is just the right time to escape<br />
the cold for a week or two and<br />
to get there it’s only a five-hour<br />
flight.”<br />
Flying to Bali fills you with<br />
choices, with myriad options<br />
before and after the cruise.<br />
“Of course, my true anticipation<br />
centres on boarding Star<br />
Flyer for seven nights and the<br />
chance to uncover seven colourful<br />
destinations,” Gail continued.<br />
“Highlights include visits to<br />
four of the Gili Islands, some<br />
uninhabited and known for their<br />
white beaches for swimming,<br />
plethora of colourful tropical<br />
fish for snorkelling and diving<br />
and the chance to see green<br />
and loggerhead turtles.<br />
“Next, a day at sea as Star<br />
Flyer unfurls her sails with<br />
musical accompaniment, with<br />
plenty of time for socialising,<br />
learning the ways of sea, and –<br />
dare I say it – indulging in the<br />
delicious meals created by the<br />
on-board chefs.<br />
“The following few days will<br />
take me to Komodo, not only<br />
to see the famous dragons,<br />
but also so I can step ashore to<br />
swim, snorkel and walk along<br />
one of the world’s seven pink<br />
sand beaches.<br />
“Then it’s on to Satonda, a<br />
lush and green uninhabited<br />
island that is also a Marine<br />
Nature Reserve due to the carol<br />
reefs and large variety of tropical<br />
fish.”<br />
Packing your bags already?<br />
You can join Gail aboard Star<br />
Flyer from August 26 including<br />
return flights to Bali, transfers,<br />
a three-night pre-cruise<br />
hotel stay in Bali and then your<br />
7-night Star Flyer cruise including<br />
gratuities and an exclusive<br />
€100 per person shipboard<br />
spending credit.<br />
More info phone 9918 4444.<br />
72<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>
New take on River cruising<br />
& touring Eastern Europe<br />
Combining the joys of small<br />
group touring with Back-<br />
Roads and the delights of a<br />
Danube River Cruise with Riviera<br />
Travel River Cruises, how’s<br />
this for a 20-night holiday that<br />
ticks all the boxes!<br />
Fly from Australia to Prague<br />
on August 29 to join Back-Roads<br />
Touring for a 10-night exploration<br />
all the way to Budapest.<br />
“It’s a region of ancient cities,<br />
time-honoured culinary customs<br />
and ever-changing landscapes<br />
– Eastern Europe rewards those<br />
ready to explore,” says Chris<br />
Riou of Newport Travel. “You<br />
can discover the highlights of<br />
the Czech Republic, Poland,<br />
Slovakia and Hungary on this<br />
diverse tour. Back-Roads offers<br />
unique experiences like taking<br />
part in a traditional Polish<br />
Pierogi (dumplings) making<br />
class; sampling Czech beer<br />
culture on a tour of Prague’s<br />
local pubs; and travelling by traditional,<br />
wooden rafts through<br />
the Dunajec Gorge.”<br />
Chris said the beauty of<br />
travelling with Back-Roads was<br />
that the size of your luxury mini<br />
coach gets you into places the<br />
large buses just can’t manage.<br />
And travelling with a group<br />
of only 15 guests means new<br />
friends and quick loading and<br />
unloading of your coach.<br />
After your tour ends in<br />
Budapest, you spend two<br />
nights in a local hotel before<br />
stepping aboard the MS Emily<br />
Bronte River Cruise Ship. “You<br />
will appreciate the superb<br />
surroundings of your floating<br />
luxury hotel for the next<br />
seven nights with spacious<br />
and well-appointed cabins or<br />
suites, with private bathrooms<br />
and meticulously prepared fine<br />
cuisine,” Chris said. “The Emily<br />
Bronte hosts up to 169 guests<br />
and was launched in <strong>2017</strong>,<br />
making her brand new.”<br />
Riviera travel is predominately<br />
English-speaking, with<br />
majority of guests hailing from<br />
the UK, she added.<br />
From Budapest, the ship<br />
heads north to Esztergom<br />
spending the morning exploring<br />
its historic centre, which once<br />
was Hungary’s capital, before<br />
continuing westwards to the<br />
beautiful old town of Bratislava,<br />
the capital of Slovakia. It then<br />
navigates through Lower Austria<br />
to reach the romantic town of<br />
Dürnstein, where Richard the<br />
Lionheart was imprisoned, with<br />
a visit to the remarkable monastery<br />
in Melk, with its 200m-long<br />
Emperor’s Gallery.<br />
“Next is Linz from where you<br />
will take the short drive to Salzburg,<br />
the birthplace and residence<br />
of Mozart, then on your<br />
way back eastwards enjoy a<br />
visit to Vienna, home of Strauss<br />
and many great composers,”<br />
Chris added.<br />
Finally, cruising into Hungary,<br />
you arrive back in imperial<br />
Budapest, straddling the picturesque<br />
Danube.<br />
Riviera Travel River Cruises<br />
offers elegant accommodations,<br />
all shipboard main meals and<br />
a full range of included shore<br />
excursions.<br />
This sensational offer, exclusive<br />
to Newport Travel, is priced<br />
at $10,695 per person, twin<br />
share – including airfares (ends<br />
<strong>March</strong> 31 or until sold out).<br />
More info on 9997 1277.<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong> 73<br />
Travel <strong>Life</strong>
Travel <strong>Life</strong><br />
Travel <strong>Life</strong><br />
Small group luxury soaking<br />
up colour & sounds of Africa<br />
For over 50 years, Abercrombie<br />
& Kent have been building<br />
a global business taking<br />
guests to destinations near<br />
and far, in seamless style and<br />
comfort. They make sure everything<br />
is organised so you don’t<br />
need to lift a finger, even in the<br />
most rugged locations. You<br />
will be put in the most fitting<br />
lodgings – whether an elegant<br />
palace hotel, an outback station<br />
or a traditional felt tent.<br />
“Luxury for A&K is the<br />
quality of the service and the<br />
experience you’ll have,” notes<br />
Travel View’s Megan Catterall,<br />
who recently experienced<br />
eight days of game viewing in<br />
Africa, where the company first<br />
started touring, as part of their<br />
small group departures.<br />
“We flew into Johannesburg<br />
and took a private aircraft<br />
to Madikwe game reserve,<br />
flying over the most amazing<br />
scenery,” Megan said.<br />
“We had three nights at<br />
the Makanyane safari<br />
lodge. We’d wake to a<br />
light breakfast before an<br />
early morning game drive<br />
in an open-air Jeep to see<br />
the results of the predator<br />
activity the night before.<br />
“On safari, we tracked<br />
animals with our expert<br />
guide Darren following<br />
tracks and sounds. After a<br />
sumptuous lunch we had time<br />
to relax with a massage or<br />
lounge around the pool before<br />
heading out on an afternoon<br />
game drive to spot shy, nocturnal<br />
species and predators<br />
heading out on the hunt each<br />
evening.<br />
“Darren would set up our<br />
pre-evening cocktails and we<br />
would watch the sun set. The<br />
colours were amazing – and<br />
then the sounds would start!<br />
The lion’s roar sent shivers<br />
down my spine but it was miles<br />
away, you hear everything and<br />
see so much.<br />
“Then it was back to the lodge<br />
for warm drinks and a fireside<br />
chat, sharing our day’s sightings<br />
with other guests over a gorgeous<br />
dinner with fine wines.”<br />
Megan’s trip concluded with<br />
four nights in Capetown, taking<br />
in great dining, penguins at<br />
Cape Point, the architecture at<br />
Stellenbosch and wine tasting<br />
at Grand Provence.<br />
“After a day on Robben Island<br />
our farewell dinner was with<br />
Christo Brand, the warden who<br />
became lifelong friends with<br />
Nelson Mandela,” Megan said.<br />
“It was very emotional hearing<br />
his story – this is a special<br />
experience exclusive to A&K<br />
Guests on tour. Definitely a<br />
highlight!”<br />
For more info on Abercrombie<br />
& Kent phone Megan at<br />
Travel View on 9999 0444.<br />
74<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong>