The Local Voice Since 1991 COMING TO YOUR RESCUE A DAY IN THE LIFE OF OUR MARINE VOLUNTEERS MISSING ‘LINK’ NEW HOSPITAL BUS PLANS REVEALED OFFLEASH DOG TRIAL WHY WON’T COUNCIL TAKE THE LEAD? WONDERS OF SCIENCE BOB MORAN & HIS ‘DISCOVERY SHED’ NOVEMBER 2018 FREE pittwaterlife + GLENN SHORROCK PITTWATER PADDLE GREAT BREKKIE IDEAS MARKET MONTH! FAMILY FUN DAYS OUT IN AVALON, NARRABEEN, MONA VALE & NEWPORT
Editorial Silver lining to Pasadena saga The saga over the compulsory acquisition of the Pasadena site at Church Point attracted plenty of press in 2018; not all of it was complimentary, as ratepayers were left wondering if they had been sold a pup by the previous administrator. But finally a great outcome. After backing out of the deal after the owner refused its offer, Council went cap in hand to local MP Rob Stokes to see if he could secure the allocated funding for Pasadena – believed to be more than $5 million – for other council projects. (Credit here to Narrabeen Ward Councillor Rory Amon for getting the ball rolling.) In late October, Mr Stokes announced $2.5 million of the kitty for Pasadena would be deposited into Council coffers to help pay for the redevelopment of the Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club. Even better, we hear there will be more announcements of funding for other Council projects in coming months. * * * October’s wild, wet and windy weather saw more delays in the dredging at Ettalong but we hear ferry services between Palm Beach and Ettalong are expected to be finished by mid November. Terrigal MP Adam Crouch says the dredging contractor, Fantasea Cruising and the Department of Industry are doing everything possible to see services recommence. Let’s hope everything’s back to normal before the December peak visitor period. * * * Our villages will come to life with markets and festivals in Mona Vale, Avalon, Newport and Narrabeen in coming weeks. Get out there and enjoy these fun-filled days – but also pop into the local shops and help support our businesses in the run up to Christmas. They need your help! – Nigel Wall The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 3
FREE LOCAL MONTHLY INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTION 32,000 Delivered to householders & businesses throughout the Pittwater area at the beginning of each month. AFFORDABLE RATES & LONG-LIFE EXPOSURE CALL US TO DISCUSS YOUR AD! Tel: 0438 123 096 PO Box 170 Mona Vale 1660 Email: info@pittwaterlife.com.au Website: www.pittwaterlife.com.au Publisher: Nigel Wall Managing Editor: Lisa Offord Graphic Design: CLS Design Photography: iStock / Staff Contributors: Rosamund Burton, Gabrielle Bryant, Matt Cleary, Brian Hrnjak, Jennifer Harris, Nick Carroll, Janelle Bloom, Sue Carroll, Dr. John Kippen, Geoff Searl. Distribution: John Nieuwenhof & Gill Stokes pitlifewalkers@gmail.com Published by Word Count Media Pty Ltd. ACN 149 583 335 ABN 95 149 583 335 Printed by Rural Press Phone: 02 4570 4444 Vol 28 No 4 Celebrating 27 years COMING TO YOUR RESCUE The Local Voice Since 1991 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF OUR MARINE VOLUNTEERS MISSING ‘LINK’ NEW HOSPITAL BUS PLANS REVEALED OFFLEASH DOG TRIAL WHY WON’T COUNCIL TAKE THE LEAD? WONDERS OF SCIENCE BOB MORAN & HIS ‘DISCOVERY SHED’ + GLENN SHORROCK PITTWATER PADDLE GREAT BREKKIE IDEAS MARKET MONTH! FAMILY FUN DAYS OUT IN AVALON, NARRABEEN, MONA VALE & NEWPORT NOVEMBER 2018 FREE pittwaterlife 26 37 64 WALKERS WANTED To deliver Pittwater Life once a month. Permanent and casual runs are available now in: Palm Beach, Avalon, Newport, Mona Vale, Bayview & Church Point. EARN TOP MONEY PAID PROMPTLY! Email: pitlifewalkers@gmail.com thislife COVER: Our writer Rosamund Burton was up at the crack of dawn to meet the volunteers who work around the clock assisting Marine Rescue NSW (page 26); we reveal full details on the story we broke last month about the new NB Hospital shuttle bus (page 8); local Chambers of Commerce voice their concerns about the difficulties faced by local businesses (page 10); meet engineer Bob Moran, who takes us on a tour of the collection of technological wonders that comprise his ‘Discovery Shed’ (page 32); and check out the details for Market Month – it’s going to be a fun few weeks! COVER IMAGE: Pamela Pauline / pamelapauline.com also this month Editorial 3 Pittwater Local News 6-25 Feature: Day In The Life Of... Marine Rescue 26-29 Surfing Life 30-31 Life Stories: Bob Moran 32-33 Art Life 34-36 Avalon Market Day Guide 37-40 Health & Wellbeing; Hair & Beauty 42-49 Money 50-51 Law 52-54 Trades & Services 56-58 Showtime 59 Food 64-66 Gardening 68-70 the goodlife Restaurants, food, gigs, travel and gardening. Also find our regular features on beauty, health, surfing, art, local history, our guide to trades and services, money, law and our essential maps. ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! Bookings & advertising material to set for our DECEMBER issue MUST be supplied by THURSDAY 8 NOVEMBER Finished art & editorial submissions deadline: THURSDAY 15 NOVEMBER The DECEMBER issue will be published on WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER COPYRIGHT All contents are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced except with the written consent of the copyright owner. GST: All advertising rates are subject to GST. 4 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
News Council has ‘dropped offleash lead’ Dog-owners advocacy group Pittwater Unleashed has accused Northern Beaches Council of unnecessarily delaying the introduction of an off-leash dog trial at Palm Beach’s Station Beach which it says should have been settled by staff months ago. The community group is furious that Council has wasted time and money assigning a Council staff member to oversee the project, only to stonewall the plan at the 11th hour. At a meeting on June 26, Council resolved to trigger a public consultation process within 12 weeks, subject to there being no unresolvable barriers to do so, presented in any Government Agency correspondence response to the proposed trial. The site for the proposed trial involves the Pittwater foreshore commencing 80 metres north of Beach Road and finishing at the Boathouse Wharf, 630 metres south of National Park lands. Pittwater Unleashed, whose charter is to deliver “a voice for dog owners promoting a ‘Fair Share’ open space policy across the Northern Beaches Local Government Area” said Council had pointed to considerations requested by the NSW Lands Department in September as the reason for the additional delay. Given “environmental sensitivities” NSW Lands had requested a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) be undertaken. But Pittwater Unleashed spokesman Mitch Geddes said there was no reason for Council to be commissioning further studies given a 50-page REF and Biodiversity Assessment had already been undertaken by the former Pittwater Council, at a reported cost of $15,000. According to Mr Geddes, the previous REF had been “misplaced” by Council in 2014, but is now available for all to see. “The work is already done, and it is high time we let the community see the findings, by way of the formal consultation process,” he said. At its June meeting Council also invited the Executive Committee of Pittwater Unleashed to help develop the parameters for the Station Beach trial prior to its projected September public exhibition commencement. Preparations for the trial had progressed to the point where a draft sign had been prepared for the site to outline the conditions and scope of the trial (pictured). Following discussion with Pittwater Unleashed, the parameters of the trial propose a 12-month timeframe, with restrictions between 4.00pm to 10.30am (Eastern Standard Time) and 5.30pm to 10.30am (Daylight Savings Time). Mr Geddes said: “The Department of Lands already had its go when it demanded the first REF. The conduct of Lands, and other departmental officers at that time has recently been called into question, and is the subject of an investigation by Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton and Lands Minister Paul Toole. “Imposing new delays and cost duplication at this late stage is not a good look, especially when one of the laughable suggestions is that we consider taking the dogs back to Careel Bay! “Council needs to get on with the job of delivering for the community by activating this stretch of underutilised foreshore, and by not getting caught up in endless bureaucratic circles.” General Manager Environment and Infrastructure Ben Taylor told Pittwater Life: “We know off leash dog parks are an important topic for the community and Council is committed to providing improved spaces for our four-legged friends. “Council has now received feedback about a trial off-leash dog area on Station Beach from a range of Government agencies including the NSW Government’s Department of Industry. “This feedback identifies the need for environmental research prior to proceeding with any trial. “The next steps are that Council will work with the government to meet their requirements prior to conducting any community consultation.” While the commencement date for public exhibition is currently up in the air, Council CEO Ray Brownlee had set a meeting with Pittwater Unleashed for late October. “He’s only been here five minutes, and is already onto this. We take this as a very good sign – that he won’t cop these costly delay tactics,” Mr Geddes said. – Nigel Wall 6 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
News Shuttle provides ‘easy’ link to new hospital Not-for-profit community transport operator Easylink says it’s proud to be helping patients and visitors travel to the new Northern Beaches Hospital with a brand new bus offering regular, scheduled weekday services as well as tailor-made, door-to-door shuttles. Their new bus will shift into gear on October 30, the day the hospital opens, with its specially adapted vehicle running between Mona Vale Hospital and NB Hospital. Its first departure leaves Mona Vale at 7.45am and its last return from Northern Beaches Hospital commences 3pm. Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes said the new shuttle bus was more affordable than taxis and a fantastic option for individuals who experienced mobility issues. “One-way fares will start at a concession rate of $6 for registered customers and up to $10 for full-fare passengers,” Mr Stokes said. Susan Watson, General Manager of Easylink, told Pittwater Life the team was excited to be able to provide an essential service for people from the northern end of the peninsula who may find it difficult to get to the new hospital. “We believe this shuttle will be very popular – in fact we have already received our first bookings,” she said. “Easylink will provide ‘transport with care’ in our brand new accessible vehicle… we can pick passengers up from the bus stop or their home and ensure they arrive at the hospital and home again safely.” Easylink asks all passengers intending to travel to book at least two days in advance (carers travel free). The service will run initially as a trial for 12 months. Bookings can be made by calling 9919 0700 with payment made on the day of travel to the driver, or alternatively passengers can open an account with Easylink. (More info easylink.com.au) Meanwhile, locals have slammed new public bus services announced by Transport for NSW in October to access the NB Hospital, with no direct route via the Wakehurst Parkway and Pittwater residents required to change buses at Dee Why to get to Frenchs Forest. Go to transportnsw.info or use the Trip Planner or look up a bus route online. – Lisa Offord Timetable Mona Vale Community Health Centre Departs 7.45am, 9.45am, 12pm, 2.30pm Northern Beaches Hospital Departs 8.30am, 10.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm Costs If you’re registered with My Aged Care, transport disadvantaged (temporarily or permanently), or referred by local private hospitals, the shuttle costs are: $6 each way from Mona Vale Hospital Community Health Centre; $8 each way from home (up to 5km from MV Hospital); $10 each way from home (more than 5km from MV Hospital). For NDIS, HCP customers: $10 each way from Mona Vale Hospital Community Health Centre $15 each way from home For private customers: $10 each way from Mona Vale Community Health Centre NB: Carers travel free. 8 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Pasadena funds in redistribution State Government funding originally earmarked for the compulsory acquisition of the Pasadena site at Church Point will be redirected to other Northern Beaches Council projects following the scrapping of the planned purchase. First to benefit is the Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club, with Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes announcing a further $2.5 million to assist with the building upgrade, in addition to $1.4 million allocated to the project last year. Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said Council was currently preparing a DA for the surf club site with a view to being “shovel-ready” by mid next year. More announcements are pending on where the balance of the residual funding for Pasadena will be allocated. Mr Stokes explained the funding was part of the NSW Government’s ‘Stronger Communities Fund’, provided to progress key local projects in partnership with Council. “This generational upgrade of Mona Vale will ensure the surf club continues to provide outstanding community services into the future,” he said. “Improvements to Mona Vale Surf Club have been sought for many years but funding has always been an issue.” Surf club upgrades at Newport and Long Reef are also being supported as part of the ‘Stronger Communities Fund’. Mayor Regan added: “It’s fantastic that Council has been able to secure this funding and we thank the state government for their contribution. “The community overwhelmingly support the concept design for the new club and will be excited to know it’s now fully funded.”– Nigel Wall News The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 9
News Chambers slam council fee hikes Local Chambers of Commerce have slammed Northern Beaches Council’s fee increases for outdoor seating space for cafes and restaurants, saying they are jeopardising businesses and slowly stripping villages of their vibrancy and character. The Newport Residents Association has also weighed in, highlighting the recent closure of the patisserie in Robertson Road after its owner blamed the Council’s fees increase, on top of escalating rent, as the reason for shutting his business after more than 16 years. After taking the patisserie closure and the fee hikes in general up with Council, NRA President Gavin Butler said the group was “disturbed” at the staff response that: “We do not have authority to change the charges as they are set…” Pittwater Ward Councillor Alex McTaggart intends to run a notice of motion at Council’s November meeting, calling for a complete review of outdoor seating, including charges. Further, at the first Avalon Place Plan meeting, appointed Community Reference Group members called for an independent economic assessment of business in Avalon village, noting a decline in activity. Council’s new fees for 2018-19 included fee hikes of up to 20% for some regions of Pittwater. Council’s Acting General Manager Environment and Infrastructure Todd Dickinson said Council used external valuers to provide pricing advice on outdoor dining to ensure fees fairly reflected the market. “Each location is benchmarked against other like areas and valuations take into account factors including centre size, traffic and more,” he said. “Changes to outdoor dining licence fees in the 2018/2019 Budget were proposed in line with external valuations received. Increases are not uniform across the area.” Newport Chamber of Commerce President Noni Long said Newport and Pittwater’s businesses needed a “fair go”. “They need to be heard, they need commitment and they definitely need assistance based on the reality of economic times,” Ms Long said. “Without that, how are we supposed to redevelop our vibrant village centres?” She noted that while Council was actively seeking community feedback on how to improve and promote its suburbs, they hadn’t listened to raw business feedback. Also, she questioned how council’s independent valuers recommended an almost 15% fee hike for Newport. Avalon Palm Beach Business Chamber President Sam Garner said Avalon was experiencing a high turnover of businesses, mostly due to high costs and a lack of utilisation. “The Avalon and Palm Beach area has rent comparable to the Sydney CBD – the increase in Council fees for outdoor space makes it even harder for these small businesses to succeed,” Mr Garner said. “Currently our chamber is focussed on improving the town centre’s atmosphere and increase ambience, so clearly if cafes are forced to stop using outdoor space due to increased fees, this will not benefit our cause.” Mona Vale Chamber of Commerce President Chris Kavanagh said his members were disappointed that the NSW Government caveat on council rate increases post-amalgamation has not been extended to increases in council fees and charges. “A significant number of businesses depend on council areas such as footpaths outside their businesses for advertising, merchandising and seating,” he said. “Our recent survey of businesses in Mona Vale indicates that the proposed fee increases may affect businesses decisions about expansion.” He added council fee increases might be more palatable if accompanied by a commensu- 10 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
rate improvement in services delivered to the community. “Health and safety issues in Mona Vale need to be addressed and the parking situation in the Mona Vale shopping precinct is unacceptable. “It is the Chamber’s view that council should not increase fees at a rate more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) unless there is a direct and tangible increase in benefit to the community.” Pittwater’s suburbs are hardest hit by increases in the Local Government Area (fees based on per square metre of usage). Palm Beach is most affected locally, with owners forking out 20% more per annum. Other increases include North Narrabeen (15%), Avalon (13%), Mona Vale (10%) and Narrabeen (7%). Narrabeen Ward Councillor Rory Amon told Pittwater Life: “If the Council’s valuation is wrong, it’s wrong… if there’s a problem, businesses need to contact councillors direct and lobby us. Councillors represent you, not staff.” Meanwhile Council has announced it will continue to sponsor the privately managed ‘Northern Beaches Local Business Awards’ for the next three years. “Council’s investment in these awards reflects our commitment to supporting economic growth, innovation and the sustainability of our local businesses,” Mayor Michael Regan said. – Nigel Wall News The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 11
News Book Review Lenny’s Book of Everything Karen Foxlee, Allen & Unwin; PB $19.99, HB $27.99 Get the tissues ready. Lenny Spink’s brother Davey has been born with a rare form of gigantism so you know what is likely to transpire. But be prepared to have your heart filled before it is broken, as Australian author Karen Foxlee crafts a beautiful tale of sibling championship and pluck, with plenty of wry comedic moments too. Early readers who got their hands on advanced reading copies were addicted to this story, and Foxlee’s incredible writing. The American ’70s setting is an important backdrop, magnifying the schoolyard prejudice Davey faces, and the battle the family faces for treatment. Lenny and Davey, inspired by their regular subscriptions to a build-it-at-home encyclopaedia, have grand dreams for a future we know is foggy. But there is always hope. Lenny’s Book of Everything joins, and perhaps even surpasses our stock favourites of Out of My Mind, Wonder and Counting By 7. I know, a big call. Get a copy and you’ll understand why. – Libby Armstrong 6THINGS THIS MONTH Grab a free plant. All the family are invited to North Narrabeen to do some weeding and planting and help restore Turimetta Headland on Sun 4 from 8am- 12pm. There will also be free native plants for residents to take home. More info 9970 1363 or 9970 1390. All aboard the Business Bus. NSW Government Business Connect Advisors will be parked outside the Mona Vale Memorial Hall from 9am-3pm on Mon 5 offering free personalised support on how to start, grow or innovate your business. To book call 1300 134 359 or visit industry.nsw.gov. au/businessconnect for more info. Preservation talk. Hear from Council’s new CEO Ray Brownlee on his vision for the local government area at the Avalon Preservation Association’s (51st) AGM from 7pm on Mon 5 at Avalon Bowling Club. Members, new members and guests welcome. Join the APA for $10 a year. More info 9918 8881. An ‘Exquisite Hour’. The Peninsula Music Club is hosting a recital by a highly acclaimed trio featuring one of Australia’s great operatic talents, baritone José Carbó and spectacular classical guitarists. The concert starts 8pm on Fri 9 at St Luke’s Grammar in Bayview. Tickets $25; students (under 17) $10 or free if accompanied by an adult. Purchase online at peninsulamusicclub.com.au. Silent Night. Avalon Bowlo will screen The Sentimental Bloke, the classic Australian silent film, first screened 100 years ago. Local film producer Bill Leimbach will introduce the film and live musical accompaniment by The Volatinsky Quartet from 7pm on Sat 17. Tickets $28.59 through eventbrite. Remembrance Day. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armistice which ended World War I. Avalon RSL, Palm Beach RSL, Pittwater RSL, Dee Why RSL and the War Veterans, Collaroy Plateau are all conducting community services on Sun 11 Nov. Check websites. 12 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
News Paddle for a worthy cause Entries for the annual Pittwater Paddle have steadily grown from the inaugural event in 2014 and organisers are planning for a big splash for the fifth edition, with up to 150 paddlers expected to meet on Sunday November 4 for races to and around Scotland Island. Organised by Northern Beaches Interchange (NBI), individual entry is open via the website pittwaterpaddle. org.au to those aged 12 and over competing with kayaks, SUPs, racing skis, surf skis, sea kayaks, paddleboards (traditional prone) and the Stand-Up Pedal Board in the Hobie Eclipse. Team entry is open to SLSC surf boats, double skis and double kayaks. In addition to the 8.4km Pittwater Paddle from Winnererremy Bay around Scotland Island and the shorter 3.6km Pittwater Family Paddle to the island and return option, a new 1km sprint race will give the fittest the chance to test their sprint stamina and speed on flat-water. NBI is a local organisation that provides support services and group recreational activities for people living with a disability. Funds raised via registration fees and more importantly individual and team sponsorship is vital, says Pittwater Paddle race director John Brockhoff, whose son uses NBI’s services. “My son’s gained enormous benefit mixing with his peers and those on a similar journey through the opportunities NBI has created. I’m forever in their debt for providing those opportunities. “For the non-elite paddler the scenic course can be challenging, depending on the wind and tides, and for the serious competitors it’s the perfect training run and family morning next to Flying Fox Park and the dog-friendly Winnererremy Bay. “Whichever end of the paddling spectrum participants represent, it’s an event where waterloving Northern Beaches residents and other paddlers come together to support a healthy outdoor activity and the amazing work of NBI,” Brockhoff added. Registration for the Pittwater Paddle is open at pittwaterpaddle.org.au and early entry is encouraged, and will help with planning. Local MP Rob Stokes, a previous competitor, was one of the first to put his name down. BYO paddle craft and if you are keen but short of a ride, drop into The Life Aquatic at Mona Vale, the event’s major sponsor. – Lisa Ratcliffe 14 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
SEEN… While a headcount of 3,000 touted by some was more than a touch exaggerated there’s no denying the spirit of the community turnout at the Save Mona Vale Hospital rally last month. Attendees called for the hospital’s Emergency Department, Maternity and other acute services to be retained after the opening of the new Northern Beaches Hospital on October 30. Credit to Pittwater MP Rob Stokes for turning up and engaging with a crowd that contained many less-than-flattering signs waved his way. HEARD… It seemed no sooner had the rally dispersed that Mr Stokes pulled on the pads and went in to bat for the most contentious of the ‘lost’ Mona Vale Hospital services – its Emergency Department. “My job is to listen to our community and take action – that’s why I’m calling on health authorities to make further enhancements to ensure an Emergency Department will continue as part of the redevelopment and modernisation of Mona Vale Hospital,” Mr Stokes said. He added he had held talks with senior health officials and Health Minister Brad Hazzard to investigate ways in which “planned emergency medicine at Mona Vale Hospital might be further enhanced.” He emphasised the new Urgent Care Centre would fulfil a similar role to the existing Emergency Department at Mona Vale, whilst specialist emergency services will now be at Frenchs Forest, which was still a lot closer than Royal North Shore (which ambulances currently convey patients to). Alas, Mr Stokes appeared to be bowled first ball by the Health Minister, with Mr Hazzard immediately shutting down the suggestion. Meanwhile, Save Mona Vale Hospital Chairman Parry Thomas thanked Mr Stokes for “finally acknowledging” the need for a genuine emergency department at Mona Vale. “However, it must be backed up by operating theatres, an intensive care unit and other associated services such as nuclear medicine – which are all in place.” ABSURD… The ‘ghost town’ vibe about stretches of our villages, including Newport and Avalon, with more shopfronts with ‘for lease’ signs than we can recall. As we report on page 10, the local Chambers of Commerce have raised concerns about high rents, increased Council fees and ‘underutilisation’. The latter is perhaps a kind way of suggesting local businessess could do with more support. How about we all try to do our bit when we can? News The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 17
News Golf clubhouse arts push Community intervention has seen Northern Beaches Council include the Avalon Golf Clubhouse as one of two venue options for the new Creative Space – North, a dedicated exhibition and studio space for artists. Having narrowed its focus to the Avalon Annexe, Council staff were preparing to recommend the Dunbar Park location to councillors for public exhibition before a submission from local arts advocate Ros Marsh. Now both the Annexe and the Clubhouse are being publicly exhibited, with comments due to close on November 11. Ms Marsh told Pittwater Life the Avalon Beach Arts and Cultural Precinct Group had looked at the possibility of tendering for vacant spaces at the Golf Club in 2014 as a community art/cultural venue but were unable to meet lease costs. “The tendered areas still remain largely unused,” she said. “We always believed this was a great community asset with fabulous potential.” She added the Avalon Preservation Association supported the location, providing the concept was sensitive to existing users (golfers) and the building. Local artist and Frenchs Forest Ward Councillor Penny Philpott was also in favour. “We understand the golf course management lease is up for renewal in 2019; we would hope that Council’s intention is to continue the function of the golf course,” Ms Marsh said. “We see the establishment of the Creative Space as cementing the longevity of the golf course and its profitability.” She said there were many reasons why the golf club was a preferable venue. “Apart from location, the existing building and club have all requisite infrastructure operating – parking, disabled parking, disabled and other toilets, and showers, a commercial kitchen, café, scenic view and ambiance,” she said. “It also has 90 square metres of potential maker spaces and additional store rooms, a relaxing lounge area of around 40 square metres, plus 60 square metres of scenic dining space that could have uses as venue or exhibition space.” She added that green space adjacent to the north could allow most of Council’s $1-2m budget to go to a new twostorey space. “We don’t follow the logic in the concept plans Council has produced (see Your Say on Council’s website),” she added. “We have suggested to Council that we have a lot of local expert architects, engineers, builders, curators, creatives who may be happy to volunteer for a working group to get the best value outcome. “In fact, we have sought the advice of a prominent Northern Beaches architect and his view is to maintain the integrity of the existing Clubhouse upper level (pictured),” Ms Marsh said. “It would be a simple structure with some accents of the 18 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
existing heritage features. The concepts we have proposed provide significantly more exhibition space, more maker spaces that can cater to a wide range of creative pursuits and a venue that can be used for many more purposes and cater for very large groups. Commenting on Council’s assertion that the Clubhouse did not meet important ‘location’ criteria, Ms Marsh said Creative Space – North would service the immediate population (some 27,000 residents) and its exhibitions should attract the wider NBC community and tourists. “The golf course has main road visibility, it’s close to the Coastal Walk, bus stops and lends itself to a perimeter walkway which could link to the Coast Walk and Village. “We think it will provide improved amenity with potential to improve the bottom line of the golf course... it will be a win-win for the golfers, creatives and the community.” Councillor Penny Philpott said the Golf Clubhouse offered a more interesting and adaptable gallery and studio space. “With careful design there would be ample area for muchneeded studio spaces for artists with ‘heavy’ materials such as welders, carvers and ceramicists; while artists who work in ‘softer’ mediums such as painters and weavers can also be catered for,” she said. * Attend the Council ‘pop-up’ at Avalon Golf Clubhouse on November 3 from 10am-12pm; comment on Council website by November 11. – Nigel Wall News The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 19
News Pittwater News Experience thrills of catamaran sailing Palm Beach Sailing Club’s annual Open Day on Saturday November 3 will provide visitors with the experience of an exciting sail on a catamaran. You will also be able to try out the latest kayaks, pedalboards, SUPs and surfboards from ‘Pittwater SUP Central’ – The Life Aquatic in Mona Vale. On the day members will be on the beach (Sand Point, Palm Beach) with their boats rigged and ready to take you out for a spin on beautiful Pittwater. Just bring your swimmers and your sense of fun! And grab a bite to eat from the BBQ. Organisers want everyone to come down and give it a try. The club has a policy to encourage and support sailors at all levels, from young beginner sailors to Grand Masters. Their members range from the inexperienced to world champions and Olympic medallists. Pittwater High Car Boot Sale U3A takes a deep dive in the Snowies Learn of some incredible deeds involving divers in the 1960s working on the Snowy Mountains project when U3A member David Strike presents his ‘The Men From Snowy’ talk at Newport Community Centre on Tuesday November 27 from 1.30-3.30pm. David explains: “Early in 1961, the Snowy Mountains Authority had a major problem in the Lake Eucumbene Dam. A leak P ittwater High School is hosting its fourth annual car boot sale on November 11, to help raise funds to send their talented music students to tour America in 2020. The event will provide an enjoyable outing for both the stallholders and shoppers who come to find a bargain. Car spots will be generous in size, and the native bushland setting will add to the ambience – not to mention the great jazz tunes PHS Junior Stage Band belts out from 10am. (The band will respectfully honour the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I at 11am). Shoppers strolling through the sea of bargains can also enjoy breakfast or lunch from the BBQ, as well as coffee and cake. If you wish to declutter or sell your own handcrafted goods, go to trybooking.com/UICI – or drop down between 7.30am and 1.30pm to soak up the atmosphere and go home with some great bargains. had developed in a sealing device at the entrance to the Lake diversion tunnel and the only practical method of checking the trouble was by diver inspection. The job was in 260 feet and although the Royal Australian Navy Clearance Divers had only worked regularly to depths around 100 feet, these were the only divers capable of the attempt. The work was protracted and done in freezing conditions. The perseverance of the divers in the face of nitrogen narcosis and decompression stoppages was nothing short of Spartan.” All welcome; more info 9970 7161. Beaches vet offers assistance in Brazil Sydney Animal Hospitals Northern Beaches owner Dr Ben Brown recently spent time as a volunteer with US charity ‘World Vets’ in northern Brazil, providing free veterinary services to shelter animals and free training for local 20 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
vets. World Vets Mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of animals by providing veterinary aid and training in developing countries and by providing disaster relief worldwide, their programs span 46 countries on six continents. The team of seven vets completed 506 surgical operations in four days, making it the most successful World Vets expedition in history (see his story page 25). Lagoon Friends in transport discussion Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon will host their fourth and final forum for the year on Monday November 26, looking at transport Issues in the Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment area – from past to present to implications of future transport options for this area. Speakers will be Richard Mitchell, the president of the Manly Warringah Pittwater Historical Society, and Malcolm Raymond. Starts 7pm at Coastal Environment Centre. Free event, but donation towards expenses appreciated. Tickets and info email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au or text 0402 974 105. Also, Conny Harris will lead a walk of exploration from Garigal National Park to Morgan Road on Sunday November 18. Takes 3.5 hours, some weeding along the way; bookings essential 0432 643 295. Malek delivers a Golden Age recital Acclaimed international concert pianist Christopher Malek will continue the grand tradition of piano music when he performs a recital ‘The Golden Continued on page 22 News The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 21
Pittwater News Continued from page 21 Age of Piano’, for Wyvern Music Forestville on Sunday 11 November at 4pm at OLGC Catholic Church. Renowned for the poetic quality of his interpretation and extraordinary virtuosity, Malek will perform piano classics by Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Liszt. Tickets $25 ($20 concession); $15 students (under-16s free). Address: 9 Currie Rd, Forestville. More info 9416 5234 or wyvernfmca. org.au create a site-specific body of work. They will also receive a $3,000 allowance for materials. At Eramboo, a six-month residency that provides free non-residential studio space awaits filling, with a $2,000 allowance for materials. A bonus is the residents will be able to tap into the professional development support and networks that Eramboo provides. The News Artists residencies for creative types Northern Beaches Council is inviting talented local artists to apply for its 2019 Artists in Residence Program at the Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre and the Eramboo Artist Environment, both located in Terrey Hills. Under Council’s program, two artists at Kimbriki will have free access to a nine-month, non-residential studio space to 22 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Artists in Residence Programs provide opportunities for local artists across practices including, but not limited to visual arts, sculptural, jewellery, installation, print making, screen, digital, mixed media or photography to develop new work in their own dedicated studio space at either Kimbriki or Eramboo. At the end of their residency, artists are provided opportunities to present their work in a public space, prominent location, or an exhibition space. The 2018 Kimbriki artists in residence, Angela van Boxtel and Colin Razor, recently farewelled their nine-month stays with a presentation of the artwork they produced in a special exhibition at Creative Space – North Curl Curl; meanwhile the 2018 Eramboo resident artist, Michelle Perrett, presented her body of work – Porcelian Flowers – at Eramboo in September. Applications close 5pm, Monday 12 November; apply Council website. Gardens on point The former editor of Our Gardens, Patricia Prior, will give a Power Point presentation of gardens of note, both here and overseas, at the next meeting for Palm Beach Probus on Wednesday morning, 21st November at Club Palm Beach; visitors welcome; enquiries 9973 1247. Continued on page 24 Ready for the fun of the fairs... Tell the friends and family: Pittwater’s ‘Market Month’ is back! Here’s what’s coming to a village near you: Mona Vale Market Day – Find your favorite stalls at Mona Vale Village Park (above) when it comes alive with a carnival-like atmosphere from 10am-4pm on Sunday November 4. Brought to you by the Mona Vale Chamber of Commerce, this event has grown from strength to strength since first staged in 2013 when more than 7000 people flocked to enjoy a vibrant day out. With clear skies the long-range forecast (fingers crossed), this year’s Market Day looks set to be the best so far – with more variety among the 110 stalls . The precinct will feature great food, activities, pumping music and better amusements – and in addition to the stalls selling jewellery, clothing, homewares, crafts and collectors’ items, local businesses will also be getting involved, offering their own great pre- Christmas bargains. (Renata from RitzyRocks will be there, with her unique Venetian ‘Millifiore’ watches!) More Market Day info monavalechamber.org Newport Beach Festival – The village will be filled with colour and excitement on Sunday November 25, with more than 200 stalls, international food, kids’ rides, live music and entertainers as well as Christmas sales at local shops. And of course, there will be an appearance from Santa Claus. Supported by the Newport Beach Chamber of commerce. More info newportbeachfestival.com.au Avalon Beach Market Day – Sunday November 18 (see special 4-page guide P37-40). Sponsored by the Avalon Beach Chamber of Commerce. Narrabeen Lakes Summerfest – Returns to Berry Reserve this year, on the weekend of December 1-2. More than 140 stalls selling fresh produce and items for Christmas gifts, plus food. Plenty for the kids, including rides and activities. Not to mention the sensational Saturday night fireworks! (See ad P16.) News The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 23
Pittwater News Continued from page 23 Self-guided tours of Mona Vale Cemetery Northern Beaches Council has developed a self-guided history tour of heritage-rich Mona Vale Cemetery; the tour can be accessed on Council’s website using a smart phone or iPad, taking participants on a two-hour stroll through this historic cemetery, first consecrated as a burial ground in 1905. The tour is based on the Journal of Local History (Volume 8) published by the Manly Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society in 2004 to commemorate the centenary of the cemetery. While a printed version will soon be available on site, you can now view the tour via council’s website from the comfort of your home. The tour profiles around 30 local identities including author and playwright Morris West (‘The Devil’s Advocate’), pioneer James Booth and the early 20th Century photographer Euphemia Baker. Several prominent people who passed away since 2005 also feature, including the much-loved teacher, community activist and Pittwater councillor, the late Mayor Harvey Rose. (Council is welcoming News 24 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
submissions for consideration by its historical panel about interesting people interred in the cemetery.) Info Council website or email cemeteries@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au Seniors fitness on Probus agenda At the next Pittwater Probus Club meeting at Mona Vale Golf Club on Tuesday November 13, hear from physiotherapist Andrew Daubney, a passionate golfer who believes in a holistic approach to metabolic and musculoskeletal dysfunction. Andrew has developed his reputation in spinal rehabilitation, low back pain and postural correction. He has a specific interest in golf biomechanics. Andrew will be joined by club member Wes Harder who will talk about the major medical complaints of seniors and the need to get them checked out. All welcome; starts 10am. ‘Double agent’ author for Avalon Library Hear local award-winning author Carolinda Witt discuss her amazing book ‘Double Agent Celery’ at Avalon Community Library from 6pm on Thursday November 22. The book is about Carolinda’s grandfather Walter Dicketts, who was a British spy in WWI and WWII. Carolinda won the non-fiction prize at the Society of Women Writers Presentation Ceremony at the State Library last month. She says the book will appeal to not just those interested in history, but also the many people who now investigate their personal histories, searching out their family trees, or doing DNA testing. “My grandfather, Double Agent Celery, lived an incredible life that most people would be astounded to hear,” she told us. Bookings at the library or call 9918 3013; $5 entry includes wine and cheese. Marine compliance operations continue Police have promised ongoing marine compliance operations heading into summer to ensure safety on our waterways. The operations target vessel safety, safe navigation, speeding, The Local Voice Since 1991 Ocean Swims every Sunday in January There will be an ocean swim every Sunday in January, thanks to the annual Pittwater Ocean Swim Series involving local surf clubs. The ocean swims bonanza starts with the Newport Pool to Peak on Sunday 6 January, with 400m, 800m and 2km courses. Then it’s Bilgola’ s turn on Sunday 13 January with 800m and 1.5km swims. They will be followed by Mona Vale on 20 January with a 900m and a 2.2km swim (from Warriewood to Mona Vale). Finally there is the Big Swim on Sunday January 27, with the traditional 2.5-2.8km swim (Palm Beach to Whale Beach) and the Big Little Swim (an 800m swim for those who find the traditional swim too long). Meanwhile Avalon have moved their swim date to Sunday 14 April, when they will have 1km and 1.5 km as well as the challenging 2.5km swim from Newport to Avalon. One of the organisers of the Pittwater Ocean Swim Series, Rob Berry, says the swims attract thousands of entrants to the Pittwater region. “The series is good for local businesses and for the participating surf clubs, the ocean swims are very important fund raisers, helping to purchase essential life-saving equipment,” Rob said.” He added each participating club had included shorter swims to their traditional long events, to cater for people of all ages and those who would like to try ocean swimming. “It’s a fast-growing sport that is great for your health, regardless of your age... the Newport Pool to Peak swim is only two months away – so it’s time to start swimming training!” Entries and info oceanswims.com alcohol and drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour. A recent multi-venue screening across the state, including on Pittwater and in Broken Bay, saw police conduct more than 470 marine random breath tests and six marine mobile drug tests. Additionally, more than 480 vessel checks were conducted with 13 boating infringement notices issued. The operation also included fisheries checks and boat ramp, wharf and marina patrols. Marine Area Commander, Detective Superintendent Mark Hutchings, said further operations would be conducted. “Police will continue to ensure everyone is safe this boating season by targeting unsafe, dangerous and anti-social behaviour on the waterways,” he said. “One of the most important messages to all water users is to wear a life jacket; it will save your life.” Anyone with information about marine compliance issues is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000; information in strict confidence. Gambling harm minimisation plan Northern Beaches Council has adopted the Gambling and Poker Machine Harm Management Policy and Plan, which is designed to limit the negative impact of electronic gaming machines (EGMs) on our community. Acting Chief Executive Officer David Kerr said Council’s focus would be on advocacy and community education. “We believe by working with the State Government and local clubs, we can help minimise the harm caused by poker machines,” Mr Kerr said. “We will look at how we can complement other activities and get a strong message to our community about how much harm these machines can do, and also provide guidance on where people can turn should they find themselves heading down a difficult path.” Council’s plan calls for continued lobbying of State and Federal Ministers to do more to reduce harm. The plan will be in force to 2023, with a review scheduled for that year. Vet on call with Dr Ben Brown Recently I had the pleasure of volunteering in South America with a world-wide veterinary charity called World Vets which provides international veterinary aid to poor communities around the world. Our team of seven vets and support staff set up a makeshift veterinary hospital in northern Brazil, working with a local animal welfare group to provide free veterinary services to the poor in the local community. Over the course of our four-day campaign, the team completed more than 500 successful surgeries in less-than-ideal conditions with minimal equipment and technology. The treatment that was provided included desexing to assist in the control of the stray dog population and to reduce the spread of Rabies and Transmissible Venereal Tumours, (TVT), a disease exotic to Australia, spread dog to dog by sexual contact. The team also provided free chemotherapy for dogs affected by TVT and supplied medication so these animals will soon be cancer-free. Not all the surgeries that were performed were routine. I was fortunate enough to be able to perform emergency surgery on a beautiful dog named Mel (which means ‘honey’ in Portuguese) who had a ruptured diaphragm from a previous car accident whilst she was living on the streets. Mel has made a dramatic recovery and was also desexed during the procedure, to prevent unwanted litters in the future which will also help her be healthier and happier. If you would like to learn more about the work Sydney Animal Hospitals does with World Vets, drop in to speak to our staff. There is also a donation box at our hospital – or you can donate online at www.worldvets.org. * Dr Ben Brown, Sydney Animal Hospitals. NOVEMBER 2018 25 News
A Day In The Life Of... Marine Rescue Special Feature They’re the guardian angels of our waterways – the volunteers who work through the day and night to ensure all are safe and accounted for. But to continue their good work they also need our help. Words & Photos by Rosamund Burton Pamela Sayers is standing in the moonlight when I pull up at the gates of the Marine Rescue Terrey Hills radio base at 5.15am on the Friday of the October long weekend. She takes me inside the building where ex-Qantas pilot, 70-year-old Sandy Howard, sits alone in front of a bank of computer screens. He has been here since 1.30am. This volunteer-run radio base in bushland just off Mona Vale Road not only operates 24/7 for Sydney waters, but overnight monitors radio calls from boats along much of the NSW Coastline. It is the first point of contact for vessels in distress and sometimes the only line of communication between a boat in trouble and the rescue vessel. “We’ve been listening to calls to 18 Marine Rescue NSW radio bases up and down the coast overnight, and now we’re handing them back,” Sandy explains. At that moment, the telephone rings. “Marine Rescue, Sandy speaking.” “Forster’s gone,” he says to Pamela after a brief conversation. She has sat down to answer a second call. “That was Evans Head taking back their radio,” she says. At 5.30am, a white ‘Scotty’ trots into the base. “Hello Bronte,” say Sandy and Pamela. The dog, an unofficial visitor, is followed by her owner, watch officer Merrilyn Little, as well as radio operator Helen Manifold, and new volunteer Neil Chugg. Although not yet fully trained in the radio, navigation, weather and operational procedures, Neil has already cooked plenty of sausages at fundraising barbeques. Marine Rescue receives financial support from the NSW Government and boating community but, to ensure the organisation continues to have the resources it needs to operate, all its volunteers need to undertake fundraising activities. “I did two hours’ administration work this morning,” Sandy says. “Then from 4 o’clock it got busy with fishermen going out.” He is interrupted by the loud blare of a claxon. “That’s the signal a boat wants to log on.” Marine Rescue operates a free ‘Log On’ safety service for yachts and other boats sailing up and down the NSW coast, or cruising or fishing in their local waters, as well as for smaller recreation craft such as kayakers and paddle boarders. “We’re now asking people to download the Marine Rescue app and log on via that,” Sandy said. “But whether people log on via the telephone, radio or app they must remember to log off when they get off their craft, otherwise we’ll start searching for them.” 26 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Sandy recalls he was on duty last year when a man rang saying there was a yacht under sail 10 miles off the coast with nobody on board. Three Marine Rescue vessels, one water police vessel and two helicopters started searching for the sailor, until the water police received a text saying he’d fallen out of the boat on the northern side of Broken Bay and swum ashore. The volunteers here range in age from mid-30s to their 80s, and include a wheelchairbound volunteered for 10 years. “I come from a family of water people,” she explains. “My father was in the navy and both my grandfathers were professional fishermen.” Since joining, Merrilyn has taken up sailing. “One of the guys here wanted crew, and now four men and I share two boats.” She says the camaraderie at Marine Rescue is what makes the experience, as well as the opportunity to help people. strokes, dehydration – and often bodies are found floating in the water.” It’s just after 8am when I arrive at the Cottage Point base. Friday is a training day, and Unit Commander Paul Millar is there with Don Smallwood, Mike Evans, John Aitken and Rob Cumings. “Because we’re wearing a uniform a lot of people think we’re paid, but we’re all volunteers,” Paul says. “This base receives NSW government member. Seventy-three “We get a lot of medical funding of $21,000 a year how to manoeuvre the dinghy year-old Merrilyn Little has emergencies – heart attacks, towards running the unit and Continued on page 28 The Local Voice Since 1991 CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Volunteers Don Smallwood, Paul Millar, Mike Evans and John Aitken; Broken Bay HQ; Sandy Howard nears the end of his ‘graveyard’ shift at Terrey Hills; John Aitken at the wheel of ‘Cottage Point 30’; Pamela Sayers; Merrilyn Little and Bronty; Sandy Howard. maintaining the boats. But our fuel bills alone are between $32,000 and $35,000 a year and maintenance costs from $15,000 to $18,000.” This base holds raffles and sausage sizzles at Woolworths in Mona Vale and Narrabeen, as well as at Cottage Point to raise extra funds. “If we do an ‘assist’ we ask people to consider making a donation to cover the fuel burnt to come and assist them, and bring them back safely,” Paul explains, “and mostly people are happy with that. Some people are very generous with donations, and they make up for the ones who promise and don’t deliver.” As we talk, Richard Nyland and David Hukins, two prospective members, appear at the office door. David, 53, an engineer, has recently started his own business and is keen to volunteer as he enjoys being on the water. Richard, also 53, has a share in a yacht moored at Bayview, and explains he is “looking for meaningful things to do” having retired. One of the appeals of volunteering with Marine Rescue is that it will make him more confident and competent on the water, he says. The training required for boat crew includes a Sea Survival Certificate, First Aid Certificate, obtaining a VHF Radio Licence and a Boat Licence, as well as the Marine Rescue firefighting qualification. It’s a sunny day with flat water and little breeze and we climb abroad the 12-metre vessel ‘Cottage Point 30’ and, with John Aitken at the helm, head up towards Lion Island. “Even if there isn’t a call-out we patrol the local waters,” Paul explains. “We make that choice, although it costs us in fuel. We do a lot of towing, jumpstarting, and assist when boats run onto rocks or out of fuel.” Someone spots a large object in the water ahead. A couple of men think it’s a dead whale but drawing closer we see it’s a deflated rubber dinghy. Paul, Mike and Rob haul it aboard. “Head into Little Pittwater,” commands Paul, and John slowly turns the wheel. A small powerboat is moored in the bay, and as the crew discuss NOVEMBER 2018 27 Special Feature
Continued from page 27 Special Feature onto the shore, the man on the powerboat offers to push it onto the shore with his boat. Paul throws him the painter, John puts the vessel into reverse, and we move away. “That was an assist,” says Paul. “Floating in the channel that dinghy could have been problematic for other vessels, particularly at night when it might not be seen.” At 2pm, I meet 47-year-old Narraweena resident Jimmy Arteaga at Marine Rescue Broken Bay, in Bayview’s Rowland Reserve. Jimmy, who sails, scuba dives and was a navel cadet as a teenager, has recently become the unit commander. Originally from Ecuador he came with his family to Australia aged six, and previously volunteered for the SES. The Broken Bay unit has been in existence for more than 75 years, Jimmy explains, operating formerly as the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol, before the amalgamation in 2009 of that organisation with Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association and the marine fleet of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association into one organisation, Marine Rescue NSW. Jimmy tells me that in addition to their regular patrols and any assists they make, this unit provides sea safety for the ocean swims, such as The Big Swim from Palm Beach to Whale Beach, and the Avalon Beach Surf Swim, and also the Royal Motor Yacht Club’s paddleboard competitions. We walk down to the water’s edge, and he points out the Marine Rescue pontoon and ‘Broken Bay 30’, the 28 foot CLOCKWISE TOP: The ‘Cottage Point 30’ crew haul in a deflated rubber dinghy spotted drifting in Pittwater – it could have proven hazardous to boats; Marine Rescue NSW volunteers Don Smallwood; and Jimmy Arteaga. Steber, on a mooring just out from the shore. “In three years the Steber will need to be replaced, which will cost over $1 million, and the unit has to come up with 40% of the funding,” he says. The unit has 80 members, 60% of whom are retirees, and the rest ranging in age from 17 to 60. They hold a weekly sausage sizzle, and also run raffles.” Two of its leading supporters are Johnson Bros Mitre 10, Mona Vale, who provide prizes for the raffles, and the Royal Motor Yacht Club, which helps with discounted fuel and vessel maintenance. It’s 4pm when I get home, and as I start to relax into the long weekend the Marine Rescue volunteers at Terrey Hills are beginning to take back radio control of the bases along the NSW coast for the night. Whether due to the wind or the tide, a problem with a sail, a dragging anchor, an engine failure, or a person overboard, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
MODEL RESCUES: Office decorations at Marine Rescue Broken Bay. suddenly a vessel can run into trouble on the water, and the work of our Marine Rescue volunteers is truly invaluable. Footnote: Over the October long weekend the Terrey Hills radio base received 295 radio or phone communications, and 84 vessel voyages were logged onto their system. On the Saturday the Cottage Point Unit received a call from a Bowrider. The family of three from Geelong had bought the boat the day before, and were exploring the Hawkesbury, when a southerly gusting up to 30 knots came through. A large cruiser came close to them at Parsley Bay and swamped their vessel. They bailed out the boat, and Marine Rescue Cottage Point took the mother and 13-yearold daughter aboard, and the father followed in the wake of CP31 back to Akuna Bay. Over the weekend Cottage Point Unit also towed two boats, and assisted a yacht, which had dragged anchor and gone aground on the rocks at Bobbin Head. Broken Bay Unit did four assists, towing three boats. * To volunteer for, donate to, or ‘Log On’ to Marine Rescue go to marinerescuensw.com.au or phone 9450 2468. Special Feature The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 29
Surfing Life Surfing Life Crackingly good: Just who are the Brazil nuts? It’s no exaggeration to say that in professional surfing – men’s at least – Brazil is the new Australia. The brilliant and remorseless Gabriel Medina leads the world rankings, and is a clear favourite to repeat his 2014 world title win come the Pipeline event in Hawaii in December. He’s just a handful of points ahead of his even more brilliant yet not quite so remorseless fellow countryman Filipe Toledo. Trailing a tiny bit in fourth place is Italo Ferreira. Between them, this trio has won six of the nine Championship Tour events of this year so far. Eleven of the world’s top 34 male pros are Brazilian, a number likely to increase in 2019, as a wave of young qualifiers move up the rankings. Only one Australian surfer, Julian Wilson, has any hope of unseating Gabriel or Filipe this year, and Julian isn’t part of any trend. Aside from him, only two Australians have even made a final this year. For a lot of slightly stunned Aussie surf fans, it’s as if Gabriel and co have come out of nowhere. How did the Brazilians get so good so fast? The answer is, they didn’t. Today’s world-beaters are generations down the track with Nick Carroll The development of this South American powerbase is the least-told story in world surfing... from the first wave of Brazilian surfers. Yet in contrast to Australia’s possibly over-told surfing history, the story of Brazil’s beginnings is the sport’s least-known tale. Where no story is known, stories spring up. Australian traveller Peter Troy told of introducing surfing to Brazil on a trip to Rio de Janeiro in the late 1960s. In fact, Brazilians had been surfing since at least the late 1930s. Photos exist from the time of a Customs official from Santos in southern Brazil, riding little waves on a solid redwood board. Who knows where the board came from? Maybe Customs had impounded it. People surfed here and there through the years. By 1959, for instance, a bunch of Rio surfers were building their own boards out of plywood. But surfing in Brazil never experienced a ‘Gidget moment’ – that sudden explosion of baby-boomer surf lust that drove the sport in other nations. One reason is that Brazil’s modern history is radically unlike Australia’s. In the ’60s and ’70s, the nation was governed by a military dictatorship, covertly supported by the US as a bulwark against Communism. The dictatorship bred some economic success, BRILLIANT AND REMORSELESS: Brazil’s Gabriel Medina gets some air. and stifled dissent. In 1970, there might have been a thousand surfers on all Brazil’s 8000-kilometre coastline. Most of them lived either in Rio or in Sao Paulo, separated by 300km of lush undeveloped coast. That coast, and a particularly beautiful surf zone in its centre named Ubatuba, became Brazil’s Byron Bay – the secret paradise those surfers could make their own. One of the thousand was a guy named Paulo Issa. In 1972 Paulo took it upon himself to organise the first “national championship” in Ubatuba. It was “national” in the sense that anyone who showed up could go in it. The winner was Rico de Souza, who was part of the Rio contingent. The rivalry between Rio and Sao Paulo surfers – Cariocas and Paulistas – fired up the rest of the decade and beyond. In Australia and Hawaii, the first surf contests were called “meets” and “rallies”. The Ubatuba contest evolved into a kind of festival. Pretty soon, this growing little surf culture had allied with the Tropicalia 30 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
PL’s NOVEMBER SURF CALENDAR 12-24/11: WSL men’s: Hawaiian Pro, Haleiwa, Hawaii 25/11-6/12: WSL men’s: Vans World Cup, Sunset Beach, Hawaii First two events of the fabled Hawaiian Triple Crown. They’re always intense, always a bit feral, a last couple of chances for surfers to qualify for the big leagues next year. They also often feature the most complex and challenging surf of the tour year. Totally worth watching if you have the time @ worldsurfleague.com 8-13/11: WSL women’s: Port Stephens Toyota Pro, NSW A fascinating event, bringing the top women competitors and young qualifiers together at a slightly out-of-sync moment. Could be a great chance for Newport’s Holly Wawn to put the boot in to her fellow super-grommets. NICK’S NOVEMBER SURF FORECAST Photo: WSL They say an El Niño event is preparing itself. 70% chance, they say. Well there’s El Niños and there’s El Niños, and I suspect this one may not be the killer drought-maker of legend. Heck, October almost killed the drought on its own. Expect some drying trend in November, maybe a bit less of the classic soaking easterlies of the past month, but still with plenty of tropical moisture streaming down the monsoon line and falling here and there over NSW. Lots of varying wind shifts, southerlies, northerlies, all that stuff, and plenty of variety in surf conditions, with a possible surprise cut-off low or two arising from the collision between these two influences. Be flexible! Look for the best sandbars and play with ’em. Later in November we might see a brief return to dry August-style westerly winds and sudden extraordinary very non-August heat, but we don’t reckon this will last. Classic Aussie summer coming up. musical movement, Brazil’s great artistic response to the dictatorship. By 1975 the festival had shifted north, past Rio to the then-small town of Saquarema, where it blew up into what attendees have called “the Brazilian Woodstock”. Surfers rode all day, music played all night, and thousands of young people who wanted a piece of this new life came to town, turning Saquarema upside down. Meanwhile, Rico de Souza, who like a lot of the country’s surfers at the time came from a wealthy family, travelled to Hawaii for the winter surf and became close to Randy Rarick, organiser of the first World Pro Tour. Randy heard Rico’s tales of Saquarema and suggested he put together a tour event. Rico got together with Nelson Machado, owner of one of Rio’s first surf shops, and by 1976 Brazil was a pro tour stop. It was an epic stop, by the way. Some of the stories would turn your hair white, The Local Voice Since 1991 Nick Carroll and possibly did in a few travelling surfers’ cases. But it was up-and-down, in lock-step with Brazil’s transition to full democracy. No contests were held between 1982 and 1985, which isolated Brazilian surfers from international influence and put a big dent in the country’s surfing development. But now, huh. Brazilian surf journalist and historian Reinaldo Andraus says he thinks there’s a million people surfing in Brazil on a day-today basis, many more than in Australia. Despite this, Ubatuba remains a beautiful backwater. The coast is too hilly for major roads, and the freeway between Rio and Sao Paulo runs inland. It’s like Byron, if Byron had stayed that way. And the Carioca/Paulista rivalry is still alive. Filipe and Italo are Rio boys; Gabriel and Brazil’s other great world champ, Adriano de Souza (no relation), are from the other side. They’ll carry their own history into Pipeline. NOVEMBER 2018 31 Surfing Life
A voyage of Discovery Life Stories cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.’ ‘The This Dorothy Parker quote faces me as I walk into the ‘Discovery Shed’. The unprepossessing exterior of the industrial building in Mona Vale doesn’t prepare me for the technological treasure trove inside. Engineer, Bob Moran, who turned 80 in September, has been driven by curiosity his entire life, and his collection is testimony to that. He opens a door into a huge factory space, pointing out pieces of old aircraft, including a 1935 RAF biplane joystick, and a 1930s-telephone exchange he salvaged from Kimbriki tip three years ago. Bob was born in Randwick. While at Coogee Primary School he collected fossils; he admits he’s been a collector for as long as he can remember. He studied production engineering at Sydney Technical College (now TAFE NSW’s The Sydney Institute of Technology). When he and his New Zealander wife Jill married 54 years ago they moved to Collaroy Plateau, and have been on the Northern Beaches ever since, currently living on Narrabeen Lake. “My wife doesn’t have a mechanical mind, but she’s very supportive... without Jill I wouldn’t exist,” he says. In 1970, Bob co-founded a company, which built special-purpose machines and gem cutting equipment. He sold that business and two years later established Precision Dynamics, a company that made packaging equipment. Alongside this Bob, with his insatiable curiosity for how mechanisms worked and why, collected objects, many of which he found discarded beside the road. In 1988 when the Powerhouse Museum moved to Ultimo, it advertised it would be running a steam tram down Harris Street. “On that morning Jill and I went down to the Powerhouse,” Bob recounts. “I walked up to the front desk with a steam indicator, and asked if the museum would like it. A man called Ross Goodman overheard me. ‘I don’t believe this,’ he said. ‘We can’t run the steam engine, because we haven’t got a steam indicator to set the timing of the engine.’ So, I gave it to him.” Ten years later an employee of Bob’s at Precision Dynamics met Ross Goodman, and Ross asked him if he knew anyone who might quote on building a replica of a section of Difference Engine No 1, a giant steam-driven computer designed by English mathematician, Charles Babbage, in 1833, to print error-free mathematical tables. The employee replied: “My boss is silly enough to quote on anything.” Whether he was silly or a sage, it took Bob in a direction he never anticipated. As Bob was a precision machinist the Powerhouse Museum curator Matthew Connell asked him to quote on building a working replica of this reference portion, the original of which is in the London Science Museum, explaining that the Powerhouse Local engineer Bob Moran hopes his remarkable collection of scientific wonders will endure for decades to come. Story by Rosamund Burton hoped to get funding to build it. The museum couldn’t raise the funding, but the steam-driven computer had captured Bob’s imagination and he was determined to construct it. The quest brought him in contact with Allan Bromley, Associate Professor of Computer at the University of Sydney and a world authority on Babbage. Bob was asked to illustrate a paper Allan Bromley wrote on Difference Engine No 1, and having completed the illustration for the paper, Bob proceeded to draw, with Allan’s guidance, the entire machine. There were few dimensions on Babbage’s original drawings, and many of the drawings were lost, so it wasn’t believed that this machine could be re-constructed; but Bob used the known dimensions of the segment of Difference Engine No 1 which Babbage had built to set up a grid, and then scaled the rest of the machine objects to fit this grid. We walk around a wall panel and mounted on an Australian red cedar base is the reference portion of Difference Engine No 1, which Bob built. But Bob kept building, going on to make an outline of the complete machine to scale – in front of us are hundreds of interlocking cogs and wheels, and cylinders, all of which Bob cut by hand, on a huge wooden stand. “You won’t see this anywhere else in the world.” Allan Bromley, who died in 2002, was also a collector, and several pieces in Bob’s collection were formerly owned by him, 32 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
including a section of the ‘Totalisator’, invented in 1913 by Australian computing pioneer, Sir George Julius, to record bets and calculate the changing odds and dividends at the racecourse. This section of the shed is a journey through the history of the computer. Bob points out a small part of SILLIAC, the University of Sydney’s first computer. “Early computers were monstrous – the size of this building,” he says. He shows me a 1965 computer, the programs for which were punched onto tape. “And this pianola,” he says, sitting on the stool in front of it, “also works on punch tapes.” A lively tune fills the cavernous space, as Bob pumps the wooden pedals and the paper slowly rolls around. Several computers are on display, including the PDP-8, thought by many to be Australia’s oldest working computer. Also, the world’s first ‘luggable’ computer (weighing 17kg) and the first laptop – an archaic-looking Dulmont Magnum – designed and built in Australia. Bob and Jill have two children, but neither have followed in his footsteps career-wise. Son Scott and daughter Toni are both health care professionals. So, in 2010, Bob sold the operating part of Precision Dynamics and the following year the Discovery Shed was established. (It ran for several years as a shed for blokes interested in fixing old technology and machinery.) Bob also worked for a year as a volunteer for Scientists and Mathematicians in Schools (SMiS), a CSIRO initiative, visiting primary schools. On the upper floor, alongside an Edison cylinder phonograph and an early sewing machine, is Bob’s collection of more than 20 early typewriters, including one dating from 1881, plus a hand-held one used by a Reuters World War I correspondent on horseback, and a Wagner-Underwood (circa 1897), which featured in the film, ‘Moulin Rouge’. “My wife calls me a hoarder, but I think there’s a distinction between hoarding and collecting. I have collected them,” he explains, “because they all have different mechanisms, so all these designs are a timeline.” Now foremost in Bob’s mind is what happens to his collection next. He wants to pass it on, and the Discovery Shed has been visited by prominent people from both Australia and overseas, who are interested in different pieces. Having lived on the Northern Beaches for more than 50 years, he would like the collection to be in a local museum, so it can be seen in its entirety for many generations to come. But it doesn’t have a new home yet. “It’s an eclectic collection,” Bob admits, “but it’s important because it has the potential to arouse curiosity, and when this happens there is no ending.” * For more info or to visit the Discovery Shed call 9997 2222 or email bob.moranj@ gmail.com Life Stories SCIENCE IN ACTION: Bob Moran hopes the eclectic collection of items in his ‘Discovery Shed’ will continue to arouse curiousity in future generations. The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 33
Art Life Art Life Dickerson’s best, figuratively speaking Artist Robert Dickerson’s significant contribution to figurative art in Australia is being celebrated at Manly Art Gallery and Museum (MAG&M) until December 2. In collaboration with the Dickerson Gallery, MAG&M’s ‘Against the Tide’ exhibition brings together paintings, studies and graphics sourced exclusively from private collections. A self-taught painter, Robert Dickerson was a founding member of ‘The Antipodeans’ art movement in the 1950s, which included fellow famous Australian artists Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, David Boyd, John Brack, John Perceval and Clifton Pugh. He was still painting into his 90s when he passed away in 2015. The exhibition will also feature ‘Poets Paint People’ – an hour of poems read by three poets (Les Wicks, Brooke Emery and Jennifer Dickerson) surrounded by the paintings of Robert Dickerson (2-3pm on Sunday 11 November). * More info council’s website. Getting crafty for Christmas Creative gift ideas for Xmas The creative team from the Artists & Craftsmen of Pittwater will showcase their final sale of the year at the Mona Vale Memorial Hall for three days from Friday November 9. Their hand-made items make great Christmas gifts, including ornaments to hang on trees. They also have gifts of convenient size and pliability perfect for posting interstate or overseas, including embroidered towels, knitted toys, and paper tole-framed works. Summer sun dresses for girls 1-6 will prove popular, as well as beautiful gifts for babies, hand-painted gift cards, gift bags and gift tags. And there are lots of ideas for end-of-year presents for teachers and friends, like needle-felted dolls and playmats, patchwork quilts, cushions, French-style aprons, screenprinted linens and porcelain. Jewellery, silk scarves and wooden gifts also for sale. This year every visitor is encouraged to vote for their favourite display in the ACOP People’s Choice Craft Award. Meanwhile, the ACOP artists have enjoyed a great sales response in 2018 and with new artists recently joining, this sale will boast great diversity. (Newcomer Vanessa Georgesen, who has a background in pottery, sculpture and screen printing, brings a modernist style of Mixed Media.) Other artists’ works include acrylics and watercolours, many featuring northern beaches locations. Sale on Fri 9 (3-6pm) and weekend 10 & 11 (9am-4pm). More info acop.com.au The Avalon Craft Cottage members are holding their huge three-day Christmas Show at the Avalon Recreation Centre from Thursday Nov 22 to Sat 24 open 10am-4pm. Browse and purchase beautiful craftwork including handmade cards; Australian timber work; jewellery; colorful patchwork; hand-knitted baby blankets, bootees and bonnets; girls’ dresses; soft toys; pure silk wall hangings & scarves; screen-printed tea towels & bags; hand-knitted scarves, bed socks & beanies and trendy fabric buckets; plus painted flower pots and succulent gardens. Transform your Christmas table into a riot of colour with bunting and decorations! The Cottagers have been an institution around the Northern Beaches since opening in Avalon in 1969 – next year the group will be celebrating their 50th birthday. More info on facebook or at avaloncraftcottage.com.au. 34 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Market Days for Mixed Palette Mixed Palette Art School is showcasing the works of their talented artists at both the Mona Vale and Avalon Market Days this month. First up is their exhibition and sale of diverse works by local artists at Mona Vale Memorial Hall on Sunday November 4; there’s something for all, with the style and subject matter varying from contemporary abstraction, landscape, portraiture and still life. Mixed Palette will also stage their 14th annual Art Exhibition in Avalon Recreation Centre in conjunction with Avalon Market Day. Opening night will be on Friday 16th from 6.30- 9pm (free admission and all welcome). The exhibition continues Sat 17th and Sun 18th (both days 9am-4pm). Debby Waters and Lorrie Morgan will be running the exhibition, which will represent an eclectic mix of paintings, jewellery, ceramics and wall hangings. There will also be a silent auction of two original Aboriginal paintings, each with letters of authenticity. Mixed Palette runs mixed media art classes for all ages – as well as art parties and workshops. * Interested in being part of the exhibition? Contact Debby on 0409 278 591 or Lorrie on 0412 141 852. Turn love of renovation into a great new career Do you find renovating enormously satisfying? Are friends always complimenting you on your interior style? Interior design is an exciting career path for creatives – and the industry is growing every year. Government stats show a steady increase in the number of professional Interior Designers over the past five years, with that trend expected to continue into 2022 and beyond. “We can see from our internship program and careers placement service that there is a strong demand for welltrained interior design graduates,” said Amanda Grace, Director of Sydney Design School (pictured). “Our students work on real projects with real clients and earn industryrecognised, accredited qualifications. Our alumni have a 98% employment rate – the demand isn’t slowing!” SDS is putting out a challenge to interiors enthusiasts to roll up their sleeves and get creative. As part of their free Open Day this month you’re invited to build a sample board – which could win you a place in their sellout two-day Interior Decoration Workshop. “Open Day is an opportunity to chat with our Careers Coach, meet practising Interior Designers and Architects (who teach at the School) and be inspired by an impressive exhibition of student work,” said Amanda. “You’ll be guided through our variety of career and short courses, as well as flexible study options for learning part time, in the evening or online.” Join SDS at their St Leonards campus on Saturday 3 Nov starting at 10am. Register at sydneydesignschool.com.au Art Life The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 35
Art Life Art Life Portraits to keep our memories alive Fresh from some successful showings and a brief departure from his usual artistic focus, Avalon artist Phil Meatchem says he is happy to be ‘back on the tools’ in the lead up to the festive season. Phil has had a busy year so far, continuing his success in national competitions, and holding his own unique exhibition – Karokature – with much local attention. Moving away from the stylised creations seen in his rock and roll caricatures, Phil says is keen to get back to the more traditional portraits and landscape artistry of where his heart belongs – and he wants locals to come along for the ride. “Traditional painting is becoming less and less common in society,” said Phil. “People forget how special it is to have a one-of-a-kind artwork sitting in their house. “I want to create timeless heirlooms for people and help them keep their memories alive and current.” Phil says he loves engaging with clients and their families to create these pieces and is just as happy working from photographs supplied or photos he can take himself – a perfect way to gift someone a beautiful surprise to mark an iconic occasion. (Pictured is one of his recent commissions.) “Working from photos gives me flexibility, and means I can devote myself to ensuring I’ve captured the subject in their most-loved form.” Phil has started taking orders for Christmas, and with a wide array of sizing options, he is more than happy to work with you to get your ideal gift sorted. He says he doesn’t “just do people”, knowing that family pets and favourite places have a special hold on people’s hearts too. You can catch Phil at Avalon Market Day on Sunday November 18 as he exhibits a collection of his works – be quick though, as all his pieces in last year’s show sold out. – Nigel Wall 36 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18 Avalon ushers new era of fun Avalon Beach Market Day returns this year on Sunday 18 November from 9am to 4pm when the main streets of Avalon Beach village and Dunbar Park will be alive with amazing music, fabulous food, fantastic fashion and fun for all the family! There will be an array of market stalls selling fashion, jewellery and crafts as well as gourmet food stalls. And our local clubs and charities will be working hard to raise funds for their worthy causes. Since taking over managing the markets, Vanessa Tiernan (Avalon local event manager who owns Roobarb and Company) has been committed to ensuring that the stallholders and products come from the local area. This year, more than 50 per cent of the stalls come from the local area and the northern beaches. The Annual Dog Show A constant of market day, the annual Avalon Market Day Dog Show will be held on the main stage commencing 9.30am! Proudly sponsored by the local team from Sydney Animal Hospital Northern Beaches. This year we welcome respected journalist and ABC News presenter, Juanita Phillips, as our MC. Joining her on the panel of judges are The Hon Greg Combet AM, The Hon Rob Stokes MP, Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan, and Australian actress Toni Pearen. Bring your pooch down on the day to partake in fun categories of Best Trick, Fancy Dress – and Waggiest Tail! avalon market day Fun for the Kids The carnival rides are back again – this year they will be located on Old Barrenjoey Road, outside Avalon Public School. There will also be an assortment of Show Bags filled with lots of goodies. Live music John Stone has arranged a spectacular line-up of local school bands, dance troupes, musicians and fantastic bands (for the full entertainment schedule see page 40). The main streets of Avalon Beach village will be filled with music. Stop by the Dunbar Park stage to support the local school bands from Avalon Public School, Maria Regina Catholic, Bilgola Public School and Barrenjoey High School. Mona Vale Music has also arranged a fantastic line-up of young local talent on the Avalon Parade stage. Food, food & more food Dunbar Park will be the place to head to grab a bite from of the many fabulous food stalls. We are pleased to welcome local food stalls – Tothy Bros Deli (Palm Beach), Highbrations Organics (Avalon), Sotto Sopra (Newport), Bliss Bowls (Mona Vale) and Azteca Taqueria (Frenchs Forest). ALL PHOTOS: Hunter Manuel The Local Voice Since 1991 #ThisIsAvalon NOVEMBER 2018 37
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18 38 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 39
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18 avalon market day Stage 1 – X Roads 9am: Night Owls 9.30am: 10.15am: 11am: 11.10am: 12pm: 12.10pm: 1pm: 2pm: 3pm: Dog Show Hot Robert Ariana Dance Gavin Libotte Quartet The Big Sing Nativo Soul Kat Lush Band Dominic Breen Band Sassafraz Stage 2 – Dunbar Park 9am: Avalon Public School 10am: 11am: 11.30am: 12.30pm: 1pm: 1.30pm: 2.15pm: 3pm: Bilgola Public School Maria Regina Catholic School Barrenjoey High School The Rions Cleopatra & Flynn Scoot the Loot Ella Couston & Meg Mulcahy Village Big Band Stage 3 – Bistro Boulevard 9am: Eden and Darcy 9.15am: 9.30am: 9.45am: 10am: 10.20am: 10.40am: 11am: 11.15am: 11.30am: 11.45am: 12pm: 12.30pm: 1pm: 1.30pm: 2pm: 2.30pm: 3pm: 3.30pm: Josie Duncan Emma & Momo Josh Aristead & Euan Bates Ella Ward-Flusk Grace McAdam & Johnny Austen Riley Holt Kasey Cramer Fifi Archibald Milana Gerrard Arielle Vallis Lillian Hellmann Maddie Walker Tiana Mannell Abbey Gatwood Natalie & Julia Lachie Bates Trio Brown Betty Little Jay Biggs (Lilla, Ben, Jack and Alley) ALL PHOTOS: Hunter Manuel 40 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991 #ThisIsAvalon
Health & Wellbeing How small changes can make a big impact on your bowel cancer risk Health & Wellbeing While smoking, being overweight and drinking too much are known risk factors for bowel cancer, new Australian research has revealed how the combination of all three can be devastating… especially in men. A study involving 370,000 Australians has found current rates of smoking, overweight and obesity and excessive alcohol consumption could lead to 45,000 cases of bowel cancer over the next 10 years. “Combined, these factors will be responsible for one in four future bowel cancers – even more so for men (37 per cent of bowel cancers) than women (13 per cent),” said study leader, Associate Professor Claire Vajdic, Head of the Cancer Epidemiology Research Unit at UNSW’s Centre for Big Data Research in Health. Meanwhile local specialist Dr Stuart Pincott (pictured) said early detection, being aware of signs and symptoms, which may indicate a problem, and talking to your GP were vital in improving survival from bowel cancer. The colorectal surgeon, who operates at Dee Why Endoscopy Unit which offers open access Endoscopy/Colonoscopy, said some of the early signs of bowel cancer included bleeding from the bowel, loss of weight, abdominal pain, change in bowel habit or unexplained tiredness. “It is important if you notice these symptoms that you should feel comfortable to report them to your family doctor,” Dr Pincott said. “There are many different causes for these symptoms, most of which are not serious… your doctor will make a thorough assessment and advise of further investigations or treatments.” Associate Professor Vajdic said that if people adopted a healthy lifestyle and changed their behaviours accordingly, a large proportion of the anticipated future burden identified in the team’s research could be avoided. The research findings were the first to identify that more bowel cancers were caused by overweight or obesity and excessive alcohol consumption in men than in women, A/Professor Vajdic said. “Hormones and differences in body fat distribution, particularly excessive fat around the stomach, likely contribute to the higher body fatnessrelated risk in men. We also know that men drink more alcohol than women, which increases their bowel cancer risk,” she said. The researchers also found an interesting interplay between smoking and alcohol: the bowel cancer burden attributable to smoking was significantly exacerbated by excessive alcohol consumption and vice-versa. “This means that the future bowel cancer burden would be markedly lower if current and former smokers did not drink excessive alcohol,” A/ Professor Vajdic said. The study findings make a case to support everybody – but men in particular – to achieve and maintain a healthy weight to prevent bowel cancer. And the results also sug- 42 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
gest more resources should go into encouraging people to use the free bowel cancer test sent in the mail to all Australians over 50, through the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. The simple test can detect bowel cancer in its earliest stages, often before there are any symptoms. Research collaborator, Julie Marker, has survived bowel cancer three times over the past 17 years “Any action you can take to prevent or detect bowel cancer early might save you from the battle I’ve had,” she said. “I’d encourage men and women – but especially men – to adopt a healthy lifestyle and participate in bowel cancer screening to reduce their risk.” “GPs and other health professionals should target prevention and screening advice to their patients, using insights from this research.” Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Australia and around 80 Australians die from the disease every week. Dr Pincott added that while bowel cancer was a very common disease, if caught early, up to 90 per cent of bowel cancers could be successfully treated. “The best way to detect bowel cancer is by colonoscopy – a common day surgery procedure that examines the entire lining of the large bowel and can detect cancers before symptoms have even Get growing for Decembeard Registrations are now open for Decembeard an event hosted by Bowel Cancer Australia which encourages men to grow a beard or some chin stubble in the final month of the year to raise awareness and funds for bowel cancer. More info at bowelcanceraustralia.org. developed,” he said. Performed by specialist surgeons and gastroenterologists while the patient is asleep under a light anaesthetic, the procedure takes about 20 minutes. “Colonoscopy can detect many different disease processes such as polyps, cancer, diverticular disease, haemorrhoids and inflammatory bowel disease and during the procedure the doctor can take biopsies of any abnormalities, remove polyps or treat haemorrhoids,” Dr Pincott said. “Colonoscopy is also recommended for screening for bowel cancer in people who have a positive test from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. “It is also commonly advised for people at increased risk for bowel cancer due to a family history of polyps, bowel cancers or when families are affected by certain rare genetic syndromes.” – Lisa Offord Health & Wellbeing The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 43
Health & Wellbeing Health & Wellbeing Make use of your optical benefits Many of us spend a considerable amount on private health insurance and the rule is, if you don’t use the entitlements, you lose them. So accessing hard-earned dollars in the form of optical benefits is a worthwhile activity, and the right advice with tailored eyewear and eyecare recommendations will maximise entitlements. Just a few of the ways you can use your optical benefits this year: Contact Lenses – suitable to wear to the beach with regular sunglasses to catch up on summer reading. With the latest technologies in contact lenses, optometrists can prescribe a contact lens solution for almost any prescription. Ever feel you take your sunnies off to see clearer in the distance or for reading your phone? Prescription sunglasses enable clear vision with crucial UV and glare protection at the same time. Do you find yourself in front of digital screens most of the day? A simple solution with digital eyewear will help alleviate the strain on your eyes and enable clearer more comfortable vision. Your glasses are the first thing people look at when they engage with you; they set the tone and style of how you present to the world… so what is your style and are you ready for a new look from our handpicked range of frames? Or are you looking forward with Rowena Beckenham to losing yourself in a book, or taking up model boat building or intricate origami? A specific pair of reading glasses can provide clear vision and an extra level of comfort for your eyes. Now, did you know that vision is responsible for around 90% of the information we use for driving. Optometrists will assess your vision to ensure maximum road safety with appropriate driving eyewear. Elite sportsperson or just keen to give it a go? Sport-specific eyewear can enhance both your comfort and performance on the field, as well as ensuring safety in the case of an accident. And finally, the stress of losing or breaking your glasses can be irritating if you don’t have a back-up pair. Now’s the time to claim a spare pair with your optical extras. Use these ideas to make the most of your optical extras before they expire on December 31! Comment supplied by Rowena Beckenham, of Beckenham Optometrist in Avalon (9918 0616). Rowena has been involved in all facets of independent private practice optometry in Avalon for 16 years, in addition to working as a consultant to the optometric and pharmaceutical industry, and regularly volunteering in Aboriginal eyecare programs in regional NSW. 44 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Ageing well at home – that sounds like a plan! Media reports highlighting accusations of abuse need to think now about how “So given that likelihood we and neglect in nursing homes and where we want to live and the announcement of a when that time comes… don’t Royal Commission into aged wait for a crisis to occur.” care investigating the scandalplagued sector have encour- knowledge sooner rather than Seeking out aged care aged many families to start a later was vital in order to protect not just those in the later conversation about ageing and the need to plan for the future. stages of their lives but also People of all ages are thinking more seriously about age- so often left with the responsi- to protect the families who are ing, says professional agedcare advocate, Clareville’s when they occur said Louise. bilities of managing problems Louise Mace. First port of call should be “We and our parents and the Australian Government’s grandparents are far more likely than previous generations to can provide you with infor- My Aged Care website which live well into old age and with mation about the types of old age, health decline is virtually inevitable,” said Louise. Louise said if you or services available. someone you know was showing signs of struggling to live independently, it was wise to book an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) to start the process of applying for subsidised help at home. But be warned you’ll need to join a queue – Department of Health figures show as of June there were more than 121,000 senior Australians waiting to access home care support. “Once the ACAT assessment is done, they will determine needs and match it to a score from level 1 through to 4, with 4 being the highest care need package. “The ACAT is also only one part of the process… think of it as your passport into government-funded care,” Louise said. The next step was the means test through Centrelink, which determines eligibility. Louise, who is the founder and managing director of New Way To Stay (newwaytostay. com.au), a boutique consultancy which helps ageing Australians stay at home, advises not to rule out private care arrangements. “Sometimes the results of a means test with Centrelink can mean that you might be just as well off with privately paying options, outside of the government system,” she said. – Lisa Offord Health & Wellbeing The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 45
Health & Wellbeing Health & Wellbeing Journey toward ‘Zero Suicides’ People in distress and communities impacted by suicide or associated mental health challenges will have more support than ever before. The government recently announced $90 million to deliver new suicide prevention initiatives and better coordination between the various support providers and agencies to ensure no-one slips through the cracks. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said communities at high risk of suicide would benefit from eight new or expanded initiatives from next year including: n New support services for people bereaved by suicide – to prevent ‘clusters’ of further suicides, especially among young people; n Resilience building within local communities – engage communities to participate in suicide prevention; n Improved after care services – ensuring all people who have been admitted to hospital following a suicide attempt have access to follow up care and support; n Alternatives to presenting to the Emergency Department if in distress; n Programs to eliminate suicide attempts by people in care; n Expanded community mental health outreach teams; n Additional counsellors for people in regional and rural areas; and n Improved data collection and distribution. What kind of support do local parents want? Most parents will manage the grief associated with extraordinary loss through their usual support networks. Others may need a little extra assistance. With this in mind, a small committee of dedicated local services including The Avalon Youth Hub, The Burdekin Association, Mission Australia, CatholiCare, Lifeline, Headspace, and Family Drug Support has been formed. The committee wants to plan a range of support options for those parents who might benefit from some additional help explained Emerick Kovacs from the Avalon Youth Hub. And the committee needs your help encouraging parents to complete a brief electronic survey. “In the interest of ensuring that support options are a good fit with what parents believe they would find most helpful, the committee is keen to canvass the ideas of parents,” Mr Kovacs said. “Local services are very confident that with the views and input from parents, a range of relevant support options will be made available.” The survey can be found on The Avalon Youth Hub website at avalonyouthhub.org.au (click on the ‘Community Outreach’ and then ‘Family Support’ tabs and follow the ‘survey monkey’ link) or go to the Hub’s Facebook page. * If you or someone you know needs crisis support call Lifeline 13 11 14, MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78, or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800. For support and information services phone the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511. – LO 46 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
48 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Hair & Beauty Care for your neck and present your best look The skin on the neck is in conjunction with the a telltale to how old we MicroNeedling procedure. really are. I always suggest Fractional Laser – stimulates to clients that when they treat the skin on their face, they take the same products and regime down to their neck and chest or decollete. This way the exposed areas look more uniform in colour and texture. The skin on the neck suffers the same environmental onslaughts as the face, only it is far thinner and more fragile. The neck skin has fewer oil and moisture glands and this can be one of the contributing factors to dry, crepey and heavy horizontal lines. The neck can be rejuvenated both topically with products and with clinical treatments. Sun damage is a contributing factor to the breakdown of collagen and elastin of the neck. Broad spectrum sunscreen should be applied every 3-4 hours. Clinical treatments may be combined or used as standalone methods. Remember, it has taken a long time to get to an older appearance and rarely will one treatment provide desired results. Here are some options: Fat Freezing – with a mini handpiece can help to reduce the double chin. The shape of the jaw line and the amount of fat present will determine if one or two applicators will be required. This procedure may be repeated after 12 weeks. IPL Photorejuvenation – uses selective light energy to assist with the reduction of both pigmentation and red capillaries. One of the most common conditions IPL can treat is Poikiloderma of Civatte, which appears on each side of the neck with red-brown pigmentation along with a vascular component. HIFU Ultrasound – these treatments stimulate the soft tissue of the neck down to the lower dermal layers and provide both a smoother and firmer appearance. MicroNeedling – penetrates the skin barrier to depths that can be customised, depending on the severity of skin laxity and crepiness. A cocktail of hyaluronic serum, growth factors and peptides are used to treat sun damage, scars, fine lines and crepiness cell turnover and is capable of minimising and eliminating skin concerns including sun damage, poor skin tone, fine lines and wrinkles. By creating micro treatment zones in the dermal layer of the skin, the body’s natural healing process is activated to create healthy, new skin. Plasma energy – can address the irregularities of colour, texture and tone of the neck. A small amount of downtime is normal; more than one treatment is often suggested. Other professional treatments available to treat the signs of ageing of the neck are chemical peels using Vitamin A, Jessner’s Peel or TCA. Blended chemical with Sue Carroll peels are gentle enough for this fragile area and may help to reduce skin discolouration, strengthen skin and increase cellular turnover. Homecare product consideration should address reducing redness and pigmentation, along with deep hydration for the neck which has fewer sebaceous glands and reduced moisture retention. Sue Carroll of Skin Inspiration has been a qualified Aesthetician for 33 years. Sue has owned and operated successful beauty clinics and day spas on the Northern Beaches. info@skininspiration.com.au www.skininspiration.com.au Health Hair & Wellbeing Beauty The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 49
Business Life: Money Business Life Good Market reason watch: for taking going ‘nuts’ stock this of ripples festive to season routs This When month writing we about look at recent financial falls innovation on local one and of the global perspectives markets… I can Ever share since with I’ve you had is anything from the inside to do with of a fintech investment company which markets in my – and case that’s has been from rolling 1987 – out falling the fast-growing markets Acorns never seem app. Since to reduce, launching calm, in diminish, Australia scale-down in early 2016 or the even app condense. now resides Falling on markets the smart phones only ever of seem around to 350,000 collapse, Australians, crash, plummet, that’s nose roughly dive 1.5% of and the plunge. population. Well, that’s what they If you’re do according the dark to about the what media I’m anyway. talking about, Acorns is a October micro investment has seen a platform return or of what’s volatility sometimes to local and called a ‘round-up’ global share app, markets the first but one of it’s its not kind the in first Australia. time this Our firm year. along Putting with things our partners into brought context it we out have from seen the three US in standout 2015 where corrections it had been during established 2018; the first for a one few started years. in January The app and works saw in falls a couple of about of 5%, ways: followed by taking soon a after data with a feed dip in from March your of spending 5%, and most accounts recently in and the rounding first weeks up the of purchases October with you a make fall of to about the nearest 9%. dollar and investing these Peak accumulated to trough this balances calendar into year a our mix share of exchange market traded has funds traded listed in the on range the ASX, between or, by 5,724 you in debiting April and amount 6,373 in or regular August. payment (It is interesting from your to bank note that account the to ASX your 200 Acorns has account. never been Most able users to regain enjoy the its peak value of 6,800 first achieved in November 2007.) Looking at likely causes for this year’s dips, the last two are fully correlated to round up feature of Acorns as it allows them to save while they spend. As a parent of teenagers I think I’ve come to the conclusion that apps such as Acorns using a blend of psychology and technology may be the only effective way to get modern kids to save because they sure do know how to spend. Acorns works because the principles underlying its design interest rate decisions of the US Federal Reserve. The first one in January was in response to a positive US jobs number and more importantly signs that wages growth was gaining momentum, a pointer are to inflation firmly rooted and ultimately, in behavioural finance: you guessed investing it, interest small rate amounts rises. on a regular basis that won’t Let’s be pause missed to combined remember with investing that interest over rates an extended in the US period have only of time recently to average started into a process the markets of normalisation smoothing out after peaks almost and 10 troughs. years of Of course accommodative it doesn’t hurt policy. that The it does reason all the of these US central things bank within the has framework seen fit to of normalise a highly rates is that the US economy is doing exceptionally well with Gross Domestic Product increasing at annual rate of 4.1% for the second quarter. attractive and functional user interface – fancy words for the app looks and feels very cool. While these principles have proven to be sound over time Acorns goes on to provide an indirect benefit to its users in the form of education and improved financial literacy. Get two or more people in the room who have an account and you’ll find out what I mean – when did you start? What are So, with this latest wave of volatility came also a predictable media reaction and headlines using words like ‘market rout’. The wealth editor of one normally sensible daily national you newspaper saving for? even What suggested returns have that investors you had? It’s looking inherently for safe competitive havens should but consider when it’s cash, combined gold and hedge with the funds. tools and information The decision that to the head app for provides the exits it’s is an also important extremely informative one investors – as a regular but carries user you its own can’t costs help if but you become get it more wrong. informed While there about is the little behaviour doubt that of markets were whether you toppy, are especially looking to in or tech not – the shares, company earnings have been growing and economic outlook positive but as we all know things can change and change quickly. with Brian Hrnjak balance Reading of your the advice Acorns to account move rises into cash, and falls gold in or line hedge with the movements funds is frankly in markets bizarre during when the you course consider of the that trading cash might day. only One achieve of the challenges between 2% and any 3%, finance albeit with app certainty. would have Gold encouraging yields nothing young on top people of to save introducing and invest currency is to remain and relevant commodity in their risk eyes. into Over a the portfolio. past year Hedge a number funds, of well, enhancements what are hedge have funds? taken Just place following recently in user Australia feedback, we the have headline witnessed ones the being: spectacular Found demise Money of ‘alternative partners asset’ – users can manager shop online Blue Sky with Alternative brands such Investments. as Bonds, Earlier Dan Murphy’s, this year BCF, Warren Uber Buffett etc. and closed these out his partners decade-long usually million deposit dollar bonus bet amounts that an index or extra fund round (S & ups P 500 into Index) the would users account; beat a pool of My hedge Finance funds feature – it did, – uses 125.8% artificial to 36%. (The intelligence million to went track to and charity categorise by the way.) spending and calculate Buffett free was cash quoted flow; on CNN Super after collecting fund linkages on the – allows bet: users “Making to make money deposits on the to stock a range market of does industry not and require public offer great superannuation intelligence, a degree funds; Emerald in economics Portfolio a – familiarity a socially responsible with Wall Street portfolio jargon. option What introduced investors then following need member instead feedback; is an ability to both disregard Little mob fears Acorns – enthusiasms sub accounts designed and to focus to allow on a investment few simple on fundamentals.” behalf of children or other dependants If you are under nervous the about age of 18. the current state of markets don’t let me get in your way of going to cash or doing whatever allows you to sleep soundly at night; financial 56 50 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2017 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
planning, no matter what anybody says, is equal parts investment analysis and psychology. Time frames and investment horizons are what count when you are investing in assets that rise and fall and if you don’t have a five to seven-year investment horizon in front of you, you have no place investing in shares. But if you do still have a stomach for shares, property and things that rise and fall well there are other things that can buffer you from volatility. First things first, review your existing holdings; if you were lucky enough to tip into CSL or Ramsay Health Care 10 years ago you could have tipped out during that time having made ten times your money – did you? Taking profits is part of active management and ensures that no single holding dominates. These high price/ earnings shares tend to get hit hardest when markets turn negative so pruning in the good times is good practice. Make sure your holdings are of the highest quality – what we know following 2008 is that while all shares may fall in unison during a crisis it’s the quality shares (biggest market cap and/or best in category) that fall the least and rebound the fastest. Be diversified – adequate diversification is described as the only ‘free lunch’ in portfolio management. Many Australian investors are biased towards bank shares – these have taken a belting of about 20% since the start of the year mainly on the back of the Royal Commission plus they rise and fall with the market. Investors that have held international shares have experienced volatility but have been rewarded with market growth and gains from currency appreciation in the US dollar. Check your income generation – yield in a portfolio, particularly one used to support a pension, provides a buffer when unit prices are down. During the GFC for example the dividend on Westpac shares dipped by only 20% for one year before rebounding back to pre-GFC levels. Income can be sourced from shares as well as a range of other listed securities including: government bonds, corporate secured debt, hybrid securities and commercial real estate. Brian Hrnjak B Bus CPA (FPS) is a Director of GHR Accounting Group Pty Ltd, Certified Practising Accountants. Offices at: Suite 12, Ground Floor, 20 Bungan Street Mona Vale NSW 2103 and Shop 8, 9 – 15 Central Ave Manly NSW 2095, Telephone: 02 9979-4300, Webs: www.ghr.com.au and www.altre.com.au Email: brian@ghr.com.au These comments are of a general nature only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Business Life The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 51
Business Life: Law Business Life The laws of nature, of neighbours... and trees Recently when visiting friends, the car was parked in their driveway and as we greeted one another our host rushed to ask that the car be moved lest it become another victim of a very large eucalyptus of the ghost gum type, whose branches hung over the driveway from the house next door. It was explained that the tree, some 40 metres in height, had begun dropping very heavy limbs from the top of the tree and was a potential danger. Our host explained that he was having discussions with his neighbour with a view to them together arranging to have the tree examined by an arborist and an application made to the local council for permission to trim and reduce the tree and make it safe. Photographic evidence of fallen branches over the driveway and lawn had been shown to the neighbour. However, some reluctance concerning responsibility was being encountered as the neighbour had pointed out that the limbs were not hanging over his property, they were entirely over our friend’s property. Disputes between neighbours can be extremely stressful, often expensive, and difficult to resolve. A willingness to communicate and come to some agreement is essential with a realisation that like so many aspects of the law, a willingness to reach a compromise is desirable. Mediation is an excellent alternative to legal action. It is especially useful where you are finding it difficult to talk directly with your neighbor, or progress is slow and where conflict has become entrenched, or the problem is escalating. Mediation through Community Justice Centres (CJC) is a free confidential service. If you contact the service it will contact the other party and offer mediation. If the other party is agreeable a suitable time and place is arranged. Two trained mediators attend a session which can last upwards of two hours. If required, further sessions can be scheduled. There are no waiting lists. Community Justice Centres are established under the Community Justice Centres Act 1983 and are administered by the NSW Department of Justice. Although the CJC system is widely used, approximately 1500 disputes annually with an 80% success rate, it is not always the solution. Insofar as trees are concerned, local councils are responsible for protecting trees through their Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in terms of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. TPOs can prohibit ring barking, cutting down, lopping, removing, injuring or willful destruction of specified trees without council consent. In the majority of council areas, most trees on both public and private property are protected. with Jennifer Harris However, council has no authority to act in disputes between neighbours. This is why it is desirable that even if you are wanting to prune only 10% of overhanging branches, to obtain your neighbour’s consent and to follow the process set out by the council. Tree removal which the council will not permit may be briefly summarised as follows: n Tree work without the signature of the owner or their agent on application; n Removing healthy, stable trees or trees for views; n Removing trees for solar access, leaves, bird droppings or damage to sewer pipes or built structure; n Removing trees for allergies unless they can be medically supported by a specialist doctor; n Removal of trees for fences, footpaths or driveways; n Removal of trees in bushland or vegetation without a permit; n Removal of trees where they do not meet the criteria of the permit. Damaging or removing trees illegally is considered a serious offence. The Land and Environment Court can impose fines of up to $1.1 million, plus a daily fee if the offence continues and the offender may be directed to plant trees and vegetation and maintain them. If the neighbour does not 52 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
agree to remove or prune a tree, contact the CJC and if mediation does not achieve a resolution then seek legal advice if you have not already done so – and seek advice in terms of the Tree (Disputes between Neighbours Act 2006) aka ‘Trees Act’. The Trees Act replaced the somewhat complicated common law action of nuisance which had to be taken to the Supreme Court. The Trees Act is cheaper and simpler. An application can now be made to the Land and Environment Court for orders concerning a neighbour’s tree or trees that cause or are likely to cause harm, or trees that form high hedges obstructing sunlight or views. The Trees Act is divided into 2 major parts: Part 2 – dealing with orders relating to damage to property; Part 2A (introduced in 2010) – dealing with orders concerning obstruction of sunlight or views by trees that form a hedge. There has over time been some debate as to whether the Court has jurisdiction or power to make any order under the Trees Act. It has been determined that the tree in question must be on land adjoining that of the applicant’s and can include land across a public roadway from the applicant or properties that adjoin diagonally, having only a corner post in common. (See P Baer Investments Pty Ltd v University of NSW [2007] LEC.128 and Cavalier v Young [2011] NSW LEC1080) The Act defines ‘tree’ as including bamboo and vines as well as any woody perennial plant (shrub) or plant that resembles a tree. The practice of the court in any action under the Trees Act is to make a site visit. The Court’s Commissioner, hearing the case together with the parties and any experts involved in the case, attend the applicant’s property to inspect the problem tree to better understand the evidence. Experts such as arborists, engineers, architects or builders in providing their evidence are bound by the Court’s Expert Witness Code of Conduct The Court has established some Tree Dispute Principles. In Black v Johnson [No 2] [2007] NSW LEC 513 it dealt with the issue where the neighbour’s tree had damaged the applicant’s home or risked injuring people around the home and, applying the Tree Dispute Principle applicable to the facts of this case, decided who should pay for the tree work or repairs. Insofar as a claim of risk of injury there must be some evidence of the likelihood of injury, not just an apprehension or fear of injury. And damage to property must similarly have evidence – preferably expert evidence to demonstrate to the Court the claim – which is where this article began and where the resolution of the problem of the ghost gum will occur. Comment supplied by Jennifer Harris, of Jennifer Harris & Associates, Solicitors, 4/57 Avalon Parade, Avalon Beach. T: 9973 2011. F: 9918 3290. E: jennifer@jenniferharris.com.au W: www.jenniferharris.com.au Business Life The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 53
Business Life Business Life: Law Where there’s a will, there’s also a ‘wish’ Having practised as a solicitor on the Northern Beaches for the past 25 years, Wills & Wishes’ Jock Kennedy says he has witnessed his fair share of stories when it comes to people ageing and dying. “Inevitably there are recurring themes,” Jock tells Pittwater Life. “Like the case where an estranged child is left out of the Will, so he/she challenges the Will, costing the estate a small fortune and further dividing the remainder of the family. “Or the couple (married or de facto) with no children who die without having made Wills and, because of the law relating to intestacy and joint tenancy property, their combined assets end up with only one of their respective families – for example the wife’s siblings and the husband’s siblings miss out.” The elderly feature often. “Such as an elderly widow with early onset dementia, but a generous demeanour, who is taken financial advantage of by the unconscionable conduct, or abuse of a power, by a family member,” Jock said. “Or the elderly person being kept alive, bed-ridden and subject to ongoing procedures and pain because of the medical fraternity’s duty of care and the wishes of the family – but not their own wishes.” Jock explains there is a fix for every problem: “Discuss it, plan it and most importantly document it,” he said. Jock says a Will is essential. “Having even a simple Will means that you appoint the people you want to manage your estate and you decide who receives it,” he said. “Without a Will, the decision is made for you by the law and can lead to all kinds of unfairness.” Also, an Enduring Power of Attorney and an Enduring Guardian is a must to cover your loss of capacity. “Again, it lets you decide who manages your financial affairs and makes decisions about your personal care.” ‘Wishes’, he explains, deals with “the personal stuff”. It includes: An Advance Care Directive, which is prepared with the assistance of your GP and is an essential document. It is a must if you want to have a say in how your life is managed in the event of certain illnesses or accidents. Do you want to be resuscitated if your quality of life is likely to be extremely poor? If your Will establishes trusts (called Testamentary Trusts), it is a good idea to arm your trustee with an Expression of Wishes to help them manage the trust. For example, “I would like my home not to be sold until my youngest child turns 25”. Finally, there is ‘The Wish List’ that documents how you want to plan your own farewell, be it large or small, to guide your family/friends to deliver the send-off you desire. “This is a unique addition that Wills & Wishes has designed to complement the total estate planning package,” Jock said. He concluded: “Finally, my own story where my siblings and I didn’t know what our mother wanted as her send-off and whether she wanted her ashes to be spread in Wales, or here in Australia – the jury is still out.” – Nigel Wall * More info visit willsandwishes.com.au 54 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Trades & Services Trades & Services AUTO REPAIRS British & Swedish Motors Call 9970 6654 Services Range Rover, Land Rover, Saab and Volvo with the latest in diagnostic equipment. Narrabeen Tyrepower Call 9970 6670 Stocks all popular brands including Cooper 4WD. Plus they’ll do all mechanical repairs and rego inspections. Barrenjoey Smash Repairs Call 9970 8207 barrenjoeysmashrepairs.com.au Re-sprays a specialty, plus restoration of your favourite vehicle. Commercial specialist. BATTERIES Battery Business Call 9970 6999 Batteries for all applications. Won’t be beaten on price or service. Free testing, 7 days. BOAT SERVICES Avalon Marine Upholstery Call Simon 9918 9803 Makes cushions for boats, patio and pool furniture, window seats. CLEANING The Aqua Clean Team Call Mark 0449 049 101 Quality window washing, pressure cleaning, carpet washing, building soft wash. Martin Earl House Wash Call 0405 583 305 Pittwater-based owner on site at all times. No travellers or uninsured casuals on your property. Housewashing Nthn Beaches Call Ben 0408 682 525 Pressure cleaning & softwash. Window & gutter cleaning. $10m insured. Used by Estate Agents. ELECTRICAL Captain Cook Electrical Call Blake 0488 849 124 Zero dollars call-out; offering discount for Senior; 24-hour emergency service. Family owned and operated. Eamon Dowling Electrical Call 0410 457 373 For all electrical, phone, TV and data needs. Local business. Quality service guaranteed. FLOOR COVERINGS Blue Tongue Carpets Call Stephan 9979 7292 Family owned and run. Carpet, rugs, runners, timber, bamboo, vinyl, tiles & laminates. Open 6 days. GARDENS Graham Brooks Call 0412 281 580 Tree pruning and removals. Reports regarding DA tree management, arborist reports. Precision Tree Services Call Adam 0410 736 105 Adam Bridger; professional tree care by qualified arborists and tree surgeons. Special Branch Tree Services Call Jason 0439 964 538 Qualified arborist, fully insured; celebrating 20 years in Avalon and surrounding areas. KITCHENS Seabreeze Kitchens Call 9938 5477 Specialists in all kitchen needs; design, fitting, consultation. Excellent trades. MASSAGE & FITNESS Avalon Physiotherapy Call 9918 3373 Provide specialist treatment for neck & back pain, sports injuries, orthopaedic problems. Avalon Physiotherapy & Clinical Pilates Call 9918 0230 Dry needling and acupuncture, falls prevention and balance enhancement programs. Avalon Beach Chiropractic Call Sam 9918 0070 Professional care for all ages. Treatment for chronic and acute pain, sports injuries. Francois Naef/Osteopath Call Francois 9918 2288 Diagnosis, treatment and prevention for back pain and sciatica, sports injuries, muscle soreness, pregnancy-related pain, imbalance. PAINTING Modern Colour Call 0406 150 555 Simon Bergin offers painting and decorating; clean, tidy, quality detail you will notice. Dependable and on time. AJJ Painting & Decorating Call 0418 116 700 Andrew is a master painter with 30 years’ experience. Domestic and commercial; reasonable rates, free quotes. PEST CONTROL Predator Pest Control Call 0417 276 962 predatorpestcontrol.com.au Environmental services at their best. Comprehensive control. Eliminate all manner of pests. They provide a 24-hour service. PLUMBING Nick Anderson Plumbing Call Nick 0411 251 256 Specialist in gasfitting, drainage and plumbing. Complete service, competitive rates. Local and reliable – free quotes. Pure Plumbing Professionals Call 9056 8166 Zero dollars call-out – and you approve 56 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
the price before they begin. 24/7 Emergency Service. 10% pensioner discount. PUMPS & TANKS Water Warehouse Call 9913 7988 waterwarehouse.com.au Rainwater tanks & pumps. Irrigation & filter supply specialists. RENOVATIONS Backyard Cabins Call 9973 1691 Avoid Council approval; studios, workshops, cabins, teenage retreats. Ideal for Airbnb. Rob Burgers Call 0416 066 159 Qualified builder provides all carpentry needs; decks, pergolas, carports, renos & repairs. DISCLAIMER: The editorial and advertising content in Pittwater Life has been provided by a number of sources. Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Editor or Publisher of Pittwater Life and no responsibility is taken for the accuracy of the information contained within. Readers should make their own enquiries directly to any organisations or businesses prior to making any plans or taking any action. Trades & Services The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 57
Trades & Services RENOVATIONS CONT. BlindLight Call Dave 0403 466 350 Specialists in window tinting and glass coatings. Act now for summer. RUBBISH REMOVAL One 2 Dump Call Jason 0450 712 779 Seven-days-a-week pick-up service includes general household rubbish, construction, commercial plus vegetation. Also car removals. TUITION Northern Beaches Home Tutoring Call John 9972 1469 1-ON-1 individual tutoring in your home. All ages and subjects K-Uni. Qualified tutors. WWC child protection checked. Since 2009. UPHOLSTERY All Foam Call 9973 1731 Cut to measure quality foam for day beds, boats, caravans and more. Discounted prices, reliable local service. Free measure / quote. Luxafoam North Call 9999 5567 Local specialists in all aspects of outdoor & indoor seating. Custom service, expert advice. Essyou Design Call Susan 0422 466 880 Specialist in day bed and outdoor areas. Reliable local service. Offering domestic & commercial. Leather Hero Advertise your Business in Trades & Services section Phone 0438 123 096 Call Leanne 0490 796 012 Specialists in leather cleaning, revamps, repairs and colour restoration for lounges, cars and boats. Trades & Services TUITION Northern Beaches Home Tu toring Call John 9972 1469 1-ON-1 individual tutoring in your home. All ages and subjects K-Uni. Qualified tutors. WWC child protection checked. Since 2009. 58 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
the good life dining food crossword 62 64 67 Showtime Glenn is on his way! The beaches’ pre-summer heat is set for a ‘cool change’ when Aussie popular music legend Glenn Shorrock takes to the stage at Dee Why RSL on Friday November 30. With a career as a singer and songwriter spanning more than 40 years – most famously as the front man for ’70s and ’80s hitmakers Little River Band, Shorrock says he can’t wait to delve into his broad body of work, including songs from his days with The Twilights, Axiom and of course LRB. Shorrock’s return to performing coincides with the release of his autobiography, ‘Now Where Was I’ last June, which he wrote after the release of his last solo album ‘Rise Again’ in 2016. ‘I had a good lie down and now I’m ready to go again,” Glenn told Pittwater Life. Shorrock began singing with the Twilights in 1962, achieving success with hits including ‘Needle in a Haystack’ and ‘Young Girl’, before the group disbanded in 1969. Axiom with Brian Cadd followed, with hits including ‘Little Ray of Sunshine’, before Glenn helped form Little River Band. The group cracked the lucrative US market in 1976 with a string of top 10 hits, a success echoed around the world with songs including ‘Help Is On Its Way’, ‘Shut Down Turn Off’ and ‘Reminiscing’. He said he gets a real thrill performing the classic sailing anthem ‘Cool Change’: “I wrote it and it continues to connect with people – something folks on the northern beaches certainly appreciate. “I have been blessed with a long and successful career and I’m doing some of my best work right at the moment,” he said, adding he had recently spent time in the studio re-recording some LRB classics. Shorrock paid tribute to our local RSLs and their renewed investment in live music, which he said was appreciated immensely by his contemporaries. And if he had to name one of those contemporaries as someone he’d go to see live himself? “I have many friends who I respect and admire so I can’t pick one at the expense of the others... oh okay – maybe Wendy Matthews!” * Tickets $35; more info deewhyrsl.com.au – Nigel Wall Showtime gardening 68 travel 72 NOVEMBER 2018 59
Tasty Morsels Tasty Morsels Newport ready for a ‘baking’ hot summer For more than 30 years from the late 1960s, 383 Barrenjoey Rd was the local Newport bakery/pie shop – now the site has returned to its grainy roots and the tantalising aromas of fresh-baked bread, pies and coffee are emanating from its doors again. The old ‘Surf Side Pie Shop’, which started in 1968 and was taken over by locals Lachie and Jan Hayes in the mid-’70s, has been ‘reimagined’ – with David Cummings and wife Bindy (pictured) opening their Bowan Island Bakery. David established Sydney’s original sourdough bakery in 1989. After travelling the world in the 1980s and discovering sourdoughs and other artisan breads in many countries, he started baking his own breads and pies in a small garage in Hunters Hill, selling the products at Balmain and Glebe Markets before setting up his first baking enterprise in Drummoyne. ents and premium Australian flours. “We do not use any artificial additives or preservatives – our sourdoughs are nourished with a unique 85-year old starter, or ‘mother culture’, which gives them a refined maturity in flavour, a beautiful soft crumb and a depth of rustic colours and a blistered crust,” he said. “Our “We moved to the Northern Beaches over 30 years ago and have brought up our four children here,” he said. “We have been wanting to bring Bowan to this glorious part of the world for years.” David said customer feedback suggested “nearly everyone” graced Lachie’s counter regularly – so many, in fact, they’ve named a ‘Lachie’ pie after him. “The pies and sausage rolls have been flying out the door, as have the acai bowls, especially the take-away option for the teens,” said David. “And our famous Christmas mince pies will be on the counter imminently.” He explained the team sourced only quality ingredigoal is to delight our customers with our products – some are healthy, and some are indulgent... but all are treats!” Passionate about coffee, David has created Bowan Island Bakery’s own blend. “It combines seven singleorigin beans, harmonising sweet-spiced South American caramels, earthy African chocolates and lush citrus Sumatran kickers,” he said. David added that with such a history and connection to the site, they looked forward to finding ways to work with the community, including the inspirational Sam Bloom and her family, to help raise funds for spinal cure charities. (Cam Bloom fell in love with his wife-to-be Sam – Lachie’s daughter – whilst she was serving him a pie.) “The Newport vibe is awesome,” he said. “Feels like home – we’re blessed.” – Nigel Wall Cup runneth over at Jonah’s Celebrate Melbourne Cup at Jonah’s on November 6 surrounded by panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean from The Terrace balcony overlooking Whale Beach (left). Be greeted with a glass of Champagne Bollinger on arrival and enjoy a three-course lunch inspired by the Spring menu, designed by Executive Chef Matteo Zamboni. The Champagne Bollinger Bar will be flowing, along with fashion shows by AQWA Women and live music throughout the day. Dress for ‘fashion on the field’ for a chance to win Best Dressed prizes offered by Jonah’s partners Bollinger, AQWA, Molton Brown, Vittoria coffee and more. $185 per person; bookings essential. Also, Jonah’s is partnering with Henschke cellars for an exclusive wine lovers’ affair featuring a five-course degustation dinner on Thursday November 1. Wine aficionados and enthusiasts will appreciate this unique opportunity to celebrate the Henschke family’s 150 years of wine making combined with the elegant ambience of the Jonah’s dining room. * More info 9974 5599 or enquiries@jonahs.com.au 60 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Dining Clubs Guide Clubs Guide November's best Club functions, concerts, events and meal deals... Royal Motor Yacht Club Salt Cove on Pittwater 46 Prince Alfred Parade, Newport OPENING HOURS Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Mon-Fri from 8.30am Weekends from 8am PRICE RANGE Breakfast from $8-$18 Entrees from $9-$21 Mains from $16-$26 BOOKINGS 9997 5511 RMYC’s restaurant Salt Cove on Pittwater’s menu has been updated for spring – but it still offers affordable meals and generous servings including a variety of starters and share plates, seafood, burgers, grills, salads, desserts and woodfired pizza. Friday night music kicks off in the Lounge Bar from 6.30pm. Great acts in November include Sarah Paton (2nd); Jim Gannon (9th); Keff McCulloch (16th); Geoff Kendall (23rd) and Alex Roussos (30th). Melbourne Cup Luncheon is on Tuesday November 6 (from 12 noon to 4pm). Enjoy a three-course lunch with sparkling wine on arrival and entertainment from Emily Garth ($80 members, $90 nonmembers). Bookings essential. Also in Novemberr, catch up with the Travel View / Cruise View Travel Club at the meeting in the lounge bar from 10.30am on Monday 5th. Book now for Christmas Day lunch in the Top Deck Function Room ($125 adults, $50 kids 5-12, $30 kids 3-4) or Garden Forecourt ($115 adults, kids' prices as above). Enjoy a sumptuous buffet with seafood and traditional Christmas fare. Trivia is held every Tuesday night from 7.30pm (great prizes and vouchers – 12 years plus). Club Boat and Social memberships are now available for just $160. Barrenjoey Bistro Club Palm Beach 1087 Barrenjoey Rd, Palm Beach BISTRO OPENING HOURS Lunch 11:30am-2.30pm Dinner 6pm-8.30pm PRICE RANGE Lunch and dinner specials $13.50 BOOKINGS 9974 5566 Head to Club Palm Beach, located a short stroll from Palm Beach Wharf, for a special Remembrance Day service on November 11. It's 100 years since the Armistace that ended World War I; there will be ceremony at the Club from 11am. Melbourne Cup is on Tuesday Nov 6; watch the race and enjoy a bucket of prawns with champagne for $26.50. There's live raceday coverage on the big screen plus sweeps and onsite TAB facilities. 'Cruising Palm Beach' is a great outing for groups of 10 or more – it includes a cruise around Pittwater followed by lunch at the Club for just $25 per person. Barrenjoey Bistro is open for lunch (11.30am to 2.30pm) and dinner (6pm to 9pm) seven days, plus there's a Snack Menu available 2.30pm- 6pm. The Bistro serves topvalue a la carte meals plus daily $13.50 specials of roasts (Mondays), rump steak with chips and salad (Tuesdays), chicken schnitzel with chips and salad (Wednesdays), 62 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
homemade gourmet pies with chips and salad (Thursdays) and tempura fish and chips with salad (Fridays), except public hols. The Members’ lucky badge draw is held Wednesday and Friday night (every 30 mins between 5pm-7pm), and jackpots by $100 each week. Enjoy Trivia Night from 5.30pm on Wednesdays, plus Bingo 10am on Fridays. The club has a courtesy bus that makes regular runs Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 4.30pm to 9pm. Ring to book a pick-up. Bistro 61 Avalon Beach RSL 1 Bowling Green Lane Avalon Beach OPENING HOURS Open 7 days Lunch 12pm-2:30pm Dinner 5:30-8:30pm CUISINE Modern Aust / pub food PRICE RANGE Meals $8-$30 Specials $12-$15 BOOKINGS 9918 2201 Avalon Beach RSL’s Bistro 61 is a great place to head for a local meal, offering tasty modern Australian dishes at affordable prices. Surf Lounge music sessions in November kick off 8.30pm on Saturdays, including Isaiah B Brunt Trio (3rd), Ziggy McNeil (10th) and NativoSoul (17th). Thinking Christmas party or function? Their new Stella Room is the ideal venue. And now available for free download – the new Avalon Beach RSL Club App. Earn rewards, prizes and member points by logging in daily. See what's on, check out events, view menus and more! Don't miss the Super Sunday raffle on the first Sunday of the month – there's more than $1500 in prizes. Here's a great new way to start the week – 'Wine Not Monday' – with $15 bottles of wine, $5 Peronis and $10 pasta and pizzas. Bistro 61 is open for The Local Voice Since 1991 breakfast from 9am to 11.30am. Open for lunch and dinner seven days, with extensive outdoor dining areas, Bistro 61 offers a variety of specials (lunch and dinner) during the week, including $12 tacos (Tues), $15 Chicken Schnitzels (Wed), 2-4-1 pizzas (Thurs), and a $20 burger + beer (Fri). Seniors are well catered for – there are daily Seniors specials, including beerbattered flathead – plus they do a $5 kids meals on Sundays! (There’s a playground, too.) From the menu, chef Mitch recommends his twist on nachos – pulled beef and blackbeans with chipotle, corn chips, guacamole, Danish fetta and coriander. Members get discounts on meals purchased. Membership from $5.50! The club is licensed, with no BYO. Bookings online or call 9918 2201 – large groups welcome. NOVEMBER 2018 63 Dining Clubs Guide
Food Life Quick & healthy options to help you start the day We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. At a conference I attended recently about healthy eating, I learnt it’s just as important to mix up what we eat at breakfast time to keep our body and metabolism guessing – a bit like exercising. So here are a couple of great ideas to suit all occasions – for an ideal breakfast on-the-go; make-ahead; and also a 'quick fix'. Also, these options will leave you more time at the beginning of a busy day, so you won’t start your morning stressed out! with Janelle Bloom Food Life Recipes: Janelle Bloom Photos: Adobe Stock. Poached eggs Steve Brown; stevebrownphotography.com Strawberry smoothie Makes 2 200g fresh strawberries, hulled, chopped 1 banana, peeled, chopped 1 cup Greek natural yoghurt 1 cup reduced fat milk 6 large ice cubes 2 tsp LSA 2 tsp honey 1. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until thick and smooth. Pour into chilled glass and serve. Variations: Replace the banana with 1 chopped mango, 2 cans of pear halves or 200g fresh or frozen raspberries. Health Tip: LSA is made from ground linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds. It’s rich in protein, which helps to keep blood-sugar levels balanced and curb sugar cravings. Once opened, store in an airtight jar in the fridge or freezer to keep fresh. Janelle’s Tip: Muesli will keep for a month in an airtight container. Homemade toasted muesli Makes 4 cups ¼ cup honey ¼ cup maple syrup ¼ cup light olive oil or coconut oil 3 cups traditional rolled oats ¼ cup quinoa ½ cup bran flakes 1 cup mixed seeds (sunflower, pepita, sesame, linseeds) ½ cup flaked coconut 1 cup nuts (almonds, pecans, macadamia) 1. Preheat oven to 160°C fan forced. Lightly grease a large, deep roasting pan. Combine honey, maple syrup and oil in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until honey has melted. 2. Combine remaining ingredients in the roasting pan. Pour over warm honey mixture. Mix until well coated. Spread mixture evenly over base of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until golden and toasted. Set aside to cool completely; muesli will form into clusters on cooling. Transfer to an airtight container until ready to serve. 3. Serve with milk, a little honey and summer berries. 64 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
For more recipes go to www.janellebloom.com.au Janelle’s Tip: Loaf is delicious toasted and served topped with scrambled, poached or a soft boiled egg. Zucchini loaf Serves 6 2 cups self raising flour 2 tbs brown sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon ½ cup buttermilk 2 eggs ½ cup extra light olive oil 1¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese 2 tbs chopped fresh chives 1 cup grated zucchini 1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced. Grease and Line a 20 x 10cm (base) loaf pan. 2. Combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Using a fork, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and oil. Pour into the flour mixture, stir to combine. Don’t over-mix the batter. 3. Stir in the cheese, chives and zucchini. Spoon into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean. Serve warm spread with ricotta or cream cheese. The Local Voice Since 1991 Poached eggs with Worcestershire mushrooms Serves 2 4 fresh, free range eggs, at room temperature Hot buttered toast to serve Worcestershire mushrooms 30g butter 400g mixed mushrooms, sliced 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1. To poach the eggs, half-fill a deep (at least 6cm deep) wide frying pan with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Crack 1 egg onto a saucer. Slide egg into the water, then gently stir the water to form a gentle whirlpool until the egg starts to float. Repeat with remaining eggs. Simmer, without stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a clean tea towel. 2. Meanwhile, for the Worcestershire mushrooms, melt butter in a frying pan over high heat, add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add Worcestershire sauce, cook 1 minute. Janelle’s Tip: You can add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the simmering water if your eggs are not really fresh. This will help to set the white quickly. 3. Spoon the mushrooms onto toast, top with eggs, season and serve. NOVEMBER 2018 65 Food Life
Food Life In Season Australian Food Life Garlic Garlic is a staple in every cook’s kitchen. Garlic has no aroma until cut. Once the cell walls are disturbed (chopped, crushed etc) a sulphur compound is released. This compound is destroyed when heated and that’s why cooked garlic is milder to eat and less potent on the breath. Availability Although available yearround, the Australian season is at its peak from October through to the end of April. Preparation Separate the cloves from the head. Place a clove on a chopping board and place the flat side of a large knife on top. Press down lightly to crush the clove; this makes it easier to peel. Buying When buying garlic, look for heads that are heavy for their size, enclosed in dry, papery layers. Avoid any with soft spots or that are sprouting. Sprouting is an indicator that the garlic is old. Sometimes garlic will start to sprout once you bring it home. It’s not harmful to eat, but should be removed using a small sharp knife Storage Store in a cool dry place for up to 1 month (do not refrigerate). Nutrition Garlic has high levels of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese, and selenium which is a powerful antioxidant. As garlic is generally consumed in small quantities it supplies only a small amount of our daily recommended intake of nutrients. Cooking tip Be careful not to cook past golden brown, or it will become bitter. Also In Season November Look out for Asian Greens; Hass Avocadoes; Broad beans & Green beans; Beetroot; Fresh Peas; Aussie Garlic, Green Onions and Silverbeet while the top fruit buys are Bananas, Blueberries, Strawberries and Pineapple. Margherita pizza Serves 4 1 head garlic 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 2 large flatbread or pizza bases 3/4 cup tomato passata 2 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced 2 cups grated mozzarella 1 cup basil leaves 1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced. Cut 1cm off the top of garlic to expose cloves. Place garlic in a piece greased foil. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in the foil. Bake 30 minutes or until garlic is soft. Cool. Gently squeeze garlic cloves from skin into a bowl. Stir in the remaining oil. 2. Put two large baking trays into the oven, increase oven to 220°C fan forced. Spoon the garlic oil evenly over both flatbreads or pizza bases. 3. Spoon over the passata then top with tomatoes and mozzarella. Transfer pizzas the hot baking trays and bake 10 minutes or until base is golden and crisp. Scatter over the basil. Season and serve. Photo: Steve Brown; stevebrownphotography.com 66 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Pittwater Puzzler Compiled by David Stickley CLUE: 20 Down ACROSS 1 Groups of kangaroos (4) 3 Features of older houses that run around the outside (8) 9 Weather monitoring equipment that was very much in play during October (4,5) 11 Do what you do (5) 12 Legendary bushranger (3,5) 13 Registered trademark for rigid-hulled inflatable boats (6) 14 Golf club (4) 15 Leafy growth much sought after during the hot summer months (5,4) 17 Former Governor of NSW after which a significant parkway was named (9) 19 The garden of a house (4) 22 A publication’s supplementary advertising (6) 23 Ingleside’s St Sava is described as this kind of Serbian church (8) 25 Source of petrol, diesel, and other fuels commonly (5) 26 Old computer unit needed to access large amounts of data (4,5) 27 Describing the Holiday Park in Narrabeen (8) 28 An unwanted plant (4) DOWN 1 & 8-down Invaluable service to ensure the safety of all boat users (6,6) 2 Construction company like Peninsula Homes in Warriewood (7) 4 A goal that brings scores level (9) 5 A space allocated for a specific purpose (4) 6 Treasure trove collected by local engineer Bob Moran (9,4) 7 A person serving in or having served in an army (7) 8 See 1-down 10 Legendary Aussie popular music identity who will perform at Dee Why RSL on Friday November 30 (5,8) 16 A major division of the animal kingdom, with segmented bodies and jointed appendages (9) 17 An odd or fanciful notion (6) 18 Bird and a type of sailing dinghy (7) 20 Cabernet sauvignon, shiraz or claret, for example (3,4) 21 Add more rooms to a house (6) 24 Distributors of cash on the Northern Beaches (1,1,2) [Solution page 70] Pittwater Puzzler The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 67
Garden Life Garden Life Delight Flamenco in hibiscus the amazing makes colours brilliant of stamp hydrangeas of colour Lush, Always tropical a favourite Hawaiian for hibiscus were in Christmas demand in colour, the ’80s hydrangeas and ’90s but as the ‘new look’ and are trend flowering towards their low maintenance heads became off! popular, They look their wonderful popularity waned. The Hawaiian in the hibiscus garden, were brightening grafted plants grown by the specialist semi-shaded nurseries, areas but many and of these nurseries glowing closed as in clipped the full, hedges protected and strap-leaved plants sunlight. took over Once and hibiscus the older were hard to buy. varieties The huge were flowers either of pink the older or hibiscus lasted blue just one depending day and the on shrubs the soil, needed constant additional care. The warm, lime will tropical deepen gardens of the northern the beaches pinks are and boosted blueing by tonic a flash of colour – and (sulphate nothing can of compete aluminium) with will bright, spectacular heighten flowers of the blues, new flamboyant but the Flamenco hibiscus. new They named will flower varieties continuously will for nine months maintain of the year, their with colour. blooms White that will last on the never bushes changes. for up to There five or are six days before they hydrangeas fade. The compact of every plants size are from great for pots, the mass tiny planting dwarf in Piamina garden to beds the or even as a low tall hedge traditional in the full Mop sun. Heads. If space is limited, plants With that have so many been to trained choose as from standards are available. it is They almost look too stunning difficult as focal to points of in the garden traditional mop Hibiscus heads, have few that problems. can be two They metres should tall. decide. beds, or There in tubs are on the sunny delicate balconies the or patios cone-shaped be flowers cut back of by a third The recently in late spring, introduced as they lace with caps, colourful the petunias, huge blooms white allysum hydrangea or trailing, paniculata flower bushes on new growth. smaller Feed growing with a Picotee fertiliser that silver dichondra growing underneath. There are will promote flowers varieties – I use with Sudden two-tone Impact flower for nine different colours to choose from: white, plus Roses. Their only heads problem are is hard the hibiscus to leave beetle behind the bright and if green you have leaves a semi- and pinks, yellows, salmon, tangerine and scarlet. that eats holes in Their huge, single, frilly petalled blooms lives in the flower shaded buds. (Granular wall, the BugKilla climbing from have dark centres. Richgro will control hydrangea these irritating petiolaris insects.) is just beautiful. Hydrangeas are forgiving Little Angel plants daisies L that are easy to grow. ow-growing borders They add colour. like regular Little water Angel and is a tight, compact plant any that good will easily garden adapt soil. to Mulch any sunny position. It will gradually the roots carpet with compost the garden to edge with rosettes of bright keep them green cool leaves. and The feed large, pure white, yellow-centred them daisies in early will spring appear to all get through the summer months. them going. Grow them in Little Angel makes a pots, great or border; in the it garden; will grow bring between pavers or down them the inside centre when of a driveway. in flower Pick the flowers and add or them cut the to blooms bunches – of they scarlet last geraniums for Christmas well table in water. decorations. with Gabrielle Bryant Christmas bush that’s a ‘Cracker’ New Zealand Christmas Bush is an old favourite for seaside gardens. The soft, grey foliage is salttolerant and tough. In the past few years there have Cherry been many new Guava varieties a sweet under cultivation. surprise All are Ifantastic hedging plants for n salt full or flower as wind in my breaks. veggie garden The newest is my Cherry newcomer Guava, is sometimes Metrosideros known Fire as Cracker. a Strawberry Fire Cracker Guava. This has delightful all the evergreen hardiness shrub of its never parentage fails to produce but is quite a heavy different crop of in cherry guavas appearance. in early Fire autumn. Cracker is It a is perfect a small, name pretty for tree the with rounded, explosion glossy of colour green in leaves the that new only leaves: grows bright to about yellow, three gold, metres pink and in height. scarlet Keep that it trimmed cover the into dark shape green after and fruiting. gold The variegation delicate fluffy of the flowers older are leaves. creamy white, growing close to the Grown branches. as a hedge They are that followed is clipped, by the the tangy amazing flavoured, colours sweet, will dazzle berry-sized, you. It cherry can reach red fruit a height that are of high three in metres vitamin and C. Unlike grow the to be taller-growing two metres deciduous wide if left yellow as an guava informal that needs shrub. cooking, This is a the Christmas fruit can be bush eaten that raw is grown straight for from its the leaves tree alone. or used I have in cooking, never seen jellies, one drinks, flower. sauces or jams. You should protect the fruit from fruit fly with a fruit fly bait. Get into the ‘swing’ of Xmas It is time to relax and enjoy your garden. Look at your outdoor seating requirements – the shops are full of amazing chairs and tables. Hanging cane egg chairs have been trendy for the past few years and now the ‘Swing Seat’ is back. Nothing is more peaceful than swinging in a seat for two, sheltered from the weather with a roof to shade from the sun – makes a great Christmas present too! 72 68 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2017 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Spice things up with turmeric Not only is turmeric great for aches and pains, arthritis and rheumatism, it is a delightfully decorative plant in the garden. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family, native to India and Pakistan. The attractive, tall, bright green leaves that can grow up to a metre in height, are perfectly complemented by the spikes of pure white flowers that can be tinged with pink. Turmeric grows from knotty rhizomes under the ground. The new growth appears every spring and then dies down in winter. This is when the spice can be harvested. The orange rhizomes can be used freshly grated or in a dried, powdered form. It is used extensively in curries as a spice, for colouring dye and as a tea for aches and pains. Turmeric is easy to grow in warm humid conditions. Plant the rhizomes (I got mine from a fresh vegetable organic health food shop) in good, rich soil that drains well. The plants love plenty of water – but not ‘wet feet’. Their natural habitat is dappled light at the edge of subtropical rain forests. The plants will grow in full shade but will produce a higher yield with some sunlight. If space is a problem, turmeric makes a very attractive pot plant indoors, in a sunny window, or grown outside. Flannel flowers: short but so sweet The soft, velvety flowers of the native Flannel flowers appear every year in late spring along the road sides, from crevices in the rocky kerbs and in the stony soil under the gum trees in the bush. Flannel flowers are shortliving plants, lasting just a couple of years. Seeds are hard to find and germinate erratically, but established plants are in garden centres, potted. These amazing silver/ grey native plants love full sun or semi-shade; they will grow in any well-drained soil (they hate ‘wet feet’). If your garden is damp or your soil is heavy clay, they will suffer from root problems and fungal disease. You will have to mound up the soil with additional sand; or better still, grow them in pots. They don’t need native potting mix – any good potting mix will do. When planting, remove the plants from their pot very carefully with as little disturbance to the root ball as possible. Flannel flowers hate their roots to be disturbed. Make sure you tip-prune the plants on a regular basis to keep them bushy. The more tips, the more flowers you will get. Water them in with a seaweed solution at the time of planting, and feed with a waterbased fertiliser every three or four weeks. (Eco-Aminogrow is an organic fertiliser that is great for native plants.) Garden Life The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 69
Garden Life Jobs this Month Garden Life October yielded rain, rain... and more rain! We needed the water – but maybe not quite so much. Time now to repair the garden – and control the weeds! Get on top of weeds before they get out of control; Slasher is a non-selective, non-residual weed killer that will work in hours if sprayed on a sunny day. It is a natural product made from plant oils that is completely safe to use. It will kill weeds, moss, algae and lichen. Then cover the earth with a thick mulch of compost or sugarcane mulch. Aerate lawns Lawns have suffered from heavy rain. Aerate the grass with the tynes of a garden fork. If you have a large area, hire a spiked roller to do the job. Lightly top-dress with lawn topdressing any bare patches and sprinkle with seed. Check with the garden centre for compatibility of the seed with the grass that you have. Trim time Cut back the old canes of ornamental gingers to make space for the new growth to pop up. Also, remove seed heads of agapanthus flowers before the seeds stray into the bush. Trim back bottlebrushes and grevilleas after flowering to promote new healthy growth. Feed native plants with Bush Tucker fertiliser. Attract bees Encourage the bees to your veggie garden. Spray with Bee Keeper every week. Bee Keeper is a natural bee attractant that will encourage bees to forage and maximise pollination of flowering crops. Purple reign November is a month of mauve haze in the garden, with jacarandas in flower. Nothing is more beautiful than a purple carpet of fallen flowers – but beware if they rain continues they will become very slippery. Sweep them up on a regular basis. Pet watch Brunfelsias, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow are flowering now. These shrubs are tough and reliable garden plants that deserve a place in any garden; but beware if you have a dog – the seeds that follow are poisonous. Miner problems Watch out for leaf miner and November fruit fly on citrus and fruiting trees. A fruit fly lure will attract the male fruit fly and Eco oil sprayed at fortnightly intervals will control the leaf miner that curls and distorts the new leaves. Aphid control Aphids in the garden love new shoots – a yellow sticky trap will keep them under control. Be careful where you hang the sticky trap. The glue is very strong; it will trap small birds and lizards as well as aphids! Veggie crops Plant follow-up crops of beans, tomatoes, carrots Prepare for colour Pull out the last of the spring flowering annuals and replant with petunias, dahlias, alyssum, lobelia, nasturtiums, salvia and French marigolds for summer colour. and silver beet in the veggie garden. Keep planting every three or four weeks for ongoing harvests through summer. Crossword solution from page 67 Mystery location: BAYVIEW 70 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Times Past Study of women in community Women of all ages are a vital component of any community. Avalon Beach has seen many remarkable women contribute to its fabric and over many years. To illustrate, this month we look at three women from different eras with very different experiences… Catherine Collins and her husband Jeremiah sailed from County Cork, Ireland, on board the ‘Elphinstone’ with their nine children in 1839. The Collins family established a large dairy farm covering the whole of North Avalon, on land rented from the Reverend Father Therry at 35 pounds per year. Therry, who had also come from Cork, had received grants in the area totalling 1380 acres. In the ‘wilds of Pittwater’ Catherine helped establish and run the farm, educated the children, and grew vegetables and crops for the family and animals. According to one caller in 1861, the interior of the cottage, which had an earthen floor, “was the very beau ideal of cleanliness and care”. With little opportunity to take Mass at Careel Bay, she once walked (via Lane Cove Road) to Sydney for Mass because she didn’t like riding. Grace Wickham came with her husband Stan and their two young children, Lois and ‘Mac’ in 1924 to take up the tenancy of Mr Small’s ‘new general store’. After a disagreement, the Wickham’s ERAS APART: Local achievers Brenda Kable, Catherine Collins and Grace Wickham. built their own store in 1934 on the diagonally opposite corner (now Chambers Cellars). While Stan was out delivering orders, Grace ran the store, as well as the post office within the store, redirected phone calls to locals, sold groceries, handled holiday lettings, was the agent for the Bank of NSW, raised and educated her children and as a nurse, acted as the interim GP until Dr Sanders arrived in the 1950s. Grace was also a keen bowler and a foundation member of the Avalon Beach Women’s Bowling Club. Tragically, while on duty in the shop, she took the telegram which notified her of the death of her son while flying in France for the RAF in 1939. Brenda Kable was one of those many women who, with their family, settled in Avalon Beach post-WWII. Brenda had previously found it necessary to spend much of her time in ships. Her husband Garvon was a Sargeant Navigator in the RAAF and then in the Naval Fleet Air Arm. Trips to England, Melbourne and the USA with two of her later four children, required many school changes, understanding their needs and without forming any lasting friendships. However she turned travels into exciting adventures, making the most of sightseeing and educational opportunities. After settling into Avalon Beach in 1955 she supported her husband in his work with the APT and then started the Avalon Community Library in 1983. In 1998 she was awarded an OAM for her work with the Pangloss Circle, settling new migrants into Australia. TIMES PAST is supplied by local historian and President of the Avalon Beach Historical Society GEOFF SEARL. Visit the Society’s showroom in Bowling Green Lane, Avalon Beach. Times Past The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 71
Travel Life Travel Life Open golf odyssey There are golfing trips – and there are golfing trips. The team at GOLFSelect, one of Australia’s premier golf holiday organisers, have put together a package which is mind-blowingly good. In July 2019, join hosts Gary Lisbon and Matthew Ridge on an escorted tour to Northern Ireland and Scotland to coincide with the Open Championship at worldrenowned Royal Portrush GC. This tour includes: Playing Royal Portrush the week after the Open; two rounds on the World #1 course Royal County Down in Northern Ireland; the Ailsa Course at Turnberry (above); Royal Troon; historic Prestwick (host of the first Open); Royal Belfast; and Portstewart. (More golf available for keen golfers.) Accommodation is top-end – the Bushmills Inn with its famous distillery for Royal Portrush; the exclusive Slieve Donard Hotel at the foot of the Mourne Mountains for Royal County Down; in Belfast the Titanic Hotel; and the five-star Trump Turnberry for the Scottish courses. Over 13 nights, with luxury transfers and limited to just 16 places, it truly is a rare golf opportunity open to singles, couples and non-golfing partners. Places filling fast – more info golfselect.com.au – Nigel Wall Sydney to Hobart in style Here’s your chance to experience the nautical tradition that is the 74th Sydney to Hobart inter- national yacht race – but in luxury rather than the Spartan existence of a crew! Embarking in Palm Beach on December 26, soak up the excitement of the start from the Coral Discoverer’s vantage point off Sydney’s North Head. Watch the fleet sail past as you hear from the on-board analyst Tony Carpenter. The cruise hugs the south coast and crosses Bass Strait with the trailing fleet. Enjoy the scenic rugged Tasmanian coast with the opportunity to join the expedition team on several guided shore excursions to Tasmania’s scenic parks. Coral Discoverer arrives in Hobart on New Year’s Eve, when you will join the festivities of the big race’s presentations and see in the New Year, before disembarking on January 1. * More info coralexpeditions.com or call 1800 079 545. 72 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
Up close with timeless treasures of Europe Silversea is taking guests closer to the timeless treasures of Europe with the choice of three exclusive offers for its 2019 European Collection. Travel View’s Karen Robinson says their incredible offers enable guests to experience a rich diversity of itineraries across Silversea’s ever popular 2019 European Collection, showcasing the authentic beauty of the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the British Isles. “Offering an unparalleled variety of destinations, guests will get closer than ever to the eternal romance of Europe,” she said. In 2019, Silversea will visit 13 countries in the Mediterranean encompassing Iberia, the Western Mediterranean, Italy, the Adriatic and the Eastern Mediterranean. “Guests will have the option to travel aboard Silver Shadow or Silver Whisper, two of the most intimate ultra-luxury cruise ships in the Mediterranean, or Silver Spirit,” Karen said. In Northern Europe and the British Isles, a number exciting of itineraries offer guests the chance to discover The Baltic, the Norwegian Fjords and North Cape, the British Isles, Iceland, and the Atlantic Coast. Karen said Silversea was committed to unlocking new destinations and travelling to more ports than any other cruise line. Late departures and overnight stays in iconic destinations such as Monte Carlo and Portofino would also allow guests more time to explore and immerse themselves in local cultures during their travel experience. Highlights in the Mediterranean include: Silversea Shadow’s 2019 Mediterranean Grand Voyage, which will see her spend 47 days visiting the best destinations in the region; The Grand Prix Cruise, a specialised 5-day round trip to Nice aboard Silver Shadow, taking in the glamour of the Monaco Grand Prix and; two Opera voyages which will see two soloists from the Accademia Teatro alla Scala of Milan deliver exclusive performances from the world’s most magical operas. “Notable itineraries in Northern Europe and the British Isles in 2019 include sailing through Tower Bridge to the heart of London; two culinary voyages featuring special menus, cooking demonstrations and guided visits to local markets and; a wine voyage, travelling between Barcelona and London with the opportunity to enjoy lectures from world-class experts, with tastings and optional private tours,” Karen said. “Silversea vessels are specifically designed to allow guests to disembark closer to town, maximising the amount of time spent exploring.” She added small islands off the UK coast which were not accessible to other ships offered Silversea guests unique cruising experiences such as sailing through the Kiel Canal, or small ports such as Portimao, Amalfi, Trapani, Patmos, Hvar and Hydra. More info 9918 4444 or 9999 0444. Travel Life The Local Voice Since 1991 NOVEMBER 2018 73
Travel Life Travel Life Talk the walk: Luxury Camino journey Travelling the Camino is an exciting journey and one that’s generating a lot of interest among travellers looking for an inspirational getaway; taking the journey with Captain’s Choice allows you to experience it with everything considered and included – even the luxury of a vehicle to whisk you onwards at any point, so you can really enjoy the experience at your own pace. Following a path of ancient scallop shells, where adventure and the divine connect, you can walk the most magnificent legs of the Camino Francés with expert guides. “Commencing in Saint Jean Pied de Port, the historical starting point in France, Captain Choice’s Crux of the Camino 21-day journey gives you the opportunity to trek more than 200 kilometres spread out over 11 walking days. This qualifies us for the Compostela, a certificate that attests our effort,” says Karen Robinson from Travel View. By day, take full advantage of the astonishing landscape by having a picnicstyle lunch – with your toughest decision being which meadow to enjoy it in. Your taste buds will also be pampered at Michelin-starred restaurants like Frank Gehry’s Hotel Marqués De Riscal. At night your weary limbs will gratefully rest in luxury stays from paradors and monasteries to fine hotels. Also, the comfort of a courtesy vehicle is at your disposal. At any point, you may choose to stop walking. The vehicle will chauffeur you directly to your hotel, no questions asked. Trailing the group closely, it also serves as a mobile refreshment station, stocked with nibbles, sandwiches and drinks. (Even wine, if you are so inclined.) “The Camino is a chameleon, displaying different shades of beauty in each season. It’s a must-do experience for everyone,” says Karen. She added a special three-day architectural, cultural and culinary pre-tour in San Sebastian was also available. * Join Travel View for an information evening on 28 November from 6pm; RSVP by 18 November. Call to secure your spot – Avalon 9918 4444 or Collaroy 9999 0444. 74 NOVEMBER 2018 The Local Voice Since 1991
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