Pittwater Life January 2019 Issue

The Local Voice Since 1991 

JANUARY 2019 

FREE 

pittwaterlife 

SO ARE 

YOU READY 

TO ROCK? 

SCREAMING JETS, 

GANGGAJANG 

+ MORE HIT OUR 

LOCAL STAGES 

143 * 

Things 

You 

Can Do 

(* At the very least) 

‘LIFEGIFT’ 

FREE TRIAL 

NEW DRIVER 

DISTRACTION 

ALERT APP KEEPS 

LOVED-ONES SAFE 

PLUS 

LOCAL ART EXHIBITIONS, 

GREAT HOLIDAY READING, 

2019 OCEAN SWIM SERIES, 

STAY-SAFE SURFER GUIDE 

Locals’ Guide

Editorial 

Don’t be driven to distraction 

You’ve done it... I’ve done 

it... heck, we’ve all done 

it: used our mobile phones 

illegally while driving. And 

while damning statistics on 

the dangers of distraction 

from mobile phone use have 

dragged most of us back in 

line, many drivers, from teens 

to retired folk, still succumb 

to the temptation. 

Which is why local IT 

software professional Remo 

Behdasht decided to do 

something to change people’s 

behaviour and try to make 

our roads safer places. 

Remo has developed 

LifeGift – the world’s first 

emotion-based smartphone 

distraction alert app for 

drivers and pedestrians. 

The app is designed to 

change driver behaviour 

and get the focus back 

on the road; and also for 

pedestrians, awareness to 

their surroundings. 

Pittwater Life has partnered 

with LifeGift to offer readers a 

free three-month trial of this 

important innovation. Who 

knows? It just might save the 

life of a loved one or a friend. 

Find out how it all works on 

page 10 (and we’d love your 

feedback – email readers@ 

pittwaterlife.com.au). 

* * * 

No question the issue of 

allowing dogs to walk 

offleash on beaches is one of 

the most polarising topics on 

the Northern Beaches. 

Which is why Northern 

Beaches Council has finally 

triggered community 

consultation on a litmus test 

proposal for Station Beach 

at Palm Beach that would 

see a designated stretch of 

foreshore utilised at only 

certain times and days during 

a 12-month trial period. 

Turn to page 8 to read 

about the proposal, and hear 

the message from dog owners 

group Pittwater Unleashed. 

And Happy New Year all! 

– Nigel Wall 


JANUARY 2019 3

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Email: 

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Website: 

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Publisher: Nigel Wall 

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Graphic Design: CLS Design 

Photography: iStock / Staff 

Contributors: Rosamund 

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Vol 28 No 6 

Celebrating 27 years 

JANUARY 2019 

FREE 

pittwaterlife 

SO ARE 

YOU READY 

TO ROCK? 

SCREAMING JETS, 

GANGGAJANG 

+ MORE HIT OUR 

LOCAL STAGES 


143 * 

Locals’ Guide 

Things 

You 

Can Do 

(* At the very least) 

‘LIFEGIFT’ 

FREE TRIAL 

NEW DRIVER 

DISTRACTION 

ALERT APP KEEPS 

LOVED-ONES SAFE 

PLUS 

LOCAL ART EXHIBITIONS, 

GREAT HOLIDAY READING, 

2019 OCEAN SWIM SERIES, 

STAY-SAFE SURFER GUIDE 

22 

38 

64 

WALKERS 

WANTED 

To deliver Pittwater Life 

once a month. 

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are available now in: 

Palm Beach, Avalon, 

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Bayview & Church Point. 

EARN TOP MONEY PAID PROMPTLY! 

Email: 

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thislife 

COVER: Welcome to 2019! Our annual Locals’ Guide (p22) 

lists scores of great things to do, food to eat and places to 

go – if you’re a resident, you just might discover something 

new... and if you’re a visitor (g’day to you!) our humble mag 

will update you on everything you need to know about 

beautiful Pittwater. Get along to some great gigs this month, 

including The Screaming Jets (p10) and GANGgajang (p60); 

check out our art exhibitions and sales (p38); Nick Carroll’s 

guide to staying safe in the surf (p42) is a must-read; and 

take in Janelle Bloom’s easy-entertaining food ideas (p64). 

COVER IMAGE: Stephen Archer 

also this month 

Editorial 3 

Pittwater Local News 8-19 

Life Stories: Author Carolinda Witt 20-21 

2019 Locals’ Guide to Pittwater 22-36 

Holiday Reading 34 

Art Life 38-41 

Surfing Life 42-43 

Health & Wellbeing; Hair & Beauty 44-51 

Money 52-53 

Law: Digital asset ownership after death 54-55 

Local Trades & Services / Classifieds 56-58 

Showtime; Clubs & Pubs; Tasy Morsels 59-62 

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 FEBRUARY issue MUST be supplied by 

TUESDAY 15 JANUARY 

Finished art & editorial submissions deadline: 

TUESDAY 22 JANUARY 

The FEBRUARY issue will be published 

on WEDNESDAY 30 JANUARY 

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 JANUARY 2019 

The Local Voice Since 1991

Council hounded into acti 

News 

An offleash dog trial at 

Station Beach on the 

Pittwater side of Palm 

Beach is closer to reality, with 

Northern Beaches Council 

ready to assess community 

feedback and submissions 

when consultation on the 

polarising issue concludes on 

February 28. 

After years of delays and 

stonewalling (as reported by 

Pittwater Life in November), 

Council triggered an online 

survey to finally determine 

the matter following pressure 

from Mayor Michael Regan 

and Pittwater Ward Councillor 

Alex McTaggart. 

The community are urged 

to add their voice on the 

proposal, which would allow 

families with dogs to share 

the southern section of Station 

Beach at only specified times 

of day, with dogs permitted 

offleash between Beach Road 

and The Boathouse. 

Proposed times are 4pm – 

10:30am (7 days) and 5:30pm 

– 10:30am (Mon – Fri) during 

Daylight Saving. The proposed 

trial would be for 12 months, 

commencing this year. 

Mayor Regan said it was 

a great opportunity for 

residents to let Council know 

if they supported having dogs 

on Station Beach in a limited 

capacity. 

“Many dog-owners would 

like to see new areas opened 

up on the Northern Beaches so 

their dogs can enjoy a swim,” 

he said. “We’d love to know if 

our community think Station 

Beach is a good complement to 

the other off-leash beach areas 

like Rowland Reserve and Curl 

Curl Lagoon. 

“We need to balance the 

views of our community 

as well as consider any 

environmental or local impacts 

before making a final decision 

if the trial will proceed.” 

The latest development 

has been applauded by local 

dog owners group Pittwater 

Unleashed (PU), which has 

been an advocate for the trial 

since the group’s formation 

with the mission to deliver 

more offleash dog areas in 

Pittwater four years ago. 

Spokesman Mitch Geddes 

said the group had been 

chosen to work with Council to 

help develop the parameters of 

the proposed trial. 

“It is fair to say we are the 

ones driving the process, 

and we are the ones with an 

interest in seeing the trial 

succeed,” Mr Geddes said. 

“We have also done all 

the research, and appreciate 

the care that must be taken 

when balancing competing 

interests.” 

He said this meant pressing 

for only as much as was 

required. 

“It is a contentious area,” 

he said. “Our agenda is to 

see families with dogs regain 

access to certain parts of 

certain beaches at certain 

times of day… we call it the 

‘Triple-C Policy’. 

“Our aim is to identify a 

few locations that are underutilised, 

such as Station 

Beach, and to make them 

available in the mornings and 

late afternoon.” 

Mr Geddes said it was about 

locals activating local open 

space for locals. 

“Our topography means we 

don’t have rolling green fields 

to spare,” he said. “And we 

also have a need to preserve 

bushland for our native 

wildlife. 

“But what we do have is a 

large expanse of foreshore, 

and Triple-C means a shared 

approach will allow better use 

of this.” 

Further, Mr Geddes said 

carving out the popular part 

of the day enable PU to get 

what was needed without 

there being any observable 

change when most people 

were out and about. 

“The time restrictions 

also mean we are able to 

manage the number of users 



on on Station Beach 

drawn to the area,” he said. 

“For instance, it would be 

impractical to drive from 

Chatswood or Pymble as, 

by the time you arrived, the 

morning window would be 

closing.” 

Mr Geddes said PU hoped 

Council would make good 

on its June resolution to also 

canvass support for offleash 

trials at North Palm Beach 

(400m north of the Surf 

Lifesaving Club), and at South 

Mona Vale (an extension of 

the existing dog park there). 

“For people north of Bilgola 

it is a return trip of up to 

an hour to take the dog to 

Bayview for a splash – and 

this isn’t exactly what you’d 

call a beach,” he said. 

“From Turimetta to 

Barrenjoey we have 20 

kilometres of coastline, and 

not one inch of it is open to 

families with dogs. 

“Beyond Station Beach, if 

the North Palm Beach and 

south Mona Vale trials prove 

a success, this would mean 

families with dogs have 

access to 3.5 per cent of this 

coastline – and then only at 

certain times of day. 

“It might not seem like 

much, but to us there is a world 

of difference between zero per 

cent and 3.5 per cent.” 

Have your say; visit 

northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au 


News 



New app combats phone 

News 

The number of injuries 

and deaths from driver 

distraction due to 

mobile phone use continue 

to spiral at an alarming rate, 

with latest research showing 

it contributes to almost a 

quarter of all car accidents. 

In NSW the offence carries 

a fine of $337 and 5 demerit 

points – but regardless, 

approximately 25% of 

surveyed drivers 

report using their 

hand-held mobile 

phone daily to answer 

or make calls, as well 

as read text messages, 

while 14% report 

using their handheld 

phone to send a text 

message each day. 

The frightening 

statistics prompted 

local IT software 

professional and 

entrepreneur 

Remo Behdasht to tackle the 

problem – from the heart. He 

has developed the disruptor 

App ‘LifeGift’, which uses 

emotion-based alerts to make 

users think again when they 

reach for their phones. 

It’s the world’s first 

emotion-based smartphone 

distraction alert app for 

drivers and pedestrians. 

“Like everyone, I have been 

guilty of using my phone 

while driving,” Remo told 

Pittwater Life. “Whenever I 

touched my phone my kids 

would say ‘dad 

– what are you 

doing?’.” 

Remo said there 

was increasing 

pressure on people 

to stay connected, 

with FOMO – ‘the 

fear of missing out’ – 

always present. 

“And when the 

boss emails you and 

you’re on the road, or 

you receive the next 

Insta-post, you feel pressure 

to reply straight away.” 

He explained LifeGift was 

designed to change driver 

behavior and get the focus 

back on the road; and for 

pedestrians, awareness to 

their surroundings. 

Put simply, when a user 

interacts with their phone 

in the car, they receive a 

personalised photo, message 

and audio from a friend 

or loved one, warning 

them to think twice before 

proceeding. 

“LifeGift is designed to be 

sent as a gift to people in our 

lives who we want to protect 

from the dangers of mobile 

phone distractions, including 



distraction 

pedestrians who might be 

distracted while listening to 

music and looking at their 

phones,” he said. 

“And when seconds count, 

LifeGift can make all the 

difference... for example, if 

you’re travelling at 40km/h 

and you are distracted for 

just two seconds, your car 

will travel 22 metres without 

your eyes on the road. 

“A LifeGift could be all 

it takes to save the life of 

someone important to you.” 

Downloading the app 

(for iPhone or Android) is 

free; thereafter ‘gifters’ can 

choose to purchase tokens 

and send to loved ones. (Cost 

$7.99 for 12 months.) 

LifeGift is also keen to 

hear from companies or 

organisations interested 

in utilising its service to 

help keep their employees, 

members and customers 

safe. 

* More info LifeGift.com 


Free 3-Month 

LifeGift 

trial 

Pittwater Life has linked with 

the team at LifeGift to offer 

readers a free, 

no-obligation 

3-month 

trial of their 

emotionbased 

driver 

distraction 

deterrent – which could 

potentially save the life of 

a friend, family member or 

loved one. 

It’s easy: 

■ Simply go to www.lifegift. 

com/promo 

■ Enter your name, email 

address and the Promo 

Code: PittwaterLife 

■ LifeGift will send you an 

email with a LifeGift Link 

Number so you can activate 

your alerts. 

■ The rest is up to you! 

News 



Maddie eyes State success 

News 

It’s all happening for 

Maddie Spencer: Sydney 

Northern Beaches Branch 

team selection for the first 

time, Branch team captain, 

State selection and event 

organiser for the successful 

20 Beaches ocean ski 

paddling event. 

It took Maddie until the ripe 

old age of just 21 to represent 

SNB Branch. 

And just for good measure 

the Branch selectors chose 

her as the co-captain with 

Nutri Grain ironman and 

her Newport clubmate Max 

Brooks. 

Not only did she prove 

a great mentor with the 

younger team members 

but led from the front with 

inspiring performances 

as SNB Branch won the 

Interbranch trophy again. 

She won the open female 

board, open ski, paddled the 

ski in the open Taplin Relay 

victory, was a member of the 

winning mixed board relay, 

second in the ironwoman to 

her Newport clubmate Emily 

Doyle and second in the 

mixed ski relay with Brooks. 

Her outstanding 

performances on the crucial 

second day of competition 

at the Interbranch 

Championships on the mid 

north coast last month played 

a huge part in SNB heading 

off the challenge from Sydney 

Branch. 

And those performances 

also led to NSW selection for 

the Interstate Championships, 

which will be held at Newport 

Beach on January 24. 

All this happened just 

a week after Maddie won 

bronze in the individual open 

board final at the world titles 

at Glenelg and had she not hit 

a ‘pothole’ after being first 

off the board, then she may 

have even taken silver from 

Georgia Miller (Northcliffe) 

or the gold from Karlee 

Nurthen (Currumbin). 

At Aussies in Perth last 

April she was beaten in 

a blanket finish for the 

bronze in the open board 

final by Danielle McKenzie 

(Northcliffe). So she’s right 

up there with the best on the 

board. 

Maddie started out with 

Mona Vale SLSC and still 

patrols there with her family. 

“I wanted to do ironwoman 

and that’s why I went to 

Newport because they had 

an iron program, Mona Vale 

didn’t,” she said. 

Maddie teamed with 

Georgia Miller and Lara 

Moses to win two Aussie open 

board titles. Miller has gone 

to Queensland, Moses is no 

longer competing, while Liv 

Heaton and Grace Gurr exited 

to Queensland. 

Maddie said it never crossed 

her mind she’d also leave. 

“I have my degree 

in Business and Event 

Management at ICMS to 

complete, and I wanted 

to stay at Newport and 

help the younger ones 

like Emily (Doyle), Madie 

(Louw), Alex (Lefevre) and 

Sascha (Taurins),” she said. 

“They are a tight-knit group 

and have so much potential.” 

Maddie said training with 

the Newport boys squad 

helped her development on 

the board. 

“Doing Molokai (in 

Hawaii) made me a lot more 

comfortable on the board 

and I learnt how to chase the 

runners.” 

Of the current Branch 

team, forget seniority: Maddie 

felt she was one of the least 

experienced members in 

terms of Interbranch. 

“I was surprised that 

a number of them first 

represented as under-12s 

and are still there,” she said. 

“You never give up hope that 

you’ll represent your Branch 

but I have always had so 

many strong girls in my age 

group that it was hard to get 

a break. 



BUSY: Newport’s 

Maddie Spencer 

Photo: HARVPIX 

“It was such a wonderful 

experience. I was just stoked 

to be captain. And it was such 

a good feeling in camp and 

winning on the final day.” 

Maddie was event manager 

for the resurrected 20 

Beaches (ocean ski paddling) 

last month. The event clashed 

with the Ocean6 series on 

December 15. “I will get 

back into the swing of board 

paddling in the fourth round 

at Currumbin on January 

11/12,” she said. 

“It’s unfortunate I couldn’t 

compete at North Wollongong 

but I just love what I am doing 

outside of board paddling. 

“The 20 Beaches was a 

massive success. We had 

more than 300 entries and 

everyone was impressed.” 

– John Taylor 

News 



Jets prepare for local landing 

News 

ON APPROACH: The Screaming Jets (l-r) Scott Kingman, Paul Woseen, Marc McLeod, Jimi Hocking 

and Dave Gleeson will play a collection of iconic Aussie songs plus some of their own. 

RSL Clubs are venues renowned for 

booking specialist ‘cover’ and ‘tribute 

bands’ – but that concept will be 

taken to a whole new level when versatile 

rockers The Screaming Jets bring their 

‘We’ve Gotcha Covered’ tour to the stage at 

Pittwater RSL on January 19. 

The tour is to support the mid-year 

release of the Jets’ eighth album, ‘Gotcha 

Covered’, which features the band performing 

15 iconic Australian songs spanning 

from the 1960s through the late 1990s. 

Throw in a select batch of Jets’ classics 

and it’s the recipe for a live rock ‘n’ roll 

cocktail like no other. 

Bass player and principal music director/songwriter 

Paul Woseen explained the 

process involved the band reaching out to 

the masses via the Triple M website, asking 

the huge radio audience for feedback on 

some tracks and polling whether they’d like 

to hear the Jets perform them. 

Woseen and fellow band members Dave 

Gleeson, Scott Kingman, Marc McLeod and 

Jimi Hocking also had a say in selections. 

The result is an eclectic mix of standout 

Aussie rock, with tracks from artists including 

The Easybeats, Flowers (later Icehouse), 

Hoodoo Gurus, The Angels, Radio Birdman, 

INXS, Dragon and more. 

“We had always wanted to do an album of 

songs that we listened to and/or played as 

we were growing up,” Woseen told Pittwater 

Life. “Originally it was going to be songs 

from anywhere but we decided that they 

should all be by Australian artists. 

“There has and is an incredible wealth of 

talent in this country, writers and performers 

who have influenced not only The 

Screaming Jets but countless acts and we 

wanted to pay our respects in our own way. 

“We stayed true to the melody and lyric 

but added our own ‘thang’,” he said. “We 

also released a list of songs on the Triple M 

website, asking listeners to pick the songs 

they would most like to hear us record. We 

wanted to make a rockin’ party record.” 

Woseen said the tracks he most enjoyed 

playing were ‘Wedding Ring’ (The Easybeats), 

‘Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation’ (ACDC), and 

‘Walls’ (Flowers). 

“Wedding Ring is ’60s punk; it motors at 

a blistering pace. When I play it, it feels like 

I’m driving a ridiculously fast car,” he said. 

“Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation was the first 

single I ever bought and I love the groove, 

while Walls takes me back to playing in my 

first band in my mid-teens. 

“Plus we’ll be doing a selection of Jets 

songs from across the whole catalogue. I 

can’t tell you which ones though – it’d spoil 

the surprise.” 

The band praised Pittwater RSL and other 

local venues for reviving live music locally 

(also, GANGgajang play Narrabeen RSL in 

January – see page 60). 

“It’s better than good; it’s brave and necessary,” 

Woseen said. “Bands need venues to 

play in... people want to see live music. 

“Putting on a live show is a risk, a punt 

for venue and band alike – nobody knows 

how it’s going to go until it’s over.” 

He added the Jets had played some “enormous, 

hot sticky rock gigs” at Pittwater RSL 

over the years. 

“They were packed, going off – hopefully 

we’ll see more of the same,” he said. 

“Although to be totally honest I can’t 

remember where and when we played the 

Northern Beaches last... must’ve had a 

great ‘how the hell did I end up here’ night. 

Got to love them!” 

There will be no rest for the band in 

2019 – after they finish their current covers 

tour at the end of February they start a new 

schedule of gigs in their Red Hot Summer 

Tour 2019. 

“Not long after that we’ll be back in the 

studio to record another album of new 

originals, then off on our 30th anniversary 

‘Dirty Thirty’ tour, Woseen said. 

What Aussie act would be at the top of 

his list to catch live? 

“The first band that comes to mind 

would be Sunnyboys,” Woseen said. “Dave 

and I loved the band... awesome live, great 

songs, at one stage I could play every song 

off their first two albums.” – Nigel Wall 

* Catch The Screaming Jets at Pittwater 

RSL on January 19; more info & tickets 

thescreamingjets.com.au 



5THINGS 

THIS MONTH 

Lagoon eco paddle. This 

relaxing 2-3 hour paddle from 

1pm on Sun 6 will visit the 

Narrabeen Lagoon Western 

Basin, Deep and Middle Creeks. 

Beautiful Deep Creek attracts 

migratory birds from as far away 

as Russia! No previous kayaking 

experience required, tuition 

given. BYO boat, or a hire kayak 

can be arranged for you at cost. 

Bookings essential. 0417 502 056 

or tonycarr@ozemail.com.au 

Car boot sale. Find a treasure, 

snap up a bargain or sell your 

pre-loved items at the Avalon 

Car Boot Sale in Dunbar Park 

on Sat 19 from 8am-2pm. With 

live music, fresh coffee and a 

sausage sizzle it’s also great 

family outing. Stalls cost $40. 

Register on the Northern Beaches 

Council website or call 9970 1194. 

Sunday Salon. Beachside 

Bookstore Avalon is holding a 

one-off Sunday Salon on the 20th 

with northern beaches author 

Sandie Docker, to launch her 

second novel with Penguin, The 

Cottage at Rosella Cove. Hear 

about her journey to a multi-book 

contract with a major publisher 

over afternoon tea in-store 

3-4pm. Free; bookings essential 

on 9918 9918. 

Phelps book talk. Local 

author and actor Peter Phelps 

will discuss his book The Bulldog 

Track, the personal account of his 

grandfather’s incredible survival in 

New Guinea during WWII and his 

escape by the ‘other Kokoda trail’. 

At Avalon Community Library on 

Thurs 31 from 6pm. Cost $5.50 

including refreshments. Bookings 

at the library or call 9918 3013. 

Australia Day. With support 

from hundreds of volunteers, 

NB Council is hosting a raft 

of events on January 26 to 

‘entertain and instil a sense 

of pride’. In our neck of the 

woods there will be big BBQ 

breakfasts with entertainment 

and the presentation of awards 

celebrating contributions from 

local residents from 8am-12pm 

at Lakeside Park Narrabeen and 

Bert Payne Reserve, Newport 

Beach. The Australia Day 

Citizenship Ceremony will be held 

at Glen Street Theatre. 

Students getting cool for school 

students and staff at four schools 

Grateful across Pittwater are looking forward to 

heading back to the classrooms after the NSW 

Government announced they would be among 

the state’s 900 first recipients of new air-conditioning 

systems. 

Avalon Public School, Bilgola Plateau PS, 

Elanora Heights PS and Narrabeen Sports High 

School will receive air conditioning in their 

classrooms and libraries as part of a new $500 

million initiative. 

Local MP Rob Stokes said the new Cooler Classrooms 

Program was an investment and commitment 

to provide environments where both 

students and teachers could best succeed. 

“We’ve worked hard to ensure this program is 

both economically and environmentally sustainable, 

installing solar panels and ‘smart systems’ 

alongside the new air conditioning units, so 

schools can offset any additional energy use and 

efficiently heat and cool their classrooms.” 

Elanora Heights PS Principal Leesa Martin said: 

“Raising the funds for such programs would 

have potentially taken many years so we are very 

grateful for this financial and project management 

support.” 

She added community-raised funds would 

now be available to be re-directed towards future 

focused learning initiatives. 

“Our staff and students are looking forward to 

teaching and learning in comfortable environments 

which will directly impact student learning 

outcomes – this is an exciting time for our 

school community!” she said. 

Other Pittwater school principals are encouraged 

to apply to the second round of the Fund, 

which will open from the start of Term 1. 

Mr Stokes also announced more than $4.3 

million for additional learning initiatives in Pittwater’s 

11 public schools. – Nigel Wall 

News 



News 

Pittwater News 

SEEN… 

The massive excavation to open the mouth of Narrabeen 

Lagoon is now complete (above), greatly reducing the risk 

of flooding and ensuring the lagoon is open for public use 

over the summer holidays. Council reports the project was 

finished ahead of schedule despite recent challenging weather 

conditions. Around 50,000m3 of sand from the eastern and 

western sides of the Ocean Street Bridge was extracted and 

shifted south to refresh the stretch of damaged coastline 

between Collaroy to Narrabeen. It’s understood the excavation 

will assist to keep the lagoon entrance open for several years 

before further works are required. 

HEARD… 

Hearty congrats to the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Newport who 

won 1st prize in the ‘Club Reception in NSW’ category in the 

recent Annual Bridal Industry Awards. Significantly, the 

award was based on the ratings provided by past brides and 

grooms of Australia – each year the ABIA Awards Program 

receives 25,000+ wedding registrations, with couples invited 

to rate and review their wedding vendors in the ‘Quality 

of Product’, ‘Quality of Service’, ‘Attitude of Staff’ and ‘Value 

for Money’ over a 12-month nomination period. 

ABSURD..? 

Curtain up for BHS 

space by end of 2019 

Barrenjoey High School 

P&C is singing for joy after 

being granted funding of 

$123,891 through the NSW 

Government’s Infrastructure 

Grants Program for the fit-out 

of the Barrenjoey Community 

Performance Space. “It’s 

taken us four attempts at 

this particular grant over the 

years, and finally we were in 

a position to tick all the boxes 

and receive the funding – you 

can imagine our reaction!” 

said BCPS Steering Committee 

spokeswoman Christy Bishop. 

The project has received 

wide-ranging support from 

the NSW Government and 

the surrounding Barrenjoey 

community since first 

proposed. Earlier funding 

contributions plus school 

contributions and ongoing 

community fundraising 

efforts have totalled more 

than $437,000 to date. “This 

latest grant funding will 

enable us to do essential 

finishing touches which will 

include a complete set of stage 

curtains, stage lighting and an 

audio system,” said Christy. 

Barrenjoey P&C President 

Kalinda Hawson said: “We have 

an outstanding reputation 

in the performing arts, and 

it continues to nurture and 

foster some incredible talent. 

This Performance Space 

will provide a purpose-built 

venue to further promote and 

encourage performers across a 

wide range of disciplines, both 

from within the school and 

from surrounding community 

groups.” The building tender 

process is currently underway, 

with the aim of completing 

construction in late 2019. 

Action on mobile 

devices in schools 

Mobile devices will be banned 

during school hours in NSW 

public primary schools while 

high schools will have the 

choice to opt in to a ban or 

introduce measures to more 

tightly restrict the use of 

devices during school hours. 

Education Minister and local 

MP Rob Stokes said the new 

measures were in response 

showed rising cases of online 

bullying, inappropriate 

sharing of explicit images 

between students, predatory 

behaviour from strangers and 

unnecessary distraction for 

students. Secondary schools 

will consider a range of options 

to manage devices, ranging 

from complete restriction to 

promotion of safe, responsible 

and informed use. The decision 

will be made by individual 

schools in consultation with 

their communities. Mr Stokes 

said the review offered several 

approaches that schools 

could adopt based on their 

circumstances. “We’ll work 

with schools to implement 

the changes recommended 

in the report, helping them 

manage the risks and rewards 

of using mobile phones inside 

the school gates,” Mr Stokes 

said. “These changes are about 

keeping our schools safe and 

protecting the welfare of our 

students when they’re in our 

care.” 

More cash for new 

Avalon netball courts 

Netball players north of 

Newport are closer to gaining 

much-needed new playing 

and practice facilities with the 

announcement of a further 

$262,454 worth of funding 

for new, permanent courts in 

Avalon Beach. The top-up takes 

the NSW Government’s funding 

for the courts to $562,454, with 

Northern Beaches Council to 

progress construction once 

it identifies an appropriate 

location based on the ongoing 

Avalon Beach Place Plan. “This 

project will benefit the entire 

northern beaches netball 

community,” said local MP 

Rob Stokes. “There’s long been 

a need for additional netball 

courts in Pittwater.” 

As Pittwater Life went to print, a large contingent of concerned 

Avalon individuals and groups were busy planning a protest 

meeting for mid-January to vent their opposition to NB 

Say on draft arts & 

Council’s current plans for the Coastal Walkway through 

creativity strategy 

Little Avalon car park at Surfside Avenue. Organisers 

Now’s your chance to deliver 

requested we publicise the meeting, which is being described 

feedback on Council’s draft 

as “a revolt against the plans”. Their position is that the 

Arts and Creativity Strategy – a 

plan should not hinder the beautiful lawn/grassy areas that 

shared reference and long-term 

exist and have existed for more than 100 years. They say a 

vision for the direction of 

‘Plan B’ is the answer – and they will produce and present 

the arts in our area. Mayor 

one to Council in the coming weeks in the hope Council staff 

Michael Regan said community 

will consider replacing the current one for this contentious 

engagement since last May 

section of the Coastal Walkway. We’ll post details on our 

had identified strong interest 

Facebook page when more is known... 

to an expert review which 

Continued on page 18 



Congrats to local students 

Two of Pittwater’s public high schools are justifiably 

proud of their 2018 HSC students, with end-of-year 

newsletters celebrating outstanding results, well-deserved 

individual achievements and congratulations for the 

teachers who work so diligently to help our young people 

achieve their best. 

For the second year running, Barrenjoey High School 

received its best results since opening 50 years ago. In 2017, 

BHS broke into the top 200 high schools in NSW, placing 

161st – this year its ranking jumped to 110. 

At BHS, some 98 Year 12 students sat for the HSC across 

452 examinations and 21 accelerated Year 11 students sat 

their HSC in either PDHPE or Society and Culture. 

A total of 63 students’ results (13.9%) were placed in the 

top Band 6 while 187 students (41.4%) achieved Band 5 – the 

greatest percentage in both bands in the school’s history. 

In total, 86.5% of all HSC results were placed in the top 

three bands (compared to 69% of the State). 

Of all BHS candidates, 36 students received a Band 6 result. 

Meanwhile Pittwater High School principal Jane Ferris 

reported its 112 HSC students achieved “amazing” results 

leading to the school placing 155th in the state. 

Of 37 courses studied at PHS, 65% were well above the 

state average; analysis showed their Agriculture course 

yielded results 9% above the state average, with 29% of students 

gaining a Band 6 compared to 7% in the state. 

“Indeed, PHS was ranked 7th in the state (for Agriculture) 

with only selective schools, agriculture high schools and private 

schools ahead of it,” Ms Ferris reported. – Lisa Offord 

News 



News 

Pittwater News 

Continued from page 17 

in a grass roots level of 

involvement in the arts. “We 

knew our residents actively 

participate in the arts, but were 

surprised by the results from a 

random phone survey where a 

staggering 96% of participants 

said they were supportive of 

Council’s role in the arts.” 

He added there was evidence 

which firmly established the 

link between the arts and 

community wellbeing. The 

draft Strategy is an invitation 

to collaborate across three 

key outcome areas – Better 

Places and Spaces, Diverse 

Programs and Activations, 

and Active Participation and 

Engagement. Have your say at 

northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au; 

submissions close February 17. 

Coastal early 

warning system 

project launch 

Northern Beaches Council is 

partnering in a research and 

development project to devise a 

national Early Warning System 

to alert coastal communities 

of impending storm-wave 

damage, potentially saving 

lives and preventing billions 

of dollars in property damage, 

such as at Collaroy and 

Narrabeen Beach (above) which 

were severely impacted by 

the powerful East Coast Low 

storm event in June 2016. 

The new collaborative project 

will be led by the University 

of New South Wales’ Water 

Research Laboratory and also 

involve agencies including 

the Australian Bureau of 

Meteorology and the United 

States Geological Survey. 

The proposed Early Warning 

System will comprise a system 

for accurately forecasting 

potential regional-scale stormwave 

damage and beachfront 

dunes over-topping, and the 

ability to predict local-scale 

coastal erosion events referred 

to by Coastal Engineers as 

‘storm demand’ at known 

erosion hotspots. This would 

be provided in the form 

of high-resolution, rolling 

three- to-seven-day real-time 

forecasts. Mayor Michael 

Regan said the three-year 

research project aimed to 

emergency decision-making 

around our coastal zone. “If 

a coastal emergency warning 

system had existed in 2016, it 

could have alerted emergency 

managers to the geographic 

distribution and extent of the 

storm wave damage, identified 

where severe beach erosion 

was expected and provided 

sufficient time for emergency 

measures – including 

temporary protection or 

evacuations.” 

Urgent care 

upgrade at Mona 

Vale Hospital 

NSW Health has announced 

additional emergency 

medicine services for Mona 

Vale Hospital. Health Minister 

Brad Hazzard confirmed 

the upgrade of the hospital’s 

Urgent Care Centre so it 

now sits at an Emergency 

Department level. “And we are 

happy to take further advice 

from Emergency doctors on 

any other changes they think 

are necessary,” Mr Hazzard 

said. Mona Vale’s Urgent Care 

Centre is staffed by emergency 

trained doctors and nurses 

and manages all patients who 

self-present with injuries and 

illnesses 24 hours a day. This 

includes emergency cases 

such as the administration 

of adrenalin for patients 

with anaphylaxis and antivenin 

for snake and spider 

bites. Access to X-Ray, CT and 

ultrasound is also available. 

Meanwhile the concrete 

pour has been completed for 

the next in a series of new 

hospital buildings at Mona 

Vale. Work is progressing on 

the hospital’s new Support 

Services Building which will 

accommodate modern kitchen, 

laundry, cleaning, staff and 

engineering facilities. Some 18 

provide tools to better inform truckloads of concrete have 



een poured, totalling over 100 

cubic metres. The new building 

is being constructed on the 

eastern side of the hospital 

campus and is part of a series 

of upcoming infrastructure 

projects that will continue 

the transformation and 

modernisation of Mona Vale 

Hospital. “We’re seeing great 

momentum behind essential 

building upgrades at Mona 

Vale Hospital and we must 

ensure this continues,” said 

local MP Rob Stokes. “There 

will of course be noise and 

disruption associated with the 

construction works – but these 

are essential projects that are 

securing the hospital’s future 

and ensuring its facilities and 

services are brought up to 

modern standards.” 

Cheap parking plan 

for Rowland Reserve 

Lower parking fees at Rowland 

Reserve in Bayview are on 

the agenda for later in 2019, 

as Northern Beaches Council 

seeks to encourage visitors 

to use the carpark rather 

than the surrounding streets. 

Mayor Michael Regan said the 

move was designed to correct 

an unexpected rebuff from 

the public after Council had 

“harmonised” fees and charges 

across the three former Council 

areas. “The fee increase at 

Rowland Reserve appears to 

have discouraged people from 

using the carpark,” Mayor 

January’s PROBUS meeting details 

memorable World War II 

A tale will be recounted at 

the next meeting of Pittwater 

Probus Club on Tuesday 

January 8. Merv Rosen will 

talk about the ‘Krait’ (right) 

– a vessel with a fascinating 

history that started its days 

as a wooden-hulled fishing boat before being used 

for ‘Operation Jaywick’, involving a daring raid on Japanese 

shipping in Singapore Harbour in 1943 by a group of allied 

commandos who demonstrated extraordinary bravery, 

resilience and ingenuity. Hear about how this Japanese 

fishing boat, now in the possession of the Australian National 

Maritime Museum, became one of the most famous Allied 

boats in WWII. Meeting starts 10am at Mona Vale Golf Club; all 

welcome. Meanwhile writer Jill Bruce is guest speaker at Palm 

Beach Probus Club’s next meeting at 9.45am at Club Palm 

Beach on Wednesday January 16. All welcome; info 9973 1247. 

Regan said. “We want to get the 

balance right and encourage 

people to use the carpark 

provided rather than choosing 

to park vehicles and trailers in 

local residential streets which 

often means residents can’t 

park outside their own homes.” 

Council plans to lower the 

hourly summer rate from $10 

currently to $6 and the daily 

rate from $40 to $25. Winter 

rates would fall to $5 an hour 

from $8 and from $35 to $22 

per day. Also, the area allocated 

for the free one-hour rate will be 

doubled. The draft car parking 

fees are on public exhibition, 

with a report to be presented to 

Council in February. 

And another thing... 

On Australia Day (well, 

night to be precise)… there’s 

another special screening of 

Australia’s greatest silent 

movie The Sentimental 

Bloke on the big screen at 

Pittwater RSL at 7pm, with 

live accompaniment by The 

Volantinsky Quartet. More 

info 9997 3833. 

Head back to 

Polo by the Sea 

Now established as a go-to 

event for the cocktail set on 

the local summer calendar, 

Polo by the Sea returns to 

Hitchcock Park in Avalon 

on January 12 with horses, 

fashion, food, drinks and 

more. Organiser Janek 

Gazecki promises attendees 

an even more luxurious 

experience in 2019, with 

musical acts set to amplify 

the party mood. Tickets range 

from $105 to $255; more info 

polobythesea.com 

Vet 

on 

call 

with 

Dr Ben Brown 

Owning a new puppy can be 

a very exciting (and busy!) 

time for pet owners. However, 

some crucial health care 

measures need to be taken. 

Puppies need a balanced, 

premium puppy food. Puppies 

grow and develop rapidly and 

have very different nutritional 

requirements to adult dogs. 

For example, puppies require 

additional calcium and energy 

to facilitate proper growth of 

bones and muscles, this ratio 

of calcium and energy can be 

different for small breeds to 

large breeds. It’s essential that 

you discuss the best nutritional 

plan for your puppy with a 

trained veterinary professional. 

Parasite control is also 

important as puppies are more 

likely to carry gastrointestinal 

worms at this stage in their 

life. An all wormer tablet 

should be given every 2 weeks 

until 12 weeks of age, every 

month until 6 months and 

then every 3 months for life. 

Heartworm prevention is even 

more important – the best 

way to prevent heartworm is 

with injectable medication – 

this removes the possibility 

of forgetting to give a dose; 

one missed heartworm dose 

can result in infection. And 

tick prevention is a must. The 

newer oral tick preventatives 

and tick collars are highly 

effective and safe. Most of 

these products also prevent 

fleas for extended periods. 

Vaccinations are imperative 

to prevent deadly infectious 

diseases such as parvovirus, 

distemper, hepatitis and 

infectious canine cough. During 

the vaccination consultation the 

vet will complete a full physical 

examination to ensure your 

puppy is healthy and fit for 

vaccination. 

We are currently offering 

free puppy health checkups 

with our vets, free pet 

insurance for one month and 

a free heartworm injection for 

puppies. So drop into one of 

our hospitals at Newport or 

Avalon with your new fur baby! 

News 



‘Double’ 

take 

Life Stories 

Mona Vale resident Carolinda Witt’s 

complicated family history led to a 

bombshell revelation that inspired 

her to write what would become an 

award-winning work of non-fiction. 

Story by Rosamund Burton 

When her mother died in 2007, 

aged nearly 88, it upset Carolinda 

Witt that she had no-one 

to tell beyond her partner, her children 

and her brother, plus a few friends. Her 

mother Tonie never knew her father; 

she had been brought up believing her 

grandmother was her mother. Tonie was 

in her 20s and had married Freddy Witt 

when her grandmother confessed, having 

promised never to reveal the secret, 

that Tonie’s “sister” Dora was her real 

mother. Dora had been in a Tiller Girls 

dance troupe and, when Tonie asked who 

her father was, her grandmother said, 

“He was just a stage-door Johnny”, and 

that Dora had made up the name, Walter 

Dicketts, on her birth certificate. 

Tonie and Freddy Witt moved to Kenya, 

where Carolinda grew up. Their house, 

on the edge of the Nairobi National Park, 

was on the grounds of the property 

once owned by Karen Blixen, author of 

Out of Africa. The national park wasn’t 

fenced and Carolinda describes hearing 

leopards prowling through the garden at 

night, and one killing a family dog. 

Aged 12, Carolinda remembers staying 

in Denmark with Dora and her family. 

Her brother and she had a pillow fight 

one night, when the grown-ups were out. 

Later, the nanny complained to Dora 

she had been unable to control the two 

children. 

“The next morning Dora told my 

mother we were like wild animals, and 

accused her of being a bad mother,” she 

said. “My 10-year-old brother didn’t like 

Dora’s tone to Mum. 

‘You bloody, Aunty Dora,’ he said, confirming 

he was an unruly colonial child. 

‘Get out,’ screamed Dora.” 

So, the Witt family packed their bags 

and left. Dora and Tonie never spoke 

again, and Tonie never told Dora she 

knew that she was her mother. 

From aged 13 Carolinda swam for 

Kenya, and would have been in the squad 

to train for the 1972 Munich Olympics if 

she hadn’t damaged her shoulder. The 

Witts moved from Kenya to South Africa, 

and then England. Carolinda left secretarial 

college at 18, then was, what she 

describes as, a “lousy” secretary at the 

British High Commission in Barbados, 

before crewing on a yacht in the Caribbean. 

Back in England she developed a 

passion for hot air ballooning, becoming 

a commercial pilot and meeting her husband, 

a fellow balloonist. With two small 

children, they moved to Australia. 

(In 1988, Carolinda competed in the 

Trans-Australian Balloon Race, flying a 

Virgin Jumbo Jet-shaped balloon, and as 

a publicity stunt she tethered her balloon 

to a barge and flew it under the Sydney 

Harbour Bridge.) 

Carolinda and her husband separated 

30 years ago, and since then she has 

been with her partner, Andrew. They 

lived in Avalon from 1991 until recently, 

when they moved to Mona Vale. For 

several years she ran a health food shop 

in Avalon. She also developed T5T, a 

modern version of an anti-aging yoga 

routine known as the Five Tibetans. Her 

book T5T The Five Tibetan Exercises was 

a bestseller, and T5T is practised around 

the world. 

It was when Carolinda was rearing her 

own children – Holly, Joss and Tess – that 

her mother finally told her that Dora 

wasn’t her aunt, but in fact her grandmother. 

Over the years Carolinda had searched 

without success for her lost relations, 

then, just days after Tonie died, having 

lived in Avalon for the last 15 years of 

her life, Carolinda found a man looking 

for Dora Viva Guerrier, and her daughter. 

“We spoke on Skype, and he said, ‘I’m 

Mike Adair. I’m your cousin. We have the 

same grandfather, Walter Arthur Charles 

Dicketts.’ I said, ‘My grandfather’s name 

was made up.’ He told me it wasn’t and 

that my mother, who’d been told she was 

an only child, had a brother who was 

given away at birth. I felt grief stricken 

that my mother had never known.” 

Carolinda’s uncle, Eric Richard 

Dicketts, now in his late 80s, wanted to 

meet. However, as Mike Adair told her 

that her grandfather had had four wives, 

two mistresses and six children, was 

a conman and a crook, Carolinda was 



suspicious about this new-found family, 

so she asked him to do a DNA test. 

“I knocked on the door of his cottage in 

Wales, and this ex-RAF pilot, who’d won a 

Distinguished Flying Cross in World War 

II, opened it with a huge grin. His mannerisms 

and humour were identical to my 

mother’s. We did our cheek swabs, then 

he asked if I’d like a gin and tonic, which 

was my mother’s favourite drink.” 

Carolinda started researching her 

grandfather, and discovered he had 

enlisted for World War I aged only 15. He 

had several spells in prison for fraudulent 

activities, such as hiring Daimlers 

and not paying for them, and buying expensive 

jewellery with fake cheques. He’d 

also had 23 aliases, been extradited from 

Austria by British police, and had eloped 

and married a 16-year-old girl. 

But Walter Dicketts was also a British 

double-agent with the code name Celery. 

When Carolinda started to unearth details 

about his spying activities Carolinda 

decided to write a book about Double 

Agent Celery, while simultaneously 

wracked with self-doubt about her ability 

to tell this complexed tale of intrigue and 

espionage. But her fear was superseded by 

a desire to clear her grandfather’s name. 

The synopsis on the front of Celery’s M15 

file said that some people believed that 

he’d been “turned” by the Germans. 

“The pivotal point for me writing the 

book was when I knew he was telling the 

truth.” 

In 1940, he had met Arthur Owens 

at the Marlborough pub in London’s 

Richmond and become friends with him. 

However, he soon suspected his new 

friend was a German sympathiser, so 

he reported him to the authorities, little 

knowing Owens was both a German and 

British spy, and M15’s first double agent, 

with the codename Snow. 

Then M15 employed Dicketts to spy on 

Owens, and also, posing as a British traitor, 

to travel to Berlin to build a relationship 

with Owens’ contacts in the Abwehr, 

Germany’s military intelligence service. 

Dicketts underwent five days of interrogation 

during which he was plied with alcohol 

and also drugged, before he gained 

the trust of Snow’s contact, Abwehr Chief 

of Air Intelligence, Major Nikolaus Ritter. 

Expecting a hero’s welcome by M15, 

when he returned to Britain, instead 

Dicketts found himself under further 

interrogation, as Owens had betrayed 

him, telling the Abwehr that he was a 

double agent, and telling M15 that he had 

defected to Germany and was now spying 

on Britain. Eventually, Dicketts’ version of 

events was believed. Owens was imprisoned 

until the end of the war, and Dicketts 

was sent on two further missions. 

Entailing thousands of hours of 

research, Double Agent Celery took 

Carolinda seven years to write before its 

publication in 2017. The book launch was 

at the Marlborough pub, where Arthur 

Owens and Walter Dicketts met. Attending 

were esteemed spy writers Michael 

Smith, Dr Helen Fry, and Nigel West, 

who wrote the foreword, and many of 

Dicketts’ ancestors, including his two 

youngest sons, Richard and Robert. 

“They had only ever felt ashamed of 

their father because of his criminal activities,” 

Carolinda explains. “And when 

Nigel West described him as a patriot, 

who, by volunteering to go into Germany 

during the war, had put his life on the 

line, the men both cried.” 

In 2018, Carolinda was awarded the Society 

of Women Writers NSW non-fiction 

award, and admits she burst into tears 

receiving it. 

“To have won the prize is fabulous. 

But the greatest accomplishment is reuniting 

the family, revealing the truth 

in a way which hadn’t been done before, 

and clearing Walter Dicketts’s name in 

history. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity 

to do that.” 

* Double Agent Celery: M15’s Crooked 

Hero by Carolinda Witt is published by 

Pen & Sword Books Limited, RRP$65. 

eBook $34. 

Life Stories 

CLOCKWISE FROM 

OPPOSITE: Author 

Carolinda; Walter 

Dicketts, circa 1949; 

family and friends 

at the launch of 

Carolinda’s book; 

flying her Virgin 

hot air balloon in 

the 80s; on the 

swim team in Kenya 

(far left); with her 

mum Tonie in 

Avalon. 



143 

Things 

To Do... 

Welcome to our 

2019 Summer Guide to 

beautiful Pittwater and 

its surrounds; even if 

you’re a local we’re sure 

you’ll find something new 

to taste, try or explore. 

Compiled by Lisa Offord 



KEEP IT CLEAN 

Our waterways and bushland 

are pristine and most of us are 

doing our best to ensure they 

stay that way. 

Reduce plastic use. Everything 

you can do to reduce the use 

of single-use plastic helps. 

Get yourself a ‘keep’ cup 

for your caffeine fix and/or 

a reusable water bottle and 

remember to take them with 

you when you go out. We 

have plenty of water stations 

(Careel Bay, Avalon Beach, 

Newport Beach, Kitchener 

Park in Mona Vale and Terrey 

Hills Oval) where you can 

have a cool drink or fill a 

bottle without having to hand 

over a cent. Break the habit 

of drinking with a straw and 

when shopping for food, try 

to make an effort to avoid 

excess packaging. Boomerang 

bags are reusable shopping 

bags made to share and to be 

used by customers who have 

forgotten their own. 

HIT THE BEACH 

The best spot at any of our 

beaches during summer is the 

north end. There is always a 

nor’-east sea breeze and it can 

be unpleasant if you’re fully 

exposed to its impact. Mona 

Vale Basin, North Bilgola, North 

Avalon and Whale Beach are 

all sheltered and beautiful in 

these conditions. While our 

beaches are usually beautiful 

Beachwatch – the team who 

monitor Sydney’s recreational 

water quality – say as a 

general precaution swimming 

at ocean beaches should be 

avoided for up to one day 

after heavy rainfall or for as 

long as stormwater is present. 

The most obvious signs of 

stormwater pollution are water 

discolouration as well as debris 

in the water and on the tide 

line. 

Rock pools 

Pittwater has some stunning 

ocean rock pools along the 

coast at North Narrabeen, 

Mona Vale, Newport, Bilgola, 

Avalon, Whale Beach and 

Palm Beach. Rock pools are 

sometimes closed due to rough 

seas, renovations and cleaning. 

The pools can get a little grotty 

between cleans especially 

in summer when slime and 

grime builds up quickly from 

frequent use so time your 

swims accordingly. NB Council 

publishes the cleaning schedule 

on their website. 

Ocean swims 

The Pittwater Ocean Swim 

Series is a brilliant excuse 

to take in the beauty of our 

beaches with ocean swims at 

Bilgola, Newport, Mona Vale 

and the Big Swim from Palm 

Beach to Whale Beach. (Plus the 

Avalon swim, now in April.) If 

you complete three of these 

swims, you go into a draw for 

a chance to win a weekend 

in Byron Bay sponsored by 

TravelView – see page 25 for 

details. 

Surf Safety 

It goes without saying… but on 

behalf of all the surf life savers 

we’ll say it again… please 

Swim Between The Flags. 

Rip Awareness 

Before racing into the ocean 

it pays to stop, look, and plan 

no matter what your age or 

ability in the water. This is 

the key message a new Surf 

Life Saving safety campaign 

is taking to Australians 

everywhere this summer. 

How to spot a rip current 

Rips are complex, can quickly 

change shape and location, 

and at times, are difficult to 

see. The things to look for are: 

■ Deeper, dark-coloured water. 

■ Fewer breaking waves. 

■ A rippled surface surrounded 

by smooth waters. 

■ Anything floating out to 

sea or foamy, discoloured, 

sandy, water flowing out 

beyond the waves. 

Rips don’t always show all 

these signs at once. 

How to survive a rip current 

■ Relax – stay calm and float 

to conserve your energy. 

■ Raise – raise your arm 

and attract attention from 

lifeguards or lifesavers. 

■ Rescue – the lifeguards or 

lifesavers will be on their 

way to help you. 

■ While floating, rip currents 

may flow in a circular 

pattern and return you to an 

adjacent sandbar. 

■ You may escape the rip 

current by swimming parallel 

to the beach, towards the 

breaking waves. 

■ Reassess your situation. 

If what you’re doing isn’t 

working, try one of the other 

options until you’re rescued 

or return to shore. 

ON PITTWATER 

There are plenty of places to 

hire a SUP, kayak or a boat 

to explore the shoreline 

and waterways. If you are 

interested in buying your own 

watercraft, Simon at The Life 

Aquatic at 42 Darley Street 

Mona Vale (thelifeaquatic.com. 

au) has loads of SUPs, pedal 

boards, kayaks, sailboats and 

catamarans and accessories for 

sale to help make getting out 

on the water as fun and easy as 

possible. 

Swimming Enclosures 

If you want to swim in the stillwater 

swimming enclosures 

in Pittwater, plan ahead. The 

enclosures are tidal and usage 

may be limited on low tides… 

finding a parking spot can also 

be tricky. Check out: Paradise 

Beach – located at the southern 

end of the beach. Access is off 

the northern end of Paradise 

Avenue, Avalon; Taylors Point 

Baths – located at the southern 

end of Clareville Beach Reserve. 

Access is off Hudson Parade, 

Clareville; Bayview Baths – On 

Pittwater Road Bayview and 

Tennis Court Wharf – you’ll find 

this swimming enclosure off 

Scotland Island near Pitt View 

Street. 

GETTING AROUND 

PB&H River Cruises 

Palm Beach & Hawkesbury 

River cruises operates the ferry 

between Palm Beach, Patonga 

Beach, Cottage Point and the 

Hawkesbury River cruise to 

Bobbin Head. It’s a great few 

hours of leisurely cruising. 

Summer Guide 



Summer Guide 

Departs 11am, returning 

3.30pm. You can also hire 

the beautiful 50-foot timber 

passenger ferry for private 

events. P: 0414 466 635 

Fantasea 

Operating all day every day, 

Fantasea Palm Beach Ferries 

have fast cat ferries which 

travel between Palm Beach to 

Wagstaffe and Ettalong Beach 

on the lower Central Coast 

peninsula departing roughly 

every hour. The journey spans 

across four waterways from 

Pittwater, Broken Bay; the 

entrance to the Hawkesbury 

River and Brisbane Waters. 

Passing Lion Island between the 

heads of Barrenjoey Headland 

and Box Head ensures that no 

two journeys are ever the same. 

You’ll spot plenty of wildlife 

along the way too. Ferries also 

depart hourly from Palm Beach 

to Bennett Wharf, Bonnie Doon, 

The Basin, Currawong Beach 

and Mackerel Beach. The roundtrip 

journey takes about 45 

minutes. Locals’ Tip: Try to arrive 

at the ferry wharf early. During 

the holidays the ferry can get 

packed and you will need extra 

time to find parking. Also, if 

you want a great seat outdoors, 

arrive a few minutes before 

departure. Timetables on the 

website. P: 9974 2411 

Church Point Ferry 

Jump on a ferry to Scotland 

Island, Lovett Bay and Elvina 

Bay (departs Church Point 

hourly). Scotland Island stops: 

Bell, Carols, Eastern and Tennis 

Court Wharves. North-facing 

STUNNING WALK: The lighthouse on Barrenjoey headland. 

Tennis Wharf is a perfect spot 

for a picnic. Western Foreshore 

stops include: Elvina Bay, Halls 

Wharf (access to Morning Bay), 

and Lovett Bay. 

Public transport 

Take a double decker B-Line 

bus for a birds-eye view and 

a quick trip to the city. The 

high-frequency yellow buses 

stop at Mona Vale, Warriewood, 

Narrabeen, Collaroy, Dee Why, 

Brookvale, Manly Vale, Spit 

Junction (Mosman), Neutral Bay 

and Wynyard. If you are north 

of Mona Vale you will be able 

to use the 199 service between 

Palm Beach and Manly to access 

turn-up-and-go B-Line services 

at Mona Vale. Locals’ Tip: Utilise 

our local on-demand service 

‘Keoride’ (details below); check 

routes, timetables and plan your 

trips on transportnsw.info. 

Transport on demand 

There are many areas of our 

community that aren’t serviced 

by buses lucky for us we are 

currently taking part in a trial 

of an innovative “on-demand 

transport model” where you 

can order a lift to and from the 

nearest B-Line transport hub 

at Narrabeen, Warriewood or 

Mona Vale. Keoride operates 

Mon-Wed 6am-10pm, Thurs and 

Fri 6am-11.30pm Saturday 7am- 

11.30pm and Sunday 7am-9pm. 

A one-way trip costs $3.10, 

with concession card holders 

(including pensioners, seniors, 

students and apprentices) 

receiving a 50% discount. To 

book, download the ‘Keoride’ 

app or P: 1800 536 743 

Parking at Palmy 

If you’re visiting Palm Beach or 

taking the ferry over summer, 

the best way to get there is by 

public transport (transportnsw. 

info). If you need to drive, 

leave your car in the seasonal 

car park at Careel Bay playing 

fields and catch the 199 bus 

to Palm Beach. The 199 pulls 

in every 15 minutes and it’s a 

five-minute ride. Pay attention 

to the signs as there have 

been a few changes to parking 

conditions in the Pittwater Park 

car park. The Pittwater Park car 

park (north) is now a dedicated 

car park for vehicles displaying 

a Western Foreshore Parking 

Permit. Spaces in the Pittwater 

Park car park (south) are now 

limited to four and eight hours 

when you display a Northern 

Beaches Beach Parking Permit 

or purchase a P Ticket on 

weekends and public holidays. 

There are a few P5 (five minute) 

parking spaces, so travellers 

can unload their gear near the 

ferry wharf and move their 

vehicles to a longer stay area. 

SHORE THINGS 

Jump on a ferry or take a road 

trip to experience another side 

of our waterways and great 

views. 



Ettalong Beach 

Known for its kid-friendly 

beach, Ettalong is a quiet 

yet humming village by the 

sea which hosts great little 

shops, art galleries, cafes 

(and an art gallery café!), oldworld-charm 

village markets, 

a supermarket, fresh food 

options, restaurants for all 

tastes, The Ettalong Diggers 

RSL Club (sample the clubs a 

brand new summer menu), a 

quaint independent cinema 

and plenty of accommodation 

options including resorts within 

a short distance of the ferry 

wharf. Pop into the Ettalong 

Diggers Visitor Info Centre 

where the friendly staff can 

assist you with the best things 

to do and see in the region, or 

check out their Facebook page 

to see what’s on before you 

head off. 

Patonga 

Patonga Beach is a tranquil 

seaside village at the southern 

end of the Central Coast. 

The calm bay is perfect for 

swimming, kayaking and 

SUPs. Arrive by ferry from 

Palm Beach and head to the 

new Boathouse Hotel Patonga 

for lunch, dinner and/or 

drinks. This summer Fantasea 

Ferries are operating a special 

weekend lunchtime service to 

Patonga which will depart Palm 

Beach at 12pm for lunch time 

guests and depart Patonga 

for breakfast guests wishing 

to return to Palm Beach. The 

journey takes 20 minutes each 

way. For afternoon return trips 

talk to Boathouse staff for a 

courtesy bus to Ettalong for 

the ferry back to Palm Beach. 

Akuna Bay 

Head to d’Albora Marinas 

nestled in the heart of Ku-ringgai 

Chase National Park on 

the Cowan/Hawkesbury River 

system. Here you can hire a 

boat or cast off on a kayak. If 

have our own boat there are 

wet berths, hardstand and 

a public boat ramp. There’s 

some picturesque fishing, 

barbeque and picnic spots 

plus some fabulous, new and 

exciting dining options. See 

page 63 for more info or go to 

dalboramarinas.com.au. 

NO FUSS 

HOLIDAY SPOTS 

Pittwater boasts some extra 

special places for those wanting 

to disconnect and enjoy a 

NEW ARRIVAL: The Patonga Boathouse Hotel. 

simple holiday in a peaceful 

natural environment – we’re 

taking camping and or basic 

rustic accommodation, sketchy 

(if any) phone reception, no 

shops, cars or TVs. Locals’ Tip: If 

you are planning to camp at The 

Basin or staying overnight at 

Currawong or renting a cottage 

at Great Mackeral Beach, for 

example, drop your gear at the 

ferry wharf and leave your car 

in the seasonal long-term cark 

park at Careel Bay. 

The Basin 

Take a short ferry ride from 

Palm Beach to one of Sydney’s 

most popular camping spots, 

The Basin on the western 

foreshores of Pittwater Kuring-gai 

Chase National Park. 

There are places to swim, good 

fishing, several walking tracks 

and lots of wildlife. A day trip 

is a good way to suss out the 

camping area for any future 

overnight stays, which you will 

need to book through NSW 

National Parks and Wildlife 

Service in advance. Locals’ Tip: 

Grab a coffee from the boat 

that pulls into the jetty. 

Currawong 

Currawong is a heritage-listed, 

holiday retreat located at the 

northern end of Pittwater, 

opposite Palm Beach Wharf 

and accessible only by ferry 

or boat. There are nine small 

cabins – each accommodating 

a family of five – plus a fourbedroom 

homestead, and a 

lodge/meeting room suitable 

for small groups. Apart from 

swimming, fishing and reading, 

there is a nine-hole golf course, 

a tennis court, volleyball court, 

table tennis, bushwalking 

tracks, and kayaks for hire. 

More info at currawong.com. 

au or P: 9974 4141 

Pittwater YHA 

Only accessible by ferry or water 

taxi from Church Point and 

nestled in bushland, Ku-ring-gai 

Chase National Park overlooking 

Morning Bay, this hostel with 

accommodation from only $33 

a night is one of Sydney’s best 

kept secrets. You’ll need to pack 

linen and food as there are no 

shops in the national park but 

once you are there you can 

choose to do very little or keep 

busy by exploring the bush 

(mountain bikes are welcome), 

lookouts, aboriginal engraving 

sites and coves or take to the 

water on a kayak. Native animals 

Summer Guide 



Summer Guide 

and birds are abundant in this 

neck of the ‘woods’. 

NARRABEEN 

LAGOON STATE PARK 

Narrabeen Lagoon is one of 

the Northern Beaches’ greatest 

natural assets where you can 

walk, enjoy a multitude of water 

sports, keep the kids happy in 

great play areas, enjoy a BBQ or 

picnic, relax in a quiet spot and 

observe wildlife. 

Narrabeen Lagoon Trail 

There is a great trail around 

the lagoon which will take 

you 2-3 hours on foot though 

beautiful ecosystems, cultural 

heritage and historical sites. 

The well-formed track has 

no steps and is a shared trail 

popular with joggers, hikers, 

cyclists, dogs on leads, mums 

with prams and families with 

kids on bikes. Cyclists are 

asked to stick to the left and 

pedestrians have right of way. 

There are places to peel off to 

rest along the way and picnic 

areas with toilet facilities 

dotted along the circuit. If you 

don’t want to tackle the 8.4km 

loop in one go, there are five 

short walk options (Middle 

Creek to Bilarong Reserve 

– 2.2km; Bilarong Reserve 

to Berry Reserve – 1.2km; 

Jamieson Park to South Creek 

– 2.3km and South Creek to 

Middle Creek – 1.2km). Locals’ 

Tip: The trail is wheelchair 

accessible at Jamieson Park 

(off The Esplanade), Berry 

Reserve (off Pittwater Road), 

Middle Creek Reserve (off 

Pittwater Road) and Bilarong 

Reserve car parks. 

Bilarong Reserve 

Bilarong Reserve at North 

Narrabeen is an ideal place 

for a family picnic. Complete 

with bike tracks, a playground 

in two halves – a shaded 

fenced play area with basic 

equipment for toddlers 

surrounded by a larger more 

adventurous playground – and 

fantastic BBQ and table setups, 

it ticks a lot of boxes. 

Located right next to the 

lagoon at North Narrabeen on 

the Wakehurst Parkway. 

MARKETS 

Berry Reserve Market 

Set amongst the trees in a 

RELAX IN NATURE: Walk around Narrabeen Lagoon Trail. 

beautiful lakeside position at 

Berry Reserve Narrabeen you 

will find more than 80 stalls 

offering arts, craft, jewellery, 

collectibles, homewares, 

fashion food stalls and much 

more on Sunday 20 (and every 

third Sunday of the month 

throughout the year). 

Beaches Market 

More than 100 stalls of quality, 

fresh farmer’s produce, 

baked goods, dairy, fish and 

deli, jams, spices and honey, 

clothes, jewellery and hot 

food from around the world. 

Re-opens after a short break 

over Christmas and New Year 

on Friday Jan 11 (and every 

Friday of the year) from 8am- 

1pm at Pittwater Rugby Park, 

Warriewood. 

Palm Beach Market 

Head to Governor Phillip Park 

on Sunday 27; browse and buy 

quality homewares, fashion and 

jewellery, specialist food items 

and chow down on great food. 



Frenchs Forest Organic 

Food Market 

On Sundays the car park at 

the Parkway Hotel on Frenchs 

Forest Road becomes a 

bustling marketplace with 

a great selection of fresh 

produce including certified 

organic to conventional fresh 

food, flowers as well as artisan 

and lifestyle stalls. Reopens 

after a short break on Jan 13 

from 8am-1pm (and every 

Sunday thereafter). 

WALK THIS WAY 

Here are a few walks you can 

take at your leisure to inspire 

you. You can discover many 

more at nationalparks.nsw.gov. 

au. Info on loads of local walks, 

including maps, also available 

on the Northern Beaches 

Council website. 

Barrenjoey Lighthouse 

Positioned 91m above sea level, 

the lighthouse can be reached 

by a couple of different walks. 

For an easy trek, the 1km 

walk offers stunning views on 

the way up. Or for those who 

are keen for a challenging, 

steep yet short hike, take the 

Smugglers track to the top – 

don’t fear… it isn’t as hard as it 

looks. The views at the top are 

well worth it. Bring your camera 

along to capture the beauty of 

the region, with glorious views 

of Broken Bay, Ku-ring-gai 

Chase National Park as well as 

the Central Coast. Locals’ Tip: 

Half-hour guided tours of the 

lighthouse are conducted every 

Sunday 11am–3pm, except in 

extreme weather conditions. 

Adults $5 per person; child $2. 

Meet at the top. NB: No toilets 

or drinking water available at 

the lighthouse. 

Resolute Track 

The Resolute Track lies at the 

far end of West Head. There 

are numerous lookouts, 

and the best of the historic 

Aboriginal art in the Kurring-gai 

Chase National Park 

along the way. You can catch 

a ferry from Palm Beach to 

Great Mackerel Beach wharf 

and proceed north along the 

beach to enter the bushland 

track in the national park, do 

a loop and finish back where 

you started where you can cool 

down with a swim. It’s a 9km 

walk; allow around 5 hours. 

Summer Guide 



Summer Guide 

Or do the loop the other way 

by driving and parking at the 

Resolute picnic area at the 

end of West Head Road. Locals’ 

Tip: If you want to see the best 

known Aboriginal art site in 

the park – Red Hands Cave and 

the rock engravings of the 

Guringai people, the traditional 

owners of this land – it’s an 

easy 1km return walk starting 

off within 10 minutes of the 

picnic area car park. 

America Bay Track 

One of the more popular 

walking tracks in the Kuring-gai 

Chase National Park. 

Moderate in difficulty, the walk 

takes in waterfalls, aboriginal 

engravings, scenic lookouts 

and an abundance of natural 

wildlife. Leave 1-2 hours, 

depending on your ability. 

Avalon to Narrabeen 

Coastal Walk 

Beginning at Avalon Beach Surf 

Life Saving Club this walk will 

take you over Bilgola Head to 

Bilgola Beach and around the 

southern headland to Newport 

Beach. Past Bungan Castle, the 

walk drops down to Bungan 

Beach, then over Mona Vale 

Headland to Bongin Bongin, 

Mona Vale and Warriewood 

beaches, Turimetta Head 

and beach, Narrabeen Head, 

Narrabeen lagoon and finishes 

at Narrabeen shops. Allow at 

least five and a half hours to 

cover the 13km distance, with 

plenty of stops. 

Narrabeen Coastal Walk 

You can start this walk at 

North Narrabeen pool; it’s a 

great leisurely stroll to take 

in the wonder of the area. 

Start by climbing up the 

big brown steps to arrive at 

Turimetta headland. There 

SECLUDED GEM: Paradise Beach baths. 

are a few tracks to choose 

from. The lookout overlooking 

North Narrabeen beach is 

breathtaking. You can take the 

path all the way along to Mona 

Vale headland. 

Warriewood Wetlands 

The Warriewood Wetlands is 

the largest remaining sand plan 

wetland in the Northern Sydney 

area; at 26 hectares it is home 

to all sorts of flora and fauna. 

There’s a boardwalk stretching 

2.4km and trails that can lead 

you to waterfalls. Easy to 

find (just behind Warriewood 

Square) and navigate, with lots 

of info signposted. 

From the Crown to the 

Sea, Newport 

Linking four bushland 

reserves between Newport 

and Bilgola Plateau this 

challenging walk has it all. 

Starting at the Crown of 

Newport reserve, walkers take 

on a 300m moderate/steep 

trek under the canopy of a 

rainforest with its rare plants, 

waterfalls and wildlife before 

moving into the Attunga 

Reserve, a 1000m strenuous 

steep climb with incredible 

coastline views, followed by 

an easy walk through Porter 

Reserve winding into Kanimbla 

Reserve overlooking Newport. 

All up the walk is roughly 

1.76km and takes 1-2 hours. 

PICNIC SPOTS 

& KIDS PLAY 

Tram playground 

A new playground near the old 

tram and café next to Berry 

Reserve on Pittwater Road 

Narrabeen has all the bells and 

whistles you’d expect for tramthemed 

play. 

Apex Park Mona Vale 

Apex Park, across the road 

from Mona Vale beach, is a 

great spot for families. It has a 

huge bike path for the kids to 

ride around, plus a playground 

and BBQ areas. 

Bert Payne Reserve 

A handy spot for a picnic 

or takeaway, the reserve at 

Newport Beach also boasts a 

great innovative playground 

which provides an inclusive 

play space and equipment 

suited to children of varying 

ages and abilities. 

McCarrs Creek Reserve 

This is a picturesque location 

with the Ku-ring-gai Chase 

National Park on the opposite 

side. The large grassy area 

is great for throwing around 

a Frisbee, or for setting up a 

game of beach cricket. 

Warriewood Valley 

Playground 

Better known as ‘Rocket 

Park’ this is a great space 

with a range of exciting play 

equipment for kids of all ages. 

There are BBQs and toilets, 

plenty of shade and pleasant 

grassy areas. Callistemon Way, 

Warriewood. 

Winnererremy Bay 

‘Flying Fox Park’ next to 

Pittwater High School in Mona 

Vale is still one of the best local 

parks for kids. The playground 

has a giant climbing structure, 

swings and much more to 

keep the littlies entertained 

for hours. The park also has 

BBQs and picnic areas and is 

bike-, skateboard- and scooterfriendly. 

Robert Dunn reserve 

The Robert Dunn reserve near 

Mona Vale Hospital takes in 

the beautiful scenery of Mona 

Vale beach and surrounds, with 

benches and seats to sit back 

and relax in. It also doubles as 

a dog park. 

QUIET REFLECTION 

Enjoy a view 

Make time to appreciate the 

beauty of Pittwater’s majestic 

headlands which provide 

excellent vantage points for 

enjoying the coast and the 



views. Narrabeen Headland 

– Peal Place, Warriewood; 

Turimetta Headland – 

Narrabeen Park Parade, 

Warriewood; South Mona Vale 

Headland – Narrabeen Park 

Parade, Mona Vale; Mona 

Vale Headland – Grandview 

Parade, Mona Vale; Eastern 

end of Hillcrest Avenue, Mona 

Vale; Bungan Head – Queens 

Parade East, Newport; Newport 

Headland – Barrenjoey 

Road, Newport; Eric Green 

Reserve (access from North 

of Newport Beach Carpark); 

North Bilgola Headland – The 

Serpentine, Bilgola; Bangalley 

Head (the highest point on 

Sydney’s northern coastline) 

– Marine Road, Avalon; 

Careel Head – Whale Beach 

Road, Avalon; Whale Beach 

Headland – Malo Road & The 

Strand, Whale Beach Malo 

Reserve; Little Head – Whale 

Beach Road and Norma Road, 

Whale Beach; Palm Beach 

Headland – Southern end of 

Ocean road, near Rockpool, 

Palm Beach; Barrenjoey 

Headland – At the end of 

Governor Philip Park, Palm 

Beach. 

Bible Garden 

Situated high on the 

escarpment, the Bible Garden 

in Mitchell Road, Palm Beach 

offers magnificent views 

over the ocean, Pittwater 

and Barrenjoey. The garden 

features every plant mentioned 

in the Old and New Testaments 

plus a pond, seats, table and a 

Bible. All are welcome. Locals’ 

Tip: Parking can be tricky. 

The Baha’i Temple 

This beautiful house of 

worship with nine hectares 

of gardens open to all people 

of all beliefs is an ideal 

place to find some peace of 

mind. A place of prayer and 

meditation, the magnificent 

nine-sided structure – a 

symbol of the unity of the 

world’s religions – is the 

highest point in the area 

and one of seven Baha’i 

Temples throughout the 

world. There’s a Visitors 

Centre (with volunteer guides 

available to answer questions), 

a bookshop and an open-air 

picnic area. The temple is 

open to the public from 9am 

to 5pm every day. Admission 

Summer Guide 



Summer Guide 

is free. A public service is held 

every Sunday at 11am; 173 

Mona Vale Rd, Ingleside. 

SPORTS 

Barefoot bowls 

Walk the greens at Avalon, 

Newport, Mona Vale Bowling 

Clubs and Narrabeen RSL 

to enjoy barefoot bowls. No 

experience necessary. Contact 

the clubs for details – and while 

you’re at it ask about happy 

hours and meal deals. 

Tennis 

Don’t just watch it on the telly. 

Find some friends, dust off your 

tennis gear or borrow some 

and book a court at Newport 

Community Centre, North 

Narrabeen Community and 

Tennis Centre, Bayview Tennis 

Club, Elanora Park Tennis Club, 

Wakehurst Couvret Tennis 

Centre, Careel Bay Tennis Club 

or Terrey Hills Tennis Club. 

Skate Parks 

A predominantly street-style 

park with a mini bowl and a 

refurbished vert ramp, the 

Mona Vale Skate Park is a huge 

hit with skateboarders, bladers 

ON YOUR MARKS: Get ready for the 2019 Ocean Swim Series. 

and BMX and scooter-users of 

all ages and abilities – and their 

parents. Situated in Kitchener 

Park, the 1800m2 space has 

features that allow progression 

of skill from beginner to 

advanced. You will also find a 

great new skate park at Terrey 

Hills playing fields with nearly 

everything you need including 

loads of ledges and rails and a 

mini vert ramp off to the side. 

Locals’ Tip: At Terrey Hills it can 

get uncomfortably hot in the 

afternoon. 

Golf 

Boasting three public 

courses and some of the best 

invitation-only private courses 

in Sydney, if golf is your 

game you’re in the right spot. 

Accessible courses in Bayview 

and Mona Vale are 18-hole 

courses, while Palm Beach and 

Avalon Beach each offer nine 

holes of fun and relaxation. 

On your bikes 

The Terrey Hills BMX Bike Track 



Summer Guide 

is one of the best in Sydney. The 

firm, well-maintained track is 

competition standard and open 

to all levels. The track is closed 

when damp or wet to prevent 

damage to the track surface. 

You will find it near Garigal 

National Park at JJ Melbourne 

Hills Memorial Reserve, 

Thompson Drive. Contact Manly 

Warringah BMX Club for more 

info. As you would expect 

there are some great tracks for 

riders of all levels through bush 

around Terrey Hills and the 

national park. 

GET CREATIVE 

Check out The Art Shop in 

Mona Vale for all your materials 

and helpful advice. There are 

some great art workshops run 

by talented locals for all ages 

to tap into over the summer 

months (see our Art section 

pages 38-41). 

Three Peaks 

Photography 

Professional landscape 

photographer Peter Sedgwick 

runs a number of different 

courses on the northern 

beaches where he will teach 

you one-on-one how to make 

the best use of your camera 

with a full day of learning, 

catering to your individual 

needs. There is also an 

advanced course for those 

wishing to delve further into 

the art of photography. Info 

at threepeaksphotography. 

com.au. Locals’ Tip: Peter also 

runs workshops at other 

beautiful locations outside 

of Sydney. 

Sydney Design School 

A leader in interior design 

and decoration in Australia, 

Sydney Design School offers 

fast-paced, practical and 

industry-focused courses both 

online and on campus (not 

too far away at St Leonards) 

for people who love interiors 

or who want to become a 

design professional. If you 

are looking to study this 

year, pop into their next 

info session on Thursday 10 

January at 6pm; more info at 

sydneydesignschool.com.au 

Patchwork 

Learn the skills and tradition 

of quilting or learn to sew 



and create something new 

from scratch or repurpose, 

reuse and recycle fabrics and 

clothing into items such as 

quilts bags and wall hangings. 

Contact Robyn at her colourful 

shop Patchwork on Pittwater 

in the Gateway Building, 1 

Mona Vale Road, Mona Vale. P: 

99996159 

GREAT INDOORS 

Art Exhibitions and sales 

Many of Pittwater’s talented 

artists have exhibitions and 

sales in January – see our Art 

section on pages 38-41 for 

more details. It’s worth the trip 

south to explore our nearest 

regional art gallery – Manly 

Art Gallery & Museum at West 

Esplanade which is currently 

featuring some delightful 

pieces by Ken Done, Ethel 

Carrick Fox and Adrian Feints 

that capture our beaches 

and habour. The exhibition 

is part of ‘Destination Sydney 

Re-imagined’ which sees the 

wonderful Manly gallery team 

up with galleries in Mosman 

and The Rocks to showcase 

artists who have been working 

in in our city. 

Make the most 

the library 

There’s something for 

everyone at Mona Vale and 

Avalon libraries – and not just 

books. Activities for kids and 

young people from 6-18 years 

include the Summer Reading 

Club, Coding Workshops, 

Reptile Shows, Stained Glass 

Craft, Life Drawing and 

Polymer Clay Workshops. 

There are a few author talks 

too suitable for ‘older’ readers. 

Bookings essential at the 

library desk or via websites. 

Summer reading 

Opposite Mona Vale Library 

you can buy books from 

Berkelouw or pop into Avalon’s 

new-look Bookoccino in Avalon. 

For readers of teen fiction 

and great recommendations 

for all ages, you can’t go past 

Beachside Bookshop on the 

corner of Barrenjoey Road 

and Avalon Pde, Avalon Beach 

(recommended reading p34). 

See a movie 

If the weather takes a turn for 

the worse, or you just need 

to escape the summer heat, 

Summer Guide 



Summer Guide 

Holiday Reading 

I Built No 

Schools in Kenya 

Kirsten Drysdale 

Random House Australia 

$34.99 

Whether or not Drysdale is still 

friends with the colleague who 

“tricked” her into a seemingly 

easy gig caring for a wealthy 

dementia patient in Nairobi in 

2010, we have them to thank for 

this hilarious travelogue about a 

year spent in misadventure. 

Readers will know Drysdale 

from her work on The Chaser’s 

‘The Checkout’, and she herself 

says of her book: “This is not 

your standard white-girl-in- 

Africa tale. I fed no babies, I built 

no schools, I saved no rhinos.” 

What she did do was spend a lot 

of time fending off her patient’s 

marriage proposals, managing 

the dynamic between his daughter 

and his second wife and their 

expectations of her role, and seeing 

a fair bit of Nairobi night life. 

This is the perfect January 

holiday read, especially as you 

start reflecting on your own family 

gathering over Christmas... 

– Libby Armstrong (Beachside 

Bookshop Avalon) 

Boy Swallows 

Universe 

Trent Dalton 

HarperCollins $32.99 

Every now and then a book 

comes along that I can’t put 

down, even whilst drying my 

hair in the bathroom. Trent 

Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe is 

that book. It took my breath away 

and left my hair half dried for 

the two days it took to finish it. 

It is an amazing story of love 

and coming of age; magic and 

fate and at the end I just said 

“Wow” and read it all over again. 

Set in Brisbane in the 1980s, it 

is a story of a boy called Eli and 

his mute brother surviving the 

harsh reality of a father who’s 

walked away, a drug addicted 

mother, a babysitter with a criminal 

past and a stepfather who is 

embroiled in the violent world of 

local drug lord Tytus Broz. It is 

magical, humorous, heartbreaking 

– if there is one book you 

have to read this summer, read 

Boy Swallows Universe… and 

forget all about the hair. – Sarah 

Blundell (Berkelouw Mona Vale). 

In Extremis: 

The Life of War 

Correspondent 

Marie Colvin 

Lindsey Hilsum 

Chatto & Windus, $49.99 

War correspondent meets war 

correspondent. The result is a 

compelling, hard-to-put-down, 

biography of one of the most 

intrepid reporters of our times. 

Marie Colvin, one of the first 

female graduates from Yale, reported 

from just about every war 

zone in the last couple of decades 

– Beirut; Chechnya; Palestine; 

East Timor. When she wasn’t in 

the field she was holding forth at 

London soirees in her black cocktail 

dress, a drink or cigarette 

always in hand. Martha Gellhorn 

was her heroine. 

Her rich, complicated life is 

portrayed by Lindsey Hilsum, 

an equally renowned British correspondent, 

who was one of the 

only journalists in Rwanda at the 

time of the genocide. 

The book is richer in part 

because Colvin was an assiduous 

diarist, and Hilsum had access to 

her journals, which she weaves 

seamlessly into the story. 

Marie Colvin lived dangerously, 

or recklessly, to report 

personal stories about the 

victims of war. Doing her job, she 

lost an eye in Sri Lanka – a black 

eye patch becoming her signature 

– and her life in Syria. – Ray 

Bonner (Bookoccino Avalon). 

After the 

Lights Go Out 

Lili Wilkinson 

Allen & Unwin $19.99 

Every January I only read Australian 

young adult fiction. Last 

year I focused on thrillers and 

creepy reads (former Avalon 

resident J.C Burke’s The Red 

Cardigan being a standout); this 

year I’m re-reading a number of 

classics and favourites including 

Wilkinson’s doomsday survivalist 

epic After the Lights Go Out. 

Prudence Palmer’s father is a 

prepper. He has torn his three 

daughters away from their city 

lives to prepare for the end of 

the world in the isolated mining 

community of Jubilee. And 

then it happens... but dad’s not 

around, and Prudence has to 

implement a plan she never 

believed necessary. 

Dipping back into the novel 

to write this review, Wilkinson’s 

storytelling talent leaps off the 

page. She managed to integrate 

several current social themes 

and moral conundrums into her 

plot, while delivering a terrifyingly 

real scenario. At 327 pages, 

it’s also a satisfyingly substantial 

read. – Libby Armstrong (Beachside 

Bookshop Avalon) 

catch a film at a local cinema. 

Take your pick between Avalon 

Cinema, Warriewood Cinema or 

United at Collaroy. 

SCHOOL HOLIDAY 

CAMPS 

Tennis 

Goodwin’s offers beginner 

to advanced instruction on 

strokes, round robin, games 

and match play. Lots of prizes. 

Racquets provided if needed. 

There are school holiday tennis 

camps running throughout 

January at Kitchener Park in 

Mona Vale. Full and half-day 

sessions are available and 

lunch is provided on the last 

day. Bookings essential. P: 

99796772 or 0410 523 726 

Sailing 

School holiday programs at the 

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club 

at Newport provide a fun, safe 

and affordable introduction 

to sailing and the marine 

environment. Programs are 

tailored to age groups and 

conducted in the safety of 

Pittwater, under the supervision 

of fully qualified instructors. 

There is a range of courses for 

primary and secondary school 

ages available in January, from 

beginners’ fun to learning the 

finer points of sailing. 

Coastal Environment 

Centre 

Children (ages 6-12) love the 

Kids on The Coast holiday 

programs run at the CEC 

Narrabeen. In January, 

activities run weekdays from 

10am-3pm from Mon 7 to 

Thu 24 and include outdoor 

experiences such as fossil 

hunting, fishing, survival 

skills, coastal rangers, marine 

biology for kids and nature 

inspired art creations. Cost is 

$61 per activity. P: 9970 1675 

GOURMET DELIGHTS 

Here’s a handful of destinations 

for foodies to check out this 

summer. This bunch will appeal 

to those who appreciate quality 

ingredients, love cooking, or 

fake it rather than make it, to 

create meals that stand out 

from the crowd. 

Palm Beach Wine co – iconic 

store stocked with fine wines, 



Summer Guide 

gourmet delights, a deli counter 

and homewares so you can 

whip up a meal or picnic spread 

and dine in style anywhere 

anytime. 

Le Petit Marche – New owners 

Julien and Michelle are 

breathing new life into 

this little French market in 

Roberston Road Newport by 

introducing some amazing 

imported wines, quality 

charcuterie and Michelin 

star quality pates and duck 

products, chocolate, pantry 

staples, incredible cheeses and 

a variety of cured meat. They 

also fresh baguettes from their 

new deli counter to takeaway 

and stock some gorgeous 

homewares, books and 

candles all with a distinctive 

French flavour. Details p63. 

Flannerys – With a huge range of 

certified organic, chemical free 

and natural products, this fresh 

food market in Mona Vale stocks 

just about everything you will 

find in a regular supermarket 

the only difference being its 

all healthier for you. There’s a 

great café onsite too a serving 

single origin, fair trade, organic 

blends with no extra charge for 

STUNNING WATERWAY: Beautiful Pittwater. 

coconut, soy and almond milks. 

You’ll find the store at 12/14 Park 

Street. Locals’ Tip: Pop in for free 

Naturopath advice. 

Pasadena Pantry & Fresh – This 

welcome addition to Church 

Point is the run by locals Colin 

and Pepe who have the place 

stocked with everything you 

need and loads of gourmet 

treats you’ll want to try 

including artisan products, 

fresh free organic produce and 

a great confectionary range, 

plus all the supermarket staples. 

They do cheese platters and 

hampers which they will deliver 

too and there are plans to 

introduce some afternoon 

grazing sessions on site. Drop 

by and say Hola! 

Prawn Pod – You’ll see the 

distinctive food van parked 

in Bayview over the holidays 

stocked with the freshest 

Australian prawns for you to 

take away. Can’t wait to dig in? 

You can also buy by the bucket 

with cocktail sauce, lemons and 

fresh rolls on the spot… all you 

need to do is follow the locals’ 

lead: BYO blanket and drinks. 

Check prawnpod.com.au to 

confirm location and times. 



Local Call 

His is the Life! 

Anyone who says you can’t tracts customers from all over 

teach an old (salty sea) dog NSW. 

new tricks hasn’t met Simon “Anglers and sailors are 

Reffold, one of the lucky few pretty similar – they both love to 

among us who has managed to pop in for a chat!” he said. 

mix business with pleasure. “We are the NSW distributors 

When the avid sailor took for the RS Brand of Sailboats, 

over an iconic sailing boat shop and the Hobie Cats, as well as 

in Mona Vale two and half years the Sydney dealer for Hobie 

ago, he started stocking more Kayaks and Aquayak Kayaks, so 

on-the-water ‘toys’ prompting that keeps it pretty interesting.” 

a name change to ‘The Life There are heaps of locals paddling 

round Pittwater and the 

Aquatic’ and a mission to focus 

on product knowledge, support harbour in their Hobie Kayaks… 

and quality. 

and many are on their second 

“If we sell it, we know it – we or third, Simon said. 

kayak fish, we paddle, we SUP And as you’d expect, when 

and we sail – so we like to think not in the store you’ll find 

we know what we are talking Simon on or in the water. 

about,” said Simon. 

The Newport father of three 

“We don’t sell cheap, we only manages to sail a lot; he has 

sell good, which makes it really campaigned all over the world 

easy to give excellent support in various classes such as 

– because the companies we Etchells, Star and 505. Plus he 

work with support their products 

100%.” 

Hobarts. 

is a veteran of 17 Sydney to 

Simon and his team pride “My wife and I go to Bilgola 

themselves on helping customers 

make the right decision and coffee, I also surf and I get 

most mornings for a run, swim 

about what to buy. 

out on the SUP a fair bit too but 

“We will work with our 

over summer it’s a bit sporadic,” 

customers, including on-water he said. 

demonstrations, to figure out “This time of year we are 

what is the best,” he said. working all the time but yesterday 

I sailed and took The store’s reputation at- 

people 

One of Pittwater’s leading 

dance schools has taken a 

big leap by opening a new stateof-the-art 

facility. 

From 2019, students and the 

dedicated team at Dynamite Premiere 

Academy in Newport will 

also be dancing to their heart’s 

content in studios in Mona Vale. 

The impressive two-storey 

complex at 95 Darley Street, 

which boasts three studios 

fitted with sprung flooring, 

mirrors, wall-mounted barres 

and air conditioning, is a dream 

come true for DPA Principal 

Melissa Mitchell. 

“This has been 10 years in 

the making for me personally 

and a life-long dream of mine to 

be able to inspire, nurture and 

watch children flourish under 

one roof,” Melissa said. 

“This wonderful complex will 

unite us even more and give 


PERFECT BALANCE: Avid sailor Simon Reffold from The Life Aquatic. 

paddling – for work, so it’s 

pretty good!” 

His favourite spots around 

Pittwater? 

“I am not allowed to tell you 

we like to fish the flats for Kingies, 

apparently…” 

He said for SUPing all of 

Pittwater was great in the right 

conditions, with Bayview and 

Clareville two favourite spots 

for a morning paddle. 

“For kayaking it’s the same – 

we have such amazing waterways 

to explore. 

Dance dreams come true 

LEAP: DPA principal Melissa Mitchell and students and the new facility. 

“It’s always great to see all the 

Hobies around Scotland Island 

pretty much every day!” 

Simon sails from the Royal 

Prince Alfred, Avalon and Palm 

Beach. 

“Offshore Palmy is some of 

the best sailing in the world, but 

the closeness of the main part 

of Pittwater makes it perfect 

to pop out for a quick training 

session… or just to enjoy the 

afternoon,” he said. 

– Lisa Offord 

* Info thelifeaquatic.com.au 

these children the dance family Ballet Interstate Program) one Incorporating the experience 

they deserve.” 

of the refreshing aspects of DPA of some of Sydney’s leading 

With a fine reputation for is the equal emphasis placed dance experts, the carefully 

nurturing some of the most on providing a relaxed and fun curated classes ensure preschoolers 

talented ballet dancers on the environment for all ages and 

have lots of fun whilst 

northern beaches (an enviable 

standards. 

also learning the fundamentals 

number of the academy’s In other exciting news, DPA of classical ballet (see ad p33). 

students are offered coveted has become the official licensee Term 1 commences Feb 4. 

scholarships at schools in London, 

on the northern beaches for the 

– LO 

New York, Hong Kong, nationally acclaimed program * More info 9918 8841 or email 

France as well as the Australian Ready Set Ballet. 

info@dynamitepa.com.au. 

JANUARY 2019 37 

Local Call

Art Life 


A hand-cut 

above the rest 

Newport artist Julie Hickson says 

she has had both a challenging 

and exciting year as Artist in Residence 

at the Australian PlantBank at 

Mount Annan Botanic Gardens. 

Julie, who uses a distinctive technique 

involving hand-cut stencils, is bringing 

her new body of work back home to the 

Northern Beaches, showing at Be Brave 

Art Space at North Avalon from Thursday 

January 3 through Sunday 13. 

Well-known in Pittwater for her 

stylised native botanic designs and 

local beach scenes, Julie’s new oneoff 

pieces also involve stencils in 

a mix of layered paint washes and 

sketched inky details which evolve 

into abstracted and reduced stylised 

designs. 

New Year exhibition 

“My residency opportunity has been 

an education,” Julie recounted to Pittwater 

Life. “It reinforced my awareness 

has a strong message that the plant diversity on this continent 

is vast and unique in the world – while 

Artists have always been amplifiers of environment that surrounds us.” 

encroaching development has done so 

public opinion; when politicians aren’t Jennifer herself uses paint and ink to much in our short tenure to threaten 

perceived to be representing the people, it create “water paintings” that she photographs 

this.” 

falls to them to remind the decision-makers 

and prints as Archival Limited 

Inspired by the gardens and the seed 

what our concerns and wishes are. Editions. They are ephemeral works that pods back in the PlantBank laboratory, 

“Artists have always taken the opportunity 

cannot be kept in their original form and Julie’s research led her to exploring the 

to reflect 

reflect the tran- 

interior landscapes of these nuts, cones 

culture’s opinions 

sient nature of our and pods using microscope and x-ray 

and how those sit in 

physical, mental and photography. The result is a unique 

relation to the world 

emotional states. ode to the inner landscapes of these 

at large, through their 

Katarina Wells creates 

beautiful organic structures. It is as if 

art,” said Avalon Art 

magic with por- 

the artist is coaxing the seed pods to 

Gallery’s Jennifer Hill. 

celain and clay. Held give up their secrets. 

She said the gallery’s 

in collections world- 

* Opening night drinks are on 

2019 New Year 

wide, she focuses on Saturday 5 Jan from 5 – 7pm. 

Exhibition was a 

form, balance and More info podandpod.com.au 

great example of this, 

harmonious line. Her 

highlighting current 

inspiration is found 

concerns but also 

in nature – rocks, 

celebrating the world 

seedpods, shells and 

around us. 

sea sponges. 

Exhibiting artist 

Matt Wilcock’s 

Tara Winona paints 

connection with the 

animals, spectacularly. “My art is an ocean is a bold partnership. 

invitation to connect – to nature, to each “Reclaiming huge steel chains from the 

other and to the deepest truest parts of ocean floor, Matt creates sculptural lines 

ourselves,” she said. “When our eyes meet inspired by water, marine creatures and 

with an animal’s, it is magic.” 

the human need to be connected with 

Her new series ‘Treasures’ highlights water,” said Jennifer. 

animals in danger of extinction – the 

Plus, this year there is a special guest 

paintings, like the animals, fading and artist: Karen ‘Blue’ Stuart. 

reducing in intensity (main image). 

“Blue creates ceramic underwater 

After a few years in Perth, honing her creatures and corals from our reefs, some 

style and perfecting her painting skills, vividly coloured, others pale and delicate,” 

Karen Hick will be showing her sublime said Jennifer. 

beach and seascapes (above). 

* The New Year exhibition runs until 

“Sometimes we forget how special it January 26; opening night is from 6-8pm 

is here,” says Jennifer Hill. “Seeing one on Friday 4 January at Avalon Art Gallery 

of Karen’s contemporary landscapes is a in the Cinema Arcade, Avalon Beach. 

wonderful reminder of the beauty and wild 




Find the ‘Tiny Doors’ 

The hunt is on to find all the 

miniature public artworks 

known as Tiny Doors which 

are located throughout the 

Northern Beaches! 

Tiny Doors is a unique 

grant-funded public art project 

drawing on the creativity 

of local youth aged 12-to-24 

years and featuring a series 

of unique miniature art pieces 

– styled in the form of tiny 

doorways and portals – placed 

in public spaces. 

The project has been 

supported by the Northern 

Beaches Council Library Service 

over the past six months, 

with groups of young people 

working with professional artists 

to create, build and install 

Tiny Doors in suburbs. 

All the Tiny Doors have 

been inspired by a door from 

literature or film, including the 

Chamber of Secrets Door from 

the Harry Potter books, the 

door to Narnia from The Lion, 

the Witch and the Wardrobe 

and the Tardis door from Doctor 

Who. 

There’s also a website with 

an interactive map, plus passports 

filled with information 

to help you in the hunt (available 

from Northern Beaches 

Libraries (including Mona Vale) 

and the Community Library at 

Avalon. 

Find a door, get a stamp 

in your passport and post a 

selfie at #tinydoorsnb 






Results show HSC tutor benefit 

Once again, High School art students 

looking for guidance navigating through 

their Higher School Certificate have 

benefited from tutoring offered by local artist 

Meredith Rasdall and her Visual Art team. 

“We had another fantastic year in 2018, with 

students producing some amazing artwork 

and in particular Lorcan Brondum winning a 

major prize in the northern beaches youth art 

prize as well as being highly commended in the 

Young Archies at the Art Gallery of NSW,” said 

Meredith. 

“And HSC students Zoe Brigstocke and Lydia 

Prandle have been chosen to exhibit at Manly 

Art Gallery’s ‘Express Yourself’ exhibition in 

2019. 

“With HSC tutoring we work closely with 

school art teachers to ensure we achieve the 

best results for our students, while encouraging 

individual expression at all time,” she said. 

“We really encourage students to respond in 

an individual way, helping them gain confidence 

in their artmaking and achieve some 

amazing results.” 

MRVA runs classes for school-aged children, 

high school, HSC students and adults. Teachers 

are all university-trained visual arts high school 

teachers with over 30 years’ experience, including 

HSC body of work marking. 

MRVA are taking bookings for children’s 

holiday art workshops in January at the Avalon 

Rec Centre; a ‘Beach’ canvas painting session 

will be held on Wednesday January 16th from 

10am-12pm while a ‘Fantastic Birds’ printmaking 

workshop is scheduled for Thursday January 

17th (cost $50 each). 

Meanwhile, Term 1 classes for 2019 begin 

on Monday 11th February. Children’s mixed 

media classes run Monday to Wednesday from 

4pm-5.30pm. 

High School student’s classes run in the evenings 

at the Avalon Rec Centre, with HSC and 

senior students on Mondays (6.30pm-8.30pm) 

and Years 7-10 on Wednesdays (6.30pm- 

8.30pm.) 

“Our adult classes are held at the Avalon Sailing 

Club on the shores of Pittwater – a beautiful 

venue to inspire creativity,” said Meredith. 

These sessions run Thursdays 10am-1pm 

with an eight-week term (cost includes most 

materials). 


* For all bookings and enquires phone Meredith 

on 0402 121 184 or email 

meredith.rasdall@westnet.com.au 

Natural 

dyes shape 

fabric of 

Sally’s 

creations 

Textile artist Sally Campbell 

returns to Avalon 

in January with an all-new 

range of creations for 2019 

that feature natural dyes. 

Sally says working with 

flowers, plants and minerals 

has provided an inspirational 

adventure of late. 

“I’ve been able to discover 

new colour shades with each 

fabric dipping – the results 

vary from intense pigments 

in silk to a matte finish on 

cotton or linen and the 

palette changes with time, 

fading exquisitely,” she said. 

She added this year’s designs 

were “very geometric”. 

“They include natural 

dye throws, quilts, scarves, 

cushions, tablewear and 

hand-woven, block-printed 

clothes,” she said. 

“Plus, I have collected 

some rare and unique vintage 

treasures from the nomadic 

Banjara tribe (origins 

in Rajasthan), which have 

been fashioned from dowry 

bags into a contemporary 

range of amazing cushions.” 

Her clothes collection 

includes natural dye shirts, 

trousers, artist smocks, 

hand-woven dresses, and 

slinky slips and nightdresses 

in khadi cottons and silk. 

“Whether you are seeking 

a special throw or a booty of 

cushions, you will discover a 

little something to treasure,” 

Sally said. 

Runs January 5-13 at Avalon 

Rec Centre. – Nigel Wall 

* Info sallycampbell.com. 



Offshore art show 

Re:Publik Café and Art Gallery on Ocean View in Ettalong is 

celebrating its first year anniversary with a special exhibition 

featuring local artists and works from across Australia and New 

Zealand. 

After 12 months of showing 

paintings, sculptures, 

ceramics and fibre art, the 

café has become renowned 

for its amazing art as much 

as great food and coffee. 

Re:Publik recently completed 

a successful two weeks of 

‘Waterline’, an exhibition with 

more than 60 works from 

local artists that included 

etchings, prints, sculptures, 

works of paper mache. 

For the January show, 

Art Director Vanessa Ashcroft has chosen prize winning artists 

Pamela Honeyfield and Jana Hunt, as well as Margie Carew Reid. 

Vanessa has brought a wealth of experience to the café: her 

studio in Patonga is bursting with art works (pictured), ready to 

be hung in Ettalong Beach and her other gallery, Art Gallery on 

Darling in Balmain. 

“It has been a wonderful collaboration and we are looking forward 

to promoting more local artists in 2019,” said café owner 

Catherine McDonald. 

* Open daily from 8.30am; private viewing by appointment 

on 4311 6842. 




Surfing Life 

6 things to reduce risk 

in crowded summer surf 

with Nick Carroll 

Surfing Life 

You don’t have to go out. Not ever. Maybe the surf’s too big or too weird... so listen to yourself 

ook at that kook! Bloody 

“Llearners. So dangerous!” 

I must have heard it 100 

times. It’s a surfing cliche – the 

classic whinge of many experienced 

surfers as they watch 

a novice struggling with the 

waves. 

Thing is, it’s not true! It’s 

not dangerous. We rarely get 

in real trouble in the surf when 

we’re starting out. I think this 

is because the ocean is so awesomely 

good at kicking us out 

of the water. The real dangers 

emerge when we learn to fight 

back. 

A look at the stats over the 

past two decades, both here in 

Australia and around the world, 

shows us two types of surfers 

who are most at risk of serious 

injury or death in the surf. 

Number one: Middle-aged men. 

The main cause of death while 

surfing is heart attack. Sixteen 

surfers have died this way in 

the past three years. Almost all 

have been men between the 

ages of 40 and 60, sometimes 

(but not always) on holiday. 

Maybe they’d have had a heart 

attack anyway, but because it’s 

occurred in a surf zone, where 

the person might drown or just 

not get help quick enough, it’s 

much more dangerous. 

Number two: Skilled surfers 

who run foul of a situation they 

believe to be in their comfort 

zone. These are often, but 

not always, people charging 

extra-mega surf, and they are 

massively over-represented in 

the serious injury stats. They 

may indeed be in their comfort 

zone, but when something 

goes wrong in that zone, it really 

goes wrong. 

I kinda think there is a third 

category here, but it might not 

immediately spring to mind. My 

third most dangerous surfer is 

the one who is unprepared to 

help someone else in a heavy 

situation. Not unwilling – unprepared. 

It’d be nice if I could convince 

us all to do a full CPR/surf 

rescue course. Wouldn’t it? * 

See below for contacts on that 

score. In the meantime, here 

are six really simple things you 

can do to reduce the risk to 

you and others in this crowded 

summer of surf. 

Wear a legrope. Not just 

because your board might hit 

a kid in the shorebreak. Want 

to know the most common way 

that extremely good surfers 

die? They hit the bottom at 

somewhere like Pipeline and 

are knocked unconscious, then 

drown. The big difference between 

them and the ones who 

hit the bottom and are knocked 

unconscious and don’t drown 

is the legrope. The attached 

surfboard “tombstoning” on 

the surface instantly tells 

everyone else that someone’s 

in too deep, and instantly tells 

them where to find the person. 

Without a legrope, the board 

just drifts away, and the person 

is underwater with no sign of 

what’s happened. It doesn’t 

have to be Pipeline either. At 

any time, the legrope may turn 

into a lifeline. 

Oh, and if you are part of 

the ‘cooler than’ crew who feel 

that leash-free surfing is a style 

call or a declaration of your 

personal freedom, congratulations 

and all, but get over it. 

The person you injure with your 

lost board may not be you. 

Health check. If you’re over 

40 years of age, and let’s face 

it, more and more surfers are, 

you’re coming into the group 

which is most over-represented 

in surfing deaths – the heart attack 

crew. Do yourself a favour, 

get yourself properly checked 

out. You don’t HAVE to have a 

heart attack. And you sure as 

hell don’t WANT to have one, 

especially in the water. 

Fix your board. I’m always 

amazed at how often I come 

across fellow surfers bleeding, 

in or out of the water, thanks to 

broken fibreglass. Like, why? 

Listen to yourself. You don’t 

have to go out. Not ever. Even 



PL’s JANUARY SURF CALENDAR 

15-17/1: Rip Curl Gromsearch National Finals, 

Wollongong NSW 

So much fun! So many grommets; 16 and under, 14 and under, 12 

and under. It’s the ultimate school holiday carnage. Should be good. 

23-26/1: Carve Pro (WSL women’s QS1000), Maroubra, NSW 

A lot of good younger women pros-on-the-way in Australia right 

now. This event isn’t big enough to draw in the real hotshots, but 

that’s a good thing for the younger crew. 

On hold: Mavericks Challenge, CA; Eddie Aikau 

Invitational, Waimea Bay, HI 

Spectacular, powerful, frightening locations; surfers who’ll ride 

anything, even if it might kill them. Both these events are kinda 

that simple, with deep added layers of history and myth in the 

case of the Eddie. A good year in the North Pacific makes it very 

likely they’ll both run, so look out. 

NICK’S JANUARY SURF FORECAST 

I’m looking at a long-range chart as I write this. The chart is for 

January 1, 2019, and it purports to show a massive tropical cyclone 

filling almost the entire Coral Sea, spraying half the Australian east 

coast with equal parts rain and very large surf. I don’t know if this 

will actually come to pass, though by the time you read this you 

definitely will – know that is. But the south-west Pacific surface water 

temperatures are off the scale, and the south-east Asian monsoon 

keeps pouring crazy quantities of warm moist air on top of it. At 

some point it’s gonna blow, but when? In between, expect January 

to show us more of December’s form: bursts of heat and north-east 

wind, cooler cloudy south-easterlies, and surf mostly of the winddriven 

variety, with some fun mornings and late evening glass-offs. 

Playful! Just look out for the cyclones. 

if your buddies are all going 

out. Even if you think people 

will make fun of you unless you 

go out. If something just seems 

off to you about a surf situation, 

pay attention to that sixth 

sense. Maybe the surf’s too big 

for you, maybe it’s awkward or 

weird, maybe you don’t have 

the right board – you don’t even 

need to know exactly why. 

Keep your eyes open. There 

was a drowning death recently 

at Duranbah, on the NSW/ 

Queensland border, where a 

young swimmer was sucked out 

through a rip in full view of numerous 

surfers. The surfers did 

nothing, which was interpreted 

as bad attitude in some circles. 

I suspect they didn’t even 

notice what was happening. 

If you’re even a little bit alert, 

you’ll pick up on anything unusual 

– someone being where 

they shouldn’t, perhaps. (You’ll 

probably catch more waves too, 

by the way.) 

Be ready to do something. 

You may not be needed in a 

surf-induced crisis, but don’t 

be the person wallowing 

around wondering. One thing 

that typically prevents people 

from helping in an emergency 


Nick Carroll 

is a fear of legalities – that 

you might be sued if something 

goes wrong. It’s just 

not the case. You’re under no 

obligation to do anything, but 

if you do act, the law provides 

for your level of expertise; 

you’re only expected to do 

what you can, not what a 

paramedic or trauma surgeon 

can. Just calling 000 or alerting 

others can be enough to 

make a difference. 

* The fact is, we can’t rely on 

rescue services. We’re up the 

wrong end of the beach, or 

we’re in Indonesia, or something. 

We have to be our own 

safety nets. If you do wanna 

skill up, here’s two ways: 

Local surf club. The Bronze 

Medallion course takes a few 

weeks. Most surfers will breeze 

through the water skills; you 

will learn heaps about water 

recovery CPR and how to work 

with other people in a critical 

situation. Contact your nearest 

club or look one up at surflifesaving.com.au 

Surfing NSW Runs a course 

called Surfers’ Rescue 24/7 

through its surf school network. 

Look it up at surfingaustralia. 

com 


Surfing Life

Health & Wellbeing 


A very important 

survey to ‘tick off’ 

over the summer 

Pittwater residents have been 

warned to be vigilant in 

checking for ticks following recent 

heavy rains and periods of 

extreme humidity – the “perfect 

storm” for increased prevalence 

of these dangerous parasites. 

New research is being conducted 

to help uncover vital information 

to help council tackle 

the peninsula’s tick problem. 

Casey Taylor, of the University 

of Sydney, has invited 

all residents to participate 

in a short online survey 

to understand more about 

tick occurrence across the 

northern beaches. 

“The survey will reveal what 

wildlife are visiting resident’s 

backyards and what wildlife, 

backyard features and broader 

landscape features might influence 

whether people encounter 

ticks or not,” Ms Taylor told 

Pittwater Life. 

“The survey responses will 

reveal tick hotspots across the 

Northern Beaches – that is, areas 

that appear to have higher 

rates of tick encounters than 

others and we can focus our 

future research efforts there. 

“The results will also give us 

insight into whether the presence 

of particular wildlife or 

backyard features are associated 

with tick occurrence and 

we can investigate this further,” 

she added. 

The survey, part of Ms 

Taylor’s PhD, is another 

step towards learning 

more about these 

parasites. 

“We currently have a 

poor understanding of 

ticks and our research 

will fill in major knowledge 

gaps, including identifying the 

important hosts in the tick life 

cycle,” Ms Taylor said 

“The information we 

gain will contribute to our 

growing knowledge of 

ticks and will guide future 

research efforts.” 

Mayor Michael Regan said 

the research, partly funded 

by council, had an important 

public benefit. 

“Your responses will help in 

developing our understanding 

of ticks in the urban environment 

and will be important in 

helping Council consider tick 

management options,” he said. 

To complete the survey go 

to Council’s website and type 

‘ticks’ in ‘search’. – Lisa Offord 

What you need to know 

Ticks are more troublesome 

during the warmer months, 

between October and January. 

Symptoms from tick bites 

range from localised irritation, 

severe allergic reactions, tick 

paralysis to tick-borne illnesses 

Tick related allergy or illnesses 

are more likely to occur 

from bites of nymph and adult 

ticks. 

Dress for the occasion: 

n When walking or working 

where ticks occur: 

n Wear long-sleeved shirts and 

long pants; 

n Tuck pants’ legs into long 

socks; 

n Wear a wide-brimmed hat; 

n Wear light-coloured clothing, 

which makes it easier to see 

ticks; 

n Brush your clothes to remove 

ticks before coming inside; 

n Use insect repellent, particularly 

ones containing DEET 

(such as RID, Tropical RID or 

Tropical Aerogard or Bushmans) 

or Picaridin (OFF!); 

n Use permethrin-treated 

clothing when exposed to 

ticks (e.g. gardening). 

Ticks can wander for up to two 

hours looking for a place to 

attach. After bushwalking or 

being outside in the garden: 

n Check your body particularly 

behind your ears, scalp, 

groin, and armpits; 

n Change clothing, placing 

unlaundered clothing in a 

hot dryer for 20 minutes to 

kill any ticks; 

n Groom and check pets; 

First aid for tick bites 

Reduce the risk of tick bites 

by following the latest advice 

from the Tick-induced Allergies 

Research and Awareness (Ti- 

ARA) medical research team. 

n Do not scratch anything you 

can’t see; 

n Do not disturb a tick; 

n Kill the tick where it is; 

n Remove the tick without 

compressing it; 

n Do this in a safe setting if 

you have had a reaction 

previously; 

For ticks you can hardly see 

(larval and nymph stage ticks) 

“Dab it, don’t grab it!” (Apply 

permethrin cream) e.g Lyclear. 

For ticks you can see (adult 

ticks) 

“Freeze it, don’t squeeze it!” 

(Use an ether-containing spray) 

e.g. Medi Freeze Tick Off, Medi 

Freeze Skin Tag Remover, Wart 

Off Freeze, Elastoplast Cold 

Spray. 

Remember 

“Household tweezers are tick 

squeezers” 

Do not use old fashioned 

remedies to kill a tick such as 

methylated spirits, alcohol, nail 

polish remover or petroleum 

jelly. Do not try to burn it or 

pull it out with tweezers. These 

methods aggravate the tick, 

causing it to inject more toxic 

saliva into you. – LO 





Reduce sun exposure to 

manage pterygium risk 

pterygium (pronounced teridge-ee-um) 

is a triangular- 

A 

shaped lump of tissue with 

blood vessels that grow from 

the conjunctiva (the thin membrane 

that covers the white of 

the eye) on to the cornea (the 

clear central part of the eye). 

They frequently occur in both 

eyes, usually on the side of 

the eye closer to the nose. A 

pterygium is not a cancer. People 

sometimes confuse pterygia 

with cataracts, but a cataract is 

a clouding of the lens inside the 

eye and cannot be seen easily 

with the naked eye. 

The development of pterygia 

is strongly associated with 

exposure to UV radiation and 

hot, dry environments. Surfers, 

farmers and those who spend 

a lot of time outdoors are more 

susceptible, but anyone can 

develop a pterygium. 

Pterygia are not dangerous, 

but they can cause irritation 

and redness. They may also 

interfere with vision as their 

growth can distort the surface 

of the eye, and if the pterygium 

grows on to the central part of 

the cornea it can begin to block 

light from entering the eye. 

Although a pterygium is 

not dangerous, it should be 

checked to make sure that it is 

not something more serious. If 

you have any area of tissue on 

or around the eyes that changes 

rapidly or that you have not had 

checked previously you should 

make an appointment with an 

optometrist. 

In cases where the pterygium 

is not actively growing on to 

the cornea, protecting the eyes 

from UV light will often stabilise 

its growth. In many cases, provided 

it is not threatening vision 

and it remains stable, this may 

be all that is required. 

If a pterygium causes 

discomfort, eye drops and ointments 

may be useful and your 

optometrist can advise you on 

the use of eye drops to assist 

in making the eye less red and 

more comfortable. 

In cases where a pterygium 

is actively growing on to the 

cornea and threatening to 

distort the vision, the only 

effective treatment is surgical 

removal. This surgery is usually 

performed under a local anaesthetic. 

It is best to have surgery 

before the pterygium progresses 

to the point where it interferes 

with vision. Your optometrist 

can assess the pterygium and 

refer you to an eye surgeon as 

required. 

Optometrists are often 

asked if those with pterygia are 

suitable for contact lens wear. 

Assessment of the individual 

situation is important as these 

cases may require more regular 

contact lens follow-up to monitor 

changes in corneal shape 

that may indicate progression of 

the pterygium and review of the 

ongoing suitability of the fit of 

the contact lens. 

The best way to reduce your 

risk of developing a pterygium, 

or to slow the progression of an 

existing pterygium, is to protect 

the eyes from UV exposure. UV 

radiation can also cause cataracts 

and other eye diseases, as 

well as skin cancers, so reducing 

exposure is a wise move. The 

best ways of doing this are to: 

Avoid the sun – UV radiation 

with Rowena Beckenham 

is strongest between between 

10am and 3pm and we all know 

that staying out of the sun 

between those times will significantly 

reduce your UV exposure. 

Wear a hat – a broad-brimmed 

hat will not only protect your 

head from sunburn, but will reduce 

by at least half the amount 

of UV radiation reaching your 

eyes. 

Wear sunglasses – a good pair 

of sunglasses will reduce the 

amount of UV reaching your 

eyes and cut the amount of 

glare. Wrap-around sunglasses 

are best as they block UV 

radiation that can slip around 

the sides of conventional sunglasses. 

Parents should ensure that 

they protect the eyes of babies 

and children from ultraviolet 

light through the use of hats 

and children’s sunglasses that 

meet the Australian Standards. 

Pterygia can grow back after 

they have been surgically removed 

so it is important to follow 

the recommendations above 

for the prevention of pterygia. 

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. 



All fore one on beaches 

It’s on again – the annual 

Barrenjoey Week of Golf, an 

amateur women’s tournament 

held every February across seven 

Northern Beaches golf courses. 

Organisers are calling for 

entries for the event, which 

runs from February 11 to 15 at 

Bayview, Cromer, Long Reef, 

Manly, Mona Vale, Monash and 

Wakehurst Golf Clubs. 

This year marks the 37th staging of the popular week which 

has attracted thousands of women golfers, including an anticipated 

600 in 2019 from all around Australia (last year women 

from 62 different clubs entered). 

The event kicks off with individual stroke competitions on the 

Monday and Tuesday, with teams of four players on Thursday 

and fun foursomes pairings on the Friday. 

Top amateur golfers are attracted to the event, which is part 

of the Jean Derrin event for low handicappers run by Golf NSW. 

As well as the trophies on offer there’s also a major charity 

raffle with great prizes donated by golf clubs and local businesses 

– with all money going to Manly Warringah Women’s 

Resource Centre. 

The event presentation is held at Mona Vale Golf Club on 

Thursday February 14, including six perpetual trophies presented 

by supportive sponsors including Hire a Hubby and Arcadia 

Pittwater Private Hospital. 

Information and registrations at barrenjoeyweekofgolf.com 






Boost to home 

care services 

is welcomed 

Local aged care experts have 

welcomed the Federal Government’s 

boost in spending, 

including the release of 

10,000 home care packages, as 

a step in the right direction. 

CEO of the not-for-profit community 

led organisation CCNB, 

Gary Jacobson, explained a 

Home Care Package could be a 

person’s ticket to independence 

and choice to stay at home. 

A health and social care organisation 

that connects people 

to the services they need, CCNB 

is a local provider of Home Care 

packages, with a charter to 

ensure clients have access to independent 

and expert information, 

advice and guidance. 

“People over 65 are often 

assessed as eligible for care 

but sit in a long queue waiting 

for a spot in the service system 

to come up… this funding will 

hopefully shorten the wait for 

care for older Australians and 

their families,” Dr Jacobson said. 

Professional aged care advocate 

and Managing Director of 

New Way To Stay, Louise Mace , 

said the push from the government 

to focus on helping our 

elderly stay at home was what 

the sector needed. 

“However, the reality is that 

with the current waiting list for 

Home Care packages standing 

at 127,000, it is reasonable to 

assume that the boost of 10,000 

new packages is unlikely to 

meet the growing demand,” 

Louise said. 

She said the sad truth was 

many people were already dying 

while they waited for their home 

care package to be released. 

“Even more frightening is 

that some are holding off on 

reaching out for essential services 

that will keep them safe at 

home, while they wait for their 

number to be called.” 

Louise said New Way To Stay 

was seeing families incurring financial 

pain themselves, feeling 

they had no choice but to pick 

up the slack for their ageing 

family members, turning to fully 

paid private fees to help them 

stay at home. 

Another issue was the large 

number of people suffering the 

effects of ageing and declining 

health not speaking up to their 

support circles – simply because 

they were terrified of going into 

permanent care. 

“Our advice is always to look 

at all options and seek appropriate 

advice,” Louise said. “If you 

can seek the advice financially 

and practically to enable you 

to put a proactive home care 

plan into place, we encourage 

you to do so ahead of time and 

not in the midst of a health crisis 

or by being solely dependent on 

waiting for a home care package.” 

– Lisa Offord 







January marks a super 

season of Ocean Swims 

With Christmas behind us most families 

are thinking of relaxing while on 

holidays or for some, how to settle 

back into work after a few days off. 

But there is a growing band of people who 

are training hard for the next ocean swim 

coming up in 

Pittwater. In 

fact, throughout 

January there is an 

ocean swim event 

every weekend at 

one of our local 

beaches. 

The swims, part 

of the popular 

Pittwater Ocean 

Swim Series, are 

run by the surf 

clubs at Newport 

(Jan 6), Bilgola (Jan 

13), Mona Vale 

(Jan 20) and Whale 

Beach aka The Big 

Swim (Jan 27). 

According to 

David Madew, one of the Series organisers 

and convenor of the Bilgola ocean swim, the 

Pittwater Series has become a magnet for 

swimmers not only from local areas but in 

growing numbers from regional and interstate 

areas as well as overseas countries. 

“That means you are more than likely to hear 

French, English, Canadian, American, Spanish, 

Polish and many other accents at the beach,” 

said David. 

“Over the years the beauty of Pittwater 

beaches has become better known around 

Australia and for that matter the world and we 

are excited to have so many people visiting. They 

usually bring supporters with them and its great 

for the clubs and of course the local businesses. 

“While the Big Swim from Palm Beach to 

Whale Beach set the benchmark, each of the 

clubs in the Series has built up its own band 

of ocean swimmers who love that they can 

enter a swim every weekend in one of the most 

beautiful regions in the world.” 

These are true ocean swims; each entails 

swimming out 

through the break, 

covering the 

distance marked 

by the swimming 

buoys and then 

returning to the 

finishing line at 

the beach. Ocean 

swimmers say 

there is no sport 

like it, taking on 

the challenges 

of the ocean and 

at the same time 

enjoying the 

meditation-like 

effects of rhythmic 

breathing. 

“Like fun runs, 

some swimmers take their event very seriously 

trying to beat their previous time, while others 

are in it for the sheer enjoyment of participating 

and the health aspects,” said David. 

“Because all the clubs have introduced shorter 

swims to their events, we are seeing a new 

generation of swimmers having a go at the sport. 

Young and old are discovering the exhilaration of 

the ocean and its special health benefits.” 

Entries for each of the Pittwater Series ocean 

swims can be processed at oceanswims.com 

Visitors are welcome to come and see 

what all the excitement is about at each of 

the beaches. Who knows: you might join the 

growing band of ocean swimmers or you might 

see an overseas relative at the starting line! 

– John Guthrie 

BUSY MONTH: There’s an Ocean Swim on every weekend in January. 



Hair & Beauty 

Aspire to a radiant look? 

Stop tanning your hide! 

The Aussie sun and our 

preventing trans-epidermal 

outdoor lifestyle can 

water loss and also resist free 

contribute to the longterm 

radical transportation. For a 

decline of our skin health 

and appearance. The impact of 

the sun can be immediate, with 

sunburn, dryness and itching, 

and affect years later with 

skin cancer, brown spots, red 

discolouration and wrinkles. 

To help protect the epidermis 

from Ultra Violet harm the 

skin is continually producing 

melanocytes. However, as we 

age the skin loses lots of the 

natural resources it needs for 

repair. During summer the 

skin is in a constant state of 

protection, which drains these 

natural resources. 

Therefore, it becomes 

imperative to help replenish 

them and support the skin 

during summer months. This 

is needed both at home with a 

regenerative skin care protocol, 

along with in-clinic treatments 

for a ‘boot camp boost’. 

The goal in the treatment 

room is to combine both 

brightening and skin building 

ingredients which will correct 

sun damage issues. There 

are several skin brightening 

enzymes, acids and hydrating 

formulations to address both 

hyperpigmented and dry, 

creepy skin. Some brightening 

treatments may include the use 

of AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) 

and TCA (Trichloracetic Acid) 

blends. This will assist to break 

down dead surface cells and 

stimulate regeneration. 

Adding a peptide peel will 

support the correction, repair 

and rebuilding of the skin after 

the UV degradation. Melanin 

suppressant formulations then 

work in tandem to brighten, 

provide antioxidant and antiinflammatory 

support. Once the 

skin has been lightly exfoliated 

with the above acid cocktails, 

it is time to hydrate intensely 

with an infusion of hyaluronic 

acid, antioxidants, grape seed 

hydrating serum and growth 

factors via a combination of 

both oxygen and a cooling 

alginate mask. The skin is left 

plump and radiant. 

A home care system should 

be designed to complement 

clinical treatments. 

Cooling spritz formulations 

contain heavy water (D2O) 

which has a heavy molecular 

weight. These will deliver 

moisture deep into the skin, 

potent brightening pigment 

control, turn to ingredients 

like daisy flower, retinol and 

GABA. These may be included 

in products such as a scrub, 

cleanser, toning lotion and 

brightening serum. In addition 

to heavy water formulations for 

deep hydration, the application 

of a hyaluronic serum, grape 

seed hydrating serum and 

a concentrated brightening 

moisturiser can be applied to 

put an end to itchy, dull and 

peeling skin. Colour correction 

is often included in a serum 

formulation applied once or 

twice a day. This can help 

to reduce the brown marks 

created after a day’s sun. Finally, 

one of the most important steps 

with Sue Carroll 

in a daily home care routine 

is protection. Mineral-based 

blockers like zinc will block UV 

rays, while reducing the risk 

of skin irritation following a 

corrective treatment. 

Diagnosing and repairing 

sun-damaged skin is not a 

‘one-size-fits-all’. There are tools 

both at home and in the clinic 

which can help you achieve 

healthy, radiant, youthful skin. 

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 



Business Life: Money 

Business Life 

A familiar investment 

theme for the New Year 

This holiday season in the 

absence of a traditional 

Santa Claus rally on share 

markets, we ask the question: 

is it time to buy the banks? 

Back in 2015 I wrote an 

article about the real reason to 

invest in shares, namely, to acquire 

a share in a rising income 

stream paid back to us in the 

form of dividends. This slightly 

old-fashioned view might have 

come back into favour lately 

with the market correction 

that has been winding 

along since September. I 

notice a lot of recent 

commentary talking 

about how income in 

portfolios can be considered 

a ‘cushion’ 

or a ‘safety net’ 

against market 

downturns, and 

so it is. 

And the shares 

most loved by 

investors in Australia 

for their ability to produce 

rising levels of income are the 

banks. But in their time on the 

market they have also had the 

ability to generate tidy levels of 

capital growth; the question is 

can one or both of these investment 

attributes continue? 

Using Westpac as a surrogate 

for the sector, let me revisit 

what I wrote about the bank 

in my 2015 article: “If you had 

bought Westpac on Friday 13 

May 2011 (before it traded exdividend) 

for $23.59 per share 

you would have received the 

following dividends including 

franking credits: 2011 – $2.23, 

2012 – $2.37, 2013 – $2.77, 

2014 – $2.60 and 2015 – $2.69 

(allowing for an estimated final 

dividend of 95c based on broker 

estimates). Respectively, these 

amounts represent annual 

income returns of 9.5%, 10%, 

11.7%, 11% and 11.4% of the 

purchase price. In terms of price 

history, you would have hated 

me for the tip because the value 

of those Westpac shares fell to 

$17.73 in August 2011 but all 

would have been forgiven as 

they rose to $40.07 by April of 

2015. Currently they are trading 

around $31 per share, which is 

still a tidy 30% capital return on 

the original cost price.” 

To bring us up to date 

Westpac is currently trading 

just over $24 on the ASX which 

is more than 20% off its share 

price levels in late 2015. What 

has been almost comical to 

watch, if it wasn’t so important 

to people’s wealth, is the 

way APRA first directed the 

banks with respect to investment 

lending and second with 

respect to interest only 

loans (as I write this on 

19 December it was announced 

that the cap on 

interest only lending is to 

be removed). Then we have 

a Royal Commission into 

financial services which has 

been the main 

driver for share price declines 

in the sector and now we have 

the RBA being quoted throughout 

the press jaw-boning the 

banks into supporting lending 

so that the housing market 

doesn’t fall into an abyss and 

take the economy with it. The 

banking sector in this country 

represents almost a third of the 

entire share market and with 

negative headwinds from the 

Hayne Royal Commission in 

part explains why our market 

has lagged. 

But I digress; Westpac continued 

to pay dividends of $2.69 

with Brian Hrnjak 

including franking for 2016, ’17 

and ’18 financial years which in 

the example means you would 

have continued to earn 11.4% 

yield on your original investment 

for each of those three 

years to now. But that was a 

five-year example. Looking at a 

much longer time frame, say 15 

years between 2003 and 2018, 

what was the performance? At 

a buy price of $16.25 on 30 

June 2003 with over $33 of 

dividends and franking credits 

during the time frame, you 

have an average annual return 

of something like 19% p.a. The 

reason for choosing a 15-year 

time frame is to have a meaningful 

benchmark to compare 

to such 

as the All 

Ordinaries 

Index 

at 7.4% p.a. 

or the median industry fund 

return at 8.1% p.a. over the 

same period. It’s no wonder 

bank shares have been market 

darlings. 

But that was then and this is 

now and markets are always 

forward looking creatures. Specific 

headwinds for the banking 

sector are numerous. 

The first and foremost is fallout 

from the Financial Services 

Royal Commission. Banks and 

their executives have headlined 

the misdeeds: overcharging, 

charging the deceased, product 



churning, lending to those who 

cannot afford it. The Royal 

Commission is due to make its 

final report by 1 February 2019, 

leaving time for the Banks to 

react before interim results are 

published in May 2019. As the 

Royal Commission concludes, 

sentiment should return as the 

market has priced in what it 

considers are the costs to the 

banks in terms of reparations 

and reputation arising from the 

Royal Commission. Much of the 

past growth came from banks 

investing in wealth management 

businesses – Colonial 

First State and CBA, NAB and 

MLC, Westpac and BT. It will 

be interesting to see where 

bank executives see growth 

coming from to replace profits 

from wealth management and 

insurance. 

The second source of worry 

is the emergence of new competitors. 

On the day I wrote 

this article the Financial Review 

reported the emergence of 

Australia’s first crowd-funded 

bank Xinja which has been 

granted a limited banking 

licence allowing it to accept 

deposits from customers and 

to call itself a bank in Australia. 

In addition to Xinja you will 

start to read about names like 

Volt Bank, 86 400 and Revolut 

entering the Australian market. 

These app-based banks lack 

any bricks and mortar presence 

and interact with customers 

by app or web. The so-called 

neo-banks are poised to enter 

the market following the announcement 

of open banking 

policy reforms aimed at giving 

customers control and ownership 

of their data therefore 


making it easier to switch 

providers and enhance competition. 

Banking will be the first 

sector in the economy to experience 

this reform followed by 

telecoms and energy. It will be 

interesting to see what traction 

these apps ultimately get in the 

local market given that Australians 

are early and enthusiastic 

adopters of tech or if they do 

become a threat will the banks 

just buy out the technology 

and make it their own? 

The third headwind is risks 

to business conditions from 

local or international factors. 

Currently our local business 

and property markets are 

experiencing the equivalent of 

a credit squeeze as banks react 

to regulators and fall out from 

the Royal Commission. Internationally 

markets are experiencing 

volatility from concerns 

about slowing global growth, 

rising interest rates in the US 

and trade conditions between 

the US and China. 

Buying bank shares in the 

face of these headwinds is 

an assumption that things 

can’t get much worse and that 

the market has priced in all 

variables. With our example of 

Westpac trading at 12-month 

lows and the current dividend 

yield more than 11% p.a. it 

could be a compelling proposition 

for those who are risk-tolerant. 

Given there is a Federal 

election due in May with all its 

associated uncertainty investors 

who are more risk adverse 

might accumulate at these 

levels or hold off completely 

until after interim results are 

published in (also in early May) 

and the election decided. 

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

Business Life: Law 

Business Life 

Your digital assets: who 

has access after death? 

As we commence 2019 

it is assumed that most 

readers are digitally connected. 

If not part of the 2.2 

billion people currently active 

on Facebook, then you might 

be part of the 170 million-plus 

group of users on Spotify. 

Similarly, if you are not digitally 

on these platforms, then you 

are quite likely to be one of the 

3 billion-plus people who have a 

personal email account. The fact 

is that most people now have at 

least some items and communications 

stored digitally, either 

on a tangible electronic device 

(such as a laptop or phone) or 

on a third party’s server. This 

might include for example, 

emails, online bank accounts, 

social media profiles and photographs. 

Whatever the case, this 

type of digital footprint means 

that you have what are often 

referred to as ‘digital assets’. 

The question of the definition 

of ‘digital assets’ and the laws 

that affect access to a person’s 

social media accounts and other 

digital assets after they die or 

become incapacitated became 

the basis of a referral by the 

New South Wales Attorney 

General Mark Speakman to the 

New South Wales Law Reform 

Commission early last year. 

The Attorney said: “In today’s 

hyper-connected world, an 

unprecedented amount of work 

and socialising occurs online, yet 

data held in a computer. There is 

no additional requirement of an 

intention to commit another offence 

and no defence of ‘lawful 

excuse’, so that the scope of this 

offence is quite wide. 

n Privacy law: Australian privacy 

law does not comprehensively 

protect the personal information 

contained in digital assets. The 

laws generally regulate the handling 

of personal and/or health 

information by public sector 

agencies, not individuals or corporations, 

and some laws do not 

extend protection to information 

of deceased persons. 

n Property law: Property rights, 

such as the right to use an asset, 

to exclude others from using 

it, and to transfer it to another 

person, may exist in digital assets. 

However, these rights may 

be allocated to service providers 

under the service agreement and 

therefore, a digital asset may not 

constitute a person’s ‘property’. 

n Copyright law: The Commonwealth 

Copyright Act 1968 

recognises copyright interests 

in unpublished works, photographs, 

sound recordings and 

film recordings, and this interest 

lasts for 70 years after the creator’s 

death. However, service 

agreements often restrict the 

intellectual property rights of 

users, which can also affect the 

entitlements of the user’s successors. 

n Succession law: NSW succesfew 

of us consider what happens 

to our digital assets once we’re 

gone or are no longer able to 

make decisions. 

“This is leading to confusion 

and complexity as family, 

friends and lawyers are left to 

untangle digital asset ownership 

issues, applying laws that were 

developed long before the arrival 

of email, blogs, social media and 

cryptocurrency.” 

The review is considering 

relevant New South Wales, Commonwealth 

and international 

laws, including those relating 

to intellectual property, privacy, 

contract, crime, estate administration, 

wills, succession and 

assisted decision making. It is 

also scrutinising the policies and 

terms of service agreements 

of social media companies and 

other digital service providers. 

“Some social networking 

sites allow for an account to be 

memorialised or handed over 

to an administrator after death, 

while others simply close the 

account,” the Attorney said. “The 

Law Reform Commission will 

also look at whether additional 

privacy protections are needed in 

situations where a person hasn’t 

made arrangements for anyone 

to take control of their social 

media or access their private 

emails.” 

At present there is no law in 

Australia that directly addresses 

the access of trustees or family 

members to a person’s digital 

assets upon death or incapacity; 

Laws which may be considered 

in this context include: 

n Contract law: Service agreements 

often contain access 

restrictions and prohibitions 

on password sharing which 

can impede family members 

or trustees from accessing a 

person’s digital assets. These 

agreements may be enforceable 

under ordinary principles of 

contract law, even if a user did 

not read them or have knowledge 

of their terms. 

n Private international law: 

The proper or governing law of 

service agreements is determined 

according to the principles 

of private international 

law. If the proper law is that of a 

state without a statutory access 

scheme, family members and 

trustees may be prevented from 

accessing digital assets. 

n Criminal law: At the Commonwealth 

level and in NSW, 

the criminal law prohibits ‘unauthorised 

access’ to restricted 

with Jennifer Harris 



sion law states that a person 

may dispose of property in their 

will to which they are entitled at 

the time of their death. However, 

whether a person owns a digital 

asset as their ‘property’, and 

whether they are entitled to it at 

the time of their death, typically 

depends on the terms of service 

agreements. 

n Estate administration law: 

The NSW Probate and Administration 

Act 1898 imposes statutory 

obligations on executors 

and administrators to identify, 

collect and distribute a deceased 

person’s assets. Executors and 

administrators therefore need 

access to a person’s digital 

assets even if they are not heritable 

under a will or the rules of 

intestacy, however, they may be 

denied access by the terms of 

service agreements. 

The Law Reform Commission 

(LRC) received its terms of 

reference at the end of March 

and sought preliminary submissions, 

and in August published a 

Consultation paper and sought 

submissions in respect of it by 

12 October. 

In the consultation paper it is 

acknowledged that there is no 

standard definition of ‘digital 

assets’. Adopting a broad definition 

it states “... when we talk 

about a ‘digital asset’... we mean 

any item of text or media that 

has been formatted into a binary 

source and over which a person 

has some form of rights.” 

These examples were given: 

n Personal assets – such as 

email and email accounts, text 

messages, blogs, websites, social 

media profiles and accounts, 

digital music collections, eBook 

collections, digital photographs 

and video sharing accounts 

(such as You Tube); 

n Financial assets – such as 

online bank accounts, online 

purchasing accounts (such as 

Amazon and PayPal) and cryptocurrency; 

n Business assets – such as 

online store accounts (such 

as eBay, Pandora and Spotify), 

customer orders, addresses and 

payment information; 

n Intellectual property rights 

– that attach to assets such as 

domain names and images and 

writing stored on a computer. 

n Loyalty program benefits – 

like frequent flyer points; and 


n Sports and online gambling 

accounts. 

Submissions were received 

from a variety of firms, universities, 

private individuals and the 

NSW Law Society. All had a view 

of the definition of ‘digital assets’ 

but it was a research team 

from the University of NSW Law 

and Business schools who raised 

a number of perhaps interesting 

issues – for example the case of 

water rights in Australia. 

They explained the issue as 

follows: 

‘Water rights are commonly 

rights of access rather than 

simple proprietary rights in the 

thing itself. In NSW, water entitlements 

provide the holder with 

a share or percentage of water 

in a variable consumptive pool. 

Meanwhile, water allocations 

give more specific content to 

entitlements by permitting calculations 

of the actual amount 

of water which the holder is 

entitled to access in a given 

‘water year’. These ‘rights’ are 

enshrined in legislation but in 

NSW they are not deemed to be 

property by the relevant legislation 

unlike some other states. 

In NSW, water access licenses 

(WALs) are recorded in a digital 

register. An executor of a will 

would need to check this register 

if WALS were the subject of 

testamentary disposition. While 

the digitised Torrens register records 

rights in physical land, the 

digitised WAL register records 

rights of access only. 

The work of the LRC is still a 

work in progress and there are 

many other issues to consider, 

including overseas developments 

in the United States – Revised 

Uniform Fiduciary Access 

to Digital Assets Act (2015) 

enacted by most states – and in 

Canada the Uniform Access to 

Digital Assets by Fiduciaries Act 

(2016). The remit is challenging 

and the need for a resolution to 

the diversity of issues important 

and immediate. The final report 

is eagerly waited. 

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

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. 

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, pregnancyrelated 

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 

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. 


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. 




RENOVATIONS CONT. 

Rob Burgers 

Call 0416 066 159 

Qualified builder provides all carpentry 

needs; decks, pergolas, carports, 

renos & repairs. 

BlindLight 

Call Dave 0403 466 350 

Specialists in window tinting 

and glass coatings. Act now for 

summer. 

B & RD Williams 

Call Brian 0416 182 774 

Kitchen and bathroom renovations, 

decks, pergolas. Small extensions 

specialist. 

RUBBISH REMOVAL 

One 2 Dump 

Call Josh 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 

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 

Call Leanne 0490 796 012 

Specialists in leather cleaning, 

revamps, repairs and colour restoration 

for lounges, cars and boats. 

WELLNESS 

Piria Coleman 

Call Piria 0490 499 963 

Learn Tai Chi and Qigong, gentle forms 

of exercise that are both relaxing and 

energizing. Group classes; private 

training by request. Piriacoleman.com 


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. 



the 

good 

life 

clubs & pubs 60 

food 

crossword 

64 

67 

Showtime 

Players stage a new 

‘killer’ production 

Shock... intrigue... 

suspense... and above 

all, comedy – that’s what’s 

in store when the Elanora 

Players’ huge cast take to 

the stage with their new 

production ‘The Bold, The 

Young and The Murdered’ in 

January. 

The contemporary play, 

written by Don Zolidis, 

revolves around the 

dysfunctional cast and crew 

of a cheesy soap opera, ‘The 

Young and the Bold’. 

From humble beginnings, 

the soap has rocketed to 

fame and fortune – however it 

has hit more than a flat spot, 

with its popularity waning 

to the point where drastic 

measures need to be taken 

to help it regain its previous, 

profitable state. 

“It begins with the longsuffering 

director struggling 

desperately with a disgruntled 

and self-absorbed cast, 

uncooperative crew members 

and a pesky new intern to 

realise his creative vision,” 

said the production’s director, 

Robert Longley. 

“Faced with flagging 

viewership and poor 

productivity, he is issued 

an ultimatum by the show’s 

executive producer: complete 

one episode in one night, or 

the show dies.” 

Locked in the studio 

for the night, the underthe-pump 

director sets 

about attempting to corral 

performances from his 

charges, only for people to 

start dying under mysterious 

circumstances. Can the 

murderer be found before the 

show is literally killed off? 

Longley has assembled a 

talented cast of 13 actors 

plus crew to do justice to this 

contemporary comedy. 

The play is being 

performed at Elanora Heights 

Community Centre, 49A 

Kalang Rd, Elanora Heights. 

Performances on selected 

times and dates from 11th 

January to 19th January. 

For bookings, phone 9979 

9694 or email at boxoffice. 

elanora@bigpond.com 

(Bookings are strongly 

advised as this show is 

quickly selling out.) 


Showtime 

gardening 

68 

travel 

72 


Dining Clubs & Guide Pubs 

Clubs & Pubs 

January's best functions, music gigs, events and dining news... 

SWELL TIME AHEAD: GANGgajang (Geoff Stapleton, Buzz Bidstrup, Robbie James, Mark Callaghan and Peter Willersdorf). 

GANGgajang riding 

a new wave of success 

Rock and pop music have been hand in 

glove with the surfing sub-culture for 

decades; in Australia in the late 1970s it 

was Midnight Oil who led the way, before 

the baton was picked up in the ’80s by 

GANGgajang, renowned for their iconic 

anthem ‘Sounds of Then (This Is Australia)’. 

Makes sense then that the band – cofounded 

by Mark ‘Cal’ Callaghan (ex- 

Riptides), Graham ‘Buzz’ Bidstrup and the 

late Chris Bailey (both ex-The Angels) – are 

bringing their distinctive sound to a Northern 

Beaches audience at Narrabeen RSL on 

January 18 (along with fellow popular ’80s 

hitmakers Machinations) as part of their new 

‘Surfing Round The World’ Tour. 

Bidstrup said the tour was to promote 

the band’s new single, released last month 

after several years of germination, and which 

included the bass line of their friend Bailey 

who lost his battle with throat cancer in 2013. 

“The song began life as a jam in the 

encore of our live set – we played it for 

several years before we were asked to record 

it for a special film called ‘Delightful Rain’ 

that featured many other bands and artists 

who have had a connection to surf culture,” 

he told Pittwater Life. 

Earlier this year they revisited the original 

files of the recording and now have edited a 

new version of the song. 

“Of course, Chris is playing bass and it 

has been an emotional journey listening to 

his playing as I edited the new rhythm track 

together,” Bidstrup continued. 

“Thanks to modern technology, I’ve 

cobbled together a track with new vocals, 

guitars, backing vocals and keyboards the 

band members have recorded at home.” 

Bidstrup explained how GANGgajang’s 

music became synonymous with surfing. 

“I was the music director for a mid-’80s 

Quiksilver film called ‘Mad Wax’ which 

featured many of the top surfers of the time 

including Tom Carroll, Kong Elkington and 

Ross Clarke Jones. 

“During the initial meeting to work out 

the music for the film, Peter Webb, a friend 

of mine who was an artist at Quiksilver, kept 

suggesting tracks off GANGgajang’s debut 

album for each spot. 

“By the time we had finished, all the music 

in the film was from GANGgajang! The film 

became a cult classic in worldwide surf 

areas and this introduced our music to ‘surf 

culture’ all around the world.” 

As a special bonus, ‘Mad Wax’ will also 

screen on the night. 

Bidstrup said nowadays the age 

demographic at their gigs was “really wide”. 

“We have been together for over 30 years 

and our music keeps getting played on radio,” 

he said. “There has definitely been a situation 

where our music has been handed down to a 

younger generation, firstly by older siblings 

in the ’80s and ’90s and then through older 

parents and now grandparents!” 

Their ‘Surfing Round The World’ single 

was recorded in studios at Freshwater Beach, 

where in 1915 the father of modern surfing 

– Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku – brought 

surfing to Australia. 

“The tour and single is dedicated to the 

surfers and free spirits of the world – from 

the grommets to the pros and to anyone who 

has ever waxed a board,” Bidstrup said. 


* Catch GANGgajang and Machinations at 

Narrabeen RSL on January 18; tickets oztix. 

com.au 

Avalon 

Beach RSL 

Bistro 61 

1 Bowling Green Lane 

Avalon Beach 

Avalon Beach RSL’s Bistro 61 

is a great place to head for 

a local meal, offering tasty 

modern Australian dishes at 

affordable prices. 

In January, catch the Kerry 

Erwin Celebrity Psychic Medium 

Show on Wednesday 23rd. 

On Australia Day eve catch 

the Chisel Barnes tribute show; 

free entry, kicks off 8.30pm. 

On Australia Day January 26 

there's live music with Aussie 

Boy & mates (3pm to 6pm) – 

and enjoy 1/2 dozen oysters 

for $10 all day! 

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. 

Bistro 61 is open for 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 beer-battered 

flathead – plus they do 

a $5 kids meals on Sundays! 

(There’s a playground, too.) 

avalonbeachrsl.com.au 

Royal Motor 

Yacht Club 

Salt Cove on Pittwater 

46 Prince Alfred 

Parade, Newport 

RMYC’s restaurant Salt Cove 

on Pittwater’s menu has been 

updated for summer – 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 6pm. There 

are some great acts in January – 

see their website for details. 

Head down with the family for 

the Australia Day Brunch & Boating 

Parade on January 26. Starts 

9.30am in the Garden Forecourt, 

with the Parade from 10.30am. 

Book now for the Ladies 

Lunch in February; tennis player 

Susan Alexander will discuss 

her frank, humorous memoir 

'A Spanish Love Affair' – follow 

her journey from Narrabeen 

to centre court at Wimbledon 

and the adventure that led her 

to Spain. (Sponsored by Travel 

View Avalon and Silversea.) 

Tickets $65 members, 

$75 non-members includes a 

2-course lunch with wine.) 

Trivia is held every Tuesday 

night (except Dec 24) from 

7.30pm (great prizes and vouchers 

– 12 years plus). 

Club Boat and Social memberships 

are now available for 

just $160. 

royalmotor.com.au 

Club Palm Beach 

Barrenjoey Bistro 

1087 Barrenjoey Road, 

Palm Beach 

In January, head to Club Palm 

Beach, located a short stroll 

from Palm Beach Wharf, for 

hassle-free holiday dining for 

the whole family. 

There's family trivia every 

Wednesday from 7pm, with 

great prizes! 

Grab some friends and 


enjoy their Cruising Palm Beach 

deal, with a cruise on Pittwater 

plus traditional lunch at the 

club for $25pp. Book now! 

Barrenjoey Bistro is open 

for lunch (11.30am to 2.30pm) 

and dinner (6pm to 9pm) seven 

days. 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), 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. 

clubpalmbeach.com.au 

Pittwater RSL 

Assorted eateries 

82 Mona Vale Rd Mona Vale 

There’s some great live 

music acts coming to the 

Club – including The Screaming 

Jets on January 19, plus 

The Radiators on February 

23; book tickets now on the 

club's website. 

When dining, there's something 

for all tastes and ages 

– at Glasshouse chefs stay true 

to the story of the local area by 

embracing the farm-to tableapproach, 

focusing on where 

food comes from and how it 

is grown and shaping the way 

they cook and create. Open for 

lunch from 12pm and dinner 

from 5.30pm 7 days a week. 

Or relax on the lush terrace 

and enjoy family friendly food 

and great coffee from 9.30am 

from Potter’s café while kids 

play in the indoor playground. 

Potter’s café menu is available 

weekends and public holidays 

from 12pm – 5pm. 

Nonna’s Kitchen boasts a 

menu full of delicious and authentic 

pizzas, pastas, salads 

and starters to leave you full 

and happy. 

The space is warm and 

versatile with intimate booths 

to banquet tables for large 

groups or families. There is 

also a large outdoor terrace 

where you can enjoy your meal 

with a glass of wine overlooking 

the treetops of Mona Vale. 

Open for lunch Thursday to 

Sunday from 12pm and dinner 

Wednesday to Sunday from 

5.30pm. 

For a taste of Asia try Little 

Bok Choy for noodles, fried 

rice, stir fries and made-toorder 

Laksa. 

Check the Club’s website 

for the latest menus and meal 

deals for all eateries. 

pittwaterrsl.com.au 

Dee Why 

RSL Club 

932 Pittwater Rd, Dee Why 

This Month... 

Sunnyboys 

Play Dee Why RSL January 26 

(sold out) and January 27 – 

tickets for their second show 

deewhyrsl.com.au 

Machinations 

Support GANGgajang at 

Narrabeen RSL on January 18; 

tickets oztix.com.au 

Australia Day 

Park House at Mona Vale will 

have an all-Aussie line-up of fun 

including a lamb spit, Frosty 

Fruit cocktail, thong throwing 

competition and a pool pawty 

(for your furry friends). More 

info parkhousefoodandliquor. 

com.au 

Located in the heart of the 

Northern Beaches, this club 

boasts contemporary surroundings 

and an expansive 

menu offering across its six 

bars, four restaurants and 13 

function spaces. 

The club also presents 

terrific entertainment acts. In 

January, shows include Sunnyboys, 

plus tributes Forever Rod, 

Rob Caudill is Rod Stewart, with 

Ashleigh Toole as Cher; ‘Don’t 

Dream It’s Over’ A Tribute To 

Crowded House and Split Enz; 

and The Australian INXS Show. 

The Bistro on Level 2 is a 

great place for an enjoyable 

and affordable lunch or dinner 

with classic café and pub-style 

food. 

At ‘The Asian’, you can 

choose from a menu showcasing 

a variety of wok dishes 

from Hong Kong, Malaysia, 

Singapore and Japan. 

Enjoy the heart of Italian 

culture with antipasto, 

pizza, pasta and contemporary 

cuisine Italian at Aqua Bar & 

Dining. 

‘Flame Lounge & Dining’ is 

where the club stakes its reputation 

on steaks. Order a predinner 

drink from Flame Bar 

(Cocktail of the month is Lime 

Margarita available Sunday – 

Thursday, 5.30 – 7.30pm $10 

members price) and relax in 

oversize lounge chairs listening 

to free live music, seven nights 

a week. 

Sit down to a special menu 

featuring certified Angus and 

Wagyu beef, fresh seafood, and 

superb lamb. Perfect for everyday 

or special occasion dining. 

Dee Why RSL offers a twoyear 

membership for $5. 

Check out their website for 

the latest menus and specials. 

deewhyrsl.com.au 


Dining Clubs & Guide Pubs

Tasty Morsels 

To market, to market... 

Tasty Morsels 

The word is spreading 

among Francophiles 

and lovers of gourmet food 

– boutique destination Le 

Petit Marche in Newport has 

a new look and expanded 

range of delectable treats and 

interesting items under the 

stewardship of new owners 

Julien Flipo and Michelle Worth. 

Nestled in the Robertson 

Road shopping strip, LPM 

(‘The Little Market’) is fastbecoming 

a lunchtime staple, 

offering what the couple 

describe as “truly decedent” 

French rolls. 

“We have three to choose 

from: French butter, blue 

cheese, pear and chorizo; 

French butter, brie and lomo 

(beef tenderloin); and truffle 

brie and iberico ham – or you 

can build your own!” said Julien. 

But it’s a whole lot more 

GRAND PLANS: 

Julien and 

Michelle and 

their beautifully 

curated store. 

than a lunchtime 

destination. 

Since 

taking over the business 

in October the couple have 

worked towards making LPM 

the go-to destination for all 

things interesting and French. 

“We sell mainly French 

products – 80% of the products 

are imported, so you 

can’t find anything like this 

in the whole of Australia, and 

for some items we are the 

only ones that stock it in the 

southern hemisphere,” said 

Julien. 

“You can find French wine, 

amazing French cheeses, 

books, homewares, traditional 

French cakes and treats. 

New eatery at 

Akuna Bay 

As if the relaxing drive and stunningly beautiful National Park 

bushland and water views aren’t enough reason to head to 

Akuna Bay, now this magnificent hideaway is set to boast an 

exciting new bar and eatery, plus boat hire. 

‘Shed’ at d’Albora Marina, Akuna Bay, will offer visitors a relaxed 

dining experience with a contemporary Italian twist when it opens 

in January. 

Their menu is themed on rotisserie meats, fresh seafood and 

antipasti. 

If arriving by boat, call ahead to the marina to secure a berth 

while you dine – or why not stay overnight! 

Those arriving by road will do so through the National Park and 

“New things we have 

introduced include amazing 

quality charcuterie, and 

Michelin star quality pates 

and duck products... bit by bit 

we are turning the shop into 

a deli, slicing amazing cured 

meat like iberico ham, lomo, 

chorizo, and dried pork loin 

in black pepper.” 

They also customise hampers 

and deliver 

Australia-wide. 

Julien’s 

knowledge of 

cheese stems 

from his 

background 

in hospitality; 

he managed 

Michelinstarred 

restaurants 

in France 

and Corsica 

and later New 

Zealand before 

moving to Melbourne to work 

for celebrity chef Shannon 

Bennett at Vue de mond. 

“I became the Fromager, 

involved in the selection 

for the cheese trolley, with 

cheese supplied from all over 

the world,” he said. 

It was in Melbourne that the 

couple met – and theirs is a 

true French love story. 

“We were introduced through 

a friend,” Julien said. “Michelle 

came one evening for dinner, 

I was her waiter and from that 

moment on it was love at first 

sight – we just celebrated our 

six-year anniversary.” 

Michelle has no background 

in hospitality, rather she has a 

strong retail background and 

she has her own business as a 

naturopath. 

“Our strengths and weaknesses 

really complement 

each other,” said Michelle. 

The couple plan to expand 

their services over the summer 

holiday break. 

“We see LPM becoming a 

destination where you can 

take your time, browse and 

find something you didn’t 

know you wanted, but have to 

have,” she said. 

“While shopping in our 

store and discovering unique 

items, you can practise your 

French, enjoy a laugh and 

sample something delicious, 

as we are constantly doing 

ad-hoc tastings. 

“We plan to hold wine and 

cheese tastings every Saturday 

and as we head into the colder 

months we will be conducting 

cooking classes, cheese and 

wine pairings as well as holding 

special dinners.” 

Added Julien: “We have had 

an amazing response since 

taking over – we feel incredibly 

welcomed into the community 

and the support and 

feedback has been amazing. 

“We are excited to build on 

these connections and feel 

really grateful to be doing 

what we love to do.” 


* Find them at 15 Robertson 

Rd, Newport. 

be treated to scenes of our incredible Australian landscape which 

you will then be immersed in once you arrive at Shed Akuna Bay. 

For those without their own boats, d’Albora Akuna Bay now has a 

small fleet of hire boats; it’s a great way to explore the beauty and 

calm waters of Akuna Bay and beyond. (More info – see ad page 8) 



Food Life 

Easy entertaining tips... 

so you can sit and relax 

with Janelle Bloom 


Recipes: www.janellebloom.com.au Photos: Adobe Stock. 

Phew! With Christmas over now it’s time to relax and enjoy 

the limited time off we all have before getting back into 

routines of work and school. An early morning walk followed 

by a beach swim and plenty of down time is how I plan 

to spend this month. However, catching up with friends with 

good food and drinks is also very high on the to-do list – so 

here are some easy, delicious ideas to cover all occasions as 

they present. Best wishes for the year ahead! 

Smoked salmon 

and avocado 

bagel with 

horseradish cream 

Makes 4 

100g spreadable cream 

cheese 

¼ cup crème fraiche or sour 

cream 

1 tbs finely chopped chives 

1 tbs horseradish cream 

4 bagels, split, toasted 

40g salad leaves 

1 avocado, sliced 

250g smoked salmon 

1 cup basil leaves 

1 lemon, cut into wedges 

Caperberries, to serve 

1. Combine the cream cheese, 

crème fraiche, chives and 

horseradish cream in a 

bowl. Season, stirring 

gently to combine. Thickly 

spread over the base of the 

bagels. 

2. Top with salad leaves, avocado, 

salmon then basil. Fin- 

ish with a squeeze of lemon 

juice, then sandwich together 

with bagel top. Serve with 

caperberries if you like. 

Watermelon, 

feta and rocket 

Serves 8 

3kg seedless watermelon, 

chilled 

200g creamy feta, cut into 

cubes 

60g baby rocket 

1 lime, juiced 

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil 

1. Cut the watermelon into 

3cm cubes. Place into a large 

bowl. Add the feta and rocket, 

toss gently to combine. 

2. Whisk the lime and oil 

together, season well with 

pepper then pour over 

the salad. Toss gently to 

coat. Arrange on a serving 

platter. Serve with peeled, 

cooked prawns, barbecue 

seafood or barbecue lamb. 

Greek salad 

bruschetta 

Makes 8 

1 loaf sour dough, sliced 

2 tbs olive oil 

1 garlic clove, halved 

Sea salt & freshly ground 

black pepper 

Topping 

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 

3 tsp red wine vinegar 

3 firm ripe tomatoes, 

chopped 

2 Lebanese cucumbers, 

coarsely chopped 

1 red onion, halved, thinly 

sliced 

1 small red capsicum, 



For more recipes go to www.janellebloom.com.au 

2. Add the apple, 

peach and berries 

followed by sparkling 

Pinot Noir and apple 

cider. Stir to combine. 

3. Ladle the sangria 

into chilled glasses 

(see Janelle’s Tip) 

making sure each 

glass gets good mix 

of fruit. Top with 

mint if you like. Serve 

immediately. 

Janelle’s Tip: On a hot 

summer’s day, half-fill 

glasses with crushed 

ice, then ladle over the 

sangria. 

chopped 

1 small yellow capsicum, 

chopped 

150g pitted Greek olives, 

chopped 

200g marinated feta, coarsely 

chopped 

1 tsp dried Greek oregano 

Handful micro herbs or baby 

rocket, optional 

1. Preheat a barbecue grill or 

chargrill pan on mediumhigh 

heat. Brush both 

sides of the bread with oil. 

Barbecue for 2 minutes 

each side, or until lightly 

charred. Remove to a 

board; while hot, rub one 

side of each piece bread 

with the cut side of the 

garlic clove. 

2. For the topping, whisk the 

oil and vinegar together in 

a bowl. Add the remaining 

ingredients and toss gently 

to coat. Spoon onto the 

bruschetta. Season with 

salt and pepper. Serve. 

Sparkling Sangria 

Serves 6-8 

1 orange, skin washed, 

halved 

2 tbs raw caster sugar 

1 cinnamon stick 

60ml brandy 

1 apple, quartered, cored, 

chopped 

1 white peach. chopped 

200g strawberries, sliced 

80g blueberries 

750ml bottle chilled sparkling 

Pinot Noir, chilled 

1½ cups (375ml) chilled 

sparkling apple cider 

Ice & fresh mint, to serve 

1. Thinly slice the orange 

then place into a large 

bowl, jug or jar. Sprinkle 

over the sugar. Muddle 

with end of a rolling pin. 

Add the cinnamon stick. 

Pour over the brandy. 

Cover and refrigerate 2 

hours. 





In Season 

Nectarines 

Nectarines – or ‘nectar of 

the Gods’ – are a smoothskinned 

variety of peach; they 

can be white- or yellow-fleshed. 

They are classified as either 

free-stoned (meaning once you 

cut them in half the stone will 

simply slip out) or cling-stoned 

(where the firm-textured flesh 

clings to the stone). White 

nectarines have a moredelicate, 

sweeter flavour than 

yellow ones. 

stacking on top of each 

other as this causes fruit 

to bruise. Once fruit has softened 

store in a plastic bag 

in the crisper section of the 

fridge for 2 to 3 days. 

Preparation 

Simply wash in a sink of cold 

water (not under running 

water, as this can bruise the 

fruit). Pat dry – and enjoy! 


Buying 

Selecting can be a difficult; 

the signs to look for if the 

fruit is ripe are fragrant 

aroma when at room temperature, 

highly coloured 

skin (with no green patches) 

and a little ‘give’ when the 

fruit is cradled in hand (don’t 

squeeze the fruit or you will 

bruise it). 

Storage 

Ripe but firm stone fruit will 

soften at room temperature 

in a light cool spot. Avoid 

Also In Season 

January 

Apricots; Berries 

(Blackberries, Blueberries, 

Raspberries & 

Strawberries); Cherries; 

Grapes, Lychee; Mango; 

Nectarines; Peaches and 

Pineapple. Also Avocado; 

Beans (green & flat); 

Cucumbers, Eggplant; 

Capsicum; Lettuce; Peas; 

Radish, Corn on the cob & 

Tomatoes. 

Janelle’s Tip: 

If you are short 

on time, replace 

the home-made 

pastry with 4 

sheets of frozen, 

ready-rolled 

sweet shortcrust 

pastry. 

Macadamia nectarine tarts 

Makes 6 

150g roasted macadamia nuts 

150g butter, softened 

¾ cup caster sugar 

3 eggs 

1/3 cup plain flour 

6 yellow nectarines, halved, 

stoned, cut into thin wedges 

2 tbs white sugar 

Icing sugar and vanilla ice 

cream, to serve 

Pastry 

2 cups plain flour 

150g unsalted butter, roughly 

chopped 

1/3 cup caster sugar 

1 egg, lightly beaten 

1 tbs chilled water 

1. To make the pastry, combine 

all the ingredients in a 

food processor, pulse until 

pastry comes together, 

adding more water if necessary. 

Turn onto a lightly 

floured surface, knead 

gently until base is smooth. 

Cut pastry in half, press 

into a round disk and wrap 

in baking paper. Chill 15 

minutes until firm enough 

to roll out. 

2. Meanwhile, to make filling, 

process macadamia nuts 

in a food processor until 

finely ground. Add butter 

and sugar until pulse until 

well combined. Transfer to 

a bowl, add eggs, one at a 

time, stirring until combined. 

Stir in the flour. 

3. Lightly grease two large 

flat trays. Preheat oven 

to 180°C fan forced. Roll 

each piece of pastry out 

on a lightly floured work 

surface until 5mm thick. 

Use a 15cm plate as a 

guide to cut 3 rounds from 

each piece pastry, pressing 

together and re-rolling as 

required. 

4. Spread macadamia mixture 

over the pastry rounds. 

Top with nectarine slices, 

slightly overlapping. Sprinkle 

with sugar. Place onto 

trays and bake for 30 

minutes or until pastry is 

golden. Dust with icing 

sugar, serve warm or at 

room temperature with 

vanilla ice cream. 



Pittwater Puzzler 

Compiled by David Stickley 

19 Track that lies at the far end of West 

Head (8) 

23 A person who engages in a pursuit 

as a pastime rather than a profession (7) 

25 Put out the latest edition of Pittwater 

Life, for example (7) 

26 Someone who works less than the 

standard hours (4-5) 

28 Revolve rapidly (5) 

29 Sport that can be played at Newport 

Community Centre (6) 

30 Newspaper reporter (8) 

ACROSS 

1 The movement of money into and out of 

a business (4,4) 

5 Buildings designed for human 

habitation (6) 

8 Mental picture (5) 

9 One end of the 199 bus route (4,5) 

12 Essential environmentally-friendly 

item needed by takeaway coffee 

drinkers (4,3) 

13 The apple version of this is a feature 

at Das Bierhaus in Mona Vale (7) 

14 Accumulated wealth (8) 

16 Secret romance (6) 

18 Funny show on TV (6) 

DOWN 

1 Summer sport played at Kitchener 

Park, Mona Vale (7) 

2 Financial record (9) 

3 Suburb that hosts an organic food 

market every Sunday (7,6) 

4 Confirmed in writing (2,5) 

5 Christmas fare (3) 

6 In water sports, what the S represents 

in SUP (5) 

7 A learned person, especially in 

language, literature, etc (7) 

10 (Of vegetation, especially grass) 

luxuriant and succulent (4) 

11 Fun available at Narrabeen RSL (no 

shoes required) (8,5) 

15 Wax collector (3) 

17 Light metal with symbol A l (9) 

18 Don’t go anywhere (4,3) 

20 A sovereign of higher rank than a 

king (7) 

21 Level in an organisation (7) 

22 Feature that inspired the theme 

of a new playground next to Berry 

Reserve (4) 

24 Front part of a stage (5) 

27 Conditions (3) 

[Solution page 70] 

Pittwater Puzzler 



Garden Life 


Delight Echinacea more the amazing than just 

colours a beautiful of hydrangeas 

‘cone flower’ 

with Gabrielle Bryant 

Echinacea 

A 

plants are native 

colours. 

lways a favourite for 

Christmas to North America colour, where 

The Echinacea ‘Sombrero’ 

hydrangeas 

are flowering their 

they have been used by 

pallet of colours is brilliant. 

the native American people for 

These hardy, compact plants 

heads off! They look wonderful 

in the garden, brightening 

centuries for their medicinal 

grow about 50cm tall and will 

purposes. 

form clumps about 50cm wide. 

the semi-shaded areas and 

You won’t find information 

These richly coloured flowers 

glowing in the full, protected 

about its uses amongst old 

can be white, yellow, tangerine, 

sunlight. Once the older 

European herbal remedies 

scarlet or deep red. All have the 

varieties were either pink or 

because it was not extensively 

distinctive ‘hedgehog’ middle. 

blue depending on the soil, 

used until the beginning of the 

Cone Flowers are close 

additional lime will deepen 

20th century. 

cousins of the Sun Flower – 

the pinks and blueing tonic 

Commonly called the ‘Cone 

grow them where they get at 

(sulphate of aluminium) will 

Cherry Guava a 

Flower’ its name Echinacea 

least six hours of sun each day; 

heighten the blues, but the 

sweet Snail 

comes from the Greek word 

they need good drainage and surprise 

new named varieties will 

for hedgehog, to describe the spiky cone-shaped once established are drought-tolerant. 

I 

maintain their colour. White 

control 

n full flower in my veggie 

seed head that forms after the flower has finished. They will grow in any soil type and are tolerant 

never changes. There are 

garden is my Cherry Guava, 

The wild Echinacea flower heads are creamcoloured 

or mauve with dark, tan-coloured 

the North American prairies. 

of humidity, although their natural habitat is on 

hydrangeas of every size from 

sometimes known as a Strawberry 

Guava. This delightful 

a tale of 

the tiny dwarf Piamina to the 

centres. These are used today to make teas, 

You can divide them in autumn or you can 

tall traditional Mop Heads. 

evergreen shrub never fails to 

tablets or throat lozenges to relieve the symptoms collect the seed as it ripens and plant the seeds the tape 

With so many to choose from 

produce a heavy crop of cherry 

of colds and flu (echinacea is a natural antibiotic). in spring; but remember that seed-grown plants 

A 

it is almost too difficult to of the traditional mop heads, that can be two metres tall. guavas fter the in early rain that autumn. has 

In today’s garden Cone flowers are grown in will not usually be the same as the hybrid varieties 

decide. There are the delicate the cone-shaped flowers of The recently introduced 

It half-drowned is a small, pretty our tree gardens with 

cottage gardens, as a border plant, in pots or that are available in garden centres – these are all 

lace caps, the huge blooms hydrangea paniculata bushes smaller growing Picotee rounded, the snails glossy are out green in force, leaves 

window boxes. Plant breeders have worked on grown from tissue culture. 

varieties with two-tone flower that chomping only grows their way to about through 

this very hardy perennial plant and have produced It is fun to grow the seeds – you never know, 

heads are hard to leave behind 

and if you have a semi- 

trimmed Snail bait into containing shape after fruit- 

three every metres tasty new in height. leaf in sight. Keep it 

some wonderfully bright and exciting new 

you might just get a brand new colour! 

shaded wall, the climbing ing. metaldehyde The delicate is poisonous fluffy flowers to 

Wall baskets to hydrangea beautify petiolaris fences is just are lizards, creamy birds white, and other growing wildlife close 

beautiful. 

to the branches. They are followed 

the dying by the snail. tangy Some flavoured, baits are 

I f you have narrow side paths, Hydrangeas or bare timber are forgiving 

fences, it 

that might eat either the bait or 

can be tricky to find a way to cover them. 

plants that are easy to grow. sweet, made with berry-sized, iron and cherry bran; these red 

Climbers need to be planted into pots or garden beds. If 

They like regular water and fruit are very that effective, are high in and vitamin although C. 

pathways are paved or concreted, this can be difficult. Half 

any good garden soil. Mulch Unlike they will the not taller-growing kill animals they deciduous 

may yellow make them guava sick. that needs 

baskets attached to the fence can be the answer. Either in 

the roots with compost to 

full sun or shade, they are easy to maintain. 

keep them cool and feed cooking, Saucers the of fruit beer can will be attract eaten 

Plant them up with hardy plants that will take little time 

them in early spring to get raw and straight drown the from snails, the while tree or 

to look after. In full sun, plant trailing geraniums, seaside 

them going. Grow them in used crushed in cooking, egg shells jellies, make drinks, 

daisies, silver dichondra or succulents that will multiply and 

pots, or in the garden; bring sauces an effective or jams. border that will 

trail over the rim of the baskets. Or or in more shaded areas, 

them inside when in flower discourage You should the protect snails. the fruit 

choose from liriope, bromeliads, stag horns or elks, the 

or cut the blooms – they last from If you fruit want fly with a completely a fruit fly snailfree, 

organic veggie crop then 

bait. 

hardy crucifix orchids, or bird’s nest ferns. 

well in water. 

On-Guard copper tape is the 

Get answer. into Stick the the self-adhesive 

tape round the edge of pots 

‘swing’ of Xmas 

Ior raised beds and it forms a 

barrier 

t is time 

snails 

to relax 

won’t 

and 

cross. 

enjoy 

your 

If you 

garden. 

don’t have 

Look 

raised 

at your 

outdoor 

garden edges 

seating 

you 

requirements 

can apply 

On-Guard 

– the 

snail 

shops 

gel to 

are 

the 

full 

soil. 

of 

amazing 

This will last 

chairs 

for two 

and 

weeks. 

tables. 

Just 

Hanging 

make sure 

cane 

that 

egg 

snails 

chairs 

can’t 

have 

get 

been 

in from 

trendy 

overhanging 

for the 

foliage 

past few 

years 

and that 

and 

the 

now 

area 

the 

is snail-free 

‘Swing 

Seat’ 

before 

is 

you 

back. 

trap 

Nothing 

them inside 

is more 

the 

peaceful 

protected 

than 

area, 

swinging 

as they won’t 

in a 

seat 

be able 

for 

to 

two, 

leave. 

sheltered 

I have trialled 

from 

the 

these 

weather 

products 

with 

and 

a 

they 

roof 

really 

to 

shade 

work! 

from the sun – makes a 

great Christmas present too! 

72 68 DECEMBER JANUARY 2019 2017 


Beware 

Root Knot 

nematodes 

Root knot nematodes thrive 

in sandy soils. These tiny 

microscopic worms live and 

breed in the soil, laying their 

eggs in the roots of plants. 

As they hatch and grow, 

they deprive the affected 

plants of moisture and 

food. Slowly the plants turn 

yellow, stunted and they die. 

Nematodes are a gardener’s 

worst enemy. They grow 

and breed in warm weather 

and long dry spells. Once 

discovered be sure to destroy 

all affected plants. (For 

centuries, gardeners have 

carefully practised crop 

rotation for two seasons, 

leaving a bed fallow for the 

third.) 

Nematodes love tomatoes, 

carrots, peas, beans and 

capsicums. But other crops – 

such as cabbage, cauliflower, 

broccoli, bok choy, Brussel 

sprouts, kale and radish – all 

release a substance into the 

soil that kills them. Rotate the 

crop in the beds and plant 

these varieties thickly. French 

marigolds also kill nematodes. 

Poinciana a plant 

made for the shade 

Our shade 

tree of the 

month has to 

be the scarlet 

poinciana. 

Often 

referred to 

as the Royal Poinciana, the 

spectacular bunches of scarlet 

flowers that completely cover 

the fernlike, bright green 

leaves are unrivalled. 

This broad-spreading tree 

needs space. Given room, it 

grows into a medium sized 

tree of 10-12m in height. The 

branches of smooth, grey bark 

grow out in an almost horizontal 

angle, giving this magnificent 

tree a wide flat-topped profile. It 

is the perfect shade tree. 

As the summer flowers 

that attract the nectar loving 

lorikeets finish, the long brown 


A bed of these, mass planted 

over a three-month period, will 

work wonders. 

Once they’re found there are 

several remedies that will help 

the soil. 

The first thing is to add 

plenty of nitrogen, such as 

animal manure and compost. 

The added nitrogen improves 

the soil balance and encourages 

other types of nematodes 

that will feed on the root knot 

nematodes. It is important to 

keep the soil as rich and fertile 

as possible. 

Another way to eradicate 

them is with solarisation. Cover 

the soil with black plastic and 

the heat of the sun will destroy 

them (although this will also 

kill some of the beneficial 

microbes). 

bean-like seed 

pods appear. 

It is a tree to 

be loved my 

adults and 

children alike. 

The sturdy 

strong branches make it the 

ideal tree for kids to climb. 

Grow it on the footpath or in 

a lawn. The Poinciana is from 

Madagascar. It loves a warm 

humid climate. 

It will not survive winter 

temperatures of less than 7 

degrees celsius. Here on the 

peninsular it thrives, but loses 

its leaves in winter. 

It is wonderful to see how 

these beautiful trees are 

gaining popularity. Many years 

ago they were few and far 

between, but now they are 

frequently planted. 


Garden Life


January 

Jobs this Month 


With Christmas having 

rushed by it is now 

time to tidy, trim 

and feed the garden. Pinch 

back summer annuals to 

give them one last flush 

of flowers before planting 

new seedlings in autumn. 

But a word of advice: wait 

until the cooler days arrive 

to move or cut back trees 

and shrubs. And if you 

have a living Christmas 

tree, take it back into the 

garden, placing it in the 

shade for the first week 

until it reacclimatises to the 

outdoor conditions. (Trees 

can suffer sunburn, just as 

people can.) 

Safe weeding 

Weeds are thriving with the 

warm, humid, wet summer 

days. Once we used Roundup 

as a weed control, but now it 

seems that there are some bad 

side effects from glyphosate, 

use Slasher as a control. This 

is an organic weed killer that 

is made from plant extract. It 

is certified safe and is used as 

an organic crop protectant. It 

works on dry foliage almost 

instantly; weeds are dead 

within a couple of hours. 

Colour 

chart 

Plumbago is a 

shrub that has 

been all but 

overlooked of 

late. The bright 

blue flowers 

of Royal Cape 

are unrivalled. 

Keep it well in 

control and clip it 

regularly. There 

is also a white 

variety and if you 

can find it there is 

a pink; although 

I haven’t seen a 

pink one for sale 

for several years. 

Flower rebirth 

Check out cut flowers. Often 

florists use Cordylines as 

foliage. They outlast other 

flowers in water and if left 

they will grow roots. Daisies 

will produce roots as well. 

Many stems that are sound in 

cut flower decorations can be 

grown and planted into the 

garden. Dip the stems into 

cutting powder to encourage 

new roots. 

Love the lawn 

There are still many hot days 

ahead. Don’t be tempted to 

cut the lawn too short. A very 

hot sun will burn the newly 

exposed roots. 

New veggies 

Pull out any veggies that are 

finishing; it is not too late for 

a last crop of bush beans, 

carrots, tomatoes, lettuce or 

Asian greens. 

Feed me 

Keep feeding hibiscus and 

bougainvillea with a fertiliser 

that is low in nitrogen. Any 

rose food or citrus food will 

keep the flowers coming. 

Gardenias have been amazing 

this year; they are hungry 

in January. Feed them with 

Kahoona and they will flower 

again in autumn. 

Sweep seeds 

Keep fruit fly under control 

by sweeping up fallen cocos 

palm seeds. If left on the 

ground they will begin to 

ferment. Palm seeds can cause 

accidents. They roll under feet 

and cause falls. 

Crossword solution from page 67 

Mystery location: NARRABEEN 



Times Past 

NO CUTTING CORNERS: The 

‘silent cop’ at North Avalon. 

Whatever 

happened 

to our roads’ 

‘silent cops’? 

cops’… ‘submerged 

cops’… ‘sleeping 

‘Silent 

policemen’… ‘poached 

eggs’ or ‘traffic domes’ – call 

them what you will but they 

are becoming rare around the 

northern beaches. 

Interesting though, one 

source of information claimed 

that they had their “… origins 

from the Northern Beaches 

area of Sydney”. 

Another source declared – “I 

got my driver’s licence in North 

Sydney in 1968. I passed ‘first 

go’ but my friend nearly missed 

out. He referred to the metal 

dome in the middle of the road 

as a ‘silent cop’. The overly 

sensitive testing officer was 

not amused and refused the 

boy a licence until he correctly 

named it a ‘traffic bollard’.” 

A ‘silent cop’ was a traffic 

management device in the 

shape of a yellow ‘flat hat’. 

It was in fact a cast metal 

dome and in rarer cases, a cast 

concrete dome was used. 

They were about 400mm 

diameter and 125mm tall and 

painted a bright yellow and set 

in the road surface, sometimes 

secured using galvanised 

bolts. Some of the more ‘up 

market’ versions were set with 

reflective glass beads, also 

called ‘cats’ eyes’. 

The ‘cops’ were located 

in the middle of cross-road 


intersections to get drivers 

to steer around them when 

turning right. They were 

also used at ‘T’ intersections 

to make drivers entering or 

leaving the street stay on the 

correct side of the road rather 

than cut the corner. A perfect 

example of this occurs at the 

intersection of Whale Beach 

Road and Barrenjoey Road, 

North Avalon (top photo). 

‘Diamond turns’ were 

introduced in the 1970s to 

allow approaching vehicles 

to turn across an intersection 

simultaneously and as a result, 

the now redundant ‘cops’ were 

removed from cross-road 

intersections. The Department 

of Main Roads (DMR, the 

predecessor to RMS) appear 

to have shown some sense by 

retaining the ‘cops’ installed at 

some ‘T’ intersections. 

On the advice of Austroads, 

Ku-ring-gai Council removed 

all 70 of their ‘cops’, citing the 

danger to motorcyclists ‘whose 

foot pegs could hit the domes 

when cornering’. (I’d have 

thought had they taken the 

corner correctly, the foot pegs 

would not have made contact 

with the ‘cops’.) 

After around 100 years, 

very few ‘cops’ remain on the 

northern beaches. One of the 

reasons is that they required 

the maintenance of a frequent 

fresh coat of yellow paint to 

be of service in times of poor 

light. 

The accompanying photo 

shows the ‘cop’ which stood at 

the Surf Road and Barrenjoey 

Road intersection and had lost 

all of its yellow. 

Interestingly one of the 

‘cops’ was available on eBay 

recently – with a starting bid 

of $200! 

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

Travel Life 


Luxury golf 

tour of ‘China’s 

Hawaii’ 

They call it “China’s Hawaii” 

for several reasons, not 

the least because it’s a catchy 

name. But also because it 

fits: it’s the same latitude 

as Hawaii; it’s well suited 

to tourism like Hawaii; and 

you can play golf and lie on 

the beach with a drink – and 

repeat – as you can in Hawaii. 

Hainan is about a third the 

size of Tasmania and home 

to nine million people. Once 

a provincial backwater, the 

government has opened the 

place up to golf tourism. Rory 

McIlory and Tiger Woods played 

a lucrative exhibition at Mission 

Hills’ flagship Blackstone 

Course. Their celebrity Pro-Am 

has enticed such names as 

Jessica Alba, Nicole Kidman and 

Michael Douglas. Automatic 

visas are granted to citizens of 

59 golf-playing countries. 

Mission Hills Haikou sports 

10 (count ’em) golf courses 

designed by American firm 

Schmidt-Curley. It’s velvet 

carpet laid over volcanic rock. 

There’s a course called Lava 

Fields. Blackstone was recently 

awarded No.1 resort course 

and fourth best championship 

course in Asia Pacific at the 

2018 Asian Golf Awards. It also 

won best clubhouse. 

The Dunes at Shenzhou 

Peninsula has two 18-hole 

courses, East and West, and 

a composite, and you should 

Google it now. The pictures 

sell the place better than 

words. It’s stunning – like 

Barnbougle on the beach. 

From March 3-11 of 2019, 

Asian specialists China Golf 

Experiences will team up with 

golf writer Matt Cleary to 

present the ‘Two Resort Challenge’, 

a 2-ball teams event 

with caddies, leaderboards 

and competition across four 

stunning golf courses – two 

at Mission Hills, two at The 

Dunes (above). There’s practice 

rounds on Blackstone and 

Lava Fields. There’ll be fine 

prizes and massive banquets. 

Tariff is $2680 twin-share, 

$3490 single and $1230 for 

non-golfing partner and 

includes breakfast, Welcome 

and Presentation dinners, 

internal land transfers and 

eight nights’ 5-star luxury accommodation 

at Mission Hills 

and the Sheraton Shenzhou 

Peninsula. 

* For detail call Matt 

Cleary 0422 557 609; email 

matt@mcgtours.com; and 

check out www.mcgtours. 

com/china19. 





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and availability, room upgrades 

on arrival plus early check-ins 

and late check-outs (all subject 

to availability), value-added 

amenities, daily breakfast for 

two, plus complimentary Wi-Fi,” 

said Gail. 

Benefits also extend to 

cruises, with Travel View 

enjoying partnerships with the 

world’s leading luxury cruise 

lines enabling unique, customised 

at-sea experiences. 

“These include shipboard 

credits, Virtuoso-exclusive 

shore excursions, ‘welcome 

aboard’ receptions, dedicated 

onboard hosts, a private car 

with driver, specialty dining and 

pre-paid gratuities,” said Gail. 

* To celebrate their new Virtuoso 

connection, all new Travel 

View cruise bookings with 

Silversea, Ponant, Seabourn or 

Crystal cruises will receive 

a $150 dining voucher for 

the Royal Motor Yacht Club, 

Newport. More information 

call Travel View Avalon (9918 

4444) or Collaroy (9999 0444); 

also, ask about their fun and 

informative Travel Club.

Pittwater Life January 2019 Issue

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