Pittwater Life December 2020 Issue

News
Pittwater News
Continued from page 37
Namona Street at North Narrabeen.
Transport for NSW says
the project is the result of
requests from nearby schools
to improve pedestrian safety
by preventing crossing at
dangerous places. If you have
any queries contact DM Roads
on 1800 332 660.
Stars are out for
feel-good film debut
Avalon film producer Patrick
James’ new feature film ‘Ellie
and Abbie (And Ellie’s Dead
Aunt)’ will make its Northern
Beaches debut at United
Cinemas Warriewood this
month. The charming queer
teen rom com will screen on
Monday December 14 at 7pm,
raising funds for One Eighty.
The event will be hosted by
Australian writer, artist and
social/political commentator
Gretel Killeen and will
feature a post-screening
Q&A session with the film’s
writer/director Monica
Zanetti and cast including
Marta Dusseldorp, Sophie
Hawkshaw and Julia Billington.
The film follows School
Captain Ellie (Hawkshaw) as
she works up the courage
to ask her classmate Abbie
(Zoe Terakes) to go to the
Year 12 formal. When Ellie
accidently comes out to her
mother Erica (Dusseldorp)
her Aunt Tara (Billington) a
lesbian activist from the ’80s
returns from the dead to act
as a kind of fairy godmother
to Ellie, guiding her through
the trials and tribulations of
her first love. The film has
been described as refreshingly
funny, confronting and
heartfelt. Charity One Eighty
said funds raised would go
directly towards vital youth
mental health programs such
as its peer to peer support
group ‘Open Up’ and Community
Training. Tickets ($35)
unitedcinemas.com.au
Enter Ocean Swims
Planning for Pittwater surf
clubs annual series of ocean
swims is well underway with
all swim courses designed
under COVID-safe conditions
and only online entries
accepted. Swims will be held
at Newport (Jan 3), Bilgola
(Jan 17), Mona Vale (Jan 24),
The Big Swim, Palm Beach
to Whale Beach, (Jan 31) and
Avalon (March 21). The Pittwater
ocean swims are critical
fundraisers for the clubs
involved, with funds going
Shane’s NSW
honour
Former NSW Rural Fire
Service (RFS) Commissioner
Shane Fitzsimmons has been
announced as the state’s
Australian of the Year and is
now in the running to take out
the top prize in January. Mr
Fitzsimmons became a familiar
face during the 2019/20 bushfire
season where he was praised
for his empathy and calmness
in an extremely difficult time.
Guiding the state-wide response
including a 74,000-strong crew of mostly volunteers, he informed
the public in daily media conferences, liaised with government
leaders and provided comfort to colleagues and family members
of firefighters who lost their lives. He is now in the running for
Australian of the Year, which will be announced in Canberra
on January 25, 2021. Mr Fitzsimmons joined the NSW RFS as a
volunteer member of Duffy’s Forest Brigade in 1985 while still a
student at Pittwater High School. In 1994 he joined the NSW RFS
full-time, working in a range of leadership positions before being
endorsed as the organisation’s commissioner in 2007 – a role
he held for 12 years. Mr Fitzsimmons announced he would step
down from the role as RFS NSW Commissioner in April to head
up new crisis agency Resilience NSW, which works to prepare the
government for challenges such as bushfires and COVID-19.
towards the purchase of essential
lifesaving equipment
and its maintenance. Entries
for the Pittwater Ocean swims
are now available online at
oceanswims.com
Computer reboot
bonus for Easylink
A volunteer at the Northern
Beaches not-for-profit com-
munity transport provider,
Easylink, has secured 20 computers
and three laptops to
replace the organisation’s outdated
office equipment. Mark
Rankin works as a volunteer
IT consultant to Easylink
in his spare time, but in his
day job he is an IT Manager
at Toyota Finance Australia
(TFA) where he leads the IT
Infrastructure Engineering
and Support team. When
TFA recently upgraded to
brand new computers, Mark
stepped in and instead of
sending their old computers
to metal recyclers, arranged
to have them refurbished to
give them a second life at
Easylink’s Cromer offices.
Easylink provides transport
to 4,500 isolated and vulnerable
members of the Northern
Beaches community, taking
them to important medical
appointments, to the shops
and on social outings. As a
non-profit, they rely on government
funding, community
grants and dedicated volunteers
to operate.
Burgers are best at Monkey Bun
Pittwater RSL’s popular Monkey Bun eatery has been named
a finalist for Best Burger Bar in the 2020 Restaurant &
Catering Hostplus Awards For Excellence. Heading up the
Burger Bar category was a top honour for the crew, who
were committed to using fresh, wholesome ingredients
and making burgers with lots of TLC, said Pittwater RSL
CEO Jason Manning. “Our mission is to make the best
dang burger you ever had, and this is more proof we’re
nailing that brief. It’s also a testament to the commitment,
excellence and innovative attitude of the team here.”
Pittwater RSL has been able to continue to serve its
customers via Uber Eats during lockdown and now five days
a week dine-in. Pittwater RSL was previously named NSW
Finalists in 2018 and 2019 for Best NSW Pub/Club Dining
Restaurant for Glasshouse Restaurant. Since then they’ve
launched The Club House Hotel, an over-18s venue, with
Monkey Bun burgers, beers, ciders and a sunny terrace/
beer garden. This summer the Terrace Bar will make its
debut, with cabanas, bottomless frozen cocktails, live
music and tapas. Winner for best Burger Bar in NSW will be
announced on December 7.
Paddle
empowerment
With a drive to empower
women across Australia to get
out on the water, north shorebased
all-women’s stand
up paddle-boarding (SUP)
community, She SUPS, has
launched 10K Her Way – a
virtual paddleboarding event
held throughout November
and December that encourages
women to complete
10km of SUP in any way they
wish. There is a great prize
pack to be won and the She
SUPs team have pledged to
donate 5% of every registration
to Beyond Blue. More info
at shesups.com.au
Remembrance Day
at Avalon Beach
Remembrance Day was commemorated
in Avalon Beach in
a low key yet meaningful way.
Numbers were limited due to
COVID-19 yet all generations
of veterans were represented.
Avalon Beach RSL Vice President
Tamara Sloper-Harding
said the Sub Branch – which
co-ordinates commemoration
and Remembrance and looks
after the welfare of veterans
past and present - was growing,
with an influx of contemporary
veterans from recent
conflicts being welcomed by
those from past wars. Support
from the general community
and schools has also skyrocketed,
she said.
Vet
on call
with Dr
Brown
Just like humans, dogs can
suffer from an array of knee
problems. The most common
knee problem of dogs is a
ruptured anterior cruciate
ligament (ACL). This condition
can cause significant pain,
resulting in lameness and
reduced activity. If left
unchecked, the arthritis that
can ensue in the joint can be
significantly debilitating.
The ACL is a ligament that
joins the femur to the tibia
and provides stabilisation
for the knee joint in the hind
limbs of the dog. The front
legs of dogs are similar to
our arms and therefore don’t
have a knee joint so ACL
problems only affect the back
legs. Older, overweight pets
tend to be more commonly
affected however the problem
can occur at any age in any
breed. Typically, the ACL
simply wears out due to
calcification of the ligament.
Less commonly, rupture of
the ligament is associated
with an injury from
overexertion during activity,
which is similar to humans
with the same problem.
The best treatment of a
ruptured ACL in dogs is the
same as for active humans
– surgery. Given most
dogs enjoy an active life,
conservative (non-surgical)
treatment often leads to
poor results and significant
problems later in life. Once
a dog ruptures their ACL in
one leg they have a 50-60%
chance of injuring the other
knee joint in the other leg the
same way. After surgery there
is a rehabilitation period of
10-12 weeks before normal
activity can be resumed.
If your dog is limping it is
important to note that this
means they are in pain and
should be checked by one of
our team immediately. Pain
relieving medication can be
given while a diagnosis is
being determined by x-rays
and other tests. If you have
any questions please contact
our team, Newport 9997
4609 or Avalon 9918 0833.
News
38 DECEMBER 2020
The Local Voice Since 1991
The Local Voice Since 1991
DECEMBER 2020 39