Pittwater Life September 2023 Issue

The Way We Were
Every month we pore over three decades of Pittwater Life, providing a snapshot
of the area’s recent history – and confirming that quite often the more things change,
the more they stay the same! Compiled by Lisa Offord
25 Years Ago…
The Way We Were
The Pittwater Artfest was launched.
Organised by a small group of
enthusiastic artists, parents and
teachers (co-ordinated by Meredith
Rasdall) the youth art festival offered
classes, workshops and demonstrations
during the school holidays, discounts
on materials and framing and an art
prize, with entries displayed in local
businesses. In news, Avalon Public
School Band celebrated 25 years of
music making “this makes it the longest
continuously running band program in
New South Wales”; storms in August cost
Pittwater Council more than $1 million
in damage; local netball champion Anne
Sargeant had a Sydney HarbourCat
named after her; the Mayoral Elections
were to be held with the contest shaping
up between Shirley Phelps and incumbent
Patricia Giles and the “wrangle continues over the future
of the cottages at Barrenjoey Lighthouse” with Jervis Sparks
who had rented the assistant lighthouse keeper’s cottage
for more than 30 years embroiled in a battle with the
Commonwealth Government’s Australian Maritime Safety
Authority (AMSA). Jervis with wife Bridget, who worked to
15 Years Ago…
The “amazing talent of the youth
of Pittwater” will be celebrated
during Artfest: “… artists of
Pittwater will donate their time to
work with children to demonstrate
their skills… a highlight will be an
aerosol mural to be created on the
back wall of the Avalon Recreation
Centre replacing the existing faded
one.” The magazine’s “coverboy”
was snowboarder Nathan ‘Nate’
Johnstone: “At 18, Nate has not
spent a Christmas at home since
he was 12, following the snow and
spending much time training in
Breckenridge, Colorado… Nate,
who comes from Mona Vale,
now has his sights on the Winter
Olympics, training as a member
of the Australian Institute of
Sport team with a World Cup
bronze medal already.” In news,
the council elections were to be
held on September 13, with 35
candidates seeking the nine spots
on Pittwater Council; Sydney
Lakeside Holiday Park Narrabeen
was awarded for its excellence
and environmentally friendly
initiatives; Avalon Beach Bowling
and Recreation Club celebrated its
50th year. And MP for Pittwater
Rob Stokes wrote about Sydney’s
public transport network,
observing “… the simple reality is
that we have a chronic shortage of
buses and bus routes in Pittwater.”
restore the cottage from a vandalised
ruin to reflect how life was lived in the
late 1880s, opening it up to the public
for inspections, maintaining the tracks
to the lighthouse, eradicating weeds
“and a whole list of other activities, all
of which were unpaid,” was seeking to
renew his lease for another 10 years on
a low rental “considering that there is no
sewer, no electricity… no windows”. The
AMSA was “making what Jervis considers
to be impossible demands to bring the
house up to Palm Beach standards…” (an
estimated $200,000 worth of work at his
expense) “… so that he can then pay the
government a higher rent.” And, “when
all that is done the AMSA will hand it
over the NSW National Parks and Wildlife
Service.” Advertisements informed
us the first Pentium 11 Laptop under
$4000 (cost $3950) was available; French restaurant Le
Boulevard had two courses with coffee for $25; LJ Hooker’s
David Edwards was selling a three-bedroom home on Whale
Beach Rd for $450,000 and GHR was voted one of the top
three NSW firms in The Sydney Morning Herald Accountants
Survey.
5 Years Ago…
The new Northern Beaches
Hospital was recruiting locals
to fill a raft of roles; “our ecoconscious
Council is considering
investing in an all-electric car
fleet for its workforce” and it had
been two years since Pittwater
Council was rolled into an
interim Northern Beaches
Council – and “one year this
month since we elected our
new councillors”. Our editorial
noted: “Certainly the Pittwater end of the new Council
region has fared well, mainly courtesy of funding set aside
by the State Government to ease the process of easing three
into one. Whether the delivery of infrastructure and services
continues at a rapid pace remains to be seen…” We asked
the six Pittwater and Narrabeen ward councillors, plus
Mayor Michael Regan, to reflect on Council’s first year.
Meanwhile, Avalon Beach SLSC snared the State Club
of the Year Award; the Sydney Academy of Sport and
Recreation at Narrabeen had been earmarked for possible
redevelopment “… complete with international standard
hotel accommodation at the top of the list”; developer
Waterbrook was pushing ahead with a controversial
proposal to build 95 retirement living units at Bayview
Golf Course; Barrenjoey High School celebrated its 50th
anniversary; and iconic restaurant Jonah’s was celebrating
its 90th year.
28 SEPTEMBER 2023
The Local Voice Since 1991