Pittwater Life January 2024 Issue

News
SEEN…
Finally! Well, sort of…
the long-awaited upgrade
of the Eastern section of
Mona Vale Road is undergoing
a soft opening
until Sunday 7 January,
with all four lanes
open between Foley
Street, Mona Vale and
Manor Road, Ingleside.
Transport for NSW
reports the temporary
availability will remain
in place until 6pm on
January 7, after which
time lane closures will
be reinstated until last
works are completed for
an official opening. The
speed limit will remain at 60km/hour during
this period. There will be no changes to the new intersection
of Mona Vale Road, Ponderosa Parade and Samuel Street. For
the latest traffic updates visit livetraffic.com
HEARD…
Good news for NIMBY locals who don’t like the disruption
of Channel Seven TV series Home and Away being filmed at
Governor Phillip Park – from 2024 they’ll be filming more
episodes in other locations. That’s due to the Labor Government’s
decision to amend the producer offset tax legislation,
which provides a 30 per cent rebate to local TV drama
productions. Seven West Media CEO James Warburton told
AdNews that future production of Home and Away would
involve more location filming, including in regional Australia.
Seven chief content officer, entertainment programming,
Angus Ross, said: “More location filming will help
ensure Home and Away maintains its globally acclaimed
production values and will create new work for the Australian
production sector.”… No news is not necessarily good
news, especially in the case of the ongoing vacancy at Avalon
Beach Surf Club’s café and restaurant. We asked Council
for another update on lease developments for the site. They
told us in early December: “Submissions have been received
and these are being negotiated to see if an outcome can be
achieved that is acceptable. If Council accepts a party’s offer
the next step will be to carry out a financial assessment to
determine if the organisation has the financial capacity to
meet the proposed lease requirements.” A follow-up approach
to Council was made on December 22, with no reply.
Another summer’s trade… gone.
ABSURD…
Who would do such a thing? Readers John and Tigi Coplestone
say they received a rude welcome home to Etival Street, Palm
Beach after visiting family in New Zealand late last month. The
couple were left in disbelief and dismay to find that some opportunistic
Grinch had roughly hacked and stolen their prized
hydrangeas, which they had lovingly tended all year – as they
do every year – so they could celebrate the blooms at Christmas.
All up 40-50 white hydrangeas were pinched, presumably
under the cloak of darkness (pictured before… and after).
Particularly galling, say the couple, is the fact they now feel
the need to install security cameras “regretfully, after 30-plus
years in the area”. STOP PRESS: As Pittwater Life went to print
the Coplestones contacted us to report they did indeed install
CCTV cameras, which had subsequently captured vision of
an intruder – a woman around 50, with longer than shoulderlength
blondish hair. The vision has been referred to police.
BEFORE
AFTER
20 JANUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991