Pittwater Life Febraury 2024 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
Following a “global media beat-up with
claims that it has divided the community of
Avalon”, Pittwater Life approached the USbased
producers of Baywatch to outline
their plans for moving the oft-touted
“most-watched TV show in the world” to
Australia and filming at Avalon Beach,
concluding “it is not as bad as many
think”. The show’s producer Greg Bonann
told Pittwater Life the company wanted
to film at “many” Sydney beaches, on
Pittwater and on Sydney Harbour from
April for six months. “We love Avalon
and want to make the Club our base but
we certainly will not be filming there
every week. When we do film, it will
be for two days, sometimes three but
never weekends… when we are there,
there is certainly no suggestion that we
will want to close the beach off to the
public… there is a lot of misinformation out there about our
intentions and actions… if I have an invitation to come to a
meeting and present our side I certainly will.” Bonann added:
“I think this might be a storm in a teacup.” In other news,
Cinema owner Roy Mustaca “who could perhaps be better
described as The Last Picture Show Man” was overseeing
the final touches on the painting of the sky ceiling of his
15 Years Ago…
seventh and largest picture theatre in
Warriewood; Avalon’s “37-year-old Lions’
Club is facing a membership crisis…
losing several older members at a fast
rate.” Pay and Display machines were
installed along the beachfront at Palm
Beach “where parking had previously
been free to generate more revenue for
beachfront improvement” and “a study
is being made of the cliff faces at the
Whale Beach and Avalon rockpools of
rock falls hazards and how to prevent
them”. Readers were introduced to a
cartoon about the philosophical feline
Dharma The Cat and friends created
by Whale Beach resident David Lourie
that “appeared on the Internet about a
year ago… (and)… has developed a cult
following around the world.” The “hits
on the Net are growing daily. By early
January the total was more than 26,000 and the hit rate
has grown from 40 a day last September to an average
of 115 a day in January.” The website had received “16
major Internet awards including Top 10 On The Web.” It
was announced that Pittwater Life would share a monthly
update in its pages on Dharma’s adventures for “non-Net
readers”.
5 Years Ago…
The cover featured Palm Beach Sailing Club’s 2009 Hobie We revealed the plan to have
Youth Challenge... “now a full-scale international event
the Palm Beach isthmus
sailed on Hobie 16s on Pittwater” attracting 80 sailors
designated one of the
from 10 nations including the current World Youth
world’s first Urban Night Sky
Champion local Jason Waterhouse and his crew cousin, parks; the Mona Vale Road
Lisa Darmanin. In news, “one of the largest skateboard
widening works had just
bowls in Sydney – and indeed in Australia – is planned as commenced; there was a
part of an upgrade of Kitchener Park in Mona Vale.” The huge reader response about
skate park was estimated to cost $1.2 million; Avalon
Council’s proposed off-leash
Bulldogs was combining its Registration Day at Hitchcock dog trial on Station Beach;
Park Clubhouse with a
Arcadia Pittwater Private
“Giant League Expo”. And Hospital held an Open Day
“new land valuations from to mark its first birthday,
the NSW Valuer General
while more than 100 beds
will have no impact on
no longer in use at Mona
Pittwater’s rates structure Vale Hospital were being
for 2019-2010 but will
shipped overseas. Council
produce a rise in land
released its strategic
tax.” Meanwhile, David document Towards 2040
Edwards of LJ Hooker
outcome
outlining how it will work to
Palm beach said “there achieve its responsibilities
will not result in a ‘one-size-fitsall’
approach to development
were only 38 sales in
as part of the Northern
the Palm Beach-Whale
District Plan for growth over and concedes the unique nature
Beach area last calendar the next 20 years “but before of some areas of the Northern
year where there would anyone gets red in the face Beaches (cue upper Pittwater)
normally be 100 or more. and starts screaming ‘eight means they are simply not
Of those sales, 28 were storey development’s around suitable to accommodate any
under $3million each”. the corner’… Council says the growth.”
28 FEBRUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991