Pittwater Life March 2017 Issue

sincerely encourage all communities
who believe their
local memorial needs a bit of
love or protection to apply for
a grant,” Mr Elliott said. More
info veterans.nsw.gov.au
Container deposit
deadline extension
The implementation date for
the NSW 10 cent container
deposit scheme has been
delayed by five months following
requests from environment
groups and industry
bodies. The container deposit
scheme will now be rolled
out from 1 December, 2017,
in order to ensure maximum
possible state-wide coverage
from implementation.
“Clean Up Australia and the
Boomerang Alliance, along
with industry stakeholders,
have asked for an extension
of time to make sure the
container deposit scheme
is a world leading program,
from day one,” NSW Environment
Minister Gabrielle Upton
said. “This will be the biggest
initiative to tackle litter in the
state’s history – stakeholder
feedback is vital to get the
scheme right.” The 2015-2016
National Litter Index found
that 49 per cent of litter by
volume was made up of beverage
containers – and 43 per
cent of the total volume was
containers that will be caught
by the NSW container deposit
scheme. Under the scheme,
people in NSW will be able to
return most empty beverage
containers between 150ml
and three litres to collection
points for a 10 cent refund.
The container deposit scheme
will give people a financial incentive
to “do the right thing”
and recycle drink containers
to significantly reduce the
estimated 160 million drink
containers littered every year.
Cook up an
Italian Storm
Are you determined to master
the secrets of cooking risotto?
Head to the Royal Motor
Yacht Club at Newport for
their first Ladies Luncheon
for 2017, with foodie Melina
Puntoriero demonstrating
a 2-course meal for you to
enjoy on the day. Melina
has travelled extensively
throughout Asia, Europe,
South America and Australia,
forming the unique flavour
combinations that highlight
her cuisine. Melina operated
her own restaurant and catering
business for 10 years,
specialising in Italian Cuisine.
In her demonstration,
Melina will take attendees
through the “10 commandments
of a perfect risotto”.
Plus she will deliver a latesummer
twist on tiramisu.
Bookings 9997 5511.
Volunteers raise
funds for hospital
Mona Vale Hospital Auxiliary
volunteers will be out
and about again this month
raising funds to purchase
equipment for Mona Vale
Hospital. Diary dates are: Sat
4th – stall at Pittwater Place,
Mona Vale, featuring sewing,
knitting and craft (from
8am-3pm); Sat 11th – Bunnings,
Narrabeen, sausage
sizzle from 8am-3pm; Fri
17th – stall in the foyer of
Mona Vale Hospital featuring
baking, knitting, sewing,
craft and books (9am-3pm).
Did you know?
Bungan Street General Practice
has changed its name to
Mona Vale Medical Practice.
You can still find them at
Suite 10, 5 Bungan St, Mona
Vale.
Vet
on
call
with
Dr Ben Brown
If your dog or cat has blood
in its urine, if it is urinating
more frequently than normal,
passing only small quantities
of urine or straining then
there’s a chance it could have
bladder stones (or “uroliths”).
These small stones can form
in pets the same way they
form in humans, starting out
as tiny crystals in the urine
that build up over time.
What causes them? Well,
bladder stones may be the
result of many different
factors including a diet rich
in certain minerals, a pet
not drinking enough and/
or bladder infections. Some
breeds of dogs such as
Dalmatians and bulldogs as
well as Burmese and Persian
cats, are simply more prone to
stones than others.
Your vet may be able to
confirm whether your pet
has stones by feeling hard
lumps through the bladder
wall during an examination.
In some cases a urine test,
radiograph or ultrasound may
be needed to see if stones are
present.
If stones are confirmed then
they may either be removed
with surgery, or an attempt
can be made to dissolve the
stone with a prescription diet.
What your vet recommends
will usually depend on
whether your pet needs urgent
treatment, how healthy it is
and what type of stones are
diagnosed by your vet (some
types of stone cannot be
dissolved). Surgery can be the
most effective treatment, with
most pets recovering quickly
within a few days of their
procedure.
If you think your pet could
have bladder stones it’s
important to see your vet as
soon as possible. Bladder
stones can be extremely painful
so it’s essential to get them
treated, as well as to prevent
the formation of any more.
If you’d like to make an
appointment for your pet, our
hospital at Newport is open
every day from 7am to 9pm.
News
MARCH 2017 27