Pittwater LIfe August 2019 Issue

The Local Voice Since 1991 

AUGUST 2019 

FREE 

pittwaterlife 

THE CHANGING FACE OF MONA VALE 

LARRIKIN SPIRIT – SINGER DAMIEN LOVELOCK SHOOTS FROM THE HIP 

MONIKA’S DOGGIE RESCUE / JOHN STONE RECALLS WOODSTOCK 1969 

PLUS: LOCAL HELP FOR PARENTING TEENS / EARLY WARNING ON TICKS

Editorial 

The month to celebrate youth 

August 12 is International 

Youth Day; to coincide, 

NB Council is running its 24/7 

Youth Film Festival this month. 

There are great prizes (up to 

$5000) to be won, so if you are 

under 25 or if your kids are, 

encourage them to participate 

(see page 18). 

Also, there’s a new youth 

charity on the beaches – SPARK 

– helping young people make 

life-affirming choices. They 

are hosting a big business 

pitch event, similar to TV’s 

‘Shark Tank’, on R U OK day 

(September 12) in Newport 

that is open to young people 

between the ages of 8-23. 

They have a crack panel of 

entrepreneurs and business 

coaches who will award 

hundreds to thousands of 

dollars and 10 weeks of startup 

coaching to the winning 

team. Submissions by August 

15 though, so get cracking! 

More info sharethespark. 

org.au 

* * * 

I 

t only takes one... the ‘fun 

police’ have been out in force, 

intent on causing a stir locally. 

Avalon Bulldogs have been 

the target of noise complaints 

during games at Hitchcock Park 

this season; apparently their 

PA system, used intermittently 

for ground announcements, is 

too loud for some residents; it 

resulted in a Ranger attending 

a game back in April to broker 

a compromise. 

When approached, the Club 

didn’t want to make a big deal 

about it and accepted they 

needed to work with residents. 

But I mean, really? 

Even Council carefully 

worded its response. CEO Ray 

Brownlee told us: “Council is 

mindful of striking a balance 

between reducing excessive 

noise, but at the same time 

allowing crowds to enjoy the 

atmosphere at sportsgrounds 

in residential neighbourhoods.” 

In conclusion, Catch 22. 

– Nigel Wall 


AUGUST 2019 3

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Publisher: Nigel Wall 

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Vol 29 No 1 

Celebrating 28 years 


AUGUST 2019 

FREE 

pittwaterlife 

THE CHANGING FACE OF MONA VALE 

LARRIKIN SPIRIT – SINGER DAMIEN LOVELOCK SHOOTS FROM THE HIP 

MONIKA’S DOGGIE RESCUE / JOHN STONE RECALLS WOODSTOCK 1969 

PLUS: LOCAL HELP FOR PARENTING TEENS / EARLY WARNING ON TICKS 

16 

34 

63 

WALKERS 

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Email: 

pitlifewalkers@gmail.com 

thislife 

COVER: Council is about to splash millions of dollars across 

Pittwater – find out where (p6); Monika’s Doggie Rescue at 

Ingleside is busier than ever (p8); we look at the changing 

face of Mona Vale, from the Hospital to the Mona Vale Road 

upgrade and more (p16); the 24/7 Youth Film Festival is on 

again (p18); readers give their feedback on local issues (p20); 

with top police concerned about the behaviour of some of 

our youth, a new seminar has been arranged to help with the 

parenting of teens (p22); and rocker Damien Lovelock talks 

about his career that started with the Celibate Rifles and has 

spanned almost 40 years (p34). COVER IMAGE: Sam Baker 

also this month 

Editorial 3 

Pittwater Local News 6-33 

Life Stories: Damien Lovelock 34-37 

Art Life 38-39 

Surfing Life 40-41 

Health & Wellbeing; Hair & Beauty 42-49 

Money 50-51 

Law 52-53 

Trades & Services Guide 54-57 

Showtime; Clubs & Pubs 58-61 

Tasty Morsels; Food & Recipes 62-66 

Crossword 67 

Gardening 68-70 

Travel 73-74 

the goodlife 

Restaurants, food, gigs, travel and gardening. 

Also find our regular features on beauty, health, surfing, 

art, local history, our guide to trades and services, money, 

law and our essential maps. 

ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! 

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our SEPTEMBER issue MUST be supplied by 

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Finished art & editorial submissions deadline: 

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4 AUGUST 2019 

The Local Voice Since 1991

Home improvements: Pit 

News 

Pittwater residents and families 

are set to enjoy cleaner 

outdoor areas and better access 

to local childcare following 

a commitment by Northern 

Beaches Council to invest 

more than 75 per cent of its 

2020 Delivery Program Budget 

into community projects. 

Mayor Michael Regan said 

Council would invest $453.5 

million back into the community 

across the next 12 

months, offering a balance 

of high-quality services, key 

projects and infrastructure 

– with local surf clubs also 

among the big winners. 

He said $343 million would 

be allocated to deliver community 

services including 

libraries, childcare, street 

sweeping, mowing and 

maintenance of reserves 

and parks, domestic garbage 

collection and managing the 

natural environment. 

“I’m proud to say that we 

have listened to the community 

and are prioritising the 

areas of need that our community 

has asked for,’’ Mayor 

Regan said. 

“This includes increasing 

our cleaning services in public 

areas and providing more 

childcare places for children 

under three years of age.” 

More than $110 million 

will be invested in new and 

renewed assets across the 

Northern Beaches area including 

surf clubs, town centres, 

playgrounds, sporting facilities 

and sports fields. 

In Pittwater this included 

$7.7 million towards mitigating 

floods on Wakehurst Parkway, 

and coastal erosion at 

Collaroy-Narrabeen; $3.7 million 

to complete the boardwalk 

and start work on the 

new pedestrian cyclist bridge 

over Narrabeen Lagoon; 

and another $3.7 million to 

upgrade wharves at Church 

Point and Scotland Island. 

A whopping $5 million will 

be injected into club upgrades 

and improvements – including 

$2.4 million on upgrading 

Mona Vale Surf Club, $1.1 million 

to upgrade Long Reef Surf 

Club, and an additional $1.5 

million towards improvements 

at other peninsula clubs. 

“Our commitment to improving 

roads and footpaths 

will also continue, with over 

$11 million in upgrades to 

roads, footpaths and kerb and 

gutter and new footpaths,” 

Mayor Regan said. 

“As completion of our 

incredible 36km Coast Walk 

from Manly to Palm Beach 

gets closer, we will invest $3.7 

million to finish the section between 

Newport and Avalon and 

will also be integrating public 

artworks along the path. 

“We’re also very pleased to 

be reinvesting an estimated 

$29.5 million in efficiency 

savings back to our ratepayers 

with new priority 

infrastructure, improved 

service levels and lower waste 

charges for ratepayers.’’ 


Garbage trucks as art 

Council’s new fleet of garbage 

trucks have been impossible 

to miss after officially hitting 

the streets in July. 

Carrying important messages 

in support of White 

Ribbon and reducing single 

use plastics, they also come in 

a rainbow of colours – purple, 

magenta, red, yellow, green, 

teal, cyan, blue and black. 



twater 2020 pledge 

And in an Australia-first, 

the entire domestic waste fleet 

boasts fully enclosed hoppers 

to reduce odour and litter. 

All the trucks have on-board 

GPS technology and video/ 

camera systems, which make it 

easy to locate and track collection 

vehicles in real time. 

“Ultimately the aim is to 

reduce what we dispose to 

landfill,” said Mayor Michael 

Regan. 

Our $110 million cash splash 

Council’s $110 million 

infrastructure splurge will 

feature a raft of local project 

upgrades and investment 

including: 

n Upgrading Mona Vale Surf 

Lifesaving Clubs and repairs to 

other clubs – $5.2 million 

n New creative art spaces in 

Mona Vale and Avalon – $1 

million 

n New netball courts and open 

space at Warriewood, and 

basketball courts at Newport – 

$1.7 million 

n Improvements to the 

playground and showground 

at Glen Street Belrose, 

complementing the synthetic 

playing fields – $2.3 million 

n Works to mitigate floods on 

Wakehurst Parkway, and coastal 

erosion at Collaroy-Narrabeen – 

$7.7 million 

n 25km roads resurfaced, 

8.4km new footpaths and 7.2km 

of existing footpaths renewed – 

$11.1 million 

n Coast Walk art trail and 2km 

new shared paths – $3.7 million 

n Boardwalk complete and 

work underway on a new 

pedestrian cyclist bridge 

over Narrabeen Lagoon – $3.7 

million 

n Upgrades to wharves at 

Church Point and Scotland 

Island – $3.7 million 

n Improvement to traffic 

and active travel facilities 

in Warriewood Valley – $1.2 

million 

n Purchase of environmentally 

sensitive land at Newport to 

protect our biodiversity – $2.5 

million 

n Energy and water savings 

works, e.g. at our buildings, 

fields and street lights – $3.4 

million 

n Works to improve library 

technology, collection and 

sites including Mona Vale – 

$2.2 million 

News 



Monika’s rescue remedy 

News 

Monika’s Doggie Rescue has been saving and 

adopting out dogs at Ingleside for over a decade, 

and with the NSW Government’s ongoing 

reduction in licence fees for rescue dogs, they 

are busier than ever. Story by Rob Pegley 

With a chorus of 

dogs barking in the 

background, I do 

the math in my head, as I 

sit in the morning sun with 

Monika Biernacki: By my 

reckoning she’s probably 

saved over 10,000 dogs. Each 

year at her Ingleside Doggie 

Rescue shelter some 350 

dogs are found new homes 

(there are cats, too). It’s been 

as high as 1000 in a year, 

but these days she often 

deals with bigger and more 

difficult dogs. It’s almost 

like a Doggie Rehab. But it’s 

been a long journey from her 

first dog rescue experience. 

“It started over 20 years 

ago. A colleague had a 

dog that she couldn’t cope 

with and I took it on at my 

home in Turramurra. Then 

I took on another, but I was 

reported by neighbours 

because these dogs were 

really difficult, and the 

Rangers came to visit.” 

And this is where Monika’s 

story really started. 

“The Ranger that visited 

had a real empathy for 

abandoned dogs,” Monika 

explains. “He made my dog 

Pet of the Week in a column 

he regularly wrote in a local 

paper and introduced me to 

the dog pound, and I started 

taking on more dogs.” 

This was pre-Internet and 

so Monika took cheap ads 

in the local press trying to 

foster out more and more 

dogs. She put signs on 

telegraph poles, kept the 

dogs at home, paid vets bills 

out of her own pocket… 

and kept dealing with 

neighbours’ complaints. 

In 2001 Monika became a 

registered charity and gave up 

her job to follow her passion. 

A Current Affair ran a 

story on her and a viewer 

called in to offer space at 

Duffy’s Forest where 20 or 

30 dogs could sleep. When 

the place was bought for 

development she moved 

around – mostly out West 

– like a nomad. It’s not too 

dramatic to say it was a life 

or death situation. 

“Back then dogs were 

dumped at the pound 

and killed quickly if they 

weren’t claimed. Big dogs in 

particular had no chance.” 

Then 12 years ago after 

a long process, Monika 

won the tender to take 

over Pittwater Pound at 

the current Ingleside site. 

It needed a lot of work: “It 

hadn’t been used for a year 

and was in a terrible state. 

And there were no outside 

areas, it was like a prison for 

dogs. We had a huge band of 

volunteers who helped deal 

with the garbage, clean the 

place, build outside kennels 

and put up fencing.” 

These days there are 

around 20 paid casual 

kennel hands and hundreds 

of regular volunteers who 

help. Not to mention vast 

members of the public 

who turn up every day to 

walk the dogs. But there 

is still always the vague 

threat of Monika becoming 

a nomad again if property 

development creeps its way 

out to Ingleside. 

“We look after the place 

well and are good caretakers, 

and the site is still primitive 

in many ways; we have 

power, but have put in 

our own water tanks and 

sewerage system. But we’re 



News 

TO THE RESCUE: Monika Biernacki registered her charity 18 years ago. 

only on a month’s notice still 

after 12 years here.” 

With 8000 Instagram 

followers and 25,000 on 

Facebook, the army of 

helpers is easily mobilised 

these days. One lady is 

driving to Queanbeyan as we 

speak to rescue a small dog 

who is due to be put down. 

Monika has eight dogs 

of her own – “the really 

difficult ones that are hard 

to be taken on by other 

handlers”, she explains. 

In 2016, the NSW 

Government introduced 

half-price pet registration 

fees for animals adopted 

from pounds and shelters 

to encourage would-be 

pet owners to consider 

adopting homeless pets. 

Last year the discount was 

extended to include animals 

purchased from 95 rehoming 

organisations – to date, more 

than 40,000 owners have 

benefitted from $1 million 

dollars’ worth of discounted 


pet registration fees. 

It is now also policy 

that advertisements for 

dogs require a licence and 

microchip number. 

Monika believes both are 

great moves to cut down 

on maverick dog breeders; 

especially the bigger dogs 

which have become more 

common at rescue places 

– purchased as a symbol 

of macho image and often 

quickly abandoned. 

Monika herself shows 

no signs of slowing down 

and can’t imagine not 

continuing her loving work. 

“I’ll continue as long as I 

can. Hopefully another 10 

years at least,” she says. “I 

never get tired of seeing dogs 

adopted by a loving family – 

especially the medically and 

behaviourally challenged 

dogs that we’ve helped get 

used to humans again.” 

By my maths, that figure 

of 10,000 could easily double 

before Monika is finished. 


Woodstock legacy lives on 

News 

It’s 50 years since the iconic 

Woodstock music festival 

in upstate New York 

defined not just the sense of 

hope of the late 1960s, but 

also became the blueprint for 

music festivals, including in 

Australia. 

Billed as “3 Days Of Peace 

& Music”, Woodstock saw 

around 400,000 people flock 

to a 600-acre dairy farm from 

August 15-17, 1969 to hear 

32 incredible popular and 

emerging music acts, including 

The Who, Creedence 

Clearwater Revival, Crosby 

Stills Nash & Young, Janis 

Joplin, Joe Cocker and Jimi 

Hendrix. 

Woodstock’s effect on 

youth and popular culture 

was immense; Rolling Stone 

magazine ranked it number 

19 of the ‘50 Moments That 

Changed the History of Rock 

and Roll’. 

Pittwater musical figurehead 

John Stone said Woodstock, 

which was staged less 

than a month after the moon 

landing and first moon walk, 

had a profound effect on him. 

“I’d just finished school 

and started a University 

Arts Degree. I had also just 

begun my life-long journey 

with music and Woodstock 

featured some of the most influential 

bands on my music 

career, including The Band, 

Hendrix, Creedence, Crosby 

Stills Nash and Young, and 

Santana.” 

Other powerful effects were 

political and lifestyle alternatives. 

“I remember the Vietnam 

war was politicised,” 

John said. “I was due for 

the conscription ballot and 

registered as a CO (conscientious 

objector) and became 

engaged with moratoriums 

and numerous other political 

movements which looked at 

THE TIMES, THEY WERE A CHANGING: John Stone (with Backbeat, second 

from left) remembers Woodstock helped politicise the Vietnam War and 

also laid the foundation for future music festivals including in Australia. 

alternative ways of being. 

“Woodstock projected 

peace, love and harmony. It 

presented alternative ways 

of living and the strength 

of people power – Hendrix’s 

version of the ‘Star Spangled 

Banner’ was a powerful voice 

to oppose US military/ economic 

and social norms.” 

John recalls reports highlighting 

the prevalence of 

drugs at Woodstock. 

“This set a future path for 

the drug culture, with the 

use of numerous drugs for 

recreational, spiritual, sexual 

and reality-escape purposes,” 

he said. 

“The ‘hippie umbrella’ that 

was Woodstock also had 

many ramifications into the 

future. It laid the foundations 

for Narara, Sunbury, Mulwala 



and many other Aussie music 

festivals to the current day 

– such as Bluesfest, Falls, the 

Big Day Out, Homebake and 

Splendor in the Grass, which 

flourish to this day.” 

John said he had reflected 

on Woodstock with good 

friend Milton Brown, who 

came to teach at Barrenjoey 

HS in the ‘70s; he too observed 

many impacts, including the 

long hair, free surfing, music 

tastes and general attitudes re 

the alternatives for a different 

lifestyle. 

“Also, Woodstock was followed 

by an explosion of great 

Australian music. My own 

band, Barnaby Rudge, heavily 

influenced by The Band and 

Bob Dylan, played every Friday 

night at Palm Beach RSL, 

Saturday at the Chatswood 

Charles and Wednesdays at 

Drummoyne Rowing Club 

throughout the mid-70s. The 

music of Woodstock was pivotal 

in our performance and 

composition.” 

He said the Hendrix sound 

became “the sound of rock 

guitar”. 

“All Along the Watchtower 

gave lyrical legitimacy to 

heavy rock guitar,” he said. 

“Also, The Band, with songs 

and stories of culture and 

home, set the tone in Australia 

for bands like The Dingoes 

and Greg Quills Country 

Radio. 

“It was truly a memorable 

festival that laid strong foundations 

for many experiences 

over the past 50 years, probably 

captured best and beautifully 

by Joni Mitchell’s song 

‘Woodstock’.” – Nigel Wall 

* John Stone’s band Backbeat 

are playing loclly in September; 

on the 13th at the Kave 

Bar in Newport and 22nd at 

the Avalon Bowling Club. 


Urgent call for Telstra suburb upgrade 

demand has been made for Telstra to 

A immediately upgrade phone reception at 

Cottage Point following the tragic death of a 

local resident. 

Mackellar MP Jason Falinski said the local 

suffered a heart attack and his wife had to alert 

neighbours to call for help before returning to 

her husband to perform CPR; however, sadly 

the man died before the ambulance arrived. 

“This is the last straw – a man has died, and 

his wife was unable to call for an ambulance 

as there was no mobile phone reception,” Mr 

Falinski said. “Telstra need to stop stuffing 

the people of Cottage Point around. It doesn’t 

matter that they may be a small community; 

they are worth just as much as people living in 

the CBD.Andrew Penn [Telstra CEO] needs to 

respond immediately and provide them with 

phone reception.” 

Cottage Point is home to over 100 residents 

as well as a Rural Fire Brigade, Marine Rescue 

Station and the Kuring-Gai Motor Yacht Club. 

Mr Falinski said he had made numerous 

requests to Telstra over many years to have 

the landline switchboard equipment upgraded 

from an out-of-date 4 E1 Microwave Radio 

transmission system. 

“The current infrastructure in Cottage Point 

is old and in extremely poor condition. Every 

time there is a storm, it requires specialists to 

repair it. This often takes days, leaving residents 

not only without mobile phone reception 

but also their landlines. This is unacceptable.” 

Mr Falinski has made representations to the 

Minister of Communications, Paul Fletcher, as 

well as the CEO of Telstra Andrew Penn. Mr Falinski 

has also set up a petition on his website 

to gain community support for Cottage Point’s 

desperate need for phone reception. 


AUGUST 2019 11 

News

News 

148 new beds for local aged care 

Aged care accommodation and services 

on the upper Northern Beaches will be 

boosted by 148 new beds within the new Opal 

Seaside retirement village in Warriewood. 

Mackellar MP Jason Falinski and Northern 

Beaches Mayor Michael Regan recently turned 

the first sods on the development, which is 

the 6th Opal care home in the Sydney North 

region. 

Mr Falinski said the provision of aged care 

had come a long way and improved immeasurably 

over the past two decades. 

“When I first started working in aged care 

some 20 years ago, I remember walking into a 

retirement home and the first thing I noticed 

was the strong smell of ammonia and how 

unhomely these places used to be,” he said. 

“Today, retirement homes resemble a 6-star 

resort more than they do a hospital and we 

have come a long way.” 

Upon completion Opal Seaside will be a 

148-bed aged care home with a total investment 

of $48 million. The home will include 

a dedicated memory support unit providing 

dementia care as well as exercise areas and a 

‘reablement’ clinic. 

“It’s fantastic to see such excellent investments 

into aged care facilities,” Mr Falinsi 

said. 

“Our seniors deserve to enjoy their retirement 

and as Northern Beaches residents move 

into their next stage of life, it is nice to know 

they can be well looked after here on the 

beaches and not have to move to the North 

Shore or other parts of Sydney.” 

The Opal Seaside facility will also include 

a coffee shop and an al fresco dining area, 

an entertainment lounge, hairdressing and 

beauty salon as well as gardens and general 

courtyard areas. 

The facility will follow the 24-hour, 7-days-aweek, 

nurse-led care model. 

– NW 

6THINGS 

THIS MONTH 

Avalon Craft Cottage. 

Beautiful hand-crafted items 

including warm woollen scarves, 

socks, hot water bottle covers, 

items for babies, woodwork, 

greeting cards, patchwork 

quilts, jewellery & collectables 

and succulent gardens made 

with love by 18 talented locals 

will be available for sale at 

Warriewood Square for one week 

until Sun 4. Every customer will 

receive a colourful bookmark in 

celebration of the ACC group’s 

50th birthday. 

Car boot sale. Grab a bargain, 

some yummy food and be 

entertained at the car boot sale 

in the grounds of Pittwater High 

School on Sun 4 from 7.30am- 

1.30pm and help raise funds 

to send the schools talented 

musicians on an instrumental tour 

of America in 2020. 

Kierans Creek care. Enjoy the 

great outdoors and help restore 

an important waterway and 

wildlife corridor by joining Kierans 

Creek Landcare group on Sat 10 

(and every second Saturday of 

each month) from 9am-12pm at 

the rear of St Anthony in the Fields 

Church, 46 Myoora Rd Terry Hills. 

Contact annelanyon@gmail.com 

Author talk. Barry Eaton, TV 

and Radio presenter, qualified 

astrologer, psychic and medium 

with discuss his new book Past 

Lives Unveiled at the Avalon 

Library on Sun 18 at 3pm. Book 

now at the library or call 9918 

3013. Tickets $7. 

Rock platform tour. Sea 

stars, sea hares, elephant snails, 

limpet and crabs are some of the 

creatures that call rock platforms 

home – pay them a visit on a 

guided tour hosted by experts 

on Sat 31 from 1.30pm-3.30pm. 

Bookings essential through the 

Coastal Environment Centre. 

Save the date. Social 

commentator Jane Caro AM will 

be guest speaker at the Zonta 

Club Northern Beaches October 

dinner celebrating 100 years of 

advocacy on Monday Oct 21 at 

Dee Why RSL. Look for details 

this month including bookings 

(this will sell out quickly) on 

Zonta Northern Beaches website 

or Facebook. 



View the changing 

Hospital transformation continues 

News 

Demolition of Mona Vale 

Hospital’s main building 

has commenced, as part of 

the NSW Government’s $600 

million investment to transform 

the delivery of health services 

on the Northern Beaches. 

The demolition of the building, 

which was built in the early 

1960s, and the former nurses’ 

accommodation, started in mid- 

July with an expected completion 

date of the end of 2020. 

NSW Health Minister Brad 

Hazzard reaffirmed the Government’s 

decision to demolish 

the hospital’s main tower rather 

than retain and renovate due to 

safety concerns over asbestos. 

Health Infrastructure 

investigations into Asbestos 

Containing Material (ACM) have 

informed the decision to remove 

the buildings, given they 

no longer comply with current 

Australian Standards and the 

Building Code of Australia. 

This remains at odds with 

the views of community groups 

including Save Mona Vale Hospital 

who say their independent 

advice was the asbestos would 

be manageable during any 

refurbishment. 

However, Mr Hazzard told 

Pittwater Life that was not an 

option. 

8 YEARS ON: Aerial views of the Mona Vale Hospital campus in 2011 (left) and 2019 (right) show the change of the 

health services footprint, including the Community Health Centre and Rehabilitation Unit. 

“Minister Stokes and I have 

walked through the main tower 

with management and seen the 

exposed asbestos... if something 

could be done to manage 

and maintain the building we 

would but our advice is it can’t, 

it’s dangerous and it has to 

come down,” he said. 

“But it presents the local community 

with an opportunity – 

it’s an investment in the future 

of the area.” 

He said that following the 

opening of the Northern 

Beaches Hospital and the progression 

of the transformation 

of Mona Vale Hospital campus, 

with the construction of various 

new services, planning had now 

reached a stage where further 

services could be considered. 

Importantly, the hospital and 

land remained in government 

ownership for complementary 

health and medical services 

which were being sought via the 

Expressions of Interest. 

A Health Infrastructure 

spokesperson said construction 

was now complete on the Urgent 

Care Centre, Support Services 

Building and the drug and alcohol 

rehabilitation service. 

Construction had commenced 

on the specialist geriatric 

evaluation and managment 

unit and dedicated palliative 

care unit with work scheduled 

to commence on the new ambulance 

station. 

“Construction of the new 

NSW Ambulance station will be 

completed in 2021,” the spokesperson 

said. “The Ambulance 

station will include parking 

bays for up to eight ambulance 

vehicles, administration, office 

areas and amenities, on-site 

staff parking, a logistics and 

storage area and a dedicated, 

fit-for-purpose medication room 

to store and access restricted 

medications.” 



face of Mona Vale 

Pittwater MP Rob Stokes said the 

transformation of Mona Vale Hospital 

would ensure high-quality, 

integrated healthcare services were 

delivered within contemporary, 

purpose-built facilities. 

Upon completion of the Expressions 

of Interest process the existing 

masterplans for the campus 

would be revised. 

“Over recent years we’ve seen 

millions of dollars flowing towards 

infrastructure improvements at 

Mona Vale Hospital and this process 

is ongoing,” Mr Stokes said. 

“Almost 400 NSW Health staff 

are employed at Mona Vale Hospital 

and it continues to provide dozens 

of essential medical services to 

our community. 

“As announced in late 2016, 

the next phase of the hospital’s 

redevelopment includes introducing 

an even broader range of health 

and medical services by partnering 

with private and community health 

service providers.” 

He said this type of partnership 

arrangement was quite common in 

the NSW public hospital system. 

“Respected not-for-profit operator 

HammondCare has partnered 

with the NSW Government to 

provide outpatient palliative care 

services at Mona Vale Hospital for 

the past 12 years,” he noted. 


Roadside asbestos dumping revealed 

Decades of illegal dumping of dangerous 

asbestos and other building and 

construction materials have been uncovered 

over the past six months by crews working 

on the Mona Vale Road East upgrade. 

Work started in January to remove 

vegetation and rubbish from the project 

alignment ahead of the start of major work 

upgrading 3.2km from two lanes to four lanes 

between Manor Road and Foley Street. 

However, a Roads and Maritime 

spokesperson told Pittwater Life that a 

substantial amount of unexpected asbestos 

containing soils, building debris and other 

general rubbish had been identified and 

cleared. 

All work involving the removal of the 

asbestos had been carried out in strict 

compliance with Safe Work NSW guidelines; 

it was not known how the investigation and 

clearing was likely to impact the project 

budget. 

“Asbestos was widely used in a range of 

building and construction materials up 

until 1987 and had been found on work 

sites throughout NSW due to widespread 

poor disposal practices in past decades,” the 

spokesperson said. 

“While the discovery of asbestos has slightly 

impacted the project schedule, the upgrade is 

still on track to be completed in 2022.” 

The spokesperson said vegetation and 

rubbish clearing would be complete in the 

coming months before major work began. 

“The community will continue to be 

kept informed as work on the upgrade 

progresses.” 

– NW 

Art Space start still 18 months away 

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan 

has told Pittwater Life that a timeline for 

the redevelopment of the Mona Vale Civic 

Centre site to accommodate the new Creative 

Space North has yet to be developed in detail; 

however, it was envisaged that it would not 

commence construction until late 2020. 

“Council is working to the timetable for 

the creation of the Mona Vale Creative Arts 

Space, as outlined at Council’s meeting in 

February,” Mayor Regan said. 

He added the internal refurbishment 

at the Art Space’s supplementary site, 

the Avalon Golf Club House, was likely to 

commence within the next 12 months. 

“This would be subject to planning 

requirements as this is a heritage-listed 

building,” he noted. 

“Council continues to engage with the 

Creative Arts Space North Advisory Group 

to ensure the local artist community 

and key stakeholders are involved in the 

development of these exciting new arts and 

creative spaces.” 

More at yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw. 

gov.au/culturalspace 

– NW 

News 



News 

Young f ilm-makers 

‘shoot for the moon’ 

The 24/7 Youth Film Festival 

is on again in August, 

with budding young filmmakers 

encouraged to put their 

creative talents on the line and 

shoot and edit seven-minute 

film entries that win or not 

will end up on the Big Screen at 

Hoyts Cinemas. 

This year is the 18th running 

of the 24/7 Film Festival, 

co-ordinated by Northern 

Beaches Council and open to 

12- to 24-year-olds; the project 

includes the competition 

launch, a technical workshop, 

the competition weekend, two 

screening nights at Hoyts, plus 

the all-important finals night. 

There are two categories: 

Under-18s and Open. 

Youth Development Officer 

Alexandra Tierney said the 

technical workshop at Council’s 

Dee Why Civic Centre on 

Wednesday August 14 would 

help entrants refine their film- 

making skills in preparation for 

the competition weekend on the 

weekend of Saturday/Sunday 

23-24 August. 

“The film-making workshop 

is designed for all levels – you 

can bring along your camera or 

even your phone if that’s what 

you’re going to use.” 

Alexandra said the only 

rigid entry requirement was 

that films needed to include 

elements as set by Council 

staff – including phrases, items, 

a location and a secret rule – 

which would be revealed on 

the first day of the competition 

weekend. 

“Then the challenge is on! 

Entrants will find out the secret 



FUN WITH FILM: Stills from Charles 

Dejean’s award-winning 24/7 Youth 

Film Festival works, shot on the 

Northern Beaches. 

rules they must use in their 

seven-minute films, and submit 

their films by Sunday 10am. 

Teams must register ($50 

per team) and complete 

indemnity forms for each 

member to confirm entry into 

the festival – which offers a 

range of products and cash 

prizes up to $5000. 

All film entries that meet 

the criteria are screened at 

Hoyts over two nights, with 

the top 10 films that are up for 

a prize shown at Hoyts for the 

Finals Night. 

Charles Dejean, whose films 

have won the past two Open 

categories, advises anyone 

contemplating entering this 

year’s competition to “find your 

voice, know what story you 

want to tell, and be extremely 

organised.” 

The 22-year-old from Frenchs 

Forest won’t be attempting 

a ‘three-peat’ in 2019 as he’s 

currently travelling overseas 

but told Pittwater Life he was 

looking forward to congratulating 

finalists and winners on 

Finals night. 

“In filmmaking it is common 

knowledge that whatever can 

go wrong, will go wrong, so 

prepare for it!” he said. 

“But at the same time, be flexible. 

Allow for objects, phrases 

and secret rules given by the 

festival’s organisers to be incorporated 

in your script. 

“Allow the story to breathe 

and evolve during the 24 hours 

– I can guarantee that your final 

product will look nothing like 

what you had planned in your 

head. 

“But most importantly, have 

fun with it. It’s one of those 

things that judges can smell 

on your film, whether it be a 

labour of love, or a labour of… 

labour.” 

Charles said the challenge of 

making a film in under 24 hours 

was obviously restrictive and as 

a result somewhat daunting. 

“However, that very time limit 

made me feel like I didn’t have 

to step too far out of my comfort 

zone to produce a film,” he said. 

“Those limitations meant that 

I needed to use what I already 

have at the reach of my fingertips, 

literally, in the space of 24 

hours. 

“I have always been passionate 

about films… the way 

they are constructed to create 

a common feeling (or division) 

for the audience… how light, 

lenses and camera angles, setting, 

performance, and sound 

influence certain emotions and 

evoke calculated responses in 

viewers.” 

He said it was important for 

entrants to surround themselves 

with committed team 

members. 

“Often opting to be an army 

of one in my earlier days of 

filmmaking, I kept my teams 

to a minimal, only bringing on 

the best actors I could find,” 

Charles said. 

Ambitious by nature, he said 

the 24/7 Youth Film Festival 

had taught him that everything 

he needed to tell a story was 

within arm’s reach. 

“Whilst I am not producing 

CGI-heavy sci-fi in such a short 

amount of time, I’ve found the 

joy in telling larger stories in 

a smaller world, like a microcosm,” 

he said. 

“I would encourage anyone, 

whether they be keen on filmmaking, 

just interested in film, 

or even looking to have some 

fun with your friends over the 

weekend and find an excuse to 

stay up all night, to sign up to 

this year’s film festival.” 


News 



News 

Locals have a say… 

Here’s some reader feedback on current issues 

across the Northern Beaches Council region… 

Rate hikes ‘dubious’ 

I thought I would share this 

with you as an example of a 

ratepayer who was agreeable 

to the idea of the amalgamation, 

has never agitated 

against the amalgamation, is 

still supportive of the amalgamation, 

but whose confidence 

in the model is on the wane – 

if we have staff and Councillors 

who are not striving to 

have amalgamation benefits 

translate into efficiencies that 

can be measured by way of at 

least modest rate reductions. 

Council’s case for its $4.5m 

rate rise was unclear and 

unconvincing. Over 10 years, 

amalgamation savings are 

said to be $160m. Intuitively, 

it seems wrong to be reaping 

the benefit of the recent 

structural savings, yet at 

same time hitting up ratepayers 

for more rates. 

The benefits of amalgamation 

should be returned 

to the community by lower 

rates. Revenue pressure is a 

good thing that should not 

be feared. It drives efficiency 

and requires talented staff to 

perform to the best of their 

abilities. Printing more money 

is never a good look, and always 

smacks of desperation. 

Are we in a desperate state in 

NBC? It doesn’t seem like we 

are. We employ a workforce 

of something like 1,800. This 

massive human resource 

should mean we have the 

flexibility to do everything 

we could want to do. 

Let’s set an example for 

other Council areas to follow 

– let’s show them that the 

upheaval of amalgamation is 

translating into rate reductions, 

rather than the easy 

way out of dubious rate hikes. 

[Name withheld] 

Palm Beach 

Mona makes sense 

As an interested party who 

attended all the workshops 

and Council forums for the 

proposed North Arts space, 

let me applaud the decision to 

re-purpose the existing Council 

offices in Mona Vale to a 

much-needed and necessary 

exhibition and creative centre 

to cater for the Northern peninsular 

community. 

Mona Vale village was 

always a leading contender 

in the preferred shortlisted 

sites along with other sites in 

Avalon, namely the Annexe in 

Dunbar Park whose current 

users mounted a loud and effective 

protest to the Council, 

which may or may not have 

influenced their final decision. 

As far as the Avalon Golf 

club site was concerned it 

failed to meet some of the key 

requirements for a successful 

ongoing Exhibition Art Centre 

POLARISING: the Station 

Beach offleash dog trial. 

that was visible and accessible 

for the whole community 

including children. However 

I am pleased that this site is 

now being considered for Artist’s 

residencies, workshops 

etc, which in my opinion is a 

good example of better use 

of the space beneath the golf 

club providing facilities for 

workshops and teaching areas. 

I wish to commend the 

Council’s process of consultation 

and involvement with the 

artists community with this 

process and now look forward 

to a fantastic Art Centre in the 

Mona Vale village centre, which 

can showcase some of the most 



talented and under-represented 

artists in our area. 

Wayne Howard 

Newport 

Bring it on! 

Originating from Avalon now 

residing in Mona Vale, I do feel 

for the Avalon art community 

and Avalon Preservation Association; 

however Mona Vale 

council chambers is the most 

opportunistic location for the 

Art Space for all the reasons 

identified in your article in 

April: location, people traffic, 

public service amenities, 

transport, shops etc. 

I do trust that the arts community 

in Avalon come to realise 

the benefits of exhibiting 

in Mona Vale. Their shift is minor 

compared to the benefits 

in store for them. I wish them 

well during any transition. 

The sooner the better please 

Northern Beaches Council! 

Angela Goodwin 

Mona Vale 

Offleash concerns 

Responding to the article on 

the “dog buffer zone” in July: 

I have concerns about mixing 

unleashed dogs and children 

in a well-used recreational 

beach. There were 800 dog 

attacks in NSW last year, which 

is quite substantial. I have 

enjoyed taking my family to 

Station Beach for 50 years but 

my two-year-old granddaughter 

was menaced by three 

unleashed dogs recently while 

swimming with me at Station 

Beach as various owners called 

out “don’t worry, they won’t 

bite”. Regardless, she is now 

very fearful of dogs and we 

don’t go there anymore. But 

others do, including tourists 

with children. I wonder why 

relatively isolated North Palm 

Beach was not considered for 

this trial? It is primarily used 

by adult surfers, there’s plenty 

of parking and there is a natural 

sand dunes buffer. 

Cherie Cherchod 

Palm Beach 

‘Buffer’ laughable 

Your article on the Station 

Beach offleash trial in the 

July issue sounds like a skit 

from Monty Python directed 

by ‘Yes Minister’. They can’t 

be serious, expecting dogs 

or humans measuring “three 

metres landward” or a “50 

metres on-leash buffer zone”. 

This is absolutely crazy! 

What has happened to 

sensible majority views and 

decisions? How have wellorganised 

minority protest 

groups (usually with too 

much time on their hands) got 

so much power? 

How come Americans can 

take their dogs into National 

Parks, pubs and even pharmacies 

and still have time 

to build some of the world’s 

biggest and most innovative 

businesses which barely 

existed 10-20 years ago? 

Richard Mason 

Mona Vale 

News 



Experts unite to assist w 

News 

A 

top police officer’s plea 

to parents earlier this 

year about the deterioration 

of behaviour of teenagers 

on the northern beaches 

triggered a wider discussion 

in many circles about the 

challenges facing local families 

with tweens and teens. 

So, armed with the firsthand 

knowledge that more 

parents than not strived to 

be the best they could be and 

were open to learning more, 

Church Point mum-of-two 

Liesel Edis founded Parenting 

Teens to connect relevant 

professionals with parents. 

Liesel was moved to use her 

professional skills to organise 

a seminar for parents after 

Northern Beaches Commander 

Dave Darcy penned a powerful 

letter about the rising 

tide of violence and drug use 

among a core group of local 

teenagers. 

It also follows heightened 

concerns by bus drivers 

about occassional attacks and 

drunken and unruly behaviour 

by some teens, resulting 

in some drivers refusing to 

pick up large groups late at 

night. 

“It’s easy to feel completely 

overwhelmed as the parent of 

a teenager and it’s important 

to know you are not alone,” 

Liesel said. 

“Many parents are concerned 

– and they want guidance 

and support in raising 

their teenagers to become 

confident, resilient people. 

“Many parents I talk to 

however don’t actually know 

So many questions! 

How often do you ask yourself… 

n Where did my gorgeous young child go? 

n And who has taken up residence in my child’s body? 

n What are they doing on social media? 

n How do I know if they’re being bullied at school? 

n Should I help them more with their schoolwork? 

n When should they get their first job? 

n How do I talk to them about sex and relationships? 

n What do I do if they seem depressed or start talking about 

suicide? 

n A kid showed them what on the bus?! 

n Would I know if they were taking drugs? 

n Should I let them drink at their friend’s party? 

You are not alone; and you may find the answers you are 

looking for at the Parenting Teens guest speaker event. 

where to go, or who to speak 

too,” she said. 

A recent Parenting Teens 

survey found the primary 

concern for Northern Beaches 

parents with teenagers was 

their kids’ mental and physical 

wellbeing, followed closely 

by resilience. 

Of the 75 responses 

through the online survey, 

third on the list of concerns 

was social media and gaming, 

followed by drugs and 

alcohol, then cyber safety and 

pornography. 

Coping with stress at school 

and in the home came in at 

number six. 

“We were all teenagers 

once, but in a very different 

world,” Liesel said. “Some of 

the most challenging influences 

facing young people 

today include anxiety, cyber 

safety, self-harm, and the 

stresses of a teenager are 

escalating, even here on the 

beautiful Northern Beaches.” 



ith parenting teens 

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: 

Liesel Edis started Parenting 

Teens to connect relevant professionals 

with parents. 

This September, Parenting 

Teens will host a one-day 

event where parents and carers 

will hear from mentors, 

practitioners and community 

leaders about the issues facing 

our local teens. 

Speakers include: 

Best-selling author, Mental 

Health and Wellbeing advocate 

Matthew Johnstone; 

Dr Kristy Goodwin, who 

will help take the guess work 

out of raising kids in the 

digital age; 

Child Self-Esteem Coach 

Pauline Pollard, who incorporates 

simple effective techniques 

that bring you and 

your child back into alignment 

with feeling confident, 

self-assured and passionate. 

The “Cyber Safety Lady” 

Leonie Smith, who will talk 

about New Apps/Games to 

be aware of, Social Media/ 

Messaging safety and privacy; 

also what others see about 

you and your family online, 

plus Cyber bullying, Avoiding 

online scams and more; 

Child and adolescent 

psychotherapist Dianne 

Lavender, who enjoys working 

closely with parents in helping 

to shape resilient, caring 

and self-aware teens; 

Psychologist Gabriela 

Bilibio, who specialises in 

treating adults and adolescents 

with mood disorders, 

anxiety, trauma, bereavement 

and eating disorders; 

and a special guest from the 

Northern Beaches Police Department 

will also attend. 

“Our hope is parents will 

leave the event uplifted and 

confident about the road 

ahead,” Liesel said. 

Parenting Teens 2019 will be 

held on Saturday September 7 

from 10am - 4pm at Manly Golf 

Club, 40 Balgowlah Rd, Manly. 

Seats are limited and tickets 

(Cost $120) are available now 

at parentingteens.com.au 

– Lisa Offord 

Determining 

your child’s 

readiness to 

start at school 

Starting school is a big 

milestone both for children 

and their parents and there 

are many factors to consider 

when deciding whether your 

child is ready to embark on 

this exciting journey. 

Many parents focus on 

school readiness factors such 

as the ability to write, say 

the alphabet or rote count. 

However, these skills are 

just part of the picture, says 

Oxford Falls Grammar School 

Principal Dr Peter Downey. 

“When deciding if your 

child is ready to start school, 

it is really important to consider 

a much broader suite 

of skills and behaviours,” Dr 

Downey said. “These include 

your child’s social skills, 

emotional maturity, language 

and vocabulary, cognitive 

ability, physical health and 

coordination, independence 

and self-help skills.” 

This was because children 

needed to be able to cope with 

far less adult contact and 

guidance than in a pre-Kindergarten 

setting, particularly 

in the playground. 

Mr Dickinson said Oxford 

Falls GS operated a Kindergarten 

program that aimed to 

make a child’s start to schooling 

a seamless, successful 

and happy one. Their teaching 

and learning programs 

were research-based with a 

strong emphasis on inquiry, 

play and age-appropriate 

learning. Also, outdoor 

spaces with specially designated 

Kindy – Year 2 play 

areas allowed for the fostering 

of friendship, play and 

exploration. 

* Experience OFGS on a 

school tour www.ofgs.nsw. 

edu.au/enrol or email Karen 

Rose (Head of Kindy – Year 3) 

karenr@ofgs.nsw.edu.au. 

* Also, in August, St Luke’s 

Grammar School is staging 

a series of ‘School Readiness’ 

Discovery mornings 

for 3- and 4-year-olds at their 

Bayview (2nd, 14th & 26th) 

and Dee Why (9th & 15th) 

campuses. More info stlukes. 

nsw.edu.au 

News 



Comment 

News 

‘Break it down’: together 

we can make difference 

In a world plagued by distressing 

news, consistent environmental 

disasters and precarious 

world politics, experiencing life 

as a teenager is definitely hard 

work. Today, just by the touch 

of our fingertips, we can access 

the largest library of human 

thought on almost any question 

in the world – yet it can still 

be difficult to find the right 

answers. As a young person 

living on the Northern Beaches, 

I wanted to share my thoughts 

on how to navigate this new-age 

world and how young people 

are making change on our very 

own doorsteps. 

On May 3, I was honoured to 

MC and perform at the School 

Strike 4 Climate demonstration 

whose platform was to vote 

Tony Abbott out of the federal 

seat of Warringah. Young kids 

to older-aged supporters all 

came down to stand up for 

their futures and to call on politicians 

to take action to reduce 

climate change. People from 

the Beaches turned out in huge 

numbers and it filled me with 

hope, as it’s the passion and 

drive of our youth that keep our 

community stronger than ever. 

It’s the actions of these people, 

who manage to persevere 

through the negative comments 

and naysayers, that give our 

Northern Beaches its spirit and 

who shine a light when things 

seem a little dark. 

It can be hard to digest all 

that’s going on and know what 

kind of actions you can take 

when everything seems so 

overwhelming. How can I walk 

along Narrabeen beach without 

thinking about the pollution 

in the oceans? What good is 

homework when so many kids 

are without an education? I hear 

this kind of mentality often 

echoing through the halls of 

high schools, but my biggest 

advice to people my age is: 

you must break it down. There 

is much opportunity to do 

your bit, to find like-minded 

people, from Operation Straw 

to Council’s ‘Keep A Look Out 

For’ (KALOF) events, to advisory 

groups and marches. Your age 

shouldn’t hinder your ability 

to make change; it gives you an 

edge. It sets you apart for your 

ability to see things with new 

and fresh perspective, to look 

for solutions to problems created 

generations before. 

By Eliza Lo Russo 

Young people are an often 

untapped reservoir of talent, 

ideas, consultations and innovation, 

and with their input, 

our community benefits as 

a whole. With International 

Youth Day on August 12, it’s 

an important time to reflect on 

the contributions young people 

make to enhance global society 

and particularly, in your lives. 

Take these next couple of weeks 

to say thanks to the young 

people in your community who 

care about making a difference. 

After all, it takes hard work to 

save the world when you’ve got 

a curfew! 

* Eliza Lo Russo, 15, is co-chair 

of the Northern Beaches Youth 

Advisory Group, a United Nations 

Youth advocate, climate 

activist and public speaker. 



SEEN… 

Reader Caren Young was excited to hear Council’s statement 

that it was phasing out using glyphosate-based weedkiller 

spray; when she saw a Council contractor spraying last month 

she commended them on the new common sense approach. 

However, she reports she was told by the worker that his 

company had been contracted to use, and were still using, 

‘Round-up’. Hmm. Let’s look again at what Council told us last 

month: “We have recently successfully trialled an alternative 

organic product for weed control and are currently substituting 

it for the glyphosate-based product.” So, what does Council say 

this month about Caren’s revelation? “Council is continuing to 

review alternatives to glyphosate-based products. This includes 

notifying our contractors of our concerns and discussing a 

wide range of options to be able to effectively control weeds. 

This process will be ongoing as we move toward phasing 

out glyphosate-based products.” Sounds to us like stocks of 

glyphosate will be used until they run out... 

they preferred a more casual experience than the ticketed 

marquees. “Businesses failed to embrace what was handed 

to them on a platter – premium community-benefit events 

such as ‘Polo by the Sea’ cannot survive on ticket sales alone,” 

he said. “Unless high-end local businesses seize the day and 

utilise such events for client entertainment, brand promotion 

or as a sales platform, events like these have a bleak future on 

the Northern Beaches.” Gazecki said he hoped his comments 

would not be perceived as “sour grapes”. “However, I would 

be doing the local community a disservice if I failed to frankly 

disclose the reasons for having to relocate, after the event was 

unable to break even over the past five years.” 

ABSURD..? 

HEARD… 

Glamourous social event ‘Polo by the Sea’ will not be returning 

to Palm Beach in January. Founder Janek Gazecki told 

Pittwater Life he had pulled the pin on the shindig after just 

four years, relocating to the Eastern Suburbs due to a lack of 

support from local 

prestige businesses. 

“Inasmuch as 

local support with 

ticket sales was 

strong, and despite 

significant financial 

sponsorship pledges 

from Audi Mosman 

for the event to 

return next year, 

we have made the 

difficult decision to 

relocate,” Gazecki 

said. He said the 

licence fees ‘Polo 

by the Sea’ paid 

to Council were a 

much-needed cash 

injection towards 

field maintenance 

for Hitchcock Park, 

while locals could 

watch the polo 

action for free, if 

We agree this looks pretty silly – it’s the Palm 

Beach Protection Group’s mock-up of how Station Beach might 

look given recommendations in the independent Review of 

Environmental Factors (REF) being considered by Council in the 

lead-up to this month’s decision on the proposed offleash dog 

trial at Palm Beach. PBPG wants the trial abandoned because it 

says it will require these unsightly offshore markers, which will 

deface the whole beach. (Surely it won’t come to that?) The group 

has lodged a 24-page response to the REF, including 34 questions 

it says “need to be asked”. Read it at protectpalmbeach.com.au. 

Meanwhile the pro-trial group Pittwater Unleashed says it has no 

concerns about recent delays in assessing the trial. “Although this 

is a matter that has dragged on for over a decade, we applaud 

the fact that Council is now being thorough with its assessment,” 

a spokesman said. “An additional month to help bed down the 

best management approach is something we can live with. We 

appreciate that Council has to balance many factors, and we are 

big fans of balance.” 

News 



Pittwater News 

Pampas Grass 

dangers highlighted 

NB Council is on a mission 

– to stamp out Pampas 

Grass, an invasive weed 

species from South America. 

Facebook and Gumtree are 

heaving with listings for sale; 

the species is currently on 

trend in floral arrangements, 

particularly for weddings, 

but purchasers don’t know 

it can have a huge negative 

impact on our natural 

environment. This fastgrowing 

grass can grow 

to six metres tall when in 

flower and outcompetes our 

native vegetation. A single 

seed head can contain up 

100,000 seeds, which are 

spread by the wind or people 

dumping the flower head. 

Council’s Invasive Species 

Team has been working 

to control the weed at a 

number of sites across the 

Northern Beaches and intend 

educating land owners on 

their requirements to control 

the issue in the latter half 

of 2019. Buying or selling 

Pampas Grass is a fineable 

offence under the NSW 

Biosecurity Act 2015. 

Vietnam Veterans 

service in Manly 

The National Servicemen’s 

Association & Affiliates 

Inc and the Sydney Northern 

Beaches Sub-Branch, in 

conjunction with Northern 

Beaches Council, will be 

holding a service on Friday 

August 19 (the day after 

Vietnam Veterans Day) to 

News 

Organic Market gets a new home 

It’s been a long process, but locals Elizabeth Taylor and Stephen Choularton, 

who started the Frenchs Forest Organic market 26 years ago, say they are 

delighted to be bringing the revamped market to Mona Vale from next month. 

Elizabeth said the new Mona Vale Market, grown from the seeds of the original 

and first Organic Food Market in Australia, will open at 8am on Sunday 

September 1 at its new site within the Pittwater RSL car park. (A development 

application for the use of part of the car parking area was approved, for an 

18-month trial period, by Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel on June 19.) 

Elizabeth said: “We are so happy that after 26 years in the Forest, we have 

finally found a friendly, long-term home for this iconic Sunday market, which 

has become so much more than just a fresh shopping experience – it is a 

family community centre, just like the village green of days gone by, where 

new friends are made and old friends re-engaged and recipes are swapped! We 

are really looking forward to seeing all our market regulars and meeting the 

local foodies at Pittwater RSL for the #MonaValeMarket!” 



commemorate those who 

served our country during 

the conflict in Vietnam 

and associated theatres, 

especially the men and 

women who paid the ultimate 

sacrifice. Guests are asked 

to be seated by 10.45am. 

Parade form-up at 10.50am; 

services commences at 

11am. In the event of wet 

weather, the service will be 

held at St Matthew’s Church, 

The Corso. More info Barry 

Andrews 0412 668 589. 

August Probus news 

Andrew Rogers, who went 

to the bottom of the ocean 

to see the remains of the 

Titanic, is Pittwater Probus 

Club’s speaker for August. 

Back in Sydney, he traced the 

only Australian to survive the 

shipwreck, Evelyn Marsden, 

and provided a headstone 

for her unmarked grave. He 

also researched Evelyn’s life 

and how she came to be on 

board the Titanic. At their 

next meeting on Tuesday 

August 13 at Mona Vale Golf 

Club, Andrew will describe 

the descent to the ocean floor 

in a submersible pod and 

his five hours touring the 

wreck. Starts 10am; visitors 

welcome. More info Geoff 

Sheppard 0437 274 074. 

Meanwhile the guest speaker 

for Palm Beach Probus 

Club’s next meeting is Marie 

Palmer, who will detail former 

military, colonial and convict 

sites that are looked after by 

the Sydney Harbour Trust. 

These harbour gems are 

of great historic value and 

include Cockatoo Island, 

North Head Sanctuary and 

Middle Head. The meeting 

is on Wednesday 21st from 

9.30am to noon at Club Palm 

Beach. Visitors welcome; 

enquiries 9973 1247. 

ADHD support talk 

Psychologist Louise Remond 

will deliver a talk at the 

ADHD Support Australia 

meeting at Pittwater RSL 

Continued on page 28 

Book Review 

Snake Island 

Ben Hobson, 

Allen & Unwin $29.99 

A few months ago I shared 

an early photo and review of 

Snake Island on the shop’s 

Instagram account and was 

overwhelmed with requests 

for copies. Whoops... too 

early. But the wait is over on 

August 5, and Ben Hobson 

is going to soon join the 

ranks of Jane Harper (The 

Lost Man), Chris Hammer (Scrublands) and Garry Disher 

(Under the Cold Bright Lights) as a standout Australian literary 

crime read. 

Vernon and Penelope Moore estrange themselves from 

their son, Caleb, after he is imprisoned for savagely beating 

his wife. Two years into his term, Caleb is attacked by one of 

the town’s nefarious characters and self-appointed vigilante. 

Vernon is compelled to act by his best friend, and local pastor, 

and sets off a chain of events that sees increasingly more 

exotic problems created. 

Hobson’s writing is fresh and talented, the style you 

immediately embrace as a refreshing change from formulaic 

offerings. Seek out his debut novel, To Become a Whale (2017) 

for it’s early Tim Winton feels. Snake Island is completely 

different in an equally exciting way. We wish this author 

much critical acclaim and commercial success so he keeps 

producing great stories. – Libby Armstrong 

News 



News 

Old timbers bring new life 

to Church Point cemetery 

Weathered timbers 

from the recent 

upgrade of the 

Church Point Cargo 

Wharf have been 

re-purposed and put 

to good use in the 

nearby historical 

cemetery. Northern 

Beaches Council 

staff teamed with 

volunteers from 

local monumental 

masons firm 

Northern Memorials 

to use the timber to mount plaques displaying a 

transcription of information on the eroding headstones. 

Headstone names, dates and epitaphs appear on each plaque 

mounted on its own solid wooden block sitting discreetly at 

the foot of every grave. The rustic timbers from the wharf 

are in perfect keeping with the age, character and tone 

of the pioneer cemetery, helping keep alive the stories of 

our forebears. The plaques honour the memories of nine 

long-ago pioneers whose humble village chapel gave Church 

Point its name. Funding for new the grave markers was 

provided to Northern Beaches Council as part of the NSW 

Government’s ‘Heritage Near Me’ grant program. Council 

acknowledged the members of the Church Point Friends 

group, especially local architect Peter Altona. 


Continued from page 27 

on August 27. The 

talk will discuss 

the Collaborative & 

Proactive Solutions 

(CPS) model, an 

innovative treatment 

developed by Dr Ross 

Greene from Harvard 

Medical School, 

designed for families 

and those working 

with behaviourally 

challenging kids and 

teenagers to find 

durable solutions. 

Her presentation 

will be followed by a free 

screening of ‘The Kids We 

Lose’ – this hard-hitting 

documentary expose 

produced by Dr Greene 

portrays the journey of kids 

with social, emotional and 

behavioural challenges, 

their caregivers and their 

collective struggles. It 

highlights the kids who don’t 

understand why they’re being 

mistreated; the desperate and 

discouraged parents looking 

for help; and the classroom 

teachers who feel ill-equipped 

to help. NB: Teachers 

attending all talks at ADHD 

Support Australia receive 90 

minutes of NESA PD. Watching 

the film qualifies for an 

extra 90 minutes PD. Meeting 

starts 6.30pm. More info 

adhdsupportaustralia.com. 

au/events/ 

Clareville / Avalon 

footpath link 

Council has completed the 

construction of an 800-metre 

footpath extension along 

the northern side of Hudson 

Parade in Clareville. The new 

path from Delecta Avenue to 

Taylors Point Road links the 

residents of Taylors Point, 

Refuge Cove and Bilgola with 

existing footpaths to Avalon. 

The footpath extension will 

encourage ‘active transport’ 

in Clareville as well as 

make it easier and safer 

for pedestrians to reach 

Clareville Beach and Avalon 

Shops. The total estimated 



cost of the footpath extension 

and associated works is 

approximately $550,000. 

Funding for 

Mackellar schools 

Local MP Jason Falinski 

has shone the light on 

funding available for local 

schools to fund projects 

that benefit students and 

the school community, with 

up to $200,000 available 

to schools in Mackellar 

(individual allocations 

$1000 to $20,000) through 

the Federal Government’s 

$30.2 million Local Schools 

Community Fund. “Funding 

for small-scale extensions or 

classroom refurbishments, 

new computer facilities, 

mental health and counselling 

services, playground 

equipment, library resources, 

or sports facilities are all 

covered through this Fund,” 

he said. The Government 

intends to increase funding 

for all primary and secondary 

schools across all sectors by 

an average of 62 per cent per 

student. Schools can lodge one 

application for each of their 

campuses at www.schools. 

education.gov.au/. Applications 

close September 30. 

Retaining wall work 

Work has been completed 

on the second section of 

a retaining wall at The 

Esplanade in Narrabeen, 

which will to improve 

safety for road users and 

residents. The wall was built 

to stabilise the adjacent 

slope and reduce the risk of 

possible slippage and rockfalls 

onto The Esplanade 

roadway. The works included 

the construction of a 

36-metre-long concrete postand-panel 

retaining wall, up 

to five-metres high, situated 

alongside The Esplanade. 

Council extended the wall 

in work recently completed, 

after tension-cracks were 

detected at the top of the 

roadside embankment. 


News 




News 


One Eighty fundraiser 

Streamline Promotions and 

the Avalon Beach Bowling 

Club are holding a ‘Family 

Fun Day’ on Sunday August 18 

to raise funds for One Eighty, 

whose primary activity is to 

fund, develop and implement 

local projects that equip 

young adults with skills 

in mental health care. One 

Eighty also works to support 

youth culture, to celebrate 

creativity and differences, 

and to encourage community 

participation on the Northern 

Beaches. Tickets ($20 adults, 

$15 kids, children under five 

free) include access to all 

activities including Barefoot 

Bowls, Sausage Sizzle, 

Kids Karaoke & Disco, Face 

Painting and Jumping Castle. 

Great prizes available through 

auctions and raffles, with all 

proceeds directly donated to 

One Eighty – plus there’s a 

secret celebrity guest! Tickets 

on the day, or pre-purchase 

for a discount by calling 

Avalon Beach Bowling Club on 

9918 3231. 

RSPCA Cupcake Day 

Don your aprons, whip out 

5G roll-out 

fears aired 

Members of the 1700-strong 

‘Stop 5G Northern Beaches’ 

Facebook group attended 

Northern Beaches Council’s 

July meeting, airing their 

concerns about possible 

health risks posed by 

the introduction of the 

technology, and calling on 

Council to object to the 

planned 5G roll-out. Council 

agreed to further inform 

themselves on the topic. 

your wooden spoons and 

preheat your ovens – it’s 

time to bake a change for the 

RSPCA’s annual Cupcake Day 

on August 19. The RSPCA 

wants supporters to get 

together to bake up a storm 

in the fight against animal 

cruelty. The money raised 

will keep shelters open 

and inspectors on the road 

investigating allegations 

of cruelty as well as fund 

prosecutions against cruelty 

offenders. It will provide 

education programs to 

schools, and take officers to 

remote communities with 

de-sexing, microchipping 

and vaccination programs. 

It will also give the chance 

to take in, rehabilitate, 

and rehome animals. 

Celebrity chefs have donated 

mouthwatering recipes to the 

cause, including Maggie Beer 

(Blueberry, buttermilk and 

lemon cupcakes) and Donna 

Hay (Chocolate caramel 

thumbprint cookies). Register 

at rspcacupcakeday.com.au 



NAIDOC Week 2019 celebrated the theme ‘Voice, treaty, 

truth’. Avalon Community Library organised several 

author talks; Julie Janson, a local Durag woman who has 

published several novels and plays and also won the Judith 

Wright poetry award this year, opened the event with a 

smoking ceremony, following a welcome to country by 

local elder Neil Evers. Julie spoke about her 2018 novel The 

Light Horse Ghost, and told of her early career teaching 

in the Northern Territory, which is the basis for her 

novel Crocodile Hotel. Sally Mayman and Dale Kentwell 

spoke of their experiences in the Kimberley region 

producing a book, Saltwater Country, focusing on the 

lives of the local Aboriginal people and their fight against 

mining interests in the area. 

$250,000 community 

grants recipients 

More than $250,000 will 

be awarded in Community, 

Arts & Culture and Events 

Grants for 34 projects in 

2019/20, the second year of 

Northern Beaches Council’s 

community grants programs. 

Mayor Michael Regan said 

the grants were aimed 

at promoting enhanced 

economic, social, community 

and environmental benefits 

for the Northern Beaches 

community. Successful 

applicants included 

Community Northern 

Beaches, Lifeline Northern 

Beaches, the Burdekin 

Association (Avalon Youth 

Hub), La Crème Creative Inc. 

and the Forest Men’s Kitchen 

Association. Events grants 

were awarded to Narrabeen 

Lakes Festival Inc for the 

Narrabeen Lakes Summerfest, 

the Manly Warringah BMX 

Club for a new BMX and 

Mountain Bike festival and 

Share the Spark for a youthfocussed 

event, Spark Tank. 


News 



News 



“The focus is on new and 

innovative events and other 

activities that add value and 

benefits to our local villages 

and town centres across the 

Northern Beaches,” Mayor 

Regan said. “Of course, we 

continue to support longstanding 

events that continue 

to be very popular and valued 

by our local community”. 

Christmas in August 

The pop-up German 

Christmas Market is set to 

return on August 16 (5-9pm) 

and 17 (4-9pm) at the German 

International School at Terrey 

Hills. The market will include 

market stalls featuring 

handmade arts and crafts, 

customary German festivities, 

eats and drinks, plus a variety 

of entertainment, amusement 

rides and novelty events. 

Under a backdrop of fairy 

lights, a dedicated children’s 

space will keep young visitors 

entertained with Magic and 

Puppet Shows, games galore, 

balloon art and face painting. 

Little market goers can also 

join the spectacular lights 

and songs of the traditional 

German Lantern Walk – after 

dark, hundreds of children 

will be guided by their 

colourful and luminous 

lanterns as they parade 

through the school grounds 

singing lantern songs in 

English and German. 

Boomerang bags 

not coming back 

Community bag-share 

initiative Avalon Boomerang 

Bags has been a huge success 

since its launch in 2016, 

providing people who have 

forgotten their shopping 

bags with handmade and 

donated cloth bags. There’s 

just one problem: instead 

of sharing the bags and 

returning them to the boxes 

in the village when they have 

finished, people seem to be 

keeping them! Created to 

spread awareness around 

ocean plastic pollution, 

waste reduction and to 

connect community, the 

It’s that time of the year for 

lovers of bookshops to show 

their love by visiting their local 

to check out a range of activities 

and offers for ‘Love Your 

Bookshop Day’ on August 10. 

Avalon independents, Beachside 

Bookshop and Bookoccino, will 

mark the occasion with offers 

and events. Beachside Bookshop 

is offering a 10% discount off 

all Young Adult titles. They’ll 

also welcome author, Wai 

Chim, to not only launch her 

latest teen book The Surprising 

Power of a Good Dumpling, but 

to act as guest teen bookseller 

for the day. Wai has written 

several junior fiction books, 

including Children›s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) 

2017 notable, Freedom Swimmer. Meanwhile, Bookoccino 

has 10% off books, live music – and free coffee. Support 

your local bookstore! 



Calling Pittwater High School’s Class of 1969... 

Can it really be 50 years? Pittwater High School’s ‘Class of ’69’ are having a Golden 

Anniversary school reunion for students who started ‘First Form’ in 1964 – including any 

ex-students who may have left before graduation in 1969. If that sounds like you, or if you 

recognize yourself here (you’ll need your glasses!), organisers would love to hear from 

you. The reunion will be held at a dedicated space within Park House (formerly the Mona 

Vale Pub), 2 Park Street, Mona Vale on the afternoon of Saturday October 26. Facebook – 

‘Pittwater High School 69ers 50th Anniversary’; book online through Eventbrite; more info 

Lynne Hosking (nee Archbold) 0418 838 871 or email pittwaterhigh1969@bigpond.com 

volunteers who gather on 

Tuesdays to sew at the 

Recreational Centre have 

so far provided over 15,000 

bags. “Perhaps it’s because 

they are so pretty and made 

with kindness, but it also 

means the boxes run out 

as the sewing volunteers 

simply can’t keep up with the 

demand,” says spokeswoman 

Laurel Wood. The volunteers 

ask that the bags be returned 

so that they can be kept in 

circulation. 

Lagoon planning 

towards 2040 

Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon 

Catchment is keen to learn 

how its environment will 

be protected and, where 

necessary, enhanced to 

safeguard the important 

biodiversity on which locals 

depend. Find out how you 

can be involved now and 

in the future. Council is 

creating a roadmap for 

managing the way our area 

evolves, in a consistent, 

sustainable and coordinated 

way, over the next 20 years 

and beyond. On Monday 

August 26, Council’s Andrew 

Pigott and team will outline 

the current processes and 

those that will follow the 

initial Planning Instrument 

stage. 

Commences 7pm at 

Coastal Environment 

Centre; free event but 

bookings essential. More 

info Judith Bennett email@ 

narrabeenlagoon.org.au 

Loosely Woven’s 

new concert 

Tireless Amnesty 

International advocate 

group Loosely Woven will 

present their latest musical 

production ‘Lullaby’ at the 

Avalon Baptist Peace Memorial 

Church, George Street, 

Avalon on Sunday August 

25 commencing 4pm. It will 

comprise a selection of 21 

mainly acoustic songs, folksy, 

gentle, stirring, moving or 

whimsical. The music is 

performed by experienced, 

talented and engaging singers 

and musicians with a range 

of instruments. Free supper 

provided; all donations go 

to a great cause, working for 

human rights around the 

globe. 

Vet 

on 

call 

with 

Dr Ben Brown 

One of the common reasons 

owners seek vet attention 

is when a pet is limping. Dogs 

and cats will limp due to pain 

in one or more of their legs. 

One of the most common 

causes of lameness in the 

hind limbs of dogs is cruciate 

ligament disease. 

Cruciate ligament disease 

is due to an injury to the 

anterior cruciate ligament of 

the knee joint of the hind limb. 

It is responsible for stabilising 

the knee joint by holding 

the femur (thighbone) to the 

tibia (lower leg bone). In most 

middle-age to older the dogs 

the ligament is damaged after 

degenerative changes and 

mineralisation have occurred. 

In humans, the anterior 

cruciate ligament is usually 

torn after sudden trauma 

during high-energy activities. 

In most dogs the ligament 

is often torn during normal 

play activity after it has been 

weakened over time. 

The easiest way to diagnose 

injury to the anterior cruciate 

ligament is via examination by 

an experienced vet to check 

for instability in the joint 

combined with x-rays to check 

for swelling which is called 

a joint effusion. The torn 

ligament can also be visualised 

with arthroscopy or at the time 

of surgery. 

There are many surgical 

techniques used to repair a 

damaged cruciate ligament. 

Our vets tailor the best 

procedure for the age, size 

and level of activity of the dog 

along with consideration of 

budget. The best prevention 

for cruciate ligament disease 

is ensuring your dog is not 

overweight. Obesity places 

extra strain on the joints and 

ligaments and can lead to 

chronic injuries over time. 

If your pet is limping or you 

need help to encourage them 

to lose weight, drop in to see 

one of our vets for a thorough 

orthopaedic examination, 

nutritional and treatment 

advice. 

News 



Life Stories 

You’ve 

gotta 

love 

the 

‘Lock’ 

Celibate Rifles 

frontman Damien 

Lovelock chats about 

music, football, yoga 

and his upcoming 

Woodstock tribute gigs. 

Story by Rob Pegley 

He may be 65, but Damien 

Lovelock is still as passionate 

and opinionated as he was back 

in 1980 when he auditioned for the 

Celibate Rifles at a Brookvale recording 

studio; which provides the first of 

many anecdotes that he shares during 

a funny and interesting hour chatting. 

You can be sure he would have been 

great company on a tour bus back in 

the day. 

“When I met the Rifles it turned 

out that nobody had remembered to 

book the rehearsal studio, so we found 

a ladder and broke in through an 

upstairs window.” The rest is history, 

with nine albums and countless tours 

under their belts. Two moments stick 

out more than any others from his time 

in the band though, and they happened 

on different sides of the world. 

“I remember driving down Spit Hill 

to the bridge – I was on the way to a 

lecture at college – and I heard our 

single on the radio. The elation and 

emotion was massive and I nearly 

crashed the car,” he laughs. 

The second was just as emotional and 

even more poignant, when the band 

played New York for the first time. 

“Back then the standard route for 

aspiring Australian acts was to play 

in London and then on to New York. In 

that order. If you did that then you’d 

made it. My mum was a singer and she 

made it in London on a slightly smaller 

scale, but she never made it to New 

York. She was deceased by the time I 

played there, but when we got on stage 

it really meant a lot.” 

There were plenty of good times 

all over the world for the boys from 

Frenchs Forest, Terrey Hills and 

Davidson. 

In fact, Damien was the only one 

in the band who was a blow-in to the 

Northern Beaches: He grew up in the 

Eastern Suburbs, hanging out mostly in 

Elizabeth Bay, Darlinghurst, Bondi and 

Kings Cross. He came to live with his 

Dad in Manly in the early ’80s, and then 

in 1985 he moved to Newport – despite 

knowing nothing about the place. 

“My girlfriend at the time was a 

professional surfer and she wanted to 

move somewhere quieter than Manly 

for catching waves,” he explained. “A 

close mate of mine married a Newport 

girl and moved there, and I’d never 

heard of it. We got a place up there and 



I expected to stay maybe three or four 

years. That was almost 35 years ago…” 

Damien has walked and swam 

at his beloved Newport Beach just 

about every day that he hasn’t been 

overseas in those 35 years. His love 

for yoga has also developed on the 

Northern Beaches and he still teaches 

at Narrabeen, Mona Vale and Newport. 

The love affair started by chance at, of 

all places, Manly League’s Club. 

“I’d injured my back playing park 

football and Western medicine couldn’t 

seem to offer relief. I was sitting in 

the steam room at Manly League’s 

club and this knowledgeable guy I 

knew recommended it. I’d always had 

a respect for yoga,” Damien continues, 

“but I’d never known a guy to do it. 

Anyway, it turned out that a class was 

starting in just 20 minutes at that gym. 

It was a really rare form of yoga that is 

hardly taught anywhere in Australia. 

I had tears in my eyes as I was doing 

it. The pain was massive, but I knew it 

was going to fix me. As John Cougar 

Mellencamp sings, I thought ‘it hurts so 

good’.” 

Music is a thread throughout the 

conversation, and next month Damien 

is on tour again with a great bunch of 

musicians to commemorate the 50th 

anniversary of the famed Woodstock 

Festival. Damien will front the ‘Super 

Group’ that includes Floyd Vincent and 

Sarina Jennings, and Steve Bull from 

Icehouse, among others. They’ll play 

tracks from Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, 

Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Airplane, Joe 

Cocker and more. (The group play Dee 

Why RSL on Friday 16 August.) 

Damien explains that Woodstock had 

a huge influence on him as a 15-yearold 

back in 1969; and on Australia as a 

whole. 

“It was an amazing time of change. 

Up until then it was Bob Menzies and 

the Liberal Party and supporting the 

[Vietnam] war. Then this alternate 

culture came along based around 

music and movies. It was authentic; art 

for art’s sake. The ‘Summer of Love’ 

happened and people protested against 

the war. People started rejecting the 

conservatism of America and Australia, 

and wanted to start again. Even mums 

and dads were part of the anti-Vietnam 

protests in Sydney. It was an amazing 

time.” 

A young Damien carried on listening 

to music and embracing its trends 

throughout the ’70s. He was never 

interested in pop or the mainstream. 

High school bands came and went. 

Almost 10 years on from Woodstock 

the punk movement would also help 

shape Damien’s tastes, although more 

so the ethic of punk than the actual 

music. 

“I loved the Sex Pistols – they were 



CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE: Originally from 

the Eastern Suburbs, Damien Lovelock had never 

heard of Newport Beach until he moved there in 

1985; Damien and his bandmates in the Celibate 

Rifles made nine albums together; Damien has 

always carried himself as the quintessential rock 

‘n’ roll frontman; “The beautuful game” has almost 

been as much a part of his life as music – he spent 

nine years at SBS and his opinions were also 

widely heard on radio; at SBS he became great 

friends with Les Murray and was a speaker at his 

funeral in 2017. 


Life Stories

Life Stories 


amazing – but I found lots of the music 

and lyrics dumb and for pissheads. I 

was a bit more intelligent than that. I 

liked The Saints and Radio Birdman 

– bands with something to say. But 

I mostly liked the fact that bands 

made their own posters and didn’t get 

signed to labels, they just got on with 

it themselves.” 

Damien rejects that the Rifles were a 

punk band themselves, “We were just 

a really tight rock band that played 

fast.” 

Damien’s other love alongside music 

and yoga is football (soccer, to many). 

He spent nine years with SBS and was 

great friends with the late Les Murray. 

“I miss him terribly” he says sadly. “I 

still get texts from Fozz (Craig Foster) 

and others when big matches are on.” 

His last football gig was the last 

Men’s World Cup where he was a 

pundit on Radio 702; Tracey Holmes 

is another who will drop him 

texts during games. He becomes 

passionate as we talk about his 

beloved Southampton (he supported 

them because of the genius of Matt 

Le Tissier) and Caligiari (he started 

following them after falling in love 

with Sardinia on tour with the Rifles). 

And he becomes even more animated 

when talking about the Women’s 

World Cup: “I’m with Craig Foster, 

there needs to be an enquiry into 

why Alen Stajcic was sacked. The 

most successful coach in Australian 

soccer history and we still don’t know 

why they got rid of him. And then we 

go into the World Cup as one of the 

favourites and we were absolutely 

terrible.” 

As Damien talks, you can’t help 

thinking that one of the channels 

is missing a trick if he doesn’t 

get a football gig again soon. Or 

indeed a music show. Or indeed any 

program that needs an intelligent 

and opinionated view on just about 

anything, invariably with an anecdote 

attached. 

In the meantime, he’s happy 

teaching yoga and walking the beaches 

on the Peninsula, and visiting some 

of his favourite haunts. These days 

Damien sticks to clean and healthy 

food due to some digestive problems 

over the years. And he recommends 

Deli on Waterloo Street in Narrabeen, 

where he has been going for years. 

There you can order a Pasta Damiano, 

named after the man himself. We don’t 

manage to get a description, but after 

talking to him for an hour, you can 

assume that it’s a spicy and interesting 

dish full of character and flavour! 



CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Damien 

can be seen fronting a collection 

of local musicians including the 

Classic Kings; he had a modest 

solo career too, releasing two 

solo albums in the 1980s; 

Damien has mixed with the best 

in Australian music too, here he 

plays up for the camera with Reg 

Mombassa. 

Life Stories 



Art Life 

Art Life 

Cool snaps heading 

for Manly Art Gallery 

Manly Art Gallery and 

Museum is launching 

two new exhibitions 

this month featuring 

the diverse works of exciting 

Sydney photographic artists, 

Stu Spence and Louise Whelan. 

Sydney photographer Stu 

Spence’s ambiguous and 

evocative images (top left) 

have been interpreted in 

songs, poems, soundscapes 

and stories, which are included 

in the exhibition itself. 

‘Unclear, becoming clearer’ 

presents a unique series of 

Spence’s photographs as well 

as the musical responses and 

other creative interpretations 

of the images by songwriters, 

filmmakers and writers. 

Artists who have interpreted 

Stu’s images include 

Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil), Kate 

Lucas (Coda Chroma), Christa 

Hughes, Mick Thomas (Wedding, 

Parties, Anything), Mark 

Seymour (Hunters & Collectors), 

Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo 

Gurus), as well as filmmaker 

Wayne Chick and painter Michelle 

Dawson. 

Louise Whelan is known 

for her honest portrayal of 

outsider communities and 

cultures. Her exhibition – ‘A 

Portal in Transition, The Accidental 

Archive’ – presents her 

powerful images documenting 

the Portside DIY Skate Space 

at Newport (top right) through 

photographs, sound and bio 

art installations. 

MAGAM senior curator 

Katherine Roberts said both 

artists used photography as a 

medium to stimulate thought 

and discussion of the human 

condition. 

“Stu Spence’s ‘Unclear, 

becoming clearer’ exhibition 

illustrates the narrativegenerating 

possibilities of 

photography with original 

responses and interpretations 

from writers, poets and some 

of Australia’s most celebrated 

songwriters, all inspired by a 

Stu Spence image.” 

Spence’s exhibition runs 

until October 20; the public 

can join the photographer 

in conversation with musicians 

and writers who have 

responded to his images with 

original interpretive works on 

September 21. 

“In ‘A Portal in Transition’, 

Louise’s intrigue with the 

continual transformation of 

the Portside site in Newport 

is sure to get people thinking 

about its inhabitants and the 

idea that place and identity 

are inextricably bound to one 

another,” Ms Roberts said. 

Join Louise Whelan in a 

discussion about the evolution 

of this project and her work in 

the exhibition from 3-4pm on 

Sunday August 25. – NW 

Abstract 

painters’ 

workshop 

Abstract painter Charlie 

Sheard’s works are 

at odds with the current 

trend focusing on smallcanvassed 

artworks. 

Sheard’s upcoming 

exhibition at the Manly Art 

Gallery & Museum, ‘Absolute 

Distraction’, features 

large works and a practice 

deeply concerned with 

the history and development 

of techniques and 

materials. 

Sheard has spent the 

past 40 years developing 

a ‘language’ of pure 

abstract forms. 

His large paintings 

deliver visual impact, 

while reflecting upon his 

wide-ranging interests in 

European, Chinese and 

Australian cultural history. 

‘Absolute Distraction’ 

runs until September 1; 

you can join the artist in 

conversation from 3-4pm 

on Sunday August 11. 

There’s also a fourhour 

workshop for artists 

on Monday August 19, 

where Charlie Sheard will 

focus on the relationship 

between technique and 

abstraction. 

Participants will produce 

several studies that can be 

used as the basis for further 

development, or more 

elaborate paintings. 

Workshop cost is $60; 

bookings via Eventbrite. 

Art Prize winners to be named 

Judging of the Northern Beaches Art Prize is entering the home 

straight – almost 900 entries were received across the four categories: 

General, Small Sculpture, Waste-to-Art, and Youth. 

Awards for the General and Small Sculpture categories will be held 

on Thursday August 8 at Creative Space, North Curl Curl from 6pm. 

A public exhibition of the winning and finalists’ entries begins on 

Friday August 9 and runs until Sunday August 18, when the People’s 

Choice awards will be made (3-5pm). 

Awards for the Waste-to-Art and Youth categories will take place 

at the same venue on Thursday August 29 (from 6pm). A public exhibition 

of the winning and finalists’ entries begins on Friday August 

30 and runs until Sunday September 8, when the People’s Choice 

awards will be made (3-5pm). *2018 General winner Jacquie Maynard (right). 



THINGS OF BEAUTY: An example of Peter Eastway’s stunning nature 

photography (above) and Pamela Pauline’s illustrative works (below). 

Acclaim for local 

photographers 

Two local photographers 

snapped up top prizes at 

this year’s Australian Institute 

of Professional Photography 

Awards (State level). 

Collaroy’s Peter Eastway was 

awarded the major gong and 

named NSW Photographer of the 

Year for his compelling and stunning 

portfolio of nature images. 

And Mona Vale’s Pamela 

Pauline was named 2019 NSW 

Illustrative Photographer of 

the Year; her portfolio was 

all based on Australian native 

flora and fauna and was illustrative 

in nature, but 100 per 

cent photographic. 

The Australia Institute of 

Professional Photography run 

professional photography 

awards in all Australian states 

and territories, attracting over 

three thousand entries from 

professional photographers. 

Photographers can enter up 

to four prints in a category 

and each print is presented 

anonymously to a panel of 

five judges who give scores. 

An aggregate of 80+ is a Silver 

while 90+ earns a Gold award 

The highest three portfolios 

of four prints are then 

re-assessed to determine the 

category winner. 

Art Life 



Surfing Life 

Surfing Life 

Price you might just pay 

for pushing the envelope 

From world champs to people at your home break, we’re all gonna get hurt sometime. 

with Nick Carroll 

Ever been hurt surfing? You 

will. John Florence has. As 

you’ll probably know, Johnny 

was world champ in 2016 

and ’17. A year and a bit ago, 

trying an air move, he tore the 

anterior cruciate ligament in 

his left knee. 

Not being a fan of surgery, 

or of publicity, John kept the 

injury quiet, and took the rest 

of 2018 off to rehabilitate. 

Re-entering the tour this year, 

he rapidly surfed his way to 

a commanding lead in the 

title race. Then a month ago, 

he popped off the top of a 

no-account wave at Barrinha, 

Brazil, and did it again. 

Now he’s hobbling 

around after a full knee 

reconstruction, privately 

wishing he’d done the surgery 

last year, while his third world 

title wings off in another 

direction altogether. Ouch! 

Sounds like an NRL story, 

not a surfing one. But fact is, 

injuries of one kind or another 

are becoming a kind of meme 

in surfing these days, and not 

just at the pro level. 

It hasn’t always been that 

way. A famous sports study in 

the very early 1980s, based on 

surveys in hospital outpatient UNDER PRESSURE: John Florence’s left knee that is... not his ability to perform. 

stats, showed recreational 

surfing was one of Australia’s 

That stuff often doesn’t make knee injuries, thanks to the airs. Innis’ study showed 

safest sports, with an injury 

it on the record. 

increased pressure in turns injury types changing in 

rate of 2.7 per 100,000 – 

But in the ’80s, surfing occasionally buckling the tandem. The knee receded, 

mostly minor fin cuts and the boards and styles changed. joint. Knees, and soft tissue and ankles, backs and necks 

occasional head knock from a Three fins arrived, and with lacerations from contact with sprang forth. The load was 

loose board. Tiny on the scale them more speed and power your board, were all the rage spread, you might say. Kelly 

of things. Club rugby was up in turns, and a surge in 

in the 1980s. 

Slater, the young superstar of 

around 18 per 100,000. Even professional surfing drove a In the 1990s and early the day and the style, carried 

cricket was sketchier. 

new muscle and aggression 2000s, boards and styles an on-and-off mid-back injury 

Maybe the study wasn’t into performance. The pros, changed again, and so did for more than a decade. 

catching some of our 

and their mates at home, were the injury types. Surfboards Nowadays there’s all kinds 

behaviour. Not every surfer I in their teens and early 20s, lost weight and developed of carnage. Big wave riders 

knew at the time would have frothing with testosterone, more curve; New School are at the top of the list: 

bothered going to hospital doing all they could to smash aerial styles came into play. dislocated shoulders, broken 

for anything much short of each other. Sure enough – Surfing was less about weight bones, serious neck injuries, 

decapitation. Maybe, like more injuries. Chiropractor and muscle, and more about and knees not just tweaked 

today, some of the nastier Dean Innis, who spent many sudden changes of pace, the but utterly mangled. Next 

stuff was happening to 

years on site at major pro body held loose and light might be the many everyday 

surfers on the road, riding events, did his own long-term between acute moments of surfers taking trips to surf 

remote reefs in Indonesia. study showing a spike in pressure upon landing those resorts in Indo and the 



PL’s AUGUST SURF CALENDAR 

21-31/8: TAHITI PRO, TEAHUPOO, FP 

Shaping up to be the Championship Tour’s crucial event in 2019. At 

least six surfers are in the world title race, including current defending 

world champ Gabriel Medina, who seized the opportunity presented 

by John Florence’s injury pull-out to charge in and win the recent CT 

at Jeffreys Bay. Gabriel is a two-time winner in Tahiti and will now be 

the insider’s favourite for the overall crown – but he needs a big result 

in order to cement that. Teahupoo has had a great year of surf so far 

and if it turns on the way it’s been turning on lately, the surf world is in 

for a hell of a show. 

NICK’S AUGUST SURF FORECAST 

Well, speaking of grommets, I don’t reckon I’ve seen as good a 

school holidays for surf as that last one. July didn’t bomb, but it 

surely kept ticking. Lots of clean days, lots of overhead surf. Yeeha! 

Longer-term indicators don’t give us much of a hint about the 

spring and summer ahead – the ENSO cycle is flatlining, and the 

Indian Ocean version, the wittily named Dipole, is just in positive 

territory, so it doesn’t seem as if there’s any big shifts coming down 

the track. I would reckon this means August will be a lot like July, 

but maybe without the freak week-long easterly swell that really 

set up the school holidays. Instead, a few days here and there of 

unusual warmth, some cold westerlies, and small to medium pulses 

of southerly groundswell filtering up through the Tasman. Standard 

Sydney winter fare. 

Maldives, where if you don’t 

get cut on the reef, you’re just 

not surfing. 

At pro level, World Surf 

League medical director 

Chris Prosser says he is 

seeing a new increase in knee 

problems, not necessarily 

John Florence ones, but 

strains and tearing of the 

medial collateral ligament, 

which supports the inside of 

the knee joint. The MCL takes 

a lot of heat from the modern 

power move du jour – a highangled 

carve done at speed 

on a beyond-steep wave face, 

when the knee flexes inward 

to control the turn. 

For many long-term 

surfers, this is a time for 

repair and rehab. An ageing 

surf population means a lot 

more chronic stuff: hips need 

replacing, shoulder tendons 

are withering, hearts must be 

monitored. 

My little brother, Tom, was 

the poster boy for 1980s-style 

injuries. At 16 he ruptured 

his right ACL – same as John, 

other leg – but didn’t find out 

till he was 19. He underwent 

reconstructive surgery (pretty 

tough going in 1981), but 

somehow went on to win a 


Nick Carroll 

couple of world titles, which 

will give Johnny some heart. 

But since then... heck, you 

name it. That knee is now 

all titanium. One shoulder’s 

been pulled back and stapled 

in. A fin in a Japanese 

beachbreak almost performed 

direct rectal surgery on him. 

He’s now a poster boy for 

orthopaedic surgery. Who 

knows what lies in wait. 

Another mate of mine in 

his later 50s recently went 

to have a scan done on his 

right hip, not feeling there 

was much of an issue. The 

nurse looked a bit shocked by 

the result. “I don’t know how 

you’re even walking around,” 

she told him. The hip was 

loaded with osteo-arthritis, 

but my mate had almost no 

pain. His doctor thought both 

things – the arthritis and the 

lack of pain – were due to his 

constant surfing habit. 

About the only ones 

avoiding this carnage, by 

the way, are the grommets. 

There’s been a big influx 

along Pittwater’s beaches in 

the past year. They’re 15 and 

under, catching 100 waves a 

day, and flailing away without 

a care. 


Surfing Life

Health & Wellbeing 


Freeze, don’t squeeze: world to 

adopt our tick removal method 

With the warmer 

weather approaching 

it’s vital to be prepared 

for tick season 

and brush up on the 

best way to reduce 

your risk of tick bites. 

By Lisa Offord 

Although social media channels 

are awash with comments 

suggesting more ticks 

are around than usual, local 

medicos report no noticeable 

increase in tick bite presentations… 

so far this year. 

What is of concern however 

is the proliferation of misinformation 

on the best way to 

remove ticks – with potentially 

dangerous methods being 

widely shared. 

Local emergency doctor 

Andy Ratchford is at the forefront 

of tick removal research 

and a key player in a groundbreaking 

study carried out on 

the Northern Beaches which 

is set to change the way the 

world manages tick bites. 

He said health authorities 

world-wide generally advised 

against using household 

tweezers and various folklore 

methods such as burning ticks 

with a hot match, covering ticks 

with petroleum jelly, nail polish 

or other suffocating agents. 

“All these methods will 

disturb the tick and should be 

avoided,” Dr Ratchford said. 

He explained all care should 

be taken to avoid disturbing or 

squeezing the tick to prevent 

it injecting its allergen-containing 

saliva and potentially 

infectious contents. 

In the first study in humans 

on the value of killing a tick 

where it is to prevent allergic 

reactions, Dr Ratchford, Dr 

Benjamin Taylor and colleagues 

demonstrated the success of 

the approach used for over a 

decade at the former Mona 

Vale and Manly Hospitals. 

Now the Director of Emergency 

Medicine at Northern 

Beaches Hospital, Dr Ratchford 

said the research published 

in the respected journal 

Asia Pacific Allergy in May this 

year would help change clinical 

practice worldwide. 

The study documented and 

analysed the tick removal 

methods and allergic response 

of 121 patients presenting to 

Mona Vale Hospital during the 

peak tick season of 2016. 

The study found applying 

permethrin cream on small 

ticks and ether-containing 

spray on adult ticks, waiting 

for them to drop off or seeking 

medical assistance for removal, 

were the best options 

for avoiding a potentially fatal 

allergic reaction, or minimising 

harmful toxins being transferred 

from tick to humans. 

These methods are also 

in keeping with the advice 

from the peak professional 

body, the Australasian Society 

of Clinical Immunology and 

Allergy (ASCIA), the Emergency 

Care Institute (which 

provides online information 

to Emergency Departments 

throughout Australia) and the 

peak support body for those 

living with allergies, Allergy 

& Anaphylaxis Australia and 

TiARA. 

The Department of Health 

is updating its educational 

material about ticks and tickassociated 

illness to reflect 

the latest evidence. 

Meanwhile Dr Ratchford 

and colleagues at Northern 

Beaches Hospital will play a 

pivotal role in a major national 

research project launched this 

year aimed at reducing the debilitating 

symptoms attributed 

to tick bites, including fatigue, 

arthritis, chronic pain, neurological 

and cardiac problems, 

and psychological illness. 

The local team will collect 

blood samples and skin 

biopsies from people presenting 

to the hospital with tick 

bite – and the ticks themselves 

– for researchers at Murdoch 

University, WA, to analyse with 

the aim of identifying organisms 

in ticks that may cause 

tick borne disease in Australia. 

One of best sources of information 

about ticks is the Tick 

Induced Allergies Research & 

Awareness TiARA site www. 

tiara.org.au. 

Managing tick bites 

Adult ticks 

Kill the tick where it is using 

an ether-containing spray. 

(Ask your pharmacist for 

suitable products.) 

Then, either wait for it 

to drop off or seek medical 

attention for it to be 

removed, taking care to not 

squeeze the tick. So: 

If you have been 

outdoors, don’t scratch 

anything that itches until 

you have a look at it. 

Don’t try “picking” a 

tick out of your skin with 

tweezers or other gadgets. 

Nymph and larval ticks 

Apply permethrin cream as 

directed to kill these ticks. 

Avoidance is best 

- Wear long-sleeved shirts 

and long pants that can 

be tucked into socks and 

a wide-brimmed hat when 

walking or working in areas 

where ticks occur; 

- Use insect repellent, 

paticularly ones containing 

DEET; 

- Use permethrin-treated 

clothing when exposed to 

ticks; and 

- Check for ticks daily. 



Know your medicines 

Medicines are part of most older folk’s lives – having access 

to and understanding important information and 

asking the right questions is the key to getting the most out 

of medicines and using them safely. 

Be Medicinewise Week is an annual campaign to encourage 

Australians to find out more about medicines. 

This year’s campaign from August 19-25 will focus on the 

language of medicines. 

How can you learn the language of medicines? 

n Know all the medicines you take and why you take them. 

Keeping an up-to-date medicines list is a great way to keep 

track of your medicines. 

n Understand the instructions for taking your medicines. 

Medicines only work if you are taking them properly and 

you can only take them properly if you understand the 

instructions. 

n Check with your health professional before starting any 

new medicine. A health professional can help you balance 

the benefits of a medicine with any potential risks. 

n Ask questions if there is anything you don’t understand about 

your medicines. Seeking information from a trusted source 

can help you get the most out of your medicines, safely. 

For independent evidence-based information about medicines, 

medical tests and other health technologies visit NPS 

Medicinewise at nps.org.au or call the Medicines Line on 

1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424). 

If you have any concerns about your medicines, speak to 

your doctor or pharmacist. 

– LO 






Various procedures to 

correct or lift breasts 

Breasts may become ptotic 

(abnormal drooping) 

for many reasons, 

including age, through the 

gain of weight, loss of weight 

and after pregnancy or 

breastfeeding. 

There are many procedures 

to correct or lift breasts. The 

procedure depends on the 

underlying breast size. In 

breasts of appropriate size, 

the breasts can simply be 

lifted. In smaller breasts the 

lift may be combined with 

an implant to increase the 

size. In larger breasts, the 

lift can be combined with 

a reduction. And smaller 

breasts with only a slight 

droop can be corrected by 

implants only. 

The position of the 

nipple is estimated by three 

parameters: the position 

of the infra mammary fold 

(where the chest meets 

the chest wall) projected 

forwards; a set distance 

from the base of the neck 

or midpoint of the collar 

bone; and approximately the 

midpoint of the arm bone or 

humerus. Once this position 

is set, then the nipple is lifted 

to this point. 

A common misconception 

is that the nipples are 

removed and then replaced 

– but this is only very rarely 

done. In most cases the 

nipples are left on a 

pedicle of tissue and 

moved. This pedicle 

contains the blood 

vessels to keep the 

nipple and breast viable 

along with the nerves 

to keep the nipple with 

sensation. 

With a lift-only 

procedure, some skin 

is removed and the 

remaining breast tissue 

is arranged to recreate 

a breast cone. With a 

reduction and a lift, both 

skin and breast tissue is 

removed, the remaining 

breast tissue again is 

moved to create a cone shape 

before the skin is stitched. 

The amount of lift and 

procedure determines the 

amount of scarring that is left. 

Most techniques try to minimise 

the amount of scarring. In 

general, there is scarring 

around the areolar. This may 

extend down as a ‘lollipop’ scar 

or may also extend horizontally 

in the chest/breast crease as 

an ‘anchor’ scar. Scar quality 

is variable. (These will be 

carefully explained before 

your procedure.) In general, 

the more complicated the 

procedure, the more scarring 

that is left. 

Surgery is generally 

performed with a 

combination of local and 

general anaesthesia. At most 

an overnight stay may be 

required. Drains or plastic/ 

silicone tubes are rarely used 

to remove any ooze or blood. 

The pre-operative course, 

intra-operative course, 

hospital stay and recovery will 

be carefully discussed with 

you. A full understanding of 

the procedure is important. 

A return to work and 

subsequent exercise will also 

be outlined. 

Breast lift surgery is 

well tolerated, with very 

favourable results. It often 

allows increased activity and 

a reduction in skin crease 

irritation or infections. 

A full and detailed 

description will be given 

at the time of your 

with Dr John Kippen 

consultation. A 

thorough examination 

and assessment will 

determine the best 

procedure for you. 

Careful measurements 

and clinical 

photographs aid this 

planning. 

You should choose 

your surgeon carefully 

and take note: not all 

surgeons performing 

breast surgery have 

surgical qualifications 

or are Plastic Surgeons. 

Check they have the 

letters FRACS (Fellow of 

the Royal Australasian 

College of Surgeons) after 

their names and are a member 

of ASPS (Australian Society of 

Plastic Surgeons). 

Our columnist Dr John 

Kippen is a qualified, fully 

certified consultant specialist 

in Cosmetic, Plastic and 

Reconstructive surgery. 

Australian trained, he also 

has additional Australian and 

International Fellowships. 

Dr Kippen works from custom-built 

premises in Mona 

Vale. He welcomes enquiries 

and questions. Please 

contact him via johnkippen. 

com.au or by email: doctor@ 

johnkippen.com.au 



Let’s talk about sex… after kids 

If you’re a new mum, have you 

ever wondered if sex will ever be 

the same now that you’ve had your 

baby? 

If you’ve recently birthed a baby, 

there may be hormonal and physical 

changes leading to discomfort, 

reduced libido and low self-esteem; 

not to mention a never-ending list 

of chores, sleep deprivation and 

an identity shift from ‘Sexy Wife’ 

to ‘Milk-bar Mum’, says sexologist 

Monica Cook. 

The highly qualified professional 

who has recently joined ‘themindspace’ 

psychologists team in Mona 

Vale, said for partners there may be new 

routines, a role of provision and support, 

sleep deprivation and ‘Eros redirected’* 

to contend with. 

“This is where the mother shifts her 

attention from her spouse to her child 

who now becomes the centrepiece of her 

emotional satisfaction,” she said. 

“These elements combined can put a 

lot of pressure on relationships and in 

particular the sexual interaction.” 

THREE IN 

THE BED: Life 

changes after 

you have a 

baby. 

Monica said that unlike other aspects 

of a relationship, people tended to shy 

away from talking about sex with their 

partners, for fear of hurting them or being 

rejected or embarrassed. 

“There are also many unhelpful myths 

out there such as ‘if sex is natural, it 

should just work and your partner should 

just know what feels good’. 

“However, like any aspect of healthy 

living, fostering sexual wellness requires 

effort, good communication, courage to 

face the issues and access to trustworthy 

information that provides 

new insights and inspires change,” 

she said. 

As a sexologist, Monica’s job is to 

facilitate this process. 

“I not only provide a safe space 

for people to share their concerns 

with one another, but I have also 

gathered information, resources, 

strategies, approaches and techniques 

from a broad range of scientific 

disciplines to allow couples to 

explore their sexuality.” 

Her approach considers the 

physical, psychological and spiritual 

influences that shape a person’s understanding 

of sex and their expectations 

around it. 

“The truth is sexual preferences, positions, 

bodies and contexts change from 

season to season… so no, sex will never 

be the same after kids – but nothing is 

to say that it can’t be better than it ever 

was,” she said. 

– L0 

* (A term coined by Esther Perel, 

renowned relationship therapist) 






Coffee & 

compassion 

On the second Thursday 

of each month NB 

Compassionate Community 

host a get-together at 

H20 Café in Narrabeen 

to acknowledge the roles 

of caring for people 

experiencing death, loss or 

for those who would just 

like a chat. 

Compassionate 

Communities is an initiative 

of CCNB, in partnership 

with the Groundswell 

Project. By working 

together and supporting 

those who are in need of 

support during the isolating 

period that comes with 

dying and grieving, our 

Compassionate Community 

hopes to build a stronger 

community. 

All welcome on Aug 8, 

Sept 12, Oct 10, Nov 14 and 

Dec 12. 

Info ccnb@ccnb.com.au 

Mary recognised for 

prostate cancer work 

Newport couple Mary and Ron Jones have 

worked through later life with prostate 

cancer together, taking each day as it 

comes since Ron was diagnosed in 2004. 

They have also supported others – and now 

Mary has been recognised for her outstanding 

contribution to reducing 

the impact of prostate 

cancer on men, their 

partners and families 

with a prestigious award. 

Mary will receive the 

Max Gardner Award for 

her vital volunteering role 

assisting hundreds of 

people who are part of the 

Northern Beaches Prostate 

Cancer Support Group. 

The marriage 

celebrant, mother of four 

and grandmother of six 

explained she and Ron 

joined the local support 

group shortly after they 

learned Ron’s diagnosis. 

“He was 71 and it was a 

real shock… when anyone 

mentions the word cancer 

it is devastating,” Mary 

said. 

“Ron still has prostate 

cancer and he has 

survived for all this time 

and he is doing really well,” she added. 

Mary assisted in leading the Northern 

Beaches Prostate Cancer Support Group in 

2007 and ensures members are kept up to 

date with the latest information through a 

monthly newsletter. 

Prostate cancer is the most commonly 

diagnosed cancer in Australian men, with 

approximately 20,000 diagnosed each year. 

STAYING POSITIVE: Mary and Ron Jones. 

More than 200,000 Australian men are living 

after a diagnosis with prostate cancer. 

Educating the general public about prostate 

cancer and fundraising is high on Mary’s 

agenda and she is proud to have organised 

the popular Big Aussie Barbie days at Rat Park 

and raised more than 

$15,000 for research. 

Mary and Ron believe 

it is important for men 

diagnosed with prostate 

cancer to be proactive 

and learn all they can 

about the disease and 

their options. 

“And to stay positive,” 

Mary adds. 

“Because prostate 

cancer is not always a 

death sentence – quite 

a lot of men live with 

prostate cancer and die 

of something else. 

“That’s what is really 

important, to stay 

positive, I think.” 

Northern Beaches 

Prostate Cancer Support 

Group meetings are held 

at 6.30pm on the first 

Tuesday of each month 

(excluding January). 

Held in the Palliative 

Care Cottage at Mona Vale Hospital and 

typically attracting around 30 people, men 

with prostate cancer, their carers and anyone 

else who is interested, are welcome to attend. 

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia CEO 

Professor Jeff Dunn AO will present Mary with 

the Max Gardner Award at the next meeting 

on August 6. 









Alert for dementia symptoms 

peaking in winter and spring 

It’s been proven there is a 

big difference in how people 

think from season to season; 

now new research suggests 

dementia care and awareness 

are more critical during colder 

months. 

A recent study published 

in the journal PLOS Medicine, 

which looked at how cognitive 

function, thinking and memory 

changes throughout the year in 

older adults both with and without 

Alzheimer’s disease, found 

that the ability to think and concentrate 

varies as the weather 

and temperature fluctuates. 

The result of more than 10 

years of research led by Dr Andrew 

Lim at Alzheimer’s centres 

in Canada, the United States 

and France, the authors found 

people’s cognition worsened in 

the winter and spring. 

“There may be value in 

increasing dementia-related 

clinical resources in the 

winter and early spring, when 

symptoms are likely to be 

most pronounced,” the authors 

concluded. 

Commenting on the study, 

Tamar Krebs, Founder and Co- 

CEO of Group Homes Australia 

(GHA) said it was vital staff and 

family members were aware of 

current research and how the 

seasons could affect people 

with dementia. 

Ms Krebs explained that in 

winter, residents with dementia 

were often resistant to get 

out of bed, were temperaturesensitive, 

often didn’t want to 

shower and were less engaged 

outdoors, preferring to stay 

indoors. 

“Generally residents are more 

agitated during winter and 

staff need to know that these 

changes are brought upon by 

the seasons and they need to 

learn to adapt their approach to 

care depending on the season.” 

Ms Krebs added continuing 

education and a small-scale 

environment ensured GHA staff 

were well-placed to cater to the 

individual needs of a maximum 

10 residents, who were cared 

for within the comfort of the 

traditional homes that were key 

to the innovative dementia care 

model she launched in Australia 

almost four years ago. 

The GHA home in Warriewood 

(where Ms Krebs is 

pictured above) boasts a high 

carer-to-resident ratio delivering 

specialised care and activities 

that have meaning and 

purpose for its residents aged 

from mid-40s to late-90s. 

“The home is a beautiful, 

vibrant place and residents do 

not follow strict routines like in 

aged and dementia care institutions 

– residents wake up when 

they prefer, eat what and when 

they want to and can choose to 

shower in the evening or morning,” 

Ms Krebs said. 

“Carers focus on abilities, 

not disabilities, with residents 

involved in activities that reflect 

their interests such as cooking, 

gardening, swimming in the 

pool, walking the dog that lives 

at the house and participating 

in pursuits such as the local 

choir to continue their connection 

with the community,” she 

said. 

Learn more about dementia 

on the Dementia Australia 

website dementia.org.au or call 

the National Dementia Helpline 

for information, support and 

referral on 1800 100 500 during 

business hours. 


Dementia friendship group 

On the first Tuesday of each month CCNB holds a Chatter 

‘Cino Dementia Café Friendship Group for people with dementia 

their family and friends. 

Held from 10am-12pm at the Vines in Terrey Hills, Chatter 

‘Cino is hosted by CCNB’s dementia consultant Michele Ferris 

and is an opportunity for people in similar circumstances to 

talk, laugh and share. 

For more information and to RSVP call 1300 002 262 or 

email ccnb@ccnb.com.au 

Plans for new 

palliative care 

unit revealed 

F 

loor plans of Mona Vale 

Hospital campus’ new 10- 

bed Palliative Care Unit and 

10-bed Geriatric Evaluation 

Management Unit have been 

unveiled. 

The hospital’s General 

Manager Jacqui Edgley 

presented the revised plans, 

which had been updated 

following input from the 

Friends of Northern Beaches 

Palliative Care, the Inpatient 

Facility Working Group and 

the members of Hospital’s 

Auxiliary, at a recent 

meeting. 

“Engaging with community 

groups such as these on the 

design of the building is so 

important and the feedback 

on the floor plans from 

members the Friends of 

Northern Palliative Care and 

the Inpatient Facility Working 

Group has been invaluable 

and greatly appreciated,” Ms 

Edgley said. 

“They have been 

campaigning for this 

important service for many 

years and like myself they 

are keen to ensure the new 

facility is the very best it can 

be for our patients, carers 

and visitors and built to 

the highest contemporary 

standards.” 

Kay Millar, Chair of the 

Northern Beaches Palliative 

Care Inpatient Facility 

Working Group, said it was 

pleasing to see progress 

on the building and that 

their recommendations on 

the floor plans had been 

incorporated, where possible. 

“This service is something 

the community has been 

wanting for a long time so it 

is great to see the progress 

being made,” she said. 

“We look forward to 

continuing to work with the 

hospital over the coming 

months as the building takes 

shape.” 

Construction is expected to 

be completed by the middle 

of 2020. 



Hair & Beauty 

Hydrate and heal our 

skin is the Winter focus with Sue Carroll 

Harsh, cold winter weather 

maintain a healthy lipid barrier, 

and everyday stress 

good internal and external 

can play havoc with our 

hydration and a healthy 

skin. Our once plump, radiant 

circulatory system. In the cold, 

and hydrated skin takes on 

dry months, we can achieve 

a dull, crepe-like and often 

this and you will not only feel 

compromised appearance. The 

better on the inside but your 

focus for skin in the winter 

largest organ – our skin on 

is to hydrate and heal, both 

the outside – will take on the 

internally and externally. 

appearance of health and 

At any time of the year, a 

vitality. 

compromised lipid barrier can 

create dry, irritated skin. When 

the cool, dry weather arrives, dry Other factors may be using high anti-inflammatory and 

Sue Carroll of Skin 

skin becomes far more irritated, the incorrect homecare, overexfoliation 

antioxidant content), bergamot Inspiration has been a quali- 

of the face and body (is a balancing oil providing fied Aesthetician for 33 years. 

red, rough and dry. Those people 

with naturally dry skin lack a skin, dietary changes (such as toning properties), white ginger 

Sue has owned and 

strong lipid barrier, which leads reducing the fat content in our (stimulates the circulation 

operated successful beauty 

to dehydration and water loss. diet), ageing and hormonal and aids in combatting skin 

clinics and day spas on 

This means these people do not changes, UV exposure, stress disease) and black spruce 

have enough lipids to maintain 

the Northern Beaches. 

and some diseases. 

(provides purifying and 

optimal skin health. 

To build up our natural cleansing properties). 

info@skininspiration.com.au 

To understand treatment lipid barrier internally, we can In the depths of this winter, www.skininspiration.com.au 

options, it is important to address dietary requirements. make it one of your goals to 

understand what the lipids This may include the addition 

do within the skin. Lipids can of avocado, wild salmon, 

be compared to the “mortar” more water (when the heat 

between the skin’s “bricks”, or dissipates so does our water 

corneocytes. Our outermost consumption), fruit (such 

layer of skin, the stratum as berries, grapefruit and 

corneum, is where the lipid bananas) and vegetables (such 

barrier is found. It is the skin’s as cucumber and squash which 

first line of defence against is an excellent source of beta 

external and internal factors carotene). 

that can affect skin dryness. This winter, we can build 

To help prevent excess water a healthy, glowing skin with 

loss and to protect against the the external application of 

assault of UV radiation, heat, products rich in plant oils, 

cold and environmental irritants, ceramides and essential fatty 

a very strong lipid barrier is acids. We can also look to 

paramount. 

orange peel oil (a natural 

Visually, a compromised source of Vitamin C and 

lipid barrier will result in the is helpful for sensitive or 

skin appearing flaky, dry, dull, irritated skin), clove (used 

and having fine dehydration for detoxification and to 

lines. This then means the stimulate the circulatory 

skin is more susceptible to system), turmeric (one of the 

environmental assault and most powerful antioxidants 

signs of premature ageing. from nature and protects 

Besides a low natural oil from environmental damaging 

balance in the skin, creating elements), cinnamon 

a compromised lipid barrier, (stimulates, is antibacterial, 

there are other factors affecting antifungal and is a powerful 

this. One of the main causes antioxidant), paprika 

is environmental winter 

(revitalises and oxygenates), 

conditions with low humidity arctic cranberry (contains 

and temperatures – we then tend phytochemicals such as 

to turn up the heating inside vitamin B6, benzoic acid, lutein 

and have our showers hotter, and proanthocyanidins, which 

which will increase dryness. are responsible for the fruit’s 



Health Hair & Wellbeing Beauty

Business Life: Money 

Business Life 

‘Check’ please: make a 

note on super changes 

This month we catch up 

with three superannuation 

changes, two that 

came in this financial year 

from July 1 and one not very 

well known that came in this 

time last year. 

These are not the only 

changes to superannuation 

to commence this financial 

year, the Government rolled 

out a number of reforms 

that deal with protecting low 

balances and the treatment 

of insurance inside super, but 

I’ll focus on these few here as 

they deal with the ability to 

get money into the system. 

Work Test Exemption 

Under the current rules a 

person aged between 65 and 

74 can only make a voluntary 

(e.g. not an employer-mandated) 

superannuation contribution 

if they have satisfied 

a work test of 40 hours over 

30 consecutive days during 

the financial year that the 

contribution is made. 

From July 1 this year a 

person aged between 65 

and 74 can make a voluntary 

contribution to super without 

passing the work test if: 

n They met the work test in 

a previous financial year; 

and 

n Their total super balance 

across all sources is less 

than $300,000; and 

n They haven’t accessed the 

exemption in a previous 

financial year. 

So while a useful strategy 

with Brian Hrnjak 

for, say, organising the sale 

of a property or shares after 

retiring from full-time work 

the provisions are limited in 

that they only extend for an 

additional 12 months and 

they are a once-in-a-lifetime 

concession that only apply 

in the case of someone 

with a super balance below 

$300,000. It may, however, 

be a useful mechanism to 

top up holdings or balance 

out super between spouses if 

one has a lower balance. 

The voluntary contributions 

mentioned above go 

further than the obvious 

$100,000 non-concessional 

cap and may allow for up to 

$300,000 to be contributed 

under the bring forward 

provisions if all of the appropriate 

conditions are satisfied. 

You may also be able 

to make voluntary contributions 

such as tax-deductible 

concessional contributions, 

or, contributions that qualify 

under the small business CGT 

concessions if the situation 

applies. 

Anyone contemplating using 

these provisions combined 

with an asset sale and 

access to the $300,000 bring 

forward provisions should 

seek advice well in advance 

to ensure they can achieve 

the timings and hurdles 

involved. 

Catch-up Concessional 

Contributions 

From July 1, 2019 you will be 

able to carry forward concessional 

(tax deductible) super 

contributions that were not 

made from July 1, 2018 onward 

for up to five years on 

a rolling basis. Under current 

rules the cap for deductible 

superannuation contributions 

is $25,000 per annum. 



For example, if last year 

you made a $10,000 contribution 

you can carry forward 

$15,000 into this year or for 

up to five years before it 

expires. If you made no contribution 

at all last year you 

could potentially contribute 

$50,000 this financial year. 

If you store up your entitlement 

over the entire period, 

you could potentially make 

one single contribution of 

$125,000 but to access any 

of these catch up provisions 

your total superannuation 

balance must be less than 

$500,000 when measured at 

June 30 in the financial year 

prior. 

For planning purposes this 

catch-up feature is beneficial 

to anyone who may have 

been out of the workforce for 

a period of time or someone 

who may be planning 

to offset a capital gains tax 

liability in the future. 

Note that these catch-up 

provisions may be used in 

concert with the work test 

exemption mentioned earlier. 

Downsizer 

Contributions 

This change came in last year 

on July 1, 2018 and is not 

well understood. The aim of 

the policy was to allow older 

Australian’s seeking to downsize 

their principal place of 

residence to top up their superannuation 

accounts – up 

to $300,000 each, however, it 

comes with a few hurdles: 

n You must be over 65 years 

of age to meet the eligibility 

criteria; 

n You can only make down- 

sizer contributions for the 

sale of one home; 

n The home must have been 

your principal place of 

residence at some point 

and owned by you or your 

spouse for 10 years or 

more prior to sale; 

n You home is not a caravan, 

houseboat or mobile home; 

n The contract of sale must 

be dated after 1 July 2018; 

n The downsizer contribution 

must be made within 

90 days of the receipt of 

proceeds and you have 

provided your super fund 

with a downsizer contribution 

into super form either 

before or at the time of 

making the contribution. 

A couple selling a home in 

Sydney to move to, say, the 

south coast could bank up 

to $600,000 in super if they 

meet all the rules; there is 

however, no requirement for 

them to purchase another 

dwelling. 

This is a very flexible and 

generous piece of policy, the 

ability to access the benefit 

is not affected by what is 

currently held in Super – if 

a person is over the $1.6 

million individual threshold 

they can still make the contribution 

and the funds will 

continue to be held in the 

accumulation part of super. If 

the family home was held in 

the name of only one spouse, 

the spouse that did not have 

an ownership interest may 

still make the contribution, 

providing all the other conditions 

are met. 

Business Life 


Brian Hrnjak B Bus CPA (FPS) is 

a Director of GHR Accounting 

Group Pty Ltd, Certified 

Practising Accountants. Offices 

at: Suite 12, Ground Floor, 

20 Bungan Street Mona Vale 

NSW 2103 and Shop 8, 9 – 15 

Central Ave Manly NSW 2095, 

Telephone: 02 9979-4300, 

Webs: www.ghr.com.au and 

www.altre.com.au Email: 

brian@ghr.com.au 

These comments are of a 

general nature only and are 

not intended as a substitute 

for professional advice. 


Business Life: Law 

Business Life 

Consider this if you’ve 

been left out of a will... 

Last month, three months 

after the death of former 

Prime Minister Bob 

Hawke and his farewell at a 

State memorial service at the 

Sydney Opera House, one of 

his three children announced 

that she has engaged lawyers 

to contest his Will. 

The former Labor 

figurehead is reported to 

have left a ‘multi-million 

dollar fortune’ which, after 

provision for his three 

children of $750,000 each, 

has been left to his widow 

Blanche d’Alpuget. The action 

seeks a greater share of 

the estate and if the matter 

proceeds it will be heard by 

the Supreme Court of New 

South Wales. 

Engaging in litigation is 

usually considered to be 

stressful for a member of 

the public. The preparation 

of documents, the endless 

conferences with solicitor 

and counsel, the anticipation 

of giving evidence and being 

cross examined in what is 

an adversarial procedure is 

challenging – and not to say 

expensive. 

Contesting a Will is 

sensitive and personal by 

nature. The case can venture 

into relationships and the 

lives of family both past and 

present and can rupture 

relationships forever. 

So, what does contesting a 

Will mean? 

To contest a Will you must 

mount a ‘challenge’. This 

means you may feel you 

have received an inadequate 

provision, as appears likely 

in the Hawke example. 

If the Court finds in the 

challenger’s favour it can 

either vary the provisions 

or order the redistribution 

of the Estate. You can 

also challenge the estate 

of a person who has died 

intestate (that means the 

person has died without 

making a Will). Similarly a 

person may challenge the 

validity of a Will. 

One often sees 

advertisments which pose 

the question, “... have you 

been left out of a Will?” with 

suggestions as to how to 

challenge. 

The first issue to be 

decided is your eligibility to 

mount a case. The categories 

may seem obvious; for 

example, if you are the 

surviving wife or husband 

at the time of their death, 

or if you are a former wife 

or husband of the deceased. 

If you are a child of the 

deceased you are eligible. 

The term ‘child’ includes 

adult children, children under 

18 years, as well as adopted 

children. Stepchildren are 

not automatically eligible 

to contest. However, if you 

have been dependent on the 

deceased, you might be able 

to contest. Grandchildren 

who have been wholly or 

partly dependent upon the 

deceased at any time are 

eligible. 

If you have been wholly or 

partly dependent upon the 

deceased at any time and 

you were a member of their 

household at any time you 

are eligible to contest. 

with Jennifer Harris 

If there is doubt about your 

eligibility you should seek 

legal advice on the precise 

facts and circumstances 

which give rise to your view 

that you should challenge. 

In NSW, if the deceased 

died after 1 March 2009 you 

have 12 months from the 

date of death to mount a 

challenge to a Will. The time 

limit for challenge varies 

from state to state. 



If the time limit to 

challenge has passed you 

may be able, in special 

circumstances, to obtain 

an extension of time to 

contest the Will. Examples 

may include that you did not 

know the deceased had died, 

and you were unaware of the 

relevant time limits. 

Having established you are 

eligible to contest the Will, 

what factors does a court 

consider? Generally, the 

following matters are taken 

into consideration: 

n Whether any provision you 

have already received is 

adequate for your proper 

maintenance, education 

and advancement in life; 

n Competing claims of 

other eligible persons or 

beneficiaries; 

n Where relevant, Aboriginal 

or Torres Strait Islander 

customary law; 

n The nature and duration of 

your relationship with the 

deceased; 

n Your financial resources 

and earning capacity; 

n The financial 

circumstances of people 

with whom you cohabit; 

n The size of the estate. For 

example you may have a 

very strong claim on the 

grounds of relationship 

and need, but if there is 

only $20,000 in the estate, 

then there is very little 

scope for a Court to order 

provision; 

n Contributions you made, 

both financial and nonfinancial, 

to the deceased; 

n Any provision the deceased 

made for you during their 

lifetime; and 

n Certain categories of 

eligible persons must 

establish that their 

relationship with the 

deceased was such that 

they ought naturally to 

have been a beneficiary. 

There is no way of knowing 

from the outset what you 

could receive when you 

dispute a Will. If you are 

an eligible person, among 

other matters the court 

will look to make sure you 

received adequate provision, 

it will have regard to the 

money you need for proper 

maintenance, support, 

education and advancement 

in your life. 

It might be possible to 

claim upon assets which 

do not strictly fall into the 

deceased person’s estate. 

These assets are known as 

‘notional estate’. 

The following are examples 

of ‘notional estate’: 

n The deceased made a loan 

to someone and forgave 

the loan on their death, or 

within three years of their 

death; 

n The deceased had 

superannuation of life 

insurance; 

n The deceased gave an 

asset away, or sold it to 

someone for less than its 

value; 

n The deceased held an 

asset, such as a house or 

bank account jointly with 

another person. 

One of the major factors 

that the Court will use to 

determine whether, as an 

eligible person, you should 

be entitled to receive 

provision from the Will is 

whether you have ‘need’. To 

determine need the Court 

initially will consider the test 

noted above as to whether 

your day-to-day maintenance, 

education and advancement 

in life have been provided for 

adequately under the terms 

of the will of the deceased. 

This will be done by an 

examination of your current 

situation by reviewing your 

finances, debt, mortgage 

repayments, medical 

expenses including projected 

future medical expenses, 

rental situation and place 

of employment which will 

include consideration of 

your salary and length of 

employment. Your situation 

as a whole will be reviewed 

and on that basis the court 

will make a decision on 

whether the deceased’s Will 

should be altered to make 

further provision for you. 

These matters are quite 

complex and establishing 

‘need’ is far from straight 

forward and depends on 

many factors. It is wise, 

particularly when the issues 

are emotional and very 

uncertain, to seek legal 

advice to discuss your 

situation as no two situations 

are the same. It is essential 

before making a decision to 

challenge, to obtain advice 

as to whether you have an 

adequate level of ‘need’ 

to mount a challenge to 

successfully contest the Will. 

* Should readers wish 

to contact the writer 

concerning matters raised 

in this column or any other 

issue our hours of business 

are 9am-5.30pm Monday to 

Friday. Call 9973 2011. 

Comment supplied by 

Jennifer Harris, of Jennifer 

Harris & Associates, Solicitors, 

4/57 Avalon Parade, 

Avalon Beach. 

T: 9973 2011. F: 9918 3290. 

E: jennifer@jenniferharris.com.au 

W: www.jenniferharris.com.au 

Business Life 



Trades & Services 


AUTO REPAIRS 

British & Swedish Motors 

Call 9970 6654 

Services Range Rover, Land Rover, 

Saab and Volvo with the latest in 

diagnostic equipment. 

Narrabeen Tyrepower 

Call 9970 6670 

Stocks all popular brands including 

Cooper 4WD. Plus they’ll do all mechanical 

repairs and rego inspections. 

Barrenjoey Smash Repairs 

Call 9970 8207 

barrenjoeysmashrepairs.com.au 

Re-sprays a specialty, plus 

restoration of your favourite vehicle. 

Commercial specialist. 

BATTERIES 

Battery Business 

Call 9970 6999 

Batteries for all applications. Won’t be 

beaten on price or service. Free testing, 

7 days. 

BOAT SERVICES 

Avalon Marine Upholstery 

Call Simon 9918 9803 

Makes cushions for boats, patio and 

pool furniture, window seats. 

BUILDING SERVICES 

Calyx Construction 

Call Mat 0416 105 032 

Northern Beaches-based; small team, 

top attention to detail. Specialists 

in quality house renovations, major 

alterations and additions. 

Rob Burgers 

Call 0416 066 159 

Qualified builder provides all carpentry 

needs; decks, pergolas, carports, 

renos & repairs. 

B & RD Williams 

Call Brian 0416 182 774 

Kitchen renovations, decks, pergolas. 

Small extensions specialist. 

CLEANING 

The Aqua Clean Team 

Call Mark 0449 049 101 

Quality window washing, pressure cleaning, 

carpet washing, building soft wash. 

Martin Earl House Wash 

Call 0405 583 305 

Pittwater-based owner on site at all 

times. No travellers or uninsured 

casuals on your property. 

CONCRETING 

Pavecrete – All Concrete 

Services 

Call Phil 0418 772 799 

pavecrete@iinet.net.au 

Established locally 1995. Driveways plus 

– Council Accredited. Excavation service. 

ELECTRICAL 

Eamon Dowling Electrical 

Call 0410 457 373 

For all electrical, phone, TV and data 

needs. Local business. Quality service 

guaranteed. 

FLOOR COVERINGS 

Blue Tongue Carpets 

Call Stephan 9979 7292 

Family owned and run. Carpet, rugs, 

runners, timber, bamboo, vinyl, tiles 

& laminates. Open 6 days. 

FLOOR SANDING 

Pittwater Eco Floor Sanding 

Call 0425 376986 

Floor sanding & polishing; staining & 

lime washing; installation & repairs; 

rejuvenation; decking and outdoor 

timber. Call now to arrange your free 

quote. 



GARDENS 

Graham Brooks 

Call 0412 281 580 

Tree pruning and removals. Reports 

regarding DA tree management, 

arborist reports. 

Precision Tree Services 

Call Adam 0410 736 105 

Adam Bridger; professional tree 

care by qualified arborists and tree 

surgeons. 

Special Branch Tree Services 

Call Jason 0439 964 538 

Qualified arborist; 20 years’ experience 

all aspects of tree work Avalon 

and surrounds. Fully insured. Call to 

arrange quote. 


Advertise your 

Business in 

Trades 

& Services 

section 

Phone 

0438 123 096 





GUTTERS & ROOFING 

ABC Seamless 

Call 9748 3022 

Local roofing & guttering experts. 

Free quotes. 40 years’ industry 

experience. Fully licensed, insured & 

extensive warranties. 

Aussie Gutter Services 

Call Henry 0409 130808 

Local, reliable and punctual service 

7 days a week; fully insured. 

Cloud9 G&R 

Call Tommy 0447 999 929 

Prompt and reliable service; gutter 

cleaning and installation, leak 

detection, roof installation and painting. 

Also roof repairs specialist. 

KITCHENS 

Seabreeze Kitchens 

Call 9938 5477 

Specialists in all kitchen needs; design, 

fitting, consultation. Excellent trades. 

MASSAGE & FITNESS 

Francois Naef/Osteopath 

Call Francois 9918 2288 

Diagnosis, treatment and prevention 

for back pain and sciatica, sports 

injuries, muscle soreness, pregnancyrelated 

pain, imbalance. 

Avalon Physiotherapy 

Call 9918 3373 

Provide specialist treatment for neck & 

back pain, sports injuries, orthopaedic 

problems. 

Fix + Flex Pilates & Physio 

Call Jen 0404 804 441 

Private & Group Equipment Pilates & 

Physio sessions (max 3 per class). 

PAINTING 

Contrast Colour 

Call 0431 004 421 

Locals Josef and Richard offer a quality 

service; tidy and reliable, they’ll 

help you choose the best type of paint 

for the job. 

Modern Colour 

Call 0406 150 555 

Simon Bergin offers painting and 

decorating; clean, tidy, quality detail 

you will notice. Dependable and on 

time. 

AJJ Painting & Decorating 

Call 0418 116 700 

Andrew is a master painter with 30 

years’ experience. Domestic and commercial; 

reasonable rates, free quotes. 

PEST CONTROL 

Predator Pest Control 

Call 0417 276 962 

predatorpestcontrol.com.au 

Environmental services at their best. Comprehensive 

control. Eliminate all manner of 

pests. They provide a 24-hour service. 

PLUMBING 

Nick Anderson Plumbing 

Call Nick 0411 251 256 

Specialist in gasfitting, drainage 

and plumbing. Complete service, 

competitive rates. Local and reliable 

– free quotes. 

Pure Plumbing Professionals 

Call 9056 8166 

Zero dollars call-out – and you approve 

the price before they begin. 24/7 Emergency 

Service. 10% pensioner discount. 

RUBBISH REMOVAL 

One 2 Dump 

Call Josh 0450 712 779 

Seven-days-a-week pick-up service 

includes general household rubbish, 

construction, commercial plus 

vegetation. Also car removals. 

UPHOLSTERY 

Luxafoam North 

Call 9999 5567 

Local specialists in all aspects of 

outdoor & indoor seating. 

Custom service, expert advice. 

Essyou Design 

Call Susan 0422 466 880 

Specialist in day bed and outdoor 

areas. Reliable local service. Offering 

domestic & commercial. 

WELLNESS 

Piria Coleman 

Call Piria 0490 499 963 

Learn Tai Chi and Qigong, gentle forms 

of exercise that are both relaxing and 

energizing. Group classes; private 

training by request. Piriacoleman.com 

DISCLAIMER: The editorial and advertising content in 

Pittwater Life has been provided by a number of sources. 

Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the 

Editor or Publisher of Pittwater Life and no responsibility 

is taken for the accuracy of the information contained 

within. Readers should make their own enquiries directly 

to any organisations or businesses prior to making any 

plans or taking any action. 



Advertise your 

Business in 

Trades 

& Services 

section 

Phone 

0438 123 096 




the 

good 

life 

Showtime 

Showtime 

clubs & pubs 60 

food 

crossword 

gardening 

travel 

64 

67 

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73 

DIVERSE RANGE OF ACTS: The inaugural Sydney Folk Festival will feature the likes of (l-r) The Button Collective, 

Sirocco, Traditional Graffiti (featuring Avalon’s Ian Macintosh) and Warren Fahey (below). 

ʻNext Gen of Folk’ theme 

for first Sydney Festival 

Fifty years on from the muddy images associated 

with the iconic Woodstock Festival in the 

US, Sydney will host its first dedicated folk 

music festival in August – and no-one’s feet will 

get wet! 

At four great venues in Pitt Street over two 

days and three nights (August 16-18), the heart 

of Sydney will see more than 60 acts comprising 

225 talented performers in a massive celebration 

of the best and most adventurous in today’s new 

generation of folk. 

Timed to coincide with the 

50th anniversary of Woodstock, 

organisers say topnotch 

musicians aged from 

9 to 90 will thrill audiences 

with a wild rainbow of sounds. 

You’ll hear fresh young world 

beats and original voices, 

traditional music (ballads, 

shanties, blues, bush music, 

bluegrass and newgrass) and 

way beyond to Afro funk, 

Celtic punk and more. 

Artistic director, well-known 

Aussie cultural historian and performer Warren 

Fahey says this festival will “totally blow away” 

any outdated stereotypes of ‘old school’ folk. 

“We’ve prepared a joyous celebration of all the 

musical genres that sit under the big umbrella 

of ‘folk’,” Warren said. “Storytelling – colonial, 

indigenous, multicultural – is central… but so is 

participation. 

“There’s dance, poetry, theatre, food and 

drink… and much more. The entire line-up is 

‘Aussie’ and being in the heart of the city – every 

venue is within five minutes’ walk of Sydney 

Town Hall.” 

The festival theme is ‘The Next Generation Of 

Folk’. With an emphasis on youth, the performers 

will range from extraordinary talent, 10-year 

old Allegra Dunning and 2019 Young Folk Award 

winner Cowra’s Josh Maynard, to legends like 

internationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter Eric 

Bogle – who will sing his much-loved hits and 

submit to a BBQ ‘grilling’ by No.1 fan and legendary 

Northern Beaches author Tom Keneally. 

The festival will even go a little ‘mellow’ with a 

musical hippy tribute in honour of the Woodstock 

anniversary. 

One of the most exciting aspects of the festival 

will be its use of creative venues. Its main hubs 

will be the City Tattersall’s Club; the historic 

750-seat Pitt Street Uniting Church (a John Bibbdesigned 

‘fire and brimstone’ church built in 

1841); the Edinburgh Castle 

Hotel (1885) and venues within 

the Sydney Mechanics School 

of Arts (established 1833). 

President of organisers Folk 

Federation NSW, Brian Jonathon, 

said a truly urban folk 

festival was long overdue. 

“There are scores of 

regional folk festivals across 

the country, where artists and 

audiences have to ‘go bush’ 

for a rough (and often soggy) 

experience. But we thought 

it was time to bring the rich 

diversity of contemporary folk to town.” 

“A unique musical adventure for every taste, 

weekend or day ticket holders will be able to 

explore the musical offerings with several performances 

programmed concurrently,” Brian said. 

In addition to headliner Bogle, major names 

include Traditional Graffiti (featuring Avalon’s 

Ian ‘The Pump’ Macintosh), Mara!, Chaika, Shelley’s 

Murder Boys, Eric Avery, the Willing Ponies, 

the Bottlers, the Last Aurochs, Kejafi, Firrin, 40 

Degrees South, the Shanty Club, Señor Cabales, 

Wang Yue Chinese Ensemble, Riley Lee & Cliona 

Molins, the Mutual Acquaintances, the Button 

Collective, Moussa Diakite & Wassado, Keith Potger, 

Dead Men Talking, Sirocco and the Roweth 

Band. 


For tickets, more info including artist 

details and the full program visit sydneyfolkfestival.com.au 

58 AUGUST 2019 The Local Voice Since 1991

Puppy-etry tells 

tale of Picasso and 

his ‘naughty’ dog 

A 

wild and adventurous 

story about iconic 20th 

century artist Pablo 

Picasso and his naughty 

sausage dog, Picasso and His 

Dog, is coming to Belrose’s 

Glen Street Theatre for three 

days only in August. 

Ideal for children aged 

4-plus and their families, this 

delightful show is inspired by 

a true story – it celebrates the 

special friendship between 

the great artist and his dog. 

In 1957, an elongated sausage 

dog called Lump arrived 

at Picasso’s villa; he looked 

into the deep brown eyes of 

Picasso and decided he was 

Performing together throughout 

Australia for over a decade 

to great acclaim, international 

and Australian classical concert 

pianist Simon Tedeschi and 

renowned Australian jazz pianist 

Kevin Hunt will present a new 

program of irresistible works at 

Bayview early next month. 

This two-piano treat when “classical and jazz 

duck and weave in a way that feels just right” 

will be centred around Hunt’s Painted Piano 

suite, a moving work celebrating connections 

between indigenous youth and their country 

and the joy and the gift of creating music within 

Former Avalon resident Shauna 

Jensen has teamed with 

Newport producer Craig Bodinnar 

to stage a unique concert 

in honour of the late soul icon 

Aretha Franklin this month. 

Vocalist Jensen will deliver 

‘The Aretha Franklin Songbook’ 

plus a collection of hits commemorating 

the best of 60 years 

of Motown at the Sydney Opera 

House on Friday August 30. 

Bodinnar said Shauna will 

be accompanied by an all-star 

10-piece band comprising 

a collection of long-term 

beaches residents. 

“We’ll be rediscovering 

Aretha Franklin’s legendary 

songbook from the early jazz 

days with ‘Misty’ and ‘What 

A Difference A Day Makes’ to 

the Grammy Award-winning 

‘Respect’, ‘Think’, and ’I Say A 

Little Prayer’,” he said. 

The concert will then move 

through the decades, encompassing 

Franklin’s iconic 

duets with George Michael (‘I 

Knew You Were Waiting’) and 

Annie Lennox (‘Sisters Are Doing 

It For Themselves’) before 

finishing the journey with 

‘Freeway Of Love’, ‘Deeper 

home. And so began a great 

love between a man and 

his dog – a friendship that 

spanned 17 years. 

But this was more than 

a friendship, as Lump also 

became an artistic muse for 

Picasso, appearing in more 

than 50 of his artworks. 

This work is a unique 

children’s puppet play that 

combines the art and story 

of Picasso with the extraordinary 

poems of Chilean poet 

Pablo Neruda and the text of 

Picasso’s contemporary and 

lifelong friend, Gertrude Stein. 

It is a refreshingly original 

work, wild and adventurous. 

Initially set in Picasso’s 

studio in the South of France, 

the story travels across time 

and space in a series of imaginative 

leaps. 

It uses puppetry to transform 

the detailed set design 

as the performers play with 

scale, shadow puppetry, 

visual illusions, painting and 

sculpting on stage. 

Using puppetry, set transformations 

and the making 

Renowned pianists returning to Bayview 

Tribute to Aretha Franklin 

DELIGHTFUL: 

Picasso and His Dog. 

our communities. 

It will be performed alongside 

music from Bach and 

Debussy to Ellington, Monk, 

Oscar Peterson and Gershwin. 

Amazingly priced tickets 

(only $25, students under 18, 

$10 or free when accompanied 

by an adult) are selling fast 

for this concert at St Luke’s Grammar Bayview 

Campus, on Friday September 6 at 8pm. 

Bookings and further information peninsulamusicclub.com.au 

or 0413 077 749. 

A sparkling wine supper will be served after 

the performance. 

Love’ and ‘Natural Woman’. 

Opening the night and 

celebrating the 60th anniversary 

of Motown, the band will 

work through hits including 

‘My Girl’, ‘Heatwave’, ‘Signed 

Sealed Delivered’, ‘Dancing In 

The Street’. 

of live-art onstage, Picasso 

and His Dog is a visually 

stunning and delightfully fun 

work for all ages. 

There will be two matinee 

performances daily (10.30am 

and 1.30pm) on Thursday 

29th, Friday 30th and Sunday 

31st; tickets $23 each, $95 

family-of-five, kids under 2 

free (seated on parent’s lap). 

Bookings glenstreet.com.au 

or 9975 1455. 

Best of 

Baroque 

‘B 

est of Baroque’, featuring 

the music of Vivaldi, 

Pergolisi and CPE Bach, is 

the theme of the Manly 

Warringah Choir’s winter 

concert in Manly on Sunday 

August 11. 

Renowned local flautist 

Bridget Bolliger will astound 

the audience with her brilliant 

performance in CPE 

Bach’s Flute Concerto. 

Vivaldi’s Gloria score is always 

a great favourite, with 

the popularized opening full 

of infectious enthusiasm. 

Although a lesser-known 

composer from the Baroque 

period, Pergolesi’s featured 

work (Magnificat) will still 

be recalled by the audience, 

having been used widely in 

films and documentaries. 

The choir will be accompanied 

by an orchestra 

and soloists, conducted by 

Carlos Alvarados. 

Concert starts 2.30pm at 

Cardinal Cerretti Chapel, 

Darley Rd, Manly; tickets 

$20-$45 (add $5 for 

premium seats). Bookings 

manywarringahchoir.org.au 

or 0411 777 738. 


Showtime

Dining Clubs & Guide Pubs 

Clubs & Pubs 

August's best functions, music gigs, events and dining news... 

40 YEARS OF 

HITS: Jacob 

Cook, Peter 

Gray, Greedy 

Smith, Martin 

Cilia and 

Craig Gordon. 

Make a Mental note 

to catch Greedy & co 

Frontman and last performing 

original member of ’70s, 

’80s and ’90s hitmakers Mental 

As Anything, Greedy Smith, is a 

man on a mission: to reconnect 

people with their youth. 

Which isn’t too hard when 

you’re responsible for the 

soundtrack of the lives of generations 

of locals, thanks to 25 

top-40 hits spanning more than 

40 years of radio airplay. 

Greedy and current band 

members, drummer Jacob 

Cook (nine years), guitarists 

Martin Cilia (five years) and 

Craig Gordon (three years) plus 

bass guitarist Peter Gray (18 

months) bring their infectious 

power-pop/rock to Pittwater 

RSL on Saturday August 10. 

Greedy explained co-founder 

Martin Plaza, although not part 

of the “on the road” Mentals 

line-up, was still an integral 

part of the band – he contributed 

to their latest 5-track EP 

and still competed with Greedy 

to come up with new material. 

“Just as it’s always been,” 

Greedy said. “Martin has been 

fighting cancer for six years; 

he played his last show with us 

two-and-a-half years ago but 

he’s doing well.” 

Greedy, who has supplied vocals, 

keyboard and harmonica 

to shape the Mentals’ sound for 

43 years, always looks forward 

to playing on the Northern 

Beaches. 

He doesn’t have an in-depth 

connection with Pittwater, but 

quips: “I painted the men’s toilets 

at the Florida Guest House 

in Palm Beach during school 

holidays in 1972!” 

Greedy said the Mentals’ set 

list didn’t change much from 

gig to gig. 

“We have a large core of 

songs that must be played. 

These were all hits on radio at 

the time of their release,” he 

said (referring to the likes of 

‘The Nips Are Getting Bigger’, 

‘Come Around’, ‘If You Leave 

Me Can I Come Too’ and ‘Live 

It Up’. 

“Apart from that we rotate 

some of our more recent 

songs. We find the new ones 

very useful in highlighting the 

effect of familiarity on people’s 

immediate response. 

“At Pittwater RSL we’ll try to 

include most of our 25 top-40 

tunes, a couple of covers and a 

couple of new ones. All of these 

are available on AT PLAY, our 

live album released this year.” 

He added the Mentals would 

continue touring for the rest 

of the year and would release 

their 40th anniversary Classic 

Recordings collection on a vinyl 

double album, with more original 

songs on the agenda too. 

When asked, Greedy noted 

the band’s ‘ryder’ (request list) 

at concerts had never really 

echoed hard-core rock ’n’ roll. 

“We never went too hard, 

except for whisky... and that 

has since been knocked off the 

list,” he said. 

“Nowadays it’s a tray of sandwiches, 

six beers, a wine, soft 

drink and water – and I’ll be on 

the tea as usual!” – Nigel Wall 

* Tickets available at pittwaterrsl.com.au 

Pittwater RSL 

Assorted eateries 

82 Mona Vale Rd Mona Vale 

Pittwater RSL has 

introduced a new $10 

Member Menu, available 

for lunch from Monday to 

Friday. Did you know the 

Club’s Glasshouse Eatery 

is a finalist in the NSW 

Awards for Excellence 

AGAIN for the second year 

running? Book your table 

now to find out what all 

the buzz is about! Pittwater 

RSL is the community 

Club, with great beer – 

offering members $4 Great 

Northern Schooners all 

day, every day! 

And they love their 

Seniors! Once a month, 

Pittwater RSL presents a 

FREE ‘Love your Seniors’ 

Show. Come and Join in 

the fun on Monday 26th 

August from 11am-12:30pm. 

They even provide a 

complimentary morning tea 

for everyone. Call the Club 

today to RSVP! 

Are you a footy fan? 

Pittwater RSL will be 

showing the Bledisloe 

Cup ‘Loud and Live’ in 

the Distillery Bar on the 

10th and 17th of August. 

Bring your jerseys to watch 

Australia and New Zealand 

go head to head. 

Families are loving 

the indoor playground in 

Potter’s Café. Relax with 

great cup of coffee and 

chat with friends while the 

kids play. If you’re looking 

for something to do on a 

Tuesday, join in for ‘Toddler 

Tuesday’ from 10.30am; 

it’s a fun day for the little 

ones with face painting, 

interactive story time, 

balloon fun plus more – and 

it’s FREE! 

Pittwater RSL is the upper 

Northern Beaches’ premier 

entertainment venue. They 

have live music every Friday 

and Saturday evening as well 

as ticketed shows. Mental As 

Anything will be performing 

live on August 10 – but 

hurry, tickets are selling fast. 

pittwaterrsl.com.au 

Avalon 

Beach RSL 

Bistro 61 

1 Bowling Green Lane 

Avalon Beach 

Avalon Beach RSL’s Bistro 61 

is a great place to head for 

a local meal, offering tasty 

modern Australian dishes at 

affordable prices. 

Take advantage of their 

new #AVRSL MEMBER MON- 

DAY. This brand new weekly 

promotion includes $5 drinks 

all day for members, plus a 

$15 Roast Meal special (lunch 

and dinner) and $10 chicken 

wings available to all! 

There are great music acts 

in August, kicking off with 

longtime local favourites 

Nothing Too Serious on Friday 

August 2 and Nativosoul on 

Friday August 16. 

That Old Chestnut return 

for a free gig on Saturday 

August 24. They're sculpting 

a new musical genre with 

their quirky reworkings of the 

music of Guns and Roses, Soft 

Cell... even ACDC! 

Then there's the Monthly 

Karaoke Party on Friday August 

30 with free entry from 

9pm 

And now available for free 

download – the new Avalon 

Beach RSL Club App. Earn 

rewards, prizes and member 

points by logging in daily. 

See what's on, check out 

events, view menus and more! 

Don't miss the Super Sunday 

raffle on the first Sunday 

of the month – there's more 

than $1500 in prizes. 

Bistro 61 is open for breakfast 

from 9am to 11.30am. 

Open for lunch and dinner 

seven days, with extensive 

outdoor dining areas, Bistro 

61 offers a variety of specials 

(lunch and dinner) during the 

week, including $12 tacos 

(Tues), $15 Chicken Schnitzels 

(Wed), 2-4-1 pizzas (Thurs), 

and a $20 burger + beer (Fri). 

Seniors are well catered 

for – there are daily Seniors 

specials, including beer-battered 

flathead – plus they do 

a $5 kids meals on Sundays! 

(There’s a playground, too.) 

avalonbeachrsl.com.au 



Royal Motor 

Yacht Club 

Salt Cove on Pittwater 

46 Prince Alfred 

Parade, Newport 

The Royal Motor Yacht Club, 

Broken Bay was officially 

opened in 1928. Over the 

past 91 years, RMYC has 

grown from a modest twostorey 

establishment into 

a magnificent clubhouse 

sitting proudly on the 

shores of Sydney’s beautiful 

Pittwater. Become a member 

today and start enjoying all 

the RMYC has to offer. 

RMYC’s restaurant Salt 

Cove on Pittwater is under 

Executive Head Chef Jeff 

Turnbull. It offers affordable 

meals and generous servings 

including a variety of starters, 

seafood, burgers, grills, 

salads and woodfired pizzas. 

Friday night music kicks 

off in the Lounge Bar (level 

1) from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. 

There are some great acts 

during August including 

Krishna (Aug 2); Bel Woods 

(Aug 9); Phil Simmons (Aug 

16); Jack Evans (Aug 23); and 

Jack Derwin (Aug 30). 

Waterfront Weddings 

Located on the shores 

of Pittwater on Sydney’s 

Northern Beaches, the Royal 

Motor Yacht Club offers a 

spectacular setting for both 

your wedding ceremony and 

wedding reception. Contact 

Michelle on (02) 9997 5511 or 

email michelleb@royalmotor. 

com.au 

There are so many reasons to 

drop into RMYC and experience 

the most idyllic location 

on Pittwater! 

Become a member 

Social members – just $180 

Boat Owner membership – 

$620 (initial joining fee $500) 

royalmotor.com.au 

Club Palm Beach 

Barrenjoey Bistro 

1087 Barrenjoey Road, 

Palm Beach 

In August, make your 

way to Club Palm Beach, 

located a short stroll from 

Palm Beach Wharf, for great 

dining for the whole family. 

Head down on Thursdays 


for a lobster mornay feast 

(plus chips and salad) for just 

$29.50pp ($39.50 non-members). 

Also, enjoy a Works 

Burger and schooner for just 

$15 every Friday. 

Every Wednesday there's 

family trivia from 7pm, with 

great prizes! 

Grab some friends and 

enjoy their Christmas In July 

Cruise & Lunch, with a cruise 

on Pittwater plus traditional 

Christmas roast and vegetable 

for $33pp. Book now! 

Barrenjoey Bistro is 

open for lunch (11.30am to 

2.30pm) and dinner (6pm 

to 9pm) seven days. The 

Bistro serves top-value a la 

carte meals plus daily $13.50 

specials of roasts (Mondays), 

rump steak with chips and 

salad (Tuesdays), chicken 

schnitzel with chips and salad 

(Wednesdays), homemade 

gourmet pies with chips and 

salad (Thursdays) and tempura 

fish and chips with salad 

(Fridays), except public hols. 

The Members’ lucky badge 

draw is held Wednesday and 

Friday night (every 30 mins 

between 5pm to 7pm), and 

jackpots by $100 each week. 

Enjoy Trivia Night from 

5.30pm on Wednesdays, plus 

Bingo 10am on Fridays. 

The club has a courtesy 

bus that makes regular runs 

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 

from 4.30pm to 9pm. 

Ring to book a pick-up. 

clubpalmbeach.com.au 

Dee Why 

RSL Club 

932 Pittwater Rd, Dee Why 

Located in the heart of the 

Northern Beaches, this club 

boasts contemporary surroundings 

and an expansive 

menu offering across its 

bars, restaurants and function 

spaces. 

Every Saturday in August, 

the Showroom is transforming 

into a Sensational Seafood 

Buffet which includes oysters, 

prawns, half lobster, green 

lip mussels, baby octopus an 

assortment of hot and cold 

dishes and dessert, from only 

$75 per person. 

The club also presents 

terrific entertainment acts. In 

August, catch: 1979, The Hits 

(9th, $35); and A Tribute to 

Woodstock (16th, $29). 

The Bistro on Level 2 is 

a great place for an enjoyable 

and affordable lunch or 

dinner with classic café and 

pub-style food. 

At ‘The Asian’, you can 

choose from a menu showcasing 

a variety of wok dishes 

from Hong Kong, Malaysia, 

Singapore and Japan. 

Enjoy the heart of Italian 

culture with antipasto, pizza, 

pasta and contemporary 

cuisine Italian at Aqua Bar & 

Dining. 

(Flame Lounge & Dining 

is currently closed and will 

relaunch in late 2020 as part 

of the club’s current redevelopment.) 

Dee Why RSL offers a twoyear 

membership for $5. 

Check out their website for 

the latest menus and specials. 

deewhyrsl.com.au 

Park House 

Food Merchants 

2 Park St, Mona Vale 

Park House continues to 

build a name for its great 

food offerings, with a 

variety of experiences and 

spaces in August. 

Every day their Restaurant 

menu offers mouthwatering 

dishes such as Californian-inspired 

Guacamole, 

Burrata that bursts with flavour 

and Snapper Ceviche 

drizzled with jalapeño oil. 

From local waters, favourites 

include Spaghetti 

Prawns with mint, parsley, 

chilli, butter and lemon; and 

Whole Snapper with asparagus 

and white miso hollandaise 

sauce. 

If you are someone who 

loves steak, you will be impressed 

with their selection 

from the grill, sourced from 

areas including Armidale and 

the Riverina. 

For dessert, their lime tart 

brûlée is served with in-house 

sour cream Chantilly and pistachio 

praline. It’s a perfect 

balance of flavours to top off 

a memorable evening in Food 

Merchants Restaurant. 

parkhousefoodandliquor. 

com.au 

This Month... 

Talent unearthed 

Local singers, musicians, 

dancers, duos, comedians will 

vie for cash prizes early this 

month at Kave Bar Barrenjoey 

Rd Newport. Details Facebook. 

One for the lads 

Sydney Darts World Champion 

Challenge featuring the 

UKs Scotty ‘Dog’ Mitchell and 

other top darters on stage at 

Narrabeen RSL on Friday 16 

from 7pm. 

Kate Lush Band 

Catch some fresh modern 

blues, R&B, soul and funk with 

attitude when Kate Lush Band 

hits the Co-op Club Church 

Point on Sunday 18 from 3.30- 

6.30pm. 

Back to the ’80s 

Dance and sing to the big hits 

from the decade of big hair 

with the Never Ending ’80s 

Band at Dee Why RSL on Friday 

23 at 8.30pm. Tickets $35. 


Dining Clubs & Guide Pubs

Tasty Morsels 

Tasty Morsels 

Racer’s new home 

Local foodie Jeremy Drayton 

is reflecting on 13 satisfying 

years in Mona Vale – first with 

The Inch café which morphed 

into Café Racer Co a few years 

ago. 

But it’s not all over; while 

no longer on site at Village 

Green (above), he will remain an 

integral part of the local coffee 

scene, having moved his shingle 

to Park Street and launched 

a new espresso bar serving 

the same creamy Campos 

coffee that Café Racer Co was 

renowned for. 

Jeremy recalls The Inch started 

as a Council lease of a small box 

on top of the Village Green, in a 

space between the two sides of 

Mona Vale. 

“To make it commercially 

viable we added a sailcloth roof 

structure, new service windows, 

a liquor licence and a long-term 

community hub approach,” he 

said. 

Additional seating and sevenday 

trading soon followed. 

“We were looking to activate 

the streetscape, help restart the 

chamber of commerce, add live 

music, art and markets to the 

town centre,” Jeremy said. “We 

were there to assist local groups 

and were heavily involved in 

fundraisers, both locally and 

abroad. 

“We always considered 

ourselves to be a strong 

stakeholder for the Town 

Centre and place planning 

considerations for a unique site 

that in a sense was the bridge 

between two sides of the village. 

“Finding out we haven’t been 

successful in renewing our lease 

means big changes and new 

adventures... and we’ve always 

loved that. 

“We’ve been a part of so many 

lives over 13 years... it’s been a 

privilege and we’re excited about 

the next step – our espresso bar 

just around the corner in Park 

St (next to Mona Vale Medical 

Centre, right) then perhaps a 

catered boat on Pittwater, or 

maybe even a wine bar. 

“A huge thank-you to everyone 

who has supported us along the 

way.” 

* Follow on Instagram @ 

caferacerco 

Need a hand? 

With his business downsized 

Jeremy is hoping to find team 

member Ross a position with another 

local daytime operator. 

“Ross spent time with Coffee Club 

before us and is assisted by Job Support,” 

he said. “He is an amazing guy, 

typically working four days a week in 

daytime shifts assisting the kitchen 

in washing up and helping the chefs. 

He’s a great team player – any local 

food operator that would like a huge 

uplift in team culture and who has 

room for a wage-assisted employee 

please email jeremy@caferacer.co or 

contact www.jobsupport.com.au.” 



Discover it, 

eat it, Lovat! 

Newport has a new modern Australian Brasserie, 

with the original owners of Barbuto at 

Narrabeen, Doug and Kylie, opening Restaurant 

Lovat in the former Sotto Sopra space on the 

southern tip of the village strip. 

Doug’s carefully curated menu will focus serving 

great steaks and fresh local seafood, taking flavours 

and techniques from Europe but also with a nod to his 

Japanese heritage. 

Their menu reveals treats including fried zucchini 

flowers stuffed with jalapeno cream cheese & aioli; 

locally smoked chorizo with house-made pickles & 

chimichurri; barramundi with peas, spinach & Kombu 

bisque; salmon, roast brocolini, mint, lentil dressing 

& smoked eggplant; beef tenderloin with mushroom 

butter, fries & jus; and mango sorbet with yogurt 

mousse, crumbled meringue and raspberry. 

Kylie said the pair aimed to deliver the feel of “a 

neighbourhood restaurant, with crowd-pleasing food at 

affordable prices”. 

Kylie’s drinks list will feature lesser-known 

favourites with some big-name wines, with a 

cocktail list curated by Nathan Cannon (ex-Alpha 

and Manly Pavilion). 

* Reservations lovat.com.au or call 9997 7009. 

Tasty Dining Morsels Guide 



Food Life 

The menu is set for a 

3-course winter feast! 

We’re smack bang in the middle of the cooler months – 

isn’t it nice to stay in on the weekends, invite a few good 

friends over for a delicious home-cooked meal with a 

few bottles of good wine? If that’s your idea of easy entertaining, 

I have put together a menu that will warm all… from the inside 

out. (All invitations care of Pittwater Life please!) 

Janelle’s Tip: You can 

replace Step 1 with 6 

cups cooked quality fish 

stock, available from 

seafood shops. 

with Janelle Bloom 

Food Life 

Pancetta arancini 

Makes 24 

1L (4 cups) salt-reduced chicken 

stock 

60g butter 

1 leek, finely chopped 

2 garlic cloves, crushed 

150g sliced pancetta, finely 

chopped 

1½ cups arborio rice 

125ml (½ cup) dry white wine 

1/3 cup frozen peas 

50g parmesan, grated 

50g provolone, grated 

¼ cup chopped basil 

3/4 cup plain flour 

2 cups dried (packaged) 

breadcrumbs 

3 eggs, lightly whisked 

Vegetable oil, to deep fry 

spicy tomato sauce, to serve 

1. Bring the stock to the boil 

in a medium saucepan over 

high heat. Reduce heat to 

Janelle’s Tip: You can 

cook the arancini ahead 

and warm on a wire rack 

in a 180C fan-forced oven 

for 10-15 minutes. 

low and all stock to simmer. 

2.Melt butter in a saucepan over 

medium heat. Add leek, garlic 

and pancetta, stirring, for 5 

minutes until soft. Stir in the 

rice. Cook stirring 3 minutes. 

Add the wine and stir until the 

liquid is absorbed. 

3.Add 1 ladleful (about ½ cup) 

of simmering stock, stir 

until the liquid is absorbed. 

Continue, adding stock, 1 

ladleful at a time, for 20 

minutes until rice is tender 

yet firm. Remove from heat. 

Stir in peas, parmesan, 

provolone and basil. Season. 

Spread the risotto onto a 

tray lined with baking paper. 

Cover and refrigerate until 

cold. 

4. Place the flour, eggs and 

breadcrumbs into shallow 

bowls. Roll tablespoons 

of rice mixture into balls, 

using damp hands. Roll one 

at a time in flour, dip in 

egg, then in breadcrumbs, 

pressing to coat. Place on a 

baking tray in the fridge for 

30 minutes to chill. 

5.Heat oil to 170°C in a 

saucepan or wok over 

medium-high heat. Cook 

arancini, in batches, turning, 

for 6-8 minutes or until 

golden. Drain on wire rack. 

Serve with spicy tomato 

sauce. 

Cajun seafood 

gumbo with 

garlic bread 

Serves 6 

800g green prawns 

5 tbs vegetable oil 

1.5 litres water 

2/3 cup plain flour 

2 brown onions, finely diced 

3 stalks celery, diced 

1 green capsicum, diced 

800g can diced tomatoes 

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 tbs Cajun spice 

400g blue eye cod, chopped 

12 scallops 

chopped parsley, garlic bread & 

tabasco, to serve 

1.Peel and devein prawns, 

reserving the heads and 

shells. Heat 2 tablespoons 

oil in a large saucepan, add 

prawn shells and heads. Cook 

stirring for 5 minutes until 

coloured. Add water and 

bring to the boil. Reduce heat 

and simmer for 30 minutes, 

crushing regularly with a 

wooden spoon or potato 

masher to extract as much 

flavour as possible. Strain, 

discarding solids. 

2.Meanwhile, heat remaining 

3 tablespoons oil in another 



For more recipes go to www.janellebloom.com.au 

large saucepan over medium 

heat. Add flour, stir often 

with a wooden spoon for 20 

minutes, until it’s the colour 

of dark chocolate, watching it 

closely as it can burn quickly. 

3.Add onion, cook stirring 3 

minutes until soft. Add celery, 

capsicum and 1 cup of the 

reserved stock. Cover and 

cook for 10 minutes, stirring 

occasionally, until vegetables 

start to soften. 

4.Add the remaining stock 

and tomatoes, increase heat 

to high, bring to the boil, 

stirring constantly. Add 

Worcestershire sauce and 

spice. Simmer 5 minutes. 

5.Stir in prawns and fish, 

simmer 3 minutes. Remove 

from heat, add scallops, cover 

and stand 10 minutes. Taste, 

season then stir through 

parsley. Serve with garlic 

bread and tabasco sauce. 

Green bean with 

sherry vinegar & 

sesame 

Serves 6 

750 green beans, trimmed 

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 

2 tbs sherry vinegar 

½ tsp caster sugar 

3 tsp toasted sesame seeds 

1. Bring a large saucepan of 

salted water to the boil. 

Add green beans. Cover 

and cook 1-2 minutes 

until bright green and 

tender crisp. Drain and 

return to the saucepan. 

2.Whisk the oil, vinegar 

and sugar together until 

well combined. Pour over 

the beans. Toss gently 

until well coated. Remove 

to a serving platter, 

sprinkle with sesame 

seeds. Serve. 

Apple & blueberry 

coconut crumble 

Serves 6 

600g (about 3) Granny Smith apples, 

peeled, cored 

600g (about 3) Pink Lady apples, 

peeled, cored 

1/3 cup raw sugar 

2 cups frozen blueberries 

Whipped cream, custard or icecream, 

to serve 

Crumble topping 

1 cup plain flour 

½ cup self raising flour 

150g butter, chilled, chopped 

½ cup brown sugar 

½ cup coconut 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

Food Life 

Janelle’s Tip: If you 

don’t have an ovenproof 

frying pan, complete 

Step 1 then transfer 

fruit to a 20cm x 30cm 

baking dish. Spoon over 

the crumble and bake 

20-30 minutes. 


1.Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut apples 

into 2cm cubes. Place into a deep 

ovenproof frying pan. Add sugar, 

toss to coat. Place over medium 

heat. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes 

until just start to soften, shaking 

pan every minute. Add berries, cook 

1 minute. Remove from the heat. 

2.To make crumble topping, combine 

flours in a large bowl. Add butter, 

rub together with fingers until it 

resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add 

remaining topping ingredients and 

rub together until crumble starts to 

clump. Sprinkle over the fruit. 

3.Transfer to the oven and bake 20 

minutes or until topping is golden. 

Cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with 

cream, custard or ice-cream. 


Food Life 

In Season 

Leeks 

Food Life 

Leeks are an edible member 

of the lily family. They 

have a mild, onion taste 

and when cooked slowly 

become nice and sweet. In 

its raw state, the vegetable 

is crunchy and firm. The 

edible portions of the leek 

are the white base of the 

leaves (above the roots and 

stem base), the light green 

parts, and to a lesser extent 

the dark green parts of 

the leaves. The dark green 

portion is usually discarded 

because it has a tough 

texture, but it can be sautéed, 

or more commonly added to 

stock for flavor. 

Buying 

Look for slender, straight, 

firm leeks that have a shiny 

outer layer and feel heavy. 

The top green leaves should 

look fresh, avoid leeks with 

a wilted or yellowing top. 

Preparation 

Cut the dark top off, using only 

the white and light green part 

of leek. Cut lengthwise and 

rinse in a bowl of cold water 

to remove the dirt trapped 

between the layers. If cooking 

leeks whole, trim off dark 

green leaves and root end. 

Storage 

Do not trim or wash before 

storing. Wrap leaks in damp 

paper towel and place in a 

snap lock bag. Seal and store 

in the crisper section of the 

fridge for up to 5 days. 

Also In Season 

August 

Apples; Bananas; Custard 

apples; Grapefruit; Lemons; 

Mandarins, Kiwi fruit; 

Australian Navel, Blood 

and Cara Cara Oranges; 

Tangelos; Pears; Quince, 

Rhubarb and winter 

Strawberries. Also Avocados; 

Beetroot; Broccolini and 

Broccoli; Brussels sprouts; 

Cauliflower; Celery & 

Celeriac; Fennel; Jerusalem 

artichokes; Onions (brown & 

red); Pumpkin; Sweet Potato; 

Spinach & Silverbeet; Kale 

and Turnips. 

Leek and zucchini tarts 

Makes 6 

1 tbs olive oil 

1 tbs butter 

1 leek, finely chopped 

3 rashers bacon, rind 

removed, chopped 

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 

3 sheets ready-rolled puff 

pastry 

100g feta, crumbled 

2 zucchini, cut into thin 

rounds 

2 eggs 

1 cup pouring cream 

1. Place a baking tray into 

oven. Preheat oven to 200°C 

fan forced. 

2. Heat oil and butter in a 

frying pan over medium 

heat. Add leek, cook 3 

minutes until softens. 

Add the bacon, cook for 3 

minutes. Remove from the 

heat, stir in thyme. Cook for 

3 minutes. Season. Cool. 

3. Cut 2 x 14cm circles from 

each pastry sheet. Ease 

circles into 6 x 12cm (base) 

loose-base tart pans. Spoon 

leek mixture over pasty. 

Top with feta then rounds 

of zucchini. 

4. Whisk eggs, cream together. 

Season with pepper. Pour 

over leek mixture. Place 

onto the hot tray in the 

oven. Bake for 30 minutes 

or until puffed and golden. 

Serve warm or at room 

temperature. 



Pittwater Puzzler 

Compiled by David Stickley 

6 DOWN 

ACROSS 

1 Small prawn; student 

celebrating finishing year 12 (8) 

5 8-down resident and former 

The Celibate Rifles frontman, 

______ Lovelock (6) 

10 New modern Australian 

brasserie in 8-down (5) 

11 A possible visual 

accompaniment of a 

performance by a live band 

(5,4) 

12 Local foodie Jeremy 

Drayton’s establishment 

serving creamy Campos coffee 

(4,5,2) 

13 Popular card game (3) 

14 Jewellery for the leg (6) 

16 Major undertaking by 

Northern Beaches Council, 

perhaps, such as completing 

the Northern Beaches Coast 

Walk (7) 

17 Sheltered side (3) 

18 A broad thoroughfare, 

often landscaped and planted 

with trees, or passing through 

attractive bushland (7) 


20 Utter a denial or refusal (6) 

23 See 27-across 

24 Church and primary school 

in Avalon (5,6) 

27 & 23-across Club venue that 

has the Glasshouse Eatery and 

a monthly ‘Love your Seniors’ 

show (9,1,1,1) 

28 Pittwater musical 

figurehead, John _____ (5) 

29 Church leaders (6) 

30 A person, business, firm etc. 

that hires workers (8) 

DOWN 

1 The part of the handle of a 

cricket bat, etc. that fits into the 

blade (6) 

2 Enjoy oneself (4,3) 

3 An uncovered area for nonmembers 

at a racecourse or 

sportsground (5) 

4 Contrary to the law (9) 

6 Study of celestial objects (9) 

7 Not contracted out (2-5) 

8 Suburban home of Bungan 

Castle (7) 

9 A gelatinous substanc e 

obtained from any of various 

kinds of red seaweed and 

used in food, microbiological 

media, etc. (4) 

15 No doubt at least one is 

owned by CC&M Landscapes on 

the Northern Beaches (9) 

16 A five-pointed star formed 

by extending the sides of a 

pentagon both ways until they 

intersect, used as a mystic 

symbol (9) 

18 Crusty savoury delight 

traditionally eaten cold (4,3) 

19 Connected by kinship, 

common origin, or marriage (7) 

21 Court-ordered support (7) 

22 A profession or occupation, 

especially as offering 

advancement (6) 

25 Wholemeal bread that’s 

available from The Cheer 

Factory in Newport (4) 

26 Supporting frame used by an 

artist (5) 

[Solution page 70] 


Pittwater Puzzler

Garden Life 

Garden Life 

Delight Summer in choice: the amazing plants 

colours that thrive of hydrangeas 

on neglect 

With Always a a favourite hot summer for forecast, 

it’s colour, time to hy- 

plan 

Christmas 

drangeas new are planting; flowering look their for 

heads varieties off! of They plants look that wonderful 

a minimal the garden, amount brightening 

of water. 

require 

the Nothing semi-shaded is more distressing areas and 

glowing than to see in the much-loved full, protected plants 

sunlight. struggling Once to survive. the older 

varieties Aloes come were in either all sizes, pink or 

blue from depending the smallest on aloe the descoingsii 

whose lime tiny, will deepen spotted 

soil, 

additional 

the rosettes pinks grow and just blueing 75-100mm, tonic 

(sulphate to the tall-growing of aluminium) candelabra will 

heighten Aloe that the grows blues, in excess but the of 

new 2.5m named tall and varieties wide. will 

maintain There are their smooth colour. aloes, White 

never spikey changes. aloes… green, There grey, are 

hydrangeas red and spotted of every aloes. size Some from 

the grow tiny into dwarf wide Piamina rosettes, to others 

clump traditional into multiple Mop Heads. heads, 

the 

tall 

With some so grow many tall to and choose climb from 

it while is almost others too grow difficult flat in to a fan 

decide. shape. The There most are common the delicate of 

lace all must caps, be the aloe huge vera, blooms a medicinal 

plant that should be in 

every home for sunburn. 

All aloes are easy to grow. 

Their fleshy leaves hold 

enough water to last for many 

weeks after rain. They are 

greedy plants and if there is 

too much rain they can swell 

extensively, causing rot. 

Taller-growing aloes may 

need staking after rain if they 

are too greedy and become top 

heavy. After a dry spell they will 

flourish when the rain comes, 

producing tall spikes of yellow, 

orange or red poker shaped 

flowers that last for many days. 

They will grow well in poor dry 

of the traditional mop heads, 

the cone-shaped flowers of 

hydrangea paniculata bushes 

soil but like any plant, the flowers 

improve with the addition of 

organic fertiliser. 

Chinese jade is another 

plant that thrives with neglect. 

It grows in full sun, loves open 

harsh conditions, and is oblivi- 

that can be two metres tall. 

The recently introduced 

smaller growing Picotee 

varieties with two-tone flower 

heads are hard to leave behind 

and if you have a semishaded 

wall, the climbing 

hydrangea petiolaris is just 

beautiful. 

Hydrangeas are forgiving 

plants that are easy to grow. 

They like regular water and 

any good garden soil. Mulch 

the roots with compost to 

ous of salt winds; it will grow 

keep them cool and feed 

in the ground or in large pots 

them in early spring to get 

or window boxes. The white 

them going. Grow them in 

flowers appear in winter, covering 

the round fleshy leaves 

pots, or in the garden; bring 

them inside when in flower 

like snow. 

or cut the blooms – they last 

Strelitzias have been a 

well in water. 

with Gabrielle Bryant 

Cherry Guava a 

sweet surprise 

In full flower in my veggie 

garden is my Cherry Guava, 

sometimes known as a Strawberry 

Guava. This delightful 

evergreen shrub never fails to 

produce a heavy crop of cherry 

guavas in early autumn. 

It is a small, pretty tree with 

rounded, glossy green leaves 

that only grows to about 

three metres in height. Keep it 

trimmed into shape after fruiting. 

The delicate fluffy flowers 

are creamy white, growing close 

to the branches. They are fol- 

long-time 

lowed by the 

favourite. 

tangy flavoured, 

Their tall, 

magically 

sweet, berry-sized, 

wonderful 

cherry 

bird-like 

red 

flower fruit that spikes are high of orange, in vitamin violet C. 

and Unlike indigo the taller-growing have given them deciduous 

yellow of Bird guava Of Paradise that needs plants. 

the 

name 

cooking, There are the two fruit sizes can be of eaten the 

Bird raw straight of paradise from plants: the tree Strelitzia 

used Reginae, cooking, with jellies, wide drinks, grey 

or 

leaves, sauces or and jams. the narrow-leaved 

Strelitzia You should Parvifolia, protect are the the fruit 

most from fruit usual, fly growing with a fruit into fly large bait. 

clumps one metre tall. 

Get into the 

‘swing’ of Xmas 

It is time to relax and enjoy 

your garden. Look at your 

outdoor seating requirements 

– the shops are full of 

amazing chairs and tables. 

Hanging cane egg chairs have 

been trendy for the past few 

years and now the ‘Swing 

Seat’ is back. Nothing is more 

peaceful than swinging in a 

seat for two, sheltered from 

the weather with a roof to 

shade from the sun – makes a 

great Christmas present too! 

72 68 DECEMBER AUGUST 2019 2017 


The cream-flowering Strelitzia 

Nichollii is the big brother 

– this will grow 6 metres tall 

in time. Both are hardy, strong 

plants but I often see the 

wrong variety in the wrong 

place. Easily confused as 

young plants, check the label 

carefully before planting. All 

strelitzias have very strong 

root systems, and once established 

they are a mattock and 

crowbar job to remove! 

For a more unusual, 

drought-tolerant plant, look 

for the fiery orange Euphobia 

tirucalli ‘Fire Sticks’ or the 

yellow ‘Ice Sticks’. It is well 

worth the hunt. These strange 

succulents grow new, colourful 

branches that glow in the 

cold winter months. 

They look best in large tubs, 

starkly highlighted against 

brick walls or in open pebble 

gardens. In time they can grow 

several metres tall but are 

best trimmed back to promote 

new colourful bushy growth. 

Otherwise known as the ‘Pencil 

Cactus’ this succulent tolerates 

salt winds, heat and full sun. 

However, a word of warning: 

the milky sap of these 

succulents is poisonous. Wear 

gloves and sleeve protection 

when handling to prevent skin 

irritation and protect your 

eyes from the sap. 


Great 

uses for 

coconut 

f ibre 

Gone are 

the days 

of bark 

totems, peat 

moss and 

paperbark 

rolls. It is 

great to see 

that there 

is a new, 

renewable product that is 

replacing all the old and 

diminishing supplies of 

materials for gardeners. 

Coconut fibre has been 

available for many years in 

bags or as basket liners, 

but only recently has it 

been fully appreciated as 

a material of many uses. 

Fibre totems have replaced 

bark, basket liners are no 

longer restricted to size… 

now rolls of matting can be 

cut to any size or shape. 

This fibre matting can 

also be used to cover 

banks and prevent soil 

erosion and it can replace 

the plastic weed mat that 

never breaks down. The 

use of natural peat moss 

has been replaced with 

coco peat that is sold in 

bricks that can be reconstituted 

in water. Macrame 

hangers hold coconut fibre 

balls made and tied with 

string replacing hanging 

plastic pots. 

White Out a blizzard of beauty 

White Out is a hardy, fastgrowing 

native evergreen 

climber. It is a pure, whiteflowering 

form of the muchloved 

violet hardenbergia 

that lights up the bush in late 

winter and early spring. 

The long sprays of delicate 

white flowers stand out in 

contrast to the bright lime 

green leaves. 

White Out loves full sun and 

once established requires little 

maintenance. 

Trimmed regularly after 

flowering, it will soon bush 

out, climbing and scrambling 

up fences, over archways and 

pergolas, covering trellises 

or cascading over rock walls 

and steep banks. It will reach 

a height of two metres and 

spread about the same. Grown 

intertwined with the violet 

hardenbergia the effect is 

stunningly beautiful; it’s the 

perfect plant for lovers of Aussie 

native plants. 


Garden Life

Garden Life 

Jobs this Month 

Garden Life 

August 

After only a moderately 

wet winter the gardens 

are dry and temperatures 

remain cold; and now 

we have water rationing to 

contend with too! August is 

a busy month, there is a lot 

to do and it is time for some 

TLC in the garden… 

Caterpillar 

caution 

Butterflies are beautiful, 

fluttering in the sunlight, but 

they mean danger to your 

plants. Butterfly eggs turn into 

caterpillars that can decimate 

your plants and veggies overnight. 

Some caterpillars cause 

no harm, but protect your 

veggies and other vulnerable 

plants from the white cabbage 

moth with Yates Success 

Ultra. It will kill the grubs but 

it won’t hurt birds or other 

animals. 

Clivea watch 

Collect clivea seeds that are 

ripe. Red seeds are red flowers 

while yellow ones will yield 

cream flowers. They are easy 

to germinate but slow. Open 

the pods and scatter the white 

fleshy seeds into the top of a 

pot or tub; put the container 

under a shrub in the garden 

and forget it. By Christmas 

you will have seedlings ready 

to plant out. 

Give it a spray 

This is your last chance before 

new spring leaves appear to 

spray roses, deciduous fruit 

trees and frangipani with lime 

sulphur to kill any remaining 

fungal spore from last year. 

Lime sulphur will clean up 

black spot rust and other fungal 

problems. Remember to 

spray the soil that surrounds 

the trees at the same time. 

Summer veggies 

Get summer veggies growing. 

Early tomato, zucchini, 

capsicum, silver beet, lettuce, 

eggplant, bean and cucumber 

seeds can all be sown now, 

ready to plant out next month 

when the weather warms up. 

Wonderful worms 

If you live in a unit or a town 

house with no use for a compost 

heap, start a worm farm 

today. The worms will eat all 

your kitchen waste. The worm 

‘wee’ liquid that you can drain 

from the bottom is the most 

amazing liquid fertiliser that 

can be diluted to feed all your 

indoor and patio pot plants. 

Worm farms don’t take much 

space and they don’t smell. 

Bulb care 

Feed your spring bulbs as they 

die down. Resist the temptation 

to remove the shrivelling 

leaves until they are dead. The 

bulbs will reuse the nourishment 

and store additional 

food to make the flowers for 

next year. It is more important 

to feed bulbs after they flower 

now than next Autumn when 

they grow again. 

Encourage kids 

Junior gardeners love a project 

that shows great results. 

Mushroom kits have been a 

favourite for many years, and 

now you can buy carrot kits, 

ready-seeded flower mats, 

vegetable seed tapes and even 

cucumber kits. Take the kids 

to browse in the seed isle of 

your local garden centre. 

Gild the lily 

Plant Christmas-flowering lilies 

this month… and there is even 

still time to plant Novemberflowering 

hippeastrums. If you 

can’t find them easily, look 

online at the Victorian bulb 

suppliers; there are some very 

good specials available. 

Summer seedlings 

Replant pots and baskets 

with summer seedlings. As 

Rhubarb tips 

Plant some rhubarb in the 

garden. The huge, dark 

green leaves and the scarlet 

stems add drama and 

colour to a vegetable patch. 

Rhubarb needs full sun 

and well-drained rich soil. 

Use the stems for cooking 

– but remember the leaves 

are poisonous. However, 

the leaves can be used for 

homemade insecticide; boil 

1kg of leaves in 3 litres of 

water for 30 minutes, then 

strain the cooled liquid and 

mix in 30gm of soap flakes 

dissolved in 1 litre of boiling 

water. Cool and use to 

spray for caterpillars, white 

fly and aphids. 

soon as the weather turns, 

plant petunias, dianthus, snap 

dragons, pansies, alyssum, 

marigolds and violas. If you 

plant seedlings now into small 

pots they will be ready to plant 

out in a few weeks. It is much 

cheaper than buying seedlings 

in full flower. 

And another thing… 

If the rain returns, watch out 

for petal blight that will turn 

the flowers to slime! Spray 

with Zayleton before the buds 

show colour. Last, spray lawns 

now for bindii. Don’t wait until 

the burrs are in your feet! 

Crossword solution from page 67 

Mystery location: SHARK POINT 



Times Past 

CHANGED OVER TIME: The original building 

housed the Church and the Catholic School 

(on the ground floor) – sadly the whereabouts 

of the ‘MR’ cornerstone remain a mystery; 

the Maria Regina school today (inset). 

Avalon’s Catholicism rebirth 

Times Past 

After the death of Father 

Therry and the later 

relocation of St Joseph’s 

weatherboard church from 

Careel Bay to the Narrabeen 

Parish, the local Catholics were 

left without a priest or a place 

of worship. 

In July 1939, Father Farrell of 

the Dee Why Parish considered 

an offer of three blocks of 

land in Tasman Road at North 

Avalon for 10 pounds ($20). 

Early subdivision plans 

showed Central Road (east) 

joining onto Tasman Road 

via a road bridge. Of course, 

that never eventuated and 

that’s pleased many North 

Avalonians (especially the local 

surfers) because it helps to 

keep the visitor numbers and 

road users down. 

In these early days, Catholics 

from the far northern 

peninsula had to travel south 

to the Sacred Heart Church on 

the corner of Golf Avenue and 


Barrenjoey Road at Mona Vale 

for Mass. It is also recorded 

that in 1940 a Father Haseler 

conducted Mass at North 

Palm Beach Surf Club and in 

a private residence in Central 

Road owned by the Busbys. 

In 1950 Father Roche, the 

Administrator at the Narrabeen 

Parish, recommended the 

purchase of three adjacent 

sites (48-52) on the high 

(northern) side of Central Road, 

Avalon Beach. 

With the increased 

population after World War II, 

it was anticipated that the site 

would need to provide for a 

school as well as a church. 

A two-storey building 

seemed like a good solution 

so Father Amiel Sobb soon 

had plans drawn up. The top 

storey would give outstanding 

views over Avalon Beach and 

would become the church, 

with several classrooms on the 

ground floor for the school. 

The Church was opened 

in January 1956 in the top 

storey, with Father Sobb as 

the officiating priest. Three 

years later Father Boland was 

appointed the Parish Priest and 

Maria Regina Public School 

opened on 20 February 1959. 

It accommodated 65 students 

in the ground floor and was 

run by the Sisters of the Good 

Samaritan. 

The present Maria Regina 

Church at 7 Central Road was 

designed by architect John 

Bignall, who won the approval 

of the Monsignor due to ‘… 

its simply sweeping lines of 

cream brick, standing like 

a cliff sentinel overlooking 

the village of Avalon’. By this 

time enrolments at the school 

had increased and the space 

previously occupied by the 

Church became classrooms. A 

new block of four classrooms 

was opened in 1978, along with 

several ancillary buildings 

– and this year the school 

proudly celebrates 60 years of 

education. 

The Holy Family Church was 

established in two aluminium 

double classrooms at Bilgola as 

a Mass Centre in 1966. It was 

blessed by Cardinal Gilroy in 

1970 and operated for around 

20 years. These days it operates 

under lease as a child care 

centre. 

* Reference was made to ‘ 

The People of Avalon 25 

Years a Parish’ published in 

1984 by Vaile and Kinane. 

TIMES PAST is supplied 

by local historian 

and President of the 

Avalon Beach Historical 

Society GEOFF SEARL. 

Visit the Society’s 

showroom in Bowling 

Green Lane, Avalon 

Beach. 


Local Call 

Local Call 

Better internet... 

'broadly' speaking 

The Pittwater region of the Northern 

Beaches has always offered its residents 

more than just a way of life. Those 

who have made the beaches their home 

consider themselves blessed to have a 

lifestyle and work balance second to none, 

with more and more families making the 

‘sea change’ each year. 

But being a resident does have its tradeoffs 

– one of which is fast and reliable 

Internet connectivity... or the lack thereof. 

Enter husband-and-wife team Simon 

and Karen Bond (pictured right), who 

launched their innovative Northern 

Beaches Broadband service in 2017 to 

address the issue of poor or unreliable 

connectivity. 

To date, they’ve helped scores of 

Newport Beach locals achieve better-performing 

internet speeds than previously 

experienced. 

“Not many people know that some 

residents of Newport Beach have connectivity 

to some of the fastest internet in 

Australia,” said Simon. 

“We saw the challenge of consistent and 

reliable high-speed Internet connectivity 

as one of the biggest problems facing 

the area and set about coming up with a 

solution.” 

Having invested heavily in installing 

significant fibre assets into a building 

to service their clients and tenants of 

their business, NewportNet Coworking, it 

became a logical decision to share some 

of their capacity with local businesses and 

residents. 

“With the Pittwater area having some of 

the highest work-from-home communities 

in Sydney, our mission took on additional 

urgency and commitment,” said Simon. 

Having raised a family of three boys, 

Karen said she knew the challenges 

that women who were returning to the 

workforce or dealing with the pressures of 

starting their own businesses faced while 

still looking after their families and striving 

for a balanced life. 

She said she began to study advances 

in Wireless technology – and hit upon a 

solution. 

“It became apparent that this could well 

be an alternative for residents and businesses 

that were ‘in the line of sight’ of 

our office on Barrenjoey Road in the heart 

of the Newport shopping strip,” she said. 

Currently providing over 100 customers 

in parts of Newport and surrounds with 

reliable premium grade Fixed Wireless 

connectivity, Northern Beaches Broadband 

continues to invest in building its capacity 

and operational efficiency so that they can 

serve their local community with highspeed 

internet connections into the future. 

Simon said the ongoing rollout of the 

NBN would continue to face challenges 

in many areas of the Northern Beaches, 

as older infrastructure already in place 

proved difficult to overcome due to varying 

legacy issues such as old wiring, ageing 

copper and challenging terrain. 

“That’s why Northern Beaches Broadband 

have partnered with award-winning 

Australian-owned and operated Super- 

Loop Home Broadband to offer you a business 

class NBN connection,” he said. 

* Through SuperLoop, Northern 

Beaches Broadband are offering $10 per 

month off any NBN plans for the first six 

months. Call 1300 622 007 or info@nbbn. 

com.au to find out how to get connected 

and receive your discount code. 

Flick Our Pages... 

Ever wondered why so many LOCAL 

businesses advertise in Pittwater Life? 

Our advertising rates are 

the most affordable of any 

local media – and with 

a bigger reach! 

90,000+ readers per month! 

Call NOW! 

0438 123 096 



Travel Life 

Experience Alaska’s ethereal wonderland 

There’s a well-known opinion 

circulated by discerning 

travelers that runs along 

the lines that nobody should 

ever visit Alaska in their youth, 

as all subsequent destinations 

pale in comparison. 

Travel View’s Sharon Godden 

says: “No sights can ever 

come close to the ethereal 

wonderland that is this vast 

terrain and which is just 

perhaps, Mother Nature’s 

greatest achievement. One 

thing is certain: to the lover of 

wilderness, there is no better 

country in the world.” 

Sharon said there’s no better 

way to view Alaska than on 

a Silversea cruise. 

“Silversea’s Alaska cruises 

are simply phenomenal – 

these are journeys of breathtaking 

encounters with the 

natural world, and Alaska’s 

great spectacles need little 

introduction.” 

She said Silversea’s luxury 

cruise ships to Alaska provided 

a feast for the senses, 

both onboard and offshore. 

“You will experience a 

glacier calving with the roar 

of a thousand canons... a personal 

butler... diamond-blue 

icebergs floating on a glassy 

bay... superb service onboard 

an intimate ship... a humpback 

breaching in a spectacular 

display.” 

Silversea’s Alaskan cruises 

offer ‘open jaw” itineraries, 

allowing you to spend more 

time in each port. Or you may 

choose to 

explore 

a more 

remote, 

untouched 

Alaska on an expedition that 

takes you further inside the 

Inside Passage. 

“Renew your spirit in the 

timeless sensations of nature 

in Silversea’s Alaskan cruises – 

you will not be disappointed,” 

said Sharon. 

Silversea’s oceanview suites 

are some of the most spacious 

in luxury cruising. All include 

the services of a butler, thanks 

to the highest service ratio at 

sea, and almost all have a private 

teak veranda so that you 

can breathe in the fresh sea 

air by merely stepping outside 

your door. 

“Select your intended suite 

and request 

a quote – 

guests who 

book early are 

rewarded with 

the best fares 

and ability to 

select their 

desired suite.” 

* Book with 

Travel View today to experience 

savings of 10% off OR 

a trip of a lifetime is even 

better when you share it 

with your kids or grandchildren. 

Guests under the age 

of 18 will receive up to 50% 

savings when travelling with 

two full-paying guests. More 

info 9918 4444. 

Travel Life 


JUNE 2019 73

Travel Life 

Travel Life 

Crystal has a clear 

vision on Asian ‘top 5’ 

The award-winning ‘Crystal 

Experience’ offers the thrill 

of anticipation and excitement 

of surprising discovery, says 

Travel View’s Karen Robinson. 

“The mystique and splendour 

of Asia is an upcoming focus – it 

has non-stop activity mixed with 

serene spirituality of centuries 

past,” said Karen. 

She added Crystal’s ships 

welcomed far fewer guests than 

ships of similar size, with Crystal 

Serenity and Crystal Symphony 

each hosting an unmatched 

roster of inclusive amenities 

and services including Michelininspired 

cuisine in up to seven 

venues. 

The ‘top 5’ on Crystal’s Asian 

checklist – Hong Kong, Kagoshima, 

Koh Samui, Singapore and 

Shanghai – represent stunning 

contrasts. 

“Hong Kong’s mix of traditional 

influence and modern 

accents result in an eclectic 

experience,” Karen said. 

“Soaring skyscrapers rise 

from the hills and harbour, 

in a stunning contrast of 

manmade splendour and 

nature – traditional Chinese 

culture and Western style 

combine for perfect harmony.” 

She said Mount Sakurajima 

casts an imposing and impressive 

image on arrival to Kagoshima, 

voted Japan’s friendliest 

city. “With a climate to match 

the warmth of its residents, this 

tropical environment produces 

distinct cuisine and famously 

high-quality ingredients.” 

The emerald isle of Koh Samui 

off Thailand’s southeast coast 

embraces both the fun-loving 

nature of the Thai people, and 

the peaceful serenity of Bud- 

dhism. On optional excursions 

ashore, visit the beautiful waterfalls 

at Hin Lut and Na Muang, 

marvel at the enormous Buddha 

statue on Fan Isle, or just enjoy 

the awe-inspiring surrounds. 

“And Singapore’s history is 

one of riches and romance, 

spice trading and piracy, colonialism, 

and ultimately, growth 

into one of Asia’s greatest success 

stories,” Karen said. “Discover 

the mansions and polo 

greens of colonial Singapore, 

the mystique of Chinatown, and 

the heady aroma of spices along 

Arab Street.” 

Finally, Shanghai – the modern 

metropolis of dizzying scale 

and ancient influence; once a 

tiny fishing village, it is now 

the centre of China’s economic 

resurgence. 

Crystal Symphony and Crystal 

Serenity are sailing 13- to 

17-night itineraries in Asia-Pacific 

in 2020 (February through 

March and November through 

December). 

* Head to the Royal Motor 

Yacht Club on Wed 28 Aug for 

a lunch and fashion parade 

sponsored by Crystal Cruises. 

Bellagio fashion will be on 

show and the event will support 

the Humpty Dumpty foundation. 

Call Travel View (9918 

4444) to secure your spot.

Pittwater LIfe August 2019 Issue

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