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NOVEMBER 2014
www.2515mag.com.au
5 1 COAST NEWS
ASHLEY FROST THE THIRROUL PAINTER WHO CAPTURES THE COAST
YOURS FREE! W ALL-NEIN ! Z MAGA E
Clifton | Scarborough | Wombarra | Coledale | Austinmer | Thirroul
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2515 CONTENTS LETTERS 03 Welcome to 2515! We’re celebrating our region NEWS 04 Record breaking Scarborough Art Show 05 Library Free author talks in Thirroul 10 need A Feed Go wine tasting for charity on Sunday, November 9 LIFESTYLE 06 Cover Feature Meet Thirroul artist Ashley Frost 08 Dr Rip Where do waves come from?
11 Dog psychology Why’s your dog pulling on the lead? 12 Gardening It’s time to stop and smell the roses 14 Nature The wonders of animal air travel BUSINESS 16 Power of Two United by a love of bushwalking SPORT 21 Martial Arts Kung Fu 22 Tides 23 BMX The summer season is ramping up 24 Surf Boat! The Austi Open Women’s crew in action
Cover image by Anthony Warry Photography; www.anthonywarry.tumblr.com
MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS Annelies Voorthuis Dr Rob Brander
– aka ‘Dr Rip’ – is a coastal geomorphologist and Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. A resident of Stanwell Park, he’s been studying beaches for 25 years, starting in Canada where water temperatures convinced him come to Australia to do his PhD. He is an international expert on rip currents and runs a beach safety education program called The Science of the Surf (www.scienceofthesurf. com). He wrote Dr Rip’s Essential Beach Book. Read his column on page 8.
SARA NEWNHAM
is a passionate horticulturist with nearly 20 years’ experience. Starting as a landscaper, she soon discovered a love for plants and design. She has managed nurseries around Sydney. While raising four children, she worked and studied subjects such as natural area restoration. Sara now runs Creativescapes, a garden design and maintenance business (0451 196 646, creativescapes@iprimus.com.au). Read her column on page 12. Creativescapes garden service
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is a business advisor at the Enterprise & Training Company. Prior to working for ETC, she ran her own business, In2Careers, which provided specialised recruitment services for Aboriginal people. This business won a NSW Health award for its innovation placing Aboriginal people in employment in General Practice. She has also worked for a not-for-profit establishing social enterprises and started her career as a primary school teacher in the Northern Territory. Read her article on page 18.
Philip Comans
is a local dog behaviour therapist and trainer with the Illawarra-born and now the world’s largest international dog-training organisation Bark Busters. His region covers Helensburgh to Gerroa and inland, including Goulburn. His mission is to save dogs from being surrendered and euthanised when all they need is a little training. He believes every dog deserves to be trained so that it can enjoy a relaxed, fulfilled life in its human/dog pack. Contact 1800 067 710. His column on page 11.
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COAST NEWS
Editors
Genevieve Swart, Marcus Craft
Art director Brendon Wise
Ad design Wendy Gergos
Regular contributors
Rob Brander, Sara Newnham, Anthony Warry
Contact
2515mag.com.au 2515mag PO Box 248, Helensburgh, 2508.
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Community participation is welcome. Please contact editor@2515mag.com.au with story ideas. Letters should be a maximum of 200 words. The editors reserve the right to edit submissions. Contributors should include contact details.
Deadline
15th of the month prior to publication. 2515 is published by The Word Bureau Pty Ltd. ABN 31 692 723 477. 2508 Read our sister mag for the postcode around Helensburgh, 2508mag.com.au Disclaimer: All content and images remain the property of 2515: Coast News unless otherwise supplied. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The views expressed in the letters do not reflect those of the editors.
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2515 LETTERS
have a say
Send your letters, notices and photos to editor@2515mag.com.au
letter from the editors
Welcome to the first ever issue of 2515: Coast News. On our cover is the talented Thirroul artist Ashley Frost. Inside, you’ll find local news and sport, plus articles by our resident experts: surf scientist Rob Brander, aka Dr Rip; garden designer Sara Newnham; and dog behaviour therapist Philip Comans. 2515 is our second community news magazine in the Illawarra. We also produce
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2508: District News for the Helensburgh area (see 2508mag.com.au). Both are free magazines, published online on the first of each month and distributed by a team of local walkers to residential mailboxes. Our advertising rates start at $39 and are the best around – perfect for small, local businesses wanting low-cost but high-impact publicity. We welcome community participation in the magazines. If you’d like submit reports from your local club, sports team or school, please get in touch. Call 0411 025 910 or check out our new website, 2515mag.com.au Happy reading! Genevieve and Marcus Joint editors/publishers 2515
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2515 NEWS
art sales at all-time high Records were broken at this year’s Scarborough Art Show, reports principal jeff Whitham. This year’s Scarborough Art Show held on the long weekend of October was an outstanding success. Run by the parents of Scarborough Public School, it was a feast for the eyes for visitors who flocked to the region to delight in the unique paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures on offer. More than 150 artists submitted work, with more than 1600 people attending. This year’s art sales were almost double the previous record set last year.
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Scarborough students … the art show raised funds for their school.
Art purchases ranged from under $100 to $8000. Works by up-and-coming young artists hung beside professionals such as Ashley Frost, Tanya Stubbles and Paul Ryan, a multiple Archibald finalist. In addition, the jewellers, ceramicists and craftspeople who attended added to the vibrant atmosphere of the show. The show included the Artspark competition, open to students from northern Illawarra public schools. Professional artists judged their artworks in three age groups. The People’s Choice award went to Stanwell Park Public School’s Rebecca Robinson, who also won first prize in the year 5/6 category. All profits from the show will go to the school’s P&C. 2515
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2515 NEWS
free author talks in thirroul Author Noel Beddoe will talk about his novel, On Cringila Hill, at Thirroul Library on November 5. Beddoe drew on his experience as the principal of Warrawong High School to write this gritty tale of long-buried secrets, set in and around the Wollongong suburb of Cringila. His book traces the lives of migrant families after a teenage boy is killed in a drive-by shooting. One of NSW’s most multiculturally diverse areas thanks to the influx of migrants who were employed at the Port Kembla steelworks, Cringila was once a thriving centre of industry, but this book, set in 1991, reveals a very different contemporary reality. Noel’s talk will also be webcast live at 5pm on Wednesday, November 5. It is part of Thirroul Library’s weekly Spring Series of free author talks. Bookings recommended: call 4227 8191.
MORE GUEST SPEAKERS:
6 November, 2pm: Melbourne journalist Helen Brown, author of Cleo, After Cleo Came Jonah and her first novel, Tumbledown Manor. November 11, 2pm: Nicole Alexander will promote her latest novel, The Great Plains, an epic story of love, heritage and survival. November 12: Travel book writer Walter Mason, who runs the online Universal Heart Book Club with Stephanie Dowrick, talks about his journeys through Cambodia. Can’t attend a talk? Watch it online. For webcast details, see wollongong.nsw.gov.au/ eventbookings 2515
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2515 REPORT E AT URE COVER F
art works
2515 spoke to Ashley Frost about his paintings, his career and the business of being creative. Ashley Frost is smiling. It’s Friday afternoon and he’s in his Thirroul studio. He’s got a cold beer in his fist, his own art hanging at his back and he’s talking about his passion, his craft, his vocation. This is a bloke quite content with his (coastal) lot in life. But Ashley’s also a bloke constantly striving for more; bettering himself, improving his art, upping the ante. He was the best-selling artist at the Scarborough Art Show, held on October 4 and 5, selling six of his 10 displayed works and donating more than $6500 to Scarborough Public School. It was “up there in the top 5 [best shows] in my career” he tells us. He has works in Sydney’s Stella Downer Fine Art (“I’ve been with her for about 12 years now”) and Hong Kong’s ZZHK Gallery. He’s “been doing art for 25 years now and it’s slowly getting there”. He makes a decent living from his paintings. Life is good. Real good. But it wasn’t always that way.
Photos by Anthony Warry Photography; www.anthonywarry.tumblr.com
the city
After a disappointing introduction to art education – his art teacher at Milsons Point’s St Aloysius’ College was a callous “freak” who “hated his students” – Sydney-born Ashley left school in year 10 and started work in real estate. “It was shocking. I hung in there for five years; I did property management … I actually started painting because I was so depressed … I used to drive around and I had a little sketch book … then at 21 I went to art school.” He graduated from The National Art School Sydney with a Bachelor of Fine Art in 1992. Ashley had decided that he wouldn’t merely dabble in art; he wanted it to be a legitimate vocation; paid work not a pastime. Then, about 17 years ago, he moved to Thirroul.
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the colours
For years, Ashley has been renowned for his cityscapes and urban works, in oil on board and mixed media on paper. These are publicised on his website as evoking “the diversity, colour and convergence of urban elements around some of our major cities; the curious and vibrant places, where the city’s periphery converges with the inner suburbs; at the anomalous moment where day ends and night begins.” Ashley says, “I like the urban thing because it’s half-city, half-suburban and mornings, early mornings and late at night because you get this unusual light. I can’t just paint those paintings that are like a postcard sort of thing, I like the drama, I like the colour [of dusk and dawn].”
the change
Then about two years ago, a Thirroul gallery owner rattled Ashley’s cage and brought about a tectonic shift in his approach to his subject matter. “There’s a gallery down here that I show with, the Egg and Dart in Thirroul, and the guy who runs it [Aaron Fell-Fracasso] … said to me: ‘When are you going to start f***ing painting down here?’ … and he was really pushy and a lot of artists don’t like that, but I don’t mind that … and he runs a really good gallery and he convinced me. “I started about two years ago and that’s why I did so well at Scarborough, people just love them [the paintings]. And, for me, I’m seeing this place completely differently. When you start painting something you really do see things differently.” When 2515 meets Ashley at his Thirroul studio, he’s keen to get stuck into some work. He’d been underground at Appin mine the previous week, filming “an innovation they’ve got there for mine safety” and editing the footage into a finished, polished product. “I’ve been doing it [film work] for about 10 years now … you can’t make a living just from being an artist,” he says. The region’s thriving arts community is a
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2515 REPORT Ashley Frost in his Thirroul studio
tremendous source of inspiration, he says. “There’s a great arts community here, a lot of artists … “There are some romantic notions around art but often they’re not really grounded in reality. If you’re working and you’re having shows … it’s a job and it’s hard work, but there are upsides. “I like making things … I think it’s intrinsic in humans to make stuff.” Breaking one or two personal “art” rules has been a positive move. “I always had this rule that you never paint where you live… This is the first time that I’ve broken it and it’s been a really good thing; it’s a new series, people love the work and they’re actually some of the better paintings that I’ve done for a while.” 2515
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FAST FIVE Ashley’s favourite spots to paint 1. Sandon Point looking north. “In my opinion, one of the greatest views around.” 2. “The far side of Antarctica in late summer with surreal tabular icebergs and a sunset that lasts for over four hours.” 3. Coledale Beach at dawn or dusk. “Magnificent light, unique form, natural saturated colours and views in all directions.” 4. “Anywhere in lower Manhattan with autumn light dripping off ornate architecture and long vistas.” 5. “Scarborough looking south, with a beautiful stretch of jutting headlands all the way to Port Kembla and beyond with the escarpment almost appearing to rise out of the ocean.”
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2515 COLUMN
Dr Rip’s Science of the Surf physical distance between wave crests. All three will change, even over hours, depending on the wind source. Basically, the stronger the wind blows, the longer it blows for, and the larger the distance over water that it can blow over (a sailing term called fetch), the higher and longer the waves will be. Waves are an integral There are also different types of waves. part of our coastal lifestyle, but have you ever Think of what happens to the nice glassy wondered where they come from and why they morning conditions on hot summer days. The change all the time? onshore sea breeze kicks in and the surf turns to It all comes down to wind. When wind blows mush. We call these wind waves because they over the ocean, it literally grabs the bumpy are generated locally and are short, choppy and surface and transfers energy from the wind to messy with periods of 2 to 7 seconds. Wind the water. The bumps get bigger, the energy waves are pretty common in small bodies of transfer increases, and you have waves that are water such as Botany Bay and Lake Illawarra. growing and moving in the same direction as However, in the middle of the ocean, wind the wind. waves have room to grow and the further they If the wind is gentle, or doesn’t last long, the travel, the more they sort themselves out into waves will die out quickly. If it’s strong and nice, clean lines of swell waves which have lasts a long time before stopping, the waves will periods of 8 to 20 seconds. The longer the swell, have enough energy to travel across entire the further the waves have travelled. Generally oceans. we always experience swell coming from All waves are described by their somewhere, usually the south-east, but height, period and wavelength. Wave if it’s a windy day, we’ll also have Did you height is the vertical distance from wind waves superimposed on top. know? The stronger and the crest of the wave to the trough. 2515 longer wind blows Wave period is the time it takes over a large body of Coastal geomorphologist Dr Rob Brander is between two wave crests to pass the water, the higher and the author of Dr Rip’s Essential Beach Book – longer the waves same point and wavelength is the buy it at www.scienceofthesurf.com.
where do waves come from? Rob Brander has the low-down on motions in the ocean.
will be.
Making waves ... thanks to wind power. Photo: Matt Smith, mattysmithphoto.com, Matt Smith - Vieu Photography
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2515 NEWS
winner! Well done to Matt Smith, who has been named Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year. The Illawarra photographer’s over/under winning shot, “Physalia”, was taken using a special waterproof housing that Matt designed and built himself. His prize included $10,000 cash and two spots on a National Geographic expedition around the Kimberly. “Since the announcement of the award it’s been pretty busy,” said Matt. “I’ve had to do several media interviews and film a short doco for the ABC. Nikon Australia have also been in contact and offered me a sponsorship, which I’m totally thrilled about.” Matt was also recently a finalist in “the Oscars” of wildlife photography, the Natural History Museum/BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Visit mattysmithphoto.com or Matt Smith – Vieu Photography. 2515
Moody blues: ‘Physalia’ was taken at Bushrangers Bay, Shellharbour about 30 minutes after sunrise on a cloudy morning.
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2515 NEWS Who needs a feed? You’d be surprised: families and individuals who have been hit by a sickness in the family, medical bills can be extremely high so food can get pushed to the bottom of the list, or the family bread-winner losing their job, or a wife who has escaped her abusive partner, taken the kids, with nothing but the clothes on their back, these are some of the families we support. We have helped people who have lost a loved one and find it hard to cope with the shopping, or people who have been in an accident by providing their carers with food to cook for them. The list goes on... By working in partnership with various organisations we have supplied emergency food parcels and food to nearly 1000 families both directly and indirectly. We are also finding that we have become the “channel” for unwanted or excess food. At Need a Feed we have built up a strong network of partner organisations who we can direct this food to. Organisations like Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre who cook for hundreds each week on a very, very tight budget appreciate any extra food that comes their way. How can the community help? By downloading the Need a Feed app and registering as a food-collection/drop-off point, or finding the closest point to donate a can or Need a Feed co-ordinator three for Need a Feed on November 11. Shaz Harrison-Shaw. We hold food drives throughout the year and are always in need of food When and why did you start SOUTHERN and, of course, cash donations. Need a Feed? HIGHLANDS WINE TOUR Need a Feed relies on fundraising I started Need a Feed at the end Visit three wineries activities, grants and is personally of 2012 because of my own situation on November 9. funded to continue the work we do. years ago. $150. Go to Our minimum target is for 100 My husband and I had purchased needafeed.org people to donate $50 per month to his family house after his mum died, Need a Feed, only $13 per week. This this left us struggling financially. We donation will help our food programs to often found it hard to put food on our table. continue and help the Need a Feed wheels to We didn’t have children at that stage but this keep on turning. made me think, one day when I am in a We can provide a tax deductible receipt for different situation I want to help families in donations over $2. need. What events have you got coming up? Over the years I started, bought and sold a The Southern Highlands Wine Tour is few different businesses. When I sold my last coming up on November 9 – pick-up and business, purewipes, I thought you know, I am drop-off to your door! Three wineries (possibly not waiting any longer to do what I really want four), $150 including lunch and a donation to to do and that is to support, help and feed local Need a Feed. families in need. Starting Need a Feed is one of A Need a Feed distribution day, supplying the best decisions I have made. I am lucky that over 200 food parcels to those in need in the my extremely understanding husband and Berkeley area, is on November 11. 2515 family support me with my passion.
Q&A with...
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2515 COLUMN
Help! my dog pulls on the lead Don’t let Fido take you for a ride, writes Philip Comans. It’s annoying when Fido leads the way. Why, oh why, you dream, can’t he be like that dog over there, walking next to its owner on a lovely, relaxed and loose lead? Well, Fido insisting on being the boss of the walk is a symptom of a more fundamental issue that, if addressed, will improve his behaviour, and make for a more relaxed, content and peaceful dog (and home). Fido is doing what comes naturally. He is acting on an ancient instinct that centuries of domestication have not removed. Fido is taking on the huge responsibility of being the Top of the Pack. It means he needs to lead the rest of his pack (you and your family) when it leaves the den (your home or yard) on its important
expeditions into enemy territory (anywhere outside the home). He needs to be ever vigilant and focus on external events that might pose a threat to his travelling pack. His job includes checking out who has been near his den (sniffing every post) and marking his territory. But frankly Fido would love to give up the position and be able to relax under the strong leadership of the better pack leader – you! So what to do? One of the best and easiest ways to reestablish your position as pack leader is to make sure Fido does not go out the front door or garden gate in front of you on walks. Make him wait. Once you are on the other side of the threshold then it’s his turn. Simple! Keep this up and Fido may well realise that it’s not his job to be Boss of the Walk. 2515 Philip Comans is a dog behaviour therapist and trainer with Bark Busters Illawarra & Southern Highlands, 1800 067 710.
WHAT IS NINA? It stands for, Northern Illawarra Neighbour Aid Inc.
We are a not-for-profit community organisation situated in Helensburgh and � offering service to people living in the areas between Helensburgh and Coledale. Our services are for people aged 65 years and older, younger persons with a disability, Carers and for people who are transport disadvantaged. Our services are provided by a dedicated team of community volunteers.
We provide the following services; � Community Bus Trips (3-5 /month). � Social Luncheons (2-4 /month). � Seniors Café Club (Each Week and Includes Outings). � Individual Transport to Medical and Other Appointments. � Food Service/Meals (Hot + Frozen) � Shopping Bus (Weekly). � Social Support/Friendly Home Visits, or by Telephone.
Our office is directly opposite Coles on Walker Street in Helensburgh.
www.nina.org.au Want to know more? Call 42941900 and speak with our friendly staff. 2515
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2515 OUTDOORS
Gardening with sara It’s time to stop and smell the roses. And the lavender, the Corsican mint and the penny royal, writes Sara Newnham. For the past few weeks, our home has been uplifted by a Rothmannia globosa planted near our front door. Its soft, vanilla blooms have been performing well and every time I open the door sweet drifts of spring waft through our house. So, I have decided to ditch fake, toxic air fresheners and to plant as many fragrant plants as possible. The first step is to identify smells to cover up around the home. Then strategically plant outside, as close to the source as possible, such as near windows or doorways. It’s also a good idea to place vases of fragrant foliage or blooms indoors, such as near pets’ beds, bathrooms and wherever stinky teenagers or kids congregate. The right foliage can also help repel insects. Place a bunch of citronella or tea tree near the barbecue or, when dining outdoors, encourage guests to brush the foliage on their clothes or crush a few leaves to release their repellent oils. Penny royal is a fragrant foliage ground cover that repels fleas and ticks. I have planted it in my lawn and around where pets like to lie. There are many fragrant foliage plants – most of them need to be brushed against or touched
Rothmannia globosa
to bring out their beneficial perfume. It’s good to plant these along pathways near playgrounds. Wonderful, sensory plants for kids to touch and smell are rose geranium, herbs, pineapple sage or ‘Fruit Salad’ salvia (which is also very tasty). I have planted Corsican mint around the base of my kids’ slippery dip as a ground cover the kids can walk on to release an amazing peppermint fragrance. Plant lawn chamomile in areas you’d like to sit on a soft carpet of fragrant lawn – it has a calming effect. I once used it in a meditation space in a yoga lover’s garden. Lavender near the clothes line is lovely – let the laundry brush against the plants; your sheets will smell great!
I have planted Corsican mint around the base of my kids’ slippery dip as a ground cover
Here is a list of a few of my favourites to give your garden year-round fragrance:
Spring
Climbers such as wisteria love the sun and are rapid growers. Star jasmine has lovely, glossy leaves; it can flower in part shade and also be used as a thick ground cover. Shrubs of Brunfelsia flowers change colour with age from purple to white; they are commonly known as
Lemon myrtle
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2515 OUTDOORS Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. I love prostanthera, a native mint bush endemic to our area and perfect in the garden. Trees such as lilacs are exceptional for a small-growing, long-flowering treat. Plant old-fashioned wallflowers, Erysimum; perennial varieties flower for up to six months in many colours.
Summer
Many fragrant roses flower for many seasons: ‘Mr Lincoln’, ‘Heaven Scent’ or, my favourite, David Austin roses. Ground covers of sweet alyssum smell of pure honey. Plant stock: it’s a perfect cut flower. Rondeletia is a very powerful, fragrant large shrub. Use Brugmansia, Angel’s trumpet, as a small feature tree. Spectacular climbers such as hoyas and stephanotis, shell gingers, lilies and cardamom are tropical beauties!
Autumn
Lavender and gardenias flower many times of the year when fed well and pruned after flowering. There are a few camellias worth smelling such as ‘Gay Baby’, ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ and the new ‘Sweet Jane’. Murrayas make a thick hedge and flower sporadically. Large Buddleias flower in autumn and summer.
Chocolate-scented dahlia
Tricks of the trade
Tidy up your garden before the Christmas rush. I’m planting red and white annual borders now. To get them ready for December, I will liquid feed them every two weeks to get maximum blooms. It’s going to look amazing ! 2515 Sara runs Creativescapes Garden Design, which goes everywhere from Sydney to the South Coast. Contact creativescapes@iprimus.com.au or call 0451 196 646.
Winter
Most citrus, ‘Heaven Scent’ osmanthus and Daphnes warm the soul. Snow drop bulbs and jonquils emerge. There many fragrant options to suit any garden style and you can find plants to handle any conditions. If you are unsure what would work, contact me or your local nursery. It’s time to stop and smell the roses. Happy gardening!
Lavender
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2515 NATURE Air traveller … look out for the Rufous fantail, which migrates south to breed in our area over spring and summer. This photograph was taken by Australian Museum ornithologist Richard Major in his garden at Coalcliff, where the birds have nested for the past two years.
incredible journeys was banded and recorded as doing just that.” Our three-part series tackles the Four migratory bird species that are now big question: how did life get turning up in our area are: Channel-billed there? To start, Australian Museum Cuckoo, the Eastern Koel, Black-faced naturalist Martyn Robinson Monarch and Rufous Fantail. The fantail explains how creatures returns to breed in late spring/ travel via Air. did you know? summer, then flies north for winter Bogon moths in March or April to avoid the cold Life is amazing. It’s on the are great aerial migrators, flying from and possibly because flying insects, ground, in the air, under water and Queensland to the their food source, are less abundant deep in the earth. Australian Alps each and active in winter. “Basically, because of the diversity summer to beat of life and the irrepressibility of life, the heat. there is pretty much nowhere where butterfly magic life doesn’t exist on planet earth,” Butterflies are also long-haul travellers. Martyn says. In the US, Wanderer butterflies will travel a “Animal, plant, fungi and protozoa life have round migration of 5000km, says Martyn. managed to get to all of these areas, but the “Now that’s impressive enough for a butterfly, question is how?” but the thing is that the generation that arrives back at the starting point, at the end of the HAVE WINGS, WILL TRAVEL season, is actually the fourth generation. So the “The most all encompassing medium that ones that leave to escape the conditions that they can travel in is air… it touches the surfaces would be too harsh for them to survive aren’t of all the other mediums by which you can the same ones that return – it’s their greattravel. Air travellers get about the furtherest,” great-grand-offspring.” Martyn says. In Australia, Bogon moths are great aerial Birds are famous for their great migrations. migrators, fleeing the heat by flying from “A classic example of that is the Arctic tern, Queensland’s Darling Downs down the Great some individuals go for a 71,000km annual Dividing Range to the Australian Alps. “That’s round trip. Over in America, you have got the a lot of beating on very tiny wings,” Martyn little Rufous hummingbirds, which are barely says. “They go into the coolest part of the the size of your little finger, and some of those country, up in the Australian Alps, and they can travel distances of 7060km, one of which fatten up along the way by feeding on nectar
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2515 NATURE and they wait out the hot summer months before travelling back and, in that case, it is the same individuals that go back.”
Accidental tourists
The wind may also catch animals and blow them off course. “You can end up with that insect, exhausted, reaching land somewhere far from where it started out,” Martyn says. “So a number of our Australian butterflies and moths, and even flying foxes, have turned up in New Zealand. If they can find a suitable food plant there where they can lay their eggs, and the caterpillars can survive and go through to maturity on those new plants, you’ve got a new colony started, or potentially a new colony.”
Ballooning spiders
Wings are not compulsory for air travel. “Spiders sort of drift with the air currents,” Martyn says. “Usually young spiders, but sometimes larger ones as well, on windy days, they will release a streamer of silk up in the air. When the wind catches it, they just let go and the wind will sort of carry them … Of an evening, usually the wind activity stops, the warm air starts to sink and if they’re lucky there will be land underneath them… “They have recorded little spiderlings travelling on gossamers of silk three kilometres up from the earth’s surface … it’s called ballooning. “If you go out into a farming area, go out into a paddock early on a misty morning and have a look. You sometimes get the phenomenon known as angel’s hair, where everything is covered in gossamer. The gossamer is these little ballooning silk lines that the spiders have travelled on.” This fantastical material becomes visible when it picks up the dew.
It’s raining sea monkeys!
Tiny eggs – typically the size of a grain of sand – can also travel via air. Usually, they’ll be the eggs of aquatic animals. “So things like brine shrimp, which are sold in the shops as sea monkeys, and some of the little water fleas and tadpole shrimps,” Martyn says. “If you get hot westerly winds, they will actually blow the eggs, sometimes across the Great Dividing Range and we end up with these little desert crustaceans appearing in puddles around Sydney. That usually gives people a bit of a shock, particularly if it’s something like the tadpole shrimp, which can
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be about as long as your middle finger.” In Central Australia, the eggs of some species can survive for decades, in temperatures below freezing and above boiling, until they finally get washed into a puddle by rain and conditions are right for them to hatch.
winged Seeds
Plants usually let their seeds do the travelling. Dandelion, pine or gliding vine seeds can travel for kilometres if the wind is right. “That’s why so many of the weeds are so widespread, because many of the weeds have those fluffy seed heads, like the thistles, the dandelions,” Martyn says. In our area, look out for Callitris muelleri (Illawarra pine). The genus is known for its winged seeds. “They’ve got that long fin on the seed, so when they come out of the pod they spiral in the wind, which slows their fall,” Martyn says. “If the wind is blowing and catches that slowly falling seed, it will transport it some distance, as long as the gust lasts.” Next month: how life travels via land. 2515
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2515 BUSINESS Guided walks … from left, Brad Chilby and Alex Marlos.
power of two Photographer Brad Chilby and Sublime Point restaurant owner Alex Marlos are leading Illawarra Trekking Adventures. They met thanks to Google.
ALEX SAYS:
Prior to purchasing Sublime Point, I always wanted to start a bushwalking business, with a photography mix, and being from a restaurant background include camping overnight with a chef cooking for the bushwalkers – for example, homemade dampers – and the sky would be the limit with food, depending on the budget. Once I purchased Sublime Point, everything fell into place, the only thing missing was someone like Brad. I went on to Google photographers in the local area, saw Brad’s inspirational work online, called him. Once meeting with Brad, his passion for both activities confirmed to me that he was the right partner for the business. We have made a great team ever since. What I like about Brad’s photography is Brad, and his day-to-day passion for taking that next
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unique local photo. With his bushwalking passion, that leaves him in a league of his own. The Sublime Point walk is apparently one of the steepest walks you will come across, with multiple ladders bolted into the face of the rock with over 1000 actual steps. Once you get to the bottom of the trail, you almost feel as if you’re in a rainforest setting and not knowing you are only two kilometres from the main highway and two kilometres from the ocean. There is an array of bird life, wallabies and other native animals. The Sublime Northern Bushwalk is flat, level, accommodates most ages and fitness types. There are a lot of vantage points, including views as far as south as Kiama and as far north as southern Sydney. It’s known for its bird life, it’s a nature photographer’s heaven. Both of us are extremely passionate, with food, bushwalking and photography. Brad and I seem to have a lot in common, we can float ideas from day to night and we want to make a difference in the local area and inspire people by introducing the bush to the people. Some of the Illawarra people seem to forget about the northern escarpment, which has so much to offer.
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2515 BUSINESS BRAD SAYS:
I have been doing photography professionally for seven years and I am self-taught. I have always had an interest in bushwalking, mountain climbing and exploring the escarpment and have been doing so since I was very young. I specialise in Australian landscape photography, with a major focus on the Illawarra. I was already planning bushwalking and photography lessons on the Illawarra escarpment. Alex saw one of my photos from Sublime Point that I had posted on Facebook, with a bit of information about some of the hiking adventures I do to get the photographs I take. He then gave me a call to have a chat about it, we met up and realised we both had very similar plans and that both of our businesses could work well together to offer something unique to the Illawarra. On our bushwalks we photograph the sweeping views of the Illawarra from many of the great lookouts along the track.
Waterfalls, rainforest scenes with cabbage tree palms and tree ferns, Gymea lilies in the forest, native flora and whatever else our customers find interesting. I teach them how to compose a shot, how to shoot in different weather conditions and times of the day, how to use manual camera settings, including aperture, ISO, shutter speed, and I run through all the options in the camera’s menu. Sublime Point Cafe is in an amazing location with one of the best views in the Illawarra. We offer a restaurant style of food on the bushwalk as part of the package … Alex is a very good business operator and is very passionate about Sublime Point and the local area … between us we have developed many plans and ideas to expand the concept. Illawarra Trekking Adventures has two walks on Saturdays and Sundays: Austinmer Ladder Track ($80pp, depart 6am) and Sublime Views Track ($99pp, 11am). Contact: Chilby Photography, 0425 308 433, chilby.com.au; Sublime Point Restaurant & Cafe, 4267 1855, sublimepoint.com.au 2515 Sublime combo… food, photography and views over the Illawarra.
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2515 BUSINESS
why you need a mentor business mentors can help you turn ideas into reality, writes Annelies Voorthuis.
Fresh marketing strategy… Michael Berghuis
Being a start-up and small business operator can be very isolating and overwhelming. Issues about trust, confidence and competition can also make it harder for business owners to open up and talk to others. This is where the role of a business mentor, an advisor or coach can assist. A mentor is someone who serves as a counsellor or guide. They can offer fresh, experienced insight and have no emotional attachment to your business. They will can provide you with a step-by-step guide to move your business to the next level. An example of where Small Biz Connect has helped a local business is Michael Berghuis from Evolved Bush Fire Protection, who met with a Small Biz Connect advisor. Michael was looking for a fresh approach to promoting his Bushfire Protection Sprinkle System. He had tried all the traditional methods of marketing, flyers, website and social media. While discussing the system and how it protects a house during a bush fire, it hit Michael that he needed to target women! Since the change in marketing strategy Michael‘s business is growing. So, an independent mentor can reflect ideas, evoke solutions and support their implementation in a way that few insiders could do. Where can you find business mentors? * State Government business mentor programs, such as Small Biz Connect * Business networking organisations * Asking friends, relatives and colleagues. To get the most out of your mentor, prepare for the sessions and follow up on them. Before you meet, think about what you want to get out of the session, and afterwards reflect on how you can use any insights. 2515 Annelies is a Small Biz Connect business advisor. ETC currently offers business mentoring in the Illawarra through the NSW Government-funded Small Biz Connect program. Visit www.etcltd.com.au or phone 02 4223 0316.
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2515 NEWS
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AGED CARE: Private respite – regular or carer vacation – visits to Aged Care Facilities; private homes by arrangement. Activites / outings. Reliable, honest & ethical local lady. Fit & non smoker. Qualified Cert IV Leisure & Health, Certs III & IV Aged Care, current AFP check. Fully insured. Wollongong to Sutherland Shire. Rates negotiable by requirements & location. Initial enquiries Kathleen Jordan 0242 941 440 / 0414 403 927 FIREWOOD: Do you have logs that you would like turned into useful firewood but don’t want split it by hand? Call Home Log-Splitting Service 0429 009 400 or www.log-splitting.com for more details. RAELEEN’S FANCY FACES: Face painting, glitter tattoos, balloon twisting, special effects makeup, helium balloons and pregnancy belly art. Bring the ‘wow’ factor to your next party, fete, christening or corporate event. Local business (will travel), fully insured, exceptional hygiene standards, professional cosmetic-grade face paints used. Ph. Raeleen 0413 291 843. 2515
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send event listings to editor@2515mag.com.au 04 Fellowship of First Fleeters, South Coast Chapter. 10am in the Laurel Room, Ribbonwood Centre, Dapto. Guest Speaker will be Bob Williams who will talk to us about “Coclear Implants”. Refreshments to follow. Entry: $2 donation. Regular local history outings arranged for members. Contacts: 4267 1488, 4261 6893. 13 The Probus Club of Helensburgh & District holds meetings each second Thursday of the month at Helensburgh Tradies and visitors are invited to attend. More info: helensburgh probus.org and/or contact Elaine Smith by telephone, 4294 1023.
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2515 SPORT
way of the dragon If you want to blend fitness and fun – and learn some self-defence – then kung fu might be for you ... Silk Dragon Chinese Martial Arts teaches Shaolin Wushu (Kung Fu), Yang Style Tai Chi and Qigong. Each of these arts may benefit anyone of almost any age and fitness level, says Sifu Jason Biondo. Shaolin Wushu is a martial art that began in Asia about 1500 years ago in the Monastic Buddhist Temple in Songshan Mountain, Henan Province, China. Sifu Jason says there are hundreds of styles within Shaolin Kung Fu. “Some of the most common known to Western world are the Animal styles, such as Dragon, Crane, Tiger, Eagle, Leopard and Monkey as well as Drunken Kung Fu as portrayed in many Hollywood movies.” Sifu Jason has studied in Yang style Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu and Wushu since his early teens. He has been teaching Tai Chi as well as Traditional Kung Fu since 1997. He is a registered and accredited Martial Arts Instructor through Martial Arts Australia. Silk Dragon Academy is based in Smeaton Grange, but it holds classes in Thirroul and teaches Yang style Tai Chi, 32 form, 108 form, Qigong, Shaolin Wushu and Traditional Weapons. It also offers gymnastics as additional training for aerial components of kung fu.
Silk Dragon’s David Yao taking a class on World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, held in April. He says Shaolin Wushu is practiced at Silk Dragon to develop strength, quick reflexes, improved posture alignment, balance and co-ordination. “Our Shaolin Wushu class is taught as an art form, comprising of fast-paced drills, forms, kicks, aerobic and strength conditioning, gymnastic/aerial components, various ‘Fist’ techniques, forms and ‘Animal’ forms.” Silk Dragon also teaches Yang Style Tai Chi and Qigong, which uses gentle movements and breathing techniques to balance and strengthen the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Call 0420 886 125, email silkdragonacademy@gmail. com or visit the website at www.silkdragonacademy. com.au. 2515
training in thirroul
WHERE: Thirroul Community Centre, Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul. WHEN: Monday: 7pm-8pm (Tai Chi 108 form beg/adv), 8pm-9pm (Shaolin Wushu Adults’ class); Tuesday: 4pm-5pm (Kids’ Shaolin Wushu class 5-13 yrs). Sifu Jason Biondo displays his kung fu prowess.
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2515 TIDES
port kembla tidal chart
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The Bureau of Meteorology gives no warranty of any kind whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise in respect to the availability, accuracy, currency, completeness, quality or reliability of the information or that the information will be fit for any particular purpose or will not
infringe any third party Intellectual Property rights. The Bureau’s liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense resulting from use of, or reliance on, the information is entirely excluded.
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2515 SPORT
bmx summer ramps up As evenings get warmer, Southlake Illawarra BMX Club’s Friday night race meetings are getting busier, Tim Robson reports. The club, based at the Croome Road Sporting Facility in Albion Park, has more than 300 members, and is more than 40 years old. Riders as young as four and as old as 58 tackle the 300m track five times on a race night. The track is one of Australia’s most advanced, with tarmac turns, electronic transponder timing and a special polymer coating over the entire dirt surface to ensure good grip for the racers. More work is planned, including the installation of a state-of-the-art PA system. The club is self-funded, and relies on the support of community sponsors, such as the Shellharbour Club. “Now the colder nights are behind us, we’re seeing riders come back out of hibernation,” club committee member Andrea Dallinger said with a laugh. “With our new ‘four months for $40’ promotion, it’s a great time of year to come and try one of the most exciting sports there is.” Deana Camilleri, 8, from Shell Cove, has been racing for six months.
“She wanted to follow her brother Isaac, but I reckon she’s more competitive!” said her mum Sue. “She really loves it.” Max Robson, 12, has raced at the club for six years, and recently competed in the NSW State Championships. “I love the fact that we can race anywhere around the country,” he said. “I hope to be able to compete at a World Championship event in the next few years.” The club is already home to a number of world title holders, including world number one Saya Sakakibara from Helensburgh. To learn more about the club’s Four Months For $40 offer, visit bmxnsw.com.au/ southlakeillawarra, or Like Southlake Illawarra BMX on Facebook. 2515
BMX Q&A
IT’RSE! HEDS A FR3O9M! $ www.2515mag.com.au 2515
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Max Robson, 12, and Deana Camilleri, 8, love the sport of BMX. Photo: 032Media
How old do I need to be? The club’s youngest rider is four, our oldest is 58. Do I need a special bike? Your normal street BMX will do to start, but no pegs! What do I wear? Full-face helmet, gloves and nylon race gear (like motocross gear). Is it expensive? Start by checking the club’s website and Facebook page for second-hand bargains. A four-month trial licence costs $40.
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2515 SPORT
AUSTI BOAT CREW
Austinmer’s Open Women’s surfboat crew – Tess Harris, Morgan Davies, Renee Patison, Belinda Down, and sweep Jack Patison – working hard during a recent training session. Look for a cover feature on Jack, this year’s NSW Surf Sports Coach of the Year, in our next issue of 2515. Photo: Anthony Warry Photography
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