April 2023

Meet Our Contributors

Caroline Baum is a journalist, author and the ambassador for the Older Womens’ Network (OWN) in NSW. She lives in the Northern Illawarra.

Tilly Kidd graduated from the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Arts in 2014 and then completed her English and Drama teaching qualification at Western Sydney University in 2015. Since then, she has taught Drama and English at local high schools. She enjoys writing and directing productions for young people and she is also active in the local arts scene in the Illawarra, including poetry and theatre groups.

Dr John Deady is a general practitioner working at Bulli Medical Practice. He has a special interest in sports medicine and is currently working professionally with both the St George Illawarra Dragons NRL Club and Wellington Phoenix A League Club.

Glenn Paull has lived in the Illawarra since 2007 and takes a keen interest in nature, always fascinated by the comings and goings of plants and animal life in the local environment. Read his cautionary tale about stinging trees on page 39.

Diane Wallis is editorial director of The Watermark Press, and was formerly a copywriter, then a newspaper and magazine journalist/ editor. She swims at the Continental Pool daily at 6am and has recently joined a group swimming the Minamurra River at high tide then walking through the bush to the beach to swim back to the starting point – water therapy at its very best. Watching the ships arriving at and departing from Port Kembla from her apartment is another great pleasure. And then there are the whales!

Janice Creenaune is a retired English teacher. A wife and mother of three, she sees the life of a retiree as an evolution, something to be cherished, enjoyed. Janice is a volunteer for PKD Australia and her interests include travel, Letters-to-the Editor SMH, letterpress printing and film study.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The publishers acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their cultural and spiritual connection to this land. Their stories are written in the land and hold great significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, from the mountains to the sea.

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COVER Artist Edith McNally of the Northern Illawarra Art Trail (NIAT). Photo: Anthony Warry

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KANE DOWNIE

Labor wins

By Brian Kelly

Saving koalas, Bulli Bypass and train services are among priorities new Heathcote MP Maryanne Stuart has nominated after her emphatic victory in taking the electorate from the defeated Liberals in the March 25 state election.

Stuart, successful in toppling Lee Evans after two previous attempts, appeared at press time on Sunday, March 26 to have achieved a swing of 10 per cent – more than enough to unseat the 12-year member.

“It’s a great victory for the whole campaign team,” she said.

Stuart has had three decades’ experience in education and political and workplace relations as

a community organiser, trainer and campaign director and lives in Engadine with husband, Russell, and their two children.

Full story at www.theillawarraflame.com.au

Let’s be energy smart

By Electrify 2515’s Kristen McDonald

With energy prices sky-rocketing, coupled with a need to drastically reduce carbon emissions, it’s the perfect time to become empowered energy users.

If you have installed solar panels and downloaded an app that shows when you are producing energy from your roof and when appliances in your house are using that energy or drawing from the grid, you are on your way to having a better understanding of your energy patterns. Some of you may be even further along the path and set a timer on your hot water system so it does most of the heating when you produce solar, or when energy prices are lower. But there are still so many unknowns about the precise sources of our energy patterns and little control over them.

Reducing costs

Imagine if we lived in homes where we could see how much energy our air conditioner was using in real-time and then turn it down using our phone. In our proposed pilot, participants would have a Home Energy Management System (HEMS) installed in their home. This tool is hard-wired into your switchboard, allowing you to monitor and control many of your appliances and even automate it to time best with solar production. Accurate knowledge of your energy patterns puts you in control and can help reduce bills.

Planning for the future

If our pilot goes ahead, not only can we improve our individual circumstances, we will be leading the world in becoming a smart energy community. By having a lot of HEMS in place, we can build knowledge of how an entire community uses energy, better understand the impact on the grid and plan for the electric future. This is especially important as more and more people switch off their polluting gas appliances and adopt electric vehicles. It’s exciting to think of the knowledge and power we will gain as a community with a pocket-sized piece of technology with a bland-sounding name!

Don’t forget!

Our community solar roll-out is coming very soon and will be available for anyone, not just those in the 2515 postcode, and may even be relevant for those who currently have solar on their roofs.

Community members – including Dr Saul Griffith sporting an Electrify 2515 tee – at a Climate Forum ahead of the election. Photo: Jeremy Park

Thirroul dad in ‘Alone Australia’

New reality series Alone Australia premiered on SBS on Wednesday, March 29.

It features 10 Australian survivalists, including Thirroul’s own Duane Byrnes, 35, a Wildlife & Environmental Officer, proud First Nations man and father of two.

Thanks to Duane for taking the time to answer this Q&A for the Flame

So Duane, we know you can’t give away too much information, but can you tell us what the show is about?

In my opinion, it’s the best show of all time and I’m a huge fan.

There are many series overseas, but this time it’s 10 Australians dropped into the remote wilderness of Western lutruwita (Tasmania).

Completely isolated from the world and each other, stripped of all modern-day possessions, they have to self-document with cameras, their experience of pure survival. The person who lasts the longest wins $250,000.

It’s going to be an epic series and I’m a contestant in the first-ever Australian version.

Wow! What would make you want to apply to be on something like that?

Funny story, actually. I had never heard of the show before and I was leading a team at a Hazard Reduction burn one day at work. I love botany, especially native bush-tucker species, and I showed a team member an edible plant and they said I should apply to go on Alone. I asked what it was, watched it that very night and my wife and I got

absolutely addicted to the show.

Just as we finished watching all seasons, applications opened for the Australian series and I happened to be successful in my application.

That’s great! What kind of experience and credentials do you need to be on the show? It’s not a show that just anyone can be on, unfortunately. With season one, I can say you needed to provide a written application of your past experiences working or living remotely, how you adapt to certain situations and knowledge of Australian ecosystems.

You then have to also be able to prove this physically by undertaking psychological, physiological and skills-based tests with some of the country’s most highly trained professionals.

And, lastly, if you had to explain your experience on Alone Australia in three words, what would they be?

That’s actually a hard one to answer as I feel the experiences I had out there will forever be providing me strength, thoughts and emotions …

Three words that come to mind quickly are: connectivity, life-enhancing and fun (because that’s what life should be about, right!)

Thanks for the support, everyone.

The 11-part documentary series Alone Australia began with a double episode on Wednesday, 29 March at 7.30pm, and will continue weekly from 7.30pm, on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Thirroul dad Duane Byrnes is one of 10 Australian survivalists on Alone Australia

Funding to help high-tech koala projects take off

Symbio Wildlife Park’s plans have received a $470k boost

A coal miner and a zoo may sound like strange bedfellows but an ambitious high-tech plan to map koala locations and educate children about the endangered marsupial has brought the two together.

Symbio Wildlife Park has received a $470,000 boost from South32 Illawarra Metallurgical Coal to support koala conservation work in the Illawarra and Macarthur regions.

Symbio Wildlife Park marketing manager Kevin Fallon and Illawarra Metallurgical Coal (IMC) vice president operations Peter Baker held a press briefing at Symbio on Friday, March 24 to announce the joint initiative.

The three-year partnership between Symbio and South32 IMC includes plans for Symbio staff to participate in a new research program, which will use drone-mounted thermal imaging cameras to map koala locations in Illawarra bushland to gain a better understanding of local populations and their movements.

In addition, a new immersive conservation educational precinct will be developed at Symbio Wildlife Park, with the potential to help educate more than 200,000 park visitors per year about the importance of protecting koalas and other endangered wildlife.

A new not-for-profit Symbio Wildlife Park Conservation Foundation will also be established. Its aim will be to support “a sustainable future for koalas and other endangered Australian wildlife”, by focussing on breed-and-release programs, acquisition of land for habitat and tree planting.

Symbio has plans to launch its augmented reality (AR) wildlife educational app for schools –

KOALAR – to help students learn more about koalas and other Australian wildlife.

Mr Baker said South32 IMC was “pleased to partner with Symbio Wildlife Park to support these great new initiatives”.

“The big part for us has been twofold: one, just being able to get involved with wildlife conservation, it’s been tremendous and what a great partner to have in Symbio Wildlife Park.

“And two: the work that Symbio do with education, particularly kindergarten through to year six, perfect timing to get the kids involved [in conservation].”

He said: “We think this is a first step in probably a long partnership working with conservation groups in general, but in particular Symbio.”

Mr Fallon said the Illawarra and Macarthur regions have some of the most genetically pure koalas in Australia.

“This new partnership directly enables us to fast-track important conservation measures and do even more to help protect the species at a time where it has never been so critical, whilst completely changing the way in which children are educated around wildlife.

“As well as hosting some key koala habitat areas, our regions have deep cultural ties to the koala stretching back thousands of years with the Dharawal people, and then much later, the first koalas collected for the scientific study were found at Mount Kembla, in 1803.”

He said: “This partnership means more to us, koalas and education than I can possibly express.”

South32 Illawarra Metallurgical Coal (IMC) vice president operations Peter Baker (centre) with IMC and Symbio staff.

Homes through history

As part of the National Trust Heritage Festival, a new photographic exhibition showcases everything from tents to mansions, write librarians Jenny

Camping at Thirroul 1910 (P10199) and ‘Aliummare’ at Wombarra late 1880s (P03175). Photos from the collections of Wollongong City Libraries

Wollongong City Library is hosting a photographic exhibition, ‘Illawarra Houses & Homes’, on level 1 of the library and online at illawarrastories.com.au/ exhibitions/

The exhibition shows the variety of housing in the area over time, from Depression-era shacks, through to modern mansions.

The Great Depression left many unemployed and homeless. Makeshift camps of tents and humpies made of scrap iron and timber sprang up around Lake Illawarra and the beachfront near Port Kembla.

In 1935, the Stevens government replaced the camp at Flinders Street, Port Kembla with Spoonerville. Named after Eric Spooner, the NSW Housing Minister in charge of the project, Spoonerville was a settlement of over 70 cottages. Houses had dirt floors and contained three bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom off the kitchen.

Historical Society hosts Open Day

By Jan Lee

Helensburgh and District Historical Society will hold an Old Mine Surgery Open Day and Book Sale on Saturday, 22 April, 10am to 2pm.

The Old Mine Surgery is at 78 Parkes Street, Helensburgh. Drop in any time between 10am and 2pm to tour Dr Cox’s 1935 surgery, look through our photo collection, get help with your family history, or update us with new information and photos. Check out our newly repainted Old Mine Surgery, the new miners’ memorial and information panels, our renovated toilet block and restored baker’s oven.

Great bargains on local history books! Pay by

McConchie and Jo Oliver

The only tap was in the bathroom and a fuel stove provided warmth. Winters in Spoonerville were chilly; houses only had 1m-high weatherboard walls, with canvas used to form the rest of the wall. There were no windows. Residents lined walls with old sacks to keep out the cold. If you were Mr Spooner, would you be proud to have this settlement named after you?

Do you have questions about your house? The library will hold a ‘Your Place’ presentation at Wollongong Library on Tuesday, April 18 from 10-11.30am. Local Studies specialists will show how to find historic information about local suburbs and houses using library resources. Go to the What’s On link on the library website to book.

If you have images of your house and would like to share with Wollongong City Libraries, email localhistory@wollongong.nsw.gov.au

EFTPOS or cash or pre-order for pick-up. Buy a ticket in our raffle of a beautiful painting of the Stanwell Park Viaduct by local artist Edith McNally. ($5 each or 3 for $10.)

Contact us at info@historichelensburgh.org.au or Jan 0418 681 384.

Workshop in Charcoal

By Caroline Baum

The great South African artist William Kentridge said, “You can think in charcoal” – meaning that it is a forgiving medium which allows you to change your mind. Local artist and teacher Gabrielle Freer agrees: “My favourite thing about charcoal is the fact that you can erase it endlessly.”

For the first time at the Clifton School of Arts, Gabrielle is teaching a charcoal drawing workshop and hopes students of all abilities will join in. “It suits all levels of skill and is a really

Meet a maker

Wailwan woman Jenny Khan owns The Unexpected Guest, a Minto business that produces organic breakfast cereals and energy bars with indigenous botanicals. She shares her story with Denise Farrier

I grew up in Central Western NSW spending many years on the Wambool river, as this was our source of food and life. Our business logo is a kangaroo paw and the dots represent the Wambool, also known as the Macquarie River, which is a Wiradjuri word. Our company name is Wambool Dreaming Pty Ltd t/a The Unexpected Guest. We started our business in 2016 and the breakfast products we make are Australian Certified Organic (ACO) Freestyle Granuesli (granola) – honey flavour, and Gluten Freestyle Muesli – Maple Syrup flavour.

Our focus recently has been to create new products infused with Australian Indigenous Botanicals. The prebiotic Health Snack Bar range is available in three varieties of Lemon Myrtle, Wattle Seed and the Oats & Nuts Bars. In the last eight months we have added a new range with a Meal

enjoyable process no matter the outcome,” she says.

There is something fitting about a charcoal drawing workshop on the Coal Coast – although charcoal is actually manufactured from wood, unlike the mineral that miners pulled out of the ground here. Both are organic, both are burned and both are messy.

It’s not unusual, in the process of rubbing out and smudging to achieve degrees of shading to find oneself leaving a charcoal drawing workshop with a blackened face and hands.

“It’s definitely not the place to wear white or light colours,” laughs Gabrielle, who has taught charcoal drawing to adults and children and to disadvantaged communities including refugees, the homeless and people fresh out of prison.

Unlike paint, charcoal is an affordable medium, putting it within reach of those on a tight budget. No wonder it’s popular with so many artists.

Charcoal Drawing Workshop

Sat May 6, 10am-4pm, $180 CSA members, $200 non-members. Book at events.humanitix.com/ charcoal-drawing-workshop-with-gabrielle-freer

To join the CSA, visit www.artsclifton.org

Replacement Bar –Kakadu Plum.

Our main goal is to produce food that is not only tasty and refinedsugar-free but naturally good, adding to our wellbeing and not our health problems.

We always strive to purchase our ingredients from Australian food growers and businesses. Being conscious of where our food comes from is vitally important for the future of the environment and therefore human life.

Our values have always been to welcome those who have taken time out of their day to visit us, therefore, ‘making room at your table for the unexpected guest’.

Jenny’s products are available at The Flame Tree Food Co-op, 355 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul. Visit flametree.coop and theunexpectedguest.com (try the Smoothie Fan recipe!)

Artist Gabrielle Freer with her works in charcoal

A soothing mouthful

By Caroline Baum

opening effect, but I have also had clients tell me that it has helped clear their sinuses.”

My appointment was for an hour and a half, but in fact Fran only had her fingers in my mouth for around 20 minutes of that. After taking a before shot to compare with later, the preamble involved a warming and soothing facial and scalp massage to boost circulation and lymph drainage.

Fran has set up her practice in the garden studio of her Wombarra home; it’s a very pretty location, with an informal planting of Australian natives and English cottage garden flowers. She is a keen gardener, which is perhaps why her hands have a firm feel to them.

If the idea of a complete stranger sticking their fingers in your mouth brings you out in hives, read no further. If, however, you have read about the new trend for what is known in the biz as buccal (from bucca, the Latin word for cheek) massage and it sounds intriguing, then you may want to book an appointment with Fran Connell.

Full disclosure: Fran is a friend who gave me a free session to try out this new technique before launching her business. I was slightly apprehensive, but I also suffer from a fairly tight jaw and thought this might be beneficial.

Buccal massage originated in France and is currently enjoying a moment of being fashionable, along with other techniques like the traditional Chinese method of gua sha to stimulate improved muscle tone and blood flow to the skin. It claims to relax tight muscles (especially for those who grind their teeth), improve the appearance of the jawline, soften lines, particularly around the mouth, and reduce puffiness.

A former Pilates instructor, with a lifelong commitment to wellbeing, Fran undertook training in Sydney to learn the method, building on her existing knowledge of anatomy.

The technique works on ligaments, fascia and the lymphatic system as well as muscles.

“We tend to get stuck in frowns and other facial expressions that can be ageing in the long term,” Fran says. “This technique helps to correct those unconscious habits. The results are a lifting,

I hear a crisp clicking sound as she dons black latex gloves for the inter-oral part of the treatment. The pressure is light, as she works the inside of the cheeks, avoiding the roof of the palate and the gums. It’s surprisingly pleasant. “You hold tension in your chin,” she tells me, which comes as a surprise – how do you even do that?

After the mouth massage, Fran applies a face mask that smells of miso and caramel and feels deliciously cooling. She sourced it in Japan and it produces a wonderful gleaming, polished effect.

When the treatment is over, Fran takes an after shot and we compare the two. The surprise is around my eyes, where fine lines are dramatically reduced. It’s as if the whole socket area has opened up. The frown lines on my forehead appear shallower too. I wish I were going out tonight.

For in-between session maintenance, Fran shows me gentle pinching and upward flicking techniques to practise at home to prevent sagging and tensing. I feel more aware of how many facial muscles I have and that they too need to be toned like the rest of the body.

Buccal massage may sound like something that only Gwyneth Paltrow would do, but for Fran, the commitment to studying the technique and its benefits goes way beyond a Hollywood fad. Whether the therapy can defy the ravages of air, time and gravity is another matter, but if I were a bride or looking for a different gift for a friend, I’d put my money where my mouth is.

To book: Follow Fran on Instagram at @ holisticfacialmassagebyfran and click on the link in bio to make an appointment. Buccal massage $300 Tues/Weds

Fran Connell at her Wombarra studio. Photos supplied

Dr Rip’s Science of the Surf

With Coalcliff’s Prof Rob Brander. This month: The Magic of Wave Power

You often hear surfers talking about waves sometimes feeling more ‘powerful’. Is this really true? Absolutely. It all has to do with basic wave physics.

There are three basic points to understand about ocean waves. First, it’s important to know that the movement of energy and water in a wave is different.

In deep water, water particles move back and forth underneath waves in orbital motions, but the water doesn’t really go anywhere. Water only starts moving towards the beach once waves enter shallow water, slow down and then break. What gives waves their shape is the energy moving through the water, just like the motion of sound or light (or Mexican) waves through the air.

Second, there is an exponential relationship between the height of the wave and the amount of energy that waves have. So at any given point on the ocean, bigger waves have more energy and even bigger waves have a lot more energy.

Third, the speed that waves are travelling is related to the wave period – the time it takes for two wave crests to pass the same point. The longer the wave period, the faster the waves travel.

Wave power is the rate that wave energy is moving and is basically equal to the energy of the wave multiplied by the wave speed. This means that bigger waves will have more power, but so will longer waves that are not necessarily that big.

Typical swell wave periods on our coast are between 8 to 10 seconds, but sometimes we can get a clean ground swell that has travelled from a very distant source that has periods of 12 to 14 seconds. This is similar to what you get in Hawaii, which is renowned for its powerful waves.

The Hawaiian islands sit in the middle of the Pacific. Pretty much every swell wave that reaches Hawaii has travelled a long distance and has a long wave period – and therefore more power.

I remember the first time I bodysurfed in Hawaii (Slaughterhouse Beach in Maui). The waves didn’t look any different in height to a fairly typical day here, but the second I caught the wave, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets in surprise, because it was like riding a rocket. I could not believe how fast and heavy it was.

It was the same deal several years later when I went boogie boarding on the Banzai Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore. It was summer there and the waves were only about 1 foot, but they still packed a wallop.

So wave power is definitely real, especially when wave periods start getting longer than 12 seconds. Give it a go to feel the power yourself!

Have a question?

Email rbrander@unsw.edu.au

Beautiful lines of long period swell with some magical power.

Photo: Rob Brander

Beetling About

Australia is, as you probably know, more or less a complete continent (including Tasmania). Among continents it is unique in being under one political centre with one dominant language. This is how it was sold to me as a young undergraduate in the UK, looking for somewhere to do a PhD – ‘Go to Australia, there’s nowhere else where you can go from alps to desert to tropical rainforest without having to use a passport, or change language, and to cap that, the insects are largely unexplored’.

I was pretty naive about Australia. In the UK, I gave a lift to three Australians who told me they had to drive with the windows permanently up in case kangaroos jumped in. It made sense at the time.

Thirty-eight years ago when I arrived there was no internet and it was difficult to get a sense of what was known and what wasn’t known about insects. Now there is the online Atlas of Living Australia (generally referred to as the ALA), which is an attempt to map all flora (plants) and fauna (animals), funded by the Federal Government.

I’m particularly interested in leaf beetles. If you look at the dot map of all records of that group (family Chrysomelidae) on ALA (see URL below), you’ll find that the south-east of Australia is a solid mass of records, but the arid and semi-arid centre is mostly empty. Lines of dots on this map, such as the one across north-western New South Wales, represent collecting beside roads.

Clearly some bits of the continent are blanks on the map, at least as far as leaf beetles go. And leaf beetles are relatively well-known compared to

many other groups, so these blanks are likely to be true for other groups too. For this reason, there is another federally funded organisation, called Bush Blitz, which is dedicated to filling in the gaps.

I was privileged to be invited on a recent Bush Blitz expedition, which took place in the southern part of Kosciuszko National Park, The Pilot Wilderness area, in the first week of February this year. I was part of an assemblage of 20 biologists from several different universities, museums and botanic gardens, from Victoria, NSW and the ACT. My particular interest was flightless alpine beetles, because these tend to be unique to mountain tops and have nowhere to go with global warming. Feral horses and deer don’t help.

Normally in such a place I’d enjoy the walk in as much as the arrival, but because collecting time was at a premium we were helicoptered into the remotest parts, a first for me. It was a fantastic experience and I’m very grateful to the Bush Blitz staff who made sure that everything went smoothly. And, of course, the helicopter pilots.

The results? I found about 150 species of beetle, including three new species in the group I was chasing. Now I need to find time to name them, before they disappear…

Records for leaf beetles on Atlas of Living Australia: bie.ala.org.au/species

Pictured: View from The Pilot summit, snowgum woodland habitat of new beetle species and the (mighty?) Murray. Photos: Chris Reid

With Dr Chris Reid. This month: blitzing the bush

Beware of ‘Archiporn’

By architect Ben Wollen

I recently read an excellent article by a Perth architect, Ben Caine, (see below for a link). The article was titled “Sustainable architecture and design: how to avoid the seven deadly sins”. Catchy, right?

Whilst Ben calls out the seven deadly sins of architecture, I refer to them as archiporn. I checked Urban Dictionary and there’s no definition for archiporn yet, but if you search for it on Instagram it has over 800,000 posts. An online search reveals it has its origins in a digital advertising agency that has worked with architects “to denote extreme examples of films with slowly moving cameras, showing very orchestrated empty spaces, lovingly caressing bits of architecture”.

Ha! Lovingly caressing bits of architecture sounds more like a romance film than porn! I would suggest that archiporn also includes social media posts, glossy magazine photos and those gorgeous real estate renderings for developments as yet unbuilt. Really, it’s anything that makes you go ‘Wow, I would like to live there’.

And what’s so wrong with it? Well, in Ben’s well-considered article, the issue is an industrywide one. The more celebrated “starchitects” (this term is defined on Urban Dictionary – go look it up!) require clients with fat wallets to pay them higher fees to realise their architectural masterpieces. In order to capture that luxurious market, it’s a constant “arms race” of superb detailing, winning awards, getting published and creating compelling renders. Although many would defend this type of meritocracy, the ramifications of the architectural arms race means many high-end houses lose out in the sustainability stakes. Quite often clients of these homes are disappointed to find out that their very expensive

large homes are also very expensive to heat, cool and maintain.

The average new house build in Australia is hovering at about 235 square metres and that includes many of these high-end homes. Often they are much larger at the very top end. One of the houses that won an award in last year’s NSW Architecture Awards was a whopping 327 square metres!

Apart from size, Ben outlines his seven deadly sins of high-end design as being:

1. Highly specific floorplans

2. Ignoring building science

3. Excessive use of steel structure

4. Concrete roofs, balconies and awnings

5. Internal box gutters and terraces over living spaces

6. Impractical materials and finishes

7. Complex construction detailing

I won’t go into the reasons behind all of these, but you can go find his article if you want to delve deeper. Suffice to say that the net effect of the sins can result in an expensive house with dubious sustainability credentials. Not all starchitects are to blame. There are many that do indeed create more compact and efficient designs. Those that don’t would likely retort that they are merely responding to their client’s brief, or that it’s the only way to make money in architecture.

We need to ask of ourselves, where does the responsibility of addressing climate change lie? Of course, the answer to that is in all of us. Especially all of us in developed countries like Australia that have benefited from an early Industrial Revolution pre-climate change crisis. This includes the purveyors of architecture awards, the glossy magazines (online and print) and yes, us architects.

Less than 5% of houses are designed by architects, so one could be forgiven for saying we don’t have much impact in the grand scheme of things, but if the standard of award-winning houses are these high-end disasters, what does that say to the rest of us homeowners aspiring for some good design. What flag are we flying? Climate adaptation or climate disaster? I agree with Ben when he advises homeowners and renovators to get themselves informed and be on the lookout for those deadly sins. If your architect proposes to sin, call them out on it and ask them to justify themselves!

https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/ spinifex/sustainable-architecture-and-designhow-to-avoid-the-seven-deadly-sins/

Could ‘archiporn’ make the dictionary in 2023?

Home Building Mistakes to Avoid

We’ve heard the horror stories people share about their building experience, but it doesn’t have to be this way. In a series of articles, the team at Grand Pacific Homes discuss pitfalls to avoid when building new or renovating an existing home.

Trust Your Builder Building can be a nerve-wracking experience and takes a leap of faith. Finding a builder you trust makes the journey easier. Choose a builder recommended from a trusted source, then get to know them:

Number of Projects: An established builder will have a long track record with positive word of mouth referrals.

Size of Team: A well-resourced builder will have effective administrative support, clear

communication with clients and efficient coordination of trades.

Job Site: Visit a current project to see if the job site is clean with organised materials and wellpresented trades

References: Speak with both past and current clients, particularly those in the middle of construction to get a balanced opinion of the builder. At Grand Pacific Homes, owners Mark and Clint O’Connor believe trust is the basis of every good building relationship. They are hands on in every project and are invested in getting the best result for our clients.

Think big, start small

By Surfrider South Coast chair Susie Crick

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released in March is the timer buzzing on our stove of life. The alarm bell is ringing. The way we live, and nature are intricately connected. We need to protect 30% of the planet in order to have a future. That means no more fossil fuels, no more digging holes in the planet and dumping stuff in our ocean or blasting the seabed.

Eight billion of us have to get this right. It is simple, if we protect nature, we save ourselves.

People ask for solutions but they’re staring us in the face at the choices we make each day.

If our lives aren’t in harmony with nature, then we are destroying it.

Start small.

1. Stop buying things in plastic;

2. Use your car less / ride share;

3. Work harder in your garden / plant something / grow something;

4. Be kind; share meals;

5. Eat local produce;

6. Do a good turn for someone who needs it;

7. Get in nature – how can we protect her if we don’t know her?

8. Volunteer to help clean your own patch or just start cleaning your own neighbourhood;

9. Stop being busy doing useless stuff (like accumulating junk) and get busy doing real stuff like looking around and seeing what needs to be done;

10. Write a letter to your MP telling them to protect the environment. “Dear MP, I will continue

No more butts!

By Sciences Po Rennes student and Surfrider intern Sidonie Fichot

It is extremely annoying in this day and age to find cigarette butts when we go to the beach, considering how educated we are about littering. Wollongong Council is supporting a campaign to reduce cigarette butt littering in our region by installing butt bins at beaches and major pedestrian walkways. Even though awareness is growing, the sad fact is that

to support you if you push for policy changes that protect nature.”

11. Be Kind – BE VERY KIND. Be considerate to others, especially the elderly - they might just teach you something.

12. Be RESPECTFUL to others, towards nature and to yourself.

13. Take the time to do things SLOW. No more fast food or fast fashion;

14. Connect with good people;

15. Commit.

When you’ve got a job to do you don’t watch the clock, you just start doing it. It’s time for eight billion to start doing something for Mother Nature and then she will reward us.

We are frogs in a boiling pot. I’m jumping out. Are you?

cigarette butts are proliferating and damaging the delicate ecosystem of our waterways and ocean. About nine billion cigarette butts are dropped, discarded and washed into Australian waterways each year. Each tiny butt has the potential to kill sea life when it floats down the drain towards the sea. Exposure to cigarette filters (even unsmoked ones) is toxic to fish, and seaworms exposed to filters suffer DNA damage and reduced growth. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable and they don’t belong on our beaches. We need to shift the spotlight to the tobacco industry. Whoever makes the waste should take it back!

In Sweden and France, people are training crows to pick up butts in return for bird food pellets. How is it that we can train wildlife to pick up and retrieve butts, yet we can’t train humans to be responsible for their own mess?

Photo: Stella Crick

Tree of the Month

By Kieran Tapsell, of Banksia Bushcare

Syzygium wilsonii (Powder Puff Lilly Pilly) One of the interesting things about removing invasive weeds is watching the native species come up. They are usually species that are native to the area, but sometimes they are from elsewhere. This tree that came up by itself had leaves and structure like a Lilly Pilly, but this luxurious, red new growth was not a characteristic of the local species. Members of the Growing Illawarra Natives website concluded that it was either a Powder Puff Lilly Pilly (Syzygium wilsonii) or the Small Leaf Lilly Pilly (Syzygium luehmannii), both of which have red new growth. The problem was that the Powder Puff Lilly Pilly is native to Far North Queensland, and the leaves of this Lilly Pilly were not small. However, it is possible that it came from a seed from Syzygium ‘Cascade’, a popular hybrid between S. wilsonii and luehmannii growing nearby. Apparently, the offspring of the hybrid seems to revert back to one of the parents and, if that is the case, it would have to be the Powderpuff. As deer have been known to pull young Lilly Pillys out, we have now caged this new addition to our biodiversity.

Weed of the Month

Ochna (Ochna serrulata) is the worst of the invasive plants in the Stanwell Avenue Reserve. It is a beautiful African bush with a red and black flower, like a Sturt’s desert pea. However, it is almost impossible to pull it out once it gets above 5cms. Evolution has given it a tap root that develops when it is over 5cms, so that when an animal eats it, the leaf section snaps off, leaving the root to grow again. The only feasible way to get rid of it is by poisoning – either by spraying or by scraping away the bark on the stem and painting poison on the wounded section. It is relatively easy to identify because it has long finely serrated leaves like a hacksaw blade.

Autumn at the Grevillea Park

By John Elton

Having navigated their way through summer, many Australian natives at the Illawarra Grevillea Park Botanic Gardens are now showing signs of bursting into flower. Most notable are the banksias which are covered in hundreds of cones.

Visitors are always in awe of the mass planting of the Bush Candles, and this year they look better than ever.

A walk around the Park will reveal many different varieties of banksia. Flower colour ranges from golden yellow, to orange and red. There is even a gunmetal cone that belongs to Banksia plagiocarpa.

Elsewhere in the park, the grevilleas are budding up. Visitors will be able to see grevilleas from all over Australia. Look out for stand out hybrids such as ‘Bulli Envy’, ‘Crowning Glory’ and ‘Autumn Blaze’.

The Grevillea Park is at Grevillea Park Rd, Bulli and will be open on the first two weekends in May from 10am-4pm (May 6 and 7; May 13 and 14).

More info: Illawarragrevilleapark.com.au or Facebook “Illawarra Grevillea Park”

April Falls Prevention

By Dr John Deady of Bulli Medical Practice

Nearly 1 in 3 older Australians have experienced a fall in the past 12 months. Of these, 1 in 5 required hospitalisation. Most elderly people fall in and around their home. Injuries as a result of falls, such as a broken leg or hip, can lead to major life changes.

Risk factors

Your chances of falling increase if you’ve had a fall in the past six months. Other risk factors include:

• Home hazards such as loose shoes, slippery tiles, steps, rugs on the floor and other trip hazards.

• Sensory and balance problems including muscle weakness, low vision or blindness.

• Medication (side effects) and changes in medication.

• Chronic diseases including Parkinson’s, dementia, hypotension (low blood pressure), diabetes, arthritis, stroke, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression.

• Short-term illness (such as colds or flu or other infection) or recovery post-surgery.

Reduce your risk

There are a number of things you can do to help

prevent falls and minimise injuries including:

• Eating healthy and nutritious food and drinking enough fluids

• Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, with regular resistance (strengthening) and balance exercises

• Taking medication only as prescribed and discus any side effects with your doctor

• Annual medication review with your doctor especially if taking multiple medications. There is an exponential increase in falls in those taking 5 or more medications

• Wearing comfortable, firm-fitting, flat shoes

• Hazard proofing your home – removing trip hazards like loose rugs

• Ensuring adequate lighting, especially at night

• If applicable, always using your walking aid

• Installing grab rails in the bathroom

• If reliant on glasses, have an annual review with your optometrist

• Mark the edge of steps, so they’re easier to see.

How your GP can help GPs can provide advice, review your medications and may refer you to other health professionals.

Monday to Friday: 8am - 6pm Saturday: 8am - 12 noon

Full range of general practice services including women’s and men’s health, child and adolescent health, older adult health and nursing home visits, and specialised clinics including:

y Travel medicine

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74 Park Road, Bulli 4284 4622

Book online* via our website: www.bullimedicalpractice.com.au scan QR code:

*Please call 4284 4622 for an appointment if you have any respiratory symptoms

QUALITY PERSONAL HEALTHCARE AND TRAVEL MEDICINE

Sailing on to empower women

The Illawarra Flame reports

Illawarra girls thinking about a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Maths (STEMM) have two fantastic local role models in the University of Wollongong’s Dr Tamantha Stutchbury and Professor Danielle Skropeta.

Not only are the two high achievers in their own careers – chosen to take part in the prestigious global leadership initiative Homeward Bound –they’re also creating opportunities for others.

Danielle is a medicinal chemist working on drug development in the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health; Tamantha is director of iAccelerate. They have known each other for 20 years, although their careers have taken different directions. The pair reconnected recently to launch the LIFT program, a new academia-industry-community partnership based on the transformative principle of “lift as you climb” that won a Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grant in January.

“Danielle and I co-led a grant that will put a million dollars on the ground to help inspire the next generation of girls to go into STEMM and women that are already in STEMM to stay in STEMM,” Tamantha says.

“I’ve watched women that are amazing drop off throughout my career and I want to change that for future generations.”

Both Danielle and Tamantha have found Homeward Bound’s 12-month leadership course valuable and are looking forward to the Coviddelayed highlight: a three-week voyage in November to Antarctica where women from around the world, experts in everything from shark behaviour to space engineering to emergency medicine, will finally meet face to face.

Today, Danielle and Tamantha are logging into our Zoom interview from opposite ends of the earth and the day: Tamantha is finishing up the day at her office at UOW, Danielle is waking up on sabbatical in Germany.

“I’m here with my family, which is pretty unique,” Danielle says. “We’ve brought the kids and put them into school in Germany and everyone’s quite gobsmacked about that. I’m working again with a really amazing group of cancer researchers here. I’m giving research talks, but also one to inspire women that you can have an academic career with a family.”

Tamantha loves her job as director of iAccelerate, and believes she has Homeward Bound to thank. “iAccelerate is the University of Wollongong’s start-up accelerator and incubator,” she says. “It’s an amazing interface … making sure research gets out to have real impact in the world and I’m so passionate about that. I didn’t have this position when I applied for Homeward Bound and I think Homeward Bound has a lot to do with my confidence and skills to get this position.”

Tamantha was accepted into the program a year before Danielle, who applied in 2020.

“The reason I applied for it is that I love the opportunity to connect with the different women around the world, women in STEMM, a hundred women from different cultures. I love to hear their stories,” Danielle says.

“Two women who I am super excited to meet are wildlife conservationist Moreangels Muchaneta Mbizah and polar explorer Lungi Mchunu, the first African woman to sail to the North Pole.”

Covid delayed their trip of a lifetime and to

Professor Danielle Skropeta and Dr Tamantha Stutchbury. Antarctica image thanks to Oli Sansom

catch up this year there’ll be up to 180 women leaders from 25 countries catching two ships from Ushuaia to the frozen continent. Danielle and Tamantha will be on different boats.

“They select 80 women a year to go,” Tamantha explains.

Her cohort, chosen in 2019, has already faced unique challenges together.

“We connected through a global pandemic, and I got a view of the pandemic that I wouldn’t have otherwise had … As the waves moved around the world, you were hearing first-hand what it was like to experience it in all different cultures. And we could support each other across our experiences.”

Leadership expert Fabian Dattner came up with the idea for Homeward Bound in 2015. Its ultimate aim is to connect and equip 10,000 women with the skills to create better outcomes for our planet by 2036.

Danielle said she was “really open and frank” about her desire to meet other women in STEMM in her video pitch.  “Before, during any of these leadership programs, I was very much like you have to dress up like the boys, you have to laugh at the boys’ jokes and you have to play the boys’ game to get there,” she says.

Now Danielle is determined to empower other women and both she and Tamantha are supportive of another ground-breaking UOW initiative, the Women’s Research Engineers Network (WREN), which aims to close the gender gap in engineering.

UOW has fielded several Homeward Bound representatives, including Professor Martina Sanderson Smith, Associate Professor Sarah Hamylton and Associate Fellow Rachelle Balez. Most recently, the university announced that Georgia Watson – a research officer with  Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future –will be part of Homeward Bound 8.

Tamantha says: “We have a nice alumni here. I’m getting some disadvantaged schoolgirls in in a few weeks and I just put a call out to my Homeward Bounders to say, ‘Who wants to come and talk to them?’

“And so it’s an amazing network.”

Go Figure: Women in STEM

Women only make up 36% of enrolments in university science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses, according to the 2022 STEM Equity Monitor prepared by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Women comprise 27% of the workforce across all STEM industries. Only 23% of senior management and 8% of CEOs in STEMqualified industries are women.

Hop in store!

By the team at Collins Booksellers Thirroul

This Easter Saturday, bring your little ones to a special morning with Ellie and her gorgeous pet rabbit, Jerry. No need to book. Pop in, meet Jerry, and hopefully catch an Easter story!

On Wed 19 April from 10am (week 2 of the holidays) join author Sue Whiting for an in-store adventure based on her new middle-grade novel, Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan. Activities for 6-12yrs, should be great fun! Celebrate the release of Australian Abstract, the fifth art book from Amber Creswell Bell at Ryan’s Hotel, Wed 26 April, 7pm. Amber will be in-conversation with two featured artists, Paul Higgs and Aaron Fell-Fracasso.

Round off the month with a cosy in-store event as Susan McCreery and conversation partner Margaret Throsby discuss All the Unloved. Fri 28 April, 7pm. Bookings essential via thirroul@ collinsbooks.com.au or 4267 1408.

collins BOOKSELLERS thirroul

What’s On

Find more events at www.theillawarraflame.com.au

Sculpture in the Garden

Artist Deborah Redwood won the 2023 Sculpture in the Garden with her eye-catching work, Banksia, made from clusters of ground-down nails. It’s one of 25 thought-provoking pieces of outdoor art on show at Wollongong Botanic Garden until 30 April 2023. Free, open daily (except Good Friday).

School holidays at the Library

Wollongong Libraries are hosting a range of school holiday activities this April. Bookings essential for all events, via Eventbrite, link available at www. wollongong.nsw.gov.au/library/whats-on/events

Layered Pictures – Create a cute wooden layered picture of a koala or turtle. Ages 5+. At Thirroul Library on Wed, 13 April, 10am and at Helensburgh on Thursday 14th, 10.30am

Rainbow Magnet – you’ll be over the rainbow with this gem magnet. Ages 8+. Thirroul on Wed 12 April 10am; Helensburgh on Wed 19th 10.30am

Bots & Lego Fun – Create your next LEGO masterpiece… And explore robotics. Ages 8+. At Thirroul Library, Thurs 20 April 10am.

Craft for a cause – Orphaned joeys need a quiet, safe place to call home. Join the library as we knit and crochet carry pouches and bird nests for the injured wildlife that come into WIRES. Ages 12-18. At Thirroul on Mon 17 April 10am; Helensburgh on Fri 21st 10.30am.

Lions at work

By publicity officer Fran Peppernell

Helensburgh Lions Club is back in action and at our last meeting it was agreed to provide a donation of $1000 to Northern Illawarra Neighbour Aid (NINA). We also agreed to sponsor a Lion Assistance Dog. These dogs are trained to help a human with a disability. They carry all the benefits of a loving pet and, with their training, can provide support at home and out in public spaces.

Upcoming events

This year Ray White Helensburgh will be conducting the Annual Easter Scramble and movie night on Saturday, 8 April at Rex Jackson Oval Helensburgh at 5.45pm. Our Lions club will be

Baby Bookworms returns to Helensburgh Library in term two. Bookings essential. Term starts Wed 26 April.

Anzac Day Dawn Services

To pay homage to the fallen, returned and serving defence force personnel on April 25, AustinmerThirroul RSL Sub-Branch will be holding services at Austinmer Beach at 6am and Woodward Park, Thirroul at 6am. After the services, join them at Club Thirroul for breakfast.

Helensburgh RSL sub-Branch will host a dawn service at Charles Harper Park and the Lions will host a 10am service at Stanwell Tops.

More info: www.rslnsw.org.au

History Society meeting & raffle

Helensburgh Historical Society’s next meeting will be held at 4pm in the Old Mine Surgery, 78 Parkes Street Helensburgh on Thursday, 20 April.

The Society will be selling raffle tickets for a beautiful watercolour of the Stanwell Park Viaduct by artist Edith McNally. Tickets are $5 each, or three for $10. Contact Jan on 0418 681 384 or info@historichelensburgh.org.au.

supporting by helping with the barbecue. It will be a fun night, so come along and enjoy!

On Tuesday, 25 April we will hold an ANZAC service at 10am at Stanwell Top memorial park. All welcome, with tea and Anzac biscuits afterwards. Save the date of 25 June 2023 for the return of the Brick Fair at Tradies. The Wollongong Lego Users Group (GONGLUG) will help with the event and there will be great exhibitions.

We are a small club and would love more members. No matter how much time you can provide, it all counts towards giving back to the beloved 2508 community.

Come along to a meeting on the 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month at Helensburgh Hotel at 6.30pm. Contact us via our Facebook page or www.helensburghlions.org.au

By Jo Fahey of Darkes Glenbernie Orchard

Darkes Cider is local cider. We make cider from our own apples and so when you buy our cider you support our farm, in Darkes Forest.

But have you ever wondered about the origin of other ciders? With the apple-picking season around the country underway four weeks later than usual, it’s time to chat about supporting Australian grown and made produce.

Local sales & deliveries

If you’re unable to visit Darkes Forest, shop online! We deliver fresh fruit and cider to your door ourselves from Sutherland Shire to Nowra.

How many apples are enough?

Buy in bulk to save money. An apple a day is a kilogram of consumption for one person in a week! So a family of five can eat 5kg in one week! That same 5kg will make a little over 3 litres of juice or cider. Our cider is made from fresh juice and no water or sugar is added.

What percentage of cider in Australia is made from Australian- grown fruit?

Answer: Less than 10%

Yes, that’s right, about 85% of the cider made in Australia utilises imported apple juice concentrate & about 5% of ciders are imported.

Where do you think most of that concentrate comes from?

Answer: China

China is the largest apple producer in the world and they concentrate and export a lot of

this. You’d never know the “Australian” cider you were drinking was made from Chinese apples!

As an industry, we’ve lobbied the government for years to change the labelling laws so people know where the apples in their cider come from. You see origin stamped on wine labels, but we have had no success for cider at this stage.

So we have banded together with a bunch of other small cider producers who are making cider with Australian-grown fruit and developed a ‘100% Australian Grown trust mark’.

By choosing ciders with this ‘mark’ you:

• support Australian farmers, and

• generally end up with a better quality, more interesting style of cider!

Breaking news: Mead wins ‘Best in Show’! Darkes Mallee Mead has won ‘Best in Show’ at Australia’s biggest mead competition, the Red Hill Mead Show! Full story in May’s edition.

VISIT US OR SHOP ONLINE AT www.darkes.com.au

Glenbernie Orchard, 259 Darkes Forest Rd, Darkes Forest

Their Names Upon Gallipoli

By Gabriel Clark

At approximately 4.30am on 25 April 1915, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops invaded modern-day Turkey by landing on a small spit and cove on the Gallipoli peninsula. What followed was a bloody, sorrowful and ultimately purposeless conflict that would indelibly affect these nations forever.

In 2014, artist and Stanwell Park local Kurt Sorensen travelled to Gallipoli to photograph and film the battle sites as they appear today as part of an exhibition commissioned by the Sydney Olympic Park Authority to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landings.

This month, Kurt’s works will be on display at Clifton School of Arts in a show titled Their Names Upon Gallipoli / Üzerine kendi Isimler Gelibolu

Although hundreds of thousands of other people from various nations were involved in the broader Gallipoli campaign, Kurt’s exhibition focuses on the Anzac and Turkish perspectives.

Significant sites for both the Anzac and Turkish forces are represented.

The video installations depict the scarred landscape that, more than 100 years ago, was the scene of bitter, bloody fighting.

The film is accompanied by the voices of direct descendants of Anzac and Turkish personnel

reading their relatives’ letters and recalling events written and seen on the frontlines at Gallipoli.

“Ben saldırmak için size sipariş değilim; Ölmenizi emrediyorum / I am not ordering you to attack; I am ordering you to die.” – Lieutenant Mustafa Kemal, 25 April 1915

The stories recalled have been orally handed down to the soldiers’ grandchildren and were recorded just a few kilometres from the Gallipoli battlefields in the frontline villages of Kocadere and Bigali in September 2014.

This exhibition aims to be a sombre engagement with these terrible events and hopes to explore some of the horrors that both sides of the conflict had to endure.

Solemn reminders that, in total, 8159 Australian, 2779 New Zealand and 85,000 Turkish personnel died, and many thousands more were wounded during this devastating campaign.

Kurt Sorensen’s exhibition Their Names Upon Gallipoli / Üzerine kendi İsimler Gelibolu runs from 22 April until 10 May at the Clifton School of Arts, 338 Lawrence Hargrave Drive. Opening drinks: 2-4pm, April 22. Visit artsclifton.org & www.kurtsorensen.com

Left: Lone Pine/Kanli Sirt (Bloody Ridge), Anzac captured trench position on August 9th, 1915.

Right: the Nek/Kılıçbayır Muharebesi, Anzac jump-off point August 7th 1915, approx 380 killed. Inset: Stanwell Park photographer Kurt Sorensen

Memorial set to be restored

By Caitlin Sloan

Thirroul’s beloved soldier and the sandstone monument he stands atop at Woodward Memorial Park will receive restorations totalling $15,000 after this month’s Anzac Day dawn service.

The repairs, due to begin in May, have been financed through grants provided by the NSW Office of Veterans Affairs and Returned Services League (RSL) NSW.

Austinmer-Thirroul RSL Sub-Branch vice president Will Lee started the funding process over three years ago and is now eager to see the restoration work get underway.

“This memorial needs tender love and care,” Will said.

“They’ve got to remove quite a bit of the grouting around the edges and then seal it all up, look at old soldier and give him a coat of paint.

“[They’ll also] have a look at the tablets, [which] believe it or not, are reasonably good for their age.

“They were saying probably every 10 to 15 years it might need some ongoing [maintenance].”

The 103-year-old monument is considered the oldest First World War memorial in the Illawarra.

With its foundation stone laid in October 1919, Thirroul War Memorial was officially unveiled on Anzac Day in 1920 to a crowd of 2000 by Margaret “Granny” Raich, who had spearheaded much of the community donations needed for its construction, breaking the long-held tradition of men performing such ceremonies.

Today, Thirroul War Memorial and the grounds of Woodward Memorial Park are largely cared for by Austinmer-Thirroul RSL Sub-Branch members who volunteer their time. They also tend to the surrounding gardens, including the five standard white rose plants that represent the Australian Navy, Army, Air Force, Merchant Mariners and Women’s Army Service and ensure the area is maintained ahead of Anzac Day and Remembrance Day commemorations.

“They look after the grounds and surrounds there every Monday morning – rain, hail or shine,” Will said.

“Wollongong City Council does any major stuff, but our gardeners just keep the grounds looking so good all the time.”

Restorations are expected to take about a week.

Austinmer-Thirroul RSL Sub-Branch will hold services at Austinmer Beach and Woodward Park, Thirroul at 6am on April 25. Afterwards, join them at Club Thirroul for breakfast.

AustinmerThirroul RSL Sub-Branch vice president Will Lee at the Thirroul memorial.

Photo: Caitlin Sloan

All welcome at temple festivities

Helensburgh’s Hindu temple is inviting everyone to join in April’s celebrations

The Sri Venkateswara Temple is celebrating its 4th Re-Consecration Ceremony (known as the “Maha Kumbabhishekam”) in the span of the past four decades.

The five-day event will take place from April 5 to 10. The last day, the 10th, will feature festivities within the temple grounds and lots of activities, such as the playing of traditional music, dance by young and elder performers and a procession of decorated chariots/vehicles. The temple will also provide Free Sumptuous Lunch between 12 noon and 2.30pm from April 7 to 10. (This is apart from the Canteen Menu which comes at a cost.)

The Helensburgh temple’s five-day event will culminate with a Fireworks Display that will take place for 8 to 10 minutes sometime between 6 and 7.30pm on Monday, April 10.

Maha Kumbabhishekam is on from April 5-10 at 1 Temple Rd. Contact: enquiry@svtsydney. org, 02 4214 9080 or www.svtsydney.org

Chapel marks centenary

By Roselin Fisher, of Austinmer Uniting Church

It is now a year on from the engineering project that replaced the piers under our 100-year-old church with adjustable galvanised piers set in concrete footings. Our thanks to everyone who helped fund stage one of the preservation of the community’s much-loved heritage building.

Austinmer Uniting Church extends the use of our Chapel and annex to the community for events, exhibitions, workshops and concerts.

On Sunday, 16 April, we will be celebrating the centenary of the building and all are welcome. Anyone with photos and newspaper clippings is invited to display their memorabilia and share experiences as we enjoy afternoon tea together.

Austinmer’s Village Chapel is at 48 Moore St, disabled access via Moore Lane. The Centenary Celebration starts at 9.30am, with a talk by Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery and entertainment by soprano Louise Lavilles. Morning tea provided.

Austinmer Uniting Church

Centenary Celebration

Visit www.austinmer.unitingchurch.org.au

Check out church renos

By Matthew Leach, assistant minister at Helensburgh Anglican Church

Helensburgh Anglican Church has been used for many community activities over the years and is currently undergoing a facelift to make the facilities more welcoming and accessible to our community.

Over the past few months, you may have driven past the Anglican Church and wondered what on

earth is going on? The Church has had many renovations over the years but this one aims for our site to be more open and accessible to all. A new disabled access ramp will give every person in our community access to activities inside the buildings.

We have also updated our church building to comply with all relevant accessibility requirements, including a new hearing loop and no steps between the hall and the main church building.

The renovations will be completed soon. We’ll be hosting an Open Church Sunday on 2 April that everyone in the community is welcome to attend, or join us at one of our Good Friday or Easter Sunday services.

We hope that the new renovations will serve our community in many ways for years to come. Come and see what we’ve done to the place!

2023 NINA OUTINGS APRIL OUTINGS & SHOPPING TRIPS

Bookings made through the office. Please call in advance as some tickets need to be pre purchased. Limited number on buses. Pick up and drop off direct to your home.

DATE DESTINATION DETAILS

Saturday 1st April Brigadoon at Bundanoon Ticket $20 & Transport $27

Tuesday 4th April

Bunnings Bellambi Transport $5.50

Thursday 6th April Music & Tea at Wollongong Art Gallery Transport $10.50

Friday 14th April

Warrawong Shopping Transport $11

Tuesday 18th April Coffee Break, Austinmer Beach Cafe Transport $5.50

Friday 21st April

Shellharbour Shopping Transport $11

Saturday 22nd April Northern Illawarra Art Trail Transport $10.50

Thursday 27th April Movies at NINA – Brooklyn Transport $10.50

Friday 28th April Figtree Shopping Transport $5.50

NINA would like to thank the whole community for their support with the Greater Bank funding opportunity. Your votes mean a lot.

NINA is a charity so if you’re looking for somewhere local to donate your time or money please consider us. All gifts are tax deductible and no amount of time is too small. We are always looking for volunteers to join our fabulous team!

Monday–Friday (8.30am-4.30pm) | telephone 02 4294 1900 18 Walker Street, Helensburgh

Music and Tea flautist Annabel Wouters.

Photo: Anna Warr

Junior jazz combo opens for the stars

By Felicity Woodhill

WollCon’s Jazz Series started on March 9 at Gleniffer Brae with Jo Lawry’s launch of her CD Acrobats. It was a full house, and the crowd was eager for encores.

The trio – Jo Lawry (voice), Linda May Oh (double bass) and Ben Vanderwell (drums) – are icons of the Australian Jazz scene, musicians who have studied and performed extensively overseas. Jo auditioned to work with Sting in 2009 and found herself touring and recording with him over the next 10 years. In 2022 the Jazz Times selected Linda as Bassist of the Year and Ben has performed with some of the greatest names in jazz. Engagement with this calibre of performers has an incredible impact on young musicians.

The WollCon junior jazz combo (Tom, Daisy, Hamish, and Tilly), who were in the groove after a performance class with the pros, performed the opening set.

We interviewed the students, who all attend Wollongong High School of Performing Arts, to find out about their journey with jazz.

On Piano – Tilly Cohen

Tilly learnt classical piano with Brad Baker at WollCon and continues to study with him. “I love having both genres of music; it gives me a range of things to play, listen to and enjoy,” she said.

“Eric Dunan chucked me into this jazz band and for the longest time I felt out of my comfort zone and felt ‘This just isn’t for me’. But after pushing through and just consistently stuffing up, learning, and trying to not get mad at myself, I started to fall in love with it.”

Tilly says making someone’s day a little better is the most rewarding part of performing. “This is

especially true with older people who come up to you and tell you how much they loved it,” she said. “It makes my heart warm.”

On Saxophone – Thomas Haines

I started sax in year 4 in the school band. I loved the music, went to gigs and heard great players who inspired me. Listening to the pros playing sax is amazing and it is fun playing in bands. I also play a bit of piano and have an electric drum kit at home.

Thomas said his favourite jazz musicians are John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and the pair who’ve had the most significant influence on his music are Eric Dunan and David Reglar from WollCon.

He enjoys being at WHSPA: “Lessons are fun, there are great teachers, and we work with different musicians and instruments.”

On Guitar – Daisy Slater

“I was about 7 and I started playing music at 10. I play the double bass and electric guitar.”

Daisy said the hardest part about playing jazz is learning the theory and putting it into practice.

“However, being able to play with your friends is fun. We all attend Wollongong High School of Performing Arts and WollCon, giving us lots of time to perfect our music skills and play together.”

Daisy’s favourite jazz musicians are Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.

Asked what had been her best performance experience, Daisy said: “Playing the opening set for Jo Lawry’s launch of her CD Acrobats.”

On Drums – Hamish Turnbull

“I was born interested in music. I only remember loving it,” Hamish said. “My mum and dad are opera singers; my brother plays the guitar and sings. I was lucky to be born into a musical family. I have had musicality imprinted into me from the beginning.”

Hamish said he used to hate jazz. “But it was a new world when Eric started the combo.”

He also sings and plays the violin.

“I play classical violin because jazz violin is too complicated for my drummer’s brain.”

Hamish, Tilly and Daisy will perform at Music and Tea at The Gallery on July 6. The feature artists will be a jazz quartet led by sax player Alec Watts, who will premiere new works

How the Wollongong Map was made

Thirroul’s Tilly Kidd has the inside story

During the second Covid-19 lockdown my housemates and I worked through every board game and puzzle in our cupboard. We walked up and down the streets that were in the 10-kilometre radius of our house at least twice per day. We organised themed dinners and played music to match the cuisine we were cooking. Coming up with creative ways to pass the time reached a whole new level.

But my partner, Alex Pescud, put the icing on the cake when one night he declared, “I am going to draw an entire map of Wollongong”.

It was safe to say we thought he was going insane.

Alex has always been an innovator. In 2020, he sculpted a perfectly spherical world globe out of plaster with hand-made tools, before painting it in watercolour. And in 2021 he started sketching local businesses as a way to celebrate our amazing community. He taught himself to draw by watching YouTube videos and reading books by famous artists.

Our friends and family often say about Alex, “You never know what he is going to get up to next”. And no one could have ever guessed that his next project would be The Wollongong Map.

Alex’s awe-inspiring illustration spans the city’s bustling port, the rolling hills in the distance and the towering escarpment that provides the iconic and dramatic backdrop of our town.

While making the map, he spent hundreds of hours walking the streets of Wollongong and conceptualising the scene from an aerial perspective.

We would often visit Flagstaff Hill to overlook the panoramic views of the city, the ocean, and the stunning coastline. Alex would look at the smallest intricate details of the view with an open sketchbook and a pencil in hand, patiently drafting every single feature one by one.

The bird’s-eye map of our city is an achievement that hasn’t been attempted in over a century, and I can’t believe that he is almost finished. Watching Alex through this journey has reminded me that achieving something meaningful takes time, effort and perseverance.

You can watch Alex as he completes his biggest project to date by following him on Instagram @TheWollongongMap or via his website www.thewollongongmap.com

Thur 4 May at 11 am

Wollongong Art Gallery

Entry free, donation appreciated Scan the QR Code to book or email: inspiremusicaust@gmail.com

Join the CWA – no scone skills required

By publicity officer Jan Johnson

The Country Women’s Association can be found in the CWA Hall at 15 The Drive, Stanwell Park. An enthusiastic group of women come together here monthly to catch up and plan for future fundraising and social events.

At this branch level, we are a small cog in a much larger wheel of CWA NSW which works towards distributing the funds raised. These funds go to areas of need and for purposes that are beneficial for women. In recent times, with so many regional emergencies, this work of the CWA is very relevant.

Joining the CWA can enable women who are new to the area to meet people and get involved with the community. For those who have long enjoyed living in this beautiful part of the world, it might be the opportunity they have been looking for to be part of community fundraising. All are welcome – having a country background or being a whiz at scone making are not prerequisites.

We started 2023 with a social day at the Wollongong Botanic Garden. After tea and coffee at the food van, we struck out on a circuit of the grounds. We wandered through beautiful flowering gardens, Australian native areas and enjoyed the coolness of the rainforest section. We gathered in the rotunda within the duck pond to decide on a nice picnic spot and in the shade of a chosen tree, we enjoyed lunch and a chat.

Thank you for all your support and we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting Tuesday, 4 April 10am.

30 years of Sheds

By Paul Blanksby

Your local Men’s Shed offers somewhere to go, something to do, and mates that make it all worthwhile, which makes the 30th anniversary of the birth of Men’s Sheds significant for thousands of men and their communities.

The Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA), Helensburgh Men’s Shed, and Sheds everywhere are celebrating three decades of connection, cooperation, and camaraderie.

Since the first shed for men, The Shed at Goolwa Heritage Club, opened in South Australia in February 1993, the Shed movement has grown to encompass more than 2500 Sheds in 12 countries.

Today, AMSA reckons there are more Men’s, Women’s and Community Sheds in Australia than the number of McDonald’s restaurants nationwide! Sheds help communities: connecting men, improving health and wellbeing outcomes, and positively contributing to almost 1300 thriving communities around Australia.

Recognised as one answer to national health issues emanating from social isolation, Sheds have evolved into local hubs, fostering community spirit from city suburbs to regional and rural towns through the years.

We at the Burgh Men’s Shed look forward to celebrating 30 Years of Sheds with Open Days, men’s health events, joining with charity and sports groups. Look out for us at local events.

Helensburgh Men’s Shed – Serving the 2508 Community since 2016.

Contact: helensburghmensshed.org.au   or  info@helensburghmensshed.org.au.

199A Parkes Street Helensburgh 9-3 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Shed Mobile: 0478 897 485.

Welcome, Probus president Pam Carter

By publicity officer Helen Durham

Helensburgh Probus recently held our AGM, where we welcomed our new president, Pam Carter, and our 2023 committee.

In February we celebrated our 19th birthday with a delicious cake. Our guest speaker was Sharon Gissane who talked about NINA and its various services, as one day some of us will need them. Sharon provided valuable information.

Other recent activities have included a four-day Australia Day cruise on the Pacific Adventure. Thirty-four members enjoyed watching the Australia Day activities while the ship was anchored in the harbour. On the other days, we cruised up the NSW coast.

Our visit to the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park was very informative. We attended a short Service of Remembrance around the Statue of the Fallen Warrior and a tour. On our Bass and Flinders luncheon cruise up the Georges River we enjoyed lovely weather. The weather for our first two games of bowls was also kind – sunny and very warm. Games are played every first Thursday of the month at Wombarra Bowlo. Our golf members play at different clubs every second Friday.

Your local, experienced and educated real estate professional For local, experienced and educated real estate advice, call Ian today!

For local, experienced and educated real estate advice, call Ian today!

Ian Pepper 0403 570 041 ian.pepper@raywhite.com

Ian Pepper 0403 570 041 ian.pepper@raywhite.com

raywhitehelensburgh.com.au

raywhitehelensburgh.com.au

New members are welcome. We meet at Tradies Helensburgh every second Thursday of the month. We are a fun group of friendly, active retirees.

Enquires to Lilian Slowik on 0408 668 987 or palsfx@gmail.com; www.probussouthpacific. org/microsites/helensburghanddistrict

The View report

By publicity officer Barbara Kitson

Helensburgh View Club has our new committee members for 2023. Ladies, our Learning for Life team are going to sit in on one of our meetings and join us for lunch, so please start collecting your school supplies earlier this year so they can take them back to Dapto with them. If you go to Officeworks (one of the sponsors of the Smith Family), Big W or Kmart, you often get good specials.

If you can help with goodies for our trading table or by donating a raffle prize of about $30 that would be greatly appreciated. You could always donate a voucher from the Pub, they are so good supporting us it is good to give back.

Before I go, one thing we don’t have is a program officer, anybody interested?

Interest Rates & $3m Sales

Inspections in the area with new listings priced appropriately are attracting good crowds.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and a number of other regional banks in the US and also big problems at Credit Suisse have led analysts in Australia to predict a pause in interest rates in April 2023. The bank collapses are not expected to lead to another global financial crisis, however, the RBA should view them as unsettling and look to stabilise the market by pausing the interest rate increases.

This has been good news for real estate prices and I’m happy to promote the recent sale of 103A The Drive, Stanwell Park for $3,120,000 – it is one of only three sales in 2023 over $3m in our area.

Time to explore horizons

Janice Creenaune meets Ivor Fabok, a long-term resident of Thirroul, who, after a career at The National Art School and TAFE in Wollongong, continues to paint, use mixed media and to sculpt

Ivor Fabok’s paintings, sculptures, and mixedmedia works envelop his life, but his broader interests in music, literature and even politics feature in his thoughts and in his art practice.

“I always felt at ease when drawing, and even as a child it seemed to offer me a sense of peace,” Ivor says. “It satisfied a need within me, a way to make sense of things.”

After living overseas for several years, and witnessing first-hand cultures in which art was integrated into daily life through dance, music, painting and sculpture, Ivor made the logical step to attend art school when he returned to Australia.

“In this environment there was an enormous diversity of thought and practice offering many potential pathways for artistic expression and you soon found out that if you wanted to do something in the arts seriously you needed a great deal of self-discipline.”

After art school Ivor spent many years ‘unlearning’, reinterpreting, and seeking his own voice because, as jazz great Miles Davis said: “It takes a long time to sound like yourself.”

Disciplines such as music and literature informed Ivor’s perspectives and approach to 3D and 2D work.

“Listening to experimental sound work, classical music and in particular modern avant-garde jazz has always been a great inspiration in terms of visual expression through its lyricism and ability to suggest varying structures to improvise on.”

Thirroul and its surrounds now feature strongly in Ivor’s imagination and his art work.

“For example, my recent paintings gravitate compositionally and poetically around the notion of the horizon, the ‘Offing” where the sky meets the sea. After exploring this and similar themes in earlier sculpture shows, I have since 2012 been exhibiting painting as I feel it’s a more suitable vehicle for these ideas.

“When painting it’s an intuitive process, you build, destroy and recompose constantly, there’s definitely a rhythm established that’s similar to what musicians refer to when improvising as being in the ‘zone’. I like to work on a number of artworks simultaneously, as variations on a theme and having a studio at home helps keep this process fluid.

“I’ve had a long-term productive relationship with the Defiance Gallery in Mary Place in Paddington who have offered great support over decades and who provide the means of presenting my work, allowing interaction and dialogue with fellow artists, collectors and the general public.”

Viewers’ opinions can offer fresh interpretations of the work on show, Ivor believes.

“Your work is personal, yes, but still open to interpretation by others whose views are welcomed … you need to approach someone’s work with an open heart as the ability to look at works doesn’t necessarily guarantee an ability to see art properly.

“An artist’s work should, at the end of a life of creativity, be viewed as an entirety with structures, patterns and composition, themes a part of the quest of asking, rather than providing absolute answers.”

Ivor Fabok exhibits at the Defiance Gallery, 12 Mary Place, Paddington.

Janice Creenaune is a volunteer for PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) Foundation Australia. Email janicecreenaune@gmail.com

Ivor Fabok. Photos supplied

Glenn with a stinging tree at Wombarra

Why didn’t anyone tell me about stinging trees?

By Glenn Paull

My first introduction to a stinging tree occurred when some neighbours and I were pulling out lantana in a gully between our properties on the Illawarra escarpment. I brushed my little finger against a large-leafed plant standing about a metre high, and immediately jolted back in pain.

“What is that!?” I exclaimed.

“That’s a stinging tree”, said my neighbour, “you don’t want to touch those.”

“A stinging tree?” I thought to myself, “Never heard of them.”

Which led to the question, why hadn’t someone told me about them? And so, after some research, I thought I would write a brief summary for others who were not familiar with them.

Belonging to the nettle family (Urticaceae), there are a couple of species of stinging tree and they all pack a punch. The species native to the Wollongong region is the giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa), found in subtropical rainforest along the Illawarra escarpment. The common name of Gympie Gympie comes from the indigenous Gubbi Gubbi people of south-eastern Queensland.

Fully grown, it is a medium to large-sized tree with a buttressed base, reaching 40 metres tall and over 6m wide at the base. Like all stinging trees, it is notorious for its extremely painful and long-lasting sting.

How painful?

Very. Consisting of neurotoxin proteins (Gympietides), similar to spider and cone snail toxins, it is more related to venom than a sting, making the stinging tree a truly “venomous” plant.

With severe stings, the pain can last for weeks, if not months.

The stinging hair structure consists of a tip, shaft and bulb. At the tip of the hair is a small bulb that breaks off on contact and penetrates the skin injecting a toxin that is ultra stable, heat-resistant, and able to retain its pain-producing properties for decades. In fact, dried botanical specimens collected a century ago can still sting you!

The venom binds to and fires pain receptors in the nervous system; there are hopes that understanding how these proteins work could lead to the development of new painkillers.

Although there is no known treatment for the sting, first aid recommendations include removing the stinging hairs by applying sticking plaster and pulling it off, or using a warm depilatory wax.

As they mature, the trunk and branches of the giant stinging tree lose their stinging hairs, the leaves become smaller, less hairy, and less venomous. Human contact is most likely to occur with younger, smaller plants, also known as “ankle biters”.

So, keep an eye out for this venomous plant and show it the respect it deserves. The tingling pain in my little finger would remind me of my encounter for a week or so. Each time I would think, “Why didn’t anyone tell me about stinging trees?”

Portrait offeature Cover an art trail founder

I was born Edith van der Bent in the Netherlands in 1949. This instantly morphed into Edith Vanderbent when the family migrated to Australia in 1952. I grew up in rural NSW where country life offered many unique opportunities for growth and fun. I loved my horse, family, friends, dogs and swimming. I learned to sew creatively, garden sustainably and cook for life. Country life built the courage to “have a go”, improvise, “make do” and develop the resilience that would serve me well throughout life.

My parents saw education as the best route to a fulfilled and satisfying life and it was this thinking that enabled my journey to university in an era when few young countrywomen considered this option. I studied to be a teacher, completing a Bachelor of Arts / Diploma of Education at UNSW in the early 1970s, followed by a Masters of Education at Sydney University.

After completing my studies I taught in the Social Sciences Faculty in several schools and was instrumental in bringing Legal Studies and legal perspectives into the high school curriculum.

Education was my vocation, requiring all of my passion, commitment and energy. The rewards were enormous and made my 40-year career in public education a joy. The introduction of “Merit Based Selection” in staffing schools led to my appointment as a leading teacher at Corrimal High, principal at Cranebrook High, and finally as principal of Menai High School, where I enjoyed 18 fulfilling and wonderful years. I still mentor trainee teachers with UNSW as a way of paying back to a very important profession that has afforded me the best professional life imaginable.

I was married in 1971, and now have three adult children. My love of nature was nurtured through long-distance walking, gardening and bushwalking.

In partnership with my husband Ron, I have completed about 40 long walks around the world and in Australia. Of these, the Bibbulmun Track from Perth to Albany (1000km, full-pack trek taking 10 weeks), completed during the wildflower season, stands head and shoulders above anything else. This is an international best that every Aussie should consider doing some, or all, of.

Northern Illawarra Art Trail chair Edith McNally shares her story

Retired school principal turned artist Edith McNally. Photos: Anthony Warry

Our family moved to Stanwell Park in 2001 drawn by the beach, the bush, the views, the general rustic nature of this gorgeous little village, as well as the hope of finding a community where people are known and valued. We were also looking for a vibrant church family that exercised, nurtured and encouraged the basic tenets of our faith and fortuitously we found this at Helensburgh Anglican Church.

In a flash, the time for the retirement planning required to ensure that the third stage of my life would be truly fabulous and fulfilling arrived. Indeed, the plan I developed two years prior to my retirement is still working well a decade later.

As per my plan, I did two half-day, private lessons in watercolour travel sketching in order to move from “never sketching/drawing” to “comfortable to start sketching”. A week after retiring, I began four years of caravanning and sketching my way around Australia. My 13 volumes of “Travel Sketching Journals” are my most prized artefacts of this adventure and document the development of my skills as they transitioned into full-blown watercolour painting.

We have now settled back into our home in Stanwell Park where the painting has flourished as has the joy it brings.

We love living here in the Northern Illawarra and, even though it is near to perfect, I am always on the lookout for opportunities to enrich life.

A weekend wander around Bundeena’s Art Trail was a lightbulb moment for me as I saw that, with the beaches, escarpment, bush and cafe society everyone already enjoys, the Northern Illawarra would be the perfect backdrop for an Art Trail.

And so NIAT was born via a marriage bringing a Wollongong City Council Cultural Grant, together with the interest and support of some 24 artists responding to a Flame magazine proposal to establish a community of artists that would open their studios to the public two weekends a year.

The first NIAT Open Studio weekend happened in November 2022 and it was an amazing success. More than 30 artists participated and enjoyed an average of 100-120 visitors over the weekend. Artists can become solitary in their work, but this community has presented great opportunities for sharing, caring and supporting each other.

NIAT has opened doors of opportunity for artists and art lovers. “Sue and Jim’s Miniature World” at Stanwell Tops was part of the inaugural Northern Illawarra Art Trail and this led to the Clifton School of Arts commissioning Jim Roach to construct a 1:24 scale model of its extensions. The model will be used to help to fundraise for the venture, which will provide accessible facilities, a multifunctional gallery and other spaces. Sue and Jim Roach have also been invited to display their miniatures at the CSA in 2024.

I am delighted to announce that NIAT studios will open again from 10am-3pm on April 22-23. A map and summaries of what is on offer at each studio can be found at our website. Artists will show a wonderful range of arts, from abstract to realism, in oils, acrylics and watercolours, prints, photography and ceramics. Enjoy the excellent wares provided by numerous cafes, restaurants and hotels, as you wander between studios.

Visit www.niarttrail.com

‘Coomaditchie: The Art of Place’ opens

On Saturday, March 25, Wollongong Art Gallery hosted the launch of an exhibition celebrating 30 years of Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation. Guest curated by Tess Allas with assistance from Alinta Maguire, Coomaditchie showcases newly commissioned works led by senior artists Aunty Lorraine Brown and Aunty Narelle Thomas.

The opening event included a performance by WollCon Children’s Choir. The exhibition continues at WAG until 18 June.

Screen Illawarra introduces new board

Writers, producers, composers and other film industry folk were out in force on Tuesday night, March 14, with about 60 people attending Screen Illawarra’s networking night at the Illawarra Brewery.

The event was the first gathering since a new board was elected at February’s AGM.

Screen Illawarra’s 2023 board includes Nick Bolton (chair), Essi Haukkamaa-Judge (vice chair & public officer); Gia Frino (treasurer) and Sarina Crocco (secretary).

General board members are Ann Megalla, Brittany Pike, Sharon Lewis, Aaron Burton and Susan Turnbull.

The group is looking forward to hosting film screenings, networking nights, workshops and talks in 2023.

A quest for wholeness

The Illawarra Flame reports dull if I didn’t find a way to lighten it. And that’s also how I approach my own life.

Turkish-Australian essayist Eda Gunaydin, a University of Wollongong lecturer in international studies, has won the non-fiction prize at the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for NonFiction for her debut book, Root & Branch.

“It’s pretty unexpected,” Eda said. “I got the call and I genuinely did feel for a moment that I had to sit down. It was very exciting.”

Eda said the prize is artistically rewarding and will smooth her path to publishing a second book.

“Then, of course, there’s the money prize of $25,000, which allows me to do simple things like buy myself a new phone, get the tyre on my car replaced.”

Her award-winning collection, published by UNSW Press, explores the legacies of migration, belonging and place. “I feel a sense of responsibility, as a second-generation migrant, to try to come up with new ways of thinking about migration that don’t just conclude that we are forever doomed to be half people,” Eda said.

As a writer, she uses needle-sharp humour to dissect subjects that range from unhappiness, trauma and racism to the quirks of family, fast food and the concept of brunch in working-class life.

Her psychologist has noticed this, Eda said, laughing. “She said to me, you use humour a lot as a coping mechanism. I said, ‘Well, it pays the bills’.

“This kind of subject matter could be a little bit

“You either laugh or cry.”

Of the 12 essays in her book, Eda’s own favourite is the longest. “It’s called ‘Kalitsal’, which is a Turkish word that means ‘inheritable, what can be inherited’. It’s probably one of the more optimistic essays in the book.

“It lays out a lot of the thinking that I have around the inheritances of migration, especially when your family relocates from a country where your economic prospects would’ve been a lot more limited … I’m the beneficiary of education and therefore class mobility. I carry around with me a lot of questions around path and privilege and around the value of hard work.

Eda doesn’t like the “bootstrapping narrative” of migration. “The essay meditates just about luck and fate, and more abstract things.”

Eda divides her time between UOW campuses, lecturing at Wollongong and at the Liverpool campus in south-west Sydney. “I’m also in the process of finishing my PhD at Sydney University.”

Her research involves gender, race and violence, and representations of the Middle East. The areas in Turkey and Syria devastated by February’s earthquakes were central to her studies, she said.

“That region of the world has been historically neglected.” Eda describes the fall-out as millions are displaced as “an unfolding tragedy”.

“It reminds me of the importance of the academic work that I’m doing.”

Metaphorically having a foot in two countries is a topic many Wollongong residents – including the Turkish community, originally drawn to jobs at Port Kembla’s steelworks – will be familiar with.

Eda describes migration as a “form of trauma”.

“The word that I use in a later essay is something called ‘gurbet’ and that describes the condition of being in diaspora … Turkish poetry and music conceptualises ‘gurbet’ as a kind of aching, longing, pain, and encapsulates all the suffering that comes alongside being away from your home.”

Ultimately, her essay collection could be summed up as a quest for wholeness.

“I think that’s exactly why I wrote the book. I don’t want people to conclude that they are half and half. I want them to feel whole.”

True Story.

Eda Gunaydin is one of the first speakers confirmed for the 2023 True Story festival at Coledale Community Hall. Save the dates: November 18 & 19, 2023.

Award-winning author Eda Gunaydin.

Photo supplied

Coming up at Coledale hall

By South Coast Writers Centre director Dr Sarah Nicholson

As part of the South Coast Writers Centre’s series of full-day writing workshops, acclaimed writer and mentor Kathryn Heyman presents Voice and Vision: Bringing Your Characters To Life on Saturday, May 6. For writers of fiction and non-fiction, this one-day workshop will help you find joy and freedom in your writing. Using unique methods developed over many years, Kathryn will help you develop new techniques, find your character’s voice and the voice for your novel or

Murder mysteries on screen and stage

By Bethan Farmer

As the evening air gets cooler and our minds turn more to indoor pursuits, it’s the perfect time for a SPAT movie night!

Our first film for the 2023 season is Knives Out (Rated M), a 2019 American murder mystery film written, directed, and co-produced by Rian Johnson.  In the tradition of the best whodunnits, it’s got a starry cast of larger-than-life characters featuring Chris Evans, Toni Collette and Daniel Craig absolutely chewing up the scenery as master detective Benoit Blanc, investigating the death of the patriarch of a wealthy, dysfunctional family.

Screening Saturday, 1 April at 7.30pm at the CWA Hall. Doors open at 7pm, pay at the door only (cash/card). BYO and tea/coffee available.

SPAT will be staging our very own whodunnit (…sort of!) after successfully casting The Farndale Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic

memoir. You will leave the class with a stronger sense of your writerly voice and vision, a deeper understanding of your characters and a toolkit of techniques to carry into your writing.

Hon. Professor Kathryn Heyman’s seventh book, the memoir Fury, was nominated for the international Folio Prize, shortlisted for the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, and won the Copyright Agency Author Fellowship. She is also the director of the Australian Writers Mentoring Program.

Also on Saturday, May 6, esteemed local director Graham Thorburn presents All That Heaven Allows (1955) at the May Film Club. Cary, a wealthy widow, falls in love with the much younger nurseryman, Ron Kirby. This provides gossip for the country club set, and her children are ashamed that she plans to remarry below her station. Ron is an independent man who can ignore the petty conventions of society, but can Cary also ignore them?

Film Club is open to anybody interested in seeing, thinking, and having fun talking about films; each Film Club session will start with some background information from Graham about the film – the times and context of its making, the people who made it, and something notable about the content or techniques of the film – perhaps even a bit of gossip. After the film screening, there will be a chance to discuss the film together.

More info & bookings: southcoastwriters.org/ upcomingevents

Society Murder Mystery Play. A comedy about a small community theatre group disastrously putting on a play, we can’t wait for this opportunity to make fun of ourselves!

Rehearsals are underway with performances coming up at the end of May.

The SPAT Singers will perform their annual concert over two weekends 28, 29 July and 4, 5 August. Celebrating the group’s 40 anniversary, we will feature some of our favourite songs from the past as well as new pieces. This is a winter show and guests will enjoy a hot three-course sit-down dinner in the heated comfort of the CWA Hall before the music starts. We are happy to welcome new singers to come along for the ride, every Friday night at 7:30 at the hall.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, email us at spartstheatre@gmail.com or visit spat.org.au for tickets, membership and information.

Kathryn Heyman will give a workshop on May 6

Meet a councillor

Journalist Brian Kelly interviews Cath Blakey, a Greens councillor for Ward 2, which covers the central part of Wollongong

Reports, votes, amendments, briefings, papers … those who make decisions about our bins and things soon get to know the scenic route to getting stuff done.

So it would seem Cath Blakey’s decision to return to Australia the slow way was perfect preparation to be a Wollongong councillor, a role she began in 2017.

Having lived and worked in the UK (“I kept finding jobs I liked – and falling in love!”), the Greens representative could have jumped on a jet and been back the next day but chose differently.

“I had an amazing time over a year … across Europe, then through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, and then I yacht-hitched to Thailand,” said Blakey of a trip that eventually ended in Townsville.

“When I doubt myself, I remember this trip and reflect that I can be tenacious.”

Blakey lived in Mangerton and Bulli as a child before attending Wollongong High School and the city’s university, where her honours thesis was on Bellambi wetlands and how nutrient recycling works. It’s small wonder she took an internship at Britain’s Centre for Alternative Technology.

“The locals call it ‘the shit and wind’ because it’s all about compostable toilets and wind farms – it’s been going since the ’70s and was getting 60,000 visitors a year, and that was just phenomenal,” she said.

Blakey’s path to the Greens began at school through the Wilderness Society and ecological restorers Bushcare, through which she met Greens member Rowan Huxtable, becoming his babysitter and joining his choir.

“We were singing about a union history I had no idea of, and I loved the stories of what’s possible, and how people working together can create change,” she said.

Like many councillors, Blakey had a job within council before being elected, a role in waste education helping to give her unrivalled background to initiate the FOGO collection scheme in 2021. The project collects kitchen and garden scraps for composting and has saved more than 400 tonnes of waste a month from landfill since starting.

NSW Justices Association Wollongong Branch provides free JP services at Community Desks at Thirroul, Corrimal, Wollongong and Dapto libraries.

All services given by JPs are free of charge. They cannot give legal advice and there are certain forms and documents that they are unable to sign or witness, but they can assist you in finding where these can be dealt with.

For more info contact Ray Vaughan on 0419 293 524.

FOGO has been one of council’s great recent success stories, but Blakey is keen for the idea to go further: “We need to get more apartments … and commercial premises on board. There is a higher rate of contamination in apartments, and the same goes for recycling.”

As to priorities, Blakey feels her party and council are spoiled for choice. “We need to consolidate strategies such as climate mitigation, the pedestrian/cycling plan … it’s about looking at what council is responsible for,” she said.

“We’re lucky that we have such an engaged community … and the climate conversation has moved on a lot, partly because things have been so grim with bushfires and floods.

“I’ve been concerned about climate change for a long time, but I never thought potholes would be a climate issue!”

Ward 2’s Cath Blakey. Photo supplied.

NIRAG/NF3 Report

By NIRAG secretary Ross Dearden

Northern Illawarra Resident Action Group meetings are held in the Bulli Community Hall commencing at 7pm on the first Wednesday of February, May, August and November. Contact NIRAG by email: NIRAG@bigpond.com

Some of the current issues include:

Trinity Row cycleway

Following representations by NIRAG last year to widen the cycleway, Council has given priority to reconstruction and widening along Trinity Row from Farrell Rd to Park Road. Although widening to 4m is real progress, the plans only show 4m from just north of Ursula Road to just north of Farrell Road, instead of the full length between the bridges at Whartons Creek and Slacky Creek. Another concern is the lost opportunity to redesign the entrance to the Bulli Beach carpark and cafe to improve safety for the most vulnerable users, pedestrians and cyclists. Removal of the bollards and signage to ensure vehicles Give Way to pedestrians and cycles on the shared way is recommended.

Included in the project are a new accessible picnic shelter and changes to the accessible parking at Bulli Beach carpark. NIRAG, however, is concerned that the plan is to remove the existing shelter, which provides good protection from the weather. When a new open accessible shelter is built closer to the accessible parking, the existing one should be retained for its utility, heritage and character. The plans are on exhibition now on Council’s website, closing 3rd April.

A trip to the Fiddler

By Helen Slade, tour organiser at Helensburgh Seniors Travel Group

The Fiddler at Rouse Hill was our first day trip for 2023. We stopped at Haigh Park, Moorebank for morning tea. A great location with good amenities, Lake Moogerah on one side and Georges River on the other. We arrived at the Fiddler at 11.30 and settled on the verandah to enjoy lunch. The food was incredibly good and the menu was extensive. To top that off, they had a two-for-one meal deal if you had a Seniors Card! After a great lunch, it was time to check out the Irish Bar. This is one of those places you need to

Pioneer Dr to Woonona Beach Cycleway reconstruction

Following representations by NIRAG and meetings with residents, Council has just produced amended designs for repairs to the shared pathway at George Tate Close, between Pioneer Drive and The Blue Lagoon. Instead of relocating the entire path, after extensive feedback from the community, it is now proposed to undertake repair works to the shared pathway in its current location. A variety of repairs will be undertaken, including concrete grinding and asphalt topping; new concrete panel replacements away from existing tree roots; and some new asphalt panel replacements. We thank Council for listening to the community’s concerns, although local residents have not yet seen the revised plan and given feedback.

Infrastructure Delivery Program (IDP) Council has advised that the Delivery Program and Operational Plan for 2023-24 will be on exhibition from 6 April for 28 days. Submissions will close before our May meeting, but hard copies will be provided to NIRAG and will also be available in Thirroul Library. Please make time to view the proposals and share any comments and concerns.

Next meeting

The next NIRAG/NF3 quarterly meeting is Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 7pm in the Bulli Community Centre Hall. All welcome. NIRAG meeting minutes are now posted on the Illawarra Flame website.

see for yourself. A very successful trip thoroughly enjoyed by all.

May 25: Ebenezer Church and Windsor RSL

Overlooking the Hawkesbury River in a rural bushland area, built in 1809, the Ebenezer Church is the oldest existing church in Australia. We will be having Devonshire morning tea, a talk about the history and a wander around the Property before heading off to the Windsor RSL for lunch.

The next meeting at Helensburgh Hotel is 11.30am, 3 April. Enquires to Helen on 0427 043 774.

Voice for Thirroul

Annette Jones shares a Thirroul Village Committee update

On February 26, the Thirroul Village Committee (TVC) held a general meeting to discuss local issues and to get to know the Heathcote candidates.

More than 50 people turned up to listen to Lee Evans (Liberal) Maryanne Stuart (Labor) and Cooper Riach (Greens). They were asked questions on a range of subjects, including the sale of Sydney Water (all agreed the sale was not on); traffic congestion on Lawrence Hargrave Drive, which they all identified as a major issue; and planning issues, which they agreed is of concern, but each offered varying commentary.

To find out more, go to the TVC website and select “Minutes of 26th February 2023”.

Other issues were discussed including:

Graffiti:

Graffiti attacks continue around Thirroul and especially Thomas Gibson Park. Thanks to the small number of volunteers who paint over the graffiti, and to Council for providing the paint.

If you see graffiti, please contact Council on 4227 7111 to request its removal and record the incident, or email council@wollongong.nsw.gov.au

Gardening:

It was noted that the Amy monument near the Bathers Pavilion at Thirroul Beach is in danger of permanent damage by garbage trucks as they try and negotiate the roundabout on which it stands.

Your Letters

Submit via the Get in Touch page at www.theillawarraflame.com.au

Can you help Active In-Betweens?

Active In-Betweens program is an after-school healthy living and resilience program for children aged 8-12. Social inequities in childhood affects health and development and Active

In-Betweens seeks to address this. It is based at five locations in the Wollongong and Shellharbour LGAs. Healthy Cities Illawarra is always looking for financial support and volunteers for this worthwhile program. If you’d like to help, phone 02 4283 8111 or email admin@healthycities.org.au

– Michelle Barry, Healthy Cities Illawarra

There is a proposal to move the monument to a safer location. This is currently with Council. In the meantime, Council has constructed a truck-proof barrier around the base of the monument.

Development Applications (DAs):

DAs were lodged with Wollongong City Council for the redevelopment of McCauley Lodge and Tasman Court. The site is owned by Fresh Hope Care, a division of the Church of Christ. 38 independent living units are to be constructed on these two sites on opposite sides of Tasman Parade – one with 18 units and the other with 20 units.

The TVC helped to arrange a meeting with the affected residents to exchange their thoughts of the projects and to discuss their concerns – including increased traffic in the area, the size and height of the construction and overshadowing of neighbours. Concern was also raised about access, especially if a mass evacuation is necessary.

The DA for Lot 101 Amy Street, which will block the short cut from the Station to South Thirroul Beach, has gone before the Land and Environment Court (LEC) with the revised plans being re-exhibited by Council. The plans and submissions are currently being reviewed and awaiting a decision by the LEC.

Visit thirroulvillage.com/about/thirroulvillage-committee

Bring on the Festival fun

It’s just about here again – the Thirroul Seaside and Arts Festival that brings you art, entertainment, great food, market stalls, and competitions. This much-loved event will run on the weekend of Friday evening, 2 June to Sunday, 4 June 2023.

Friday’s official opening will highlight the Art Prize Exhibition and prizes. Come to Thirroul Community Centre for the presentation night, doors open at 7pm, just $20 for refreshments.

On Saturday, 3 June, Thirroul township comes alive with art displayed in local shops, great food, and boutique shopping. On Sunday, 4 June enjoy a full day of family entertainment at Tangara Park, our magnificent seaside park near Thirroul Beach.

The festival has been made possible for over 30 years by the Austinmer/Thirroul Lions Club and volunteers. All funds raised are donated back into our community. Go to our new website thirroulfestival.com.au for more information.

See you at the festival!

– Lynn Read, Austinmer

Memoir recalls adventures in art

By Diane Wallis

Coledale has lost one of its famous residents, Les Blakebrough, who died in December aged 92.

Les was a leading ceramic artist whose work is held in all major Australian art galleries and many overseas. His story is one of determination by a person who was virtually abandoned by his parents at the beginning of the Second World War. But against all odds he persevered, and his work became sought after internationally.

In 1948, at the age of 18, Blakebrough jumped ship in northern Queensland without money or passport and for months hid out on rural properties working as a stable hand and general roustabout.

No to new developments

Community groups have resolved to oppose development of new hospitals, schools and seniors/ people with disability [developments] in Thirroul and the Northern Villages as unreasonable disaster risks.

Lawrence Hargrave Drive’s congestion in Thirroul is notorious and expected to worsen with land releases in South-West Sydney.

Community groups in the Northern Illawarra, the Northern Illawarra Resident Action Group and the Thirroul Village Committee, have longstanding grievances on the impact of Lawrence Hargrave Drive on access for emergency services to Thirroul and Northern Villages. Emergency services have callout stations only and Lawrence Hargrave Drive is the ONLY way in and out.

Community groups have reiterated their concerns that Lawrence Hargrave Drive means there is no resilience against disasters like an escarpment bushfire.

Even if Transport for NSW invests in a new rail

When he eventually approached Immigration, he had further problems since there was no record of his arrival and he had no documents. He did, however, have a driving licence, granted to him by a local police sergeant who observed that he had driven 40km in a truck to make his application. Eventually Les was given a letter to say he was welcome to stay and work as long as he abided by Australian laws. How things have changed today!

Soon he moved to Sydney, became a lifesaver at Coogee and worked night shifts as a cab driver for the famous Gelignite Jack to earn enough to survive while he completed an art course. Then he undertook a grinding apprenticeship in a pottery workshop for food and board and a pitiful £1 a week.

But gradually he became recognised, was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study in the UK and Scandinavia, and today Blakebrough’s work is found in all major museums in Australia and many in Europe and the USA.

Later he was instrumental in developing a world-class porcelain clay deposit in Tasmania that is still in production 30 years later. And in 2013 he was awarded the Order of Australia – truly an Australian story.

Les Blakebrough: A Memoir (The Watermark Press, rrp $35) is available at Collins Booksellers, Thirroul.

bridge, a bollarded emergency-only route and/or reconfigures Lawrence Hargrave Drive in Thirroul to provide more reliable traffic flow; Lawrence Hargrave Drive would still have slow travel times because Thirroul is a planning destination not an arterial route. “Seconds count”.

Community groups have challenged the State Government and Council that loopholes in planning processes appear to ignore these risks and allow development of new hospitals, schools and seniors/people with disability [developments], despite their need for evacuation of masses of vulnerable people.

Limiting high risk land use gives emergency services a fair go by reducing the need for mass evacuations in disasters.

Community groups have noted a major new seniors/people with disability development has just been lodged for Macauleys Headland in Thirroul – a remote dead-end with convoluted difficult access.

– Neil Walker, Thirroul

NF1 Report

By Warwick Erwin, convenor of Neighbourhood Forum 1, which covers the 2508 area

Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery, Cr Cameron Walters, Cr Richard Martin and two Council officers, the project delivery manager and infrastructure, strategy and planning manager, attended the last NF1 meeting.

Otford Causeway over Hacking River

Two meetings with Otford residents were held ahead of NF1 where concerns were raised regarding evacuation and access for emergency services during a bushfire, as well as speeding, drainage, potholes, narrow road with erosion on edges and no paths on Otford Road, the alternate route and now is not safe with the extra traffic.

Residents would also like the causeway to have two lanes with a safe pedestrian walkway and lighting. The Lord Mayor confirmed that in Council’s opinion the replacement of the causeway was the best option. In 2020 Council considered if it would be feasible to build a bridge, rather than a causeway, over the Hacking River. The research showed the bridge would need to span approximately 90-metres to reach a height that would provide safe access in major flood events. However, this solution was deemed not practical when the terrain, geography and impact to residents and on private property are taken into account. There is no confirmation of a timeframe to complete the works yet. It is likely the road will remain closed for many months.

The design of the new causeway will have larger and fewer culverts underneath to stop debris building up. Council will look at using money from disaster funding and will provide an exemption on tendering to speed up the process. Overhead powerlines may have to be relocated. Council has set up a webpage for community engagement and updates on Wollongong City Council’s website.

New H’burgh Community Centre and Library Council is progressing this project through the necessary approval pathways as quickly as possible and will start community engagement regarding concept design at the appropriate interval.

The progress of the Plan of Management process with Crown Lands has also been positive to date.

Demolition of the old Community Centre is set for July 2023, after a delay due to the UCI event.

Phase 3 Helensburgh

Town Plan

Council undertook community engagement circa 2016 in relation to a proposal to renew footpaths in sections of Helensburgh Town Centre. At the time, the community responded that Helensburgh needed a Town Centre Masterplan rather than footpaths renewed. The response from the community was taken on board and the proposed renewal plans deferred to enable a more holistic plan to be prepared. A Streetscape Masterplan was prepared and stages of implementation were estimated. Since then, work has started as part of the beautification of Helensburgh for the UCI bike race. There has been criticism from the community regarding the steepness of the speed humps in Walker Street, which were not built to standard, and disabled parking being difficult to access and more spaces required. There have also been drainage problems outside Coles that are now being rectified and the installation of the traffic diversion device at the top of Short Street will no longer proceed. Work on stage 3 on the western side of Walker Street will commence this financial year and continue into early next year.

Otford Hall – upgrade/renovations

Council was not satisfied with any of the tenders and has decided the most cost-effective option would be to completely rebuild the hall and toilet. A DA will be required and will be subject to a fire rating, which will take longer, but will be a better solution for the Otford Community in the long term. Council was asked to not start any work on site until the causeway has been replaced.

Railway Parade reconstruction required

The new curb along Railway Parade in Stanwell Park has made the road too narrow for cars to drive along when cars are parked on either side of the road. The garbage truck also has difficulty passing and the elderly residents at Hillcrest don’t like parking up the hill away from their residence.

Read the full NF1 report on the Flame’s website. Next NF1 meeting is Wed, April 12 at Otford Community Hall; drive slowly on Otford Rd. Council Staff will present the Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2023-24

To read Council’s updates on Otford causeway, scan the QR code

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Swimming lessons for all ageschildren, adults and families of refugees and asylum seekers in the

Swimming lessons for all ageschildren, adults and families of refugees and asylum seekers in the Illawarra area. Learn to stay safe in the water at the:

Swimming lessons for all ageschildren, adults and families of refugees and asylum seekers in the Illawarra area. Learn to stay safe in the water

Regrets? I’ve had a few

By Thirroul’s Tony Ryan

Watching a pre-season game of the Northern Tigers AFL in the glorious sunshine last week, I was asked if I could journey out into the middle for a couple of quarters as the main umpire had to leave at half-time. I was in shorts and thongs, so I made the split-second decision to do the job in bare feet.

At the end of the 40-odd minutes out in the middle, my feet were black and I had to go home and pick at least 15 bindis out of them. What made it worse was that I’d forgotten that I had a pair of runners in my car!

This led me to think of other split-second decisions that have impacted people’s lives. Not like the major ones, but ones that you can look back and wonder ‘What if?’

A family friend of ours many years ago used his kids’ ages (not their birth-dates) as his lucky numbers in lotto. These were the days when you had to go into the store or newsagent and buy the ticket. He didn’t have time to change his usual ticket despite two of his kids having a birthday that week, so he used his old numbers. If he’d changed the numbers they would have won second division. Not life-changing, but an overseas holiday is nicer than going to a local caravan park.

On the last day of our honeymoon at a Fijian resort (in 1992), word had got around that American superstar actor Woody Harrelson had just arrived. The new bride was a massive fan so I asked Woody if he’d be in a photo with my wife. He was a ripper of a bloke and agreed. Shirtless, tanned and with a glorious six-pack, Woody posed for a few snaps, then he put his hand around my bride. I said the deal didn’t include touching. He took his arm off my wife only for her to call ‘bulldust!’ and grab his hand and put it straight back. After this, he suggested I get in the photo with them. In a split-second, I decided I was not going to go topless besides this hunk of a man so I grabbed my T-shirt. After a few snaps we said our thanks and goodbyes. It was then I realised that, in my haste to put my shirt on, I’d put it on inside-out and back to front. Woody probably thought, like many others over the years: ‘How did this bloke get that beautiful woman when he can’t even put his shirt on properly?’

Many years ago, I was looking through the Trading Post (a paper version of Gumtree) for a new set of golf clubs. A bloke was selling a new set that he’d won in a promotion. He didn’t play golf and just wanted some cash for them. I went to his house, which turned out to be a house that he’d beat me in an auction to buy. After some pleasantries I paid for the clubs and went home.

Going through my new golf bag I realised it had two dozen balls, head covers, and a putter! About $400 worth, but the chap hadn’t realised. I was telling the bride when she asked if I’d stopped at the bloke’s house on my way home or had gone home, changed out of my work gear and then gone to his house. I said the latter. She informed me that my track suit was inside out and a tag as big as your hand was basically sticking out of my backside. I’d been laughing at him for not realising how much the golf gear was worth, and he was probably laughing at me, thinking he was never going to lose an auction to a bloke who can’t put his pants on properly. Another bad split-second decision.

Coming back from gym class the other week the darling wife had dinner on the table. Feeling a bit parched from my workout, I grabbed a half-full can of Coke on the bench. A split-second decision to drink it proved to be another downfall. After the second mouthful I began to cough and spit the drink out because it wasn’t Coke, it was still-warm surplus cooking oil she’d made dinner with.

But my favourite one is when listening to Marty Haynes on breakfast radio, he had a caller who said for his 21st in Perth back in the early ’70s his dad said he could have a live band. He sourced two local bands: one was $20 and the other was $25. In a split-second decision it was decided to go with the cheaper band and spend the $5 leftover on beer. The $25 band turned out to be AC/DC.

I know these days it is all rush, rush, rush, but maybe take a tad more than a split-second to make some choices!

KITTEN NEEDS A HOME!

This is Robert, an eightweek-old kitten in need of a forever home. We have kittens of many colours and patterns, all sweet, friendly and affectionate. They come with first vaccination, microchip, desexed and life-time registered. Everyone needs a kitten once in their life!

For more details, email ccarpetrehoming@tpg.com.au Country Companion Animal Rescue

On track for the holidays

Flame photographer Anthony Warry recently brought out his drone to capture amazing aerial views of Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park.

Looking for healthy outdoor fun these school holidays? Why not give the tracks a try!

For more info, visit horcc.com.au.

Wollongong is Australia’s only UCI Bike City and the fun continues further south. Check out Cringila Hills Mountain Bike Park, with 12km of

Treachery time

By Scarborough Boardrider Ian Pepper

One of the largest and longest-running surfing teams event in the world was held over from 10 to 12 March on the Gold Coast and both Scarborough and Sandon Point Boardriders sent teams to the event.

In the event, eight team members surf a four-man 15-minute heat for their club and gather points for what position they place. Scarborough started well on the first day with a first and a few

exciting trails for beginners to advanced; Bulli Park (opposite the high school); Anama Street Reserve in Fairy Meadow; Dimond Bros Reserve in Horsley; and the local bike track at Harry Graham Park in Figtree.

Scan the QR for more images and to download a Wollongong Cycling Guide & Map

seconds, but it was Sandon Point who dominated the weekend with four 1st places, three 2nd places and a 4th place. Overall, they finished 3rd out of 36 teams and were also awarded Team Spirit Award. Well done, Sandon Point Boardriders!

Always a highlight of the Scarborough calendar is the trip to Treachery (near Seal Rocks) over the long weekend of 17-19 March. It was so good to put down the mobile phones and just surf, eat and walk, or run through the sand dunes. About 100 members signed up and this year we held the competition day at Yegan, the beach south of Treachery, for crisp little off-shore peaks almost to ourselves. Apart from a few slight mishaps, like the entire gazebo blowing off the sand dunes and a visit from an unwanted big fish, it all went smoothly.

In the water Will Clarke continued his blistering form dominating A Grade, with Mannix Squiers in 2nd and Joshua Pepper 3rd. The Open Women saw Shyla Short tear into the lefts finding some long walls to display some great rail surfing, edging out Skye Burgess in 2nd and Amira Rankin in 3rd.

Other notable stand-outs were a return to form for Andrew Christensen winning the 45s, some really big hits from Oscar Hargreaves taking out the 18s ahead of Sam Horton, and the usual take-no-prisoners approach from Noah Kornek to take out the 12s ahead of his brother Sam.

Will Clarke at Yegan beach

Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club (HORCC) trails. Photo: Anthony Warry

Run, ride, paddle of a lifetime

A local dad shares an epic adventure

In February, Will Dawson, a Stanwell Park father of three, took on the world’s biggest multi-sport event, the Kathmandu Coast to Coast.

“It is a 246km multi-sport event, combining running, riding and kayaking to traverse the width of New Zealand from Greymouth to Christchurch,” he said.

Will – who moved south from Sydney five years ago and discovered the perfect training ground on his doorstep – told us more about the challenge.

What does the race involve?

The Coast to Coast starts in Kumara with a 2.2km run, to a 55km ride, straight in to a 33km mountain run over Arthurs Pass, back on to the bike for 15km to the start of the river, for a 70km kayak down the Waimakariri River, then back on to the bike for a final 70km cycle to New Brighton in Christchurch. You start on the beach in Kumara on the West Coast of NZ, and finish on the beach at New Brighton, Christchurch.

Why did you take on this challenge?

Since moving to Helensburgh and discovering all of the cycling tracks, I rediscovered my teenage love of mountain biking, which was my first step to getting fit.

Then due to either Covid or floods, a lot of events that I had signed up for were cancelled, which left me at a loss and trying to find a physical test. A Kiwi friend of mine had been posting about the Kathmandu Coast to Coast, and the more research I did, the more I realised this would be the biggest physical challenge I could imagine, so I just had to sign up.

Covid again got in the way in 2022, but in April 2022 I was able to secure a starting position for the 2023 race.

Where did you train and what did that involve?

Living in the Illawarra has been perfect – with trail runs and great cycling right out of the front door, it was just a matter of waking up early and getting in a lot of rides and runs. It was really important to start combining the two, to get used to running straight after a ride.

The kayaking was the most difficult to train for – with a borrowed old heavy kayak, I was only able

to get a few sessions – often the swell at Stanwell Park was too rough.

How did you go in the race?

I ended up completing the approx. 246km course in 15hrs 55min. This was 126th overall, however, almost every competitor’s goal is to simply finish. About 30% of the field failed to finish.

Images: Marathon Photos

Port Kembla Tidal Chart

Australia 2022, Bureau of Meteorology

Astronomical Tide (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Full

Meteorology

savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect

TIMES AND HEIGHTS OF HIGH AND LOW WATERS LAT 340 29’ LONG 1500 55’

MOON PHASE SYMBOLS New Moon  First Quarter  Full Moon  Last Quarter

© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2022, Bureau of Meteorology. Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide. Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect. 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.

Tradies Social Golf

Barry Thompson reports

I didn’t play this month, but I’m told that the conditions were perfect, with quite a few of the group making a big splash around the seventh. It was a two-person Ambrose event with the 10 teams being led home by Gerry Reilly and Iain Birss with a handy 62.5. The dynamic duo of Tung Nguyen and Geoff Hammonds scored a 63 for second place, and Mick Carroll and Kynan Ainsley took the bronze with a 66.

The winners will gather their spoils from Helensburgh Butchery and Gallardo’s Pizzeria, while Rod Vaughn will be attending the Helensburgh Driving Range to see if he can improve his game. Ignore the mutterings of “It’s too late”, Rod.

Our next outing is at Boomerang on Saturday April 15th and we tee-off at 7am. This will be a Stableford event. Please arrive early to assist our starters.

Stop Press! Who was the committee man who arrived at the course bright-eyed and bushy-tailed only to remember that he hadn’t picked up another of our group as pre-arranged. A quick dash back to the ’Burgh fixed the problem. Let’s put the oversight down to the pressure of Presidential office.

Helensburgh Sunday Social Golf Club

Robert ‘Indy’ Jones reports

On March 5th 2023 we welcomed new players –Ben and Josh Gersback and Josh Smith – looking to shake up the order and give some of the older members new conversations out on-course.

On the day, the O’Connors (Blake and Mark) led the way with the young gun giving the old boy a lesson on 39 points, leaving Mark and Brett Carrazo, scoring 32 points, to be split on a count-back to secure the major prizes.

On-course Frank, a gaggle of Gersbacks, the O’Connors, Rossco, Jose, Peter and Mark B. gathered the prizes. The chips were resurrected and we hope Rossco enjoyed the snack on the way home.

The tour continues at Hurstville on April 2nd at 8am followed by May 7th at Hurstville and June 11th at Campbelltown.

Updates to members via text and email, contact Tony on 0418 863 100 for membership information. Please continue to support our sponsors, Christian’s Premium Meats and Helensburgh Golf Range, and join us to enjoy a game of golf, the outdoors and good company.