Choral Riffs
With Steel City Strings at St Francis Xavier Cathedral
For Saturday’s concert at 7.30pm at Wollongong’s St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Steel City Strings has designed a program with local choirs that melds strings and voices to move, inspire and provoke.
The ‘Choral Riffs’ concert will feature a Sally Whitwell commission about local seasons in a changing climate, with a call to action. Sally is a
composer and pianist who has written Elemental, a three-part work about our rainforest and escarpment, Lake Illawarra and local birds, with a call to protect our environment. She was inspired by Electrify 2515 and their grassroots action. With the WollCon Chamber Choir and con voci Chamber Choir, click here to book tickets
Time to make a bush fire plan
Think you know the drill? Click here to take the safety quiz!
On Saturday, September 21, Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigades will open their doors for Get Ready Weekend. Now is the time to make a bush fire plan. The official start to the Bushfire Season is still two weeks away, but the Illawarra has already had its first Total Fire Ban of the season this week.
Helensburgh Fire Brigade is inviting all residents in the area to come and visit the station at 185a Parkes St, Helensburgh on Saturday or check the brigade’s Facebook page to be in the know and be safe. Reminder: Remember to update your phone with the Hazards Near Me NSW free smartphone app.
19-21 Sept
Guards at the Taj at IPAC
20-22 Sept
Kiama’s Folk by the Sea festival
22 Sept
Nan Tien Temple 30th anniversary
23 Sept Tognetti. Mendelssohn. Bach.
26 Sept The Women’s Adventure Film Tour 2024
28 Sept
Helensburgh
Historical Society’s Open Day
28 Sept
Scarborough
Boardriders Club 40th
Anniversary Celebration
5 October
Port Kembla’s Open Street Festival
19 October Culture Mix
Click here for more events
Meet an Artist of the Illawarra
By Melissa Barnard
“Everything I create is handmade, from the original wool felt to the natural dyes.” – Alison Winchester
AlisonWinchester is a multidisciplinary textile artist who grew up in a sheep farming family in Yass. Curiosity about these childhood memories led her to work with her brother’s sheep farm in Braidwood and wool from his property has become a highlight of many of her creations. Alison works from her studio at The Timbermill in Bulli.
From where do you draw your creative inspiration?
My creative inspiration comes from the world around me – the endless possibilities of transforming the everyday into something beautiful by seeing all the beauty and potential in the things around us. I strive to create art that captures the essence of the everyday and reimagines in it new and inventive ways.
How do your art practice and your life intersect?
The Scarborough Art Show website
Everything I create is handmade, from the original wool felt to the natural dyes, and by handstitching pieces together. I aim to capture the unique essence of the Australian landscapes and the environment using wool.
One of my goals for my felt wool hanging pieces is to promote sustainability. By using natural materials
and hand dyeing techniques, I aim to minimise my impact and showcase the true beauty of sustainable living. In addition, these large colourful wool felt pieces serve a functional purpose, providing insulation to help reduce the cost of heating and helping to block out noise – all while adding a unique, visually striking element to any room. About a decade ago I also started designing jewellery. I create sculptural rings and pendants to create one-of-akind wearable art pieces.
All of my art is inspired by my life and my surroundings. My still life paintings are inspired by the everyday objects and the setting of my local coffee shop. As I sit there and order, I take note of the moment that interesting objects are presented to me, such as unique teapot or a delicate tea strainer. These objects all become my subject matter.
What will you bring to the Scarborough Art Show?
A selection of work, including my latest felt wool hanging piece, still life paintings and art jewellery.
Scarborough Art Show will be back at Scarborough Public School on October 12th (10am5pm) & 13th (10am-2pm).
Lakeside film fest celebrated local talent
By Tyneesha Williams
“It was just really cool getting to kind of be in an area with everyone who just loves film and breathes film” – Lily Piper
READ MORE
Thoughts
OnSeptember 7, Creative Wollongong hosted the Wollongong Short Film Festival at Lakeside Reserve in Kanahooka.
About 400 festival goers enjoyed eight locally made films, including the ‘best of’ Creative Wollongong’s Short Film competition, a handful of new films by local filmmakers and films made in partnership with Screen Illawarra, Careways Community, Bus Stop Films and Coequal.
The Best Film winners were Tamia Herrera and Maika Shiine James for Dear Ocean, I Love You (in the ages 12-24 category); Elkie Chadwick (ages 25+) for The Crown; and Anna Phillips and Duncan Ragg (commissioned films)
for OVER. Best performance went to Sabina Salas in Dear Ocean, I Love You (all ages) and Adam Dunn in OVER (commissioned films).
Tamia Herrera, director of Dear Ocean, I love you, said: “We had a really great turnout and it was good to see everybody’s films because I know they all put a lot of hard work into it and they all turned out so great, I loved watching them.” Lily Piper, co-writer, costume and production designer of Dear Ocean, I love you, said: “Tonight was so fun and it was just really cool getting to kind of be in an area with everyone who just loves film and breathes film, and has such a deep appreciation for it and getting to see everyone’s work was so fun.”
REVIEW
Polestar 2
By Marcus Craft
The recent official launch of the Polestar 3 means that it’s an ideal time to revisit one of our EV tests from mid-2023: the Polestar 2 long range dual motor Performance. The model has since been upgraded and superseded – but now is a great time to consider the Polestar 2 because it might just be the feature-packed EV you’re looking for.
And you may just be able to track down a sharply priced pre-owned Polestar 2.
This car has a 350kW/ 740Nm dual electric motor, a 82kWh capacity lithium-ion battery, and a singlespeed (reduction gear) transmission. Official driving range on a full charge is listed as 568km. Read the review.
on the film festival
Sparks fly and melodies soar when Richard Tognetti directs music close to the ACO’s heart including Mendelssohn’s Octet and Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor.
Learn how to keep stingless native bees
By Amanda De George
ChristiePeters has always had a love for animals. When I visit, I’m greeted by a big, boofy bunny and seven Silkie chickens free-ranging in the front yard. Winnie, Christie’s rescue dog, comes to say hello before settling down onto a chair on the verandah.
But I’m really interested in what’s in the backyard. About a year ago, Christie added 5000 to 10,000 animals to her menagerie. They require very little care and are busy going back and forth, communicating amongst themselves, quietly pollinating the area.
Christie is the proud owner of a hive of native stingless bees (Tetragonula carbonaria or Sugarbag bees) and in October she will be hosting a workshop by renowned entomologist Dr Tim
Heard for anyone interested in these important pollinators.
When people think of bees, they often think of the European honey bee, but did you know that Australia has more than 2000 species of native bees? Some of these species are solitary like the blue banded bee (sp. Amegilla) but the bees in Christie’s backyard are social bees and as we make our way into her garden, the sunlight catches their surprisingly small bodies as they buzz around. The great thing about stingless bees is that they’re, well, stingless and safe for children and pets. Winnie proves this point by wandering up to me and standing by the hive, waiting for pats and love.
Christie is no stranger to owning an odd pet or two. “When I was a kid I had
white dove homing pigeons and I used to take them to school for ‘show and tell’ and let them out in front of the whole class,” she says, laughing.
And while she initially got bees for their uniqueness, Christie now loves nothing more than grabbing a cup of tea and watching the hive.
“They are so interesting to watch and are quite relaxing,” she says. “They are fascinating how they come and and go and sometimes swarm. All in this complex little hive structure with their role of either working bees, drones, queen bee and princesses in waiting.”
After many months of planning, Christie has secured Dr Heard – who wrote the book, literally, on native bees, The Australian Native Bee Book – to run a three-hour workshop in Thirroul on October 12. The session will include loads of information for would-be beekeepers or nature lovers, and will include a demonstration of how to split a hive – bees and all!
The workshop will also mark the launch of the Illawarra’s first branch of the Australian Native Bee Association (ANBA). Currently, the closest branch is in Sydney.
By starting a local branch, Christie hopes to take advantage of the knowledge already here, giving local native beekeepers a place to troubleshoot, network and even to share split hives. She also hopes to share the love for and benefits of native bees
by sharing the actual bees themselves.
“What I would like to do eventually… through the ANBA Illawarra branch is to do some fundraising events and put them [stingless bee hives] into different schools, to gift them the bees as they are so safe,” she says.
After spending way too long watching the bees do their fascinating dance back and forth to the hive, I finally get ready to leave. Christie can clearly see that I’m very keen to get my own hive and gives me a little extra encouragement.
“I love how anyone can have these stingless bees in their backyards as pets and they are doing so much good for the environment in terms of pollination and biodiversity,” she says. “And when you think of the enjoyment. You can have them forever. You don’t have to take them to the vets.
“They’re cheaper than a dog,” she adds, laughing. We both look down at Winnie, who’s gently wagging her tail. Sorry old girl, but she has a point.
Workshop ahead
The Native Bee Workshop & Illawarra ANBA branch launch will be on Saturday, October 12, from 9am-12pm in The Escarpment Room at Thirroul Community Centre. The workshop is for everyone from seasoned beekeepers to those looking to learn more about our native bees. To register, click here or call Christie on 0412 497 312.
“I love how anyone can have these stingless bees in their backyards as pets and they are doing so much good for the environment in terms of pollination and biodiversity.”
– Christie Peters
All photos: Amanda De George. Cover image taken at Mt Annan Botanic Garden. Opposite page, Christie Peters check her hives. Left, Her dog Winnie is safe with stingless bees.
Right time for the White Cedar
By Emma Rooksby of Growing Illawarra Natives
“In the 1970s, a heyday for planting native species, White Cedar was an extremely popular tree for landscaping”
– Emma Rooksby
TheWhite Cedar (Melia azedarach) is one of the loveliest of the local trees, and also one of the toughest of the rainforest species. And it’s flowering (and in some cases fruiting) right now across the Illawarra region.
The beautiful picture below, taken by Peter Butler a few years back, gives a sense of how appealing the flowers are. In combinations of white, pinks and lilacs, they appear in large panicles (flower clusters), and can be numerous in a good year, half-covering the tree’s canopy.
In the 1970s, a heyday for planting native species, White Cedar was an extremely popular tree for landscaping, including on school grounds, right across Australia. There are many mature trees in Perth, Western Australia even now, although it’s not indigenous to WA (and the local black cockatoos are quite grateful for a feed on the fruit.)
It has perhaps suffered somewhat since the 70s, as some suboptimal experiences seem to have fed into a current tendency to focus on the negatives. And there are a few negatives. The yellow-brown fruit are poisonous to humans if ingested, and in some conditions the tree can fall prey to the White Cedar Moth (Leptocneria reducta), which can make short work of the foliage through mass feedings overnight.
That said, White Cedar is a deciduous tree, so moth larvae eating the foliage
aren’t a huge problem. They can damage the growing tip of young plants, and this can be more serious or even fatal to affected plants. Luckily it’s an incredibly common tree, with excellent germination of the seed. In suitably sunny areas where seed has been distributed (by birds or by humans), many young seedlings and saplings will appear. In a good spring, White Cedar may have more flowers than foliage (see image at right by Byron Cawthorne-McGregor).
The well-known negatives of this small tree should be factored into decision-making about its role in bush regeneration and landscaping, but they are far from the full story.
White Cedar has many positives: its wide distribution, adaptability, relatively small size, and deciduousness are all points in favour for using this as in urban gardens and landscaping.
It’s also a bit of a biodiversity bonanza, with the fruit being attractive to a very large number of birds, including the Australian King Parrot, Emerald Dove, Australasian Figbird, Green Catbird, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Pied Currawong, Fruit Dove, Wonga Pigeon, and White-headed Pigeon. The threatened Grey-headed Flying Fox also likes this tree, for the nectar produced by the flowers. And of course from a biodiversity perspective, even the White Cedar Moth is part of the picture!
Catch Circadia in Port Kembla
By Tyneesha Williams
“The songs we have been writing lately are not heaps like any of our other songs as well. They’re a bit more folky-surfy”
– Otis Wishart
Local
band Circadia will return to Wentworth Street for Port Kembla’s Open Street Festival on Saturday, 5 October 2024.
Guitarist and vocalist Robbie Gyngell says the festival gives local families a great opportunity to experience live music.
“It’ll be high energy,” Robbie says.
“You get a lot of people who ordinarily might not get to come out to events like this. There will be a few young families who know that they can leave at 7pm and still see the majority of the festival, which is lovely.”
Circadia formed in 2019 and the band now has five to eight members from the Illawarra and Sydney.
“We play a mix of alternative rock and roll with a bit of funk, a bit of jazz and a lot of soul influence. That’s probably just the best way of putting it. We’re pretty genre-fluid, chuck indie in there just for fun,” says Otis Wishart, bass guitarist and lyricist.
“The songs we have been writing lately are not heaps like any of our other songs as well. They’re a bit more folky-surfy.”
Robbie and Otis are looking forward to playing the main stage at Open Street Festival, from 5-6pm. “It’s all ages and starts around midday. We’re on around five to six, so the sunset session! We’re
stoked about that. It means we get to enjoy it beforehand for a while and after our set as well,” Robbie says.
Otis says the festival will be a welcome change of pace from the band’s frequent shows in Wollongong. In July, Circadia played a sold-out show at La La La’s, supported by upcoming local bands Autumn Sunset and Echidnacia.
“I think we’ve got a really solid following in Wollongong, which is just lovely. It’s been exciting to see the crowd change from being just our friends to more and more unfamiliar faces regularly coming to the shows,” says Otis.
“There’s so many opportunities now, compared to what there were five, 10, 15 years ago, and some of the talent coming through with the young kids playing Wollongong are incredible.”
Wollongong has long been home to a thriving local music scene, with Port Kembla quickly becoming a hot spot for local gigs.
“Port Kembla is on the precipice of blowing up as a place to see live music – this little sleepy place tucked in just outside of Wollongong that’s super family-oriented. There’s like a massive working-class history here, which leaks through in the pubs and venues, The Servo especially,” Otis says.
Port Kembla Open Street Festival is a free, all-ages festival, 1-10pm on Oct 5.
Open Street Festival Open Street Festival
SAT 5 OCT, 1-10PM•ALL
MAIN
AGES
STAGE: MAT McHUGH
THE STRIDES • AZURE RYDER • RUBY JACKSON • CIRCADIA
ILE ILU • FRANK SULTANA • THE GROOVE • KUGANG DJARMBI
ROVING: CURIOUS LEGENDS • JERRY HATRICKS • STREET BEATZ
PLUS: LIGHT PROJECTIONS • ART EXHIBITION • MAKERS MARKETS
FOOD STALLS • MARKET DJ'S: DISCO NONNA SULTANS OF SPIN • CHELSEY DAGGER
Presented by Wollongong City Council. Proudly funded by the NSW Government. In partnership with Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce. With support from Illuminart.
Growing with our gardens
By Andy Lawrence
“Nearly three years later, I have embraced the wild garden.”
“My gardens flourished, my first daughter picking tiny alpine strawberries from the bushes that bordered the garden.”
–
Andy Lawrence
Ihavealways loved gardening. I grew up on 10 acres in the Blue Mountains, where I plotted out little gardens of ill-fated eggplants, eaten by insects before they could fruit. I didn’t even like eggplants, but I loved the process of sowing a seed and watching it grow.
My mum would plant haphazard beds of decorative gourds and boysenberries among the farmer’s friends and lush grasses that swayed brightly beneath the spray of sprinklers from our septic tank.
When my husband and I bought our first home here in the Illawarra, moving down from a rented apartment in Sydney, I revelled in the joy of digging my hands through the soil of my own garden beds once again. Becoming a mother a couple of years later intensified the need to produce my own food and
connect with the earth and seasons. Gardening satiates this need. The cyclical metronome of life beats through the soil and into your awareness as you tend to the plants in rhythm with the seasons. My gardens flourished, my first daughter picking tiny alpine strawberries from the bushes that bordered the garden. The plants were passionately and meticulously tended and we enjoyed the commensurate productivity that resulted. A quaint and wholesome picture indeed. Then my second baby arrived, and with her came five months of relentless rain after two years of isolation during Covid and a crushing decrease in my capacity for anything beyond mere survival and tending my two babies. My garden was still a safe haven, but one rarely visited and its neglect manifested
in wild, muddy growth as it became thick with weeds and plants gone to seed.
Nearly three years later, I have embraced the wild garden and succumbed to its lack of order, its chaotic harmony. I refuse to allow the sanctum to become riddled with anxiety about looking a certain way or providing enough food to ease the grocery bill.
As an homage to the gardens of my childhood, they remind me that the tangle of my mother’s gardens was borne as much from her chaotic creative soul as from her lack of capacity to tend them as a mother of four. She allowed her joy and intuition to guide her to the beds when her soul called for it and when her capacity allowed it. Now, I do the same, an echo of nostalgic wonder pluming under my skin as the smell of last year’s garlic harvest wafts into my nose each time I open my dark, pungent pantry, reminding me that it should have been in the ground in Autumn.
We can learn so much from our gardens, the pieces of earth that we till and tend, as we parent in the confines of our homes. Our gardens can teach us to surrender to the season. Whether that be the larger season of motherhood that stretches us thin and forces us to acknowledge and attempt to fulfil our needs, or the steady beat of the day turning to night, or the ever-turning wheel of seasons that pushes seeds to sprout and fruit to fall and decay.
Too often, we are lured by the illusion of self sufficiency, a goal laden with work that was never meant to be carried by a single household. The illusion refracts the light of a gold-gilded past, hiding the shadows of our modern hyperindividualistic and perfectionistic acculturation. Our intent is pure, but our execution is often compromised by comparisonitis, stealing our own sense of joy and freedom, in the pursuit of belonging.
The #tradwife social media trend and its accompanying online milieu deepens the chasm between women and mothers, providing a glittering and completely unattainable example of how to be a woman, wife or mother. So often, the
intent is to sell a product, a lifestyle and the impact creates feelings of isolation and not-enoughness in the women consuming the content.
Many, including myself, find joy in growing our own food, making preserves or bread from scratch. But those things can only be enjoyed when one has the capacity to do so. Those things are hobbies, not prerequisites for acceptance into the “good enough” woman/mother/ wife/gardener/homesteader/human being club.
My garden looks like shit. It certainly doesn’t feed us enough to reduce our grocery bill and I only occasionally flounce through it wearing a flowing Instagram-worthy dress.
But it does bring me joy, just as it teaches me surrender. I grow plants that are easy and hardy. I grow things that the kids can pick off the bush – strawberries, snow peas, carrots they can pull from the ground and leafy greens and herbs that I can pick when I need them. In my flower beds, I throw handfuls of seeds to see what sticks after my patchy watering, whenever I remember and feel like tending them.
Pots of plants bought and not put in the ground stand the ultimate test of survival: months in their plastic pots sitting in the spot I plan to plant them. If they die during their potted incarceration, they are not tough enough to survive my garden, which is equally ruled by my mercurial energy levels and the weather. If they live, they go in the ground, when and if I feel roused to put them there. I try not to feel guilty for all those plants dying at the hands of my seasonal apathy and unpredictable capacity. In the gaps throughout my garden caused by said apathy, weeds flourish. Dandelions and chickweed are now welcome friends that I add to salads and soups along with the rampant self-seeding parsley.
Like a mirror of motherhood, my garden has become ordered chaos, a discordant and nuanced harmony of interconnected organisms bustling among one another, trying to thrive by surrendering to the seasons of life.
Discover Anthony Langland’s Shellharbour seascapes
By Lesley Roulston
Anthony has an affinity with the “early history and beauty” of the Shellharbour region and hopes his “work will serve as a reflection of what it looked like at a certain point in our history”
Thefirst major solo exhibition of Shellharbour artist Anthony Langlands is now on show at Shellharbour Civic Centre until the end of September. It is part of the Shellharbour City Council’s ongoing ‘Artist of the Month’ program promoting local talent.
Anthony’s paintings are extraordinary landscapes and seascapes of the Shellharbour region. He likes to concentrate on the local area as it means something to the community members and offers easy engagement with his work as they recognise the scenery.
On display are stunning scenes showcasing Shellharbour, including the Boat Harbour, Shellharbour Marina, popular Killalea surf spot The Farm, a view north from Bass Point at Shellharbour, Little Lake Bridge at Barrack Point, as well as Windang Island and the picturesque Nellies Glen Waterfall at the back of Jamberoo in Budderoo National Park.
Anthony is a self-taught artist who has been painting for 35 years. Although he has sold many paintings during that period, art remains his hobby rather than full-time work. Gaining recognition has
been hard at times, he says, but there has definitely been a more positive shift towards the local art scene. Anthony says he appreciated the invitation from Shellharbour Marina to display his work in the Yachtsmen’s Lounge and from Shellharbour City Council to exhibit at the Civic Centre.
In addition to modern landscapes, Anthony likes to paint historical images. He has an affinity with the “early history and beauty” of the Shellharbour region and hopes his “work will serve as a reflection of what it looked like at a certain point in our history.” Anthony painted a spectacular image of Shellharbour Harbour from 1900 that includes the boat store and jetty. Anthony took a couple of months off from his fulltime role at Wollongong City Council to complete 23 artworks for the Civic Centre exhibition. He is looking forward to retiring soon and being able to spend more time on his art. His work can be viewed on his Facebook page Changa’s Art – a lifelong nickname from his younger football days – and he can be contacted by phone on 0423 200 140 or emailed at anthonylanglands50@gmail.com.
B e c o m e p a r t o f t h e N I N A t e a m ,
a n d v o l u n t e e r t o d a y t o h e l p
m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e i n y o u r
c o m m u n i t y !
N o r t h e r n I l l a w a r r a N e i g h b o u r A i d ( N I N A ) a r e o n t h e s e a r c h f o r
e n t h u s i a s t i c i n d i v i d u a l s t o j o i n o u r t e a m o f v o l u n t e e r s .
I f y o u w a n t t o h e l p m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e i n y o u r c o m m u n i t y , b e a
p a r t o f a g r o u p o f l i k e m i n d e d i n d i v i d u a l s a n d w a n t t o a s s i s t t h o s e
w h o n e e d i t m o s t , t h e n g e t i n t o u c h t o d a y !
NINA NEEDS YOU!
A s a N I N A v o l u n t e e r , y o u c a n h e l p a s s i s t o u r c l i e n t s b y
p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n o u r s o c i a l s u p p o r t g r o u p o u t i n g s a n d C a f e C l u b
p r o g r a m .
W e a r e a l s o o n t h e l o o k o u t f o r v o l u n t e e r d r i v e r s w h o a r e l o c a t e d
f r o m T h i r r o u l - W o l l o n g o n g a n d a r e c a p a b l e i n a s s i s t i n g o u r
c l i e n t s i n a t t e n d i n g a p p o i n t m e n t s a n d p e r s o n a l o u t i n g s .
I f t h i s s o u n d s l i k e y o u , p l e a s e v i s i t u s i n t h e o f f i c e o r c a l l t o f i n d
o u t a b o u t o u r v o l u n t e e r p r o g r a m .
P h o n e : 4 2 9 4 1 9 0 0
A d d r e s s : 1 8 W a l k e r S t r e e t , H e l e n s b u r g h
Labor’s Tania Brown poised to be new Lord Mayor
By Jeremy Lasek
Wollongonglooks set to have its first woman Lord Mayor with Tania Brown holding a comfortable lead over her nearest rival.
On September 20, Tania Brown leads with 4 8,621 (41.36%) of the vote from Jess Whittaker 27,589 (23.47%).
Ex-soldier, Austinmer’s Ryan Morris leads the three independent mayoral candidates with 20,693 (17.6%) from Andrew Anthony 15,305 (13.02%) and Suzanne de Vive 5,344 (4.55%). With 117,552 votes of 159,317 enrolled electors counted to date, there’s still some way to go but Tania Brown has every reason to feel confident.
Speaking on Sunday morning, exhausted but elated after a night of celebrations at the Steelers Club, Ms
Brown had effectively declared victory.
“We believe we have an insurmountable lead. We are very happy with the result. The Labor team worked hard, and it’s paid off in the end,” she said.
The lead Labor candidate, who’s been Wollongong’s Deputy Lord Mayor for five years, campaigned strongly across the city on a platform of ‘new leadership’. With the popular Gordon Bradbery deciding not to re-contest, it gave Labor its best chance of winning the Lord Mayor’s role in a long time.
I caught up with the Lord Mayor elect for her first media interview on Sunday.
Breaking the glass ceiling
“It’s been 25 years since Wollongong last had a Labor Lord Mayor, so this is
significant, and of course, it’s been great to finally break the glass ceiling.”
Tania Brown will be the eighth Lord Mayor since Lord Mayoralty was conferred on the city in 1970. All previous mayors have been men. So, what sort of Lord Mayor will she be? “I’m approachable. This is a full-time job and I’m aiming to get to as many events as I can, especially multicultural events. I will be a strong voice for this city.”
Ms Brown believes the council operation is well run and in the chamber she’s determined to retain the collegiate approach of the previous council. “I’m happy to look at change but not change for change sake,” she said.
Housing and flooding priorities
Her priorities for her term as Lord Mayor will address some of the biggest challenges facing the city. Ms Brown lists housing affordability and flood mitigation among the things she wants council to pay greater attention to.
On housing affordability, she will ask staff to identify council-owned sites that could provide new housing opportunities for low-income earners.
On flooding, she admits state and federal support will be required but she believes a Labor Lord Mayor, able to work with state and federal local members and governments, presents “an opportunity”.
“I want to focus on customer service. My suggestion of a maintenance flying squad to fix things around the city that
annoy people has been well received.”
Labor is hoping for seven or eight seats on the 13-member council. The final results aren’t expected to be declared until early October.
Big vote for The Greens
One of the new faces on council will be Lord Mayoral candidate Jess Whittaker, who has claimed a record first preference vote for the Greens with more than a quarter of the vote. “We’re stoked,” she said. “This is historic for the Greens. More people than ever have voted for us, so this is a massive result.”
The Greens election party on Saturday night was held at the Fairy Meadow Community Centre where there were plenty of cheers as the votes came in from booths across the city.
“We actually won 10 booths in the Lord Mayor’s vote which is fantastic.”
Those booths, while mainly in the north, also include Port Kembla, Wollongong, Keiraville and Corrimal.
“It feels like we’ve put forward a positive vision for Wollongong and people have responded to that.”
She is hoping The Greens will win one extra seat to have three seats on Council. Likely to be elected comfortably as a Ward One councillor, Ms Whittaker says she’s most excited about implementing community gardens across the city.
“Those gardens will create local food and a great opportunity both for community building and addressing problems with the cost-of-living pressures.”
“I’m approachable. This is a full-time job and I’m aiming to get to as many events as I can, especially multicultural events. I will be a strong voice for this city.”
– Tania Brown
Nan Tien Temple celebrates 30th anniversary on Sunday
By Venerable Miao You of Nan Tien Temple
“Nan Tien Temple was built on the principles of wisdom, compassion, and peace.”
– Chief Abbess Venerable Manko of Nan Tien Temple
OnSunday, 22 September, Nan Tien Temple, a spiritual and cultural landmark in Australia, proudly celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Established in 1995, Nan Tien Temple is the largest Buddhist Temple in New South Wales and has become a beacon of peace, cultural exchange, and spiritual education for people from all walks of life.
To commemorate this significant milestone and the celebration of being listed on the NSW State Heritage Register, the Nan Tien Temple hosts a series of special events, beginning at 9am and 10am with an official ceremony attended by international and local dignitaries, religious leaders, and community members.
The Chief Abbess Venerable Manko of Nan Tien Temple expressed her gratitude to the local and international communities that have supported the Temple over the years:
“Nan Tien Temple was built on the principles of wisdom, compassion, and peace. For 30 years, we have strived to promote harmony through our educational programs, cultural events, charitable activities, and community engagements. This celebration reflects the Temple’s growth and is a tribute to the countless individuals who have contributed to its success.”
The 30th anniversary marks a new chapter in the Temple’s ongoing journey of promoting peace and understanding in Australia and beyond.
Events Schedule
9am - Unveiling Heritage plaque at the Front Gate of the Temple 10am - Official Opening of the Ceremony at the Main Shrine 11.30am - Proceed to Nan Tien Institute for the Opening of the Museum Gallery 12pm - Conclusion of the Ceremony
Pioneering surgeon honoured
By Jeremy Lasek
Prof Villalba not only developed this pioneering technique to treat this devastating disease but also set up a Venous Thromboembolism Service in the Illawarra
One of outgoing Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery’s final acts before retirement was to bestow a special award on Wollongong’s pioneering vascular surgeon, Associate Professor Laurencia Villalba.
Credited with saving dozens of lives in the Illawarra since pioneering a key-hole technique to treat Pulmonary Embolism (PE) eight years ago, Prof Villalba remains humble about her achievements.
As well as receiving the Wollongong Lord Mayor’s Achievement Award, Prof Villalba was recognised as one of Australia’s leading surgeons when she was presented with the prestigious Graham Copeland Medal from the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.
After migrating from Argentina, in 2008 Prof Villalba settled in Wollongong, where she’s now the mother of three children and has given life to many, many more people.
While most of us have heard of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) when a blood clot forms in veins, usually deep inside the legs or in the pelvis, much less is known about Pulmonary Embolism.
PE occurs when a blood clot breaks off and moves through the veins towards the heart and lungs. This can cause symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing up blood, chest pain, loss of consciousness and even death.
One in three people who have PE die, and that statistic hasn’t changed in the past 50 years. PE is now the world’s third leading cause of cardiovascular death and, in comparison, it takes more lives than breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Prof Villalba turned her attention to fighting PE when she saw its impact on her patients. Keyhole interventions, where a straw-like tube is inserted in a vein in the groin and navigated through the heart into the lung arteries, can be used to aspirate, destroy, or dissolve the clots, saving patients’ lives in the process.
Prof Villalba not only developed this pioneering technique to treat this devastating disease but also set up a Venous Thromboembolism Service in the Illawarra that now provides 24/7 care for patients with blood clots. It’s now recognised as a world-leading location for treating and beating PE.
Prof Villalba says her mission is to raise awareness about this disease and to achieve health equality for patients. She’s also heavily involved in teaching other vascular surgeons to help develop a similar service all over Australia, and she’s been advocating for a statewide network for clot retrieval through NSW Health so her life-saving procedures can be made available to everyone in Australia. Her hope is that by 2030 no one will die from Pulmonary Embolism.
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