COAST Community News 265 by Central Coast Newspapers

23 OCTOBER 2020

ISSUE 265

News

Debate over a motion to put an end to oil and gas exploration off the Central Coast has been adjourned and indications are that it may not even be put to a vote in Federal Parliament. See page 3

Out&About

Central Coast Council has seven days to lodge a submission with the Office of Local Government on why it should not be suspended, following an announcement on October 21 by Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock that she intends to dismiss councillors and appoint an interim administrator.

To mark Mental Health Month, the local not-for-profit, Central Coast Primary Care, held its Mental Health Art Works exhibition. See page 18

Business

Continued page 5

Greater Sydney Commission to lead Coast growth strategy The Central Coast is set to be the focus of a first-of-its-kind Strategy to bring new businesses and jobs to the region. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Greater Sydney Commission (GSC), with its strong track record in delivering good local outcomes, would coordinate development and delivery of the Central Coast Strategy. “I have asked the GSC to bring together key stakeholders on the Central Coast to identify new opportunities for economic and employment growth in the region,” Berejiklian said. “The NSW Government is committed to providing more jobs on the Central Coast, a region which is expected to grow by 95,250 people between 2016 and 2041.

GSC Chief Commissioner Geoff Roberts, Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, and NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian

“The GSC will work closely with Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, and Minister for Jobs and Investment, Stuart Ayres, to bring together State and Federal agencies, the local council and private sector partners, to identify wider economic and employment opportunities for the region.”

Crouch said the Strategy would identify and implement initiatives to cater for future population growth. “The GSC has an incredible record of success when it comes to enabling local communities to grow and thrive,” he said. “The Central Coast is a unique

region and requires unique solutions, and that’s why a team from the GSC will be specially tasked with developing this Strategy. “The Central Coast absolutely deserves the same focus being applied to economic growth areas like Tech Central, Westmead, Meadowbank and Macquarie Park in Sydney.”

GSC Chief Commissioner Geoff Roberts said collaboration was the best way to deliver great outcomes and new opportunities for the community and businesses on the Coast. “Nothing improves a person’s life more than a good job, particularly near where they live. We want to deliver more, good, local jobs for the people of the Central Coast,” he said. “This work will build upon the significant progress already achieved by the NSW Government. “We look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders in what will be an inclusive and coordinated process.” Source: Media release, Oct 21 Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch

Fancy a Bubble O Bill cocktail to wash down that Flamin’ Hot Dorito Fried Chicken? See page 25

Sport

They won the inaugural Black Diamond Cup all the way back in 2000 and now 20 years on, the Terrigal-Avoca Panthers have done it again, making it back to back premierships. See page 40

Puzzles page 22

Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

PAGE 2

23 OCTOBER 2020

NEWS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

ABOUT US

CCN

Coast Community News is published weekly on a Friday by Central Coast Newspapers Pty Ltd (CCN), a local, family-owned business. CCN publishes three local, independent newspapers – Coast Community News, the Peninsula Community Access News and the Coast Community Chronicle – distributed via more than 450 distribution points right across the Central Coast. Most of our stories, as well as our digital programs such as “Friday 5@5”, “Spotlight” interviews and “Around the Grounds” (sport) can be viewed online at www.coastcommunitynews.com.au CCN aims to serve the interests of the community in three important ways: 1. To serve the ultimate purpose of the free press in a democracy, that is, to hold powerful interests to account through high-quality, independent journalism without fear or prejudice; 2. To provide an affordable medium for local businesses to advertise their products and services, including discounted rates for eligible not-for-profit organisations; and, 3. To keep the community informed about local issues and ensure that important public notices are available to ALL members of the community irrespective of their socio-economic circumstances.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

Our content is originated through both our own team of local journalists as well as external sources, including media releases, websites and public notices. All our news content is subject to strict editorial standards – see www.coastcommunitynews. com.au/aboutus/editorialstandards Wherever possible, our news includes source lines that provide information about where information was sourced so that readers can judge for themselves the veracity of what they are reading. Each paper focuses specifically on an area bound by postcodes as follows: Peninsula News Post Codes 2256 and 2257; Coast Community News Post Codes 2250, 2251, 2260; and Coast Community Chronicle Post Codes 2258, 2259, 2261, 2262 and 2263. Coast Community News is published weekly and its coverage takes in parts of Gosford West, Gosford East and Wyong Central Coast Council Wards. It also takes in parts of the State seats of Gosford, Terrigal and The Entrance, and parts of the Federal seats of Robertson and Dobell For all other information, please visit our website or call us on (02) 4325 7369 or call in and see us at Suite 1, Level 2, 86 Mann St, Gosford. Ross Barry, Publisher

Coast News would like to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a GO Healthy Rapid Release product pack. The world is changing faster than ever and natural health is no exception. Everyday people and healthcare practitioners are increasingly looking to what natural health has to offer and how it is evolving and improving and that is what the team at GO Healthy is all about. Their vast knowledge and drive to be at the cutting edge of natural health has translated into a comprehensive range of products covering general health to 10 focus areas for men, women and children. The GO Rapid Release product pack includes one bottle of GO Detox, GO Immune Support and GO Energy. The range is specially supplied in a rapid-release

DO YOU WANT TO SEND US A STORY? CCN welcomes contributions from all members of the community, including citizen reports, media releases and letters to the Editor. All contributions should be emailed to editorial@centralcoastnews.net CCN reserves the right to use, or not use, any material sent to us in our publications and to validate, amend, update, expand or reduce information at our sole discretion and in accordance with our editorial standards.

DO YOU WANT TO ADVERTISE? All requests for advertising should be directed to manager@centralcoastnews.net. Advertising rates are impacted by three key things: – the size of the advertisement, e.g. a half-page or a one-quarter page; the number of editions that the advertisement runs; and the number of newspapers (one, two or three) in which the advertisement is run. CCN offers significant discounts for advertisements that run over multiple editions and across multiple newspapers –

Letters to the Editor will generally be published in their original but possibly edited form, while other published material sent to us may vary from its original form. Material that is offensive, defamatory or overtly political will not be published. We may publish promotional information based on our assessment of the level of genuine news content, and any material used which is clearly advertorial in nature, will be marked as such.

Next Edition: Coast Community News 266

your full name, address and daytime telephone number on the back of an envelope and mail it to Coast Community News GO Healthy Competition, PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250, before 5pm on October 28. The winner of the Swann Competition was Gabe Penn of Ourimbah.

capsule shell which dissolves in five minutes, releasing a combination herbs, vitamins and minerals designed to support natural liver detoxification, energy product, energy levels and nervous system health and healthy immune system function. For your chance to win write

see www.coastcommunitynews.com.au/ aboutus/advertisingrates We also offer discounts for not-for-profit organisations and other community groups. Advertisers are invited to talk to us about becoming a DIGITAL PARTNER, which provides exclusive opportunities to promote your product, services or events on our digital platform as well. If you would like to be a DIGITAL PARTNER please call us on 0401 000 475 or email us at keeper@centralcoastnews.net

Deadline: October 28 Publication date: October 30

2250 - Bucketty, Calga, Central Mangrove, East Gosford, Erina, Erina Fair, Glenworth Valley, Gosford, Greengrove, Holgate, Kariong, Kulnura, Lisarow, Lower Mangrove, Mangrove Creek, Mangrove Mountain, Matcham, Mooney Mooney Creek, Mount White, Narara, Niagara Park, North Gosford, Peats Ridge, Point Clare, Point Frederick, Somersby, Springfield, Tascott, Ten Mile Hollow, Upper Mangrove, Wendoree Park, West Gosford, Wyoming 2251 - Avoca Beach, Bensville, Bouddi, Copacabana, Davistown, Green Point, Kincumber, MacMasters Beach, Picketts Valley, Saratoga, Yattalunga 2260 - Foresters Beach, Nortfh Avoca, Terrigal, Wamberal

Publisher: Ross Barry - CEO: Cec Bucello - Design & Production: Justin Stanley, Lucillia Eljuga Journalists: Terry Collins, Merilyn Vale, Dilon Luke, Jacinta Counihan, Haakon Barry, Hayley McMahon - Head of Distribution: Anthony Wagstaff ISSN 1839-9045 - Print Post Approved - PP100001843 - Printed by Spotpress Marrickville e ofh Voicnort COAST COMMUNITY the

e ofh Voicnort COAST COMMUNITY the 9 OCTOBER 2020

ISSUE 263

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

Council pushes financial alarm bell

14 OCTOBER 2020

News

ISSUE 210

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

Giant Snow Monkey seen bathing in the lake

The Australian Men’s Shed Association has supported the health and wellbeing of older men for over 20 years, an act of kindness local, Ross Murray, has received firsthand. See page 4

Out&About

See page 17

Business

CCN

Central Coast nurses and midwives protested the public sector wage freeze at Gosford Hospital on October 8

On October 1 the NSW Industrial Relations Commission awarded a 0.3 per cent pay increase for the sector, which includes health workers, teachers, fire fighters and police - well below the expected 2.5 per cent annual rise. NSWNMA Acting General

See page 17

their nurses and midwives accordingly while NSW would rather spend money on fireworks – it’s outrageous. “The NSW Government is one of the largest employers on the Central Coast and the region desperately needs support to overcome the economic impact from the pandemic. “By imposing this wage freeze, the Berejiklian Government is inflicting more harm on the local community and its efforts to recover.” Member for The Entrance David Mehan said the 0.3 per cent pay rise was “very disappointing”. Continued page 9

It was a busy long weekend across the Central Coast as tourists flocked in from Sydney and further afield. See page 19

Sport

The possibility that the owner of a former La Liga football club will take over the Central Coast Mariners has come one step closer, with talks reportedly reaching final stages with the FFA. See page 40

Puzzles page 22

Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Marathon six-hour Council meeting to deal with financial crisis

Following a marathon sixhour meeting about its financial crisis on Monday, October 12, Central Coast Council will now focus on its 100-Day Action Plan to financial recovery, seek State Government assistance and establish a Finance Committee.

All matters previously on the agenda were deferred to an extraordinary meeting on Monday, October 19, and instead, the Mayor introduced several Mayoral Minutes dealing with a confidential staff matter, establishment of a finance committee, and Council’s serious financial situation. (See separate articles) Mayor Lisa Matthews said councillors have requested that the Acting CEO, Jamie

Loader, write to the Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, seeking urgent assistance with several matters. “Council has been in daily contact with the Office of Local Government and we expect the arrival in the coming days of a financial expert and human resources adviser, as outlined by the Minister last week,” the Mayor said. Council is seeking advice on the process for obtaining approval to borrow from restricted funds, including the developer contributions under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, the developer servicing plan contributions under the Water Management Act, domestic waste management funds, and unrestricted cash within the water and sewer funds

comprising income from user and service charges. Assistance will also be sought to secure necessary external borrowing up to $100M from NSW Treasury Corporation, or any other emergency funding sources for the purposes of maintaining liquidity in Council, until such time as the actions within the draft 100-Day Recovery Action Plan are implemented. The Minister will be asked for confirmation on the timing, scope and terms of reference for the previously committed financial and human resources advisers. Council also resolved at its meeting that should the Minister for Local Government not be able to assist in securing borrowing through the Treasury Corporation, that Council authorise the CEO to present a

loan proposal for its consideration at a future Council meeting for the sum of up to $100M. “A forensic audit of Council’s finances will be undertaken and Council will continue to seek additional support and advice from the Office of Local Government during this period of transition,” the Mayor said. “Additionally, a Finance Committee will be established to oversee Council’s forensic internal audit and the 100-Day Action Plan to financial recovery. “This committee will comprise all councillors, the independent financial expert and human resources adviser appointed by the Office of Local Government, and an independent legal adviser,” the Mayor said. Council’s 100-Day Action

Plan will include identifying savings in the Capital Works and Operational Services programs, implementing Capital Works savings of $22.4M which have immediately been identified, and an immediate reduction in non-essential services. The Plan will remove financial delegations and enhanced financial controls, there will be a review of temporary and casual contractors, and overtime by staff will be highly restricted. Other actions will include identifying future revenue opportunities, investigation of loans and borrowing options and more aggressive debt repayment programs. Sue Murray See more page 6 to 10

Council seeks $100M loan ‘to maintain liquidity’

See page 6

A baby possum has been saved after surviving a hit and run in his mother’s pouch. "I'm committed to finding a solution and moving forward" - Mayor Lisa Matthews

The State Government will not bail Central Coast Council out of its financial hole and there will be no legislative exemptions, which effectively puts the kybosh on any attempt by Council to access restricted funds in addressing its cash crisis.

Among a range of decisions made in an emotion charged meeting on October 12, councillors resolved to look at borrowing $100M either from restricted funds or external sources to help mitigate liquidity problems. Permission to access restricted funds, which could

include developer contributions, domestic waste management funds and unrestricted cash within the water and sewer funds, would need to be obtained from the Local Government Minister. The meeting, which lasted for more than six hours saw councillors hone in on the

financial mess Council confessed to being in on October 6, with the deficit set to blow out to $89M. Mayor Lisa Matthews said acting CEO Jamie Loader would write to the Minister for Local Government seeking urgent assistance. “Council has been in daily

See page 19

contact with the Office of Local Government and we expect the arrival in the coming days of a financial expert and human resources adviser, as outlined by the Minister for Local Government last week,” Cr Matthews said.

Members of Australian Seabird Rescue were jumping for joy recently as they re-released two green turtles into the sea after they had been cared for on the Central Coast for some months.

Five new Premiers have been crowned following the climactic conclusion of the 2020 Central Coast Rugby Union Competition over the weekend ending October 11. See page 40 Members of Australian Seabird Rescue re-release the turtles into the sea

Central Coast co-ordinator, Cathy Gilmore, said because of the organisation’s name, many people didn’t realise it cared not just for birds, but also for marine reptiles, including turtles and sea snakes. The two turtles, Ella and Billie, had been in care for six and four months respectively.

“Ella had been rescued after an alert from divers in the Cabbage Tree Bay area and was found to have swallowed a balloon with a 2.5 metre long string,” Gilmore said. “It took her two days to excrete them and that was followed a few days later by the excretion of a plastic bag. “But she was still very ill. “She had septicemia and pneumonia and when our vet saw the x-rays he said if green turtles weren’t endangered he would have recommended she be euthenised. Continued page 24

Heritage ferry has its engine replaced A heritage ferry still in active service locally has had its engine replaced.

Continued page 5

Ella and Billie returned to the sea

See page 31

Business

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg met an enthusiastic reception when he popped in to check out progress on a Terrigal building site on October 13. See page 25

Sport

Five new CCRU Premiers have been crowned on a Grand Final day in which almost every match went down to the wire. See page 40

Puzzles page 22

Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

19 OCTOBER 2020

Central Coast Council has announced it “is in a serious financial situation and faces an immediate and serious liquidity issue”.

Out&About

Sport

Puzzles page 23

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWS

The rollout of the New Intercity Fleet on the Central Coast rail network became a little closer on October 9 with the delivery of the first train in the fleet...

Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association across the Central Coast expressed their anger at the State Government’s virtual wage freeze...

Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford & 3 Amy Close, Wyong - Phone: 4325 7369 - editorial@centralcoastnews.net - www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

EDITION 505

News

See page 5

Photo: Zee Merven

Secretary, Judith Kiejda, said members were shocked by the decision, having campaigned against the freeze for the past six months. Kiejda said the outcome was outrageous in light of the efforts of nurses and midwives during COVID-19, with some members forced to accept an increase of just 7 cents per hour, or $2.90 per week. “This is bitterly disappointing for NSW nurses and midwives who have sacrificed so much in one of the toughest years of their careers,” she said. “Other states including Victoria, South Australia and Queensland have agreed to pay

No bail out, No exemptions

Out&About

See page 19 for more

Unions, Labor lament wage freeze for public servants

ISSUE 264

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

The first new Intercity Fleet train has arrived at Kangy Angy Maintenance Facility and the new trains will be running by the end of the year.

Health

A Pete Rush driftwood and sea grass sculpture has appeared at Long Jetty.

Continued page 9

Central Coast members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) gathered outside Gosford Hospital on October 8 to express their anger at the State Government’s virtual wage freeze for public sector workers.

News

From hula hooping classes to penis making, if you’ve been to The Entrance Gallery at all this October, you’ll have noticed something’s a little different.

For artist Catherine O’Donnell, taking the major honour in the Gosford Art Prize, among “so many deserving and talented artists” was amazing.

The State Government will appoint an independent financial expert and a human resources adviser to look into Central Coast Council’s finances after the Council announced on October 6 that it was in serious trouble and faces “an immediate liquidity issue”.

COMMUNITY ACCESS 16 OCTOBER 2020

The Codock II, owned and operated by Central Coast Ferries, now has a “new” Gardner 5LW diesel engine. The old Gardner 5LW engine, which was installed in 1960, had to be removed after a major failure. The replacement engine was from the Snowy Mountain Scheme

and was built in 1950. The original manufacturer Gardner Marine now describes the engine as “rare”, but that it “can be supplied by us fully factory remanufactured”. The engine is described as having “single lever control and 2 U.C. 2:1 reversing and reduction gear”. “The 5LW develops 78 bhp at 1500 rpm and has a swept volume of 426 cu ins (7.0 litres).”

The Codock II was originally built for the Royal Australian Navy in 1943 with a 114bhp V8 Cadillac petrol engine. The vessel was acquired by Cockatoo Dockyard in 1947, where it was in daily service until the dockyard closed in 1991. Central Coast Ferries purchased it in 2006.

SOURCE: Social media, 12 Oct 2020 Central Coast Ferries

Peninsula has highest numbers of elderly The Peninsula has suburbs with the largest number of people aged 65 and over of any suburbs on the Coast, according to a report given to the Central Coast Council’s Social Inclusion Advisory Committee and tabled at the October 12 Council meeting.

The Peninsula contained the top two suburbs on the Central Coast with the greatest numbers of people in the age group. Council community planning manager Ms Kerrie Forrest told the

committee that 4065 people aged 65 and over lived in the UminaPearl Beach-Patonga statistical area. The Woy Woy-Blackwall statistical area had 3466 people aged 65 and over. The “suburbs” with the next highest populations were North Gosford-Wyoming (2973), Bateau Bay (2964) and Lake MunmorahChain Valley Bay (2700). She said that typically 28 per cent lived alone and 49 per cent lived in couple-only households. Around a quarter of them were

in low income households, earning under $650 a week. About a quarter were born overseas. And about a quarter had no internet connection. She said the council-proposed Positive Ageing Strategy would focus on social connections and participation, better information and technical skills, staying healthy and active, and providing age friendly facilities.

SOURCE: Central Coast Council agenda 4.3, 12 Oct 2020

It is looking to borrow up to $100 million to maintain liquidity in the short term, and for other help from the State Government. “Some expenditure over the past 12-18 months may have resulted in restricted funds being used contrary to the provisions of the Local Government Act 1993,” a media release issued by the council on October 6 stated. “This is still under investigation.” A deficit of $41 million reported in March is now expected to increase to $89 million. “Council chief executive Mr Gary Murphy has today advised the Office of Local Government NSW of the financial issues.” The media release stated: “These issues have recently come to light due to reviews commissioned by the chief executive officer and notwithstanding a previous audit and report that did not reveal the issues currently under investigation.” On October 8, the Council issued a further media release stating that discussions had been held with Minister for Local Government Ms Shelley Hancock and the Office of Local Government. It said the council had established a “100-Day Action Plan to Recovery”. The Office of Local Government has been asked to provide an independent adviser to review Council’s financial position and identify possible options as quickly as possible. It said a forensic audit would be undertaken of Council’s finances. Changes were made to “management spending delegations”. A Council working group was established to identify potential savings in capital works and operational services programs. While full-time staffing would not change, a review of contracted and temporary workforce was underway. Council staff were investigating whether appropriate financial controls and structures were in place for cashflow management. The media release said they were also looking at the costs of council amalgamation in mid-2016 (estimated at more than $100 million), the cost of a recent IPART (close to $100 million over three years) and cost-shifting from State Government to Council (estimated at $45 million or more per year). Following the October 12 council meeting, mayor Cr Lisa Matthews

said the Council had resolved to continue to focus on its 100-Day Action Plan to financial recovery, to seek further assistance from the State Government and to establish a Finance Committee. She said Mr Murphy was on leave. He did not attend the council meeting. Water and sewer director Mr Jamie Loader was acting chief executive officer. Cr Matthews said councillors had requested Mr Loader to write to the Minister for Local Government seeking urgent assistance. She said the council was seeking advice on the process for obtaining approval to borrow from restricted funds. It was looking to borrow up to $100 million for “maintaining liquidity in the Council until such time as the actions within the draft 100-day recovery action plan are implemented”. “A forensic audit of Council’s finances will be undertaken and Council will continue to seek additional support and advice from the Office of Local Government during this period of transition,” said Cr Matthews. “A Finance Committee comprised of all the councillors, the Office of Local Government appointed independent financial expert and human resources adviser, and an independent legal adviser will be established to oversee Council’s forensic internal audit and the 100-Day Action Plan to financial recovery.” Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Mr Adam Crouch, said the NSW Government would not “bail out” the Council. “The NSW Government will not bend the rules for a council that has fundamentally failed to do the job the community expects them to do.” Claiming that the situation arose from “financial mismanagement”, Mr Crouch said: “The councillors are Council’s governing body, and are responsible for these operational failings. “Mayor Cr Lisa Matthews needs to stand up and take responsibility for the problems she was elected to oversee. “She needs to show some leadership and work with her fellow councillors and tell the community what they are going to do about it.”

SOURCE: Media releases, 5, 8 and 13 Oct 2020 Central Coast Council Media release, 14 Oct 2020 Adam Crouch, Parliamentary Secretary Central Coast See pages 10-11 for more

THIS ISSUE contains 54 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

21 OCTOBER 2020

ISSUE 211

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

300 tonnes of pollutants will leach into Lake Macquarie

23 OCTOBER 2020

ISSUE 265

News

Debate over a motion to put an end to oil and gas exploration off the Central Coast has been adjourned and indications are that it may not even be put to a vote in Federal Parliament.

Members of Australian Seabird Rescue Central Coast (ASRCC) were jumping for joy recently, when they released two green turtles... See page 11

See page 3

Out&About

The Out of the Ashes II report by Hunter Community Environment Centre estimates that 302 tonnes of harmful heavy metal pollutants will leach into Lake Macquarie from the region’s two active coal-ash waste dumps between now and the planned retirement of the power stations.

Out&About

Retro replicas, captivating copies and scintillating shams were all on show when the 2020 Fab Fakes exhibition was unveiled...

Continued page 4 - 5

See page 18

Community group members protesting coal ash pollution

Health

To mark Mental Health Month, the local not-for-profit, Central Coast Primary Care, held its Mental Health Art Works exhibition. See page 18

Business

Continued page 5

State Government and Council at loggerheads The State Government has decided not to send in two experts at this stage to help Central Coast Council get to the bottom of its financial problems. Instead, the Chair of Council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) will lead the financial investigation. On October 6, Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, agreed to send the two experts, one an expert in finances and the other an expert in human resources. Parliamentary Secretary for Central Coast, Adam Crouch, issued his own media release on October 14, suggesting that the head of ARIC, Dr Col Gellatly, was the person who should take a look at Council’s finances. He also said that the State would not bail out the Council. Meanwhile, Council was still awaiting the two experts that the Minister had promised. By October 16, Mayor Lisa Matthews issued a media

"I'm committed to finding a solution and moving forward" - Mayor Lisa Matthews

statement saying that it appeared that the Minister and the NSW Government were abandoning the Central Coast community and not standing by commitments to appoint an independent financial expert and a human resources advisor to ascertain Council’s true financial position. “The Minister publicly stated in a media release on October

6 that these independent resources would be provided to support our local government organisation to help address these financial issues as quickly as possible,” the Mayor said. “Council accepted the Minister’s plan and looked forward to working with them on our action plan, however, to date, no support nor guidance

has been forthcoming. “I have again written to the Minister seeking clarity on the timing, scope and terms of reference for these previously committed financial and human resources advisors.” The Mayor finally received her reply, but it appeared first on the Facebook page of Parliamentary Secretary for Central Coast, Adam Crouch,

on October 19. The Facebook post was the letter addressed to the Mayor from Minister Hancock, which the Mayor didn’t receive until 2.38pm that day. In the letter, Minister Hancock said that as a consequence of additional advice she had received from the Office of Local Government, she was authorising the Deputy Secretary to write to the Chairperson of Council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee to provide the independent oversight she had determined was fundamental in guiding Council. “With the benefit of the Committee’s assessment and forensic audit outcomes, we will review the situation again and if the need for further independent financial and human resources expertise is recommended, then I will act to assist Council again at that time,” Minister Hancock said.

Greater Sydney Commission to lead Coast growth strategy A 46km run around Tuggerah Lakes isn’t the way that most people would choose to spend a Saturday. See page 31

Sport

The Killarney Vale Bombers suffered a double nixing in this year’s Black Diamond finals series, going down in both the Women’s Cup and Black Diamond Shield grand finals. See page 40

Continued page 8

Puzzles page 23

The Central Coast is set to be the focus of a first-of-its-kind Strategy to bring new businesses and jobs to the region. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Greater Sydney Commission (GSC), with its strong track record in delivering good local outcomes, would coordinate development and delivery of the Central Coast Strategy. “I have asked the GSC to bring together key stakeholders on the Central Coast to identify new opportunities for economic and employment growth in the region,” Berejiklian said. “The NSW Government is committed to providing more jobs on the Central Coast, a region which is expected to grow by 95,250 people between 2016 and 2041.

GSC Chief Commissioner Geoff Roberts, Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, and NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian

Fancy a Bubble O Bill cocktail to wash down that Flamin’ Hot Dorito Fried Chicken? See page 25

Sport

They won the inaugural Black Diamond Cup all the way back in 2000 and now 20 years on, the Terrigal-Avoca Panthers have done it again, making it back to back premierships. See page 40

Puzzles page 22

Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford & 3 Amy Close, Wyong - Phone: 4325 7369 - editorial@centralcoastnews.net - www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Office: Level 2.01/86-88 Mann Street Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

/centralcoastnewspapers

/CoastNewspapers

2020 OFFICIAL

NEWS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

PAGE 3

23 OCTOBER 2020

Is PEP11 dead? Debate over a motion to put an end to oil and gas exploration off the Central Coast has been adjourned and indications are that it may not even be put to a vote in Federal Parliament. After thousands of hours of volunteer work and petitions spearheaded by the community group, Save Our Coast, the motion to end the licence of PEP11 was tabled in the House of Representatives and later debated in the Federation Chamber on October 19. PEP11 is the permit granted for offshore exploration on a large stretch of the eastern seaboard from the Sydney Basin to Newcastle. The motion was put forward by two Liberal MPs, Member for Mackellar Jason Falinski and Member for Wentworth Dave Sharma, with the licence set to expire in February next year. “I am calling on the Government to oppose oil and gas drilling off the coast of Sydney, and specifically in the PEP11 zone,” Falinski said. “My community has spoken loud and clear, we do not want to see the renewing of the PEP11 licence.”

Coast Community News reporter Jacinta Counihan chats to Zali Steggall outside Parliament House and Member for Mackellar Jason Falinski

In an interview with Central Coast Newspapers, he said the motion was under consideration by a scientific committee with a decision to be made before February next year. “My hope is that we never have to pass this motion and that the Federal and State government will decide not to renew the licence, so the motion will lapse because it will be meaningless,” he said. “I’m not really hoping for a political outcome; I’m hoping for an actual outcome which is that the exploration stops. “This all started three years

ago when I was approached by Save Our Coast who explained to me how they were very concerned about PEP11. “When I started looking into it, there was some seismic testing done shortly thereafter, which produced no meaningful results. “It seemed unfair on all the communities from the Central Coast down to Wentworth and the eastern suburbs of Sydney, that this exploration was going on when there was no clear intention for anyone to do anything about it.” Founder of Save Our Coast, Dr

DESIGNER COMFORT 4324 3639

Natasha Deen, spearheaded a community campaign and a petition which has gained over 76,000 signatures in opposition to the licence. She spoke with ABC radio on October 19 and called on all MPs to support the motion to cancel PEP11. “As of today, it is a little disappointing that (Member for Robertson) Lucy Wicks has not supported her Liberal colleagues, but we are very hopeful that our MPs will listen to the community,” Deen said. Independent Member for Warringah Zali Steggall, who

has also supported the motion, said she was presented with the petition earlier in the year by Dr Deen. “Natasha and Save Our Coast have done an amazing job in mobilizing awareness to this issue,” Steggall said. “It’s been a long journey, but this is very important; we presented the petition to Parliament back in February to put a stop to this fracking and seismic testing. “This was an important first step because it actually led to the government announcing that seismic testing would be

cancelled, now we need the second step, which is to get rid of it altogether.” Member for Dobell, Emma McBride, also spoke to Falinksi’s motion and said she opposed offshore drilling and testing for petroleum off the Central Coast. “The prospects of oil spills or gas rigs off the coast just kilometres from the coastline is awful, and locals are acutely aware of this risk,” McBride said. “Last year, over two million people visited the Central Coast, and the tourism and hospitality industry are major industries for the region. “This motion won’t be voted on, this decision is to be made by Ministers Pitt (Federal) and Barilaro(NSW).” Other MPs who spoke to Falinski’s motion included Liberal MPs Trent Zimmerman and Dave Sharma and Karandrews MP Pat Conroy MP. Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, did not speak for the motion in the chamber and it is still not clear what her position is. Hayley McMahon and Jacinta Counihan

NOW LOCATED AT SHOP 4A “PRIME WEST” CENTRE, 356 MANNS RD WEST GOSFORD

! E G R N I A T E A V W O N RE OPPOSITE STOCKYARD PLACE

NORDIC STUDIO

R E B TO

C O IN

Brando Lift Chair Fabric from $1199

Jade Recliner - with lift option Fabric from $1199

Zeus Lift Fabric from $2290 185kg capacity!

Loki Recliner Leather from $999

AND WE HAVE LOTS OF STOCK TO CLEAR!1380 $ Save ALL FLOOR STOCK DRASTICALLY REDUCED!

30% to 50% off rrp! THIS SALE CANNOT BE REPEATED! Harbortown Lift Chair Fabric from $999

stor Lift Dual Motor Fabric from $1999

So please hurry to our shop for the

Devon Lift Fabric from $1399

Ascot Lift Fabric from $1099

BEST BARGAINS EVER

PAGE 4

23 OCTOBER 2020

NEWS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Is Lake Macquarie lost to heavy metals? There was bad news this week for the thousands of Central Coast residents who enjoy water activities on the beautiful Lake Macquarie at the north of the region. The Out of the Ashes II report by Hunter Community Environment Centre estimates that 302 tonnes of harmful heavy metal pollutants will leach into the lake from the region’s two active coal-ash waste dumps between now and the planned retirement of the power stations. The report, released on October 19, says the shores of Lake Macquarie are burdened with the largest quantity of coal-ash waste in Australia, with a combined 100 million tonnes from Vales Point and Eraring power stations. Environment Centre spokesperson, Jo Lynch, said the NSW Government had known about water pollution from coal-ash for at least seven years and the NSW Environment Protection Authority had been allowing high concentrations of harmful heavy metals to enter waterways. “Some heavy metals are

Damning coal ash statistics have come out of a report

carcinogenic and linked to species decline,” she said. “They can affect fish and bird populations through bioaccumulation and toxicological impacts, including deformities which reduce breeding success.” Dr Ian Wright, a water quality expert and Senior Lecturer at Western Sydney University said heavy metals are insidious and stubborn pollutants and high risk for species and human

health due to the tendency for bio-accumulation. Limits on the consumption of seafood from Lake Macquarie are already in place due to the bio-accumulation of selenium in fish, and a recent government study found that cadmium in mud crab has also reached unsafe concentrations. Results of the Environment Centre’s water sampling at drainage from the Vales Point ash dump into Lake Macquarie

at Mannering Bay identified water quality exceedences of species protection and recreational use limits for aluminium, arsenic, cobalt, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc. Water sampling of drainage from the Eraring ash dump into the lake identified water quality exceedences of species protection and recreational use limits for aluminium, boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc. ADVERTISEMENT

The report also revealed that the NSW Government had long been aware of coal-ash contamination, summarising evidence of extensive groundwater contamination at coal-ash sites published in formerly classified Environmental Site Assessments, completed for NSW Treasury prior to the privatisation of power stations between 2013 and 2015. “The NSW Government must act now to increase safe coal-

ash re-use and get this poison out of our waterways,” Lynch said. “The EPA must prioritise slowing the leachate of harmful pollutants into NSW waterways from these coal-ash waste dumps.” Findings of the Out of Ashes II report are drawn from public, government and industry data, as well as field investigations completed by Hunter Community Environment Centre. The full Out of the Ashes II report and key findings can be viewed at hcec.org.au/out-ofthe-ashes-ii An Inquiry was established in October 2019 for the NSW Public Works Committee to investigate and report on the costs of remediation of coalash repositories in NSW, including Vales Point and Eraring. Two public hearings have been held already, the latest at Lake Macquarie on October 6, and a report on the Committee’s findings from the Inquiry is expected by mid-year 2021. Sue Murray

CENTRAL COAST ROADS PACKAGE The Morrison Government is building the infrastructure our community needs with an additional $16.7 million towards the intersection between Ocean Beach Road and Rawson Road, Woy Woy. This brings the funding for the Central Coast Roads Package to $86.5 million. 8 projects have already been completed, with an additional 8 currently under construction. Infrastructure means jobs and stronger local communities. These road upgrades will help locals get home sooner and safer. For more information go to: www.lucywicksmp.com

LUCY WICKS MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR ROBERTSON

Authorised by Lucy Wicks MP, Liberal Party of Australia, Level 3, 69 Central Coast Hwy, West Gosford NSW 2250.

Level 3, 69 Central Coast Highway, West Gosford NSW 2250 02 4322 2400 lucy.wicks.mp@aph.gov.au lucywicksmp.com LucyWicksMP

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

NEWS

PAGE 5

23 OCTOBER 2020

Council claims State Government reneged on funding for Wamberal and North Entrance A squabble is brewing over who should pay for the emergency works put in place to address coastal erosion sustained during heavy storms in July at North Entrance and Wamberal. Central Coast Council says the State Government directed Council to do the work when the storms hit and flagged it would pay the costs. According to Council’s Environment and Planning Director, Scott Cox, Council has now been told the State Government will pay for 50 per cent of the work at Wamberal and for none of the work at North Entrance. Cr Louise Greenaway said the Council doesn’t need bailing out - it simply needs the State Government to pay up what it owes Council. Last week Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch, said the State Government wouldn’t “bail out” the council after it revealed

serious cash flow problems. The problems grew worse with further revelations this week it couldn’t pay staff. The State Government on Wednesday fast forwarded early grant payments to cover the wages bill and flagged suspending councillors. Cr Louise Greenaway said at Monday night’s extraordinary meeting - the first of three extraordinary meetings in a row to deal with the growing

crisis that rather than bailing out, the State Government simply needed to reimburse Council. The Mayor said the LEOCON (Local Emergency Operations Controller) had directed Council to do the work. Cr Jilly Pilon said she understood Council had raised concerns about not being paid for the emergency works and she understood that Terrigal MP Adam Crouch wrote to CEO

Gary Murphy in September saying that on July 17 the Minister for Local Government had committed to helping with funding. That letter said the Minister had told Council it would rapidly assess any funding requests. Director Cox said staff had put in two applications under the estuary and coastal grant program, the significant open coastal hazards grant funding, and the response had been that

no funding would be given for the North Entrance as part of that grant program and the Department would pay 50 per cent of the costs associated with Wamberal. “Staff then had to amend their application … and staff were going to work on other ways of perhaps writing to the Minister about outstanding costs that weren’t going to be paid through the grant process,” Cox said.

He said the North Entrance was knocked back because it wasn’t mentioned in the Gosford area Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). He said the CZMP (for the former Wyong area) was not certified. However, Cox said emergency works weren’t in the CZMP for Gosford area either. The CZMP for the former Gosford area identified the extent of emergency work would be beach nourishment and emergency works would be the private landowners’ responsibility. “But Wamberal was different: we were given direction from the LEOCON to do work and we were also directed by the LEOCON to do work at North Entrance,” Cox said. Meanwhile, since that meeting, a Council spokesperson said Council staff remain in discussions with the State Government to try to recover all costs. Merilyn Vale

Seven days From page 1 Central Coast Council has seven days to lodge a submission with the Office of Local Government on why it should not be suspended, following an announcement on October 21 by Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock that she intends to dismiss councillors and appoint an interim administrator. The move follows two weeks of extraordinary Council meetings and requests to the Minister for help, after Council announced on October 6 it was

facing a cash crisis and an $89M deficit. On October 20, Council reiterated its request to the Minister asking for approval to access restricted funds so it could pay more than 2,000 staff members. But the Minister responded by saying the Government would advance Council $6.2M to meet payroll expenses and overdue payments to suppliers, but that she would issue Council with a notice of intention to suspend it and appoint an interim administrator.

FREECALL - 1800 891 691 4324 7699

131-133 Donnison Street Gosford brazelmoorelawyers.com.au

As Council works on its submission appealing such a move, it will forge ahead with a forensic audit and its 100-Day Action Plan to financial recovery. In another shock move, Mayor Lisa Matthews publicly announced her loss of confidence in Council CEO Gary Murphy. She said councillors had been provided with inadequate information about the financial position of Council and discovered the full extent of the problem only when it was revealed that Council would

struggle to pay its own staff. “In light of the long-term problems that have been allowed to grow unchecked within the operational division of Council, the only course of action now available is to insist on a new CEO to manage the day to day operations,” Cr Matthews said. Cr Matthews acknowledged the commitment of $6.2M to cover immediate expenses but said she was disappointed with other statements made by the Minister. Council will have seven days from formal receipt of the

Minister’s intent to dismiss it to make a submission as to why it should not be suspended as required under the Local Government Act. The Minister must consider any submission before making a final decision. The United Services Union (USU) welcomed the announcement that the government would advance $6.2M to cover immediate commitments, including payroll, but USU General Secretary Graeme Kelly said it was outrageous that Council had issued a public threat to

not pay staff. “Refusing to pay the wages owed to staff is nothing short of reprehensible,” Mr Kelly said. “It is absolutely outrageous that Central Coast Council thought they could use this threat as some sort of bizarre bargaining chip.” Meanwhile, Coast politicians from both sides of the divide have weighed in with opinions on just how the Labordominated Council has racked up such a huge deficit in three years. Terry Collins

WILLS & ESTATES

Hi, I’m Geoff Brazel, your genuinely Local Challenging Wills Lawyer If you have been left out of a Will or you want to leave someone out of your Will, it’s important to seek advice from an experienced Wills & Estates Lawyer. You need to be informed of your choices and aware of the pitfalls and procedures in dealing with Challenging a Will and how you should best deal with challenges. I live and work right here on the Central Coast and I have been helping Central Coast residents just like you with challenging Wills since 1981. When it comes to making sure you receive what you are entitled to or that your assets end up where you want them, it’s important to get expert legal advice. Call me now for a confidential chat and prepared for your’s and your family’s future.

PAGE 6

23 OCTOBER 2020

NEWS

Councillors used a meeting on October 21 to offer what sounded like their farewell speeches. “It sounds like the last hurrah, doesn’t it,” Cr Doug Vincent said. It was the councillors’ third extraordinary meeting in three days and started at 1.40pm only minutes after the Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock flagged her intention to suspend the councillors and install an administrator. Councillors voted to continue their attempts to gain access to money through loans and overdrafts as agreed at the previous night’s meeting. They also talked about getting more legal advice. But it was their speeches that were the highlight of the meeting. Cr Jane Smith called on councillors to prepare their response to the Minister - they

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

‘Sounds like the last hurrah’ have seven days to show why they should not be suspended. “Clearly councillors are feeling hit by this news and I understand that, but I would like to focus on the motion and our commitment to our staff and the fact they are being paid tonight,” she said. “We should thank the Minister for bringing forward those two quarterly payments for that financial assistance grant. “Democracy is messy, takes a lot of time, goes off the rails but that should not be mistaken for the commitment and effort and decision making of council and staff in uncovering this issue and responding to it and putting forward a pathway out of this financial crisis. “That’s what we need to focus on, people should not be distracted by our messy democracy. “If you scratch the surface of State and Federal politics, you will see an equally messy

democracy.” Cr Smith said the councillors had a case to put to the Minister: they were addressing the issues, working with the consultants, working with the Audit RIsk and Improvement Committee. Cr Bruce McLachlan said there had been a deliberate attempt to pull the amalgamation apart and he didn’t blame the Minister for bringing in an administrator. He said he supported the amalgamation and that as a region, the Central Coast had to come out of the shadows of the Hunter or Northern Sydney. “That’s a problem, money goes to those areas and gets ticked off as money for the Central Coast,” he said. Cr Best said he didn’t think any councillor would survive any of this and thanked everyone who had supported him over 25 years. He said the Council was

looking for more than $300M and there were clearly issues in the Council that he would like to comment more openly on, but he couldn’t. “We have lost an extraordinary amount of money on behalf of the ratepayers,” he said. “It is so sad there have been other councillors like Pilon, MacLachlan, Gale who have constantly worked hard with myself to prosecute arguments about better fiscal management in the Council only to find, as Cr Marquart says, you put up a birthday card for Mother Teresa and this council would vote it down,” he said. He apologised to the community, saying the amalgamation should have brought benefits to them. Like all the councillors who spoke, Cr Vincent thanked the community for giving him the opportunity to represent them. He wanted it on the record that he had not voted for any

budget because he did not think any of them had been fair to the north of the area. “I’m out of words and we’re in the hands of the Minister for Local Government and I look forward to the outcome of any inquiry into the finances of the Central Coast Council,” he said. Cr Greenaway said there was no way she wanted to leave the Council in this less than satisfactory state. “If this does go downhill, I apologise for anything I had hoped to achieve but have not been able to achieve, I am still optimistic and do hope we meet again,’’ she said. Cr Jillian Hogan said that after listening to others for the last three years, she firstly wanted to thank the community for the privilege of representing it. “This is not the way that I wanted to go,” she said. “It has certainly been a hard three years of slog.

“I wanted to represent my community and bring honesty and integrity to the Council and I am gutted. “In relation to the integrity of the organisation, we as councillors are only as good as the information we have been given. “We have been given a lot of information that has compromised our positions both legally, ethically, morally and certainly financially.” She finished by urging the community to continue to fight for justice, to fight for truth. The councillors were set to meet again the next day to start compiling their case to the Minister as to why she should not suspend them to replace them with an administrator. Another council meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 26. Merilyn Vale

Blame game escalates as Minister prepares to dismiss Council Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock was scathing in her criticism of Central Coast Council as she announced her intention on October 21 to provide $6.2M to cover immediate expenses including payroll, suspend councillors and appoint an administrator. Hancock said given Council’s abject failure to address the consequences of its own financial mismanagement, the Government had no alternative but to arrange for funds to be paid to meet urgent expenses. “It’s hard to think of a more fundamental failing of a Council

than to pay its own staff,” she said. “The local community is sick of excuses from Council. “In the two weeks since Council’s financial dire straits came to light, all Council has done is write letters, issue media releases and set up a finance committee. “Council reached a new low last night by deciding once again to approach the Government for a bailout at the risk of council staff not being paid. “To use its own staff as bargaining chips is reprehensible from a governing body that has failed to address

its own financial failings. “There is no question that Council needs to be held responsible for these failures.” Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch welcomed the decision and said it was appalling that Council’s financial situation had deteriorated so far that the employment of more than 2,000 people was on the line. “Over the past few weeks, the Council has hidden behind the cloak of confidential meetings, rather than representing the community with openness and transparency,” Crouch said. “Unfortunately, the Council has not yet provided the NSW

Government with information that indicates its true financial position, but what is known is that the path to recovery will be long and difficult.” Liberal MLC Taylor Martin told Parliament on October 21 that Council had reached “a new low”. “In possibly the worst example of bastardry ever seen in Local Government in this state, the Council passed a motion that said that unless they gained permission to again use restricted funds, Council’s 2,157 staff may not be paid today,” Martin said. “The Central Coast deserves so much better than this.

“For the last three years, the Liberal Councillors and sensible independents have tried repeatedly to get more financial information, improve budget processes, implement accountability and cut wasteful spending.” But the Coast’s Labor MPs, Liesl Tesch (Gosford), David Mehan (The Entrance) and David Harris (Wyong), said that structural problems at the Council had been apparent for a long time and were a direct result of the failed amalgamation process. “The State Government cannot now walk away from its responsibility to support the Council it created,” they said in

a joint statement. “Labor’s Central Coast representatives remain prepared to work in good faith with the Minister for Local Government on a long-term plan to secure Central Coast Council’s future. “Additional financial support for Council will be required and, in this regard, Central Coast Labor MPs have called on the State Government to cover all costs associated with emergency erosion protection work carried out at Wamberal and North Entrance in July 2020.” Terry Collins

The public has a right to know how this happened The Gosford Erina Business Chamber (GEBC) has welcomed the Minister’s announcement of plans to appoint an Administrator to Central Coast Council. “Where an administrator is appointed, the Council may be suspended for an initial three month period during which time, it is the Chamber’s understanding, a public inquiry will be commenced into the events and matters of the Council,” GEBC President, Rod Dever, said

CCN

“The public is calling for action and their outcry over this matter is completely justified. “Management failure of this magnitude should rightfully be investigated, and the Chamber is 100 per cent supportive of the Minister’s intervention. Dever said the Mayor’s comments point responsibility to CEO Gary Murphy but the matter “appears to be bigger than one person”. “The councillors should make it their business to be up to date on the financial position of the

Council,” he said. He said even small not for profit group Boards meet monthly and are required to supply the financial reports of their organisation for review and scrutiny. “Why would a multi-million dollar operation be exempt from this open and transparent process?” he said. Meanwhile, a former Council Director has described the situation as “gut wrenching”. Gary Chestnut, who spent 25 years with Gosford Council as

a manager and director, holding the positions of town planner, environment officer, head of the Council’s environment department, which he built from scratch, and development manager, said on ABC radio on October 21 he was “dumbfounded” by the Council’s financial predicament. “There were always checks and balances in place when I was with Council,” Chestnut said. “Every month there was an

audit on every transaction I was responsible for. “Sometimes projects go over budget and sometimes they go under. “But when a project goes over, other projects have to be halted. “There was a quarterly audit to make sure the books balanced “I have no idea what has gone on since amalgamation “When I held a corporate credit card, I had to present a receipt for every transaction

and if there was no receipt for a transaction, I was personally responsible. “Councillors in my day very much had their finger on the pulse; they were very much involved, and any budget allocation was ticked off by them. “From speaking to the present councillors, it seems they are being excluded or pushed to one side on financial decisions. “Governance is all about checking the balance.”

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT HERE

Terry Collins

CALL 02 4325 7369 OR SEE WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

How things unfolded OCTOBER 6: Central Coast Council advises the Office of Local Government (OLG) that it is in a serious financial situation and faces “an immediate and serious liquidity issue” with an expected deficit of $89M. Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock responds she has instructed the OLG to appoint an independent financial expert and a human resources adviser to ascertain Council’s true financial position and identify options to address the issues as quickly as possible. OCTOBER 8: Council reports CEO, Gary Murphy, and senior executives have been undertaking meetings and conferences with key stakeholders, including the Minister, on a range of measures to include a 100-Day Action Plan to Recovery and a forensic audit of Council’s finances. OCTOBER 12: Council announces it will focus on its 100-Day Action Plan to financial recovery, seek State Government assistance and establish a Finance Committee. An attempted vote of no confidence in CEO Gary Murphy fails to get the numbers. OCTOBER 16: Council seeks urgent answers from the Minister on its request for assistance with the financial situation and accuses the Government of abandoning the Coast by not appointing the two promised experts. OCTOBER 19: Minister advises Council that she will await an assessment by Council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee and the results of a forensic audit before deciding if the provision of finance and HR experts is warranted. OCTOBER 20: Council announces it will once again request Ministerial approval to access restricted funds so it can pay more than 2000 Staff members OCTOBER 21: Minister Hancock announces the State Government will provide $6.2M to meet payroll expenses and overdue payments to suppliers. She says she will issue Council with a notice of intention to suspend it and appoint an interim administrator.

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

NEWS

PAGE 7

23 OCTOBER 2020

How does a council suspension work? Notice of intention to issue a suspension order will be given and the council will be given no less than 14 days to respond (in urgent circumstances, the response time will be 7 days). The Notice of Intention should be tabled at an open council meeting and the council should provide its response to the notice of intention by resolution. The Minister or Chief Executive is required to consider the council’s submission when making a decision. If a suspension order is to be made it will be published in the Gazette and an interim administrator will be appointed. The interim administrator will be asked to table the suspension order at an open meeting and publish the order on the council’s website. During the suspension period, councillors are suspended from office and as such are not entitled to exercise the functions of civic office or receive any fee or other remuneration. The Division of Local Government will monitor the implementation of suspension orders. The interim administrator will complete a compliance report on the implementation of any performance improvement order, if one is issued, and/or progress report on the suspension period, if one is required. Interim administrators are required to prepare a final written report no less than 14 days before the end of a suspension period. Each councillor and the general manager will be advised by the Minister when the suspension period has ended.

Mayor says Councillors did not know extent of cash flow crisis Central Coast Mayor Lisa Matthews has formally acknowledged the State Government’s $6.2M emergency bail-out but said she was “disappointed” at Minister Hancock’s intention to dismiss Council and appoint an administrator. “Despite repeated requests for meetings to discuss

Council’s financial situation, I have had no response from the Minister,” Cr Matthews said. “Our 100 Day Recovery Action Plan has the unanimous endorsement of Council and has been shared with the Office of Local Government. “I can assure the Minister that we are addressing our financial issues.” The Council resolved in the

Extraordinary Meeting on October 21 that the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and interested councillors would meet with Acting CEO Jamie Loader and independent legal representation to begin preparing a response to the Minister, in relation to her Minister’s notice of intention to issue a suspension order. The Mayor had earlier that day taken the extraordinary

step of publicly announcing her loss of confidence in CEO Gary Murphy in the wake of revelations about long term, structural problems with the Council’s finances. According to the Mayor, the full extent of the pending cash flow crisis was only revealed to Councillors this week. “Councillors and the Mayor have been provided with

inadequate information about the financial position of Council and discovered the full extent of the problem only last night when it was revealed that Council would struggle to pay its own staff,” she said. “In light of the long-term problems that have been allowed to grow unchecked within the operational division of Council, the only course of action now available is to insist

on a new CEO to manage the day to day operations, “It is unforgivable for Council staff to be left in a position where they might not be paid, and it is unacceptable that the elected councillors and I were not given information about the precariousness of Council’s finances until yesterday.” Terry Collins

Council’s first cuts – Landcare workers Around 30 Landcare workers, who supervise volunteers for a handful of hours each month and receive less than $30 an hour, are the first casualties of Central Coast Council’s moves to cut costs in the wake of its huge financial deficit blow out. One confirmed Council contract position is also set to go in a move of which it seems councillors were unaware. All Landcare and Bushcare volunteers received news of the cuts in an email from Council’s Landcare team leader on October 14. The letter said Council was responding to a budget deficit and needed to focus on cost reduction across a number of

Volunteer John Salmon

areas. “This includes a review of our contingent and fixed term contract employees,” it said. “Unfortunately, as an outcome of this process, we will lose one of our team members who was working on term contract as of October 27, all of our group supervisors are finishing with us immediately, and our staff

will be very limited in their ability to work on weekends (when many of our volunteer groups work). “We understand that the group supervisors are very well respected and have developed strong bonds and friendships with you, the volunteers, through your shared experiences working together. “For those groups who will no longer have a supervisor your Council Officer will be in touch soon to work through options and to support and encourage you to continue to volunteer without a supervisor. “We are still reviewing our programs budget and expect that there will be additional impacts in other areas including the supply of tools and

materials and our ability to engage bush regeneration contractors to carry out works to assist our volunteer groups on their sites. The email finished with a plea to all convenors to try to make every volunteer in their group aware of the message. John Salmon, founder of the Bateau Bay Bush Care Group which started in 1984, is still an environmental volunteer and said people should look at history. “When cost cutting measures start, the environment is always the first to suffer,” he said. Councillor Kyle MacGregor said the move seemed “ludicrous”. “You don’t dig yourself out of a hole through going after the

little guy,” he said. “Savings measures and reductions should not be targeted at the elderly or those on a measly $90 a month. “Landcare and Dunecare work ends up with long term savings for Council and this is not the kind of measure that I would support if I was even consulted about it before it happened. “The community would be disappointed to know this decision was made before councillors were even made aware of it and are now surely anxious about what further decisions will be taken without our, or their, consent.” Councillor Louise Greenaway said she placed enormous value on the services provided

by Landcare. “We are all indebted to the supervisors and volunteers for the work they do in restoring and maintaining our natural environment which is one of the Central Coast’s greatest assets,” she said. “Landcare activities are also great for connecting community members to each other and have demonstrated benefits for wellbeing. “We are living in particularly stressful times, with fires, flood and now COVID and its related issues of illness, job losses, business closures and astronomical national debt. “I would like to see Landcare continue, so that everyone can enjoy the benefits it provides.” Merilyn Vale

PAGE 8

23 OCTOBER 2020

NEWS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

More calls to reopen Kincumber Tip With a report on the future of the Kincumber Waste Management Facility set to come back to councillors before the end of the year, another Central Coast business owner has made a plea for the landfill to be reopened. Elaine Rae of ACE Clear Out Services said her business helps clients to clear out the contents of their properties ready for sale. These can include deceased estates or simply families wanting to downsize, she said. “We utilise the landfills with every job we do and endeavour to save clients on fees wherever

Elaine Rae of ACE Clear Out Services

possible,” Rae said. “There are three large retirement villages in Kincumber and Davistown alone that we clear out on a regular basis. “To have to travel to Woy Woy landfill each time can add many extra hours to the job in travel time, when Kincumber landfill is a few minutes away and sitting there empty.” Rae said she had worked in the gatehouse at both landfill sites for seven years before starting her business five years ago. “Both places were very busy,” she said. “To have only one place open would be a nightmare for the

operators, and the staff in the landfill area who have to keep the areas safe whilst rubbish is being dumped all day. “It is a disaster waiting to happen. “Buttonderry landfill is run much differently to Woy Woy landfill with trucks tipping directly into a separate area well away from residential cars. “To say that Wyong residents have only one tip, why can’t Gosford; (Buttonderry) is obviously a much larger landfill with easier tipping facilities. “Councillors really should reconsider their thoughts on closing Kincumber landfill for the benefit of (the) Gosford

region. The Kincumber facility was closed in March in response to COVID-19 restrictions and underwent a maintenance program. It has remained closed ever since with councillors soon to decide its fate, which could include permanent closure. Several residents and businesses have voiced their support of reopening the tip, with many advocating the inclusion of a used goods recycling centre, similar to the Junkastic Park operation which operated on the site for some years in the 1990s. Terry Collins

Nominations called for PM’s Veteran Employment Awards Central Coast organisations which employ and support members of the veteran community, or veterans making a significant contribution to their workplace, are being encouraged to nominate for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Awards.

an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate veterans and the organisations which employ them and their families. “Our region is home to many veterans who are now selfemployed or employed by local organisations and help our community thrive,” Wicks said. “Business is at the heart of our community, and this is one-way organisations can be recognised as industry leaders in employing and supporting the veteran

community. “I encourage individuals and organisations or all sizes to nominate for the 2021 Awards.” Wicks said more than 5,500 people leave the Australian Defence Force (ADF) every year, and the Government’s aim is to ensure each person can transition into civilian life effectively and find meaningful employment. “Members of the ADF gain an extensive range of skills, abilities,

behaviors and attributes that business, and the awards are an make them valuable additions to important part of showcasing to the civilian workplace,” she said. the Australian community how “We live in challenging times veterans’ skills and experiences and Australian businesses are can add value to the civilian doing it tough, but in the face of workforce. this adversity I have been so “This is also an opportunity to pleased to hear stories from sign the Veterans’ Employment ADVERTISEMENT organisations who are adapting Commitment – a public and thinking innovatively, and declaration that an organisation embracing the skills and is committed to supporting experience of veterans to veterans’ employment.” succeed. ADVERTISEMENT The awards are part of the “Hiring a veteran is good for broader Prime Minister’s

Veterans’ Employment Program, which is aimed at supporting veterans’ employment and building an understanding in the greater community of the valuable skills ADF personnel possess. Nominations close on November 20 in a range of categories.

Emma McBride MP MEMBER FO m u Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks said the awards are

Source: Media release, Oct 19 Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks

Emma McBride MP MEMBER FOR DOBELL

for our comm Emma Caring McBride MP MEMBER FOR DOBELL ADVERTISEMENT

thr ough

Caring for our community DO YOU HELP WITH A Caring for ourNEED community

Emma loves the Coast. A true local, Emma’s family has been on the Coast for generations - and she went throug school in Wyong and Tuggerah. up

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MATTER?

loves the Coast. A true local, Emma’s family has been on the Coast for generations - and she went through The CoastEmma is her home and she’s working hard to make our community an even better place to live. school in Wyong and Tuggerah.

Emma loves the Coast. A true local, Emma’s family has been on the Coast for generations - and she went through Emma spent 20 years working in health, 10 years as a Pharmacist at Wyong Hospital. school in Wyong and Tuggerah. The Coast is her home and she’s working hard to make our community an even better place to live.

She moved her way up

from a clinical post to deputy director of pharmacy.

The Coast is her home and she’s working community anyears evenasbetter place at toWyong live. Hospital. She moved her way up nd Emmahard spentto20make years our working in health, 10 a Pharmacist

• Defence & She fought to save Wyong Hospital from privatisation and will stand up for pensioners, working families and Emma works tirelessly foredicare the Coast. • M Veterans young people. Emma works tirelessly for the Coast. Emma understands families• are N doing it tough and will do her best toAffairs care for our community by: DIS ships •Protecting Centrelink • Education &funding Medicare and strengthening Guaranteeing TAFE our hospitals and creating new apprenticeships •Restoring NBNpenalty rates and easing Training Investing in cheaper, on family budgets cleaner renewable energy •pressure Taxation • Congratulatory local schools with $43.7 •Strengthening C hild Support messages million more funding

Emma works tirelessly the Coast. • Cfor OVID-19

from 10 a clinical deputy director of pharmacy. Emma spent 20 years working in health, yearspost as atoPharmacist at Wyong Hospital. She moved her way up from a clinical post to deputy director of pharmacy.

She fought to save Wyong Hospital from privatisation and will stand up for pensioners, working families and She fought to save Wyong Hospital from and will stand up for pensioners, working families and youngprivatisation people. young people.

Emma understands families are doing it tough and will do her best to care for our community by:

Protecting Medicare and strengthening

Protecting Medicare and strengthening our hospitals our hospitals

Guaranteeing TAFE funding

Guaranteeing TAFE funding and creating new apprenticeships and creating new apprenticeships

Restoring penaltyInvesting rates and easing Investing in cheaper, Restoring penalty rates and easing in cheaper, pressure on family budgets cleaner renewable energy pressure on family budgets cleaner renewable energy Strengthening local schools with $43.7 Strengthening local schools with $43.7 million more funding million more funding

Mail: PO Box 3763 Tuggerah NSW 2259 Mail: PO 3763 Tuggerah Mail: PO BoxBox 3763 Tuggerah NSW 2259 NSW 2259 02 4353 0127 @ emma.mcbride.mp@aph.gov.au @ emma.mcbride.mp@aph.gov.au @ emma.mcbride.mp@aph.gov.au 01270127 ✆ 02 024353 4353 www.facebook.com/mcbrideemma

www.facebook.com/mcbrideemma www.facebook.com/mcbrideemma

Authorised by Emma McBride, MP, ALP, Suite 204, 1 Bryant Drive, Tuggerah NSW 2259.

Authorised by Emma McBride, ALP, 204/1 Bryant Drive, Tuggerah NSW 2259

Authorised by Emma McBride, MP, ALP, Suite 204, 1 Bryant Drive, Tuggerah NSW 2259.

Authorised by Emma McBride, MP, ALP, Suite 204, 1 Bryant Drive, Tuggerah NSW

NSW

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

PAGE 9 PAGE 9 23 OCTOBER 2020 23 OCTOBER 2020

NEWS DUCTED PACKAGES FULLY INSTALLED ALL WITH 5 YEARS PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY SHARE

NO DEPOSIT

DUCTED PACKAGE 1

MONTHS INTEREST FREE#

Conditions apply. See store or website for details. Minimum purchase $1600.00

DUCTED PACKAGE 2 12.5kW COOLING & 14kW HEATING INVERTER NEW • 6 OUTLETS MODE WITH 2 ZONES L

12.5kW COOLING & 14kW HEATING INVERTER NEW • 6 OUTLETS MODE WITH 2 ZONES L

6495

6995

DUCTED PACKAGE 5

DUCTED PACKAGE 6

14kW COOLING & 16kW HEATING INVERTER • 8 OUTLETS WITH 2 ZONES

20kW 3 PHASE • 10 OUTLETS WITH 3 ZONES

8795

* AFTER $500 CASH BACK

INC GST

LY FUL LLED TA INS

3HP INVERTER REVERSE CYCLE SPLIT SYSTEM 7.1kW Cooling, 8.0kW Heating

LY FUL LLED A T INS

3HP INVERTER REVERSE CYCLE SPLIT SYSTEM 7.1kW Cooling, 8.0kW Heating

LY FUL LLED TA INS

10995

*VIA REDEMPTION

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

DUCTED PACKAGE 3

DUCTED PACKAGE 4

12.5kW DUCTED SYSTEM BONUS BAC WITH 14kW HEATING E CO T K LIT OU WA C H • 6 OUTLETS CO NT LL ROL WITH 2 ZONES

14kW COOLING & 16kW BONUS BAC HEATING INVERTER E CO T K LIT OU WA C H • 8 OUTLETS CO NT LL ROL WITH 2 ZONES

7995

* AFTER $250

INC GST

CASH BACK *VIA REDEMPTION

LY FUL LLED A T INS

3HP INVERTER REVERSE CYCLE SPLIT SYSTEM 7.1kW COOLING, 8kW HEATING

8995

* AFTER $250 CASH BACK

INC GST

*VIA REDEMPTION

5 YEARS

PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY!

UP TO 17 METRE REACH

2295

LY FUL LLED A T 5 YEARS 3HP INVERTER REVERSE I N S PARTS & LABOUR CYCLE SPLIT SYSTEM WARRANTY! 7.1kW COOLING, 8kW HEATING

DAIKIN

2695

5 YEARS

PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY!

LY FUL LLED A T INS

1HP

2495

5 YEARS

1HP

PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY!

2295

5 YEARS

PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY!

MULTIHEAD PACKAGE • 1 Outdoor and 2 Indoor Units • Ideal for 2 Bedrooms • Individual Control for Every Room

LY FUL LLED TA INS

5 YEARS

PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY!

5 YEARS

PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY!

3295

LY FUL LLED TA INS

5 YEARS

PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY!

1.5HP INVERTER REVERSE CYCLE SPLIT SYSTEM 3.5kW Cooling, 4kW Heating

1695

1HP INVERTER REVERSE CYCLE SPLIT SYSTEM 2.5kW Cooling, 3.0kW Heating

1349

2HP REVERSE CYCLE 5.1kW Cooling, 5.1kW Heating

1495

2/8 Kerta Rd, Kincumber, NSW 2251

www.globalrez.com.au WE SELL ALL THE MAJOR BRANDS. COMMERCIAL QUOTES ARE WELCOMED.

INC GST

AFTER $250 CASH BACK *VIA REDEMPTION

3/11 Accolade Ave, Morisset, NSW 2264 ph: 9371 1611 ph: 1300 781 855 Email: sales@globalrez.com.au

* Terms and Conditions apply. All prices are based on Single Story Homes and Back to Back installation on split systems or extra charges apply. Finance is subject to approval check with store for conditions and charges. Ducted Air conditioning pricing is based on single storey homes only or extra charges apply. Licence number 215189c.

INC GST

PAGE 10 23 OCTOBER 2020

NEWS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

A gift card doesn’t cut it for locals who lost thousands on cancelled travel Michelle Densem of Shelly Beach is one of many Central Coast residents disappointed to have received a gift card from a travel company due to a trip cancellation because of COVID-19 in lieu of a cash refund. Last December, Densem booked a 14-day Canadian and Alaskan trip with Princess Cruises through Webjet Exclusives, departing on May 27, 2020, and costing her $7,998. In April, she was sent an email stating that, due to COVID, all travelling had ceased, and customers would be receiving a gift card valid for 12 months. She then cancelled her travel insurance. “I said to them that my preferred option would be to have my money back instead so I could decide what I wanted

to do with it in the future,” she said. “When I called the contact centre in the Philippines, they said I could only contact them via email because Webjet Exclusives’ numbers are no longer available to be given to the public.” Webjet Exclusives terms and conditions do state that they don’t offer refunds, but Densem said she would have thought this time would have been an exception. Webjet Exclusives did not fulfil her request for information on flight numbers, times, accommodation, or references numbers. “I asked for all those details so I could email Princess Cruises and Air Canada and ask what the fees were and look at their Terms and Conditions,” she said. “Webjet Exclusives told me they don’t have to provide that

Michelle Densem from Shelly Beach

information. “My biggest thing is they did not give me a choice in what I wanted.” Consumer Advocate, Adam Glezer, experienced a similar problem with Flight Centre at

the beginning of the pandemic and has spent months advocating for other Australians who are yet to receive refunds. His three Facebook Groups have over 15,000 members who have also gone through similar issues.

His new group, Travel Industry Issues – The Need for Change for Australians, has been set up for both people seeking a refund and those wanting to see a legislative change in the Industry. He is encouraging anyone that fits into either category to join the group. “We are working on proposed legislation for the federal government which will put protections in place for consumers in the travel space,” Glezer said. Densem came across Adam Glezer’s Facebook group over a month ago and has sought advice from him and others in the group. “I was getting so frustrated because I was not getting anywhere, so I reached out to see if people had experienced the same thing and what their comments were,” Densem said.

“All of the information he has provided has made me feel a bit better that I was not the only person out there who had lost money.” She is still trying contacting Webjet Exclusives however she said besides that she does not know what else to do. “Yes, they have offered an E-card but who knows what is going to happen, you can’t just jump on a holiday next week if the borders open, other things have to come into play,” she said. “It could be more than two years until the cruise industry is back into action – do we feel comfortable taking that option?” Central Coast Newspapers reached out to Webjet Exclusives, but the company declined to comment. Jacinta Counihan

Funds raised for Kincumber family devastated by house fire A Kincumber family devastated by a fire which destroyed their home and claimed the life of their 13-year-old daughter Abby in February has issued a heartfelt thank you to community members who have rallied around them. Rachel Reardon said an appeal organised by the Rotary Club of Kincumber had raised $15,000 for the family, which was then matched dollar for dollar by philanthropist Dick Smith through the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) Compassionate Grant. Reardon, her husband David and two of their children managed to escape the fire which engulfed their home on

February 19. Abby Hodge, unable to find her way out of the house, was rescued by firefighters but tragically died on the way to hospital. “It’s been an extremely horrible year for us,” Reardon said. “Our son William, 15 and our other daughter, Katrina, who is eight, were extremely traumatised; Katrina is still in counselling. “People were so generous in donating and it meant so much to us, as we had no insurance. “It is impossible to thank everyone individually, so we would just like to express our extreme thanks to all.

“We will be eternally grateful to the people of the Central Coast. The Community response was exceptional.” Reardon said the family was living at Springfield but hopes to move back to Kincumber soon. “Katrina still goes to Kincumber Public School and we want to be back in that area,” she said. Sandy Hunt-Sharman of the Rotary Club of Kincumber was instrumental in setting up the fundraiser. “This family was left with nothing; when they ran out of the house they were left with what they were wearing – and that was it,” she said. “They were put into temporary accommodation while Housing NSW could find alternate

accommodation for them. “We were very pleased to be able to raise as much money as we did. “We were able to settle some debts on the family’s behalf and fully furnish their new home. “Kincumber High School, which Abby attended, has been extremely supportive. “Principal Brent Walker and the school family has been marvellous. “The students were asked to write down their fondest memories of Abby and these now feature on a memorial wall at the school.” Terry Collins A memorial table set up for Abby by her mother, Rachel Reardon

• Motor Vehicle Accidents • Workers Compensation • Personal Injury and work related claims • Total Permanent Disability Claims • Life Insurance - Death Benefit • Public Liability claims

We have a dedicated team of lawyers with over 50 yrs combined experience 25 Alison Road WYONG 4353 1248

98 Mann Street GOSFORD 4322 6666

NO WIN... NO FEE* *Conditions apply

YOUR INSURANCE SPECIALISTS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

PAGE 11 23 OCTOBER 2020

Coast Connect Central Coast Council’s weekly news and community information

FROM THE MAYOR

PROTECTING OUR DRINKING WATER

Your Voice Our Coast is an online hub available to you to provide input and direction into current projects and future initiatives. Whether it be playgrounds, parks or major infrastructure this is the space to share your thoughts, ideas and opinions.

Did you know we have the third largest urban water supply system in NSW, supplying water to more than 342,000 people and 135,000 homes and businesses?

The platform exhibits projects enabling you to comment. At the end of the exhibition period, these submissions are collected and play an important role in the review process. Currently on exhibition: • Draft Consolidated Environment & Planning Policies - Closes 29 October 2020 • Temporary Licensing of a Trade or Business on Open Space Areas Policy • Events on Open Space Areas Policy • Tree Vandalism Management Policy • Keeping of Animals Policy • Smoke-free Outdoor Public Places Policy • Draft Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy - Closes 23 October 2020 • Draft Skatepark Action Plan 2020-2030 Closes 29 October • Lease of community land at various locations - Closes 12 November 2020 • Revised Community Participation Plan Closes 12 November 2020 Help shape your community, your region, your future through having your say. Mayor Lisa Matthews Central Coast Council

COUNCIL MEETING

To find out when the next Council meeting is and to view it online go to centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/ meetings

National Water Week: celebrating and saving H20

This week is National Water Week and while our water reserves have increased since the drought period, it’s important we all keep water conservation top-of-mind and adopt a long-term approach to water security as dry conditions will inevitably return. Our Love Water website is the central hub for celebrating our Coast’s passion for water conservation. Packed with fun activities and tools, it has something for everyone when it comes to learning about our water supply and how we can all use water efficiently. Highlights include: • Working with Water game – a Sim-city style adventure where you’ll battle floods, fire, drought and equipment failure in your bid to supply the Central Coast with drinking water • Kids’ water fun – online water stories, animations and videos • The Plant Finder – a gardener’s guide to drought tolerant plants for green gardens in dry times • Blue House tour to help you water throughout your house • Water calculator to estimate personal household use • Water audit program to help small businesses save money • An interactive virtual tour of one of our dams and treatment plants. To access all the resources and activities, visit centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/lovewater

Is that rainwater in your tank?

Whether you use it to flush your toilet or water the garden, rainwater stored in a backyard tank is a great way to slash your water bills. Unfortunately, a lack of servicing means many tanks are not capturing as much water as they can or may even be filling up from the urban water supply! Check our must-have guide for every resident who wants to ensure their backyard tank is doing its job. The handy guide can be downloaded from our Love Water website and provides illustrated step-by-step information about how to give your tank a service to ensure it’s capturing and keeping high quality rainwater. Download it at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/tanks

Water pipeline nears completion

The construction of the Mardi to Warnervale Pipeline achieved a major landmark this month with the ‘pulling’ of the pipe under environmentally sensitive wetlands at Watanobbi. The 9km pipeline is a major project and is essential to servicing our growing northern areas. Using high-tech horizontal directional drilling to avoid disturbing the wetlands, the achievement means work on the project is now 80 per cent completed. Work is well underway on relaying topsoil and reinstating vegetation in the construction corridor between Mardi and Watanobbi. In coming weeks, pipe laying and vegetation reinstatement work will continue around the Warnervale area, while work continues on the Warnervale Valve House where the pipeline will terminate. Register to stay updated on this project, search ‘Mardi’ at yourvoiceourcoast.com

Council’s financial situation

Council is finalising a 100-day plan for recovery that will review all aspects of Council’s operations. For up-to-date information search ‘news’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

Council Offices 2 Hely St Wyong / 49 Mann St Gosford | 8.30am - 5pm, Monday to Friday | P 1300 463 954 NEXT ISSUE Don’t miss the next issue. Sign up for our e-news at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/enews

PAGE 12 23 OCTOBER 2020 FORUM

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Council accounting anomalies I refer to an article in the Community Coast News on August 21 titled “Council act on Auditor General Recommendations”, which includes an overview of how Central Coast Council manages contributions monies paid by developers. (It included) disclosures, in the words of the NSW Auditor General, that: “Central Coast Council and the former Gosford City Council had spent $13.2M on administration costs in breach of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979”. The Auditor’s report notes that

FORUM this is the amount that was incorrectly used between 2001 and 2019 (three years after 2016 amalgamation). While $13.2M may have been that actual amount misappropriated, the real cost to the contributions plans and Council is probably in the order of $20M by the time you factor in cumulative interest that was not earned over that period from these funds. This is an incredible breach of trust by no doubt a range of senior

managers both past and present. To put this in perspective (leaving aside the loss of interest issue), this represents on average $0.5M per year, which broadly equates to 4 or 5 positions. To my knowledge there were never more than two contributions positions in the Gosford Council. And while in some instances, other staff time is needed to review and upgrade contribution plans, the sad fact is that there have been no reviews or amendments to any of the 40 odd Gosford Plans for at least 25 years. So, the commentary in the

Auditor’s Report indicating that 47 contributions of the 50 Central Coast Council contribution plans are more than 5 years old really understated the deplorable management of the Gosford Contributions plans. How on earth could past and present managers justify this misappropriation of funds? Did anyone raise this as an issue along the way? What were the auditors doing? How much went toward the salaries of overpaid managers? The sad fact is that it is permissible for contributions plans to levy a charge for the

administration of contribution plans and indeed most of the Wyong Contribution Plans have such a component. So, if there had been anyone on the ball for the last 20 years, the Gosford Plans could have been amended to include such an administration charge. And while it would appear current management has scurried to repay the money ahead of an adverse finding by the Auditor General, the question is where did the money come from? In a roundabout way the residents of the former Wyong

All Souls Mass

Creightons Funeral Service, in partnership with Wyoming Catholic Parish, would like to invite you to the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. It is a holy day for honouring the departed.

Join us at Palmdale Memorial Park or Watch the Live-Stream Online Location: Hillside Chapel, Palmdale Memorial Park and Lawn Cemetery, Palmdale Road, Palmdale. When: November 2nd, commencing at 5pm with Father Joseph Binesh. COVID-19 seating restrictions apply (Maximum of 50 for the Hillside Chapel).

Please note that we will be live-streaming the Mass, allowing you to watch from the comfort and safety of your home. To access the live-stream please follow the following steps: 1. Visit creightonsfuneralservice.com.au 2. Click on the ‘Events’ button located along the top menu 3. Click on the ‘All Souls Mass’ event 4. Click on the ‘Watch Live’ button which will open a new webpage of the live-stream Please contact our office on (02) 4324 1533 for more information.

(02) 4324 1533

creightonsfuneralservice.com.au

Shire will have subsidised 20 years of misappropriation by Gosford Council. It is also beyond argument that the cost of administrating the Gosford Plans will now be subsidised by the administration charges collected under the Wyong Plan until a new plan is put in place. One also laments the recent action by Council (as recommended by staff and management) to increase the contributions for granny flats in all the Wyong Contributions Plans, which includes an administration component. I recently wrote about the complete inequity of increasing the charge for granny flats from 35% of the baseline subdivision rate to 73%, when an identical development under Gosford Plans ranges between 40% and 50%. The story of contributions management just gets worse, when you recap on the: $12M loss in contributions from the Golf Driving range precinct in 2018 because there was not Gosford Contributions Plan and no voluntary planning agreement was negotiated with the developer at the time the DA was lodged; Initial proposal for the Levy Plan in 2018 to fund $107M of the $125M works schedule, without advising Council that levy plans do not require Council to fund shortfalls’ the doubling of contribution for granny flats in the Wyong Plan, without any examination of the underlying methodologyanditsinconsistency with the existing Gosford Plans; and the doubling of the Wyong Shire Wide Contributions (including administration component) for granny flats, when there is no comparable plan for Gosford. The Auditor’s report is critical of CentralCoastSeniorManagement who does not regularly attend Contribution Committee meetings – what more can I say. The Auditor also cites the inadequate publication of Gosford Contributions plans on the Central Coast Website. If you want to find out about contributions rates under a Gosford Contributions Plan - good luck, because you won’t find any information on the website. Unfortunately, the good practice of providing a table of the current indexed contributions rates for residential developments in various parts of the former Wyong Shire appears to have been taken off the website in a move that reduces transparency to the level of the Gosford Plans. The lights are on, but nobody is home. Email, Sep 23 D. Kitson, Wamberal

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

FORUM PAGE 13 23 OCTOBER 2020

Swallowing the Murdoch Kool Aid Dr.N.Padmanabhan (October 16); if you don’t like the ABC and prefer Newscorp, I think you’ve swallowed the Murdoch Kool Aid. Look where this particular news source has got the USA: Fox News and one-sided political reporting, misinformation, division and chaos, lack of trust (and) democracy in tatters. By contrast, as we confront COVID, where our national cohesion and self-discipline has been tested as never

FORUM before in peacetime, the ABC has been doing what its legislated Charter requires: informing, educating and entertaining. Its journalism must be of a high ethical standard and – to protect our democracy – it must hold authority to account without fear or favour. Hence the ABC is an antidote to fake news. You say the ABC is bloated – did you know it costs a commercial news outfit an

equivalent amount to operate? You’d rather the ABC’s budget was spent on struggling small businesses, the homeless and needy; well, it is. For example, the Four Corners investigation into the banks led to a Royal Commission showing a litany of failures towards customers. So, if customers receive justice and are no longer being cheated, they’re able to spend more money in small businesses and give to the homeless and needy. In a scarily warming world,

Financial crisis … nothing another Committee can’t fix Can we take Adam Crouch’s word for it that the State Government will neither stump up a $100M loan to provide Central Coast Council with enough cash to meet recurrent expenses nor authorise the Council to misuse funds from capital accounts to cover operating costs? If so, what expedients are open to the Council to retrieve the calamitous financial situation it has got itself into? What has happened to the much-vaunted Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee that was supposedly providing Council with specialist advice, specifically to avoid the kind of incompetency now being displayed? It has obviously fallen so far down on the job it was supposed to do that no credence could be given to any suggestions it might now have to make. While it takes some chutzpah for Councillor Chris “Neverlost-a cent” Holstein now to present himself as the champion of fiscal probity, he is right to question the Council’s so-called 100-Day Plan which seems to have no basis in reality. Through what phantasmagorical process could this Council find its way out of the morass it has blundered into, over the next three months?

FORUM Letters to the editor should be sent to: PO Box 1056 Gosford 2250 or

editorial@centralcoastnews.net

See Page 2 for contribution conditions It appears pretty clear that no councillor has any grasp of how this mess came about, so how can we expect any worthwhile contribution towards clearing it up? Well, the answer is obvious. In order to bring about the required loaves-and-fishes miracle, Council is going to transmogrify into a COMMITTEE. Thus, enlightenment will fall like manna from heaven onto a committee where it would be denied to a mere Council. However, the great merit of a committee is that its proceedings can be kept SECRET. It is classic behaviour of our Council that the first instinct is not to explain anything to the citizenry but to hide information from view and obfuscate the facts. The only outsider on the committee will be the individual who is now both Acting CEO and Acting CFO, the CEO proper apparently being on vacation.

Why was the CEO not ordered back to his post for these crucial discussions or why was he not fired for dereliction of duty? Regardless of what happens as a result of the committee deliberations, Central Coast ratepayers face a chaotic period until the next election and an ongoing debt load that will cripple development in the city for a long time. Now is the time for every property owner to take action by e-mailing the OLG and/or writing direct to the Minister, to demand that the Council be sacked and Councillor Best appointed Administrator, since he seems to be the only Council member with the faintest idea of what has been going on. If you behave like sheep, you will be shorn, so take the initiative without delay. If it is within the Minister’s powers, we should also be pressing for every councillor to be barred from seeking office at any future election. We must all acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Central Coast Newspapers for revealing this state of affairs. Imagine the situation, if we did not have this information medium available to us: how would we ever know what the Council does not want us to know? Email, Oct 20 B. Hyland, Woy Woy

the ABC’s crowning achievement is its dogged determination to educate Australians on the facts of climate change. Because if we don’t reduce our emissions, we will all be homeless and needy. So how is all this “anticonservative, left leaning and overtly hostile”? Instead, the hostility came from Murdoch’s outlets who blamed “arsonists” and “greenies” for last summer’s fires – a claim so untrue that a News Ltd senior manager resigned in disgust, and James

Murdoch spoke out against the company. This is not a conservative outfit – it’s a mis-information juggernaut. Last time I looked, Kevin Rudd’s petition to the Parliament on the need for more media diversity in Australia has 225,000 odd signatures. Lastly, your accusation that the ABC is “elitist” is a misuse of the word. For Pete’s sake – you are of the elite – you’re a trained doctor.

Elite athletes are the only people who win football Grand Finals - are you going to sneer at them too? Nobel Prize winners are elite scientists – Eddie Woo is an elite mathematics teacher. They’ve worked hard to be good at what they do – why is the ABC any different just because it does what its legislated Charter requires it to do - and does it well? The ABC is there for all of us in a crisis – even you. Email, Oct 19 C. Moe, Bensville

Will the Member for Robertson show her love for the ABC? A few years ago, the Friends of the ABC had a market stall at the Avoca markets and Lucy Wicks, her husband and friends visited us. She had a chat, shook hands with us and said: “We LOVE the ABC”. That was most heartening coming from a Liberal Party MP, and we believed her. However, what we have experienced in recent months is that Mrs Wicks is not responding to several letters sent by the Central Coast Friends Members complaining about the severe cuts in funding

FORUM to the ABC by the Coalition since 2013, other than regurgitating the unconvincing explanation by the PM and Minister Fletcher that this is not true. The desire of this Coalition Government to privatise the ABC is well established but we are requesting the MP for Robertson to demonstrate her love for the ABC and speak up for Australia’s Public Broadcaster. The enormous importance of the ABC is beyond argument.

Its value as a standard bearer of quality broadcasting is an example for all the private broadcasters. Just what happens when that is abolished could be seen when the Commonwealth Bank was privatised. If Mrs. Wicks claims to represent all voters in Robertson, the usual claim in Australia’s electoral system, she should publicly demonstrate her love for the ABC and speak up. We are listening. Email, Oct 9 K. Woldring, Pearl Beach

Roll up, roll up … Due to recent events I propose a name change from Central Coast Council to Central Coast Circus; the only thing missing is a ringmaster to put them through the hoops. Open and transparent they say; more secretive than the

FORUM KGB when it suits. We as ratepayers contribute to your salaries and as such should be entitled to know what is going on. How about coming clean on the real reason we are in this

mess? Fair dinkum, if this lot were paid based on key performance indicators, they would owe us money. Pity Stardust Circus is not hiring. Email, Oct 15 P. Killen, Kanwal

PAGE 14 23 OCTOBER 2020 ONTHEBEAT

& FORUM

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Coasties warned to prepare for storm season

Storm season is upon us, from October to March, and the State Emergency Service (SES) is asking all Coasties to take some small preventative measures to protect their homes and businesses. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a La Nina climate driver, increasing the potential for large weather events and severe storms this season. Northern Zone Commander of NSW SES, Steve Patterson, said that by doing some small jobs now, locals can limit the damage caused by expected storms.

Anyone with information about these incidents should call

Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.com.au Information provided will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

“Some simple things you can do now include cleaning gutters and downpipes and securing loose items around the yard or balcony,” he said. “We see a lot of roof damage caused by wind and tree impacts, which often leads to

Steve Patterson

water damage as water flows into homes. “This can be prevented through some basic home maintenance such as trimming trees and ensuring roof tile/ sheets are secure.

“Every household should have an emergency plan which outlines what you would do in an emergency and we also recommend putting together a home emergency kit in case you become isolated or if the power goes out. “Things to include are torches, candles and matches, a portable radio, spare batteries, a first aid kit and a waterproof document holder to store important documents.” Residents can keep up to date with storm warnings and information through the SES’s social media. Sue Murray

Two fishermen rescued Marine Rescue Central Coast rescued two fishermen from waters off Terrigal. It was a late callout for volunteers on Friday, October 12, when a report of two fishermen drifting in a small vessel came in just after 7:30pm. Rescue vessel, Central Coast 30 was tasked to assist, with the pair located just before 9pm about a mile off Wamberal Point. Upon inspection it was determined their vessel’s engine had failed, with the pair then towed back to The Haven

and grateful for the assistance. While a relatively simple rescue, Marine Rescue Central Coast Unit Commander, Duncan

Coles, is encouraging all boaties to ensure their vessels are up to code as warm weather settles across the region.

“While this wasn’t a complicated job it could have been avoided altogether if the vessel in question was properly serviced. “My advice to the community heading into boating season is to ensure your vessel has been serviced and well fuelled, and above all else, to always wear a lifejacket,” Coles said. He also encouraged all skippers to memorize VHF Marine Radio channels. “The channel for immediate distress is 16, with Marine Rescue is on hand 24 hours a day to assist the community.”

Solution is simple … keep it local and stop wasting money When you have an overpaid top level of public servants, leaving the bottom very thin on the ground, that’s where the problem lies. As well as the last Carr Government (1999-2003) telling councils outside the metropolitan area that they have to look after the highways in their area – where did he think the money was coming from? (The cost of) all state structures have to be borne by the state not the local ratepayer. The other matter is that, when all government authorities get outsiders to do the work of councils, it costs three times as much as more levels of bureaucracy are needed. So the solution to all councils; don’t do state work unless the money is paid up front, make sure locals can do local work and stop wasting money on stupid things … and get on with matters that are needed

FORUM Letters to the editor should be sent to: PO Box 1056 Gosford 2250 or

editorial@centralcoastnews.net

See Page 2 for contribution conditions by all, not just the few. We miss out on Old Sydney Town revenue, and the Mt. Penang Flora Festival. According to data it brought in millions of dollars to the Central Coast, [now] all closed down. When is the State going to pay for its part in this destruction of our local economy? Let’s see some action not just words. Email, Oct 21 R. Findley, Point Clare

Dilon Luke

Man to face court in relation to train vandalism A 26-year-old man has been charged for allegedly vandalising several trains at the Gosford Railway Yards in June 2020. The charges come as investigations continue into alleged acts of graffiti across the Central Coast public transport network. In June 2020, officers from the Police Transport Command – North/Central commenced an investigation into acts of malicious damage on trains and railway stations on the network. The man was arrested at a Hamlyn Terrace home on Wednesday morning and taken to Wyong Police Station where

he was charged with five offences. These included going onto or into or remaining on or in running lines, possessing a graffiti implement with intent to contravene, destroying or damaging property, having face blackened/disguised with intent to commit indictable offence and possession of a prohibited drug. He is due to appear before Wyong Local Court on November 18. Investigations are continuing with anyone with information urged to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Where does the buck stop? What a confused Council we seem to have on the Central Coast (Vote of no confidence in missing CEO withdrawn; October 16). If Council, like any Board that employs a CEO, thinks he is not performing, there is a process for either improving performance, or in the worst case, termination. Grandstanding with a vote of no confidence is a coward’s way of dealing with the issue. It’s also embarrassing for the CEO who may not be the problem; certainly not at the Central Coast Council where I think there are bigger fish to fry.

FORUM Implementing a Finance Committee would seem a nobrainer; but why now; why hasn’t it been in place well before this; it’s a governance tool and most reputable boards have one. The problem with CCC is not the CEO. Remember the fish rots from the head. Where are you Mayor....and councillors; the buck stops with you! Email Oct 18 J. George, Terrigal

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

ONTHEBEAT PAGE 15 23 OCTOBER 2020

Police shooting

A man is dead following a critical incident at Hamlyn Terrace.

Tactical officers on the scene Photo: ABC News

According to NSW Police, officers from Tuggerah Lakes Police tracked two men to a fire trail just after 9am on Thursday, October 15, following an earlier pursuit of a stolen vehicle. Officers arrived to find a stolen land cruiser alight, before two men fled into nearby bushland and onto a rural property along Minnesota Rd, where they were confronted by officers. Police allege one of the men pointed a firearm at an officer before multiple officers fired shots, killing him. Police have not yet made the deceased’s identity known to the public. The other man managed to elude police and remained at

large for around 72 hours before he was arrested at a home in Springfield just after 6:30pm on Sunday, October 18. He was taken to Gosford Police Station where he was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV), stalk/ intimidate intend fear physical harm (domestic), and two outstanding warrants. His matter is now before the courts. A critical incident team from the Homicide Squad is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. That investigation will be subject to independent review. All information will be provided to the Coroner who will determine the cause of death

and make any findings about the events leading up to the man’s death. Speaking to media following the incident, Northern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner, Max Mitchell, said he supported the actions of the officers involved. “From my briefing, my view is very clear, police have acted professionally. “In fact, I believe their actions have been very courageous considering the actions of the offender. “Having a double barrel firearm pointed at you, fear of life, there can be no more strenuous position for a police officer to be placed into,” AC Mitchell said. Dilon Luke

Boat and trailer stolen at Narara Brisbane Water Police are appealing for information following theft of trailer and vessel at Narara. The theft occurred from a carpark on Research Rd, at round 1:30am on Saturday, September 26.

Police were notified and officers from Brisbane Water Police District attended with enquiries into the incident continuing. Local CCTV footage in the area has shown a small sedan

(no further description can be identified) leaving the area with the boat in tow. The trailer is described as a 2003 Silver Coaster boat trailer Registered Number P55197 with silver marine vessel registered number AEA465N. Police are appealing for

anyone who witnessed the incident, or who may have any information to contact Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000. Crime report E 77670778 relates. Source: Website, Oct 14 Brisbane Water Police District

Woman dies in Lake Munmorah car crash A woman has died following a crash at Lake Munmorah. At about 8.15pm on Friday, October 16, emergency services were called to the Pacific Hwy near Colongra Bay Rd, Lake Munmorah, after reports of a two-vehicle crash. Police believe a Subaru WRX travelling south and a Toyota Landcruiser travelling north collided, before the Toyota struck a power pole. The driver of the Toyota, a

29-year-old woman, died at the scene. Her passenger, a 5-monthold girl, was freed from the vehicle by witnesses, before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for observation. The driver of the Subaru, a 34-year-old man, was taken to John Hunter Hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and observation. His 28-year-old male passenger was also transported

Central Coast Commercial

with minor injuries. Officers from Tuggerah Lake Police District established a crime scene, which was examined by specialist forensic police. The Crash Investigation Unit have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, and anyone with information that may assist is urged to come forward. Source: Press release, Oct 17 NSW Police Media

Mountain biker seriously injured A mountain biker is recovering following a serious crash at Ourimbah Mountain Bike Park. Emergency services were tasked to the Ourimbah State Forest following reports of a serious crash at a racing event being conducted by the Central Coast Mountain Bike Club on Sunday, October 11. NSW Ambulance Paramedics and the Central Coast Volunteer Rescue Squad treated the

patient for chest injuries at the scene before prepping them for airlift. A spokesperson for the Mountain Bike Club has since confirmed that the rider is expected to make a full recovery. “At today’s Gravity Enduro Race, sadly one of our local riders and club members had a massive crash,” the

spokesperson said. “Due to the nature and seriousness of the injuries the rider was airlifted to hospital. “We are happy to say that to our knowledge the rider’s condition is serious but stable and he should make a full recovery in time. “The crash caused the Amaroo trail to close and no riders after the crash were able to ride the trail or post a time. Dilon Luke

Commercial & Industrial Property Specialists

SALES LEASING PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SMSF APPRAISALS Deal DIRECTLY with the agency owners and experience what makes us different! Geoff Emms 0416 244 456

Michael Chatfield 0414 791 170

www.cccommercial.com.au

PAGE 16 23 OCTOBER 2020

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

KEEP YOURSELF AND OUR COMMUNITY SAFE FROM COVID-19

Stay safe by following the “four lines of defence” against COVID-19

Maintain a distance of 1.5 metres from others

Wash your hands well and often

Stay home if you’re sick and get tested as soon as you have any symptoms

Wear a face mask in situations where social distancing cannot be followed

You must book before you go for a COVID-19 test For the Gosford clinic, call 4320 5055 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on weekends For the Erina clinic, call 0435 813 865 between 10.30am and 5.30pm everyday For the Wyong clinic, call 4394 9200 between 9am and 5pm everyday

Adam CROUCH MP Member for Terrigal 02 4365 1906 adamcrouchmp

terrigal@parliament.nsw.gov.au adamcrouchmp

adamcrouchmp.com.au

Authorised by Adam Crouch MP, Shop 3 Fountain Plaza, 148-158 The Entrance Road, Erina NSW 2250, produced using parliamentary entitlements.

International fashion designer, Weave Dibden Neck, has created a raft from recycled materials as a way of promoting her new fashion label, Ukiyoco, and as a creative way

to survive and thrive the fashion industry downturn. The raft is built from recycled milk bottles, bamboo, and twine sourced from around Avoca Lagoon.

She “launched” the raft with family and friends, complete with a champaign christening, and a short tour of the lagoon. Dibden Neck hopes to inspire others to create artwork from recycled materials.

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

“The symbolism behind the raft is quite deep,” Dibden Neck said. “The idea is of escapism, floating and stillness, and not being able to move around in my career.

OUT&ABOUT PAGE 17

“The idea of the raft is leaving something without having to ask anyone for help. She collected milk bottles from the local café and bamboo was collected from the side of the road.

23 OCTOBER 2020

“It is completely organic in that it is built out of all recycled materials and has taken around a month of a half to build. Jacinta Counihan

Cavoodle adventure showcases the Coast Lisarow author, Kimberly Bates, has published her first children’s book by merely corresponding with an overseas publisher via email.

Kimberly Bates, author of The Adventures of Callie the Cavoodle

The book titled, The Adventures of Callie the Cavoodle, is a non-fiction story about the adventures Callie and his owner, Linda, have on the Central Coast. The 100-page chapter book is set to be released on October 30, and Bates said it’s aimed at

children aged seven to nine. “I have wanted to write children’s stories ever since high school, but I have never had the time or the opportunity until now as I am retired,” Bates said. “I love kids and children’s stories, and I wanted to start writing as soon as I could. “I got the idea for the story when I was out one day for a walk with my friend and her Cavoodle at Terrigal Haven.” The publishing process was

organised through emails back and forth between Bates and a publisher in London. “I am guessing they are all working from home,” she said. “This process was great because everything flowed. “I have always worked with children in all sorts of jobs; teachers aid, out of home care, before and after school care. “My main aim was to write something enjoyable and happy. “My secondary aim was to

extend children’s language and also showcase the Central Coast.” The Adventures of Callie the Cavoodle is the first book of a three-part series. “The first book does not include many moral teachings as I wanted it to be a happy and joyful read for kids, but the second and third books may have some other themes,” bates said. Jacinta Counihan

PAGE 18 23 OCTOBER 2020

OUT&ABOUT

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Positiv Thinking

My Corona by Kerrie Pentecost

To mark Mental Health Month, the local not-forprofit, Central Coast Primary Care, held its 21st annual Mental Health Art Works exhibition recently,

FUTURE OF WORK

The week-long exhibit, which finished on October 20, provided a platform for local people to share their mental health stories through art using a range of mediums.

All of the entrants who submitted work must have had a lived experience with mental illness, either as an individual, a family member, a friend or carer. Central Coast Primary Care’s CEO, Michelle Bradbury, said every year she is overwhelmed with the response from people who visit the exhibit. “This event is a cornerstone

Mental Health Art Works Exhibition

of Mental Health Month each October, and we are honoured to provide a platform for so many talented local people to share their artwork and their voice,” Bradbury said. Local Emergency Doctor and Ambassador for CCPC, Dr Ash Bowden, spoke at the event and said the exhibition was a great demonstration on how so many people experience and

endure mental illness. “Creating such a space for conversations around mental health can help reduce the stigma that so often hinders people seeking help,” Bowden said. “Without the validation of shared mental health stories, it’s easy to feel shame about our mental health when we’re not feeling well.

“The truth is one in five Australians experience mental illness, yet without encouragement to talk about our mental health, and forum’s like this exhibition, those with mental illnesses can feel alone.” The free showcase included paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, photography, and poetry.

“A piece that I kept returning to was ‘Positiv Thinking’ which was a colourful painting with flowers growing in the place of a brain,” Bowden said. “It may have been the anatomical aspect that caught my eye, but the message regarding the power of positive thinking resonated with me.” Jacinta Counihan

More time on the Coast. Changing the way we work.

Work from home survey.

COVID-19 has reshaped the way we work, with more locals than ever working from home. Hearing about your experiences will play a key role in understanding how we can create opportunities for our community to improve lifestyles and boost local businesses by making working from home easier.

Complete the survey at the link below or scan the QR code above www.research.net/r/WorkFromHomeSurvey2020 Authorised by Liesl Tesch, 20 Blackwall Road, Woy Woy NSW 2256. Funded using Parliamentary Entitlements.

Peninsula News - WFH.indd 1

26/08/2020 2:09:50 PM

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

OUT&ABOUT PAGE 19 23 OCTOBER 2020

Diprotodon sculpture at Chittaway Bay Not a week after his Snow Monkey dazzled the people of Long Jetty, Pete Rush has done it again. Tucked away on a mudflat off Lions Park at Chittaway Bay, stands the Diprotodon. The extinct megafauna is the largest marsupial to have ever existed and Rush has created it in all its glory. Sporting a shaggy orange coat that contrasts starkly against the blue of the lake and the brown of the mud, the 2m tall construct is the Diprotodon’s likeness in every way, right down to its large maw, complete with teeth made from palm fronds, fitting for a creature who’s name literally translates from Greek to ‘two forward teeth’. Once again, inspired by the materials around him, Rush said his 28th creation was almost a red kangaroo. “When I came across this orange weed, I thought this was perfect for a red kangaroo, it was the exact colour, but then I thought that’s boring and started looking for something

The Diprotodon grazing off the shores of Chittaway Bay Photo: Zee Merven

else when I found Diprotodon. “It’s basically the predecessor for the modern wombat and is the same colour as the red kangaroo, but far more interesting,” Rush explained. Setting also played a part in Rush’s foray into the old world, with the artist admitting that the mudflat gave him

prehistoric vibes. Despite having only finished his newest wonder beast on Tuesday, Rush said several dozen onlookers had joined him lakeside as he worked on the project. “I had a steady stream of onlookers come down from the park to watch.

“It’s right near a school to, so a lot of kids have been down to ‘see the monster’. “A few families have come down too, but I reckon that was more the parents wanting to see the monster than the kids,” Rush said. With Diprotodon now complete, Rush encourages

anyone who caught a glimpse before Tuesday to consider popping down again to get the full effect of the finished work. His attention now turns to sculpture number 29 with the art now a weekly endeavour for Rush. Rush played coy as to whether he’ll be making it three for

three up north, but one thing that’s abundantly clear from talking to him is that the Wamberal artist’s love affair with Tuggerah Lakes has only just begun. Dilon Luke

Best forgers decided Retro replicas, captivating copies and scintillating shams were all on show when the 2020 Fab Fakes exhibition was unveiled in Wyong last week. Originally started to teach aspiring artists the principles of artmaking, Tuggerah Lakes Art Society (TLAS) has been running Fab Fakes since 1998, and over the years, the annual exhibition has evolved into one of the North’s most beloved art events. A contest with a twist, Fab Fakes sees artists challenged to reproduce a work from the Old Masters, with the only proviso being that the artist being emulated must have been dead for at least 70 years. This year’s winners were announced at the Fab Fakes opening night at the Art House on October 16. The evenings highest honour, Best Fab Fake, went to Laurence McIntyre for his forgery of Elioth Gruner’s ‘Spring Frost’. Runner Up was Nerissa Jacoby with her take on Vincent van Gogh’s ‘A Starry Night’. Corrine Adams rounded out 2020’s major award winners with the Pam Brooks Award for her version of Alfred Barber’s ‘A Rabbit Famile’.

Laurence McIntyre with his top-notch forgery

This year’s Highly Commended awards went to Dannie Liu, Steven Beckett, Claudine Philp and Sharon Ridsdale, who put a twist on top of a twist, when she entered a sculptural rendition of Edward Munch’s ‘The Scream,’ a first in Fab Fakes’ history. It was third times the charm for McIntyre, who said he was honoured to be this year’s best faker. “I am very pleased to have won. “To be chosen out of all the quality entries is quite the compliment.” Speaking on the inspiration

behind his counterfeit, the Point Clare resident said his piece was a homage to Elioth Gruner. “Gruner actually won the 1919 Wynne Prize with Spring Frost and it’s a painting that I have admired for many years. “The subtle way he captured the morning light is an incredibly difficult thing to do and his contemporaries often remarked that Gruner could paint light itself, so it felt like a good challenge to set for myself,” McIntyre said. Having both attended Sydney’s prestigious Julian Ashton Art School, McIntyre said the choice was also a nod

Sharon Ridsdale has changed the face of Fab Fakes with her take on ‘The Scream’

to their alma mater. When asked about the meaning behind Fab Fakes, McIntyre said it rang just as true today as it did in 1998. “Emulating someone who does it better has been the standard approach to teaching the technicalities of painting for as long as people have been picking up brushes.” Likewise, Ridsdale believes there’s no harm in copying the Old Masters. “You really do gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the skills used to create a piece when you recreate it, so by all means hone your skills by

copying the masters. “They aren’t called the Old Masters for nothing.” A long time fan of Fab Fakes but first time entrant, the 3D artist said she entered her sculptural piece after learning that this year’s exhibition had fewer entries than previous instalments due to the pandemic. The piece has since become one of the most talked about in this year’s offering and opened the door for more diverse artists to try their hand at a fabulous forgery in next year’s exhibition. “I can’t paint to save my life,

so I wasn’t expecting the piece to be accepted when I offered, but it was a pleasant surprise to be the first sculptural piece featured in 22 years of exhibitions. “It’s caused a bit of controversy, but TLAS have said there’s no rules against it. “It’s merely an assumption that it’s just for paintings and I’ve been told this is the first time someone has offered something other than a painting,” Ridsdale said. With an overwhelmingly positive reaction to her work, Ridsdale is now excited to see what other mediums might feature in future Fab Fakes, but she concedes such drastic reimaginings can be tough to pull off. “Creating a 3D representation of a 2D work is actually quite difficult, so I’m quite interested to see what other artists might choose to copy and how their interpretation of the original will translate. “Hopefully this is a portent of things to come, but I don’t envy the curator,” Fab Fakes is open at The Art House from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and runs until October 29. Dilon Luke

PAGE 20 23 OCTOBER 2020

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Sunday 25 October

Saturday 24 October

Friday 23 October

ABC (C20/21)

PRIME (C61/60)

NINE (C81/80)

5:30 Today [s] 6:00 News Breakfast [s] 6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 9:00 The Morning Show (PG) [s] 9:00 Today Extra (PG) [s] 10:00 Outback Ringer (PG) [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 11:30 NINE’s Morning News [s] 12:00 US Presidential Debate 2020 12:00 NINE News Special: 10:30 Scottish Vets Down Under *Live* [s] Debate Night In America [s] (PG) [s] 1:30 Kevin Can Wait: 11:00 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 1:30 Program To Be Advised 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 2:00 Autopsy USA: A Band Done (PG) [s] 1:00 The Upside Of Downs (PG) [s] Anissa Jones (M) [s] 2:00 Desperate Housewives (PG) 3:00 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 2:00 Unforgotten (M l) [s] 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 4:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 3:00 ABC News Afternoons [s] 5:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 4:10 Think Tank (PG) [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 6:00 NINE News [s] 5:10 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Better Homes And Gardens [s] 7:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 6:00 The Drum [s] 7:30 Escape To The Chateau (PG) 8:30 Movie: “Avengers: Age Of 7:00 ABC News [s] Ultron” (M v) (’15) – When Tony 8:30 Movie: “Life As We Know It” 7:30 Gardening Australia [s] – Josh (M s,d) (’10) Stars: Katherine Byrne shows how to help Stark jump-starts a dormant peacekeeping program, things Heigl, Josh Duhamel nesting birds and Millie makes a 10:50 Movie: “The Rewrite” (M l) (’14) birdbath. Tino plants an olive go terribly awry, forcing him, Stars: Hugh Grant, Marisa Thor, the Incredible Hulk and grove and Costa meets a Tomei, Allison Janney the rest of the Avengers to woman with some smart ways 12:50 Rivals [s] of growing veggies. reassemble. Stars: Robert 1:20 Explore [s] 8:30 Vera: Sandancers (M v) [s] Downey Jr, Chris Evans 11:20 Armchair Experts: 1:30 Home Shopping 10:00 Mum: August (M l) [s] Grand Final Edition (M) [s] 4:30 The Avengers: Mission Highly 10:30 ABC Late News [s] 12:20 Program To Be Advised Improbable (PG) [s] 10:50 Gruen (M) [s] 5:30 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 11:25 rage (MA15+) [s] 6:00 Global Roaming [s] 6:00 Home Shopping 6:00 rage (PG) [s] 7:00 Weekend Today [s] 7:00 Weekend Sunrise [s] 7:00 Weekend Breakfast [s] 10:00 Today Extra - Saturday [s] 10:00 rage Guest Programmer (PG) 9:00 Weekend Sunrise: 12:00 Rivals [s] AFL Grand Final Edition [s] 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 12:30 Surfing Australia TV [s] 10:00 AFL: Grand Final Brunch [s] 12:30 The Ticket: Footy Finals 1:00 Cybershack (PG) [s] 11:30 Seven’s Horse Racing: Specials [s] 1:30 Award Winning Tasmania: Moonee Valley: Cox Plate; 1:00 Pine Gap (M l) [s] Devonport (PG) [s] Randwick: Bondi Stakes Day [s] 1:55 Grantchester (PG) [s] 2:00 9Honey - Every Day Kitchen 2:45 Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery: 4:30 AFL: Grand Final: Preview [s] 2:10 The Block: Hallway Week (PG) 6:00 Seven News At 5 [s] Sam Neill (PG) [s] 6:30 AFL: Grand Final: Richmond v 4:30 The Garden Gurus [s] 3:30 Big Weather 5:00 NINE News: First At Five [s] Geelong *Live* From The (And How To Survive It) [s] Gabba [s] – The Grand Final is 5:30 Getaway [s] 4:30 Landline [s] 6:00 NINE News Saturday [s] traditionally held on the last 5:00 Australian Story [s] Saturday of September but has 7:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 5:30 Midsomer Murders: The 7:30 Movie: “Kinky Boots” (M l) (’05) been delayed several weeks Sicilian Defence (PG) [s] – A Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor due to the suspension of the young girl wakens from a coma 9:40 Movie: “Adventures Of Priscilla season stemming from the but no one knows what Queen Of The Desert” (M l,s) impact of the COVID-19 happened to her boyfriend. (’94) Stars: Terence Stamp pandemic. It will be the first AFL 7:00 ABC News [s] grand final to be staged outside 11:50 Movie: “The Family” (MA15+) 7:30 Victoria: London Bridge Is (’13) Stars: Robert De Niro, the state of Victoria, as well as Falling Down (PG) [s] Michelle Pfieffer the first to be held at night. 8:20 Shetland (M l,v) [s] 9:20 Endeavour: Arcadia (M v) [s] 10:00 AFL: Grand Final: Presentation 1:50 Explore [s] 11:00 AFL: Grand Final: Post Match 2:05 Home Shopping 10:50 Poldark (PG) [s] 5:30 Wesley Impact [s] 11:50 rage Guest Programmer (M) 11:30 Program To Be Advised 6:00 Global Roaming [s] 6:00 Home Shopping 6:00 rage (PG) [s] 7:00 Weekend Today [s] 7:00 Weekend Sunrise [s] 7:00 Weekend Breakfast [s] 10:00 The Morning Show - Weekend 10:00 The Greatest - NRL Grand 9:00 Insiders [s] Final [s] 12:00 House Of Wellness [s] 10:00 Offsiders [s] 1:00 Border Security - International 12:00 Sports Sunday (PG) [s] 10:30 The World This Week [s] 1:00 Sunday Footy Show (PG) [s] (PG) [s] 11:00 Compass [s] 3:00 NRL: Grand Final Preview [s] 1:30 Cricket: Women’s Big Bash 11:30 Songs Of Praise [s] 4:00 NRL: Women’s Premiership League: Sydney Sixers v 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] Grand Final *Live* From ANZ Sydney Thunder *Live* From 12:30 Landline [s] Stadium, Sydney [s] North Sydney Oval [s] 1:30 Gardening Australia [s] 5:30 NRL: Women’s Premiership 5:00 Seven News At 5 [s] 2:30 Secrets Of The Museum [s] Grand Final: Post Match [s] 5:30 Sydney Weekender [s] 3:30 Victoria: London Bridge Is 6:00 NINE News Sunday [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] Falling Down (PG) [s] 7:00 Billion Pound Cruises - All At 6:30 NRL: Pre-Match Entertainment 4:30 The Mix [s] 7:30 NRL: Grand Final: Melbourne Sea (PG) [s] – Documentary 5:00 Antiques Roadshow [s] Storm v Penrith Panthers *Live* which tells the story of how the 6:00 Australia Remastered [s] From ANZ Stadium, Sydney [s] biggest global crisis in living 7:00 ABC News Sunday [s] 9:30 NRL: Post Match [s] memory brought the billion7:40 Restoration Australia: dollar lucrative cruise industry to 10:30 NINE News Late [s] Nanima, NSW [s] 11:00 See No Evil: its knees. 8:40 Grantchester (PG) [s] All That It Seems (M) [s] 8:10 Movie: “A Star Is Born” (M) (’18) 9:25 Doc Martin (PG) [s] 12:00 Born To Kill? Class Of Evil: Stars: Lady Gaga, Bradley 10:15 Killing Eve: Take Me To The Stephen Griffiths - ‘Love You Cooper, Sam Elliott Hole! (MA15+) [s] To Bits’ (MA15+) [s] 11:10 The Rookie (M v) [s] 11:00 Silent Witness (MA15+) [s] 1:00 Ultimate Rush (PG) [s] 1:10 Medical Emergency (PG) [s] 12:00 Doctor Who (PG) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 2:00 Home Shopping 5:00 Insiders [s]

Also see: ABC COMEDY (Channel 22) ABC ME (Channel 23) ABC NEWS (Channel 24)

Also see: 7TWO (Channel 62) 7MATE (Channel 63) 7FLIX (Channel 66) 7FOOD (Channel 74)

Also see: GEM (Channel 82) GO! (Channel 83/88) LIFE (Channel 84)

TEN (C13)

SBS (C30)

6:00 Headline News [s] 5:00 CGTN English News 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 5:15 NHK World English News 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 5:30 Worldwatch 1:00 Program To Be Advised 12:00 Third US Presidential Debate 1:30 Entertainment Tonight [s] *Live* 2:00 My Market Kitchen [s] 2:00 The Point 2:30 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:00 NITV News: Nula 3:30 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 3:30 Hidden Restaurants With 4:00 Everyday Gourmet [s] Michel Roux Jnr 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful 4:25 Great British Railway (PG) [s] Journeys 5:00 10 News First [s] 5:00 Cycling: La Vuelta 2020 6:00 WIN News [s] Highlights 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 5:30 Letters And Numbers 7:30 The Living Room (PG) [s] 6:00 Mastermind Australia 8:30 The Graham Norton Show (M) 6:30 SBS World News 9:30 Have You Been Paying 7:35 Secrets Unearthed (PG) Attention? (M) [s] – Have Susie 8:30 The World’s Most Youssef, Tony Martin, Celia Extraordinary Homes (PG) Pacquola, Sam Pang and Ed 9:40 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Kavalee been paying attention? Countdown (M) 10:30 Drunk History Australia (M l,s) 10:30 SBS World News Late 11:00 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 11:00 Celebrity Mastermind (PG) 12:00 The Project (PG) [s] 12:00 The Killing (M l,v) (In Danish) 1:00 The Late Show (M) [s] 4:20 Full Frontal With Samantha 2:00 Home Shopping Bee (M s) 5:00 CGTN English News 6:00 Reel Action [s] 5:15 NHK World English News 6:30 Entertainment Tonight [s] 5:30 Worldwatch 7:00 Escape Fishing With ET [s] 1:00 PBS Newshour 7:30 Which Car (PG) [s] 2:10 Rivers Of Australia (PG) 8:00 What’s Up Down Under [s] 3:40 The Untold Story Of 8:30 My Market Kitchen [s] Australian Wrestling (PG) 9:00 Taste Of Australia [s] (In English/ Urdu) 9:30 Studio 10 Saturday (PG) [s] 3:45 Charles And Diana: The Truth 12:00 Program To Be Advised Behind Their Wedding (PG) 1:00 Everyday Gourmet [s] 5:05 Cycling: La Vuelta 2020 1:30 Buy To Build [s] Highlights 2:00 Healthy Homes Australia [s] 5:35 Hitler’s World: The Post War 2:30 Farm To Fork [s] Plan (PG) 3:00 What’s Up Down Under [s] 6:30 SBS World News 3:30 The Living Room [s] 7:30 Trains That Changed The 4:30 Taste Of Australia With Hayden Quinn [s] World (PG) 5:00 10 News First [s] 8:30 Portillo’s Greatest Railway 6:00 Bondi Rescue (PG) [s] Journeys (PG) 7:30 Ambulance Australia (PG) [s] 9:30 Movie: “Babel” (MA15+) (’06) 9:30 999: What’s Your Emergency? Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett (M) [s] (In English/ Spanish/ Arabic/ 10:30 Law & Order: SVU (M v) [s] French/ Japanese/ Russian) 11:30 Bull: Labor Days (M v) [s] 12:05 The Killing (M l,v) (In Danish) 12:30 Home Shopping 4:25 Great British Railway 5:00 Religious Programs Journeys (PG) 5:00 CGTN English News 6:00 Religious Programs [s] 5:15 NHK World English News 7:30 Fishing Australia [s] 8:00 Pooches At Play [s] 5:30 Worldwatch – Deutsche Welle English News 6:00 France 24 8:30 The Living Room [s] 9:30 Studio 10 Sunday (PG) [s] English News 6:30 Al Jazeera English News 7:30 Italian News 12:00 Taste Of Australia With Hayden Quinn [s] 8:10 Worldwatch Continues 12;30 Destination Dessert [s] 1:00 Speedweek 3:00 Cycling: Paris-Tours Highlights 1:00 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 1:30 Everyday Gourmet With 2020 3:30 Cycling: Tour Of Flanders 2020 Justine Schofield [s] 2:00 Farm To Fork [s] 5:05 Cycling: La Vuelta 2020 Highlights 2:10 Bondi Rescue (PG) [s] 2:40 Program To Be Advised 5:35 Hitler’s World: The Post War 3:50 Program To Be Advised Plan 6:30 SBS World News 5:00 10 News First [s] 7:30 Rise Of Empires: Incas (PG) 6:00 WIN News [s] 8:30 Concorde - Designing The 6:30 The Sunday Project (PG) [s] 7:30 The Graham Norton Show (M) Dream (PG) 8:30 FBI: Safe Room (M v,d) [s] 10:20 What’s The Matter With Tony Slattery? (M) 9:30 FBI: Broken Promises (M v) [s] 10:30 The Sunday Project (PG) [s] 11:20 The Killing (M l,v) (In Danish) 3:55 Michael Mosley: Secret 11:30 Blue Bloods: By Hook Or By Science: Chemical And Crook (M) [s] 12:30 Home Shopping Biological Weapons (M) 4:30 CBS This Morning [s] 4:55 Food Safari Fire Bitesize

Also see: 10 PEACH (Channel 11) 10 BOLD (Channel 12)

Classifications: (G) General, (PG) Parental Guidance, (M) Mature Audiences, (MA15+) Mature Audience Over 15 Years, [s] Subtitles Consumer Advice: (d) drug references, (s) sexual references or sex scenes (h) horror, (l) language, (mp) medical procedures, (n) nudity, (v) violence

Also see: SBS VICELAND (Channel 31) SBS MOVIES (Channel 32) SBS FOOD (Channel 33) SBS NITV (Channel 34)

Builders Licence Number 204179C

Solid Bathrooms

LICENSED TRADESMAN AND QUALITY WORK ALL LOCATED ON THE CENTRAL COAST

Advert

Scotty from Solid Bathrooms is a licensed builder with over 13 years experience on the Central Coast. Hiring a builder means that all bathroom work and workmanship is managed by one project manager and is fully insured. In addition, any reconfigurations are easily managed, for example, if a wall needs to be pulled down or a bath removed to have a larger walk in shower, you know the builder can manage this effectively

WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING “Thank you, Scott, for your excellent advice and well-priced solution for our new bathroom. “ “Each of your tradespeople who worked on our new bathroom were prompt, polite, tidy and talented.” “I recommend Solid Bathrooms without any hesitation.”

WWW.SOLIDBATHROOMS.COM - PHONE 0401 601 082 FOR A FREE QUOTATION

PRIME (C61/60)

NINE (C81/80)

6:00 News Breakfast [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 10:00 Landline [s] 11:00 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 1:00 Gruen (PG) [s] 1:35 Squinters (M l,d,s) [s] 2:00 Parliament Question Time [s] 3:10 ABC News Afternoons [s] 4:10 Think Tank (PG) [s] 5:10 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 6:00 The Drum [s] 7:00 ABC News [s] 7:30 7.30 [s] 8:00 Australian Story [s] 8:30 Four Corners [s] 9:15 Media Watch [s] 9:35 Q&A (PG) [s] 10:40 ABC Late News [s] 11:10 Big Weather (And How To Survive It) [s] 12:10 Silent Witness: Covenant (Part 1) (MA15+) [s] 1:10 Doctor Who (PG) [s] 4:30 The Drum [s] 5:30 7.30 [s]

6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 The Morning Show (PG) [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “His Perfect Obsession” (M v) (’18) Stars: Arianne Zucker, Ali Skovbye, Mikael Conde, Deborah Grover 2:00 Autopsy USA: Gary Coleman (M) [s] 3:00 The Chase UK (PG) [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 7:30 SAS Australia: Mindset (M) [s] 8:30 The Rookie: The Bet (M v) [s] 9:30 The Rookie: Warriors And Guardians (M v) [s] 10:30 The Latest Seven News [s] 11:00 Chicago Fire: What Went Wrong (M) [s] 12:00 Movie: “Lizzie Borden Took An Ax” (MA15+) (’14) Stars: Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Gregg Henry 2:00 Home Shopping

5:30 Today [s] 9:00 Today Extra [s] 11:30 NINE’s Morning News [s] 12:00 Ellen (PG) [s] 1:00 Desperate Housewives (PG) 3:00 Tipping Point [s] 4:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 5:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 6:00 NINE News [s] 7:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 7:30 The Block: Hallway Reveal (PG) [s] – It’s judgement day for the team’s hallways, powder rooms, laundries and stairwells. Who will take home the $10,000 cash? 9:00 RBT: Long Day/ Baby Shower (PG) [s] 10:00 The Turpin 13 (MA15+) [s] 11:00 NINE News Late [s] 11:30 Lethal Weapon: Dial M For Murtaugh (MA15+) [s] 12:20 Tipping Point [s] 1:15 Garden Gurus Moments [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 4:00 Easy Eats [s]

Tuesday 27 October

6:00 News Breakfast [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 10:00 Four Corners [s] 10:45 Living With Fire [s] 11:00 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 1:00 Blue Water Empire (M v) [s] 2:00 Parliament Question Time [s] 3:10 ABC News Afternoons [s] 4:10 Think Tank (PG) [s] 5:10 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 6:00 The Drum [s] 7:00 ABC News [s] 7:30 7.30 [s] 8:00 Outback Ringer (PG) [s] 8:30 Big Weather (And How To Survive It) [s] 9:35 Searching For Superhuman The Code Of Us [s] 10:25 ABC Late News [s] 11:00 Q&A [s] 12:05 Silent Witness: Covenant (Part 2) (MA15+) [s] 1:10 Doctor Who (PG) [s] 4:30 The Drum [s] 5:30 7.30 [s]

5:30 Today [s] 6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 Today Extra [s] 9:00 The Morning Show (PG) [s] 11:30 NINE’s Morning News [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “A Mother’s Nightmare” 12:00 Ellen (PG) [s] (M d,v,s) (’12) Stars: Annabeth 1:00 Getaway [s] Gish, Jessica Lowndes, Grant 1:30 The Block: Hallway Reveal (PG) [s] Gusti, Jay Brazeau, Eric Breker 2:00 Autopsy USA: Steve Jobs (M) 3:00 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 4:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 5:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 6:00 NINE News [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 7:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:30 The Block: Front Garden And 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] Facade Week (PG) [s] – It’s 7:30 SAS Australia: Teamwork (M) total mayhem on the Block 8:30 Movie: “The Meg” (M) (’18) – tonight as the teams have the When the members of an mammoth task of restoring the underwater research facility are front of their homes. under threat owing to a seventy five feet prehistoric shark, Jonas 8:40 Trump: The White House Years (PG) [s] Taylor, a deep sea diver, is hired to save them. Stars: Jason 9:50 Bluff City Law: Ave Maria (M) 10:50 NINE News Late [s] Statham, Ruby Rose 11:00 The Latest Seven News [s] 11:20 The First 48: Teardrops/ 11:30 Blindspot: Almost Home (M v) [s] Existential Ennui (M v) [s] 12:10 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 12:30 Home Shopping 1:05 A Current Affair (PG) [s]

6:00 Headline News [s] 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 2:00 Program To Be Advised 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:30 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 4:00 Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield [s] 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 5:00 10 News First [s] 6:00 WIN News [s] 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 7:30 Junior Masterchef [s] 8:30 Ambulance Australia (M) [s] – A fast-acting neighbour responds to panicked calls for help. 9:30 NCIS: And Executioner (M v) [s] 10:30 NCIS: Lost Time (M v) [s] 11:30 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 12:30 The Project (PG) [s] 1:30 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (PG) [s] 2:30 Home Shopping 4:30 CBS This Morning [s]

6:00 News Breakfast [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 10:00 Q&A [s] 11:00 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 12:30 National Press Club Address 1:40 Media Watch [s] 2:00 Parliament Question Time [s] 3:10 ABC News Afternoons [s] 4:10 Think Tank (PG) [s] 5:10 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 6:00 The Drum [s] 7:00 ABC News [s] 7:30 7.30 [s] 8:00 Hard Quiz (PG) [s] 8:30 Gruen (M) [s] 9:05 Reputation Rehab (PG) [s] 9:35 Planet America [s] 10:10 QI: Quagmire (PG) [s] 10:40 ABC Late News [s] 11:15 Four Corners [s] 12:00 Media Watch [s] 12:15 Silent Witness (M v) [s] 1:15 Doc Martin (PG) [s] 2:00 Killing Eve (MA15+) [s] 2:45 rage (MA15+) [s]

5:30 Today [s] 6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 Today Extra [s] 9:00 The Morning Show (PG) [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 11:30 NINE’s Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “My Daughter Must Live” 12:00 Ellen (PG) [s] (M v) (’14) Stars: Joelle Carter 1:00 Desperate Housewives (PG) 2:00 Autopsy USA: John Denver (M) 2:00 The Block: Front Garden And 3:00 The Chase UK [s] Facade Week (PG) [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 3:00 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 4:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 5:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 6:00 NINE News [s] 7:30 Highway Patrol: Road 7:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] Rampage/ Truck Vs Car (PG) [s] 7:30 The Block: Front Garden And 8:30 Movie: “Justice League” (M v) Facade Week (PG) [s] (’17) – Steppenwolf and his 8:40 Australian Crime Stories: The Parademons set out to take over Chinese Takeaway (M v) [s] the Earth. However, Batman 9:40 Claremont - Catching A Killer seeks the help of Wonder (M) [s] Woman to assemble and recruit 10:40 NINE News Late [s] Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman to 11:10 New Amsterdam: This Is Not thwart the powerful new enemy. The End (M) [s] Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, 12:05 Dr Christian Jessen Will See Amy Adams, Gal Gadot You Now (M n) [s] 11:00 The Latest Seven News [s] 1:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 11:30 Blindspot: And My Axel (M) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 12:30 Home Shopping 4:00 Easy Eats [s]

6:00 Headline News [s] 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 1:00 Program To Be Advised 2:00 Entertainment Tonight [s] 2:30 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:30 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 4:00 Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield [s] 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 5:00 10 News First [s] 6:00 WIN News [s] 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 7:30 The Bachelorette Australia (PG) [s] 8:30 Bull: Fantastica Voyage (M) [s] – An entrepreneur is accused of defrauding investors in her groundbreaking water filtration company. 9:30 Bull: Rectify (M v) [s] 10:30 The Project (PG) [s] 11:30 The Late Show (PG) [s] 12:30 Home Shopping 4:30 CBS This Morning [s]

6:00 News Breakfast [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 10:00 Planet America [s] 10:30 Australian Story [s] 11:00 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 1:00 Hard Quiz (PG) [s] 1:30 Reputation Rehab [s] 2:00 Parliament Question Time [s] 3:10 ABC News Afternoons [s] 4:10 Think Tank (PG) [s] 5:05 Grand Designs Australia (PG) 6:00 The Drum [s] 6:55 Sammy J [s] 7:00 ABC News [s] 7:30 7.30 [s] 8:00 Scottish Vets Down Under (PG) [s] 8:30 Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure [s] 9:20 Death In Paradise (M) [s] 10:20 Anh’s Brush With Fame: Lindy Chamberlain (PG) [s] 10:45 ABC Late News [s] 11:20 Louis Theroux: Drinking To Oblivion (M) [s]

6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 The Morning Show (PG) [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “Sex And The Single Mom” (M s) (’03) Stars: Gail O’Grady, Grant Show 2:00 Program To Be Advised 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 8:30 Britain’s Got Talent: Audition Recap Show (PG) [s] 10:00 The Amazing Race (PG) [s] – Filmed prior to the global outbreak, the eleven teams begin their adventures at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. First destination is Trinidad and Tobago. 11:00 The Latest Seven News [s] 11:30 Hooked On The Look (M) [s] 12:00 Blindspot: City Folk Under Wraps (M v) [s] 1:00 Home Shopping

6:00 Headline News [s] 5:00 CGTN English News 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 5:15 NHK World English News 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 5:30 Worldwatch 1:00 Program To Be Advised 1:00 PBS Newshour 2:00 Entertainment Tonight [s] 2:05 Cruising Mississippi (PG) 2:30 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:00 The Crusades (PG) 3:30 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 3:55 Five Billion Pound Super 4:00 Everyday Gourmet With Sewer Justine Schofield [s] 5:00 Cycling: La Vuelta 2020 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful Highlights (PG) [s] 5:30 Letters And Numbers 5:00 10 News First [s] 6:00 Mastermind Australia 6:00 WIN News [s] 6:30 SBS World News 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 7:30 Michael Mosley - Queen 7:30 The Bachelorette Australia Victoria’s Slum: The Welfare (PG) [s] System (PG) 8:30 Gogglebox (M l) [s] 8:35 Secrets Of The Tower Of 9:30 Program To Be Advised London (M l) 10:00 This Is Us: A Hell Of A Week 9:30 Fargo: Camp Elegance (Part 3) (M) [s] (MA15+) (In English/ Italian) 11:00 This Is Us: The Cabin (M) [s] 10:30 SBS World News 12:00 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 11:00 24 Hours in Police Custody: 1:00 The Project (PG) [s] Frequent Flyers (M d,l) 2:00 The Late Show With Stephen 12:00 The Killing (M l,v) (In Danish) Colbert (PG) [s] 4:30 Full Frontal With Samantha 3:00 Home Shopping Bee (M l,s)

Monday 26 October

ABC (C20/21)

Also see: ABC COMEDY (Channel 22) ABC ME (Channel 23) ABC NEWS (Channel 24)

Also see: 7TWO (Channel 62) 7MATE (Channel 63) 7FLIX (Channel 66) 7FOOD (Channel 74)

5:30 Today [s] 9:00 Today Extra [s] 11:30 NINE’s Morning News [s] 12:00 Ellen (PG) [s] 1:00 Desperate Housewives (PG) 2:00 The Block: Front Garden And Facade Week (PG) [s] 3:00 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 4:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 5:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 6:00 NINE News [s] 7:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 7:30 The Block: Front Garden And Facade Week (PG) [s] – The teams face an uphill battle to finish their front gardens and house facades. 8:40 Paramedics (M) [s] 9:40 A&E After Dark: Episode 3 (M mp,l) [s] 10:40 NINE News Late [s] 11:10 Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Best Defense (M v) [s] 12:05 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 1:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping

Also see: GEM (Channel 82) GO! (Channel 83/88) LIFE (Channel 84)

TEN (C13)

PAGE 21 23 OCTOBER 2020

Wednesday 28 October

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Thursday 29 October

SBS (C30)

6:00 Headline News [s] 5:00 CGTN English News 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 5:15 NHK World English News 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 5:30 Worldwatch – Deutsche Welle 1:00 Program To Be Advised English News 6:00 France 24 2:30 Entertainment Tonight [s] English News 6:30 This Week 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] With George Stephanopoulos 3:30 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 7:30 Italian News 8:10 4:00 Everyday Gourmet With Worldwatch Continues Justine Schofield [s] 2:05 Cruising California (PG) 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful 2:55 Alex Polizzi Chef For Hire (PG) [s] 4:05 The Supervet (PG) 5:00 10 News First [s] 5:00 Cycling: La Vuelta 2020 6:00 WIN News [s] Highlights 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 5:30 Letters And Numbers 7:30 Junior Masterchef [s] 6:00 Mastermind Australia 8:40 Have You Been Paying 6:30 SBS World News Attention? (M) [s] 7:30 Great House Revival 9:30 Drunk History Australia 8:30 24 Hours In Emergency (M) (MA15+) [s] 9:30 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does 10:10 Just For Laughs (MA15+) [s] Countdown (PG) 10:40 The Project (PG) [s] 10:25 SBS World News Late 11:40 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 10:55 DNA (M) 12:40 The Late Show With Stephen (In Danish/ Polish/ English) Colbert (PG) [s] 11:45 The Killing (M) (In Danish) 1:30 Home Shopping 4:25 Great British Railway 4:30 CBS This Morning [s] Journeys (PG)

Also see: 10 PEACH (Channel 11) 10 BOLD (Channel 12)

Programming information correct at time of going to press, changes are at the network’s discretion Prepared by National Typesetting Services

5:00 5:15 5:30 1:00 2:05 2:55

CGTN English News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Cruising Iceland (PG) Secrets Of The Bermuda Triangle (PG) 3:50 Who Do You Think You Are? Noel Clarke (PG) 4:55 Great British Railway Journeys 5:30 Letters And Numbers 6:00 Mastermind Australia 6:30 SBS World News 7:30 Every Family Has A Secret (M) 8:30 Insight: Family Estrangement (M) 9:30 Dateline: Internet Love In A Strange Land 10:00 The Feed 10:30 SBS World News Late 11:00 Cardinal (MA15+) 11:50 The Killing (M) (In Danish) 4:25 Great British Railway Journeys (PG) 5:00 5:15 5:30 1:00 2:00 2:50 3:25 4:25

CGTN English News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Cruising The Mekong (PG) Dateline Insight Great British Railway Journeys 5:00 Cycling: La Vuelta 2020 Highlights 5:30 Letters And Numbers 6:00 Mastermind Australia 6:30 SBS World News 7:35 Walking Britain’s Roman Roads: Fosse Way (PG) 8:30 Australia Come Fly With Me (M) 9:35 The Good Fight: The Gang Offends Everyone (MA15+) 10:35 SBS World News Late 11:05 24 Hours In Emergency (M) 12:05 Movie: “Redoutable” (MA15+) (’17) Stars: Louis Garrel, Stacy Martin (In French) 2:05 Vikings (MA15+)

Also see: SBS VICELAND (Channel 31) SBS MOVIES (Channel 32) SBS FOOD (Channel 33) SBS NITV (Channel 34)

PAGE 22 23 OCTOBER 2020 PUZZLES

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

ACROSS

65. Blood fluid 67. Beef cut (1-4) 69. US bird emblem 70. Artist’s stand 72. August zodiac sign 73. Grind (teeth) 75. Abundantly 77. Rapid eye movement (sleep) (1,1,1) 79. Furious 81. Porridge flake 82. Atmosphere layer 84. Sudden burst 85. Bitter (taste) 86. Golf-green stroke 87. Inappropriately employs 88. Fire fuel

1. Rush (hour) 4. Shipping route (3,4) 8. Tug sharply 11. Breadth 13. Deep-pitched instruments 15. Fawning creep 17. What? 18. Spanish friend 20. Donkey 21. Joiner’s machine 24. French heroine, Joan ... (2,3) 27. Light touch 28. Fraudster 30. Preamble 31. Linger DOWN 33. Grunts like a pig 34. Salt solution 35. Hot water dispensers 1. Flat circular bread 36. Svelte 2. Swamped 39. Curled (of smoke) 3. Trick 42. Hunting lure 4. Filmed 44. Single entities 5. Parthenon city 45. Rewrote (essay) 6. Finds repugnant 46. Profoundly wise 7. Famous volcano 48. Reply 8. Root vegetable 49. Large violin 9. Stage whisper 50. Close (envelope) 10. Round handle 52. Monitor 12. Singer, Bob ... 54. ... & that Rashers of 55. theElectroshock alphabet once14. only. weapon 16. Hollywood prize 56. Nuns’ garments 19. Herbs, bouquet ... 57. Clasp 22. On bad terms (2,4) 60. Commander 23. Here 25. Frothed 62. Meekly

MISSING LINK Fill in each letter

K O E Y E D I N E C A N A E E E SO I D R N T F A D S T S O E R P

MISSING LINK Fill in each letter of the alphabet once only.

M P E D

A M NU S D G E E I D E D R I L B I S T E N A I S C A RG I G A N A E T N AG E A H O G O L E T T L E E X S T

E L Y I N A DD B I A T T

O NG R L A K S

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS Missing Link Solution:

Missing Link Solution:

J Q V UNU S E M O I P R I M L E T D I S CH C A Z E S T B A T H F OW L X E

A D G D E Y I E N A RG R N AG P K E T X

L A B I N G O T S

M E E D I S A NG A E D G L E T

V K W OB E Y E D I N E C A N A P E E E X SO L I D I R N T F A D S S T O T S Z ON E Q R P

H O EM E L F Y

K I D

I N A DD B I U A C T T

J A Y R G Y O NG R L E A K S Y

29. Gist 32. Zoo’s physician 35. Lie 37. Fishing spools 38. Travelled by car 40. Overthrow, coup ... (1’4) 41. Shut out 42. Trench 43. Masted vessel 44. Desert spring 47. Japanese hostesses 51. Crime fighters 52. Actor, Orson ... 53. NYC district 54. Glittery Xmas strip 58. Vary 59. See over (1,1,1) 61. Director, Woody ... 63. Hostility 64. Triumphant hollers 65. Dinner crockery 66. Town boss 68. Bluster 71. Wear away 72. Drooping 74. Interrupting cough 76. Whistle balls 78. Encounter 80. Expression of rebuke 83. Metal fastener © Lovatts Puzzles

CCN

26. Heavy horned animals

RESTAURANT Shop 15/7 Link Rd. Green Point Shopping Village Green Point NSW 2251 Ph 43655525 www.boonsthai.com.au We are pleased to announce that we will be OPEN for lunch and dinner from Tuesday 2nd June 2020 © Lovatts Puzzles for DINE IN TAKEAWAY & HOME DELIVERIES continue to be available. Thank you for your continued loyalty and support

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE PAGE 23 23 OCTOBER 2020

Down in the Garden: is permaculture for you? after seeing him using petrol driven machinery to dig a dam. The amount of water he could generate from available renewable resources, he replied, would have taken years to bring in by truck. Small steps, with the best effort is always useful when looking towards change for a more sustainable gardening practice. Where Can I Learn More?

harvest, maximum shade, flowers or other design features we desire in our gardens. Ethics

CHERALYN DARCEY

There are so many ways to garden and each season seems to bring us a new term, a new way of caring for and harvesting the plants we grow at home. One of these approaches that is enjoying a resurgence of interest is ‘Permaculture’. Created in the mid 1970s, this holistic approach to gardening is appealing to those wanting to grow safer produce to share with their families while protecting the environment. But is it for you? What is Permaculture? You may be surprised to learn Permaculture was born here in Australia. It was created by Bill Mollison, a biologist and David Holmgren, an environmental designer in the mid1970s. Often mistaken as ‘just another term for organic’, Mollison and Holmgren’s original concept, in their words was to create, an integrated, evolving system of perennial or selfperpetuating plant and animal species useful to mankind. Over the years this founding goal broadened considerably and today permaculture has been redefined to mean: Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for provision of local needs. The heart of Permaculture is sustainability – to create an energyefficient home, garden and world that produces what we need while focusing towards permanent solutions to enable us to co-exist in harmony with all other living things and the environment. For the home gardener, this isn’t hard, and it isn’t expensive or time consuming. In fact, once begun, most find permaculture gardens save time and money. It may sound a little challenging, but the skilled gardener can attest to how crops and plants that are natural to our Coast grow with greater ease. These plants require less additional water, sometimes no pest or disease control and provide a more abundant

Any agricultural practice benefits from a foundation of ethics that are adhered to so that the intention and outcomes are sustained. In Permaculture these are: Earth Care - rebuild nature’s capital, People Care - nurture self, kin and community and Fair Share - set limits to consumption and reproduction and redistribute surplus. If you want to dive in and work towards becoming a permaculture gardener then check in regularly with each decision by asking: Is this caring for the earth, the people and consuming fairly. How do I start Permaculture in my Garden? Although there are those who embrace Permaculture in its entirety, even if you are not ready to take the plunge, there are facets that you can easily introduce to your home garden that will make a positive difference to you and your environment. All good gardening begins with design and although most of us, your gardening writer included, are guilty of just hobbling together things on the fly, design enables us to make best use of the land, resources and environment. Permaculture design makes sure we are doing it responsibly and sustainably. There are twelve principles that make up a Permaculture practice and while that may seem a lot to learn, they are mostly common sense. You can explore these principles as applied to a greater societal approach in any of Holmgren/Mollison’s work, but I am going to give you simple ways that you can see how they would work in your own gardens. These are just starting points as examples of each principle. 1. Observe and Interact Watch what happens on your land and surrounds. Learn what goes on and how you can find solutions to improve your area or work with what is already here. For instance, you can map the sunlight on your garden and plant accordingly, or record insects and identify pests from beneficial and native insects. 2. Catch and Store Energy You could try installing a water tank, using solar energy or making wicking beds. 3. Obtain a Yield This means ensuring that all possible assets (your land and your time) are used to ensure something becomes of them. Examples might include using roof space or balconies for edible gardening, growing more edibles, or collecting rainwater. 4. Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback Set limits so that you are not overusing resources and be realistic about what you are capable of and what is or isn’t working along the

way. Stop doing what is not working. 5. Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services In a home garden setting this means limiting the use of outside resources and using what you can generate on your land and doing things by hand when possible. 6. P roduce No Waste The aim is to use everything in a permaculture garden – mulch created from clippings and leaves, compost from home and garden waste fertiliser from animals and worms. 7. Design from Patterns to Details This is perhaps the most wellknown Permaculture principle. Gardens are created with zones that are conducive to working the garden as well as being harmonious to the environment. They often mimic patterns in nature and nearly always include curves edges and circles to maximise the use of space and branched shapes to connect and improve movement through the garden. 8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate Bring it all together by planning a garden so that all the plants and systems are near each other or make sense in the overall design and subsequent usage. Plant herbs close to the house for ease of use and situate high waterneed plants situated in lower areas of the garden to use run-off. 9. U se Small and Slow Solutions Creating your own potting mixes, seed saving and starting your garden small. These are just a tiny fraction of the small and slow ways to gardening that enhance our connection with the environment and garden while allowing us to see more and learn more. 10. Use and Value Diversity Companion planting is one very important and successful way to work with this principle. Another is by growing plants that repel pests and by planting is a more

organic way instead of straight rows. In fact, this later tip will help slow bugs that gain a taste for a particular crop. If they are all in a row, you are setting out a smorgasbord for them to hop along! 11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal When two ecosystems meet there is a chance for a new and rich environment to grow. Look at our own lakes and coastline and the areas teaming with both wildlife and plants along them. This principle also means not overlooking what lies between. In your garden you can utilise this by planting flowers around a vegetable garden to encourage the bees, by making keyhole shaped garden beds to maximise the use of space by increasing the edges, or by using ‘dead areas’ of your garden productively. 12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change Everything changes and even the most well thought out designed garden will change on its own and will at some point require you to change it as well. For example, if your raised bed collapses and the wood you used is not suitable after all, leave the fallen dirt as an above ground bed and use the wood elsewhere in the garden as a trellis or stakes. Can Permaculture Fail? There are lots of theories out there as to why permaculture has not worked for some and although it is again rising in popularity, it has not ‘caught on’ more in the mainstream. Most point towards an inability to stick with it, time constraints and even costs in setting up systems (water tanks, wicking beds for examples). Personally, I think there is an ‘all or nothing’ approach by many and I find nothing wrong in beginning a new way of gardening by implementing it one step at a time. If permaculture principles appeal to you, try a few and build from there. Bill Mollison once recalled a student asking if he had given up permaculture

On the Central Coast we have a local branch of Permaculture Australia, ‘Permaculture Central Coast’, which is a not-for-profit and very welcoming community group of volunteers who provide education and resources throughout the Coast. You can find them at: www. permaculturecc.org.au There are many courses online that focus on all aspects of Permaculture including design, lifestyle and gardening – start at www. permaculture.org.au Those who love books will find the subject well represented and I can recommend the following for the home gardener: Gaia’s Garden, A Guide to HomeScale Permaculture, Toby Hemenway Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture, Rosemary Morrow, Rob Allsop (Illustrator) The Permaculture Home Garden, Linda Woodrow Permaculture for Beginners, Carrie Mitchell UPCOMING GARDENING EVENTS ‘Green Living Webinar - Water Wise Gardening’, 9:30-11am, 24th October 2020 – see www.centralcoast.nsw. gov.au (free) ‘Permaculture Garden Tour, Woongarah 10-11:30am, 25th October 2020 – see https://tinyurl. com/y24e66eq ($15) ‘Succulent Workshop, Somersby’. 3pm - 4:30pm 31st October 202 – see www.coachwoodnursery.com ($49) ‘Native Plant Propagation’ online class 7:30 - 9pm, 2nd November – see: https://tinyurl.com/y2gnsyld (free)

THIS WEEK YOU COULD PLANT: capsicum, spring onions, squash, zucchini, rosella, sweet corn, basil, pyrethrum, lemongrass, oregano, marjoram, mint, passionfruit, avocados, banana, daisies, snapdragons, marigolds, celosia References: David Holmgren, Essence of Permaculture, Melliodora Publishing 2020 and Gaia’s Garden, A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, Toby Hemenway Cheralyn Darcey is a gardening author, community garden coordinator and along with Pete Little, hosts ‘The Gardening Gang’ 8 - 9am every Saturday on Coast FM. Send your gardening events and news to: gardeningcentralcoast@ gmail.com

PAGE 24 23 OCTOBER 2020

OUT&ABOUT

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

BOOK REVIEW

CCN

Shuggie Bain

Author: Douglas Stuart Publisher: Picador

We first meet Hugh (Shuggie) Bain when he is 16 working at a deli counter at a supermarket and living in a tenement with a shared bathroom. The story is all about how he got there. It is set in Scotland in the early 1990s. Shuggie’s earlier years were spent in Glasgow, in a high-rise council block, with his Mum Agnes, Dad Shug, halfsister Catherine and half-brother Alexander (Leek). The mines were closing, and life was tough: “The land had been turned inside out … The black slag hills stretched for miles like the waves of a petrified sea.” Agnes packed up her two children in the dead of night to leave her first husband to be with Shug, who drives a taxi.

Shug left his wife and “fo-wer… weans” to be with Agnes. Agnes’s first husband adored Agnes and tried to be a good husband and father but Agnes dreamed of more and thought Shug could provide it. Now Shug, Agnes and the children live with Agnes’s parents. Agnes drinks. Her Mum and Dad think she should be able to control it, like they have, if you don’t count the drinks they sneak. Shug cheats. Agnes knows what he does with her friends when he drives them home, because it was how her own relationship with him began. Agnes thinks she is going to get a new start in Pithead, but when Shug moves the family there, he leaves to be with someone else. There is nothing to stop Agnes drinking now. To escape, Catherine marries young and moves to South Africa. Leek, a who is a natural born artist, sticks around hoping things will change. A very sad moment comes when the reader realises that Leek received an acceptance letter to study fine arts, but if he left who would protect Agne?

There are a lot of people that will take advantage of a drunken, attractive woman. Agnes does get sober for a year. Leek and Shuggie find out what a normal life looks like and they like it. Agnes gets a job and attends AA meetings – things are looking up. She meets Eugene, another taxi driver, and he takes a fancy to the good-looking Agnes, but he is uncomfortable with her sobriety. They go to dinner and he pressures

her to have one drink, “Because it’s what normal people do.” Alas, there is no such thing as just one drink to an alcoholic. Agnes spirals downwards, Eugene tries to stick around but ends up telling Agnes, “I don’t like ye when ye’ve got a drink in ye.” Agnes knows they were done. In one of Agnes’ drunken rages she throws Leek out. Shuggie is now alone as he cares for Agnes. He constantly cleans her up after her binges. He misses school to cash the dole checks. He has no friends. He is constantly bullied for his effeminate ways. Agnes lies to Shug and says she will stop the drink. He lies to Agnes by saying he will try to be more normal. I had trouble following some of the dialogue in the beginning, but once I put a Scottish accent in my head it became easier. It is a tough book to read, not because of the writing but because of the content.

There is abuse, rape, addiction and poverty. At times, there is also hope. I felt so sad reading it there were times I had to put it down and walk away because I was getting emotional. There is something so touching about Shuggie’s unflappable love for his mother as she deteriorates before him – I wanted to rip through the pages to give him a hug. And for evoking that kind of emotion, the author must be commended. It is a great debut book by Douglas Stuart which has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Kim Reardon The Reluctant Book Critic

COASTAL DIARY

CCN

A COMPREHENSIVE LISTING OF EVENTS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS ON THE CENTRAL COAST FRIDAY, OCT 23 Magenta Shores Charity Golf Day, Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club, Ticketed, 7:30am - 4pm

SUNDAY, OCT 25 Avoca Beachside Markets, Heazlett Park Foreshore, 9am - 2pm

MONDAY, OCT 26

CC SLSC Surf Fun Days, RSPCA Cupcake Day: Bake Toowoon Bay Beach North, a change this October for animals in need, 9am - 2:30pm Register via RSPCA.

SATURDAY, OCT 24

WEDNESDAY, OCT 28

Open Days, Coachwood Nursery, 9am - 4pm Interiors: an exhibition, The Community Gallery East Gosford, 30/10 - 4/11, 9:30am - 4pm Fine Art Matters - two exhibitions by Ourimbah TAFE graduates, The Entrance Gallery, 30/10 - 24/11, 10:30am - 2:30pm

Gleny Rae Virus and her Playboys, The Everglades Club Woy Woy, Ticketed, 7pm 4342 6716 https://www.trybooking. com/BMBBZ SUNDAY, NOV 1

Live at the Drive Musical experience, Location sent to ticket holders

Bateau Bay Anglican Church Library Online: Dr Nick Market, Fuller - ‘Interval Weight Library online: Paul F. Bateau Bay Anglican Loss for Women’, Surf Life Saving Central Church, 8am - 1pm Free - register at Eventbrite, Verhoeven speaker event, Coast Surf Sports Carnivals, Register at Eventbrite, 11am - 12pm Killcare Beach, Free, 1pm - 2pm ChromeFest Overdrive TV, 7:30am - 3pm ChromeFest Facebook THURSDAY, OCT 29 page, free, 24/10 - 1pm SATURDAY, OCT 31 TUESDAY, NOV 3 9pm & 25/10 - 11am - 4pm David Hobson and Colin Lane In Tails, Melbourne Cup @ The Eg, The Art House Wyong, Green Living Webinar: Water The Entertainment Grounds, Ticketed, 8pm Wise Gardening, Ticketed, 12pm - 6pm Register at Eventbrite, FRIDAY, OCT 30 9:30am - 11am Library online: In-conversation with Coachwood Nursery Troubadour Folk Club: Garth Nix,

WEDNESDAY, NOV 4 Library Online: The Poppy Project and beyond with Merril Jackson, Register at Eventbrite, Free, 12:30pm Build Me Skate Deck Design, Register at Eventbrite, Free, 3:30pm

THURSDAY, NOV 5 Angels Dance: solo exhibition by local artist, The Community Gallery East Gosford, 5 - 18/11, 9:30am - 4pm

FRIDAY, NOV 6

Bowl Groms Summer Series, Picnic Point Skatepark The Entrance, 3pm Meditate by the Lake, Picnic Point Reserve The Entrance, 4pm Library online: Inconversation with Kylie Maslen, Register at Eventbrite, Free, 12:30pm

SATURDAY, NOV 7 Art@work - Festival Of Local Creativity, Open Shutters Berkeley Vale, 7/11 - 8/11, 10am - 4pm Toukley Arts & Crafts event, Wallarah Point Peace Park, 12pm

Opening night :Art@work Festival Of Local Creativity, MONDAY, NOV 9 Ticketed, 6pm Library Online: Closing the

Loop on Soft Plastics, Register at Eventbrite, Free, 11am Library online: International Games Week - Heroquest (for younger gamers), Register at Eventbrite, Free, 4:30pm

TUESDAY, NOV 10 Library online: International Games Week Dungeon Saga, Register at Eventbrite, 4:30pm

THURSDAY, NOV 12 Library online: Tangents Bookclub, Register at Eventbrite Library online: Inconversation with Lauren Chater, Register at Eventbrite, Free, 6:30pm

FRIDAY, NOV 13 Great Southern Nights Kate Ceberano supported by Joe Kalou, Laycock Street Theatre, Ticketed, email to book 8pm

SATURDAY, NOV 14 Bouddi Coastal Run, Killcare Beach, 6am - 3pm Darkinjung Colours of Country, Erina Centre Gallery, 16 - 30/11, 9:30am - 12pm

MONDAY, NOV 16 Library online: Craig Reucassel presents Fight for Planet A, Register at Eventbrite, Free, 6:30pm

Basic entries in the Coastal Diary are FREE. Send information to coastaldiary@centralcoastnews.net

ENHANCED entries using bold typeface with an address, phone number and a live link are available for a small fee. Photographs can also be added for a small fee. All display advertisers are entitled to a free enhanced entry.

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

BUSINESS & PROPERTY PAGE 25 23 OCTOBER 2020

Business & Property New destination venue for Terrigal beachfront Fancy a Bubble O Bill cocktail to wash down that Flamin’ Hot Dorito Fried Chicken? Well burger restaurant, Milky Lane, will give you that opportunity when it opens its sixth shop at Terrigal in December. To be located opposite the surf club, Milky Lane will offer unique cocktails, extravagant food items, and a specials menu which is updated often with creative new combinations. The development application for the old Raine and Horne store is yet to be approved, but Milky Lane founder, Christian Avant, said he is confident the doors will be open right in time for Christmas. “We have introduced ourselves to all the locals and

businesses, and everyone is excited,” Avant said. “It is very exciting for us as it has been about two years in the making. “We have looked at places in Westfield Tuggerah and Erina

Fair… but we just wanted that whole beachside lifestyle.” The restaurant and bar will be able to seat 140 people and will include indoor and outdoor seating, plus seating in the laneway.

“Milky Lane is a destination venue where people go for a night out or a date,” Avant said. “A lot of people said Terrigal is seasonal, but we don’t usually feel the negative

effects. “We don’t want to take anyone away from other businesses, we just want to add people to the local area.” The Deep Fried Caramilk and Biscoff Calzone, Waffle Buns

with Flamin’ Hot Dorito Fried Chicken, Sriracha, Vanilla IceCream and Maple Syrup, and Snicker Mega Milkshake, will be some of the specials offered. “A new menu has just been released as I wanted a revamp,” Avant said. “It includes our Bubble O Bill Cocktail, which is one of our most famous drinks; it was previously just a special. “We have our Zooper Dooper Cocktails, a four-cheese pot of dipping sauce, Warhead shots and plenty of new items. “In creating Milky lane, I simply wanted to bring a little bit of entertainment, fun and experience to a burger style of a place and make it creative.” Jacinta Counihan

Survey points to future growth in co-working The advent of COVID-19 has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Central Coast residents working from their homes, according to a survey by The Foundry Cowork into how Central Coast residents are working and living through the COVID pandemic. As workers balance the advantage of not having to spend hours commuting against the challenges of working from home, including childcare and feelings of isolation, coworking spaces could be the solution, says one Erina-based coworking space. The survey focused on three

The Foundry Cowork owner Mel Archer

key areas: mental health, supporting the greater Central Coast community and the future of work. The Foundry Cowork owner,

Mel Archer, said the survey found that prior to COVID, 45 per cent of respondents’ employers had a positive attitude toward working from home or remotely. “Yet, despite this positive attitude, over 54 per cent of respondents haven’t had a discussion about remote working with their employer, meaning this aspect of their future employment is undetermined,” Archer said. “While a discussion for many respondents is yet to happen, an alarming number of respondents aren’t aware if a flexible working agreement has been introduced. “A flexible working agreement is critical for those employees

whose workplace has been impacted by the pandemic. “To have the discussion with your employer and look at potentially using facilities like The Foundry Cowork can be seen as a proactive step in keeping the momentum of work continuing. “In many instances, employers will cover the cost of an employee using a coworking space as it gives the employer peace of mind that their employees are working from a professional and productive work environment. “As a result, employee job satisfaction is increased, and absenteeism reduced so it’s

Virtual trade expo held in Stadium bubble In an attempt to keep business revenues flowing on the Central Coast more than 100 businesses stood together to trade services virtually at the Bigger Backyard Virtual Trade Show on October 22. Business NSW Central Coast Regional Director, Paula martin, said recent research had shown COVID-19 was still affecting supply chains and restricted trading conditions were hurting revenues. “Over 10 percent of

businesses are concerned with their financial viability post March 2021,” Martin said. “The Bigger Backyard Virtual Trade Show helped business to find new customers and suppliers locally and, via a highly interactive and visual technology platform, businesses promoted their products and services safely with each other. “This virtual trade show for business is a first for the Central Coast and we were delighted at how many businesses jumped

on board to help each other. “The fastest way for small business to keep operating is to swap out a purchase they would have made outside the region for a local one. “This creates jobs and has a positive knock-on effect to the community. “Already the Bigger Backyard Central Coast campaign has generated $87M into our local economy with 574 companies taking the pledge to spend locally. “When times are good, it is

easy to forget that we have expertise across all sectors located right here on the Central Coast. “The Bigger Backyard Virtual Expo is a great reminder that we have great businesses who are our neighbours.” The expo was conducted from a “bubble” at Central Coast Stadium, with businesses joining in virtually. Source: Media release, Oct 21 Business NSW Central Coast

really a win-win situation.” Archer said the survey discovered the biggest difficulty faced by Central Coast residents when commuting to work prior to COVID was the amount of time spent travelling. “For many Central Coast residents travelling time alone can take hours and ultimately this also impacts residents trying to maintain a positive work /life balance.,” she said. “In a similar vein, when exploring the challenges of working from home or remotely 51 per cent of respondents said that distractions were the biggest challenge, followed by meeting childcare needs and

overcoming issues related to social isolation/loneliness. “I created The Foundry Cowork to help others who may have been feeling the way I was, which was that feeling of isolation when you work alone from home. “The connectedness and ability to build relationships and business networks helps in a multitude of ways and as the survey has shown, the issue of connectedness really is a core issue that’s affecting Central Coast residents.” Source: Media release, Oct 20 The Foundry Cowork

PAGE 26 23 OCTOBER 2020

BUSINESS & PROPERTY

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Northside Private Hospital development progresses to next stage The proposed $350M Northside Private Hospital and medical precinct at West Gosford has progressed to the next stage of consideration, with the proponent having lodged a response to concerns raised in submissions on the project with the NSW Planning Department. The proposed development, a joint project with the Northside Group, is being considered for approval as a State Significant Development and would see two large buildings, ranging from four to 11 storeys on a site between Racecourse Rd and Faunce St West. The proponent has offered solutions to some of the concerns raised, including a suggestion for improved connection of internal and external public spaces and a

plan for increased plantings and landscaping on the site. It has addressed concerns raised over access from Racecourse Rd by suggesting the provision of a single right-hand turning lane from Racecourse Rd onto the precinct’s private road and similar single lane egress. In response to concerns raised that the development would exacerbate traffic congestion in the area, which also includes Gosford Hospital, the racecourse and three schools, the proponent says traffic movement is already a strategic problem. “While the development will impact (this) to a degree, the impact made to future conditions would be negligible,” the response says. One of the major concerns raised in submissions from Friends of Gosford and the Community Environment

Network (CEN) was the fact that the development exceeds height and floor space ratios as set down in Central Coast Council’s State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP). But the response says that suggested excesses are acceptable under Clause 8.4 (4) of the SEPP. “Although the development contains a tower component, the intensity of the overall development is softened through landscaping areas and the use of basement parking,” it says. The complete response can be found on the Department of Planning’s Major Projects website. The Department will now proceed with consideration of the project as a State Significant Development in view of concerns raised and the proponent’s response. Terry Collins

An artist’s impression of the proposed Northside Private Hospital and medical precinct

Bulk Kerbside Service Every household gets SIX FREE collections every year. Book a collection BEFORE you put your rubbish out! Don’t just leave your waste on the kerb.

1m etr e

1 m et re

s 2 metre

3 ke r b s i 2m at

For more information and to book in a collection visit www.1coast.com.au or call 1300 126 278.

Mention this advertisement when ordering and receive a FREE box of copy paper

coast

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

BUSINESS & PROPERTY PAGE 27 23 OCTOBER 2020

Young St development a ‘catalyst to revitalise West Gosford’

A photomontage of the Proposal in its current context as included in the SEE Photo: Marchese Partners

Residents have until November 1 to make a submission on a major mixed used development proposed for 10 Young St, West Gosford. The 5-14 storey development would include retail premises on the ground floor, a 32 room hotel and 58 residential

apartments. It seeks to provide accommodation for key workers, educators, postgraduates and staff of the nearby Gosford hospital, as well as residents of the surrounding Gosford locality, according to a Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE) lodged with the application.

The proposed high-quality hotel provider known as Punthill is expected to accommodate key workers, academics and specialists visiting the hospital as well as visitors to the adjoining Gosford Racecourse. The SEE says the development is intended to act as the catalyst to the revitalisation to this

portion of West Gosford. Through the provision of a variety of commercial and activated uses along both Racecourse Rd and Young St and the Gosford CBD while also creating employment opportunities, the SEE says. It says there will be an activated pedestrian pathway/ laneway and public domain

area along the southern boundary of the site. Hotel facilities will include a gym, conference facilities, reception and lobby area. The 58 residential apartments will include 51 two-bedroom and 7 three-bedroom apartments. A total of 103 car parking spaces will be provided.

The Development Application and accompanying documents can be viewed electronically free of charge at any Service NSW Centre or on the Department of Planning Major Projects website. Source: Department of Planning Major Projects website

Councils commit to a sustainable recovery Central Coast Council is among more than 40 councils nationwide to commit to a sustainable economic recovery following COVID-19. A joint statement released by the councils commits to economic recovery solutions that create jobs and tackle climate change. The councils aim to support

industries and sectors that invest in a zero carbon future, along with driving strong economic recovery for communities hit hard by twin climate and COVID-19 crises. The joint statement outlines eight solutions from renewable energy through to sustainable transport which the councils say will put local government on a practical, jobs-rich path to future-proof cities, reduce

energy costs and create more comfortable homes and workplaces. Among key solutions are: driving renewable energy and storage; accelerating sustainable transport; rolling out energy efficient measures, increasing vegetation and urban greening, enhancing organic waste collection and prioritising local businesses, skills and suppliers.

Central Coast Mayor Lisa Matthews said Council was pleased to be a member of the Cities Power Partnership. “Our community values the natural environment on the Central Coast and has asked us to take action to address climate change and its impacts. “I am proud to see we have selected the six pledges that were identified as the most

likely to have the highest impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “These actions will strengthen our ability to incorporate renewable energy and energy efficiency into future planning, while also having positive economic benefits by reducing Council’s electricity costs and helping us move towards a circular economy model.

“I look forward to next steps of developing relationships with other Councils involved in this fantastic national program to help improve what we can achieve for our community to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.” Terry Collins

United Pest Management have been servicing the Central Coast for the past 20 years. We cover all aspects of pest control

CALL US NOW ON 4365 0596

• Annual termite inspections • Termguard warranty inspections & Termguard Charge ups • Termite eradication • Cockroaches, Ants, Spiders, Silverfish, rodents • Pre purchase Building & pest reports

PAGE 28 23 OCTOBER 2020 COUNCIL WATCH

Co Co Ma SHARE

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

131 unit development at Erina proposed Residents have until November 2 to file a submission on a proposal for a major housing development at Erina. The proposal, for 85-91 Karalta Rd, would see a mix of three and four storey residential buildings, containing 131 units, with basement parking and a social housing component. Proponent the Abadeen Group described the project as “first class architecture”, “Accessibility to housing stock is what the Central Coast

needs right now,” said spokesperson Kade Astley. “There is a lack of ‘stock’ on the market and rental vacancies are at an all-time low (less than 1%). “Locals are finding it hard to find affordable rental properties and properties to purchase. “Erina is a location is suited for a development of this scale. “It sits right on the transport hub so little need for purchasers to drive/close to significant amenity; future residents can take public transport.”

The sites is currently occupied by two single storey brick residences which would be demolished to make way for the development. Documents lodged with the application say the project slightly exceeds the maximum permitted floor space ratio, so a variation request had been sought under Clause 4.6 – Exemption to Development Standard - under the Gosford Local Environmental Plan. Architect for the project, CKDS Architects, has designed the residential flat building and

affordable housing project to produce a high quality residential development optimising the development outcomes for the site whilst being mindful of bulk and scale, the documents say. The proposed landscaping has been designed so as not to block sight lines, with shrubs not greater than 1 metre in height and the canopy of tall trees to be no higher than 1.8 metres. Source: Central Coast Council DA tracker

Crs Best and Marquart want their own conduct breach allegations to be aired in public Cr Greg Best and Cr Troy Marquart have both copped code of conduct breach allegations – one at least of which comes via a complaint from a member of the public – but want them to be made public. At Central Coast Council’s October 19 meeting, Cr Best declared a significant interest in a code of conduct confidential item on the agenda. Councillors must declare at the start of any meeting items on the agenda in which they have a personal or pecuniary

link. Depending on whether an interest is significant or nonsignificant, councillors make a personal decision on whether to stay in the chamber to hear the debate. This time it was different because the code of conduct complaints are confidential. But Cr Best said he would declare a significant interest in the item as he was the subject of the complaint. He said he was supposed to retire for the item but ‘that was not going to happen’.

Cr Marquart also declared a significant interest saying the second item was about him. Later, during the procedure where the councillors vote to have confidential items discussed behind closed doors, Cr Marquart asked the matter about him be moved to the public part of the meeting. Staff strongly recommended against it, saying the reasons were set out in the item. Cr Best said he had grave concerns about his matter being sheeted off to the confidential meeting without the community listening.

He said he had no objection to any information about him being made public. He asked if it was in the public interest for the item to be confidential and a staff member said the balance test was between public interest and outcomes which would remain confidential and to discuss it in open council would be a breach of the Code of Conduct. Cr Chris Holstein said he had to give credence to the Local Government Act but also suggested councillors may seek to review the Code of Conduct.

“That may have been a better way to move forward,” he said. “When staff say it may be a breach of the Act, we have to listen.” Cr Jillian Hogan said dealing with the issue in confidential wasn’t about councillors Best or Marquart but about the public who had made the complaint and unless there was a public apology, she didn’t believe it should be in the public arena and unless that happened it could create more problems. Cr Marquart said councillors wanted to “tar and feather

behind closed doors”. “If you want to bash us around the gills, do it so the public can hear,” he said. “It is nothing to do with people putting complaints in, what codswallop.” The majority of councillors voted to hear the items behind closed doors and the meeting did not publicly explain what happened once it came out of the confidential session. Merilyn Vale

Council adopts 100 day Recovery Action Plan Central Coast Council adopted its final 100 Day Recovery Action Plan on October 19 as it continues to take steps to mitigate its liquidity problems. Mayor Lisa Matthews said the Plan was a multi-pronged approach, and key to success would be keeping all stakeholders informed, and most importantly ratepayers and residents. Among key priorities listed in the plan are maintaining essential services, looking at financial sustainability into the

future, a reduction in projects, a freeze on employment and most overtime, restricted financial delegations for employees, a business restructure and a review of all services, workforce numbers and revenue options. “Our Central Coast community expect us to address these financial issues as urgently as we can and we intend to do that,” Cr Matthews said. “All decisions taken during this period of rapid change will ensure essential services are maintained and the impact on our community is minimised. “Long term, this is about the

No Wish No Dream

financial stability of Council operations to deliver effective and efficient services to meet community needs and aspirations.” Acting CEO Jamie Loader said that the immediate focus was still on a reduction in the rate of expenditure to address Council’s cashflow issues. “We have found substantial savings in our capital works program for 2019/20; stopped all recruitment for new roles; released a portion of the contingency workforce; restricted financial delegations and staff overtime and finalised

IS TOO BIG IS TOO SMALL

scope of the forensic audit of Council’s finances,” Loader said “At the same time, a complete review and fully costed business restructure will get underway,” Cr Bruce McLachlan said the plan was the first step in the right direction and whether it would be too late to save Council being put back into administration remained to be seen. “If nothing else councillors will now be forced to drop their political ideology and face up to the stark commercial realities of managing a juggernaut business of 800m turnover,” he

said. “Instead of councillors getting on with the job at hand to progress the amalgamation, we have seen constant political impediment, and voting down or deferral of key initiatives with view to demerge back to the two former councils.” “Services are being cut, we havenomoneyforenvironmental projects, and are facing potential further rate increases, job losses, borrowings, and the auction sale of Council assets.” Cr McLachlan said councillors could not hide behind the excuse of amalgamation costs

and had ignored warnings of previous audits and pleas to receive independent financial assessment of the Cultural Precinct project,now abandoned and had voted down attempts to reign in casual staff costs. He also criticised councillors’ decision earlier this year to give themselves a pay rise, a move to which he was opposed. To view a copy of the 100 Day Action Recovery Plan, go to the 0ctober 19 Council Meeting Agenda on Council’s website. Terry Collins

Take out a fixed personal loan or variable personal loan today! From

9.99% 10.55% p.a.

Interest Rate

p.a.

Comparison Rate

Call 02 4350 5255 Credit eligibility criteria, terms and conditions, fees and charges apply. Interest rates are current as at 17 July 2020. Interest rate shown above applies to both fixed personal loans and variable personal loans. 1. Comparison Rate is calculated on a loan amount of $30,000 over a term of 5 years. These rates are for unsecured loans only. WARNING: This comparison rate is true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Unity Bank Limited ABN 11 087 650 315 | AFSL / Australian Credit Licence 240399.

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

COUNCIL WATCH

PAGE 29 23 OCTOBER 2020

Council reimagines our water future Central Coast Council is out to make a splash during National Water Week, which continues until October 25. Residents can tap into a range of webinars, online tours, games, videos, and water saving tips. With the third largest urban water supply system in NSW, Central Coast Council supplies water to more than 342,000 people and 135,000 homes and businesses. Highlights of the resources available during national Water Week, which has the theme Reimagining our water future, include the Working with Water game – a digital Sim-city style game where gamers can battle fire, flood, drought and equipment failures to supply water to more than 340,000 thirsty residents. There is a Plant Finder for gardeners and the Blue House tour for residents.

Kids can enjoy some water fun with online water stories, animations and videos and a webinar series will include a hosted virtual tour of one of the Coast’s dams and water treatment plants. There will be two gardening workshops to help residents create thriving gardens, a water calculator to estimate personal household use and a DIY maintenance guide for residents who have rainwater tanks. There is also a water audit program to help small businesses save money. Central Coast Council’s Acting Director Water & Sewer, Danielle Hargreaves, said National Water Week was a great opportunity to embrace the Love Water theme adopted during last year’s drought. “While our water reserves have increased since the drought period, it’s important we all adopt a long-term approach to water security as

dry conditions will inevitably return,” Hargreaves said. “Learning about the journey our water makes from rainfall to the tap helps us value this precious resource and makes it easier to adopt simple behaviour changes that help us use water wisely so there is plenty for the future.” Mayor Lisa Matthews said Central Coast residents have told Council they value water security and the Coast’s ability to be resilient with our water. “The ability to access good drinking water is one of life’s essentials, and National Water Week is an opportunity to continue to ‘love water’ by learning about what it takes to produce it and how we can all use it wisely,” Cr Matthews said. To access all the resources and activities, visit centralcoast. nsw.gov.au/waterweek. Source: Media release, Oct 19 Central Coast Council

Confidential staff matter deferred again A confidential staff matter that was first flagged with councillors at Central Coast Council’s meeting of October 12 and deferred to the October 19 meeting has been deferred again to the October 26 meeting. Cr Greg Best reacted to the initial tabling of the item warning it was so monumental that it would change the Council. He wanted it deferred to the October 19 meeting, saying

Mayor Lisa Matthews had given councillors no warning of the matter. Cr Matthews said she didn’t want the matter made public before the councillors had dealt with it but the majority of councillors voted with Cr Best to defer it. There was no public discussion about the matter when the council came out of the confidential part of the October 19 meeting. All the public knows is that

the matter has been deferred again, pending more legal advice. The matter will come before the October 26 meeting, still as a confidential item and with the attached report also remaining confidential. The outcome of the confidential meeting is normally relayed to the public when it resumes its public part of the meeting. Merilyn Vale

Central Coast residents can access a range of online resources on the sensible use of water during Water Week

Development Applications and Consents Development Applications

The following Development applications are notified for public comment and are available for inspection at Central Coast Council offices in Gosford and Wyong between 8.30am and 5.00pm and online at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

Written submissions close: 13 November 2020 No

Address

Suburb

59433/2020

233A Del Monte Pl

COPACABANA

59701/2020

124 - 134 Donnison St

GOSFORD

868/2018

27 Elizabeth Dr

NORAVILLE

59637/2020

68 Railway St

WOY WOY

Description

Signage - Temporary Memorial Applicant - Australian Navy in Vietnam Veterans Welfare Association

Use as a Community Facility Applicant - Central Coast Council

Alterations & Additions to the Existing Dual Occupancy (Amended Application) Applicant - Ms J A Tait

Stratum Torrens Subdivision Applicant - Bruce Kerr Pty Ltd

Written submissions close: 20 November 2020 No

Address

Suburb

1085/2020

47 Victoria Ave

TOUKLEY

Description

3 Storey Childcare Centre & Car Parking Applicant Artmade Architects

Central Coast Council is required to comply with the requirements of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2019 which requires submissions on Development Applications to be published on Council’s website. In order to maintain privacy, all submissions lodged using Council’s DA Submission Form or online portal will have personal contact details and signature redacted. Submissions received not using Council’s DA Submission Form or via the online portal will be published in full. Your submission may also be reproduced in full in Council reports or in Court proceedings.

Development Consents

Development Consents can be inspected online at central.coast.nsw.gov.au by searching ‘Development Applications’. We update this notice each week. Residents can sign up to our e-newsletter to directly receive notification.

Be the

first

to know!

at Sign up today v.au/enews o .g sw .n st a o lc centra

PAGE 30 23 OCTOBER 2020

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

COME IN FOR A FREE ASSESSMENT COSMETIC DENTISTRY • DENTAL IMPLANTS • SINGLE TOOTH REPLACEMENT • FULL MOUTH REHABILITATION OVER 4-6 IMPLANTS • IMPLANT SUPPORTED DENTURES

BRIGHTEN UP YOUR SMILE THIS CHRISTMAS

WE ACCEPT HOSPITAL VOUCHERS AND VETERAN AFFAIRS

NO GAP

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED & GENTLE DENTIST FOR YOUR FAMILY?

Exam and Clean appointment for Private Dental Health Insurance patients. Not with a Health Fund? Just pay $179 Includes FREE Xrays worth $160 Full Comprehensive Exam, Clean and Polish, OPG X-rays, Treatment Planning and Fluoride

A whiter brighter Smile in one hour PHILIPS Zoom White speed in chair teeth whitening special - only $595 (normally $950)

NOW ACCEPTING % INTEREST ON PAYMENT PLANS 90

COMPREHENSIVE EXAM CLEAN, FLUORIDE & X- RAYS

FOR KIDS ONLY.

COSMETIC

al Lifel

al Lifeline

Bulk Bill Under New Medicare's CDBS. 000 Free Dental Care- Ask us the Details) ental Sealants # Customized Mouth Guards

ford Train Station

w.dentallifeline.com.au

We provide reasons to smile

$1,000 Free Dental Care for children age 2 to 17 Ask us for the Details

BOOK ONLINE

PORCELAIN VENEERS

FREE CONSULTATION

INVISALIGN

Dr. Meena Gambhir

Dr. Namita Mehta

Saturday Appointments Available - We accept Veteran’s Affairs patients Shop 1, 201 Mann Street, Opposite Gosford Train Station, Gosford 2250 gosford@dentallifeline.com.au | www.dentallifeline.com.au

GOSFORD - BONDI - HORNSBY

* OPENING SOON IN MAITLAND * Dr. Dolly Soni

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE PAGE 31 23 OCTOBER 2020

Rohan opts for the reverse mohawk in fundraiser Terrigal Primary School student, Rohan Lord, will be shaving his head for cancer research after already losing his hair during his winning battle with leukemia. The Year Three student has raised over $3,000 for the Cancer Council, with the goal the money goes towards finding a way to cure cancer without having to have chemotherapy and lose your hair. Last November, Rohan was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent treatment at Westmead hospital, which

included losing his hair. He successfully beat the illness, and now his hair has grown back. Terrigal Public School Principal, Michael Burgess, said Rohan has asked him and a few others to shave it off again at the school’s virtual zoom assembly on November 6. “He has given me the privilege of the first shave, which will be straight down the middle, front to back; the reverse mohawk he says,” Burgess said. “Rohan is a confident child, full of energy who has a great personality and sense of humour.

“He is a very outgoing boy who really cares about other people. His mother, Kate Lord, said he has always cared for and supported others, and she is extremely proud of him. “I am specifically proud that he has the foresight to see that he is actually quite a lucky kid and there are other kids out there who are not so lucky,” Lord said. “For him to be thinking about others and not wanting them to be in the same situation is pretty amazing.” Burgess said parents, students and community members have all donated to

the cause. “We have been advertising the link and promoting the fundraiser and encouraging people to support him,” he said. “I know there are some students who have dipped into their own piggy banks or bank accounts to donate. “He is a great kid and, in the face of having cancer, he was always so positive.” To donate head to www. doitforcancer.com.au/ fundraisers/rohanlord/rowansfundraiser Jacinta Counihan

Small StEPS for children’s eyesight Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) has a 2020 vision to improve eyesight for all Central Coast fouryear-olds and is encouraging the region’s parents to have their children’s eye health monitored.

Central Coast Local Health District is encouraging eye health checks for young children

In the wake of World Sight Day on October 8, Operational Nurse Manager, Women, Children and Families Leanne Roberts said eye checks for children at the age of four are essential for the early identification and treatment of vision problems and to reduce the likelihood of permanent vision loss. “NSW was the first state or territory in Australia to implement universal screening for pre-schoolers - the Statewide

Eyesight Preschooler Screening (StEPS) program,” Roberts said. “The NSW Government invests more than $4M annually in the StEPS program. “It is critical that this screening is provided to four-year-olds before they start school to maximise clinical benefit and outcomes for children. “If a child has impaired vision, they may think this is normal as they don’t have a baseline to compare it to. “This is why it is so vital your child is screened.” Free screening is available to all four-year-old children. StEPS screeners visit preschools and long day care centres across the local health district and children who do not

Is your sleep as good as it should be? For over a decade, Pacific Sleep has been your local provider for sleep health solutions on the Central Coast. Proudly independent, we offer ongoing care and support with all major brands of sleep equipment. We won’t sleep until you get the sleep you deserve! Contact Pacific Sleep today for: • Home sleep testing • CPAP trials and rental • CPAP or BiPAP equipment and support • Home oxygen therapy solutions, including AIRVO ™ Conveniently located at North Gosford Private Hospital Specialist Centre and at the heart of Toukley shopping district.

Call 4339 1222 Email info@pacificsleep.com.au | pacificsleep.com.au | Pacific Sleep is an approved DVA supplier North Gosford Specialist Centre, Suite 2, 14-18 Jarrett Street | Toukley 45 Canton Beach Road

attend centres or are in home care can also access the free service. Families can also ask their GP to test their child’s vision or refer their child to an eye health professional. At CCLHD, the StEPS program has made additional catch-up clinics available at local Community Health Centres for children who may have missed out on vision screening in 2020 while the program was deferred for a few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For further information on available catch up clinics, call 4328 7900. Source: Media release, Oct 8 Central Coast Local Health District

PAGE 32 23 OCTOBER 2020

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Cancer Council campaign revs up Three Central Coast mates have started a campaign to raise $1M for the Cancer Council, by raffling off a custom-made muscle car. Ned Restom, Deane Poile, and Adam Barnes, who have had their own brushes with cancer, kicked off the campaign on October 3, with the raffle to be drawn in February. The prize is a 1970s Chevy Nova muscle car valued at $200,000. After Ned Restom recently underwent surgery and intense chemotherapy and Deane Poile’s father passed away from cancer, both men recruited their car expert friend, Adam Barnes, to help start the campaign. “Ned and I got together and thought we were both in a good financial situation, so we decided to raise money for the Cancer Council,” Poile said. “We are into muscle cars and sports cars, so our idea was to buy one and raffle it off. “Adam Barnes is a good friend of ours, and he is a car guy, so I got a hold of him to talk about selecting a car.

Adam Barnes, Ned Restom and Deane Poile with the 1970s Chevy Nova

“He got us our very first car (1970s Chevy Nova) which was made by the father and son team, Rides By Kam.’ Poile works as an architect in Sydney and has always been very busy but said COVID gave him the time to organise the campaign. “It was the perfect time when COVID hit because it was the very first time that I had the

time to brainstorm,” Poile said. “We have so much support from everyone.” The fundraising campaign has already raised $15,000 in raffle tickets and has attracted a large range of high-profile Australian ambassadors who have used their own experiences with the illness to draw attention to the cause.

“We have had so much support from the community, especially from the makers of the car, Rides By Kam,” Poile said. “They said they love what we are doing and will support us and do whatever it takes to get the message out there.” As a cancer survivor himself, Restom said he felt compelled to do his bit by raising money

for research into the prevention and treatment of the disease. “One in two Australian men and women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85, which is quite frankly, a shocking figure,” he said. “We want Customs 4 Cancer to play an active role in bringing down this statistic.” Customs 4 Cancer is the

men’s first organised campaign, but Poile said they have big plans for the future. “The goal is to create a website which will have a database of stories on how people are living with cancer,” he said. “The idea is that you can go to the site and you can find others who have also suffered from that same type of cancer. “For example, Ned’s story about how he has got through, what happens on the day you find out, all of those things will be in the video. “We want it to give people a better break down on what is going on. “Donating to Cancer Council is extraordinary and on top of the list, but a very close second is giving the car away to someone. “Handing the car over to someone who has loved cars their whole life and has bought a $25 ticket will be something else.” Tickets are $25 and can be found at website raffle4cancercouncil.com.au. Jacinta Counihan

Telehealth service offers greater access to dermatologists In celebration of World Skin Health Day, the Australasian College of Dermatologists has launched a new resource, Telehealth, allowing people to access specialist dermatologist care over the phone or video chat. Central Coast resident, Jamie Chesworth, is one of thousands suffering from chronic eczema and said having the option of Telehealth treatments had increased his standard of life. “I have had chronic eczema all my life, off and on since I was three, and it really hit me hard around my teen years where I was in and out of Royal North Shore hospital,”

Chesworth said. “The treating dermatologist was very limited, and I didn’t really trust them. “When I was younger, I was basically in treatment and in the hospital for two weeks straight and then out for a weekend. “I thought ‘I can’t live like this, if this is my future and my life, I would rather be suffering from eczema and just enjoy the outdoors and live my life’. “I stopped treatments and took up a holistic way of life, with steroid creams and meditation. “I tried to manage it myself, and it was manageable, but still wasn’t great.

“For years, I just thought I was the worst case and that there was nothing anyone could do.” After years trying to manage his condition without proper support, Chesworth, joined the Facebook group Adults with Eczema and Eczema Support Australia which led him to find

Joy’s Foot Care

NEED YOUR NAILS CUT?

COVID-19 FRIENDLY

WE COME TO YOU

A qualified, friendly & reliable foot care nurse who comes to you. Affordable, Fully Insured, Also fingernail trimming

MOBILE: 0419 296 128 AH: 4358 0221

his current dermatologist, Dr Diana Rubel. “I decided to travel from here to Canberra to see her as my treating dermatologist,” he said. “She offered to do one appointment face to face and

one Telehealth. “The Telehealth isn’t about the drugs or anything, it is more of a mental health check-up. “We can get that done over the phone, so that was a great option. “I would have travelled anyway, but telehealth made it a lot easier.” Australasian College of Dermatologists President, Associate Professor David Francis, said they wanted to offer patients more flexibility for dermatological care. “Dermatologists are experienced at seeing patients by telehealth and understand the skin conditions and situations for which telehealth

appointments work well, or when a face-to-face consultation is required,” Francis said. Chesworth said Telehealth is important because of the connection gained between doctor and patient. “Dr Rubel is there, even though she’s in Canberra she doesn’t seem that far away,” he said. “I have friends who are in really rural places, where are they going to go to see a specialist? “If they can have access to telehealth, it’s just invaluable as it helps make everything much more manageable.” Jacinta Counihan

Central Coast resident tested positive for COVID-19 A Central Coast resident returning from overseas has tested positive for COVID-19 while in hotel quarantine in Sydney. The resident has been in isolation in the quarantine hotel since arriving in Australia.

The person will be released from isolation once health staff confirm that the infection has cleared. NSW Health staff are undertaking daily wellness checks while the person is in hotel quarantine and they are

doing well. This case has no close contacts and does not present any ongoing risk to the community. Source: Press release, Oct 19 Central Coast Health

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE PAGE 33 23 OCTOBER 2020

Nourishing our kids indicator of overall health. On a quest to learn more about the optimal diet for his clients, in whom he was seeing more dental dysfunction with each generation, he travelled the world, meticulously investigating the health and diets of traditional cultures, including the Australian aborigines, Native Americans, Polynesians and the Inuit among others, who were often reported by explorers to have teeth as ‘straight and white as piano keys’.

What can we learn from traditional cultures?

GEORGIA LIENEMANN An introduction to Dr Weston A. Price One of the areas I’m most passionate about is prenatal and early childhood nutrition. So many of the issues plaguing our children and young adults today, whether it’s tooth decay, eczema, mood and behavioural disorders, sleep issues or learning difficulties, can be prevented, rectified or greatly alleviated by addressing one of the underlying contributors: malnourishment.

Missing nutrients Over the next six weeks, we’ll be exploring the idea that our modern diet, even what many would consider to be a relatively healthy, ‘wholefood’ version, has overlooked several important elements, which has unfortunately contributed to an epidemic of nutrient insufficiencies in our youngsters. For those without children in their vicinity, don’t glaze over just yet! Everything we cover will be just as relevant to adults. Afterall, many of us are still suffering the effects of our own early life nutrient insufficiencies!

Over 10 years, Dr Price was able to examine many thousands of mouths, documenting his findings with 15,000 photographs and 4,000 slides, some of which can be found in his book, an absolutely fascinating read for those interested in nutrition. His research was also published in many peer reviewed journals at the time. Invariably, Price found that the native peoples had near-perfect teeth, despite never brushing, beautiful wide faces with stunning bone structure, strong bodies, resistance to disease and what he described as ‘good character’, routinely smiling and joyous. He also noted that the women had quick, easy labours, often under 30 minutes, and that their babies were rugged and healthy, rarely crying unless they were frightened or hungry. Many of the infectious diseases plaguing the world at the time, such as tuberculosis, were completely absent from these traditional cultures, despite them having regular contact with affected groups. Dr Price concluded that certain elements of the Western diet, especially flour, sugar and vegetable oils, lead to nutrient deficiencies that underly the majority of dental issues and health problems. His research demonstrates quite clearly that when traditional peoples abandoned their health sustaining indigenous diets and adopted one

The work of Dr Weston A. Price This week I wanted to introduce what I consider to be the most fundamental and eye-opening research ever conducted in the field of nutrition, the work of Dr Weston A Price. Price was a pioneering Dentist in the early 1900’s who founded and chaired the National Dental Association for 25 years. Often referred to as the “Isaac Newton of Nutrition”, Price had a keen interest in the link between diet and health and his findings were published in his seminal book, ‘Nutrition and Physical Degeneration’, arguably the most important one on the subject ever written. Dr Price came to understand from his many years in practice, that dental health was a reliable

Nourishing Superfoods urishing Superfoods FOR CHILDREN

F O R C With H INutritionist L D RGeorgia E N Lienemann 9:30am-12pm | 8th November

With NutritionistKincumber GeorgiaNeighbourhood LienemannCentre 9:30am-12pm | 8th November B O ONeighbourhood K I N G S : S T I R RCentre INGCHANGE.COM Kincumber

with Western influences, they also suddenly became susceptible to Western diseases. And not only all the infectious diseases of the day, but rampant tooth decay, mood issues and delinquency, problematic labours for birthing women, sickly, troubled children and birth defects that were once considered to be ‘genetic’. The most convincing element of his research were case studies showing the reversal of tooth decay and degenerative disease using a nutrient dense diet base on traditional foods. The photographs in Price’s book demonstrate the shocking physical degeneration that ensues whenever nutrient dense traditional diets are abandoned, by contrasting the facial structure of those on indigenous diets with those whose parents had embraced a more Westernised diet. Gone are the handsome, wide faces with high cheekbones and wide jaw structure that allowed enough spacing for the teeth to grow in straight. In lieu of securing some royalty free images for this column, I encourage all readers to google ‘Weston Price’ and view the accessible imagery for yourselves!

So, what were traditional people eating? With so much geographical distance between these groups, it’s obvious that those near the equator were eating a radically different diet to those in the Arctic. However, regardless of the specific foods that made up their diet, Price found that there were common principles that each indigenous group adhered to. In each culture there were certain ‘sacred’ foods that were revered as nutritionally superior and given to pregnant and lactating women as well as those in the preconception period. The Inuit prized seal oil; the Swiss, raw butter; and many African tribes prioritised raw liver. Upon testing them in his laboratory, Dr. Price found these foods to be extremely rich sources of vitamins A and D, nutrients which are only found in animal foods. They were also rich in what he called ‘Activator X’, which we now know to be vitamin K2. When he analysed the diets of indigenous groups, he found that they provided, on average, at least four times the minerals and at least ten times the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K2) than the typical Western diet at the time. These fat-soluble vitamins are found mostly in animal foods such as butter, eggs, organ meats, fish roe and shellfish, the very foods that have been banished from our plates for the past few decades thanks to the misguided anti-fat and cholesterol campaigns which have thankfully, but only recently, been put to rest! Over the coming weeks, we’ll dig into some of this forgotten wisdom, outlining some of the overlooked nutrients and how to reincorporate them into our diets.

If it’s something that interests you, I’ll be doing a deep dive into this subject in my most popular talk ‘Nourishing Superfoods for Children’ on Sunday, November 8, in Kincumber - my last for the year.

PAGE 34 23 OCTOBER 2020

SCIENCE & EDUCATION

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

The Con partners with UNE to offer online degree

Artistic Director (CCCM), Patrick Brennan, Music Convenor and Partnerships Coordinator (UNE), Dr Alana Blackburn, Board Chairman (CCCM) Peter Brandon, Head of Department of Creative Arts and Communications (UNE), Dr Donna Hewitt.

The Central Coast Conservatorium of Music (CCCM) and the University of New England (UNE) have formed a formal teaching partnership, allowing music students in the Central Coast region to receive private music tuition locally while completing their music degree online UNE Music has designed an Instrumental and Vocal Studies program which offers a sequence of advanced performance training units over the course of the three-

year Bachelor of Music. Utilising the experience and expertise of CCCM’s teachers, each unit incorporates weekly one to one instrumental lessons alongside a host of activities provided by CCCM and the community. These include participation in large and small ensembles, master classes and workshops with world-class special guest musicians, accompanying and/ or conducting work, and public performances. The teaching partnership was launched in the Robert Knox Hall Central Coast

Conservatorium of Music on Monday, October 1. Music Convenor and Partnerships Coordinator, Dr Alana Blackburn, was joined by others for the announcement and said the partnership is a unique approach to build and maintain professional capacity in the arts and music education in regional areas. “The program itself allows students from this area who have already come through Central Coast Conservatorium, or those who are new to the area and want to study tertiary music, to remain living and working in the community.

“They can work with the community, not just by studying here and participating in ensembles, but also providing more culturally and professional opportunities for themselves and other musicians in the area and gaining a tertiary music degree with UNE at the same time. “We have been online since 2015, so this is an opportunity for students to have that online experience of studying anywhere but also receiving one of the most important parts of music education which is joining together, playing music with other students.

“This will also hopefully help to increase the cultural and artistic life in the area. Musical Director of the Central Coast Conservatorium, Patrick Brennan, said the partnership is a huge step forward for the music school. “What it will enable is to allow our teachers to teach at a tertiary level which has never happened in our 37-year existence,” he said. “This is a huge asset as it will enable students to remain with their families whilst completing an undergraduate degree.” With UNE’s strong background

in online teaching and internationally recognised music academics, the partnership provides an additional opportunity for regional students to receive high-quality music education and encourages the growth and vitality of the music community in the Central Coast region. With its proximity to UNE Sydney, Central Coast students can also take advantage of the facilities in Parramatta which include a mobile music technology and production lab. Jacinta Counihan

$1M grant for ET Australia Secondary College The ET Australia Secondary College, which recently received approval to relocate to two sites in the Gosford CBD as it expands its operations and vacates its current premises to make way for a regional library, will soon be $1M better off thanks to a Federal Government grant. Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said the college would receive the money, which will fund the relocation, through the

Capital Grants Program, which provides funding for nongovernment schools to improve capital infrastructure. “Students and staff at ET Australia Secondary College will benefit from the refurbishment of existing facilities to support its planned expansion to Year 11 and 12 students from 2021, and the refurbishment of newly leased facilities to support the school’s existing Years 7 to 10 students,” Wicks said.

“ET Australia Secondary College in Gosford has a wonderful school community, and these newly refurbished facilities will further enhance the learning environment. “Students and teachers thrive when their schools have modern and up-to-date facilities. “The Capital Grants Program has benefited thousands of schools across the nation. “We are providing a record $314.2B in recurrent funding

Mangrove DISTRICT

MARKETS

NOW AT CORNER GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE and BLOODTREE ROAD

home style preserves & Food

8.30am to 3pm Every SATURDAY ALL WEATHER

NEW STALLS WELCOME PHONE MARGARET 4374 1255

for all Australian schools under our Quality Schools package. “We are delivering real, needs-based funding that is matched by national reforms that will drive better results and outcomes, as recommended by David Gonski in his Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools.” Source: Media release, Oct 16 Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks

Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks with ET Australia CEO Tony Mylan

Kariong Quality Come in and see Jake Forbes and team for all your award winning sausages and quality meat.

Try some of our new sausage varieties available every week Mon - Fri 6.30am - 6.30pm Sat - Sun 6.00am - 4pm 4340 1064 - 1 Arunta Ave. Kariong

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

SCIENCE & EDUCATION PAGE 35 23 OCTOBER 2020

Anthony Albanese visits UoN Ourimbah Campus The Federal Government plans to move $33M currently spent on enabling programs in universities to the new Indigenous, Regional and Low SES Attainment Fund (IRLSAF). The plan was front and centre when Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese visited the Ourimbah campus of Newcastle University on October 15, accompanied by Member for Dobell Emma McBride and Senator Deborah O’Neill. Albanese chatted to students about their concerns that those who don’t fit into the Indigenous, Regional or Low SES boxes will miss out on support. The pollies learnt of students’ successes through the NewStep, Open Foundation and Yapug enabling programs. These are free university pathway programs helping students gain admission to undergraduate degrees even though they don’t have the qualifications for direct entry to their chosen degree or didn’t complete Year 12. Albanese said giving people the chance to succeed

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese chats to students at Ourimbah Campus

mattered. “I was the first person in my family to finish school let alone go to university,” he said. “I know the difference education can make to someone’s life – and these students know it too. “The students I spoke to are learning to become teachers, nurses and social workers – because they want to give back to their community. “Programs like this matter.” McBride said she was very concerned about the

implications of the changes to the Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020. “Enabling programs must be free and widely available so every person on the Central Coast gets a fair go at higher education,” she said. “Research by the university suggests most students would not attempt an enabling program if fees were introduced.

PJ Day at Narara PS Narara Public School students were a little more relaxed than usual on October 21 as they wore their favourite sleepwear for Pyjama day. The day was a huge success, raising over $550 to go towards a coffee or hot chocolate tab at the Gosford Hospital Emergency Ward Café for nurses and doctors to purchase a beverage.

The money was raised through gold coin donations from the students and staff wearing their pyjamas. The initiative was created to show hospital staff the school’s appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Students wore pyjama’s long and short and games were played in the school’s most relaxed sports uniform yet.

The kids loved the freedom of wearing whatever they wanted and are already looking towards next year’s Pyjama Day. The families who supported the event were thanked, and a special appreciation message was sent to the Leadership Team and Mr Ramm for their efforts in organising the initiative. Jacinta Counihan

Senator Deborah O’Neill and Member for Dobell Emma McBride listened to students’ stories

“We already know that cost is a barrier for too many locals seeking further education. “Many of the graduates from enabling programs at Ourimbah Campus go on to study nursing and social work. “Why is the government making it harder for students to gain the skills they need to secure a job in growth sectors in our local economy?” In a submission to the Parliament, University of Newcastle, Deakin University and Australian Technology

Network of Universities said the greater focus on IRLSAF was commendable, but there needed to be a certainty of funding for existing and proposed equity programs and for students who fall outside these three equity groups. But Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said more Australians will get the opportunity to study for a university degree from next year, with more support for students from regional and rural Australia after the

Government’s Job-ready Graduates legislation passed on October 19. “There is no reduction of enabling funding in the new higher education reforms and support for enabling programs continues under the Job-ready Graduates Program,” she said. “In fact, the IRLSAF expands eligibility to include Indigenous and regional students while under Labor it was limited to low SES students. “To meet the objective of simplifying funding structures, the new IRLSAF is an umbrella vehicle for holding a variety of existing funding streams which includes the enabling loading grant. “The IRLSAF will allow universities to use their funding more flexibly to best serve the needs of their local communities. “The Morrison Government supports enabling programs as an important vehicle for entry into tertiary education for students with an educational disadvantage.” Terry Collins

PAGE 36 23 OCTOBER 2020 CLASSIFIEDS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

TRADE SERVICES

ANTENNAS

BRICK LAYING

A Better Picture

Brick Laying & Concreting

Antenna & Digital

Installations & Tuning New home specialist Credit cards OK HAYWARD VIDEO All areas

All Aspects of both Trades 40 yrs Exp fully insured Phone Greg

Gosford 4323 6367 Woy Woy 4344 4414 Warnervale 1800 244 456 0412 685 555

0456 895 943

ASBESTOS

BUILDERS

Asbestos Removal

Totally Building & Maintenance

Ph: Tom 0422 653 794 or 4393 9890

Building Repairs & Maintenance Basic Carpentry, Bricklaying, Paving and Concreting. No Job too small Fully Insured 25 years experience

Phone John 0417 285 585

Safe Work NSW Lic. AD212564

BEAUTY

CARPENTRY

ALL GENERAL CARPENTRY Kellie Sherack Qualified Nail Technician www.redheadnails.com

0400 224 080

ELECTRICIAN

Carpenter & Joiner 40yrs Experience Decks, Pergolas, Doors, Windows etc Fully Insured - Call Gary

SAME DAY SERVICE ALL ELECTRICAL WORK Poles, Aerials & Mains Phone Data & TV Switchboard Upgrades Oven Stove & Hot Water NO CALL OUT FEE Credit Cards Welcome

MGL CARPENTRY

0458 130 829 4341 1346 NO LABOUR & MATERIALS OVER $5000

Lic 124312c

LicNo#98098R

Fully licensed and insured asbestos removals from houses, garages, sheds, bathrooms etc.

CARPENTRY

Stairs, pergolas, verandas, decks etc. Available now Call Michael Bennett Ph: 0407 281 046 Lic. 28352c

CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING RATES Classified advertising is the cheapest form of newspaper advertising. This newspaper is also published on line on the publication date, and is also read that way by hundreds of people. All advertisements, including these classified advertising pages, appear in full on-line as an additional benefit for free.

See www.coastcommunitynews.com.au Central Coast Newspapers’ classified advertising rates are relatively much lower than in other newspapers and at the same time much larger than in other newspapers, with the minimum size being 50mm X 42mm. Approximately 20,000 copies of this newspaper are printed and distributed every week.

Personal and Not For Profit Organisations

As Central Coast Newspapers are community newspapers, the cost of advertising not for profit organisations’ events is subsidised. This makes them the same rate as non business advertisements. A mono 5cm advertisement only costs $33. Each additional cm costs $6.60 as does colour, and/or a photograph or a logo. Private advertisements need to be paid for at the time of booking.

Business and In Memorium rates

The minimum size of 5cm X a single column only costs $50 + GST in mono and an extra $10 + GST for colour, a logo or a photograph. Classified advertisements in all 3 papers are only $40+GST each. Most businesses choose to advertise on an ongoing basis and discounts apply for multiple bookings, if they are paid for in full, in advance. Having a prepaid classified advertisement run for 6 editions only costs $250 + GST and $50 + GST more for colour. For 12 editions, it is $495 + GST and $100+ GST more for colour. For 24 editions, it is only $950 + GST and $200 + GST for colour, a saving of $290 + GST. Artwork is free and advertisers are encouraged to change their advertisements frequently

DECKS

Property Maintenance

Contact Graham grahamnu@gmail.com

0407 454 354 Lic108085c

BUILT-IN WARDROBES

PAINTER

4322 8980 Lic 528150c

HANDYMAN

APT HANDYMAN SERVICES all home repairs including, painting, gutter cleaning + more SERVICING THE CENTRAL COAST

Ph: 0410 576 613 lic no. 325796c

GUTTERING

Shelves, drawers Mirror & timber doors

Wall & Floor Tiling Property Maintenance 0439 589 426

DPA Wardrobes Ph: 0424 265 324 Lic. 178637c

CLEANING

Back2Basics

Cleaning Company Domestic & commercial 15 years experience in cleaning and outdoor maintenance Call Graham: 0451 085 734

COUNSELLING

ACT Now

homes2nv@gmail.com

HAIRDRESSER

SammyBaillie

homestudio

Specialising in Balayage and Hair Extensions

Balayage starting from $150*

find us on instagram sammybaillie1301@hotmail.com *terms and conditions apply

7 DAYS A WEEK ONE OFF TIDY UP OR REGULAR MAINTENANCE

By phone, online video, or in-person Reasonable prices HUGH WORRALL - MOB 0402 529 474

FULLY INSURED CALL FOR A FREE QUOTE

act.now.counselling@gmail.com www.actnowcounselling.blogspot.com (ACA REGISTRATION #10757)

0406 132 669 easilawns@hotmail.com

ELECTRICIAN

Same day service Guaranteed

Lighting, Power Points, Phone & Data, Fault Finding,

No job too small. Seniors Discount. Lic number 265652C

4308 6771

Ph: 4325 7369 MOWING - EDGING WHIPPER SNIPPING

SOLVE A PROBLEM. FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR LIFE. Qualified, registered, private counsellor

YOUR LOCAL

IT’S A NO BRAINER! An advertisement from this size in 20,000 newspapers from only $50 + GST per week Call now before the price goes up

LAWNMOWING

COUNSELLING

ELECTRICIAN

TILING

REMOVALS

Allways Moving Removals House, office units No job too big or too small Affordable rates Call for free quote 0497 800 074 0421 084 650

RUBBISH REMOVAL

All types of rubbish, including asbestos, removed.

Fully licensed and insured. Also will demolish sheds, garages, small buildings, bathrooms etc.

Blake’s Demolition & Rubbish Removal

Ph: 0431 866 292 Lic: AD205997

PAINTER

PEST CONTROL

BUCELLO’S

ACCESS PEST CONTROL

Painting Services •R esidential and Commercial • Interior and Exterior • New Work and Repaints

Free Quotes

All work guaranteed Lic346302C

0410 404 664

ALL PESTS, ALL AREAS, TERMITE SPECIALISTS (PENSIONER DISCOUNTS) LIC# 5092837 PH # 02 8605 6637 WILL BEAT ANY

COMPETITORS QUOTE

IT’S A NO BRAINER! An advertisement from this size in 20,000 newspapers from only $50 + GST per week Call now before the price goes up

Ph: 4325 7369

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

CLASSIFIEDS

ADULT SERVICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

FOR SALE

PRETTY WOMEN 21-30 yo

Car Boot Sale

FABRICS 100% COTTON AND POLYESTERS

FARM SALE

‘Ezywash Companion’,

Woy Woy Peninsula Lions Club

CANCELLED

UNTIL JAN 31 2021 Open 24/7 Full service

Pretty Asian Ladies

due to current Coronavirus health concerns

Ph: 0405 169 656

ENQ 0478 959 895

Passionate Friendly Service

IT’S A NO BRAINER! An advertisement

386 The Entrance Rd

from this size in 20,000 newspapers from only $50 +

4333 5800

Call now before the price goes up

Escorts Available Call 0477 070 023 LONG JETTY

EFTPOS • Parking at rear www.prettywomen.biz

CCN

FOR PATCHWORK, GARMENTS ETC. PLAIN AND MODERN PATTERNS. $5 PER METRE NORTH GOSFORD

31st October 7am - 5pm 1000 litre vat, Fertiliser spreader, Irrigation, 2 antique tractors, Electric fencing, Star posts, Gates and Doors, Shade Cloth, Lots of bags of Lime, Boxes of tiles All brick a brac 169 Euloo Road, Peats Ridge 4373 1856

IN MEMORIAM

TURNER-MANN

small camper cloths

Noeline Joyce

spin washer never used,

TURNER-MANN

perfect condition, $140. ‘Waeco cf camper fridge/ freezer, never used, perfect condition, $300. Portable generator. 3600 Workzone, never used, perfect condition, $250.

Ring 0429 934 152

PAGE 37 23 OCTOBER 2020

Herbert Leslie ‘Les’

Formerly of Gosford. Noeline passed away peacefully on Wednesday, 14th October 2020, at Alstonville NSW. Aged 86 years. She is now reunited with Les who passed away on the 14th November 2019. Much loved mother and father of Peter, Kevin, Carol and Julie

GST per week

Ballina 1800 809 336

Ph: 4325 7369

NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATIONS

ARTS & CULTURE CENTRAL COAST ART SOCIETY

Lectures, demonstrations and discussion. Weekly paint-outs enquiries Tuesday. Phone: 0428 439 180 Workshops: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 9.30 am to 12.30 pm, at Gosford Regional Gallery & Art Centre. Phone: 0409 666 709 Social Meetings 1.30 pm on 4th Wednesday for demonstration 4325 1420

publicity@artcentralcoast.asn.au

CENTRAL COAST POETS INC

workshops and a monthly Enjoy a diverse range of members meeting with guests courses and activities for and prizes, held on the 4th seniors. Keep your mind active Thurs of the month at The and make new friends. Entrance Community Centre 0408 704 701 www.centralcoast.u3anet.org.au 4333 8387 www.tlas.org.au president@tlas.org.au

COMMUNITY GROUPS ABC - “The Friends”

Safeguard ABC’s independence, funding, & standards. Meetings through the year & social mornings Well-known guest speakers 0400 213 514 www.fabcnsw.org.au

CENTRAL COAST CARAVANNERS

VOLUNTEERING CENTRAL COAST

Refer potential volunteers to community organisations & provide support to them. Training to volunteers and managers of volunteers Info sessions held regularly. 4329 7122 recruit@volcc.org.au

WINE APPRECIATION CLUB

We offer hope and friendship for people affected by someone else’s drinking. Al-anon family groups meet weekly, please contact 1300 252 666

School Holiday activities, playgroup, multicultural al-anon.org.au programs, community activities Rooms for Hire S.A 4329 4477 Is Internet porn destroying your admin@gnnc.com.au life. We may be able to help. We are a 12 step fellowship like AA. BETTER HEARING Meets every Sat at 7pm on the Central Coast AUSTRALIA Contact for further details Hearing loss management Support and educational 0473 631 439 groups providing practical newcastlesagroup@gmail.com experience and confidence 4321 0275 CENTRAL COAST

HEALTH GROUPS

FIRST FLEETERS

For anyone interested in early history. Don’t need to be a First Fleeter. Point Clare Community Hall 2nd Sat 10:30am 4392 1926 4311 6254

MUSIC COASTAL A CAPPELLA

Award winning women’s a cappella chorus. Music education provided. Rehearsals Tuesday 7pm @ Red Tree Theatre Tuggerah. Performance opportunities. Hire us for your next event. 0412 948 450 coastalacappella@gmail.com

POLITICAL PARTIES

Everglades Country Club 3rd Monday of each month 0478 959 895

SPECIAL INTEREST CCLC BRIDGE CLUB

Duplicate Bridge, partner not required. Central Coast Leagues Club 12.30pm Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri. Sat 1.30pm, Wed 7.15pm 4325 9854

www.cclcbridgeclub.asn.au cclcbridgeclub@westnet.com.au

WOMEN’S GROUPS WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRES

Counselling, therapeutic and social groups, workshops, domestic violence and abuse 3rd Sun - Jan to Nov Support for those suffering Trips Away, Social Outings, CENTRAL COAST GREENS issues. All services provided by Last Fri 9.30am with asbestos diseases and women for women friendship with like minded Local, state wide, national and Terrigal Uniting Church others interested in asbestos 4324 2533 folk international issues and 380 Terrigal Dr, Terrigal issues. You are not alone, meet www.cccwhc.com.au Geoff 0447 882 150 campaigns 4367 9600 with others who can share Council and parliamentary www.pcfa.org.au their experiences. Bring a representation SOROPTIMIST LEARN TO DANCE COMMUNITY LEGAL family member or friend. 3rd Thur Social ballroom dancing for all info@centralcoastpoets.com.au INTERNATIONAL CENTRE 1pm at Ourimbah RSL on forth centralcoast.nsw.greens.org.au MEALS ON WHEELS or you may ring Clive BRISBANE WATER Not for profit service providing ages, all you need is a desire Delicious meals delivered free Wed of each month. centralcoastgreens@gmail.com Making a difference in the lives to learn and dance, 0419120347 free legal advice Maree 0419 418 190 Join us for a midday meal no partner required. of women & girls through Mon - Fri 9am to 5pm 4323 3890 Help with shopping and meet every Wed -15 Lorraine LABOR PARTY awareness, advocacy & action 4353 4988 HANDWEAVERS, cooking classes Ave Berkeley Vale, 2:00pm OURIMBAH/ NARARA 2nd Thur 7 pm 4363 7111 SPINNERS AND TEXTILE contact@centralcoastclc.org.au HENRY KENDALL Anne - 0409 938 345 Breakers Country Club, BRANCH ARTS GUILD COTTAGE & anneglazier@y7mail.com Dover Rd, Wamberal Discussion/action community TERRIGAL WAMBERAL Spinning and weaving, PENINSULA LIGHTHOUSE HISTORICAL MUSEUM sibrisbanewater@siswp.org Issues – 3 levels of patchwork and quilting, felting RSL SUB-BRANCH COMMUNITY CENTRES Mobile counselling service Visit our c1838 Cottage & www.siswp.org Government and other fibre and fabric Pension and welfare officers supporting ALL people Museum with exhibits of early Function Room, Grange Hotel, crafts, community quilting bees available to assist with DVA suffering from Domestic settlers. School and group GOSFORD 50+ LEISURE Wyoming SPORT - Day and Night Groups compensation claims and Violence bookings. Members & 7.30pm 1st. Monday AND LEARNING CENTRE 4325 4743 benefits Counselling services volunteers welcome. Open 0410 309 494 Mon-Fri www.cottagecrafts.net.au Breakers Country Club DOYALSON WYEE Mon, Ettalong Baptist Church, Wed/Sat/Sun 10.30am Kyle.macgregor@hotmail.com Chess, darts, handicraft, indoor Wed & Fri 10am – Midday 0417 472 374 2:30pm. West Gosford SOCCER CLUB bowls, knitting, line dancing, penlighthouse@gmail.com Meet 2nd Sat 10am TUGGERAH LAKES 4325 2270 Football club for the local origami, painting, pencil www.peninsulalighthouse.info/ 4384 2661 www.henrykendallcottage.org.au ART SOCIETY community. Juniors from under drawing, scrabble, Terrigal-WamberalSB@rslnsw. Brisbane Water Historical Society Join us for the fun and 5 to senior teams. scrapbooking, sit & sew, table org.au. LIONS CLUB OF WOY WOY AL - ANON FAMILY enjoyment of art! Kerry 0410 045 981 tennis, Ukulele Make new friends & have fun president@doylowolves.com.au Attend a weekly art group with GROUPS HEALTH FELLOWSHIP OF 4304 7065 while serving your community mentors, exhibitions, U3A CENTRAL COAST Would you like to read, write and share your poetry. We hold workshops and create anthologies. We meet the second Saturday each month. Wyoming Memorial Community Hall. Contact us by email

Central Coast Leagues Club 2nd Wed Taste and be educated on wine by various wineries. Purchases not mandatory Keith - 0420 722 529 Fraser - 0416 831 088

GOSFORD-NARARA NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

ASBESTOS DISEASES SUPPORT GROUP

HISTORY GROUPS

SERVICE GROUPS

CCN

If you would like your Community Organisation listed here call us on 4325 7369 or see www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Entries in the Not For Profit Community Organisations Directory are free. However, we require each organisation to subscribe to each newspaper to ensure that someone from that organisation keeps their entry up to date. Subscription rates $75 for 25 editions.

PAGE 38 23 OCTOBER 2020 SPORT

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Jemma Smith to compete with Newport Umina Beach Surf Life Saving Club’s medalwinning surfer Jemma Smith has decided to move to the Newport club to pursue her competition career.

Jemma Smith surrounded by USLSC support crew

Umina club president Mr Stephen Scahill said the club was proud of Jemma’s accomplishments and her ambition to focus on kayaking and surf-skiing. “She has been a remarkable person for our club, both in her sporting achievements but also with how she gives back to the club,” Mr Scahill said. “Jem’s a bit of a hero to a lot of our nippers. “That won’t change.” He said that Newport offered her opportunities to pursue her interests that were not available

at Umina. “There will be different events a larger club can offer her.” He said he believed Jemma would continue to patrol the beaches at Umina. Newport club president Mr Glen Borg said the club was excited to have Jemma as part of the competition team at Newport. “Jemma will bring a fantastic capability to the team and she is such an incredible role model for surf and competition,” Mr Borg said. “Not only is she a fierce ironwoman competitor, but she also competes in champion lifesaver and has all of her first aid skills down pat. “She’s an all-round surf athlete.” Mr Borg also said Jemma

would be taking on a new training program to help her on her path to the 2024 Olympics. “It’s the old adage: You train the way you play. “When you have the opportunity to train with some high-performance athletes around you, you’re going to be pushed,” Mr Borg said. “At Newport, males and females train together, pushing each other, working together – they develop an incredible respect for one another by taking on the same elements. As a third-generation Umina lifesaver, Jemma achieved a range of titles including clinching silver at the Coolangatta Gold and competing in ironwoman competitions. Maisy Rae

Both Central Coast Heart teams are finals bound NETBALL FROM PAGE 40 Both Central Coast Heart teams are finals bound after coming out on top in the last round of the Origin Energy Netball Premier League Competition. Already assured of their spot in the playoffs, the Opens took the opportunity to showcase the exceptional form that has

seen them dominate the season. Revving up throughout, Heart Club Captain, Alicia Walsh, said the girls were unphased by the Sapphires’ own impressive win streak to take the match 7152. “Our Opens had a slow start against a strong and confident Manly. “Manly looked the stronger of the two sides in the opening

half, forcing turnovers and directing play, but after half time, the heart kicked into gear and started getting turnovers and scoring safely at the other end. “By the fourth quarter, the girls looked like they were back to their usual selves and took full control of the game to win by 20 goals and score a huge 71 points.” With the Opens’ playoffs

roster already decided, all eyes were on the Under 23s, with their clash to determine who’d be moving onto the semi-finals. A thrilling conclusion to the ordinary competition, both sides left it all on the court in a match that came right down to the wire. “The game ebbed and flowed, with our girls holding the lead for most of the match,” Walsh said.

“A few mistakes early in the fourth quarter saw Manly fight back and they were able to take a narrow lead. “With only a few seconds left in the game the girls needed a steady and safe play down the court to score before the buzzer.” That play came in the form of an Erin Asquith equalizer, that saw the match end in a 41-all draw, with the Heart’s higher

standing on the ladder propelling them into the semis. The Opens will now meet North Shore United in their semi, with the Under 23’s to face UTS Randwick Sparks. With North Shore United the only team to have beaten the Heart Opens this season, its expected that their clash will be the match of the day. Dilon Luke

Minor premiers eliminated in preliminary final RUGBY LEAGUE The Wyong Roos have suffered a shock exit from the Newcastle Tooheys Cup, after going down 2824 against South Newcastle in the preliminary final. Souths began with a blitzkrieg, playing fast, winning tackles and forcing the Roos to retreat to their goal line, before a raid down Wyong’s right side resulted in the first points of the game. Looking to equalise, the Roos were hindered by their unusually uncoordinated attackers, before Winger, Cody Boyle, was able to run a spiralled Luke Sharpe long pass into the in-goal untouched. Sharpe’s pass was judged to

CCN

have been forward, with play recalled. An unsecured high kick resulted in the Lions’ second points of the match following a Blake Campbell/Jason Keelan combination, putting them up 10-nil. Wyong’s frustrations continued to mount when a dropped ball ended a wellexecuted right side attack prematurely, before an unbothered Lions produced the try of the match, courtesy of a quick-fire exchange that allowed Jarryd Flanagan a clean run down the western touchline, again converted by Keelan. Down but not out, the Roos picked up their game from that point on, getting their first

points on the board after capitalising off a shoulder charge penalty from within the Lions’ 20m line. Heading into halftime down 16-4, a recomposed Roos resumed play looking more like this year’s Minor Premiers. Conceding another penalty on their 40m line, the Lions failed to adjust accordingly to a Mitch Williams bait and switch that saw him race over the line. A Josh Mantellato conversion saw the Roos lessen their deficit, and while still 6 points down, it was indisputable that they’d taken over the game’s momentum. A Jack Burraston/Mantellato combination levelled the score not five minutes later, but that was when the Lions made a

surge, utilising their offloads and phase play that had troubled Wyong early in the piece. Despite their opposition’s resurgence, a Mantellato penalty goal in the 58th minute was able to push the Roos into the lead for the first time in the match, but a Lions’ penalty saw that quickly undone, with a Dylan Lucas try and Keelan conversion putting Souths back on top 22-18. Methodically stealing metres from their opponents, some Williams’ magic pulled another reversal of fortune, when a face ball he threw to Jake Lewis hit the line and Mantellato converted to put Wyong up 2422. With the match winding

down, it was do or die for both sides as the Roos worked their way back into Lions’ territory, but when a Lachlan Hanneghan kick was caught within the ingoal, the Lions were able to regain control. With just enough time left for two tackle sets each, Souths advanced into Wyong real estate. The Lions tested Wyong’s middle and right edge, then the middle again, before shifting the ball left. Roos’ defenders appeared to have resolved the threat, but as the tackle was affected on Lucas, the ball was offloaded to the outside amid strong claims of a forward pass. Flanagan got his hands on the ball and grounded it in the in-

goal as he was forced toward the touchline. The match was over in that split second. Keelan converted from the sideline. Wyong tried to salvage a last gasp win but couldn’t pull off the miracle play. Disappointed with the result but proud of the boys’ efforts, Player/Coach Mitch Williams said the game was a thriller. “The game had everything any connoisseur could want. “The lead changed four times and in the end the result came down to just a moment or two.” Souths now move on to face Cessnock in the grand final.

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT HERE

Dilon Luke

CALL 02 4325 7369 OR SEE WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

SPORT PAGE 39 23 OCTOBER 2020

Jordan Murray to play in the Indian Super League FOOTBALL The Central Coast Mariners have confirmed that Jordan Murray has been granted a contract release to pursue an overseas opportunity. The 25-year old joined the Mariners in 2018 from APIA Leichardt, scored seven times in 41 appearances at A-League level, and will now head to the Indian Super League. Head Coach, Alen Stajcic, thanked Murray for his time at the club and his contributions to the Mariners. “All of us wish Jordan the

best of luck moving forward as he pursues this new opportunity. “Jordan has been great to work with in our time here and has always shown professionalism in his efforts both on and off the pitch,” Stajcic said. Murray thanked the club and fans for their support through his two seasons on the Coast. “Getting my first professional contract was absolutely amazing,” he said. “I’ve met so many people who have been terrific and I’ve loved every minute of it, and I’d like to thank everyone for the

opportunity because I’ve learnt so much in my time here. “This is a good opportunity for me to grow as a player and gain experience, but I wouldn’t change anything about my time here. “The Mariners’ fans have been absolutely terrific, and I’ve had nothing but love since I arrived at the club. “It’s been a tough couple of years, but this club is on the rise and I’d like to say thanks for everyone’s support.” Source: Press release, Oct 19 Central Coast Mariners Media

Jordan Murray Photo: Central Coast Mariners

One Culture Mariners to be launched FOOTBALL Locals living with disability are set to benefit from a new partnership between the Central Coast Mariners and One Culture Football. One Culture Football delivers an all-inclusive football program for people aged 6 to 65 living with a disability or a health condition to be engaged in regular football coaching and games, with a focus on developing participants’ gross motor skills, self confidence and self esteem, as well as their understanding of football and general health and wellbeing. The Mariners will be rolling out their own version of the program, One Culture Mariners, from November 1, with a free event at The Football Grounds in Erina.

Anyone with a disability is welcome to go along for an afternoon of football, fun activities and the opportunity to

Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect.

23 FRI

30 FRI

0231 1.20 0757 0.69 1432 1.61 2140 0.47 0207 0.41 0823 1.57 1433 0.46 2033 1.48

find out more about the weekly program. One Culture Football Cofounder, Josh Smith, said that

he is looking forward to bringing more football opportunities for people with different abilities on the Central Coast.

TIDE CHART

“One Culture Football has been delivering inclusive opportunities for people with disabilities through football for the last three years in Adelaide, and it has been super successful,” he said. “The opportunity to partner with the Central Coast Mariners and The Football Grounds is a dream come true. “The program will provide so many participants and families with the opportunity to connect with the game because everyone has the right to enjoy football, regardless of their ability, culture or gender.” The new program is also expected to become an opportunity for participants, families and carers to build new social connections and provide a new way for the Mariners to connect with the wider community and inspire

new interest in the world game. “This program will give participants a real connection to a great local A-League football club and help create a more diverse Central Coast Mariners family,” said Central Coast Mariners CEO, Shaun Mielekamp. “As a club, we are very excited to collaborate with the One Culture Football team to launch this program. “It is so important that we help to create these opportunities for everyone to get involved with football and we can’t wait for the program to get underway,” Mielekamp said. Following the launch event, One Culture Mariners will run as an 8-week program until December 20. Dilon Luke

LAT 33° 51’ S - LONG 151° 14’ E - TIME ZONE - 1000

Times and Heights(m) of high and low waters

0347 1.18 0458 1.21 0553 1.28 0026 0.46 0103 0.44 0137 0.42 0909 0.73 1025 0.73 1131 0.68 0637 1.36 0715 1.44 0750 1.51 SAT 1544 1.53 SUN 1653 1.50 MON 1752 1.50 TUE 1229 0.62 WED 1315 0.56 THU 1356 0.50 2245 0.49 2341 0.48 1840 1.50 1921 1.50 1959 1.50 0236 0.41 0304 0.43 0334 0.46 0405 0.50 0439 0.55 0515 0.61 0854 1.62 0926 1.67 0958 1.69 1031 1.70 1108 1.69 1147 1.65 SAT 1510 0.42 SUN 1546 0.40 MON 1624 0.40 TUE 1702 0.42 WED 1745 0.45 THU 1830 0.48 2109 1.46 2145 1.42 2222 1.37 2301 1.32 2344 1.27

APPROX. TIME LAG AFTER FORT DENISON Ettalong 40 min, Rip Bridge 2hrs - Wisemans Ferry 2 hrs 30 min, Koolewong 2 hrs 10 min In view of the variations caused by local conditions and meteorological effects, these times are approximate and must be considered as a guide only. They are not to be relied on for critical depth calculations for safe navigation. Actual times of High and Low Water may occur before or after the times indicated

PAGE 40 23 OCTOBER 2020 SPORT

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Back to back

The Panthers have claimed the Black Diamond Cup for the second year running Photos: AFL Hunter Central Coast

AFL They won the inaugural Black Diamond Cup all the way back in 2000 and now 20 years on, the TerrigalAvoca Panthers have done it again, making it back to back premierships. In a rivalry almost as old as the competition itself, the Panthers marched out at Adelaide St Oval last Saturday to face Newcastle City Blues in their third successive big dance. The most dominant sides in

Black Diamond history, the Panthers entered the decider with more to lose as the undefeated Minor Premiers and reigning Premiers to boot. Having had the 2018 title snatched away from them in clinical comeback by City, the Panthers knew not to let the allure of back-to-back titles distract them. This time however, the roles were reversed with the Blues racing out to a 34-9 lead by quarter time. But from the second quarter onwards it was a totally

different game. Utilising the superb defense they’ve come to be known for, the Panthers kept the Blues scoreless as they piled on the points to secure a 51-34 lead heading into half time. By the end of the third quarter they’d ballooned that lead to 75-37 and while the Blues fought back hard in the final stretch, it was not enough to counteract the Panthers’ nine unanswered goals, with the final score 76-50. The win brings the Panthers’ total First Grade Premierships

up to seven, making them the second most decorated club in the competition’s history. And 76 would prove to be the Panthers’ lucky number, with their Reserve Grade going on to record a three-peat win in the Black Diamond Plate after they also outdid the Blues 76-47. Panthers Head Coach, Chris Bishop, said the dual premierships were a testament to players, whose efforts have continued to carve out a reputation of prestige for the club. “The boys just took total

control in the grand finals. “The Blues always play tight, good footy, but there really was just nothing in it this time round.” With the First Grade undefeated since Round 2 of last year’s comp and the Reserves having only lost two games in the past three years, Bishop said consistency was key to the Panthers, with the club striving to keep itself at the helm of local AFL. “For the past nine year’s we’ve appeared in the First Grade grand final and we just

want to keep that form up,” Bishop said. With the season wrapped, Bishop reflected on what was logistically the most challenging season in living memory. “Going from being worried whether we’d have a season at all to panicking over the constant rule changes was hard, but the AFL did a fantastic job of getting community sport back up and running.” Dilon Luke

Both Central Coast Heart teams are finals bound after coming out on top in the last round of the Origin Energy Netball Premier League Competition. Continued page 38 Photo: Netball NSW