Coast Community News 304 by Central Coast Newspapers

6 AUGUST 2021

ISSUE 304

News

Nicola’s dream continues

Despite assurances from Central Coast Council Administrator, Rik Hart, that he is against any sell-off of the Council’s water and sewerage assets the USU is concerned. See page 5

Out&About

Tascot local, Nicola McDermott, has flown through to the Women’s High Jump Final after her clinical qualification on Thursday, August 5.

Central Coast Council is encouraging residents to “adopt, not shop” when making the commitment to bring a new companion animal into their home. See page 17

Business

See page 38

Coast Pfizer vaccines diverted to Sydney Hundreds of Central Coast residents were left frustrated and angry over the weekend when their Pfizer vaccination appointments, many of which had been made months in advance, were rediverted to HSC students in the areas of greatest concern in Sydney. Many furious residents, some of them essential workers, took to Facebook to vent their fury as Coast politicians slammed the move and criticisms of the Federal Government for failing to secure adequate vaccination supplied poured in. NSW Health announced that Pfizer appointments at Gosford and Wyong hospitals and the Belmont vaccination hub would be rediverted. One Coast business owner vented her frustration after

Pfizer vaccination appointments at Gosford Hospital have been redirected to HSC students in Sydney

being forced to close her business and home school her children during the past five weeks of lockdown, with financial assistance from the government “still pending”.

“Knowing that it is important to be vaccinated I have been trying to get an appointment for five weeks,” she said. “Three weeks ago, I managed to book into the new vaccination

hub at Belmont on Monday, August 2. “On July 31 I received a text message to tell me that my appointment was being cancelled to give priority to

year 12 students. “I was shocked, totally upset. “There was no regard (for) my mental health.” She said she had hoped to be fully vaccinated before resuming her work as a hairdresser following lockdown. “I wanted to feel safe, and I wanted my clients to feel safe,” she said. “I feel in this country today that some lives are more important than others. “I feel it is important to be a voice for my family and the many others struggling in this tough situation. “It is important for governments to understand how these decisions affect families just like mine in Australia right now.”

Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent, both of which have multiple branches on the Central Coast, are looking at merging to create the nation’s largest customer-owned bank. See page 25

Education

Since emerging from the pool stage of the Men’s Hockey competition undefeated, Berkeley Vale’s Matt Dawson and the Australian team have now advanced to the Gold Medal Final. See page 40

Continued page 12

Puzzles page 22

Office: Level 1, 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 6 AUGUST 2021 CCN

NEWS

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ABOUT US

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 Coast Community Pelican Post 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”, 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. Our content is originated through both our own team of local journalists as well as external

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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: Coast Community Pelican Post - 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 1, 86 Mann St, Gosford. Ross Barry, Publisher

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Publication date: August 13

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 - Forresters Beach, North Avoca, Terrigal, Wamberal

Publisher: Ross Barry - CEO: Cec Bucello - Design & Production: Justin Stanley, Lucillia Eljuga Journalists: Terry Collins, Sue Murray, Jackie Pearson, Maisy Rae, Harry Mulholland, Skaie Hull, Merilyn Vale, Hayley McMahon, Haakon Barry. Head of Distribution: Anthony Wagstaff ISSN 1839-9045 - Print Post Approved - PP100001843 - Printed by Spotpress Marrickville

28 JULY 2021

ISSUE 249

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

From the Australian Olympic camp, the Kookaburra’s continue to lead the way after three group stage wins, all featuring Berkeley Vale’s Matt Dawson in defence.

Something a little bit out of the ordinary occurred on July 22 at Bateau Bay Beach as a seal appeared on the sand. See page 13

Education

See page 31

Community action halves Council’s asset sales list

See page 8

Out&About

The Coastal Twist’s Arts and Culture Festival is hoping to make a sparkling return this Spring after being cancelled last year due to COVID-19 restriction. See page 17

Business

See page 5 Photo: Olympics.com.au.

CCN

Parliamentary Secretary for Central Coast, Adam Crouch, announced on Tuesday, July 27 that the Central Coast lockdown could not be ended. “This is due to the unbelievable selfishness of about 150 local residents that attended the ‘anti-lockdown’ protest in Sydney on Saturday (July 24),” he said. “This is also due to the five new local cases announced last weekend. “Unfortunately, the health risk is just too high. “To end the lockdown now would only speed up transmission of the Delta strain.”

Crouch said it would take a few days to see if any community transmission occurred at one of the 18 exposure sites on the Central Coast. “Hundreds of people were unknowingly exposed to COVID-19 and are now being tested,” he said. NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said she was utterly disgusted by the illegal protestors whose selfish actions had compromised the

safety of everyone. It will take about 14 days to see what impact the ‘antilockdown’ protest has on local case numbers. “I spoke to the Premier yesterday (Monday) and she will end the Central Coast’s lockdown as soon as it is safe to do so,” Crouch said. “In the next day or two the Premier will release a ‘road map’ which shows what restrictions can be eased once

the health risk subsides. “Thank you to everyone that has been following the stay-athome rules so well. “It is regrettable that a minority of people have wrecked our chances of ending the lockdown. “If you have any information about Saturday’s protest, please anonymously provide it to CrimeStoppers, even a photo or screenshot will help our Police detectives track down

the protestors,” Crouch said. Thousands of unmasked people took to the streets on Saturday, July 24, with no social distancing, shouting and carrying signs calling for “freedom” and “truth” – described by health authorities as a potential super-spreader event. Among them was Kiran and Kirt Mallie, the owners of a café, Modern Organic, at Long Jetty. Community condemnation and backlash to boycott their café business was swift, after a video of them at the rally was posted by Kiran on her Facebook page, and widely circulated. “Now we know who to blame if it (Covid) comes to the Coast, you should be ashamed of yourselves” said one message in response to the video, and another,“ So many of us disagree with the lockdown but we all follow the rules because we want our freedom back. Continued page 6

Childcare services in Toukley and Wyong will get a $568,000 boost to fund projects to improve services and increase the number of place available. See page 29

Sport

The hosting of the New Zealand Warriors at Central Coast Stadium is over – at least for now, yet the Kiwi side has been forced to say farewell to Roger TuivasaSheck before returning to Auckland for their Round 22 match against the Bulldogs. See page 31

Puzzles page 19

Office: Level 1, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - editorial@centralcoastnews.net - www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Stay at home orders that have been in place on the Central Coast since early July will remain until Saturday, August 28 at 12:01am to enable current infection rates to lessen and increase the uptake of vaccines across the state. Along with Wednesday’s announcement of a four-week extension to the Greater Sydney lockdown, a whole host of restrictions were adjusted as the state raced to increase its vaccination rates. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said raising vaccination rates and following the health orders were the only ways to guarantee the easing of restrictions. “Though the Pfizer supply is insufficient there is plenty of AstraZeneca and updated federal health advice recommends anyone aged 18 and over in Greater Sydney should access the jab,” Berejiklian said.

“If you are unvaccinated, please organise a jab as soon as you possibly can, especially if you live in an LGA of concern.” Changes to other restrictions were also mentioned. Central Coast residents must limit their shopping to within their Local Government Area, or if outside their LGA, within 10 kilometres from home, unless the item is not available locally. From 12:01am on Saturday, July 31, construction in nonoccupied settings (with no residents on-site) will re-open as planned, subject to a one person per four square metre rule. Low risk construction sites must have COVID-safe plans in place. Tradespeople including cleaners who are able to work with zero contact with residents will also be allowed to resume work. NSW Health said that if contactless arrangements were not possible, work

couldn’t go ahead. Deputy Premier John Barilaro said there were new COVID protocols to keep workers and worksites safe. “Construction will resume on Saturday, with safety measures such as controls on movements between sites, reduced contact between workers within sites, improved tracing capability and a focus on encouraging workers to get vaccinated,” Barilaro said. “Works in occupied premises including residential homes can also resume from this Saturday where there is zero contact between workers and residents.” There will be a limit of up to two workers for indoor services and five workers for outdoor services, and works will only be possible where it is feasible for residents to vacate the area. “I can also announce that as part of our plan to reopen construction, worksites will be able to operate on Sundays and

public holidays for the remainder of the year, up until Christmas, to make up for any time lost.” A singles bubble will also be introduced from Saturday, allowing people who live alone to nominate one designated family member or friend to visit for companionship and mental wellbeing. Students and teachers will also have to continue homeschooling until at least the end of August but from Monday, August 16, Year 12 students will return to face-to-face learning, with the Government finalising plans for the resumption of in-class study under strict COVID protocols. The NSW Government is also working with industry and the Department of Education to introduce Rapid Antigen Testing to mitigate against outbreaks in workplaces and schools. Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said he was

Dog days

Continued page 7

Three local tourism operators on the Peninsula will have the opportunity to become ECO Destination certified to help boost the local tourism sector when COVID restrictions ease. See page 25

Health

Peninsula residents who have had contact with anyone from five suburbs in the north of the region may need to get tested and isolate following Sunday’s announcement of a positive COVID-19 case. See page 35

Puzzles page 18

Office: Level 1, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - editorial@centralcoastnews.net - www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, has laid much of the blame for the region’s extended lockdown at the feet of around 150 Coast residents who attended anti-lockdown protests in Sydney on July 24. “I am disappointed to report that the Central Coast’s lockdown cannot be ended,” Crouch said. “This is due to the unbelievable selfishness of approximately 150 local residents (who) attended the ‘anti lockdown’ protest in Sydney on July 24.

“Each one of these people could be the cause of a seeding event in our region which would have disastrous consequences. “It will also take approximately 14 days to see what impact the protest has on local case numbers.” A number of cars drove from Shelly Beach to Gosford waterfront on the same day in a ‘Freedom Drive’ advertised on the Central Coast Conscious Community Facebook page but were prevented from parking at Gosford when police blocked carpark entries. The activity prompted a reminder from NSW Police that Brisbane Water Police District officers are conducting daily operations to ensure people across the region are adhering

to the current restrictions. “The NSW Police Force recognises and supports the rights of individuals and groups to exercise their rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, however, protest activity is in breach of the current COVID-19 Public Health Orders,” a statement from Police said. “The priority for NSW Police is always the safety of the wider community.” Crouch said five active Coast COVID cases also made the health risk too high for an early lockdown release. Confirmation came from Central Coast Local Health District on the weekend that the five cases, from one household in the north of the region, with the first of them

linked to a Sydney construction site, have been moved to Special Health Accommodation in Sydney to isolate, with health staff undertaking daily wellness checks. The announcement of the fifth case, who had originally tested negative, led to the release of a lengthy list of possible exposure sites at San Remo, Tuggerah, Lake Haven, Charmhaven and Northlakes, which is available for viewing on the NSW Health website. “To end the lockdown now would only speed up transmission of the Delta strain,” Crouch said. “It will take a few days to see if any community transmission occurred at one of the 18 exposure sites on the Central Coast.

ISSUE 021

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

News

Little fishing village with a big council problem

The NSW lockdown has forced the cancellation of running events for the foreseeable future. See page 13

See page 17

CCN is proud to celebrate the 250th edition of Coast Community Chronicle. It has been an eventful journey since 2012. We’ve enjoyed covering everything from the Chinese theme park to ongoing battles over the airport, coal mine, town centres, the promised highway upgrade through Wyong and the Wyong to Wadalba link road. Thank you to our readers for your ongoing support. As the area continues to grow, we will keep reporting all the news that matters.

Business

Two local surf lifesavers were honoured with Life Membership from Killcare Surf Life Saving Club on July 31.

Education

“Hundreds of people were unknowingly exposed to COVID-19 and are now being tested.” Community concern spiked this week, with lengthy lines at COVID testing sites all over the region. Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the lockdown extension would allow residents more time to be vaccinated. “Though the Pfizer supply is insufficient there is plenty of AstraZeneca and updated federal health advice recommends anyone aged 18 and over in Greater Sydney should access the jab,” Berejiklian said. Continued page 6

As the Tranche 3 revised land sale list went to the July 27 Central Coast Council meeting for ratification, work on selling Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 land continues. See page 29

Education

Central Coast Community College, which provides training for disadvantaged students from all over the region, has received a $33,000 boost through the latest round of a NSW Government fund. See page 37

Puzzles page 22

Office: Level 1, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Locals furious about vaccine theft Hundreds of Central Coast residents were left frustrated and angry over the weekend when their Pfizer vaccination appointments, many of which had been made months in advance, were diverted to HSC students in Sydney COVID hotspots. Many furious residents, some of them essential workers, took to Facebook to vent their fury as Coast politicians slammed the move and criticisms poured in about the Federal Government’s failure to secure adequate vaccination supplies. Paul Phillips of Jilliby was one of many to have their vaccination appointments at Gosford Hospital put on hold.

“I have just had both my Pfizer vaccination appointments cancelled,” Phillips said. “I have had my appointments booked for a long time. “The Central Coast is part of Greater Sydney for lockdown purposes but now they want to steal my Pfizer vaccine appointments as I am classed as regional Australia. “I am very angry both my appointments have been cancelled; this is simply not good enough.” His sentiments were echoed by hundreds of residents, who claimed the classification of the Coast as part of Greater Sydney or Regional varied according to the NSW Government’s whim. Premier Gladys Berejiklian

said on August 2 that the move was “in the best interest of public health”. “Can I stress how important it is for us to get Year 12 students able to complete their HSC exams and make sure they have those qualifications they worked hard for,” she said. “We know that for 16 to 18-year-olds that Pfizer is the only option. “All of us are making a sacrifice, and if it means that some people wait a few extra weeks before they get their Pfizer, I think people would appreciate that.” Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said we would not be in a “Hunger Games situation” if the Federal Government had

secured enough Pfizer for NSW. Crouch said those waiting for their second Pfizer dose would not be impacted and nor would frontline workers. He reminded residents that anyone aged 18 and over is eligible for an AstraZeneca vaccine; these are to be offered at Gosford Hospital from August 5. While NSW Health has announced GPs will continue to administer Pfizer vaccinations in regional NSW, Shadow Minister for Central Coast and Wyong MP, David Harris, said the Central Coast was part of the Greater Sydney lockdown because of the risk of population movement. “At the same time we’re getting a mixed message

because Central Coast Health District is classified as a regional health district, so we are losing our vaccine. “It’s not fair, they can’t have it both ways. “Our people are vulnerable because of that population movement from Sydney and that means we have to have the Pfizer vaccine for those vulnerable people in our community. “It’s not good enough that Central Coast people are missing out through no fault of their own and that the State Government doesn’t seem to have any solutions other than blaming the Federal Government.” See page 10

6 AUGUST 2021

ISSUE 304

News

Nicola’s dream continues

Despite assurances from Central Coast Council Administrator, Rik Hart, that he is against any sell-off of the Council’s water and sewerage assets the USU is concerned. See page 5

See page 5

Out&About

Aged care centres on the Peninsula have jumped into the Olympic spirit with a range of events...

The Patonga Progress Association was one of the very few groups to make a submission to the Public Inquiry into the financial woes of Central Coast Council according to a published list..

Tascot local, Nicola McDermott, has flown through to the Women’s High Jump Final after her clinical qualification on Thursday, August 5.

See page 13

Business

Central Coast Council is encouraging residents to “adopt, not shop” when making the commitment to bring a new companion animal into their home. See page 17

Business

See page 38

See page 5

(Back row from L to R) Cec Bucello, Sue Murray, Lucillia Eljuga and Justin Stanley, (Front row L to R) Harry Mulholland, Merilyn Vale and Jackie Pearson.

Protest ends hopes of early release from COVID lockdown The Central Coast is unlikely to receive an early reprieve from the extended Greater Sydney lockdown, now set to continue until August 28.

5 AUGUST 2021

The Central Coast’s journey to becoming a certified ECO Destination is progressing in leaps and bounds with an additional 10 businesses receiving funding. See page 5

After years of searching for “the one”, Hugo the Galapagos tortoise has finally seen his new girlfriend Estrella – albeit virtually.

As the region’s students continued with on line learning last week due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Central Coast Grammar School decided to lighten the mood a little by inviting students to submit pictures of learning from home with their pets for a special Facebook campaign.

ISSUE 250

News

Out & About

Out&About

See page 35

disappointed the Coast’s lockdown cannot be ended. “Unfortunately, the health risk is just too high,” Crouch said. “To end the lockdown now would only speed up transmission of the Delta strain. “It will take a few days to see if any community transmission occurred at one of the 18 exposure sites on the Central Coast. “Hundreds of people were unknowingly exposed to COVID-19 and are now being tested. “It will also take approximately 14 days to see what impact the ‘anti lockdown’ protest has on local case numbers.” Crouch also thanked locals who had been following the stay-at-home rules and said he would ask the Premier to end the Coast’s lockdown ‘as soon it is safe to do so’.

250!

See page 5

Four more weeks, brace yourself!

Lockdown will end when it is safe to do so About 150 Central Coast people, some from Long Jetty, joined thousands of others in Sydney for a “freedom” rally protesting Covid restrictions - but it has had exactly the opposite effect – the lockdown stays and there’s no end in sight.

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

As the region gets set to enter its sixth week of lockdown, calls for a mass COVID-19 vaccination centre on the Central Coast are heating up.

Ettalong Channel is set to benefit from a $6.2 million dredging program to be carried out by the NSW Government.

4 AUGUST 2021

News

Bushland, pocket parks, a car park and a seniors lifestyle village at Woy Woy, Blackwall, Ettalong and Umina have been spared from Central Coast Council’s asset sales program as a result of concerted community campaigning.

Matt Dawson

ISSUE 303

ISSUE 020

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

A revised list of tranche three land sales by Central Coast Council was made public in the lead up to last night’s (July 27) Council meeting See page 5

Out & About

30 JULY 2021

SA VE

29 JULY 2021

News

ROCK SOLID!

After successful amalgamations with Halekulani Bowling Club and Club Wyong in the past 12 months, the Mounties Group is flying high. See page 27

Sport

Vaccine ‘theft’ from locked down locals beggars belief Hundreds of Central Coast residents were left frustrated and angry over the weekend when their Pfizer vaccination appointments, many of which had been made months in advance, were rediverted to HSC students in the areas of greatest concern in Sydney.

Former Bundesliga forward, Nicolai Muller, has joined the Central Coast Mariners for the 2021-22 season. See page 32

Puzzles page 19

Office: Level 1, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - editorial@centralcoastnews.net - www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Coast Pfizer vaccines diverted to Sydney

Many furious residents, some of them essential workers, took to Facebook to vent their fury as Coast politicians slammed the move and criticisms of the Federal Government for failing to secure adequate vaccination supplied poured in. NSW Health announced that Pfizer appointments at Gosford and Wyong hospitals and the

Belmont vaccination hub would be rediverted. Killcare local, Leah Fotofili, said she had her Pfizer booking suddenly cancelled via text and was frustrated at the lack of information surrounding the decision. “People are so frustrated though and it is that feeling of helplessness, lack of any control, fear and uncertainty,” she said. “We are all, for the most part, accepting of the situation, doing the right thing, accept our position in Greater Sydney, understand the health implications, put our hands up for the vaccine … and now this. “It beggars belief that the Federal Government has

actually left us all so compromised – how many vaccines are we talking about going to Year 12 students in those eight LGAs? “It’s not millions of doses, possibly not even hundreds of thousand, we are talking just thousands of doses. “It blows my mind.” Her sentiments were echoed by hundreds of residents, who claimed the classification of the Coast as part of Greater Sydney or Regional varies according to the NSW Government’s whim. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on August 2 that the move was ‘in the best interest of public health’. “Can I stress how important it is for us to get Year 12 students

able to complete their HSC exams and make sure they have those qualifications they worked hard for,” she said. “We know that for 16 to 18-year-olds that Pfizer is the only option. “All of us are making a sacrifice, and if it means that some people wait a few extra weeks before they get their Pfizer, I think people would appreciate that.” Reports suggest the amount of Pfizer vaccines sent away from the Central Coast to Sydney was in the hundreds, and not thousands, but no exact number has been confirmed yet. A source close to the Central Coast hospitals said staff were outraged and upset at the

decision to divert the vaccines away from the Coast. They said a load of Pfizer vials were removed from the freezer on Tuesday overnight without the staff’s knowledge. They said staff expected the supply to ‘drop off’ on the Coast but were shocked that it was taken away completely. CCN reached out to Central Coast Local Health District for confirmation of the removal of vaccines from the hospitals but was sent the following statement from a NSW Health spokesperson. “NSW Health is redirecting Pfizer vaccines from across the state,” the spokesperson said.

A development application currently on exhibition for a residential flat building in Woy Woy has sparked community outcry after plans were said to ‘spoil’ the look of the area. See page 21

Education

In celebration of Education Week, teachers from Umina Beach Public School have shared their thoughts about working at the school

Continued page 6

See page 27

Hundreds of Central Coast residents were left frustrated and angry over the weekend when their Pfizer vaccination appointments, many of which had been made months in advance, were rediverted to HSC students in the areas of greatest concern in Sydney. Many furious residents, some of them essential workers, took to Facebook to vent their fury as Coast politicians slammed the move and criticisms of the Federal Government for failing to secure adequate vaccination supplied poured in. NSW Health announced that Pfizer appointments at Gosford and Wyong hospitals and the Belmont vaccination hub would be rediverted. One Coast business owner vented her frustration after

Pfizer vaccination appointments at Gosford Hospital have been redirected to HSC students in Sydney

being forced to close her business and home school her children during the past five weeks of lockdown, with financial assistance from the government “still pending”.

“Knowing that it is important to be vaccinated I have been trying to get an appointment for five weeks,” she said. “Three weeks ago, I managed to book into the new vaccination

hub at Belmont on Monday, August 2. “On July 31 I received a text message to tell me that my appointment was being cancelled to give priority to

Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent, both of which have multiple branches on the Central Coast, are looking at merging to create the nation’s largest customer-owned bank. See page 25

Education

Since emerging from the pool stage of the Men’s Hockey competition undefeated, Berkeley Vale’s Matt Dawson and the Australian team have now advanced to the Gold Medal Final. See page 40

Continued page 12

Puzzles page 22

Office: Level 1, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Puzzles page 18

Office: Level 1, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - editorial@centralcoastnews.net - www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Office: Level 1.01/86-88 Mann Street Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

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NEWS

PAGE 3 6 AUGUST 2021

Funding received for Terrigal Lagoon walking trail Plans for the Terrigal Lagoon walking trail will see bush tracks replaced with a concrete path of 730 metres and a raised boardwalk above the mangroves of about 430 metres. Central Coast Council has received funding to develop the first stage of the walking trail around the lagoon, within parts of Terrigal Wetland Reserve and Rotary Park, next to Parklife Café and the Central Coast Marine Discovery Centre (CCMDC). Council and Restart NSW will each pay half of the $1M needed for the first stage of the proposal. The completed total length of the walking track will be 1.16km. Once operational, the walking track will feature the new elevated boardwalk within Stages 1 and 2; and the new concrete path within Stages 1, 3 and 5. Included is a water watch platform west of the CCMDC to promote water based educational experiences. The elevated boardwalk will allow users to meander through coastal wetlands and mangrove

Map showing the proposed trail; the green line is proposed to be concrete walkway while the red line is a raised walkway over the mangroves

vegetation and the concrete walking track will facilitate movement through forested areas and green, open space. Removal of up to 0.35ha of vegetation to accommodate the walking track is planned. “This trail will provide multiple social, health and wellbeing benefits, as well as educational, nature-based tourism and job opportunities,” Council said. The existing walking track is generally not considered a universally accessible track. “An upgrade of the existing

track and extension would enhance user experience by providing an upgraded, longer track which would ultimately offer a closed circuit with improved accessibility for all users,” Council said. “It would also allow for formed connections to the CCMDC and the Terrigal Rotary Park on the western side of Willoughby Rd that are frequented by families with children where no formal pedestrian access is provided to these facilities.

“Beyond the anticipated benefits for the existing walking track users, the proposal is expected to be a drawcard to the already popular coastal town of Terrigal which features a strip of cafés and restaurants, concreted walking tracks, Terrigal Beach and scenic lookouts about 1km south-east of the proposal.” Council said that given that the trail is to be partially located within a coastal wetland, it was working hard to ensure that the trail will weave through disturbed areas wherever

possible to avoid the need to clear bushland, including trees. It has twice asked the community what features it wanted to see included. “We took your feedback and turned it into an idea for the trail, keeping in mind ways to minimise the environmental impacts on this sensitive environment,” Council said. Back in 2017, the Marine Discovery Centre approached Council to seek support and funding for a walking trail, boardwalk and Waterwatch

platform at the lagoon. The development application is now open for submissions from the public and has already attracted one submission. “I would only support the proposal if the actual lagoon was rehabilitated,” the public submission says. “Sections are currently unappealing, overgrown with weeds. “Keep it simple and beautiful. “Please do not over engineer it like the horrible Terrigal cove boardwalk.” Earlier this year, the Terrigal boardwalk to the Haven was officially opened by Premier Gladys Berejiklian. The public submission said the path section along Florida Rd looked too complex. “A simple walking strip along the street would be best, but please do something about all the introduced weeds and buffalo grass that has taken over the section,” the submission said. Submissions can be made on the proposal until September 6. See details: https://www. yourvoiceourcoast.com/ terrigal-lagoon-trail

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Steam Model Co-op targeted by vandals It’s been a tough 16 months for the Central Coast Steam Model Co-Op at Narara. Unable to operate since March 2020, due to COVD-19 restrictions, the family favourite attraction in Showground Rd has been targeted in recent weeks by a spate of vandalism. Co-Op president, John Gordon, said the vandalism had seen drainage pipes smashed, a security key box damaged, and the destruction of specialised draughts boards. “We have had no income since March last year,” Gordon said. “Our member subscriptions are coming in but that provides only around $350 each year and we have continuing expenses including insurance, lawn maintenance and electrical repairs to our mowers. “Our bank account was reasonably healthy at the start of COVID, but we’ve had nothing to top it up with and we’re just about running on empty.” Gordon said the attraction was subject to regular acts of vandalism but a recent spate of attacks, seemingly perpetrated by one person, had been especially concerning.

Members reparing the damaged pipes on August 3

“We have CCTV footage of an individual smashing drainage pipes to our large water tank and damaging a security key box,” he said. “But the most disappointing thing was the destruction of two tiled draught boards set into two of our concrete tables. “These were built by Mick Farrell, who was a founding

member of the club some 39 years ago and were a memorial to him following his passing a couple of years ago. “We call them Uncle Mick’s tables – and every single tile on the draught boards has been smashed.“ Gordon said operating under COVID-safe rules had proved impossible for the attraction,

even before the current strict lockdown. “Providing QR coding proved too difficult with so much open space and maintaining social distancing just about impossible,” he said. “Normally we could carry up to 12 adults on a train, but with social distancing we could carry only three unless they are

all members of the same family – and that is just too difficult to police.” Gordon said while the attraction was regularly subject to vandalism, the latest attacks were “by far the worst”. “We constantly have people damaging our point levers, but this was another level,” he said.

“We have footage of a person smashing pipes to our water tank with a hammer and trying to break a hole in the bottom of it with a steel rod.” Gordon said police were currently investigating the vandalism and barbed wire had been placed around the security area. “The land is owned by Central Coast Council but we built all the infrastructure and maintain the lawns to keep the area open to the public for picnics,” he said. “Even when we’re operating we only charge $2.50 for a ride the first Saturday of each month.” “We are trying to provide community activity at no cost to Council.” Gordon said a local plumbing firm had done the Co-Op a special deal on pipes to replace the smashed pieces, but even so the repairs would cost at least $500. He said the attraction was unlikely to reopen before “sometime” next year and appealed to anyone with any information on the vandalism to contact Brisbane Water Police. Terry Collins

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

From Council

This week is recognised as national homelessness week. Of our population here on the Coast of just under 350,000, between 4,100 and 8,500 people are homeless or marginally housed. Sadly, there was a 35percent increase in homelessness on the Central Coast alone from 2011 to 2016. Homelessness can be caused by unemployment, poverty, by a shortage of affordable housing, or by family breakdown, mental illness, sexual assault, drug dependency, financial difficulty, gambling or social isolation. Domestic violence is the single biggest cause of homelessness in Australia. Council is committed to supporting vulnerable people, including people experiencing hardship or homelessness in our community, particularly when it comes to affordable housing and addressing the growing need within our LGA. Recent strategies have included identifying council owned land as affordable housing sites to be directly sold to a community housing provider as part of the recent asset sales tranche three given the current shortage of affordable housing on the Central Coast. Council continues to be proactive in meeting and working in partnership with community housing providers. Our focus is for a fair and inclusive region, where everyone has access to affordable and sustainable housing. Rik Hart - Administrator, Central Coast Council

Homelessness Week 2021 Everybody needs a home

Did you know that over 100 people may be sleeping rough on any given night on the Central Coast?

Given the serious constraints on the local housing market and the growing rates of housing stress, homelessness is a growing threat for many people in our region. 1-7 August 2021 is Homelessness Week, a national campaign to raise awareness on the issue. The Central Coast Affordable and Alternative Housing Strategy has 27 actions that address homelessness on the Coast. We are: • • • • • •

dedicating Council-owned land to affordable housing partnerships

facilitating affordable and lower cost housing piloting new models of supported and alternative accommodation increasing access to, and support within, the private rental market increasing support for early intervention increasing access to services for vulnerable groups.

Search ‘Hardship and Homelessness’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au to learn more about what we are doing and how you can access support if you are experiencing homelessness or hardship.

Get involved – August is Family History Month

Now might just be the perfect time for you to jump on board one of the most popular hobbies in the world this Family History Month! Thanks to the incredible array of resources and services offered by our Library Service you too can become a super sleuth and discover hidden gems when researching your family history.

Start your journey with a family history research session for beginners, share your ideas and discover new resources at History Hounds or learn about immigration records at the online State Records of NSW talk. Search ‘Family History’ on our event calendar at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

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Celtic Cross War Memorial restored The Christ Church War Memorial in the grounds of the Gosford Anglican Church has been restored just in time for its 101st birthday on August 29. Historian Merril Jackson said the memorial had been hidden beneath a build-up of moss, lichen, and pollutants, with the names illegible and mortar disappearing from the joints. Restoration undertaken in 2021 was made possible by the Community War Memorials Fund supported by NSW Government Veterans Affairs and funded by the NSW Government. Jackson instigated the

restoration grant with the permission of Father Rod Bower and said she was delighted with the positive outcome of the restoration work undertaken by the Rookwood Cemetery Monumental Heritage Team. “This local heritage item provides a tangible link to our past war history, and uniquely demonstrates the importance of faith on the home front during the First World War,” she said. “This restorative work has ensured this monument’s endurance well into the future. “The repainted lettering of each panel now clearly identifies the names of 30 soldiers known to the parish church.”

Jackson said she was confident the families of these soldiers would be proud and humbled to see that the Coast has not forgotten the sacrifices made. With Rector Arthur Renwick, his wife Alice and the Church of England Women’s Guild raising the necessary funds, the war memorial was unveiled on August 29, 1920. Created by Thomas Browne Monumental Masons of Maitland and Sandgate, it features a stone base sourced from Browne’s quarry in Ravensfield, with the pedestal and upper Celtic Cross crafted from natural and polished trachyte. The Celtic Cross War Memorial

was relocated to the front of the historic Christ Church (incorrectly referenced as St Mary’s Church) and now faces Mann St and Gosford Memorial Park. The original timber Church of St. Mary the Virgin was demolished, with the current Anglican “round” church developed upon its original site. The church, designed by Edmund Thomas Blacket and featuring hammer dressed stone, was originally constructed at East Gosford between 1857 and 1858, and reassembled in Gosford by mid-1906. Source: Media release, Jul 29 Merril Jackson

Wicks adds to calls for a mass vaccination clinic Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, has thrown her support behind the establishment of a mass vaccination clinic on the Central Coast. Wicks said while mass vaccination clinics are a matter for the States and Territories, she would support the NSW Government setting one up in the region.

“While GP clinics are doing the bulk of the work in regard to the vaccine roll-out, I would support the NSW Government prioritising the Central Coast for a mass vaccination clinic to assist with the efforts of our hardworking GPs in the future,” she said. Wicks said the Federal Government is focused on ensuring there are more locations across the Central

Coast, so locals can get a vaccination in their own community. “Around 75 per cent of GPs on the Central Coast are administering vaccines, with 12 of those able to administer Pfizer and more coming online soon,” she said. “Since opening, the Coast and Country Primary Care Vaccination Clinic at Erina has administered almost 20,000

vaccinations. “This is a sign of the hard work our primary care sites are doing to help get Australians vaccinated. “It is important to note recent ATAGI advice which states that all individuals aged 18 years and above in greater Sydney, including adults under 60 years of age, should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine, including

AstraZeneca. “To all those on the Central Coast who wish to be vaccinated, book in with your GP and have a conversation so you can make the choice which is right for you. “We will only see these numbers increase with community pharmacies and additional GPs who choose to participate in the rollout coming online across our region in the

coming weeks.” Meanwhile, latest figures show 45 per cent of people aged 15 and over on the Central Coast have had one dose and nearly 1 in 5 people aged 15 and over are fully vaccinated.

Caring for our community • • • •

COVID-19 Medicare NDIS Centrelink

• • • •

NBN Veterans’ Affairs Jobs & Training Congratulatory Messages

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Source: Media releases, Aug 1 and 3 Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks

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Union bristles at just the thought of the ‘P’ word Despite assurances from Central Coast Council Administrator, Rik Hart, that he is against any selloff of the Council’s water and sewerage assets, the United Services Union (USU) is concerned that a review now underway could open the door to privatisation. Council has commissioned an independent review of the model governing its water and sewer operations, which CEO David Farmer says will explore if there are opportunities to produce better value and return on investment for the community. “Central Coast Council is unique in NSW in (having) the only Council owned water authority alongside the Stateowned Sydney Water and Hunter Water,” Farmer said. “This means there is a complex legislative environment requiring Council to adhere to dual regulations across both the Local Government and Water Management Acts. “In some parts, this dual compliance is contradictory and causes inefficiencies in how the water and sewer

Mangrove Creek Dam

operations can be governed because the business is currently managed as an arm of Council. “Council’s water and sewer assets are valued at close to $4B. “Our obligation to the community is to ensure we are maximising the value of these assets and improving efficiency and performance in how water and sewer services are delivered. “This review is about

gathering and assessing all the data to get an informed view of all the possible operating structures.” While Farmer said there is no intention to sell the water and sewer assets, it will be one of the options in the comparison of operating structures. Administrator, Rik Hart, said he supported the review but remained adamant he was not in favour of any water and sewer asset sell-off. But the inclusion of a sell-off

as one of the options to be examined has prompted the USU to foreshadow a “relentless campaign to protect the jobs and services of this current Council operation to prevent any moves to privatise it”. The USU said the publiclyowned water and sewer infrastructure not only provides an essential community service, but also generates ongoing income for the Council. “The privatisation of water and server services would be

catastrophic for the Central Coast community,” USU organiser Luke Hutchinson said. “A sale of these assets — which have been entirely paid for by the local community — would see them run for the profit of their new owners, rather than in the best interest of the Central Coast community. “The Central Coast is already struggling with the effects of the COVID pandemic and ongoing lockdowns; the last

thing they need is for their water and sewerage assets to be sold off to private interests. “If water and sewerage assets are sold off, it will lead to higher water bills, lower service, and the loss of good local jobs. “The threat of privatisation is also causing extreme hardship for Central Coast Council workers who have already faced 10 months of uncertainty due to the current financial crisis, including the loss of 287 jobs. “The Central Coast community needs to send a clear message to the Council and the Administrator that the sell-off of local essential services is not an acceptable way to address Council’s financial mess. “The USU has a very strong and proud record of protecting jobs and community assets and is committed to leading vigorous and continuous opposition to any moves to sell these community assets.” Results of the review are expected to be presented to Council in coming months. Terry Collins and Merilyn Vale

Liesl Tesch MP Member for Gosford

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GET VACCINATED AS AN EXTRA LEVEL OF PROTECTION AGAINST COVID-19 The Delta variant of COVID-19 is extremely contagious and spreads very quickly. The Federal Government is responsible for supplying and distributing vaccines across NSW. Using whatever supply is available, the NSW Government is rolling vaccinations out to more Health facilities on the Central Coast.

“In NSW we have always had a sense of urgency about getting jabs in arms, but the current outbreak has shown just how important it is” – Premier Gladys Berejiklian Getting a jab is safe and quick, so please do not delay booking your vaccination. Any frontline workers, NDIS participants and Indigenous people who have not yet been vaccinated are encouraged to get the jab as soon as possible.



For more information you can call the COVID-19 hotline any time of day or night on 13 77 88.

Adam CROUCH MP Member for Terrigal 02 4365 1906 adamcrouchmp

terrigal@parliament.nsw.gov.au adamcrouchmp

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Coast Shelter marks Homelessness Week during lockdown Marking Homelessness Week (August 1-7) in the midst of a COVID-19 lockdown was always going to be a challenge, but Coast Shelter was ready for it. CEO Michael Starr said the charity, which provides accommodation, meal services and support for the homeless, those at risk of homelessness and the disadvantaged, had had a “pretty good dress rehearsal” during last year’s tight restrictions. “When the latest lockdown kicked off on June 26 we already had service and business continuity plans ready to go,” Starr said. “We had COVID-safe plans in place for our community centre and refuges; we were good as far as that was concerned. “And our accommodation

services have remained open during the lockdown. “QR coding and every piece of public health advice available has been implemented. “We have up to 170 people every day living in our refuges from the north to the south of the region.” Immediate changes had to be introduced at the community centre in Gosford the day the lockdown was announced. “We contacted all the volunteers who work in food preparation and cooking and by the Sunday afternoon they had all been advised we had to stand them down for public health reasons,” Starr said. “By the Monday we were serving only take away meals for lunch and dinner, completely contactless food service. “We didn’t miss a beat.”

Starr said local organisations and food companies had rushed to assist. “Russell Cooper from Gosford RSL pledged to provide 100 meals each day during lockdown for us to distribute, and other companies, including Eastcoast Beverages and Sanitarium donated huge amounts of food so we could keep things going,” he said. “Seeing that level of support was one of the positives to come out of this situation.” “We are still serving on average about 90 meals for lunch and dinner every day.” Starr said another positive to come out of the lockdown was the government provision of temporary accommodation for rough sleepers during lockdown. “We have managed to get 12 rough sleepers, those who sleep under bridges, in parks and under stairwells, into the

government’s temporary accommodation initiative during lockdown,” he said. “It’s been a good outcome because they are not moving around unnecessarily and are being regularly tested. “We have also been trying to get some of them to be vaccinated. “Estimates are that there are around 100 people seeping rough on the Coast each night, so to get 12 of them into accommodation was a good step. “We can’t do full services for them, but we can drop food off, make sure they have what they need and supply them with vaccination information “Some contact is better than nothing.” Starr said the hope was to eventually get those people into permanent housing. “We have been working

with Pacific link on the Together Home initiative, specifically designed to get people off the street,” he said. “Pacific Link provides the housing and we do the personal servicing.” Starr said he hoped those in temporary accommodation could be triaged into permanent housing through the scheme. “If we can change mindsets while they are with us we can do a lot more once lockdown finishes to help maintain a roof over their heads,” he said. “We can also connect them with mental health services, drug and alcohol services, even training and employment opportunities.” The scheme isn’t just for rough sleepers; it includes young people and anyone who is considered homeless. “Some people are living in

their cars or couch surfing,” Starr said. “Prior to lockdown we had already settled 10 rough sleepers into housing. “The numbers of rough sleepers aren’t huge so getting that number of people out of that lifestyle has a huge impact.” Starr said the organisation was coming up with creative ways to keep people in refuges in a good frame of mind.” He said response to the Coast Shelter Sleepout, planned now for September 10, has been amazing, with 62 individuals and 20 corporate teams already registered and fundraising. “We have raised almost $69,000 so far,” he said. Sign up to help at www. coastsheltersleepout.com. au. Terry Collins

Nine suspended councillors make submissions to Inquiry A recently published list shows nine suspended councillors and one former councillor have put their names to submissions to the Public Inquiry into the financial woes of Central Coast Council. Names missing from the list were suspended mayor, Lisa Matthews (Labor) and suspended councillors Chris Holstein (Independent), Jilly Pilon (Liberal) and Kyle MacGregor (Labor). Liberal councillor Rebecca Gale, who resigned two days before the councillors were suspended, has her name on a

submission but fellow Liberal Troy Marquart, who resigned with her, is not on the list. There were four anonymous submissions. Suspended councillors who are named on the list of submissions are: independents Bruce McLachlan, Greg Best, Jane Smith and Louise Greenaway; Labor’s Jillian Hogan, Doug Vincent, Jeff Sundstrom and Richard Mehrtens; and Liberal Chris Burke. All up, fewer than 100 people submitted their thoughts to the Inquiry. Former CEO Gary Murphy put

in a submission, as did current CEO David Farmer. Petitions have also been lodged by former Wyong Mayor Doug Eaton and Labor MPs Yasmin Catley (Swansea), David Harris (Wyong), David Mehan (The entrance) and Liesl Tesch (Gosford). Two local progress associations sent in submissions: Kelvin Wynn on behalf of Mannering Park Progress Association and John Quigg on behalf of Patonga Beach Progress Association. One community group sent in a submission: President Steve Fortey and Ian Carruthers on

behalf of Avoca Beach Community Association. President Andrew Smith sent in a submission on behalf of Central Coast Aero Club. Administrator Rik Hart said at the most recent Council meeting, on July 27, that he had been briefed that the Public Inquiry would not make the submissions public. Reasons included defamatory comments. He said the Inquiry was contacting people it wanted to talk to and it could hold public hearings in September. The Commissioner, Roslyn McCulloch, has not yet said

anything publicly. On April 26, Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, announced a formal Public Inquiry into the Council. It will determine whether the governing body acted in a manner that maximised the success of gaining efficiencies and financial savings from the merger process, or whether it disregarded the financial consequences of its decisions, and whether the governing body’s decisions since 2017 contributed to the financial position the Council is in. “The Commissioner may make recommendations as

(she) sees fit having regard to the outcomes of the Inquiry, including whether all civic offices at Central Coast Council should be declared vacant,” the Minister said at the time. The councillors were suspended in October last year after the Council had sudden and significant liquidity issues or - as Hart said recently basically it had gone broke. The Council has responded to the cash flow crisis by getting a $150M loan from a commercial bank, cutting staff and services, selling assets and raising rates. Merilyn Vale

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BUDGET 2021

SECURING AUSTRALIA’S RECOVERY Lucy Wicks and the Morrison Government are delivering vital infrastructure for the Central Coast. Upgrading the intersections along Manns Road including at Narara Creek Road and Stockyard Place. The project will support 150 direct and indirect jobs. Construction is expected to start in mid-2022 and completed by late 2023. For more information go to: www.liberal.org.au/budget

LUCY WICKS MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR ROBERTSON Level 3, 69 Central Coast Highway, West Gosford NSW 2250 lucy.wicks.mp@aph.gov.au

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Lend Lease supports new Coast Shelter short-term refuge Coast Shelter is set to deliver a new safe dwelling for women experiencing homelessness resulting from family violence with the support of a $70,000 grant through Lendlease’s FutureSteps program. The grant will be used to convert a garage area of an existing family violence refuge into a unit that will provide short-term accommodation for women in that situation. With an acute national shortage of suitable accommodation to help women and children escaping domestic violence, they are often forced to stay longer in a refuge or consider unsafe alternatives. Coast Shelter has appointed a builder and preliminary works are underway on the conversion

Coast Shelter CEO, Michael Starr

project, with the project set for completion later this year. CEO Michael Starr said Coast Shelter is delighted and thankful to receive such generous financial support to help expand its capacity to provide women and children facing or escaping homelessness due to domestic and family violence with a safe place to call home. “Our partnership will enable Coast Shelter to provide safe, short-term accommodation and personal support services around the clock for an additional 10 women every year on the Central Coast,” Starr said. “It’s a great encouragement for Coast Shelter to know that Lendlease is committed and determined to help end

homelessness and domestic, family violence on the NSW Central Coast.” Erina Fair Centre Manager, Stephen Ross, said supporting meaningful projects such as these was the reason Lendlease launched its shared value initiative, FutureSteps. “Too many Australians are affected by domestic and family violence and being able to provide a safe place to call home is so important,” Ross said. “We are grateful to be able to support Coast Shelter’s valuable work in the community … and we look forward to continuing this relationship well into the future.” To further support Coast Shelter’s work, Lendlease’s Erina Fair team will, for the

Last week she made a heartfelt plea to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to vaccinate all school staff with the newly-available doses of Pfizer vaccine on the Coast, but this week they were snatched away by NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, to make sure HSC students in COVID hotspots in Sydney were protected from the virus. “CCC P&C is very concerned about the shortage of vaccines and the cancellation of appointments, along with the recent allocation changes,” Brownlee said. “The HSC matters, but nowhere near as much as lives matter and the HSC certainly does not matter more for some students than others, as appears to be the case. “The allocation of the Central Coast included with Greater Sydney for the lockdown, and then, inexplicably, included with (the) regions for the removal of vaccines, leaves residents feeling confused and frustrated. “Every child matters as does every adult, mums, dads, singles and grandparents. “These decisions are pitting communities and families against each other as they

scramble to understand the decisions made and try to ensure their loved ones are vaccinated. “They have been patient and compliant for nearly 18 months and are now frustrated and angry. “All Australians need to be reassured the decisions being made are the right ones that will protect the vulnerable and those exposed to the deadly virus through their work.” Brownlee said already vulnerable families on the Central Coast were under enormous pressure with home schooling so having school staff vaccinated would provide peace of mind for the school community. “This would allow the essential worker community to have their children back at school full time, then to be able to work by accepting the casual and part time work as it is offered that many of our Coast families depend on and are unable to accept while home schooling,” Brownlee said. “Other workers, who are able to work from home, could concentrate on that work and not be greatly stressed as they are at the moment, while trying to juggle home schooling and work. “Family pressures are rising, and we are seeing families not complying and students not participating in home schooling. “This is to their own and the community’s detriment.

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“We have an opportunity to stop these stresses and protect children. “This would provide significant extra protection and peace of mind for families and protect front line teachers who are in schools educating the children of other frontline workers and are at risk of being stricken with the highly transmissible Delta version of COVID. “As such, it would be very popular with parents and reassure the frightened community that the stresses they are under are understood and action is being taken.” Brownlee said with the reallocation of Pfizer vaccine, her hopes were dashed that vaccination could have been done quickly, starting immediately, with the second jab coming within a few weeks of the first. “The vaccination of school and pre-school staff, done in a planned manner, would aid the national objective of pushing up the percentage of people vaccinated,” she said. “What is needed is a plan of action and a co-ordinated distribution that can be managed by GPs and pharmacies. “A local Central Coast Vaccination hub is desperately needed; Sydney and Belmont are not accessible options.” Source: Media release, July 28 Media statement, Aug 3 Sharryn Brownlee, CCC P&C

Source: Media release, Aug 2 Lendlease

TWU calls for COVID test site at Mt White

Pfizer reallocation angers Coast parents The reallocation of Pfizer doses from the Central Coast to vaccinate HSC students in Sydney has left teachers and students on the Coast vulnerable, frustrated and angry, says Sharryn Brownlee from the Central Coast Council of P&C Associations.

second time, participate in the Coast Shelter Sleepout on September 10. The Sleepout aims to increase awareness in the business community of the issues surrounding domestic and family violence and homelessness on the Central Coast, with executives, community leaders, business owners and their staff encouraged to sleep out for one night to gain a small insight into what it’s like to experience homelessness. To date the team has raised more than $16,000, with the total raised by all Sleepout participants this year standing at $41,000.

The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) is calling for a COVID testing site to be set up at the Mount White heavy vehicle inspection station, along with other weighing stations across the state, to facilitate testing for truck drivers. TWU NSW State Secretary, Richard Olsen, has written to NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, calling for the nine stations across NSW to be urgently converted to offer testing for truckies - a solution already being used in Victoria. “This would allow drivers to use existing infrastructure to get their COVID tests with minimal difficulty, and without cutting into their important rest breaks,” Olsen said. “Under the public health orders and interstate border restrictions, many truck drivers are required to submit to regular COVID tests every 3-7 days. “However, truck drivers across NSW are continuing to

encounter unnecessary difficulties in complying with their testing requirements, including long waiting times and testing sites running out of tests. “Truck drivers are critical to keeping our supermarket shelves stocked and our society functioning during the current lockdowns. “(They) want to do the right thing and comply with all the rules, but the NSW Government is making that much harder than it needs to be. “Truck drivers are spending massive amounts of time during their rest breaks waiting in a queue to get tested. “That’s a major inconvenience to the drivers, but it’s also a big road safety concern if drivers aren’t able to actually rest during their rest breaks. “This seems like a no-brainer – the NSW Government just needs to make it happen.” Source: Media release, Aug 4 Transport Workers Union NSW

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• Family Law including – • Divorce • Property Settlement • Children’s Orders • All other areas of general legal practice.

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An open letter to the NSW Government The Hon Brad Hazzard MP Minister for Health GPO Box 5341 SYDNEY NSW 2001

21st July 2021

Dear Minister Central Coast Labor MPs met with members of the Central Coast GP Alliance Working Group to discuss the rollout of vaccinations on the Central Coast. The consensus was that the Central Coast needs a mass vaccination centre. Whilst local GPs are offering vaccinations, waiting lists are already long and the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine will further add to the delay. GPs are still coping with their normal duties of seeing patients as well as now doing vaccinations. If we are to ensure our coast’s population is vaccinated to a high level, like the Hunter and lllawarra, the Central Coast should have a mass vaccination hub. We ask you to strongly consider this request to address this issue with the view to protect the 345,000 plus residents of the Central Coast. Yours sincerely

David Harris MP Member for Wyong

David Mehan MP Member for The Entrance

Yasmin Catley MP Member for Swansea

LIesl Tesch MP Member for Gosford

Emma McBride MP Federal Member for Dobell

Authorised by David Mehan MP, David Harris MP, Liesl Tesch MP, Yasmin Catley MP & Emma McBride MP, funded using parliamentary entitlements.

PAGE 11 6 AUGUST 2021

PAGE 12 6 AUGUST 2021

NEWS

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Coast Pfizer vaccines diverted to Sydney From page 1 Her sentiments were echoed by hundreds of residents, who claimed the classification of the Coast as part of Greater Sydney or Regional varies according to the NSW Government’s whim. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on August 2 that the move was “in the best interest of public health”. “Can I stress how important it is for us to get Year 12 students able to complete their HSC exams and make sure they have those qualifications they worked hard for,” she said. “We know that for 16 to 18-year-olds that Pfizer is the only option. “All of us are making a sacrifice, and if it means that some people wait a few extra weeks before they get their Pfizer, I think people would appreciate that.” But Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said it was “unfair and frustrating” that hundreds of Pfizer vaccination appointments at Gosford and Wyong Hospitals had been postponed. He said he had secured a

Central Coast Labor MPs Liesl Tesch (Gosford), David Harris (Wyong) and David Mehan (The Entrance)

commitment from Health Minister Brad Hazzard that as soon as the Federal Government supplies NSW with more Pfizer, it will come straight to Gosford and Wyong Hospitals. Crouch said we would not be in a “Hunger Games situation” if the Federal Government had secured enough Pfizer for NSW. He said those waiting for their second Pfizer dose would not be impacted and nor would frontline workers and reminded residents that anyone aged 18 and over is eligible for an AstraZeneka jab; these are to be offered at Gosford Hospital

from August 5. While NSW Health has announced GPs will continue to administer Pfizer vaccinations in regional NSW, the Coast’s Labor MPs have slammed the vaccine reallocation. Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, said the classification of the Central Coast as Regional when it comes to the redirection of vaccines is “confusing and disappointing”. “This is despite the Central Coast having COVID cases and exposure sites, with the most recent being in the Cancer

Ward at Gosford Hospital,” she said. “You cannot include us in Greater Sydney one day and … as a regional area when it comes to the vaccine rollout.” Tesch said many redirected appointments related to workers in essential industries. “For weeks we have been all in this together working as a community to ensure we do not spread COVID-19 and now we are being punished for our efforts,” she said. “It is absolutely disgusting and a blatant disregard for the

health and welfare of our community. “While I understand we want year 12 students back in the classroom many residents have been advised by their GP to get Pfizer due to underlying health conditions. “The Government’s failure to include teachers as essential workers is also a concern to many who received their cancellation notice over the weekend.” Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, David Harris, said redirecting Pfizer

vaccinations from the region “just doesn’t make sense” after the Coast has been included as part of Greater Sydney for lockdown purposes and considered to be at risk. Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said the Pfizer vaccines which are being redirected are from the NSW Government’s allocation of vaccines, and will not impact Commonwealth Vaccination Clinics, GPs and future community pharmacies on the Coast. She said on August 5 that Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a boost of 183,690 Pfizer jabs to go directly to NSW, commencing within the week. “In announcing this, the Prime Minister said those in the regions will have their redirected doses replaced,” Wicks said. “It’s a condition I have fought for and something the Prime Minister has driven, to ensure that the Pfizer doses taken from regional NSW including the Central Coast, be returned or replaced.” Terry Collins

Coast COVID concerns rise Health authorities on the Central Coast are urging extra vigilance following confirmation of nine new COVID cases in the region, bringing the region’s total number of cases to 17, and detection of fragments of the virus in sewage systems at Woy Woy and Toukley. The Woy Sewage Treatment Plant serves about 41,300 people in the suburbs of Woy Woy Bay, Woy Woy, Phegans

Bay, Horsfield Bay, Blackwall, Booker Bay, Ettalong Beach, Umina Beach, Pearl Beach and Patonga. On August 5, Central Coast Local Health District confirmed nine new cases – eight from the same household and one linked to known cases in the Hunter region. This number does not include a healthcare worker at Gosford Hospital Cancer Centre who is a household contact of a case linked to south-western Sydney.

The fully vaccinated staff member worked at the Centre on Wednesday, July 28, wearing full personal protective equipment and did not have any symptoms. A seven-day lockdown was announced for the Hunter region to begin at 5pm on August 5 after two students at Lake Munmorah Public School and one at Morisset High Schol tested positive. The list of Central Coast exposure sites continues to grow and residents are urged

to continue checking the NSW Health website for updates. A confirmed case of COVID-19 used buses and trains from Sydney to visit the Central Coast during their infectious period. Anyone who travelled on the following bus routes is a close contact: Bus Route 25 from Tuggerah Station to Bateau Bay Square, Friday, July 23 between 1.58pm and 2.35pm; Bus Route 21 from Lions

Park, Central Coast Highway, Long Jetty to Gosford Train Station, Stand N on Friday, July 23, between 3:41pm and 4:30pm. Anyone who travelled on the following train services for more than 30 minutes is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result: Central Coast Newcastle line from Strathfield to Tuggerah on Friday, July 23 from 12.31pm to 1.50pm; Central Coast Newcastle line from Gosford to

Central on Friday, July 23 from 4.32pm to 5.58pm. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild, get tested immediately and isolate until you receive a negative result. Symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, sore/ scratchy throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, and loss of taste or smell. CCN

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PAGE 13 6 AUGUST 2021

David Mehan’s

THE ENTRANCE ELECTORATE COMMUNITY SURVEY Support your favourite project in The Entrance electorate by choosing your three favourite proposals in order of preference.

Scan &Vote

HOW TO VOTE 1

Scan the QR code and complete the form online

Scan and email the form to theentrance@parliament.nsw. gov.au

Mail to David Mehan MP PO Box 401 The Entrance NSW 2261

Central Coast Bombers - $30,000

KU Children’s Services - $6,935

Second Junior playing and training area. Maintenance equipment.

KU Ourimbah - Water Tank Purchase and Installation

• Development of junior playing field and training area for dual use and purchase of maintenance equipment ride on lawn mower.

• Supply and installation of a new Duraplas poly 3,000L slimline squat water tank, commissioning of all new works and testing for correct operation. Rubbish removal.

Central Coast Community College $37,490 Central Coast Community College Ourimbah Campus Maintenance And Repairs • Ourimbah campus building repairs including replacement of downpipes and guttering, gutter guard installation, repairs to stairs, flooring and balustrades, roof anchor point installation and painting.

Cerebral Palsy Alliance - $8,961 Exterior Cleaning, Lighting And Linemarking At Disability Centre in Tuggerah • The exterior will be refreshed with a pressurewash, and the carpark improved with bollard and tower lighting repairs and new line-marking undertaken.

Gosford Regional Community Services inc - $19,360

North Entrance Surf Life Saving Club - $14,715 Installation Of Acoustic Panelling At North Entrance SLSC Hall • Installation of acoustic ceiling panels in the function hall of the North Entrance SLSC to alleviate existing problems with echoing sound.

Ourimbah Public School Parent & Citizens Association - $25,000 STEM Lab • Upgrade Wi-Fi network. Upgrade electrical circuit. Purchase new furniture and storage equipment • Purchase new devices and hardware.

Police Citizens Youth Clubs NSW $19,800 Essential repairs to change rooms at PCYC Bateau Bay

Community Centre Signage - Wyoming • Replacement of end of life sign board with LED signage.

• New tiling and painting of Male and Female change rooms.

• Spare parts to repair the existing sign board are no longer available.

St John Ambulance Australia (NSW) - $50,003

Jopuka Productions Inc - $41,379 The Launch Pad Refit • We will refit our performance space with new curtain and rigging facilities as well as upgrading our air-conditioning units.

St John Ambulance Coastal Waters Vehicle • St John Ambulance Coastal Waters requires a health services vehicle that can be used for community first aid including patient transport and local medical services.

YOUR DETAILS

Sunnyfield - $10,000 Green Thumbs at Killarney Vale • Sunnyfield will provide residents living together in Killarney Vale with a garden makeover to help reduce maintenance and increase accessibility

The Central Coast Montessori Primary School - $30,000 Montessori Primary School & Community Centre Kitchen Renewal • The kitchen will be removed and replaced with a fit for purpose kitchen that enables the children to work in there safely.

The Salvation Army (NSW) Property Trust - $25,830 Long Jetty Corp Driveway • Driveway to allow access onsite for the community bus.

OLR Primary School, Wyoming $43,120 Covered Awning Project • The project will ensure students and visitors are able to walk undercover from the drop off zone and carpark into the centre of the school.

Valley View Public School P&C $15,000 Install Shade Sail over School Playground for Children’s Sun Protection • Intentions are to purchase and install a shade sail to cover children’s playground for school children, teachers and the local community.

Wyoming Public School P&C $140,000 Electrical Upgrade • The CBP funding would be used to replace the current Electrical Cabling throughout the entire school to enable Air Conditioning units to be installed.

Please send your reply by Thursday, 12th of August.

NAME ADDRESS PHONE EMAIL Authorised by David Mehan MP, 24 The Entrance Road, The Entrance NSW 2261. Funded using parliamentary entitlements July 2021

PAGE 14 6 AUGUST 2021

FORUM

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Democracy doesn’t equal demerger What does the Central Coast Friends of Democracy hope to achieve by its demerger campaign (“Demerger Petition launched” advertisement, CCN 303)? It is fatuous to argue that two municipalities are more democratic than one. Everyone votes in exactly the same way, regardless of municipal boundaries, and everyone has the same rights, whatever the name of your city, so this is simple sophistry. If the claim is that a large municipality is undemocratic, it is worth pointing out that Central Coast is not even the biggest municipality in NSW, let alone in Australia, and I challenge proponents of the petition to demonstrate that there is a noticeable diminution in human rights in, say, Blacktown, as opposed to smaller LGAs. Would anyone be bold enough to say that Gosford Council was more democratically run than Central Coast Council: my recollection is that Gosford Council was noted for its highhanded behaviour, and I see little value in reverting to that situation. As for the nonsense that all our financial woes are related to the amalgamation, this is just misdirection of the crassest

HYLAND BYTES kind and suggests that Central Coast Friends of Democracy is thrashing around desperately for some justification of its move and will say anything to attract attention. All the analysis that has been undertaken demonstrates clearly that the amalgamation had nothing to do with the gross mismanagement of our affairs. Our fiscal difficulties are directly related to the drongos that we elected to Council: there is nobody to blame but the ratepayers of Central Coast, and, if anybody thinks that deamalgamation is going to change voting habits, it can only be the triumph of selfdelusion over historical evidence. All this is apart from the manifest practical difficulty of unscrambling the present arrangement. How will the debt burden be split up on demerger? Ratepayers of ex-Wyong have benefited notably in the merger, as ex-Gosford ratepayers have borne the brunt of rate-equalization over the past three years. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that new-Wyong ratepayers should reimburse new-Gosford ratepayers for

those extra payments that have been contributed: will this affect enthusiasm for demerger? How will staff be re-allocated between two new administrations: as a Gosford resident, I’d be quite happy to let Wyong have the present CEO and his inflated salary. Perhaps, CCFD might address some of these questions, instead of sweeping the difficulties under the carpet as unimportant. Nobody would argue that the amalgamation was well done. Anyone with half a brain (not politicians, of course) can see that Wyong should have been amalgamated with Lake Macquarie. However, we have survived worse blunders by the Boundaries Commission, and we can make the best of it or we can whine for a return of the good old days that never were. Let us focus on getting rid of our Administrator Mark 3 as soon as possible and returning to normality. Against all the evidence, I still hope that an elected Council can manage our affairs competently, as long as we don’t allow any of the previous councillors anywhere near a ballot box. Email, Aug 2 Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy

Still much to answer for Don’t you just love it when an out of town bureaucrat comes riding in on his white charger and thinks it a great idea to increase our rates by 13 per cent on a permanent basis? Won’t affect our State Government appointed Administrator of course

FORUM (Administrator pushes ahead with bid to make rate rise permanent, CCN Jul 30). And while this is going on of course nothing seems to be happening to bring to account those responsible for the

incompetent financial administration that caused an Administrator to be appointed in the first place; all under the carpet it seems. Public administration has much to answer for I’m afraid. Email, Jul 31 John George, Terrigal

Does one council building make sense … probably not Thank you for your publication; it is vital now more than ever that we have the dreaded COVID on our doorstep. The information you supply and the strong voice you give the community is appreciated; the silent majority (sometimes gets) railroaded into doing things that they are opposed to. One of these is the Council vote asking our opinion regarding how many councillors we should have. But the more vital question is whether Gosford should demerge from Wyong. I know it will not be on the compulsory ballot paper but perhaps we should write it in? (The referendum) will cost the Council/ratepayers $1.7M and we are told it is cheap at that price? And it’s run by a company in Queensland? Don’t we have printers on the Coast that could do the work

A FREE online information session will be presented by Stuart Robertson, a Family Lawyer at Turnbull Hill Lawyers, on Wednesday, 11 August from 6.00pm to 7:30pm. Stuart will explain to you “who gets what” property when you separate from your partner. He’ll give you tips to help you take control and discuss how your entitlement is worked out.

It’s about a year since we started to hear the threats of a rate increase of around 15 per cent was to be imposed on Central Coast ratepayers to enable the Council to continue delivering services following what can only be described as robust financial mismanagement that drained the coffers. Understandably there was much angst amongst ratepayers and the Minister for Local Government’s involvement was actively sought. Well, that worked, didn’t it? Rate notices are out and the

Stuart will also talk about: • how superannuation is now treated as “property” and how superannuation can be split • whether you get more property if the children are living with you • what happens if you owned a lot of assets in your own name before your marriage • what happens if you have a business. Business owners need early advice on all issues, including tax consequences. 2.1/6 Reliance Dr Tuggerah NSW 2259 29 Smith St Charlestown NSW 2290

and be grateful for it? Another issue is the sale of assets. The Council building in Gosford is being sold? This is after all the millions spent refurbishing and updating the computer systems so the two (former) councils could talk to each other. Say just for argument’s sake there are 100 employees (travelling from Gosford to Wyong). That puts 100 cars on the road plus the travelling time good day 40 minutes bad day one hour; that’s two hours per day (10 hours per week) plus fuel and wear and tear on the vehicles (at a cost of around) $60 per week plus pollution in this carbon reducing climate change world. Will the employees be compensated in travel costs? Doubtful.

Email, Jul 27 Michael Blake, Davistown

Time ratepayers took a stand

Planning to separate? If you’ve separated or you’re planning to separate, here’s how you find out what you’re entitled to ...

FORUM

Do they have room for 100+ (extra) cars at Wyong? Probably not - so they now require a big car park how; much will that cost? At $220,000 per car space (Federal Government costing) l don’t think the Central Coast ratepayers can afford it. That is beside all the money required to bring the new council buildings up to code. Do the employees want to move? Probably not. At each Council restructure, voluntary redundancy expertise is lost. Why not enlarge Erina Council depot? It’s all well and good putting on a new CEO at $517,000pa but if he is just listening to State Government requirements and ignoring the ratepayers’ needs can we afford him?

FORUM 15 per cent increase has gone; only to be replaced with one of 39 per cent (in my case) or higher. Have we been conned; what gives here? It’s time ratepayers took a stand. Not only have we been slugged a massive increase in rates, but we still haven’t received a full explanation of the cause of the fiscal disaster in the Council. As far as we know no-one is in the dock; was there fraud or misappropriation or was it just gross negligence? Either way we need a head or

two on the block. As for the Berejiklian Government, where is its accountability? The State Government is responsible for managing local government. It hasn’t done its job; or so it seems. Come on Minister, where are you? Appointing an Administrator isn’t the answer we need. It may keep the wheels turning but it doesn’t give us answers. We demand more! Email, Aug 2 John George, Terrigal

Turn to TurnbullHill He’ll give you guidance on how to avoid costly court disputes and will also explain the different steps involved when cases proceed through the Family Court (in situations where there is no choice but to go to court). Because of his experience, Stuart understands the pressures of breaking up and will point out some of the common problems in Family Law property disputes and how to avoid them. To register for our online session visit our website.

turnbullhill.com.au enquiries@turnbullhill.com.au

Stuart Robertson Family Lawyer

With our $1,951 rates bill, and 255 more like it, at least the CEO’s salary is paid for Like all Central Coast ratepayers, we have just received our rate notice for the period July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, only to find that our rates have actually escalated from $1,495.95pa to $1,951.44pa. That is a massive 23.4 per cent increase, not the 15 per cent being promoted by both the (Central Coast Council) Administrator and CEO. Assuming I’m not alone with a rates liability of $1,951.44pa it will take 256 of us to cover the CEO’s salary alone - so how does this rate increase help recover prior financial mismanagement of Council when a significant portion of the revenue is going towards paying extraordinarily high salaries for the incumbent CEO and Executive Managers. It’s becoming increasingly

FORUM obvious that this is a 360-degree political strategy. Administrator Rik Hart is appointed by the NSW Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock. She reports to the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian. IPART is not as independent as the name implies as Liz Livingstone, as the IPART CEO, also reports directly to the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian. Little wonder that the protest and submissions by Central Coast ratepayers fell on deaf ears. It’s become increasingly obvious that from day one a rate increase of some magnitude was going to be imposed on Central Coast ratepayers and the meeting between ratepayers and the

various Council Administrators was pure theatre. It appears that neither the CEO nor the Administrator can develop an innovative strategy to reduce operating costs and improve productivity, mitigating the need for any more than a 2 per cent CPI increase. This is clearly indicated by approving a remuneration package of $500,000 for the CEO, David Farmer, for an organisation that only a short time ago couldn’t pay its staff, hence going into administration. Perhaps it’s time to approach the University of Newcastle Business School to retain a couple of their brightest students to develop the solution. Email, Aug 4 Dennis Silvers, Narara

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FORUM

PAGE 15 6 AUGUST 2021

More important than ever now to keep our greener places I am writing to voice my objection to Central Coast Council’s proposal to reclassify Lot 9, 1 Austin Butler Ave, Woy Woy, from community land to operational land for rezoning and sell off to Peninsular Plaza under the Asset Sales Program – Tranche 3. This transfer of community land to private stakeholders will have a marked impact on the community’s enjoyment of this small allotment of shady green space adjacent to the shopping centre. and should not be allowed to occur. I have noted, on visits to the shops and nearby sports grounds, that the amenity of this area is well utilised by many, including the elderly, people with disabilities, shoppers, children, and dog walkers, seeking to relax in the pleasant and shady ambience of this reserve. Furthermore, the trees in this area provide valuable habitat and food supply for many species of fauna including black Cockatoos and the

FORUM See Page 2 for address and contribution conditions. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily of the newspaper endangered Grey-headed Flying Fox. The Woy Woy Peninsular has already suffered significant loss of tree cover, habitat, and green space as a result of Council’s planning policies and corresponding lack of foresight of the needs of residents with Woy Woy listed in Central Coast Council’s Greener Places Strategy (August 2019) as one of the hotter suburbs on the Central Coast due to the substantial loss of tree canopy between 2005 – 2014. During this period, tree canopy cover at Woy Woy declined by 173 hectares while the area of impervious surfaces increased by 84 hectares, and unplantable space increased

by 113 hectares. The Greener Places Strategy proposed mechanisms to sustain and enhance urban forest canopy across all land parcels in the urban suburbs and aimed to increase the level of tree planting in suburbs with the greatest level of Urban Heat Island Effect, including Woy Woy, Umina, Ettalong, and Booker Bay. The plan was not to reduce green spaces. With the projected population growth under the Central Coast Regional Plan 2036, the corresponding trend for high density residential development, and the current global pandemic (which may well continue to impact society for the unforeseeable future), it is more important than ever that Council take measures to mitigate the concrete creep associated with urban growth and plan to retain, preserve, and expand our urban nature reserves to promote the health and wellbeing of Central Coast residents. Email, July 26 Heather Graham, Copacabana

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FORUM & ON THE BEAT

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Man charged over inciting anti-lockdown protest A Central Coast man was charged on July 30 with using social media to incite the “anti-lockdown” protest held in Sydney on July 24. Deputy NSW Police Commissioner Mick Willing said on July 31 the man was one of 85 people who had been so far charged over the mass demonstration, which saw thousands congregate in the Sydney CBD in contravention of public health orders.

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.

The Central Coast man will face court soon and could receive a fine of $11,000 or a

jail sentence of six months. Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said it takes just one person doing the wrong thing for COVID-19 to spread in our community. “The Delta strain is many times more contagious than previous strains of COVID-19, and this is why we cannot afford to be complacent,” Crouch said. Terry Collins

Going back is not the answer Structural change to Central Coast Council will achieve absolutely nothing but deja vu, taking us back to proven failed councils costing more of residents’ hard earned money and leaving us with more of the same old Council personnel, delivering too little for too much. Since the implementation of the new structure of Central Coast Council, there has been no significant changes within

FORUM Council’s culture needed to improve their unacceptable levels of productivity, delivering the same results with no significant improvement to our roads, footpaths, kerb, guttering etc. Productivity of Council staff is the issue which has little to do with structures. Hopefully the newly appointed Administrator and CEO can address the real issue and

communicate to us their plan to drag CC Council from one of the worst councils in NSW and Queensland (Dick Persson’s assessment) to a Council we can be proud of. We will only know this when we can drive over safe local roads instead of surfaces akin to the moon and walk on safe footpaths throughout the Central Coast. Email, Aug 1 Rod Robey, Copacabana

PRESENTED BY

Man arrested for stealing scrap metal A man has been arrested following an alleged theft at Gosford on August 1. At about 4.45pm police received information that there was a man on the roof of a vacant Central Coast Council owned building in Mann St. Police allegedly found a 46-year-old North Gosford man moving a bin containing metal

and copper. Police say the man admitted stealing scrap metal including copper for cash. A large tool bag and various tools were found nearby. The man was arrested and taken to Gosford Police Station where he was charged with

various offences and bailed to appear at Gosford Local Court on August 5. A 44-year-old North Gosford woman was also found on the property and subsequently issued a penalty for Breach of the Public Health Order. Source: Brisbane Water Police District Facebook page, Aug 1

Winning gold … for hypocrisy If there were an Olympic medal for hypocrisy our Council would be sure fire winners of Gold.

FORUM

In the message from Council in your July 30 edition (CCN303), we are advised that “Council will immediately begin implementing the Greener Places framework in future planning documents”. Further it will focus “on mitigating Urban Heat Island Effects, increasing wildlife habitat and improving liveability and enhancing public and private urban greenspace”. You beauty, bring it on. Just when I thought we were going to get some respite from our sometimes oppressive summers my dreams are shattered.

Down here on the Peninsula we all know that the disappearing numbers of trees and green spaces, thanks to their destruction for more and more developments, have created the worst heat island within our Council area. Perhaps Mr Hart can tell us how he is implementing such a policy while flogging off every block of greenspace he can find. The Austin Butler block is a typical example of the type of area that should be preserved, not turned into a car park. Just spend a few minutes there and you will see the diverse numbers of species of birds that call it home.

How can the destruction of this, albeit small, area be in keeping with this policy? It’s not. While we’re at it, why are the details of the sale of our assets a secret? Every day we read of the absolutely ridiculous prices being paid for land when there are public auctions, while we have our tranches sold off in secret deals. Is this an example of open and transparent government? It’s not. The sooner Mr Hart packs his bags and we get councillors who are interested in our Peninsula the better off we all will be. Email, Aug 4 Laurie Powell, Woy Woy

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OUT&ABOUT PAGE 17 6 AUGUST 2021

Funding available for 2022 Seniors Festival Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, is urging not-forprofit organisations in the region to apply for funding to run an activity or event as part of the 2022 Seniors Festival, with applications now open until August 30. Minister for Seniors, Natalie Ward, said encouraging seniors to stay active, healthy and engaged is the focus of a $200,000 NSW Government grants initiative ahead of next year’s Festival. Ward said applications were now open for organisations to deliver COVID-safe and entertaining programs for the Festival, which is the largest of its kind for seniors in the southern hemisphere. “The NSW Government is supporting activities that speak to the diverse skills and interests of older people such as art, sport, music, technology, travel, recreation and health,” she said. “Initiatives should create opportunities to be active, connected and social no matter where a senior may live, the language they speak or their level of ability. “It’s also a way to stave off feelings of loneliness and social isolation, particularly

during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Grants of up to $10,000 per eligible organisation will be made available for the 2022 Seniors Festival. COVID-safe activities are in focus, along with programs which are accessible to seniors in regional or remote areas, who are culturally and linguistically diverse, or are Aboriginal. Crouch said the Festival was a way for the community to show its appreciation to senior citizens across the Central Coast. “The annual Seniors Festival provides an opportunity for older people to not only enjoy entertainment but get involved and participate in community activities which they wouldn’t normally be able to access,” he said. “Local activities and events that have been previously supported by the NSW Government include a special movie screening for hearingimpaired people at Avoca Beach Picture Theatre.” For full details on grants funding go to seniorsfestival. nsw.gov.au/events/nswseniors-festival-grants. Terry Collins

Free rego for adopted pets Central Coast Council is encouraging residents to “adopt, not shop” when making the commitment to bring a new companion animal into their home. With animal shelters at Charmhaven and Erina, the Council has welcomed a NSW Government announcement early in July of free lifetime pet registration for people who adopt a rescue pet from Council pounds, animal shelters and rehoming organisations. Council Unit Manager Environmental Compliance and Systems, Sara Foster, said free registration for rescue pets will ensure more abandoned or surrendered cats and dogs find

CCN

a forever home, reinforcing the benefits of animal adoption. “Community members who choose to adopt a rescue dog or cat from Council’s Animal Care Facilities are now entitled to free lifetime pet registration,” Foster said. “Council works closely with our Animal Care Facilities at Charmhaven and Erina to ensure surrendered pets can find a suitable and safe new home. “With backyard breeding a huge issue on the Central Coast, we hope that this new initiative will make adoption an even more desirable pathway for those looking for a pet, so that we can reduce the number

of people accessing unregistered breeders. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact this has on the animals in our care.” Council Administrator, Rik Hart, said it was important to remember that while owning a pet can be highly rewarding, it is also a big responsibility. “Pet owners are encouraged to visit Council’s website to learn more about their responsibilities, not only to their pet, but also to the wider Central Coast community,” he said.

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT HERE

Source: Media release, Aug 2 Central Coast Council

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

PAGE 18 6 AUGUST 2021

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OUT&ABOUT PAGE 19 6 AUGUST 2021

Council seeks partners for Harvest Festival 2022 With this year’s Harvest Festival attracting record crowds to the region’s hinterland region, Central Coast Council is looking for new event partners to join the event in 2022. Council Director Community and Recreation Services, Julie Vaughan, said expressions of interest are now open for local businesses, groups and organisations to become a 2022 Harvest Festival event hub partner. “A celebration of the Coast’s spectacular hinterland communities, Harvest Festival has become a much-loved fixture on the Central Coast event calendar and continues to grow from strength to strength,” Vaughan said.

“With this year’s festival drawing more than 48,000 locals and visitors to 29 event hubs over the June long weekend, the event provides a significant boost to our region’s economy as well as excellent exposure and patronage for participating event partners. “We’re keen to continue to evolve our relationship with existing partners and invite new businesses and groups to further enhance this celebration of farms, food, friends and fun.” The Harvest Festival event trail features a diverse range of experiences and activities across eight of the Coast’s hinterland communities - Dooralong, Jilliby, Yarramalong, Kulnura, Mangrove Mountain, Peats Ridge, Somersby and Calga. Expressions of Interest are

sought across a range of offerings, including but not limited to: ticketed farm tours and talks; pick your own produce experiences; tours and talks; Indigenous cultural experiences and bush tucker tours; art events and installations; live music events; family fun events; cooking demonstrations; food experiences with local produce; and obstacle course races/fun runs. Council Administrator, Rik Hart, said Harvest Festival is brought to life by the unique experiences, tours and events offered by event partners. “After a very successful event in 2021, which injected close to $6M into the local economy, Council is looking forward to the return of the much-loved Harvest Festival in 2022,” Hart said.

“The event shines a spotlight on the Central Coast’s spectacular hinterland communities, as well as on the region’s fantastic local produce,venuesandexperiences. “Harvest Festival would not be possible without the contribution of local businesses, organisations and community groups and we look forward to seeing how we can continue to enhance this popular winter highlight.” Businesses, companies, organisations or community groups interested in being part of Harvest Festival in 2022 can complete an Expression of Interest by Monday, September 13, at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/ EOI. Source: Media release, Aug 2 Central Coast Council

The Glenworth Food and Wine Festival, one of the activities at this year’s Harvest Festival

Local artist’s Zoom performance to help raise funds for Actors Benevolent Fund With performance artists on the Central Coast among the hardest hit by the latest COVID-19 lockdown, Copacabana actor Tom Kelly is rehearsing for a Zoom performance of Nick Enright’s classic play, St James Infirmary, on Saturday, August 21, to raise funds for the Actors’ Benevolent Fund.

Tom Kelly Photo: Bradley Hughes Photography

The online reading will be presented by Lambert House Enterprises and will feature some of the rising young stars of the Australian stage. “We have been rehearsing over Zoom and are trying to create a theatrical experience for everyone to enjoy,” Kelly said. “We did a similar performance during last year’s restrictions and we are hoping this will be just as successful.” Kelly, 21, plays Brian Bowker in the piece, which he says is especially relevant in today’s climate. “This play really mirrors our

situation now in a lot of ways,” he said. “It is set in a Catholic school during the Vietnam war, at a time when the arts and acting were tossed aside by Australian society (with the focus on the war). “The arts didn’t just survive that time- they ended up thriving. “And now we are in a situation which is almost comparable to wartime, with so many in lockdown and the arts once again suffering. “But as a society, Australia has gone through things like this before and thrived – and I think it will again.” Kelly said raising money for the Actors Benevolent Fund was especially important during these difficult COVID times. “A lot of actors, especially those who are early in their careers, had booked amazing jobs which are now completely lost,” he said. “The fund is there as a safety net for actors who are eligible for funding, to help them maintain dignity in times like these in an

amazingly fulfilling but very unstable industry and it has been doing that since 1944. “The world of acting is the first thing to be put aside during such times, but when people are stuck at home, what they want to see is the work of actors. “During this lockdown, many actors have been losing revenue they had expected.” Kelly, who moved to Sydney last year to attend Sydney University, has moved back home to Copacabana to ride out the lockdown. As a student at Gosford High School, he participated in a school musical and “got addicted” to the world of acting. “I did a lot of community theatre with groups such as Gosford Musical Society and Jopuka Productions before turning professional and have picked up some professional work,” he said. “But I am continuing my studies to become a secondary school drama and English teacher in between auditions and doing

shows. “The way professional acting works in Australia is that most say it is absolutely necessary to have a back-up career. “For me, as a stage performer, there will be times when there is no work; very few people in Australia are full-time actors.” The one-off performance of St James Infirmary will be sponsored by the Seaborn, Broughton, Walford (SBW) Foundation. The play, which exploded into prominence in the mid-1990s, is the story of a young teenage firebrand obsessed with Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Trapped in the confines of a Catholic school hospital infirmary, his friendships with the new matron and a dedicated priest draw out a deeply affecting story. The performance will be streamed at 7.30pm on August 21 with tickets available through trybooking. Terry Collins

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ABC (C20/21)

Friday 6 August

6:00 9:00 9:55 11:00 12:00 1:00 1:30 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 5:30 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 10:00 11:00 11:15 11:35

Saturday 7 August

12:05 12:30 6:00 7:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 1:20 2:30 3:30 4:30 4:45 5:15 5:45 6:15 7:00 7:30 8:20 9:05

Sunday 8 August

9:55 11:25 6:00 7:00 9:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:15 4:00 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:40 8:30 9:15 10:45

PRIME (C61/60)

News Breakfast [s] 6:00 ABC News Mornings [s] Q&A [s] Coronavirus: Public Update 9:00 ABC News At Noon [s] Foreign Correspondent [s] That Pacific Sports Show [s] The Trouble With Maggie 12:00 Cole (PG) [s] 3:00 ABC News Afternoons [s] Escape From The City [s] Anh’s Brush With Fame (PG) Hard Quiz (PG) [s] 5:30 6:00 The Drum [s] 7:00 ABC News [s] Movin’ To The Country [s] Dream Gardens [s] Midsomer Murders: The 10:00 Scarecrow Murders (M) [s] Baptiste: Lucy (M l,v) [s] ABC Late News [s] The Vaccine [s] Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell 12:00 (M) [s] Rosehaven (M) [s] rage (MA15+) [s] 3:00 6:00 rage (PG) [s] 9:00 Weekend Breakfast [s] rage (PG) [s] rage Guest Programmer (PG) 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] Grand Designs [s] 3:00 Restoration Australia: Rosenthal [s] And We Danced [s] Back In Time For Dinner (PG) 6:00 Chopsticks Or Fork? [s] Landline [s] Scottish Vets Down Under 7:00 (PG) [s] Silvia’s Italian Table: Sarah Ferguson, Merrick Watts, Claire Hooper [s] The Repair Shop [s] ABC News [s] 10:00 The Durrells (PG) [s] Belgravia (PG) [s] The Trouble With Maggie 12:00 Cole (PG) [s] Endeavour: Zenana (M v) [s] rage Guest Programmer 3:00 (MA15+) [s] 6:00 rage (PG) [s] 9:00 Weekend Breakfast [s] Insiders [s] Offsiders [s] 12:00 The World This Week [s] Compass [s] 3:00 Songs Of Praise [s] 6:00 ABC News At Noon [s] Landline [s] Movin’ To The Country (PG) Dream Gardens [s] Shakespeare And Hathaway 7:00 (PG) [s] Scottish Vets Down Under 8:30 (PG) [s] The Sound (PG) [s] Art Works [s] 9:00 Gardening Australia [s] Census 2021: Why We Count 12:00 Compass [s] ABC News Sunday [s] Joanna Lumley’s Britain (PG) Innocent (M l) [s] Danny And The Human Zoo (M l,s,v) [s] 2:30 Operation Buffalo (M l,v) [s]

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

5:30 Sunrise [s] – Wake up to a better breakfast with Natalie 9:00 Barr and David Koch for all the 11:30 latest news, sport and weather. 12:00 Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 12:15 Day 14 - Morning Session *Live* [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Day 14 - Day Session *Live* [s] 2:00 Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 3:00 4:00 Day 14 - Afternoon Session 5:00 *Live* [s] The Chase Australia (PG) [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 7:30 Day 14 - Primetime Session *Live* [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 9:50 Day 14 - Late Evening Session *Live* [s] – Hosted by Andy Maher, Lisa Sthalekar and 10:35 Andrew Gaze. Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Day 14 - Overnight Session 1:00 *Live* [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 6:00 Weekend Sunrise [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 10:00 12:00 Day 15 - Morning Session *Live* [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Day 15 - Day Session *Live* [s] 2:00 Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 4:00 Day 15 - Afternoon Session 4:30 *Live* [s] Seven News [s] – Seven News 5:00 5:30 live and comprehensive coverage of breaking news and 6:00 7:00 local, national top stories. Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Day 15 - Primetime Session 9:30 *Live* [s] – Live coverage of 9:45 Tokyo Olympics, hosted by Hamish McLachlan and Abbey Gelmi. Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 12:20 Day 15 - Late Evening Session 1:10 *Live* [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 1:35 2:00 Day 15 - Overnight Session 5:30 *Live* [s] Home Shopping 6:00 Weekend Sunrise [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 10:00 11:00 Day 16 - Morning Session 1:00 *Live* [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 1:30 Day 16 - Day Session *Live* [s] 3:00 AFL: Round 21: Teams TBA [s] Seven News [s] – Seven News live and comprehensive coverage of breaking news and 6:00 local, national and international 7:00 top stories. The Voice: Blind Auditions (Part 1) (PG) [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Countdown To Closing Ceremony *Live* [s] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: 9:00 Closing Ceremony *Live* [s] Movie: “Arthur” (PG) (’11) – A 10:00 drunken playboy stands to lose 10:30 a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman his family doesn’t like. Stars: Russell 12:10 Brand, Helen Mirren Home Shopping 1:00

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

TEN (C10)

NINE (C81/80)

Today [s] 6:00 7:00 Today Extra (PG) [s] NINE’s Morning News [s] 7:30 Explore [s] Movie: “Romance Retreat” 8:00 (PG) (’19) Stars: Amanda 12:00 Schull, Morgan David Jones, 1:00 Eric Hicks, Patrice Goodman 2:00 2:30 Pointless (PG) [s] Tipping Point (PG) [s] 3:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 3:30 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 4:00 NINE News [s] 4:30 A Current Affair [s] NRL: Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Rabbitohs *Live* From 5:00 Bankwest Stadium, Sydney [s] 6:00 Golden Point (M) [s] – Join the 6:30 Wide World of Sports team for 7:30 8:30 the all the post-match NRL news and analysis. 9:30 Movie: “A Most Violent Year” (MA15+) (’14) Stars: Oscar 11:30 Isaac, Elyes Gabel 12:30 Destination WA (PG) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 6:00 Weekend Today [s] Today Extra - Saturday (PG) 6:30 7:00 Netball: Suncorp Super 7:30 Netball: Swifts v Lightning 8:30 *Live* [s] 9:00 Netball: Suncorp Super Netball: Giants v Fever *Live* 9:30 12:00 The Rebound [s] 2:00 The Pet Rescuers (PG) [s] 2:30 NINE News: First At Five [s] Getaway (PG) [s] 3:00 NINE News Saturday [s] 3:30 NRL: Manly Sea Eagles v Melbourne Storm *Live* From 4:00 4:30 TBA [s] 5:00 NRL: Post Match (M) [s] 6:00 Movie: “The Hurt Locker” (MA15+) (’08) Stars: Jeremy 6:30 Renner, Anthony Mackie 7:00 Australia’s Top Ten Of 9:00 Everything (M l,s) [s] Destination WA [s] 10:00 A Current Affair [s] 11:00 Home Shopping 12:00 Wesley Impact With Stu Cameron (PG) [s] 1:00 Weekend Today [s] 6:00 Sports Sunday (PG) [s] 8:00 Sunday Footy Show (PG) [s] 8:30 The Xtreme CollXtion (PG) [s] 9:00 Beauty And The Geek (PG) [s] 9:30 NRL: Gold Coast Titans v 12:00 North Queensland Cowboys 12:30 *Live* From CBus Super 1:00 Stadium, Gold Coast [s] 1:30 NINE News Sunday [s] The Block: House Decider 2:00 Challenge (PG) [s] – Its Fans 2:30 vs Faves on The Block this year. The contestants must 3:00 transform five very different 4:30 houses in one cul-de-sac into 5:00 luxury family homes, all without 6:00 plans. 6:30 60 Minutes [s] 7:30 NINE News Late [s] 9:00 The Disappearance Of Susan Cox Powell: Family Affair 10:00 (MA15+) [s] 11:00 Dr Christian Jessen Will See 12:00 You Now (M n) [s] 1:00 The Xtreme CollXtion (PG) [s] 4:30

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

SBS (C30)

5:00 The Talk (PG) [s] 5:15 Judge Judy (PG) [s] The Bold And The Beautiful 5:30 1:00 (PG) [s] 2:10 Studio 10 (PG) [s] Dr Phil (PG) [s] 3:00 The Living Room [s] 3:30 Entertainment Tonight [s] Farm To Fork (PG) [s] 3:45 Judge Judy (PG) [s] My Market Kitchen [s] 4:15 Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield [s] The Bold And The Beautiful 5:05 5:30 (PG) [s] 6:00 10 News First [s] 6:30 WIN News [s] 7:30 The Project (PG) [s] The Living Room [s] 8:55 Have You Been Paying Attention? (M l,s) [s] 10:20 The Graham Norton Show 10:50 (PG) [s] 11:40 The Project (PG) [s] The Late Show (PG) [s] 3:15 Home Shopping Reel Action [s] 5:00 Religious Programs [s] 5:15 Seafood Escape [s] 5:30 4x4 Adventures [s] 1:00 RV Daily Foodie Trails (PG) 2:00 Places We Go [s] Studio 10 Saturday (PG) [s] The Dog House UK (PG) [s] 4:00 Pooches At Play [s] Jamie’s Easy Meals For 4:30 Every Day [s] Everyday Gourmet [s] 5:30 My Market Kitchen [s] Farm To Fork (PG) [s] Taste Of Australia [s] 6:30 10 News First [s] 7:30 Jamie’s Easy Meals For 9:25 Every Day [s] 11:20 Bondi Rescue (PG) [s] The Dog House UK (PG) [s] Program To Be Advised 12:50 Ambulance Australia (M) [s] Blue Bloods: Handcuffs (M) [s] Blue Bloods: Authority Figures 2:55 (M v) [s] Home Shopping 4:15 Religious Programs [s] 5:00 Left Off The Map [s] 5:15 Pooches At Play [s] 5:30 Australia By Design [s] Studio 10 Sunday (PG) [s] What’s Up Down Under [s] Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 1:00 Three Veg And Meat [s] 3:30 Freshly Picked With Simon Toohey [s] 4:00 My Market Kitchen [s] Everyday Gourmet With 5:30 Justine Schofield [s] Program To Be Advised Farm To Fork (PG) [s] 6:30 10 News First [s] 7:30 WIN News [s] The Sunday Project (PG) [s] 8:30 Australian Survivor (PG) [s] FBI: Checks And Balances 10:15 (M v) [s] FBI: Legacy (M v) [s] 11:55 FBI: A New Dawn (M v) [s] The Sunday Project (PG) [s] 12:50 Home Shopping CBS This Morning [s] 4:15

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

France 24 Feature News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour The World’s Most Luxurious Homes (PG) NITV News: Nula Magic Alps (PG) (In English/ Italian) The Cook Up With Adam Liaw (PG) Walking Britain’s Lost Railways Jeopardy! (PG) Letters And Numbers Mastermind SBS World News The Sit In: Harry Belafonte (M) The Final Quarter (PG) SBS World News Patriot Brains (M l,s) Hernan (MA15+) (In Spanish/ Nahuatl/ Maya) Cruising With Jane McDonald (PG) France 24 Feature News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Gymnastics: Artistic World Challenge Cup, Varna 2020 (Part 2) Bangladesh From Above (PG) Planet Expedition: Oman Desert Fortress WWII: Battles For Europe: Battle For Caen (PG) (In English/ German) SBS World News Hemingway (PG) Churchill (M) Movie: “The Breaker Upperers” (M) (’18) Stars: Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek Movie: “Their Finest” (M l,s) (’16) Stars: Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy Lockerbie: The Unheard Voices (M) Vice Guide To Film (MA15+) France 24 Feature News NHK World English News Worldwatch – Deutsche Welle English News 6:00 France 24 English News 6:30 Worldwatch Continues Speedweek Motor Sports: W Series Highlights March Of The Penguins (PG) (In French) WWII: Battles For Europe: Breakout Of Normandy (PG) (In English/ German) SBS World News Volcanoes: Dual Destruction (PG) Dan Snow: The Tutankhamun Mystery (PG) Easter Island: The Truth Revealed (PG) (In French) 24 Hours In Emergency: Change Is Gonna Come (M) Michael Mosley: What’s My Diagnosis (PG) Vice Guide To Film (MA15+)

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

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6:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:15 4:00 5:00 5:30 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:15 9:35 10:35 11:05 11:35

News Breakfast [s] ABC News Mornings [s] Landline [s] Joanna Lumley’s Britain (PG) ABC News At Noon [s] The Durrells (PG) [s] Parliament Question Time [s] ABC News Afternoons [s] Escape From The City [s] Anh’s Brush With Fame (PG) Hard Quiz (PG) [s] The Drum [s] ABC News [s] 7.30 [s] Australian Story [s] Four Corners [s] Media Watch (PG) [s] Brock: Over The Top (M l) [s] ABC Late News [s] Census 2021: Why We Count The Wildlife Revolution- A Catalyst Special [s] 12:35 Parliament Question Time [s] 1:35 Baptiste: Lucy (M l,v) [s] 2:35 rage (MA15+) [s] 4:25 The Drum [s]

PRIME (C61/60)

6:00 9:00 11:30 12:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 7:30

9:15

10:15 11:15 11:45 1:00

6:00 News Breakfast [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 11:30 Four Corners [s] 12:00 The Scribe (PG) [s] 2:00 ABC News At Noon [s] Belgravia (PG) [s] Parliament Question Time [s] 3:00 4:00 ABC News Afternoons [s] 5:00 Escape From The City [s] Anh’s Brush With Fame (PG) 6:00 7:00 Hard Quiz (PG) [s] 7:30 The Drum [s] ABC News [s] 9:00 7.30 [s] Back To Nature [s] The Grid: Powering The Future - A Catalyst Special [s] 9:30 The Chemical World: Origins 10:30 ABC Late News [s] 11:00 Q&A [s] 12:05 Parliament Question Time [s] 1:05 Putin: A Russian Spy Story: 10:00 Putin Forever (PG) [s] 1:55 Danny And The Human Zoo 11:00 11:30 (M l,s,v) [s] 12:30 3:25 rage (MA15+) [s]

6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 The Morning Show [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Program To Be Advised The Chase UK (PG) [s] 2:00 Seven News At 4 [s] The Chase Australia (PG) [s] 3:00 4:00 Seven News [s] 5:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 6:00 The Voice: Blind Auditions 7:00 (Part 2) (PG) [s] – The Voice Blind Auditions continue and so 7:30 do the spectacular voices as the coaches come out strong to secure artists for their team! 9-1-1: Lone Star: Displaced (M) [s] – A funeral where another dead body crashes the burial; 8:45 an MRI goes haywire; Owen and Tommy each feel displaced 9:45 10:45 in their homes. 9-1-1: Lone Star: Bad Call (M) 11:15 The Latest Seven News [s] 12:05 Station 19: Nothing Seems 1:00 The Same (M) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping Sunrise [s] The Morning Show [s] Seven Morning News [s] Program To Be Advised World’s Deadliest: Twist Of Fate (PG) [s] The Chase UK (PG) [s] Seven News At 4 [s] The Chase Australia (PG) [s] Seven News [s] Home And Away (PG) [s] The Voice: Blind Auditions (Part 3) (PG) [s] Australia: Now And Then: Kids (PG) [s] – This brand new series asks Australian celebrities from all generations “which generation of Aussies had it best?” In this debut episode: When was the best time to be an Aussie kid? Gordon, Gino & Fred: American Road Trip [s] The Latest Seven News [s] Station 19: Wild World (M) [s] Home Shopping

6:00 9:00 11:30 12:00 12:15 12:45 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 7:30

8:45 9:45 10:15 10:45 11:15 12:05 1:00

Today [s] 6:00 Today Extra (PG) [s] 7:00 NINE’s Morning News [s] 7:30 The Block: House Decider Challenge (PG) [s] 8:00 Pointless (PG) [s] 12:00 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 1:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 2:30 3:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 3:30 NINE News [s] 4:00 A Current Affair [s] The Block: Guest Bedroom Week (PG) [s] – The arrival of 4:30 the all-star Faves sees the 5:00 competition get real. We find out which houses the teams will 6:00 6:30 choose to transform. 7:30 Celebrity IOU: Gwyneth Paltrow [s] 8:30 100% Footy (M) [s] NINE News Late [s] 9:30 The Arrangement: The Long Game (M l,s,v) [s] 10:30 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 11:30 A Current Affair [s] 12:30 Home Shopping 4:30 Today [s] Today Extra (PG) [s] NINE’s Morning News [s] Explore: Rothko Sculptureum Getaway (PG) [s] The Block: Guest Bedroom Week (PG) [s] Pointless (PG) [s] Tipping Point (PG) [s] NINE’s Afternoon News [s] Millionaire Hot Seat [s] NINE News [s] A Current Affair (PG) [s] The Block (PG) [s] – The contestants must transform five very different houses in one cul-de-sac into luxury family homes, all without plans. The Hundred With Andy Lee Program To Be Advised Program To Be Advised NINE News Late [s] Emergence: Killshot (Part 2) (M v) [s] Tipping Point (PG) [s] A Current Affair [s]

The Talk (PG) [s] Judge Judy (PG) [s] The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] Studio 10 (PG) [s] Dr Phil (PG) [s] Program To Be Advised Entertainment Tonight [s] Judge Judy (PG) [s] My Market Kitchen [s] Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield [s] The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 10 News First [s] WIN News [s] The Project (PG) [s] Australian Survivor (PG) [s] Have You Been Paying Attention? (MA15+) [s] Anne Edmonds: That’s Eddotainment (MA15+) [s] The Project (PG) [s] The Late Show (PG) [s] Home Shopping CBS This Morning [s]

6:00 The Talk (PG) [s] 7:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 7:30 The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 8:00 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 1:00 Program To Be Advised 2:00 Entertainment Tonight [s] 2:30 Farm To Fork (PG) [s] 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:30 My Market Kitchen [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 Australian Survivor (PG) [s] 9:00 The Cheap Seats (M l) [s] 9:55 Ross Noble: Brain Dump (M) 10:55 The Project (PG) [s] 11:55 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (PG) [s] 1:00 Home Shopping 4:30 CBS This Morning [s]

Wednesday 11 August

6:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:15 4:00 5:00 5:30 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30

TEN (C10)

NINE (C81/80)

6:00 News Breakfast [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 10:00 The Recording Studio (PG) [s] 11:00 The Repair Shop [s] 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 12:30 National Press Club Address 1:35 Media Watch (PG) [s] 2:00 Parliament Question Time [s] 3:15 ABC News Afternoons [s] 4:00 Escape From The City [s] 5:00 Anh’s Brush With Fame (PG) 5:30 Hard Quiz (PG) [s] 6:00 The Drum [s] 7:00 ABC News [s] 7:30 7.30 [s] 8:00 Win The Week [s] 8:30 Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell (M) [s] 9:00 Rosehaven [s] 9:30 Would I Lie To You? (PG) [s] 10:00 Staged (M l) [s] 10:25 ABC Late News [s] 10:55 Four Corners [s] 11:45 Media Watch (PG) [s] 12:00 Parliament Question Time [s] 1:00 Innocent (M l) [s]

6:00 The Talk (PG) [s] 6:00 Today [s] 6:00 Sunrise [s] 7:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 9:00 Today Extra (PG) [s] 9:00 The Morning Show [s] 7:30 The Bold And The Beautiful 11:30 NINE’s Morning News [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] (PG) [s] 12:00 Garden Gurus Moments [s] 12:00 Movie: “Girl In The Bunker” 8:00 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 12:15 Driving Test (PG) [s] (M v) (’18) – A teenage girl is 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] abducted and held in a forest in 12:45 The Block (PG) [s] 1:00 Program To Be Advised 2:00 Pointless (PG) [s] an underground bunker by a 2:10 Entertainment Tonight [s] 3:00 Tipping Point (PG) [s] sexual predator. Stars: Julia 2:30 Farm To Fork (PG) [s] Lalonde, Henry Thomas, Moira 4:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] Kelly, Stephen Park, Jeff Clarke, 5:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 3:30 My Market Kitchen [s] 6:00 NINE News [s] Jack Murray, Neil Napier 4:00 Everyday Gourmet With 7:00 A Current Affair (PG) [s] 2:00 World’s Deadliest: Crazes Justine Schofield [s] 7:30 The Block: Guest Bedroom (PG) [s] 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful Week (PG) [s] 3:00 The Chase UK (PG) [s] (PG) [s] 8:40 Paramedics (M) [s] – Australia’s 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] ambulance crews are there for 5:00 10 News First [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia (PG) [s] 6:00 WIN News [s] everyday people, having their 6:00 Seven News [s] 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] worst days. 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 9:40 Australian Crime Stories: Who 7:30 The Bachelor Australia (M) [s] 7:30 Farmer Wants A Wife: 9:00 Bull: Missing (M) [s] Killed Juanita (M v) [s] Reunion (PG) [s] 10:00 Bull: The Invisible Woman (PG) 10:40 NINE News Late [s] 8:40 RFDS (M) [s] 11:00 The Project (PG) [s] 9:40 The Rookie: True Crime (M) [s] 11:10 Killer On The Line (M v) [s] 12:00 The Late Show With Stephen 12:00 Bluff City Law (M v) [s] 10:40 The Latest Seven News [s] 12:50 Explore [s] 11:10 Chicago Fire: Colbert (PG) [s] 1:00 A Current Affair [s] Rattle Second City (M d,v) [s] 1:00 Home Shopping 1:30 Home Shopping 12:30 Home Shopping 4:30 CBS This Morning [s]

Thursday 12 August

Tuesday 10 August

Monday 9 August

ABC (C20/21)

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6:00 News Breakfast [s] 9:00 ABC News Mornings [s] 10:00 Australian Story [s] 10:30 Back To Nature [s] 11:00 The Chemical World [s] 12:00 ABC News At Noon [s] 1:00 Win The Week [s] 1:30 Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell (M) [s] 2:00 Parliament Question Time [s] 3:15 ABC News Afternoons [s] 4:00 Escape From The City [s] 4:55 Anh’s Brush With Fame (PG) 5:30 Hard Quiz (PG) [s] 6:00 The Drum [s] 6:55 Sammy J (PG) [s] 7:00 ABC News [s] 7:30 7.30 [s] 8:00 Foreign Correspondent [s] 8:30 Q&A [s] 9:35 Fake Or Fortune? (PG) [s] 10:35 ABC Late News [s] 10:50 The Business (PG) [s] 11:05 Miriam’s Big Fat Adventure (M l) [s] 12:05 Parliament Question Time [s]

6:00 Today [s] 6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 Today Extra (PG) [s] 9:00 The Morning Show [s] 11:30 NINE’s Morning News [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “A Teacher’s Crime” (M) 12:00 Desperate Housewives: Me And My Town (M s) [s] (’08) Stars: Ashley Jones, Erik 1:00 The Block: Guest Bedroom Knudsen, Chris Mulkey Week (PG) [s] 2:00 Program To Be Advised 2:00 Pointless (PG) [s] 3:00 The Chase UK (PG) [s] 3:00 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia (PG) [s] 4:00 NINE’s Afternoon News [s] 5:00 Millionaire Hot Seat [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 6:00 NINE News [s] 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 7:00 A Current Affair [s] 8:30 The Front Bar (M) [s] – Join 7:30 NRL: Melbourne Storm v Sam Pang, Mick Molloy and Canberra Raiders *Live* From Andy Maher as they share a AAMI Park, Melbourne [s] laugh about the AFL world and catch up with stars of yesteryear 9:45 Thursday Night Knock Off (M) [s] – Join the Wide World of and today. Sports team for the all the post9:30 The Latest Seven News [s] match NRL news and analysis. 10:00 10 Years Younger In 10 Days 10:30 NINE News Late [s] (PG) [s] 11:00 Chicago Med: We Hold These 11:00 Ramsay’s 24 Hours To Hell Truths (M mp,v) [s] And Back: Los Toros Mexican Restaurant (M l) [s] 11:50 The Bad Seed (M l,v) [s] 12:00 Black-ish: Friendgame (M v) [s] 12:40 Tipping Point (PG) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 12:30 Home Shopping

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

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

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

6:00 The Talk (PG) [s] 7:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 7:30 The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 8:00 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 1:00 Program To Be Advised 2:30 Entertainment Tonight [s] 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:30 My Market Kitchen [s] 4:00 Everyday Gourmet [s] 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 5:00 10 News First [s] 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 7:30 The Bachelor Australia (M) [s] 8:30 Law & Order: SVU: Eternal Relief From Pain (M d,s) [s] 9:30 Law & Order: SVU: Dance, Lies, And Videotape (M s) [s] 10:30 Blue Bloods: Fallen Heroes (M v) [s] 11:30 The Project (PG) [s] 12:30 The Late Show (PG) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 4:30 CBS This Morning [s]

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

PAGE 21 6 AUGUST 2021

SBS (C30)

5:00 5:15 5:30 2:00 2:50 3:40 4:15 5:05 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:35 8:30 9:20 10:15 10:45 11:40 5:00 5:15 5:30 1:00 2:00 2:50 3:45 4:15 5:05 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:30 8:30 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 5:00 5:15 5:30 1:00 2:00 2:30 3:30 3:40 4:15 5:05 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:35 8:30 9:35 10:25 10:55 5:00 5:15 5:30 1:00 2:00 2:50 3:40 4:10 5:05 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:30 8:35 9:45 10:45 11:15

France 24 Feature News NHK World English News Worldwatch The World’s Most Luxurious Hotels: The Kempinski Adlon Secrets Of The Department Store (PG) The Cook Up (PG) Walking Britain’s Lost Railways: Wales (PG) Jeopardy! (PG) Letters And Numbers Mastermind SBS World News Inside Windsor Castle: Tragedy And Triumph: 1992-2016 (PG) Secret Scotland (PG) 24 Hours In Emergency: Learning Curve (M) SBS World News The Investigation (M l) (In Danish/ Swedish) Das Boot (MA15+) (In German/ English/ French/ Hebrew) France 24 Feature News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour World’s Most Luxurious Private Jets Secrets Of The Department Store (PG) The Cook Up With Adam Liaw (PG) Trains That Changed The World (PG) Jeopardy! (PG) Letters And Numbers Mastermind SBS World News Who Do You Think You Are?: Lisa Curry (PG) Insight: Friends Forever? Dateline: Korea’s Online Gaming Addicts The Feed SBS World News The Point Cacciatore: The Hunter: A Perfect Day (MA15+) (In Italian) France 24 Feature News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Dateline: Korea’s Online Gaming Addicts Insight: Friends Forever? Movie: “Ralph” (PG) (’08) Stars: Ralph Laurila The Cook Up (PG) Trains That Changed The World (PG) Jeopardy! (PG) Letters And Numbers Mastermind SBS World News Princess Diana’s Wicked Stepmother (PG) Birdsville Or Bust: Untold Australia (M l) (In English/ Wangkangurru) Burger Wars: Burger King Vs McDonalds (M l) SBS World News Unknown Amazon: Into The Wild (M l) France 24 Feature News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour The World’s Most Luxurious Cars By Royal Appointment: Serving The Queen The Cook Up With Adam Liaw (PG) Trains That Changed The World (PG) Jeopardy! (PG) Letters And Numbers Mastermind SBS World News Great Asian Railways Journeys: Jakarta To Borobudur (PG) Incredible Journeys With Simon Reeve (M) The Good Fight (M) SBS World News Border To Border: Colombia And Venezuela (Part 1 And 2) (M d)

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

PAGE 22 6 AUGUST 2021

PUZZLES

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ACROSS 1. Begin, ... off 4. Plunged blade into 8. Engage (gears) 11. Extend arm 13. Hollywood award statuette 15. Gambols 17. Coronation regalia, ... & sceptre 18. Saying 20. Bar bill 21. Brown photo shade 24. Holy images 27. Mournful 28. Tiny landmasses 30. Laundry machine 31. Anaesthetic gas 33. Tickled 34. Couch 35. In current state (2,2) 36. Hotel’s cleaning lady 39. Overthrow 42. Feasted, ... & dined 44. Mocking remark 45. Visual perception 46. The D of DOA 48. Horned beast, white ... 49. Hazard 50. Antiquated 52. Successors 54. Skin opening 55. More secure 56. Spanish carnival 57. Facts

MISSING LINK

60. Udder tip 62. Din 65. Develop 67. Overweight 69. Reason 70. Face disguises 72. CD brand (1,1,1) 73. Worships 75. Long curl 77. Assent with head 79. Outmoded 81. Leaf brew 82. Jet black 84. Pig’s grunts 85. Of the nose 86. Isn’t able to (3’1) 87. Strangeness 88. Woe!

DOWN 1. Retained 2. Zodiac crustaceans 3. Map guide 4. Store 5. On ship 6. Newborns 7. Extinct bird 8. Angry 9. Eradicate 10. Cultivated (ground) 12. Advantage 14. Indian class system 16. Lions’ abodes 19. Flavouring sachet, bouquet ...

22. Break-out 23. High standards 25. Ledger entry 26. Caught (butterfly) 29. Cataloguing 32. Dress edge 35. Beautified 37. Waltz virtuoso, ... Rieu 38. Least interesting 40. Woodwind instruments 41. Northern sea duck 42. Dock 43. Bus base 44. Jumbo (size) 47. Carbonates 51. Ballroom performer 52. Religious deviation 53. 25th wedding anniversary 54. Sacred songs 58. Smell 59. You ... what you eat 61. Fire-lighting crime 63. Colorado ski town 64. Tried 65. Housing complex 66. Flower jars 68. Buffalo 71. Grassy hill 72. Lengthy movie 74. Additionally 76. Immense periods 78. Pigments 80. Take (exam) 83. Bleating sound

Fill in each letter of the alphabet once only.

J A R E K

S U A L O E W XT S A

O I F F Y I O U N L I E E N T U N T I S T R I T E G U T R E E L E N G T A P G D N E L E L L S E Y

A R

K N E H O I R E A A N O D D N E S L D S E C L P S E S S E E G A U I Y E B T K R

T A E S A © Lovatts Puzzles

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

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Missing Link Solution:

J O J I F F N T A X L E Z U N U R N R G U E V E N A P K N E E

K Q Y P I O U S B L I E NO T E TW I S T X I T E A M T R E E L C G R I T H G D L F E L L S

Q F S U G A A M L Y R E O O D OW L T E C S A S H B E J U I C T K

K V R K N E A D H O I A W A N T D N E S S A D S E X L I P S E E N U S E S G P A Y Z E B R A R L

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One Two Three

Author: Laurie Frankel Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Nora gives birth to triplets, Mab, Monday and Mirabel. As each one is born another syllable is added to the name. When the triplets refer to each other they use the order in which they were born, one, two, three. They are now 16 years old and ever since they can remember, their mother has been fighting for Bourne and its citizens. Their father got sick and passed away. Mab is smart and outgoing and in terms of people from Bourne, she is “gifted”. She feels guilty because she knows she is destined to one day

leave Bourne. Monday is on the spectrum and loves the colour yellow, will only wear yellow, eat yellow. She is the towns de facto librarian and all the books that weren’t able to be sold when the library closed are now stored around the house. She cannot lie. Mirabel is super smart, maybe she is a genius, but she has no control over her body – sometimes it is rigid and sometimes it can’t support her. She gets around by wheelchair and Bourne is a well equipped with ramps. She can’t eat, walk or even communicate since she has her Voice, but her sisters always know what she is trying to say. Belsum Chemical was the main employer in town, but the water started to smell, and then turned an odd colour, the pets started to get cancer and then the citizens

BOOK REVIEW

got sick. Belsum closed up the plant and left the citizens of Bourne on their own. Those who were able to leave left. House prices plummeted so those who didn’t have anywhere else to go, stayed. Nora, the town therapist, bartender and baker has been fighting a battle against Belsum

Chemical for almost 20 years. She and Russell, the lawyer helping out, have gotten close but they can’t find the “smoking gun” which will make their case. The high school has separate tracks for those who need “extra help with their bodies” and those who need extra help with their brains. Now Belsum has come back to town and renamed themselves

OUT&ABOUT PAGE 23 6 AUGUST 2021

Belsum Basics. They want to reopen the chemical plant and go to great lengths to prove to the citizens that it will be fine. Duke, the founder of the chemical plant has his son, Nathan move into the old library with his wife and son, River (which is an ironic name since the river in Bourne is polluted). River and Mab becomes friends. Belsum Basics wants to give the town a future, give people jobs, make Bourne great again. One Two Three is a classic storyline of a small town being ravaged by a big company, albeit in this case for a second time. As with the title, the chapters are One, Two and Three, in that order, for the entire story. This gives the reader a wonderful perspective of each of the triplets; what their thinking, feeling and experiencing.

They are smart girls and have each other’s backs and look after their mother. They should be enjoying their teenage years but there is so much at stake. The author points out in the preface of the book that Bourne is a place of fiction. But the author also informs us, somewhat ominously, that “the crisis its citizens face” is a story of people from all over the country and the world. It is, ultimately, a wonderful story about some very likeable people and, as Mirabel puts it: “There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who split the world into two kinds of people, and the ones who know that’s reductive and conversationally lazy.” Kim Reardon The Reluctant Book Critic

NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATIONS

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ARTS & CULTURE CENTRAL COAST ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Free social French conversation groups, small classes at East Gosford and Bateau Bay Inquiries - Nathalie 0416 303 804 www.afcentralcoast.org.au afcentralcoast@gmail.com

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

TUGGERAH LAKES ART SOCIETY

Join us for the fun and enjoyment of art! Attend a weekly art group with mentors, exhibitions, workshops and a monthly members meeting with guests and prizes, held on the 4th Thurs of the month at The Entrance Community Centre 4333 8387 www.tlas.org.au president@tlas.org.au

Spinning and weaving, patchwork and quilting, felting and other fibre and fabric crafts, community quilting bees - Day and Night Groups 4325 4743 www.cottagecrafts.net.au

CENTRAL COAST WATERCOLOUR SOCIETY Art society for artists painting in watercolour Workshops, beginners classes and paint outs Details on our website

ccwsinc@gmail.com www.centralcoastwatercolour. com.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

3rd Sun - Jan to Nov Trips Away, Social Outings, friendship with like minded folk Geoff 0447 882 150

COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRE

Not for profit service providing free legal advice Mon - Fri 9am to 5pm 4353 4988 contact@centralcoastclc.org.au

CENTRAL COAST POETS INC

LEARN TO DANCE

Social ballroom dancing for all ages, all you need is a desire to learn and dance, no partner required. meet every Wed -Tuggerah community hall, 2:00pm Anne - 0409 938 345

Terrigal. 4385 5027

ccmdc@bigpond.com www.ccmdc.org.au

TERRIGAL WAMBERAL RSL SUB-BRANCH

Pension and welfare officers available to assist with DVA compensation claims and benefits Breakers Country Club Wed & Fri 10am – Midday Meet 2nd Sat 10am 4384 2661

Terrigal-WamberalSB@rslnsw. org.au.

ANONYMOUS

- Someone cares. Wed-Thurs-Fri - 12.30pm, Progress Hall Henry Parry & Wells Street East Gosford

BETTER HEARING AUSTRALIA

Hearing loss management Support and educational groups providing practical experience and confidence 4321 0275

CENTRAL COAST ASBESTOS DISEASES SUPPORT GROUP

Support for those suffering with asbestos diseases and Enjoy a diverse range of others interested in asbestos courses and activities for issues. You are not alone, meet seniors. Keep your mind active with others who can share and make new friends. their experiences. Bring a 0408 704 701 family member or friend. www.centralcoast.u3anet.org.au 1pm at Ourimbah RSL on fourth Wed of each month. VOLUNTEERING Maree 0419 418 190

U3A CENTRAL COAST

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

KINCUMBER MENS SHED Kincumber mens shed in association with Kincumber Uniting Church op shop. Selling tools, machinery, clothing, books and household items. on the first Saturday of each month 8am - 12pm 4369 7222 sparkes2251@outlook.com

COMMUNITY CENTRES

Would you like to read, write and share your poetry. GOSFORD-NARARA We hold workshops and create anthologies. NEIGHBOURHOOD We meet the second Saturday CENTRE anneglazier@y7mail.com each month. School Holiday activities, Wyoming Memorial Community playgroup, multicultural CENTRAL COAST MARINE programs, community activities Hall. Contact us by email info@centralcoastpoets.com.au DISCOVERY CENTRE Rooms for Hire or you may ring Clive The revamped CCMDC is open. 4329 4477 0419120347 Schools and Group bookings admin@gnnc.com.au welcome by appointment. Building has special needs HANDWEAVERS, access and toilets SPINNERS AND TEXTILE Open 7 days 9am – 3pm. ALCOHOLICS

HEALTH GROUPS

ARTS GUILD

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GROW MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

www.centralcoastchorale.org

S.A

SOUNDWAVES CHORUS

Is Internet porn destroying your life. We may be able to help. We are a 12 step fellowship like AA. Meets every Sat at 7pm on the Central Coast Contact for further details 0473 631 439

HISTORY GROUPS HENRY KENDALL COTTAGE & HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Visit our c1838 Cottage & Museum with exhibits of early settlers. School and group bookings. Members & volunteers welcome. Open Wed/Sat/Sun 10.30am 2:30pm. West Gosford 4325 2270

www.henrykendallcottage.org.au Brisbane Water Historical Society

MUSIC

DYING WITH DIGNITY

robyncameron@y7mail.com

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP Last Fri 9.30am Terrigal Uniting Church 380 Terrigal Dr, Terrigal 4367 9600 www.pcfa.org.au

MEALS ON WHEELS

Delicious meals delivered free Join us for a midday meal Help with shopping and

Male singers wanted No experience required, rehearsals 7pm Mondays at Parkview room Central Coast Leagues Club 0431 225 489

POLITICAL PARTIES

newcastlesagroup@gmail.com

Small friendly groups formed FELLOWSHIP OF to learn how to overcome FIRST FLEETERS anxiety, depression and For anyone interested loneliness and improve mental in early history. health and well being. Weekly Don’t need to be a First Fleeter. meetings at Woy Woy and Point Clare Community Hall Wyong. Grow is anonymous, 2nd Sat 10:30am free and open to all. 4311 6254, 4340 4435 1800 558 268 or www.grow.org.au Campaigning to give those suffering unrelievable terminal or incurable illness the choice to receive legal medical assistance to die. Quarterly mtgs, Erina Fair. 0434 426 486

4307 9355

cooking classes 4363 7111

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

CENTRAL COAST CHORALE

One of the best (SATB) choirs on the coast. We seeks new members. Reading of music and able to sing harmony would be an advantage. See our website for details and upcoming concert.

CENTRAL COAST GREENS Local, state wide, national and international issues and campaigns Council and parliamentary representation 3rd Thur centralcoast.nsw.greens.org.au centralcoastgreens@gmail.com

LABOR PARTY OURIMBAH / NARARA BRANCH

Discussion/action - community Issues - 3 levels of Government, Ourimbah Room - Ourimbah RSL, 7.00pm - 1st. Monday 0410 309 494 kyle.macgregor@hotmail.com

PROBUS CLUBS AVOCA BEACH PROBUS CLUB

with a great social program, guest speakers and optional bistro lunches. Google our name for our fully informative newsletter. Meet 10am, 3rd Mon each month at Avoca Beach Bowling Club. avocaprobus@gmail.com

EMPIRE BAY PROBUS CLUB

Friendship, fellowship, and fun in retirement. Very active club, outings, excursions, dining 3 times a month 1st Thur 1.30pm Club Umina, Melbourne Ave, Umina Beach Visitors Welcome. 0414 280 375

PROBUS CLUB OF KARIONG

Meets at Everglades Country Club Woy Woy, at 10am 3rd Tuesday each month. Enjoy a wide variety of Guest Speakers, Social outing and activities with Friendship Fellowship and Fun. 0407934003

SERVICE GROUPS LIONS CLUB OF WOY WOY Make new friends & have fun while serving your community Everglades Country Club 3rd Monday of each month 0478 959 895

WOMEN’S GROUPS WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRES

Counselling, therapeutic and social groups, workshops, domestic violence and abuse issues. All services provided by women for women 4324 2533 www.cccwhc.com.au

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL BRISBANE WATER

Making a difference in the lives of women & girls through awareness, advocacy & action 2nd Thur 7 pm Breakers Country Club, Dover Rd, Wamberal sibrisbanewater@siswp.org www.siswp.org

INNER WHEEL CLUB GOSFORD NTH

Make friends, Make a difference! Join us and develop lasting friendships with like minded women serving our community 6.30pm 2nd Wed Phillip House, Kariong 0405 385 610 iiw.au.gosfordnorth@gmail.com

SPORT KOWAKAN AIKIDO

Kids from 7yrs and adults, Fri and Sun, East Gosford Scout Hall. See website for details 0411 725 823

www.kowakanaikidocentralcoast. com

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

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 24 OUT&ABOUT 6 AUGUST 2021

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DOWN IN THE GARDEN: Fabulous Fast Fixes for Your Garden of messiness in people’s minds. It’s all in the Edges

CHERALYN DARCEY

Maybe you have decided to sell your home due to the current favourable market conditions or perhaps you have a rental inspection looming. Then again, you might need these tips should we suddenly come out of lockdown, or you are thinking of taking your video calls in amongst the plants. So, if your garden has started to look more like a sleeping couch potato than a lush wonderland, let’s look at ways that quickly make a big difference and will make others think you are the street green thumb! My suggestions are in order of importance so whether you have 15 minutes, an hour, or a day, go through them in order and you will get as close to a fabulous garden as your time allows. Pick it Up Right now it is pretty windy and that means additional leaves, branches and things in general falling everywhere. At any time, the very first thing you should do is collect everything that has fallen into your garden. Ideally sort and compost, but at least pile up in one area in a corner somewhere and cover to protect from the wind. This means raking the lawns and ground and sweeping paths, but it also involves getting in and picking out fallen debris in plants. The only plant that looks good with a crown full of leaves and twigs are the birds nest ferns and friends. Oh, and it should go without saying, but pick up the dog and cat poop. Do one last look around because your friends are guaranteed to relieve themselves one minute before your inspection. Wash or Wipe It You might like to do this as your last task of your ‘Fabulous Fast Fix’ session but washing down paths, steps, the outside of pots, and even giving flat fences created from metal a quick once over can make all the difference. Patios and fences can be a haven for old spider and cobwebs and if they are currently unoccupied then sweep those away too. Now this one will sound strange but stay with me, clean the outside of bins. In any inspection, people are going to probably walk past your bins and if they are dirty, it will just put the feeling

The difference that trimming the edges of a lawn can make is even better than mowing it. You can get away with a lawn a few centimetres longer than might be optimal if the edges are neat and clean. This is where the eye goes to in a garden … the edges! We humans are wired to look for edges so play on that and do the borders of everything first. Even if your garden is a flowing organic jungle, neat edges will still create a feeling of tidiness and care. While native grasses look stunning arched in a cascading fountain of leaves over a path, a collected rabble of botanical debris sitting under them just feels messy. Clear away what’s underneath and this will not only define the path and edges but also make your feature plants pop. Trim it Off Stand in the front of your garden space, in a position that a visitor is likely to first stand and look. What do you see that looks messy in the way because it is hanging into the garden? Are there palm fronds that are tangled in a heap of overgrowth? Vines choking other plants? Small branches that are just too much for now? Off you go and chop them all off. Now isn’t the time for major tree lopping, it’s a tidy up. Hedges can be a bit of a headache, especially if you rent and are not too sure how to go about trimming them. For a fast fix, don’t try and to get a perfect geometric shape. Simply trim of the scraggly bits and

overgrowing edges so you have whatever shape the hedge happens to be right now but in a neat form. Fabulous Photos Do you need to take a photo of your garden to share with someone? (Maybe me here at Down in the Garden!) After your ‘Fabulous Fast Fix’ treatment you might like to share your photos with others online. Then these few tips will make sure your pictures look amazing! Take horizontal shots as these are more of use to publications. They can always be cropped to the trendy square shape that is used on social media later. Horizontal is best for any landscape image as it gives the viewer the feeling of being within the space. Place a subject just a little off-centre

within your horizonal image. This subject could be a tree, a flower, a person, a wishing well, you get the idea. Take the photo either early morning or late afternoon as the colours will be richer. As far as sunlight is concerned, overcast, cloudy days give you beautiful lighting that allows the colours of your garden to really pop. A full sun day at midday will only wash out the colours and tones of your image. GARDEN BOOK REVIEW Grow What Where, Over 3,000 Australian Native Plants for Every Situation, Special Use and Problem Area, Natalie Peate, Gwenda Macdonald, Alice Talbot, Bloomings Books Pty Ltd

IN MY GARDEN: Shayne Leslie, Native Wildlife Sanctuary When Shayne moved to the Coast in 2003, it was the allure of not only her almost 100-year-old Wyoming home but also the opportunity to create a native garden sanctuary as she is inspired to ‘Heal Country’ through her love of gardening. From what was an overrun traditional garden of introduced plants, bamboo, and lawn she has created a native wonderland of callistemons, banksias, native grasses, and features that have not only achieved her objective but offered an invitation to the local wildlife that has been readily accepted. For those worrying about their edible veggie patches in such a garden, fear not as Shayne has found that the native wildlife, especially Native Minas and Magpies are her garden security gardens and readily fest on pests leaving her with a thriving kitchen garden. Native flowers draw in bees of all types and this garden in Wyoming is not only a delight for all wildlife visitors, but also one of the loveliest I’ve experienced for humans as well. Peaceful, rich, and fascinating. I asked Shayne how someone would get started creating a garden such as hers. “I joined the local ‘Community Environment Network’ and their ‘Habit for Wildlife’ program that encourages and helps people grow and maintain gardens that are focused on caring for the local wildlife,” she said. “I also found a lot of help from ‘The Australian Native Plant Society’.

Shayne Leslie

“The staff at my local garden centre, ‘Narara Valley Garden Centre’ helped so much with identifying and sourcing the plants I was after, and I’d recommend getting to know your local nursery for this type of help.” In future Shayne hopes to have open garden days to not only share her passion for native gardening but also gorgeous home that is this year enjoying its 100th birthday!

Yes, it has been around for a while but it is still in print and reprinted for good reason, it’s fantastic. The topic is one of the most often I’m asked about on my radio show and this resource will last you a lifetime as your garden grows and changes. Problem areas, soil types, climates and even characteristics that you might desire are covered. The book also comes with an interactive CD to help you find your plants but even without this, it’s a brilliant gardening resource. This one? 5 leaves out of 5 leaves, easily! TASKS & TIPS FOR THIS WEEK This week check in with your citrus as they may need a feed about now and don’t forget your camellias as they could be hungry too. If you want to get a jump on your tomato crops, purchase seeds now and plant either indoors or in greenhouses so they are ready for Spring planting. Lawns need feeding too now. You could plant artichokes, asparagus crowns, cape gooseberry, capsicum, beetroot, broad beans, cabbage, carrot, English spinach, lettuce, mustard, spring onions, parsnip, peas, potatoes, radish, rhubarb crowns, salsify, silverbeet, sweet corn, alyssum, calendula, California poppy, carnation, celosia, chrysanthemum, cosmos, dahlia, dianthus, everlasting daisies, gazania, gerbera, marigold, petunia, salvia, zinnia, kangaroo paw, nasturtium, snapdragon, salvia Cheralyn Darcey is a gardening author, community garden coordinator and along with Pete Little, hosts ‘At Home with The Gardening Gang’ 8 - 10am every Saturday on CoastFM963 Send your gardening questions, events and news to: gardeningcentralcoast@gmail. com

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BUSINESS & PROPERTY PAGE 25 6 AUGUST 2021

Business & Property Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent to merge Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent, both of which have multiple branches on the Central Coast, are looking at merging to create the nation’s largest customerowned bank. With a combined customer base of around 600,000, the merger would create a regional powerhouse in the Hunter/ Central Coast with $19.8B in total assets. The banks signed of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 3 to explore a possible merge and setting out the key terms between the two parties to determine the commercial and member benefits that may be derived from bringing together two locally grown organisations. The MoU contains a commitment to maintain both iconic brands, with no forced redundancies among a combined workforce of 1600 for at last two years. It outlined the opportunity a merger would present to grow both brands and help more Australians with their retail banking needs. Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent were globally recognised this year as the top two Australian-owned financial institutions in the Forbes annual ranking of World’s Best Banks. A merged entity would benefit from the shared capabilities of

Newcastle Permanent at Gosford

both brands and investment and technology enhancements, to continue to deliver a best-inclass customer experience, a joint media release said. Greater Bank Chair, Wayne Russell, said both organisations independently have exceptional financial strength. “Our collective capabilities and capacity will enable us to invest more in technology and innovation, and offer great value for our customers,” Russell said. “We believe this is an incredible opportunity to grow our brands and help more Australians with their retail banking needs.”

Newcastle Permanent Chair, Jeff Eather, said a merge would create a large, forward-thinking financial institution that sustains the core principles of customer-owned banking and position the Hunter/Central Coast as a financial powerhouse in Australia. “Our vision is to be a vibrant employer of choice that delivers fulfilling and rewarding careers for more than 1,600 people,” he said. Newcastle Permanent CEO, Bernadette Inglis, said combining would give the two institutions more opportunities in transformational change to future-proof both organisations.

Greater Bank at Erina

“It enables the combined organisation to carve out a presence as a beacon for the mutual sector, and be a significant competitor in retail banking,” she said. “Newcastle Permanent and Greater Bank have attractive and complementary characteristics which we believe make this merger highly compelling, and provide significant value to customers, through improved technology and organisational capability.” Greater Bank CEO, Scott Morgan, said success in the banking sector is dependent on the ability to rapidly adapt, meet evolving customer

expectations and new regulatory demands. “Smaller organisations can be at a disadvantage in keeping pace with required investment in frequent and complex technology advancements; a decade ago there were circa 200 mutuals across Australia, today the number is fewer than 70,” he said. “We are both committed to our communities and driving better value for our customers.” The merge would see a combined network of 100 branches retained for a period of at least two years. It is proposed Greater Bank Chair, Wayne Russell, will Chair

the merged entity alongside Newcastle Permanent’s Chair, Jeff Eather, who will assume the role of Deputy Chair. Newcastle Permanent Chief Executive, Bernadette Inglis, will be Chief Executive Officer and Scott Morgan, currently Chief Executive Officer of Greater Bank, is to be the entity’s Deputy CEO. Pending approval by the members of both banks and regulators, including the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the Federal Treasurer, the target date for the completion of the merger is early 2022. The greater Bank was formed in 1945 as the Greater Newcastle Co-operative Permanent Building and Investment Society Limited, with its first Coast branch opening at Gosford in 1968. It currently has branches at Erina, Lake Haven, The Entrance, Toukley, Tuggerah and Woy Woy. Newcastle Permanent Building Society began in 1903 when a group of hard-working people questioned why home ownership should be limited to the wealthy. It has branches at Erina, Gosford and Lake Haven, with its Woy Woy branch closing in March this year. Source: Media release, Aug 3 Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent

New regional taskforce to focus on housing supply and affordability A newly formed Taskforce, to be chaired by Garry Fielding, is set to address housing supply shortage across regional NSW. The Regional Housing Taskforce will deliver recommendations to stimulate housing supply, address housing needs and promote the delivery of affordable housing. Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said it would focus on the four key issues of supply, affordability, diversity and resilience which face all regions in NSW, including the Central Coast. The Taskforce will conduct a series of meetings with stakeholders and community groups throughout August and will accept submission up to

August 27. Central Coast Council Director Environment and Planning, Scott Cox, said Council looks forward to working with Fielding and the Taskforce to address short and long-term housing needs in the region. “Housing supply and housing affordability are both critical issues on the Central Coast and we look forward to working with Mr Fielding and his team to gain better insight into the issues facing our region and what steps we can take to address them,” Cox said. “This Taskforce will complement the work Council is currently undertaking to develop its Housing Strategy, which will examine housing demand and supply on the Coast and the amount, type and location of new housing, as well as identifying barriers to

delivery and recommended actions to overcome them. “Council will take into consideration any recommendations put forward by the Taskforce in the development of its Housing Strategy and plans to exhibit a discussion paper on the Strategy in the coming months. “This also coincides with Council’s work as part of its Central Coast Affordable and Alternative Housing Strategy 2020, which seeks to provide effective policy solutions to address the growing need for affordable and alternative housing within the Central Coast LGA.” Council Administrator, Rik Hart, said the Taskforce was timely, with the Coast experiencing significant growth and high demand for housing supply.

“Council is already achieving great outcomes through its Central Coast Affordable and Alternative Housing Strategy and we look forward to working with the Taskforce to achieve our vision for a fair and inclusive region, where everyone has access to affordable and sustainable housing,” he said. To learn more about Council’s Affordable Housing Strategy, search ‘affordable housing’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au. Deputy Premier John Barilaro said COVID19 is transforming the way we live and work and there has been a noticeable shift in people leaving cities for a sea change or tree change in the regions. “But with that, prices are escalating,” he said. “This is why we’ve set up this Taskforce to provide

independent advice to deliver more housing throughout the State.” Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes, said Fielding will consult with the public and key stakeholders to identify the constraints to housing supply, diversity and affordability in the regions and deliver his report to government in September. “We’ve asked Mr Fielding to examine the obstacles in the planning system preventing new housing being brought to market in the regions, and to identify solutions that will boost supply and encourage greater housing choice,” Stokes said. “Mr Fielding’s recommendations will allow us to partner with willing councils on new ways (to plan and deliver) more housing opportunities in our thriving

regions.” Housing Minister, Melinda Pavey, said Fielding has had 40 years of experience as a town planner at both a state and local level, the latter in senior executive roles in city and regional councils. He has worked at senior executive levels with the NSW Department of Planning and also as head planner with Newcastle, Woollahra and Maitland councils. He is a Life Fellow and former NSW President of the Planning Institute of Australia and is the State appointed Chair of the Western Regional Planning Panel. Written submissions can be made up until August 27 at www.planningportal.nsw.gov. au/regional-housing. Terry Collins

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LPP rejects Bangaloe Stud development … once again Community groups are hoping that another refusal of Living Choice’s application to put a 165site residential community on the former Bangaloe Stud site at Kincumber will see an end to attempts to develop the land. The Central Coast Local Planning rejected an appeal against its refusal of the application last August at its most recent meeting on July 22, endorsing a Central Coast Council recommendation for refusal. Kincumber and Picketts Valley Community Action Group (KPVCAG) said its members, along with those of other groups, were pleased at the outcome. “Almost two years of hard and determined work and lobbying by residents, supported both by the Avoca Beach and Copacabana Community Associations, has seen common sense prevail and faith in the local planning instruments realized,” KPVCAG President, Graham Murray, said.

Residents protesting on site in February, 2020

“It is so important that we can trust the characterisation of applicable zonings, in this case ‘E4 Environmental Living’, and the gatekeepers who protect us from what so often seems audacious money grabs by profit driven developers. “After all, it is the character of a particular area which fundamentally attracts us to live here, holiday here and call it our ‘home’. “This latest unanimous

decision by the LPP would suggest that any future likeform proposal for the site would be extremely unlikely to succeed and goes a long way to setting important precedence to all E4 zoned lands across the Central Coast. “The Council officers and staff have once again done a thorough and diligent job in their assessment of the development proposal and along with the whole supportive

community are given a huge thank you.” The application has had several hearings since it was first lodged in December 2019. When community meetings failed to allay residents’ concerns, the developer scaled back the application from its original 202 manufactured onsite homes to 165 and made other amendments in the hope of seeing the DA finally approved.

The Panel however, was unanimous in once again rejecting the proposal after hearing from five representatives of community and environmental groups speaking against the project and ADW consultant, Chris Smith, and Living Choice Director, Ian Tregoning, speaking for the proposal. The Panel found the proposal was: not properly characterised as a ‘caravan park’; was not

consistent with the objectives of the E4 Environmental Living zone under the provisions of the Gosford Local Environmental Plan 2014; would result in significant cut and fill, earthworks and removal of vegetation on the site which would impact the ecological values, visual and scenic quality of the area; and was not suitable for the site. The Panel also found insufficient information had been provided in relation to stormwater run-off and downstream flooding impacts, ecology, waste, soil and water management, emergency and construction access and tree retention and that the proposal was an overdevelopment of the site. Living Choice Regional Manager, Gail Eyres, said Living Choice was disappointed with the Panel’s decision and was conferring with its town planning team to examine all options. Terry Collins

RDACC elects new Board The newly elected Board of Regional Development Australia Central Coast (RDACC) will play a critical role in developing the region’s economy and creating employment opportunities, according to Chair, Lawrie McKinna. McKinna says the Board comprises a panel of business and community leaders who will be responsible for driving economic and employment growth across the Central Coast. Led by McKinna and newly appointed board member and Deputy Chair, David Bacon, the 12-person committee has been appointed on a three-year tenure and endorsed by the

Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. “This latest period of lockdown has hit many Central Coast businesses hard, and we know that rebuilding our local economy on the other side of this will be more important than ever before,” McKinna said. “Our role here at RDACC is to make sure all levels of government and industry are working together to attract funding and investment to our region, so that we are achieving the best outcomes possible for the people of the Central Coast. “Every one of the dozen

people making up the new RDACC Board is aware of this responsibility and dedicated to helping our community rebuild so we can bounce back even stronger than before.” RDACC CEO and Director of Regional Development, John Mouland, said the new Board will build on the strong achievements of RDACC to date, as well as bringing fresh ideas and solutions to the table. “RDACC has a strong track record of achieving for the people of the Central Coast,” Mouland said. “Despite the challenges of recent years, we’ve led the delivery of over $800M of infrastructure spending on the Coast that resulted from the

landmark Central Coast Infrastructure Priority process, deployed the Central Coast Food Innovation Initiative that has delivered numerous local outcomes including the Coast’s first ever Australian Food and Agribusiness Doctoral Training Centre (DTC), and led unprecedented roundtable discussions between all sides of government and regional leaders. “With half of the Board being newly-elected members, this offers the perfect balance of experience and fresh ideas to build on RDACC’s various achievements and strong regional reputation, while exploring new ideas and solutions to overcome regional

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issues.” The new Board members are: Lawrie McKinna (Chair - former Mayor of Gosford City and inaugural Central Coast Mariners Coach; David Bacon (Deputy Chair - Senior Executive and former Executive Officer, Central Coast Area Consultative Committee; Edgar Adams (Central Coast Business Review); Dr Tamara Bucher (University of Newcastle); Joe Coyte (The Glen Aboriginal Rehabilitation Centre); Anna Cruckshank (Aubrey Brown

Lawyers); Michael Dowling (Senior Consultant); Kerry Harman (H&H Catering); Dr Clare Keogh (Business Management Specialist); Chris King (Director Mingara Recreation Club); Frank Sammut (Central Coast Industry Connect); and Chris Smith (Senior Town Planner and Deputy Chairman, Urban Development Institute of Australia Central Coast). Source: Media release, Aug 4 RDACC

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Don’t despair if you’ve failed to lodge tax returns WITH

Julia NEWBOULD Editor-at-large • Money magazine Skipping one tax return can easily turn into several years of skipped returns, but it’s never too soon or too late to right the ship. Here is why you should, and how you can, get yourself out of the hole. Everyone who earns more than the tax-free threshold of $18,200 is required to lodge a tax return, and you may still have to lodge one if you earn less than that and have had tax deducted from your pay. While you might be able to avoid it for a few years, eventually the chickens will come home to roost. “If you’re behind with one or more tax returns, the ATO will catch up with you and will take action,” says Mark Chapman, director of tax communications at H&R Block. “In the first instance, the ATO may impose a ‘failure to lodge’ (FTL) penalty on you where

your tax return is not lodged by the due date. “FTL penalties are calculated at the rate of one penalty unit for each period of 28 days or part thereof that the document is overdue, up to a maximum of five penalty units. The value of a penalty unit is currently (since July 1, 2020) $222, so the maximum penalty which can be applied for an individual is $1110.” However, Chapman says that while the penalty is normally applied automatically, it is not normally applied to returns that generate a refund or don’t result in a tax bill. Although unusual, the ATO can and does prosecute taxpayers for failing to lodge tax returns. “The maximum penalty which can be applied on prosecution is a fine of $8500 or imprisonment for up to 12 months,” says Chapman. On top of penalties, the ATO

may apply a default assessment to work out how much you owe. “This is basically an estimated assessment of the taxpayer’s income, based on data held by the ATO about the taxpayer or similar taxpayers,” says Chapman. Because they’re estimations, they can be wrong. And that margin of error could have you paying more than you should. “Because these assessments are estimated, they are rarely entirely correct and often show a higher tax liability than the

taxpayer actually owes since they often don’t take into account items like deductions.” In general, most people get a refund from their tax return. “Last year, more than 10.92 million refunds were issued, totalling more than $30.91 billion with an average refund of $2829,” says Chapman. Ignoring tax time year on year may cheat you out of a lot of money. “I did 33 years’ worth for one client and he got $74,000 back,” says Adrian Raftery, from the accounting and tax service Mr

Taxman. But the best thing you can do is bite the bullet and take action. “I understand it is a bit of a stigma for those who are behind in their taxes, but once people get back on track they feel an absolute weight lifted off their shoulders and that dark, stormy cloud above them is gone,” says Raftery. “It’s probably wise to go to a tax agent if you have overdue returns.” If your agent works out that you owe money to the ATO,

you may be able to parcel the payments. “The ATO will allow payment plans - your tax agent actually has authority to be able to set up one for you over 12 months,” says Raftery. “But there are a few things to note: you must meet the monthly payment without fail; interest is charged on the amount outstanding still; and you must have met all future tax obligations, i.e., lodge future returns on time plus pay any tax debts on those in full.” M DAVID THORNTON

How to get financial support if you’re out of work As the NSW Covid outbreak deepens, the federal and state governments have rolled out further relief for both individuals and businesses. There has been an increase to the disaster payment from $325 to $375 for those who have lost up to 20 hours of work, while the payment for

people who have lost more than 20 hours of work has increased from $500 to $600. The payments will then recur during the extent of the lockdown. The increased payments came into effect in week four of the lockdown. The relief previously only applied to people in Sydney’s Covid hotspots, but from July

18, 2021, it will be available to people outside Commonwealth-declared hotspots in NSW who: • can’t attend work and lost income on or after day eight of a Covid-19 restriction of movement; • don’t have access to appropriate paid leave entitlements through your employer; • aren’t getting an income

support payment, ABSTUDY living allowance, dad and partner pay or parental leave pay; • aren’t getting a state or territory pandemic payment, pandemic leave disaster payment or state small business payment for the same period. The federal government will cover the costs in broader Sydney, while the NSW government will fund the rest of NSW.

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Doggy day care coming to Gosford Squawks Pet Store at 98 Showground Rd, Gosford, is hoping to expand into 96 Showground Rd, adding puppy pre-school and doggy day care, dog grooming and caged pet boarding to the range of services offered. The proposal is to expand within an existing building, a warehouse opposite the railway line in an industrial area. The expanded operation would include six dedicated dog pens 2m x 3m for day-time accommodation; a fenced enclosure 7m x 12m as a

secure training enclosure/ puppy pre-school; dog grooming bay; and the use of an existing air-conditioned office space for boarding of caged pets such as birds and mice, guinea pigs, rabbits and reptiles. In a development application to Central Coast Council, the business said that the planned and continuing increase in residential densities within the Gosford CBD, and particularly within the “hospital precinct”, brings an increased demand for companion animals together with their nourishment, care and training. “The management and staff

of Squawks Pet Shop has witnessed an increase in demand for the range of services provided and identified the need for Doggy Day Care/ Obedience Training and shortterm accommodation for caged pets in addition to the increasing marketplace expectations, products and accessories,” the application to Council for permission states. Nearby businesses or residents have been notified of the plan and have until August 25 to comment. Source: Central Coast Council DA Tracker DA 62172/2021

53 ‘high risk’ council audit findings from 2019 left unactioned A Central Coast Council staff member manually adjusted a rate payment by $22,000 without appropriate authority. The NSW audit office, in the final audit for the year ending June 30, 2019, identified two instances of manual adjustments made to customer rates accounts which did not comply with Council’s approval guidelines. The manual adjustment of $22,000 exceeded the approver’s delegation of $1,000. In another instance, the auditors could not obtain supporting documents for the approval of an adjustment of $707. Management agreed to implement the audit recommendation to review the design and implementation of

controls to ensure all adjustments to customer accounts were approved by an appropriate delegated authority. An update in September 2020 by management however, said “pressure of work: no update received”. And the item is still overdue, according to a report to the Audit Risk and Management Committee (ARIC) on June 24. The report is now public. It lists all the management actions which are overdue and their risk ranking. The report - called the Implementation of Management Actions Arising From Independent Reviews forms part of the standard suite of reports presented by the Chief Internal Auditor to the quarterly ordinary meetings of ARIC.

It shows there were 355 management actions to be taken in response to four different audits: internal audits, internal ombudsman, the NSW audit office and external consultants. Of the 355 management actions 30 per cent have been approved for closure and a further nine per cent were either awaiting approval for closure or had not been approved for closure “presumably pending discussion or further”, the Council report stated. That left a closing balance of 214 actions remaining open with a total of 53 of these actions considered high-risk. Other findings included two instances where significant contracts valuing more than $20M were not included in Council’s contracts register. These contracts had purchase

orders raised against them. ARIC was told that implementation of a corporate contract management system was on hold as per a request in March from the then chief operating officer. The Council report to ARIC said it was incumbent upon management at all levels to ensure controls were effectively mitigating the associated risks and that their systems/ processes were operating efficiently and cost-effectively. “It is worth noting that the number of outstanding actions will fluctuate depending on the

finalisation of reports, the number of reviews in train and the number of actions accepted by management,” the report said. “Likewise, the number of overdue actions will be influenced by the length of time management indicates it will take to address the issues. “It is important that the focus of the Committee is on the issues identified and the significance of the findings, along with how management intends to address the control weaknesses, rather than on the actual number of issues or the due dates (which are set by

management),” the report said. ARIC was encouraged to use the information in the report and the accompanying tables to identify any specific strategic or operational activities they would like to discuss with management at future meetings in respect of risk mitigation measures and system/process improvements; and/or form a view on the control framework and advise Council and the CEO accordingly. Source: Central Coast Council website ARIC Business Paper, Jun 24

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Rate rises “fairly quickly forgotten”, former Administrator Are you over the shock of your latest rates notice? The good news for former Gosford residents is that the pain won’t last long, according to former Central Coast Council Administrator Dick Persson in a letter to IPART. “My experience with rate rises is not as extensive as the Tribunal by any means, however I believe history shows that most controversial rate increases are fairly quickly forgotten once implemented,” Persson said in a letter to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) in April this year. Many ratepayers in the former Gosford LGA would beg to disagree with rates notices rolling in and dozens expressing their shock on social media as the impact of the 15 per cent rise and rates harmonisation with the former Wyong LGA takes effect. Pensioner Pat Bradbury of Narara got his rates notice this week to discover an increase of almost 30 per cent over last

year’s notice. “Last year’s rates levied was $1,277 and this year it was $1,639,” he said. “I was flabbergasted that this rise could be imposed on us. “A rise of around $14 a fortnight might mean nothing to some, but to those of us on a pension that’s a lot of money.” Persson’s letter to IPART has been made public by Kincumber resident Kevin Brooks, who received copies of correspondence between IPART and Persson in a Government Information Public Access (GIPA) request. Persson’s comment to IPART was in a letter to support Council’s submission for a special rate variation (SRV) - a rate rise - of 15 per cent. Council wanted the SRV to be permanent. “I am concerned that an IPART decision to grant, for example, a two or three- year rate rise, would see the Council having to start the whole process again in 12-24 months’ time, reigniting the anger and

Pensioner Pat Bradbury of Narara says the extra $14 per fortnight he now has to pay on his rates will really hurt

debate about the performance of the previous councillors and senior executives, and setting back the important challenge of regaining community confidence in the council,” Persson said. He said the financial collapse of Council was unprecedented in NSW history and the

Fairhaven Services CoPack facility keeps supply chains rolling Its Point Clare op shop might be closed due to lockdown, and its café serving only takeaway, but Fairhaven Services is making sure Central Coast people living with disability all over the region are keeping the food and essential goods supply chains going at its CoPack packaging facility at Tuggerah. Operating within the current COVID-safe guidelines, supported worker Robert is pleased he can still continue to work during the current lockdown. Robert enjoys his working days performing a wide variety of tasks ranging from weighing and filling food products and bundling and packaging vet supplies to picking and packing for companies offering online sales. Facility Coordinator, Anthony Aglio said it was great the organisation was able to be productive and keep working during lockdown. “Meaningful employment offers not only the opportunity to work in a productive environment but through that, a place for interaction and connection that is difficult to provide for people living with disability in the current lockdown environment,” Aglio said.

Supported worker Robert with Production Specialist, Russell, at Fairhaven’s Tuggerah packaging facility

The disability services provider was established in 1962, originally as a school for children with disabilities, and has now grown from those humble beginnings to become the Central Coast’s largest employer of people living with disability. Fairhaven operates the largest disability enterprise on the Central Coast and its CoPack facility provides employment to over 100 local people living with disability. It packs a wide range of products from organic olive oil to specialist teas, herbs and spices from small boutique businesses to vet supplies and personal care products from large multi-national companies. The past five years have seen the facility grow in reputation

and standing in the world of filling, packaging and distribution services, having achieved Food Safety Certification from HACCP Australia and Australian Organic Certification for the fast-growing organic sector. As well as employment, Fairhaven also provides a number of quality services and options for local people with NDIS packages including modern, purpose-built home residences, community support services and activities, school leavers pre-employment pathways and training as well as further employment options via the Fairhaven Op Shopping Village at Point Clare. Source: Media release, Jul 30 Fairhaven

community anger was also unprecedented and had resulted in many objections to IPART opposing the rate rise. The common refrain was “why should we have to pay for their mistakes/incompetence”, he said. He attached his final report to the Local Government Minister in which he recommended the councillors’ suspension be continued and elections deferred. “If the Minister accepts my

suggested approach a new Administrator and the new CEO will have around 18 months, without the ‘distraction’ of elected representatives, to concentrate on implementing the changes Mr (Rik) Hart and I have put in place, and to focus on ‘completing’ the merger work still to be done,” Persson said. A couple of weeks later, IPART granted a rate rise of 15 per cent but only for three years. Persson, the interim

Administrator for six months, finished his stint and was replaced by Rik Hart, who has continued the campaign for the rate rise to continue. This month ratepayers are receiving their rates for the next 12 months. Brooks said Persson’s letter seemed contemptuous of ratepayers and indifferent to the financial pain or hardship being inflicted. “Council senior management has clearly always seen rate hikes as an easier option than saving money through improved performance, productivity and efficiency,” Brooks said. “They don’t seem to care about the impact on the community. “The rate increase won’t be as quickly forgotten as Mr Persson suggests – especially by those struggling in the pandemic. “And there’ll be worse to come when landlords in Gosford pass on an average 42 per cent rate increase to their tenants in higher rents in what is already a tight rental market. “Tenants losing their homes certainly won’t forget.” Merilyn Vale and Terry Collins

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Avoca Bowlo submits DA to build new outdoor dining terrace Avoca Beach Bowling Club wants to reduce the size of its bowling green to the west of the club and build a new covered outdoor dining terrace. It would include an enclosed children’s play area, and a screened smoker’s courtyard. The estimated cost of the work is $1.6M. The decision comes in response to the “shifting environment many clubs are experiencing”, says the club, which is owned and operated by Wyong Rugby League Club Group. “Family focused facilities including outdoor terraces and kids’ play area additions ensure that the interests and needs of

its members as well as the community and tourists visiting the area are maintained,” the club says in a development

application to Central Coast Council. The club has three bowling greens.

The development will reduce the size of one of them. “It is envisaged that the additional net public area being

created as a result of this proposal will attract user groups in keeping with the existing patronage occupying

the club,” the application says. “The proposed facilities are consistent with the current amenities within the club.” The club has 226 car spaces which is above the required number of 203. “The current number of car spaces - without factoring in the courtesy bus which offers additional credit to the calculations - are sufficient in supporting the new additions, eliminating the need for additional spaces,” the club says. The proposal is open for public comment until August 27. Source: Central Coast Council website DA Tracker DA 6243/20211

Central Coast land sales slow Combined land sales across the Central Coast and Hunter regions declined by 23.6 per cent in the March quarter compared to the previous quarter. This is 39.2 per cent lower than the previous peak in the September 2020 quarter, says Housing Industry Association (HIA) Hunter Executive Director, Craig Jennion. The recently released HIACoreLogic Residential Land Report shows that compared to the December quarter residential land sales decreased by 16.1 per cent on the Central Coast, 13.1 per cent in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and 32.7 per cent in the Hunter Valley. “This data, combined with an increase in land prices, reflects a shortage of land following the

surge in demand after the announcement of HomeBuilder last year,” Jennion said. “The median lot price on the Central Coast in March was

$348,194, a 5.5 percent increase over December 2020. “Similarly, the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie median price was $350,000, a 6.1 percent

increase over December 2020. “This placed the neighbouring regions sixth and fifth on the list of the most expensive regional markets nationwide.

“The Hunter Valley median of $215,000 was a 3.4 percent increase over December 2020. “The median lot prices however do not account for differences in the characteristics of the lots being traded, such as their size. As a result, a more appropriate approach is to use price per square metre to track land value. “The median price per square metre for the Central Coast was $758, an increase of 6.0 percent from the December quarter. “The median price per square metre for Newcastle and Lake Macquarie was $587, an unexpected fall of 3.3 percent from the December quarter, while the Hunter Valley fell by 0.6 percent to $345 per square metre. “All locations remain affordable in comparison to

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Sydney, the most expensive capital city in the country, who recorded a median square metre price of $1,276. “The significant reduction in sales and an increase in price for residential land has not just occurred on the Central Coast and in the Hunter. “We have seen lot sales nationally drop 31.2 percent in the last quarter. “The process of turning a paddock into ‘shovel ready’ land can take over a decade in Australia. “As a result, it is difficult for land supply to respond to changes in the short term and we are starting to see the impact of this with the increase in prices,” Jennion said. Source: Media release, July 27 Housing Industry Association

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Re-write the story: routine cooking is boring

GEORGIA LIENEMANN

DANIELLE ABELL

This is the final part in our six-week series on the counterproductive stories we tell ourselves in the kitchen – those hurdles that mess with our mojo and prevent us from enjoying the process of cooking. This week we’re unpacking the story that to nourish and delight our families, we need to cook new and interesting dishes

And when it comes to main meals – the same principle occurs. With only some minor tweaks to your herb and spice list, your slow-cooked beef stew can become an Indian curry or a delicious Hungarian goulash. Your Bolognese, a springboard to Mexican tacos or cottage pie.

on a regular basis. In an era of beautifully styled food photos from mummy bloggers and endless recipes pouring into our feeds daily, the household cooks of this generation are under substantial pressure to perform.

I’d hazard a guess that most of us have felt inadequate in this space, at some point. The constant barrage of inspiration often leaves us with the impression that we’re not ticking the long list of boxes required of us in the modern age. Frequently those boxes involve churning out a smorgasbord of new and interesting meals for our families. And it’s unprecedented. A couple of generations ago, the household cook simply wasn’t expected to take their families on a world culinary tour each week! In most instances, Australian families might have been exposed to Chinese cuisine at a local restaurant, but that was likely the full scope of their culinary awareness. Then it was back to the over-cooked Brussel sprouts and boiled potatoes at home. In other regions of the world, nothing has changed. The home cooks prepare local regional dishes. The same ones, from the same traditional ingredients, day after day. Instead, we’re faced with unparalleled access to recipes, information as well as a much broader diversity of exotic ingredients. It’s all there at our fingertips, which convinces us that we need to make use of it! To add insult to injury, many in our generation didn’t grow up with a learning-by-osmosis

style of cooking education because our parents had been sold on the convenience of processed foods and hence, spent the bulk of their time out of the kitchen, unlike our grandmothers. So, it’s perfectly understandable that there’s a resistance to adopting new recipes and techniques every week. Regardless of ones cooking ability, it requires a lot of additional thinking and energy to do this! The compulsive creative There’s another way the ‘I need to cook new and interesting things’ story plays out, however. For some, it stems from a very genuine desire to be creative in the kitchen. If this is you, the question to ask yourself is, does indulging that drive to cook creatively bring you joy across the board – or does it sometimes create unwarranted stress? Often-times parents who have loved cooking prior to having children, have the realisation that it’s simply not possible to scratch that itch – at least to the same degree whilst their children are young. And when they do succumb to that external pressure and inner drive to compulsively create, it can and does become stressful! Giving yourself permission

The first place to start, whenever we’re trying to create change is by acknowledging what already is. If you have a version of this story – whether it’s an inner resistance to expanding your repertoire of impressive meals, or the compulsive desire to create that you can’t seem to switch off – start to observe how it plays out. Next, ask yourself if anyone is actually complaining about having the same paleo brownie recipe over and over. Chances are, they’re not. So, give yourself permission to stick with the tried and tested recipes that your family actually like – even if it feels repetitive. Tweakable formulas and ‘base’ recipes One of the greatest hacks to relieve both uninspired cooks and compulsive creators alike, is having tweakable base recipe ideas that can be jazzed up and converted into a whole range of new and different versions. Get yourself a basic sweet muffin recipe. If you make it every week, the recipe will be autosaved in your head and with no extra thinking it can become banana and walnut, raspberry and pear, or any other exotic combination of your choice. A basic savoury muffin or vegetable slice can offer the exact same flexibility and freedom.

Re-write your kitchen stories – with us! As we finish up this series and after so much wonderful feedback from our readers (thank you!), my wonderful copilot Danielle from Lick the Plates and I have decided to host a free five-day online workshop in September. Our mission is to help you find joy, ease and purpose in cooking again. As we hope we’ve made abundantly clear over the past six weeks, cooking doesn’t have to feel like a chore. With the support of a group of likeminded cooks (and non-cooks!) who are ready to ditch their self-imposed stories, we’ll help you rewrite that boring mind chatter to help you reclaim the kitchen as a fun and energising place to be. If you’ve been following along and have enjoyed some of the tips and musings we’ve shared over the past six weeks – it’s a tiny sliver of what we’ll be exploring with you in this workshop. We’d love to you to join us! Head to stirringchange.com to register (it’s free).

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE PAGE 33 6 AUGUST 2021

Teacher turns ultra-marathon man for mental health As a former teacher, ultramarathon runner Brendan Mitchell of Niagara Park has seen first hand how many young people suffer from mental health difficulties. Now working for online educational company ClickView, Mitchell has taught at several schools on the Central Coast including Point Clare Public School. “As a teacher, I’ve had students with mental health challenges for a variety of reasons,” he said. “Like any teacher I have heard my share off horror stories. “I’ve also had my own mental health struggles, as have many in my close and extended family.” To help highlight the need for more mental health services

for youth, Mitchell will run 160km in three days in August to raise money and awareness for Beyond Blue. “Not enough is done in this area and I chose Beyond Blue because many people are already aware of the great work it does,” he said. “This huge challenge is to show support for the many people around the country who are experiencing mental health issues as a result of the pandemic, and hopefully put a smile on people’s faces along the way.” Conversations from various teacher groups over the last 18 months have indicated a significant increase in student and teacher mental health challenges. “I started running a while ago and last year made the decision to turn my running into a fundraiser,” Mitchell said.

“Beyond blue and other organisations are working hard to help. “My children are just four and a half and 18 months old and even they have seemed more anxious and stressed during COVID,” he said. “Friends of ours have school aged kids and they are also reporting more stress angst and I cannot imagine the stress being felt by Year 12 kids.” In November last year, Mitchell undertook an 80km run and raised just over $1,000. This time he will double that distance, running 160km between August 11 and 13. “I will be starting out and finishing each run from my Niagara Park home and keeping within the 10km limit,” he said. Mitchell tries to run 40-50km each week in preparation for the marathon.

“I even managed to sneak in a few organised runs, including the Bay to Bay in June, before lockdown,” he said. Mitchell will run two half marathons and three full marathons over the three days, taking him on a tour around the Central Coast, visiting Lisarow, Ourimbah, Gosford, Terrigal and Wyoming among many other locations. He has set himself the target of raising $2,000 for Beyond Blue. Figures from Beyond Blue indicate significant increases in student and teacher mental health challenges compared to 2019, with a 66 per cent increase in April 2020 compared to April 2019. You can donate to Mitchell’s efforts ar https://tinyurl.com/ brendan100mile Terry Collins

Brendan Mitchell

McBride calls for inquiry into GP shortages on the Coast Federal Member for Dobell, Emma McBride, has joined calls for a Senate Inquiry to be held to investigate GP shortages in regional areas like the Central Coast. Led by Shadow Minister for Health, Mark Butler, and

Senator Nita Green, Labor is now seeking an inquiry into the lack of doctors across regional and rural Australia. “The Coast has been battling a critical lack of GPs for far too long,” McBride said. “Patients are being forced to wait weeks for routine

appointments, practices are closing their books and they’re being overwhelmed by lengthy cancellation lists. “We need a Senate Inquiry to investigate and come up with practical solutions to fix this.” The proposed inquiry would investigate acute GP shortages

in regional and rural communities like the Coast, as well as reforms to Distribution Priority Areas (DPA) and GP training. McBride said under the Government’s current classification system, most of the Central Coast is considered

a non-DPA which means it’s harder to access more GPs. “I’ve been calling for the Government to recognise the Coast as a priority for a long time now, but my calls continue to fall on deaf ears,” Ms. McBride said. “It’s time to shed light on the

impact their decision has had on our region. “Coasties deserve access to timely and quality health care.” Source: Media release, Aug 4 Member for Dobell, Emma McBride

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Paper Wings showcases the power of sharing personal experiences Central Coast resident Scott Jones is encouraging fellow Coasties living with a disability and their families to share, learn and connect on a unique new website. The Paper Wings website, developed by leading social justice organisation Social Futures, showcases the personal stories of people who have experienced the changes, challenges and triumphs of life with a disability. Jones, who is Community Development Coordinator for Social Futures, has already contributed his personal story to Paper Wings. He has been living with a visual impairment for more than 20 years. “I am always looking for

Scott Jones

opportunities to speak with people experiencing the same challenges,” Jones said. “I can empathise with them and show them what is

possible. “For me, Paper Wings was a great way to connect and share my own experiences. “I could encourage others to

move forward with both confidence and optimism. “When first diagnosed with a visual impairment, my immediate response was to

think of all the things I wouldn’t be able to do. “This place of negativity was isolating and depressing. Jones says personal stories offer hope and deliver pathways that can help others work towards improving their circumstances and enhancing their life goals. Social Future Capacity Building and Engagement Manager, Lynda Hope, came up with the idea for the Paper Wings site. “It encourages contributors to move away from the short instant messaging of social media, and go back to an oldschool style of  reflecting, thinking and crafting a very personal message,” she said. “Paper Wings features helpful prompts and suggests topics,

and there is no limit to how many stories you can share. “Stories or messages can be published anonymously or with a name, and contributors can choose to upload their own image or choose from the range of images available. “I hope the people who put their message forward feel that gift of generosity; that by sharing their experiences they can help someone else to understand their own.” Social Futures is a leading not-for-profit organisation delivering the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) across regional NSW. You can visit Paper Wings at:  https://paperwings. socialfutures.org.au/. Source: Media release, Aug 1 Social Futures

50 per cent jump in COVID testing in last week of July COVID testing figures at Gosford Hospital were almost 50 per cent higher in the week ending August 1 than in the preceding week. Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, is urging local residents to continue getting tested, with 23 exposure sites in the region

currently listed on the NSW Health website. Crouch said 3,527 tests had been conducted at Gosford and Wyong Hospitals in the week to August 1, an increase of 243 per cent over the previous week, in addition to thousands of tests conducted at 13 privately operated clinics across the Central Coast. “I want to thank everyone

identified as a casual or close contact who responded by taking a COVID-19 test,” Crouch said. “Every close contact is also required to undergo subsequent tests on days seven and 12 of their two-week self-isolation.” Crouch said the detection of COVID-19 in Toukley’s sewerage plant on July 29 was causing concern for health

authorities. “There are 29,000 people living in 13 suburbs serviced by the Toukley sewerage plant, including Budgewoi and Toukley, who are being asked to remain on high alert,” he said. “With no known active cases in these suburbs, this detection is particularly concerning to the Central Coast’s Public Health

5@5

Unit. “High rates of testing are the only way that health authorities can track down cases of COVID-19 silently circulating in our community. “The Delta strain is many times more contagious than previous strains of COVID-19, and this is why we cannot afford to be complacent.”

The common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, sore or scratchy throat, runny nose, shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell. Source: Media release, Aug 2 Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch

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Mental health, digital security, business administration and construction industry skill sets are just some of the COVID rapid response courses on offer. Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, Geoff Lee, said the feefree training in employment growth areas was just one of the ways the NSW Government was supporting the community through the lockdown. “Whether you are in lockdown in Greater Sydney, or in a regional community, I urge NSW residents to take advantage of the free training options available that will help build the skills needed to get a head start in a post-COVID

economy,” Lee said. “TAFE NSW is committed to helping the people of NSW to grow their skills in a COVID-safe way. “Training delivered through either online, self-paced learning or teacher-led virtual classrooms means people can upskill from their own home, with the confidence they are completing high quality, accredited TAFE training. “The courses also link to further training pathways, enabling students to get a head-start towards a full qualification should they wish to continue studying down the track.” The short courses are in addition to the hundreds of NSW Government fee-free training courses already available for those who meet eligibility criteria, such as Mature Aged Workers Scholarships,Women in Business,

and the JobTrainer program. If you are an Australian citizen, permanent resident, aged 15 years or older, no longer at school and living or working in NSW you may be eligible for the COVID rapid response courses. The 10 fee-free short courses include: reading plans for builders; construction materials and work, health and safety; digital security basics; medical terminology; business administration skills; business skills for supervisors; producing documents and spreadsheets; food handling; mental health; and alcohol and other drug work. To see if you are eligible, visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/feefree-short-courses or call 131 601.

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SCIENCE & EDUCATION

PAGE 37 6 AUGUST 2021

HSPA extends audition deadline

Due to COVID-19 restrictions primary and high school audition applications for the Hunter School of the Performing Arts (HSPA), attended by many Central Coast students, have been extended until Sunday, August 15. With dozens of students and hopeful auditionees affected by the recent restrictions, Principal Tracey Breese said extending the deadline was the right decision. “With the new restrictions affecting those across the Central Coast, Greater Sydney and now some regional areas, we knew we had to extend the audition applications,” Breese

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Hunter School of the Performing Arts’s high school production of Matilda in 2019

said. “We’re hoping this extension will encourage those who may be stuck in lockdown to still apply for years 3-11 in 2022.”

Since 1998 HSPA has been the only fully selective performing arts school in NSW. The school delivers developmental programs with a gifted and talented focus on

dance, drama and music. Over 1,200 students from years 3-12 across the Hunter Region and the Central Coast currently attend the school.

This year isn’t the first time the school has faced obstacles for its auditions. Usually held in April and August each year, the in-person auditions in 2020 were forced to be held online due to the initial COVID-19 restrictions. Deputy Principal and head of auditions, Karen O’Neill, said the change was a huge shock to those auditioning and the teachers assessing. “We had to prepare extremely quickly as our auditions were set to occur only a month after we went into lockdown,” she said. “It was a big change for those auditioning and our teachers as we had to account for unexpected hurdles like poor

internet connection, delayed responses and even distorted sound for our music auditions.” Like most businesses and schools, HSPA soon got the hang of the online auditions and had a successful year of applicants. “We had 201 students who were successful in the auditions and joined us in 2021,” O’Neill said. “We’re hoping to grow this number for our next group of auditionees, especially now that we’re back to in-person auditions and the second round has been extended. Source: Media release, Jul 29 Hunter School of the Performing Arts

Five local schools provided a wellbeing nurse Five Central Coast schools are among the first in NSW to welcome a highly trained school wellbeing nurse, thanks to a first-of-its-kind NSW Government initiative. Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch, said the role involves providing students with mental health support while also attending to

day-to-day medical issues. “Each school wellbeing nurse is a university-qualified health professional and has also completed two months of mental health training at the Central Coast Local Health District,” Crouch said. “This new position will add to the existing supports and structures available in every public school.

“The role has been created to reduce the stigma surrounding school counsellors, offering students an alternative pathway to access mental health and wellbeing support without feeling judged by their peers.” Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor, said the new nurses are part of the four-year expansion of a successful pilot

program. “Our children and young people can feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders as they try to make sense of an unpredictable, changing world and their place in it,” Taylor said. “School wellbeing nurses are another important part of the web of support we’re putting in place to make sure we can

deliver the right healthcare, at the right place and at the right time.” An independent evaluation of the pilot program found that school wellbeing nurses were successful at supporting students and families to achieve positive health and education outcomes and linking school and community health and wellbeing

interventions. The five schools to benefit are Gosford High School, Narara Valley High School, Point Clare Public School, Valley View Public School and Wyoming Public School, which were selected on the basis of need. Source: Media release, Jul 29 Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch

Second round of consultation begins on new K-2 syllabus Central Coast Council of P&Cs (CCCPC) has welcomed the release of new English and Mathematics syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 2 students for the second round of public consultation. Non-essential content has been identified and removed, and further guidance has been MAN SEEKING WOMAN Young at heart, 59 year old great sense of humour, energetic, motivated, attractive, adventurous, social drinker, likes indoor/outdoor activities, swinging, bushwalking, would like to meet someone to have a drink with, laugh, bbq, and have some fun. dont be shy text Peter for a coffee

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included for teachers to cater for all learning abilities. Minister for Education, Sarah Mitchell, said that subjects will be even more aligned with the latest evidence and research by reforming the syllabuses and giving greater priority to the foundational areas of learning in the early years. “The Curriculum Reform is continuing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as we build an evidence-based world class curriculum,” Mitchell said. “Through this consultation, teachers are helping build and refine content and outcomes. “The new curriculum removes any ambiguity for teachers and comes with explicit teaching advice. “The teaching advice also includes examples to support the development of language

FORT DENISON

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

FRI

13 FRI

0102 0.49 0652 1.24 1221 0.59 1856 1.72 0527 0.33 1142 1.51 1737 0.50 2347 1.60

and vocabulary. “This will be particularly helpful for early-career teachers.” Both syllabuses are aimed at giving students the opportunity to develop strong foundational skills for learning and living in the 21st Century, Mitchell said. “When it comes to English, the evidence for using phonics to teach reading is clear,” she said. “The first round of consultation

also identified the need for additional teaching advice, so we’ve provided further guidance and information, with practical advice and more helpful examples. “The revised Mathematics syllabus will support students to make connections across concepts – in turn developing reasoning skills, and supporting a deeper understanding of maths, its purpose and applications across the board.” The NSW Government has

TIDE CHART

invested almost $200M in the reforms in the 2021-2022 Budget. Syllabuses will be available on a new interactive digital platform which will help teachers integrate syllabus materials, access resources and examples, and move between syllabuses quickly. The final K to 2 English and Mathematics syllabuses are on track to be released later this year on the platform. They will be introduced in schools in 2022 and taught in all NSW schools from 2023. Consultation is open until August 23. CCPC spokesperson, Sharryn Brownlee, said the council was pleased to see the continuing investment in the early years of schooling. “The focus on ensuring children have a strong

foundation and secure base is vital to their learning,” she said. “There needs to be more focus on the learning of Mathematics as the data shows we are behind comparative countries. “There is demonstrated need for change. “Teachers and parents are sure to benefit from the resources on the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) website, especially any help they can get to meet the needs of all children and all learning styles. ”Parents too often struggle to support their children with mathematics and there is a need for extra support. “We encourage parents to take the time to comment on both the English and Mathematics new syllabuses.” Terry Collins

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

Times and Heights(m) of high and low waters

0141 0.42 0216 0.37 0253 0.32 0330 0.29 0407 0.28 0446 0.29 0732 1.29 0811 1.33 0849 1.37 0929 1.41 1011 1.45 1055 1.48 SAT 1303 0.54 SUN 1344 0.50 MON 1425 0.46 TUE 1509 0.45 WED 1554 0.45 THU 1644 0.47 1935 1.79 2015 1.84 2053 1.86 2133 1.85 2215 1.80 2300 1.72 0609 0.38 0041 1.46 0145 1.34 0301 1.25 0422 1.22 0534 1.25 1232 1.54 0657 0.45 0750 0.51 0853 0.56 1001 0.57 1106 0.54 SAT 1838 0.55 SUN 1328 1.56 MON 1430 1.59 TUE 1538 1.64 WED 1645 1.72 THU 1746 1.80 1948 0.57 2110 0.56 2230 0.50 2341 0.41

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 38 6 AUGUST 2021

SPORT

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Faith shines in Rugby 7’s RUGBY 7’s – OLYMPICS The Australian Women’s team have been eliminated from the medals run despite improving throughout their campaign and concluding with a consolatory win and fifth place finish. Berkeley Vale’s Faith Nathan had a strong showing throughout the Aussie’s three day tournament, starting in all six matches and scoring a total of four tries. Her first came in the team’s second pool stage match against China on Thursday, July 29, helping the team to a 26 – 10 point win. This was the women’s second win of the day, after a 48 – 0 pounding of Japan in the morning, but two losses on Friday left them out of medals contention. In the final pool match, 12 unanswered Aussie points was followed with two converted tries in the second half for

The Central Coast’s Faith Nathan scoring for Australia in their final 5-6 placement match against USA, ending 17 – 7 on July 31

America, the end score being 12 – 14. This same disappointing end score was the result the Fiji game later that day, although this time it was the Aussies chasing the game after conceding two tries.

Nathan’s scored just before half time to give her side a none point margin to cut down in the second half, although they were only able to reduce it by seven. However, these losses did not shake the form of the Australian

side and they went on two record two final wins on Saturday to overcome all competitors seeking placements between fifth and eighth. Nathan again led the charge with the team’s opening try

against the Russians, with four more following to bring the end score to 7 – 35. Finally, the women again faced the USA – also eliminated from finals series in their game against Britain – where they improved upon their result

from two days prior with a 17 – 7 win. Here, Faith once more opened the scoring with the opening try. The win gave the team a fifth place finish, ahead of USA in sixth, China in seventh, then the Russians in eight. Above them, Britain finished fourth after losing to bronze medallists Fiji, with France and New Zealand in second and first after a 26 – 12 Grand Final. As well as her bag of tries, Nathan putt her body on the line in defence many times, most notably against Fiji wherein she picked up a small injury scare yet played on. Overall, the Aussies were once again shown the high level of quality and physicality in women’s world rugby today, but they also showed the rugby world they deserve to contest for the number one ranking. CCN

Nicola’s dream continues HIGH JUMP – OLYMPICS Tascot local, Nicola McDermott, has flown through to the Women’s High Jump Final after her clinical qualification on Thursday, August 5. Alongside her in the final will be long-time Victorian rival and friend, Eleanor Patterson, both of whom completed four jumps from 1.86 to 1.95 metres without a single failed attempt. Of the 31 jumpers to compete in the Qualifications, only 14 have advanced to the finals, all of whom were successful in landing the 1.95 metre jump within three attempts. However, the finals event is sure to set these 12 athletes

apart, and McDermott will seek to once more put in her personal best for the third time this year. After breaking the Australian Women’s record of 2 metres at Sydney Olympic Park in April, McDermott then re-broke her record three months later at the Diamond League in Stockholm, this time jumping 2.01. Now, McDermott heads into the final as world ranked number eight, but also with the third best jump of this season, only 5 cm behind Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s Olympic Record levelling 2.06 metres. The final will be held on Saturday, August 7 at 8:35pm aest. CCN

Humpback Highway Watch Ronny Ling and his Central Coast Dolphin Project and Central Coast Newspapers have combined to bring you a regular Humpback Highway report in each edition of this newspaper. Seals have been popping up around the rock platforms at Avoca and Copacabana, and of course, Rocky the seal show off has been sighted off Terrigal

Haven. Whales are now slowing on their northern migration, and more whales are being sighted heading south, but there is still some great viewing available from Foresters Lookout, The Skillion and Captain Cook Lookout. A couple more new whale calves have been seen with their mothers off our beaches. Bottlenose Dolphins have been

viewed this week surfing the waves at Wamberal, Terrigal, North Avoca, and Kilcare Beaches. A few large pods of common dolphins have also been seen heading north If your planning to go whale watching, remember to comply with Health Regulations and police/ government directions.

If you are lucky enough to spot a whale, seal or dolphin, please text or call the Project on 0490 401 969 or email centralcoastdolphins@gmail.com

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SPORT PAGE 39 6 AUGUST 2021

Charlie Hunter fulfils goal of reaching Olympics semi-final ATHLETICS – OLYMPICS Central Coast Grammar School 2014 graduate, Charlie Hunter has fulfilled his goal of performing in the Olympics after reaching up to the Semi Finals in the Men’s 800 metre race. It was a goal set by Hunter earlier this year after he successfully broke three Australian middle distance records within one month before the end of February; now achieved with his fourth and then seventh place finishes in Heat Three and then Semi Final One. It has been a massive year for Hunter, beginning with personal best performances whilst running with the University of Oregon track team as part of his college scholarship. In February, Hunter broke his first Australian record with a 3:54:54 run in the One Mile, a time he shaved down to 3:53.49 two weeks later. Less than 24 hours later, he set a new Oceanic indoor 800m record of 1:45.59, a time he then skimmed down to 1:44.35 – only two weeks later – to clock a new indoor and outdoor personal best that made him the second fastest in Australian history.

Charlie Hunter

Central Coast Grammar School students took to Facebook to wish Hunter well

On Saturday July 31, Hunter made his Olympic debut in Lane Eight of the 800m Heat Three, with a fourth place finish and time of 1:45.91. Without finishing in the top three, despite being only 0.18 seconds behind third place Abdessalem Ayouni from Tunisia, the Aussie had to look to the other heat results to confirm his passage into the finals. Having earned a lane in

Semi Final One, Hunter gave the race his all, finishing the first 400 metre lap in second place with a time of 52.3. However, the strong start was overtaken by the other runners, with Central Coast runner finishing seventh with a time of 1:46.73. Within these races were two more Australians: Elwood’s Jeffrey Riseley was knocked out after placing fourth in Heat Four; and

Melbourne’s Peter Bol advanced all the way to the final race with two new Oceanic records in a row, first with 1:44.13 in his heat, then 1:44.11 in Semi Final Two. In the final, Bol ended up finishing in fourth place with a time of 1:45.92, only 0.53 seconds behind Bronze Medal winner, Patryk Dobek of Poland. And it was very clear this

that Charlie wasn’t running alone, with messages of from current Grammar School students from Kindergarten to Year 12 flooding in. “There were wigs, glasses, Olympic t-shirts, Aboriginal painting backgrounds or famous Australian landmarks, flags and more,” a school spokesperson said “One student even wore a team jacket from an Olympian who competed at the last

Olympic games in London. Charlie Hunter attended CCGS from 2002 (Kindergarten) to 2014 (Year 12) and still holds a variety of school records. He was the school’s Sportsman of the Year in 2014; Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014; Athlete of the Year in 2011, 2013, 2014; and Captain of the NSW All Schools Cross Country team, finishing second in Australia in his event. CCN

River of Gold

Emma McKeon

OLYMPICS Australian Gold continues to flow in Tokyo as the Games enter Day 13, Thursday August 5. Fifteen gold medals have so far been won, the fourth highest of any nation – tied with Britain – including nine in the swimming pool and four for Emma McKeon alone: the new all-time most successful Australian Olympian. A further four silver and 17

bronze brings the total medal tally so far to 36, the sixth most behind Japan with 40 and Britain with 48. As well as swimming, medals have come in rowing, canoeing and kayaking, cycling BMX and road, equestrian, surfing, sailing and tennis. With the swimming races now at an end, the Australian team can look back on their single greatest Olympic performance in the pool of all time, earning 21 medals

The Silver medal winning Australian Equestrian Eventing Team of Andrew Hoy, Shane Rose and Kevin McNab

including nine gold and at least one medal on every day of finals races. The final swimming medal has come not in the pool but in the Open Water Women’s 10km, where Kareena Lee of Noosa placed third. After a silver in London 2012, a bronze at Rio 2016 and in the Women’s Kayak Slalom at Tokyo on Tuesday July 27, Jessica Fox finally reached gold in the Canoe Slalom, two days later on

Thursday. In sailing, Matt Wearn from Perth has won gold in the Men’s one person Dinghy – Laser event after coming out well on top throughout 10 heats and a medals race. Following this, Australia again won sailing gold in the Men’s Two Person Dinghy, with Matthew Belcher and Will Ryan finishing eight seconds ahead of second place Sweden in the Medals race. With so much Olympic success

already had, there were also a number of close calls within the Athletics and team sport events, most notably with Peter Bol’s fourth place finish in the 800 metre final, Brandon Starc’s fifth in High Jump, and two quarter final losses in Women’s Water Polo and Basketball. As well as these, Quarter Finals have been won by Australian teams in the Women’s Beach Volleyball and Men’s Basketball. These teams will play in Semi

Finals on Thursday: the women against Latvia at 11:00am aest, and the men against the USA at 2:15pm. Also, on Thursday will be the Bronze Medal Match between the Matildas and the USA in Women’s Football, at 6:00pm aest, and the Gold Medal Match between the Kookaburra’s and Belgium in the Men’s Hockey, at 8:00pm. CCN

PAGE 40 SPORT 6 AUGUST 2021

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Is Matt Dawson bound for Gold?

FIELD HOCKEY – OLYMPICS Since emerging from the pool stage of the Men’s Hockey competition undefeated, Berkeley Vale’s Matt Dawson and the Australian team have now advanced to the Gold Medal Final after a challenging run through the Netherlands and Germany. Prior to the finals, the Kookaburra’s topped Pool A with four wins in a row and a final draw. Their final win was against

New Zealand on Wednesday July 28, a game that was Dawson’s 150th for the nation, finishing 4 – 2. After conceding early, the Kiwis did well to quickly level out the game at 1 – 1, a score that was maintained until the 50th minute when Tim Brand put away his second of the game. This opened the gate for two more fourth quarter Australian goals for Blake Gover and Tom Wickam, with a second goal from the Black Sticks to finish off the match. After this game, the team

experienced something of a slight lull in form, starting with a 1 – 1 draw against Spain on Friday July 30. After this, the Quarter Final encounter with the Netherlands on Sunday August 1 was also even once the final regular time whistle was blown, requiring penalties to decide the winners. Aussie keeper, Andrew Charter proved his worth with three saves against three goals for Govers, Flynn Ogilvie and Brand. The win entered them into a

Semi-Final clash with Germany who beat the Netherlands in their Pool B match-up, 3 - 1. However, this time it was a case of the Kookaburras having fun while on top, with the final score reversed at 3 – 1, Australia’s win. The nervous results of the two previous games seemed entirely out of mind for the team who opened up their tally in the 7th minute with a sensational team goal involving a chip pass from Govers to Ogilvie and a final deflection from Brand on

Ogilvie’s powerful diagonal strike. Yet the Germans were not to be so easily undone; they hit back quickly with a 10th minute penalty corner goal to re-establish the tie. 17 minutes later, Govers again found the net with a penalty corner goal of his own, driven low and hard. The Germans were put on the back foot and forced to chase the match against one of the competition’s most effective defences – led by Dawson.

The Germans put Dawson’s defence under siege in the final quarter but to no avail and the game was eventually sealed by a final gaol from Thomas Lachlan for Australia. The win has given Dawson and the Aussies a shot at Olympic Gold for the first time since Athens 2004. The Gold Medal Match will be played against Belgium, who defeated India in the second Semi Final, 5 – 2, on Thursday August 5, 8:00pm aest. CCN

Matildas bow out FOOTBALL – OLYMPICS The Matildas have been eliminated from the pursuit of gold in the Women’s Tournament after being defeated for a second time by Sweden in the Quarter Finals, Monday August 2. It was a close affair throughout the 90 minutes of play with the Australian side dominating for much of the game. Wamberal’s Ellie Carpenter put in an exhaustive performance throughout the entire 90 minutes, playing as both a reliable final defender

The Matildas bow out of the Tokyo Olympics with a Semi Final loss to Sweden, 1 – 0.

and a dynamic play builder from back to front. Meanwhile, Tacoma’s Kyah Simon played in her 100th match for the Matildas,

becoming the ninth ever to do so. The Matildas will rue a decision from the Honduran referee in the first half to award

a free kick against Australia for a block a long way off the ball just as legend Sam Kerr found the net with brilliant strike. Kerr also narrowly missed

two or three signature headers in the second half as the Matildas continually tormented the Swedish defence with high crosses into the box. But it was the Swedes who will make their way to the Gold Medal Match on Friday August 6, against a Canadian team who surprised the comp with a Semi Final win over the USA, 1 – 0. This means the Matildas will again face the USA in the Bronze Medal Match. It has been a difficult tournament for the Australian

girls who entered the Games as the world’s ninth ranked team and third highest within their pool. Against Sweden and then America, they showed their ability to play beyond expectations and force the better teams to play at their very best to win; something the USA were unable to do first time round. Their heroic win against Great Britain will go down as one of the most thrilling events of the 2020 Games. CCN