Youth forum set for May 3

Central Coast Council’s Thinking Out Loud Youth Forum is returning bigger and better than ever in 2023 with registrations now open.

The forum will be held on Wednesday, May 3, hosted by Council’s Youth for Youth (Y4Y) Action Team.

This year the theme of the forum is Including Us and Council is calling on young people aged between 12 and 24, businesses, organisations, shopping centre management and event organisers to come together and contribute to important discussions on how to best include, involve and engage young people in community life, events and initiatives.

Council Unit Manager of Leisure Beach Safety and Community Facilities, Phil Cantillon, said the free event was designed to address key concerns young people had identified within the Central Coast community about how they were engaged in community life.

“A key finding in the Central Coast Youth Strategy 2019–2024 identified that young people felt there are limited opportunities where they can access safe and affordable venues to socialise, meet their friends and hang out,” Cantillon said.

“Our youth also said that while there are a great range of programs, events and activities on the Central Coast they aren’t regular enough or inclusive enough for them.

“This forum is providing the platform for business stakeholders to hear from a unique perspective on how best to engage with and increase participation from young people.

“I want to particularly encourage student representatives from local high schools, TAFE and universities to come together to utilise this opportunity and ensure that their voices are heard.”

The day will be broken into two parts: presentations from guest speakers who will highlight ways to better include young people in community life, events and initiatives; and group workshops.

Speakers will include 2022 Young Australian of the year finalist, Founder of Breathe and Board and Director at the Adolescent Health Association of Australia, Jahin Tanvir , and Fixx Events and Marketing owner Brad Cardis.

The group workshops will open a dialogue directly with young people, businesses, organisations and event organisers.

Council Administrator Rik Hart said the forum was a unique opportunity to identify and discuss current issues facing young people and it was crucial that the region’s schools

Killcare mobile phone tower rejected in Land and Environment Court

The ongoing saga over a development application for a vital mobile phone tower on Wards Hill Rd at Killcare Heights has been rejected in the NSW Land and Environment Court after local businessman Tony Denny successfully challenged tower proponents Optus Mobile, Central Coast Local Planning Panel and Central Coast Council.

In published court documents, Judge Pain said that development consent DA/57736/2019 for the construction of a telecommunications facility was invalid and of no effect.

Many community members are disappointed by the outcome after years of waiting for improvements in mobile phone and data reception.

President of the local Progress Association Mike Allsop said in the latest community newsletter that “the overwhelming support for improved coverage in the community has been amply demonstrated and we hope the legal shenanigans will soon be brought to a close”.

In April 2018 the then Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, announced that Telstra was awarded money through the Mobile Black Spot Program to build a macro base station to improve mobile phone coverage.

A joint media release by Wicks and Senator Bridget McKenzie (the then Minister for Regional Communications) said that “Killcare is receiving funding for a Telstra macro base station to provide improved coverage to areas of Killcare, Killcare Heights, Hardys Bay and Wagstaffe”.

The announcement followed years of lobbying by local residents, businesses and community groups to improve mobile reception in the area.

Ian Bull of the Wagstaffe to Killcare Community Association instigated a study in 2016 for a detailed map of mobile phone reception across the Bouddi Peninsula on the back of a previous community survey from 2014 citing considerable and businesses participated.

SLSC to do the last 5km into Terrigal.

The organisers are hoping a total of 200 walkers, each raising $10 per km that they walk, will raise a total of $30,000.

They have reached out to all Surf Clubs along the route to request their support to promote the event and encourage participation. Those interested in taking part or sponsoring a walker can find information at the organisers website: waterlinechallenge. org/waterline/central_coast/.

“This a great opportunity for key business stakeholders to hear directly from young people on ways that they can create a space that is both welcoming and engaging for them,” he said.

“It is also a chance for young people to have their voice heard and be a part of positive change that supports all to feel welcome in participating in the wonderful opportunities of community life across the Central Coast.”

The forum will be held from 9am to 1.30pm on May 3 at Council’s Wyong Administration Building.

Registrations can be made at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/ ThinkingOutLoud.

Source: Media release, Mar 27 Central Coast Council problems.

Bull released his map and findings in January 2017; the map was subsequently published in Coast Community News.

Local resident and telecommunications expert David Abrahams said at a subsequent public meeting that he thought a series of small micro-towers would be a good option due to the lengthy DA process and difficult topography in the area.

It is understood that Telstra out-sourced the project to Optus Mobile who proposed to build a so-called mono-tower at Wards Hill Rd, Killcare, mounted on a Council-owned water tank.

Optus lodged the DA through Central Coast Council for the mono-tower and the matter was then sent to the independent Local Planning Panel for consideration.

The planning panel eventually approved the DA, despite several appeals from Tony Denny and his wife who own property adjacent the water tower.

They were not happy with the planning panel’s decision and elected to take the judgement to the NSW Land and Environment Court.

It has been reported that Optus is preparing a new development application.

Meanwhile, residents and visitors at Killcare and Wagstaffe continue to have poor or non-existent mobile coverage.

Funnel-web bite survivor says thanks to reptile park team

When 19-year-old Ollie Kay of Hornsby was bitten by a funnel-web spider earlier this year, it was antivenom produced through the Australian Reptile Park’s milking program which saved his life.

This week the grateful young man visited the Somersby Park with his family to thank keepers first hand.

After waking in the middle of the night with burning pain on his forearm in February, Kay pulled back the sheets to reveal a large, black spider crawling across the bed.

After his girlfriend quickly filmed the spider, an internet search proved it was a deadly male funnel-web spider, capable of killing an adult in less than 90 minutes.

As they rushed to hospital, Kay experienced sweating, nausea, heart palpitations and light-headedness.

He was given two vials of antivenom as his family sat fearfully in the waiting room.

His father, John Kay, said the scariest part of the ordeal was when he heard doctors call for urgent resuscitation after a suspected cardiac event when the troponin levels of his son’s heart peaked at an alarming level.

After receiving the antivenom, Ollie Kay felt the effects immediately.

“It felt so much better … it was very fast-acting,” he said. Within 30 minutes, his headache, nausea and lightheadedness were completely gone.

Kay remained in hospital for three days of monitoring before being cleared for any heart damage with multiple scans.

“The panic came in after, when we realised just how serious it was and what could have happened if we had been there 10-15 minutes later,” John Kay said.

“That’s when, as a parent, you think wow – that was really close.”

Kay was extremely lucky to survive the bite, as the pressure-immobilisation technique wasn’t administered until they reached the hospital.

A pressure bandage, along with immobilising the affected area or limb, should be applied immediately after a suspected funnel-web spider bite.

If a compression bandage is not available, a makeshift bandage can be made with stripes of cloth.

The Australian Reptile Park is the only facility in the world to milk funnel-web spiders for their venom to produce lifesaving antivenom.

Staff were thrilled to meet Ollie Kay and his family when they toured the funnel-web spider milking facility with

Operations Manager Billy Collett and shared their story.

The group visited the funnelweb spider milking room and witnessed the tedious process of milking funnel-web spiders, using a tiny pipette extracting single drops of venom at a time.

The family also saw the Park’s venom processing facilities, where the venom is frozen and freeze-dried, before being sent to Seqirus CSL in Melbourne where the final stages of antivenom production take place.

Collett said the team at the Park puts an incredible number of hours into the spider venom milking program.

“To get enough raw venom for just one vial of antivenom, we need to milk 150 spiders,” he said.

“It was incredibly rewarding for the team to meet a funnelweb spider bite survivor – to get to shake the hand of someone who’s still here today because of the work we do.

“It motivates us to keep doing what we do every single day, to continue our venom program and save lives.”

Collett said he hoped sharing the story would spread awareness of spider bite first aid and the Park’s contribution to producing venom that creates lifesaving antivenom.

The program relies on public donations of funnel-web spiders.

“As the current funnel-web spider season is drawing to a close, we need everyone to be on the lookout for them and learn how to safely catch them and bring them in to one of our drop-off locations,” he said.

He also urged the public to brush up on spider bite first aid.

“Even if you’re unsure of what type of spider has bitten you, it’s crucial that you treat it as potentially life-threatening and seek urgent medical attention or call 000,” Collett said.

Last week, the Park announced the completion of the ground-breaking of its new venom milking facility which will produce lifesaving antivenom from the venom of terrestrial snakes and funnelwebs and will allow visitors to witness the venom milking process firsthand. It is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Terry Collins