Coast Community Pelican Post 007 by Central Coast Newspapers

11 FEBRUARY 2021

ISSUE 007

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

News

Blindsided by Centrelink closure

For years flooding on the Peninsula has been a major issue, with heavy rain often seeing homes and businesses threatened as many streets go underwater. See page 7

Out&About

Umina actor Samson Alston is set to star in an awardwinning Australian comedy in Sydney from February 17.

Residents have been blindsided by an announcement that Ettalong Beach’s Centrelink office will close its doors on February 12.

See page 17

Health

See page 4 Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, says the closure will disadvantage the most vulnerable

Bipartisan calls for cancellation of the PEP11 licence Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, showed solidarity with her Federal Labor colleagues when she joined Federal Opposition, Leader Anthony Albanese, Federal Labor MPs and concerned residents at Terrigal on February 5 to call for the cancellation of the PEP11 licence for exploration and drilling off the Coast.

Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese, discusses the PEP 11 licence with residents

Tesch said any oil spill or gas exploration tower on our horizon was a threat to beaches all along the Coast, including on the Peninsula, as well as tourism, sea life, waterway users, and the integrity of the community. “I am beyond proud to stand with Labor and Anthony

Albanese in saying no to PEP11 and no to gas exploration off the Central Coast,” she said. “I have always been passionate about activating and connecting people to our waterways and will continue to work with Labor to stand by our environment and our next generation.” With the licence up for renewal on February 12, Albanese told a crowd comprising MPs from all along the coastline, representatives of the Save Our Coast Group and Surfrider Foundation Australia, and dozens of concerned residents, that Continued page 3

Peninsula students were among those to benefit from a Back to School initiative organised by Central Coast volunteer-run charity We Care Connect. See page 34

Sport

A Woy Woy athletics program has been ranked amongst the best in the state following its online success in engaging the community. See page 40

Puzzles page 22

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

PAGE 2

11 FEBRUARY 2021

CCN

INFO

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ABOUT US

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

Coast Community Pelican Post is published team of local journalists as well as external fortnightly on a Thursday by Central Coast sources, including media releases, websites and Newspapers Pty Ltd (CCN), a local, family- public notices. owned business. All of our news content is subject to strict editorial standards – see www. CCN publishes three local, independent coastcommunitynews.com.au/aboutus/ newspapers – Coast Community News, the Coast Community Pelican Post and the Coast Community editorialstandards Chronicle – distributed via more than 450 Wherever possible, our news includes source distribution points right across the Central Coast. lines that provide information about where Most of our stories, as well as our digital information was sourced so that readers can programs such as “Friday 5@5”, can be viewed judge for themselves the veracity of what they online at www.coastcommunitynews.com.au are reading. together with a flip book for every paper shown Each paper focuses specifically on an area bound by postcodes as follows: in full. CCN aims to serve the interests of the Coast Community Pelican Post - Post Codes 2256 and 2257; Coast Community News - Post community in three important ways: 1. To serve the ultimate purpose of the free Codes 2250, 2251, 2260; and Coast Community press in a democracy, that is, to hold powerful Chronicle - Post Codes 2258, 2259, 2261, 2262 interests to account through high-quality, and 2263. independent journalism without fear or prejudice; Coast Community Pelican Post coverage takes 2. To provide an affordable medium for local in parts of both Gosford East and Gosford West businesses to advertise their products and Council Wards, a section of the State seats of services, including discounted rates for eligible Gosford and Terrigal, and a large section of the Federal seat of Robertson. not-for-profit organisations; and, 3. To keep the community informed about local For all other information, please visit our issues and ensure that important public notices website or call us on (02) 4325 7369 or call in are available to ALL members of the community and see us at Suite 1, Level 2, 86 Mann St, irrespective of their socio-economic Gosford. circumstances. Ross Barry, Publisher Our content is originated through both our own

The Pelican Post would like to offer two lucky readers the chance to win an AirFly Pro, courtesy of Twelve South. The AirFly Pro for Nintendo Switch is a little adapter that connects your wireless headphones or earbuds to your Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite. Plug AirFly into the Switch headphone jack to hear your favourite games without wires

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

immerse you into the game without annoying those around you. For your chance to win, write your full name, address, email and daytime telephone number on the back of an envelope and mail it to Pelican Post, AirFly Pro Competition, PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250, before 5pm on February 23. The winner of the Romance Pack Competition was Eva Want of Umina Beach.

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

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

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getting in the way or draining precious battery life. AirFly also lets you stream audio to two sets of headphones, which is great for multiplayer games. When you’re not gaming, use the ultralight AirFly with any headphone jack to stream audio to wireless headphones. The Switch Edition AirFly Pro is perfect for long car trips with the kids and is helpful for public transport commutes, helping

Deadline: February 23

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

Publication date: February 25

Pelican Post covers everything relating to Woy Woy, Woy Woy South, Umina, Pearl Beach, Patonga, Horsfield Bay, Pheagans Bay, Woy Woy Bay, Corea Bay, Ettalong, Booker Bay, Blackwall Publisher: Ross Barry - CEO: Cec Bucello - Design & Production: Justin Stanley, Lucillia Eljuga Journalists: Terry Collins, Maisy Rae, Dilon Luke, Jacinta Counihan, Hayley McMahon, Sue Murray, Haakon Barry, Merilyn Vale - Head of Distribution: Anthony Wagstaff ISSN 1839-9045 - Print Post Approved - PP100001843 - Printed by Spotpress Marrickville

29 JANUARY 2021 28 JANUARY 2021

ISSUE 277

ISSUE 006

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

5 FEBRUARY 2021 3 FEBRUARY 2021

News

Record crowds hit our beaches

News

The Great Wall of Ettalong

ISSUE 224

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

News

Projects to benefit from new funding Nine Central Coast residents have been recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours List (two posthumously).

Two Peninsula residents have been recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours List (one posthumously).

Out&About

A dancer from Umina Beach led a performance at a Sydney festival this month to help celebrate the stories of First People. See page 17

Health

Owner of Helado Cafe, Chris Perkins, said they had no knowledge of the construction until they discovered the newly built wall outside their café on January 20.

“I don’t know what the idea behind the wall was, we have always stayed within our lease,” Perkins said. “When you walk down the street, the café has kind of become invisible and (it) has

the site, making space for a five-storey hotel equipped with function facilities, a roof-top terrace bar and swimming pool. Continued page 4

Woy Woy’s own spider man A Woy Woy resident has made national news after discovering a new species of spider in Western Australia last month.

CCN

Adam Fletcher, an electrician and keen photographer, identified the Maratus Fletcheri spider during a three-week expedition through the southern parts of the wildflower state. And on December 17, the new species was named after Fletcher and described by Photo: Adam Fletcher

Julianne Waldock at the Western Australian Museum. Fletcher said he has always had a love for photography and spiders. “After years searching for and photographing these little beauties, my good friend Michael Doe and I became friends with Michael Duncan, an entomologist from Western Sydney University,” Fletcher said. “After many weekend trips away searching for different

species of Peacock spiders, we decided to form a not-for-profit group called Project Maratus. “We wanted to put them out in the world so everyone could see what they were, and we tried to do as much research as we could ... where they are found, what habitat. “After five or six years of doing it, we’d already found a few new species that had been given other names by people who wrote the paper. Continued page 4

Photo: Surf Life Saving NSW

Avoca Beach - Australia Day

Council meeting deferred to February 3 More than 800 people were tested for COVID-19 in just six days at a pop-up testing clinic established at Woy Woy Hospital in the lead-up to Christmas. See page 31

Sport

The 2020/2021 Newcastle Permanent Junior Ironperson Series came to its conclusion on Saturday, January 23 at Ocean Beac See page 35

Puzzles page 22

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

A large number of residents is expected to protest a proposed 10-15 per cent rate increase outside Gosford Chambers at an extraordinary Central Coast Council meeting on February 3. Ratepayers were set to stage a protest on January 27, before the meeting was cancelled at the request of Administrator Dick Persson for family reasons and the February 3 meeting scheduled. There will be an Open Forum and a Public Forum and people can still register to speak in accordance with the usual guidelines and timeframes. People are required to register through the Council website to attend so attendance numbers can be managed in accordance

with Council’s COVID safe plan. Meanwhile, Council has extended the deadline for its survey on the proposed rate rise and added an option where residents can opt for no rate rise above the IPART peg. But residents say the survey still has limited options, with many choosing to lodge submissions direct with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). Residents can now complete the survey until February 1. Acting CEO Rik Hart said he was closely monitoring the community sentiment as it was critical that voices were heard. “Our very early and preliminary survey results are giving a strong indication that ratepayers feel restricted in their opportunity to express their views about the option of

Acting CEO Rik Hart

no rate rise at all,” Hart said. “We have looked at less than 10 per cent of the survey responses, as there is a lot of data to process with over 3,300 surveys completed. “More than half the respondents in this small sample don’t want any rate rise … and we are certainly seeing some similar commentary in

letters to my office and the Administrator’s Office. “I can totally understand this viewpoint. “However, I need to make it clear that no rate rise is not a viable option. “Council needs a rate rise to repay the restricted funds spent on community infrastructure and services and to deliver a level of service to the community that ensures our assets and essential services are maintained. “I urge all community members to keep an open mind, consider the information put before them, and to provide their feedback before February 1. “We are committed to capturing as much community feedback as we can in order for the Council to consider whether

or not to formally apply to IPART for a Special Variation of the rates.” Council has notified the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) of its intention to apply for a Special Variation (SV) of either a one-off 10 per cent rise remaining in the rate base for seven years or a one-off 15 per cent, remaining permanently in the rate base, inclusive of the 2021/22 rate peg of 2 per cent. Information on the options being considered for a Special Variation as well as a survey for ratepayers and residents can be found at https://www. yourvoiceourcoast.com/allprojects/securing-your-futurerate-rise

One of Gosford longestrunning law firms, Brazel Moore Lawyers, is celebrating 40 years of practice, after being established in 1981 by Geoff Brazel and Peter Moore. See page 25

Sport

Central Coast Cycling Club’s Brendan Buhagiar has taken out first place in the Grade B division of the Australia Day Graded Scratch Road Race on Tuesday, January 26. See page 40

Terry Collins

Puzzles page 22

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

Wallarah 2 coal mine for sale Korea Resources Corporation is planning to sell its 82.25 percent stake in the Wallarah 2 coal mine, as part of efforts to cut its debt totalling $6.1B as of the end of June 2020. It was reported in The Korea Economic Daily on January 6 that the government owned corporation had called for bids on a stakehold in the Wyong Areas Coal Mine Joint Venture, to comply with South Korean government instructions to offload all its overseas assets as soon as possible. “It hired law firm, Lee & Ko as the sale manager, and will receive bids until the morning of April 22, according to the company and industry sources

on January 5,” the article said. A Korea Resources official said in the article that in the sale process, SK Networks and Kyungdong might offer their shares as well. Wyong Coal Pty Limited manages the Wallarah 2 Coal Project in the Yarramalong and Dooralong valleys on behalf of the Wyong Areas Coal Joint Venture. Kores Australia Pty Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Korea Resources Corporation, holds an 82.25 percent share. Australian private entity Centennial Wallarah Pty Ltd has a five percent stake. Korean mine developer, Kyungdong Australia Pty Ltd represents 4.25 percent.

SK Networks Resources Australia (Wyong) Pty Ltd and SK Networks Resources Pty Ltd each hold a 4.25 percent share. The Korea Economic Daily reported that since last year, the South Korean ruling party had been seeking to ban its state run institutions, such as the power corporation, from financing foreign coal power projects. South Korea’s parliament looks set to pass new legislation to ban financing on foreign coal power projects, however, the proposed Bill has not yet passed through the parliament. The rapid transition away from fossil fuels overshadowed the outlook for global coal demand which could lead to a

drop in the Wallarah 2 coal mine’s selling price, the article said. A Korean resource industry spokesperson voiced opposition to any hasty sale of the mine, according to the article. “The Wyong mine may be difficult to sell at the right price, but given its productivity, we may need to think about how to utilise its resources directly,” the spokesperson said. Wallarah 2, with 1.2 billion tons of thermal coal, has approval for 28 years to extract up to five million tons per annum from its underground longwall mine. Its location in the main water catchment area for the Central

Coast, as well as other significant environmental factors, caused strong community opposition and there has been a concerted campaign led by the Australian Coal Alliance right through to the Land and Environment Court. The Federal Government approved the mine in 2018 but with hundreds of conditions aimed primarily at protecting the environment and water quality. Wyong MP, David Harris, said indications were that the Koreans were now wanting to remove themselves from coal mining in the longer term.

Clear skies, blue waves and scorching sunshine have accounted for the Coast’s busiest Australia Day weekend on record. See page 17

Sport

Protesters tested Administrator Dick Persson’s patience when he bravely fronted them for a conversation before he chaired the first Council meeting of the year. Resident Marianne Hamilton, who later spoke at the Open Forum, claimed the survey which ratepayers were invited

to complete was “rigged”. “It doesn’t give you the option to say no rate rise or anything other than 10 or 15 per cent,” she said. “I feel like Council needs to be a lot more transparent; there are a lot of confidential meetings for example.” Another resident called for an answer on why Persson refers to ratepayers as“shareholders”. One woman asked “If we don’t pay our rates, what happens?” but Persson replied “You won’t win that battle”. Persson faced derogatory

signage, television crews and journalists who moved in to record every word. He admitted he may have called one person a jerk when he couldn’t get his answers out before people started baiting him, but said afterwards he failed his own standards of behaviour and was sorry for that. But the Administrator did have a couple of wins. He asked protesters who had read his interim report; only a minority put their hand up. He asked how many realised

that Wyong residents would actually on average pay $3 a week less in rates even with a 15 per cent rate increase because of the effect of rate harmonization, which would see former Gosford council residents pay on average about $7 more. Quite a few ratepayers said they hadn’t realised that. When he finished, the crowd politely applauded him. During the meeting itself, Persson said services such as libraries, pool hours and sporting field maintenance would be cut back if the

proposed rate rise does not get IPART approval. The deadline for the Council’s submission to IPART is next Monday, February 8, and the Council indicated last year that it may need an extension for the report on why such a rise is needed. “This need for a rate rise has come out of left field and IPART is aware of that and so is being accommodating,” Persson said. Merilyn Vale and Jacinta Counihan

A 1-2 win for Wellington Phoenix against Central Coast in Match Week 6 at Central Coast Stadium has reshaped the A-League table, with the Mariners falling from first place.

A lifesaving incubator will soon be online at Charmhaven’s SoCares Animal Care Facility, following a highly successful community fundraiser. See page 17

Health

See page 3

For years flooding on the Peninsula has been a major issue, with heavy rain often seeing homes and businesses threatened as many streets go underwater. See page 7

Out&About

Umina actor Samson Alston is set to star in an awardwinning Australian comedy in Sydney from February 17.

Residents have been blindsided by an announcement that Ettalong Beach’s Centrelink office will close its doors on February 12.

See page 17

Health

See page 4

Federal Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese with Central Coast ALP members and other protestors against oil and gas drilling

Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, says the closure will disadvantage the most vulnerable

Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, was at the Australian Reptile Park on February 4 to encourage eligible Central Coast businesses to register... See page 25

Sport

The occasion of captain Matt Simon’s 200th game for the Central Coast Mariners has been marked with an exhilarating 3-2 win... See page 40

Puzzles page 22

Puzzles page 23

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

Local members join calls to block PEP11

See page 17

Business Dozens of disgruntled residents gathered outside Gosford Chambers ahead of Central Coast Council’s February 3 meeting, protesting a proposed rate rise of 10-15 per cent.

See page 38

Continued page 6

News

See page 8

On a mission to break a Guinness World Record for the longest journey kitesurfing, Brian Kiss von Soly took a pit stop on the Central Coast to outwait bad weather on February 1.

See page 7

Out&About

The NSW Government has granted over $270,000 for improvements to Crown Land reserves and community facilities across the Central Coast, including more than $193,000 being shared among five groups in the northern suburbs.

ISSUE 007

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

Blindsided by Centrelink closure

Despite the dozens of disgruntled residents gathered outside Gosford Chambers ahead of Central Coast Council’s February 3 meeting, and widespread community...

See page 12

Chairman of the Board of Wyong Race Club Limited, John Waghorn, has refuted claims that the Club has “closed its gates...

See page 17

Business

11 FEBRUARY 2021

Out&About

See page 4

also limited the amount of seating I can place there because it’s encroaching into our space a little bit.” The Memorial Ave arcade was purchased by a developer with plans to demolish half of

News

Out&About

See page 3

One of the Australian Reptile Park’s kangaroo joeys got into the Aussie spirit by taking her first hops just days before Australia Day.

More than 200,000 people flocked to Central Coast beaches over the Australia Day long weekend, as authorities dealt with 168 rescues, a prank drowning at Terrigal, parking havoc and jet ski chaos at Ettalong. Full story page 5

scratching their heads.

ISSUE 225

REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS

There has been a mixed reaction to the State Government’s response to a recent parliamentary inquiry into koalas

News

The Helado team and the newly constructed wall

A 3-metre high timber wall has been constructed in front of a popular set of shops in The Rocks Arcade at Ettalong Beach, leaving local businesses and community members

10 FEBRUARY 2021

News

A large number of residents are expected to protest a proposed 10-15 percent rate increase outside Gosford Chambers at an extraordinary Central Coast Council meeting on February 3.

See pages 10-12

See page 10

Out&About

ISSUE 278

RATES RAGE

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

$70M shortfall for essential services Four Director positions and their departments have been cut from Central Coast Council as part of cost-cutting, but Administrator, Dick Persson, says an extra $70M a year is needed to continue delivering the essential services of roads, rates and rubbish at current levels. The Administrator presented his three-month progress report at Council’s meeting on Wednesday, February 3. The meeting started late as Persson spent about half an hour speaking to protesters who gathered outside the Gosford chambers and were filmed by a television crew chanting “No rate rise”.

He asked how many of them realised that with the rate harmonisation process, former Wyong residents would pay on average $3 a week less. Some of the protesters said they did not know that. Persson acknowledged the challenge in communicating to the community the need for a rate rise. “I can’t get the message to the community strong enough - this is dire,” he said. Persson said he was happy to talk to residents but warned: “If you come to me with alternatives, we won’t talk if you haven’t read my report.” The report says that cutting costs would deliver about 70 percent of the $70M per year shortfall needed for essential

services while a rate rise would deliver the rest - if the Independent Pricing and Regularity Tribunal (IPART) agreed to grant one. Persson said that other services such as libraries, pool hours and sporting field maintenance would be cut back if the proposed rate rise did not get IPART approval. Council wants a rate rise of 15 percent and its second choice is a 10 percent increase. The deadline for Council’s submission to IPART was Monday, February 8 and the Council voted on Wednesday February 8 to sent the recommendation to IPART for the 15 per cent increase. “This need for a rate rise has come out of left field and IPART

is aware of that and is being accommodating,” he said. Meanwhile, the work of reducing the number of staff at Council continues and Persson said Council was meeting its redundancy target. Four directors and their directorates – Governance; Innovation and Futures; People and Culture; and Information Management and Technology - have been cut. The number of senior staff has reduced from nine to five and the business areas that fell under these directorates have been moved elsewhere within the organisation. The governance director’s position was vacant, as was the IT position, and the director of Innovation and Futures has left.

The Human Resources department has been incorporated into Corporate Services and the Internal Ombudsman is no longer on the executive leadership team. Also, the next line of managers has been cut from 39 to 26. These positions will go as staff leave the organisation over the coming months. “People are willing to go,” Persson said. The capital works program for this financial year had been cut from $240M to $170M. Persson said the current shortfall of $70M every year was not sustainable and banks wanted evidence of a plan to reduce costs.

Bipartisan calls for cancellation of the PEP11 licence Central Coast Carers Retreat extends its care to wombats.

A second come back win in a row for the Mariners at Central Coast Stadium, this time against Western United, has given the side a slither of first place security. See page 40

Continued Page 4

Puzzles page 23

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

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

Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, showed solidarity with her Federal Labor colleagues when she joined Federal Opposition, Leader Anthony Albanese, Federal Labor MPs and concerned residents at Terrigal on February 5 to call for the cancellation of the PEP11 licence for exploration and drilling off the Coast.

See page 33

Sport

Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese, discusses the PEP 11 licence with residents

Peninsula students were among those to benefit from a Back to School initiative organised by Central Coast volunteer-run charity We Care Connect. See page 34

Sport

A Woy Woy athletics program has been ranked amongst the best in the state following its online success in engaging the community. See page 40

Puzzles page 22

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

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PAGE 3

11 FEBRUARY 2021

Bipartisan calls for cancellation of the PEP11 licence From page 1 PEP11 had the potential to wreak havoc along the entire coastline from Sydney to Port Stephens. Not only would any drilling impact the way of life on the Central Coast, but it would also have an economic effect on the fishing industry and tourism, which he said was a “vital employer” on the Coast. “(Drilling) would be a disaster even if things went well, but if they didn’t, it could be potentially catastrophic,” he said. Albanese said the Labor Party was not opposed to oil and gas exploration in appropriate areas but drilling along the coastline was “just not on”. He said the Federal Government needed to ensure that an application for renewal of the licence was denied. Save our Coast representative, Tim Heffernan, said that the Federal Government must now act to cancel PEP11, which “doesn’t make any sense”, once and for all. “Save Our Coast has been leading the campaign with the community for a number of years to stop seismic testing and drilling off the most

Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, with Federal Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, and Member for Dobell, Emma McBride

populated coastline in NSW, which is also a major whale migratory route,” he said. “Tens of thousands of people from the Central Coast and beyond have joined actions, signed petitions and contacted their local MPs. “We are opposed to the project because the risk to our precious marine environment, tourism sector and coastal lifestyle far outweighs any benefits, especially in a time

when the entire world is moving away from fossil fuels and transitioning towards renewables.” Surfrider Foundation Australia National Campaign Director, Damien Cole, said that while gas exploration was the main thrust of PEP11, there was also the potential for oil exploration. “This could lead to oil slicks which could destroy everything we’ve ever known” he said. After months of refusing to

make a public stand on the issue, Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, announced on February 5 that she would oppose extension of the PEP11 licence. “Extending the PEP-11 permit is a decision for the Joint Authority,” she said. “The first step in this process is for the NSW Deputy Premier, John Barilaro, to make a recommendation on extending the PEP-11 permit.

“The second step is for the Federal Minister for Resources, Keith Pitt, to do the same. “I am urging the NSW Government to listen to the concerns of the Central Coast community and say no to extending the PEP-11 permit. “I stand with my community in raising these serious concerns about the potential impacts of PEP-11 on our ocean. “Regardless of the NSW

Government’s decision, I will be advocating for the Commonwealth to say no to the decision to extend the PEP-11 permit.” A spokesperson for Deputy Premier John Barilaro, confirmed that he will recommend refusal of the extension of the licence. “In 2017, the NSW government’s position was to refuse further applications to extend the life of PEP 11 and that position has not changed,” the spokesperson said. Minister for Resources, Keith Pitt, said that he was yet to receive any formal submission or advice from the NSW Minister. “The National Offshore Titles Administrator (NOPTA) will provide advice to assist with my decision,” Pitt said. “Any exploration project or petroleum activity will require approval from the independent expert offshore regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA). “I will carefully consider all relevant information before making my decision.” Terry Collins

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11 FEBRUARY 2021

NEWS

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Blindsided by Centrelink closure From page 1 Residents have been blindsided by an announcement that Ettalong Beach’s Centrelink office will close its doors on February 12. The Ettalong centre, on Ocean View Rd, will be vacated after February 12, with the landholder said to have received approval to redevelop the current site for an apartment block. Minister for Government

Services, Stuart Robert, said the department had been searching for a suitable alternate property in Ettalong and surrounding suburbs for approximately two years. “No alternative sites were identified,” Robert said. “Services Australia will be advertising an Expression of Interest to establish an agent service in Ettalong to continue services to the Ettalong community.” Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said the move will

disadvantage the most vulnerable, who will now be forced to attend the Woy Woy Service Centre. Tesch has called for a new facility to be introduced at Ettalong saying that COVID-19 has placed a higher demand on Centrelink services like JobSeeker and the pension. “At a time when people are reeling from the onslaught of COVID-19 throughout Australia, why would anyone think it is a good idea to cut an essential service and change the way it

is delivered?” Tesch said. “Here on the Peninsula, we have the highest number of people aged over 65 on the Central Coast and we know our seniors are not always digitally literate.” “We already had to battle to get back our Roads and Maritime Service Centre (Service NSW) and we are more than ready to get back our (Centrelink) service centre in Ettalong. The announcement of the closure came just days before

the Government revealed plans to revamp Woy Woy’s Service Centre. The building works, which should be finalised by February 15, will focus on upgrades to self-service facilities and digital support, as well as appointment-based services for residents. Employees at the Ettalong branch are said to be being moved across to the Woy Woy Centre once it reopens. Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said

she welcomed the improvements to the Woy Woy Centre and had secured assurances that Services Australia would look after Peninsula residents at the new centre. “I have fought hard to ensure the Central Coast—in particular the Peninsula—is one of the first regions in the country to enjoy Services Australia’s transformed government services delivery; a new, greater offering,” Wicks said. Maisy Rae

Community Environment Network FIRST 2021 WILDPLANT COMMUNITY NURSERY ON SATURDAY 6 MARCH Our popular plant sales are back for 2021 and will continue to be held on the first Saturday of each month from 9am to 12pm. Our next sale day is: Saturday 6 MARCH 9am to 12pm CEN Office, Brush Rd,

Ourimbah We have a range of local native plants available including ground covers and herbs, shrubs and trees, bush food, bird attracting, native bee attracting, frog friendly and screen plants. Cash and EFTPOS accepted.

BREAKFAST WITH THE BIRDS 2021 Join us to celebrate World Wetlands Day at the Central Coast Wetlands, Pioneer Dairy. When: Sunday, 7th February, 2021 Time: 8am - 11am

Registration 8am Bird Watching tour, Buffet Breakfast and Wetland talks. Activities 10-11am (dip netting, water testing, tree planting and displays).

Due to COVID restrictions YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE Cost: $10 (Adult), $6 (child) To register go to: https://cen.org.au/ events/cen-event-list

SOMERSBY GREENTEAM INFORMATION PICNIC TACKLING WEEDS TOGETHER

Are you a rural landholder interested in forming a private landholder ‘Greenteam’ Landcare group in your area to tackle weeds together? Come along to our Somersby-Mangrove Mountain Greenteam information picnic*. When: Saturday, 13 February, 9am to 10.30am Where: Somersby Falls Picnic Area, Somersby Falls Rd, Somersby Cost: FREE * Morning tea included Find out what support we can offer. CEN will provide: bush regen supervisor; help with bushland management and planning; plant identification; seed collecting; planting; tool kit; and health and safety. The Community Environment Network (CEN) is registered as a landcare group and is a member of Landcare NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare Network (GSLN). The Greenteam groups will be covered by CEN’s Volunteer Insurance and Public Liability Insurance. Private property Landcare Groups provide a supportive environment that enables local people with the opportunity to come together, share knowledge and experiences and to do something positive and practical for the long-term health of their land. Each group has control in setting their own group’s destiny and the particular activities or focus that their group may wish to pursue. For more information contact: Nicole Heta, Project Officer, Community Environment Network P: 4349 4756 E: nicole.heta@cen.org.au

Imagine Look ahead to 2050. Imagine the Central Coast youth of 2021 leading their respective fields. The transition to renewable energy will be complete. The local economy will consist of locally-owned sustainable industries. Community gardens will be hives of activity – dynamic community meeting hubs. Eco-tourism will thrive and generate employment in our region. Our wetlands, old growth forest, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries will be world acclaimed. In 2019 CEN Youth set down ‘Steps Towards a Sustainable Future’. Their core theme was to ‘Protect, Reconnect and Regenerate’. They identified that steps will need to be taken to: ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’; improve transport; increase renewable energy; grow more native trees; transition to plant-based foods; and embrace storytelling. CEN Youth’s ‘Steps Towards a Sustainable Future’ are an easy guide for our community to build a more sustainable future in which everyone, with every action taken, can have a positive impact. This year our CEN Youth will work with CEN staff to contribute to core projects: Costal Open Space System (COSS); Habitat for Wildlife; and Waterwatch. At CEN, we are playing our part. We all have a role to play in building sustainable communities and future leaders. What role will you play? Visit www.cen.org.au and contact us via our CEN Youth projects page for more information about how to become involved with CEN Youth.

Hale Adasal CEN Chairwoman

The Community Environment Network (CEN) is an alliance of individuals and groups that work for ecologically sustainable development.

Support CEN - Become a member - Volunteer - Make a donation

www.cen.org.au Ph: 4349 4756

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NEWS

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11 FEBRUARY 2021

Five pelicans trapped by fishing line The Peninsula’s ‘Pelican Lady’ is calling on residents to dispose of their fishing equipment and rubbish appropriately after five pelicans were recently found trapped. Locals are being asked to not use braided line inshore or unnecessarily, and to cut it up and dispose of it appropriately. The Pelican Post has been reporting on Wendy Gillespie’s findings since its first edition in November, calling on the community to keep an eye out

for the endangered birds. Gillespie said she has rescued five pelicans since Christmas Eve, with wing entanglement from fishing lines having a significant impact on the birds. A five-month-old pelican was found trapped in its nest with a mass of fishing line wrapped around its wing. Gillespie said she found four separate lines, an old bait jig with hooks, disintegrated tarp strands, and a balloon and twine attached to the wing, before she cut it off and released the bird immediately.

However, she said not all cases are this lucky. “Many of the seagulls and doves with lower limb amputations have been victims of ‘braided line’ entanglements,” Gillespie said. “The line construction ensures that once it becomes entangled it can’t be disentangled so it’s often cut off and discarded in a ball. “The ‘braided’ line literally saws through wings and limbs on movement. “The slow and painful plight of our birds and other wildlife

entangled in this diabolical fibre and other line and twine is the primary reason why I continue to proactively rescue 23 years on.” Gillespie said although birds who are entangled can still fly, this is no reason for them not to be rescued. She is asking for locals to report birds in distress so suffering, dysfunction and limb loss can be prevented. Bird sightings can be reported to Gillespie on 0458 975 498. Maisy Rae

Community fun day raises $1,650 for Mingaletta A Peninsula community event on January 26 raised $1,650 for the Mingaletta Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation. Members of the Pearl Beach Progress Association and the Pearl Beach Aboriginal History Group held the all-inclusive, family-friendly event and barbecue sausage sizzle at Pearl Beach. President of the Pearl Beach Progress Association, Russell Grove, said the association had organised activities for

residents and visitors on Australia Day for many years. “This year was no different except for the restrictions and procedures in place as a result of COVID-19,” Grove said. “Not to be daunted, as always, there was an enthusiastic group of volunteers who organised a great barbecue of sausages, bacon and onions. “With the generous support of Pearl Beach Real Estate meeting the cost of supplies, $1,650 was raised in support of the Mingaletta Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander Corporation which provides access to a range of communitybased activities, programs and services including health, welfare and educational programs - a great initiative worthy of our support.” This is the fourth year the association has donated profits from its annual event to Mingaletta, with the proceeds presented to Auntie Dianne Edwards. Pearl Beach Aboriginal History Group member Peggy Todd

said activities on the day focused on remembering and respecting Aboriginal history and culture. “Pearl Beach loves an inclusive community event and everyone, including the barbecue crew, worked hard for Mingaletta,” Todd said. “Volunteers toiled from 6am to prepare a COVID-safe environment.” Todd said 20 families had entered the traditional sand sculpture competition with many displays that represented

Aboriginal pride. “One of the entries was a Ken Done-type version of Uluru with the Aboriginal flag planted proudly on top – talk about lift the spirits,” Todd said. Other activities included Aussie Beach Best Dressed, thong throwing, cooee calling, and a guessing competition of how many Minties and Fantales were in a jar—with the winner guessing the exact number. Grove said traditional Australian treats like lamingtons and watermelon

were also available for purchase, which helped raise money for the Salvation Army. “It was a great morning of fun and laughter bringing enjoyment to all who participated,” Grove said. “We owe a big thank you to all those who organised the various activities and also to those who participated in another Pearl Beach Progress Association sponsored activity.” Hayley McMahon

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11 FEBRUARY 2021

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New environment group in Pearl Beach The creation of a new community group in Pearl Beach is on the cards following calls for residents to receive information relating to the area’s natural and built environment.

Pearl Beach

Residents of Pearl Beach are being invited to a community meeting on February 20 to discuss the potential of a Pearl Beach Village Environment Group. Secretary of the Pearl Beach Arboretum, Mary Knaggs, is set to convene the preliminary meeting, but said she wished to not be the convener of the ongoing group. “There has been talk for some time about reinstating a

Pearl Beach Environment Group made up of interested residents and friends of Pearl Beach,” Knaggs said. “Therefore, it is planned to hold a community meeting to discuss what the group may look like. “Such a group can only exist if there is substantial community support.” The group is set to discuss and monitor development applications, promote a “sympathetic built and natural environment” throughout Pearl Beach, hold workshops about conserving flora and fauna, and review and republish the 2009 Pearl Beach Environment Guide. Knaggs said the group is hoping to appoint a convener

for the meetings, and someone to record minutes. The group also wishes to attract residents with expertise in urban planning and conservation of the natural environment. The Executive Committee of the Pearl Beach Progress Association (PBPA) provided its support for a new group at their meeting on November 19. The minutes state: “That the Executive Committee support the establishment of a Pearl Beach Environment Group with open participation and input from all residents and other Pearl Beach groups such as the Arboretum, Bushcare and Dunecare to provide information and education in relation to the Pearl Beach natural and built

environment.” The PBPA has also offered to promote the new group through its website and the quarterly Gem Newsletter but will not support the idea of an environment group as a subcommittee of the Association. The community meeting will be held on Saturday, February 20, in the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall from 5pm-6:30pm. Speakers are being asked to bring their ideas to the meeting for a two-minute speech and a two-minute question and answer session. Organisers are asking for residents to RSVP by 5pm on February 18, by emailing mary. knaggs@gmail.com Maisy Rae

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

From Council My first three months as Administrator for Central Coast Council has involved working out what happened, who was responsible, and most importantly what we needed to do to return the Council to a positive financial position. My 30-Day Interim Report provided this detail. Last week I released my 3-month Progress Report and I encourage you to read it on Council’s website. The report provides an update to the community on the necessary reforms and changes that have been implemented. A strong conclusion I have formed is that the merged council model of 15 Councillors has resulted in a dynamic more like a parliament, where the opposing forces rarely collaborate. There is no doubt in my mind this has contributed to the financial disaster of Central Coast Council. I am therefore proposing that a referendum be held at the next local government election seeking voter approval to reduce the number of Councillors from 15 to 9 and a change to the ward system. I believe the best option would be to abolish the wards altogether and have an ‘undivided’ council, this would then hopefully provide for a more collaborative approach in considering what is best for the area as a whole. The alternative would be reduce the wards from 5 to 3. I will be consulting with the community on this before shaping the referendum question. This is not a guarantee but would increase the likelihood of collaboration.

Dick Persson AM Administrator, Central Coast Council

Council makes significant progress to balance budget

We are continuing to make strides in financial recovery and sustainability with further actions implemented from the adopted Business Recovery Plan. Seventy percent of actions have now been completed to mitigate Council’s current financial situation including: • Securing a further $100M in commercial loans • Development of a long-term financial plan • High-level service review to inform critical services and potential areas for efficiency • Workforce review including voluntary redundancy program and identification of revenue stream opportunities • Capital works expenditure reduction of $40M We have also recently engaged property development experts Michael Filo and Steve Rowe to oversee the sale of our underperforming assets as part of an Independent Advisory Group. They bring a wealth of experience to the table, most recently being members on the Major Projects Advisory Committee for City of Parramatta Council. We are confident that we will deliver a balanced budget next financial year and deliver small surpluses thereafter to start paying off our debt. We are making steps in the right direction to achieve financial recovery and sustainability.

Council meeting

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

Development Applications and Consents Development Applications and Consents can be inspected at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au by searching ‘Development Applications’ or in person at Council offices in Gosford and Wyong 8.30am-5pm weekdays.

Under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2019, submissions on Development Applications are required to be published on our website. Submissions lodged using Council’s DA Submission Form or online portal will have personal contact details and signature redacted. All other submissions will be published in full. Your submission may also be reproduced in full in Council reports or in Court proceedings.

Trialling new technology to assess our roads

We are working with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia NSW and ACT Division (IPWEA) to trial new technology using video footage and machine learning to deliver an automated assessment of road conditions. Our goal is to have an automated system that picks up defects in the road, like potholes, so that maintenance can be programed as soon as possible. This would mean that we don’t have to wait for scheduled manual inspections or community requests for repairs. The system is designed to be easily mounted to vehicles like street sweepers or garbage trucks, which are already driven across the road network on a regular basis. IPWEA is also working with Canterbury Bankstown, Georges River and Blayney Councils for the trial. There is no direct cost to Central Coast Council to participate. The evaluation of the trial will be released by the IPWEA in March. The Central Coast is an expansive region with an extensive road roadwork and it is exciting to be exploring a technology that offers the potential to provide us with better data in a more cost-effective way. Find out more, search ‘road tech’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

Council’s financial situation

Council has adopted a Recovery Action Plan that will review all aspects of Council’s operations. For up-to-date information search ‘news’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

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11 FEBRUARY 2021

Floodplain study for Peninsula For years flooding on the Peninsula has been a major issue, with heavy rain often seeing homes and businesses threatened as many streets go underwater. Central Coast Council is preparing a Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan (FRMSP) for the Woy Woy peninsula, including the Kahibah Creek catchment, and is looking for community input. The study is supported by the

NSW Government’s Floodplain Management Program. The FRMSP will look at ways to manage the flooding problems identified in previous flood studies while taking into consideration management options identified in the Brisbane Water Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan and the Kahibah Creek Floodplain Management Study. It is being prepared by consultants DHI Group and Rhelm Pty Ltd. Council is calling on residents

to help identify ways to manage the flooding problems recognised in the Woy Woy catchment, as well as gain a better understanding of how and where past flood events have impacted the community. A community drop-in session will be held on Thursday, February 18, from 4-7pm at the Country Women’s Association (CWA) Hall, 30/32 The Boulevarde, Woy Woy. Council staff will be available to answer any questions about the study.

Those who live, work or visit Woy Woy are also invited to answer an online questionnaire to help identify flooding problems and how they would like to see these problems addressed by 5pm on Friday, March 12. For more information or to fill in the questionnaire visit yourvoiceourcoast.com/woywoy-floodplain Source: Central Coast Council website, Feb 9

Flooding has been a major issue on the Peninsula for many years

Council investigates paid parking at beaches for visitors Visitors to the region could soon be required to pay for parking at beaches on the Peninsula, with Central Coast Council set to urgently investigate paid parking at all Coast beaches for non-residents. An Administrator’s Minute put to the Council meeting on February 8 called for an exploration of the viability of introducing a visitor-based beach parking system to contribute towards defraying some of the costs of providing services at beach side centres.

Administrator Dick Persson said a crucial part of any new paid parking system at beaches was that ratepayers and residents would not pay to park at beaches, just visitors. “This community and this economy has a very large underpinning from the tourism sector, from the visitor economy, and the ratepaying community pays a lot to provide the services for visitors, for example beach services such as lifeguards, rubbish and beach cleaning,” Persson said. “Most communities with a big visitor input have found a way

for visitors to make a contribution, a small contribution, and certainly you wouldn’t look to do anything that might kill the goose that laid the golden egg, but parking is one of those areas that is very common.” Persson said other councils had paid beach parking charging visitors but ratepayers received permits with their rates notices to give them free parking. “Ratepayers should not have to pay all the costs associated with providing services,” he said.

“I want to be very clear – I will be very mindful of not damaging the tourist visitor economy. “I will be equally mindful that ratepayers pay a lot to provide services which many visitors take for granted and I think there is some sense of equity in this approach.” Persson said this was in response to feedback from the community to explore other revenue raising options. “I hope in the current climate people accept that this is a further attempt to keep trying to find ways of giving us a chance to do other things in the

future,” he said. “Even if we get a significant rate increase, it’s not really going to give us an opportunity to do a lot of new things over the medium term.” Persson said he had also asked Acting CEO, Rik Hart, to look at a procurement review where it was quite often “a chance to pick up some low hanging fruit”. “You can’t deal with a financial situation like this by only implementing big things, like cutting hundreds of staff, raising rates – there are lots of other things you have to look

at,” he said. Persson has directed Council staff to report by mid-March about the costs of establishing a paid beach parking system that provides protection to ratepayers, a projected revenue stream, potential timeline to implementation and potential beaches and beach-side centres impacted. He said when the report came back to Council with a recommendation it would then go out for public consultation. Sue Murray

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Local op shop gives back to community A local opportunity shop is giving back to the community by donating profits to local charities and supporting those in the community who need a helping hand. Finders Keepers 17 has been open for seven months now and is run by retirees Carmen and Stephen Wells. Carmen Wells said they wanted to provide support and assistance to the Peninsula

community with no intentions of making a profit. “Two years ago, we arrived at Ettalong, and I put my hand up to work at the local op-shop,” she said. “My boss at the time was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and asked me if I wanted to purchase the shop; after a lot of thought and considering COVID-19, we said yes. “We don’t buy anything;

everything has been donated. “Once we have paid all the utilities, the rent, the electricity and the insurances, we donate the money that is left.” Wells said they had donated profits to local domestic violence organisations, animal care facilities, wildlife funds, Woy Woy CWA and Mingaletta at Umina Beach. “We have also sent boxes and boxes of clothes and supplies to an Aboriginal mission in

Western Australia, and we also donate to the Salvation Army in Gosford,” she said. “A few weeks ago, a woman and her young family lost their house in a fire, they had nothing; so we closed the shop door and told her to help herself. “She picked out clothes, sheets, pillowcases, doonas, shoes, toiletries, fry pans, and walked out with carloads full. “She asked us how much it

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electrical appliances. “We get a lot of electrical, we get coffee machines, hairdryers, hair curlers, but by law, we can’t sell them without the right training,” she said. “So, Stephen is a retiree, has just turned 70, but had to go back to school! “Now that he’s done his training, we can attach the cords and plugs to electrical equipment and conduct safety testing before we sell the appliances. “I am very proud of him; he does all the French polishing of the wooden furniture; whatever is donated to this store virtually comes out brand new after Stephen’s done with it.” Finders Keepers 17 is located at Shop 1, 287 Ocean View Rd, Ettalong and is open to all kinds of donations and support.

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NORTHCONNEX DELIVERED The $3 billion NorthConnex mega-project will be a game changer for Central Coast motorists. Reducing travel times by up to 15 minutes each way

Allowing drivers to avoid 21 sets of traffic lights along Pennant Hills Road

Busting congestion so you spend less time in traffic

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NEWS

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Seawall upgrade continues Upgrade works on the Ettalong seawall are proceeding following safety concerns about rocks dislodged during recent weather events. Initial works, which began on February 3, involved replacing the larger loose rocks back into the revetment wall along Lance Webb Reserve. Further works, to be completed later this month, will involve collecting the

The upgrade of the Ettalong seawall is continuing

undersized loose rocks and using them to make rock bags to be placed along areas of the wall impacted by erosion. Central Coast Council has engaged the expert coastal consultancy which worked on the Wamberal and North Entrance erosion projects to assist with the project. The seawall and the immediate area surrounding it will be closed for the duration of the works.

The project has been funded through developer contributions collected in the Contributions Plan No.31C – Peninsula – Open Space and Recreation, aimed at the delivery of dune stabilisation work. The seawall along Lance Webb Reserve was originally constructed in 2013/14. Source: Newsletter, Feb 3 Central Coast Council

Bouddi Coast Walk works power along Stage two of the $1.4M upgrade of the Bouddi Coast Walk has been completed following safety concerns from visitors about loose rocks. Stage two aimed at improving accessibility and safety along the stretch of track between Little Beach and Mourawaring Moor, near Macmasters Beach. The works included the installation of 260 sandstone steps to improve safety, the installation of a new wooden bridge across the creek, and a new side-track that links to a

scenic lookout with views over Little Beach and the rock platform. Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said the four-stage project will be delivered over three years. “Stage three of the upgrade will soon be underway, with works between Gerrin Point and Maitland Bay scheduled to start in March,” Crouch said. “Stage three works will include access and safety upgrades to the walk and a new passing area that will serve as a lookout point for visitors to

enjoy scenic views towards Sydney.” Crouch said the works have been timely with the Park seeing an unprecedented surge in visitors last year. “Over 60,000 people used the Bouddi Coastal Walk during the peak of the pandemic, which is more than double the number of visitors over the same period in 2019,” Crouch said. “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the local team of National Parks staff have been able to undertake the upgrades on time and I know the

community in Macmasters Beach, Killcare Heights and surrounding suburbs will enjoy better access to Bouddi this summer.” With the Bouddi Coast Walk now open for the public to explore, visitors are being reminded to check the National Parks website for track closure information and current COVIDsafe requirements. Source: Media release, Jan 28 Parliamentary Secretary of the Central Coast, Adam Crouch Signs for the new surface and loose stones have been installed

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PAGE 12 11 FEBRUARY 2021

NEWS

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Seniors urged to apply for travel card Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch is encouraging Peninsula seniors to apply for the second round of the Regional Seniors Travel Card scheme, aimed at helping older Australians cut their transport costs and get out and about.

Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, with Peninsula travel card holder, Leonard Hemmings

The $250 card can be used at certain retailers to pay for fuel, Opal payments, taxis, and prebooked NSW Trainlink regional trains and coaches and is valid for 14 months from the issue date. “After the challenges of 2020, this is a great opportunity for our seniors to get out and

about, reconnect with their wider community, and support local small businesses,” Tesch said. “Access to public transport is essential for our older Central Coast residents, particularly for those on the Peninsula, where a significant proportion of the population are over the age of 65, might have restricted licences or are worried about expensive local fuel. “Given the enthusiasm for the program last year, it’s clear the NSW Government needs to ensure that they provide long term help for seniors to access public transport and other cost of living support.

“While the travel card is popular, it was only introduced last year for a two-year trial period.” The program will again be facilitated through Service NSW with successful applicants receiving their cards within 10 working days. Seniors should ensure they activate their card within 45 days of receiving it. They then have 14 months to use the card before it expires. Those wishing to take advantage of the program must be age pensioners with a valid Pensioner Concession Card, or hold a Commonwealth Seniors

Health Card or DVA Veteran Gold Card issued by either the Department of Human Services or Department of Veterans’ Affairs. They must also permanently live in regional NSW outside Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. To apply for a regional seniors travel card, or to learn more about the scheme, seniors can call 13 77 88 or visit https:// www.service.nsw.gov.au/ regionalseniorstravel. Source: Jan 20 Media release Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch

Recognition for community group A local Peninsula community group has been recognised in NSW Parliament for its hard work, dedication, and devotion to the area over the past two years. The Umina Community Group, which works alongside Grow Urban Shade Trees (GUST), was formally

acknowledged in a community recognition statement by Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch. “I would like to commend the Umina Community Group for its unwavering commitment to beautifying the Woy Woy Peninsula and more recently the Runway Park on Trafalgar Ave, Umina Beach,” Tesch said.

Planning your water future Central Coast it’s time to talk about your future water needs! Central Coast Council is currently developing a plan to secure our water supply for future generations – the Integrated Water Resource Plan. We want to better understand how you feel about the different water supply and demand option types we are considering.

You can get involved in the water plan by completing our online survey.

yourvoiceourcoast.com/waterplan

“Umina Community Group has coordinated a series of weeding and mulching works to maintain the Runway Park to ensure it is healthy and looking great for residents and visitors to the park.” Tesch also commended the work the group provided to the Central Coast Council in educating the community on correct tree planting methods.

Umina Community Group Secretary, Peter Springett, said the recognition from the NSW Parliament and Tesch was very much appreciated. “A sensational achievement by a very special group of people within the Umina Community Group (Inc) team,” Springett said. Hayley McMahon

A few Umina Community Group members hard at work beautifying the Peninsula

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NEWS

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Spruce up for Patonga hall A community hall on the Peninsula has received close to $20,000 in funding to improve the visibility of the Crown Land site.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, presented Secretary, John Quigg, with the cheque

Patonga Public Hall was presented with the $19,250 grant as part of the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund this month. Secretary of the Patonga Hall and Bushfire Brigade Land Manager, John Quigg, said the funds would help community members paint the exterior and interior of the public hall. “We last painted the hall 12 years ago, so it was coming up

for regular maintenance,” Quigg said. “Without this grant, I don’t know what we would have done ... it wouldn’t have been painted for years. “We are grateful for the Crown Reserves Improvements fund and the painting will certainly enhance the experience for its users.” The public hall regularly hosts social and community events, alongside an agreement with Patonga Progress Association to use it for their bi-monthly meetings. Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch

said the State Government had granted over $270,000 for improvements to Crown Land reserves and community facilities across the Coast. “Local reserves as well as the facilities and infrastructure located on them will be upgraded, improved and maintained through this annual funding boost,” Crouch said. “Importantly, this funding for Crown Land reserves also supports the Central Coast economy through more opportunities for recreation and tourism businesses.” Maisy Rae

RFS brigade commended Patonga Beach (RFS) brigade has been highly commended for its community service and dedication during last summer’s treacherous bushfire season. The brigade was recognised in Central Coast Council’s Australia Day Awards for their commitment to community safety.

District Manager for Central Coast RFS, Viki Campbell, said she was extremely proud of the crews for their hard work last year. “They have done an outstanding job - they not only helped locally last summer, but they also did out of area work and helped other communities in their time of need,” Campbell said.

“The RFS responded to hundreds of calls, big and small, and helped contain the fires ... we wouldn’t have got through it without those volunteers. “The work of the volunteers is genuinely outstanding.” Council credited the brigade for its “high level of communitybased fire and emergency services” and its help in

minimising the impact of fire through “the highest standards of training, community education, prevention and operational capability”. Crews from Berkeley Vale RFS and the Spencer RFS Brigade were also highly commended for their work and dedication in last summer’s bushfires. Maisy Rae

Patonga Beach RFS Brigade

Liesl Tesch MP Member for Gosford

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PAGE 16 11 FEBRUARY 2021

FORUM

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We might be more accepting of rates rise … if we got the truth An open letter to Central Coast Council Acting CEO Rik Hart. I refer to your letter of January 13 concerning a possible increase in Council rates. It appears apparent that ratepayers are going to have to pick up the bill for the incompetence of Council in recent times.

FORUM From your letter it would appear that an increase will have to take place no matter what – it is the amount that is in question. As a ratepayer I understand the necessity to replenish funds given that it is unlikely the State Government will

intervene with “a bail out”. Whilst I will have no alternative but to accept your end decision, I advise I will not pay any increased rates until such time as council publicly advises the following: Who authorised the use of the so-called restricted funds? Why were funds spent on “nice to have” projects instead

Extend administration until next council elections I understand that administration has been extended another three months (at Central Coast Council). I think this is a good move, but I truly believe it would better serve local residents if it were to be extended till the next Council elections or until Council is back on a viable financial footing. I do not believe the current Council should be handed back the reins due to the incompetence shown previously.

FORUM The Mayor’s claim that they did no wrong is proof of her unwillingness to accept responsibility. The people need councillors with previous business acumen and a true desire to fight for the betterment of residents and local businesses. I think that property developers and those with vested interests should be banned from running for election. Perhaps a petition could be

of pressing items such as road maintenance - and did the full Council approve such use? On what date will council release the unredacted minutes of all audit committee meetings and correspondence for the period January 1, 2017, to December 30, 2020? What action – legal and/or otherwise – has, or will, be

taken against persons both elected and employed for this use/misuse of Council funds, and when is this action scheduled to be taken? Council is employed by us ratepayers and we have a right to know the answers to the above questions. Hiding facts and actions under the guise of such

information not being in the interest of Council in general, employees and councillors, is not acceptable and cannot be justified. This matter is a public issue that requires immediate release of complete truth and openness. Email, Jan 30 Mike Hatton, Umina Beach

Can rates burden be shared by renters and non-residents?

raised and sent to the Local Government Department. Furthermore, I think a full independent enquiry should be established into the Council. Matters that could be raised are: where did all the amalgamation funds go; has the NSW Government paid all that is due to the Council?; and why does not the NSW government pay what is required to maintain waterways? Email, Feb 1 Garry Smith, Ettalong Beach

I have written to Central Coast Council about its intention to increase the rates as a result of their mismanagement of budgets and associated cover-ups until recently. An open letter to Acting Chief Executive Officer Rik Hart: We would like to thank the administration of the Council for the excellent services that are being rendered. For the last six years we have been residents of Ettalong Beach.

FORUM See Page 2 for address and contribution conditions. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily of the newspaper We have selected Ettalong as our home based on location and economics. We understand that the

Council budget got off track and action is needed for correction while maintaining the standard of services. Of relevance to raising more money from rates, it is worthwhile noting that the Brisbane City Council charges an additional 10 percent on all rental properties. We also note (many) coastal facilities are used by nonresidents; user pay is the way. Email, Feb 6 Jack Alemian and Marcelle Alemian, Ettalong Beach

Jane Smith

Independent ...working for our community Any referendum must ask the community about amalgamation At the Council meeting on 3 February, the Administrator resolved to conduct a Constitutional Referendum for the reduction of Councillors (from 15 to 9) at the September 2021 Local Government Elections. This may have some merit-but it is not enough. As a community member, I have regularly attended local Council meetings for over 20 years. Both the former Gosford and Wyong Councils each had 10 Councillors. In the lead up to the Council election in 2017, community information sessions were conducted by the then Administrator (Mr. Reynolds) and CEO. I asked about the reality of 15 Councillors in a meeting. Doing the math, 15 Councillors each wanting to speak for 5 minutes (as was allowed) meant that an item could potentially take over 75 minutes to debate. I was reassured that it worked fine in other areas. Central Coast Council meetings have been fractious at times with 15 Councillors, individual personalities and a number of Councillors determined to “blow up the joint”. These issues need to be addressed however,

Administrator rejects staff recommendation to remove nuclear free policy

sadly, this is not unique to the Central Coast. There are similar dynamics in other Councils. The behaviour in a Council meeting is not the most important question for our community. The more critical issue is representation. Before merger, one Councillor represented approximately 16,000 residents. After the merger and before suspension, one Councillor represented approximately 23,500 residents. With projected population growth and reducing the number of Councillors to 9, by 2036 one Councillor will represent approximately 46,000 residents. This weakens representation and weakens our democracy. The Administrator and Interim CEO have extensive experience with amalgamated Councils and perhaps for this reason, have played down the significance of the merger in the problems Central Coast Council is currently facing. However, it is time for the community to have their say on this fundamental issue of size, scale, representation and democracy. Any referendum to our community needs to include a question about the amalgamation.

The Council Agenda of 8 February included an item to repeal the Nuclear Free Policy for the former Gosford LGA. Community members have raised questions about why this is a priority for the current Administrator and staff. The report states that Policy “was first made by the former Gosford City Council in 1984. It was then reviewed and adopted seven times, most recently in July 2013.” Policies in themselves are not binding however, they need to be considered in decision making. In this way, they are a “gatekeeper”. Although there are perhaps few, if any, locations in the former Gosford LGA that would be considered for nuclear energy-the policy also opposes transport of nuclear resources through the area, with some exceptions. There are a number of power stations in the former Wyong LGA and Lake Macquarie that might be seen as opportunities for nuclear power. It is unclear what the long term ambitions are for these sites. Previous sales of both Eraring and Vales Point Power Stations have highlighted current

NSW Government financial mismanagement. The sale of Vales Point power station for $1m in 2015 has been controversial since it was revalued to $730m in 2017. In 2013, NSW taxpayers ended up $75 million out of pocket as a result of the sale of Eraring Power Station to Origin Energy. It is well known that local Liberal party politician, Taylor Martin, has been advocating for nuclear power. This is in spite of the NSW Government’s Electricity Strategy (2019) stating that “both NSW and Commonwealth laws prohibit the development of nuclear power stations”. The Climate Council’s website gives some reasons why nuclear power stations are not appropriate for Australiaand probably never will be. It was pleasing that the Administrator rejected the proposal from staff to remove the policy, however, many are wondering why it appeared on the business paper at all.

Disclaimer - Views expressed in these articles are my own and do not represent the views of Council

Central Coast New Independents

For more information or to subscribe to my eNews www.ccnewindependents.com

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OUT & ABOUT PAGE 17 11 FEBRUARY 2021

Umina actor to perform in award-winning comedy

Umina actor, Samson Alston, (right) with fellow cast member, Ryan Panizza

Umina actor Samson Alston is set to star in an award-winning Australian comedy in Sydney from February 17. Fag/Stag, written by Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Chris Isaacs, was first performed in Sydney three years ago, and for a limited time, the show is back for the Mardi Gras festival. The play follows the lives of two young men, one gay and one straight, who navigate their sex lives, friendship and ongoing first world problems. Alston said he was excited to be in a play that portrayed real-

world people and challenged societal stereotypes. “Hopefully, people can relate to the story; gender norms and toxic masculinity are completely thrown out the window— it’s just about these special moments between two best friends, who have different sexualities but are so similar,” Alston said. “It shows the different perspectives of life for a gay man compared to a straight man, and how it’s not that different at all. “My character, Corgan, is a 25-year old straight male who is masculine, surfy, and

uneducated on the LGBTQIA+ community - so he is really naive and learns from his friend Jimmy, who is played by Ryan Panizza.” Alston grew up on the Peninsula and left school in Year Nine to pursue an acting career at Palm Tree Studios Academy of Performing Arts in Wyoming. “When I was in school, I was always that crazy, energetic kid, who had all this unused energy,” he said. “I was asked to do a school musical in Year Six and loved it; I was being praised for being silly and crazy on stage and

wasn’t getting in trouble. “Drama school allowed me to go to New York on an excursion, and one of our family friends invited me to stay with her in Brooklyn for a few more weeks after my school excursion was finished. “She had all these acting contacts and got me a lesson with Sheila Gray who teaches all the huge Broadway stars; I went to my first lesson, and she asked me to come back for a lesson every single day I was in New York!” Alston said he was mentored and trained by the renowned acting coach for weeks and

had the opportunity to act and learn from New York Broadway stars. “When I came back, I had an absolute boost of motivation and this huge energy shift where I just went really hard with acting,” Alston said. “Last year was my first year fully in the acting industry, and it was amazing; I played a key guest role in a major TV show for Channel 7, and I was in a sold-out production of The Credeaux Canvas, where I played Winston the leading character. “So, yeah it was a pretty insane year.”

VIDEO NEWS 5@5

CCN

Since Alston gained professional management, he has starred in national ad campaigns for Vodaphone, Hungry Jacks, Shapes and Curtin Uni and performed the lead in The Shape of Things at the Flight Path Theatre in January. Fag/Stag plays from February 17-March 7 at El Rocco, 154 Brougham St, Potts Point with tickets available at trybooking. com. Hayley McMahon

Each Friday evening we publish a brief video news wrap highlighting stories from the previous week. coastcommunitynews.com.au

PAGE 18 11 FEBRUARY 2021 OUT & ABOUT

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

Bookmobile to visit Peninsula

Readers on the Peninsula can now easily access new novels with Central Coast Council’s Bookmobile hitting the streets from February 8. The Bookmobile aims to visit selected nursing homes and community stops across the Coast to help provide communities which are unable to access library branches with resources. The van will operate on a twoweek timetable from February through to April, with the Peninsula to be visited in the second week of the schedule (beginning February 15).

On the Tuesday, the bookmobile will visit Empire Bay’s post office on Kendall Rd between 9,30am and 10am, Wagstaffe’s Community Hall from 10,30am to 11,15am, and then Bensville’s Kallaroo Rd near the park from 11.40am to 12.30pm. And then on Fridays, the bookmobile will stop at Patonga’s Progress Hall at the Corner of Brisk St and Bay St between 9.30am and 10.15am, before heading to Pearl Beach’s Memorial Community Hall from 10.30am to 11.15am. Members can reserve library items online and select the

Council provides Blank Canvas for creators at Ettalong

Bookmobile as their collection point – this can also be done via Council’s library app. The van will be running on a reduced timetable with no stops for schools or childcare facilities following COVID-19 health guidelines. However, the timetable is subject to change if health directives improve. Residents can apply for a new location to be added to the timetable by emailing library@ centralcoast.nsw.gov.au Source: Newsletter, Jan 21 Central Coast Council

Live Theatre is BACK at The Peninsula Theatre

ow n e n li n o k o o b . .. s t a e Limited s Woy Woy Little Theatre presents

nal Australasia eatre Internatio . t with Music Th , Inc By arrangemen of Dramatists Play Service half Pty Ltd, on be

by A R Gurney ds directed by Jan Groun

ting casts: With two alterna d Mark Austin Jenna Arnold an nd Graham Vale a t h g ri W e lin u a P

OPENS 19 February for 10 performances only.

BOOK ONLINE NOW! woywoylt.com

Peninsula Theatre

Cnr Ocean Beach & McMasters Rds, Woy Woy Online bookings only, tickets not available at the door.

A pop-up retail space in Ettalong will be available for local creators to showcase their works as part of Central Coast Council’s plan to boost local tourism in the area. Council’s inaugural Blank Canvas campaign is set to give small business owners the opportunity to take over the space in April and sell their works directly to locals and visitors. The project, which has been fully funded through the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery grants program, will feature four one-week takeovers by the creatives. Council said Blank Canvas aims to showcase the depth and breadth of the Central Coast’s makers, drive local and

intrastate visitation and encourage resident and visitor dispersal and mid-week visitation. Successful participants in the month-long program will receive one week of free rental space of a commercially located shop front, including electricity and water usage, exposure to visitors from across the State, and promotion of the store through Councilowned channels. To be eligible to apply, participants must reside and make or create their own products on the Coast, must already have a permanent physical shop front, and must be able to dress, stock and adequately manage a COVIDsafe retail space. Creators must also be able to

sell their own products with their own ecommerce facilities, provide documentation on insurance and safety plans, have their own social media presence, and be able to promote the business via digital channels. Applicants have until Wednesday, February 17, to submit their application for the program. Successful applicants will be notified from February 22, with further details to be shared in March on the location of the pop-up store. More information on the Blank Canvas initiative can be found on Central Coast Council’s website. Source: Media statement, Feb 5 Central Coast Council

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OUT & ABOUT PAGE 19 11 FEBRUARY 2021

Curtains re-open for Woy Woy Little Theatre

WWLT President, Christine Vale, at Peninsula Theatre

The lights are finally back on at the Peninsula Theatre as Woy Woy Little Theatre (WWLT) gets set to open its first play since COVID-19 restrictions came into force last March. Love Letters by A J Gurney will open on February 19 for a three-week season. The sweet, poignant and funny play spans 50 years of friendship as childhood sweethearts progress through a fraught teenage hood and the highs and lows of adult life. Director Jan Grounds said audiences will experience a roll a-coaster of emotions during the play, which was recommended for a Pulitzer price. “Love Letters was written in the 1980s; the play starts in the 1930s and weaves through the next 50 years of the couple’s lives, capturing their friendship, dreams and wishes but also missed opportunities and disappointments,” Grounds said. “Gurney has captured the

way society was back in post war America; it is interesting as world events can have an impact on the life choices of the individual. “In many ways Love Letters is a gentle return to theatre as we share the intertwining of this relationship through the intimacy of letters hand-written by the couple and mailed to each other.” Grounds said two casts would alternate during performances – Graham Vale and Pauline Wright and Mark Austin and Jenna Arnold. “This will not only give audiences an opportunity to see a different approach and interpretation but to appreciate the incredible talent which we enjoy here on the Central Coast,” she said. WWLT president Christine Vale said the group hadn’t remained idle during COVID restrictions. “Members were keen to stay connected in some ‘theatrical’ way, so Zoom play readings were set up,” Vale said. “This gave members and

The two casts for Love Letters; Mark Austin and Jenna Arnold (left) and Graham Vale and Pauline Wright

friends an opportunity to perform short plays through a virtual environment. “It was pretty hit-and-miss to start with, but people got very inventive. “It was amazing what clever ideas, costumes and props participants came up with, while limited to a small screen, and being in separate places. “The Zoom play readings continued for six months and involved over 60 people aged 20-95. “It was a wonderful way to ‘see’ each other, enjoy live performances and most of all, have a good laugh together.” Vale said the return to the stage had taken careful planning to ensure COVID-safe performances and the group had been working very cooperatively with Central Coast Council, which owns the theatre. “Our first play was selected because it is what is called a ‘two-hander’; that is there are only two people in the cast, so it’s a COVID-safe toe in the water for WWLT,” Vale said.

“It has been performed by many famous actors over the years, including recently by Sally Field and Brian Cranston as a COVID-safe virtual production.” Love Letters will open on Friday, February 19, for 10 performances over three weekends.

Bookings are essential and now open on the Woy Woy Little Theatre website. “Two other plays that were postponed from last year will be performed later this year,” Vale said. “These are Ladies in Lavender and Ben-Hur (with chariots!). “WWLT is also actively

involved in supporting ARTFULL WOMEN. “This exciting communityarts project is being spearheaded by Brenda Logan and will culminate in performances at the Peninsula Theatre in September.” Terry Collins

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Saturday 13 February

Friday 12 February

Thursday 11 February

ABC (C20/21)

6:00 9:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 1:00 1:30 2:00 3:00 4:00 4:30 5:00 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:35 11:00 11:30 12:20 1:10 1:55 6:00 9:00 10:00 11:05 12:00 1:00 3:00 4:00 4:30 5:00 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 6:00 7:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 1:30 2:20 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 7:00 7:30 8:30 9:30 11:05 11:55 12:55

PRIME (C61/60)

News Breakfast [s] ABC News Mornings [s] Australian Story [s] How Deadly World (PG) [s] Australia Remastered [s] ABC News At Noon [s] Hard Quiz (PG) [s] The Weekly With Charlie Pickering (PG) [s] Jack Irish (M l,s) [s] ABC News Afternoons [s] The Heights (PG) [s] Back Roads (PG) [s] Restoration Australia [s] The Drum [s] ABC News [s] 7.30 (PG) [s] Back Roads: Kyogle, NSW [s] Q&A [s] The Rise Of The Murdoch Dynasty (M l) [s] ABC Late News [s] The Queen’s Green Planet [s] Wentworth (MA15+) [s] Killing Eve (M v) [s] rage (MA15+) [s] News Breakfast [s] ABC News Mornings [s] Q&A [s] The Pacific: In The Wake Of Captain Cook With Sam Neill: Endeavour And New Zealand (PG) [s] ABC News At Noon [s] Jack Irish (M l,s) [s] ABC News Afternoons [s] The Heights (PG) [s] Back Roads (PG) [s] Restoration Australia [s] The Drum [s] ABC News [s] Gardening Australia [s] – Tino Carnevale visits a clever garden masterpiece and Jane meets city-living bees. Vera: Muddy Waters (M v) [s] Mum: Monday (M) [s] State Of The Union (M) [s] The Weekly With Charlie Pickering (PG) [s] Aftertaste (M) [s] rage (MA15+) [s] rage (PG) [s] Weekend Breakfast [s] rage (PG) [s] rage Retro Month (PG) [s] ABC News At Noon [s] Employable Me Australia (M l) [s] Agatha Christie’s The Witness For The Prosecution (M v) [s] Making Child Prodigies [s] Dream Gardens [s] Ask The Doctor: Sex (PG) [s] Landline Summer [s] Football: A-League: Western United v Sydney FC *Live* From AAMI Park [s] ABC News [s] Death In Paradise (PG) [s] Call The Midwife (PG) [s] Endeavour: Deguello (M v) [s] Harrow: Marta Semper Cerva Est (M v) [s] Call The Midwife (PG) [s] rage Guest Programmer (MA15+) [s]

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

NINE (C81/80)

5:30 6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 The Morning Show [s] 10:00 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “Hometown Killer” (M) 11:00 (’18) Stars: Kaitlyn Black 2:00 What The Killer Did Next: Sian Roberts (M v) [s] 4:00 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 6:00 7:00 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 8:30 Wife Swap Australia: Walker 11:00 And Duncan Families (M) [s] 9:45 Busted In Bangkok (M) [s] 10:45 Gordon Ramsay On Cocaine 12:00 (M d,l) [s] 11:45 Celebrity Obsessed: Madonna (MA15+) [s] – Examining the disturbing phenomenon of obsessive stalking of celebrities, this fast-moving, vivid and absorbing series tells the shocking stories of the overly zealous predators. 1:00 1:30 1:00 Home Shopping 6:00 6:00 Sunrise [s] 10:00 9:00 The Morning Show [s] 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “Am I A Serial Killer?” 11:00 (M) (’19) – A teenage girl visits her mom on death row and gets 4:00 lured into a dangerous trap to take the fall for her mother’s crimes. Stars: Monroe Cline, 6:00 Jhey Castles, Crystal Allen 7:00 2:00 House Of Wellness [s] 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 11:00 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Better Homes And Gardens 8:30 Movie: “Captain America: Civil 12:00 War” (M v,l) (’16) – Political interference in the Avengers’ activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man. Stars: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson 11:30 Holey Moley Australia (PG) [s] 1:00 1:30 1:00 Home Shopping 6:00 6:00 Home Shopping 7:00 7:00 Weekend Sunrise [s] 10:00 10:00 The Morning Show Weekend 11:00 12:00 Seven’s Horse Racing: Randwick/ Flemington [s] 5:00 Seven News At 5 [s] 5:30 Border Security - Australia’s 4:00 Front Line (PG) [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Movie: “Thor” (M v) (’11) – The 6:00 powerful but arrogant god Thor 7:00 is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard 11:00 (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders. Stars: Chris 12:00 Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston 9:20 Movie: “Thor: The Dark World (M v) (’13) Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston 11:35 Surveillance Oz: Dashcam 1:00 (PG) [s] 1:30 12:05 Movie: “The End Of Eden” (M v) (’96) Stars: Jennie Garth 2:00 4:30 2:00 Home Shopping

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

TEN (C13)

SBS (C30)

5:00 Today [s] 6:00 Headline News [s] 5:15 Tennis: Australian Open 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 5:30 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] Tennis: Pre Show [s] 1:00 Tennis: Australian Open 1:00 Program To Be Advised 2:00 1:30 Program To Be Advised Tennis: Day *Live* From Melbourne [s] 2:00 Entertainment Tonight [s] 2:30 Tennis: Australian Open 2:30 Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield [s] Tennis: Afternoon *Live* From 3:25 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] Melbourne [s] 3:30 Left Off The Map [s] NINE News [s] 4:35 4:00 Farm To Fork [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Night *Live* From 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful 5:05 (PG) [s] Melbourne [s] 5:35 5:00 10 News First [s] Tennis: Australian Open 6:00 Tennis: Late Night *Live* From 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 6:30 Melbourne [s] 7:30 Ambulance Australia (M) [s] Chicago Med: Backed Against 8:30 Law & Order: SVU: Sightless 7:35 In A Savage Land (M) [s] The Wall (M mp) [s] – Halstead 8:30 9:30 Law & Order: SVU: The is backed into a corner after unknowingly making a deal with Longest Night Of Rain (M) [s] 9:35 a gangster; Manning fights for 10:30 This Is Us: There (M) [s] her dying patient, who is not a 11:30 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 10:40 US citizen; Rhodes and Bekker 12:30 The Project (PG) [s] 11:10 clash in the OR. 1:30 The Late Show (PG) [s] 2:30 Home Shopping Destination WA [s] 4:30 CBS This Morning [s] 12:10 Home Shopping 5:00 6:00 Headline News [s] Today [s] 5:15 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] Tennis: Australian Open 5:30 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] Tennis: Pre Show [s] 1:00 1:00 Jamie & The Nonnas[s] Tennis: Australian Open 2:00 2:00 Entertainment Tonight [s] Tennis: Day *Live* From 2:30 Everyday Gourmet With Melbourne [s] 2:05 Justine Schofield [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Afternoon *Live* From 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:30 Left Off The Map [s] 3:00 Melbourne [s] 4:00 Farm To Fork [s] 3:30 NINE News [s] 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful Tennis: Australian Open (PG) [s] Tennis: Night *Live* From 5:00 10 News First [s] 4:25 Melbourne [s] 6:00 WIN News [s] Tennis: Australian Open 5:00 Tennis: Late Night *Live* From 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 7:30 The Living Room [s] 5:30 Melbourne [s] 6:00 Chicago Med: What You Don’t 8:30 The Graham Norton Show (M l,s) [s] – Join Graham Norton 6:30 Know (M mp) [s] – Halstead’s as he chats with Felicity Kendal, 7:35 first task as an informant puts Regé-Jean Page, Dave Grohl, him under strain; Choi is Siobhan McSweeney, Alan Carr 8:30 shocked when he meets the and Jessie Ware. father of Emily’s child; Rhodes 9:35 presses Bekker to reveal who 9:30 Program To Be Advised 10:30 The Project (PG) [s] 10:30 donated funds for his OR. 11:30 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 11:00 Destination WA [s] 12:30 The Late Show (PG) [s] Home Shopping 6:00 Which Car? [s] 5:00 Easy Eats [s] 6:30 Entertainment Tonight [s] 5:15 Weekend Today [s] 7:00 Escape Fishing With ET [s] 5:30 Tennis: Australian Open 7:30 4X4 Adventures [s] 1:00 Tennis: Pre Show [s] 8:30 All 4 Adventure [s] 2:00 Tennis: Australian Open 9:30 Studio 10 Saturday (PG) [s] Tennis: Day *Live* From 12:00 Beyond The Fire (PG) [s] 3:00 Melbourne [s] 12:30 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 4:00 Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Afternoon *Live* From 1:00 10 Minute Kitchen [s] 1:30 Destination Dessert [s] 4:35 Melbourne [s] 2:00 My Market Kitchen [s] NINE News [s] 2:30 Australia By Design: 5:35 Tennis: Australian Open Innovations [s] 6:30 Tennis: Night *Live* From 3:00 What’s Up Down Under [s] 7:30 Melbourne [s] 3:30 Freshly Picked [s] Tennis: Australian Open 8:05 Tennis: Late Night *Live* From 4:00 Everyday Gourmet [s] Melbourne [s] 4:30 Farm To Fork [s] Chicago Med: Lesser Of Two 5:00 10 News First [s] 9:00 Evils (M mp) [s] – Manning and 6:00 Bondi Rescue (PG) [s] Halstead must act fast to save 7:00 Three Blue Ducks [s] the life of a physically abused 7:30 Ambulance UK (M) [s] wife. 11:00 Inside The Children’s Hospital 10:55 Customs (PG) [s] (PG) [s] Award Winning Tasmania [s] 11:30 Program To Be Advised 1:30 Home Shopping 12:30 Home Shopping 4:00 Wesley Impact [s] 5:00 Religious Programs

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

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

CGTN English News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Destination Flavour China (In English/ Mandarin) Great Wall Of China: The Hidden Story (PG) Who Do You Think You Are?: Jonnie Peacock (PG) Great American Railroad Journeys (PG) Letters And Numbers Jeopardy! (PG) Mastermind Australia SBS World News The World’s Greatest Palaces (PG) Michael Mosley On Cosmetic Treatments (M) World On Fire (M) (In English/ French/ German/ Polish) SBS World News Late 24 Hours In Police Custody (M) Departure (M) CGTN English News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Destination Flavour China (In English/ Mandarin) China From Above: The Living Past (In English/ Mandarin) NITV News: Nula China From Above: The Future Is Now (In English/ Mandarin) Great British Railroad Journeys (PG) Letters And Numbers Jeopardy! (PG) Mastermind Australia SBS World News Secrets Of China’s Forbidden City (PG) Who Do You Think You Are UK?: Kate Winslet (PG) My Grandparents War (PG) SBS World News Late 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (M) CGTN English News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Figure Skating: ISU European Figure Skating Austria Jupiter Revealed Great British Railway Journeys (PG) Remarkable Places To Eat: San Sebastian (PG) Secret Nazi Bases SBS World News Going Places With Ernie Dingo Michael Portillo’s Abandoned Britain (PG) Movie: “Harry Brown” (MA15+) (’09) Stars: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Plan B, Jack O’Connell Movie: “The Pianist” (M) (’02) Stars: Adrien Brody Atlanta(MA15+) Great British Railway Journeys (PG)

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

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PAGE 21 11 FEBRUARY 2021

Sunday 14 February

ABC (C20/21)

Monday 15 February

TEN (C13)

SBS (C30)

6:00 6:00 Home Shopping 7:00 7:00 Weekend Sunrise [s] 10:00 10:00 The Morning Show Weekend (PG) [s] 11:00 12:00 House Of Wellness [s] 1:00 Program To Be Advised 2:30 Program To Be Advised 4:00 4:00 Better Homes And Gardens 5:00 Seven News At 5 [s] 5:30 Sydney Weekender (PG) [s] 6:00 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Holey Moley Australia (PG) [s] 7:00 8:30 Movie: “Shooter” (M v,l) (’07) – A marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after 11:00 learning of a plot to kill the President. Stars: Danny Glover, Mark Wahlberg, Kate Maravan 12:00 11:00 World’s Deadliest: Twist Of Fate (PG) [s] 12:00 Medical Emergency (PG) [s] – Air paramedics rush to the aid of an amateur motorbike racer, who has crashed after doing 1:00 speeds over 200 km/ph. 1:30 12:30 Home Shopping

5:00 CGTN English News Easy Eats [s] 6:00 Religious Programs [s] 5:15 NHK World English News Weekend Today [s] 7:30 Fishing Australia [s] 5:30 Worldwatch Tennis: Australian Open 8:00 Good Chef Bad Chef [s] 1:00 Speedweek Tennis: Pre Show [s] 8:30 Australia By Design [s] 3:00 Travel Man: Stockholm Tennis: Australian Open 9:00 Luca’s Key Ingredient [s] 3:35 Cycling: AusCycling 2021 Tennis: Day *Live* From 9:30 Studio 10 Sunday [s] Women’s Road National *Live* Melbourne [s] 12:00 10 Minute Kitchen [s] 4:35 Cycling: AusCycling 2021 Tennis: Australian Open 12:30 Left Off The Map [s] Men’s Road National *Live* Tennis: Afternoon *Live* From 1:00 My Market Kitchen [s] 5:35 Secret Nazi Bases (PG) 1:30 Three Blue Ducks [s] Melbourne [s] 6:30 SBS World News 2:00 Everyday Gourmet With NINE News [s] 7:30 Diana: Interview That Justine Schofield [s] Tennis: Australian Open Shocked The World (PG) 2:30 Farm To Fork [s] Tennis: Night *Live* From 8:50 Princess Anne At 70 (PG) 3:00 Bondi Rescue (PG) [s] Melbourne [s] 10:05 Filthy Rich And Homeless (M) 4:00 Program To Be Advised Tennis: Australian Open 11:15 Police Custody: Their Time Tennis: Late Night *Live* From 5:00 10 News First [s] Will Come (M l) 6:00 WIN News [s] Melbourne [s] 6:30 The Sunday Project (PG) [s] 12:10 Michael Mosley: Guts (MA15+) Chicago Med: The Poison 7:30 The Amazing Race Australia 1:05 Body Clock - What Makes Us Inside Us (M mp) [s] – After a Tick? (PG) (M) [s] deadly chemical spill, the ED 2:05 Michael Mosley: Frontline goes into lockdown, threatening 9:00 FBI: Most Wanted: Medicine Survival (M l) the lives of several patients and The Line (M) [s] 3:10 Michael Mosley: Frontline leaving one of Med’s own 10:00 FBI: Most Wanted: Medicine Rebuilding (M) hanging in the balance. Defender (M) [s] 4:20 Great British Railway Our State On A Plate (PG) [s] 11:00 The Sunday Project (PG) [s] 12:00 Home Shopping Journeys (PG) Home Shopping

News Breakfast [s] ABC News Mornings [s] Landline [s] Antiques Roadshow [s] ABC News At Noon [s] Death In Paradise (M v) [s] Parliament Question Time [s] ABC News Afternoons [s] The Heights (PG) [s] Back Roads (PG) [s] Restoration Australia (PG) [s] The Drum [s] ABC News [s] 7.30 (PG) [s] Australian Story [s] Four Corners [s] Media Watch [s] The Pacific: In The Wake Of Captain Cook With Sam Neill: Endeavour And Australia (PG) You Can’t Ask That (M) [s] ABC Late News [s] Waltzing The Dragon With Benjamin Law (PG) [s] Wentworth (MA15+) [s] Parliament Question Time [s]

6:00 Sunrise [s] 5:30 9:00 The Morning Show (PG) [s] 10:00 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “Killing Mommy” (M s,v) 11:00 (’16) Stars: Yvonne Zima 2:00 What The Killer Did Next: Norma Bell (M v) [s] 4:00 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 6:00 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 7:00 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 7:30 Holey Moley Australia (PG) [s] 11:00 9:00 9-1-1: Future Tense (M) [s] 10:00 The Rookie: Hand-Off (M) [s] – Nolan finds out his identity has been stolen, potentially 12:00 threatening his position as an officer. Sergeant Grey must testify at the parole hearing. 11:00 World’s Deadliest Weather: Caught On Camera (M) [s] 12:00 Robbie Coltrane’s Critical Evidence: The Double Axe Murderer: Dennis Smalley (M) 1:00 1:00 Home Shopping 1:30

Today [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Pre Show [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Day *Live* From Melbourne [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Afternoon *Live* From Melbourne [s] NINE News [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Night *Live* From Melbourne [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Late Night *Live* From Melbourne [s] Chicago Med: Play By My Rules (M mp) [s] – Choi and Charles use trickery to help a patient with an itch; Halstead and Manning argue over a tattooed coma patient; Rhodes angers Goodwin by going against orders. Our State On A Plate (PG) [s] Home Shopping

6:00 Headline News [s] 5:00 5:15 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 5:30 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 2:00 1:00 Program To Be Advised 2:30 Entertainment Tonight [s] 2:30 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:30 Left Off The Map [s] 3:00 4:00 Farm To Fork [s] 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 5:00 10 News First [s] 5:05 6:00 WIN News [s] 5:35 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 6:00 7:30 The Amazing Race Australia 6:30 (M) [s] – The race accelerates 7:35 to new heights when the teams 8:30 must attempt an epic 9:25 underwater helicopter escape challenge in one of the most terrifying tests of the race so far. 10:20 8:40 Hughesy, We Have A Problem 10:50 2:00 (M) [s] 9:40 The Graham Norton Show (M) 10:40 The Project (PG) [s] 11:40 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 3:45 12:30 The Late Show (PG) [s]

News Breakfast [s] ABC News Mornings [s] Four Corners [s] Our Dementia Choir (PG) [s] ABC News At Noon [s] Call The Midwife (M) [s] Parliament Question Time [s] ABC News Afternoons [s] The Heights (PG) [s] Back Roads (PG) [s] Restoration Australia (PG) [s] The Drum [s] ABC News [s] 7.30 (PG) [s] Foreign Correspondent [s] Catalyst [s] Australia Remastered (PG) [s] Program To Be Advised ABC Late News [s] Q&A (M l,s) [s] Wentworth: Danger Within (MA15+) [s] 1:20 Parliament Question Time [s] 2:20 rage (MA15+) [s] 3:40 Wentworth: Danger Within (MA15+) [s]

5:30 6:00 Sunrise [s] 9:00 The Morning Show (PG) [s] 10:00 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “I’ll Be Watching” (M) 11:00 (’18) Stars: Janel Parrish 2:00 What The Killer Did Next: Kate Prout (M v) [s] 4:00 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 6:00 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 7:30 Holey Moley Australia (PG) [s] 9:00 The Good Doctor: 11:00 Newbies (M) [s] 10:00 The Resident: The Accidental Patient (M) [s] – When Cain 12:00 tries to be a hero at a crash scene, he is struck by a car, causing Chastain’s doctors to put aside their personal issues to try and save his life. 11:00 Station 19: Home To Hold Onto (M l) [s] 12:00 Splitting Up Together (PG) [s] 1:00 12:30 Home Shopping 1:30

Today [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Pre Show [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Day *Live* From Melbourne [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Afternoon *Live* From Melbourne [s] NINE News [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Night *Live* From Melbourne [s] Tennis: Australian Open Tennis: Late Night *Live* From Melbourne [s] Chicago Med: Death Do Us Part (M mp) [s] – Halstead and Manning’s wedding day is interrupted when Halstead is forced to make a house call; Charles treats a woman who stabbed her husband; Choi and April deliver a breech baby. Our State On A Plate (PG) [s] Home Shopping

6:00 Headline News [s] 5:00 CGTN English News 5:15 NHK World English News 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 5:30 Worldwatch 1:00 Program To Be Advised 1:00 PBS Newshour 2:10 Entertainment Tonight [s] 2:00 Destination Flavour China 2:30 Everyday Gourmet With (In English/ Mandarin) Justine Schofield [s] 2:35 Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam (PG) 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:10 David Baddiel On The Silk 3:30 Left Off The Map [s] Road: China’s Deadly Secret 4:00 Farm To Fork [s] (PG) 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful (PG) [s] 4:05 Who Do You Think You Are?: 5:00 10 News First [s] Julia Morris (PG) 5:05 Letters And Numbers 6:00 WIN News [s] 5:35 Jeopardy! (PG) 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 7:30 The Amazing Race Australia 6:00 Mastermind Australia 6:30 SBS World News (M) [s] 7:30 Great Continental Railway 8:40 NCIS: 1MM (M v) [s] Journeys 9:40 NCIS: Los Angeles: The 8:35 24 Hours In Emergency (M) Frogman’s Daughter (M) [s] 9:30 Dog Tales (PG) 10:40 The Project (PG) [s] 11:40 WIN’s All Australian News [s] 10:30 SBS World News Late 12:30 The Late Show With Stephen 11:00 The Pier (MA15+) (In Spanish) Colbert (PG) [s] 12:00 Borgen (M l,s) (In Danish) 1:30 Home Shopping 4:30 Great British Railway 4:30 CBS This Morning [s] Journeys (PG)

6:00 Sunrise [s] 5:30 9:00 The Morning Show [s] 10:00 11:30 Seven Morning News [s] 12:00 Movie: “Family Pictures” (PG) 11:00 (’93) Stars: Larissa Albuquerque, Jackie Blackmore, Georgia Bradner, 4:00 Jason Burkart, Chris Cope 2:00 Gold Coast Medical (PG) [s] 3:00 The Chase UK [s] 6:00 4:00 Seven News At 4 [s] 7:00 5:00 The Chase Australia [s] 6:00 Seven News [s] 7:00 Home And Away (PG) [s] 11:00 7:30 Ambulance - Code Red (PG) [s] – The critical care team are called to a road traffic accident 12:00 where a 13-year-old boy is lying in the road with blood coming out of his ear. 8:30 The Bay (M v,l) [s] 10:30 Criminal Confessions: Vanished In The Night (M) [s] 11:30 Celebrity Obsessed: Bjork (MA15+) [s] 1:00 12:30 Home Shopping 1:30

Today [s] 6:00 Headline News [s] 5:00 Tennis: Australian Open 8:30 Studio 10 (PG) [s] 5:15 Tennis: Pre Show [s] 12:00 Dr Phil (PG) [s] 5:30 Tennis: Australian Open 1:00 Program To Be Advised 1:00 Tennis: Day *Live* From 1:30 Program To Be Advised 2:00 Melbourne [s] 2:00 Entertainment Tonight [s] Tennis: Australian Open 2:30 Everyday Gourmet With 2:35 Tennis: Afternoon *Live* From Justine Schofield [s] Melbourne [s] 3:00 Judge Judy (PG) [s] 3:05 NINE News [s] 3:30 Left Off The Map [s] Tennis: Australian Open 4:00 Farm To Fork [s] 4:00 Tennis: Night *Live* From 4:30 The Bold And The Beautiful Melbourne [s] (PG) [s] 5:05 Tennis: Australian Open 5:00 10 News First [s] 5:35 Tennis: Late Night *Live* From 6:00 WIN News [s] 6:00 Melbourne [s. 6:30 The Project (PG) [s] 6:30 Chicago Med: All The Lonely 7:30 Jamie’s Easy Meals For Every 7:35 People (M mp) [s] – A shooting Day [s] outside the hospital injures April 8:30 Bull: Off The Rails (M) [s] 8:30 and leaves the ED shaken up; 9:30 Bull: The Sovereigns (M) [s] Halstead returns after a stint in 10:30 The Project (PG) [s] 9:25 the witness relocation program; 11:30 WIN’s All Australian News [s] Charles and Elsa have a 12:30 The Late Show With Stephen 10:15 confrontation. Colbert (PG) [s] 10:45 Our State On A Plate (PG) [s] 1:30 Home Shopping 11:40 Home Shopping 4:30 CBS This Morning [s]

6:00 7:00 7:40 8:40 9:30 10:35 11:15 12:05

6:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:15 4:00 4:30 5:00 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:15 9:35 10:25 10:55 11:25 12:25 1:10

Tuesday 16 February

NINE (C81/80)

rage (PG) [s] Weekend Breakfast [s] Insiders [s] Offsiders [s] The World This Week [s] Compass (PG) [s] Songs Of Praise (PG) [s] ABC News At Noon [s] Landline [s] Gardening Australia [s] Australia Remastered (PG) [s] The Mix [s] Football: Round 8: Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar *Live* From TBA [s] Antiques Roadshow [s] ABC News Sunday [s] Quoll Farm [s] Harrow (M v) [s] Silent Witness (M l,s,v) [s] Killing Eve (MA15+) [s] Wentworth (MA15+) [s] Endeavour: Deguello (M d,v) [s] rage (MA15+) Wentworth (MA15+) [s]

6:00 7:00 9:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 1:30 2:35 3:30 4:00

1:35 4:10

Wednesday 17 February

PRIME (C61/60)

6:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:15 4:05 4:30 5:00 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:30 10:35 10:55 11:30 12:35

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

News Breakfast [s] ABC News Mornings [s] Foreign Correspondent [s] Stan Grant’s One Plus One [s] Quoll Farm [s] ABC News At Noon [s] National Press Club Address Media Watch [s] Parliament Question Time [s] ABC News Afternoons [s] The Heights (PG) [s] Back Roads (PG) [s] Restoration Australia [s] The Drum [s] ABC News [s] 7.30 (PG) [s] Hard Quiz (PG) [s] The Weekly With Charlie Pickering (PG) [s] Aftertaste [s] Why Are You Like This (MA15+) [s] Program To Be Advised ABC Late News [s] Four Corners [s] Media Watch [s]

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

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

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

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

CGTN English News NHK World English News Worldwatch Destination Flavour China (In English/ Mandarin) Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam (PG) Singapore 1942 - End Of Empire (PG) (In English/ Japanese) Letters And Numbers Jeopardy! (PG) Mastermind Australia SBS World News The Architecture The Railways Built: Broadway (PG) 24 Hours In Emergency (M) The Story Of The Songs: Police And Sting (M) SBS World News Late Outlander (MA15+) Cocaine Trade Exposed: The Invisibles: Super Villain/ The Phantom (M) Great Irish Railway Journeys (PG)

CGTN English News NHK World English News Worldwatch PBS Newshour Destination Flavour China (In English/ Mandarin) Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam (PG) David Baddiel On The Silk Road: Into The Wild (PG) Who Do You Think You Are?: Peter Garrett (PG) Letters And Numbers Jeopardy! (PG) Mastermind Australia SBS World News Britain’s Most Historic Towns (PG) Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime (PG) Vikings: It’s Only Magic (MA15+) SBS World News Late 24 Hours In Emergency(M) Movie: “Arctic” (M l) (’18) Stars: Mads Mikkelsen

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

PAGE 22 11 FEBRUARY 2021 1

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Across

1 Eyots (5) 5 Rubbish (5) 8 Incantation (5) 10 Russian sleigh (6) 11 Defence covering (6) 12 Having the form of a song (5) 13 Sister of Mary and Lazarus (6) 14 Resident of e.g. Nairobi (6) 15 Stage play (5) 17 Scratched (6) 19 Plan (6) 21 Cuban dance (5) 22 Die from lack of food (6) 23 Professional killer (6) 24 Locations (5) 25 Workshop machinery (6) 27 Pressed (6) 29 Grecian architectural style (5) 31 Go back (6)

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32 Beast (6) 33 Porridge (5) 34 E.g. Tarka (5) 35 Is inclined (5)

Down 2 Rill (9) 3 Throw out (5) 4 Not in any circumstances (Poetical) (4) 6 Recall past experiences (9) 7 Sweat room (5) 8 Mayonnaise (5,8) 9 Lazy (13) 16 Allow to enter (5) 18 Storage building (9) 20 Cemetery (9) 26 Representative (5) 28 Oil source (5) 30 Part of speech (4)

32 33

FILL IN THE WORDS M I NES

Place all the words listed into the grid. Each word can be used once only. The first word has been filled in. 5 LETTERS Alien Amaze Clang Crept Edict Edits Gales Ghost Gusts Igloo Isles Knack Ladle Lapel Lapse Logos Loped Loses Marks Mines

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3 9 5 9 1

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7 LETTERS Admiral Anatomy Endless Tadpole

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LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

CCN 1

Natal Olden Ozone Pleat Pylon Ratio Salty Sends Shall Smoky Stern Tends

2 8

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N I CE L E A SCOR TRA I YOKE C CHAT RE L I UT T E M ER BURS

ED I E T NT L Y A T HORN S ROUGE T R OT T ER UP T ED V S LOPE T R CRE ASHES N UPS T MEA S L Y S

Sudoku Har

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3 6 8 2 5 7 4 9 1

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OUT & ABOUT PAGE 23 11 FEBRUARY 2021

DOWN IN THE GARDEN - TIME TO GET SHADY welcome more endemic natives to be grown as shade trees on the Central Coast, which makes perfect sense as these will naturally be easier to grow and help provide shelter and food for our local wildlife. You can find GUST on Facebook: facebook.com/ GUSTGrowUrbanShadeTrees Lachlan McDonald of Ray White Point Clare gave me another angle to consider in terms of energy conservation. “If you have solar panels on your roof, then you do not want trees shading them” he explained. And, as much as people love shade, they also prefer living in homes with good natural light Lachlan told me.

TREES TO CONSIDER

CHERALYN DARCEY

We all love more than a bit of sun and our gardens, particularly our veggie plots that would not thrive without it. But a balanced garden needs a bit of shade as well and the best way to do that naturally is with ‘Shade’ trees. What is a shade tree? It isn’t a species; it is simply a tree that has thick foliage so that it provides more cooling shade than your average tree.

BEFORE YOU BRING A TREE HOME Size matters so find out the expected minimum and maximum heights of trees. Thinking you will just ‘trim it down’ is not a good plan as trees are healthiest if they are allowed to grow naturally, just like you! The lifespan of the tree will need to be considered as well. Some areas, such as the average home garden, are suited for faster-growing, short-lived trees while others, like verge trees and larger home gardens, are better for long term planning and planting. This is not at all a hard and fast rule because of course you can still successfully plant a tree you hope will live on for decades in any suitable place. How deep, wide and invasive the root system of trees will become differs across species so you will need to do a bit of research or ask your tree provider about these facts. It is just as important to plant trees away from overhead lines as it is to steer clear of underground services and infrastructure. Where is that shade going to drape itself? There’s an app for that! They can work with ‘Goggle Maps’ – one you could explore is called ‘Sun Seeker’. An online desktop tool I have tried is ‘Find My Shadow’ and it will help you plot the sun’s position and shadow cast on your garden and home. There are also various physical tools to help you work these calculations out including the interesting ‘Solar Pathfinder’, a non-electronic device that maps the sun’s path in the field. Whether the tree is deciduous, or evergreen is also important – a deciduous tree will be perfect for areas in which you would prefer increased light and warmth in winter and shade and coolness in summer, such as a patio.

SHADE TREES I spoke with Jennifer Wilder of GUST (Grow Urban Shade Trees), a group of Central Coast volunteers dedicated to urban greening through education and community assistance about the need for shade trees in our suburbs. “One way they help is by lowering the temperature of their surroundings, especially verge trees which make a huge difference to tarmac temperature.” Jennifer explained. GUST will help those living on the Central Coast plant trees on their verges, ones that are most suitable for the area, and provide gardening advice on looking after them. They have a particular focus on encouraging us to

Something Fast? If you want your shade quick, these suggestions all grow faster than most trees. Please note that many fast-growing trees are shortliving. Blueberry Ash (Elaiocarpus reticulatus) is a coastal beauty that does very well in frost-free areas. It can attain a height of 9m when given a rich soil that drains well and warm sunny position. Evergreen Ash (Fraxinis griffithii), a popular parkland and street tree that grows to provide a glorious canopy to 5m in width and can attain a height of up to 8m. Easy to grow and hardy once established. Dwarf Lemon-scented Gum (Corymbia citriodora) will give you speed of growth, that sought-after lemon fragrance and lovely flowers without the gigantic size of its 30m full-sized relative. These will only get to about 7m high and 5m wide so are much more suitable as the average garden shade tree. Weeping Lilly Pilly (Waterhousia florinund) is one for the fans of soft hanging foliage. Due to this habit, it also makes a brilliant screening tree and can, in the right conditions for it, grow to a height of 10m but you can get 8m out of most. Deciduous Trees? If you are seeking that winter sun and summer shade, then here are a few likely suspects. Red Cedar (Tonna ciliate) is a fast growing and large tree that is only suitable for those with lots of space. It is a native rainforest tree that is one of the few Australian deciduous trees and it can grow up to 60m in height. Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei) fills the streets of many suburbs with its brilliant, coloured flowers. I’m a sucker for the hot pink ‘Tuscarora’. They grow best in full sun with rich soil and usually grow to 8m. Chinese Poplar (Populus simonii) is a thinner tree, and a few grown in a line can make a non-intrusive tall screen. They suit areas where width of growth may be an issue and can give your garden that delightful autumn feel as the leaves turn from green to a brilliant yellow as the season changes. They can grow to 8-12m in the right conditions, width is about 2 to 3m. A full sun position with a rich soil is best.

Something Endemic? If you plant something that is originally from the area you live in, then you are almost guaranteed of success and a wonderfully happy and healthy plant that also contributes to regenerating the local environment. You can contact GUST for a more defined suggestion of trees that would be happiest at your place. Local councils, Landcare and native plant groups, and Indigenous land councils are also good contacts that can supply this information. Here are few general Central Coast suggestions for you to consider. Coast Wattle (Acacia sophorae) is a beautiful shrub that can grow into a small tree to 3m in sheltered positions. It has thick foliage, bright golden flower spikes and is happiest in sandy soil. Willow Bottlebush (Callistemon salignus) has the gorgeous, yellow bird-attracting flowers and can attain a height of 5m. It has very pretty pinkish-red foliage and although the roots can be invasive, they are a good choice if you have the right position as they are drought tolerant and can handle the wetter months well. Cheese Tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) provide food for many of our birds and is an excellent tree to consider as it will grow in most conditions, including shade and sun and in most soils. Height range is 8 to 30m depending on conditions. Native Frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum) is not related to common frangipani. This beautiful tree will reward you will delightfully scented flowers in spring and can grow up to 8m. Although it does like soil on the richer side, it is rather tolerant of most. HOW TO PLANT A TREE Once you have selected your tree give it the best start in life and you will be rewarded. An old gardening

saying: ‘Spend three times as much on your hole as your tree’ is very true! *No matter the soil types your tree needs, it will require good drainage. Get yours up to scratch by adding compost to heavier clay soils. *Dig the hole three times the width of the pot. *Enrich the hole depending on your tree species with compost/fertiliser. *Pop your pot into a larger container of water until bubbles cease. *Slide tree out of pot and plant to the advised depth for your species. *Ensure your tree is straight. Install stake/s if suggested but be careful to use flexible ties and do not tie too tightly or you will damage tree and inhibit natural growth – trees need to be secure, but they must be able to flex in the wind. *Fill in the hole and press down soil firmly to remove air pockets. *Water deeply to encourage deep and stabilising root growth. Most newly planted trees need to have their soil kept moist until they are established (a few weeks) but check with your species requirements. *Depending again on your tree type, additional liquid fertiliser may be added. *Mulch is vital in our climate. A mulch will regulate the soil temperature, retain water and eventually break down to provide nutrients. Mulch should be kept at least 10cm away from the trunk of the tree and by about 6cm thick.

ON THE GARDEN GRAPVINE Long Jetty Produce Swap, Sat 6th Feb, 10 - 11am. Tuggerah Lakes Branch of CWA NSW – share your excess (chemical free) edible produce from your garden with like-minded locals and make new friends. Gong Fu Cha & Tea Culture, Sat 6th Feb, 4:30 6:30pm. Like Minds, Avoca Beach, NSW - enjoy the story of Camellia sinensis as Certified Tea Master Mafalda Moutinho shares her passion for traditional Gong fu cha blending and tea culture in this social, educational workshop. Details and bookings: https:// casadecha.com.au Bonsai Workshop and Demonstration Day, Sun 14 Feb, 9 - 4pm. Mingara Recreation Club - Central Coast Bonsai Club invites you to join a fun filled day with Sam Thompson: www.centralcoastbonsai.com.au

THIS WEEK YOU COULD PLANT bush beans, dwarf beans, beetroot, carrot, chives, cucumber, endive, leek, marrow, pak choy, turnip, anise, bergamot, burdock, calendula, amaranth, canterbury bells, nigella, pansies, snapdragons, violas 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 CoastFM96.3 a live home and gardening lifestyle radio show: www.coastfmgardeninggang.com Send your gardening questions, events and news to: gardeningcentralcoast@gmail.com

PAGE 24 11 FEBRUARY 2021 OUT & ABOUT

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New Men’s Shed planned by Killy Cares Community group Killy Cares has several exciting community initiatives coming up in 2021, including a Men’s Shed for the Wagstaffe to Killcare area. Committee Member Lyndall Jones said the group had seen many new residents move into the area as well as an increased need for community projects and support. “With 2021 upon us, Killy Cares has a number of initiatives underway for us to get to know and support each other,” Jones said.

“There are now over 1,050 (men’s) sheds around the nation, and our community is about to add another. “The creation of sheds began as part of a National Male Health Policy in 2010, and the Australian Men’s Shed Association is very supportive of our local venture. “A growing group of local men have been doing the homework, and our shed is not far from being established.” Jones said the Men’s Shed was in its formative stage, housed in the shed belonging to Hardys Bay Community

Church, and would use the church’s kitchen and other facilities. “The next steps are to incorporate our Men’s Shed, form a committee and raise some seed funding to get it up and running,” Jones said. “It will initially open for just a few daytime hours a week.” Community members interested in joining or supporting the Men’s Shed are encouraged to contact the Killy Cares group for more information. Jones said they were also recommencing ‘Ladies Sips

and Dips’ which were previously hosted in late 2020. “A number of ladies from our community met for a casual drink and nibbles purely with the aim of getting to know each other and to catch up socially,” Jones said. “This gathering will continue this year on the second Friday of each month, starting on Friday, February 12, at Hardys Bay Community Church—all welcome.” Source: Newsletter, Feb 9 Wagstaffe to Killcare Community Association

Lions car boot sales return After 12 months of cancelled events and uncertainty due to COVID-19, the Woy Woy Peninsula Lions Club Car Boot Sale is returning on Sunday, February 28. Provided there are no new restrictions between now and then, the popular Lions event will be held in the Dunban Rd Car Park on the corner of Ocean Beach Rd from 7am-1pm.

Treasurer Greg Head said 2021 car boot sales would be slightly different compared to past events as they had to comply with COVID-19 restrictions and regulations. “That will mean having stallholders set up at least two metres apart and limiting movement around the site,” Head said. “Lions Members will monitor entry and exit points and have hand sanitiser available at

these points. “We must comply with the Council and NSW Government restrictions or face being fined or closed down. “I am sure no one wants to see this happen as our club is wanting to raise much-needed funds to meet our disbursements to the various charities, Rural Fire Service and surf clubs on the Peninsula.” Head said stallholders could commence setup at 6am but

could not park on any grass areas as the Council had banned this. There will be no car boot sale on April 25 due to Anzac Day celebrations. For any information, community members can email: wwplions@yahoo.com. au or via phone: 0478959895. Source: Media release, Feb 1 Woy Woy Peninsula Lions Club

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BUSINESS & PROPERTY PAGE 25 11 FEBRUARY 2021

Business & Property LPP rejects Ettalong Beach mixed use development A proposal for a six-storey mixed use development at Ettalong Beach has been refused by the Central Coast Local Planning Panel, despite a Council recommendation for approval and to the bewilderment of Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and development representative Alex Bishop of Jedaclew. The development, which would have comprised 25 units (one, two and three-bedroom) over five storeys and commercial space on the ground floor, was proposed for 227-233 Oceanview Rd. The proposal requested a 14.1 variation to height guidelines. A previous application for a similar development on three of the lots was withdrawn in July 2019, with the latest DA including an additional lot (four lots in total). A total of 67 submissions were received, complaining among other things - about the proposed demolition of two historic buildings, which could be traced back to the earliest settlement of Ettalong Beach. Objectors urged Council to reject the development because it was outside planning guidelines and not in keeping with the village character of the area. But Council recommended approval, saying the buildings

were not listed as items of environmental heritage under local or state provisions. It considered the proposed development reasonable and appropriate for the site and in keeping with the desired character for the area and existing recent developments in a precinct which was “in transition”. Despite Council’s recommendation for approval, the Panel voted three-one for refusal. The Panel found that the applicant failed to adequately address clauses in the Gosford Local Environmental Plan 2014 sufficient to justify departure from height restrictions. The Panel said the proposed development was not consistent with the objectives for development in the B2 Local Centre zone and that an adequate range of retail, business, entertainment and community uses was not provided. Concerns were also raised that the development would isolate an adjacent site and could diminish development potential of that property. The Panel also said the development provided poor amenity for future residents and visitors and would have adverse impacts on neighbouring low density residential properties. The application was refused with a three-one vote, with Panel member Stephen

A render of the proposed development submitted with documents supporting the application

Leathley favouring approval. Reasons for dissent included: the development would not impact on the streetscape or adjoining residential properties and would satisfy the underlying objectives of the standard; the owner of the adjoining site had not objected to the development; the development would provide adequate setbacks to adjoining residential properties to the east and north, and a high level of landscaping; and the design was considered to be of high quality and was supported by both the independent architect and Council officers.

Proponent Alex Bishop said he was “bewildered and disillusioned” by the decision. “The process with Council has been quite onerous and over a two-year period we have liaised with and listened to Council advice to make this development stack up,” he said. “With a recommendation from Council for approval, my assumption would be that that recommendation would be followed by the Planning Panel. “We have used certain design principles to overcome a slight increase in overall height and

the only thing affected is the lift overrun and the roof space, which is not visible at street level. “These are very, very minor in regards to total building profile. “The lift overrun represents 0.65 per cent, less than 1 per cent. “There is not much else we could have tried to achieve here to alleviate community concerns. “The usual big ticket items are well and truly addressed. “Off-street car parking exceeds minimum requirements; 31 car spaces required, 37 car spaces provided. “A total of 594m2 (30 per cent of total site) of deep soil zones are provided at ground level compared to a design criteria/objective of 7 per cent. “The proposed FSR (floor space ratio) is 1.6:1; LEP FSR of 2.0:1 is allowable in the B2 zoning. “This represents 400m2, or the equivalent of five good size two bedroom units. “This development was designed by locals and aimed at a market that will embrace the local community and everything that is on offer. “We are targeting people who want to buy into a smaller less intrusive development on the township fringe. “What I ultimately do not understand is that after we resubmitted a revised DA after

consolidating an adjoining lot, adhering to Council’s concerns and through a long tenacious process coming up with a DA recommended for approval that achieved all of Council’s criteria and objectives for Ettalong, we subsequently had a planning panel ignore all the advice from all the professional staff involved in the process “Ettalong is dying and needs rejuvenation between the ferry terminal and the township and that is what this development is ultimately trying to achieve. “It is that simple; bringing people back to the shopping strip, living very close to amenity, is a good result. “This infatuation with granny flats and villas has got to stop.” Peninsula Chamber of Commerce President, Matthew Wales, said the Chamber was “deeply disappointed” by the Panel’s decision. “This is a good development which clearly reflects a trend for high density accommodation in Ettalong,” Wales said. “Interestingly the application was supported by Council staff and recommended for approval and it was also supported by the Panel’s own expert planner. “These are the sorts of development we need that create jobs and investment.” Bishop said he would be investigating a decision review process. Terry Collins

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BUSINESS & PROPERTY

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Register now for Dine & Discover voucher program Businesses on the Peninsula are being encouraged to register for a new voucher program aimed at boosting dining, arts and tourism industries in the area.

Woy Woy’s Link & Pin cafe has already registered for the voucher scheme

The Dine and Discover NSW voucher program will provide NSW residents, aged 18 and over, four $25 vouchers to spend with participating businesses. Following a brief pilot in February and the state-wide roll out from March, the program will run until June 30 on the Service NSW app. Businesses can register online now and can track the progress of the application through their MyServiceNSW Business Profile. Peninsula Chamber of Commerce President Matthew Wales said the voucher scheme was a “great initiative”.

“It’s that little extra boost that will filter through to our cafes and restaurants,” Wales said. “It may not seem like much but it is further evidence that the State Government is clearly looking for ways to support business and is something that we support.” With less than a month to go till the rollout starts, more than 70 Central Coast businesses have already registered for the program, including Woy Woy’s Link & Pin restaurant. “We’re hoping the program will help attract new customers into the cafe,” owner Adam Brzozowski said. “It gives both locals, and small businesses, the chance to grow and find new options … we’re looking forward to it.” Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, urged customers to download the Service NSW app now in advance of the state-

wide rollout. “After the triple whammy of fires, flooding and COVID-19, this stimulus is exactly what our community needs to boost business and get people out and about in a COVID-safe way,” Crouch said. “Downloading the app only takes a few minutes and it can also be used to download a Digital Driver Licence and renewing registrations. “Eligible locals will be sent an email from Service NSW with details on how to apply for Dine & Discover vouchers online.” A non-digital solution will be made available to customers who don’t have a smartphone or compatible device. Further information on the voucher program is available at www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/ dine-and-discover-nsw. Maisy Rae

Coast to stay nuclear free The Central Coast will maintain the Nuclear Free Policy put into place by the former Gosford Council. Administrator Dick Persson rejected a Central Coast Council

staff report which wanted to revoke the policy, amid applause from the public gallery, at the Council meeting on February 8. Only about a dozen members

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of the public attended the The staff recommended it be was revoked in 2014. meeting but at least two of revoked due to the handling Various nuclear-related them carried home-made anti- and mining of radioactive activities are prohibited on the nuclear signs. materials being highly Coast except those in direct regulated by Federal and State Qld Another two people spoke atTown Centre Drive Robina association 138 Robina 4226 with hospital, laws. the public forum in favour of medical facilities and in any 3275 Robina Centre 4230 device. keeping the PO policyBox in place. PerssonTown said there was a Qld lot measuring debate and interest in the To the surprise the gallery, In a report to the Administrator, Tel:of1300 36 of0867 Fax: 1300 81 8962 when the speakers concluded, community about nuclear staff had recommended that artwork@localdirectories.com.au Persson saidemail: he agreed with power and he agreed with public consultation on the everything they had said and resident concerns about issue was costly and www.localdirectories.com.au the gallery burst into applause. revoking the policy. unnecessary. “I am very comfortable in Persson suggested someone “Any public concern regarding had been working through a list saying no to revoking the policy nuclear-related activities is of policies that needed and that Council will continue best dealt at the State and removing and that at the last to have a Nuclear Free Policy,” Federal level,’’ the report said. meeting he had dealt with he said. But Persson called it a silly some. The policy was introduced to proposal and won over the This week the only policy on the former Gosford Council gallery. the list was the anti-nuclear area in 1984. This was in stark contrast to policy and it stood out “like the The former Wyong Council the last Council meeting on proverbial”, he said. area had a similar policy which

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February 3, which saw residents protesting a proposed rate rise in front of the Gosford Chambers and a gallery as packed as it could be in light of COVID-safe rules. No protesters turned up on February 8. The Wyong public gallery had room left over for a handful of latecomers who had not realised they needed to book a seat. Even then, there were still plenty of spaces left over. Persson expressed his surprise that nobody had registered to speak about the proposed rate rise.

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BUSINESS & PROPERTY PAGE 27 11 FEBRUARY 2021

Council to press ahead with rate rise Despite a flood of community opposition, Central Coast Council will formally apply to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for a 15 per cent rate rise next year. The increase, which includes an annual 2 per cent rate peg, would be applied once and remain permanently in the rate base from the 2021-22 financial year if approved by IPART. But Peninsula Chamber of Commerce President, Matthew Wales, says if approved by IPART the rise will be an extra impost on Peninsula landlords which they will be forced to pass on to tenants. “Because of the impact this will have on small businesses, which could be anywhere between $800 and $1,000, it is the last thing the business community needs as we come out of the COVID crisis,” Wales said. “Business and property owners will have to pay to meet a debt racked up by an incompetent Council. “The Chamber understands why the Administrator feels it’s necessary and we empathise with his problem in trying to find sources of funds to meet the commitments of the Council. “But we are all deeply concerned that we are the ones who are going to have to pay for it and no-one’s going to be held accountable for it. “This is why the Chamber has called for an inquiry so that we can all understand how this happened and who was responsible. “We need to be very clear that this decision will be made by IPART and not the State Government.” The decision follows

Administrator Dick Persson says the rate rise is necessary

extensive community consultation, with well over 10,000 responses to an online survey and direct submissions received. While Administrator Dick Persson said he understood community concern and even anger about a rate rise, he said it was needed to repay restricted funds that had been spent on projects the community had benefited from. “It is by no means an easy decision at all; none of this is easy,” Persson said. “I have been upfront about Council’s financial situation, the reasons why and how we will turn it around and make sure it never happens again. “That plan includes a rate rise. “We have done everything we can to find savings. “There is no more juice in the lemon to squeeze here. “We are legally obligated to repay the restricted funds,

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which were not spent with the necessary authorisations. “With a 15 per cent rate rise, Council will be able to repay $100M within 10 years by delivering modest budget surpluses.” Persson said a 10 per cent rise would see the Council still in deficit by 2026-27, meaning further service cuts and job losses. He said there was a very real risk Council’s bank loans would be impacted if it did not receive approval for the 15 per cent increase, with the potential for an early call on the loans. “While the community consultation clearly showed the majority of respondents were against a rate rise, when presented with the three options, a 15 per cent rise was more preferable than 10 per cent,” he said. Persson said he understood the timing of the proposed rise came at a difficult time for the community.

“We have a long list of actions to help this Council recover, and this rate rise is only one part of the solution,” he said. “I understand that it has been a difficult year and that

many in the community will find any rate rise difficult; however, we have crunched the numbers and even with a rate rise of 15 per cent it is very likely a lot of the former Wyong ratepayers will pay

less than they do now, when harmonisation is taken into account. “Looking at our neighbouring councils, even with a 15 per cent rise, Central Coast residents will still pay less than Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and Cessnock ratepayers. “Regardless, we are here to help - rebates and payment plans will be possible and we have updated our Debt Recovery and Hardship Policy.” These policies went on public exhibition this week. Persson said he wanted to “continue the conversation with the community”. Council will continue to receive submissions on the rate rise until Friday, February 26, and these will be passed on to IPART. IPART itself will accept submissions direct until Monday, March 1. A decision from IPART on the proposed 15 per cent rise is expected in May. Terry Collins

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left out of a Will - or if you want to leave someone out of your Will - alerting you to the pitfalls and procedures in dealing with Challenging Wills and how you should best deal with challenges. Mr Geoff Brazel, Solicitor will present the seminar on Challenging Wills to help you through the maze of legal regulation

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ASIC slams school banking as pure marketing Julia NEWBOULD Editor-at-large • Money magazine The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has slammed school banking programs for being marketing campaigns with no educational benefit. And they could be costing your kids hundreds of dollars in lost interest. In its review of school banking, ASIC found the programs: 1. Do nothing to improve the short- or long-term saving habits of account holders, despite providers claiming that participation leads to an increased understanding of money and savings; 2. Are persuasive advertising strategies to develop brand loyalty, despite students having little or no ability to filter marketing messages; 3. Fail to disclose their strategic objectives to acquire customers; and

4. Create a conflict of interest through the kickback payments to schools in order to incentivise participation. The findings been welcomed by consumer advocacy groups. “ASIC has painted a damning picture of school banking programs, making it clear that a key objective is to recruit customers at a young age,” says CHOICE CEO Alan Kirkland. “Most importantly, ASIC has warned school communities not to rely on claims that these programs help kids to develop good savings habits, describing these as ‘unsubstantiated’. “ Sally Tindall, research director at RateCity, says the report exposes the weaknesses of letting banks into our schools to teach our kids about money. “School should be a safe environment where kids aren’t exposed to financial marketing and advertising,” she says.

“If McDonald’s came into schools to teach kids about healthy eating, there would be an outcry. When it comes to teaching kids about money, parents and teachers should be taking the reins.” Tindall believes financial education should be included in schools’ core curriculum.

“Learning about money is a life skill but right now it’s buried in the curriculum. It should be a stand-alone subject. “School banking is a convenient way to get your kids to learn about banking, but parents can easily do this at home without being forced to use one specific provider.”

Failure to shop around could cost students thousands of dollars come adulthood. Financial educator Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon has developed an interest integrity index which calculates the difference in interest rate between the average big four banks and the best product in the market,

across the average credit card, personal loan and home loan. These interest rate differentials add up to an estimated $150,346. “CBA’s YouthSaver is offering a rate of just 0.80% – parents can teach their kids to do better than this by shopping around,” says Tindall.

What the MTAA Super, Tasplan merger will mean for 326,000 members MTAA Super and Tasplan will take on a new name on April 1, as their $23 billion merger is completed. The combined fund will be called Spirit Super and have 326,000 members, with the promise of lower administration fees. MTAA Super chief executive Leanne Turner, who will be the chief executive of the

combined fund, says its name reflects its ambition to be a national superannuation fund. “What I love about Spirit Super is it captures the energy of what we’re about. It’s fresh and optimistic and innovative — everything we want to be,” Turner said in a statement. “The new name also speaks to the past achievements of our funds. MTAA Super and Tasplan are both outstanding funds and

take great pride in providing historically strong longterm returns, excellent value and service to our members. “As Spirit Super, we will have greater capacity to continue improving our products and service and to really embrace a member-first approach to everything we do.” Turner flagged lower admin-

istration fees for all Spirit Super members. “The details are being worked

through, but there will be a drop in administration fees when Spirit Super kicks off. So right off the bat, members will start seeing the benefits of the merger,” she says. Tasplan recently told members of its plans to switch from lifecycle MySuper to single strategy, citing higher administration costs for the lifecycle among the reasons. MTAA Super runs its default superannuation

product as single strategy. Tasplan raised its income protection premiums by 7.3% at the end of September 2020. MTAA increased its death and TPD premiums in February 2020, attributing it to the government’s “Putting Members Interests First” and “Protecting Your Super” reforms and a subsequent decrease in the number of members covered by its group insurance policy.

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Rotary club celebrates 45 years The Rotary Club of Umina Beach has celebrated 45 years of local and international Rotary Service following its charter from the Rotary Club of Woy Woy in 1976. Publicity Officer Pat Lewis said the club’s faithful service and leadership, to the Peninsula community and beyond, was marked with a special evening of celebration where several members were awarded. “During the evening, several members and ladies were rewarded for their loyalty to the club with the award of an OBE (Over Bloody Eighty) —which delighted many,” Lewis said. “Also, during the year the club welcomed three new members; Mel Dodds, Paul Sharpe, and Steve Chay.

“We were delighted to hear that the late Geoff Melville, a long time stalwart of our club, had been awarded a much deserved OAM in the New Year’s Honours list.” Lewis said despite COVID-19 restrictions last year, the club had remained active in the community. The club helped to repurpose 50 hospital beds from Peninsula Villages to areas of need in the Pacific, partnered with the Rotary Club of Woy Woy to donate audio headsets to Peninsula Villages, and provided camping gear to agriculture students at Brisbane Water Secondary College. Several agriculture students were also sent to the Armidale University for further learning

and experiences by the club. Other community initiatives included collecting groceries for Mary Mac’s Place, travelling to Forbes to spend and support local businesses and supporting

Dominic Hall for his Rotary Exchange in Slovakia. “The club would also like to thank the enormously generous local residents who regularly place their small change in our

donation boxes throughout the Peninsula helping us to continue our service works,” Lewis said. “We would like to sincerely thank our community for its

ongoing support as we work to do good things for the people of the Peninsula.” Source: Media Release, Feb 8 Rotary Club of Umina Beac

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Soul food and a recipe for chocolate mud cream nutritional situation that is the modern donut! This process is amplified further when we’re indulging in foods associated with fond childhood memories. To any mamas who might be reading this: preparing delicious, nutrient dense, homemade soul food for your children might be a fairly thankless task, but the benefits go far beyond their immediate nourishment. So, if you’re someone who has the tendency to become attached to certain ways of eating, I encourage you to give yourself permission to really enjoy your food. At each meal, regardless of what ends up on your plate, focus more on the joy of eating – utilising all your senses – rather than the analysis or judgemental chatter that might be taking place in your head. A way to tick both boxes

GEORGIA LIENEMANN We’re midway through a six-part guide to feeling good. Thus far, we’ve explored the importance of breathing, sleep, rest, pleasure, human connection and this week we’re focusing on ‘soul’ food. Now, before we get into all the chocolatey details, I want to talk a little about the importance of soul food from my perspective. Having spent a couple of decades in search of the best diet for humans and in the process, experimented with the bulk of the dietary and detox protocols out there, I can tell you firsthand that overly restrictive eating isn’t the best path to feeling good. Naturally, eating well is important, however for some, it can be a slippery slope to becoming obsessive or fixated on compartmentalising foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The importance of soul food One thing I’ve come to know is that soul food, whether it’s homemade or even the processed store-bought variety (gasp!), is an extremely important component of a healthy diet. And the way we approach it will make all the difference. You might be familiar with the ‘French Paradox’, a term coined to describe the apparent mystery of why the French can eat three times as much fat as Americans, but their population has remained at a much healthier weight and with less incidence of heart disease. The simple explanation is the quality and ratio of the types of fat they consume, but we’ll come back to that another time. If you can imagine living in a country where there are lower health risks associated with an indulgent diet, you can understand how the French have a completely different mindset around food. This was highlighted beautifully many years ago with a simple experiment, referenced in Michael Pollan’s brilliant book ‘In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto’. When the French were asked to share the first word association that sprang to mind upon being shown the words ‘chocolate cake’, the most

common response was ‘celebration’. For their American counterparts, it was ‘guilt’, demonstrating the degree to which diet culture has radically transformed an enjoyable pastime into one that generates an internal state of fear and loathing. Beliefs and biology The area of research that investigates how our perception influences biology is a fascinating one. Several studies spring to mind which suggest that the way we view the food on our plate can have a significant effect on our physiology when we consume it. For starters, we know that different areas of the brain light up when we view food as celebratory versus being a guilty pleasure – or even

something we know we ‘should’ eat, purely for health reasons. Earlier in this series, we touched on the idea that pleasure can have a profound effect on the nervous system (and thus our overall physical and mental health) via the vagus nerve, which is informed by our senses and determines our physiological response to our environment. By mindfully indulging in a chocolate-covered donut every once in a while, especially if we engage our senses by revelling in the delicious aroma, flavour and texture – we can have a calming effect on the nervous system, flooding our body with a cascade of beneficial chemicals and generating feelings of joy. This process also helps to switch on the digestive process to enable us to deal with the less-than-ideal

My dairy-free chocolate mud cream (chocolate mayo!) This decadent recipe is a recent invention of mine, created mainly to get a broader range of healthy fats into my kids – neither of whom can currently tolerate dairy, much to my overwhelming disappointment! Given that it uses the same technique as a traditional mayonnaise, I’d initially named it ‘chocolate mayo’, however was quickly reprimanded by my test subjects – apparently it’s too off-putting. Chocolate mud cream, it is! The recipe brings together two highly revered traditional foods which contain powerful mood boosting nutrients. We’ve discussed the incredible nutrient density of egg yolks in previous columns, rich in the universally deficient vitamin K2 as well as choline, zinc, iron and more. Cacao or cocoa (the terms are interchangeable, please ignore the raw foodies who insist that one is raw and one is cooked – simply not true!) is also exceptionally nutrient dense and has a long-standing reputation as a mood-enhancing functional food. The nourishing and deliciously aromatic fat of the cocoa bean, which can be purchased in bags of easy-to-use cocoa butter ‘wafers’ from local girls Nurtured Earth is used in this recipe to emulsify – just like oil is used in a traditional mayonnaise. The recipe is extremely forgiving and doesn’t tend to split – so there’s no need to be as cautious and slow with adding the melted fat.

Now, as I fall more and more deeply in love with learning more about regional cuisines and traditional foods and the long-lasting impacts of the misguided anti-fat campaign have dwindled, it becomes overwhelmingly apparent that the dishes many of us would describe as ‘soul food’ can be made with extremely nutrient-dense, nourishing ingredients. They can actually be healthy! Now that we know that saturated fat is not the enemy; that most saturated fats – and indeed most animal fats, whether they’re saturated or not – provide vital nutrients for brain, nervous system and hormone health; that traditional cultures ate ten times the fat-soluble nutrients than we do, it’s time to rethink our relationship with soul food all over again.

My favourite method with any type of mayo, is to use a handheld blender and mix it up directly in the jar you’re planning to store it in. This recipe makes around a cup of mud cream, but can be doubled or trebled depending on family size. Trust me, it won’t last long in the fridge! Ingredients 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 3 tsp cacao/cocoa powder ½ tsp vanilla essence or paste Medium pinch of salt 1.5 tbsp. maple syrup (slightly less, if you prefer honey) 55g cacao butter wafers Method 1. Place all ingredients except the cacao butter in a glass jar or small bowl and using a hand blender or whisk, process them until well combined. 2. Gently heat the cacao butter in a small saucepan over low heat just until melted. 3. Continue to blend or whisk the chocolate egg mixture as you drizzle in the melted cacao butter, until the mixture is uniform and smooth. The mud cream will store in the fridge for up to one week and is a delicious accompaniment to fresh berries, waffles and of course can be eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon. It can also be frozen into the creamiest homemade ice cream – we love to blend it up with ice cubes and a splash of nut milk for a dairy free chocolate ‘milkshake’ on hot days.

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE PAGE 31 11 FEBRUARY 2021

Dementia training for Rotary members Several members of the Rotary Club of Brisbane Water have participated in an interactive training session focused on understanding dementia for their Forget Me Not Cafe project. Organised and run by members of Rotary, Forget Me Not Cafe provides a safe place on the Peninsula for people living with dementia to socialise and interact with others. President Peter Mote said the session was facilitated by fellow Rotarian Bobby Redman, who was endorsed by Dementia Australia to provide the training. “It covered a basic understanding of dementia and

the experience of people living with dementia,” Mote said. “This will help us to overcome some of the misunderstandings and myths around the disorder and will assist us in engaging appropriately with the group of people that we host at our Forget Me Not Cafe.” Rotary Club member and publicist Di Bartok said the target client base was those who had dementia but still lived at home and found it challenging to go outside and socialise. “It’s a project we thought the community would be interested in as there are a lot of people who would benefit from it,” Bartok said. “Even in the early stages of

dementia, cafés can be very overwhelming and confusing when there’s lots of noise and people, so we have created a quiet place in the Umina Beach CWA hall.” The cafe is also open to relatives and family carers who may feel overwhelmed or isolated in their role, giving them a chance to socialise with other carers. Committee member Cherie Simpson said the volunteers served the customers coffee, tea, and biscuits while interacting with them. ‘’This is a place where those living with dementia, and still living at home under the care of family, will be able to meet as if they were going to a

regular cafe, to enjoy morning tea, chats and, if they want, some music from their era,’’ Simpson said. The café has a limit of 20 people due to COVID-19 restrictions and practises all social distancing and safety regulations, including a QR code check-in. Forget Me Not Cafe is open every fortnight, with the next session to be held on February 22 at the Umina Beach CWA hall, 2 Sydney Ave, Umina Beach. For further information or to book a spot, call Di on 0404147743 or Heather on 0414446177. Hayley McMahon

Members from the Rotary Club of Brisbane Water after their dementia training

New walk-in testing clinic at Woy Woy A new walk-in COVID-19 testing clinic has opened at Woy Woy.

Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, and resident, Molly Ryan, popped in to thank clinic staff

The 4Cyte Pathology walk-in clinic is located in the Sea Scouts Hall on North Burge Rd. Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch paid a visit to the new clinic recently with local resident, Molly Ryan, to thank

the staff and promote the service. Tesch welcomed the new clinic and encouraged residents, especially those who do not drive or own a car, to use the service. “Not everyone can drive or organise to get someone to take them to a drive-through

testing clinic or to Gosford Hospital, and I have had many residents contact me about the lack of a walk-in testing clinic here on theWoyWoy Peninsula,” Tesch said. “In the past, residents used to have to travel to the only walkin testing clinic at Gosford Hospital; now, residents can

access walk-in testing services right here in Woy Woy.” Residents can access the new clinic for the next three months from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 4:30pm. Source: Media release, Feb 8 Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch

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New dental clinic on Peninsula A new outreach dental clinic aimed at providing services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is set to open in Woy Woy following an increase in community demand. Local Aboriginal health service provider, Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Services, will expand its dental program with the launch of the new clinic on Friday, March 5. The Gulgul Yirra Outreach Dental Clinic will be located in Woy Woy Public Hospital and will operate every second Friday. Yerin CEO, Belinda Field, said the new clinic is the provider’s second on the Coast, following the opening of a flagship dental clinic in Wyong in 2018. “Since opening our first dental clinic in 2018, we’ve

Staff at the Gulgul Yirra Dental Clinic in Wyong

seen firsthand the need and demand for culturally appropriate dental services,” Field said. “Our Gulgul Yirra Dental Clinic in Wyong has grown exponentially and is now open five days per week,

supporting almost 2,000 patients and delivering over 15,000 treatments annually. “We’re thrilled to be able to expand and offer these services in a new location on the southern end of the Central Coast, making them

accessible to even more of our community.” The Gulgul Yirra Clinic, meaning “strong teeth” in Darkinjung language, aims to provide culturally responsive dental services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

people, building on Yerin’s 25-year history of providing primary health care. The provider has focused on presenting dental, GP, NDIS support, chronic disease, and mental health support services for the local

community. Clinic Practice Manager, Kylie Nichols, said this is a huge milestone for the team as they have been planning the move for over a year. “We used to run a threehour service clinic on Wednesday evenings, borrowing chairs from the dental clinic at Wyong hospital, but our patient base has now doubled,” Nichols said. “We have seen first-hand that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander numbers have doubled. “The need for a culturally appropriate dental service on the Peninsula is paramount.” To be eligible for an appointment, clients must be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and have a current 715 health check.

Peninsula man supports new eczema school kit A Blackwall man has thrown his support behind a new initiative, through which a grassroots charity is offering every Australian teacher and parent access to a free Eczema School Kit. With one in five children suffering from eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis), Eczema Support Australia has challenged schools to better support students living with the extremely itchy and painful condition, which is often misunderstood and has a huge impact on quality of life. The campaign has resulted in the creation of innovative school kits for educators and parents/carers, with expert advice and strategies designed to help identify potential eczema triggers in the learning environment and simple solutions to prevent and/or care for a child’s outbreak. Jamie Chesworth, who has lived on the Coast all his life, has suffered severely from the condition since he was three years old. He said an initiative such as this would have made a world of difference to his school years. “When I was in school there was nothing like that,” he said. “A bit of support and understanding would have

made a big difference. “In primary school you realise you are different and kids can be cruel. “The question I was most often asked was ‘is it contagious?’ “I was constantly embarrassed by the condition and didn’t have the opportunity to play with the other children because there wasn’t much understanding.” It was in his high school years, though, that Chesworth says he could really have used some support. “I was in and out of Royal North Shore Hospital for quite a long time when I was 14-15,” he said. “There I was, swathed in bandages, and still doing schoolwork, only to be told when I returned to school they would not recognise the work I had done in hospital. “To have known I was supported by the school, to have the school and students more aware of the condition, would have been great.” These days, Chesworth is still seeing a dermatologist and on medication which keeps his condition 80 per cent under control. “I am able to get through my personal and work life with minimal hassle but more support during those school

years would have been wonderful,” he said. Eczema Support Australia Managing Director, Melanie Funk, said support for children with eczema in the Australian school system was minimal despite the negative toll it had on both sufferers and their loved ones. “School-age children with eczema often experience physical, emotional and educational struggles, which jeopardises their long-term well-being,” Funk said. “The condition can lead to low confidence, absenteeism from school and isolation, while younger children in early learning are also at risk of adverse health and well-being when their needs are not met. “Research shows eczema has a significant negative impact on education, social life and the family, with 20 per cent of children with the condition bullied and many denied basic healthcare and emotional support at school.” The rollout of the kit has been financially backed by the Commonwealth Department of Health. Educators and parents/carers can download the free kit at the www.eczemasupport.org.au/ school-kit, with hard copies available upon request. Terry Collins

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We Care Connect helps kids get back to school Peninsula students were among those to benefit from a Back to School initiative organised by Central Coast volunteerrun charity We Care Connect.

Volunteer Chris from We Care (left) with a Samaritans’ caseworker

With the help of the local community, more than 200 Back-to-School backpacks including lunch boxes, drink bottles, stationary items and workbooks were distributed to primary and high schools all over the Coast, including on the Peninsula. Backpacks for high school students included essential scientific calculators and USB sticks. A spokesperson for We Care Connect said with the financial

impact of Christmas still lingering, many families couldn’t provide their children with the basics they needed for a return to school from pencil cases and drink bottles to uniforms, backpacks, socks and shoes. “We Care Connect was determined to make sure local children wouldn’t go without on their first day of school,” the spokesperson said. The call went out, with several other community organisations stepping in to help. Wyong Rugby Leagues Club’s grants program helped with the purchase of items. Community members donated $4,400 to the fundraising appeal and many local residents donated new

Back-to-School items as part of the campaign. “It really was an exceptional demonstration of our great community coming together to help kids in need,” the spokesperson said. We Care Connect operates through a professional network of case workers and support agencies working directly with disadvantaged families. “The case workers shared feedback that the families receiving the Back-to-School packs are over the moon and it’s great that the kids can go back to school having the same supplies as their classmates,” the spokesperson said. “In some instances, the children have recently become homeless and aren’t able to get

their old things back in time for school (due to) families struggling financially and single parents who have left their partner due to domestic violence.” We Care Connect also distributes pre-loved children’s items like cots, car seats, prams and clothing through a professional network of support agencies and case workers. If you would like to donate, go to www.wecareconnect.org.au to find the six drop off locations through the Central Coast. To donate to the Back to School campaign, go to: https:// back-2-school.raisely.com/ Source: Media release, Feb 7 We Care Connect

Kids back at school, but need to mask up on public transport As hundreds of students returned to Peninsula schools from January 27 following the Christmas holiday period, students aged 12 and over were reminded of the need to wear masks on public transport while on the way to and from school. All students over the age of 12 who travel to and from school via public or chartered/ private transport must mask up on buses and trains, as well as at train stations and bus stops. But Central Coast Council of

P&Cs President, Sharryn Brownlee, said the new rule is making some families nervous. The Department of Education, Transport for NSW and local bus services remain silent on issues surrounding compliance and policing of the rule, with parents now concerned a forgotten or broken mask could lead to their child being stranded. “Here on the Coast the start of a new school year is always a stressful time for families who rely on public transport because the region lacks dedicated school bus services,”

Brownlee said. “A lot of local services are mixed with the public, especially around the Peninsula, and that’s always been a cause for concern for parents and schools, especially at the beginning of the year when services are notoriously overcrowded. “In fairness to the bus companies, this overcrowding only occurs because they can’t know the numbers of new bus faring students ahead of time, but now this new mask rule is exacerbating the issue. “There’s real concern on how

this rule is going to be policed and what the repercussions will look like. “Parents want to know how this will work and who’s going to be policing whether or not a child on a bus is 12 or not. “There are also a lot of questions emerging around what’ll happen if a student loses their mask or if their mask is damaged. “The big one is whether or not they’ll still be able to get to or home from school if something does happen, but right now there’s no real advice about this issue.

“My current understanding is that the Department of Education will be issuing advice to schools, with the schools then responsible for disseminating it to their families, but I don’t know that for certain and the lack of firm direction on this matter is worrying given kids will be back on buses this week.” Adding another layer of complexity to the issue is the fact that students don’t have to wear masks at school, meaning many families may not think to equip their high schooler with a face mask at all.

The fact that students under the age of 12 can also travel on the same bus services without needing to wear a mask is also confusing parents and Brownlee said clarification from the key players involved would be needed to defuse tensions. “Families want clear and concise information about the duty of care surrounding students and face masks on public transport,” Brownlee said. Dilon Luke and Terry Collins

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Great start to new year Students and families of two Peninsula schools had a great start to the new year, thanks to a huge community collaboration which saw supplies and uniform items donated to Woy Woy Public School and Umina Beach Public School late last year. The donation was a combined effort from Woy Woy CWA and local café owner Diane Schwarzl. Schwarzl, owner of Café DMR

in Deepwater Plaza, had made and sold masks during the pandemic raising $1650, which was then donated to Umina SLSC and Woy Woy CWA. Woy Woy CWA President Jane Bowtell said the donated money stayed on the Peninsula and helped local primary school children in need. Bowtell said the generous donation enabled the CWA to purchase backpacks, coloured pencils, pens, textas, rulers, uniform items, drink bottles

and lunch boxes. “These packs will be provided to local children who may not be able to access school supplies, or their families cannot afford to purchase them,” Bowtell said. “With many Coasties struggling due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, this is just one way we are able to help those in our community who need it most.” Schwarzl said she had chosen to donate the money to Woy

Woy CWA because of its dedication and continued effort within the Peninsula community. “I know they help kids and do a lot of community work,” Schwarzl said. “I wanted to give back; the people who bought the masks are from the Peninsula, so I thought it was only fitting to put the money back into the community.” Hayley McMahon

Donations being given to Umina Beach Public School

A few changes at Woy Woy PS School is back for 2021, which means another year of learning and the second official year of educating under COVID-19 restrictions. Staff and students at Woy Woy Public School are already quite familiar with these rules, with Principal Ona Buckley hoping educational experiences and school proceedings will run smoothly. “2020 was full of stops and starts, and we have had a few

ruffles recently too,” Buckley said. “We are very aware that we all still need to be very mindful of COVID-19 restrictions, protocols and safety requirements.” The NSW Government has updated some COVID-19 rules for the new school year, including continuing P&C meetings and orientation days for preschool, kindergarten, and Year Seven students. Buckley said innovative

changes that were made during 2020 were also in place for the new school year. “We have already seen advantages to our different way of covering the required curriculum and how it has improved student learning engagement,” she said. Buckley said the new school year had exciting educational opportunities planned with new extended lunchtime breaks and adjusted learning times.

“An innovation of playing first and eating second is being trialled at present,” Buckley said. “Our teachers have for years noted that many children rush through their food when eating lunch in order to get to the playground sooner, often leaving much of their food uneaten.” She said research indicated less food waste and higher consumption of fruit and vegetables occurred when

5@5

children played before eating lunch. Other schools that have trialled similar changes have reported fewer students feeling sick at the end of lunch because they had not run around or exercised on a full stomach. “Students at schools who’ve adopted this approach indicate that they have more time to eat and don’t have to rush because they’re so keen to get out and play,” Buckley said. “We’re hoping to see similar

benefits here at WWPS and perhaps even increased levels of concentration and engagement in the middle and later stages of the school day.” Woy Woy Public School will monitor this new change and take feedback from the school community regarding whether this will be adopted as the new normal. Source: Newsletter, Feb 5 Woy Woy Public School

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Classified advertising is the cheapest form of newspaper advertising. This newspaper is also published on line on the publication date, and is also read that way by hundreds of people. All advertisements, including these classified advertising pages, appear in full on-line as an additional benefit for free. See www.coastcommunitynews.com.au Central Coast Newspapers’ classified advertising rates are relatively much lower than in other newspapers and at the same time much larger than in other newspapers, with the minimum size being 50mm X 42mm. Approximately 15,000 copies of this newspaper are printed and distributed every week.

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

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

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SPORT PAGE 37 11 FEBRUARY 2021

Peninsula lifesavers bring home the gold SURF LIFE SAVING Three surf lifesaving teams on the Peninsula have taken gold in a First Aid competition held at The Entrance on January 30. Umina Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) fielded three teams in the SLSC Central Coast’s Branch First Aid contest. Each team won its respective age group, with Maia Darwin and Erin Scahill clinching gold in the Under 17s, Bethwyn Caller and Liam Drake in the Under 19s, and Hannah Murphy

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and Bronte Smith in the open division. President Stephen Scahill said the Club was very proud of the First Aid competitors and the success they achieved at the branch titles. “Hannah [Murphy] and Bronte [Smith] deserve special recognition, as not only are they crack competitors, but they also double as the coaches for our under 17 and under 19 teams,” Scahill said. “They also achieved the highest score across all competitors in any age group on the day.” Competitors aged from Under

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15s through to the Opens were tested on their lifesaving skills, working in teams to respond to a simulated emergency. Competitors had to respond in the aftermath of a simulated car accident in which one of the victims was suffering from a head injury, and the other with multiple fractures and cuts. With judges watching and scoring them, team members had to assess the state of the victims and determine what treatment to apply. SLS Central Coast’s Director of Surf Sports, David Unger, said it was great to see young lifesavers on the Coast honing their skills. “They then take this knowledge onto patrol and into the wider community, with many of these competitors having already had to use their skills in real life situations,” Unger said. Competitors will now go on to compete at the State Titles at Swansea Belmont, competing against the best in NSW to qualify for the National Championships at the Aussies.

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(production & sell) Licence agreement.

COASTAL DIARY EVENTS ON THE CENTRAL COAST

Coal Ash Public Meeting, on the cnr of Ocean 9am - 3:30pm Umbi, 10am - 2pm Woy Woy Little Theatre, Ettalong Diggers Club, Point Wolstoncroft Sport Beach Road, Ticketed, 19/02 - 7/03, First attendance is free, 0438 153 328 and Recreation Centre SATURDAY, FEB 27 president@kvbombers.com www.trybooking.com 7am - 1pm 10am - 12pm Recreation Hall, RSVP to 0416 303 804 attend, Antiques & Chemical clean out, Handmade on the Coast, WEDNESDAY, MAR 10 1pm - 4pm Collectables, Council’s Long Jetty Woy Woy Waterfront, SUNDAY, FEB 14 Mercure Kooindah Depot Tribute: Brick Wharf Rd, Somersby Greenteam Olivia Newton-John, Waters Resort Wyong, Morris Place, Bateau SUNDAY, FEB 28 9am 2pm Davistown Waterfront Information Picnic, Laycock Street Community Summer Spandex 19/02 - 26/02, Bay, Market, Somersby Falls Picnic Theatre, Ticketed, Be my Valentine, 10am - 3pm 27 - 28/02, Pine Ave Reserve, FRIDAY, FEB 19 Area, Free, 11am Naughty Noodle Fun Haus, 9am - 3:30pm 7:30am - 4pm 9am - 10:30am Ticketed, 8pm SATURDAY, FEB 20 Troubadour Folk Club Play AFL with the Alliance Francaise Grand opening, Chemical clean out, Peninsula Lions Club: Bombers - register now conversation group: Everglades Club Woy Woy, Event Park Car Boot Sale, for season 2021, practice your French at Ticketed event Kangoo Road, Kariong, Dunban Road Car Park Adelaide St Oval, Tumbi Love Letters, any level, 20- 21/02,

SATURDAY, FEB 13

Open day, Ingenia Lifestyle Sunnylake Shores 2 Macleay Dr. Halekulani, 10am - 2pm 0458 018 332

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

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

PAGE 38 11 FEBRUARY 2021

INFO

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NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATIONS 4385 5027

Art & Culture

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

speakers, entertainment and bus trips - 4344 3277

Central Coast Art Society Volunteering Central Coast Weekly paint-outs enquiries Central Coast Community Tuesday. Refers potential volunteers Legal Centre Phone: 0428 439 180 to community orgs. Supports Not for profit service providing Workshops: 1st and 3rd both volunteers and free legal advice. Wednesdays 9.30 am community orgs. Training for Monday to Friday to 12.30 pm, at Gosford volunteers & their managers. 9am to 5pm Regional Gallery & Art Centre. 4329 7122 4353 4988 Phone: 0409 666 709 recruit@volcc.org.au contact@centralcoastclc.org.au Social Meetings 1.30 pm on 4th Wednesday for Community Groups Wagstaffe to Killcare demonstration Community ABC “The Friends” 4325 1420 Protect and preserve the publicity@artcentralcoast.asn.au Support group for Public environment & residential Broadcaster. nature of the Bouddi Aims: Safeguard ABC’s Ettalong Beach Art Peninsula and to strengthen independence, adequate & Crafts Centre community bonds funding, high standards. Adult classes in Pottery 2nd Mon, 7.30pm Watercolours, Oils, Acrylics, Meetings through the year + Wagstaffe Hall 4360 2945 social mornings Pastels, Silvercraft, info@wagstaffetokillcare.org.au Well-known guest speakers Patchwork & Quilting 0400 213 514 0412 155 391 www.ebacc.com.au ebacc.email@gmail.com

Hospital Art Australia Inc. Meet every Tue and Fri 9am-2pm - 109 Birdwood Ave, Umina - Painting and Canvas drawing. Volunteers welcome 0431 363 347

www.fabcnsw.org.au

Entertainment

Central Coast Caravanners Inc 3rd Sun - Jan to Nov Visitors - New Members welcome, Trips Away, Social Outings, friendship with like minded folk Details from Geoff 0447 882 150

Frantastics Choir Inc High quality variety entertainment available for matinee bookings at your venue. New members welcome. 1pm Mondays during school terms Walter Baker Hall, Woy Woy 4343 1995

Terrigal 9.30am to 12 noon 4367 9600

Hall Henry Parry & Wells Street East Gosford Central Coast Parkinson’s Support Group We aim to help individuals and their families better manage living with Parkinson’s Disease Guest speakers are a regular feature of our meetings. 2nd Tue - 1.30pm 1800 644 189 Meals on Wheels Delicious meals delivered free - Join us for a midday meal - Help with shopping and cooking classes 4341 6699 Overeaters Anonymous (OA) 12-step fellowship for those with eating disorders. No dues, fees, or weigh-ins. Peninsula Com. Cntr, cnr. Mc Masters Rd & Ocean Beach Rd. Woy Woy, Fri 8pm 0412 756 446 www.oa.org Peninsula Village Wellness Centre Offering holistic and complementary therapies including aromatherapy, massage and music therapy 4344 9199

www.pcfa.org.au

Woy Woy Stroke Recovery Club Everglades Country Club 2nd Tues 11am Company, up-to-date info, hydrotherapy, bus trips 1300 650 594 S.A 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 newcastlesagroup@gmail.com

Music education provided. Rehearsals Tuesday 7pm @ Red Tree Theatre Tuggerah. Performance opportunities. Hire us for your next event. 0412 948 450 coastalacappella@gmail.com

Troubadour Central Coast Folk, Traditional & Acoustic Music and Spoken Word Concerts, Ukulele meets, and Sessions 4342 6716 mail.info@troubadour.org.au

Political Groups Central Coast Greens Active regarding ecological sustainability, social & economic justice, peace & non-violence, grassroots democracy & getting Greens elected 3rd Thur

Schizophrenia & centralcoast.nsw.greens.org.au centralcoastgreens@gmail.com Bipolar Fellowship For Schizophrenia Bipolar & Mental Health sufferers. Australian Labor Party Family carers & friends.are Political discussions, national, welcome. state and local government Meetings 1st Thursday issues Inquires re-venue please ring 4344-7989 or 4368-2214 Peninsula Day Branch 1pm 2nd Mon

Bridge Duplicate Bridge Mon Tue Thur Fri Sat-12.15pm & Wed 9.15am Brisbane Water Bridge Club, Peninsula Community Centre 93 McMasters Rd. Woy Woy www.brisbane-water.bridge-club.org

Central Coast Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service Help with issues with landlords & real estate agents? Free telephone advice and advocacy for all tenants and residents in residential parks. 4353 5515 cctaas@hotmail.com

Peninsula Environment Group Environmental projects, (incl. Woytopia), Woy Woy community garden, social events, workshops, organic food buying group www.peg.org.au

Veterans Veterans’ Help Centre’ Assist all veterans & families with pension & welfare issues. Mon & Wed 9am-1pm 4344 4760 Cnr Broken Bay Rd & Beach St Ettalong.

Central Coast Asbestos CWA Hall Woy Woy Diseases Support 4341 9946 Community Centres Peninsula Village Group LEARN TO DANCE Playgroup Support for those suffering Empire Bay Probus Club Service Groups Social ballroom dancing for all Carers, Grandparents, with asbestos diseases and Friendship, fellowship, centralcoastveterans@bigpond.com. ages, all you need is a desire Lions Club of Woy Woy parents & children others interested in asbestos and fun in retirement. to learn and dance, Women’s Groups Everglades Country Club ‘Intergenerational Playgroup’ issues. You are not alone, Very active club, outings, no partner required. 3rd Monday of each month Tues 10-11.30am meet with others who can Country Women’s excursions, dining - 3 meet every Wed at 15 Make new friends and Peninsula Village Meals share their experiences. Bring 4344 9199 times a month Association Woy Woy Lorraine Ave Berkeley Vale, have fun while serving your Delivered daily to your door a family member or friend. 1st Thur 1.30pm 30 The Boulevarde, Woy Woy 2:00pm community. Nutritious, great for the elderly 1pm at Ourimbah RSL on Peninsula School Empire Bay Progress Hall Craft & Friendship: 1st, 2nd Anne - 0409 938 345 0478 959 895 4344 9199 forth Wed of each month. Visitors Welcome. and 3rd Wed 10AM. for Seniors anneglazier@y7mail.com Maree 0419 418 190 Meetings: 4th Wed 10AM. 0414 280 375 Community Centre, Health Groups Rotary Clubs Peninsula Village Ph: 0411 434 785 McMasters Road, Woy Woy Music International service club Carer’s Support Group Al-Anon Discussions, rumikin, craft, woywoycwa@gmail.com CENTRAL COAST For carers of loved ones with Brisbane Water Brass improves lives of communities If someone’s drinking is history, walks, & coach trips MARINE DISCOVERY in Aust. & o/seas. Fun-filled dementia - 1st Wed - 10 to Brass Band entertainment causing you problems... Tues, Wed, Thur Peninsula Women’s activities, fellowship and CENTRE 11.30am for the community playing all Al-Anon can help 4341 5984 or 4341 0800 Health Centre friendship. The revamped CCMDC is types of popular music. 1300 252 666 Paula 4344 9199 Counselling, therapeutic and open. Schools and Group Rotary Club of Woy Woy Rehearsal every Wed Meetings Sat 2pm The Krait Club social groups, workshops, bookings welcome by Tues 6pm Everglades 8pm -10pm Woy Woy Hospital Prostate Cancer domestic violence and abuse Community Centre - Cooinda appointment. Country Club. 0419 274 012 Ocean Beach Road Support Group issues. All services by women Village, Neptune St, Umina Building has special needs Don Tee 0428 438 535 for women (Gosford) access and toilets 10.30am For seniors. Gentle Alcoholics Anonymous Coastal a Cappella 4342 5905 Last Fri, Terrigal Uniting Open 7 days 9am – 3pm. exercises, quizzes, games, www.cccwhc.com.au Special Interest - Someone cares. Award winning women’s a Church, 380 Terrigal Drive, Terrigal. social activities, guest Thurs - 12.30pm, Progress cappella chorus. hospitalartaustralia.com.au

www.frantastics.org

If you would like your Community Organisation listed here call us on 4325 7369

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FORT DENISON

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

TIDE CHART

LAT 33° 51’ S - LONG 151° 14’ E - TIME ZONE - 1000 Times and Heights(m) of high and low waters

0228 0.47 0314 0.45 0356 0.45 0437 0.47 0516 0.51 0005 1.45 0043 1.44 0859 1.88 0942 1.87 1022 1.83 1100 1.75 1134 1.65 0557 0.56 0641 0.62 THU 1539 0.28 FRI 1617 0.29 SAT 1653 0.32 SUN 1727 0.37 MON 1758 0.43 TUE 1209 1.55 WED 1245 1.44 2135 1.42 2215 1.44 2253 1.45 2330 1.45 1828 0.49 1900 0.55 0123 1.43 0209 1.42 0303 1.42 0405 1.43 0510 1.47 0609 1.55 0030 0.66 0729 0.68 0827 0.72 0938 0.74 1058 0.72 1209 0.66 1304 0.57 0700 1.64 THU 1326 1.33 FRI 1416 1.23 SAT 1523 1.15 SUN 1645 1.12 MON 1802 1.15 TUE 1900 1.21 WED 1348 0.48 1936 0.61 2021 0.68 2119 0.73 2228 0.74 2333 0.72 1945 1.29

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

FOOTBALL A second come back win in a row for the Mariners at Central Coast Stadium, this time against Western United, has given the side a sliver of first place security. The brunt of the home side damage was done by Mariner, Alou Kuol, who came on in the second half and scored two goals. Still buzzing off their Wednesday night win over Melbourne City, the Mariners faced an altogether new challenge, facing a team standing in fourth place who won this previous encounter by a whopping 6-2. Western United open the scoring with a set piece goal in the 4th minute going to Tomislav Uskok. The game then turned on its head with its second set-piece goal, this time going to the Mariners off a corner, put away by captain, Matt Simon. The initial header from Marcos Ureńa hit the bottom corner of the post and ricocheted back into play.

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Kuol-ity

A-League top goal scorer, Alou Kuol Photo: Haakon Barry

Simon was the first to respond with a powerful, low strike at point blank range which, despite a deflection, had too much pace to be altered from its path to goal. In the 42nd minute, Western United scored their second goal through Mariners’ bane, Besart

Berisha. A fast strike snapped the ball upward above Birighitti’s outstretched arms, earning the A-League veteran his 21st goal against Mariners in 24 games. The Mariners’ second half search for goals brought a number of good opportunities

in the first 30 minutes, yet without any scoreboard success. This led to the Mariners scoring an equaliser in the 78th minute, again off a corner, adding goal number four to Alou Kuol’s 2021 tally. De Silva’s inward curling

cross swung out to the far side of goal, finding Kuol unmarked in space. The super sub, with his late game energy, made the most of it, launching the ball back across Kurto and nestling it in the back of the net. In the final ten minutes of

SPORT PAGE 39 11 FEBRUARY 2021

regular time, both teams went looking for the winning goal. In this final chase, it was the home side who again showed their character, again off the head of Kuol from a wide cross. Australian Under 23 player, Dylan Pierias cut out a pass along the side line at half way and found Daniel Bouman making the run ahead of him. With time to look up, Bouman curled the ball in to the forward surging Kuol, who launched himself forward, meeting the ball with a diving header to catch out the inside channel of Kurto. For Kuol, his two goals has shot him back up to the top of the goal scoring tally with five, a placement he now shares with Brisbane Roar’s, Dylan Wenzel-Halls. For the Mariners, a wellearned week-long break, after three games in eight days, will be followed by a fierce match against Wellington Phoenix, who beat the lads a week ago. Haakon Barry.

Southern Ettalong Clubhouse ready for 2021 Season

Southern and Ettalong United Football Club’s renovations on its clubhouse at James Brown Oval, Woy Woy, have now concluded following a fiveyear project aimed at providing necessary infrastructure for the growing number of club players, particularly within the girls’ and women’s teams. On Friday, February 5, the club officially opened the new and improved clubhouse, a few months prior to the football season kick-off. In attendance were representatives from a wide array of financial supporting partners and regional and state football governing bodies,

Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, and Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, as well as a group of young female footballers who play with the club.

The $500,000 renovations, funded by government grants, club sponsorship and membership money, have provided new women’s changerooms with shower

facilities and a new entry, as well as new exterior extensions, storeroom area, canteen and bin storage area. The honour of cutting the ribbon was given to ex-Matilda

football player, Servet Uzunlar, who reflected on the role of a changeroom in building team culture. “The changeroom is an important part of a club that builds a team environment,” she said. “I know the girls will enjoy a space where they can come and feel comfortable. “It’s their space for 20 – 30 minutes to get ready, to have jokes, to put some music on, to do whatever they want to do and then go out and play. “The facility looks awesome and the signage is wicked! “It has a really nice vibe to it and I’m sure these girls are going to enjoy it.” Tesch took the opportunity to speak directly with the girls about how competitive female sport teaches many life skills

as an individual and team player, and reflected on the importance of female participation and equity in sport. Wicks also noted with excitement the growth of women’s football on the Coast. “It’s fantastic to see that as this interest grows, we can actually build the infrastructure that’s needed to make sure our women, our young girls, our soccer stars of the future, get access to everything they need to succeed,” she said. Southern and Ettalong FC will now look forward to its first big sporting challenge of 2021: the Pre-Season Cup to be held throughout March, where their top men’s and women’s teams will compete for gold. Haakon Barry

PAGE 40 11 FEBRUARY 2021

SPORT

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Kudos for Woy Woy athletics program

The Woy Woy Peninsula Little Athletics Program was rated amongst the best in NSW for engagement

ATHLETICS A Woy Woy athletics program has been ranked amongst the best in the state following its online success in engaging the community.

Woy Woy Peninsula Little Athletics was rated the 13th best program in NSW in the 2020 Top Performing Little Athletics Clubs competition. The organisation ranked 34th in Australia in terms of “performance power” which

measured the efficiency and effectiveness of social media posts. Officer for Social Media, Christine Murphy, said it was a complete surprise for the club to be nominated.

“As a little team of volunteers who [are] passionate about our local community and creating opportunities for our kids right here in our own backyard, it is lovely to think our efforts are up there with some of the biggest clubs in the country,” Murphy

said. “We are a small club, so were thrilled to make it onto the top 50 lists in two of the four categories (Publishing Pros and Performance Power). “Engaging our community is

important to us ... we know engagement is the heart and soul of our club and a lot of what we do has this at its core. “We are thrilled!” Maisy Rae

Johnathan named junior lifesaver of the year SURF LIFE SAVING A young lifesaver from Umina Beach was crowned Junior Lifesaver of the Year at Copacabana Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) on Sunday, January 31. 13-year-old Johnathan Hall clinched the title at Surf Life Saving Central Coast’s Newcastle Permanent competition after being nominated by his Club – Ocean Beach SLSC. Johnathan said the competition was much more

difficult than he expected but he was grateful for the award. “I was so thrilled the moment I got it ...I felt so happy that all the hard work put into it had finally paid off,” he said. “I think everyone that was there deserved it. “I’m definitely wanting to go further with surf lifesaving; I’ve got some state competitions coming up and I’m looking forward to them.” Nominees undergo a fourpart interview which involves a theory test, signals, CPR

scenario and an interview which is conducted by independent assessors. The results are then recorded and tallied up to provide a score out of 102. Areas such as a nominee’s demonstration of leadership roles in club activities, their contribution in community events, and their encouragement of new members, were all assessed. Director of Junior Activities at Ocean Beach Surf Club, Robyn Carr, said the Club was very proud of Johnathan’s

achievement. “Our club has had a good run of people winning this award so it’s something we strive for with the younger children in the club to give them something to look forward to,” Carr said. “We are very big on trying to build, not just their competition skills, but their life skills too.” With just one male and female being awarded the top title, Terrigal’s Tarah Bryers was also named Junior Lifesaver of the Year. Maisy Rae

Ocean Beach’s Johnathan Hall and Terrigal’s Tarah Bryers were nominated Junior Lifesavers of the Year