North Sydney Sun January 2023 issue

Council apologises for Bradfield Park’s NYE fail

North Sydney Council has apologised for a New Years Eve debacle where thousands of would-be fireworks spectators were forced to queue for hours outside an under-staffed sole entrance to Bradfield Park and Mary Booth Reserve. The entry delays prompted blowback on social media from local residents and attendees.

Council this year offered 17,000 tickets to Bradfield Park, under advice from police and fireworks organisers that this would enable better event management. Despite the advice of Council staff to charge for tickets, which creates a revenue base to help pay for security and trash collection, mayor Zoe Baker successfully moved on the council floor that the tickets be made free.

This resulted in what appeared to be a resource-constrained event, with gates only open at 5pm and limited staff to check QR codes and bags for entry. Queues began to form midafternoon and by 5pm stretched a kilometre up to the top of Alfred Street South and back again to the QE Store on Cliff St.

One attendee, Danee Santiago, told the Sun that the queue moved “maybe two metres in two hours.”

She said the dysfunction was such that fights broke out. “Service became impossible. We walked into the entry close to 8. Very poor bag searches and crowds in all directions at that end. Absolutely chaos,” she said.

Another resident, Heidi Jarman,

posted on Facebook that “We only moved 50 metres in 2.5 hours & thought we’d miss the 9 pm fireworks because we were nowhere near the entrance. At the last minute they must have moved everyone along quickly to get them in before 9 pm, there was a crowd crush of people then at the entrance. So dangerous.”

“Not to mention all the people standing in line for hours in the heat… how do the elderly & young children & those with disabilities manage… truly terrible. We got inside around 8.45 pm, and all our picnic food was hot by then,” Jarman said.

Making matters worse was a prohibition on pass-outs which many residents observed reduced trade for local

businesses. This attracted criticism from councillor Jilly Gibson who said that the problems could have been foreseen months before: “Council needs to do better next time. The parks should have been open in the morning with pass outs so people could wander up to the local shops and spend some money. This Council is the most anti small business council I’ve been on.”

For its part, North Sydney Council described various factors akin to a “perfect storm” which led to the extensive delays in entry.

Manager communication and events Sandra Moore said the Council apologised for what transpired.

“A number of factors contributed to

the queue and these will be reviewed in our debrief with other agencies to see how access to Bradfield Park can be improved in future years.”

Moore said NSW Police and Sydney Trains close the Burton St tunnel and Milsons Point railway station for safety and to use for Mounted Police. “This means the only way for pedestrians to cross between Kirribilli and Milsons Point was via Fitzroy Street. This resulted in difficulty getting ticketholders across the flow of pedestrians going in the crosswise direction, she told the Sun

“We didn’t expect so many people to arrive early in the evening. In previ-

Felicity Wilson: Why I genuinely represent North Shore values

herself as a genuine

in step with the core values of the community, and emphasised that social justice and environmental causes are not the exclusive preserve of her challengers.

In an extensive interview ahead of the March state election, Wilson reflected on what she sees as the core values and needs of the North Sydney and Mosman districts and why she remains the best representative for the electorate.

Referencing the recent Census results, she told the Sun: “This electorate has the highest proportion of women voters of any of the 93 electorates in the state. We also have the highest level of educational attainment, so post high school qualifications. Some of the highest public transport use.

“We’ve got a lot of renters, a lot of people live lot in strata. And I rent. I live in strata. I do a lot of the things that the community do. Kids in childcare. But also, probably more importantly, is I think my values align to the community,” she explained.

“The Liberals believe in the individual. We believe in opportunity. But we also believe in social justice.”

“People might want to characterise that there’s a progressive or a conservative or whatever there is, and that the Liberal party can’t be X or Y. So some people might want to say, well, you need a different candidate, or you need a teal or an independent or a green in order to deliver the environmental outcomes or preserve the rights of women or stand up for mar-

News and views for North Sydney’s residential and business communities

Godfrey Santer

Alanya Drummond & John Lepouris

LEFT: By late afternoon, the queue stretched from the Burton Street gate at Bradfield Park all the way up to the Lavender Street roundabout and then back towards the source. ABOVE: Attendees began queuing from 2pm and, in many cases, did not gain access for several hours to the park, which remained half empty all evening. Pictures by Grahame Lynch

Incumbent North Shore MP Felicity Wilson has defended

representative

Felicity Wilson and supporters at Spit Rd this month

Can lightning strike twice? Helen Conway flies teal flag for North Shore

By Grahame Lynch

Buoyed by the success of independents Kylea Tink and Zali Steggall in the recent federal elections, local Wollstonecraft resident Helen Conway is now staking her claim as a teal independent to win the state seat of North Shore in the March election.

Conway is well-credentialled. She is the chair of Women for Election (a non-partisan organisation seeking to inspire, equip and sustain women to successfully stand for, and thrive in, public office) and the YWCA.

She is also a director of Endeavour Energy and Catholic Schools NSW. Previously, she was the general counsel for Caltex and is best known for her three year stint as head of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency between 2011 and 2014.

“I’ve always had a great interest in politics. But I’ve become increasingly concerned, I must say, about the ability of the two party system to look after communities,” she told the Sun.

“I’ve been very critical, I might say, on both sides of politics, frankly, that they don’t listen to communities.”

Comway said she was approached by North Sydney’s Independent—the group who also picked Kylea Tink— some months ago, and asked to run. Initially reluctant, she eventually decided to act on her strong views and enter the contest.

“I do have a bit of a track record of rolling up my shared sleeves in different areas. I just thought, look, I’ve got the experience now. I’ve had a long career in different sectors and I’ve worked in the commercial, government and not-for-profit sectors over many years. I understand those sectors. I’ve done a huge amount of community work. I thought, well, perhaps I could bring this experience to bear if I was elected to do better things for the community here in North Shore, because there are some big issues here as you go,” she said.

“Different issues in different parts of the electorate, of course. But I just felt, well, look, perhaps it's time. And timing is an issue, I think, because as you would know, it looks like I’ll be a tight election. And I’ve seen what the independents have been able to do federally. When I get out and talk to

the community, there are quite a few issues that are concerning them.”

Conway said some of these are universal issues such as climate change, integrity and gender equity.

But there are also issues specific to the electorate.

“People are concerned about very localised issues about, for example, train noise in Waverton and Wollstonecraft. You've got potential development issues in Mosman around Middle Head and those sorts of places,” she said.

“Look, the government’s doing certain things. It’s making lots of announcements, but in many respects, and this is across a number of policy areas, the government does talk out of both sides of its mouth.”

She cited two examples. The government, she says, gives lip service to renewable energy and decarbonisation but the reality is “they’ve approved 26 fossil fuel projects since the Paris Agreement, 18 of those, while Matt Kean’s been the energy minister.”

Another is the mooted cashless gaming card: “Once again, no detail. And you think, well, okay, there’s an initiative there, but the reality is, if you dig deep New South Wales budget forecasts show there’s a 60% increase in revenue from club and hotel poker machines over the next four years.”

On the gambling issue, Conway embraces the Wesley Mission’s plan. “I’m not underestimating or underplaying the money laundering that's going on in clubs and pubs, but it’s the social harm. It is shocking what it does to families. So, there’s a very strong platform of recommendations from Wesley and so, if the government was really serious about it, I think not only would they look at the cashless gaming card with a lot more detail.”

“And that needs to have detail around limits on losses, limits on amount that can be gambled each day,” she said.

Conway noted that with the government currently in minority and the opposition requiring a large number of seats to gain majority in its own right, the cross-bench may be key in the next parliament.

“So, it goes back to the fundamental principle about how can we make

Council apologises for NYE Bradfield Park fail

ous years when the park has been ticketed, ticketholders arrived close to the start of the fireworks display, with the majority of ticketholders attending only for the midnight fireworks and arriving between 10 pm and 11.30 pm. We will take this year’s crowd attendance pattern into consideration when we plan for next year.”

Moore said council staff walked along the queue telling people they needed tickets and asking them to leave the queue if they didn’t have a

ticket, Nevertheless, many people stayed in the queue and went through the bag check process in the hope that someone would relent and let them in without a ticket. This both wasted time and created additional issues with pedestrian flows in Fitzroy St.

“The ticket supplier had technical issues on the night that resulted in tickets having to be manually checked, adding to the process time for each entry,” she added.

Moore also said that Council has traditionally “respected” the City of

the two party system work better for communities and you need to hold them to account, and the only way you can hold them to account is to have a strong crossbench,” Conway said.

Conway points to the long history of independents in the area: the “legendary” Ted Mack as well as Robyn Read and more recently, Tink and Steggall.

One of the stranger aspects of Conway’s candidacy is that she is a former colleague of incumbent MP Felicity Wilson. Conway was the chief counsel at energy company Caltex with Wilson, who was a media affairs executive.

“I wasn’t her direct boss,” explained Conway when asked about Wilson. “I ran a big division, and she was in one of the departments in my division. I had a very good relationship with Felicity. But look, I don’t think this is about Felicity, to be honest, if I might just make that point? This is about who was the best candidate to represent the interests of the North Shore community. And Felicity can do all she can but she is bound by the party’s platform.”

“She’s bound by the factional deals that are done by Liberals. And of course, the Coalition is always hamstrung by its agreement with the Nationals on certain issues, most particularly if you look at land clearing, for example, and that sort of thing.”

Godfrey Santer

Conway believes that her extensive experience as a lawyer and a board director gives her the skills to act as an honest broker on the cross bench.

“It means I am a realist about what you can achieve,” she said.

“Doesn’t matter whether you’re working in a not-for-profit or a commercial organisation or a government organisation, you have to work together to get things done. And you have all those different experiences and you learn techniques to work with people to get the best outcome,” she said.

“If you sit around a board table, for example, and I’ve chaired quite a few boards, you want everybody talking, everybody expressing their views. You want the diversity of the people around the table expressing their views. You need to listen to those views. And then as the chair, what you’re trying to do is get some consen-

Sydney’s role as communications lead for the fireworks event to ensure clear messaging. “Unlike previous years the messaging did not include advice not to come to the foreshore unless you have a ticket due to the introduction of managed access sites on the southern side of the harbour. This resulted in people looking for a vantage point on the streets and more pedestrians in the Fitzroy St cross flow.”

Moore said that the New Years Eve fireworks are “one of the best in the world. We are fortunate here in North Sydney to have this event on our doorstep, however it is an incredibly challenging night to manage with many

sus, understand what people are saying, trying to work to a position that will take an issue forward.”

“So I think all that experience in those various sectors, in those various organisations, has given me an ability to discern how to work with people and move things constructively to a resolution and a way forward. I think that that helps a lot.”

Conway acknowledged that she cannot emulate the six-month saturated marketing campaign that propelled Kylea Tink to success last May, not least because of donation and campaign spending caps that operate in state elections.

“I can’t afford to do a whole lot of outdoor advertising, for example, because we don’t have the dollars,” she lamented.

“So it means you’ve got to find alternative ways of connecting with the community. The second challenge is to get out as much as possible and talk to the community to understand what their issues are. And frankly, people are away mentally or physically until about the 26th of January,” she said.

“So it means your ability to make contact with the electorate and whatever really is squeezed into two months. It’s really most effectively February and March.”

Another challenge is the optional preferential voting system used in state elections which will blunt her potential to win on preferences.

moving parts. The Council staff, and staff across all agencies who worked incredibly hard to ensure the community was able to enjoy their New Year celebrations should be congratulated on what was an extremely challenging year for several reasons.”

“While there have been complaints and suggestions for improvement in future years, which we welcome, we have also received positive feedback both on the night and following the event. We look forward to debriefing and introducing changes where necessary for the 2024 event, including considering the impact of ticketing as compared to managed access.”

Independent Helen Conway

We’re the real deal on climate says Greens North Shore candidate

By Rohan Pearce

Greens

candidate

for the North Shore electorate James Mullan says he has met with a warm reception from locals as he positions himself as the real deal when it comes to climate issues.

“I’ve got to say that the response to seeing an active Greens candidate out on the street has been really positive,” he told the North Sydney Sun.

“Of course, it’s not going to be for everyone, but I think especially on those issues of environment and integrity people, if they just look a little deeper, will see that the Greens have a great track record on that —we're the real deal,” he told the Sun.

“We didn't just wake up to these issues an election cycle ago like the Teals did and like the independents did. We've been going on about it for a long time and I think the public is catching up.”

Climate change, integrity and anticorruption, and equality are the three broad pillars of the NSW Greens pitch in the state election, Mullan said.

However, the candidate said he was also using his campaign to raise local issues affecting the electorate’s residents.

That includes concerns around what he said was inadequate public transport and problems with traffic, as well as substandard community infrastructure.

Military Road and the Pacific Highway are “nightmares” he said, calling for a “holistic approach to improving transport.”

“I think public transport has been a bit of a mess under the Liberal government,” Mullan said. “They've privatised bus services, which means we've got less reliable bus services.” That flows through to a negative impact on traffic, he argued. “And then you look at Military Road, for example; things like the cycling infrastructure are not up to scratch,” he said. Ferry service patronage is lower than it should be because of services that aren’t frequent and reliable enough, he added.

“Tackling public transport will mean we have less traffic in the area,” he said, and make it easier for people who do need to drive.

Building more roads and tunnels only “massages” the problem and pushes traffic to other areas. On community infrastructure, “we’ve really been left behind,” he said, citing the example of local sports facilities. The North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre is “falling apart” and North Sydney Oval is “no longer really up to scratch.” Those are examples of issues where the state government shouldn’t expect councils to be able to foot the entire bill, he said.

“I think things like the state government providing more money for

Alanya Drummond resigns as NS councillor

North Sydney councillor Alanya Drummond has resigned after five years’ service, as exclusively foreshadowed by North Sydney Sun in November.

Cr Drummond was elected in September 2017 and re-elected in December 2021.

Cr Drummond served on the initial Steering Committee for the redevelopment of the North Sydney Olympic Pool and has been a strong supporter of sustainability initiatives, introducing notices of motion to introduce a textile recycling service and organic waste collection.

North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker thanked Cr Drummond for her service. “On behalf of Council and the North Sydney community, I thank Cr Drummond for her service and wish both her and her family every happiness in the future.”

Council has formally notified the NSW Electoral Commissioner of the resignation.

A Returning Officer will be appointed within 14 days and the process for a “countback election” will begin. It is expected that this process will be completed by the end of March 2023. Councillors voted to acknowledge her contribution to council at a meeting on 16 January.

North Sydney Sun’s calculation is that the number two candidate on Cr Drummond’s St Leonards Ward ticket

at the last poll - Neutral Bay cafe owner John Lepouris - will win in the countback.

Cr Drummond told the Sun that she was planning to resign because of a personal relocation to Western Australia. She ran on a joint ticket with her mother, Jilly Gibson, last year,

public plazas, public spaces and community infrastructure — that’s a big one in this area because our population is growing pretty fast and councils can’t keep up.”

Mullan has had a somewhat unusual political journey to running for the Greens. During the North Sydney Council elections he ran as an independent, and his previous experience includes working with former Liberal federal MP Trent Zimmerman, NSW Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann as well as Victorian Labor MP John Kennedy.

Mullan described his early 20s as a bit of a political “buffet” while he hashed out what would best match his values. He said his interest in politics was initially sparked by a desire to help achieve social change, particularly addressing poverty internationally and within Australia.

Mullan cited what he describes as a principled approach by the Greens with taking up issues such as climate change, even if they are initially electorally unpopular.

He said that while there are advantages to being an independent, “ultimately it’s very hard to achieve big things by yourself.” “You need a team,” he said. “You need to join up with people who believe the same things that you do so you can become more effective.”

The Wollstonecraft resident works

with the Norths Bears basketball team and also for the North Sydney Sun as associate publisher—a role he is standing down from ahead of the election. Mullan was schooled at Kirribilli and is well known locally for his campaigns to resurrect the Bears as a rugby league force.

The candidate was critical of the incumbent Liberal member who he claimed had done a poor job representing the area.

“We actually need a proper local representative who is out there day to day and not just out there for photo opportunities,” he said.

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Greens candidate James Mullan

Alanya Drummond

John Lepouris

Four North Sydney schools rank in HSC top 20

Four local schools have ranked in the statewide top 20 in last year’s HSC results. North Sydney Boys was second in the state’s HSC results rankings, with James Ruse the only school to perform better. Impressively, 62% of assessments from North Sydney Boys resulted in a Band 6 score (the top band).

Chris Lin topped the state in Japanese Extension and Aaron Wu placed second in Legal Studies. In IT and Engineering Studies, the school registered two students in the top 10 best results in the state.

North Sydney Girls came in 4th in the state up from 8th spot before. Notably, student Cassie Cai ranked 2nd in the state in Society and Culture, with Alina Shao placing 3rd in Textiles and Design. The selective school managed to score 506 band 6s from 154 students. Loreto Kirribilli has experienced a steady rise in its HSC results ranking over the last 4 years jumping from 20th in 2018 to 17th in 2019, 18th in 2020, 17th in 2021 and rising to 12th in 2022. Impressively, student Mia Young topped the state in both PDHPE and Visual Arts (three way tie). The school also had 2 students, Eve Sheffield and Joanna Carey, rank in the top 15 for business studies.

St Aloysius College finished 15th in the state with Toby Rands ranking 2nd in the state for Music Extension and Luke McNamara claiming 3rd place in Ancient History.

Out of 917 exams sat, the Aloys students managed 272 band 6s. Wenona student Holly Houssani also shared top spot for VA with the school finishing 25th in HSC results. The 111 students who sat the HSC produced 237 band 6s.

Cammeraygal High ranked 6th amongst public schools marking a huge improvement from 17th place in 2021. The relatively young high school was the top performing public school in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Metro Aboriginal Land Council flags community consultation on future of Waverton Bowling Club

Questions have been raised as to what will become of the Waverton Bowling Club site now it is destined to be transferrd to the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council.

The chair of the Land Council has told the North Sydney Sun there are no present plans for development and it wants to involve the local community in what eventually happens at the site. But concerns have been stoked because the same Council intends to build new houses and retail facilities on a large site in Belrose in the face of resident opposition.

The Council won an appeal last month against a state government directive that would have kept the site in the hands of North Sydney Council.

Chair of the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council Allan Murray, a Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man wellknown on the North Shore due to his involvement with Norths Basketball, said “We are thinking of creating a cultural centre, displaying what the culture means, what the Cammeraygal people were doing and explaining to others the history of the area.”

“We want everyone to share in t (the site), local people, local businesses and also any other opportunities to use the centre as a meeting point.” adding “We are certainly looking at plans for that and how to we help our elders who live in the area while working with locals in the area too. Once we get ourselves going we will set up a management committee and certainly look at having local input, so we can have synergies.”

Councillor Ian Mutton pointed out Council was previously looking at incorporating the club site into the surrounding Waverton parklands, noting that North Sydney has very low ratios of open green space. “The Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council is enti-

tled to realise the value for the land,” he stated.

Mutton attempted to have the successful appeal discussed as a matter of public importance at the last NS Council meeting for 2022 but his request was denied by Mayor Zoe Baker and deferred until this year.

like to acknowledge including Barangaroo, Patyegarang, Bennelong, Arabanoo and Pumulway.

Proposed development at 88 Walker St

As it stands, the site might not be transferred to the Land Council until May. He says that one potential course of action is for North Sydney Council to resume the land at “fair value” from the Land Council.

He would like to invite surrounding Indigenous clans to participate in the discussions about the site.

“We want to talk about the other clans that occupied surrounding areas, not necessarily in North Sydney but up to Taronga Zoo, the clans around Manly and the others up the Parramatta River up to Ryde and talk about the famous people,” he said.

Murray highlighted significant Indigenous figures the Council would

“The people who stood up, we want to explain their history and what these individuals have done and why it's so iconic for them to be acknowledged,” Murray said.

Earlier this year a similar land claim was successful at Talus Street Reserve, Naremburn, adjacent to the Northern Suburbs Tennis Association courts. Title is yet to be handed over, yet Murray says talks have already begun with the tennis club about the future of the site.

The Land Council wants to build hundreds of new homes and other facilities at a large 75 hectare site in Belrose using new laws which enable it to bypass local council planning regulations and get state government planning approval. This has been opposed by some local residents and representatives who fear the loss of bushland.

Cremorne Plaza and Langley Place set for facelift

Constructed in the early 2000s, Cremorne Plaza and Langley Place are now due for major refurbishments. North Sydney Council is proceeding with plans to improve the “tired and dilapidated” public spaces. Design options are set to go on display for community consultation after Councillors unanimously approved in a December meeting.

According to council documents, the plans for both sites would include the upgrading of paving and landscape treatments, the installation of new street furniture, construction of new gardens, installation of decorative lighting, provision of safe bike access, and parking.

Cremorne Plaza sits between Military Road and Parraween Street, providing a home for many cafes, res-

taurants and salons.

Plans to improve the space would include two potential new installations; an art deco pergola and a 15m long green trellis—essentially a vertical garden wall—on the Military Roadside to provide some separation from the busy road. Interactive sculptures, a mist fountain, new decking seating around trees and increased greenery are other potential design features.

Langley Place has been highlighted in reports to council as needing “a complete redesign” in order to create “a more inviting, safe and accessible public space.” Council reports noted “the thoroughfare is poorly lit at night and contains a number of changes in level.” To address these issues, upgrade plans will incorporate lighting upgrades, shade structures and new

seating.

New palms along the Parraween St side and shrubbery pots have been flagged.

These upgrades come as the council is set to remove Young Street Plaza, reopening it to traffic.

Unlike Young St in Neutral Bay, Cremorne Plaza and Langley Place have missed out on the B-Line Funding Deed, which was designed to fund projects along Military Road to reduce intersections along the bus route.

Plans also hope to improve ‘Cremorne’s Gateways’, which are the signs at the suburbs entry points found on Murdoch St and Spofforth St where the border between Mosman and North Sydney Council is.

These sites currently have gray coloured rendered brick signs which the

council hopes to replace with more prominent, vertical blue signs in order to better “celebrate and recognise this area and its character.”

Now that council has progressed these plans, the proposed upgrades will go on public display for community consultation.

Artists impression of the Victoria Cross development

Allan Murray

An open letter to the premier from North Sydney councillor Ian Mutton

Let’s look at the cycleway the Government is intent on building through Bradfield Park. It is a matter of integrity and honesty – let’s look at the cycling data the Government is relying upon. The Government says, in the case of the Harbour Bridge, usage is up.

It’s not – since 2018 it’s down by 40% In 2022 the average number of cycle crossings was 1,005 each day i.e. 503 cyclists. The Government says build a cycleway and riders will come. They don’t – take the Anzac Parade cycleway – since 2018 usage is down 12% The Government says there’s a need for cycleway through Bradfield Park (Milsons Point)

So, how many cyclists use the Harbour Bridge each day? The numbers are tiny In the “peaks”, using Transport for NSW data for 10 March 2022 we have, in the: 1. morning (7:30 am to 8:30am) ten cyclists using the Bridge – that’s right 10. 2. afternoon (5:45pm to 6:45pm) ten cyclists using the Bridge – that’s right 10; perhaps the same ten?

What we need in our Government is integrity and honesty

The Government’s business case justifies an estimated $55m on the cycleway through Bradfield Park to replace 55 steps for few cyclists saving them on average 5 seconds per crossing. It must be based in Enid Blyton’s world and calls into question the State Government’s financial acumen.

The Government’s Business Case assumes 2,000 daily crossings

The reality is that the number of crossings each day has been declining steadily – from 2013 to 2022 the decline has been in excess of 48%.

All this talk about the need for a cycleway is a furphy! What’s needed is a bit of honesty when presenting and dealing with the facts – may the gods save us from the Government (Transport for NSW) and those politicians who think it can do no wrong.

If the Government was to address a real issue – here it is The number of pedestrians crossing the bridge each day is 7 (seven) times greater than the number of bike riders.

1. Pedestrians are presently confined to the eastern side of the Bridge and have to deal with incredible congestion, what’s really needed is more space for pedestrians.

2. If the Government is serious about meeting the needs of the people, it should open up the cycleway on the western side of the Bridge to be shared by bike riders and pedestrians.

3. As for the ramp – use the money to repair the flood damaged roads out west of the divide – do something really useful.

Next month I will report what the candidates say

Come March we get the chance to hold the State Government accountable for what it’s doing to North Sydney.

Ian Mutton

A North Sydney Councillor Chair of the Sydney Harbour Highline Inc Chair of Wendy’s Secret Garden Inc

Ar st’s impression of the proposed ramp

The Sun Says…

North Sydney Council hasn’t exactly covered itself with glory in the past few weeks.

New Years Eve was, to put it simply, a stuff-up. The idea of ticketing access to the park was to manage crowds, make the task easier for police, security and organisers, and allow for orderly ingress and egress to the site.

The idea was not to create a cantankerous kilometre-long queue which kept the actual viewing area empty all day and only half full on the night.

Then there was the great leather ban debate which cast the council as a national figure of fun on a slow news day in early January.

Welcome to North Sydney, indeed.

None of this would be such a problem if there were debates of great moment and import on substantive issues. Let’s say, the annual financial statements for what is a $141 million revenue take and $118 million revenue spend.

How much discussion, debate or analysis was there about this at a special general meeting in mid-January?

The answer? Zero. The statements were accepted and passed in seconds.

Here’s a hint to councillors based on what our readers are telling us. You are acting in a profoundly unserious way. North Sydney’s brand risks being associated with ridicule and disdain.

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The story behind North Sydney Council’s

North Sydney Council was in the news for the all the wrong reasons when the Daily Telegraph and then the broader media picked up on a successful December motion to prepare a policy on a potential ban on the use of leather and fur products on Council land. Taken to a literal end, such a policy would lead to a prohibition on the use of standard cricket or basketballs on council facilities.

The media frenzy focused on the original mover of the motion, 21 year old Sustainable Australia party councillor and university student Georgia Lamb. But the motion was also seconded by Labor councillor Shannon Welch and its final wording was heavily guided by the mayor, Zoe Baker.

Lamb’s original motion called for an official stance against fur and leather, as well as the “retiring” of “controversial” fur and leather items used by Council. Following Baker’s guidance, the motion was changed to call for a report from Council to “address the use” of fur and leather at “all formal events or events held on Council property.” Yes, this potentially includes North Sydney Oval and other sporting facilities. In the end, all councillors bar one—Jilly Gibson— voted for the motion.

It’s worth looking at what various councillors said that evening for what was about 13 minutes of discussion about the motion. The following is a transcript of what was discussed, edited for context and to remove procedural detail. Initially, Georgia Lamb was asked if she wanted to swap the term “controversial” for “historical.”

GEORGIA LAMB (Mover): I do mean controversial because this motion goes onto how we have the modern norms of how leather and fur goods have been become a consistent topic in modern generations. This basically is fixing a problem before it becomes a big problem in our cancel culture. And while it may not seem relevant right now, it’s about fixing a hole. And it will not impact anything at all.

JILLY GIBSON: I just want to start off by saying Councillor Lamb has been the most amazing addition to this council. And you’ve brought forward lots of really good motions, but sadly this isn’t one of them, and I can’t vote for it. I’m sorry. It’s just, have we all...? Who’s got leather shoes on tonight? I don’t think the world has that much of a problem with leather. Fur, maybe. But this is just a step too far. I can’t possibly support it. I don’t think it’s what our residents expect us to be debating. I don’t want this beautiful leather chair replaced. I love this chair.

JAMES SPENCELEY: I would like to support it. I struggle with what’s controversial and what’s not controversial. I question... Like one person’s trash is another man’s treasure, one controversial item is not another per-

Talk of the town

GEORGIA LAMB: To reply to Councillor Bourke first, we do not have any Aboriginal items in display that have been named to me that we know that are in relation to this situation.

And also, and more generally to other replies from council, this was actually under advice of the Animal Justice Party and the cultural movement about how we undervalue animals as a whole and do not protect them policy wise.

son’s controversial item.

MAYOR ZOE BAKER: There are mayoral robes, at least two sets with ermine and other fur including potentially kangaroo fur, that are stored and displayed occasionally in Stanton Library. I support what you’re trying to do. But I think there is an issue with the fact that we do have leather chairs in the chamber.

I think we need to prepare a policy first, and then we know what exactly it is. In the interim, there’s no sense of urgency because nobody is wearing an old ermine robe.

And then there’s clarity about, because I know that it’s clear to you and probably most of your generation what a controversial fur or leather item is, but for the administration of council it would be best to have clarity about what that is upfront.

Because there will have to be many offices, probably across a number of divisions, who may have to administer this ultimately. So that council prepare a policy to address (it).

And I think you may even find that us doing that as a policy is actually even broader than what you’re identifying in historical artifacts.

WILLIAM BOURKE: Just one other thing to consider might be indigenous culture. There may be some unintended consequences.

So perhaps we make sure we include incorporation of that into the report.

By removing fur and leather and making a formal attribution, a formal stance, our council is officially stating we do not condone a culture of cruelty that historically happened on this land. And of course we do need to condone past actions.

Of course you could go further into Aboriginal mistreatment, but we’re starting at animals. I thought it would be simple. I thought it’d be easy to pass through.

And it may be confusing, especially since my co-worker (a reference to Jilly Gibson) so kindly said, “was not the best idea of mine.” But it could just be a generational thing. And you did admit to being the oldest councillor here.

INTERJECTION: Longest-serving.

MAYOR ZOE BAKER: Sorry, I’m going to call you to order, Councillor Lamb. And thank you. And if you would withdraw and apologise?

GEORGIA LAMB: I apologise … Well, this was a mess. But I would like to state, go over the main points of it.

That this is about the cultural movement of protecting animals and creating further respect for them by rejecting our historic cruelty in how we did use kangaroo fur and multiple different robes of, we don’t even know their origins at this point.

They’re unknown fur, which is a further level of disrespect in that they were lost to history. This is about moving forward.

And in the future, this may not be a problem now, but it may be in the future. I was simply trying to protect this council from future controversies if they so arise.

The motion as carried

Georgia Lamb

Felicity Wilson on her political values, achievements

ginalised people in the community. I actually say that’s not true. And it actually has never been true. It’s a mischaracterisation of the party. In our We Believe statement we talk about preserving the environment for future generations. So it’s actually core to the values of the Liberal party.”

“And if you look at something like the decriminalisation of abortion, which was a cross party bill, I was one of the co-sponsors of that bill, that wasn’t a government bill,” she said.

“That’s why it depends on who you put into the Parliament and what their values are, as much as it matters what party or non-party they’re associated with. I think it’s fundamentally about representation and representing your community, because there’s 93 separate communities [a reference to the number of electorates in the state lower house]. And some of us are a little bit different. And some of us are dramatically different,” she said.

Asked what she sees as different about North Shore, she said: “We have a very strong social conscience. Predominantly as a community we don't have a lot of concerns for ourselves individually. Generally, fairly well educated. A lot of people working, say, in office jobs, high employment levels, often high income levels. So there’s less of that real concern about how to get through the day.”

MASLOW: As a result, North Shore residents place a little higher on what Wilson references as the Maslow hierarchy of needs. Having conquered their physical and safety needs, they are now more concerned with esteem and self-actualisation.

“There’s a lot of people who really care about the world, about other people in society. So I get a lot of people come and talk to me about, ‘we’re really worried about mental health’, less for themselves, but for others. We’re worried about homelessness. We’re worried about taking care of the broader community.”

“And we’re also worried about standing up for people's rights. So the number of people that will stop me on the street to say things like, ‘Thank you for standing up for trans people’s rights.’ And in that they may not have any trans friends or family members, but they have a social conscience to care about others.”

Wilson is referencing her criticism of federal Liberal candidate Katherine Deves’ personal views on trans rights prior to the last federal election, which earned her some internal opprobrium for not being a team player.

“I try and make decisions about my behaviour based upon what I think the community wants me to do. So if I’ve got my finger on the pulse, then 9 times out of 10 the response will be positive, because I’ve done the right thing. And the response was positive,

because I was in tune with and I stood up for what the community’s values were, and I genuinely in my heart believed that’s what was their values, that’s the way it turned out.

“As far as the party goes, I still have party members now who occasionally raise with me that they didn’t like the fact that I spoke out publicly, not because of what I said or what I stood up for, but because there is this notion that once you got a campaign in the field, you get behind them.”

“And I said at the time, I wanted the party to change candidates. And they still had time, not a lot of time. They still had time, and they chose not to. And then after the motions closed, I didn’t say another word.”

SCHOOLS: Asked for her elevator pitch on why she should be re-elected, Wilson told the Sun that she wants people to know she is on their side and working for them. “There’s certain specific things I want to get better outcomes on. So we’ve had an education boom in the area with three schools having major upgrades, which is unprecedented,” she said.

This is a reference to around $100 million of investment into Neutral Bay and North Sydney Public School as well as Mosman High.

“Berry’s Bay will be amazing, and it’ll be done next year. And that’s been out of community hands for 15 or more years just fenced off and closed off,” she observed.

“But there’s a lot more I want to do around open space. I think we’ve seen a lot of impacts in the local community with motorway projects and things like that. And there is a real sense that we need to do a lot more to find and give back more open space to the community.”

Wilson points to the parkland above Luna Park, the over-rail plaza at Lane Cove and the Hume St Plaza as examples of projects supported by the state government. One possible project is the Lavender Bay-Waverton Highline, intended to reclaim the existing rail land for a walking and cycling track.

“That will be iconic for Sydney and the state and the country, but it’ll be new walking tracks and cycling and everything in it for our local community, as well. So supporting projects like that, but also finding more. I live in an apartment. I’ve got little kids. We want public amenity that we can all utilise to maximise the place we live in, even though it’s a dense environment,” she said.

“And I think we’ve got an obligation as a state government to make sure that, particularly whether it impacts for infrastructure projects, we’re offsetting that with gains in amenity.”

“But also you would have seen, November last year, there was that weekend where the Cahill was closed, and then there was an accident on the bridge. And if you were this side of the

bridge, you were stuck in traffic for an hour and a half to get what would've taken you 10 minutes.”

“That’s why we’ve got to do Western Harbor Tunnel, because we need

to take that pressure off the bridge and tunnel, because they’re already at capacity. So we have to do these things.”

Grahame Lynch

Where to find a copy of the Sun

Neutral Bay Community Centre 190-192 Military Road, Neutral Bay Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre 16-18 Fitzroy St Nimba Bakery 4 Ennis Rd, Milsons Point

James Milson Village 4 Clark Rd, North Sydney Kirribilli Hotel 35-37 Broughton St, Milsons Point

The Flying Bear 76 McDougall St, Kirribilli Altitude Cafe Shop 3/48 Alfred St S, Milsons Point

Rustic Charm Cafe 2/102 Alfred St S, Milsons Point

Latitude Cafe 55 Lavender St, Milsons Point

Kirribilli Club 11 Harbourview Cres, Lavender Bay

Blues Point Hotel 116 Blues Point Rd, McMahons Point

Coal Loader Centre Waverton 2 Balls Head Dr, Waverton Waverton Community Bookshelf 94A Bay Rd, Waverton 1st Sipzz Cafe 157 Walker St, North Sydney

North Sydney Council Chambers 200 Miller St

Stanton Library 234 Miller St, North Sydney

North Sydney Community Centre 220 Miller St

Crows Nest Community Centre 2 Ernest Pl, Crows Nest

North Sydney Indoor Sport Centre 36 Hume St, Crows Nest

Bean Drinking Shop 1/13 Ernest Pl, Crows Nest Fresh Crows Nest Cafe 13 Ernest St, Crows Nest

Woolworths Crows Nest 10 Falcon St, Crows Nest

Galleria Cafe 66 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards

Norths Cammeray 12 Abbott St, Cammeray

Greenwich Post Office 91a Greenwich Rd, Greenwich

Greenwich Library 48 Greenwich Rd, Greenwich

Incinerator Cafe 2a Small St, Willoughby

Orpheum Theatre 380 Military Rd, Cremorne Cremorne Paradise SP Cafe 7/332 Military Rd

Bridgepoint Shopping Centre 1/3 Brady St. Mosman

Mosman Library 605 Military Rd

Mosman Council Chambers 573 Military Rd

Felicity Wilson with premier Dominic Perrottet at Rustique Bakery at Mosman

How local small businesses fared in ‘22, how they see ‘23

By James Mullan

After two tough years of limited trading, local businesses saw a recovery of sorts in 2022, yet are still not quite back to pre-Covid levels.

The Sun spoke to several small businesses across the North Shore to find out how they bounced back in 2022 and about their performance over the holiday period.

Willoughby Road, Crows Nest is a commercial hub that mainly hosts small to medium-sized businesses. Retailers there reported mixed results from 2022.

Chris from House and Home, a home wares shop, suggested customers aren’t as confident as pre-Covid times.

Asked about his trading, “I wouldn’t say it went well but good because it has been a struggle to get back with everything going on in the world like interests rates and inflation. People are still cautious to go out and shop freely.”

“We felt that we are not having the same sort of customers come in and splurge, it’s more for specifics items or things they have been saving for.”

Owner Mona of Crows Nest Discount Store, open for 27 years, noticed similar trends but believes business is on the up.

“But it is getting better and improving a lot. We’re thankful for all our customers.” adding “We’ve been here a long time and gone through everything. We do our best and that’s key. There was more business this year because people are more confident and coming back to shops.

“Especially the locals. It makes a big difference, they come here all the time now.”

Meanwhile, at Blush Shoes, owner Tosha reported business returning to relative normality. Why Not Boutique noticed trade has actually picked up post Christmas after a slower than usual festive season.

Hospitality venues were some of the worst affected businesses throughout the Covid era, but are generally happy with the noticeable up tick in 2022 and holiday trade.

Chris from Crow Bar told the Sun about his business recovery.

“It was a big step up from the Covid period because we had a lot more functions, a lot more people wanting to go out for Christmas parties.” He explained “Financially it has been great compared to the previous years. When Covid came about everybody was doing badly. Then once restrictions eased we did pretty decently because everybody got told to stay in your local area. Ever since that has all been lifted, and we have people travel from different areas just to come see us. People as far as Newcastle travel

down here.”

Chris also said Crow Bar benefited greatly from the screening of the FIFA World Cup.

Down at Bravo Trattoria, Owner Michael was very happy with holiday sales. “There were a lot of people around, there was a nice, happy vibe. Some people had gone away, but there was a lot of people from overseas which we hadn’t had for the last 2 to 3 years.”

Michael added said Bravo performed the way he was hoping for. “It’s starting to get back into it and everyone seems to be in good spirits.”

Restaurant Turka found the fact that other venues had closed during the holidays benefited trade, especially during the three weeks during and after Christmas.

Office spaces were also heavily impacted by Covid restrictions for obvious reasons.

Work Inc is based in Milsons Point, on Middlemiss St in former warehouses under the Harbour Bridge train line heading to North Sydney Station. It is a North Shore work space that houses around 30 businesses at any one time.

Work Inc’s Kristy Bannister noted: “You could almost say that we were built for Covid. All the air conditioning units in each individual office are unique and individual to that office. So you’re not sharing air with anybody else. You can control your temperature and all that. We didn’t have lifts because we're only three levels so the predominant way to get around the bays and the buildings is by wide open staircases.”

Work Inc still did experience a down turn in customers but managed to weather the storm.

SHORT-TERM: Acting to its advantage was the fact that people seeking office space were now looking for shorter term, flexible leases as “people don’t really want to be locked into those long three year leases where they have to contribute to their own fit out.” Christie said customers like to “have a flexible space where people can come to work, come and go as they please, they can have a rotating office roster and all they have to do essentially is to walk in and work. There are no set up costs, or they don’t have to bring in their own furniture. Everything is fully furnished. So it’s a much more attractive, attractive way to work.”

Work Inc reported being back to essentially full business and, if anything has benefited from changing work trends post-Covid restrictions.

Christie has noticed many businesses have been considering their office arrangements with more people opting to work from home and a rea-

lignment in what is valued in a work place.

“A lot of companies don’t really need big office space anymore. We don’t need huge filing areas and meeting rooms and all that, even if you use

them temporarily. So location and amenities become a lot more important.”

This places companies like Work Inc in a good position to capitalise on post Covid work trends

Kristy Bannister

Calls for more government focus on North Sydney innovation and smart cities possibilities

By James Mullan

Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Sony, Zurich and many more of the world’s largest corporations call North Sydney home but start-ups can be hard to find.

Chairman of the North Sydney Innovation Network, Jono Herrman, is hell-bent on changing this, calling on governments on all levels to provide more support for start-ups.

The North Sydney Innovation Network was established in 2016, seizing on the Turnbull era zeitgeist for more focus on the tech economy, smart cities and innovation. The Network’s aim is “to support and boost the contribution of innovation-related businesses, particularly new start-ups and fastgrowth businesses, within the northern Sydney economy and its broader community.” This mainly comes in the form of networking events and training workshops for entrepreneurs.

Herrman believes the North Shore has always been well-placed to capitalise on new industries and innovations, however he isn’t convinced state and local governments also see these opportunities. “The state government for many years has followed the mantra of if it’s not the city, it's western Sydney or regional NSW.”

“The NSW Government just pictures the North Shore as mature age families with leafy trees and large estates, and they couldn’t possibly produce a Canva, but Wi-Fi globally was an invention of the North Shore, a joint venture between CSIRO in Lindfield and Macquarie University.”

Cochlear, the implantable hearing tech company is also from the Northern Suburbs, being based in Macquarie Park. “Ed tech seems to be a strength of the North Shore as is Med Tech and hardware technologies, whereas the city is more Fin Tech.” Herrman said.

The Innovation Network is calling for several initiatives to promote the North Shore as an innovation hub.

Primarily it sees local government as a key platform.

“If I today ring any of North Sydney, Willoughby, Hunters Hill or Lane Cove Councils and ask to speak to a sustainability officer, I will put straight through, and they will want to talk recycling, green energy….. If I ring the same council and ask for their innovation officer, I’ll get a “what?”

He explains that it is this level of government that implements such smart city initiatives such as EV charging, Wi-Fi in parks, weatherproof GPOs (power points) in park and drone policies. Currently, the Net-

Jono Herrman

work does have semiregular Zoom meetings with local councils, yet further engagement is desired.

The Network is also hoping for an innovation hub on the North Shore similar to the Sydney Start Up hub on York Street in the City.

The North Shore can boast some success stories in the start up space. Founding chair of the Innovation Network, Tim Power, has invented several education technologies including Education Games, World Maths Day, 3P Learning (Mathletics, Reading Eggs), ClickView and Inquisitive.

Crows Nest based Sound Scouts was founded by Carolyn Mee focussing on hearing test solution technology for school aged children and adults. She has found government support to be crucial to establishing and growing the business.

“There's a lot of support available, you just need to know where to find it

Carolyn Mee

and navigate the requirements of the grants that are available. I think having someone in the team that can write and understands what’s required in the grant process is really important. I have seen people take on consultants or pay for advice to help with applications for grants.”

In 2018, Sound Scouts signed an agreement with Hearing Australia to deliver free online hearing tests through the Sound Scouts app to all Australian schoolchildren, aged 4-17 years old, funded by $4 million from the federal Department of Health. They have since leaned more on state funding due to their being in the health industry, a state responsibility.

“Because Sound Scouts is a health app, we’ve been able to access funding via help, particularly the medical device fund program which was instrumental in our journey,” she said.

Sound Scouts also relied heavily on

state funding to develop their prototype. Mee added “Sound Scouts is very much a tale of government funding and how to utilise that funding in the best possible way.” Mee knows of many start-ups that struggle with basic business obligations such as Work Cover yet believes accelerator programs help.

Mee chose to base the start-up out of the North Shore.

“I’ve had opportunities to be based out of the city or Redfern but as a working mother, travel, parking and those considerations came into play. I wanted to base myself somewhere that is convenient and close to the hearing hub at Macquarie University.”

This reiterates Herrman’s view of the North Shore as more of a health start up hub.

As for the support from the North Sydney Innovation network, Mee has seen great benefit.

“You gain a great advantage talking to like-minded people who understand what you are trying to achieve, how you are utilising technology and what the potential is of the technology you’ve developed.”

“Collaborating with the North Sydney Innovation Network has only been an advantage.”

Sound Scout is currently in the process of renewing its application for funding.

This can be difficult, however, due to the fact they fall between federal and state jurisdictions.

Managing both depression and anxiety

By Living To Thrive’s Chuck Anderson

Over the last 12 months I have been trialling a number of anti-depressants to help manage my depression and anxiety. I was diagnosed with both 14 years ago, but for a few reasons I did not consider taking anti-depressants as a treatment option until the last 18 months.

Science has yet to identify a specific root-cause for depression and anxiety as well as many other disorders. Conversely, there has been significant progress in identifying treatment using anti-depressant medication that can be life changing, e.g., Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin -Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) and many more.

Antidepressants are used to treat depression, anxiety and many related conditions, such as eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post -traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, antidepressants influence a number of neuro chemicals in the brain that control our mood, such as serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine.

Note that I am not a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist and nothing in this article should be considered mental health advice. I am simply sharing my own experiences of what I and many others work through when taking anti-depressants. If you are having mental health challenges, I encourage you to seek professional support, contacting Life Line (13 11 14) or going to the emergency room if there is a risk of self-harm.

In my experience, the most challenging aspect of anti-depressants are the side-effects: severe nausea, dizziness, night sweats, brain zaps, panic attacks, lethargy, insomnia as well as decreased libido.

There were many aspects of taking anti-depressants that I was aware of, but many I had not considered. I’ve provided a handful of key insights that I see value in sharing, some I was aware of and others not. I’m hopeful that this article is helpful for those taking anti-depressants and trying to work through similar experiences.

When living with family, a partner or friend(s), be transparent about the potential side-effects and how they may impact your mood and general behaviour. You can also provide them with the resources you have been given or researched yourself. The more they understand what you’re experiencing the more likely they will respond with empathy and support. Your treating specialist should be able to help you with this process or encourage you to see a psychologist for additional individual and or family counselling.

Most if not all anti-depressants have side-effects. Many have the potential to cause sexual side-effects, i.e., decreased libido. If you have a partner, sexual side -effects can have a significant impact on your relationship as well as your own self-confidence. Having a partner suddenly unable to share intimate experiences can lead to insecurities and even doubts about their own attractiveness. If sexual side-effects are a possibility, I encourage you to be upfront with your partner. Keep them informed on how the experience is affecting you and ask how it is affecting them. This open line of communication is essential and can minimise the likelihood of additional stresses and avoidable relationship conflicts.

Your treating specialist should provide you with resources to better understand the benefits, side-effects and challenges of taking an anti-depressant. Conversely, I encourage everyone to do their own research as being selfinformed is empowering and allows you to bring any cause for concern to your specialist. A simple Google search will do but ensure you only use reliable evidence-based resources, e.g., Australian Department of Health, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Health Direct, Beyond Blue. In contrast, the café barista, Wikipedia and or a selfdiagnosis is not a reliable evidencebased resource.

If there are times when you feel overwhelmed by the physical or psychological impacts of medication sideeffects, I recommend reaching out to your specialist as soon as possible. They can adjust the dosage and provide guidance on next steps. I have had to contact my specialist a couple of times

due to persistent and overwhelming side-effects. We worked together to determine the necessary adjustments to the anti-depressant I was taking at the time until I found relief. If you are not able to see your treating specialist right away, consider exercise, meditation or exploring other evidence-based mental health resources/books, e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) via Dr Steven Hayes/Dr Russ Harris, Positive Psychology interventions and resources via Dr Martin Seligman’s work, etc.

Exploring and working through the challenges of taking anti-depressants can be daunting. Side-effects can be so overwhelming that some people give up and simply live with the challenges of their mental disorder. With input from your specialist, I encourage you to continue to seek the right treatment even if that means smartly trialling a number of anti-depressants. In the end, it is a matter of living the life you deserve and investing the time and energy it can take to get there.

Most importantly, medication is not

the end all be all of mental health treatment. It should be used in conjunction with evidence-based tools for managing mental and physical health. For example, I also exercise 5-6 days per week, eat a healthy diet (vegan), meditate daily and try to get at least eight hours of sleep each night. Each of these tools contributes to my overall mental health management.

Millions of Australians experience or have experienced mental illness. Not one of us is broken, less than or should be treated unfairly for living with something that we have little control over. I have struggled with my own selfdefeating thoughts over the years and still have painful moments where I feel sad or mentally exhausted. I have come to accept that I am just as human as the next person and have to put in the work to live the life that I want and deserve.

I covered a small amount of information related to the potential experience and responsible use of antidepressants. For more details seek guidance from your GP and or a qualified specialist.

Beatles song, — Wood (9)

Potion (7)

Lessened (7)

Humiliate (9)

Greek letter (4)

Bird’s home (4)

Olympic sporting category (10)

Major sale (9)

Diabetic’s medicine (7)

Water lily (5)

Republic in Central America (9)

Part of Russia (7)

Inactivity (7)

Mendacious (5)

Self-satisfied (4)

Region (4)

Which planet in our solar system is named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture?

Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy comprises Annihilation, Authority and what other novel?

What type of instrument is a fluegelhorn?

Piña coladas are made from rum, pineapple juice and what other ingredient?

How many species of currawongs are there? 6 What is the real name of Australian singer Tones and I?

OUT AND ABOUT

World premiere of A Broadcast Coup at Ensemble

By James Mullan

When playwright Melanie Tait was only 20 she was on her way to enjoying a long and successful career. Her play Vegemite Tiles ran for eight years subsequent, ending up on London’s West End.

But then her career took a different direction: working for the ABC in various roles from news reporter to producer to presenter in local radio and Radio National for 12 years.

And now, after a little over a decade away from the theatre industry, and following the success of The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race, Mel’s latest, A Broadcast Coup, is coming to the Ensemble Theatre.

The premise? Cut-throat journalist Jez Connell is out for her next sting. It’s been a year since she brought down one of TV's most lauded stars for behaving badly and now she’s got Michael King, the top-rated darling of public radio, in her sights.

Tait drew from her media experience to provide depth to the script.

“From things I would see and hear across networks and, to be honest, just thought were part of working in that arena, it was only after the Me Too reckoning I began to see that some behaviour was unacceptable and could even change. Still, this play could be set in any workplace in Australia. What happens within it doesn’t just happen in the media.”

She had in fact written the play for a March 2020 premiere date, when the MeToo Movement had well and truly captured the zeitgeist. Mel didn’t directly set out to make a social commentary but “I just

wanted to ask a bunch of questions. I wanted people to go away from seeing the play and think and argue about what they’d seen, because I feel like we’ve all got so many different positions in this.” The play is written to explore issues around cancel culture, the MeToo movement, behaviour in the workplace and about the role of women in the media.

Mel points out that although the play does confront serious issues it is overall a comedy. “I feel like the only way to really speak to an audience and also to provide a night at the theatre that I want to go and see is to make it a comedy.” She believes that real life should be mirrored, comedic moments included.

Speaking about protagonist Jez, Tait explained “She’s created her own podcast company and it’s super successful and she’s doing the work that she wants to be able to do. She’s exciting and really dangerous, but also really principled. But that doesn't mean that she’s a perfect character either. She’s got a few issues that pop up and is on a mission to make the world see what this radio presenter Mike King is really like.”

Mark Kilmurry, the Artistic Director of the Ensemble Theatre, said “I am so thrilled we are able to present A Broadcast Coup at last! It’s been a long journey with Covid cancellations but well worth the wait as Melanie Tait’s play is hilarious, sharp and beautifully realised, as you would expect from the writer of The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race. Under the direction of the talented Janine Watson and with a great cast of our best actors and top creatives

we can’t wait to see it on our stage – and under the umbrella of the Sydney festival too!”

The play is directed by Janine Watson (Nearer The Gods, Still Unqualified) and the cast includes Helpmann-Award winner Sharon Millerchip (The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race, Belvoir’s Fangirls), Amber McMahon (Photograph 51, STC’s Top Coat), Tony Cogin (STC’s Playing Beattie Bow, Bell Shakespeare’s Hamlet), Ben Gerrard (Buyer and Cellar, Hayes Theatre’s American Psycho) and Alex King (Bell Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors).

The world premiere of A Broadcast Coup will run at Kirribilli’s Ensemble Theatre from 26th January to 4th March 2023 with tickets available at their box office or online.

WHAT TO DO IN NORTH SYDNEY

Thursday 26th January

to Saturday 4 March

A Broadcast Coup

Venue: Ensemble Theatre

This production follows cut-throat journalist Jez Connell who is out for her next sting. It’s been a year since she brought down one of TV’s most lauded stars for behaving badly and now she’s got Michael King, the toprated darling of public radio, in her sights. This time, it’s personal.

Saturday 21st January, 11:00AM

Australia Vs Pakistan ODI

Venue: North Sydney Oval

In action for the first time on home soil since their ICC Women’s ODI World Cup triumph, don’t miss Australia take on Pakistan in the final match of the three game ODI Series.

Thursday 2nd February, 8:00PM

Crowy Comedy Nights

Venue: Crows Nest Hotel

Jackie Loeb joins Christina Van Look, Jamal Abdul, Billy D’Arcy and Thomas Oar for a night guaranteed to have you laughing your head off.

Friday 10th February, 7:15PM

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

Venue: Norths Cammeray

A band etched in Rock ‘n’ Roll history boasting six consecutive gold records in a career that started in 1968 and still remains very prominent to this day. They continue to tour the world in

a show that is loaded with hits including “Young Girl” “Woman, Woman” “Lady Willpower” and “Over You.”

Sunday 12th February, 2:45PM

Kenny and Dolly Together Again

Venue: Norths Cammeray

An incredible tribute to country music’s favourite couple, Kenny and Dolly – Together Again! Marty Edwards, a veteran of five Australian tours with the Original Kenny and Dolly Show and The Kings of Country, has teamed with America’s favourite Dolly, Wendy T to bring you the hits of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

Thursday 16th February, 7:00PM

Vengaboys

Venure: Big Top Luna Park

The Vengabus is coming and everybody’s jumping as 90s pop royalty come down under for a three hour extravaganza. Experience a showcase of their smash hits, ‘Up & Down’, ‘Kiss (When The Sun Don’t Shine)’, ‘We Like To Party!’, 'Uncle John from Jamaica’, ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom!!’, ‘We’re Going to Ibiza!’ and ‘Shalala lala’.

Saturday 18th February, 8pm

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody Tribute

The Greatest Hits Tour

Venue: Hayden Orpheum

Brand new show combining Queen’s ‘greatest hits’ and a few of the most popular songs on their albums.

Lunar New Year in North Sydney

* Twilight Food Fair, Friday 20 January, Twilight will celebrate with Lion Dancers from Chinese Youth League Lion and Dragon Dance Australia.

* NTH SYD, Wednesday 1 February, 12pm to 2pm, Brett Whiteley Place, entertainment to be confirmed

* Year of the Rabbit Children’s Storytime, Friday 20 January, Stanton Library

Australia Day, 26 Jan in North Sydney

* 21 Gun Salute (Third Party Event) The canons for the 21-Gun Salute will be located at Olympic Park in Milsons Point from 11.30am to 12.15pm.

* A Vintage Bus Ride (organised by the Australia Day Council) will be running a loop running from Circular Quay to North Sydney from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

* Highland Dancing Competition (Third Party Event) in Ted Mack Civic, 10am to 1pm. This is a small community event with approximately 100 dancers competing. The competition is free and open to the public to watch.

World Pride in North Sydney

* Teen pronoun pin competition at Stanton Library - teens are invited to showcase their artistic flair by designing their own pronoun pin. The winning designs will be made into badges and distributed from the library. Competition starts Wednesday 1 February and ends Sunday 5 March. Entries can be submitted in-person using a paper entry form available from Stanton Library, or electronically via this link https://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/xfp/form/210

* Community Mapping Project between February 1 to March 10 where community members are encouraged to add a pin to our map and become a part of North Sydney’s history by sharing their local LGBTIQA+ memories, photos and stories.

* North Sydney is also the start line for the Pride March on Sunday 5 March from 7am

Friday 24th February, 7pm

Ocean Film Festival World Tour 2023

Global Premier Venue: Hayden Orpheum

Showcases a three hour celebration of our oceans packed with sublime footage taken above and below the water’s surface. Collection of short films from around the globe

Melanie Tait