North Sydney Sun February 2023 edition

NSW state election in-depth | Our guide to best local gym offers | Bears kick off 2023

State Labor pressed to match NSW Liberal pledges on North Sydney Oval, High Line

By Grahame Lynch

NSW Labor is being pressed ahead of the March 25 election to match commitments from the Coalition state government to spend $11 million on an upgrade of North Sydney Oval and progress the Lavender Bay High Line plan.

North Sydney Council unanimously resolved last week to write to the Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Ministers for Sport and Women inviting them to a tour of North Sydney Oval and seeking a commitment that, if elected, they will match the promised funding.

A leading advocate for the High Line, North Sydney councillor Ian Mutton, said he would be seeking similar assurances from NSW Labor.

Earlier this month, the NSW government promised to form a Lavender Bay Rail Corridor Delivery Group which will include representatives from North Sydney Council, the Transport Asset Holding Entity, Sydney Trains, Transport for NSW and the Sydney Harbour High Line Association to develop options for converting the 3.3km rail corridor between Milsons Point and Waverton into a walking trail.

It also promised $11 million to upgrade North Sydney Oval, primarily to entrench its position as the home of women’s cricket in Australia.

At a press conference held at the venue, NSW premier Dominic Perrottet said that the upgrades would improve playing surfaces, spectator seating, food and beverage outlets, and player and officials’ rooms. Other upgrades in-

clude improvements to community and stakeholder spaces, public toilet amenities and broadcast media boxes.

MP for North Shore Felicity Wilson told the North Sydney Sun that “What we’ll do is, if we’re re-elected, the $11 million funding will be contributed to council almost immediately. And there’s co-funding. North Sydney Council’s putting a $2.5 million as well. And a couple of codes are putting in some funding, too. So once that money goes to North Sydney Council, they’ll then help manage that for the process. They’re on board and as you know, they’ve been working hand in glove with us to try and get this project up. And so I imagine they’ll do it as quickly as they possibly can.”

Mayor Zoe Baker confirmed that North Sydney Council had a master plan in place for the Oval that was ready to go whenever funding was provided.

“The next step is we’re working closely with Cricket New South Wales and the other codes to make certain we have a fit for purpose oval, in particular for sportswomen,” she told the Sun. She added that the arrival of the Metro station at McLaren St, just one block from North Sydney Oval, would enhance its status as the home of women’s cricket.

“That’s a connection between north, western and south western Sydney. People can come here from all over. I think one of the best things

World Pride to make its mark on North Sydney

By Hannah Wilcox

Kicking off on February 17, World Pride festivities are set to paint Sydney rainbow to celebrate the international LGBTQIA+ community and what is pitched as the importance of diversity and inclusivity.

The festival, this year themed Gather, Dream, Amplify, will run until March 5 when 50 000 people are expected to walk in this year's march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Kicking off at 7am, the march will start on Pacific Highway in North Sydney right near the entrance to the bridge. Marchers will walk across the bridge from north to south, exiting along the Cahill Expressway, Macquarie Street and finishing at the Domain and Hyde Park.

However, extensive road closures will be in place for most of the morning on main thoroughfares into the

city and some surrounding residential streets.

Sydney Harbour Bridge, including the Cahill Expressway Circular Overpass, will be closed from 4am to 11:30am on the day with drivers looking to travel southbound recommended to use the Harbour Tunnel instead. Walkways and bike lanes on the bridge will remain open, although the Cahill Expressway walkway will be closed from 6am to 11am.

Other detours such as the tunnel can be accessed via the Neutral Bay Falcon Street or Military Road onramps or the Victoria Road route. Motorists are urged to delay any nonessential travel until after the march is finished.

From 2am to 12:30pm sections of the Pacific Highway at North Sydney near Harbour Bridge on-ramp will close.

Other road closures in the North Sydney residential area on March 5 include sections of Walker Street, Blue Street, Arthur Street, Hill Street and Pacific Highway from 4am to 11:30am.

There will be managed residential access in place for sections of Mount Street and Walker Street.

Another thing to note for motorists in the area is the enactment of special event clearway parking restrictions between 1am and 11:30am. These are

strict no-parking zones and there are no exemptions for residents or Mobility Scheme Permit holders.

Public transport will continue to operate throughout the day although buses will be terminating trips on either side of the bridge. Trains will continue to operate normally even with road closures in place.

Sydney WorldPride organisers have noted that residents and business

Godfrey Santer

Alanya Drummond & John Lepouris

MP Felicity Wilson, Premier Dominic Perrottet and Emily at North Sydney

Coalition pledges High Line, Wendy’s expansion if re-elected

The Coalition State government will commit to the Lavender Bay High Line with the formation of a multistakeholder delivery group if it wins office again on March 25.

The Lavender Bay high line project would start with a 300 square metre expansion of Wendy’s Secret Garden, followed by development of a strategic business case to canvas options for converting the 3.3-kilometre-long little used rail corridor along the Milsons Point foreshore.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the project would return the Lavender Bay foreshore to the local community as a harbour front attraction.

“Sydney is home the world’s most beautiful harbour, but for many years much of the foreshore has been left underutilised or inaccessible to the public,” Perrottet said.

“We have made it a priority to transform our foreshore precincts so that Sydneysiders can make the most of the city they call home.”

Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes said: “Once fully realised, this vision will result in a 3.3 kilometre linear park connecting some of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Luna Park while traversing public spaces like Wendy’s Secret Garden, Ball’s Head Reserve and

Lavender Bay Parklands,” Stokes said.

“We’ve committed to working with the community, including the Sydney Harbour High Line Association and Wendy’s Secret Garden volunteers to turn the vision into reality, starting with new landscaping, weed eradication and new tree plantings.”

North Shore MP Felicity Wilson applauded the local community for their vision and pursuit of the high line, working to build on the legacy of Wendy Whiteley and the Secret Garden volunteers to expand public space from railway land.

“At a time where our cities are growing and more of us are calling apartments home, the shared vision of the

Labor pressed to match promises

From Page 1

about this beautiful heritage brand is that it’s got a capacity of 8000 and you can get really close to the players.”

NSW Labor’s candidate for North Shore Godfrey Santer told the Sun he was, in-principle, supportive of both projects.

Asked about the North Sydney Oval upgrade, Santer said: “We’ll be in. For sure.” He thinks the Oval is the most beautiful in Australia and a potential tourist drawcard, particularly for cricket fans.

Sydney Harbour High Line Association and the NSW Liberals and Nationals will ensure we retain beautiful places with the open space and active transport we need,” she said.

Transport for NSW and North Sydney Council intend to work together to facilitate the use of the Land by Council for community use as public open space and active transport connections.

There was some skepticism on social media about the announcement given the government first flagged its support some five years ago.

Councillor Ian Mutton told the Sun that he would keep the pressure up after the election to ensure that the commitment was upheld.

He added that he was also supportive of the High Line proposal.

Santer wants to go one step further with the High Line and consider it as part of a holistic plan to unite waterfront parks and create an attraction to emulate the great parks of other cities such as New York City’s Central Park.

“It should be a holistic approach to that area because if you combine them all and have a thorough going renovation, shall we say, of the entire area, you would have something which would put North Sydney on the map.”

What the High Line could look like

Labor: Need for a balance on new housing in North Shore

NSW Labor has pledged more housing around the Metro station developments in North Sydney and Crows Nest. Shadow planning minister Paul Scully said that the two inner city developments needed to raise their housing targets in order to help justify the cost of the entire Metro system, estimated at over $60 billion.

Original bullish plans for development at the two locations have been scaled back in the face of resident and local community pressure.

“I’m worried we’re again failing to align population growth and public transport investment,” he told the Committee for Sydney’s Sydney Summit earlier this month. “When we get the opportunity to deliver more affordable and key worker housing near metro stations, we should be taking it.

“We can’t pretend we don’t need more nurses, paramedics, police officers, teachers, cleaners or hospitality workers closer to Sydney CBD. We do, and the Metro provides an opportunity to do that.”

Labor candidate for North Shore Godfrey Santer concurred: “One thing that sticks in my mind when this issue is raised is Ken Livingstone, former Lord Mayor of London. He was attacked about high rise going up in London. And he said “I had no problem with high rise, as long as they pay

their way.” So as far as I’m concerned, on the one hand we have this crying need with North Sydney’s primary industries that are health and medical, and other service industries, and yet the people who work in that area are in the lower-paid spectrum and they just cannot afford to live here. So they’ve got to commute from afar to get here, which is a shame.”

Santer added: “I know from my experience with my own daughter and her family, there are a lot of young aspirationals who want to live and work close together and they want to have a lifestyle which doesn’t involve a quarter acre block and driving miles to go wherever they want to go. Some of them aren’t even interested in buying a car. But they still need to have accommodation as well.”

That said, it was important to be balanced in planning, Santer said, adding that developments which had negative impacts on existing residents, especially in terms of solar access, needed to be tempered. He told the Sun that there were examples of this in the Crows Nest and Wollstonecraft areas which had gone too far.

With NSW Labor comfortably ahead in the polls and Chris Minns set to be the next premier, Santer said that Labor had to take a realistic and pragmatic approach to government.

He doubted for example, that Labor could reverse the Western Harbour Tunnel project but did indicate it would look at improvements in delivery. As an example he cited the example of the design of the Warringah Freeway Upgrade which intends to restrict some ingress and egress from Ernest St. “Everyone will have to use Military Road. So all the good citizens of Mosman think this project is going to be good for traffic but by our calculations it will add 10% to the traffic in Military Rd,” he said.

“Then there’s the whole question of what they’re doing to Whaling Road, Alfred Street North and High Street with the government knocking all the trees down.”

CHALLENGER: Santer also criticised the media characterisation of Teal independent candidate Helen Conway as the main challenger to in-

cumbent Felicity Wilson, when recent polling had shown Labor ahead of the teals. “The Teals, God bless them, can never expect to be in government,” Santer said. “And when you’re in that situation, you can say lots of things because you don’t have to engage in the art of compromise.”

He also rejected the media characterisation of the Teals as “community based,” inferring it was demeaning to the local ALP branch members working to support him.

“A philosophical objection I have to the Teals is summed up by Kylea Tink. She was running around saying, Look, we’re anti-party. We’re not subject to big party organisation. Well, she was financed by a multi-squillionaire.”

“I was preselected by local branch members,” he emphasised, rejecting the idea that only an independent could be community-based.

Crows Nest Metro artist impression

Catch a falling star

A letter from North Sydney councillor Ian Mutton

Back in 1990, the Greiner Government ended the Abe Saffron chapter in the Luna Park story, (one that is remembered for the Ghost Train tragedy) with the passage of the Luna Park Site Act (the Act).

The Act’s stated objective is returning the Luna Park Site to the people of NSW and to ensure that Luna Park and its associated harbour foreshore remain accessible for the enjoyment of the people of NSW.

The Government, recognising the iconic status of Luna Park, set up the Luna Park Reserve Trust to protect it – a critical element because the intention was to turn the operation of Luna Park over to the private sector.

At the time, the Minister for Tourism and Minister for Lands and Forests, on behalf of Mr Greiner), said: “If the trustees (Luna Park Reserve Trust) conclude that a fun fair is not viable then turning the site into parkland is a possibility.”

The Act called for the Trust to put in place a Plan of Management which it did in 1998.

That Plan of Management in part reads: The Luna Park Site .. includes land on the cliff top which is physically and perpetually separate from the amusement areas. The Act now also allows the development of this land for commercial purposes. The development would be undertaken by the private sector on the basis of long-term lease from the Luna Park Reserve Trust. Revenue generated from this source would be used by the Trust in managing the Luna Park Reserve …

A new era

In 2004 the Luna Park Site was leased to Luna Park Sydney (now under the Brookfield umbrella).

What was done to extract value from the assets? It’s hard to work it out.

Back in 2005 our (then) local member, Mrs Skinner said in a debate in the House of Assembly: “Luna Park developers have been provided with four key sites on the foreshores of Sydney Harbour for the peppercorn rents of $1 each, that is, $4 for four key sites. They have made a motza anticipated to be $41 million out of the development of those sites.”

That seems to not have been enough - in 2009-11, the Auditor questioned whether Luna Park could continue as a “going concern”. More recently it sub-leased/forfeited the lease on the cliff top land resulting in total upfront payments to Luna Park of $8.2m Luna Park is now scaling down its function operation – the fixed costs will have to be carried by the operation of the rides.

Clearly, a theme park is a hard business but with Luna Park we are dealing with one of Sydney’s icons. So, what now? – We hear there is a review of operations.

Let’s pause for a moment

When Luna Park entered into the lease it was covenanting that it would be the custodian of the Park until the end of the lease.

If Luna Park is not financially viable with its present configuration, the time may have come to turn the site into parkland in the manner foreshadowed back in 1990 and preserve what remains of the intr a war theme park – preserving and keep operational the heritage rides. Perhaps that’s something the Government, Brookfield and the community can come together and deliver.

Ian Mutton

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

Adver sement

Milsons Point bike ramp becomes a major political issue

By Grahame Lynch

Transport for NSW’s controversial bike ramp from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Bradfield Park has become an election issue, with federal MP for North Sydney Kylea Tink criticising the design and selection process in federal parliament and North Shore independent candidate Helen Conway citing it as evidence of a failed community consultation process.

But the criticism may have come too late to change the project, with initial works beginning this week. At the same time, the controversial design has garnered support from Greens NSW state candidate James Mullan.

The ramp has attracted criticism from local residents, who say it is too large, will dump cyclists on a busy road and residential area, and will have negative impacts on Bradfield Park. They want a more compact design with a more circular and reduced footprint and have gone to the extent of drafting one as an alternative.

But supporters of the ramp say the government undertook an extensive consultation and a design competition, where the winning schematic was selected from three finalists.

Tink told the House of Representatives last week: “The construction of a cycleway on the north-west end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge literally has

residents and the local council tearing their hair out. No-one begrudges those wishing to use active transport being able to easily navigate the bridge—safe cycling infrastructure is vital—but the reality is that Transport for NSW's design will lead to a loss of green space, have a significant impact on pedestrians and deface the beauty of the bridge.”

Tink continued: “In good faith, and at significant personal expense, the community pulled together to commission an alternative design for the ramp. The design minimised the impact on the community whilst still enabling freer movement for cyclists. The local council has endorsed the design. The locals believe it is a good compromise. But Transport for NSW will not entertain it. Today, I speak for all those who live in my community who are frustrated by what appears to be a complete bureaucratic brick wall.”

The Greens’ James Mullan disagreed, and went into bat for the successful design. “I am disappointed by Kylea Tink’s statement,” he said.

“Those who oppose the bike ramp are not NIMBYS or anti cycling as I agree Transport for NSW has done a sub par job communicating and collaborating with the community. However, the current preferred design is fine, providing this crucial infrastructure

that will clear traffic, encourage less car use and provide more mobility,” Mullan said.

Mullan said the communityproposed solution had been rejected by experts, namely Alex van Gent, Sustainable Mobility Advisor, Netherlands and Lise Chesnais, Arcadis NSW Transport Planning Team Lead.

They said: “This design creates conditions that would be unsafe for the current user base but could become more dangerous as the number and variety of riders using the Sydney Harbour Bridge grow to include cargo bikes, mobility scooters, and less confident riders such as tourists or children riding autonomously. Moreover, it does not offer a comfortable nor attractive riding experience for the wider

user base targeted by this new infrastructure.”

The debate may be moot, however, with Transport for NSW indicating to local residents that work would begin on the ramp from 20 February.

On four nights—27 and 28 February and 6 and 7 March—night work will take place between the hours of 6pm and 7am. Transport for NSW has indicated it will use noise blankets and other mitigation measures to reduce disturbances to sleeping residents.

Helen Conway thinks it might not be too late to find a compromise.

She promises to get all the stakeholders together and find a solution satisfactory to all. “But everyone might have to give a bit to get there,” she said.

Helen Conway launches campaign, touted as most credentialled candidate state-wide for NSW lower house

By Grahame Lynch

Teal independent candidate Helen Conway has launched her campaign for the seat of North Shore at the March 25 election with an endorsement from eminent anti-corruption lawyer Geoffrey Watson that she is the most credentialled person to run for state parliament.

Some 150 people, mostly supporters, assembled at Mosman Bowling Club on 5 February.

Watson introduced Conway, stating that if she is elected to Parliament, “she will have the finest CV, the finest background, of any person in that building.”

As North Sydney Sun has previously reported, Conway has an extensive background, dating back to a decade as chief counsel for Caltex, then head of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and most recently, as a chair or director of a number of organisations including the YWCA, Catholic Schools NSW and Endeavour Energy.

Conway told the crowd: “The common question I get asked when I go out and about talking to people is, Why are you doing this?”

“It’s a question I ask myself every day, quite seriously. And the answer is pretty simple. The two-party system does not represent the concerns, and importantly, the aspirations of the North Shore community. Frankly, I just couldn’t sit on the sidelines any longer and watch the lack of integrity in New South Wales politics.”

“A stronger cross bench will make a big difference, in my view,” she added. “It will improve the quality of government legislation, it will drive policy

reform, and most importantly, it will hold the government of the day to account, where policy positions really are informed by the people I've spoken to in the community.”

Conway said climate change, environment, integrity, planning and cost of living were the five big issues she was running on.

CLIMATE CHANGE EMPHASIS: “Climate change comes up again and again and again when I go and doorknock and talk to people,” she told the audience. “I saw a well-known Murdoch journalist say this was all ridiculous, that net zero was just some sort of fantasy.”

“That’s why I’ve never subscribed to the Murdoch media until this campaign, when my husband said, “You’ve got to know what everybody’s saying.” So unfortunately, The Australian does arrive at our doorstep every morning,” she joked.

Related to this is the quality of the natural environment. “We really must

stop logging our forests, and we’ve got to ban the clearing of high conservation value bushland,” she told the assembled audience.

On integrity, Conway said: “We must stop the pork barrelling. We can legislate standards in relation to the administration of grants, and that’s what I’d seek to do. It’s really simple. We have to establish transparent processes for appointment to government positions and to statutory offices.”

Turning to the North Shore itself, she said: “Development is a reality in an urbanised environment like Sydney, but the issue is that the current planning system is broken. It’s top down, and it’s inaccessible to communities. So it’s really important that we reinstate the position of communities in the planning process.”

“We need to return some powers to local councils, and we need to ensure that a business case and a comprehensive cost/benefit analysis is produced for every major project, and that that

is made public to the community.”

“The community’s talked to me about a lot of local issues, as well. For example, traffic congestion, poor public transport in Mosman, Cremorne and Neutral Bay.”

“We’ve got bad train noise in Waverton and Wollstonecraft, and excessive noise from Luna Park.”

“There’s the proposed cycle way in Milson’s Point, a very contentious issue. There’s the fate of Berry’s Bay, and there are serious shortcomings in planning processes right across the electorate,” she said.

Although Conway does not directly self-identify as a “teal”, she is backed by the same groups who backed federal MP Kylea Tink—namely North Sydney’s Independent and Climate 200.

Indeed, the label could also prove useful to her in terms of market differentiation against two other independent candidates, Victoria Walker and Simon Menzies, who are intending to run.

Bypassed as a Teal, Victoria Walker stakes her own claim as an experienced independent reformer

By Grahame Lynch

Helen Conway isn’t the only independent claiming inside knowledge of how government works and how to fix it at the next state election. Step forward, Victoria Walker, a McMahons Point resident, who actually sought to be the Teal independent candidate for North Shore, and having been overlooked in favour of Conway, has now decided to run for office under her own steam.

Walker, like Conway, has an extensive CV, particularly in government. Among her many achievements: she says she set up a NSW Education Department Economic and Demographic Planning Unit, was director of the NSW Parliament Public Accounts Committee and later, its Victorian equivalent, was a consultant to the Queensland Electoral & Administrative Review Commission, was a Senior Director of Performance Audit at the

Australian National Audit Office, and a Director of the Audit Division in NSW Health. Along the way she has also been a tutor and a book editor.

Most recently, she has served as the secretary of the Lavender Bay Precinct Committee and tells the North Sydney Sun she was motivated to run for North Shore because “I think this is a seriously important election and I don’t think either of the major parties are going to implement the reforms that I think are important.”

Walker lists these as reform of State planning and development; demanding action to address the impacts of climate change; restoring integrity and democracy in government, and ensuring all citizens get a fair go.

Urban planning is one of her biggest bugbears, particularly what she sees as the over-development of North Sydney which takes place under what

she characterises as an indifferent local member who “waives away concerns by appealing to the greater good.”

As to why her and not another candidate: “I’m not just virtue signalling.

Artists impression of the Victoria Cross development

Proposed development at 88 Walker St

Newlands (artist impression)

Helen Conway’s campaign launch

Photo: Grahame Lynch

Victoria Walker Photo: Sam Rutherford

Veteran Mosman councillor running for North Shore on a pro-tunnel agenda

By Grahame Lynch

Long-term Mosman councillor Simon Menzies is throwing his hat into the ring for the March 25 state election of North Shore as an independent candidate with an unabashedly pro-road tunnels agenda.

Menzies told the North Sydney Sun: “I am a long standing Mosman councillor and a strong advocate of the Beaches Link tunnel which has been promised for many years. Now they have reneged and stopped the project even though they are still digging up the Warringah Expressway for it. I am running out of patience at yet another letdown and a broken promise.”

Menzies said the Beaches Link Tunnel, planned to connect Cammeray and Seaforth under Middle Harbour, would alleviate the heavy traffic on Military Road through Neutral Bay, Cremorne and Mosman.

“It can take 3 phases or more just to get through one set of lights at the moment. Military Road is turning into

Parramatta Rd when it should be a splendid boulevard. We need to take a long term view, after all, the bureaucracy has long deemed this necessary.”

“I am running because I am not going to die wondering,” he said. “Enough is enough, I am running for parliament.”

The state government was proceeding with the Beaches Link tunnel until last year when it was placed on an indefinite hold because of supply constraints caused by the likes of labour shortages in the construction sector. These are judged to make projects with longer investment returns uneconomic. Nevertheless, current upgrades to the Warringah Freeway are being built with eventual off-ramps to the potential Beaches Link in place.

Menzies has been a Mosman councillor for 20 years, for 5 of which he has been deputy mayor. He has also been a long-standing chair of the council traffic committee. He works in occupational health and safety in the

construction sector.

Menzies links a failure to build the tunnel to a general atmosphere of unfettered new developments, and especially elevated housing targets, without the infrastructure to support them.

He is aware of the criticisms of the tunnels in the western half of the electorate and neighbouring Willoughby, where roadworks and tree removal have been elevated to a major political issue by North Sydney councillors.

“I understand those who oppose the tunnel because of the personal inconvenience to them, but they are big NIMBYs. Sydney needs to be a global city and we need to get from point A to point B without gridlock. It’s a horrendous nightmare currently,” he said.

Menzies says he is far from an one cause candidate and wants to prioritise other issues such the lack of facilities such as changing rooms for women’s sport in the area’s legacy sporting facilities. He also wants to make a more dog-friendly society.

He said he belonged to the Liberals for 18 months a decade ago “but it wasn’t for me.”

Asked to describe his personal politics, he said: “I am a genuine independent.”

“Not teal, not woke. Not conservative.”

Proposed development at 88 Walker St

North Shore Greens want cycling path on Warringah Freeway upgrade

North Shore Greens candidate James Mullan is calling on the NSW Government to include cycling infrastructure as part of works on the Warringah Freeway.

The upgrades are focussed on a four kilometre stretch between Naremburn and North Sydney, which Mullan claimed is a missing link in the cycleway network.

“You can ride on separated bike lanes down from Epping following Epping Road and the M2 all the way to Naremburn then suddenly the lane stops. Cyclists then cross an overpass up to Cammeray where they are spat out onto West Street,” he said.

Mullan believes the cycle way should continue from Cammeray Golf Course and follow the freeway down to North Sydney then onto the bridge

either through a dedicated lane or on the proposed Harbour Bridge cycle ramp.

As part of the Western Harbour Tunnel and Freeway upgrade, cycling connections have closed including Falcon St overpass and the connected underpass. Construction has also led to detours due to temporary closures of paths around Cammeray Golf Course and the Ridge St Overpass.

“The freeway, in parts, has 15 lanes for cars or buses, and all cyclists are asking for is one lane. I don’t think that much to ask for. This upgrade project is costed at $1.2 billion but the Government didn’t even bother to include active transport.”

He believes building this infrastructure is one of the best ways to reduce road congestion, promote an

active lifestyle and reduce the carbon footprint. The Greens candidate unsuccessfully ran for North Sydney Council in 2021 advocating strongly for more cycling infrastructure in the area.

“North Sydney Council has constructed zero metres of bike lanes since the last elections. It’s pathetic really. The North Shore is a cycling black hole so the NSW government needs to step in and provide this crucial infrastructure. Especially considering the freeway is a state road,” he said.

According to Peter Bourke of Bicycle Industries Australia, 1.5 million bikes were sold country wide in 2022. In 2021 e-bike sales reached 75,000 with electric car sales only reaching 20,665. “Many people are choosing to

leave the car at home and ride. We need to be doing all we can to encourage more people to ride bikes, yet often people don’t because they are worried about safety.”

Victoria Walker wants to use her government experience to fix it

From Page 6

I’m really saying I know how it works and most people don’t. And I know how to try and fix it.”

She says she was encouraged by the positive experience of female independents in Canberra, who she believes have not only been accepted but have made a difference.

When she saw the Teal-linked North Sydney’s Independent advertising for potential candidates to run in North Shore last year, she responded. Walker gave the Sun a detailed rundown of apparently unsuccessful attempts to touch base until she was finally able to meet with NSI.

“We had (a meeting) on the phone and they asked me one question, "How old are you?” It was nothing about policy, nothing about background. They intimated that they wanted me to help their candidate. It was the second call when I finally got onto them to say, ‘What on earth is going on? I want to register. And I’m waiting to hear from you.’”

“And the one thing that I thought was so incredible is one of the women, won’t name names, said to me, ‘Well, we know there’s one key issue in this electorate.’ And I said ‘Good grief, what is it?’ ‘Koalas.’

“This is about back in October or

November, some time ago. I think they might have improved their position, their perspective by now. But it was rather shocking.”

(For the record, NSI tells the Sun that community concern about declining koala numbers is integral to why it believes the government needs to do better on climate, environmental protections and native forests. )

“In the interim, they put up Helen Conway, I don’t know how young she is, but she worked for Caltex and nobody’s pointing out the ambiguity of that,” Walker said.

“I wish her well. I don’t mind. The electorate knows what they’re doing,”

she added. As for her own candidacy, Walker said: “I have no obligations to a political party, to industry lobbyists or self appointed handlers.”

“I do have the experience and the skills needed to take up the challenge of reform in Macquarie Street’s notorious Bear Pit, and to drive it forward.”

She added: “Over the past months I have attended meetings of residents across North Shore, listening to their concerns and their eagerness for change. There is a huge appetite in both North Sydney & Mosman for reform of the government and parliament, to clean out the stables and make a fresh start.”

The Sun Says…

The state election campaign has begin in earnest and this issue of the Sun features interviews and comments from no less than six of the leading local contenders. We pride ourselves on the breadth of our coverage, or as one campaign manager put it, our “straight bat” when it comes to election campaigns.

Since most of our normal circulation falls in the North Shore electorate we have concentrated our coverage on these candidates in this issue. We have also expanded our circulation to cover Mosman for this issue. If you’re reading for the first time, welcome!

However, our northern circulation area in Cammeray and North Cremorne falls within the Willoughby electorate. As a result we intend to also cover that fascinating contest in our March issue, which will be out in double time ahead of the 25th of the month.

For those of you who aren’t into politics—an entirely understandable posture—we also feature extensive guides to the best offers from gymnasiums and several exciting new local eateries in this issue.

If you have an idea for a particular area or type of business you’d like us to cover, drop us a line. We always like to hear ideas about how we can better inform our neighbourhoods about the fun stuff to do here.

Copyright Decisive Publishing.

All rights reserved.

ACN 065 084 960

Responsibility for election comment taken by G Lynch

Office address: Unit 704 6a Glen St

Milsons Point NSW Australia 2061

Phone: 0415756208

URL: www.northsydneysun.com.au

Email for editorial: grahamelynch@northsydneysun.com.au

Founding editor and Decisive CEO: Grahame Lynch

Business Development: Amy Carswell

amy@northsydneysun.com.au

Printer: Spotpress, 24-26 Lilian Fowler Place

Marrickville NSW 2204

Minimum of 22,000 copies circulated to homes and businesses in the North Shore electorate.

Printer statement available on demand

By Grahame Lynch

The state election campaign is well under way with at least three strong party candidates and three notable independents contesting the right to represent North Shore for the next four years.

The incumbent, Liberal Felicity Wilson, is nominally in a safe position. In 2019, she scored 46.6% of the primary vote, translating to 61.1% of the vote after preferences were distributed.

Her main opponent, independent Mosman mayor Carolyn Corrigan, garnered 20% of the primary vote rising to just under 39%, when preferences from Labor, the Greens and other voters were distributed.

This time Felicity Wilson faces a similar array of candidates—a Mosman independent (former deputy mayor and councillor Simon Menzies), Labor (North Sydney deputy mayor Godfrey Santer) and a Green (James Mullan) as well as a new Teal independent, Helen Conway, who is hoping to emulate the success achieved by federal counterparts Kylea Tink and Zali Steggall in last year’s federal election.

For these reasons, Conway is the media darling. She has a stellar CV and her supporters show no bashfulness in describing her as the best credentialled candidate not just in the local electorate but the entire state.

But just as jilted partner Victor Kline dogged the Teal Climate 200 crowd with interference at the federal election last year, Conway has a similar rival, Victoria Walker, to contend with. Walker is also impeccably credentialed, especially in terms of cleaning up state parliaments. She has done such things as help remove the Joh Queensland gerrymander, probe privatisation programs and parliamentary travel spends, audited Aboriginal health and even helped implement anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing plans.

Where Conway has an obvious advantage is in resourcing: her comms manager Denise Shrivell says around $130,000 has already been raised in pursuit of $220,000, around ten percent of which pays for a shopfront in Spit Junction. What that budget doesn’t buy though is the $45,000 billboards and the other massive marketing plays that Kylea Tink employed to boost simple awareness of her name. By the May Federal election, Tink’s name recall was almost on a par with incumbent Trent Zimmerman. The challenge for Conway is to emulate that.

Labor have a prominent candidate in Godfrey Santer, the deputy mayor of North Sydney who scored a high vote (2nd behind Zoe Baker) in his ward at last year’s council poll. Santer’s candidacy will be buoyed by the strong position of Chris Minns and the state party, currently between 6% and 12% ahead of the Coalition in some recent polls.

The North Shore Labor vote has bounced around in recent decades between 8% and 28%. It was almost level pegging with the Greens in the last state election.

However, a poll before Christmas placed Labor in 29% in North Shore, just 4% behind the Liberals and internal polling apparently still puts them ahead of the Teal.

Labor is quietly confident for another reason: at the last federal election, the upper house vote in North Sydney— absent a Teal or a Tink proxy—saw a combined Labor/ Greens return of 46%, compared to just 40% for the Coalition. They sense a demographic shift that is long term in their favour. The Greens are putting forward a relatively youthful 26 year old James Mullan this time, an interesting move in an electorate where there are 18,000 residents between 18 and 35 years old of age and who might not see much to relate to in the other candidates.

OPTIONAL PREFERENTIAL: But the obvious advantage for Felicity Wilson is that preferences are optional at state elections. Her Teal challenger has to score a strong primary in her own right in order to avoid elimination before the two candidate preferred count.

At the federal election, Tink scored just 26% of the primary vote compared to Zimmerman’s 38%. But a 80-20 split of compulsory preferences flowing from the eliminated Labor (21% primary) and Greens (9% primary) as well as half of the preferences from lesser candidates effectively

Shore

doubled Tink’s vote to 53% over Zimmerman on 47%.

In the Mosman half of the electorate, independent Zali Steggall was an even stronger performer over controversial candidate Katherine Deves. The Warringah returns for Mosman suggest Steggall parlayed a 45-35 primary advantage into a 60-40 2PP lead. Deves didn’t win one booth.

But when preferences aren’t compulsory this changes. In 2019, around half of North Shore’s voters for the eliminated candidates didn’t offer a preference. This makes the preferences you can receive more valuable.

But with the Teals unlikely to offer formal preference recommendations on a how-to-vote, this opens the way for the Greens and Labor to preference each other on how-tovotes, in the hope it will enable the best performer to leap frog Conway and challenge Wilson for 2PP.

At the federal election, the eliminated Greens candidate formally preferenced Tink over Labor, feeding Tink a greater share of preferences and denying Labor.

With the “left” alternatives to Wilson less likely this time to meaningfully transfer their votes to the strategic independent choice a la Tink, this would seemingly weaken the ability of the Teals to win on 2PP.

But the big wild card is Mosman’s Simon Menzies, who is campaigning on what he says is a broken promise not to proceed with the Beaches Link. This is a wildly popular project with the conservative and moderate base in Mosman, and Menzies is clearly intending to strip some votes off the Liberals to send them a message.

Menzies is the second most electorally popular councillor in Mosman, only behind mayor Carolyn Corrigan who emerged as the main challenger to the Liberals in 2019 with nearly 4 in 10 two party preferred votes. At the last council elections he scored 1.4 of a quota across the area as well as a 20% personal vote for mayor. He, thus, isn’t starting from zero and arguably enters the race with greater name awareness in the eastern half of the electorate than any of the other challengers to the Liberals.

Menzies, as an independent, muddies the waters for the Teal candidate, but his message is aimed squarely at the credibility of the Liberals. This could make the Libs’ goal of securing a large primary lead over one of the Teals, Labor and Greens more difficult.

For the local Liberals part, they have certainly learned from the mistakes that saw Trent Zimmerman’s downfall. That time, Kylea Tink was out in the market place for seven months while Zimmerman wasn’t officially preselected until six weeks out. This time, Wilson got out of the blocks first and Conway’s candidacy wasn’t announced for a couple more months.

Wilson does seem to be following the Zimmerman template in terms of election announcements. So far, she has focused on commitments to North Sydney Oval, Wendy’s Secret Garden and the High Line.

Conway has doubled down on various areas such as gambling reform and climate, largely vowing to go further than the Coalition/Labor and with more conviction. Her campaign manager told supporters as we went to press: “Polling tells us that we can win this race.” And the Teals have taken regular visits to the electorate from state premier Dominic Perrottet and treasurer Matt Kean as a sign that the Liberals are worried about their prospects.

How the numbers may play out for North

The appeal of a Teal in NSW state parliament

On March 25 there will be a State election. The electorate of North Shore runs from St Leonards/Wollstonecraft along the harbour foreshore and up the slopes behind until The Spit.

The key candidates come from the two main political parties and the new force in Australian politics: a ‘Teal’ Independent.

The silent starter’s pistol was fired weeks ago and as the candidates enter the straight, we now have a better sense of who might win the race.

For the past 30 plus years the seat has had held by the Liberal Party. Indeed, before that I was the last Independent Member for North Shore and lost the seat when the boundaries of my safe seat were altered; my strong vote in Naremburn was replaced by the then traditionally strong Liberal voting suburb of Mosman.

When the seat of North Shore was established in 1981 (after a previous boundary change in the seat of Kirribilli), it was won by Independent Mayor Ted Mack who was always described on his election literature as A Man of Integrity.

In many ways this election is Groundhog Day. When I see Teals campaigning on integrity, accountability and the environment I am reminded that the more things change the more they stay the same. North Sydney politics of the 70s through to the early 90s was all about integrity, accountability and the environment.

Not even the words have changed. Environment in those days was about moderating development and planting trees; now it is about the more urgent climate change juggernaut facing the planet.

Over the years the Liberal vote has been shrinking. By 2015 the then Liberal member, a minister, suffered a swing of 9.3% against her leaving her with 58.1% first preference votes. By 2019 the current Liberal member‘s primary vote had dropped to 46% .

In last May’s federal election the Liberal Party in the region was given a strong kicking when both halves of the electorate returned Teal Independents in North Sydney and Warringah.

Issues that were front and centre 30 years ago, resurfaced as core to voters’ wishes.

Indeed, they have been given critical impetus as climate change, corruption and rorts have produced a new urgency for good government.

The current Member for North Shore, Felicity Wilson, won the seat at a by-election in 2015. She was given a rough introduction to voters when rumours abounded that she had misrepresented personal information on her preselection material.

Those allegations may explain why the Liberal vote dropped as low as 42.75 % in that by-election. Life didn’t get any easier for Wilson. Before the 2019 election she was challenged for

Opinion by ROBYN READ, former state member for North Shore (1988-1991) and North Sydney Council alderman (1970-77, 1987-91). Sometime CEO, journalist.

preselection by the now Member for Willoughby, Tim James and won by one vote. James then took her preselection to court. He lost.

SCHOOL UPGRADES: Wilson occasionally letterboxes with information especially about local infrastructure improvements particularly in schools (though perhaps decent public education facilities are the least citizens have the right to expect).

Indeed, the decimation of trees and local environments for a new tunnel that has as yet, no proven business case, seems to me to be a more critical issue.

The Labor candidate is the North Sydney Deputy Mayor, Godfrey Santer, and according to his Facebook page he is out and about campaigning on the streets and at transport hubs in a campaign that seems based on the very successful one the ALP candidate, Catherine Renshaw ran in the last federal election. The Greens candidate has a low profile for now.

According to her supporters the Independent candidate, Helen Conway, if elected will be the most qualified MP in Macquarie Street. She is a lawyer with corporate, government and community experience.

One of the small ironies of this election is that Wilson worked in one the branches Conway ran when Conway was a private sector executive.

I have run into her supporters a few times already, recognisable in their Teal T-shirts as they try to knock on 7,000 doors before March 25.

Cynics on the right question the value of the Independents. Do the cliches of integrity, accountability and transparency mean anything?

The teals in Canberra have proved they do. Helen Haines has led the push for a national integrity commission; Zali Steggall keeps climate change pressure on; Monique Ryan is demanding transparency on health matters and Sophie Scamps has now introduced a bill to end “jobs for the boys” in federal appointments.

These are examples of how an informed and determined independent MP can set and lead the agenda for change.

Cynics on the left say the Teals are simply soft liberals. The split in Teal votes on the recent workplace relations reform bill indicates that this is a group of women each walking her own path. Each one will vote on conscience and try to represent their community’s views, not vote because they support a particular Party.

In the Tweedledee and Tweedledum world of NSW political parties with the Green gadfly in play, a disruption of the system is likely and many think, overdue with a Liberal

party that has been too long in power and still adheres to a privatisation philosophy and an Opposition that is looking for wriggle room on gambling.

Climate 200, the same group which helped bankroll and advise the successful federal Teals, is supporting six community independents in the State election. These candidates could hold the balance of power in NSW.

What a circuit breaker that would be… Helen Conway in North Shore could catch the tail wind for change and convince enough voters she is the circuit breaker to help achieve better, fairer governance in NSW.

Polling indicates those winds of change are strong.

Breaking the stranglehold of the political parties is especially difficult in a State election because voting is optional preferential so the Greens, Labor and the myriad of reformist minors that will also run must ask their supporters to allocate preferences if they want to see the a Teal achieve in NSW what the federal Teals have already proved they can do.

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

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

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

Helen Conway

Debate swirls over quality of local bus services

By Dylan Bushell-Embling

Residents, local and state governments, bus operators and unions are at odds over whether North Sydney’s bus services are running adequately, or whether the network is facing significant stress.

There have certainly been moments where local commuters feel the services aren’t what they were.

As the photograph in this article attests, bus travellers at the last Neutral Bay stop on Military Rd before the Warringah Freeway certainly have cause to be aggrieved with queues extending someway down Watson St in recent days.

In a submission to last year’s parliamentary inquiry into bus privatisation, the primary bus operator on the North Shore, Keolis Downer, insisted that “there has been no loss of bus stops or services as a result of the franchising process.” But the same inquiry concluded that there are 3000 fewer bus drivers across NSW than there were in 2020, which would inevitably lead to service cancellation.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported last year that a shortage of 60 drivers in 2022 resulted in an average of 360 cancelled trips per day across the Keolis Downer operated northern beaches and lower north shore buses (Region 8).

The Divisional President of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Peter Grech told the Sun he believes Keolis Downer has maintained good services.

The transit company has experience in operating Melbourne’s Trams, Newcastle’s buses and light rail as well several other networks around the world, which Grech thinks contributes to the quality of bus services in the area.

for, relying on drivers working overtime to fill intermittent ad hoc replacement services.

A number of bus services were permanently cancelled in 2021, including the M40 that ran between Chatswood and Bondi Junction and the 343 from Kingsford to Chatswood. Connections to Mosman have also been lost, including the 430 Taronga Zoo to Sydenham via Military Rd, Warringah Freeway and RPA hospital, as well as the 257 Chatswood to Balmoral via Crows Nest, Willoughby Rd and Willoughby netball courts. All these routes now require passengers to change services at hubs to commute to their final destination.

Staying in Willoughby, the council run Artarmon Loop Bus was discontinued in June last year. The service, which ran around the Royal North Shore Hospital, linking in Artarmon Station, was cut due to low patronage.

At the time Mayor Tanya Taylor justified the decision by stating that the service was underutilised even before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Council is listening to the community and investing wisely to ensure the wider community sees return for any public investment,” she said.

Later that year in December Transport for NSW with private operator Busways introduced a new loop bus route 113 between Chatswood Station and Royal North Shore Hospital via the Pacific Highway, which covers part of the old council bus loop.

And more recently in January some services were restored after a feedback process. According to Willoughby state MP Tim James, this involved two new weekday morning Route 120 services starting at North Willoughby, with three more shortly. Routes which will have full service restored are 203, 207, 251, 252, 254, 255, 261, 265 and 267.

Meanwhile, a group in Willoughby is fighting back against cancelled services in an unconventional way. As a protest, local Ken Wilson organised a crowd funded ‘Pirate Bus’.

According to the group’s site, the idea of establishing the bus “was born in late 2022, after two years of lobbying the state government to restore what had become a very dysfunctional public bus service only resulted in the cancellation of even more services.” Wilson claimed the number of bus services in the Willoughby area has been reduced from 33 two years ago and 26 a year ago to just 22 today.

Willoughby Road, to Balmoral, to Bondi and buses to Kingsford,” Wilson explained.

He said these buses remained cancelled despite the development of the old Channel 9 site on Artarmon Road, and explained that attempts to contact Transport for NSW and the Minister about the cancellations were effective-

quency.” Samuel thinks that debates around buses have focused too much on privatisation, rather than the fact that “millions of dollars have been stripped out of public transport.”

Samuel also insisted that “it’s no good arguing about who owns the buses, we need to work out where they are going and how frequently they run.”

Sitting towards the back of the bus were locals Eben and Umaima who live in Naremburn and regularly take the 120 bus into the city.

Eben observed that around morning peak hour his stop is regularly skipped by two or three buses that are already at capacity.

Overal, there has been a large amount of flux in the bus network over the North Shore.

However Grech was far more critical of Busways, the operator of Sydney Bus Region 7, which covers Lane Cove, Chatswood, Epping, North Sydney, Ryde and Parramatta.

He estimates Region 7 is 150 drivers short of providing appropriate services. Grech explained Busways are cutting services the company has been unable to assign permanent drivers

The Pirate Bus ran on part of the old the 272 route, which ran in peak hour from North Willoughby through to Wynyard. It had its maiden and only voyage on February 1st at 8am starting at the Willoughby Leisure Centre and taking passengers through to Wynyard. The Sun jumped on board for the ride. “Two years ago we lost a whole lot of buses. Buses down

ly ignored. Wilson did admit that more buses have since been scheduled, but said that they run at “funny times” rather than in peak hour.

Willoughby councillor Robert Samuel, another traveller on board the Pirate Bus, told the Sun that “destinations and density change in Willoughby, but there no process for changing bus routes or increasing fre-

Notably, everyone from residents to the state government, unions and lobby groups are not quite agreeing on what, if anything, needs to be done. Indeed, they can’t even agree on who is running the buses. Critics regularly cite what they say is the privatisation of bus services as the culprit.

But the reality is that the bus operations are merely contracted out for a fee and they are still run under the direct supervision and control of the state government.

NSW Labor has promised to restore direct government operations of bus services should it return to government on March 25.

Queues are at record lengths at Neutral Bay. Photo supplied

Ken Wilson

Peter Grech

OUT AND ABOUT

Local artists highlighted at Lavender Bay gallery

By Hannah Wilcox

The Royal Art Society of New South Wales’ Lavender Bay Gallery is hosting its annual drawing exhibition presently.

Running until March 5, the Chasing the Line Drawing Exhibition is a collection of works from local artists documenting the world around them through illustration.

The works will be judged by the society’s Vice Patron Judy Pennefather and Director of the Art School Greg Hansell and the winner will take home an $800 prize.

The North Sydney Sun sat down with Secretary and Gallery Manager Christine Feher to get to know more about the Gallery’s “long and rich history” and what to expect for the upcoming exhibition.

Starting off with the Chasing the Line Drawing Exhibition, the Lavender Bay Gallery holds nine exhibitions throughout the year, each running for five to six weeks up until December.

“The drawing exhibition is really important, because drawing is really important - so we open with that one”, Feher said.

“It’s the oldest art society in NSW”, Feher told the Sun. “The members bought these buildings, these terraces in 1956 when it was sort of a really, very downtrodden area and we’ve been here since then.”

The gallery has a rich history with big names such as Arthur Streeton and Margaret Preston once being members there.

Currently local artists such as Karen Atkins and George Largent from Crows Nest, Erika Beck, Ann Cape and Sue Sharpe from Mosman as well as Ghyslaine Bluett and Susanna Chen Chow from Northbridge have all donated works for the upcoming drawing exhibition.

The Art Society of New South Wales was founded in 1880 by George and Arthur Collingrudge to promote Australian artists and their paintings.

Described in the visitor handbook as an ‘almost total revolution’, the coming-together of the society ‘brought to reality the vision of a small group of men who wanted Australian paintings to truly reflect Australia’.

In 1879, the Garden Palace was constructed in the now-Botanical Gardens to stage the colony’s first exhibition of paintings - the Sydney International Exhibition. Then-Premier Henry Parkes granted the Society access to exhibition rooms and opened the 220painting showcase.

Annual exhibitions continued to be held by the Society until 1882, when the building went up in flames with paintings and founding records lost forever. Yet, the Royal Art Society continued to meet and flourished in the years to follow.

At the end of the Second World War, Erik Langkar became president of the society, and it was during this time the buildings, now known as Lavender Bay Gallery, were purchased and the Art School reopened after its closure during the war period.

The two Victorian terraces in North Sydney’s Walker Street were bought for £4945.10 from monies raised by the first exhibition.

This exhibition, now called the Annual Art Ballot, runs every year during July and August and is the Society’s major fundraiser.

“The society really relies on that major fundraiser”, Feher said, “Last

year we raised $46,000 - which sounds a lot, but it’s not a lot when you’ve got a building like this and with encroaching costs of building insurance, insurance in general, electricity, air conditioning, everything else.”

“Once a year we ask our artists to donate paintings and then we sell tickets for $400 each. And then we have a big draw on the day where everyone chooses a painting to take home. Say your ticket is drawn out, then you point out what you want, and we give it to you.”

Feher said the Royal Art Society does not receive any government funding as ‘it is its own entity’, which derives its income from membership, the art school, gallery, donations and the Ballot Fundraiser.

“We get a small rebate from North Sydney Council which is a small reduction in our rates.”

“I’m a paid employee, the bookkeeper is, and the teachers areand then we run with volunteers on opening nights and all sorts of other things.”

Alongside the drawing exhibition, the Lavender Bay Gallery hosts two other exhibitions each year. In March, the annual Autumn exhibition commemorates the Thora Ungar memorial award, and judges award the artist with the best painting $1000.

The big one, Feher said, is the Royal Art Society’s personal Medal of Distinction which is awarded to an artist in the spring exhibition.

“So we have three [exhibitions] which have prizes”, she added.

As well as the major exhibitions, the gallery also hosts the marine artists exhibition in October and a printmaking, sculpture and still life showcase in April. Some of the displays are themed, Feher told the Sun, with one called fantasy encapsulating the ideas behind dreams.

“Then we have our art school exhibition every year in November where the students - beginners through to

advanced - are encouraged to put paintings in, which is always fun.”

Each year, the Alan Hansen Memorial Award and the Jenny Lemmone Hill Scholarship are awarded to outstanding student submissions.

“And then we have one in December which is the last one”, she said.

For any budding local artists in the area the gallery also offers the Art School, founded in 1885, which is now located above the Walker Street gallery.

Classes are available in drawing, oils, watercolour, acrylic, pastel, still life, portraiture, life drawing, botanical drawing, plein-air landscape as well as sketch clubs and workshops.

150 students are currently enrolled at the art school, with classes running adjacent to the school terms.

“Our students are upstairs for day, evening and weekend classes”, Feher said. “We’ve just had some workshops, most of those have about 12-14 [students] in them.”

“We’ve also got sketch clubs where you can come for $25, pay for the model, and you can just draw and sketch - and last year we just kept it to 14 [people] because of Covid.”

“We did close the doors during covid, but we wanted to keep everyone safe, with only 10-12 in the classes but now we’ve opened it up. We’re still strict with no one coming if they’re sick and coughing, because we don’t want to close the doors again.”

Even after being thrown many challenges throughout the 142 years of the Royal Art Society, they continue to stand strong - showcasing the best works of local artists and encouraging creativity within their students.

As the great Australian artist Norman Lindsay once said, “the Royal Art Society has been an institution remarkable for the liveliness and durability of its members, probably because they were infused with a passion for art and a determination to practice it in the Australian context.”

The Wiggles add third show at Norths after first two sell out

The Wiggles’ upcoming tour Hello! We’re The Wiggles is coming to the Norths Leagues North Sydney on Thursday, March 23. Following the runaway success of 2022’s award- winning year, including the ARIA award for ‘Best Live Act’, The Wiggles are set to bring their all singing, all dancing stage show to North Sydney as part of a tour across venues across NSW this March.

Hello! We’re The Wiggles will feature hit songs ‘Do the Propeller!’, ‘Hot Potato’ and ‘Rock-a -Bye Your Bear’ plus new favourites including ‘We’re all Fruit Salad’, ‘Getting Strong!’ with John and feel the sunflower power with ‘Hey Tsehay!’

Anthony, Tsehay, Simon, Lachy, Caterina, Lucia, Evie and John will be joined on stage by their Wiggly friends, including Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, Shirley Shawn the Unicorn and Bok the Hand Puppet.

The morning and lunch shows at Norths are sold out so a new third show at 3.30pm has been added.

If you miss out on Norths, the Wiggles are also making other Sydney appearances throughout March in nearby locations such as Dee Why, Chatswood and Newtown.

Christine Feher

WELLNESS: SPECIAL GYM GUIDE

The Sun guide to the best offers across North Sydney’s gymnasiums

By Amy Carswell

Losing some momentum on your New Year’s Resolutions this month? Here is our selection of the district’s gyms and fitness centres that can help you get on track.

Our pick for… WORKOUTS WITH A VIEW

Prices start at $55 per week for the boot camp and $110 per session for personal training.

Our pick for... BOXING FOR ALL AGES

per week, with flexible pay-as-you-go options available.

February offer: 7 days of Group Boxing classes for $10.

Our pick for...

PRIVACY & PERSONALISATION

InPower Fitness

Suite 2/7 Ridge St, North Sydney 0412 468 468

Our pick for...

GYMNASTICS & GOAL-ACHIEVING

The Anatomy Lab

Quibaree Park, Lavender Bay

0404 253 294

What better motivation to work out can you get than views of our iconic harbour? By joining The Anatomy Lab’s boot camps or one-on-one private training sessions, you can smash out squats while gazing across the water in beautiful Lavender Bay.

Strength and Conditioning Coach Nino Cvoro tells the Sun: “My type of training is based on functional movement humans were built for. These are the movements that promote neurological and hormonal responses, leading to better health, actual strength, core stability, agility and flexibility.”

BoxCore Fitness

Shop 3/467 Miller St, Cammeray 0404 730 703

BoxCore Fitness is an innovative fitness centre that provides group boxing classes for all age groups and skill levels. With specialised group boxing classes for different groups including women, teens and kids, and even mums and bubs, BoxCore is changing what it means to be a boxing gym.

Founder and Head Boxing Trainer Gary Hanley describes BoxCore as “the perfect environment for people who want to learn more about boxing but are afraid of the stereotypical intimidating gyms”. Trainers at BoxCore are passionate about changing how community members experience training, using a combination of skill, fun and sweat.

Memberships start from $49.95

For ultimate privacy and personalisation, check out InPower Fitness. As a one-on-one personal training studio, with rarely more than four people in the gym at once, Inpower provides a private space to kick your fitness goals whether you are a serious athlete or new to training. Owner Troy van Spanje, backed by 20 years in the industry, designs individualised programs for every client considering their assessment, goals and injury history. For those who are wedding shredding or hoping to replace wine glasses with barbells on date nights, enquire about InPower’s couples training. Prices start from $35 per week for one-on-one training.

Performance Playground

Shop 5/225 Pacific Hwy, North Syd 0439 426 595

Why run on a treadmill when you can learn how to handstand? Performance Playground specialises in adult gymnastics, strength, conditioning and weightlifting for all skill levels.

Gymnastics is at the heart of Performance Playground’s training philosophy, with Founder James Ferguson explaining “The vast majority of our members had never tried gymnastics before starting, and are now achieving incredible skills like handstands, muscle ups and rope climbs”. With a team of Exercise Physiologists, Physiotherapists and Exercise Scientists, you will be in safe hands if you give Performance Playground a try. Who knows, you might even become the next Australian Ninja Warrior.” Memberships start from $69 per week.

Our pick for...

NO-FRILLS FITNESS

Jetts North Sydney Shop 2/76 Berry St, North Sydney (02) 9954 3784

Jetts North Sydney provides a budgetfriendly and flexible way to reach your fitness goals. Jetts offers a full range of training equipment, small group training with expert coaches and personal training services. With memberships under $20 per week and no lock -in contracts or cancellation fees, Club Manager Hazel Cuizon tells community members “If life changes we accommodate you. You have nothing to lose when you join our gym”. Complimentary 24/7 gym access to all Jetts Fitness Gyms globally means time-poor professionals and jet-setters can work

WELLNESS: SPECIAL GYM GUIDE

From previous page

out anytime and anywhere. Memberships start from $18.95 per week.

Our pick for...

NEXT-LEVEL SUPPORT & SERENITY

offers semi-private training sessions with a maximum of four people. These strength sessions focus on form, technique and progressive program blocks to ensure improvement over time.

Group Fit Training also offers unlimited group classes for strength, conditioning, boxing and Hatha Yoga to balance out the week. All members receive a movement assessment, activity plan, and regular coach check-ins to ensure accountability along their fitness journeys.

Memberships start from $59 per week. Add twice-weekly semi-private training sessions for a total of $99 per week. Current offer: 10 days for $10.

Our pick for...

GETTING FIT IN 45 MINUTES

explains “at F45 we have a huge emphasis on variety and innovation within our training sessions.”

He believes that this, alongside the “pulsing, upbeat environment where goals are met and exceeded," has led to F45 being voted as having the ‘Most Satisfied Customers’ for five years in a row by Canstar.

Memberships start from $40 per week. February offer: 7 days for $7.

Our picks for...

ALL-ROUNDERS:

The following three gyms are boutique centres focusing on a community feel and personalised approach, earning them all-rounder titles.

The Gym

Level 1/378 Pacific Hwy, Crows Nest 0414 765 250

SHAiPE Smart Fitness - St Leonards

Level 3/500 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards 0484 282 742

Located in the heart of St Leonards, SHAiPE is your go-to place for receiving constant support to achieve longterm health goals. With trainers on hand at all times, members are discretely supervised and motivated during their workouts. Studio Manager Alec Wazjer tells the Sun “We’re not for pump and sweat, we’re for longterm health, wellbeing and habitbuilding that changes lifestyles, not just bodies”. Those who prefer a peaceful gym experience will be glad to hear Alec add “There are no drill sergeants or noise-thumping barbells. We have a relaxed, nurturing gym environment to alleviate gym anxiety”.

SHAiPE also has Medicare-accredited exercise physiologists on-site for chronic or acute health conditions, injury recovery or rehabilitation.

Memberships start from $25 per week. SHAiPE is offering a free trial including 3x one-on-one guidance sessions including full body scans and a personalised workout plan (valued at $550).

Our pick for...

SEMI-PRIVATE TRAINING

Group Fit Training

Level 1/378 Pacific Hwy, Crows Nest 0428 175 515

F45 North Sydney Lower Ground Level, 99 Walker St, North Sydney 0410 381 260

RadBod Fitness

Suite 2/14 Cammeray Rd 0411 411 705

RadBod Fitness is an appointmentonly premium fitness studio located in leafy Cammeray, that specialises in strength training, conditioning, functional fitness and HIIT workouts for all ages and abilities. RadBod offers combined indoor and outdoor personal training, plus small group fitness sessions in their studio and surrounding green areas. Founder and Head

F45 is a group training experience focusing on circuit and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, geared towards everyday movement.

With an aim of burning 750 calories in 45 minutes, F45 is well-suited to those who want to get their hearts pumping with limited time. F45 North Sydney Director Wayne Fergusson

Trainer Radek Jonak explains his philosophy to the Sun: “I believe it's never too late to get fit and I always incorporate laughter into my sessions to exercise the soul while the body does the hard bit.” Personal training sessions start from $61 for 30 min and $106 for 60 mins. RadRapid 30minute HIIT are $33 per class, 60minute classes $38-$48 per class. Multi-packs are available for discounted pricing

The Gym, which recently relocated from St Leonards to Crows Nest, focuses on scientific programming and personal coaching to bring training to the next level. During their induction process, trainers assess each member’s movement abilities, allowing them to personalise the group program for each member once they begin classes. Explaining the ethos of her gym to the Sun, Head Coach and Owner Missy Porteous says “We advocate for change in an industry which is filled with weight loss challenges and unsuccessful quick fixes.”Membership is $79 per week (including 1-1 inductions, unlimited classes and an ongoing quarterly 1-1 session)

Steed Fitness

LG1/30 Alfred St S, Milsons Point 0426 626 670

Steed Fitness is the only commercial gym in Milsons Point, but this isn’t the only reason this centre stands out. Seven-time Australian Powerlifting champion and Steed Fitness CoDirector Yani Zhao explains the mission of her independent gym is to “support everyone in their fitness journey” and to treat members “not just as someone who has a membership card”. The centre provides highend equipment, personal training packages and InBody Composition scans. Steed’s luxurious experience and passionate trainers motivate members to get in the door and achieve their fitness goals. Memberships start from $29 per week.

Looking for personalised workouts without the premium price tag of personal training? Group Fit Training

Hot new spots to eat around North Sydney

By James Peters

Kickin Inn, Crows Nest

a mission having opened 14 Kickin Inn restaurants around Australia since 2018, with Crows Nest being their 15th. This came after a long life journey for the business partners. Sami was the owner of a Fast-Food franchise in Sydney while Ravi owned a Management Consultancy, based in Dubai. Ravi had his mind set on moving back to Australia to set up a business consultancy when, over a coffee catch up, Sami floated the idea of “doing something crazy that no one in Australia has heard about.”

No cutlery, no plates, no worries. Serving up Cajun style seafood fresh, Kickin Inn is a whole ball game when it comes to eating out.

Picture staff walking out of the kitchen with a bag full of Cajun style prawns, crabs, mussels, lobster and bugs then pouring it on your table for you to dig in. Don’t worry, gloves and bibs are available so get stuck in!

Owners Ravi and Sami are men on

Both had experience in the restaurant game and threw around some ideas before landing on seafood restaurants. Ravi explained their thinking at the time: “Seafood is now very popular. Why don’t we bring Cajun in. It’s not well known in Australia.”

Cajun is a cooking style from Louisiana, USA. Ravi then returned to Dubai and began working on the business plan before running into a bit of a hurdle: “How do we actually make cajun?” After searching around the world, talking with many people and planning, they found no one was particularly keen on giving up their Cajun sauce recipe. “After doing some research and

development we came up with the 55 herbs that make the Cajun sauce,” he said. It took them 3 years to perfect. “We were eating Cajun breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Ravi explained. Their first store to open was in Petersham and took off quickly with Ravi and Sami expanding the restaurant to many more locations around Australia. Last year, they were looking for another site. Ravi told the Sun: “We had a lot of customers from the North Shore coming into our Zetland restaurant.” When they posted a survey online asking their followers where they should open a new store out of the 1,938 responses 38% wanted a location on the North Shore.

They chose Crows Nest due to its great location, reputation for hospitality and the family demographics, opening up on the 22nd of October last year.

As for what is good on the menu, Ravi says you can’t go wrong with the mixed bag which comes full of pipis, prawns, crab, mussels and potatoes. He recommends it with their signature Sha-Bang sauce which mixes cajun, garlic butter and lemon pepper flavours. Kickin Inn also serves up pasta, chicken wings, shrimp martinis and their special Cajun fried rice.

There is no doubt Kickin Inn is one of a kind here on the North Shore, so roll you sleeves up, wack a bib on and get stuck into this seafood sensation.

Lowkey, North Sydney

native Australian produce and sustainability into a smaller environment and focus primarily on baking,” Cameron told the Sun.

They saw the opportunity to reach a different demographic from that in Kirribilli. The North Sydney location was also ideal as they could bake goods there and send them down to Kirribilli. Cameron explained with an extra kitchen they could expand their offerings at both locations.

As for what is on the menu, Cameron explains they are keen on “making things like Kangaroo, Geraldton wax, lemon aspen or any season native ingredient that is accessible at the time to make it approachable and accessible.”

They run a seasonal menu which currently includes a Kangaroo deli sandwich (or a Kangereuben). The meat is cooked through a 72 hour brine and smoke process, similar to a pastrami. “With that cook, it makes the roo very tender and then we slice it super thin,” said Cameron.

It is then assembled with ham, lettuce, Swiss cheese, pickles, special sauce and house ciabatta for a truly deep flavour.

“We bake all our own bread here daily, all the pastries are baked here every morning by us. We’re here at 4:30AM every morning just churning it out,” he explained. Their granola is made from scratch with wattleseed. From humble beginnings in Kirribilli to a second location in the bustling CBD of North Sydney, the boys from Low Key are doing it differently - and it’s paying off.

Chico’s Mexican Bar and Grill, Kirribilli

Six years ago Adam Brcic was working a corporate job and his mate Cameron Votano was in research science. Their lives would then take a huge turn. Leaving their successful careers, the pair went all in on starting a cafe that has become a local institution of Kirribilli and the North Shore; BTB.

Fast forward to 2023 and the entrepreneurial business partners have opened up a second location called Lowkey, in the heart of North Sydney’s CBD. “We wanted to push our ethos of

It wasn’t that long ago finding authentic Mexican food on the North Shore was near impossible. But now Kirribilli alone has high quality Mexican with the opening of Chico’s Mexican Bar and Grill on Fitzroy Street.

You may recognise the owners, brothers Ahmed and Shareef Kahlil who run the wildly popular Wing Mill in Neutral Bay. The pair were born

North Sydney Sun | February 2023 | Page 14

and raised in Northern California, where they fell in love with Mexican food thanks to the large Latino presence there.

Before opening Wing Mill 4 years ago, Ahmed worked in automotives on the Northern Beaches while Shareef was working in marketing in Dubai.

Two years ago they started working on a menu and plans for a new Mexican restaurant by setting up a satellite kitchen to see if there was a demand. It was wildly successful, showing that their food was good and people were hungry for their Mexican flavours.

Ahmed told the Sun: “We fell in love with Kirribilli instantly. To be honest I’d never really come down here or spent much time here. But once we came to look at this site then had a walk around we just loved it. It’s got a real sense of community, you can just tell the way it feels and see people walking and waving at each other.” Their site was formerly the Street Market Asian Tapas Bar & Restaurant which left the space vacant last year.

Starting with the drinks, Ahmed said “People are really falling in love with the spicy passion fruit, jalapeno margarita.”

He also highlighted their Tequila and Mascals offerings which were curated with the help of Australian liquor distributor Vanguard Luxury Brands. The bar also offers classic cocktails from Mojitos to Negronis as

EATING OUT

well as a wide selection of Mexican beers.

“Our tacos are true to form, they come in a double corn tortilla which is also gluten friendly. Taco meats include lamb, beef or chicken but it is the lamb birria taco which stands out. That’s a cheese stuffed lamb taco that we fry on the grill and it comes out nice and crispy. It comes with a consomme, which gives it more flavour and softens up the crispiness,” he said.

“We’re very very fortunate to get a lot of stuff directly out of Mexico. Our spices, dried chillies, tahini, chamoy and drinks are all directly imported.”

Fiore Bread

McMahons Point

Entering Fiore Bread feels as if you’ve walked into Nonna’s kitchen, with trays of baked goodies on the counter, beautiful sourdough bread on the shelves, the smell of freshly ground coffee and plenty of jars of treats ranging from honey to chilli oil.

Behind the counter you’ll find coowner Samantha either working hard to get orders out or in friendly conversations with locals.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Alberto is crafting some of the best bread on the North Shore, made with passion. One thing is for sure, these two have a deep passion for what they do.

Fiora opened in May 2022 but that

Objections to Cr Ian Mutton’s ad

is far from where this couple's journey started.

Alberto moved to Australia from Italy in 2014, working at a pizzeria and bakeries around the city: “I started to work with the dough and I fell in love with it. That’s where the passion started!” It was at the same pizzeria that he met Samantha.

The pair hit it off and over time shared a desire to start their own bakery. Samantha had experience over some industries ranging from marketing, customer service and small business. It was a perfect match with Alberto behind the scenes in the kitchen

charming with a real community feel,.” Samantha said of the suburb.

Alberto added they were inspired by their neighbours. “When we arrived we saw Piato serving coffee at 5PM, we thought that was beautiful. It’s kind of rare. We felt those European vibes.” Of course Alberto would know originally being from Italy.

The bread is all naturally fermented sourdough from the loafs to the rolls.

They also have made to order sandwiches and focaccia. The sandwiches are Italian style meaning they only use a few high quality ingredients. Samantha has noticed they are popular with local office workers, which she hadn’t anticipated.

“We actually didn’t really realise how many offices there are here. Not just in North Sydney but here in McMahons Point.”

“We always wanted to be the place doing a smaller product offering but doing it really well.”

and Samantha working the front of the house.

The final piece of the puzzle was finding a shop: “We would always look for spaces on real estate.com and finally we committed to the search for the space and found this place.”

“McMahons Point is so cute and

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Councillor Ian Mutton ran a full page ad in the last issue of NSS opposing the cycle ramp for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

He cites a daily figure of 10 cyclists in March. What is not disclosed is that this occurred during one of the wettest periods of the year when cycling would have been dangerous. Similarly, he mentions cycling down 40% since 2018.

Yet as we all know COVID and subsequent working from home meant that most commuter activity is down approximately 40% since early 2020. This trend is reversing now and the average count for cyclists shows an 18.57% increase in the last 6 months, with a daily peak of 1962 counts. (from the same source Cr. Mutton uses at the Transport For NSW website).

It’s time to build this ramp, a vital link in the cycling network. It is very unusual for a large city bridge to still require cyclists to walk up and down steps for access to the cycleway.

Kim Ryan

I am writing to convey my dismay that you would print a whole-page ad from the North Sydney Councilor Ian Mutton.

It was a hack job full of false and misleading facts attacking cyclists. Ian has made his anti-cycling views more than known in other avenues and uses his position on the council to push his own agenda.

As a cyclist and a resident of McMahons Point, it deeply saddens me to see you also push this anti-cyclist agenda. The North Sydney Sun will be going straight into my recycling bin from now on.

Chris Low

.. And Mutton responds

The entire debate about the way to move cyclists between the bridge and the road has been clouded in emotion and misinformation.

My position is that I favour a dedicated lane on the bridge and have published newsletters on that issue – that solution becomes possible with the opening of the Western Harbour Tunnel which will divert traffic from the bridge. Transport for NSW has suggested that the diversion will “free up” 1.5 lanes.

I will leave that discussion to another day.

The long term downward trend (from 2013) in cyclists usage of the bridge cycleway makes this difficult to justify and may explain why the Government chose not to include a cycleway in the present “upgrade” of the Warringah freeway.

The present challenge, the movement of cyclists between the Bridge and the approach roads is being met with three solutions—a lift, the fold-back ramp (which is largely confined to the eastern edge of Bradfield Park) and the linear ramp which is the most disruptive of Bradfield Park.

It’s no secret that I have advocated for the lift and, in second place, the fold-back.

All three solutions result in cyclists still having to make their way through the streets of Milsons Point.

Transport for NSW has ruled out a lift. What I don’t get is why, of the two ramp solutions, it supports the one that will occupy a large part of Bradfield Park and require the removal of trees. Perhaps it’s just a further manifestation of the regard it has for trees (think Cammeray Park and High Street).

This brings me to the data.

Like many, I’ve stood on the side and counted the number of cyclists and pedestrians - every time I have put my counts forward I’m accused of “cherry picking”. The simple facts, Transport for NSW data shows the counts to be: low; with (to quote Transport for NSW commentary) the long-term trend line (red dotted line on diagram below) marginally trending upwards, but the underlying growth rate is negligible.

The decline in cyclists’ usage of Anzac Bridge is even more dramatic. Curiously Transport for NSW has stopped publishing Anzac Bridge data.

“We didn’t want to run before we could walk, doing things like pies, sausage rolls and Portuguese tarts because we are a really small team and bread is Alberto’s passion.”

They also sell coffee, Italian biscuits, biscotti and some cakes.

Finally McMahons Point has its own specialty bakery, filling a void in an area known for its great dining options.

With the advertisement I was hoping to avoid any suggestion of “cherry picking” by simply using the data relied upon by Transport for NSW and its consultant and used by them in the Business Case. I seemed to have created a great deal of interest with many asking for sources of the data I used.

The mean number of cycle trips in 2018 was 1,623, the mean number of cycle trips in 2022 was 1,005 representing a downturn of 40%. This is from Transport for NSW data. The data on Anzac Parade was sourced the same way and showed a 12% decline from 2018 to 2022.

The peak hour cyclist volumes were sourced from Appendix G “Traffic and Transport Impact Assessment” of the Review of Environmental Factor, November 2022, Table 2-6 2022.

The statement concerning the ramp saving cyclists on average 5 seconds per trip was sourced from the Government’s Business Case and says “Assuming a ramp of 175m as an alternative to the stairs. Transitioning through such a facility at 18km/h would provide a marginal travel time benefit of, on average, 5 seconds per user.”

The Business Case on page 39 comments on daily patronage: “Overall, the long-term trend line is marginally trending upwards, but the underlying growth rate is negligible.” The Government’s Business Case assumes 2,000 crossings each day. The reality is that the number of crossings each day has been declining steadily – from 2013 at 1,932 trips to 2022 at 1005 trips - a decline of 48%.

The bridge cycleway has a counter installed which captures daily patronage. While there is considerable seasonality in cycling demand, there has been a significant recent decline in the overall cycleway usage since the high point in February 2014 when a weekday average of more than 2,900 cyclists used the facility. The cause of this decline is unclear; however, it is assumed to be the attractiveness of continually improving public transport network, such as increasing the North Shore line services, relative to a cycleway which has safety and customer experience issues.

Ian Mutton

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Can the Bears take it to the next level in 2023?

It’s been a busy off season for the North Sydney Bears as they look to build off their success on and off the field in 2022.

Both of the clubs top squads performed well last year with the men’s NSW Cup making it to week 2 of the finals while the women’s NSW Premiership side took out the minor premiership also falling short in the finals.

The club also debuted in the Under 18s women’s Tarsha Gale Cup and had high numbers of local juniors selected in their Harold Matthews and Jersey Flegg junior representative competitions.

It was announced late last year that the Norths’ feeder arrangements with the NRL Sydney Roosters would end next season.

The Bears have increased their contracted players by 60% as the club prepares to go it alone.

Off the field the club reported a total of 15,000 fans total attended their home games with their membership base growing by 133%, reaching over 500% growth in the last 5 years.

The Bears also had promising developments in their bid to rejoin the NRL after they secured $15m in partner pledges as well as entering early talks with Western Australia on a combined bid for the 18th license.

With the women’s premiership already underway we caught up with head coach Rob Capizzi. Rob played

his junior footy with Souths but in 2018 he became an assistant for the Bears inaugural NSW Women’s Premiership season before stepping up into the head coaching role the following season.

Looking forward to the season ahead Rob said the squad is focusing heavily on defence. “We worked really hard in the preseason on driving our defence hard. We were probably the best defensive team in the comp. You will always win comps based on your defence.”

Last season ended with the minor premiership but with a early exit from the finals.

“We looked like a good footy team. There were aspects where we had errors, but that’s footy. I really enjoyed watching the girls play footy, they played a good brand and were really tough,” Capizzi told the Sun in reflection about last year.

He believes player retention has been crucial in the effort to continue last season’s moment: “The players who have remained with us are really going to make the difference this year.”

Capizzi highlighted young front rower Kalosipani Hopoate as one to watch this season. “She impressed us all with what she was doing last year but I feel like she is going to take it to the next level this season.” Kalosipani comes from a long line of Rugby

World Pride comes to North Sydney

From page one

premises will receive further communication in the mail prior to the event with more information on road closures, traffic management, crowd management and public transport.

Local celebrations include the launch of North Sydney Council’s Mapping Queer project. It is an online map open for submissions by all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies, allowing locals to add a pin on a map to share their queer stories and memories.

All stories shared will become a part of Stanton Library’s Local History collection to contribute to queer life in North Sydney for future generations.

The map currently has over 16 special memories, stories and life events marked throughout the North Sydney council area - from acceptance to marriage, memories of high-school friends to meeting long-term partners.

There is also a design your own pronoun pin competition running at Stanton Library open to teens aged 1318. The competition closes on March 5 with all winning entries being made into badges and distributed through the library during pride month.

Whoever wins first prize has the

opportunity to receive a $250 licensing fee and work with Textiles Sydney to have their winning design turned into a DIY pronoun pin/patch kit.

A special event being held in the North Sydney area as a part of the month-long celebrations is the Roller Derby Extravaganza. Held at Luna Park’s Big Top on February 18, Inner West Roller Derby League in partnership with WorldPride are hosting two competitive games of roller derby.

Kicking off at 4pm, teams are composed of both Australian and international superstars and the crowd will also be treated to a showcase of queer performances in a side-show style at half and full time.

The Sydney WorldPride festival will run to March 5th.

In 1997, InterPride - a global network of over 300 pride organisations from over 70 countries - voted to award the inaugural World Pride to Rome in 2000.

From then on, it has been held every two years in a newly elected location and has previously been celebrated in iconic cities such as London, Toronto and New York but this year is the first time it has been held in the Southern Hemisphere.

League talent with father John as well as brothers Will and Albert all having played NRL.

At only age 19, she has also represented Tonga internationally.

Also returning is New Zealand international and Sydney Rooster NRLW star Raecene Mcgregor.

Cassey Tohi-Hiku will also be back for the Bears with Capizzi planning a switch to fullback for the NRLW talent.

As for the new talent coming to the club, transfers mainly focussed on bolstering the squads forward pack. Sydney Roosters NRLW and NSW Blues front rower Sarah Togatuki has joined the club and is hoping to provide veteran leadership.

“I just want to lead, especially for the younger generations… I want to share my experience with the girls. I know what it was like not having the knowledge or the coaching around to learn from. I really want to play my best footy and I feel like I haven’t yet, so I’m keen to do it for the Bears,” Togatuki said.

Norths have also added sisters Fatafehi and Filmina Hanisi to their roster from Wests. Fatafehi has played NRLW for the Dragons and represented NSW in the U19’s state of origin. Older sister Filomina also has NRLW experience with Parramatta, where she also represented NSW.

Capizzi says defence will still be a

top focus for the squad this year but also wants to improve the team’s ability to play the full 80 minutes.

“If we look back on what we did not so well in key games last year it was losing concentration for little periods of the game. I think if we can hold our concentration, it will be difficult to beat our girls,” he said.

The season kicked off on February 4th on the right foot for the Bears, topping Newcastle 30-20 thanks to a double from Jakiya Whitfeld.

Bears fans will have to wait until the weekend of the 15th and 16th April to see their sides at North Sydney Oval. Both top squads will take on South Sydney with the women on Saturday and the men on Sunday.

EVENTS IN NORTH SYDNEY

Saturday February 25th, 8pm

Franki Valli & the Four Seasons + the Beach Boys live on stage

Venue: Hayden Orpheum

All tickets include a glass of bubbles on arrival. Get ready for a fantastic show that brings together two of the most exciting harmony bands in pop music history. Jeff Fallon plays Frankie Valli supported by a full live band with five talented people delivering great vocals and harmonies of these two iconic bands.Treated to hits such as Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You as well as Fun Fun Fun, California Girls, Rhonda and Surfer Girl.

Friday March 10th, 8pm

Absolutely 80s - UK Hits Tour

Venue: Norths Cammeray

The ultimate celebration of massive hits of the United Kingdom from the 80s. It’s a show stopping spectacle of mega proportions. Coming to you directly from the 80s, these idols of the 80s music scene are touring with their band in one massive UK Hits show!

Tuesday March 14th, 7pm

Corners of the Earth Kamchatka World Premiere

Venue: Hayden Orpheum

Journey to Kamchatka in the far east of Russia in search of new waves along the frozen, unexplored coastline. Come along for an encore World Premiere screening plus Q&A with the stars of the film, Letty Mortensen and Fraser Dovell as well as filmmakers Spencer Frost and Guy Williment.

Friday March 17th, 8pm

Celtic Beat - Legends of Ireland

Venue: Norths Cammeray

A nostalgic journey back to the homeland of Ireland, showcasing traditional Irish instruments such as fiddle and bodhran.

Sunday March 19th, 11am

Concert and Cake Sundays: A Sandy Sydney Carnival of the Animals

Venue: The Independent Theatre, North Sydney

An unforgettable concert showing off the exceptional talent of Australia's hottest rising stars and one international marimba sensation as they take us on a whimsical journey culminating with The Carnival of the Animals.

Kalosipani Hopoate