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June 2022 Issue 14
News and views for North Sydney’s residential and business communities
Spenceley’s dash to buy ambulances for Ukraine Local councillor and entrepreneur James Spenceley has successfully spearheaded a fundraising drive to deliver urgently needed second-hand ambulances into war-torn Ukraine. Spenceley and his team have already raised over $200,000 to secure vehicles in the European Union and deliver them to local towns in Western Ukraine. As we went to press, his team had already imported three ambulances for war zones in the Zaporozhia and Mykolaiv regions. Each ambulance is estimated to save on average five wounded soldiers per day so that’s potentially 105 lives saved in the first week. The Swoop chair and Vocus founder told the North Sydney Sun that: “Having spent significant time in Ukraine and having both family and friends there, I found it difficult to find direct and trusted ways to donate or get assistance immediately to help people in Ukraine.” He said that speaking with his contacts there, he found one of the most requested items to be ambulances, with many having been destroyed in the conflict. “At a time when clearly ambulances are in massive demand across Ukraine, many towns have had their
Spenceley surveys the destruction in Bucha, Ukraine ambulances destroyed, lost to occupied areas or indeed moved to front lines where again they are again damaged or destroyed. As a result there is a serious shortage of ambulances across Ukraine,” Spenceley said. “It is common for huge amounts of injured and seriously injured people to be transported to hospital and medical centres simply in the back of cars, without medical supplies or the ability to assist during the journey.” “I sourced and personally purchased two second-hand ambulances with the required associated medical supplies and departed May 18th to col-
lect them and personally deliver them to Ukraine,” he said. A third ambulance has also been bought and delivered subsequent, and eight more are being processed. Spenceley also said that his team has procured a “massive amount” of medical supplies. Speaking from Ukraine, Spenceley told the Sun that no words could describe the devastation wrought by Russian bombardment of the country. “This is not a liberation, it is just wanton destruction,” he said. North Sydney Sun readers can donate at www.ausukraineaid.org
Kylea Tink’s going to Canberra
Independent candidate for North Sydney Kylea Tink has stormed home in the election, snaring 53% of the two candidate preferred vote against Liberal Trent Zimmerman. Read what she said at her victory press conference on page 2.
www.northsydneysun.com.au
Fresh from Tink success, indy group now targets state MPs Buoyed by their stunning success in identifying Kylea Tink and propelling her on the path to victory over Trent Zimmerman in one of the safest seats in the country, the North Sydney’s Independent group is now setting its sights on the state seats of Lane Cove, Willoughby and North Shore. The NSI group began its campaign to find an independent candidate to oust the sitting member in June last year. It subsequently approached Kylea Tink—with a background in charities and public relations—to run, she agreed and the rest is history. Now it is turning its attention to state parliament, publishing a survey asking respondents to offer their opinion of the Liberal state government, their local state representatives and issues which are important to them. The survey is also asking for support to help identify potential candidates to run against the three incumbent MPs. NSI is directed by Hunters Hill resident Kristen Lock and Chatswood resident Denise Shrivell. They formed the group in early 2021 in reaction to what they saw as Zimmerman’s failure to represent North Sydney’s views on climate change and a national integrity commission. Their efforts attracted the attention of Climate 200’s Simon Holmes a Court who then Fr backed their campaign. NSI advertised in the North Shore Times in July for a candidate but failed to identify anyone suitable, and in the interim, Kylea Tink—the former head of the McGrath Foundation and Edelmans Australia—was asked if she would like to run. After a vetting process, NSI selected her as its candidate and the ultimately successful campaign was born, assisted by deeply experienced media heavyweights including Jim Middleton, formerly of the ABC, and Belinda Noble, a former commercial television journalist who now runs her own media strategy consultancy. Ultimately, the Tink campaign garnered the assistance of some 1,000 volunteers and to most observers, had the superior ground game against all competition at the federal election. Their three target Liberal seats are all potentially vulnerable to an independent run. Continued Page 7