Edition 470
27 May 2019
Nursing home receives visit from alpaca A Woy Woy aged care provider has hosted a visit from an alpaca after the granddaughter of a resident asked to show her pet to her grandmother. Ms Shandelle Palmer said she decided to drop in to Blue Wave Living to visit her grandmother with her alpaca, Strudel, on April 29. “Nan has heard so much about Strudel but she’s never had the chance to meet him and I felt it was time to change that,” she said. Ms Palmer said, after some initial hesitation, staff allowed her to take Strudel into her grandmother’s room for their first meeting. “It was really touching. “Nan is a big knitter and she’s always talked about Strudel and his coat and how she’d like to meet him so I’m glad we were allowed in,” Ms Palmer said. According to Ms Palmer, after witnessing her grandmother’s response to Strudel and the alpaca’s excellent behavior, staff asked Ms Palmer if she’d be comfortable taking Strudel to visit other residents’ rooms. Ms Palmer said their room visit quickly turned into a tour of the facility including BlueWave’s dementia ward. “They say music and animals always have a profound effect on people living with dementia and I
got to see that firsthand,” Ms Palmer said. After the successful visit, Ms Palmer said she was now considering whether Strudel had a future as a therapy animal. “It’s definitely something I’m interested in pursuing. “I’d taken Strudel to a local playgroup back in Cessnock prior to the visit but this was the first time we’ve ever gone to an aged care facility but the impact was huge. “The residents just lit up. “It was great to see,” she said. During her visit to the Peninsula, Ms Palmer also took Strudel on a trip to Ettalong Beach. “It was a weekend of firsts for Strudel: his first visit to an aged care facility and his first ever trip to the beach. “He absolutely loved it and so many residents stopped us to say hello and to take a photo,” Ms Palmer said. Ms Palmer said Strudel could be returning to the Peninsula. “My mum lives in the area and nan’s at BlueWave so it’s definitely possible, but my first consideration has to be Strudel’s wellbeing,” she said. SOURCE: Interview (Dilon Luke), 17 May 2019 Shandelle Palmer, Cessnock
Shandelle Palmer with alpaca Strudel at Blue Wave Living
Ward councillors vote for Farnell Rd approval All three Peninsula ward councillors have voted to approve the Farnell Rd development, disappointing nearby residents and members of the community group Save Our Woy Woy which had been fighting the proposal. Crs Chris Holstein, Richard Mehrtens and Troy Marquart voted for the development along with seven other councillors and mayor Cr Jane Smith. Crs Kyle MacGregor and Jillian
Hogan abstained from voting and Cr Louise Greenaway was the sole councillor to vote against it. Cr Rebecca Gale Collins declared a less than significant non-pecuniary interest in the matter saying she was in contact with the Peninsula Chambers of Commerce. She chose to remain in the chamber and to participate in discussion and voting. However, she said nothing when the matter came up for debate. Residents had hoped for a different outcome after airing their
grievances with three councillors and the mayor at an-site visit in the days before the council meeting. Cr Holstein said the issues had been addressed in the conditions of consent and that consolidated development had a lot of potential. He thanked Mr Harvey McDougall of Save Our Woy Woy, saying the development was better for the input from the residents and that their comments at the meeting on site had been sensible and rational. Cr Mehrtens said it was the third iteration of the proposal.
He said he knew there were variations to council guidelines but they had been minimised. The residents complained about overshadowing from the three-storey development that included 27 units and seven townhouses to be built over five blocks consolidated along Blackwall Rd and Farnell Rd. The development exceeds guidelines for height, floor space ratio and setbacks. Some units and one communal area fail to get the minimum required solar access.
Residents complained about garbage, parking, light pollution, loss of privacy and infrastructure issues such as stormwater and drainage. Another development, this time a new house at 64 Fishermans Parade, Daleys Point, also received council approval at the same meeting. It too had been deferred for a site inspection. It went through with a unanimous vote. SOURCE Central Coast Council agenda 2.1, 13 May 2019
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