Nepeannews 15february2018

free Thursday, 15 February 2018

ISSUE 220

Duplexes Knockdown Rebuild Custom Designs

w w w. z a c h o m e s . c o m . a u

Join Nepean News on Facebook! Website: wsnewsgroup.Com

Our Community Cares Local businesses and charities come together to donate new state of the art chairs to the Nepean Cancer Care Unit.

The story by Keegan Thomson is on page 13.

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Services Worship and Communion Sunday 9:30am Wednesday Fellowship Wednesday 7:30pm Healing / Revival First Friday of Month 7:30pm Contact: (02) 9673 1009

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Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

Services building reopens

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Interior shot of St Marys Library. Photo: Penrith City Council

By Keegan Thomson

S

T Marys Library is still not running to full capacity but the Council Customer Service Office and WOW FM studios are up and running after a tumultuous summer period.

In December the Council building housing the services office, St Marys Library and WOW FM community radio studios was flooded, forcing WOW FM off air and the temporary closure of the Library.

Finally after weeks of uncertainty the Services Office and WOW FM are back online with the Library offering up limited services.

“Council’s Customer Service counter has resumed their normal operating hours, and the Library has reopened with reduced services,” a spokesperson for Penrith City Council said.

“There is now a small collection of books available to borrow, as well as a some audio books and DVDs. “There is also Wi-Fi, internet access, computers for the public to use, and photocopying,” Penrith Council said.

Currently printing functions are not yet available and there is a reduced library of books on offer.

Council aims to restore the full functionality of the Library soon.

“Repairs will continue and Council hopes to restore the Library to full services as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.

WOW FM, the community radio station based in the Council building, is finally back on air with locally produced radio programming after it was forced to run Australia wide generic content during the shut down period.

Prue Car MP Member for Londonderry

Ph: 9833 1122 154 Queen Street, St Marys londonderry@parliament.nsw.gov.au

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From the Editor’s Desk

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

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203 Banks Drive, St Clair Office: (02) 9834 5579 Editor: General Manager: Sales: Journalist: Sports Journalist: Sports Journalist: Graphic Design: Photographer: Printer: Letters to the Editor: Web:

Kerrie Davies 0422 067 644 Bart Bassett 0412 955 745 Larry Davis 0432 062 643 Keegan Thomson 0421 382 560 Conner Lowe 0404 419 346 Stewart Moses 0417 680 533 Stacey Fortescue 0420 319 893 Kennedi Geyer 0452 455 844 Pegasus Print Group, Blacktown nepeannews@aol.com www.wsnewsgroup.com

Nepean News is not tossed onto your front lawn. Collect your crisp copy FREE from local newsagents, service stations, libraries, Council and shopping centres.

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By KeRRIE DAVIES

A

S I sit down to write my column this week, I glance at the calendar and notice that next Thursday, Feb 22 marks the anniversary of a very sad occasion for one beautiful local

family.

This year marks the fourth year in which they’ve had to function following the loss of their little boy Samuel, an unbearable task for any family.

I speak of local family Jo-Anne and Michael Morris, and their daughters, who lost their beautiful Samuel at just 10 years old when he passed in 2014, having struggled with a hypoxic brain injury for eight years following a near-drowning incident in the family’s Cranebrook home swimming pool.

As a journalist I’d written much about Samuel’s journey over the years before he passed; followed his progress and also the pool-safety campaigning that Samuel’s parents did over the years through the Samuel Morris Foundation.

I remember like yesterday, watching in a crowded room, a short film about Samuel’s life. Flashes of a happy two-year old boy, followed by the most heartbreaking pictures of him in hospital after being pulled out of the pool. A tiny boy in a little nappy, tubes everywhere and those beautiful bright eyes that no longer focused.

His life, and the lives of his family, were never to be the same again.

Following the film I looked over at Jo-Anne, Samuel’s mum, and although I had never met her, I felt an instant love towards her, from one mother to another, imagining her heartbreak that every mother dreads but most are lucky enough to never have to experience.

My heart ached for her, and still does, at the sheer enormity of what she has been through.

Having a supportive husband in Michael, while having to cope with his own grief, has been a major part of keeping this family strong in adversity.

Every year hundreds of Australian children are admitted to hospital following a near-drowning. It is often a life-changing and devastating incident, that happens in mere seconds yet impacts for decades.

I’d like to shout out to the The Morris family this month and let you know we still think of you, we mourn the loss of Samuel and we appreciate your dedication to educating and warning other families in hopes they not face the same.

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local news

LEASED 9834 1044 NEPEAN DISTRICT

Stuart Ayres MP Member for Penrith

S

tuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith joined Mr Craig White, Deputy Principal and students of Penrith South Public School to announce a grant of $30,000 through the NSW Government’s 2017 Community Building Partnership (CBP) program.

Stuart Ayres said this funding will be used to build a fitness track that will benefit the 500 plus students at Penrith South Public School.

“The track will be used regularly by students during structured fitness lessons, during free play at lunch time and by around 75 students each day that use the before and after school hours service,” said Stuart Ayres.

Mr White said the school community are very excited with this announcement and look forward to having the track built as soon as possible.

Phone: 4722 8660 Email: penrith@parliament.nsw.gov.au Shop 23, Tattersalls Centre, 510-534 High Street, Penrith

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

New fitness track

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local news

F

ederal Member for Lindsay, Emma Husar MP has called on her community to celebrate the contributions made by the many unsung women in the local area.

“Once again I’m proud to celebrate International Women’s Day, by hosting the Women of Lindsay Awards,” Ms Husar said.

“I am very excited to have Jane Caro as guest speaker at our International Women’s Day Event to be held on Friday 9 March at Lakeside Restaurant,” Ms Husar said.

“Jane is a renowned author, novelist, lecturer, mentor, social commentator, columnist, workshop facilitator, speaker, broadcaster and award winning advertising writer.”

“These awards celebrate the amazing contribution women – many of them unsung and silent - have made to our community.

“I know there are amazing women in every street of every suburb in this wonderful community,” she said.

“Women who just go quietly about their business, helping others without any fanfare.

“I’m calling on the people of Lindsay to be my detectives. I want to uncover and celebrate these women,” Ms Husar said.

Ms Husar was joined by Sharon Levy (The Haven Nepean Women’s Shelter Board), Andrea Turner-Boys (Women with Altitude), Donna

Watson from Penrith Women’s Health Centre and Peggy Willcox (Mooney Real Estate and 2017 Women of Lindsay Award recipient) to launch the 2018 awards.

“The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #PressforProgress,” Ms Husar said.

The nine categories include: • Senior Woman of the year (65+) • Young woman of the year (16-25) • Junior woman of the year (under 16) • Educator of the year • Businesswoman of the Year • Sportswoman of the Year • Artist of the Year

• Carer of the Year • Volunteer of the Year The judging panel then choose an overall ‘Woman of the Year’.

“Sharon, Andrea and Peggy will help judge the nominations. Each brings with them a wealth of expertise and experience,” she said. “But I don’t envy them having to pick the winners.”

Ms Husar said she had been overwhelmed by the level of support from the local business community.

“I’d like to acknowledge in particular, Vince from Lakeside Restaurant Penrith, who is donating his venue and breakfast for the

second year running,” Ms Husar said.

“And I’m pleased to announce Women With Altitude has joined us this year as a partner in putting on this event.

“Proceeds from this year’s Awards Breakfast will be shared amongst local women’s services, including The Haven, Nepean Women’s Shelter and Penrith Women’s Health Centre’” “We launched the campaign for a new women’s shelter at last year’s event,” Ms Husar said. “Now almost a year to the day later, The Haven is a reality.

“I am delighted to have been a part of this amazing project from the beginning,” she said.

“Women and children will now have a new safe place to shelter, thanks to the Haven Board which has worked tirelessly and relentlessly to get us to the point we are today.

“They have also been backed by our amazing community who has pitched in with monetary donations as well as help in the form of providing trade services etc,” she said.

Nomination forms and the link to book tickets for the Women of Lindsay Awards Breakfast can be found at https:/www.emmahusar.com. au Nominations close Wednesday 21 February 2018. Tickets to the Awards Breakfast are $40/adult or $30/ concession.

Mama Lana’s finds a home

By Keegan Thomson

F

OR the past four years the husband and wife duo behind Mama Lana’s Community Foundation have been supplying hot meals and support six nights a week for the homeless and disadvantaged from a car park in Penrith, but now they’ll be able to continue their hard work and much more from a new drop-in centre.

Last week Lana and Roger Borg announced they would be opening the Mama Lana’s Community Foundation drop-in centre, a place where people can pop on some washing, take a shower, seek assistance with their resume or guidance with interview questions, receive a haircut, borrow a book from the library or receive clothing from their free community clothing stall.

Lana Borg said this is what she and Roger, along with their many volunteers, have been working towards for a long time.

“At the moment we’re serving out on the street so to be able to have a place where the volunteers can prepare the meals instead of carting supplies from our home or storage

unit to preparing them at their home will be a massive benefit,” Mrs Borg said.

“Our patrons will also appreciate the warm and welcoming drop-in centre as a place where they can sit in comfort to have a warm meal in a dignified way, away from the elements and in a peaceful environment.”

Using their new facilities Mama Lana’s Community Foundation will be able to offer a broader support

network to those in need, with outreach workers from the NDIS, Wentworth Housing, Centrelink and employment agencies coming to the drop-in centre to offer advice and support.

“The hope is we can help people get on the right track so they can get back into mainstream life and find stability,” Mrs Borg said.

“Right from the beginning this has always been our goal. We don’t want to be a bandaid solution and we have

always wanted to offer people more than a warm meal on the street.

“This is the next logical step to make sure we’re not just a bandaid but we’re actually the solution to a wider problem,” she said.

The drop-in centre will be a place that will support patrons to learn the skills to cook, organise their resumes, prepare for job applications and even borrow business wear for interviews.

“You can supply meals forever but it isn’t going to get people off the streets. Hopefully by offering up a wider range of services we can make some real impacts,” Mrs Borg said.

Currently the Mama Lana’s Community Foundation is only in the first steps of organising its drop in centre. AMP Australia has donated a commercial kitchen to them, but they need a tradesperson to donate time to redesign and install it properly.

Mrs Borg has put the call out for any community minded tradies to donate their time for a variety of tasks to help them out so they can be operational before the end of March.

If any trades people are interested in helping out Mama Lana’s Community Foundation they can email lana@ mamalanas.org.au or contact the foundation via facebook.

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

2018 Women of Lindsay Awards launched

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Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

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local news

Memorial receives a facelift

By Keegan Thomson

A

ONCE forgotten war memorial in St Marys has been given a well deserved facelift and new commemoration plaque.

Last October we reported on the “sorry state” of a local war memorial that had been left to ruin, but now Penrith City Council has come to rescue to deliver some much needed TLC. The memorial in Lang Park was first dedicated in 1995 in acknowledgment of the people who worked in the munitions factories around the Nepean region but for one reason or another became neglected over the years.

Mayor of Penrith, Councillor John Thain spoke at the reopening of the memorial. He detailed the history of the area, which will be celebrated in a new plaque.

“The new plaque shares this history, including the fact that many of the Munitions Factory workers lived near here in ‘Duration Cottages’ – housing installed for the duration of the war,” Cr Thain said.

“The history behind this memorial is also linked to a kind of coming of age for Penrith.

Duration Cottages today in St Marys. Photo: Penrith City Council

“The Munitions Factory was the second largest in Australia. It was made up of 850 buildings and sprawled for almost five kilometres.

“Not only did this mark Penrith as a place playing an important role in the war effort, it foreshadowed the capacity for growth and the ongoing industrial innovation in our city today,” the Mayor said.

The new memorial includes a plaque and an update to the weathered gardens, including new turf and cleaned up tiles.

Veterans from the St Marys RSL sub-branch, who first brought the story to our attention, worked with representatives of Penrith Council to deliver the much needed upgrade.

The old memorial. Photo: Greg Davies.

Free clean up events in our local area

W

hy wait until Spring to have a good clean out around the house? Autumn is the perfect time to get cleaning, especially with Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday 4 March.

To help you get in the ‘clean up’ spirit, Council’s Waste Services are holding two free events to help you get rid of your problematic waste.

Sunday 4 March is Council’s Electronic Waste Drop-Off Day. You can bring your unwanted electrical items to Jamison Park between 9am – 3.30pm and Council staff will recycle the items for you, for free.

The Chemical Drop-Off Days will be held the following weekend, on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 March.

You can bring old household cleaners, paint products, pool chemicals, batteries, gas bottles and oils to Jamison Park for free and safe disposal between 9am – 3.30pm both days.

The Chemical Drop-Off event is hosted by Council, and run by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The entrance to both drop-off days is via Jamison Road, and Council urges all other park users to avoid this entrance on the day to avoid getting caught in the queue and traffic.

Penrith Mayor Cr John Thain said these events are great initiatives and praised residents for their commitment to recycling.

Drop off your unwanted items at one of our Electronic Waste or Chemical Drop-Off Days in March.

“Council runs these events every year and we consistently see large quantities of waste being recycled or safely disposed of,” Cr Thain said.

“It’s vital to the health of our City and residents that we recycle what we can and keep anything toxic out

of landfill so we’re not damaging the land,” he said.

“And I know our Waste team work hard to improve the process each year so it’s as quick and easy as possible for residents.

“If you have any electronic waste

or chemicals sitting around at home, I encourage you to take it along to these events,” he said.

Find out more about Council’s clean up events and what is accepted on our website: penrithcity.nsw.gov. au/events

local news

By Keegan Thomson

T

WO local nine year old boys are proving age doesn’t matter when it comes to charity-minded philanthropy by raising money to buy cuddly bears for people in nursing homes.

Dominick Spears and Adrian McDonald, from Colyton, decided they wanted to help the elderly in any way they could so they took up an ingenious charity method to raise their funds.

Taking sacks full of aluminium cans to the NSW government’s “return and earn” cash for cans sites they started raising funds with the intention of putting that money towards soft cuddly bears for people in nursing homes.

The boys were motivated to start their charity venture after Dominick’s own life experiences with nursing homes.

His grandmother was in a home and he saw how few people visited their elderly relatives in homes across the Christmas period, so he was inspired to do something for them.

“We went up and down our street putting letters in people’s mail boxes asking them to donate their cans so we could get the money for them,” Dominick said.

Dominick and Adrian. Photo: Supplied

“I felt sorry for all the people who didn’t get visitors or presents on Christmas.”

Belinda Spears, Dominick’s mum, is super proud of the work the two boys are doing.

“I’m proud because two nine-yearolds have thought about someone else and are doing something for their community,” Ms Spears said.

“When we finally deliver the bears to the nursing home there will be tears in my eyes, and there will probably be tears in the eyes of the people in the home as well.”

Adrian McDonald said so far the pair has collected “hundreds

and hundreds” of cans for their campaign, but they are in need of thousands more.

Adrian said he wants to give something to the elderly so they can feel a little more loved.

“The people at the nursing home sometimes don’t have anything to cuddle if they’re scared so now they’ll have something to cuddle up with in the night,” Adrian said.

His mother, Rebecca McDonald is also proud of her son’s work.

“The fact that my son and his friend are showing a caring side and wanting to give the elderly something means so much to me,” Ms McDonald said.

“Adrian and Dominick giving back to the community means that I’m really happy to spend hours standing in line with them at the can collection places because it is all for a good cause,” she said.

So far the boys have raised around $150 but they need to raise at least $800 before Christmas 2018. The boys have partnered with local business Create A Teddy, who are selling the bears to the boys at cost price, but they still need more support from the community.

If you have cans lying around your house and you wish to donate them to the boys you can call Rebecca McDonald on 0402 745 340 or Belinda Spears on 0438 404 718.

The G Spot

I am not sure if I was lucky or just drew the short straw, however I was very blessed to have worked on a job that allowed me to contemplate my navel for 12 hours.

It’s amazing how you can go into a coma when required to sit in a car for 12 hours and just watch. I played I spy with my little eye, but knew the answer cause it was only me in the car, and played flick the biro off the dash and catch it ya mouth without stabbing yourself in the eye. Seriously it is great fun, I assure you. The best part is playing with the seat height adjuster, now that’s living the dream, I give you the drum!

So here I am in a suburban street, parked outside a house up the road from a site I was watching, and what’s astounding is nobody noticed. I saw number 22 come out for a smoke 3 times a night, number 32 walk the dog at 9.30 nightly and talk on the mobile

about how useless her hubby was in the bedroom, 26 must be a baker because he left at 1.13am each morning with 2GB blaring at 600 decibels and amazingly enough the only creature that froze and spotted me was a stray cat.

The actual owners of the house drove in the driveway and did not even wonder why a strange car was parked outside their own house. Like seriously, are we really that busy or just stupid?

The amazing thing about it is that they are the first people to scream, “OMG! I’ve been broken into! Where are the bloody cops when you need them?” Sigh…..

So here I am on the 8th hour wondering, “How do some people actually perceive security?” Bouncers, do they have more hair than a baboon at Taronga Zoo? And just drag their knuckles? Grunt three times and then

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› A year of friendship - and mental health support in Western Sydney Twenty eight years since its original launch in Sydney, the Vinnies mental health support program, Compeer, is now celebrating it’s one year anniversary of being available from Mt Druitt through to Katoomba.

Compeer is a community-based program which aims to decrease social isolation among adults living with mental illness. It achieves this by matching adults living with mental illness to a caring volunteer to enjoy social outings together. Since it began, the Compeer program has welcomed 57 participants in the Western Suburbs and engaged with various local mental health organisations.

If you would like to find out more about the Compeer Program visit www.Compeer.org.au

With Gina Field, Nepean Regional Security

pound you into next year to eject you from a pub? The guard at a site, the so-called plastic cop or wanna be cop? The gatehouse guard that reads a newspaper all day and does nothing?

On the contrary folks.

Security funnily enough is a regulated industry and controlled by a department called SLED (Security Licensing Enforcement Directorate) which is the NSW Police. All security personnel are required to be trained, finger printed, compliant and licensed.

All security companies require a Master Licence, so hiring unlicensed uncle Joe to do security at your party is a no no. Alarm installers (cough cough don’t get me started) have to be security licensed, kids. Basically anything that includes a security activity should display a Master Licence. Advertising a security activity? Must have a Master Licence in the ad, I could play pick the breach (just for fun times) in most

newspapers and websites. We are so regulated that we are even told the font size to have our Master Licence details displayed or worn or cop a $550 on the spot fine for failure to do so. The list goes on, paperwork, incident registers, first aid, responsible service of alcohol.

We have more licenses hanging around our necks than an RTA (opps sorry RMS) inspector.

So as I drift back it’s the 12th hour and time to head home. The cat is still staring at me, number 28 is going on her morning jog, wearing more fluro Lyrica than boy George at a bad 80’s concert, 22 is back out the front with his first smoke for that day, 36 has more kids than a child care centre and is screaming at them just to let the entire planet earth know….ahhhh life is good aint it?

As I write in my security report 0600 hours S/O Field off duty, Nothing further to Report.

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Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

Big-hearted boys make a big difference

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Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

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local news

Incinerator issue continues to heat up

By Keegan Thomson

M

P for Mulgoa, Tanya Davies has reaffirmed her opposition to a planned rubbish incinerator for western Sydney but one community group says Mrs Davies isn’t doing enough to fight the proposal.

Speaking at a protest rally outside NSW Parliament House in Sydney, Mrs Davies said she has always stayed firm against the proposed incinerator.

“From day one, this proposal hasn’t passed the common sense test. There are real health concerns associated with burning thousands of tonnes of waste so close to homes and schools, this is a serious situation and we will fight this incinerator proposal,” Mrs Davies said.

“I am wholeheartedly opposed to this proposal and will fight hard to stop the Next Generation incinerator being dumped in our backyard.”

Currently the proposal to build a power from waste incinerator at Eastern Creek is before the NSW parliament. Experts from both sides of the argument have made their opinions heard on the issue.

In a statement the MP for Mulgoa said she’s spoken directly with the Premier about the issue.

“I want to reassure you as a community we have the ear of the Premier, there is an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence against the proposal, and a robust case which I am pushing hard to the people that matter,” Mrs Davies said.

Despite the efforts of the MP a community group opposed to the incinerator, No Incinerator For Western Sydney, says Mrs Davies has

put on a political “song and dance” around the issue.

Melinda Wilson is an organiser at No Incinerator For Western Sydney.

She was at the protest rally where Mrs Davies spoke out against the incinerator and says the MP isn’t doing enough.

“She’s says the issue is before parliament and is going through the right processes but she could be doing more to speak out against it,” Ms Wilson said.

“She needs to be speaking out at

her mobile offices and at her school functions about the health concerns, she needs to be meeting with the community groups, like us, who are fighting against the incinerator.”

Ms Wilson was unable to confirm if anyone from No Incinerator For Western Sydney had formally requested a meeting with Mrs Davies’ office but she did say the group was declined a meeting with the Premier.

The group’s main issue comes from the questioned side effects of burning rubbish for power in an incinerator and the potential impacts on the health of school children and families across western Sydney.

Representatives from No Incinerator For Western Sydney say they’re out door knocking, to help inform the public on the health concerns associated with the incinerator, and they say the public are not happy with the MP’s approach to the issue.

“You can’t mess with the west,” Ms Wilson said.

“Next election we will find someone who represents our families and communities,” she said.

The proposal on the energy from waste incinerator will be published soon with the NSW government set to make a decision later on the issue.

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local news

By Keegan Thomson

C

OMMUNITY leaders are calling on parents to do more to help protect children online from predators, cyberbullies and scam artists.

Last week Internet Safety Day shone a light on the increasing issues around protecting children online.

Michele Ellery, CEO of the Queen of Hearts Community Foundation, has been involved in anti-cyber bullying campaigns. She says children are most at risk of cyberbullying and online predators because they live most of their lives on the internet.

“They are surrounded by games, phones and social media, no matter where they are, right now the internet is so readily available,” Ms Ellery said.

She said the internet is the perfect breeding ground for bullies because of the anonymous nature of it all.

“Often we don’t know what our children are doing online so we don’t know if they’re being bullied or if they are being bullies,” Ms Ellery said.

Finding out your child is a cyberbully can be a tragic and disappoint thing.

Ms Ellery has some tips for parents

who find out their child has been harassing others online.

“Instead of taking away their devices or blocking them from social media, try and have a discussion about the consequences of their actions,” Ms Ellery said.

Emma Husar, federal MP for Lindsay, spoke in Canberra about the importance of setting a good example for children online.

“Our kids need parents to demonstrate safe use and teach them

to use the tools respectfully and with responsibility,” Ms Husar said.

“I’m often surprised at the behaviour on my own social media by adults who make inappropriate comments and threats.

“Our kids see this, they see what we do, and they copy us. Being a good role model for our kids online is just as important as being a good role model for our kids offline,” she said.

The MP for Lindsay even said she worries about her own children and

their social media presence.

“I’m a parent raising the first generation of social media users, not a position I take on lightly or enjoy very often, we all have a responsibility to keep our kids safe whilst using the internet the same way we keep them safe offline,” Ms Husar said.

MP for Mulgoa and NSW Minister for Mental Health, Tanya Davies said parents need to monitor their child’s online time.

“To help monitor children’s online activity, I encourage families to keep technology in the open so parents are aware of how their children are using technology,” Mrs Davies said.

“Families and schools need to work together and talk with kids about what they’re up to online and utilise what support is out here for parents.

“Cyber bullying is such a worrying issue and as a mum with young kids I know how hard it can be to keep track of their screen time and activity online,” she said.

The NSW government has resources available to parents and children who are struggling with cyberbullies.

Any child who is struggling with a cyberbully can call the Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800 or visit www. antibullying.nsw.gov.au/Keeping-mychild-safe-online.

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Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

Calls for more protections for kids online

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local news

Positivity for puppies

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

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Positive experiences and positive reinforcement are the best means of encouraging your new puppy to develop into a happy, relaxed and social dog.

Socialisation is the process of developing positive relationships with people and other animals. The most important time for socialisation is very early in your puppy’s life, the first 3-4 months. To prevent antisocial behavior, fear and aggression it is best to provide frequent positive social experiences in a wide variety of situations during this time. Start with calm introductions to one or two people or pets at a time. If your puppy handles this well then increase the number of people, noise level and activity level. Puppy preschool, visiting friends and family with vaccinated animals are great safe socialisation options.

Sometimes people are told to keep their puppy home until they have finished their vaccination course. This is important to discuss with your veterinarian as risks do exist but the window when dogs are most receptive to new experiences is often over before the course is finished. At different stages of the vaccination protocol more outings are allowed. The risk of puppies developing behavioral

problems from lack of socialisation is more common than diseases in the general population. To maintain good social skills continued exposure is still required as they age.

Puppies may be scared of new things especially those that make a lot of noise like car travel, traffic, power tools, people riding bikes or scooters and children. Children are normally more noisy, active and unpredictable than adults. Being safely exposed to these will help puppies remain calm and learn they are not scary.

During exposure to new people, pets or experiences encourage calm behavior by distraction with pats and treats and keeping sessions short. It is important to not overwhelm your new puppy and ensure experiences are not negative. If you cannot calm them in a new situation, something is very scary or they display an unwanted behavior then do not force them. They may not be ready for a room full of excited children, a dog park full of dogs or to have all their nails clipped. Praise calm behavior

by saying they are good in a quiet whisper. Try to avoid situations that result in unwanted behaviors like barking, jumping or biting. Do not use punishment or correction.

It is a common misunderstanding that when an animal reacts to punishment, a raised voice or correction they look guilty and they know what they have done wrong.

They are simply reacting to your tone and body language and it will increase anxiety. Puppies are like us, they learn better when they are calm

not stressed.

Rather than punishment or correction, try an alternative way of dealing with the situation. For example, if a puppy jumps up when greeting new people, get the puppy to sit and have the new person give them a treat. If a puppy bites a lot, redirect this onto toys and avoid playing with their heads and mouths with your hands. If a puppy struggles when you try to hold them to cut their nails, try getting another person to distract them with treats and pats, then without holding the puppy gently touch only one foot at a time. You can even start with just cutting a single nail and trying again later. If they get over excited or scared when seeing a new dog on a walk, cross the street and give them a buffer zone or you can get them to sit and give them treats and praise as the other dog walks by. Puppies do not need to come into direct contact with another person or animal, seeing them at a distance is still socialising. Think about what you would like your puppy to do and positively encourage that.

Coreen Avenue Veterinary Clinic Units 2 & 3/117 Coreen Ave, Penrith NSW 2750

Phone 47 313 055

Faeriestorm of tree-changers for nanny service

By Ellen Hill

A

n influx of families making the tree change to the Blue Mountains and Penrith areas has resulted in a spike in demand for professional nannies to care for children which in turn, has led to job opportunities in the sector.

Faeriestorm Nanny Service owner Brenda Edwards said: ``We are seeing a lot of families moving to the area from Sydney for the lifestyle and more affordable housing which they love, but then parents have to make the daily commute to city offices and are away from home for long hours or, increasingly, need child-free quiet to work from home offices.’’

More than just a babysitting business, Faeriestorm Nanny Service did everything a favourite aunty or grandma would do with clients’ children, from educational play, personal care, supervision and transporting to activities and appointments to light household chores and meal preparation.

The aim of the whole-family approach was to help parents create

time to foster healthy, positive relationships with their children. ``It can be tough juggling work and family life, so it’s our job to help alleviate that stress a wee bit by tidying the kitchen and preparing a basic meal or school lunches,’’ Mrs Edwards (Miss Brenda to her charges) said. ``Other tasks like stripping and making beds, dusting, ironing, folding clean washing, baking, gardening or window cleaning can be negotiated between individual families and nannies. ``I like to say we bring calm to the

faeriestorms for our families.’’

Apart from requiring her team to wear branded uniforms on duty and have current qualifications, police and working with children checks, banning the use of phones, computers and social media, Mrs Edwards said the ideal Faeriestorm nanny and manny was respectful, discrete, unflappable and, above all, loved children and the ideal of family. ``It helps if you’ve run a home for the little things – you won’t step over the toys, you’ll ask the children to help pick them up or you will pick them

up yourself; you’ll wipe the kitchen counter over; you’ll fold the washing.

You won’t have to be asked to do those things.’’

The service was tailored to each family’s short or long-term needs and nannies were matched to families, Mrs Edwards said.

The mother-of-six became a nanny in 2009 and for two years worked six days a week, rarely seeing her own family before employing other nannies.

Today, Faeriestorm Nanny Service operates in private homes throughout the Penrith, Blue Mountains and Sydney region, can cater for children with special needs and has experience with children under welfare care and in high profile families where security is an issue.

Faeriestorm nannies also care for tourist children in hotels during holidays and at conferences and events such as weddings, functions and parties.

Contact Brenda Edwards on 0417 448 318 or at nanny@ bluemountainsnanny.com.au for more details.

local news

By Keegan Thomson

N

EPEAN Hospital is home to 11 new state of the art chemotherapy chairs thanks to the generous charity work and donations of many local businesses and community groups.

Our Community Cares brought together seven different community and business groups from across the Nepean region to raise $77,000 for the production of 11 new chairs for the Nepean Cancer Care Centre.

Kristine Gauci and Melissa Spurrier are CoChairs at Our Community Cares. They said they started their campaign to raise money for the chairs after they asked one simple, yet important, question.

“We went to the hospital and simply asked the question of ‘how can we help you?’ and the chairs was one things the hospital needed,” Ms Gauci said.

“Our plan was always to bring in some local sponsors to assist but as a charity we would try to do the bulk of the work,” Ms Spurrier said.

With Our Community Cares lined up as the organisers other groups including the Lions Club of Emu Plains, Cafe 2773, Nepean Business Network, Property Central, Helping Hands and the Great Walk Foundation jumped in to assist with the costs.

The Lions Club of Emu Plains in conjunction with the Australian Lions Foundation chipped in to provided two out of the 11 new chairs.

The chairs themselves, dubbed the ‘Nepean Chair’,

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

‘Nepean Chair’ sets new standard

13

Melissa Spurrier and Kristine Gauci from Our Community Cares with patient Richard in the chair. Photo: Supplied.

are unique because of the way they were made and their simple functionality.

Oncology nurses, chemotherapy patients and carers from Nepean Hospital were consulted throughout the process of the design and production of these new chairs. Their input and thoughts on the design and functionality were all taken into consideration when the chair was made.

Thembi Muhango is a Nurse Coordinator at the chemotherapy unit in the Nepean Cancer Care Centre. She said the chairs are very special to Nepean and they will benefit both the nurses and the patients.

“The chairs are height adjustable so they cater for

all sizes of nurses, the tall ones and the short ones,” Ms Muhango said.

“They have the ability to lie completely flat so if a patient goes into cardiac arrest we can perform CPR in the chair, where as before we would need to put the patient on the floor before we could do CPR. “The arm rests can be made into a larger desk space so patients can rest drinks, bags or books on it, so it is more user friendly for the patients,” she said.

The chairs were manufactured and designed by Dalcross Medical Equipment, an Australian company based in Narellan. These new chairs are set to be a new standard for chemotherapy treatment in Australia.

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Send your resume to hr@hix.com.au & be sure to tell us about: • your qualifications, skills & experience • what type of work you would like to do • a little bit about yourself and why you want to join the Hix team Or contact Jason Brown on: 4721 7500 for more information.

www.nepeansolar.com.au

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

14

local news

Council catch up with Keegan Thomson

P

ENRITH is on the up and up with new skyscrapers planned for the CBD, a new airport on our doorstep and a massive redevelopment of the iconic Nepean River precinct, but what does it mean for locals and how can we make sure Penrith still feels like Penrith?

Councillor Bernard Bratusa has lived in Penrith for 38 years and he has some ideas about what can be done to keep the old town vibe of Penrith while the progress moves forward.

“Communication with the people of Penrith is always key,” Cr Bratusa said.

“One of the things we as a Council pride ourselves on is our ability to consult the community on the development of our city and that is something that will never change.”

Cr Bratusa says one challenge facing the community is the proposed development and land sell off of the historic Wallacia Golf Club.

Last December, the NSW Government rejected a proposal to turn Fernhill Estate into a cemetery, but a similar proposal for Wallacia Golf Club is yet to be determined.

“Currently, Penrith City Council has requested a far wider review of the needs for the community to respectfully bury their dead,” Cr Bratusa said.

“I fully support the NSW Government’s decision to keep the historic Fernhill Estate as is, and save it from becoming a cemetery.”

Noting the historical significance of the golf club in Wallacia Village, Cr Bratusa said Wallacia Golf Club was the first club in Australia to permit women to become members.

Wallacia is but one of the many small, rural village communities south of the Penrith city. Cr Bratusa said it is important to keep the village atmosphere around places like Wallacia, Mulgoa and Luddenham, but it is just as important for people to visit these areas as well.

“It is critical for people to get out and dine in the villages, experience the rural aspects of our city and to learn about the history of the area,” Cr Bratusa boasted.

“I for one will look to protect the history and

landscapes of these places because we can’t afford to bastardise these villages in any way, shape or form.”

Local tourism is important to the local economy but Cr Bratusa believes we should also think about attracting international visitors as well.

Recently Cr Bratusa visited China and the island province of Hainan, in south eastern China, and says he would like to explore the prospect of setting up a sister city opportunity with them.

“We need more sister city relationships and with the growth occurring in China means we need to take advantage of that,” Cr Bratusa said.

“I will be raising Hainan province as a potential opportunity. Direct flights are now available between Sydney and Hainan. 8 million people live there so we need to be tapping into that.

“It is important for our growth and the development of our own culture,” he said.

Penrith has been slowly building up a number of sister cities across the world including two cities in China, two in Japan, one in Korea and the city of Penrith in the UK. These relationships help show off Penrith as a global city and connects us directly to the AsiaPacific region.

“It is important for us to know what the rest of the world is doing and thinking in terms of development and investment. Knowledge is power after all,” Cr Bratusa said.

“Anyone looking at investing should be putting some dollars in Penrith because we are a city on the go and on the grow,” he said.

Native Garden Workshop offers the perfect habitat

R

egistrations are open to book your place in Council’s free Native Garden Workshop at Floribunda Community Centre, 1 Floribunda Avenue, Glenmore Park between 10 am-1pm on Sunday 18 March.

Council has joined forces with Sustainable Education Australia to bring this workshop to the residents of Penrith.

Penrith Mayor John Thain is excited by what residents could learn about biodiversity and gardening by attending the workshop.

“The workshop will show how to plant a variety of native flora in your garden to provide the perfect habitat

for a variety of insects, birds and other small animals,” Cr Thain said.

“The right food and shelter creates an ecological balance for our native birds, animals and insects.

“There are many benefits to bringing biodiversity back to your garden.”

Bees are natural pollinators, frogs stop pests like cockroaches from entering our homes while trees provide us with shade in the summer and hold the soil together to help keep our waterways clean.

Bookings are essential as places are limited. Register now via https:// nativegardenworkshop.eventbrite.com. au For enquiries email thomas.covell@ penrith.city or call 4732 8055

Encourage native animals and birds back into your garden.

Second phase of social and affordable housing fund opens The NSW Government has officially opened the Expressions of Interest for the second phase of its Social and Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF), which will deliver up to 1,200 additional social and affordable homes.

Member for Mulgoa, Tanya Davies MP has called on non-government organisations, landholders and the private sector to tap into the new fund and deliver better outcomes for Mulgoa’s most vulnerable.

The SAHF was set up with more than $1 billion in seed capital from the Government and the second phase of the Fund demonstrates the commitment to investing in more social and affordable housing.

Proponents will be asked to put forward proposals that: • Provide tailored support that will improve employment and education prospects for tenants and their households • Provide stability and support for vulnerable people of NSW, with a particular focus on supporting women aged 55 and over.

“This year, hundreds of homes are going up in cities, regions and rural areas of NSW, funded under the SAHF,” Ms Goward said.

“Together, with our Communities Plus program, the commencement of Phase 2 will ensure this pipeline of more houses in more locations continues

for years to come.”

Tanya Davies welcomed the news demonstrating the government’s commitment to provide more social and affordable housing to the vulnerable.

“I’d love to see organisations in Mulgoa look to build consortia and participate in providing housing and supports as part of SAHF 2” Proponents can register for an Invitation for Expression of Interest at:https://www.facs.nsw.gov. au/reforms/social-housing/SAHF/Phase2/how-toget-involved.

The close date for Expressions of Interest applications is 21 March 2018.

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

16

school enrolments

State of the Art Childcare comes to Huntingwood

A

s part of the greater Huntingwood community, There is a new kid on the block – Grace Village Early Learning Centre Huntingwood.

Grace Village is a place for families, children and parents to thrive, enjoy being inspired and grow as part of the community. The Centre is currently offering Grace Village Early Learning to local families and businesses throughout Huntingwood/ Blacktown as a workplace incentive and it adds a lot of value for employees and businesses.

Grace Village is an innovative and enriching early learning space where the team enthusiastically see all the possibilities and dreams of children and family and are focused on a holistic approach to childcare.

Through providing value-added services – such as pre-cooked meals, laundry, haircuts, fresh coffee on arrival and even yoga premium learning opportunities for children, this is a Centre that has it all.

With such an inspirational space provided by Grace Village for little people to explore and grow a love for education and learning, local parents will have the peace of mind their little humans are being taken care of – allowing them to dedicate 100% to delivering results for their business or their employer.

Enrolments for 2018 are open and filling fast,

which you would expect from such an innovative centre.

Grace Village Learning Centre will be officially

opened this Saturday 17 February by the Mayor of Blacktown, Stephen Bali and Hugh McDermott MP, State Member for Prospect.

Event details can be found at: www.facebook.com/events/117358405740166/?ti=icl

t d s ju ene p o • • •

•

•

• •

Priority enrolment at Grace Village Early Learning Centre for your children* VIP service within the centre Lunchtime visit access – allowing you to enjoy lunch with your children during your breaks Barista coffee on arrival – providing you with the best possible start for your day Access to ‘Third Space’ – providing Wi-Fi, additional meeting & shared work space for those last minute or early morning meetings!

Home cooked meals – available for collection after a busy day at work Located conveniently in Huntingwood’s business park district.

2018 enrolments filling fast Grace Village Early Learning 44 Huntingwood Drive, Huntingwood | 1300 854 388

www.Gracevillage.com.au

local news

By Keegan Thomson

T

HE west is a hotbed of local Aussie film making talent and leading the charge at the moment is Penrith-born director Heath Davis, who is now in post-production for his latest film, Book Week.

Fresh off the back of his 2016 film, Broke, Mr Davis has turned to his local community for help in the production.

“Almost every facet of film has needed community help throughout,” Mr Davis said.

“From locations to catering and actors, we’ve used locals as much as we can.

“You’ve got a lot of warm, welcoming people in the west who really get excited when there is a film being made out here. It is great to see that passion and excitement in people,” he said.

In his production team Mr Davis has utilised local talent with hair and make up artists heralding from Cranebrook and editors and cinematographers coming from the Nepean region.

Book Week, has just finished up after 22 days straight of filming

Caption to go here..........xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxx

Heath Davis (right) on the set of Book Week. Photo: Sie Kitts

across western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The production has had a tight filming schedule because of the low scale budget it is operating on.

“We’re working very long hours, lots of back to back shoots with a late night shoot followed up by an early morning shoot, and we’ve only got 22 days of filming so we need to cram a lot into it,” Mr Davis said.

The tight filming deadlines and the low budget constraints are just the tip

of the iceberg of challenges thrown at Mr Davis throughout the production.

His first film Broke was much smaller in scale and Mr Davis says Book Week “has a lot more going for it”.

“This has many more elements at play. Way more people, hundreds of extras, a bigger cast, bigger scenes and you’re dealing with more actors, which can be challenging sometimes,” he joked.

“We are getting really great stuff

and I think everyone is going to dig the film.”

In 2015 Mel Gibson’s Hollywood war-epic, Hacksaw Ridge, was filmed in western Sydney including Richmond and Bringelly and in 2011 Baz Luhrmann’s film The Great Gatsby was partly produced in the west. Mr Davis thinks there should be more big budget films and Hollywood directors filming in western Sydney.

“We want everyone to get behind Book Week because it would be great to bring more television and film productions out west. We’ve got so much talent out here so it would be great to feature it on a broader scale,” Mr Davis said.

“More of the Australian demographic lives out here so we should want to make films for the audience who lives out west.

“There are some great organic stories and characters out here with voices that need to be heard,” he said.

Book Week is now heavily into the editing stages and is scheduled to hit cinemas in the first half of 2019 after screening at film festivals around the country. You can follow all the movie madness on facebook at https://www. facebook.com/bookweekfilm/.

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

Film proudly made in the west

17

EMMAUS CATHOLIC COLLEGE

OPEN NIGHT ON Wednesday 28th February General Information 6pm-6.30pm - in the College Hall Tours of the College 6.30pm-8.30pm (Enrolment Applications for 2019 will be available at that time)

A co-educational secondary college meeting the learning needs of all students, giving them the best preparation for life in the 21st Century. We are committed to providing the best possible learning and teaching of the whole person as part of a rich tradition of catholic education.

Students and Parents at Emmaus experience: • a College with strong traditional catholic values and high expectations of all its students • a place where prayer and sacrament life are valued and nurtured • a place where relationships are characterised by dignity, respect and authenticity • a learning environment of challenge, inquiry and innovation, where each student is expected to achieve personal excellence • a Year 7 integration program (HERE) in HSIE, English and RE • a broad choice of course offerings across Years 9 - 12 • a BYOD (bring your own device) program enriching the learning environment in a blended way • VET courses and university and TAFE linked courses in Years 11 - 12 • a wide variety of sports played at a representative level and cultural opportunities including Visual Arts, Digital Photography, Mock Trial and Music recitals • a highly qualified and committed teaching staff • a community where personal responsibility and justice are valued and expected • a peaceful and beautiful rural setting.

Emmaus Catholic College is a Catholic, dynamic, learning community where parents, staff and families “Walk with Jesus”

87-109 Bakers Lane, Kemps Creek NSW 2178 For further details, application and prospectus, please contact Mrs Biermann or Ms Chebatte on 9670 8300 or visit www.emmaus.kempscreek.catholic.edu.au

ENTERTAINMENT

Hotshots give away

SUDOKU: EASY

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

18

InN W eet greet

am ! double pass

By CONNER LOWE

SOLUTION: 1 February

O INSTRUCTIONS Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 with no duplicates

ne of Sydney’s hottest attractions is heading to St Marys Band Club when the boys from Australian Hotshots come and put on a fascinating show for all participating ladies and men.

The Hotshots have been traveling Australia for 15 years performing shows in front of huge crowds. They bring excitement and a fantastic show including group and solo performances which is sure to get the crowds excited.

The show is a two-hour fun filled

experience full of comedy, acrobatics, games and crowd participation is more than welcome.

St Marys Band club is selling tickets for the show at $30 for members and $32 for visitors, however they will be giving away two tickets for the Australian Hotshot show on the 3rd of March.

So, if you want a chance to have a fun night out with a friend, in 50 words or less write why you want to win the tickets and email your responses to kerrie@nepeannews. com.au with your name and contact details by the 27th of February to win.

02 4736 4647 THEPIONEERTAVERN.COM.AU CNR MAXWELL ST & THE NORTHERN RD, PENRITH NSW 2750

We promote the responsible service of gaming & alcohol. alhgroup.com.au

ENTERTAINMENT

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

20

2018 Annual Penrith Working Truck Show

T

he Penrith Working Truck Show is on at the Museum of Fire on Sunday 11th March 2018 from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm.

Country Music extravaganza has always been a major attraction at the Truck Show and this year will be no exception. Live on Stage will be Dan Murphy, Missy Lancaster, Viper Creek Band, Amber Lawrence, Travis Collins, Troy Cassar-Daley.

Up to three Children, are admitted FREE with a paying adult and will enjoy twenty of the best “thrill” rides and other amusements absolutely free. Add to this, food and drink stalls, free face painting and giveaways, and you have the Ultimate Family Fun Day package while supporting a worthwhile charitable event.

For 31 years the Trucking fraternity have cultivated their prize rigs into show condition, in support of charity.

Each year over 200 of Australia’s finest trucks gather at the Museum of Fire for Australia’s Premier Working Truck Show, with all funds directed towards saving our families from the dangers of fire while preserving the

heritage of our community’s bravest.

The unique feature of the Show is that each truck must be a working truck and not just a showpiece or collectors item. Each truck is entered into one or more of 25 different categories to compete for trophies for

the best in each class.

Drivers spend hours cleaning and polishing their prize possession in an attempt at being declared the best truck in their class. The award of a trophy at the Working Truck Show has become an industry icon and

prestigious recognition for the owner.

The Museum of Fire, located in the old Penrith Power Station, 1 Museum Drive (off Castlereagh Road) opened as Australia’s only dedicated Fire Safety Education Centre in 1986.

Over the past 30 years, approximately 50 000 visitors per year pass through the Museum which houses one of the finest collections of firefighting memorabilia in the world.

From its humble conception over thirty years ago, the Penrith Working Truck Show has grown from a gathering of trucking enthusiasts to a major corporate and family event which now takes months of planning and preparation and is recognised as Australia’s Premier Truck Show, attracting in excess of 12,000 visitors.

Admission at the gate $35 adults, up to three (3) children under 16 years free with adult entry, $25 Concession however no children can enter on this ticket (Single Person Entry Only).

For further information contact the Museum of Fire on 02 4731 3000 or visit www.pwts.com.au

02 4736 4647 THEPIONEERTAVERN.COM.AU CNR MAXWELL ST & THE NORTHERN RD, PENRITH NSW 2750

We promote the responsible service of gaming & alcohol. alhgroup.com.au

local news

WORD SEARCH

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

22

Family Ties ANCESTOR AUNT BOND BROTHERS CHILDREN CLAN COUSINS DAD DAUGHTER DESCENDANTS

FATHER FOLKS GENEOLOGY GRANDPARENT HALF BROTHER HALF SISTER HUSBAND KIN MARRIAGE MOM

MOTHER NEICE NEPHEW NEWLYWED OFFSPRING PARENTS PROGENY RELATIONS RELATIVES SIBLING

SISTERS SON SPOUSE STEPPARENT TRIPLETS TWINS UNCLE WIFE

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Annual virus (9) 6 Full of flavor (5) 9 On the beach (7) 10 Boat in Venice (7) 11 Deletion (7) 12 Imperial ruler (7) 13 Steals from stores (9) 15 Entice (5) 16 Modelled (5) 19 Stunt plane (9) 22 Instructions on food

preparation (7) 23 A distant settlement (7) 25 Mediterranean sailing

ship (7) 26 Choking or retching (7) 27 Is concerned for (5) 28 Prediction (9)

solution 1/2/18

DOWN 1 Silly (5) 2 Melange or hodgepodge (7) 3 Not normal (7) 4 Gentle push (5) 5 Attacker (9) 6 Storm on the sun (7) 7 TV show (7) 8 A pronunciation mark (9) 13 A drug that induces sleep (9) 14 Flagpole (9) 17 Not religious (7) 18 Portrays (7) 20 Double crosses (7) 21 Equipping (7) 23 Different (5) 24 Taut (5)

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

23

NEPEAN HISTORY

St Marys Railway Gates

I

n 1863 when the railway arrived at St Marys (then known as South Creek) from Parramatta, the Windsor Road was cut in half. This road at that time was a major stock route through the town to the sale yards on the southern and northern side of the road. When the line was extended to the “Crossroads” (Kingswood) in 1863, Windsor Road was in need of a place to cross the railway line. A gate was used with a gatekeeper, as well as a small gate used for people traffic and later on a crossing was installed with no gatekeeper but needed bells and lights that hailed the arrival and departure of the train to and from the west. In 1886 the line to St Marys was duplicated and changes were made in 1942 for the new munitions line. There were several fatalities along the line due to human error. In 1951 most people were using the level crossing rather than the station’s overhead bridge that was leading to accidents by pedestrians, and in a letter to Penrith Council the Traffic Branch of the NSW Police stated that it would continue if nothing was done. The pedestrian crossing with wicket gates were going to cost £130 and the alteration of the automatic signals for the gates £965, making a total of £1,095. The Railway Department had advised that it could not meet the cost of this and suggested the Penrith Council pay it. Alderman Fowler said that the Traffic Branch should be informed that Council did not feel it could meet that cost and that the crossing was very dangerous. It was then decided that Council write to the Railway Department stressing the urgency of the matter and asking that the Department give consideration to financing the job because Council was not in a position to do so, but the whole thing was put on hold. In 1956, after a letter from the Railway Department was received notifying that the boom gates would be closed to vehicular traffic, a petition from a majority of the people of St Marys who were strongly opposed to the closing of the boom gates was received at Council. The petition had been signed by 600 people of the ward in opposition to the closure. The majority of business people in Queen Street, along with tradespeople and doctors had indicated that they were opposed to the closing of the gates that would be fatal to the life of the community. Some of the Aldermen said that they had talked with all sections of the people of St Marys and not all of them were unanimous on the matter, but the majority were definitely of the opinion that the closing of the gates would be a disadvantage to the people in Queen Street. The Council resolved that a request be sent to the Secretary for the Railways asking not to take any action to close the boom gates at the railway station to vehicular traffic while the new munition project was under construction and that the matter be further considered by the Department with the Council after the completion of the project. Towards the end of 1956, Council had received delayed replies from the Department of Railways to the protests against the closing of the gates. Secretary for Railways wrote: - “Referring to your letter and the accompanying petition protesting against the closing of the level crossing at Queen Street, I have to say that whilst your representations have been considered, the position is that the construction of the overbridge at Glossop Street has provided an alternative crossing of the railway line for vehicular traffic, for both local traffic and traffic proceeding to and from the industrial area. Regarding your remarks as to the deviation of traffic from Queen Street shopping area, it is pointed out that the primary purpose of the construction of the overbridge at Glossop Street was to keep the heavy traffic to and from the industrial area of the Commonwealth project away from Queen Street and to avoid the delay and congestion of this traffic when the level crossing gates would be closed for the passage of trains. The closing of the level crossing at Queen Street is in conformity with the policy to eliminate level crossings wherever practicable and it is considered that

this would not have any detrimental effect on local interests but, on the contrary, would improve the conditions of the shopping area in Queen Street pending the construction of ramps of the existing overbridge and the movement of pedestrians will be controlled by small boom gates operated from the adjacent signal box. The installation of these boom gates is in hand and it is intended to close the crossing to vehicular traffic as from 10th December 1956.” Because of this letter the Council immediately took steps to open the road from Glossop Street entrance to Chesham Street and a diversion into Station Street then into Queen Street with the investigation of the needs of Queen Street with the traffic authorities with a view to the establishment of one-way traffic. In 1957 at a Council meeting the Department of Railways advised that the matter of providing ramp approaches to the footbridge at St Marys railway station that was asked for by Council had been “deferred for further consideration” when there had been an improvement in the financial position of Council, but the matter of providing these ramps was referred back to the Railways Department in view of the earlier advice from the Department “that ramps would be provided when the railway gates at Queen Street were closed’.

In October 1957 a concert was presented at W.E. Cuckson’s social centre by the Geza Bachman Trio. The programme was specially selected to be a popular one, consisting entirely of everybody’s favourite airs from the popular classics rarely heard in St Marys and with the audience expressing its appreciation with warm enthusiasm. Questions were asked: - “Why, one asks, was this audience so small? Why were only 40 people present in an airy, comfortable hall equipped to seat 300?” It seemed that previous musical evenings held at the centre had been well supported and at times the hall had been filled to capacity. “What has happened to change this state of affairs?” At that time, when the activities of this lively social centre was well patronised, the lighted front entrance stood in the main thoroughfare of St Marys on Windsor Rd with easy access along Queen Street, it stands where it always did, but now it was “out in the bush”.

By a roundabout route (Glossop St) you get to it from the town and the immediate approach is a narrow dirt road without lights and thick dust.

The railway gates have shut off this flourishing activity from the life of the township. It would be very regrettable if due to these circumstances the activities of the Cuckson Social Centre should meet with such handicaps.

By 1978 the railway line became four lines between Lidcombe and St Marys and the St Marys Railway Station Group has been listed on the State Heritage Register (#4801035)

Sources: Nepean Times, GML Heritage online, NSW Railcorp Transport Section 170 Heritage & Conservation Register.

Permission has been given for the photo from State Archives to reproduce this once only. The original is held at the Archives.

Lyn Forde – Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc.

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

24

FINANCE AND REAL ESTATE MATTERS

Sydney property market is continuing to cool down With Steve Beard Select Mortgage Broker

In October, I wrote that the Sydney and local real estate markets were starting to cool down. Over the last 4 months, Sydney prices have reduced by around 0.8 percent each month to 3.5 percent over the last 4 months. These reductions are mainly due to a normal market correction after the high 75 percent gain over the last 6 years.

This reduction in demand has caused many local sellers to reduce their price expectations by around 5 to 8 percent if they want to achieve a sale. Higher priced properties usually have to decrease their price by a greater margin as there are always less prospective buyers with the ability to pay over the local average prices.

Demand for local property by owner occupiers that is affordable and has a realistic price is still strong. The fundamentals of the NSW and Australian economies are still relatively strong as well (except for wages growth). Higher international migration to Sydney and Melbourne is continuing to see high demand by owner occupiers.

For those looking to buy in Sydney, I would be very extremely selective and only look at properties

that have realistic prices and vendors who are very motivated to sell. You need to ask the agent why the vendor is selling. If they are not in a forced situation, then they will wait around for a higher price. As the power in the property market is coming back to the buyers, I would not rush in to buy any property, especially if you buying as an investor due to the low rental returns.

The Reserve Bank keeps saying that the next move in interest rates will be up. Market experts and bond market returns indicate that any increase won’t be for approximately 12 months at least.

However, when interest rates do eventually increase, I think it is almost certain that property prices in Sydney will reduce even further. This is because of the extremely high amount of personal debt we have. Some people who are overcommitted will be forced to sell if interest rates increase and/or their family incomes are reduced for whatever reason.

Apart from Hobart, Melbourne has had highest growth over the last 12 months of 8 percent while Sydney’s growth has now fallen to only 1.3 percent, the 3rd lowest after Perth (-2.6 percent) and Darwin (-6.4 percent).

I think the Melbourne inner and middle rings are safe places to invest and should continue to see

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capital growth over the next few years.

Brisbane is probably the safest and perhaps the smartest place to invest for various reasons. Firstly, history shows that after every Sydney boom, Brisbane has a boom because a lot of young families from Sydney and Melbourne migrate to Brisbane as the big cities are now unaffordable and Brisbane prices are very affordable.

Secondly, there are a lot of big infrastructure projects around Brisbane which will need highly paid skilled workers. This extra money in the economy always filters through to higher property prices and rents.

Thirdly, for investors, the rent returns are high, currently at 4.2 percent for houses (Sydney is only 2.9 percent) and units at 5.3 percent (Sydney is only 3.7 percent).

Smart property investors know that the best time to purchase any property is when most people are not buying as you usually always pay a lower price as you are not competing against many other buyers.

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Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

26

SPORT

BEHIND THE STUMPS

with Stew Moses @TheRiffMarn

Black Cats evenly poised to register three wins in a row Sixteenth-placed Penrith, fresh from a morale-boosting win the previous weekend against Western neighbours Blacktown Warriors in a high-scoring affair, ended day one of their two-day clash at home against Western Suburbs with honours even, with the visitors 0/46 chasing the home side’s 9 (dec) for 269.

Ryan Hackney, who has had his struggles with the bat at this level, scored his first 50 of the season at this level, topscoring with a patient 59 off 144 balls and was ably supported by all but two bats who failed to reach double figures.

Nick Carruthers, who has found a little bit of form in recent games, made 36 while Brent Williams (30), Jake Wholohan (29), Ryan Gibson (27) and first grade debutant Trent Weir (25*) all made useful contributions.

The younger brother of Cameron Weir, put on an unbeaten 41 for the tenth wicket with Ryan Fletcher (16*) ensuring that the Black Cats tail would wag, after the top half of the batting order reached 5/160.

prized scalp of Surrey and England U19s keeper-batsman, Oliver Pope, before Andrew Hazard (2/4) and Adam Burton (2/24) cleaned up the tail to put the Black Cats into a home semi-final in two Sundays time against a dangerous looking Fairfield-Liverpool Lions.

A mixed time for Penrith’s BBL Lady Cats over the past fortnight with the Sydney Thunder represented by Naomi Stalenberg (Lisa Griffith was again 12th), bundled out of the WBBL finals at “home” to the Perth Scorchers despite fellow team-mate Mikayla Hinkley being unavailable with that second-successive season-ending injury.

While Hinkley and Griffith struggled for meaningful game-time, WBBL03 proved to be Stalenberg’s best season yet. Whilst that maiden WBBL fifty Penrith’s Nick Carruthers gets among the runs in setting Wests 270 runs to win.

Credit: 77 Media. again eluded the Penrith star, Stalenberg was a model of consistency, scoring taking the last five wickets once again proved to 227 from ten innings at an average of 25.

Instead it was left to Lady Cat Sarah Coyte to star Weir makes his debut after Penrith’s leading be a hurdle as Lilley (140*) and Hilder (106) gave wicket-taker Luke Hodges, was ruled out for two the away team a rough hope before the home side on the biggest stage as her remarkable comeback went from strength to strength, taking another 5 wickets weeks after suffering a nasty gash to his right knee eventually wrapped up the win. after an attempted slide to stop a ball reaching the Michael Castle and Ryan Fletcher led the way including a Player of the Final 3/17 effort against the boundary fence went horribly wrong. with the ball, taking three wickets each, while Ryan Scorchers ensured the Sydney Sixers would win backIt was feared that Hodges may have also suffered a Smith (2 wickets) and Ryan Gibson (1 wicket) were to-back titles.

In just four games, Coyte took 10 wickets, twice possible fracture or break in the left ankle but scans the other wicket takers. earning player of the match honours in a stellar return subsequently cleared the spinner, who should be back for the next game against North Sydney.

At the conclusion of last round, strong results in the to the big time. lower grades against Blacktown have ensured the Black Penrith Panthers and Australian World Cup While Luke Hodges escaped further injury, the Cats remain in tenth position in the Club Championship. same can’t be said for Penrith’s leading fast bowler, Wins to fourths (fourth) and fifths (second) have prop, Reagan Campbell-Gillard will join former Josh Lalor. Having played through the BBL with a re- enabled both sides to consolidate their position in the Australian bowling great and McGrath Foundation occurrence of a thumb injury, follow-up surgery soon top six with three rounds remaining, while thirds climb President, Glenn McGrath, as the key speakers at the Penrith Cricket Club’s 8th annual The Captain’s revealed the thumb joint was broken in three places, to tenth but are still twelve points adrift of the top six. which could bring an early end to Lalor’s season.

But seconds (ninth) are seven point adrift of the top Lunch which takes place this Friday, 12.30pm at Pepper Stadium, Mulgoa Rd, Penrith. six after suffering a crushing defeat.

Funds raised from The Captain’s Lunch will go to The chase for Penrith’s third win in as many matches came after the Black Cats staved off a In Poidevin-Gray U21’s news, Penrith is now the the development of cricket at Penrith Cricket Club determined rear-guard action from the Blacktown highest-ranked team left in the competition after and the Penrith district.

A donation each year is made to The Great Walk Warriors to win by 65 runs. becoming the only top-four side to win their quarterPenrith’s win was built upon its highest score of final fixture at home, crushing Campbelltown- Foundation and this year also to the McGrath Foundation. the season 7 (dec) for 403, an imposing target for Camden by 115 runs at Howell Oval last Sunday.

Tickets are still available at $145 each or a table of most sides, let alone one that was coming last.

Batting first, the home side complied a reasonable Brent Williams (112) continues to top the Penrith 4/228 off their 50 overs with Ryan Hackney having 10 can be purchased for $1,400.

For any last-minute enquiries or bookings please batting stats, with his second hundred of the season, one of his better weekends at the crease, top-scoring while Cameron Weir (90) and John Di Bartolo (71) with 71, with Cameron Weir (52) and Brent Atherton contact Ron Halse 0419 207 136, Michael Wholohan 0419 470 695 or Rod Evans 0413 180 448. It’s an both had hundreds at their mercy, with Carruthers (50*) also posting half-centuries. also among the runs, scoring an unbeaten 54.

Trent Weir, fresh off making his first grade debut event not to be missed!

In reply, Blacktown soon found themselves in the previous day, smashed through the Ghosts top#LoveTheCats trouble at 5/102, but as is often the case for Penrith, order taking the first five wickets (5/52) including the

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SPORT

By CONNER LOWE

T

he Western S y d n e y Wa n d e r e r s are currently sitting in 6th position on the ladder after a comfortable 4-nil victory over the Wellington Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.

It’s the first time this season the Western Sydney club have won back to back games after beating the Central Coast Mariners 2-1 the week before. Fans will hope this form continues and the Wanderers can maintain an unbeaten record to secure that finals spot as we get closer to the end of the season.

It was a comfortable victory for the Wanderers in the end with four different players finding the back of the net and new boy on loan from Italian club Lazio Christopher Oikonomidis scoring a goal for the club after starting on his debut. It was Oriol Riera scoring the opening goal as Jaushua Sotirio and Michael Thwaite also found their scoring touch to round off the emphatic 4-0 victory.

The Western Sydney Co-Captain spoke about the squad’s mentality and how working hard week in and week

out will the club to close out a finals position.

“Our mentality towards the game was important we need to continue that for the season which is a nonnegotiable for us, and it is vital that we go out every game with the same mentality as we did against the Central Coast and Wellington,” said Hamill.

“I think the boys have really come together this week, we’ve

worked extra hard and we know how important this next run of games is to get into some good form, put in some good performances and earn three points week-in-week-out.

“We know what’s at stake and we want to push up the table as much as we can. We’ve got this game in hand and a win here can get us up the table and that’s our goal. We have to show up on Friday, roll up our sleeves and put in a good performance.”

The Wanderers will now face the Newcastle Jets at Spotless Stadium on Friday. The Western Sydney Club will hope that a repeat of the last game doesn’t occur after being defeated 4-0

by Newcastle earlier in the season.

Newcastle are still in good form at the moment and currently sit second on the ladder. The Wanderers face a huge task to continue their winning run with Newcastle looking to close the gap with first place Sydney FC.

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Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

Wanderers looking for three straight victories

27

Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

28

SPORT

Senior Sport Star of the Month had received the award.”

Sarah also is a high performer at Netball. Playing with the Penrith Panthers in the Sydney Metro League, being named as the Panthers Division three player of the year in 2017 and Rookie of the Year in 2016. Sarah has been selected in the Under 19’s NSW Netball squad for 2018. Training started in November 2017.

Sarah also spoke about her achievements with selection in the Australian team for Oztag and her selection in the Netball Talent Development Squad.

“I have been selected to represent Australia in the Under 16’s Girls Team in 2016 which travelled to New Zealand for a Trans-Tasman Tournament, I also represented Australia again in the Under 18’s Girls team in 2017 and have been selected to play for Australia in the Oztag World Cup to be held in November 2018,” she said.

“Also, my Selection in the NSW Netball Talent Development Squad in 2018. Being selected as Penrith Netball Metro League Rookie of the year in 2016 and Player of the Year in Penrith Netball Metro League Team two in 2017.”

We would like to congratulate Sarah on her award given out by the Penrith Valley Sports Foundation and hope that she continues to excel in both her Oztag and Netball.

By CONNER LOWE

T

he Penrith Valley Sports Foundation has awarded Sarah Blair the Senior Sports Star Award for her skills in both Oztag and Netball. Sarah has been playing Oztag since she was nine years old in the Nepean District and Netball since she was seven years old playing in the Penrith district.

Sarah represented Australia in the sport of Oztag in 2017. Sarah was selected in the undefeated Australian Girls under 18 team to participate in the “Big 4” Tournament, a series involving Australia, an Indigenous Australian team and a team representing the Pacific Islands and Lebanon.

Sarah spoke about how she felt after receiving the award and how she is grateful that her hard work in both sports was acknowledged.

“I am extremely grateful to have been nominated and my talents recognised in both Netball and Oztag. It is a nice recognition for the many hours of hard work and training over the years to get where I am today, particularly at the representative level in my chosen sports,” she said.

“I feel honoured and shocked receiving this award as I didn’t know that I had been nominated and was happily surprised when my mum told me I

› Hook names Panthers squad to face Roosters in trial Panthers coach Anthony Griffin has named a 26-man squad to face Sydney Roosters in a trial game at Panthers Stadium on Saturday.

Panthers v Roosters Panthers Stadium

7.10pm Saturday 17 February Dylan Edwards, Christian Crichton, Tyrone Peachey, Dean Whare, Maika Sivo, James Maloney, Nathan Cleary, James Tamou, Wayde Egan, Tim Browne, Isaah Yeo, Viliame Kikau, Trent Merrin,

Sam McKendry, Nick Lui-Toso, James FisherHarris, Jack Hetherington, Corey Waddell, Kaide Ellis, Moses Leota, Sione Katoa, Jarome Luai, Tom Eisenhuth, Caleb Aekins, Liam Martin, Adam Keighran.

The countdown is on, be sure to grab our Panther’s season launch edition on March 1

GO PANTHERS! GO PANTHERS! GO PANTHERS! GO PANTHERS! GO PANTHERS!

Coach’s Corner

Short and Sharp Opinions

NSWRL Junior Rep Competitions The Harold Matthews Cup (16’s), SG Ball Cup (18’s) and Tarsha Gale Cup (Women’s 18’s) kicked off last Saturday and as a coach participating in the Harold Matthews Cup it is a great privilege to be a part of a competition with so much tradition and history.

But a major issue I have with these competitions is the timing. Preseason training for these competitions kicks off at the same time as most NRL teams in early November and they work with only a short two week break for Christmas and New Year until the commencement of the competition in early February, with 2-3 trial games during January. To expect 15 to 18 year old male and female athletes to be playing

games in temperatures ranging from 35 to 45 degree heat in January and February really beggars belief.

The welfare and long term development of the players in these competitions must be a priority. The NSWRL needs to look at the scheduling and postpone the commencement of these competitions to align with the start of the Jersey Flegg and Intrust Super Premiership. This will also remove the need for these young athletes to be training prior to Christmas which will allow their bodies time to rest and recover prior to the commencement of a new Rugby League season.

NRL Preseason The decision to remove the Auckland 9’s tournament and the NRL All Stars game from the

Brock Shepperd Wests Harold Matthews Coach Fifth and Last NRL Podcast b.shepperd@hotmail.com

Rugby League preseason schedule has been an intelligent one. Players participating in the Rugby League World Cup which ran until early December last year would not have returned to training until early January and would have been well under done and out of condition which would have placed them at a huge risk of injury.

This seasons NRL draw looks to have minimised the effects of State of Origin with a stand alone Origin II and each team now only having one BYE weekend over a slightly shorter 25 round season.

In my next column I will preview the 2018 NRL season so make sure you grab our March 1st edition!

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PENRITH PANTHERS

SPORT

with Stew Moses

@TheRiffMarn

One door shuts on a Cartwright…but could the door open for another?

Bryce Cartwright’s tumultuous last eighteen months with Penrith has come to an end, with the Panthers releasing the gifted but troubled junior to the Gold Coast Titans where he will reunite with former lower grades coach, Garth Brennan for the next four seasons.

Personal reasons beyond football were initially cited as the key contributor behind the move, with many claiming that the situation for Bryce and his young family was such that they needed to get out of Sydney and fast.

However it has since come to light that Cartwright was not among the seventeen that took part in recent opposed sessions, a sign that the back-rower / five-eighth was not in the frame for Penrith’s Round One clash with Parramatta.

Given the healthy contract extension Bryce Could Bryce Cartwright’s exit from Penrith enable cousin Jed signed back in September 2016, the club Cartwright to make his NRL debut for the Panthers in Round 1? certainly did not want to have a significant Credit: 77 Media. portion of its salary cap, playing in the Intrust Super Premiership.

Blake, James Fisher-Harris, Sam McKendry, Equally the back-rower, upon fronting the media Viliame Kikau, Moses Leota, Sione Katoa, Jed on his first day as a Titan, stated he wasn’t sure Cartwright, Wayde Egan and Jarome Luai. of his worth to Penrith either, before declaring he wanted to play only as a forward preferably in the In speaking to Mark Geyer on the Rush Hour #13, under a coach whom he believes can get the with MG on Triple M last week, both Brennan and best out of him once more.

Gould, responded to ongoing speculation on Tyrone Cartwright’s dislike for the #6 jersey could not Peachey. be more obvious after the new Titans signing also The former confirmed that the Cartwright declared he couldn’t care less if he never played at signing would not quell their interest in Peachey five-eighth again. and in fact admitted he had shown the City Origin representative around the Gold Coast, before It’s understood that the Panthers will not making an offer that the latter confirmed would be carry any of Bryce’s contract on the salary cap. too good financially for the Panther utility to refuse However it is unlikely that the cap savings for but only from 2019.

2018 will be used for anything other than player retention.

For the second year running, Dallin WateneSpeculation suggests the money could go Zelezniak will miss the start of the NRL season towards front-loading other players’ contracts, after suffering a high ankle-sprain that is set to as the club prepares to find the cap space side-line the Kiwi winger for between six-eight required to make a competitive offer to keep weeks.

Cleary at the club post-2019.

With Tyrone Phillips also unavailable due But while there is a focus on finding the funds to injury, Watene-Zelezniak’s absence is set to to retain Cleary, there is also the need to find be covered by Waqa Blake, which would allow sizeable cap space in order to upgrade new Peachey to start in the centres, opening a spot on Australian test forward, Reagan Campbell- the interchange which ironically could result in Gillard, who also comes off-contract at the end another Cartwright - Jed, son of Panthers legend of 2019.

John and cousin of former Panther Bryce, to No easy task when you consider other players make his NRL debut. coming off contract in 2019 include Waqa Cartwright, who is equally at home in the

centres or back-row, however does face stiff opposition for a spot in the seventeen.

Griffin could opt for specialist winger, which brings the likes of Maika Sivo, Christian Crichton, Caleb Aekins and even Tom Eisenhuth into calculation and could confine Peachey to the bench.

But even if Peachey starts, Cartwright still faces plenty of competition from the likes of Sione Katoa, Sam McKendry, Moses Leota, Tim Browne and Kaide Ellis, but isn’t without a chance of restoring a famous rugby league name in a Penrith first grade jersey.

In the build up to this Saturday’s first trial of the season - against the Sydney Roosters at home, Panther fans can meet the team this Thursday night from 6pm in Westfield Penrith’s Centre Court, located near the fountain on the ground floor.

As for this Saturday’s trial against the Sydney Roosters, the NRL clash will kick off at 7.10pm and will be preceded by a Jersey Flegg trial game at 3pm and ISP trial game at 5pm, with entry free for 2018 members.

In team news, Penrith has named the following 26-man squad: Dylan Edwards, Christian Crichton, Tyrone Peachey, Dean Whare, Maika Sivo, James Maloney, Nathan Cleary, James Tamou, Wayde Egan, Tim Browne, Isaah Yeo, Trent Merrin, Sam McKendry, Nick Lui-Toso, James FisherHarris, Jack Hetherington, Corey Waddell, Kaide Ellis, Moses Leota, Sione Katoa, Jarome Luai, Tom Eisenhuth, Caleb Aekins, Liam Martin and Adam Keighran.

Notable omissions include Josh Mansour, Waqa Blake, Corey Harawira-Naera, Peter Wallace and Reagan Campbell-Gillard, but it is a strong looking squad otherwise.

Make sure to keep an eye on Liam Martin and Nick Lui-Toso during the trial as it is understood that both players have caught the eye with their pre-season efforts.

Don’t forget that if you have any Panthers news that you wish to share, feel free to email me: stewart@nepeannews.com.au. #PantherPride

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Junior Sports Star of the Month

By CONNER LOWE

T

he Penrith Valley Sports Foundation has awarded David Quinn the Junior Sport Star of the Month award for his amazing development and skill in Ice Hockey.

David began playing Field Hockey at the age of five and then turned to Ice Hockey at the age of six where his skills excelled dramatically.

Despite being only 10 years old, in his Peewees team he was listed as 21st in the State for points scored. Due to his accomplishments and sportsmanship

he was invited to attend the Jan Caloun International Ice Hockey Camp in Czech Republic during the last school holidays.

David is currently training in his off season at the NSA Elite Prospects Clinic in preparation for the Quebec International Pewees Ice Hockey Tournament where he will represent Australia.

David spoke about his best achievement in Ice Hockey and how honoured he felt when he was nominated for his award due to the lack of Ice Hockey played in Australia.

“My best achievement is being selected on the Ice Crocs team to

Leonay GC Name Committee Members

Back Row L-R: Paul Latimer, Matt Heyhoe, Laurie Beresford, John Kennedy, Peter McFarlane.

Front Row L-R: Peter Walker, Ross Butcher, Les Knox, David Grosse, Dean Mallard.

By Noel Rowsell

D

avid Grosse (President), Ross Butcher (Captain), Les Knox (Vice President), Peter McFarlane (Vice Captain), Laurie Beresford (Treasurer), Peter Walker (Secretary), Paul Latimer, Dean Mallard and John Kennedy have all been re-elected, whilst the new members are Matt Heyhoe and Peter Haines.

Knox and Beresford are both Life Members of the Club, whilst Grosse is also a Director on the Board of the Emu Sports Club.

The spread of experience within the group is impressive, with Knox (43

years), McFarlane (36), Butcher (32) and Beresford (28) all longtime members.

There are also four A Grade players in the committee, being Grosse (4), McFarlane (9), Kennedy (10) and Butcher (11).

The Golf Committee’s first meeting will be held this week, with various sub-committees to be announced including Match Committee, Greens Committee, Judiciary and Emu Sports Club Liaison Committee.

The Men’s Major Pennants Series also began on Sunday, with Leonay hosting The Coast GC and recording a 4-3 win.

play at the Quebec Pee-Wees (u/13) International Ice Hockey Tournament.

The team is made up of players from all over Australia and out of the 120 teams playing we are the only team at the tournament representing Australia.

“Yes, being nominated is a big honour especially since ice hockey isn’t really well known in Australia” David also spoke about why he loves Ice Hockey and the feeling of playing and winning with your teammates.

“I love everything about the game. It is so fast you must have full concentration all the time and it is all

about explosive speed so you have to be really quick taking off and changing direction. It is a fantastic feeling scoring a goal or getting an assist for setting up someone else to score.”

The Penrith Valley Sports Foundation aims to support and promote athletes and other sporting activities. They also facilitate the development and education of sports officials through sponsored programmes and support a Penrith City games when held. Each month the sports foundation gives out three awards including; Senior Sport Star of the month, Junior Sport Star of the month and Junior encouragement award.

Brawn Power Off The Tee

By Noel Rowsell

2

017 proved to be a winning season for Professional Golf Association (PGA) Trainee Evan Brawn (Springwood), who recorded three wins, five Top-5 finishes and a further six Top Ten finishes in an action-packed year.

Brawn, the Trainee Professional at Leonay Golf Club, recorded his wins in events at Springwood, Cromer and Rich River.

Brawn’s immediate plans are to finish his Traineeship, before heading to Asia to try his luck in both Japan and China on their ever-expanding tours.

The future was however unclear for Brawn in 2015, with injuries curtailing his golf plans for two years, prior to his signing-on at Leonay.

The key factor in his future plans will be the effects of the constant stress on his body and whether it can withstand the rigorous schedule of a touring Professional.

Should injury curtail his touring career, Brawn is keen to pursue a broad coaching role, with both beginners and tour players.

The State Trainee Tournament Schedule for 2018 can be found at http://www.pga.org.au/tourns/ trainee/schedule

Leonay GC Trainee Professional Evan Brawn in action.

Photos courtesy of Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au)

PENRITH PANTHERS

with MARK GEYER

Well that came as a big surprise!

 Bryce Cartwright. From this.....

 ......to this.

Wow, I didn’t see that one coming, nor did most of the Penrith Panther fans either I bet?

Bryce Cartwright’s sudden exit from Penrith to hook (no pun intended) up with ex lower grade mentor Garth Brennan on the Gold Coast caught the league world by surprise. But according to both Phil Gould and Brennan, talks have been on-going for as long as October last year.

It’s no secret in the Nepean area that Bryce Cartwright has had a lot on his mind over the past 12 or so months, a lot of which has been played out in the public arena, and his form on the field has suffered accordingly.

But it’s not doom and gloom time for Panther fans, although there are those that think so, following the departure of first Moylan then Latu now Cartwright with Peachey seemingly the next.

Penrith has the biggest junior nursery in the world when it comes to rugby league, and that means you’re never going to be able to keep every single one you want. Throw in tempting offers from others as well as a difference of opinion with the current coach and you can see how easily a player from the junior area can be cut adrift.

It’s just only six months ago it was thought by most that Penrith were about

to build a blockbusting team around Moylan, Cartwright, and Cleary. Well, two are now gone, and the 3rd? Let’s hope Nathan Cleary decides to be a Panther for life, but if he doesn’t, like the other two above mentioned, life will go on.

And another thing..

For three years now myself and good mate Scott Lewis have been putting together an online fitness website together called Wild Panther Fitness. We had a golf day late last year at Penrith, a lawn bowls day coming up in early March at Wallacia and a family fun day planned at Jamison Park in Sunday the 25th of March between 11-1. It will be a great day to meet like-minded people who are trying to get themselves back into a bit of ‘post Christmas’ shape.

On the day there will be jumping castles for the kids while the adults and older kids go through a few easy fitness drills followed by a game of touch footy and a feed. It is free to come BUT you must be a member of Wild Panther Fitness to join us. If you think you’d like to go to our website and become a member, which is also free. www.wildpantherfitness.com See you at the game.

MG (random Westie) OAM

31 31 Nepean News 15 February 2018 Issue 220

MG on the mark

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