The Beast - April 2025

BEAST

Craft Your Sound

Bondi WAVE 2025 is coming. Want a chance to learn from music industry pros?

Over 12 weeks, learn how to write and arrange original music, record your tracks and perform live at the Bondi Pav Music Studios + Theatre.

INTERESTED? Sign up now. Applications close 17 April. For ages 12 – 18. 5

– 8

ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICES

FRIDAY 25 APRIL

Coogee

5.30am Goldstein Reserve

Coogee Beach

Little Bay

5.30am The Coast Chapel Little Bay

Maroubra 4.30am Cenotaph

Juniors Maroubra Matraville 5am Memorial near Club Matto

MARCHES

SUNDAY 13 APRIL

Malabar 10.30am

March leaves

Malabar RSL 11am Service at Malabar War Memorial Maroubra 11am

March leaves Maroubra Rd 11.30am Service at Cenotaph

Hosted by the RSL

sub-Branches of Coogee, Clovelly, Randwick, Malabar, Maroubra and Matraville, the Prince Henry Hospital Museum and proudly supported by Randwick City Council.

Lachie and Tom with a monster flatty, by James Shillington.

Mensis Aprilis

Words James Hutton - Publisher

Welcome to the April 2025 edition of The Beast, the monthly magazine for Sydney’s democratic beaches of the east. Thanks to Alfred (the cyclone), the federal election has been pushed back to May, so we’ve got even more time to argue about who should be taking our great country forward. I know I say this every time we go to the polls, but get onto your local candidate’s website and have a look at what they actually stand for, and learn how they’ve voted on various issues in the past at theyvoteforyou.org.au. Don’t just do what your uncle or the Meta algorithm tells you to - educate yourself and make your vote count!

Thanks to Bondi artist Juani Serrovalle for this month’s colourful cover illustration of life in the Eastern Beaches. You can read Juani’s profile piece on page 20 and see more of his work on his Instagram at @juaniserrovalle.

In local news, the NRMAowned Fantasea Cruising has launched a new weekend cruise between the Northern Beaches and the Eastern Suburbs that has opened up the opportunity for locals here and on the Insular Peninsula to access the delights of each region. The Bay2Beach Express operates every Saturday and Sunday between Double Bay, Manly and Watson’s Bay, and is a great way of avoiding the headache of parking and enjoying a tipple in a foreign land.

Holy Cross Primary School in Woollahra is hosting a Community Day on Saturday, March 22 from 1-3pm at the school. Families are invited to meet Principal Kylie Brakel, explore the renovated school and enjoy a variety of fun activities for the kids. Holy Cross is a great little local school, and this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the community and have a bit of fun.

Community Health Support, in collaboration with NSW Ambulance, is hosting a free Family

Day on Sunday, April 6 in Dover Heights from 10.30am-12pm. This will be a fun and educational morning for all ages to come along and learn life-saving skills, tour a NSW Ambulance, meet paramedics and enjoy kids’ activities including crafts, face-painting, balloon art and more. Readers of The Beast can register for free at chsnsw.org.au/ familyday or by scanning the QR code on page 35.

Cheers, James

The Beast

The Beast Pty Ltd ABN 32 143 796 801 www.thebeast.com.au Editor

james@thebeast.com.au

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The Beast's Monthly Mailbag

Words The Fantastic People of the Eastern Beaches

Geographically Challenged

Dear James - Please advise your cruciverbalist that Johannesburg is not the capital of South Africa (Beast Brainteasers, The Beast, March 2025).

Thanks, George Coogee

Ignore the Whingers

Dear James - Contrary to what the right-wing whingers say, The Beast is a breath of fresh ozone. Surely they have enough tabloid tripe to satisfy their lust for the lies and sensationalism on which they feed?

I do have one gripe thoughthe gratuitous use of “allege” in Crime News. And it’s not just in your esteemed publication; it’s a scourge of the Western media.

Four out of seven items in the March edition’s Crime News featured the offending word, my favourite being, “An 18-yearold man is alleged to have been stabbed in the back...”

Please, cease and desist. Journalism schools have a lot to answer for.

Yours in pedantry, Kezza Bondi Junction

Local Pocket Parks

I write in regards to these ‘pocket parks’ that are suddenly on the agenda of recent times. There is one proposed for Burnie Street, which I haven’t had a look at, however I would say the semi recently completed one on the corner of Clovelly and Carrington Roads was largely a massive waste of money and time.

I note that there are people who seem to wave the flag over enthusiastically for this particular development. I scratch my head to figure out why. Perhaps there’s some other agenda at work? I drive past this ‘p-p’ every day, sometimes more than once. I’ve yet to notice any sign of frolicking children nor locals lapping up the new space at all. On face value, all this development seemed to do was to soak up more tax payers’ monies over many months, causing traffic flow issues for the duration.

But wait, there’s more... Now, instead of people wanting to turn left at Carrington Road off Clovelly Road being able to do so without the incursion of traffic lights, now they have to queue up, blocking either buses or others who are trying to use that left lane due to someone turning right onto Carrington Road. During the morning peak time, it just adds to the stalling of traffic flow. But it would seem that anyone driving a car is deemed the devil by many more people these days. Not that motorists are without fault. All you have to do is be behind 99 per cent of drivers approaching a roundabout. They seem paralysed and become prostrate, almost hoping someone else will get onto the roundabout so it can justify their stultification.

By and large, Aussie drivers are incredibly nervous and poor, especially in the Eastern Suburbs. Nevertheless, the basis for this email is about traffic flow. Why aren’t we taught how to drive in this country? It seems that the

government wipes its hands of any responsibility, no matter how many accidents are the result of poor drivers. Don’t get me started on pedestrians, the way they leap in front of cars at crossings, only to then amble across as slowly as possible. There is no courtesy in public any more.

Patrick Garvan Coogee

Empty Pocket Parks

Just when I thought that we had heard the last of the misguided and expensive pocket park projects, Burnie Street has reappeared as a supposedly ‘in demand’ item.

I read, with amazement, Lindy’s arcadian vision of the Carrington/Clovelly Road monstrosity (Burnie Pocket Park, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, March 2025). This wonderful ‘green space’, a place packed with happy children, thirsty dog walkers, wandering minstrels and fair damsels teasing vines of jasmine into evermore sensual shapes. Perhaps the nymphs and shepherds couldn’t find space amongst the hubbub.

Reality reveals a large area of brick paving and concrete, and two large curved skeletal structures that provide no shelter against rain or sun. The only time I have seen the stage used was for a meeting of six council workers, in high vis, pointing at the brick paving.

The most used part of the project is the area under the one tree (that was there originally), which provides shade and cover for those waiting for the 339 bus.

I pass this area daily and have never seen more than six people (previously mentioned) in the area, and usually there is no one.

I did stop one day to take a phone call, at the end of which I was approached by a lady who congratulated me for using the bench as she had never seen anyone actually sitting down!

In these cash starved days there are hundreds of projects that are needed to maintain

OPEN DAYS

Thursday 20 March 9.15-10.30am

Wednesday 2 April 9.15-10.30am

Friday 16 May 9.15-10.30am Thursday 22 May 9.15-10.30am

Monthly Mailbag

Randwick, and not this frivolous rubbish. Stick to your guns, you Burnie Street rebels - real parks, not pocket park indulgences!

Steve Coogee

'Bright Ideas'

Dear James - I am responding to Margie of Coogee’s letter (Pocket Parks Such a Waste, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, March 2025) in regard to the pocket park on the corner of Carrington and Clovelly Roads, and I am in total agreement that this is a farce and a $2 million dollar waste!

I pass there four to five days a week at varying times of the day and just can’t believe how completely empty and underutilised this park is. Once again, desperately needed car parkingjust like every other ‘bright idea’has been sacrificed for something that is not necessary and not used. Motorists, particularly the less able or the elderly, are continuing to be ignored and are viewed as some sort of pariahs because they actually need to be able to travel by car (how dare they?!) and actually find a space to park their vehicle within cooee of their destination.

It seems like the only citizens of our community whose needs continue to decline and be ignored are motorists needing to find somewhere to leave their car. Yet if they stop in the wrong place a fine is slapped on them within seconds - the biggest money grab for councils to further splurge on reducing car spaces for even more useless ‘bright ideas’.

Pancho Coogee

Snap Send Solve

Hi James - As a visitor I enjoyed reading The Beast, especially the letters. May I suggest everyone downloads the app ‘Snap Send Solve’, then you can report directly about paths, rubbish, dead animals, missing Telstra lids, abandoned trolleys, water leaks, etc. It is free, very easy to use, and councils and any other

relevant body seem to act quickly. I report everything where ever I go and it is very effective. The feedback is great, anywhere in Australia. If I was staying here longer I would report stuff solid for two days, as what I found while walking around was the same as what Joey of Bondi found, even just OH&S issues alone (Improving Waverley, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, March 2025). If everyone does it you will be amazed how the place will look so much better.

Cheers,

Helen Washington

Port Melbourne

Corflutes

I see that again the corflute for the Liberal candidate tries as hard as possible to disguise the brand by both colour recognition and quoting the name of the party in as small print as possible.

I’m assuming that candidate Ro Knox fully supports the crazy so-called polices of the party such as the ridiculously expensive bonkers nuclear investment, taxpayer-funded business lunches for bosses of small business and the irresponsible encouragement for young people to dip into their super to buy a home, thereby reducing substantially their income stream in retirement.

You can camouflage a poster, but a vote for Ro is a vote for Peter Dutton. Good luck with that in Wentworth.

David Boyd

Bondi Beach

Hoon Highway

Hi James - I’m in total agreement with Nos from Maroubra (What About Brook Street? Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, February 2025) regarding Coogee and limiting speed to 40km/h for safety. Coogee Bay Road has become ‘Hoon Highway’ despite 40km/h signage from Arden Street to Brook Street.

I contacted Randwick Council asking that 40km/h signage be at eye level on the approach rather than the existing height

placement. They referred me to Transport for NSW and in turn I contacted Dr Marjorie O’Neill’s office, who have written to the Minister for Roads.

Cars, buses, motor bikes and delivery persons all speed in defiance of 40km/h signage. Pedestrians ignore traffic lights and stroll across the road. Motorists consistently defy the ‘No Right Turn’ sign at Brook Street. Every weekend, hoons visit Coogee Bay Road, showing off in noisy speeding cars from Arden Street all the way to Randwick.

As a pedestrian, the victim of a near fatal accident in Coogee when a speeding truck ran the red lights at the intersection of Brook Street and Coogee Bay Road on January 25, 2010, I am very concerned. Especially with the proposed Coogee Bay Hotel development on the horizon and more traffic from there onto Coogee Bay Road.

Laurel Coogee

Impact of Waverley College Expansion Plans

Hi James - Readers in Henrietta Street and other streets in Waverley adjacent to Waverley College are concerned with the adverse impacts of plans submitted to the state government for the senior college to expand and redevelop its campus over the course of the next 20 to 30 years.

Despite arguments to the contrary by the college, most residents in surrounding streets have not been properly consulted yet they are likely to be affected through increased construction-related traffic; plans to have a new and expanded on-site parking area exiting into the one-way narrow Henrietta Street; a new and tall proposed science building confronting pedestrians in Henrietta Street north; threats to a much admired 200-yearold Port Jackson ficus on the corner of Henrietta and Salisbury Streets that houses a significant colony of flying foxes; and demolition of six leased residences

owned by the college at a time of housing shortages.

It’s time the college sat down with representatives of the neighbourhood and adjusted its plans so that consideration is given to residents that have to put up with changes affecting them beyond just school hours.

Byron Waverley

The Phantom Does Shoes as Well Dear James - Further to Mark’s concern about the Phantom Shirt Thief (The Phantom, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, March 2025), we have much evidence that the person responsible is also taking people’s shoes. We see many going bare-footed in Clovelly streets despite the hazards that this involves - I’m thinking here of bindies, broken glass, sharp metal objects from building sites, dog turds, etc.

According to our relatives, going shoeless in the 1950s and 1960s was regarded as a sign of poverty, so maybe it’s the cost of living crisis and high mortgage interest rates at work, not just the Phantom.

William & Sally Anne Owens Clovelly

The

Unreliable

Guide to the Eastern Suburbs

The January 2025 edition of The Beast featured ‘The Unreliable Guide to Italian Language’ (The Unreliable Guide to Being a Cunning Linguist, The Beast, January 2025). Perhaps there should also be an Unreliable Guide to the Eastern Suburbs. Unlike ‘White Power Trump’ and the UK that shot itself in the foot with Brexit, such a guide should articulate local multiculturalism. Just take a tram ride to Kensington tram stop. On your right, one of Sydney’s most authentic bagel bakeries is located, while on the left is a Portuguese chicken shop. Next to it, two Milano-boys make authentic Italian Pizza.

A stone’s throw away is a ‘high-frequency’ Indonesian lunch place. Next to it is the

fabulous Paddy Chan’s Chinese-Irish fusion place. While on the next corner is an Irish café where the Irish community meets in extraordinary numbers. And behind that, an Indian restaurant is soon to open.

All of this is within a two-minute walk from Kensington’s tram stop. This randomly selected little locality is not unusual for the Eastern Suburbs. It makes Sydney worth living in - with or without an ‘Unreliable Guide’.

Thomas Klikauer

Sweet Kensington

Community Courses

Welcome back! We kick off our 2025 season of dedicated smallgroup community courses with some fun old favourites for new dog owners.

Course D001: Dog Rules Don’t Apply... Learn how dog regulations are an interesting idea but they obviously weren’t written to take into account all of the VIPs living east of Anzac Parade.

D002: Plausible Deniability... Learn how to teach your off-leash dog to remain 10-20 metres behind you on your daily walkyour dog can have fun rummaging through the native flora, sniffing all and depositing on the footpath while you can remain blissfully ‘unaware’.

D003: Twilight is your Friend... Learn how to use the early morning and late evening to your advantage. Who could spot a dog along the beach through the gloom? Learn the importance of saving your back - do you need to stoop and scoop in the dark?

D004: Trip Meter... If you’re forced to use the symbol of slavery (the leash) then you may as well have some fun tangling up pedestrians! Learn how to teach your on-leash dog to constantly walk on the opposite side of the footpath to you while you’re on your walk. Compare points awarded per pedestrian tripped up. Can you get the Trip Meter High Score?

D005: On Safari... Keep your eyes peeled and learn how to spot

the almost-extinct and rarely seen Toothless Local Officer. Learn how to share sightings!

D006: Fake Truth... They tried to control your mind with COVID vaccines. Learn how they’re now targeting your dog to get to you. Those nagging doubts will all make sense - learn the truth behind those dog ‘vaccines’ and ‘heartworm’ tablets!

All courses at cost! Experienced staff! Join now!

Mark Coogee

Another Coogee Classic Under Threat

Dear James - Coogee was once known for its beautiful homes. Most have long gone and every year more are lost.

Ariadne, a grand Coogee house, is currently on the market. The advertising lists “restore the home” as a possibility, but also “potential to develop land”.

Ariadne was designed by Robertson and Marks, the architects of many iconic buildings in Sydney including the Bondi Pavilion. Ariadne has a sandstone frontage, beautiful leadlight windows and doors, wood mantel pieces and architraves - all typical of a grand home built in 1919 - and a large garden area with a magnificent olive tree. From what can be ascertained, Ariadne has been in the same family for more than 100 years. Originally from Greece, the family at one stage owned six milk bars in Sydney.

A group of residents is seeking to have the house and garden heritage listed with Randwick Council. For more information and to get involved, please email keepcoogeeavillage@gmail.com.

Rona Wade Coogee

Pearls of Wokedom

Every month I open The Beast with great expectation and excitement, and every month I feel virtually nauseous reading the absolute garbage written by ‘Pearl’. One part champagne socialism, one part holier than thou

smugness, and the balance utter tripe. Seriously - isn’t there some Inner West pinko pages rag she can contribute to instead?

Reading the March 2025 edition’s letters alone, I can find many mailbag contributors much more suited to contributing actual pearls of wisdom rather than the snide digs at the general area readership from the incumbent. Ian from Clovelly, Henry from Bondi, Gary from Maroubra, John from Coogee... got a spare hour or two to pen a few thoughts for the April (and onwards) issues? You couldn’t possibly do any worse than the pompous, self-important windbag currently despoiling The Beast’s pages.

Andrew South Bondi

Satire

Hey James - thank you Pearl and Kieran for your contributions to The Beast. It is heartening to see that ‘Satire is not dead’.

Col Maroubra

Shark Nets and Drum Lines

I see in the news that the actual first responders, who are practical experts through occupation in the sea, not self-anointed new age ones, have pointed out that drum lines cannot replace nets.

Drum lines cannot replace nets as lifesavers. Drum lines are large buoys attached to the bottom by weights with baited hooks. Sharks do not have gills, but rely on water movement through a gill-like method, but must move.

To catch a shark, drum lines are baited, and that attracts sharks. In the long line commercial fishing industry, that is a FAD (fish aggregating device), which is how the sharks are caught, when they struggle hooked to a block of weighted concrete or other heavy object. Maritime law and fishing law in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and territorial waters and exclusive economic zones is one of my legal practice areas.

It is bleeding obvious to any person with an active frontal lobe that a drum line attracts sharks to an area, raising risk.

Anyone who asserts drum lines replace nets is arguing for more shark deaths at Bondi as per the 1920s and 1930s. The fact that there have been no fatal attacks in netted beaches since their implementation says it all, with one attack at Backpackers since 1930 - hubris abounds.

Peter Little Bondi Beach

Spender Speak

In July 2024 our Teal MP, Allegra Spender, prepared a calculated article for The Beast which informed her electorate that, “In the past 12 months we have added more renewables to the grid, and we are seeing prices come down as a result.” Utter fiction. The NSW wholesale electricity price had risen by 27.7 per cent for the year ending June 30. It got worse, with recent figures showing the price increased by 49 per cent for the 2024 calendar year.

Perhaps a Teals financier had provided the manifestly false information, but whatever the truth, our Teal owes us an explanation.

This government, which has been supported by the Teals, tries to hide its energy policy fiasco by allocating huge amounts of our taxes for household and small business electricity rebates ($3.5 billion, 2024-25). Those rebates do not help other businesses, industry or service suppliers. I cannot think of any commercial area which is not affected by energy costs. Nor can I think of any goods or services which have not had substantial price increases since the last election. Record numbers of businesses have gone broke.

Could it be that Teal candidates are unaware of the truth and simply accept what the Teal policy strategists tell them?

Greg Maidment Bronte

Listen to the Experts

Thank you for your letter, Greg. I know people are struggling; they are trying to work out how to pay their bills and making really hard choices. I want to see permanently lower prices on energy for households - that is why I released a Permanent Energy Bill Relief Plan in February. My plan would help homeowners, renters and social housing tenants permanently reduce their power bills through support for rooftop solar, home batteries and energy upgrades (you can view more details at www.allegraspender.com. au/energy_bill_relief). I hope this is a policy initiative that all sides of politics can get behind.

When it comes to energy policy, I listen to the experts at places like the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). They’re clear that Australia’s dependence on ageing and unreliable coalfired power stations - as well as expensive gas - are major factors driving up wholesale power prices. For example, in the last quarter of 2024, an increase in coal outages pushed wholesale prices up - but record renewables in the grid helped push them down. You can read more in the AEMO’s quarterly report.

Our dependence on unreliable coal is one of the reasons we need to accelerate the renewable roll-out. As of November 2024, there had not been a single day in the past 18 months without some coal-fired generation experiencing unplanned outages. As the Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator told a parliamentary inquiry last year, “Increasing coal plant outages are causing havoc for supply and driving up prices.” She testified on a day when more than a quarter of the eastern seaboard’s coal fleet was offline. Allegra Spender Wentworth 

Please send your letters to letters@thebeast.com.au (don’t forget to include your name and suburb).

Local Artist... Juani Serrovalle from Bondi

Local artist Juani Serrovalle is the talent behind this month’s cover, a playful illustration of life in the East. Juani shares his local favourites with The Beast...

How long have you lived here?

I’ve lived here for the last five years. I love the beach, the sun, the nature... basically everything you could want in a place.

What’s your favourite beach?

That’s a tough one. Every beach has its unique vibe, but Tamarama is definitely my favourite.

What’s your favourite eatery?

I’m more of a home cook, but I can’t resist the burgers from Bondi Tony’s and a dulce de leche gelato while lying on the grass at Bondi (just watch out for those cheeky seagulls).

Where do you like to have a drink? As a true Argentine, I love drinking maté (our traditional drink) in North Bondi. You’ve probably seen groups of us sipping from that strange cup with a straw on the beach and wondered what it is. Feel free to ask - most of us are happy to share some maté with you!

Best thing about the Eastern Suburbs? You really can’t beat living by the sea.

Worst thing about the Eastern Suburbs? It can get really busy and noisy, especially during peak times. And, while we’re on the topic, I’d like to remind everyone to please pick up their rubbish and keep our beaches clean.

How would you describe your art? Playful, colourful, vibrant and happy. I love drawing plants, birds, cats and house portraits - I always carry a sketchbook with me wherever I go.

Where can people see your work? You can find me on Instagram at @juaniserrovalle. I’ve also recently launched a new account, @morethanaplace, where I share architectural designs and house portraits. Feel free to follow and drop a comment, I’d really appreciate your support.

Who are your artistic inspirations? Jean Jullien is my biggest inspiration as an illustrator, and I’m also a huge fan of Jeremyville’s work - his pieces are always full of meaningful messages and inspiring vibes, and he’s the one behind the artwork for the best dulce de leche ice cream here. Locally, Gemma O’Brien is definitely one to watch.

What are you working on at the moment? I’m currently working on a few exciting projects, including fabric collections for t-shirts, an illustrated children’s book and some poster artwork for gig concerts.

Do you have any exhibitions coming up? Not at the moment, but if you’re reading this and have a space where we could collaborate, I’d love to chat. I’m always open to new projects, including murals and workshops.

When did you discover you had a gift for your craft? I’m not sure there was an exact moment, but

I’d say it’s just because I never stopped drawing. Over time, it turned into something bigger.

Did you study art? I studied graphic design with a focus on branding in Argentina, where I also worked as a typography lecturer at university for four years. Later, I studied illustration and fine arts, which helped me find my creative path. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with brands and artists worldwide, and I’ve been fortunate to receive some recognition for my work.

Any words of wisdom for young aspiring artists? Keep it up. Stay creative, and always be kind.

Who is your favourite person?

My life and travel partner, Anita. She’s a talented designer, nature lover and an incredible person. We inspire each other and love planning big adventures together.

What do you do for work? I’m a freelance illustrator, mural artist and digital designer, working on creative projects all over the world. My work is diverse and keeps me busy, from custom murals to unique digital designs. I also collaborate on visual design systems in the broadcast industry, but my heart belongs to the hands-on, creative projects that let me express myself fully.

What’s your favourite thing about work? I love exploring new things, whether it’s new materials, new mediums or new projects. As an example, I’m currently learning how to tattoo.

Do you have a favourite quote? “Hakuna Matata.”

Any other words of wisdom for readers of The Beast? Let’s keep our community strong by supporting local art and businesses, taking care of our planet, picking up our rubbish and encouraging others to do the same.

Interview James Hutton

Photo Ana Benza

Art that makes you smile.

Matt is raising his family locally

Matt Thistlethwaite

Your Local Member for Kingsford Smith

Matt has served our community

and schools

Matt is a local, born and bred Matt is delivering for our community

Working for our community

Scan to get in contact with Matt

Backpacker Party Cost Ratepayers “Ballpark

Figure of $100,000”

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Vicky Pollard

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh is calling on the NSW Government to cover the costs of extra policing and other state government services over the peak summer period - and that will include sharing bills for the massive Christmas Day backpacker party at Bronte.

Mayor Nemesh has revealed that user-pays policing and other costs for the latest backpacker party cost Waverley ratepayers “a ballpark figure of $100,000.”

Christmas Day 2024 saw a swarming mass of 15,000 people, mainly young overseas visitors, at the so-called ‘Orphans’ Christmas’ gathering for people spending the day thousands of kilometres from home.

They left an ocean of mess including a lot of broken glass. Mayor Nemesh was one of the clean-up volunteers who picked up rubbish that night and the next morning.

At the February meeting of Waverley Council, the mayor moved a motion calling on the NSW Government to work with Council for the entire Summer Safe campaign from December to January, covering costs of extra policing, transport and other services within the responsibility of the state government.

“Our ratepayers shouldn’t be slugged for services traditionally provided by the state government to keep our community safe,” Mayor Nemesh told The Beast.

Councillors unanimously supported his motion. The council will now write to the NSW Premier Chris Minns “advocating for some costs including policing and additional transportation to be covered by the state government.”

Council officers will prepare a report examining options for the Summer Safe 2025-26 program. The report will have “a specific focus on Christmas Day celebrations at Bronte” and will look at a number of options that have arisen in recent community consultations. These options include a ban on glassware and crowd restrictions.

Meanwhile, the mayor wants to set a clear future direction for future events at Bronte and will host a community forum in April.

“I want people to have fun - this is not about the ‘Nanny State,’ he stressed. “We are a welcoming community, and we want our visitors to enjoy themselves, but it has to be in line with community expectations.”

Eliane Turns Carmen Opera Into a Cabaret Experience

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Andrew Worssam

For the past few years, Bondi writer-performer and mezzo-soprano Eliane Morel has been working on a re-interpretation of the opera Carmen.

Carmen the Cabaret is a one-hour show, and it has been road-tested at fringe festivals to a rapturous response - it won the Best Artistic Merit award at Newcastle Fringe last year.

Now Eliane is bringing Carmen the Cabaret to Bondi Pavilion Theatre for a one-off show at 7.30pm on Wednesday, April 2, presented by Waverley Council.

Told from Carmen’s perspective, sung in English and using only the best musical highlights, Ms Morel said her reframing of Bizet’s opera “allows audiences to get close to Carmen in a way that is impossible in your traditional opera.”

While the show challenges the opera’s assumptions about domestic violence and victim-blaming, she said it is “so engaging and fun - by the end audiences are cheering for Carmen’s life.”

To book, phone Waverley Council on 9083 8000 or go to bondipavilion.com.au/whats_ on/event/carmen_the_cabaret.

Life's a cabaret for Carmen.

Council is working on a game plan for the next 'Orphans' Christmas'.

Good News for Local EV Drivers

Words and Photo Anthony Maguire

Waverley Council is getting charged up about EV charging stations. More than two dozen new ones are currently being installed, bringing the total number in the LGA to over 75.

Sites were decided in consultation with the public late last year. Then councillors gave the thumbs-up to the expansion of the EV charging network at the February Council and Finance, Operations & Community Services Committee meetings.

And now 26 new charging stations are being built ahead of a deadline for going live by the end of April. The deadline was set by the NSW Government as a condition for funding under a kerbside charging grants scheme.

There’ll now be a charging station on Bronte Road next to Macpherson Street, convenient for nearby apartment dwellers.

Tamarama gets a charging station at Marks Park, while Rose Bay is to get three stations - Old South Head Road, Dover Road and The Avenue.

Other new locations include Barracluff Avenue, Bondi Beach;

Birrell Street beside Waverley Oval; Military Road, North Bondi; Church Street, Waverley; Old South Head Road, Waverley; Marks Park, Tamarama; and Paul Street, Bondi Junction.

In addition, there will be expansion of existing EV charging facilities on Queen Elizabeth Drive in Bondi Beach, Grafton Street in Bondi Junction and Trafalgar Street beside Waverley Cemetery.

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said we need more public EV charging stations to keep up with demand for electric vehiclesalmost one in ten new car sales are now EVs.

“Waverley, Woollahra and Randwick Councils are working collaboratively with the NSW Government and electric vehicle charging companies to triple the number of public charging spaces in the area to over 300, all within 12 months,” he said.

“We are conscious of the potential impacts to current parking arrangements, which is why we will consult our community every step of the way.”

Bronte Public School Kicks off Centenary Celebrations in Style

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Ali Nasseri and Romello Pereira

Bronte Public School has kicked off its 2025 centenary celebrations with a series of memorable events to honour its rich history and vibrant community. The festivities began with an Aboriginal smoking ceremony during a welcome barbecue, setting a tone of respect and inclusivity for the school’s milestone.

A highlight of the celebrations was a photo event where students recreated a cherished old photograph down at the Bronte Pool. School parents Ali Nasseri and Romello Pereira generously donated their time and expertise to capture stunning photos of the students.

These moments have created wonderful memories for everyone involved, marking the beginning of Bronte Public School’s 100th birthday in style. Looking ahead, a P&C gala event will be held on Saturday, March 29 in a marquee on the school grounds for past and present Bronte Public School families, along with an open morning on Sunday, September 21.

This centenary celebration not only reflects on the past but also looks forward to a bright future for the small school and its devoted community.

Celebrating 100 years in style.

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh is catering for increased EV demand.

Allegra Shocked by Politicians Behaving Badly

Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender says she was shocked when she first witnessed politicians hurling abuse at each other across the parliamentary floor.

“I remember the first time I went to question time, I could not believe the behaviour,” said the Independent, who has just served her first term and is now campaigning for re-election.

However, she quickly got used to the combative atmosphere and went on to strike up alliances with politicians of different political persuasions to push through legislation on refugee rights, energy conservation and other crucial issues.

“I will back a good idea wherever it comes from,” she told The Beast.

In the current campaign, she is getting very vocal on climate and the environment, creation of a smarter economy and community cohesion.

“I wish we’d taken more action on the environmental laws this term,” Ms Spender said.

“We still have a long way to go in terms of things like stopping native forest logging.”

She also said it’s important to make sure we have “a tough cop on the beat” with the yet-to-beformed federal environmental protection agency.

On the issue of a smarter economy, Ms Spender posed the questions, “How do we make our businesses grow, and how do we help younger people get ahead, save for mortgages and build a life for themselves?” She explained that tax reform would provide one avenue for improvement.

And when it comes to the community, Ms Spender says we must end the “culture wars” which have seen “the pitching of different parts of our community against each other.”

She promises that the community will always come first if she is given the opportunity to represent Wentworth again.

“For every single vote, I will vote for the community,” she told The Beast.

Bondi Junction

Author Elizabeth Is a Bit of a Busy Body!

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Agatha Christie

Local author Elizabeth Bankes has a thing about dead bodies. She has just published the third book in her ‘Body’ series of murder mysteries.

First there was The Body in the Boarding House, about the murder of a teacher at an Eastern Suburbs school.

Next came The Body on the Beach, where a teenage girl is the murder victim and members of a rugby team fall under suspicion.

Now there’s The Bodies Down at Bondi, where there are two murder victims - a British backpacker and a drug dealer who both frequent a pub in Bondi.

“It’s set in the mid-1990s, when Bondi was flooded by British and Irish backpackers,” says Ms Bankes, who teaches Academic English at UNSW College when she’s not writing murder mysteries.

Why has she specialised in this literary genre?

“Whodunnits have a strong tradition in popular fiction. People love reading them and I love writing them!”

You can find copies of The Bodies Down at Bondi at Harry Hartog in Bondi Junction and Woollahra Bookshop.

Liz loves her job to death!

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Polly Ticks

Spender's popularity has surged after an effective first term.

Precincts are meetings of residents who get together regularly to discuss local matters or issues of concern in their neighbourhood. Waverley is split into 13 Precincts and meetings are open to any person living within the Precinct boundaries.

Visit waverley.nsw.gov.au/precinct or scan the QR Code to find out which Precinct you belong to and when they are meeting next. Waverley Council proudly supports resident run Precinct

Post-punk Backdrop to Bondi Director’s New Film

Bondi writer-director Jonathan Ogilvie faced some location challenges while shooting his latest feature, Head South. The $4 million comedy-drama was shot in Christchurch, New Zealand, and is set in 1979. Mr Ogilvie and his crew had to be careful about the backgrounds in many of the shots because the effects of the city’s 2011 earthquake were still very evident.

“You point the camera one way and you get devastated empty space, and you point it another way and you can see it as 1979 Christchurch.”

Some of the sense of time and place was achieved in post-production with computer graphics. Mr Ogilvie said there was an earthquake-ravaged late 1970s high-rise hotel building still standing and it made a very good backdrop for a number of scenes.

“Using CG, we’ve put the glass back on the windows and

cleaned it up a bit and it works very well.”

Head South is a coming-ofage film starring Ed Oxenbould. He plays 17-year-old Angus, a wannabe musician who, says Mr Ogilvie, has “a brief moment of triumph on stage before the bigger issues of the world catch up with him.”

Music is a driving force in the movie, with Ed Oxenbould showcasing his substantial musical talents, as does Kiwi singer-songwriter Benee (Stella Bennett). And there’s a lot of post-punk music from the era by underground New Zealand bands of the time like The Scavengers and Toy Love, along with Public Image and other international acts.

Head South is Mr Ogilvie’s fourth feature. His most recent was Lone Wolf, a dystopian thriller with Hugo Weaving and Tilda Cobham-Hervey. Head South opens at the Dendy Newtown on Thursday, April 3.

Council Chambers Could Become Recreation and Community Centre

Words Anthony Maguire

Goodbye old Waverley Council chambers. Hello multi-purpose recreation and community centre.

That’s the vision of Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh as Council considers the future of the old building, which many see as being in a terminal state of disrepair.

Located on Bondi Road at the edge of Waverley Park, the chambers consists of three buildings - one built in the early 20th century and the others in the 1960s and 1970s.

It has been empty since last year and now Mayor Nemesh has drawn a line in the sand.

“The Council chambers is a valuable community asset which needs a plan,” the mayor told The Beast. “My preference is for it to be turned into a multi-purpose recreation and community facility.”

Councillors approved a motion by Mayor Nemesh that there be consultation with the community about the future of the chambers. That consultation will take place mid-year.

Locals will be consulted on the future of the old chambers.

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Dougal Holmes

How does the song go again? Ed Oxenbould on stage in Head South.

Photo Will Chambers

New Plaque Honours ‘Great Visionary’, ‘Politician of the People’

Words and Photo Anthony Maguire

Local politicians past and present congregated on the clifftop lookout beside Waverley Cemetery for the unveiling of a plaque honouring the late Ernie Page, OAM.

Mr Page, who passed away in 2018, was a local political powerhouse who started off as a Waverley councillor in the early 1960s and became mayor at the age of 30. He went on to serve nine terms in that position. Then Macquarie Street beckoned - from 1981 to 2003 he was the local member and during five of those years served as Minister for Local Government.

Around 50 people were at the plaque ceremony. Waverley Council General Manager Emily Scott introduced speeches from Waverley’s Labor Deputy Mayor Keri Spooner, Member for Coogee Dr Marjorie O’Neill, Member for Kingsford Smith Matt Thistlethwaite and former Waverley Mayor and Member

for Coogee Paul Pearce. Also paying tribute to Mr Page were his daughter Therese and son Harry.

Paul Pearce said Mr Page was a ‘great visionary’ who pioneered the coastal walkway and fought overdevelopment at Bondi Beach.

“We wish Ernie was with us now because we could certainly do with his support,” Mr Pearce told the crowd.

Councillor Spooner said he was “above all a politician of the people” and Dr Marjorie O’Neill called Mr Page “a complete and utter giant.” Dr O’Neill choked back tears as she added, “It is with immense honour that I try to walk in his footsteps.”

The plaque has been installed by Waverley Council and was authorised during Labor’s recent tenure. Waverley Council staged the unveiling ceremony, providing a PA system, seating and a gazebo.

David Wenham Honoured With Film Walk of Fame Plaque

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Mark Bond

Actor David Wenham has been inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame outside Ritz Cinemas in Randwick.

Mr Wenham and Randwick

Mayor Dylan Parker unveiled a bronze plaque bearing the actor’s name ahead of a special screening of his latest film, Spit.

Mayor Parker said Mr Wenham’s induction was a “fitting recognition of his extraordinary decades-long contribution to the world of television and film in Australia and around the world.”

Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky, Spit sees Mr Wenham playing the same character that he did in 2003 film Gettin’ Square - heroin addict Johnny Spiteri. His performance in Gettin’ Square earned him the 2003 AFI award for best actor. And now people are raving about the latest incarnation of Johnny Spiteri.

A review on the Limelight website said Mr Wenham’s performance in Spit “just might elevate him into the mainstream pantheon of folk-crime antiheroes alongside Eric Bana’s ‘Chopper’ Read.”

David Wenham and Mayor Parker unveil the plaque.

Local politicians Dr Marjorie O’Neill and Matt Thistlethwaite were among those paying tribute to Ernie Page.

The latest from Randwick City Council about living in this great city

Randwick News

The days may be cooler, but there’s still plenty going on this month in Randwick City. Come check out the amazing array of stallholders at the wildly popular Maroubra Beach Markets on Saturday 5 April and on the first Saturday of the month.

Saturday Circle returns on Saturday 12 April at the Randwick Sustainability Hub. It’s a monthly get-together where you can learn to fix and reuse everyday items. This month, Saturday Circle features a special open day for the new Sydney Library of Things, located at the Sustainability Hub. It’s like a normal library, but for household items. Check out our website for details.

You’ve still got time to check out the top 50 entries to the Women’s Art Prize at the Lionel Bowen Library in Maroubra. We had over 170 incredible entries this year and the top 50 remain on exhibition till 13 April.

In the lead up to Anzac Day, we pay tribute to our Anzacs and the generations of service men and women who have sacrificed so much for our community. Council is proud to have worked with RSL sub-branches across the Randwick City area to develop street banners featuring locals who have served in the armed forces. The banners now fly in suburbs across our city in their honour.

Council has once again partnered with the Coogee Randwick Clovelly RSL sub-Branch to host the Coogee Anzac Day Dawn Service on 25 April 2025. I encourage you to join us in Coogee or at any of the events organised by your local sub-branch.

Lest we forget.

What’s On

MAROUBRA BEACH MARKETS

SATURDAY 5 APRIL

8am – 2pm

Broadarrow Reserve

Maroubra

WOMEN’S ART PRIZE

UNTIL SUNDAY 13 APRIL

Lionel Bowen Library Gallery

Maroubra

SATURDAY CIRCLE

SATURDAY 12 APRIL

10am – 12pm Randwick Sustainability Hub

COOGEE ANZAC DAY

DAWN SERVICE

FRIDAY 25 APRIL

5.30am

Goldstein Reserve Coogee Beach

See our website for a full list of commemorative services

Councillor Dylan Parker Mayor of Randwick

Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker

These Local E-bike Impresarios Are

Taking on the Big Guns

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Caroline Büss

One day in 2016, Bondi resident Conrad Pattinson accidentally reversed his mate’s car into, and then over, his father Rob’s prized e-bike. It was totalled.

Conrad, then a 23-year-old uni student, says, “I didn’t have the money to get the same e-bike, so I started researching how I could go about getting one made overseas.”

After several months, a gleaming replacement arrived from China and Dad was happy. Meanwhile, an idea had formed in Conrad’s head - ‘Why don’t I do this for a living?’

He started talking to his former Waverley College schoolmate Michael Fatouris, who said that his own father had warehouse space in Mascot they might be able to use. Things moved quickly from there. Soon after, the two were taking a trip

to China and bringing back a few e-bikes, and by mid-2017 they were taking delivery of their first container. Vamos Bikes was born!

Conrad and Michael’s mission is to bring quality, affordable e-bikes to the people of Sydney and beyond.

“When we started, there weren’t many people doing e-bikes and the bigger brands were prohibitively expensive,” says Michael. “There’s now a lot more competition, so we have to know about all the latest overseas trends. This year, we’re going to bike shows in Germany and Taiwan and we’re also checking out the e-bike scene in New York.”

Vamos Bikes sells six models, which are manufactured in Taiwan and China to Conrad and Michael’s specifications.

There’s their lead-in model, El Doblez, which sells for $2,495. ‘Doble’ is Spanish for ‘double up’ or ‘fold’ - the bike folds up so it fits easily in the standard car boot.

Then there’s the high-performance El Diablo ($3,795), which will propel you up the most devilish hill with ease. Conrad describes it as “a mountain bike with push.”

Or you might like the El Amigo, which has a friendly price of $4,345, fantastic value considering what you get - fat tyres and front fork suspension, which enables it to take on challenging terrain. Plus it has a high-torque motor with substantial grunt. Like all the other Vamos bikes, El Amigo is locked at 25km/h to comply with regulations. But it can take you up to 50km/h if unlocked when on private property.

The top of the line model is a trike that sells for up to $6,495. It’s the Papa Grande, a sturdy beast with Mozo suspension, which comes in handy on bumpy terrain.

If you’re wondering about the Spanish names, it goes back to when Conrad was travelling in South America. ‘Vamos’ means ‘let’s go’ in Spanish, and he embraced those words as a kind of call to action during his travels. Then, when he and Michael went into the e-bike business, they agreed on the name Vamos and built on the Spanish theme with the model names.

Vamos Bikes is now distributing to around 50 bike shops across Australia. Local stockists are Bondi Bike Shop, Cheeky Velosport in Randwick and Albion Cycles in Charing Cross.

Readers of The Beast have the opportunity to purchase a Vamos Bike at a 10 per cent discount. Just go to the website, vamosbikes.com.au, and quote the code Beast10.

Vamos, amigos!

Conrad (left) and Michael have carved out a successful niche in the e-bike industry.

Mirror, mirror on the wall… serial DV offender Eden Sperzel.

Crime News

Words Jimmy Felon

Photo Pam Bula

DV Offender Menaced Victim From Jail

A serious domestic violence offender who’d switched his Maroubra address for a jail cell managed to bombard his victim with 1,553 calls from an approved prison phone.

Eden Sperzel, 27, was serving a three-month sentence at John Morony Correctional Complex near Windsor when he notched up an average of almost 20 calls per day to the woman he’d been charged with assaulting - and who he was banned from contacting under an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO).

Waverley Local Court was told Sperzel has multiple convictions for domestic violence (DV) and is registered as a high risk DV offender. Despite the screening of outgoing calls from prisoners at the jail, he got away with harassing his victim until she finally blew the whistle on him.

Sperzel pleaded guilty to breaching his AVO and using a carriage service to menace or harass. The magistrate sent him back to jail for eight months.

Clovelly Crash Driver Was Three Times Over - Police

A male driver was allegedly three times over the legal alcohol limit when he slammed into three parked cars at 2.15am in Beach

Street, Clovelly, then flipped his own car. Police say he also tested positive for cannabis.

Arrests Over Dover Heights and Queens Park Antisemitic Attacks

Two men have been arrested and charged over antisemitic arson and graffiti in the Eastern Suburbs.

They were arrested at a jail where they were already on remand, accused of trying to burn down a Newtown synagogue.

Now police allege they were responsible for January attacks on homes and cars in Queens Park and Dover Heights.

In the Dover Heights incident, the former home of prominent Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin was defaced with red paint, cars were daubed with antisemitic graffiti and two vehicles were torched.

Police named the pair as Leon Sofilas, 37, and Adam Moule, 33. When the cops came calling at their jail, Sofilas was charged with being an accessory before damaging property by fire, and both were charged with being an accessory before damaging property in company and participating in a criminal group activity.

The nature of the charges indicates that others, yet to be arrested, were involved, and that the men allegedly belong to an organised crime group.

Meanwhile, more arrests are expected under a NSW Police operation called Strike Force Pearl, set up to investigate antisemitic attacks across Sydney.

‘Good Samaritan’ Robbed on Randwick Street

Police say that a ‘Good Samaritan’ who stopped his car to help two men apparently in distress was assaulted and robbed by the pair.

According to a Facebook posting by Eastern Beaches Police Area Command, the incident took place in Victoria Street, Randwick when the two men waved down a passing vehicle.

“As the vehicle stopped the males are alleged to have approached the vehicle, opened the door and assaulted the occupant before leaving the scene with the occupant’s phone, wallet, and keys.”

Following an investigation, a 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with robbery in company. The hunt continues for his alleged accomplice.

This Is No Yolk!

An apartment building in Bondi has been repeatedly egged by two young louts - and now residents are having to shell out on extra security cameras to hopefully identify and help catch the culprits.

The walls of the building have been defaced with patches of dried egg and one of the missiles once lobbed through a family’s lounge room window, narrowly missing mother of two Chelsey as she sat on the couch watching TV.

Chelsey told The Beast that the eggings started in 2022 and since then the building has been targeted two or three times a year. This year’s inaugural egging came on January 5. Chelsey’s husband Ollie filmed two young men aged around 20 running away before escaping on e-bikes.

Then on Valentine’s Day, the eggers came calling again.

“Six to eight eggs were smashed over the entrance, right up to the roof,” Chelsey said. “There are still bits of shell sticking to the wall.”

She said she and Ollie had reported the eggings to police, but the cops didn’t want to investigate because technically there’d been no property damage.

Needless to say, all the residents of the seven-apartment building are feeling overwrought (or should that be ova-wrought?) about the situation. So now they’re getting extra security cameras to cover both sides of the corner block.

The Industry of Fear

Words Jeremy Ireland Photo Terry Fide

Recently I had to take out some new insurance. Honestly, I didn’t really want to, and because it wasn’t a compulsory policy like a green slip on the car or a public liability policy for a business I started to wonder if I could get away with not bothering with it. So, I let it sit for 24 hours before deciding, and during that time I did a count on how many insurance policies I had (I counted twelve separate policies). But the bigger issue was how I started to feel as each of those 24 hours ticked by - I could feel my anxiety levels increase, different scenarios were popping into my head, and the little bird on my shoulder keep reminding me, “Hey, you better not have an accident.” It got to a point where I just had to do it, and immediately my anxiety levels dropped and the angst of the ‘what if’ scenario dissipated.

I want to make it clear that insurance is ordinarily a good and necessary thing, helping to protect what we own or indeed do, but on reflection the motivating force behind getting the insurance was fear. Fear is a powerful force that can push us into spending money, and in no way is that just restricted to insurance. It could be as simple as buying fresh milk as the ‘old’ stuff in the fridge is a day past its use-by date, or buying a device that deters sharks just in case one is lurking out the back. Other examples may include the fear of missing out when a sale is on - ‘hurry, sale ends soon’ - or freaking that housing prices will rise because interest rates dropped. Fear can spill over into many areas of life that make us spend more money than we perhaps need to. Peace of mind is one thing, but being coerced and in a sense manipulated into buying something because we’re worried about something eventuating is another.

But back to the insurance for a moment. After deciding to bite the bullet I shopped around. I started to get lost in how many choices I had, but what really got my attention was the range in price - why was the range in prices so vast, and was I going to regret going for a cheaper policy? I have talked about choice before (how a proliferation of choice can have a negative effect on well-being, in particular anxiety), but what may not be so well known is why certain people want to spend more on something than someone else.

There is much evidence in marketing research showing that the more choices we have for a particular product, the more likely we are to make a suboptimal choice, ultimately undermining whatever pleasure one gets from what we did actually buy. Regret aversion plays a big role when deciding how much to pay for something. If we pay top dollar or follow the mantra ‘buy once, buy well’ then ultimately we are expecting to feel no regret with the purchase. If more choice exists, our standard of what is an acceptable outcome also rises, further eroding our enjoyment of something we have paid good money for.

In a psychological sense, we have what is termed the ‘maximiser’ and the ‘satisficer’, the former having a more negative effect on well-being. Maximisers who expect the most from a top dollar purchase are often not satisfied, as often the bar of non-acceptability is just too high. The satisficer on the other hand evaluates something they’re buying until they find one that exceeds their acceptability threshold. Therefore, to suffice is to pursue not the best option, but a good enough option.

The take-home message here is that with ‘good enough’ rather than ‘best’ as a criterion, the satisficer experiences less regret if a new or better option becomes available. If we are a maximiser type we are more prone to regret and have a greater tendency to experience depression, lower levels of happiness, optimism and life satisfaction. The satisficer is less concerned with social comparison and what others are doing. They are happier and have less regret when buying stuff.

It’s worth pondering that wanting nothing but the best does have paradoxical consequenceshappiness may be a matter of choice, but choice may be a matter of happiness. It’s a well-known and research-backed formula that crosses many different platforms with mental health and well-being.

Jeremy Ireland is a local psychotherapist. Have you got a question? You can get in touch with Jeremy by calling 0400 420 042.

Fear is the prison of the heart.

•

•

Pork Meatball Tacos

Words Dana Sims Instagram @stone_and_twine

If it can be folded in a taco, we’re trying it! Australians have long embraced Mexican food, and these days in an even more elevated way, celebrating the zesty, fresh, spicy flavours and creating our own versions of traditional tacos.

These pork meatballs are loaded with corn, jalapeno and coriander and are the perfect base for the taco. A lime-infused guacamole, quick pickled red onion, grated manchego cheese, fresh coriander and a deep, smoky chipotle sauce are layered upon the meatballs, ready to fold in the taco.

Generously douse with fresh lime and envelope in your hand, ready for that first mouthwatering bite. This recipe makes six epic tacos, perfect for a casual feast with family and friends.

Ingredients

500gm pork mince

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ cup fresh coriander, chopped

1 cob sweet corn kernels

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, for frying

Guacamole

2 avocadoes, seed removed

Juice of 1 lime

Sea salt and cracked pepper

Pickled Red Onion

1 small red onion, finely sliced

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup water

2 tbs white sugar

2 tbs sea salt

6 mini tortillas

1 cup manchego, finely grated

Chipotle sauce, store bought

Coriander and lime to serve

Method

1. To make the pickle, pour the white vinegar into a small saucepan over low heat, add in the sugar and salt and stir to dissolve. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Pour the pickling liquid over the sliced red onion and place in a sterilised jar and into the fridge for half an hour (or much longer for a more developed pickled flavour).

2. For the meatballs, add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with clean hands to combine. Roll 4cm meatballs and set aside. This should make approximately 12 meatballs.

3. In a large frypan set to medium heat, add the olive oil. Gently fry the meatballs for approximately 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

4. To make the guacamole, add the avocadoes to a small bowl and mash well with a fork, then add the lime juice, sea salt and cracked black pepper. Combine well.

5. To assemble the tacos, warm the mini tortillas and lay flat on a chopping board. Add 2 meatballs to each tortilla, breaking them a little with a fork if you wish, to spread evenly across the taco. Layer the guacamole, pickled red onion, manchego, chipotle sauce and fresh coriander. Generously squeeze over fresh lime and transfer the tacos to a serving plate. Serve with extra wedges of lime.

Dana Sims is a Sydneybased food and prop stylist who has grown up in the Eastern Suburbs and loves to create delicious food. She is inspired by the fresh produce we have access to in Sydney. For ideas, recipes and styling inspiration, check out her Instagram, @stone_and_twine.

Tacos deliciosos!

HI, I’M NICK

Everyone should be able to afford the basics. But while you’re working harder than ever, 1 in 3 big corporations pay no tax.

As a proud gay dad, I want my 9-year-old daughter to grow up in a thriving, sustainable world. Our planet is at a tipping point, and we must take evidence based action now.

With 30 years’ experience in the travel, technology, and education sectors, and a background in space engineering, I bring a practical approach to tackling the challenges we face.

With your vote, the Greens will deliver:

Strong action on climate.

Labor has approved 26 new coal and gas projects. With more Greens in parliament, we can stand up against the fossil fuel corporations and bring energy costs down. Renewables, not nuclear.

Dental and mental health into Medicare. Make it free to see a GP, dentist, nurse or psychologist at one of 1,000 new free healthcare clinics.

An end to the housing crisis.

Build public homes, and stop unlimited rent and mor tgage hikes. We’ ll pay for it by phasing out negative gearing and other tax breaks for wealthy investors.

Not everyone knocks off at 5pm.

Understanding the 24-Hour Economy: The East’s New Late-Night Revival

Growing up in the East, I have distinct memories of heading down to Death by Chocolate at Bondi beach in the late hours of the night, often after a school play, as a special treat. The place would be packed, and my parents would order a giant banana split for my siblings and myself to share. I only have to think about the Gelato Bar on Campbell Parade to long for an evening outing for Vienna coffee and strudel. Nowhere ever did it better! These late-night eateries were a common part of Bondi and were very popular. Sadly, I can’t think of a single equivalent place that still exists today.

For years, Sydney has had a reputation as a city that goes to bed early. While the lockout laws may be a thing of the past, remnants of their impact remain, with much of the city still shutting down before midnight. But that’s all changing, thanks to the push for a 24-hour economy - a NSW Government-backed initiative designed to bring life back to Sydney’s nightlife, boost local businesses and create a more vibrant, connected city. The Eastern Suburbs, with the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct and UNSW at its heart, is set to play a key role in this transformation.

The idea behind a 24-hour economy isn’t just about keeping the bars open later, although that’s

certainly part of it. It’s about creating a city that works, plays and thrives at all hours - supporting hospital workers finishing a late shift, students pulling an all-nighter, or locals wanting a midnight bite to eat that isn’t a servo meat pie.

At the core, our government’s strategy is focused on diversifying Sydney’s nightlife, and we in the Eastern Suburbs, with our mix of health, education and hospitality sectors, are well-positioned to lead the way.

At the centre of this vision is the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct (RHIP) - a collaboration between Prince of Wales Hospital, UNSW, Sydney Children’s Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Women, with thousands of doctors, nurses, researchers and patients needing to come and go at all hours of the day and night.

UNSW is a major player in the area’s economy and a key driver of the 24-hour vision. With thousands of students studying into the night, many students living on campus and late-night research labs operating across faculties, there is a high demand for somewhere local to go and for something to do, and to travel safely at all hours.

While facilitating more late-night options and improving access to services such as food and drink is very important, at the core of the 24-hour strategy is a focus on ensuring people are able to move safely around our community.

For us in the East, the push for a 24-hour economy is an opportunity to rethink how we use our spaces. Could we see more late-night community events, pop-up cinemas or food trucks outside the hospital for exhausted shift workers? Can our cafés and restaurants extend their hours of operation? How does our public transport work to make sure that people can get where they need to go at all hours of the day? As well as improving our active transport links, we must make sure that they are well lit and safe.

Both Waverley and Randwick Councils have developed their own night time economy initiatives, aimed at revitalising nightlife and supporting local businesses. Last year Waverley extended business operating hours in Bondi Junction to 3am, while in Randwick there are now specific zones where businesses can operate until 2am.

Let’s keep working to identify the best use of our spaces to help build a strong and safe community. Imagine enjoying a yummy drink and perhaps some soft music surrounded by fairy lights on a balmy Sydney night - or you might settle for being able to find a coffee shop open after 3pm! We have a long way to go before we attain a vibrant and safe night-time economy in the East, but there is a plan and I hope you join me in welcoming all that it offers.

Words Dr Marjorie O’Neill - Member for Coogee

Photo Doc Neeson

The Unreliable Guide to... Family Holidays

This month, The Unreliable Guide has been organising a trip to Europe to see the family. I know this is a privilege, but it’s been like herding a cluster of cranky cats. Families - can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without the lunatics! Of course, family ties can bring extra stress for long-distance ex-pats like me. Many of us are riddled with guilt because we abandoned the clan for this sun-kissed paradise we now call home.

Sure, we can stay in touch via Zoom and Facetime, but sometimes I feel the pull of the motherland due to (frequently unfulfilled) expectations of a joyful reunion. So if you, like me, are filled with horror at the thought of Easter week with your nearest and dearest in a small Roman apartment during the Golden Jubilee when 35 million extra visitors are expected… never fear! The Unreliable Guide is here with

some tips and tricks to remind us why the hell we thought it was a good idea to holiday en famille

Sofa So Good

In my experience, travelling across the world to visit family members - especially elderly ones - in their own homes can be a disappointment. Once the excitement of your arrival is over, they barely notice you’re even there. For them, it’s the same old routine: same couch, same biscuits, same TV... just one extra person in the same old room. This is very frustrating if you’ve spent 24-hours locked in a fart tube from Sydney to London for the specific purpose of spending quality time with them.

But this is the reality of the ex-pat life. We were the ones to leave - not them - so we have to make the effort. If a home visit is the only option for a family

gathering, try organising some kind of special event that will encourage them to switch off EastEnders and actually look you in the eye for an hour or two. Have dinner out somewhere, go for a walk in the park, even just an hour down the pub will do. Anything to get them off the bloody sofa.

Home and Away

For the last 15 years, we’ve managed to persuade our UK mob to come away with us on a European holiday. This has worked really well. Booking a family holiday makes it more likely that everyone will be in holiday mode. The telly is in foreign language, so they don’t even mind getting off the sofa once in a while. We typically drag our mob from London to somewhere close but warmer (Italy, Spain, etc.) because there’s nothing like sunshine for cheering up a Pom. We typically rent an apartment or villa large enough to accommodate everyone and then let the fun commence.

Believe me, it’s never all daisies, certainly not when it comes to choosing accommodation. She’s got a strict budget, he doesn’t care. They want a pool and a view, that one wants flat access and a flat screen TV. We don’t get it right all the time, and there have been plenty of fights and sulks along the way, but overall it’s been a winner.

Finally… We ex-pats need to try and remember that even though we may resent spending precious holiday time travelling for lots of money to a place we made a conscious decision to leave, it’s not about that. It’s about maintaining connections with family. And, however revolting they can be, we have to try because we love them, don’t we?

Words Nat Shepherd Photo Val D’Isère

More punishing than it looks.

Not a bad idea.

Wee on a Tree

Words

Kieran Blake - kieranblakewriter.org Photo Ken Cing

Eastern Suburbs residents are being encouraged to wee on a tree in support of the plan to move all public toilets to Blacktown.

The sanitary abominations are not befitting of the Eastern Suburbs and will all be removed after Paddington residents halted the installation of a facility between a hardware store and a telecommunications building, insisting that something so ‘fugly’ belonged in the much-maligned suburb in Sydney’s west.

Claims that the plan stinks of elitism, nastiness and vilification were ignored, and soon every amenity from Vaucluse to La Perouse will be knocked down or converted into something far more sensitive, and the toilets will all be reinstalled in Blacktown.

Concerns were also raised that the toilet would attract drug users.

“Drugs should never be consumed in public toilets,” stated one resident on social media. “They should always

be consumed in bars, private yachts, rooftop terraces and corner offices.”

The Oxford Street toilet was designed to stop fans from spilling out of Allianz Stadium and spilling their innards onto the street. Without any public toilets in the East, we will all have to spill our innards onto the street, and that is why we’re being encouraged to wee on a tree.

“Once all the toilets have been removed from the region, we will initiate part ‘two’ of the plan...” began a joint statement from local councils.

“Residents and visitors can simply answer the call of nature on the street, then scoop it up with a doggy bag before placing it in a bin. Extra bag dispensers and bins will be provided, and the human and pet waste will be trucked to Blacktown and inserted in one of the many toilets that will litter the suburb.”

From now on, it won’t just be drunken football fans, or footballers, who can wee on a

tree or poo in their shoe.

Militant locals want to take the plan further. They want to remove toilets from homes and pubs as well and have this waste sent out west. This will allow them to convert the smallest room in the house into something far more glamorous.

“Furthermore, pub patrons can pee straight into the Fosters kegs, and the pipes which currently transport household waste into the ocean can be converted into Sydney’s most exciting water slide,” they enthused.

Authorities were equally excited about the benefits for Blacktown.

“Blacktown will now host the Big Toilet.”

“The giant structure on Main Street and Newton Road will dwarf the other facilities and become a bona fide tourist attraction that will revitalise the suburb. Visitors can also enjoy the toilet treasure hunt and collect a stamp at every toilet in their souvenir booklet.”

The

Beast Magazine wants your local photos...

Subject Summer Arvos Location Coogee

Photographer Claudia Lovett

Subject The Sacred Corner Location Bronte

Photographer Amelia Elchaar

Subject Inner Child Location Coogee Photographer Kim McCarthy

Subject Lone Swimmer Location Bondi Photographer Michael Marren

Subject The Busker Location Coogee Photographer Claudia Lovett

Subject Blue Ray Location Bondi Photographer Béatrice Bathany

Subject Craziness of Youth Location Bronte Photographer Genevieve Michael

Subject Dawn Patrol Location Malabar Photographer Tommy Dalton

Subject Georgia Ripping Location Indonesia

Photographer Ketut Suharto

Rats Off the Top

After a month on the road, it felt nice to finally roll back into Bondi and embrace the familiarities of home. With over 3,000 kilometres of towing behind us, the rig was bruised, battered and caked in bush dust, leaving a few heads turned as we passed the Beach Road tragics. In similar fashion, Charlotte and myself were exhausted from the high octane trip after roughing it out of a swag and were both keen for a good night’s sleep in our own beds.

Oftentimes I find myself returning from a trip with a renewed sense of appreciation for Bondi, marvelling in the beauty of the place and remembering how fortunate I am to call it home. With fun waves, sun, fish and adventure

all just a stone’s throw from my doorstep, there’s definitely a hint of irony in the fact I spend so much time, money and effort travelling to far flung destinations in search of these exact same things.

Before long, the itch to get out on the harbour struck, with eager plans to chase some summer kingfish on surface lures. But first, the tinnie needed some overdue TLC, with the wiring having all but completely corroded after being abused by the elements on the recent trip. A quick hack job had my sounder and lights up and running. The old tub was ready to get back out there and catch some fish.

With an early morning high tide, Ethan and I left the ramp in the dark and headed for the

spot to start fishing right at first light. We stationed a cast’s length away from the structure and began pelting lures into the zone, with the glow of the sun only just illuminating the scene. My casts were rudely interrupted by the smell of smoke coming from the battery, and I looked back in a panic to see that one of the wires was melting and about to catch fire. I quickly disconnected the battery, only narrowly avoiding disaster, before we proceeded to fish sans sounder and with no lights to assist us. It seems my wiring methods weren’t quite up to scratch after all.

The very next cast, my surface stick bait was met with an explosion after a few twitches. I came tight, pulling the fish away from structure before it made a few swift runs down to the depths. Before I could even get my fish to the net, Ethan was hooked up on a similar model after his lure was loudly smashed off the top. We netted both fish in one go and admired two textbook Sydney rat kingfish for a few seconds before returning them back to the water.

For the next 20 minutes before the sun broke the horizon, we cherry picked kingfish one after another with our light gear and surface lures before the fish eventually shied and moved away once the sun rose too high. With a handful of fish under our belts before most Sydney-siders were even awake, we returned to the ramp more than satisfied with our efforts. Catch you next month!

Words Lewis Kennedy-Hunt Photos Ethan McDonald

The early bird gets the rat.

Public Notice

Proposed termination of Strata Scheme No. 80634 being property situated at 234 Bronte Road, Waverley NSW 2024. Notice is given of an intention to apply to the Registrar General for an order terminating the above Strata Scheme and the consequent winding up of the Owners Corporation, pursuant to section 142 of the Strata Schemes Development Act 2015 (NSW).

Any person having any claim against the Owners Corporation of the above Strata Scheme or any estate or interest in or claim against any of the lots comprised in the Strata Scheme is required, before the expiration of fourteen (14) days from the date of this publication, to send particulars of the estate, interest or claim to: Makinson d’Apice Lawyers

Level 33, 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000

The Beast Supercross

ACROSS

1. President of Ukraine (8)

8. Used to attract attention (2)

9. America (1,1,1)

10. Tasty Mexican dish (6)

11. Oval shaped edible seed (6)

12. Fight (6)

15. Mental hospital (6)

18. Gel producing succulent plant (4)

19. Soft flap of tissue that hangs down at back of throat (5)

20. Vice President of USA (1,1,5)

21. Sale to highest bidder (7)

22. Walled city in northeast England (4)

Trivial Trivia

1. What is the name of the anthropomorphic snowman in Frozen?

2. Which Australian artist sang ‘Riptide’?

3. In which country did the tradition of the Easter Bunny originate?

4. Which country has the most natural lakes in the world?

5. What year did the Titanic sink; 1910, 1912 or 1914?

6. What is the only mammal capable of true flight?

7. What is the birthstone for the month of April?

DOWN

1. Time at which something is most powerful or successful (6)

2. Swarming short-horned grasshopper species (6)

3. Thin strips made from flour or rice (7)

4. South African rapper and songwriter (1,1)

5. Produce or provide (5)

6. Goddess of the dawn (6)

7. An armed thief (6)

13. Boy with magic lamp (7)

14. Sinking Polynesian country (6)

15. Not sinking (6)

16. Sickness (6)

17. Also known as football (6)

Flamboyant Bondi Sky.

8. What part of a plant conducts the chemical process known as photosynthesis?

9. Which film received the most nominations in this year’s Oscars?

10. What is the only fruit that wears its seeds on the outside?

Words Lisa Anderson Photo Béatrice Bathany

The Rule Of Jenny Pen

Genre Psychological Thriller Horror Reviewer Linda

Heller-Salvador

There’s more than meets the eye in James Ashcroft’s (Coming Home In The Dark) eerie second feature, The Rule of Jenny Pen. Beneath its surface lies a sense of dread, brilliantly illustrated in this sometimes darkly humorous and deranged film, which Ashcroft co-wrote with Eli Kent. The movie is adapted from Owen Marshall’s 1995 short story and offers a profoundly disturbing exploration of the potential horrors of aging, isolation and the loss of independence.

At first glance, Dave Crealy (John Lithgow) appears to be a seemingly harmless older man with early dementia. However, the reality is far more sinister; he’s a manipulative and vindictive psychopath who terrorises elderly residents in the rest home where he has been living long-term.

When reclusive court judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) arrives at the home needing rehabilitation after a debilitating stroke left him partially paralysed, Crealy decides to target him as his next victim, which sets off a disturbingly twisted game of wits and ends with devastating consequences.

Old Mervs Old Mervs

Label Dew Process

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

Old Mervs somehow manage to sound like an international rock band and blokes you’d enjoy lazy beers with at the same time. Think The Kooks, but without lyrics so bad you feel the cringe in your perineum. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of The Kooks, but sheesh, don’t dig too far below the surface because there’s only a hairless teenager with a drawer full of violated socks. Old Mervs, on the other hand, are definitely worth a deep dive. They’re ‘close the door with a six pack and headphones on’ good - sock not required (but I won’t judge you).

Banks

Off With Her Head

Label Her Name is Banks

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

Crikey! Banks got angry and I dig it. Well, for a little while at least. Off With Her Head starts with a bang but then meanders into that late argument weariness where everybody’s already played their cards, no one’s changing their minds, and we’re all just waiting for a lorikeet to fly into the window so we can move on. Light glimmers through though. While it’s all been a bit drab since her first album, Goddess, there are genuine signs of life here. If someone can really piss her off over the next year or so, her next album should be an absolute cracker.

Rum Jungle Recency Bias

Label Sureshaker

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

Recency Bias’s release date has been lipsticked on my family wall calendar for some time now. Thankfully, my wife won’t have to explain why anymore, because I just stare when people ask. My four-yearold and I have been obsessed with Rum Jungle since they released Electric Snowman and I’m pleased to say they’ve made a bright-eyed boy very happy - the kid seems to like it too. It was a crime against good taste and humanity when ‘Weather’s Better’ didn’t make it into the Hottest 100. They’ve well and truly arrived now though. As Axl Rose said, “Sha-na-na-na-na-na, knees, knees.”

Star Signs

Visions Beardy from Hell

Gemini May 22-Jun 21

You know you could be doing better, but minimising headaches is more important than achieving your full potential.

Cancer Jun 22-Jul 22

If you haven’t got at least two holidays planned for this year then you need to urgently readjust your priorities.

Leo Jul 23-Aug 22

Being organised is nothing more than a self-soothing technique for obsessive-compulsive people with nothing better to do.

Virgo Aug 23-Sep 23

Somewhat annoyingly, the friend who you least appreciate is the one who will consistently step up in your times of need.

Libra Sep 24-Oct 23

The outcome of your actions is controlled entirely by fate, so there’s no need to consider anyone but yourself.

Scorpio Oct 24-Nov 22

Drag your lazy arse out of bed before the sun comes up each morning and start making the most of your life.

Sagittarius Nov 23-Dec 21

Telling your friends about the business you’re going to start is a guaranteed way of never actually starting it.

Capricorn Dec 22-Jan 20

No amount of money could make you enjoy what you’re doing for work, which is a good sign you need a career change.

Aquarius Jan 21-Feb 19

A sagging neck and chin region will necessitate a complete readjustment of the way you hold your head.

Pisces Feb 20-Mar 20

Put off dealing with your issues for as long as possible. They can’t get much worse, so there’s no point rushing.

incredible showroom, made-to-order headboards & beds