St Margaret Mary's Catholic Primary School

Randwick North

Welcoming New Students

At St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Primary School Randwick North, we recognise that children follow unique learning paths to accomplish their personal best. Our academic and co-curricular programs empower students to try new things, while our community engagement and resilience programs build confidence, social skills and emotional wellbeing.

Our sense of community is what makes us different. Working together with families, teachers and students is an essential part of our school’s success. Fostering creativity and nurturing the wellbeing of all our children plays a vital part in their learning success.

We are now taking enrolments for all grades from Kindergarten to Year 6

Please come along to our Open Day on Saturday, March 25 from 10-11.30am or contact us to arrange a private tour

Please scan the QR code to register contact us today

Telephone 02 9389 6093

Email info@stmmrandwick.catholic.edu.au

Lurline Bay Staircase Reopens

Words Anthony Maguire

A Really Good Reason to Run

On Sunday, May 21, thousands of people will be taking on the HOKA Runaway Sydney Half Marathon (formerly SMH Half Marathon), and there’ll be one very special team among themRunning for Premature Babies.

The charity was founded 17 years ago after Coogee local Sophie Smith OAM and her late husband Ash lost all three of their baby triplets to prematurity. Determined that something good would come from the lives of Henry, Jasper and Evan, the couple ran the SMH Half Marathon to fundraise for a new humidicrib. Fast forward 17 years and Sophie is still running - alongside hundreds of others - for a better chance of survival and quality of life for premature babies.

To date, the charity has raised $6 million and has donated over a hundred pieces of life-saving neonatal equipment to hospitals around Australia, directly benefitting over 8,000 babies.

This year Running for Premature Babies is looking for people to join and experience the team’s amazing race camaraderie, to raise a few dollars each and cross the finish line knowing their race is about so much more than a finishing time. Whether you’re running for your own prematurely born child - living or lost - or just want a great inspiration to run, everyone is welcome.

With 26,000 babies born prematurely in Australia each year, hospital neonatal units are often in desperate need of new equipment.

“By raising just a few dollars each, we can together make a tangible difference to the lives of so many sick and premature babies,” Running for Premature Babies CEO Gary Trenaman told The Beast.

Sophie will be running the 10 kilometre course with her living sons, Owen and Harvey.

“Please join us! It’s amazing what can be achieved with the right inspiration.”

“And Henry, Jasper and Evan’s little handprints are on the back of our team running singlets; they’ll push you up the hills and over the finish line.”

Please visit runningfor prematurebabies.com/sydney.

A new staircase providing access to Lurline Bay has just reopened after the old steps were damaged in storms last year. Council engineers had declared them out of bounds because they had large cracks and the supporting brick piers had collapsed. The rocky bay near South Coogee can now be accessed from Liguria Street and Seaside Parade.

Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker was one of the first to try out the new staircase. Mayor Parker said he was “very pleased”

Lurline Bay can be easily accessed by the public again.

“Lurline Bay is a beautiful coastal environment and is well used by local residents. It forms part of our stunning Coastal Walkway, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Sydney.”

Council is developing longerterm plans for a cantilevered boardwalk around Lurline Bay and public access way between Cuzco Street and Seaside Parade as part of plans for a continuous Coastal Walkway.

Calls to End Shark Net Program Amplify After Dolphin Death

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Mother Ocean Freediving

Get rid of the shark nets! That’s the message from Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos after a dolphin was caught in the net at Bronte and was killed last month.

Mayor Masselos said she found news of the marine mammal’s death “distressing” and made a good case for a rethink of the shark net program run by the NSW Government.

Baby Given Kiss of Life by Waverley Lifeguards

Waverley Lifeguard and Bondi

Rescue star Anthony ‘Harries’ Carroll proved himself as a genuine hero when he resuscitated an eight-week-old baby boy in the carpark behind Bondi Surf Life Saving Club on New Year’s Day.

A veteran of the service at 46 years of age, Anthony had performed dozens of resuscitations in the past - but never on a baby. The infant had slipped and landed on his head, the trauma was so great that he had stopped breathing. Anthony, while walking back to his North Bondi home after a day on duty, found himself in the middle of the drama. Paramedics had been called and were on the scene only a short time after.

Fellow lifeguards Daniel ‘Beardy’ McLaughlin and Harrison Reid were already on the way with a medical kit and defibrilator. Bending over the lifeless child, Anthony’s training came to the fore as he gently inflated the baby’s lungs.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths… and on the fourth breath he saw the baby’s rib cage expanding. A few more breaths and the boy started crying and grabbed hold of Anthony’s finger. A life was saved.

Police held up sheets to shield the distressing scene from bystanders. After about 20 minutes, the little boy was placed in an ambulance and taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick.

“Resuscitating that baby was the highlight of my career,” Anthony told The Beast.

“It was the best feeling ever, seeing him start breathing again. I think it’s really important that people learn resuscitation.”

Anthony grew up in Clovelly and has been a lifeguard for 28 years. He has saved countless lives during his career and is nicknamed ‘Harries’ after the surf break off the back of Clovelly Car Park.

“Waverley Council supports shark management options that minimise or eliminate impacts on marine biodiversity and we are very dissatisfied with shark nets,” Mayor Masselos told The Beast.

The Mayor also explained that other mitigation strategies such as the smart drum lines and drone surveillance introduced last year are vastly superior to shark nets.

The Eastern Beaches shark nets date back to the 1930s. They are 150 metres long and in place at the major ocean beaches including Bondi and Bronte during the summer months.

“They do not provide comprehensive coverage, given that Bondi is a kilometre long and Bronte is 220 metres long,” Mayor Masselos said.

Such a senseless loss of life.

Rd,

Expert Eastern Suburbs property manager

Jillian Wills has just joined the team at Wills Property, a boutique real estate agency based in Bondi Junction. Jillian has managed countless properties in the Eastern Suburbs over a 30-year career, formerly at Wills Brothers.

lived the to continue doing the job I enjoy, in the area I call home, with family again!"

The Wills family have been working in property, offering personal client-based service in the Eastern Suburbs since 1934.

PHONE 02 9387 1700

EMAIL jillian@willsproperty.com.au

Power Issue at Bondi Pavilion Just a Temporary Hiccup

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Elle Ectric

Waverley Council has had to install a temporary electricity generator at the freshly-renovated Pavilion to cope with additional energy demands.

Safe Space in Coogee to Steer People Away From Suicide

Seven years ago, Alan Earls hit rock bottom. His wife had left him and he was in the grip of a gambling addiction that put him $50,000 in debt. He decided to end it all by crashing his car into another vehicle.

But as he veered over to the opposite side of Parramatta Road and into the path of an oncoming car, he decided he didn’t want to die after all.

“I ended up just clipping the other car, going into a spin and slamming into the kerb,” he told The Beast.

Mr Earls sought help through Bondi-based Jewish House and the Salvation Army. Slowly, he started to turn his life around. Today, 48-year-old Alan, who (perhaps ironically) was employed as a financial adviser when he reached his gambling-fuelled nadir, dedicates his life to helping others suffering suicidal thoughts and other forms of emotional distress.

After training as a peer support worker, he helped set up safe spaces in Westmead and Summer Hill where people on the brink could start to turn their lives around. The facilities are staffed by non-clinical volunteer workers who can assist with finding professional help and accessing other resources. And now Mr Earls has founded a safe space in Coogee for Eastern Suburbs residents experiencing suicidal ideation or extreme emotional distress.

Called the Community-Led Safe Space, it starts operating in April out of the Coogee Eastward Senior Citizens Hall in Brook Street. Initially it will be open on Thursday and Friday evenings from 5-9pm.

Mr Earls says presenting at hospital emergency departments can be a daunting experience for many people.

“At safe spaces, we often find that some people just need a chat and access to online resources. If the situation is urgent, we use strategies to keep them safe until they talk to their GP.”

For more information, please visit www.sydneycommunity safespaceinc.org.

The extra energy consumption at the revamped ‘Pav’ was anticipated by Council well before it opened. Ausgrid agreed to build an upgraded substation between the building and Campbell Parade, but it seems the electricity provider hasn’t exactly moved like greased lightning.

“This upgrade was scheduled to have been completed before the building opened in September 2022 but only received Ausgrid approval late last year,” Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos told The Beast

The upgraded substation is expected to be installed by early May 2023. There will then be a brief Ausgrid outage at the Pavilion while power is switched over to the substation.

“It should be noted that the Pavilion’s solar panels provide 70 per cent of the building’s energy needs during the day and the generator runs on renewable diesel fuel,” added Mayor Masselos.