The Beast - June 2024

Autumn Swell, by Willem Gheysen.

Cold and Mouldy

Words James Hutton - Publisher

Welcome to the June 2024 edition of The Beast, the monthly magazine for Sydney’s cold and mouldy beaches of the east.

Jeez the weather’s been feral. St Catherine’s School has even had to reschedule its Magnolia Fair due to the severe conditions. Ensuring the fair continues to be an enjoyable, entertaining and safe day for the whole family is a priority, and given the potential risk that comes with wet stairs and surfaces, as well as the safety of the community and visitors on the day, the school determined that the risk was too high. So, please come along on Saturday, June 15 and enjoy inflatable rides for the kids, gift and specialty stalls, plenty of food and a barbecue, raffles and prizes,

plus music, dance and drama performances. Hopefully the weather will be good to us! Thanks to Maroubra artist Andy Taylor for this month’s cover art, a bright and beautiful depiction of North Bondi. You can see more of Andy’s work at www.coastandharbour.com.

For anyone who cares about the environment, ACF Eastern Sydney will be hosting a Nature Forum at Randwick Town Hall on June 19 from 6.30pm. Local members Matt Thistlethwaite and Allegra Spender will be on the panel, joined by Brendan Sydes from the Australian Conservation Foundation and Natasha Abhayawickrama from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Focusing on Australia’s nature crisis and what we need to do to end extinctions and protect our natural places, attendees will get the opportunity to pose questions. Local students and the Clovelly 1st

Ventures will be representing future generations, and Knitting Nannas will be speaking for our community’s elders.

Please come along and see what our elected representatives and nature experts think are the solutions to our nature crisis that needs urgent attention. You can visit acf.org.au for more information.

Cheers, James

The Beast

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Beautifying Bondi Junction

A Letter to Pearl

Hi Pearl - I usually have to contact Marjorie O’Neill’s office as a translator to contact Council, but I’m fearing the busy and very responsive staff might think I’m a bit of a Carin. Therefore, I was wondering if you had any tips on how a resident of the municipality could get a simple request resolved from our local council?

Dumping of rubbish on the corner of Denison and Hough Streets in Bondi Junction, and the resulting costs of sending a truck to pick up the junk (because the garbo’s won’t do it on their weekly run), must be adding up. I’m just asking for a sign that bears the imprimatur of our local government.

Anonymous Bondi Junction

Stand Strong

Dear ‘Anonymous’ - Pearl is not a ‘people person’. Except for a short stint as a bank teller (a right of passage for most numer-

ically minded women of my era), I have spent my career buried in ledger books and spreadsheets, avoiding the public at all costs. So, I have taken the liberty of running your problem past my relative, Jonathon, who is an expert in all things municipal, having devoted his life to assisting the masses in navigating rubbish, roads and rates.

In Jonathon’s opinion you are not a Karen (0r a Carin) - although he prefers the politically correct term of ‘serial complainant with Council on speed dial’ - and unfortunately it is the whingers who deter civic-minded people like yourself from seeking assistance with legitimate complaints.

In Jonathon’s experience the archetypal Karen is indeed the bobbed, affluent woman of memes; the one who gets triggered by graffiti and long grass and complains about anything that offends her perfect life, like a twig on a footpath or her

neighbour’s garbage bin being too close to her verge. And often it will be her Polo Ralph Lauren wearing husband who is the rubbish dumper, trawling the streets in his Audi SUV arrogantly seeking out skip bins or tidy corner verges to dump refuse from home renovations or garbage left by his former tenants.

You must keep in mind that the dumpers are probably local (I couldn’t imagine anyone squandering petrol to drive from Parramatta to dump a sofa). Affluent people do dump, and they also steal. In fact, Pearl once had a neighbour who boasted that her sandstone extension was constructed from material stolen from various building sites across the Eastern Suburbs. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, so why would anyone pay tip fees when rubbish can be discarded for nothing, freeing up one’s income for essentials such as botox and reformer pilates.

So, darling Anonymous, stand strong in your bid to rid the corner of Denison and Hough Streets of rubbish and beautify Bondi Junction. Waverley Council staff are attuned to serial complainants, and they will be your ally in the bid to track down the culprits and remove the filth. And remember, there’s nothing a Karen hates more than the sight of ‘Illegal Dumping Under Investigation’ tape ruining her perfect world on her morning drive to the pilates studio.

Pearl

Clovelly

A spokesperson for Waverley Council said the easiest way to report dumped rubbish was via the Snap Send Solve app or by contacting Customer Service either by phone or via live web chat. Dumped rubbish is usually collected within 48-72 hours of it being reported (and in many cases, even sooner). Council encourages the public to report illegal dumping as soon as possible to assist with investigations and enforcement.

Words Pearl Bullivant Photo Karen Dumper

The Bondi Junction dumping ground.

Romancing the Stone.

Whether an inner-city semi or a harbourside pad, Ablestone® Designer Concrete will stimulate your senses in a way few other materials can. Silky to the touch, combined with serene elegance and cool atmospherics.

That is just the beginning, the possibilities are endless. Consider ‘The Coast’ mix (featured) or create a mix to suit your unique taste.

Time Is Unfamiliar With Mercy on the Mind

Words Isabel Nyström, Maroubra Photo Tim Wright

Cool water creeps over my toes, stinging as it meets the burnt soles of my feet where they stand firm on the sun-heated rocks. I look around, glaring white sand blinds me. I blink. The beach stretches before me in an arc, an arching cat sprawled across the coastal landscape. The view alternates with the darkness of my eyelids as I try to readjust them in the harsh sunlight. Red imprints of towels, sun-umbrellas and people burn ghostly silhouettes into my eyelids each time my eyes shut.

I open them. The scene changes and I stumble at the change of perspective, crimson blood mixes into the foamy waters at my ankles, the jagged barnacles glint ominously around my feet.

I am no longer looking at the built-up beachfront with souvenir shops and obnoxious gazebos. Instead, the beach is empty, save for a few lone surfers, and seagulls nestled quaintly in the shallow depressions in the sand where the surfers have walked, a path of impressions on the pristine sand. Lush

headland of deep green, drunk in the ancient sun, before townhouses and apartments infiltrated the land, looming behind the empty beach.

I blink. The bustling beach reappears.

A memory of the same place, only thirty years earlier. I had forgotten the peace that used to coat the place, urbanisation has consumed and altered the once untouched and holy threshold where land meets sea.

I blink again, a futile attempt to return to the place I was in merely seconds ago. I am taken aback by my own naivety; I am in the same place of the memory and the present moment.

As the piercing screams of children around me intrude in the moment of silence previously experienced, the onset of a headache pulses behind my temples.

I wade deeper into the water, gentle currents tugging at my thighs, urging me to go deeper. The thought of the ocean welcoming me eases the tension in my head. Over all of the millions of years that this beach has existed and changed and

altered, it has always been the same water, the same compound of two hydrogens and one oxygen molecule.

I find myself submerged up to my shoulders, the rumble of the waves breaking behind me on the shore drowns out the aggravating noise of summer tourists. The slate ocean is a glittering acre before me, tempting me to take one more step deeper.

A shriek behind me encourages me to turn my head slightly to find a seagull nestled in a crevasse in the cliff beside me. He watches me, I squint back at him. Cocking his head, he quietens, as if saying, I remember you.

Like the tide around me, the memory of an empty beach surrounds me and tugs at the edges of my mind, a taunting fragment of the past, who will never return to soothe the cuts on my feet. Time will continue, the landscape will change, memory will falter, the ocean will remain.

I sink below the waves, submerging my body into the arms of something reluctant to let go.

Maroubra Beach, a very long time ago.

The Beast's Monthly Mailbag

Words The Lovely People of the Eastern Beaches

Response to 'A Break-Up Letter'

Hear, Hear, Madeleine Walker (A Break-Up letter, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, May 2024)! And how sad that the postscript does not address any of the very valid points raised. All that funding poorly applied.

It is hard to believe that a safety or traffic engineer had input into the bus/train interchange, or any of the recent work on cycleways in Bondi Junction and environs.

Pedestrians, despite having the least environmental impact, are fourth class citizens, after buses, cars and cyclists. As a cyclist I avoid Bondi Junction. As pedestrians and public transport users we need to pass through Bondi Junction, and do so with extreme caution. Even with a green ‘walk’ sign, I check for cyclists before crossing. Will Bondi Junction ever be an attractive destination?

Katrina and Terry Matthews

Queens Park

Pedestrian Exaggeration

Hello - I am writing this in response to a letter published in the May 2024 edition of The Beast, titled ‘A Break-Up Letter’. In this letter the author was moaning about the cyclists and the cycle lanes around Bondi Junction.

While their idea of a 25km/h speed limit is a good one, the rest of their ideas were very extreme and very unrealistic. For example, they suggested that walking around the Bondi Junction “velodrome” was like a real life game of Frogger. They also stated that they had seen an e-bike travelling way over 25km/h. What they

neglect to mention in every single one of their extreme, overexaggerated arguments is that the culprit of these are delivery drivers on their e-bikes zooming around, constantly changing form between pedestrians, cyclists and cars when it suits them.

Also, as a constant user of Bondi Junction, I disagree with their argument that the footpaths are not safe next to the bike lanes as they are by far wide enough to accommodate pedestrians without them sprawling into the bike lanes.

In another one of their questionable arguments they said that buses dropped passengers straight into bike lanes, which never actually happens. Finally, they suggested that cyclists should have mandatory and visual registration like number plates on cars - I think everyone can agree that this is simply ludicrous and in no way realistic, as most of the culprits (delivery drivers) only care about income and not the safety of pedestrians or even themselves, so they would not care about registration or for the multitudes of other innocent cyclists who ride the streets of Sydney daily.

For everyone’s sake, please keep your rage and unrealistic plans for a “safer” Bondi Junction to yourself. Thank you.

Anonymous Concerned Cyclist Coogee

A Potential Win-Win

Dear Beast Community - To further contribute to Frank and Madeline’s letters in the May 2024 edition, the number of

times I have almost been bowled over (or witnessed other pedestrians being forced to jump out of the way) by cyclists ignoring their special red traffic light at the aforementioned crossing between the two Westfield towers on Oxford Street is now bordering on triple digits.

Furthermore, why the hell do cyclists feel the right to blatantly ignore road traffic lights (when riding on the road) and just cruise through red lights, yet moments later openly and aggressively display their thoughts to motor vehicle drivers following the law and respecting their right to one metre distance? It’s the ultimate ‘have your cake and eat it too’ double standard!

Surely the only solution is to register bikes - win-win. The government has another channel for contributing towards their revenue targets via fines, and motorists and pedestrians can start reporting inappropriate cyclist behaviour. Or maybe, just maybe, cyclists will start to respect the road rules designed for all of us!

Disclaimer: I am fully aware the behaviour of the minority is impacting the majority of respectful cyclists.

Kelly North Bondi

Bondi Junction Velodrome

In her very long-winded diatribe, ‘A Break-Up Letter’ (Letters, The Beast, May 2024), the author seems to suggest that the only thing stopping Bondi Junction from being a “European style” pedestrian focused plaza is the system of bike lanes created through the centre. For her, all cyclists must be back on the road sharing with those slow-driving, considerate drivers. Has she ever ridden a bike on Sydney’s ‘sharing’ roadways? What planet is she on if she believes that “a fear and loathing of all cyclists did not exist before the installation” of the bike lane?

Some of her comments I can have sympathy for. The proliferation of electric throw-away hire

bikes left wherever the user chooses is a failed system and should be banned. It is a commercial business and should be bound by strict regulation. The Spring Street bike lane is problematic if only because pedestrians are only looking left for vehicles. For this reason, cyclists like myself prefer to ride through the mall. Most of us traditional cyclists know how to safely mix with pedestrians.

Why she has a beef about the bike path down Oxford Street to Paddington, I can only feel is an ingrained hatred of cyclists and any money spent to make it a safer mode of transport. How often has she walked from Bondi Junction to Paddington and had to suffer the second class experience of staying on the footpath instead of the bike path? If she knew how hard it is to get any action on bike safety she might gain a better insight. A fine example I can relate is the attempt to get a safer crossing in Darley Road to enter Centennial Park at Govett Street, Randwick - a bigger central island. Council approved a plan to alter the intersection and put it out for comment in August 2020. To date, the matter has been deferred for Greater Sydney Parklands to consider the closure of the park gate. I have pointed out that this will probably mean that Darley Road will become even more of a speedway and unsafe for pedestrians.

The take-out from this is that often safer cycling can be achieved without huge grand outlays, and unless the bike system is linked up and is going where we want to go it will not achieve the radical change to the urban environment that it promises. Change is always hard in a builtup area and with a public that is not accustomed to the existence of bike paths.

Simon Bartlett Coogee

E-Bikes

It’s a pity the police don’t show the same amount of leniency to the motorist as spared to E-bike

riders when breaking the road rules. The same situation applies to E-boards and E-scooters, which are totally illegal to use on NSW roads.

Riding on footpaths, failing to give way at traffic lights, no lights at night, etc. So far I have never seen one E-bike rider being targeted, whereas it’s a common occurrence to see the hounded motorist in trouble.

Richard & Glenda Maroubra

Male Imperiled at the Hands of McIver's Ladies Baths

Ah, the fracas goes on regarding the above. True story... it was with consternation that I was harangued by a surly woman last week, during big seas. Wylie’s Baths was closed and I, being an experienced swimmer, elected to scale the fence and find an entry point off the rocks closer to the beach. I had no choice but to dive into McIvers Baths when a big set approached (the pool was empty anyway due to the big seas).

Well, hell broke loose when this woman dispatched from Satan went berserk as I tried to flee. There was no concern as to why I had dived into the pool to escape injury. All this middle aged woman wanted was retribution on the interloper!

Therefore, I propose a Mens Pool at the site of Giles Baths at the north end of Coogee Beach, and it will be a nature pool, as is McIver’s! Freedom, male brothers, raise your voices!

William Wallace Coogee

A

Fare Go

Dear James - I just wanted to respond to Norman’s letter (Student Transport, The Beast, May 2024) in order to answer his questions about school students and public transport, and have a quick discourse about public transport in general.

In terms of how student Opal cards work, very simply, the student Opal card is issued by schools to their students and is

completely fare-free. The only possible cost to the cardholder (or more likely the parents or guardians) is the cost of replacement of a misplaced card. The card is meant to only be used for travelling to and from school or on excursions, but there is no actual way to prevent this from happening, aside from the prying eyes of a ticket inspector.

I am not aware of why exactly the cards are necessary. As Norman points out, many students, some not even in uniform, simply walk onto the bus without using their student Opal card. As mentioned before, the cards do not charge a fare, so as long as a student is travelling to and from school, not tapping their card doesn’t even constitute fare evasion.

Norman makes a connection between students “...cockily [walking] past machines when not in uniform...” and their lack of courtesy towards the elderly/ prams/disabled, but, as a former cocky student myself, I don’t see the connection. I myself was always courteous and almost never tapped my card, as I saw many peers who did tap their card not be courteous. There is a somewhat implied suggestion of a solution to the problem of cocky students within Norman’s argument - crack down on the tap-evaders, and the students will be nicer. High school students particularly, constantly go through the monotonous six hours each weekday, for 200 days, for six years, under constant policing on uniform, language, expression, ideas, etc. and yet students still interrupt teachers, get into fights, swear, etc. If the autocracy of the school system can’t stop misbehaving students, why would the autocracy of the NSW Government be any different?

It can be easily gathered from Norman’s letter that they clearly believe that students fare evading by not tapping their fare-free cards, vaulting/squeezing past turnstiles is unfair to all fare-pay-

ing NSW citizens. I would argue however that the real unfair treatment is by the State Government (specifically NSW Transport). Transport fares, in real terms, as with most things for many people, have risen in recent years, as the inflation rate is still larger than wage growth. But these rising fares, combined with tax income and also advertising income from the endless ads on our transport vehicles, have not come along with an improvement in quality of service. In fact, some bus routes have been sold off to Transdev (meaning that the fares go to the pockets of investors, not even to the government), routes cut, services downscaled and the quality of service generally poorer than five years ago.

So, the question is, what are our fares being spent on? Possibly the new metro line, but in 2022 fare income for NSW Transport covered just 10 per cent of annual costs (The Future Transport Strategy: Towards 2061 draft report, 2022), so the impact of fares on financing the metro is barely existent. Public transport does cost a large sum of money and it is impossible to provide adequate services while also running a budgetary surplus in NSW Transport. Privatisation should be vehemently opposed as any kind of solution, as its ravages have been seen most potently in the Thatcher Government’s implementation in Britain as utterly eviscerating public transport.

The solution is to remove fares. a policy which has been implemented by many European cities over the past decade, with great success. Most especially, it benefits people and the environment. Less cars on the road means less emissions and safer streets for pedestrians, cyclists and also buses. It means more streets can be transformed into car-free areas for people to spend their time, and it removes the strain on people’s income spent on commuting for work or leisure. Removing fares also

means all those NSW Transport employees who spend their time haranguing teenagers and homeless people can be dedicated to actually running the services.

Not only are the benefits of fare-free transport well worth any cost, its real cost is rather insignificant considering the already negligible budgetary impact fares have right now.

My proposal to Norman, and people who think like him, is not to direct your anger towards the cocky students (except for not giving up their seats, I’m fully with you on that) but instead towards the NSW Government for making us pay for something that would be better for everyone being free. Perhaps the cocky students who practise their highjump skills at Central Station should not be vilified or fined, but instead emulated and praised as the harbingers of a new world.

Antoine Clovelly

May Musings

Lewis Kennedy-Hunt - I love reading your fishing tales. They remind me of the good in the world where people don’t bicker too much. I love the journeys, and I hope to hear of you travelling far and wide for many years yet. Beardy From Hell - I love your horoscopes.

With regard to people poisoning birds, I really hope this stops immediately. Cruelty like this is what is really rotting our society and causing great environmental issues for us today. Not just (trigger warning) social media and climate change.

Can anyone who feels the same way about the poisoning of birds please consider their use of products like Roundup and Mortein? These are akin to bird poisoning, but in addition to this you’re damaging a greater ecosystem and your own personal health via the mitochondria.

I’d also really like to ask our Waverley and Randwick Councils to consider what pesticides they are using in our football fields,

dog parks and around our waterways. I’d love to see a national ban on the use of pesticides and fungicides, as not only do they damage the greater ecosystem, but the residual levels that most of us consume build up in our bodily systems, our biological ecosystems and are even present in our tapwaters. Please see the article from The Guardian titled ‘The Dirty Dozen’ regarding twelve pesticides banned in Europe and America that are still widely used in Australia, not only in horticulture but agriculture, i.e. to grow our food.

The use of pesticides is very closely linked to causation of cancer, issues in foetal development and child brain development, fertility in both males and females, neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, declining bee populations... and the list goes on.

Also, please read, watch and listen to anything with Vandana Shiva, a true pioneer and protector of farmers’ rights in India. She has won multiple cases herself in the supreme courts of India against Monsanto, big agriculture and against her country itself (like giving women the right to keep their children after a divorce, where previously they were given to the father as he was usually the sole income earner).

Vandana Shiva is also what I would consider someone who should be applauded for women’s rights. In a world of toxic masculinity and equally toxic femininity, I think we tend to argue superficially.

The poem ‘Bondi Girl’ in the May edition was amusing. To the girls replying; yeah, it is hard being a young woman at the moment, but I do think the Bondi Girl poem has a place. I am 30 and live in Bronte, I work and I like to wear bikinis; it doesn’t mean that The Beast is against women or is misogynistic - it’s a joke.

It’s also a joke that instead of investing the $200 in shares, crypto or simply saving it, there

Love Our Coast

June activities

World Ocean Day Concert

8 June

Join us at the Dolphin Court outdoors the Bondi Pavilion for an entertaining evening of live music under the stars by the Ocean. An amazing lineup of local artists and bands to be announced soon!

Whale Picnic

29 June

Join Dr Vanessa Pirotta, author of the Humpback Highway, and explore the amazing world of whales. Nibbles provided.

Scan for tickets and more information

are girls with a $200 set of lips, filled with neurotoxic chemicals, a $200 set of very flawless eyebrows (botox is also neurotoxic), $200 plastic gym wear (semi pornographic, but yeah it’s definitely attractive) and God knows how much the hair, sunnies, nails and super squishy sneakers cost.

Do what you want to do, but there is no need to take offence when there are total bimbos out there, even if you are not one of them. Yes, they look good, but what are they saying to the world? I spend a lot of money and time on how I look. Can you spend your life with someone who cares more about how their lips look today than their long-term physical and mental health? Enhance your beauty, but don’t go around re-engineering it. Evolution didn’t get it wrong. Maybe you think about yourself in the wrong way if you need to look so different.

Also, I don’t know if anyone has put the use of fillers, hair dye and make-up (full of parabens) together, but we are having huge fertility issues, and what young women and potential mothers are doing to their bodies cannot be helping this. Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday afternoon.

M.C.

Hall Street One-Way Utopia

It’s perplexing as to how the proposed Hall Street utopian one-way vision has yet to be implemented. Due to the high pedestrian activity of Hall Street, this proposal is a matter that is way beyond needing Council meetings or debates to decide whether or not to proceed - it is a matter of public safety that it does go ahead, now!

If this proposal is not to go ahead then an alternate pedestrian safe solution needs to be implemented, fast. The Hall Street footpath has been inadequate for pedestrian traffic for a long time, and more so since the outdoor seating was approved

and maximised for the trendy cafes of Hall Street (profits ahead of safety, humanity).

Year by year, the capacity for pedestrians to walk safely on the Hall Street footpaths is shrinking due to more and more cafés opening up without any increase in the footpath capacity. Now, people have to dodge customers lining up for coffees, meals, tied up customers’ dogs and service in general from these establishments, which usually results in pedestrians needing to walk on the road in order to be able to get from one end of Hall Street to the other.

Waverley Council would be wise to take the example of the construction sites on Hall Street, which employ pedestrian traffic controllers that Council oversees and which by law (which Waverley Council is responsible for enforcing) are supposed to be deployed, because “any construction project that may interrupt or impede the flow of traffic or pedestrian movement is required by law to have a Traffic Control Plan (TCP).”

Mr W Walker Bondi

Waverley Council received funding from the NSW Government to support businesses in their economic recovery after COVID-19 lockdowns and to revitalise local commercial centres as part of a six-month trial (October 2022 - March 2023).

It was proposed for the grant to be used for the Hall Street project to improve pedestrian safety as well as increase greenery and seating and create additional dedicated outdoor dining spaces requiring changes to traffic with a one-way scheme (up from Gould Street) proposed. Consultation was conducted in July 2022 through Council’s Have Your Say online platform and an online information session. Significant feedback on the proposal was received and presented to Council and on this basis the project was not supported to proceed.

Waverley Council continues to monitor pedestrian safety across the whole LGA and promote safe and sustainable transport options.

A People Power Plan?

Dear Editor - I must not be the only resident in the east that is both baffled and disappointed by our MP Allegra Spender’s recent announcement of a so called ‘People Power Plan’ in the April edition of The Beast.

Nevermind the name, it seems the culmination of Spender’s two years as an elected official is a proposal to spend billions of dollars in subsidies so renters of units can have their landlords install solar panels on communal roofs?

Most people can’t even get their stratas to fix roof leaks and broken gutters, but sure, a $30,000 solar and battery installation for the renters will be approved expeditiously, ha! Never mind which unit actually gets to use the electricity or who’s responsible for it when it breaks.

Worse, the unwitting claim that we can just tax the gas companies to fund this subsidy and that won’t in itself cause price increases elsewhere is somewhat insulting to our collective intelligence.

If this is as good as it gets, I think I’d rather take a punt on Voldemort and his nuclear reactors than have my hard-earned (and taxed) money fund solar panels for renters.

Sensible Kev Bondi

Femicide in Bondi Junction

The Bondi man had in total 17 victims, with the majority being women. And out of those six that he killed - five were women. While he did not seem to follow an “openly misogynistic ideology” and was not known in Incel circles, his father said, “He wanted a girlfriend but failed, which frustrated him”. The police commissioner also noted that he focused on women while avoiding men.

Bronte

What happened in Bondi Junction last month points the finger onto a society that still tolerates a misogynistic behaviour, as displayed most prominently and most obnoxiously in recent times reaching even into politics. This sort of misbehaviour, femicide and misogyny must stop.

Thomas Klikauer Coogee

Wheelchair Theft

I hope the person who committed such a low act as to remove my wheelchair from the North Bondi ramp that leads down to the kiddies pool on Thursday, March 14 will receive the karma they deserve. We are in our eighties and my husband had to half carry me plus the beach chairs, umbrella, etc. all the way up the ramp and leave me waiting while he went to fetch the car from the main car park because I am unable walk unassisted.

Annie Coogee

Full Public Disclosure Needed

The Bronte and Tamarama Advancement Society (BATAS) is seeking the cost of Waverley Council’s proposed rebuilding of the Bronte Surf Club. The council has only provided vague estimates of the total costs of rebuilding the Bronte and Tamarama clubs. We believe this is a breach of public trust and a refusal of full public disclosure.

Waverley Council has already spent and committed millions in public funds to rebuilding surf club taverns on the Waverley beachfront, while the council (i.e. ratepayers) funds and employs full-time professional lifeguards all day, every day, at Waverley’s three beaches.

The community must know if political motives drive Waverley’s massive public expenditure to approve and fund these ‘beachside taverns’ masquerading as surf clubs. This issue needs public debate, investigation, answers and full disclosure by Waverley Council and the responsible

ministers of total costs and why, especially as these surf clubs roll in and safety is diminished.

The young surf club members who provide summer weekend patrols require clubroom facilities, not a tavern, and personal beachside storage in alcohol-free zones.

Mike Danzey

Chairperson - BATAS

Waverley Council’s website details the current funding proposal for Bronte Surf Life Saving Club in order to provide transparency on the project. This can be viewed in the “How is the building being funded” section at haveyoursay.waverley.nsw.gov. au/bronte-surf-club-andcommunity-facilities.

Dunningham Dumpster

Dear James - There is a place - a rock shelf - on the northern edge of Dunningham Reserve in Coogee. The sandstone is golden yellow and affords a magnificent foreground to the view over Gordon’s Bay. It should be a place of wonder to all. It is also a place that somebody thought would be improved if he dragged a shopping trolley down the bush path and heaved it over the fence to cast down the slope above the cliff edge.

I reported this vandalism to Randwick Council on March 28 with the observation that the trolley would soon end up over the cliff onto the rocks around the edge of Gordon’s Bay, possibly on the head of somebody below, if it wasn’t urgently retrieved.

Too late. Today, while cleaning up rubbish in the area, I spied the trolley on the rocks below, as predicted.

Who is it that is so attracted to the place that they would struggle a shopping trolley there and dump it over the cliff? Could it be the same person who loves the brand Somersby alcohol so much that he continues to rubbish the slope below the nearby ‘Hangman’s Rock’ shelter cave over the many years that I have repeatedly cleaned up the hundreds of cans, bottles and bongs from this spot?

It is so dispiriting to have to live on the same planet as people like these vandals, knowing that nothing will be done to stop their antisocial behaviour.

Would signs stating that dumping rubbish is illegal be any deterrent? Probably not. Should a high fence be erected that would spoil the chance of the great view for others? Hope not. Is CCTV an option? Sad if needed.

Simon Bartlett Coogee

The Rise and Fall of the 333

None other than Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister and Member for Wentworth, was quoted as saying the 333 bus service was the best in Australia.

How the mighty 333 has fallen from these heights and is now just a shadow of its former self.

Since the last state government privatised the service for ideological reasons, the public cannot now depend on the buses being on time. Numerous buses pass with ‘Not in Service’ signage, together with ‘Drivers Wanted’. In addition, empty school buses are a regular feature.

It is yet another example of how privatising a monopoly just doesn’t work. The only winners in this failed experiment would appear to be the private operators, who no doubt are enjoying substantial financial dividends from providing such a substandard service to the public.

David Boyd Bondi Beach

A Village by the Sea

We live in Coogee because we love it as it is - bought here, rent here for that very reason.

A village, a community by the sea. Unchanging. We all think the same.

A mini Westfield in a Surfers Paradise setting is unacceptable. Which is what the proposed Coogee Bay development will be. A blot on the landscape as well as our hearts, minds and eyes!

The Coogee Community Coogee

All 482 visas may now apply for PR, including cooks, café managers, hairdressers, marketing staff, etc. The qualifying period has also been reduced to two years Please call Brendan to discuss further Brendan Muldoon Reg. Migration Agent # 0742052 39 Gould

Bondi Beach Phone: 0404 552 322 brendan@bondimigration.com.au www.bondimigration.com.au

Dear Peter - A Poem...

My name’s Peter, I’m such a bore,

Misogynistic to the core, I could be Brad or Tom or Jim, We all know more than a few like “him”.

I can just imagine, the charming brute,

Watching girls on their commute,

Picking his nose, snorting like a pig,

But forgive us please, if we get too big.

And sorry too, for going for a run,

It pains you greatly to see us healthy in the sun,

We broke your rules, not working 9-5,

You sound jealous Peter, don’t lie…

How tired we are of the rude comments,

Too fat, too thin, her nose is too bent,

Now let me tease her a little more,

When her insecurities get the better of her.

Don’t go out, don’t stay in, There’s no pleasing you Peter, you win!

Just let us know how we should be,

What we should wear - not lycra (obviously)!

But it gets worse, it doesn’t stop there,

Because Peter’s rights are without compare,

A right to judge, to belittle women,

Just for existing, not harming you, man!

Let’s teach boys to be fair, and to think,

And hopefully these ‘Peters’ will soon be extinct.

Love from Bondi Girls (and all girls)

Clovelly

A Poem for Peter

Peter - it’s sad to read words from such a clown, Who took all this time to try to bring women down,

But I guess you were made to

feel less of a man, When the beach girl you ogled turned out not to be a fan, I’ll never meet you but I see you in my head:

Two kids that hate you, a bedroom that’s dead.

Jealous of women who simply exist -

Adults who exercise! Who drink coffee! Are annoying, you insist. You think your words’ll hurtyour group chat said so, But women have heard them more times than you know. Spend your energy de-rusting the weights in your garage, Instead of yelling into the ether this misogynist barrage. It’s funny you’re upset at how one pampers oneself, Or how they might make a menu substitution in the name of health, You should try self-improvement - though it would be in vain. The Bondi girlies will ignore you all the same.

However: There’s one woman who cares enough to hate you: your wife, Go home to her, look in the mirror, and respectfully: get a life.

Mp.

Tamarama

To Peter, Author of 'I’m a Bondi Girl'

Peter - Your poem should have read...

My toxic opinions all rolled up tight, Yes. Why not? That sounds right. Spending my time berating women, ‘coz I’m so dim I can’t even get to root ‘em.

Sitting here with my mysogynist views, Better to berate girls than to acknowledge my own poo-poos. Lack of respect runs through my veins, Disguised as poetic humour, But I’m no poet, just an obvious societal pain.

I’m a mysogynist, look at me, Like the Westfield attacker, targeting local women with a keyboard instead of a knife,

heehee!!

He was killed so I’m now doing it for the team.

Who do these females think they are? Taking good care of themselves and walking proud? Their lips and breasts and hips are gorgeous,

But I will berate them to not have my own shortcomings seem too obvious.

TAKE THEM DOWN so I feel superior,

If I focus on them, I don’t need to face that I am INFERIOR.

Oh crap… some of them have brains enough,

To call out my sh*t attitude on The Beast…. How rough!!!

We are ALL FABULOUS Peter, but with your limited emotional intellect… you’ll never know.

Anonymous Bondi Girl (with a yoga mat) Bondi

Reply to the Bondi Girls

Oh darling girls, you know I jest, ‘Tis Bondi girls I love the best, And Bondi boys and Bondi dogs, And all those lovely Bondi frogs. And surfers, swimmers, running folks,

And all those funny Bondi jokes, And Bondi Tonys, Famous Roys, And all those other Bondi Joys, And Bondi this and Bondi thats, And even Bondi yoga mats, And Gelbies extra large supreme, And all the things that go unseen,

And Curley Lewis, what a blast, And all the food that isn’t fast, I could go on but I digress, There’s something that I must confess.

I’m sorry that the women folk, Can’t take a little harmless joke, In future when I grab the pen, I’ll write about our Bondi men.

Peter Bondi ¢

Please send your feedback to letters@thebeast.com.au and include your name and suburb. We try and publish as many of them as possible, but nothing too crazy please.

Come along to your local

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.

This June, the following meetings are on:

Bondi Beach – Monday 3 June, 7 – 9pm

Bondi – Wednesday 5 June, 7 – 9pm

Charing Cross – Wednesday 5 June, 7 – 9pm

Bondi Heights – Monday 17 June, 7 – 9pm

Bronte Beach – Wednesday 19 June, 7.30 –9.30pm

North Bondi – Wednesday 26 June, 7 – 9pm

Vaucluse / Diamond Bay – Thursday 27 June, 7 –9pm

Visit waverley.nsw.gov.au/precinct to find out location of the above meetings closer to the date.

Not sure which Precinct you belong to?

Visit waverley.nsw.gov.au/findyourprecinct Waverley Council proudly supports resident run Precinct meetings.

Local Artist...

Andy Taylor from Maroubra

Maroubra resident Andy Taylor is the local artist behind this month’s awesome cover illustration of North Bondi. Andy shares his local favourites with The Beast...

How long have you lived here?

I have moved around a bit. I lived in Redfern as a student, but missed the coast too much so I came East. I had a few years in Coogee and it’s been ten years in Maroubra now.

Why do you live here? I used to surf, but not as much these days. It’s the ocean that I love.

What's your favourite beach? I really love South Maroubra.

What's your favourite eatery? Cozy Thai House at Maroubra Beach is my favourite.

Where do you like to have a drink? I’ve given up the grog, so I now enjoy a takeway fruit smoothie while I watch the waves.

Best thing about the Eastern Suburbs? The diversity of people and the coastal architecture.

Worst thing about the Eastern Suburbs? Definitely the parking, and rental prices aren’t great either.

How would you describe your art? JOYPOP. In the 1950s it meant to microdose narcotics. To me, it means creating joyful, popular art. My art blends pop art with realism and is highly political because I choose to not make it political. My focus is joy, whimsy and beauty.

Where can people see your work? For the last three years I have been doing non-stop commissions, so I am literally all sold out (the North Bondi painting on the cover of this magazine is now hanging in New York). I don’t enter competitions or exhibit in galleries, and I’ve never been a ‘name’, but I don’t care, because I like running my own show and I feel proud that people have my art on their walls. You also don’t have to be an investment banker or law firm partner to afford them.

Who are your artistic inspirations? Good question. Jeffrey Smart, Arthur Streeton, Francis Bacon, Ken Done, Reg Mombassa and David Hockney.

What are you working on at the moment? I’m about to start a really big pink painting of Balmoral. Then it’s a smalller piece capturning North Bondi SLSC.

When did you discover you had a gift for your craft? Honestly, I don’t think I have a gift - I’ve grinded really hard for a long time. The one thing that is intuitive though is colour. I was about twenty when I realised I could recreate the colours of

the coast with paint. Ironically, now I break the rules and am a lot more playful with hues and colours.

Any other local artists to look out for? I used to share a studio with Martine Emdur many moons ago. Martine is pretty epic! And, although she’s not local, the artist Halinka Orszulok is brilliant.

Did you study art? I studied art theory and photography, but I haven’t trained formally. It’s my secret weapon I think, and it’s kept me passionate.

Any words of wisdom for young aspiring artists? Acrylic paint is like glue, it is quick to dry and lacks flexibility; oil paints are much better (but make sure you wear gloves and paint in a ventilated space). Don’t seek other people’s approval; paint what you love and you will find your sweet spot. Painting is a craft and is kind of like surfing - it takes quite a long time to get good.

What do you get up to on the weekends? Painting, delivering prints, getting art supplies, scouting out painting spots, drinking tea and swimming in the sea.

What do you do for work? I paint and teach.

What's your favourite thing about work? My favourite thing about painting is being in ‘the flow’.

Do you have a favourite quote? “The paranoid are never entirely mistaken.” - Sigmund Freud.

Any other words of wisdom for readers of The Beast? Props to you that you are reading this and not on your phone. Good for you, seriously!

Interview James Hutton

Painting what he loves.

Community Still in Shock After Bondi Junction Massacre

Words Anthony Maguire

The community is reeling from the horror of the Bondi Junction mass stabbing where a crazed knifeman took six lives.

Memorial services have been held for the victims, and a candlelit vigil at Bondi Beach organised by Waverley Council helped the beginning of the healing process.

One of the first memorial services to be held was for Bellevue Hill mother of two Jade Young, with 400 people paying tribute in Sydney’s Botanic Gardens. The same day, another ceremony commemorating Mrs Young was held off Bondi, with around 200 surfers forming a circle offshore. Several were from Bronte Surf Life Saving Club, where Ms Young was a keen member.

The others killed in the Saturday, April 13 stabbing rampage at Westfield were bride-to-be Dawn Singleton, Maroubra artist Pikria Darchia, security guard Faraz Tahir, Chinese student Yixuan Cheng and Clovelly mother Ashlee Good, whose nine-month old baby Harriet was also stabbed, but survived.

The Beast would like to mention some of the heroism that came to the fore that day, starting with the actions of Waverley policewoman Amy

Scott. Inspector Scott ran into the centre and told the knifeman to drop his weapon. When he lunged at her with his 30cm hunting knife, she brought him down with two shots. Then, as he lay on the floor dying, she had the humanity to try and revive him with CPR.

We are celebrating the heroism of Frenchman Damien Guerot, who brandished a hefty bollard at the top of an escalator to prevent the killer getting up to Level 5 after wreaking bloody havoc on Level 4.

Then there’s Waverley lifeguard Andy Reid, who convinced a security guard to let him out of a locked-up Myer to render firstaid to victims (see adjacent article). And numerous people have hailed the bravery of murdered security guard Faraz Tahir and his wounded colleague Muhammad Taha, stabbed as they tried to stop the killing spree.

A grateful Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced Mr Taha will be given permanent residency, as will ‘Bollard Man’ Damien.

Meanwhile, NSW Premier Chris Minns has proposed a permanent memorial at or near Westfield to commemorate victims of the tragedy.

Long-Serving Lifeguard Helped Westfield Victims

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Pat Splash

Two days after receiving his 20-year long service award

alongside colleague Quinn Darragh, Waverley Council lifeguard Andy Reid found himself putting his first aid skills to crucial usehelping victims of the Westfield mass stabbing attack.

Mr Reid had been shopping in Myer when he heard people had been stabbed out in the corridor. The store’s roller door had been shut, but he convinced a security guard to open it - and emerged to encounter a “battle zone.”

The father of three gave a woman first aid, helped by two police officers and members of the public. He then tended to another female victim, doing compressions. But she didn’t make it - one of the six people killed in the knifeman’s rampage.

Mr Reid is no stranger to life and death situations, having performed hundreds of rescues. But he says he has never experienced anything so traumatic.

“I have seen some gnarly stuff over the years, but nothing like this.”

Two decades of experience came to the fore when Reidy found himself in the thick of things.

Photo Steve Flowers

One of the many memorials in Bondi Junction.

• Fully licensed building company

• Offering alternative compliant pool fencing solutions

• Large and small works including fixing pool gates

• Swimming Pool Certifier trained Connecting you with competent pool safety inspectors

Planning Panel Approves Revised Coogee Bay Hotel Redevelopment

Approval has been given to a $110 million redevelopment of the Coogee Bay Hotel site, sparking fears the area will lose its traditional village atmosphere.

Under the plans, the majority of the current hotel will be retained but will be dwarfed by a 50-unit apartment block with shops and basement car park at the corner of Coogee Bay Road and Vicar Street. It will stand 21.3 metres high, compared to the 19 metre height of the existing boutique hotel.

The bulk and scale of the mixed use apartment and commercial building have been reduced since the plans were first submitted a few years ago, but many members of the community remain very unhappy.

Speaking after the scheme was green-lit by the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel, residents’ group Coogee Bay Precinct said the project was a “massive overdevelopment” which would forever change the character of the beachside

suburb. Precinct spokesperson Lucy Bloom said the influx of apartment dwellers will cause serious traffic congestion in the area.

“Coogee is already gridlocked throughout much of the summer - imagine what it will be like with all those apartments,” said Ms Bloom.

Member for Coogee, Dr Marjorie O’Neill, shares the precinct’s misgivings.

“While I appreciate the owners revising their development application in response to the community’s concerns, I still think the scale of the redevelopment is too large and unsuitable for our area. It will completely change the village feel Coogee is known and loved for.”

Randwick Councillor Danny Said, who sat on the Planning Panel and was the only member who voted against the decision, said the plans had “not met community expectations.”

One condition which has been placed on the development is the drawing up of a

noise masterplan by a firm of acoustic consultants. This will study the impact of pub and street noise, along with noise from specific areas within the development such as vehicles in the basement car park and noise from exhaust fans outside the car park and kitchens. In addition, the masterplan will manage and mitigate building noise while the works are carried out.

As well as the contentious building at the corner of Coogee Bay Road and Vicar Street, there will be a new hotel building plus refurbishment of existing hotel accommodation, creating 31 new rooms in total. An internal laneway lined with restaurants will lead into the redeveloped premises from Coogee Bay Road. The muchloved music venue Selina’s will be demolished to make way for the works.

The approval surely must have pleased the Coogee Bay Hotel’s managing director, Chris Cheung, after more than four years of design and planning, discussions with stakeholders, community consultation and negotiations with Randwick Council.

“As members of the community for the past 30 years, we understand the environment and believe our plans will better integrate the hotel within the community and reinvigorate the entire site. The proposal will enhance the heritage aspects of the hotel building, upgrade its accommodation offering, create a wider range of entertainment, dining options and public meeting spaces, and create a more family friendly environment,” he told The Beast.

Mr Cheung also refuted the claims of Coogee losing its village atmosphere under the development, saying it “will complement the character of the local area.”

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Fender Katsalidis

Rest in peace Selina's.

Gavin is Wheelie Keen to Raise Funds for Charity

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Coleen Blomkamp

Retired insurance executive Gavin Kleinhans has embarked on an epic 1,100 kilometre walk from Bondi to Broken Hill. He’ll be an easy figure to recognise on the roads of western NSW - he is transporting his supplies in a bright yellow, 240 litre wheelie bin!

Mr Kleinhans, 68, set off on Anzac Day and expects to reach the outback mining town in mid-June.

Why is he making the trip in such an unconventional way? He is raising funds for medical humanitarian charity Médecins Sans Frontières. And perhaps he has an urge to prove to himself that even though he has been retired for a good few years now, he’s no has-bin.

Two years ago, he rode around Australia on a postie bike raising money for the same organisation. On that journey, he learned that it can be challenging transporting the necessary supplies like water and camping equipment on just two wheels. So he began hatching plans for his marathon wheelie bin trek.

He has modified the twowheeled bin by installing a pair of pneumatic wheels at the back and a single, self-steering wheel at the front. In the weeks leading up to his departure from the family home in Campbell Parade, North Bondi, he limbered up with daily 20 kilometre training walks that took him to Centennial Park and Anzac Parade.

Earlier this year, he also took a recce trip to Broken Hill by car to identify camping spots.

“I’m not camping every night - I’m staying at motels and roadhouses in some locations,” he said, “but there are a number of stretches where I’ll have to travel more than 100 kilometres without encountering much in the way of so-called civilisation, so I need to be self-sufficient.”

He added, “Some people have told me I’m crazy to be doing this, but I see it as a great adventure for a cause very close to my heart.”

To support Mr Kleinhans’ marathon fundraising trek, please visit fundraise.msf.org.au/ fundraisers/postiegeezer.

Another Dolphin Dies in Bondi Shark Net

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Jason Iggleden

Drone footage has captured a dead dolphin being removed from the shark net at Bondi.

Video of a state government contractor untangling the dolphin from the net was posted by Bondi builder Jason Iggleden, who runs the Drone Shark App.

“It was a pointless death, and it makes me sad that we’re keeping these outdated nets in place,” he told The Beast

The dolphin died just two weeks before the nets were removed for the winter.

Mr Iggleden’s posting provoked an emotional response on social media.

“This has to stop!” posted sales manager Mick Beltrame, while university student Idit Gofer said, “Soooo sad.”

While calls for permanent removal of the nets are growing, some within the surf community say they should stay.

“It’s a trade-off between swimmer safety and animal safety,” says Andrew Christopher, President of North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club.

“It’s sensible to have the nets in place in areas of high usage like Bondi.”

A Department of Primary Industries contractor untangles the dead dolphin.

Tucked away in Paddington Town Hall on Oxford Street, Paddington Library is perfect for studying, working, or simply dropping by to borrow a book. Discover a range of fun events for all ages and interests! Find out more at: woollahra.nsw.gov.au/ library

Luxury Development Will Destroy Views and Privacy, Say Neighbours

Words

Residents near a proposed luxury unit development in Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi are outraged at the prospect of losing their views and privacy. There is also a wider debate about the impact of luxury apartment builds in the Eastern suburbs.

“The proposed four-storey building, if approved, would obstruct ocean views from our apartments,” says Joshua Roche, who lives in an apartment block next door to the site.

“This would result in a material impact on the value of our properties in an already challenging economic time.”

Mr Roche is one of 33 people who have lodged objections to the development through postings on Waverley Council’s ‘Have Your Say’ page.

Several objections come from residents of Mr Roche’s block, Prima Apartments, while others are from apartment dwellers in Brighton Boulevard, which runs parallel to Ramsgate Avenue.

Jason McQuillen, who lives at 77-79 Brighton Boulevard, said the development “will look directly into my bedroom and

bathroom, which is a significant intrusion.”

The developers plan to knock down a pair of decades-old apartment blocks, each with four units, and build a luxury block of four units with a swimming pool and basement parking.

Some see the project as the latest manifestation of a trend where developers have been knocking down old apartment blocks to create new ones that house fewer, but richer, people. With housing affordability a burning issue and the Minns government promoting increased density of apartment buildings, there is increasing pressure on councils to impose a ‘no net dwelling loss’ caveat on new residential developments.

“It’s terrible to be knocking down perfectly good flats for luxury apartments when we have a housing crisis,” says local architect Sophie Solomon.

“This kind of gentrification means Bondi could become a very bland enclave for the wealthy, losing a lot of its traditional beach culture.”

Local Bridge Lord Cracks the TonneHappy 100th Birthday, Ruy!

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Nicoleta Giura

There could be something about the game of Bridge that promotes long life.

Last year, we brought you the story of Easts Bridge Club member Maurice Steinfeld celebrating his centenary. Now another club member has notched up his 100th year.

Ruy de Menezes is one of the top players at the Bondi Junction club. He has won numerous awards and was recently appointed a Regional Master by the Australian Bridge Federation.

When he’s not playing at the club, he is behind the computer at his Randwick home using his Bridge skills in tournaments with players from all over the globe.

His advice for reaching a ripe old age? Stay active. And he says the game of Bridge provides a good vehicle for that.

“If I wasn’t playing Bridge, I’d probably be sitting down watching TV and falling asleep like a lot of older people,” Mr de Menezes told The Beast.

100 good reasons to play Bridge.

Anthony Maguire Photo Eve Icted

These eight dwellings will become four if the proposal is approved.

Increasing Calls to Close Short-Term Rental Loopholes

Imagine this: You’re a longterm tenant in a block of Eastern Suburbs units. One day, you get a termination notice from your landlord. Why? Your block is going to be converted to lucrative short-term rental accommodation.

That’s what happened late last year to almost 20 residents in a pair of units in Bondi and Coogee. One of the tenants had been living there for 25 years and was able to fight the termination through the Eastern Area Tenants Service (EATS). But ultimately they became demoralised and gave up.

“The property developer who’d purchased the two blocks was coming there at night in his Porsche and shining his lights at high beam into the windows of the tenant’s flat,” said EATS tenant advocate Layla Pope.

It should be stressed that tenants squeezed out of residences to make way for short-term rentals accommodation (STRA) are not usually subjected to such heavy-handed tactics.

But that case starkly illustrates the stakes at play, given the higher rental income available through agencies like Airbnb and Stayz. As short-term rental tenants secure temporary homes at the tap of a few keys,

the pressure on traditional tenants is tightening. And nowhere in Australia is that pressure more intense than in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.

The top four suburbs in Australia with the highest proportion of dwellings rented on Airbnb are in the Waverley Local Government Area. They are Tamarama, Bondi, North Bondi and Bronte. Airbnb alone offers around 5,500 listings in Waverley, representing around eight per cent of total housing stock in the LGA.

“STRA has several impacts including housing affordability, displacement of long-term local residents, residential amenity and business impacts,” says a spokesperson for Waverley Council.

Randwick City Council has similar concerns. A document tabled at a recent Council meeting said that “in the northern and coastal parts of the Randwick LGA, the number of STRA properties in these areas is more than 2.5 times the state average.” Councillors called for stricter state government guidelines and policing to control the STRA explosion, proposing a raft of reforms including removal of loopholes which can allow properties to be rented out continuously.

Handyman Sign Not So Handy for Petrol Station Patrons

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Dane Jeras

Clovelly residents want something done about a trailer permanently parked outside a petrol station. They say it obstructs the view of drivers turning right out of Randwick Petroleum onto Clovelly Road.

Clovelly Precinct raised the issue at a recent meeting and alerted Randwick City Council. An officer from the council looked at aerial photos and reported back that the trailer had been there since December 2020! However, there was nothing that Council could do about it.

The Beast dropped round to Randwick Petroleum and talked to manager Suresh Bhatt, who said, “We get regular complaints from people who say it blocks the view for turning right, but it’s not our trailer, so there’s nothing we can do.”

A sign on the trailer promotes the services of a business calling itself ‘AAA Master Handyman.’ We phoned the number on the sign and briefly talked to someone calling himself Chris.

“I don’t comment on things like that,” he said, before hanging up.

Dangerous and annoying.

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Cat Alonia

Locals are being squeezed out in tourist areas all over the world.

Tony Tiki was only 26 when her life was brutally snuffed out.

Crime News

$1 Million Reward to Throw Light on Historic Murder

At 1.30am on January 1, 1996, young mother Tony Tiki left a New Year’s Eve party at South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club to walk to her nearby home. She never made it.

Four days later, the 26-yearold’s battered body was found in a patch of bush not far from the club. There was evidence she had been sexually assaulted. The killer was never caught. But now the case has been re-opened, with a $1 million reward being posted in the hope it will lead to a conviction.

At a press conference, NSW Police homicide squad commander Danny Doherty said the reward was “an incentive for those people who may have been sitting on information for some time.” He said it was likely the killer was a local.

Also at the press conference were Ms Tiki’s two children. Her daughter Shannon Hall, who was eight when her mother’s life was brutally taken away, now lives in the United States and came to Australia for the reward announcement.

“Everything done in the dark will always come to light,” Ms Hall said.

Perve Groped Girls in SurfPolice

Police charged a man with sexual touching after he allegedly groped at women in the water at Bondi Beach.

Lifeguards saw him plunging into waves with his arms spread wide apart - and coming into suspiciously close contact with a number of young women. Two women subsequently told the lifeguards that they’d had to push the man’s hands away from their waists.

The lifeguards then talked to the alleged groper, who pleaded innocence, with his wife appearing by his side to claim his fogged-up goggles had prevented him seeing properly. But the lifeguards didn’t buy it - nor did the police who turned up and took the man to Bondi Police Station. There he was charged with three counts of sexual touching without consent.

Suspect Caught After Foot Pursuit

Police chased a man on foot down a Maroubra street following reports he’d been seen with a large knife.

After nabbing the suspect, officers say they found a discarded knife nearby. The 34-year-old man has been charged with custody of a knife in a public place plus a number of other offences.

Woman Allegedly Attacked With Screwdriver

A 36-year-old woman is said to have been stabbed in the head with a screwdriver on Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach. She was taken to hospital in a stable condition and a man has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Drug Arrests at Racecourse Music Festival

Three men were charged with drug supply and eight others with drug possession after police mingled with revellers at The Electric Gardens Festival at

Royal Randwick Racecourse. The alleged offenders will be facing Waverley Local court.

Man Charged With Stalking Footy Legend

Rugby League great Andrew Johns was enjoying a swim at Bronte when he says he noticed a man in the water staring at him.

Then when Mr Johns returned to his nearby home, he allegedly saw the same man pacing the footpath outside.

The next day, the former Newcastle Knights star was sitting at a Bronte café. He says his unwanted buddy approached and stared at him for a long time. At that point, Mr Johns decided to phone the cops.

A 27-year-old man has been charged with stalking and served with an apprehended violence order.

Foamie Theft

Nina Villeneuve had been enjoying a surf on her new board. She left it on the grass in South Maroubra car park, then went for a shower, after which she chatted to some friends having a barbecue. Then, returning to the car, she found the board was gone.

The seven foot Oasis foam board was “a birthday present and very special for me,” says the Maroubra resident, who teaches French at a local school.

Have you seen the stolen board? Please contact Maroubra Police on 9349 9299.

Can you help reunite Nina with her purloined board?

Words Jimmy Felon

Photos Penny Jahat

Cool, Calm and Collected

I love finding photos on Facebook of messages written by the public, in public places, that can be read by the public. The message has to have a slight sense of humour and contain a meaning that makes us think differently about something from how we may have thought about it before. I’m not quite sure why I even like doing this, but it is just something that gives me a little wry smile.

One particular gem I found recently was a message written on a billboard similar to what you might find at the drive-in movies or outside a church or school. It read, “No one in the history of ‘calm down’ has ever ‘calmed down’ by being told to ‘calm down’.” It’s an absolute pearler, and so very true! Maybe I’m wrong, but if I was in a stressed and agitated state and someone told me to ‘calm down’ I’m pretty sure it would have the opposite effect.

After doing a little research, it does turn out that telling someone to calm down is not always the best thing to do. The one being told to calm down may feel like they are being patronised and bossed around, which may amplify their current emotional state and make it harder to calm down. Furthermore, it can have the potential to stigmatise and even invalidate what we are feeling when we are angry or not calm, and implies that such emotion and a lack of composure is weak and shameful.

It may also be fair to say that if someone is telling you to ‘calm down’, ‘stop overreacting’, ‘don’t be so dramatic’, or my personal favourite, ‘just relax’, you might be heading into the gaslight zone. The term ‘gaslighting’ was derived from the 1944 film Gaslight staring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. The theme of the film revolves around manipulation, where one person uses

psychological methods to make someone else question their own sanity and reasoning. Being gaslit by someone else is an awful scenario. The issue here is the gaslighter, who is usually (but not always) aware of what they are doing, is actually trivialising or dismissing the person’s feelings to gain some kind of power. If the gaslighter is effective then their method of delivery will be carried out in such a way that the person on the receiving end will not even be aware they are being manipulated. Gaslighting someone to gain a sense of dominance is definitely a trait of narcissism.

It’s important to point out that not everyone who tells someone to calm down is intentionally trying to gaslight them. Indeed their intent might be completely genuine, but despite this it is still a form of control and is unlikely to have the desired effect. Rule number one of interpersonal dynamics is that it’s very difficult to change someone else. We really don’t have the ability to control someone else’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours, but what we can control is our own. The most common thing I hear in sessions regarding failing relationships is, “If only my partner did this, if only they did that...” Indeed you may be right, but as counter-intuitive as this might sound, it’s only by working on yourself and changing things within your control that your perspective will shift, allowing the possibility for change.

If you are in a situation with your partner where they are angry, it is important to focus on managing yourself and not your partner. Instead of saying, “Can you just calm down,” it might be better to just stop, stay silent and breathe, and then keep breathing. Then, when enough time has passed, you could say something like, “I can see you’re angry, what can I do to help?” Attempting to control them and pushing them to change a behaviour will only produce another negative reaction.

On the flip side, if you’re the one being told to calm down and you can feel it’s just winding you up even more, it’s also important to stop and breathe, and perhaps remove yourself from the situation and take some time out. Anger is a tricky emotion. Ironically, we are the only ones who have the ability to make ourselves angrynot the other person. It’s how we choose to react to something that makes us angry.

Maybe the next sign should read, “Thanks for your advice, but I will tell myself to calm down.”

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

Words Jeremy Ireland Photo Ted Coupe

Be like Steve.

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

Randwick News

Randwick Mayor Philipa Veitch

Don’t let the cooler temperatures keep you indoors – there is plenty happening this month across Randwick City! Head over to the Ritz Cinemas in Randwick for the 71st Sydney Film Festival. We’re supporting the screening of a range of wonderful features and documentaries at the Ritz, from Wednesday 5 June to Sunday 16 June. There is no better time than winter for a night at the movies!

Maroubra Beach markets will also be launching this month. There will be more than 100 food and goods stalls at Broadarrow Reserve on Sunday 2 June. The launch of these monthly beachside markets was postponed last month because of wet weather, however we’re hoping the rain will stay away this time!

World Environment Day is on Wednesday 5 June. Join us for a tour of the Randwick Recycling Centre to find out what happens to your recyclables after they’re collected. You can also celebrate the day by planting a native tree at Heffron Park in Maroubra.

Refugee Week is from Sunday 16 June to Saturday 22 June. Randwick City Council is home to more than 135,000 people from over 100 backgrounds and cultures. We are proud of our multicultural City, and we welcome refugees from every background. This year, we’re celebrating Refugee Week with some fantastic events. Please keep an eye out for them on our website.

What’s On

SAT 1 JUN – SUN 2 JUN

WINTER BOOK SALE

Sat: 9.30am – 4pm Sun: 12 – 4pm

Margaret Martin Library, Level 1, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre, 73 Belmore Rd

SUN 2 JUNE

MAROUBRA BEACH MARKETS

8am – 2 pm

Broadarrow Reserve, Maroubra

SUN 2 JUNE

RECYCLING CENTRE TOURS

8.45am – 2pm

Randwick Recycling Centre, 72 Perry St, Matraville

WED 5 JUNE

PLANT WITH US

Councillor Philipa Veitch Mayor of Randwick

8.30 – 10.30am

Heffron Park, Maroubra

WED 5 JUNE – SUN 16 JUNE

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL

Ritz Cinemas, Randwick

The Unreliable Guide to... Good Manners

The Unreliable Guide has been thinking about manners lately. I don’t mean swearing (bugger that) or making a fuss about which spoon one should use on the old crème brûlée. No, I mean the art of living graciously in our busy modern world. I even bought a book on eBay, Why Manners Matter, by Australian author Lucinda Holdforth. Ironically, the book arrived rudely late. Worse still, its previous owner had defaced almost every page with their own ‘witty’ comments. Shut up already! But book scribblers are just one of many crimes against my humanity. If you too have been finding the modern world uncouth, unrefined and unappealing - never fear! The

Unreliable Guide is here with some tips and tricks on civilising your world.

Rosemary Rude

When we were being selfish, thoughtless or downright obnoxious gits, my mother reprimanded us kids by asking, “Are we at home to Margery Manners or Rosemary Rude?” We laughed, but that idea has stuck with me. And although Rosemary Rude sounds like a fun gal, I wouldn’t want to live with her. You know her kindshe talks too loudly, never buys a round, eats all your cereal and puts the empty box back in the cupboard. Rudeness is not caring about other people, so for my mum, manners are

the opposite. For her, good manners involve being aware that you are not the only person on the planet. It means saying thank you, holding a door open, not cutting in front of people in a queue. It means listening when someone is talking to you. It means not taking all the pie. It means sharing, patience and kindness, not greed, impatience and cruelty. If manners make the world go round, rudeness is a handful of grit in the axle.

Is a Good Flogging the Answer?

In Singapore, they take public manners very seriously. While no one was ever actually caned for chewing gum as the urban myth suggested, if graffiti is your thing you can expect a serious whacking from a martial-arts trained prison guard. Get caught forgetting to flush or taking a piss in a lift and you’ll have to hand over some serious cold hard. Personally, I think this level of state interference is a bit Orwellian, but if I did advocate flogging I would punish these crimes against manners: 1) writing anything but your name, once, in a novel; 2) talking loudly on a mobile phone in any public place; 3) walking two or three abreast and blocking the path for others; 4) knowingly going to work/school/the gym with a vile contagious disease; 5) allowing your dog/child to make a continuous racket in a café without any attempt to shut them the f*ck up. All very serious crimes, I’m sure you’ll agree. Now bring me my cane.

Finally, to quote Holdforth’s ultimate comment in Why Manners Matter, “By our individual contributions, our little petty sacrifices, we dignify ourselves. And we combine to make something bigger than ourselves. A civil society.” Exactly. Or, as my mum would say, “Just stop being a git.”

Words Nat Shepherd Photo Roger Hargreaves

Don't be like this bloke.

Our Way of Life Is Under Threat

Eastern Suburbs residents have joined forces to destroy a threat to our way of life after Waverley Council failed to keep us safe.

Terrified locals have created Bat Slaying Hazard Intervention Taskforce (BatSHIT) to rid the region of the bloodthirsty bats which send us scurrying behind bolted doors at dusk and threaten the very fabric of our society.

“It’s not the first time bats have forced us into house arrest,” stated a spokesperson for BatSHIT on Sky After Dark, “and it’s not the first time our soft, woke, spineless authorities have kowtowed to the left and killed our freedom.”

BatSHIT was created after Waverley Council rejected a motion to cut down trees or use sound devices to deter fruit bats from some of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs, where traumatised locals fear for the safety of their families, pets and even their cars.

Bats are accused of leaving a slippery wet slush as well as droppings which may contain

deadly viruses, as they descend upon neighbourhoods every summer and pose an even greater threat than British backpackers.

The detritus is being walked into homes, offices, cafés and Wellness studios, and according to one local lad, “It seriously destroys the romance of Run Club.”

Experts suggest bats have congregated in suburbs such as Rose Bay due to the removal of hundreds of trees from Royal Sydney Golf Club. In response, BatSHIT wants to kill more trees.

“Waterfront residents have been recruited to poison fig trees and other species to destroy bat habitat,” the spokesperson said. And this is just one of many tactics designed to win the war on nature.

“We’ve armed every Boomer with a slingshot and every teenager with a weaponised drone. They’ll operate on the flanks of the corridor between The Botanical Gardens and Centennial Park and shoot down bats

fleeing the nightly Death by Dusk death metal concerts at the SFS.”

Surviving bats will confront multiple Moonlight Cinemas playing Twilight on loop, and if pasty Pattinson doesn’t deter them, they’ll endure the faintly suppressed homoerotic tension between Batman and Robin.

Critics question the severity of the methods, to which BatSHIT replied, “The bats had their chance.”

“They rejected our suggestion to identify as dogs and earn protection. After all, have you ever heard of a dog leaving smelly droppings on the footpath, harassing young children, sinking its fangs into someone or keeping the whole neighbourhood awake at night? Bats need to assimilate if they want to keep living here.”

BatSHIT assures residents the war will be won by Christmas, when we’ll all celebrate our liberation with a twilight concert in Rose Bay listening to Meatloaf drive the bats back to hell.

Words Kieran Blake - kieranblakewriter.org Photo Marvin Lee Aday

Public enemy number one.

We Will Get Through This

Words Dr Marjorie O’Neill - Member for Coogee Photo Rose Porteous

On April 13 this year, tragedy struck close to home for everyone in our community and, very sadly, it struck right inside the homes of the innocents whose lives were lost. This heartbreaking event shook our entire area. For those immediately impacted by the dreadful events of that day, the sorrow has been deep and real. In the midst of grief and shock, our community has come together in a remarkable display of solidarity and support. My favorite thing about this place isn’t the landscape, the beaches or our parks; it is without doubt our beautiful community, with caring people who reach out to support the vulnerable, the needy and often the people unknown to them. Empathy and compassion have been evidenced and grown as neighbours and friends have reached out to comfort one another, sharing hugs, tears and words of encouragement, providing a shoulder to lean on or a listening ear.

From checking in on loved ones, neighbours and friends to simply sharing information about what was happening, people supported one another through communication and giving time. The nod and greeting to the passing stranger, a few moments of unnecessary exchange with someone who just looked like they may need it, the reassuring smile or hug... these are the backbone of a strong community. As people of all ages dealt with their fear, sadness and disbelief, parents reached out to ensure that their children felt safe, while young mums shared their awe of a brave and loving mother they had never met. We all identified with the terror, the bravery and the waste.

Some of us wanted and needed to do more. So many flowers and God only knows how many prayers! Thankfully, we also witnessed a huge increase in the number of people donating blood and hopefully this contribution to a critical resource will

continue across our community and be a lasting tribute to the victims of this tragedy.

Amidst the sorrow, moments of light and laughter emerged as we came together to remember and celebrate the lives of those lost. The candlelight vigil at Bondi Beach was a moment for us to grieve as a community and start what will be a long healing process and a testament to our resilience and spirit.

Events like this change people forever. We need to remember we are not alone. Our community has shown immense strength and compassion during this time and demonstrated that there is so much good in our world. Those who lost their lives, their families and friends who mourn them, and those who were physically and emotionally injured are in our hearts. If you need help or want to talk to someone, I recommend calling the mental health line on 1800 011 511. There are experts there to help you through it.

C O N N E C T W I T H C O O G E E

Want to know what’s going on in your community?

Follow Dr Marjorie O’Neill MP on Instagram for the latest local news and send a DM if we can help with anything!

Alternatively, call the Coogee Electorate Office on 9398 1822 or email coogee@parliament.nsw.gov.au

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Loving memories.

The Enduring Memorial Must Be Action on Mental Health

Words Allegra Spender - Member for Wentworth

Photo Peter Wreath

The past few weeks have been some of the most difficult in memory for our community. The senseless attack at Bondi Junction on Saturday, April 13 killed six people, wounded many others and has left our community in mourning.

As we grieve for the victims and hold their families in our thoughts, I know many of us have taken great comfort from the courageous and compassionate response of our community.

People at Westfield acted heroically, risking their own lives to save others. They supported each other in their most terrifying moments. And they showed incredible bravery and courage. At a time when we saw the worst of humanity, they showed the best.

And in the days since, we have come together like never before. From the candlelight vigil at Bondi Pavilion, to the ocean paddle-out for the victims and the many other tributes that have been held since - our community has shown deep care and support for each other. And in that care is incredible strength.

There is no doubt the attacks have cast a long shadow. We will have a permanent physical memorial to remember the victims. But the enduring memorial must be action on mental health in our community.

Whether you were in Westfield at the time, you know someone who was, or you saw the images on social media - many of us are still trying to process what happened. That’s even more so for the young people in our lives.

I have spoken to countless parents - both in my own circle of friends and across the community - who are deeply concerned about the impact on

their kids. And not just due to the immediate trauma, but because of the violent content that is being pushed on social media and the way this tragedy has exacerbated pressures that have been growing for years.

As we reflect on how to support young people, we need to look hard at whether our mental health system is fit for purpose. While the immediate support provided following the attacks was outstanding - and we are blessed with one of the best Headspace centres in the country at Bondi Junction - the cracks in the broader system are clear.

Mental health conditions account for around 15 per cent of the overall burden of disease in Australia yet mental health receives only around 7 per cent of total government health funding. Much of this funding goes to providing care for a smaller number of people living with very severe conditions, meaning there’s not enough early intervention, and people with more common difficulties find it hard to access support.

The lack of public provision leaves people needing to dig into their own pockets to pay for care. That means cost becomes a significant barrier to access - whether it’s the gap fee for a GP consultation or paying for private psychology because Medicare-only sessions are impossible to access. Even for those who can get in the door, we often fail to get the right care to the right people.

Our mental health system is an opaque patchwork quilt of providers that isn’t well integrated or coordinated - with different and overlapping services that are hard to untangle. Some care is federally funded and some is state funded. Some is provided by the private sector and some by the public. There’s limited transparency on what’s available to who, how much it costs and how long you have to wait.

This leaves already distressed patients frustrated and inadequately supported, having to explain their symptoms over and over again because records aren’t shared properly - or sitting on a waiting list for months on end because the right provider just isn’t available. And it makes it harder to understand what works and what doesn’t.

All of these challenges are exacerbated for those most seriously in need, whose families are often left distraught and unsupported as their loved ones fall through the cracks. It’s clear the system needs more funding and real reform - and this is one of my priorities as federal parliament returns in May.

We are fortunate in Wentworth to have some incredible organisations and mental health professionals - Headspace, Lifeline, ThisWayUp and many more - and I look forward to working with them to ensure that out of the tragedy of Bondi Junction comes better mental health support for all.

For more information on mental health support available, please visit www.AllegraSpender.com. au/BondiJunctionAttacks.

Sydney’s Sushi Sensation

Sushi is a traditional Japanese delicacy typically served with soy sauce and wasabi, a premium price tag and a modest portion size. But imagine if I told you that little parcels of sashimi were swimming all through Sydney Harbour and ready for your taking at the bargain price of $zero.

Yes, that’s right, you no longer need to blow the budget and rub shoulders with a hundred Bondi influencers at Raw Bar. Instead, you can harvest your own premium sashimi fresh and free from the ocean, but only after you’ve invested thousands of dollars in fishing gear, a boat and fuel.

Jokes aside, being able to fully control the entire process that your food undergoes from paddock (or harbour, in this case) to plate is a rarity these days. Something as simple as catching and eating a fish is a small way to tap into those primal hunter-gatherer urges we

all have within us. Flashback to January, after a few arvo beers with mates, and I had agreed to take a friend out on the boat the following morning, quietly confident that we would run into a few fish given my recent success. After turning up to a particular wreck, the sounder lit up with hoards of schooling fish and we immediately caught a series of fun-sized kingfish before a decent harbour amberjack took a liking to my soft vibe.

Amberjack are a close relative of the kingfish and hence boast similar eating qualities, well up in the realm of what you’d expect at a restaurant. With no size limit, the fish was whisked into the boat and bled into the esky before I could even ask, “Do you like Sushi?”

While catching a feed is a great part of fishing, it is crucial that fish are taken in a sustainable and sparing manner so the next generation have fish

to catch. At the end of the day, returning home after a morning on the harbour with a slab of fresh fish to share with friends and family is something that everyone should experience.

Ingredients

Fresh amberjack, thinly sliced

Avocado

Sushi rice

Nori (seaweed sheets)

Kewpie mayo

Tonkatsu Sauce

Soy sauce

Wasabi

Pickled ginger

Method

1. Cook sushi rice and cool to room temperature (there are a zillion YouTube tutorials on this part).

2. With wet hands, spread a thin layer of rice over the nori, leaving a finger space gap along the top edge.

3. Place thin slices of avocado and fish on the bottom edge, adding mayo and tonkatsu as desired.

4. Using a bamboo mat or your hands, roll from the bottom edge until the toppings are sealed inside the nori.

5. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into bite sized pieces.

6. Arrange the sushi pieces on a plate and serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger. Enjoy with an ice cold refreshment and a few good mates!

Words Lewis Kennedy-Hunt Lewis with a tasty amberjack.

Enough to feed a sumo wrestler.

June 2024 Tide Chart

Subject Love Island Location Coogee Photographer Paraic Hogan @p_h_images

Subject Look at Me Location Coogee

Subject Lightsaber Location Coogee Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall

The

Subject Bluesfest Location Maroubra Photographer Jean Marc Joseph Gubian

Photographer Victor Martinez

Subject Greenery Location Centennial Park Photographer Juan A. Rojas

Subject Bump, Set, Spike Location Coogee Photographer Mary Lin

Subject Gulliver Location Coogee Photographer Janet Wood @photobyjanet

Subject Daring Darcy Location Coogee Photographer Michael Collins

Subject Bream Whisperer Location Bondi Photographer Tommy Dalton

Spinach Pie with Pine Nut and Parmesan Crumb

Words Dana Sims Instagram @stone_and_twine

While this spinach pie recipe is pastry free, it still has all the flavour and goodness you could want from a healthy, hearty winter meal.

You will get more than your daily dose of greens, with the flavour heightened by the salty, tangy cheese. Top it off with a sourdough breadcrumb with pine nuts and parmesan, and this is a vegetable dish that you will devour. This recipe will serve four hungry humans.

Ingredients

1 bunch silverbeet, stems removed, roughly chopped

2 bunches English spinach, stems removed, roughly chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

½ leek, finely chopped

2 spring onion, white and green, finely chopped

½ brown onion, finely chopped

1 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 free range egg, beaten

½ cup chicken bone broth

60gm Greek feta, crumbled

50gm Gruyere, grated

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and cracked black pepper for seasoning

Breadcrumb topping

1½ cups sourdough breadcrumbs (process to a large crumb)

30gm butter

½ cup pine nuts, dry toasted

80gm parmesan, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180℃, fan forced.

2. In a large frypan set to medium heat, gently sautee the brown onion and celery for 2 minutes.

3. Add in the spinach and silverbeet and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the parsley and spring onion and combine.

4. Add the chicken bone broth, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes. The liquid should mostly evaporate.

5. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool. When cool, add in the feta, gruyere and beaten egg and mix thoroughly but gently. Set aside.

6. To make the breadcrumb topping, in a frypan set to medium heat, add in the butter. When melted, toss in the sourdough breadcrumbs and toasted pine nuts. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. When cooled, add in the parmesan and mix through.

7. In a baking dish, transfer the spinach mixture and press down firmly and evenly. Sprinkle over the breadcrumb topping and bake for 25 minutes until the top is crisp and golden.

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.

Winter's not so bad after all.

HYAMS BEACH HEAVEN

The Boathouses at Hyams Beach offer the perfect place to escape from busy Sydney and recharge your batteries. Just an easy three-hour drive from the Eastern Suburbs, The Boathouses offer separate two-bedroom properties, available to be booked individually or as one. For more information or to book, please call 02 4411 7000 or email bookings@holidayscollection.com.au

Public Notice

Proposed termination of Strata Scheme No 21177 being property situated at 60 Ritchard Avenue, Coogee NSW 2034.

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 Scheme 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, on or before 14 June 2024, to send particulars of the estate, interest or claim to N J Papallo Lawyers Level 5, 350 Kent Street SYDNEY NSW 2000.

MAILBOX DELIVERERS WANTED

The Beast magazine's dedicated delivery team is looking for a couple of reliable local residents to help with our monthly mailbox drop.

You'll need to be available for four or five days around the 18th to the 23rd of each month and have a reasonable level of fitness. You'll also need a half decent vehicle.

Locals over 45 years of age are preferred for this work, as the last 20 years has shown us that this is the only demographic capable of getting a job done properly from start to finish.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please email james@thebeast.com.au.

The Beast Supercross

ACROSS

1. Director of Mad Max films (6,6)

7. Tiger Woods’ christian birth name (7)

9. Makers of great music, Royel ... (4)

10. Annoying person (8)

11. Other name for America (1,1,1)

14. Capital of Belarus (5)

15. Harmless fish-eating hawk (6)

17. Fancy area of London (7)

19. Bury (6)

20. Someone who takes vengeance (7)

21. Online payment system (6)

Trivial Trivia

1. What tool is commonly used to ground substances in a mortar?

2. What is the name of Homer’s eldest daughter in The Simpsons?

3. Which woman first flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean?

4. What does IPA stand for?

5. True or false, the ancient Romans used urine as a mouthwash?

6. What colour are aircraft black boxes?

7. What kind of food is Monterey Jack?

DOWN

1. Fatal Attraction actress (5,5)

2. Appoint to a clerical post (6)

3. Stringed instrument (6)

4. Cousin ... (2)

5. Its capital is Vilnius (9)

6. James Packer’s mum (3,6)

8. To strike or propel with foot (4)

12. Public relations (1,1)

13. A loud, crashing percussion instrument (6)

14. Violent disturbance (6)

16. Dough-like material (5)

18. Swedish furniture company (4)

8. A group of flamingos is known as a flock, a guild or a flamboyance?

9. What is the official language of Brazil?

10. Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor is a 16 times world champion in which sport?

The Leedhams dominating at LazyBones.

Words Lisa Anderson Photo Paul McMillan @ paulmcmillanphoto

THE DREGGS

Caught in a Reverie

Label The Dreggs Music

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

I generally assume most musicians are awful narcissists, wearing whatever mask best suits them to sell records, but despite the fact these guys look like textbook long-boarding inside bandits (no leash), their vibe feels genuine. Caught in a Reverie is salt encrusted indie-folk, with the odd goosebump-inducing soaring chorus sprinkled throughout. It reminds me of Mumford and Sons and Of Monsters and Men, but if they had grown up on the Sunshine Coast. The banjo has certainly come a long way since Deliverance and with singalongs like ‘For Your Love’ I am happy to squeal like the pig I am!

AARON WEST AND THE ROARING TWENTIES

In Lieu of Flowers

Label Hopeless Records

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

There’s something great about emo with a horn section, and I’m not talking about your teenage neighbour’s bottom sock drawer. This is more late twenties, slightly balding and a little bit chubby emo, with a country twang. Throw on an unwashed plaid shirt and a trucker’s cap and hit up the local brewery on your way to see a band no one at your work has heard of. The original hipsters, but too drunk or hungover to realise a whole bunch of wankers have stolen their MO. In short, In Lieu of Flowers is bloody excellent and well worth a listen.

TAYLOR SWIFT

THE TORTURED POETS DEPT.

Label Republic

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

If THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT was really the name of Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriend’s group chat with his mates then she is better off without him, because he is an absolute tosser. Unless, of course, he was a ghost from the 1800s, as times were different back then, but I don’t think they had WhatsApp. Kesha claims to have had relations with a ghost though, so it can happen. At the risk of enraging all the dead-eyed Swifties out there, I don’t think this is Tay-Tay’s best work, but it’s okay. Hopefully Kelce proves to be a better muse and partner.

Star Signs

Leo Jul 23-Aug 22

Prioritise getting into shape physically and mentally, and everything else will just magically fall into place from there.

Virgo Aug 23-Sep 23

You know you’ve hit rock bottom when your main topic of conversation is the demise of rugby in private schools.

Libra Sep 24-Oct 23

A long-overdue pivot from wealth accumulation to memory creation will not help you to pay

Scorpio Oct 24-Nov 22

Everyone has some extended family members who are difficult to deal with at times, but no one’s are as awful as yours.

Sagittarius Nov 23-Dec 21

Only a change of diet will stop you from smelling so ordinary that your towel stinks of death after one use.

Capricorn Dec 22-Jan 20

There’s nothing wrong with putting all your eggs in one basket, especially if you’ve only got one egg.

Aquarius Jan 21-Feb 19

Quitting a boring job is generally a good move, but it’s not advisable when you don’t have any

Visions Beardy from Hell

D. Nude – no liners at all!

ANSWERS

E. Certified 100% compostable bags

Plastic bags

F. Non-compostable ‘eco-friendly’ or 50% plant based bags

These can be used in your caddy: A, B, D & E These cannot be used in your caddy: C & F

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C.

B. Brown paper bags

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