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Words James Hutton @thebeastmag
Welcome to the November 2022 edition of The Beast, the monthly magazine for Sydney’s stressed out beaches of the east, but more on that in a sec...
I checked out the newly reno vated Bondi Pavilion during the month and I’ve got to say, what an awesome job they’ve done! And that seems to be the general con sensus, although I did receive one letter to the editor questioning the expenditure of $50 million on such a project (the letters section was already choc-a-bloc by that point, but I’ll publish it in the next mag with a response from Council).
Bondi illustrator Andy Fackrell is the local artist behind this month’s haunting cover painting of a stingray caught in the shark nets at Bondi. You can see more of Andy’s work by following him on Instagram at @andrewfackrell or by checking out his website at www.andyfackrell.com.
The movement to get the shark nets off our beaches is gaining a lot of momentum now. I’ve paddled out to have a look at the nets and they do seem completely useless. They are, however, quite effective at ensnaring ‘non-target’ species like dolphins, turtles and other harmless sea life. Duncan Horscroft’s article on page 20 goes into more detail on this topic.
On a final note, it was very sad to see about 15 police cars and ambulances on Bronte Road last month after a local 74-year-old bloke allegedly murdered his wife in their home. We live in such a beautiful part of the world, but I feel like there’s an enormous amount of pressure on people here at the moment. Try turning your phone off every now and then; go for a walk and spend more time in the ocean - it’s not as good as having rich parents, but it’ll help.
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Words Pearl Bullivant Photo Bea Hindbars
As Australia’s self-appointed COVID ambassador, Pearl was disturbed to hear that “lead ers of business” have been meddling in the future of our youth, under the guise of a Sydney-based “high-powered taskforce” that has criticised the government over its COVID lockdown and quarantine pol icies in respect to their impact on children. The taskforce, which published its “findings” in July 2022 (once the dust has settled on a pandemic, hind sight is such a wonderful thing), is concerned that children have been robbed of “important life experiences and developmental opportunities” by adult-centric lockdowns and “children and young people have sacrificed enormously to keep their parents and grandparents from harm for over two years”.
It’s bad enough that adults have to endure the meddling of taskforces, think tanks and industry associations run by vested interests, but please leave youngsters alone. There is something about the words “sacrificed… to keep their parents and grandparents from harm” that is extreme
ly unsettling and dystopian. I fully understand that the older generation is annoying to the young and that we have selfishly screwed up the world they are inheriting, but I doubt any child would be prepared to sacrifice the life of their elders for the sake of freedom during the pandemic.
And what is this “freedom” spouted by “leaders of busi ness”? The freedom to be active consumers, rather than caring citizens? COVID has impacted the mental health of Australians but imagine the mental toll on children knowing their family members, teachers and im mune-compromised peers died so they could satisfy the whims of big business, by hanging out at Westfield.
Pearl acknowledges that the closure of schools during COV ID could have been handled better, but important decisions needed to be made fast to pro tect the community. Australians have been basking in years of relentless economic growth and due to our penchant for short-term planning (unless nu clear submarines are involved) we were unprepared to handle
anything quite like COVID, and while big business profited from Job Keeper, teachers went above and beyond to keep children educated. If the taskforce were really concerned about “life experiences and developmental opportuni ties” it would be attacking the Morrison government’s botched Pfizer vaccine deal and the state governments’ unwillingness to invest in medical and quaran tine facilities to cope with the pandemic, delaying our way out of the virus’ clutches.
Perhaps the taskforce should also be investigating the longterm causes of youth displace ment rather than focusing on the impact of a pandemic if it truly wanted “to help our young generation get back on track”, but cause and effect has never been a strong suit of the Australian taskforce ‘industry’. And, when it comes to the wel fare of our children, let us hear from teachers, school coun sellors, doctors and parents - not lawyers, academics and CEOs professing concern while offering preordained outcomes based on black and white armchair tactician thinking.
Dear Beast - Bravo for your fun yet important magazine. I’d like to support Pearl and Urs from Bronte (Let’s Make Our Streets More Beautiful, Letters, The Beast, October 2022).
While reading Urs’ words of wisdom, I immediately sent a re quest to Randwick City Council. I live on Brook Street, Coogee, and a particular area nearby is always used as a dumping ground (a lawnmower’s engine currently clutters the site). I’m now taking a little step toward making this area more green and alive, naturally.
It’s actually great that Council offers that tree service, and even greater that the community leads the process via these requests and more initiative to balance the nature/concrete ratio in our ‘hoods. Bravo, and thank you people for being part of the solution.
Manu Coogee
Dear Beast - Self-entitled ‘ducks’ invade our space incessantly on the Bondi to Bronte walk. Their boundless duckhead egos pose a risk to toddlers, the elderly, people convalescing and the gen eral public daily. Prancing about what they perceive as ‘obstacles’
(people), aggressive, heaving and spluttering and showing off their tacky tattoos.
Ban them, I say! They’ve had a go and proven their intellectual capacity to coexist is in the single digits. Alternatively, give them a fenced-off jogger park, with compulsory registration, chip implants and downpayment for inevitable future incursions and easily identifiable tops so they can be reported.
One wag suggested, “Maybe get ‘em desexed as well,” pointing out that there are many places that joggers can use without impacting the public. Compul sory core vaccination could be included, though I don’t think there’s one yet for duckheaded ness, other than basic education of course.
Dear Local Residents - We are writing to make you aware of a Randwick Council proposal to build an NRL specification facili ty in Burrows Park, Clovelly.
We have no problem with an upgrade to the amenities for locals, which could definitely do with a bit of a refresh, but why invest in an international size NRL facility if it’s not intended for NRL use?
The documents mention:
• An international size NRL field with 5 metre run-off (extend ing the current footprint of the grounds on all sides and building a retaining wall on the south side where the dog park is).
• A huge new amenities building of 410 square metres.
• Changerooms for 23 x 2 players (plus lockers, toilets, a referees room, kiosk, etc) .
• A storage room for the NRL and Randwick City Council.
• An electronic scoreboard.
• Flood lighting.
• Undercover seating and viewing areas.
That sounds like it’s heading in the direction of a much bigger development. Surely the next thing will be to use the dog park for parking and a reduction in the availability of the grounds for the kids and locals? To make returns on the financial investment in the works, surely there will need to be significant use of the facilities, at a fee (like the upgrade to the Coogee Tennis Club that now operates until midnight every night).
This will completely change the quiet, local, natural beach side area we all grew up with or moved to Clovelly to enjoy. Imagine the impact of crowds on traffic, parking, noise and environmental pollution - loss of natural views and space - and how this will impact on our quali ty of life and property values.
The field only needs a simple upgrade for local families and kids - bubblers and new toilets, not an international size NRL field.
We need to stop this before it starts. Other kids’ sporting clubs such as the Clovelly Crocs are not in favour of this proposal and we also note that the Clovelly Bowlo has not been consulted on this either.
Concerned Clovelly residents, please contact the council to object to this proposal. Have your say now, before it’s too late!
Concerned Residents
Clovelly
are
to provide
with
and
for all
After the untimely demise of the Queen, there are now only five reasons left to be a monarchist - even though it might be a bit upsetting for Matt Thistlethwaite. Firstly, there is the Duchess of Pork (sweet Fergie); secondly, the stratospheric gin consump tion of Princess Margaret; thirdly, Prince Andrew, who does not sweat when (not) “entertain ing” underage girls at Jeff’s place; fourthly, sweet Camilla Parker Bowles (tampons are useful); and finally, there is the new King, who should grace our moneyperhaps as “King” or even better as “Burger King”. Thomas Consort Majestic Coogee
A little more on a letter from last month’s Beast (Thank You Son ya, Letters, The Beast, October 2022) from ‘Friends & Foodies of the East’...
The Eastern Suburbs Legion Club at Charing Cross had a bis tro operator for many years and now it is time for a full kitchen renovation. There will be a new operator to occupy the bistro in the very near future. We can’t wait to welcome new and old members to try our exciting new menu that will be offered. Jocelyn Waverley
The Special Spot
March 16, 2009, was a regu lar meeting of the Coogee Bay Precinct. We welcomed Council representatives who outlined plans for new public amenities in Dunningham Reserve above the Coogee Fishing Club. The mood rapidly changed from interest to shock when we saw the concept drawings. On questioning, we were told the building would ex tend 23.5 metres along the coast al walkway. This would obliterate the beautiful view down to the bay and take up a large section of the grassed area much loved
by those seeking the sun’s rays at the end of the day.
The very next day, a number of Coogee Precinct participants contacted Council to express our concerns.
On April 1, Precinct member Del Buchanan took a call from a friend who had rung Council to check the deadline for comments. He was told we had until the next day, with the added comment that there was no requirement for community consultation. We im mediately alerted the then Chair of the Precinct who rang Council to suggest that the plans be made public and there be ample oppor tunity to comment.
It was vital that we get the in formation out and a petition was one way to do that, especially at the site of the proposed structure. But we had a problem - we had nothing to show of the proposal. We put the call out overnight for people to come along the next day for a photo session. Despite it being a wet and cold day, thirty people turned up. We asked them to hold hands for the 23.5 metre length of the proposed building to show the extent of the impact. The resultant photographs featured in our information material.
Offers of help flooded in. Iain Crossing, a local resident, set up a fantastic website (www.save dunninghamreserve.com) and kept it updated. Many residents sent letters to the editor of the Southern Courier, resulting in it running a poll which showed overwhelming opposition to the proposal.
On April 7, the Council website and the mayoral column in the Southern Courier featured an outline of the proposal with a link to the plans. For the first time, the community could see what was planned and we had the information to produce our leaflets.
The next day was Good Friday. Del and I set up our petition table in Dunningham Reserve. We were overwhelmed by the re
sponse, with over 100 signatures in an hour. Many people took petition sheets to share. It helped that the petition was quick to read with less than 100 words of text. The next day another two hundred signed.
By April 15 we had 1,000 sig natures. This was perfect timing. I had contacted an early social media site called Street Corner and on that very day it ran a story and was able to announce the 1,000 names. Street Corner became an essential communi cation channel for our campaign (the petition ended up with 3,300 names).
Apart from the sheer beauty of the view that would be lost to anyone using the reserve, it is an iconic view made famous by three of Australia’s most celebrated impressionist artists; Tom Roberts, Charles Conder and Arthur Streeton. We made contact with Barry Pearce who was then Head of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of NSW. We were subsequently copied in on his email to Council and those of other staff of the gallery.
We contacted the local MP Paul Pearce and we subsequently received a copy of Paul’s email to Council and Paul also joined us for the various photograph sessions. Peter Garrett’s office followed up on our request that the location be made a site of Na tional Significance. Subsequently, the Federal Minister for the Arts undertook to see what could be done (changes in the Labor Government meant this did not progress - but perhaps the time is right for another go).
On Sunday, April 26, the Sun Herald carried a story featuring Barry Pearce. The next day the Southern Courier asked us to organise people for a photo with an hours’ notice - 45 people turned up.
On April 30, Marie Nicholson from ABC News made contact to organise an interview the next day. May 1 dawned a sparkling Coogee day. It was one of those
days where the smooth trans lucent waves roll in in a perfect curve that echoes the bay before they slowly lollop on the beach. The ABC crew set up on the site of the proposed amenities block looking down on this magnificent vista. The camera crew were fixated on the filmic beauty of the bay and took many shots from different angles. They had to be pulled away to focus on the job at hand which was for Marie to interview Barry Pearce and I. Barry was very compelling, saying that this is the only vista painted by these three members of the Heidelberg School that remains intact and emphasised how important it was that it be preserved.
The story went to air in the top rating Sunday night ABC News bulletin. They had done a beautiful job. The sparkling bay featured behind us as we were interviewed. After the interviews, the camera stayed on this spar kling view for some time to be gently replaced with the Conder image and then, after a pause, the Streeton, followed after another pause by the much beloved Tom Roberts work. This stayed in its loveliness until suddenly the image of the toilet block was slapped down on top, obliterating the beauty that had preceded it.
The news item was widely seen and Coogee was abuzz with a sense of hope that Duningham Reserve would be saved from this abomination. These hopes were further raised when on May 5 Councillor Tony Bowen, whom we had earlier contacted along with the other East and West Ward Councillors, issued a press statement to say he and his fellow Labor Councillors did not support the proposal. This was a welcome development and a very useful one, given that Council elections were due in a few months.
Two days later, Liberal Mayor Bruce Notley-Smith issued a press statement to say that he no longer supported the proposal. A
Mayoral Minute was tabled at the Council meeting on May 12 with the recommendation “that Coun cil immediately ceases all work on the current proposal for a new toilet block and staff facilities” and “Council seek an alternative location and design”...“should a demonstrated need or demand for such be indicated”(Council has recently announced plans for a new small toilet facility that they say blends in with the landscape). The Minute went on to recommend that the existing toilet facility be demolished and the area turfed. This second recommendation did not come from the residents, who generally were of the view that the small and unobtrusive toilet should be left in situ and just updated.
The fact that the new facility as proposed did not go ahead was widely welcomed. The Southern Courier approached our group to appear on a front page spread in its May 19 issue. We remembered we had spoken to a lovely elderly woman who every Saturday for the past ten years had visited her ‘special spot’ and sat in the sunshine admiring the bay and watching as her family swam below. We gave her details to the Southern Courier and Margot Law featured on the front page under the heading ‘Special Spot Saved’.
Monday style night out. Turns out this group is a Men’s Mental Health Hangout, and I love it.
There’s an unspoken epidemic occurring right under our noses, and it has nothing to do with a biological virus. It’s an epidemic of loneliness, and the virus is technology.
Just as COVID seeks out our most vulnerable to spread itself, these techno viruses (online algorithms) are aimed with laser precision at those of us most vulnerable to the endorphin rush of gaming and porn. And that would be our boys and young men. Getting together away from technology and gaming ads on TV sport is like a weekly vaccina tion against the virus.
So I applaud anything that gets young guys together in freezing cold water, practising Wim Hoff breathing even, and warming up together afterwards over a coffee and a bacon & egg roll.
Check it out! www.instagram. com/hows_thehead/ Stuart Davis Greens Candidate for Coogee
Hi James - We live in Ben Buckler, so we get your mag in our post box, so why not read it? Lots of letters I see, with many opposing points of view, like free dogs vs Pearls (of wisdom?).
Early one recent wintry morning, as I exited the chilly waters of Wylie’s Baths, I was greeted with an unusual sight - 20 or 30 young guys had gathered at the pool and were chatting quietly in small groups as the sun rose.
There’s usually only a few diehard cold water masochists like me at this time in winter. A large bunch of young blokes hanging out together so early is extremely unusual unless it’s a footy team in a recovery training session or a footy team at the end of a mad
But why nothing on the fabulous Sculpture by the Sea? It begins on October 20 for the first time in three years and is the big gest arts draw card for spectators (no, City2Surf is not arts) but it didn’t even get a mention.
And who amongst us ratepay ers knew the Pavlova has a party tomorrow night? Certainly noth ing from our lovely council.
Cheers, Rebel North Bondi ¢
- There was a double page spread promoting the opening night of the Pavilion right at the front of the magazine.
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Ongoing concerns that the shark nets off Bondi and Bronte Beaches are doing more harm than good have prompted a push to have them removed completely. In just one year, over 300 non-target marine species have suffered in the nets before dying.
According to figures from the Department of Primary Industries, during the 2021/22 season in NSW, 376 marine ani mals were caught in the nets, but only 51 were target species, with the rest comprising dol phins, rays, turtles and whales, often referred to as ‘bycatch’.
As the nets are only in place from October to March, the question must be asked, “Why are the nets there at all?”
Sharks are migratory crea tures and can travel many thou sands of miles, and they have been around since day dot.
At Bondi Beach, which is one kilometre long, and Bronte Beach, which is 220 metres long, the nets are 150 metres long, six metres high and are set to a depth of 10 metres. An imals can swim over or around these nets, so they don’t provide a physical barrier.
Recent reports suggested Waverley Mayor Paula Masse los was calling for the removal of the nets, but she was only responding to a request from the Department Of Primary In dustries as part of a stakeholder consultation on preferred shark mitigation measures in NSW.
“Our priority is to keep people safe when swimming at our beaches, and that is why Council is investigating the introduction of shark spotting drones to be piloted by our lifeguards,” Coun cillor Masselos told The Beast.
“Unfortunately, people get a false sense of security when swimming as the nets are only in the water for six months of the year. The amount of non-target species being caught and killed in the nets is unacceptable.”
“The feedback Waverley Council provided as part of this (DPI) consultation is that we support shark mitigation options that minimise impacts on marine biodiversity while protecting our swimmers and surfers,” she said.
“This includes not support ing the continuation of shark meshing at Bondi and Bronte Beaches due to the devastating impacts on marine wildlife and
there being more modern and effective technologies available to track and monitor sharks.”
“Shark nets were introduced in 1937 and we can do much bet ter to help keep our swimmers safe with the 21st century tecnol ogy we have available today.”
Earlier this year the State Government announced an additional $4.4 million to boost mitigation methods, as well as ongoing funding of more than $85 million to continue this strategy until 2026.
Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders said at the time that shark interactions are always possible, regardless of the technologies deployed - but it was critical that the NSW Government does everything possible to reduce the risk to the millions of beachgoers who hit the water every year.
“The tragic event at Little Bay earlier this year was another reminder of the threat posed by sharks and the need to take steps to ensure we can coexist as safely as possible,” Mr Saunders said.
“We are not only announcing immediate additional response capabilities, including more Shark Listening Stations, SMART Drumlines and Rapid Response Vehicles, but we’re also com mitting to ongoing funding for future mitigation to protect our beachgoers for years to come.”
“We know sharks can be extremely dangerous and aggressive, but they’re also part of what makes NSW’s marine life so beautiful, so we need to make sure we continue to have state of the art technology in place to allow them and beach goers to coexist.”
“There is no other jurisdiction in Australia or across the globe which has done as much testing and trialling of technology and approaches to mitigate shark interactions, and our shark pro gram is now the largest and most comprehensive in the world.”
The Waverley Brightest and Best Business Awards are back after a two year hiatus. Started in 2005, the Brightest and Best Business Awards were designed to recognise and reward Wa verley’s 9,000 small business es, which employ more than 26,000 people.
The Brightest and Best Business Awards are run by Waverley Council, which has already selected an exceptional list of finalists.
“The awards are a well-de served accolade for our hard-working and innovative business community,” said Wa verley Mayor Paula Masselos, who also explained that this year’s entries have seen a move away from bricks and mor tar-based businesses.
“We’ve created a new category for digital and online businesses,” she told The Beast.
“Another new category this year is sustainability - it is im portant to recognise businesses that demonstrate a commit ment to the environment and other principles of sustaina bility.”
In all, there are 11 categories covered by the awards. They include all the main retail areas such as food, beauty and health, along with professional services and creative industries.
Finalists receive a visit or call from a Council-designated ‘mystery shopper’ who comes up with a score based on cri teria including marketing and communications, community engagement and innovation. Award winners are then selected by a panel of Council, business and community representatives.
An awards ceremony will be held in the newly-renovated Bondi Pavilion on November 21 to present prizes to the winning businesses that make our community a dynamic place to live, work and shop.
Prizes have been donated by local businesses and include a night’s penthouse accommoda tion with dinner and breakfast at The Blue Hotel, a $2,000 advertising campaign on Eastside Radio, four tickets to a Roosters game and a six month desk at the WOTSO workspace in Bondi Junction.
The State Government is currently producing guidelines for land managers on the use of synthetic turf. Waverley Council, which has a synthetic field at Waverley Park, placed a moratorium on the considera tion of any new synthetic sports surfaces in 2021 while the State Government produces their strategic document on all factors involved in synthetic surfaces.
Since it was installed in 2016, there has been growing scien tific and community opposition to the use of the artificial grass. Plastic particles leach into wa terways and, at the end of the turf’s ten-year lifespan, it takes a long time to break down in landfill. Another burning issue is the way the turf heats up to temperatures where it cannot safely be used for sport.
At a meeting of Council’s Strategic Planning and Devel opment Committee, a report by a firm of consultants was tabled stating that artificial sports fields are not environmentally friendly.
Council has been informed that synthetic field design has progressed since 2016 and that synthetic fields are no longer considered to release manmade materials into the environment.
Waverley Council would like to congratulate our Brightest & Best finalists for 2022. After a competitive process, the first round of judging is now complete. The second round of judging is about to begin with winners to be announced at a glittering awards night on 21 November 2022 at Bondi Pavilion.
General Retail Childcare Services & Education
British Carpet Company Carology
Smither Swimwear
Sweetheart Florist Watertiger
Waverley Council would like to Congratulate our Brightest & Best finalists for 2022. After a competitive first round of judging is now complete. The second round of judging is about to begin to find our winners announced at a glittering awards night on 21 November 2022 at Bondi Pavilion.
Baby Ballet Academy
Bondi Kids Drama
General Retail
Expression Dance School
Little Feet Early Learning & Childcare
British Carpet Company Carology
Set for School
Flav
Gertrude & Alice Café Bookstore
Bru Coffee Lemon Spring Eco Clean
Childcare Services & Education Hospitality Sustainability
Little Feet Events
SHUK Bakery
That English Pub Up South Bondi
Baby Ballet Academy Bondi Kids Drama Expression Dance School
Venla Resell+Relove Salvage
Beauty Services Digital & Online Innovation
AC FLO
Casa Soleil - Tan Safe
Q-Tox Bondi Junction Sage Beauty
The Whitening Clinic
Smither Swimwear Sweetheart Florist Watertiger
Believe Advertising & PR Contour Cube
EUX Digital Agency Highchair Catchy Music Health
SMATA Technologies
Little Feet Early Learning and Childcare
Jeeves.Plus
To GET
Artisan Food & Beverage
Hong Ha Red Roll
Shuk Bakery
Creative Industries & Entertainment Professional Services
100 Percent Dance
Bert Jewellery
Limelight Australia
Lockhart-Krause Architects
Stephen Evans Art Studio Waverley Woollahra Art School
Archi-QS
Century 21 Armstrong-Smith
Kwik Kopy Bondi Junction
Sapphire Family Medical Practice
LJ Hooker Bondi Beach / Bondi Junction
Aim 4 Health Chiropractic & Wellness
Fit n Able Supporting Fierce Warriors
Immersia Freediving
Leap Frogs Action Sports & Games
Let’s Go Surfing
Vrtus Bondi
Back to her former glory.
There was music, dancing and a commitment to Indigenous tradition as Bondi Pavilion reopened in late September after a much-needed $48 million makeover.
Out the front of the build ing, Aboriginal elder Aunty Barb Simms gave a welcome to country and there was a perfor mance by the Gamay Dancers from La Perouse. Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos then cut a blue ribbon strung across the Pavilion entrance, before guests streamed into the reimagined ‘Pav’ where they were enter tained by local acts including musicians Krystal Rivvers in the downstairs High Tide Room, while upstairs in the bar and theatre Matt McMahon and Emma Pask showcased their musical talents.
The upstairs community theatre, adjacent to the bar area, is one of the exciting new features of the reworked Pavilion. Downstairs there are art and music recording spaces, plus the interactive Bondi Story Room where visitors can learn about the area, notable events and people. Auntie Barb’s story
as a member of the La Perouse community is told there.
Mayor Masselos said the Pa vilion had “cemented its place as a leading arts and culture venue” for locals and the broad er community, enhancing Bon di’s international reputation as a hub of Australian culture.
The Pavilion remains in pub lic ownership, but early in its restoration journey there were other plans; Liberal politicians had hoped to privatise the building but there was signif icant community outrage and a union Green Ban was even placed on the Pavilion until the privatisation plans were scrapped.
Built in 1928, the Bondi Pavilion has been listed by the Heritage Council. According to the National Trust, it “has come to represent the Australian cul ture of beach bathing and out doors living.” This underscores an important consideration in the reimagining of the Pavilion - the atmosphere throughout should remain informal. This is Bondi Beach, not the Royal Albert Hall, after all. Thongs and beach attire welcome!
Tensions appear to be running high over parking spaces in shared residential-retail areas of Randwick City.
Randwick’s Traffic Commit tee was told the Randwick Pre cinct group had reported that “residents are fighting for spots with the constant construction workers and the growth of retail/hospitality workers in the area.”
One problem area is French mans Road. The latest minutes of Randwick Precinct state that “residents are really feeling the squeeze with increased business activity on Frenchmans Road.”
The group is also concerned about competition for parking at The Spot, which has been an issue for well over a decade now. Both these areas are seeing a resurgence in business activity as the community rebounds from COVID.
A solution may be angle parking, also known as rear-tokerb parking, and the Traffic Committee agreed to conduct community consultation about introducing it in Frenchmans Road, The Spot and other prob lem locations.
The Veterans Film Festival has made its way to Sydney and will be held from November 3-6 at the Entertainment Quarter. The festival showcases work for, by and about veterans and veteran-themed stories, with an extensive program featuring fic tion, documentary, features and shorts. This year’s line-up in cludes Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant) and longtime Bondi resident Jonathan Teplitzky (The Railway Man). Grab tickets at www.veteransfilmfestival.com.
The Coogee Rainbow will be up dated to include five additional Progress Pride Flag colours, creating a more inclusive piece of art that celebrates our diverse community. 2023 marks the 45th anniversary of Mardi Gras, and Sydney WorldPride is looking to have 45 rainbows installed across Sydney to mark the occa sion. The updated Coogee Rain bow could also be included as a WorldPride ‘Pride Amplified’ event, which would encourage visitation and exposure to a local and international audience. A range of events and activities will be held at the Coogee Rainbow for Mardi Gras and WorldPride, and Council is looking to create an expression of interest oppor tunity for our LGBTQIA+ com munity to suggest their ideas.
Don your bum bag for two big weekends of garage sales held simultaneously in garages, unit blocks, schools and ovals around the nation on November 12-13 and 19-20. It’s garage sales made easy, plus you’ll extend the life of stuff you love, meet your neigh bours, declutter and make some cash. Visit www.garagesaletrail. com.au/waverley and register to download a free pack of promo
goodies, get ideas and advice from the garage sale pros and benefit from local and nation wide media coverage.
On Saturday, November 12, prepare for four local rock bands to clash in the inaugural ‘Battle of the Beaches’ competition. The bands, made up of parents from Bronte and Coogee Public Schools, include Lost Property (featured in the August edition of The Beast) and The Alumni fighting in the Bronte corner, and Lotus Position and Locos for Coogee. The event will be held at the Robin Hood Hotel from 7pm, with all funds raised going to the schools. Tickets are selling fast, you can get yours by visiting events.humanitix.com/battle-ofthe-beaches-rock-night.
Rose Bay’s Lyne Park Play ground is set to benefit from an extensive upgrade. Works are planned to begin in April next year, with the new playground expected to reopen the following spring. Woollahra Council has allocated $1.03 million in fund ing to the project, including a $394,000 contribution from the NSW Government. The commu nity is invited to view the plans and comment on the design by taking a short survey before October 28 at www.yoursay. woollahra.nsw.gov.au/lynepark.
The Head On Photo Festival is celebrating its 13th year with an electric range of photogra phy from around the world in unique outdoor exhibitions from November 4-20. The Festival is free and open to the public, com prising over 500 photographers across 107 exhibitions, including the newly renovated Bondi Pavil ion. Visit www.headon.org.au.
The Bondi Public School P&C Halloween Fete is back after a COVID-induced four-year break, returning on Sunday, October 30, from 10am-3pm at 5 Wellington Street, Bondi. The P&C has planned a day of thrills, spills and chills, filled with fiend ish food and drink, spooktacular stalls, spine-chillingly fun rides and more. Many businesses are supporting the event with donations of goods on the day as well as raffle prizes worth over $5,000. The fete is an all-weath er event with cash and cards accepted. For more information and to pre-purchase ride passes, special event entries and raffle tickets, visit www.bondifete.com.
Alfresco dining and summer music could be returning to Randwick City this summer, with Council agreeing to explore the possibility of reinstating the annual pop-up music program at its most recent meeting. The popular program, part of Sum mer in Randwick City in 2020, brought live music to a variety of outdoor locations across the area. A report into the possibility of including more alfresco dining options for local restaurants will also be prepared and presented to councillors to be considered as part of the 2023-24 budget. Council has already created a temporary public plaza on McKeon Street, Maroubra, which will be in place for six months from early October.
Sculpture by the Sea is back after a three-year reprieve. The world’s largest free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition opens on October 21 and will run until November 7, with over 100 sculptures and artworks from Australian and international artists along the Bondi to Tamar ama coastal walk. The exhibition attracts approximately 450,000 visitors to the area and signals the start of summer in Sydney.
An inquest into the disap pearance of fraudster Melissa Caddick focused on the actions of her husband after she went missing.
In the witness box at the NSW Coroners Court, Anthony Koletti was questioned about taking 30 hours to file a missing person’s report with NSW Police.
Caddick disappeared the morning after a raid by ASIC investigators and federal police on the Dover Heights house she shared with Koletti and her teen age son. There was strong evi dence she had cheated investors in her financial advisory firm out of $23 million-plus.
Three months later, her partially decomposed foot was found washed up on a south coast beach. It was DNAmatched to a sample from her toothbrush. It is believed she hurled herself off a cliff a short distance from the Wallangra Road house and her remains then slowly drifted 400 kilo metres down the coast.
After Koletti finally got round to reporting his wife missing, he told police she had gone for a jog the morning she disap peared and that this was part of
her regular routine. But at the inquest, he admitted that was not the case and she regularly used a treadmill in the home. There were also inconsistencies in his accounts of what he had been doing the day after her disappearance.
At the inquest, he became so distressed and confused in the witness box that Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Ryan excused him from giving further evidence until the next day.
The inquest has been ad journed until late November pending further evidence from NSW Police.
A man has been charged with sexual assaults on two young boys in the grounds of a local church between 1979 and 1982.
His two victims are said to have been aged between six and ten at the time. The assaults took place in “the grounds of a church at Waverley,” according to Eastern Suburbs Police, who arrested the 55-year-old man at his Kingsford home and charged him with six counts of indecent assault.
A man has appeared in court for stalking reality TV star and model Simone Holtznagel at events in the Eastern Suburbs. It is alleged he’d turn up uninvited and intimidate the 29-year-old.
Most of Benjamin Reeves’ predatory behavior took place around Bondi Beach over four months, according to a brief of evidence by police. Officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Com mand swooped on the 58-yearold at his North Shore home. In Waverley Court, his lawyer lodged a not guilty plea on a charge of stalking. The case was adjourned pending reports.
Simone Holtznagel has modelled for top fashion brands like Bras N Things and Just
Jeans. She has carved out a public profile after appearing on Australia’s Next Top Model, SAS Australia and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Coogee man Christopher Han cock attacked his wife in a ceme tery, then when witnesses called police he threatened to infect an officer with COVID.
The attack in Randwick Cemetery happened after the 30-year-old’s wife took out an Apprehended Violence Order against him, a court heard.
Two people on a morning stroll heard the victim’s screams for help and saw Hancock pressing her to the ground. The witnesses phoned police and Hancock fled the scene. Minutes later, police nabbed him in a laneway beside the cemetery. He threatened to spit on a female officer, saying “get the COVID,” before coughing in her direction.
Facing Waverley Court, Han cock was convicted of assaulting his wife and a police officer, contravening an Apprehended Violence Order and resisting police. The court heard he had a previous criminal record. He was jailed for a year and placed un der a conditional release order.
Maroubra woman Kelly Borg was on an urgent mission - to buy some booze at the bottle shop. She double-parked her car outside the shop with three children inside and the keys in the ignition. Seeing the vehicle blocking a lane of traffic in Bun nerong Road, Matraville, police in a passing patrol car decided to investigate. After 36-year-old Borg emerged from the shop with her grog, she found herself being questioned and breath alysed. It turned out she had already been hitting the sauce - she had an alcohol reading of .87. In Waverley Court, Borg was sentenced to a two-year condi tional release order.
Subject Perfect Cloud Location Bondi Photographer Sally Wu
Subject On the Edge Location Coogee Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall
Subject Confident Curtis Location Bondi Photographer Mark Hunter @bondihunter
Subject Pimp My Ride Location Bondi Photographer Andrew Worssam
Subject Punk Location Coogee Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall
A man of many talents.
Local illustrator Andy Fackrell is the talent responsible for this month’s haunting cover painting of a stingray caught in the shark nets. Andy shares his local favourites with The Beast...
How long have you lived here? I’ve had two spells in Bondi, both on the same street. The first time was 25 years ago, for only six months before moving overseas. This time it’s been a decade.
Why do you live here? I walk every day, it’s in my genes. That hour or so along the coastal path is therapy and the best time to think.
What's your favourite beach? My nearest, Mackenzies Bay, if and when the sand comes back.
What's your favourite eatery? The Shop on Curlewis Street, with its healthy menu and mel low spot for late afternoon sun.
Where do you like to have a drink? I consume way more
documentary on a GOAT-status sportsman.
Who are your artistic inspirations? Egon Schiele, Jules De Balincourt, Picasso, Van Gogh, Luc Tuymans, Murakami and the writers on Succession
Do you have any exhibitions coming up? I may exhibit the illustrations somewhere inter esting. For my last book, Group Hug!, I used the East Sydney Doctors waiting room. Picture books are comforting.
When did you discover you had a gift for your craft? My Religious Instruction teacher at Reynella Primary thought I was handy at drawing palm trees. It was a distraction.
Any other local artists to look out for? I always enjoy the SMH’s cartoonists John Shake speare and Simon Letch, and Max Berry too.
coffee than alcohol. I’ll nominate La Piadina on Glenayr Avenue as the best in Sydney, where I’m typing this sentence.
Best thing about the Eastern Suburbs? The little pockets, the best being Seven Ways, with La Piadina and Commune (who sell my books). It’s sad that Republic closed - R.I.P.
Worst thing about the Eastern Suburbs? More boutiques. I’m still bummed about UMU being ousted.
How would you describe your art? I’m more an illustrator than an artist, but I try to add a bit of painterly depth. You can see my work on Insta @andrewfackrell and at www.andyfackrell.com.
What are you working on at the moment? My second book, The Rabbit’s Magician (Fordstreet publishing.com) is out now, so I’m finishing up an animated promo short. I’m also writing a
What do you get up to on the weekends? The markets, a falafel wrap, a swim at Icebergs, watch ing the Memphis Grizzlies, a gal lery in the city... China Heights is always good for up-and-comers (where I found Max Berry).
Did you study art? I completed a three-year visual communica tion degree in NZ, majoring in illustration and advertising.
Any words of wisdom for young aspiring artists? Create some thing, daily.
What do you do for work? I used to be in advertising, but now I’m writing longer format docos, mostly about sports people.
What's your favourite thing about work? When you forget to eat, you know you’re into it.
Do you have a favourite quote? “I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” - Woody Allen.
W a v e r l e y C o u n c i l ’ s r e s t o r a t i o n a n d u p g r a d e o f t h e h e r i t a g e l i s t e d B o o t F a c t o r y b u i l d i n g i n S p r i n g S t , B o n d i J u n c t i o n a n d M i l l H i l l C o m m u n i t y C e n t r e i s e x p e c t e d t o b e c o m p l e t e d i n a u t u m n . O n c e r e s t o r e d , t h e b u i l d i n g w i l l b e a v i b r a n t c o m m u n i t y s p a c e w h e r e h i s t o r y a n d i n n o v a t i o n r u b s h o u l d e r s . R e c e n t m i l e s t o n e s i n c l u d e t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f n e w w o o d e n f l o o r s a n d l a m i n a t e d b e a m s o n a l l l e v e l s a n d s o a r i n g c o n c r e t e c o l u m n s o n t h e t o p f l o o r o f t h e B o o t F a c t o r y b u i l d i n g . S u p p l y c h a i n i s s u e s , l a b o u r s h o r t a g e s , a s w e l l a s p o o r w e a t h e r h a v e u n d e r s t a n d a b l y r e s u l t e d i n s o m e d e l a y s , b u t w e l o o k f o r w a r d t o t h i s n e w c h a p t e r f o r t h e b u i l d i n g . F o r p r o j e c t u p d a t e s , s i g n u p t o o u r W a v e r l e y W e e k l y e n e w s l e t t e r o r v i s i t t h e M a j o r P r o j e c t s s e c t i o n o f o u r w e b s i t e
T h e c o u n t d o w n i s o n t o M o n d a y 2 1 N o v e m b e r w h e n w e ’ l l b e a n n o u n c i n g t h e w i n n e r s o f o u r a n n u a l B r i g h t e s t a n d B e s t B u s i n e s s A w a r d s a t o u r n e w l y r e s t o r e d B o n d i P a v i l i o n ! R o u n d 1 j u d g i n g h a s b e e n c o m p l e t e d a c r o s s 1 1 c a t e g o r i e s i n c l u d i n g b e a u t y a n d h e a l t h , p r o f e s s i o n a l s e r v i c e s a n d c r e a t i v e i n d u s t r i e s T h e a w a r d s a r e a ‘ t h a n k y o u ’ t o o u r h a r d w o r k i n g a n d i n n o v a t i v e l o c a l b u s i n e s s e s w h o h a v e f a c e d u n p r e c e d e n t e d c h a l l e n g e s d u r i n g t h e p a n d e m i c
T h e w o r l d ’ s l a r g e s t f r e e o u t d o o r s c u l p t u r e e x h i b i t i o n r e t u r n s t o B o n d i o n 2 1 O c t o b e r u n t i l 7 N o v e m b e r w i t h a c a p t i v a t i n g d i s p l a y o f a r t w o r k s a l o n g t h e B o n d i t o T a m a r a m a c o a s t a l w a l k a n d M a r k s P a r k . 2 0 2 2 m a r k s 2 4 y e a r s o f S c u l p t u r e b y t h e S e a i n B o n d i a n d t h e r e t u r n o f t h e e v e n t a f t e r t w o y e a r s o f C O V I D I a l s o w i s h t o t h a n k o u r C o u n c i l s t a f f f o r t h e i r w o r k o n t h e e x h i b i t i o n a n d o u r r e s i d e n t s f o r a c c o m m o d a t i n g t h e m a n y v i s i t o r s w h o a t t e n d t h i s e v e n t F o r m o r e , v i s i t s c u l p t u r e b y t h e s e a . c o m .
At the time of writing, lazy Op tus online ‘security’ has allowed hackers access to unprecedent ed levels of highly confidential personal information, compro mising the identity of millions of Australians. By the time you read this, I very much hope Optus will have been served a massive fine and forced to get their house in order.
In Europe, companies who do not look after their custom ers’ data can be served with fines in the region of 20 million Euros, or 4 per cent of the company’s yearly worldwide turnover - whichever is higher. In the year ending March 2022 Optus reported $7.8 billion rev enue. 4% of that is $312 million. Makes that ransom demand of $1.5 million look like a bargain, hey? If we had legislation like that here, I suspect companies
might spend a little more on keeping us safe and not offer the kind of cavalier platitudes that were heard from Optus when the proverbial sh*t hit the high-speed fan.
In the meantime, this debacle has got The Unreliable Guide thinking about their online presence. Info about me is all over the place, scattered like delicious handfuls of tasty data, in places I’d never even heard of. Or it was. I have spent days dil igently removing every possible unnecessary piece of informa tion. Most of all, I’ve closed most of my social media accounts and refined the information the re maining ones have. And it feels bloody marvellous.
If you’ve been feeling as if you’d like to graffiti every Optus ‘Yes’ to say ‘NO’ then read on for some tips and tricks to make
your online footprint a little less visible.
Data devils like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. love to have as much info about you as they possibly can. They do it for marketing, but Cyber criminals love having access to all your information too. If you have to have a social media account, consider deleting all but the bare minimum of informa tion. In particular, treat your birthdate like a state secret. If a site insists on you giving an answer to one of their endless questions, be creative. Say you were born yesterday, went to school in Alabama, and your hometown is Chernobyl. They’ll never know, you’ll confuse the crims, and you’ll give your friends a laugh. Better still, go for anti-social media and give the whole lot the boot.
In the old days, the worst thing you could do with your phone number was get pissed and give it to some random girl/boy in a bar. Today, your phone can unlock a world of information, giving criminals access to your bank accounts and all manner of other exciting ways to f*ck you up. Illegal porting of phone numbers is a massive issue in Australia and if you’ve been a victim of the recent data hacks then it just got even easier for criminals to steal your number. Contact your phone provider now and make sure you have the maximum security available to safeguard your number.
Finally, The Unreliable Guide suggests that instead of Timo thy Leary’s ‘Turn on, tune in, drop out’ we consider turning off, tuning out, and dropping by to actually see a friend instead of being constantly locked into the prison of our devices.
T h e N i b i s p r e s e n t e d a n n u a l l y b y W a v e r l e y C o u n c i l w i t h s u p p o r t f r o m P r i n c i p a l
I t i s a n a b s o l u t e p l e a s u r e t o s e e o u r n e w l y r e s t o r e d B o n d i P a v i l i o n c o m e b a c k t o l i f e w i t h p e o p l e k e e n t o c a t c h a l i v e p e r f o r m a n c e , w o r k s h o p o r e x h i b i t i o n . B e s u r e t o k e e p a n e y e e v e r y t h i n g h a p p e n i n g a t t h e P a v d u r i n g t h e s u m m e r m o n t h s i n c l u d i n g F l i c k e r f e s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l S h o r t F i l m F e s t i v a l i n J a n u a r y a n d t h e o p e n i n g o f o u r d i n i n g t e n a n c i e s S u r f i s h , G l o r y D a y s B o n d i a n d B o n d i P r o m e n a d e V e n u e h i r e i s a l s o a v a i l a b l e ! F o r m o r e , v i s i t b o n d i p a v i l i o n . c o m . a u .
I n o t h e r e x c i t i n g n e w s , t h e w i n n e r s o f t h e M a r k a n d E v e t t e M o r a n N i b L i t e r a r y A w a r d a n d t h e N i b P e o p l e ’ s C h o i c e P r i z e w i l l b e a n n o u n c e d o n W e d n e s d a y 1 6 N o v e m b e r
S p o n s o r s M a r k a n d E v e t t e M o r a n a n d r e m a i n s A u s t r a l i a ' s o n l y m a j o r l i t e r a r y a w a r d o f i t s k i n d p r e s e n t e d b y a l o c a l c o u n c i l . T h i s y e a r ’ s s h o r t l i s t e d a u t h o r s a r e T i m B o n y h a d y , C a r o l M a j o r , C o l i n M c L a r e n , R a c h e l E M e n z i e s a n d R o s s G M e n z i e s a n d S t e v e T o l t z . T o l e a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e m , v i s i t w a v e r l e y n s w g o v a u / r e c r e a t i o n / a r t s a n d c u l t u r e / n i b .
T h a n k y o u t o e v e r y o n e w h o s u b m i t t e d a n o m i n a t i o n f o r t h e 2 0 2 2 W a v e r l e y G a r d e n A w a r d s J u d g i n g w i l l b e u n d e r w a y s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e e x t e n s i o n o f t h e n o m i n a t i o n p e r i o d
T h e r e a r e s o m e g r e a t p r i z e s t o b e w o n a c r o s s s e v e r a l c a t e g o r i e s , i n c l u d i n g s h a r e d g a r d e n s , g a r d e n s w i t h i n c h i l d c a r e c e n t r e s a n d s c h o o l s a n d h a b i t a t g a r d e n s T o l e a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e a w a r d s o r t o l e a r n h o w t u r n y o u r g a r d e n i n t o a n a t i v e h a b i t a t , c h e c k o u t o u r c o m m u n i t y s e c t i o n a n d L i v i n g C o n n e c t i o n s p r o g r a m t h r o u g h t h e e n v i r o n m e n t s e c t i o n o f o u r w e b s i t e Paula Masselos, Mayor of Waverley
Stay positive.
Who doesn’t love Pearl Bullivant? Her monthly column, full of guidance and wisdom, always provides a little nugget or two for me to take away and apply to my own world. Last month, Pearl provided a ‘pearler’ of a solution for dealing with those who may be inclined to ‘inflict discomfort onto others for the sake of their own personal ease’. Her recommendation was to think before we act - ‘look before you leap’ - by considering the potential outcomes of an action before doing it. It sounds simple enough, but there is an important link in the chain here that’s missing - feelings.
It’s the thinking, feeling, behaving triangle that constitutes the basic model of cognitive behav iour therapy (CBT), a model I have written about previously but is perhaps worthy of review in light of Pearl’s advice. The premise is that how we think directly impacts how we feel, which in turn impacts what we do. As Pearl says, it all starts with the thinking; if we are thinking a certain way (good, bad or indifferent) it will impact our emotional state or feelings, which then dictates what we do. This triangle works both ways; our behaviour (what we do) impacts how we feel, which in turn influences our thinking.
In Pearl’s kelpie example, you might think, ‘I had a kelpie as a kid, he was a good boy and lots of fun,’ then you start to feel excited and all gooey inside, then you behave by going out and buying the dog based on your thoughts and feelings. It’s the classic triangle - ‘think, feel, behave’ - with one leading to the other. Now, onto letting it run feral... you might think, ‘I’ve paid too much mon ey to have this dog cooped up in the house’, you feel frustrated, possibly angry and a bit defeated, so you behave by taking him for a walk off leash so he can run around. It’s the same but different; what we think leads to how we feel, which then dictates our behaviour.
If this ‘think, feel, behave’ triangle is putting us into good territory, then happy days. But problems arise when we find ourselves feeling a certain way or doing something that has a negative impact on our mental state. In this case it is highly likely - almost probable - that there has been some kind of negative thought process preceding it that we weren’t even aware of. We call this ‘negative automatic thinking’ (NAT). Anxiety and depression are emotional states that rely on negative, if not distorted, thinking. It is the thinking that we must tackle if we are to improve our emotional state. Because this negative thinking is usually automatic, we are not even aware we have had the thought - we just feel a certain way - which in turn leads us to do some thing as a result. So what do we do about it?
Pearl talks about being ‘mindful’. Essentially, mindfulness is staying in the present, being in the moment and being self-aware. Being mindful can increase our awareness of how our minds fluctuate, often in unhelpful ways. Lifeline is big on mindfulness to keep people in the present to get them out of a crisis. If we find our minds wandering into the future, that is where anxiety lies. Anxiety is a future oriented emotion; we will often worry or fret about something that hasn’t happened yet. Distorted thinking can ruminate here, making the anxiety worse. With depression, we often find ourselves ruminating or brooding over past events, again often veiled with distorted or untrue thinking patterns, which in essence are cognitive distortions. One such distortion is ‘mind reading’, where you assume that you know what other people think without having sufficient evidence of their thoughts - ‘he thinks I’m a loser’, for example. There are many other types of cognitive distortions such as ‘discount ing the positive’ (when we don’t take credit for the good things we’ve earned or achieved in our lives), ‘negative filters’ (when we filter out all of the good from a situation and are left with only a view of the bad) and ‘catastrophising’ (irrational thoughts where we believe something is far worse than it actually is), just to name a few.
I’ve never met Pearl, and don’t know if I ever will, but I am sure she has a big heart and knows how to ‘feel the feels’. Even Pearl would not be immune to some unhelpful ways of thinking if these feelings are getting her down or making her angry, or causing any other emotional state that might be affecting her wellbeing. I feel like I’ve poked the bear enough, time to put my leash on!
Have you got a question? You can get in touch with Jeremy by calling 0400 420 042.
The latest from Randwick City Council about living in this great city
It’s approaching that time of year when things start to feel a little lighter. The weather warms up, the sun comes out (hopefully!) and the community begins to spend more time outdoors. We’re lucky where we live – there’s plenty of beautiful beaches and green parklands to choose from. This year, one of my favourite local beaches is getting a bit of a makeover. We’ll be closing off McKeon Street in Maroubra to create more outdoor space for people to gather.
The McKeon Street Plaza will be in place as a trial for six months, with entertainment and performers scheduled to bring more life and fun to the already popular beach front area. I hope you all get there to support the local businesses and enjoy the atmosphere. I certainly will!
On another note, the Step Out Speak Out walk to raise awareness against domestic and family violence will take place on Friday 25 November. This is a very important issue and the more community that come out to support the walk, the stronger the message. Domestic and family violence will not be tolerated in our community and victims of domestic violence shouldn’t feel isolated or alone. This walk is a show of support and brings together numerous organisations from across our community. I hope to see you at High Cross Park in Randwick at 7am and we’ll walk together down Coogee Bay Road to Grant Reserve.
Lastly, I’m really excited by Craig Shepherd’s work, which is on exhibition at the La Perouse Museum right now. Craig Shepherd is a local Aboriginal artist who was born and bred in La Perouse. His paintings bring alive the rich and layered past of this area, as seen through his mother’s eyes. He’s an amazing local talent. The exhibition is called “Living Stories” and will be on until early March.
OPENS FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER
LIVING STORIES – AN
EXHIBITION BY LA PEROUSE ARTIST, CRAIG SHEPHERD Museum opening hours
La Perouse Museum
1542 Anzac Parade La Perouse
SUNDAY 6 NOVEMBER
BLAK MARKETS @ BARE ISLAND
10am – 3pm Bare Island Road La Perouse
THURSDAY 10 NOVEMBER
TAI CHI: INTERMEDIATE LESSONS
11.30am – 12.30pm Online via zoom and in person at Lionel Bowen Library
THURSDAY 10 NOVEMBER
RECIPE CLUB IN THE LIBRARY
1pm – 3pm Margaret Martin Library
SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER
TOUR OF THE RANDWICK RECYCLING CENTRE
8.45am – 2pm 72 Perry Street Matraville
1300 722 542 randwick.nsw.gov.au
It could happen to anyone. Your beloved cat disappears at the hands of a complete stranger after you entrust it to your local vet, and a desperate search reveals the existence of another tortoise-shell coloured cat with a very similar name. The horror!
So, how do you tell Tara from Lara? You could go back in time and demand that the stranger buys a black cat, and persuade them not to call it Lara.
Tara sounds like Lara. Tara looks like Lara, when scribbled by even the most loving hand.
But we can’t go back in time. If that were possible, we could train our beloved Tara to remain indoors. If so, our cute little kitty would not have escaped into the back garden and jumped the fence of the stranger’s home. She would not have survived on a diet of native Australian birds and animals that would enable her to remain
at large for days, weeks, months or years.
For Tara can devour a species of native wildlife during her lifetime. She and her kin ensure that Australia has the highest rate of native mammal extinc tion in the world.
But, of course, we can’t go back in time, and this plan is far from foolproof. What if Lara isn’t house trained either and is free to roam day and night destroying wildlife? How would we ever tell them apart?
Instead, we must focus on getting Tara back safe and sound. Back into the loving arms of her distraught owners. For there is no more noble act in life than rescuing a pet.
How do we do this?
We could employ the intrepid investigative reporters at A Cur rent Affair to scour the streets and conduct uncompromising interviews with everyone from concerned neighbours to the
local barista. We could trust the same bastions of journalistic integrity to conduct a ruthless door stop at the veterinary clinic in a fearless attempt to uncover the truth, regardless of the risk to personal safety, and regardless of more pressing global issues vying for coverage. We have a cat to find.
We could lure Tara home with the familiar scent of a dressing gown, or we could import a truckload of native wildlife and let Tara chase and kill them all until she tires of this game and saunters home for cuddles and two square meals a day.
But even Multicare Stress
Urinary Dry Cat Food won’t stop Tara from hunting the few remaining lorikeets and rosellas clinging to life in suburbia. And what if our local councils finally heed the call of our precious wildlife and impound Tara until a fine is paid?
Then just call her Lara.
Words Dr Marjorie O’Neill, Member for Coogee
Democracy has been front and centre this year, with a federal election held in May and the buildup to the NSW state elec tion in early 2023 already under way. One thing that has struck me in recent times is that while the significant majority of people involving themselves in politics at all levels are good and decent folks, keen to contribute and do the right thing, a small but not insignificant minority give the rest a bad name. One of the very unfortunate consequences of such actions is an erosion of public confidence in political processes and politicians, which ultimately undermines our democracy.
Politicians and those holding public office are simply not held in the high regard they once were a generation or two ago by the many people felt let down by the bad behaviour of a few in public office. Politics, which really should be the business of representing people and commu nities, was once considered a ‘noble profession’, and of course I believe it still is - or at least it is meant to be, it should be and it can be. But too often we feel let down by our elected class.
With the recent goings on at the NSW Independent Com
mission Against Corruption, including the appearance and resignation of a NSW Premier and the lack of accountability and commitment to a corrup tion watchdog at federal level, I am not in any doubt as to why people sometimes equate us politicians with other supposedly less esteemed professions.
It’s tempting for some in politics and the media to brush off less serious transgressions with the old ‘everyone makes mistakes’ and ‘they’re only human’ lines. While that can be true, the simple fact is when you have such great responsibility you must accept great scrutiny. As someone involved in politics, I accept that we are held to a higher standard of behaviour and we should be accountable for our actions.
The federal election earlier this year saw the issue of integ rity in our political life assume a high profile. The choice was clear; the federal Labor team promised unequivocally to establish a federal ICAC, a genuine watchdog with sharp teeth, able to conduct open and transparent investigations into questionable conduct, and the Liberal-National coalition, which had failed time and time again to introduce a genuine watchdog and were instead proposing a body with virtually no powers to investigate politicians, carry out open investigations or apply any punishment other than the pro verbial slap with a piece of wet lettuce. The peoples’ verdict was clear; a Labor federal govern ment was elected and a National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill was introduced into federal parliament in the past month - a real win for democracy.
Here in our home state, I have the utmost faith in the ICAC and the job that it does in exposing dishonourable behaviour among our political class. ICAC has requested that its funding be independent of government, but this has been denied by the NSW Liberal government. Such a body
is essential to ensuring integrity in our system and in fact ensur ing that we have good people representing us. There’s nothing like a little transparency and accountability to encourage good behaviour and ensure those who believe in the ‘noble profession’ enter our public life. As your local representative in the east, I will always pledge to protect ICAC as an institution in NSW.
In Australia we generally enjoy the benefits associated with a healthy democracy and stable government, but this happy situation is not something we should take for granted. Our governments’ policies and the lifestyle we enjoy is very much dependent upon us exercising our democratic right to elect the political representatives and governments that we want to represent us. Enrolment and voting is compulsory for every Australian citizen aged 18 years or older and about 95 per cent of eligible voters are enrolled to vote at any election.
As at June this year, 97.1 per cent of eligible voters were enrolled, leaving about a half million people in Australia eligible but not enrolled to votethat’s nearly 3 per cent of eligible voters not enrolled to vote. Then there is the half a million voters who intentionally record a big thumbs down by making a deliberate invalid donkey vote. Informal votes, where the ballot paper is not correctly filled but is not necessarily done deliber ately, can account for around 5 per cent of votes cast - not ideal given how lucky we really are to have a free and democratic soci ety, but hey, that’s democracy.
We have a strong ICAC in NSW and will soon have a simi lar anti-corruption commission federally. Please have confidence in our political processes and value the power you have to influence government policies. Enrol to vote and exercise your democratic right to secure the government policies you need to live your best life.
If you need assistance, please
contact my office and follow pages for regular
Phone (02) 9398 1822
If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office and follow my social pages for regular updates.
coogee@parliament.ns
Phone (02) 9398 1822
15/53 55B
Email coogee@parliament.nsw.gov.au
15/53-55B Frenchmans
NSW 2031
Authorised
“Ladies and gentlemen. A Mexican drug that drives men and women to the wildest sexual excesses has made its first appearance in Australia. It distorts moral values and leads to degrading sexual extravagances. It is called marijuana...” So began an infamous article in Smith’s Weekly in 1938, the year NSW made cannabis use illegal.
The first cannabis sativa seeds actually arrived in Australia with the first fleet. Joseph Banks saw Australia as a source of hemp for the British Empire’s navy, and cannabis remained one of Australia’s largest crops throughout the nine teenth century.
Sadly, as with so many things, Australia followed the US blindly down a dark alley called ‘The War on Drugs’ despite their own disastrous experience with a ‘War on Booze’, which frankly did not end well. The War on Drugs has not ended well either. Billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent persecuting tens of thousands of ordinary Australians, while billions of dollars in profits have gone into the pockets of millionaires in organised crime gangs.
In the last 20 years, across the globe, the tide has changed. The list of countries that have decriminalised and/or regulated cannabis in that time is very long indeed (Google it!) and in Australia the ACT, SA and NT have already made the leap. NSW has been left behind.
In 2019 Kofi Annan said, “We need to accept that a drug-free world is an illusion.” In 2018 a US Health Department study of the many US states which have legalised cannabis found that the positive impacts far outweighed the negatives.
The simple act of legalising and regulating the cannabis market would also have a profound effect on our economy. A legal cannabis indus try would create thousands of jobs in retail and distribution, research and development, and education and training. And there’d be no more wasting of billions of taxpayer dollars pursuing a futile crusade against a plant that is far less harmful than many legal drugs.
It’s estimated that policing cannabis prohibi tion costs us all $2.4 billion a year, while in Can ada the legal cannabis market contributed $8.26 billion to that country’s GDP in 2019. In 2018, the federal parliamentary budget office costed the legalisation of cannabis for the Australian Greens. It found that taxing and regulating cannabis would contribute $2 billion every year to the Australian economy.
NSW Greens MLC Cate Faerhmann (@greencate) has been championing this cause for years. In 2021 she proposed a comprehensive bill to create a regulated, legal market for can nabis. Needless to say, the dinosaurs in the two major parties failed to support it.
“Prohibition has well and truly failed, and governments all around the world are finally accepting this fact. We’ve seen legalisation in Can ada, Uruguay and parts of the United States and elsewhere and the sky hasn’t fallen in. The fact is that cannabis poses much less harm to individual users and to our society than alcohol, tobacco and many prescription drugs,” Cate said at the time.
In September this year Greens Senator David Shoebridge (@davidshoebridge) announced the first ever attempt to legalise cannabis through the federal parliament.
“We’ve been told to wait for cannabis law reform for too long, even when it’s obvious that the majority of harm caused is by policing and the war on drugs, not the plant,” Shoebridge said. “Recrea tional cannabis is enjoyed by millions in Australia and around the world, and pretending otherwise is increasingly ridiculous. At least 40 per cent of Australians have used cannabis and any law that makes almost half of us criminals needs to go.”
At 4.20pm on Sunday, November 13, I’ll be hosting a comprehensive discussion at Coogee Seniors on this issue with Cate Faehrmann, David Shoebridge and Dr Alex Wodak. Come and find out where we are on the road to legalisation and ask the panel some questions. For more details and to RSVP, visit www.trybooking.com/CDCVG.
Alex Wodak
Meet Cate Faehrmann MLC, who introduced cannabis legislation to NSW parliament in 2021, and federal Senator David Shoebridge, who recently introduced a bill to legalise cannabis nationwide.
13th of November at Coogee
Brook St, Coogee. Scan the
The event is hosted by Stuart Davis
code to register for
your
candidate for Coogee.
Davis
Greens candidate
The quintessential Aussie sum mer is all but a distant dream as La Niña gets set to haunt us for yet a third consecutive year. Sunny arvos on the beers are going to be diamonds in the rough, and you might find that your pale winter frame will be sticking around for a little longer than you might’ve hoped. But aside from the im minent and potentially under whelming silly season ahead, there is another perhaps less well known one in full swing al ready. Following its four month closure period, September 1 marked the official opening of the Australian bass season.
As a favourite species of mine, they are a fish that symbolise the Aussie battler in all of us and stand as a true icon in the freshwater fishing world. Bass are distributed along the east coast of Australia, from South East Queensland right down south into Victoria. They have been known to grow up to 65cm but the majority of fish caught
are between 25-40cm, with anything over 50 considered to be a trophy. Perhaps the biggest calling card for chasing these fish is their aggressive, preda tory nature, which lends them perfectly to a tenacious desire to smash a variety of lures. Throw ing surface lures in particular, a favourite technique of mine, is one of the more addictive ways to get connected to a bass. Anyone who has ever caught a fish off the roof will know that heart-in-mouth feeling when your lure is ‘boofed’ off the surface. A 1-3kg rod paired with a 2500 reel and some 6-10lb braid will arm you perfectly for this style of lure fishing.
A wild bass will spend the majority of its life in the fresh water, only travelling down into the brackish water of estuaries to spawn. Enduring through droughts, fires and floods, as well as their sometimes 100kmplus return journeys to spawn, it’s easy to gain a very healthy appreciation of these fish. As
such, many anglers like myself practise a strict catch and release approach. My personal experience catching them is closely associated with the pris tine rivers of Northern NSW.
As predominantly a saltwater fisherman, it is not often that I travel inland in pursuit of fish but doing so has exposed me to some of the most beautiful and untouched parts of NSW.
After a solid slog up the highway from Sydney and a few hours punching through some dirt roads you’ll find yourself in this true natural oasis, lined with a small trickling river, a few cows and even less people. But, most importantly, it’s here that you’ll find some of the best bass fishing in the country. Your days are spent 4WDing along the river between each spot or paddling your kayak through rapids to the next snag, and you quickly begin to shake the noise of the busy world that you’ve seemingly left behind. No phone reception leaves you with different, more tangible responsibilities and worries, like the thought of when you’ll catch your next bass, or the time at which you’ll seek refuge from the blistering heat with a cold beer and a swim. It’s in isolated places like these that you come to really appreciate the purity of fishing and gain an understanding of the pastime’s primal roots.
If you’ve made it this far, I hope I’ve whet your appetite for some bass fishing this summer, and good luck to those who have a crack. Concentrate your casts around structure and your ef forts around dawn and dusk and you will find yourself a couple. I know that after last year’s mis sion chasing natives out in the sticks was foiled by floods I’m as keen as ever to dust off the bass lures and hopefully smash a PB myself. That’s if La Niña doesn’t ruin it all of course!
1 • 0246 1.20 0810 0.68 1445 1.65 2154 0.41
2 0403 1.24 0929 0.68 1600 1.62 2257 0.39
3 0509 1.32 1045 0.63 1710 1.62 2350 0.36
Bureau of
4 0602 1.42 1153 0.56 1809 1.62
5 0036 0.34 0650 1.53 1252 0.48 1900 1.60
6 0117 0.33 0733 1.63 1345 0.41 1947 1.57
7 0155 0.35 0814 1.70 1433 0.37 2032 1.51
14 0048 1.16 0604 0.72 1240 1.58 1940 0.56
21 0035 0.42 0659 1.58 1312 0.51 1908 1.49
28 0023 1.32 0550 0.56 1224 1.89 1922 0.30
8 • 0230 0.38 0852 1.76 1518 0.35 2115 1.44
15 0141 1.14 0657 0.77 1330 1.51 2036 0.59
22 0112 0.39 0737 1.71 1400 0.41 1955 1.49
29 0126 1.29 0653 0.61 1323 1.79 2025 0.34
9 0302 0.43 0930 1.78 1600 0.36 2156 1.37
16 0244 1.14 0800 0.80 1428 1.46 2135 0.59
23 0150 0.38 0818 1.82 1448 0.31 2044 1.48
30 0232 1.29 0800 0.65 1428 1.69 2126 0.38
Words Jay Houhlias Photo Sven Marquardt
My apprehension to write this is twofold. Firstly, I doubt about whether this will actually be read by problem security guards at all, and secondly, because I may be burning bridges to some pubs and clubs I really like. Nonetheless, I am noble as I am fearless, and I do feel morally obligated to pursue this tirade so we can close the expanding divide between the public and the security guards of our pubs and clubs.
A recent experience prompted my voicing of this issue. The story goes that I decided to head out and not drink. I was a good boy, I saw it through, and I felt good that my arm remained untwisted. We got to the bar, my drunk friends got let in first, I was last. The security guard stopped me and sized me up. Then he looked me in the eyes and said, “You look f*cked.”
I was quite stunned. “Thanks,” I said.
“Not tonight, you ain’t getting in tonight, you look f*cked,” he said again.
“I am not drinking tonight,” I said.
“Well, you look f*cked,” he said.
“Ok, but I haven’t had any drinks,” I said.
“Nah man, you’re drunk,” he said.
”I really have had nothing,” I said.
“Well if you look this f*cked when you’re sober I can’t imagine how you look when you’re drunk,” he said.
This was verbatim the conversation. Being convinced that you’re drunk like this is terrifying because for some reason, you always are, even if you aren’t. Now, aside from the fact that he might have been correct in his assertion that I looked a certain way, this interaction and many others like it convey the problem with our security guards. Gone are the days where you
can be yourself and tell the truth in your dealings with security guards. You are always wrong and up to mischief. There is always that obligatory ‘straighten yourself up’, or ‘don’t say anything dumb’ (in fact, don’t say anything at all), followed by you acting like a complete weasel as you try and skimp your way past the security guards and onto your favourite dance floor. And yes, you do skimp and weasel, because any attempt to speak normally with a security guard is a threat to them - you must servilely shrivel up like a little walnut and succumb to their nightly power trip. I get they have serious responsibilities, but so do paramedics, and they’re not usually arseholes for no reason.
But you see, today I am not just going to bash on security guards. I don’t want to be too emo tional and irrational. After all, everything I have said so far has been my opinion and anecdote. I wanted to understand things better, so I did some research. A friend of mine (unnamed) is a security guard and he has leaked to me, in confi dentiality, the responsibilities that were bestowed upon him when he first took the job (at place unnamed). He said his main priority was to keep people safe - I thought that was very reasonable. He then gave me the protocol he received in order to fulfil this duty. It was then that I realised my folly. It read:
Do not grant entry to:
• Big groups
• Small groups
• One lone person
• People who want to have fun on a night out
• People that dance
• People that don’t respect your superior authority
• People that aren’t afraid of you
• Very drunk people
• Very sober people
• People who are too friendly to you
• People who are too unfriendly to you
• People that look too young
• People that look too old
• Women that aren’t interested in you
• Animals
• Men
Feel free to print out this list and take it with you the next time you’re out. If you don’t get let in, you can refer back to it for clarity. Now that I look at this list, I suppose I could show a little more leniency toward these folk who are just following protocol. But I’m not so sure, the list doesn’t seem so inclusive.
The list also came with an unimportant caveat which can override any or all rules of entry.
* Always let da glamours in.
1. Which horse won the first Melbourne Cup in 1861?
2. Which Australian Prime Minister said of Queen Eliz abeth II - “I did but see her passing by and yet I love her till I die”?
3. In the human body, where would you find the Broca area?
4. In Season 4 of The Crown, who played Queen Elizabeth II?
5. What was Queen’s first single, which was released in 1973, called?
6. Who is the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the current Labor Government?
ACROSS
1. Author of Dracula (4,6)
7. Used to make dough rise (6)
8. Japanese dumpling (5)
9. Island country in the Persian Gulf (7)
10. Online mar ketplace (4)
12. Soft woollen blanket, type of dog (6)
16. Slang word for green break fast food (3)
17. Pain a la Duchesse (6)
18. Type of angle, slow to under stand (6)
19. King of the fairies (6)
20. Lightbulb inventor, Thomas ... (6)
DOWN
1. English musi cian, comedian and actor who
was recently in Australia (4,6)
2. American Indian people of south west USA (6)
3. First name of sherpa who first summited Mt Everest (7)
4. Barrel used to store beer (3)
5. Plural for parallelogram with four equal sides (6)
6. A daily record of events and experiences (5)
11. Cocoa alterna tive (5)
13. Man belong ing to a Catholic religious order (5)
14. Surname of King Henry VIII’s second wife (6)
15. Excuse (5)
16. Touches along an edge (5)
18. Lowest cardi nal number (3)
7. Which two countries have the letter ‘X’ in their name?
8. What suffix is used to coin words related to scandals and corruption cases?
9. What instrument does singer Lizzo play?
10. In which NSW town was artist Pro Hart born?
In Stephen Karam’s haunting film directing debut, which he adapted from his award-win ning Broadway play titled The Humans, strange noises don’t just go bump in the night, they creep into the subconscious and play unusual tricks on the unsuspecting mind. With a fly-on-the-wall approach, Karam has created a powerful warts and all observation of a dysfunctional family in all its glory.
What starts as a friendly Thanksgiving gathering for three generations of the Blake family soon deteriorates into a passive-ag gressive display of pent-up grievances and secrets which only intensifies the foreboding atmosphere permeating the air within their dilapidated apartment.
Richly textured character performances from the small cast consisting of Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Steve Yeun, Beanie Feld stein, Amy Schumer and June Squibb, as well as the intimate cinematography by Lol Crawley, result in an intriguingly atmospheric and darkly amusing slow-burn film that addresses themes of loneliness, anxiety, conflicts, love, mortality and how we confront our demons.
Label Loma VIsta Recordings
Reviewer @aldothewriter
I’m not sure why As Above, So Below isn’t generat ing more buzz. It is an absolutely scorching album. Perhaps it is the weirdly placed second track, ‘Lane’, which does it no favours by featuring an incredibly lazy Denzel Curry verse and destroying all momen tum generated by the intro. Skip that and you’re lit erally dancing. Sampa has borrowed heavily from the best of Kendrick and (the old) Kanye, which could be because they’ve borrowed heavily from Zambian mu sic, I don’t know, but whatever, it works. The song ‘Bona’ is like some wonderful cocktail of the former’s ‘ADHD’ and latter’s ‘Black Skinhead’ - drink it up!
Asphalt Meadows
Label Atlantic Records
@aldothewriter
Just when the world thought it was done with sad, old white men, Death Cab For Cutie drop this glori ous ode to self-indulgent and snarky misery on us. It has been some time since they released anything that equated to more than dreary moaning, but Asphalt Meadows is a delightful return to form. They’ve ditched the attempts at jazzing up their production and have returned to what they do best; simple melodies, with some stingingly sharp lyrics. Did you know when you Google image search lead singer Ben Gibbard, the next suggestion is ‘sad’? The second one is ‘running’, which I must admit surprised me.
Label Clouds Hill
Reviewer @aldothewriter
These guys blew my mind at Big Day Out nearly twenty years ago and they’ve blown it again by mak ing me realise that was nearly twenty years ago. Life goes fast, people; hug your loved ones and eat more mangos. I don’t expect they move around quite like they did back then, but they still have great energy. A Mars Volta album has always been an epic journey, but this feels less a frenzied, hallucinogenic gambol through a Mexican forest, and more an afternoon in a steamy Oaxacan beach bar. Twenty years on, I think I’d pick the beach bar, but who knows where the evening will take us…
Incessantly licking the back of your teeth will gradually push them forward and leave you looking like a rabbit.
Aquarius Jan 21-Feb 19
Try to relax a little and enjoy ‘the now’, rather than rushing to get everything done and missing out on those precious little moments.
Pisces Feb 20-Mar 20
Invest more time in the people who actually like you, instead of persisting with the good judges of character who don’t.
You’re not ‘twice as busy as everyone else at work’, you just take twice as long to produce the same output.
Taurus Apr 21-May 21
An overseas holiday to rest and re cuperate will make you even more stressed when you realise how much you blew just to get there.
Gemini May 22-Jun 21
Take a moment to appreciate all the commonsense people who’ve had the displeasure of trying to deal with you over the years.
Cancer Jun 22-Jul 22
It’s become apparent that you’re never going to stop making stupid mistakes, so just focus on how to hide them better.
Leo Jul 23-Aug 22
Please don’t bother trying to abstain from coffee in the shortterm, because you will quickly find yourself behind bars.
Virgo Aug 23-Sep 23
You’re spending way too long wiping your bum. One or two clean wipes is enough, and you’ll save a fortune on dunny paper.
Libra Sep 24-Oct 23
In order to make your dreams a reality you need to actually do something. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming though.
VIEW Clubs is a national women’s organisation supporting The Smith Family.
Women join VIEW to form lasting friendships and to support children experiencing disadvantage to make the most of their education and create better futures for themselves.
Sydney Eastern Suburbs VIEW Club is looking to welcome new members to their monthly meetings
every fourth Wednesday from 11am at Coogee Diggers, 2 Byron St, Coogee
with guest
