Bits and Pieces From the Beaches

from The Beast - September 2023

Helping Local Kids to Laugh and Learn for 21 Years

Words Stiffy McPherson

New Builder Nailed Down

The upgrade of Bondi Junction’s Boot Factory building and Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club is now back on track with the signing of a new construction company, Schiavello Constructions. Work on both projects ceased in March 2023 when head contractor Lloyd Group went into voluntary administration. The Schiavello team began work on the sites on July 3, commencing detailed clean-ups and site audits. Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said that Council is not only committed to ensuring the upgrades are completed but also excited that the facilities can soon be enjoyed by the community.

Surfing the Walk

Blake Thornton, Brenda Miley, Lisa McGuigan and Australian surfing icon Layne Beachley were inducted into the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame at Randwick City Council’s annual Beach Breaks event on July 23. The new inductees will be recognised with bronze plaques along the Maroubra Beach promenade as part of an annual tradition honouring well known surfers and lifesavers dating back to 2006.

Macabbi President's Cup

The Beast would like to congratulate Bondi Junction’s Graeme Bogan on winning the major event in tenpin bowling last month, claiming victory in the scratch with handicap in the NSW Maccabi President’s Cup. Graeme set the tone with scores of 201 and 215 in his first two games, wrapping up the final week with a winning 705. Well done, Graeme!

Amanda's Giant Sea Shell

Being an international actress was Randwick author Amanda Lieber’s favourite career, alongside English and drama teacher, fairy (with lots of sparkles), very bad coffee maker and early childcare teacher. Now, Amanda is hoping that writing stories for children will be her new favourite. Her debut picture book, My Giant Sea Shell, deals with a serious theme in a gentle way for children and carers to understand. It opens the topic of discussion through exquisite illustrations by Kathy Creamer. Published by Little Pink Dog Books, you can grab a copy from littlepinkdogbooks.com.

Theatre From the Crypt

North Bondi resident Donna Randall is starring in the true-crime theatre show, Razor Gang Wars, which is being staged in a 200-year-old crypt beneath St James Church from August 31 to September 16. Razor Gang Wars is set during the late 1920s when crime queens Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh ruled the underworld. The audience will be guided through the eerie rooms and tunnels to witness the story come to life around them. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit deadhouse.com.au.

Max Doughies at Maroubra

Randwick Council has once again put its support behind the 2023 Maroubra Charity Car Show to be held at Maroubra Beach on Sunday, September 17. The show will feature more than 100 vintage and hot rod cars and will raise funds for the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation. The event was last held in 2019.

Record Whale Numbers Counted in Recent Annual Migration Census

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo George Hines

The one-day whale census conducted by ‘citizen scientists’ at seventy New South Wales coastal locations including Bondi has reported record numbers of the cetaceans migrating north.

Conducted by the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), the census reported sightings of 5,092 whales, predominantly humpbacks - an increase of 1,847 over last year. This year, there were more observers than ever perched on rocky headlands along the coast for the one-day census, counting blows and breaches using an ORRCA app.

Macquarie University marine scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta says that as well as the flotilla of humpbacks, other less commonly sighted marine mammals such as Southern Right Whales and False Killer Wales have been spotted occasionally this whale season.

“Just yesterday a Southern Right was seen off Bondi,” Dr Pirotta told The Beast. She says Southern Right Wales are “generally a bit tricker to spot, and they are large, dark in colour and don’t have a dorsal fin”.

Crime News

Eastgardens Dognapping

Three men have been charged over the theft of an expensive 12-week-old French Bulldog from a pet store at Eastgardens.

The shop released video footage of a group of men in the store interacting with the pup, called Frenchie. One of them is seen snatching Frenchie - reportedly on sale for $6,995 - and dashing out of the store.

Then the crime took an intriguing twist. Two days after Frenchie was dognapped, police arrested a man for the offence in the NSW/Victorian border town of Albury - almost 500 kilometres away! The 31-yearold was charged with shoplifting. Then, a further two weeks down the track, another two men, aged 23 and 21, were nabbed in Albury and also charged with stealing Frenchie.

The pup was found at an Albury address and the shop owner went south to collect him. Now he’s with a new owner in Sydney.

Crackdown on Eastern Suburbs Cocaine Users

Latest NSW statistics for cocaine use and possession have highlighted the large numbers of people being prosecuted in the Eastern Suburbs.

Figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) compare the rates of what it classifies as “persons proceeded with” over cocaine use and possession in different Local Government Areas around the state.

Coming in at first place between April 2022 and March 2023 was Sydney City, with a rate of 366 per 100,000 people. Waverley LGA came second, at 265 per 100,000 people. In third place was Woollahra (146), with Randwick placed fourth at 117.

According to a BOCSAR spokesperson, these four LGAs “account for 46 per cent of the total number of incidents of use/ possess cocaine in NSW in the twelve months to March 2023.”

Gloves Off in DV Showdown Between Boxer and Ex

There has been a dramatic turnaround in domestic violence allegations involving boxer Harry Garside and his Eastern Suburbs ex-girlfriend Ashley Ruscoe.

Originally the 25-year-old Olympic medallist was charged with assaulting his ex at her Bellevue Hill unit when he went there to collect belongings in March. Two months later, he was arrested at Sydney Airport after stepping off a flight following a stint in South Africa appearing on Network Ten’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

But on June 7, when he appeared in Downing Centre Local Court, the charge was dropped after his defence team cited video said to show that Ruscoe was the alleged aggressor. And on July 12, Ruscoe, a 35-year-old personal trainer and wellness coach, was arrested at her home.

She was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with assault and stalking. Then it was her turn to face court, where defence counsel Brian Wrench entered a not guilty plea. The case will be heard soon.

Two Injured in Maroubra Knife Attack

A man was stabbed in the back and a woman had part of a finger cut off when an argument in a

South Maroubra unit turned ugly.

Eastern Beaches Police are hunting the man they say was responsible, dumping a knife in the rear of the premises before fleeing over the fence. He is said to have stabbed the other man, aged 31, in a bedroom of the unit.

When the 63-year-old woman intervened, she suffered a serious hand injury. Police say part of a finger on her right hand was amputated. The two were rushed to hospital and both were reported to be in a stable condition.

Woolf Threatened Airport - AFP

Bondi financial planner Hilton Woolf has pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening to destroy, damage or endanger the safety of a Commonwealth aerodrome.

Downing Centre Local Court was told the 65-year-old’s wife had been on the phone to an airline call centre when Woolf was heard in the background making threats against Sydney Airport. Details of the threats were not revealed in court. But they were so concerning that the call centre reported them to Australian Federal Police. Sentencing was deferred pending reports.

Have You Seen This Bloke?

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Jason Carroll, aged 54, over alleged domestic violence offences. He is known to frequent the Maroubra, South Coogee and Bondi areas. If you have any information about his whereabouts, phone CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.