Western Weekender 28 March

weekender the western

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FRI 28 MAR 2014 • Issue 1146

Penrith to Paris

PROUDLY INDEPENDENT

Business Advice, tips and profiles on the best local businesses p.30-31

Don’t stop the music

Council gives outdoor concert the green light despite residents’ concerns CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

Bradbury’s new international gig p.11

What Women Want p.13

Big week of celebrations Milestone week for local radio presenter p.18

@cassandra_o

P

enrith Council’s decision to allow Penrith Symphony Orchestra to play an outdoor concert at Fernhill Estate was music to conductor Paul Terracini’s ears, but not so for Mugloa residents who hold serious concerns about noise impacts from Fernhill’s events.

Mr Terracini addressed Council on Monday evening and said that the opportunity to play at Fernhill Estate was one that the Penrith Symphony Orchestra would treasure.

“We have in western Sydney a great facility in the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, however that is an indoor facility,” he said.

“Fernhill offers an opportunity for the Orchestra to play in an outdoor setting and offer the residents of Penrith a unique experience.”

With Council’s tick of approval, the concert will now go ahead on May 11, Mother’s Day, and will feature big band music from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Michael Buble.

A stage will be constructed especially for the twilight event that will take advantage of a natural amphitheatre formed by the rolling hills of Fernhill’s estate. There, the 27 piece orchestra plus big band ensemble will treat up to 3,000 guests to a musical performance like no other.

Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre in Penrith is a partner of Fernhill Estate and is also involved in the concert.

Cr John Thain said that the concert is “for a great cause” and so had his support. But Mulgoa residents are not happy.

Story continues on » p. 7

Penrith Symphony Orchestra’s Paul Terracini and Fernhill’s Tom Lawson. Photo: Melinda Jane

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Gus and big MG thrown in jail But it’s all for a good cause as Panthers legends help raise funds for PCYC @natetaylor87

NATHAN TAYLOR

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anthers boss Phil Gould and club legend Mark Geyer were locked behind bars all in the name of charity on Wednesday afternoon to promote the upcoming PCYC ‘Time 4 Kids’ initiative.

Each year during the month of April, ‘Time 4 Kids’ events are held across Australia with hundreds of participants from all walks of life coming together in support of PCYC to put a stop to youth crime.

The Mt Druitt PCYC ‘Time 4 Kids’ event, to be held on April 10, will see volunteer detainees locked-up in a mock jail cell for 30 minutes, under the supervision of a police officer, where they must raise $1,000 bail through donations to be set free again.

To get into the spirit of things on the day, detainees will also have to wear a prisoner uniform and rattle a tin whilst locked up.

Geyer, who admitted to having a brush with the law at least once in his life, said the PCYC ‘Time 4 Kids’ initiative was an excellent way to raise money and awareness to keep troubled youths off our streets.

“I’m a Mt Druitt boy and PCYC has been a

part of my life for a long time,” Geyer said on Wednesday.

“I’ve unfortunately been on the other side of the prison bars once in my life and it was quite scary, to be honest.

“I hope to raise awareness about what PCYC can do for kids because not many people know what they actually do. Hopefully something like this will show people that we actually give a damn.”

Money raised from the event will go towards Mt Druitt PCYC youth development and police crime prevention programs for local youth in and around the Mt Druitt area.

Funds will also go towards much-needed club equipment as well as sending PCYC Mt Druitt’s young Indigenous kids to a rugby league tournament in Dubbo.

“Mt Druitt have a lot of kids in need of help and that’s where we come in,” said Julius Uru, senior constable of Mt Druitt PCYC. “The majority of money being fundraised will go to the police programs to reduce crime as well as raise the selfesteem of youths and get them back into the community.”

To donate to Mt Druitt PCYC visit www. time4kids.org.au or visit Westfield Mt Druitt on Thursday, April 10 from 9am-6pm to catch all the fun live.

Mark Geyer and Phil Gould help promote Time 4 Kids. Photo: Melinda Jane

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troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au

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Ross Fowler North Ward Penrith City Councillor

I first met Steve Willingale when he was the Acting CEO of the Penrith Economic Development Corporation back in 2007.

Steve’s contribution to Penrith is significant both through that role, his own businesses and the Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce, but it is his role away from Penrith’s professional sector that I want to talk about today.

Today I want to talk about Steve’s role as a husband, and about the remarkable, sad, yet inspiring story of his wife Lynne.

I met Lynne in around 2008 when I was the Master of Ceremonies for an event that she and Steve put on at the Penrith Paceway to raise money for the fight against cancer. Such an event was not a rarity for Lynne; she’s regularly been a keen fundraiser for cancer charities.

Lynne’s long, personal fight started in 2001 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

Five years later she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer (in her lungs) and in 2012, she was again diagnosed with secondary breast cancer (in her liver). Two years ago, the cancer was almost eliminated by the use of Herceptin.

However, in May 2013 Lynne suffered a heart attack caused by the Herceptin, which weakened her heart muscles significantly. During treatment, doctors found brain tumours.

Since May 2013, Lynne has not been able to have chemotherapy treatment due to the heart problems. Her pain can only be treated by regular doses of Panadol or Nurofen.

Lynne has shown great physical and mental courage over the years of this battle, but unfortunately she will soon lose the war.

Knowing her condition was terminal, Lynne wanted to see her idol – John Farnham – in concert one final time.

Lynne along with 11 girlfriends secured tickets to the recent John Farnham and Lionel Ritchie concert in the Hunter Valley. As the concert

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TROY DODDS @troydodds

She will end her life with some exceptional memories

neared, a combination of Lynne’s health and poor weather meant the trip couldn’t go ahead.

Steve and family friend Melissa Black contacted Jenny Howell-Clark of Orange Pigeon, which is a ‘make a wish’ type organisation for adults. Steve was trying to transfer the Hunter Valley tickets to the Sydney show, which was proving difficult.

Jenny worked hard with the team at the Dainty Group, the concert’s promoters, and eventually Lynne’s tickets were moved to the Homebush show. Even better, they got her into the front row.

Meanwhile, a family friend named Karla Patterson was aiming to go one better. She managed to arrange a phone call from John Farnham to Lynne the day before the Sydney concert.

A very surprised Lynne had an emotional talk with him and as Steve puts it, “her face lit up like a child in a lolly shop and four people at our house had tears streaming from our eyes”.

During the phone call, John invited Lynne to the sound check for the Sydney concert. The pair met, got a photo together and for Lynne, one of her dying wishes had come true.

“She’s now close to the end of her days but through the goodwill and decency of a number of people in recent weeks, she will end her life with some more exceptional memories,” Steve told me this week.

Steve originally phoned me trying to find a way to thank the many people who’ve made Lynne’s health struggles a little easier to deal with over the years.

So, to finish up, let’s raise a glass to not only Lynne and her exceptionally brave fight, but to the following people: Westmead Hospital’s cancer team, the team at Nepean Cancer Care Centre, Dr Jenny Shannon, Dr Michael Noel, Orange Pigeon and Jenny Howell-Clark, Paul Dainty, John Farnham, Karla Patterson and Glenn and Gaynor Wheatley.

On behalf of Steve and Lynne, thank you.

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Editor: Troy Dodds • Journalists: Cassandra O’Connor, Nathan Taylor, Katherine Tweed, Shannon Cochrane Photographer: Melinda Jane

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DR RAJIV AHUJA Dr O’Meara is also pleased to welcome Dr Rajiv (Specialist Orthodontist) to his practice. Dr Rajiv is a graduate of Sydney University and will attend both Penrith and Springwood rooms.

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STATE POLITICS

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Tanya Davies MP Member for Mulgoa a Andrew Constance and Stuart Ayres in the Penrith CBD. Photo: Melinda Jane when money could be better spent improving services.�

Mr Constance said that there are no restrictions on where the building could be located, and that the Government is encouraging creative and innovative designs that include state of the art technology. 260 jobs will move with the department and require over 5,000sqm of office space.

“The Premier was in Penrith earlier this year to launch the Penrith Progression project and this is the State Government’s endorsement,� Penrith MP Stuart Ayres said. “The Department is a good fit for Penrith and this ticks the box of Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 10 big ideas for Penrith, which lobbied for more public service jobs here in Penrith.�

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he relocation of the Department of Sport and Recreation to Penrith is just the first of many offices to move west, according to Finance Minister Andrew Constance and Penrith MP, Stuart Ayres.

NSW Premier, Barry O’Farrell has announced that as part of the Government’s ‘decade of decentralisation’, more than 3,000 public servants will be relocated to new offices in western Sydney.

The Government wants the private sector to build new office space in Penrith with the Department to sign on as a long term tenant. “Decentralisation makes economic sense and it has the added benefit of ensuring public servants are based in the communities they serve,� Mr O’Farrell said.

Finance Minister Andrew Constance said that the Government is keen to begin the relocation process. “In the next two months we will be calling on the private sector to come forward with ideas to be able to house Sport and Recreation and other agencies,� he said. “Long gone are the days when the State Government locks up funding in capital

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EDUCATION

ACCIDENT

New dress code brought into question

Man hurt in motorbike crash at Cambridge Pk

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SHANNON COCHRANE

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new dress code for public school teachers has been criticised by the independent schools sector, with claims that the NSW Government policy is a distraction from real educational issues.

The policy, which was announced last Sunday by the Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli, is the first ever explicit dress code for public school teachers in New South Wales and will be introduced in classrooms at the beginning of Term 2.

It lists a standard of dress that public teachers are obliged to meet, with the dress code including restrictions on wearing t-shirts, rubber thongs, ripped or dirty clothes and attire with inappropriate slogans.

Male teachers are also required to wear collared shirts, subject to exceptions, and there are restrictions on revealing clothing such as tops with bare midriffs and strapless tops.

“Wearing appropriate dress helps teachers maintain respect and credibility with students, parents and the broader community,” Mr Piccoli said.

While the policy has received support from some principals’ groups, the Independent Education Union has criticised the dress code as being a diversion from

more substantive issues affecting schools.

The union, which represents teachers in non-government schools, has been running a campaign for its members to draw attention to the increasing workload demands that impact on teachers’ time.

Independent Education Union General Secretary John Quessy said that teacher workload was a more important issue than dress codes.

“Everyone is talking about the intensification of teachers’ workloads and it’s seriously compressing teaching time, yet the Education Minister chooses to focus on their clothing,” Mr Quessy said.

“If the Minister is unsure of the real issues, we are more than happy to provide a list and teachers’ attire is not on it.”

The Union’s ‘3Rs: Recognise, Respect and Reward’ campaign is aimed at addressing the increasing workload of teachers.

“Increasing workload demands are compressing the time that teachers have available for lesson planning, review, mentoring and meeting expanding teaching and learning needs,” Mr Quessy said.

Mr Piccoli said the moves were all about increasing the status of teachers in the classroom and the wider community.

“The Dress Code is the latest element of our plans to improve the status of the profession – something we know teachers care passionately about,” Mr Piccoli when announcing the plans.

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man has been treated for severe injuries sustained after crashing his motorcycle on a quiet street in the local area last weekend.

At about 5pm on Saturday, March 22, police from St Marys Local Area Command and ambulance paramedics from Penrith were called to Hollier Street, close to Wrench Street, Cambridge Park, with reports of a single vehicle accident.

There they found a 31-year-old male, with injuries to the head and pelvis, as well as a broken shoulder and “severely” fractured leg. He was treated by local Ambulance Paramedics at the scene before being transported to hospital.

“It took paramedics quite some time to stabilise the patient and manage his pain levels. The male was transported to Westmead Hospital due to it being a Major Trauma Centre where he

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The scene of the accident underwent surgery,” said Inspector Jason Stone, Duty Operations Manager, Penrith Ambulance.

The yellow Suzuki motorcycle sustained a significant amount of damage as a result of the crash.

Medicare pulls Saturday trading The Medicare shopfront in Westfield Penrith will no longer open on Saturdays, it has been confirmed.

The Department of Human Services

said that Penrith was one of the last remaining sites still opening on Saturdays, but March 22 was the last time that Saturday trading would occur.

Police snapshot Road rage incident

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A man has allegedly threatened a woman in a road rage incident where two young children were involved. At about 3.45pm on Friday, March 21, a 30-year-old woman from Cranebrook was driving along Castlereagh Road after picking up her nine-year-old and six-year-old children from school. She noticed a vehicle travelling very close to the rear of her car, so close in fact that she could only see its windscreen. She turned onto Andrews Road, and the car continued to follow her. The vehicle then passed her before stopping in front of her, causing her to stop. The male driver of the car got out and approached the female and children, yelling and making threats. He punched the driver’s side window, walked to his car and left. The woman pulled over and called for assistance. Police are still making enquiries.

Soft drink stolen and knife produced in High Street A 15-year-old Glenmore Park boy had his 1.25L bottle of soft drink stolen when he refused to hand over money to five unknown persons who approached him. At about 4pm on Saturday, March 22, the boy was seated on a garden wall on High Street Penrith, when five males, all described as being in their mid-teens and Aboriginal/ Torres Strait Islander in appearance, approached him. The males asked him for a cigarette. After telling the males that he didn’t smoke, they then demanded money, to which he refused. After constant requests the males took a bottle of soft drink from the boy and produced a small knife, of about 10cm in length, again demanding money.

The boy refused a final time and the males left the scene. Police are investigating.

Teen charged with multiple offences at Cranebrook

Police investigating after crash on The Northern Road

A 16-year-old is before the courts after allegedly driving dangerously on local streets. At about 2.50pm on Wednesday, March 19, police were patrolling Cranebrook when they saw the young male riding an unregistered trail bike on Sherringham Road. Police observed the boy driving on the incorrect side of the road, travelling head on toward the police vehicle before erratically riding onto Farmview Drive and into a reserve. He was later seen riding into his home residence at Cranebrook, where he was arrested. The boy was charged with ‘breach of bail’, ‘use of an unregistered vehicle on road’, ‘driver never licensed’, and ‘drive in a manner dangerous to the public’.

It took three fire crews and ambulance officers to free a man who was trapped in his vehicle after an accident last week.

Witnesses observed an 18-year-old Springwood male in a vehicle veering all over The Northern Road in Penrith at about 6am on Tuesday, March 18. He was seen to drive on the incorrect side of the road for up to 100 metres, before correcting. This continued when he neared Cooper Street, where he veered to the left side of the road, mounted the gutter and collided with a power pole.

He was complaining of a pain to the neck and had to be cut free due to his injuries. The man was transported to Nepean Hospital for treatment. Police are continuing enquiries.

COUNCIL

Fernhill controversy

“Airy fairy� plan passed More than 100 new homes for Glenmore Park CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

@cassandra_o

The new release in Glenmore Park near Bradley Street into enough detail about whether or not a childcare centre could be located in the new release, but that it would be an acceptable development. The concept plan does include up to 40 apartments. “Residue land not developed could

be used as a childcare centre as that is a permissible use in the area,� Council staff said.

Cr Kevin Crameri labelled the concept plan “airy fairy� but the plan was passed

by Council.

They have raised concerns about events at Fernhill, particularly noise and traffic impacts. And on Monday evening Fernhill was also given approval to hold 14 events over a six month period as a temporary function centre. “I am a keen equestrian and like classical music so these are both close to my heart, however, the impact on the Valley and neighbouring properties is going to be great,� said resident Marcus Le Poer Trench. “Properties on Mulgoa Road are going to be impacted by the traffic, but the main problem of course is the noise,� added Dr Michael Hunter. “If they are to have noise-making functions then there needs to be some sort of noise barrier erected to stop the noise.�

Fernhill owner, Brenda Tripp, asked that the six month temporary centre be seen as a trial for Fernhill to become a permanent centre for functions such as weddings, corporate meetings and special events. “We are certainly not perfect and have not done everything right in our first year at Fernhill, however we are improving and we want Fernhill’s gates to remain open to the public,� she said.

Mayor Ross Fowler used his casting vote to allow Fernhill the six month trial, saying that Fernhill’s conduct toward Council has been less than satisfactory but that they deserved a final chance. “I believe they have mended their ways to some degree and given the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage is in agreement that the activities be allowed, I vote in favour of the [six month trial],� he said.

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enrith Councillors have called for more detail on the next release stage in Glenmore Park after being presented with a concept plan for further housing in the popular and expanding suburb.

The new release will provide over 100 new homes in Glenmore Park, but Cr Karen McKeown has her reservations about the planning given previous issues with new developments. “People come in and build their own dream homes and set up their lives here,�

Cr McKeown said. “I don’t want to see what happened last time with the release of the Bradley Street units. There seemed to be some mix up about what that precinct would look like. “There was a very perturbed community... they had built their own homes but then down the road there was a development that was not how they expected.�

Residents were furious when last year, apartments were proposed for Bradley Street and there was also an application for a childcare centre on a small suburban street with limited parking.

Cr McKeown was informed by Council staff that the concept plan does not go

Story continued from Âť p. 1

10 x Monday 6.30pm - 7 pm 6 x Wednesday 6.30pm - 7 pm Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

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COUNCIL

Park granted stay of execution – for now

St. Dominic’s College

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Penrith Councillor Marcus Cornish at the pop-up park. Photo: Melinda Jane

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notice of motion to reopen the western end of High Street to traffic was defeated at Penrith Council on Monday evening, however, support to remove the road closure is building.

Cr Marcus Cornish moved that a vote be taken by show of hands on reopening High Street, Penrith to traffic through the controversial triangle park.

“I want to make it clear that it is the road closure and not the park itself that I am against,” he said.

“Many businesses continue to say that they are struggling and say that they have not been adequately consulted.

Some have even indicated that by the end of this financial year they will shut their doors.”

He was strongly supported by Cr Jim Aitken.

“We should never have touched this in the first place; it is time to look at it and say, is there a better way,” Cr Aitken said.

Both Crs Kevin Crameri and Maurice Girotto agreed that the issue needs to be addressed but were not confident enough to reopen the street without having a final report to Council.

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NEWS CONTACT US ADMINISTRATION Penrith Office Civic Centre, 601 High Street.

Opening Hours: 8.30am–4pm. Mon–Fri. St Marys Office Queen Street Centre, 207–209 Queen Street.

Opening Hours: 8.30am–4pm. Mon–Fri. Switchboard Open: 8.30am–5pm. Mon–Fri. P: (02) 4732 7777 F: (02) 4732 7958 Write to: PO Box 60, Penrith NSW 2751.

E: council@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au

SERVICES Waste Hotline: Freecall 1800 734 735 Illegal Dumping: Contact the EPA hotline on 131 555 and ask for the RID Squad (Regional Illegal Dumping Squad).

Graffiti Hotline: Freecall 1800 022 182

MEETING DATES Council Meetings 14 April 2014 – 7pm (Policy Review Committee) 28 April 2014 – 7.30pm (Ordinary meeting)

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COUNCIL BRIEFS s Penrith Council is again participating in Earth Hour on Saturday, 29 March starting at 8.30pm and we are inviting local residents and businesses to join us.

Earth Hour started in Sydney and has now spread to more than 152 countries.

To help local residents, Council now has Sustainable Penrith E-news. After you sign up, we’ll let you know when we’re holding community workshops or coordinating events like tree planting days, e-waste or chemical collections, and Clean Up Australia Day. To add your details to our list, please email ahewson@ penrithcity.nsw.gov.au Penrith City Council will participate in Earth Hour by turning off non-essential lighting across our facilities. s Be part of revitalising our City Centre and bringing jobs to Penrith by joining Penrith Progression today. Participants in Penrith Progression will work out how to deliver jobs near home, better infrastructure and clean and safe public spaces.

You’ll have the opportunity to work with Australia’s leading urban designers, transport planners and economists. Together we’ll address real and perceived barriers to investment and development in Penrith. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop our City Centre for the next 10 to 15 years.

Tell us your big idea for making our City Centre better and come to our first forum in April. Go to www.penrithprogression.com.au to sign up now.

TENDER Provision of Premixed Concrete Reference 13/14-10 Penrith City Council is seeking proposals for the reliable and cost effective provision of Premixed Concrete on an as required basis.

The Contract will be for an initial period of three (3) years, with an option to extend for a further two (2) x one (1) year periods, by mutual agreement and subject to satisfactory performance.

Pre-Tender Briefing, 10am Tuesday, 8 April 2014.

Tender Documents Visit https://360providers.apetsoftware.com.au/Public/ pcctenders/PublicJobs.aspx to register and download tender documents free of charge. Alternatively a hard copy is available for a non-refundable fee of $50 (inc GST) by arrangement.

For queries please contact Jake Evans on 4732 7663 or jevans@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au

Penrith City Council has received a Development Application in respect of the subject property seeking consent for a sewer pumping station and associated works. The consent authority for the Development Application is Penrith City Council. s SMEC Urban DA14/0182 Lot 69 DP 1186025 & Lot 64 DP 1180358, Forestwood Drive, Glenmore Park Proposed sewer pumping station and associated works The proposal is Designated Development under Section 77A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

The proposal is also Integrated Development under Section 91 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. In this regard, the applicant is seeking concurrent approval from the NSW Office of Water under Section 91 of the Water Management Act 2000.

The Development Application referred to in this notice and supporting documentation accompanying the subject application, including the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), may be inspected at the locations listed below at any time during ordinary office hours, in the period from 10 March to 9 April 2014.

Penrith City Council s Civic Centre 601 High Street, Penrith NSW 2750 s Penrith City Library 601 High Street, Penrith NSW 2750 s Queen Street Centre 207–209 Queen Street, St Marys NSW 2760 Planning & Infrastructure s Information Centre 23–33 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Any person may, during the exhibition period, make a submission in writing to Penrith City Council in relation to the Development Application. Where a submission is made by way of an objection, the grounds of objection are to be specified in the submission.

The submission is to include Council’s reference number DA14/0182.

Council is required to make Development Applications and certain associated documents publicly available under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. There is a presumption in favour of publicly disclosing all submissions relating to this Development Application unless Council determines that it is not in the public interest to do so.

Unless the proposed development is development about which the Planning Assessment Commission has conducted a review, any person who makes a submission by way of objection and who is dissatisfied with the determination of the consent authority to grant development consent, may appeal to the Land and Environment Court under Section 98 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

For any queries relating to the proposal, please contact Jane Hetherington on 4732 8078.

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Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

Submission Details All submissions should be lodged on the forms provided in accordance with the lodgement instructions contained in the documents no later than 11am Wednesday, 23 April 2014 (‘the Closing Date’). Tenders received after this time will not be considered.

DESIGNATED & INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

COUNCIL

10 Grass on the agenda as concerns are raised

COUNCIL

Lakes overhaul takes next important step

local news

CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

@cassandra_o

P

Cr Maurice Girotto has raised concerns about untidy properties CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

@cassandra_o

J

ust who is cutting the grass?

That was the big question that emerged from a marathon Ordinary Meeting at Council on Monday.

Councillor Prue Car first raised the issue of unkempt grass in Claremont Meadows.

“Residents have been telling me that long grass needs cutting by Council on vacant land along Myrtle Ave,” she said.

Cr Maurice Girotto and Mark Davies too had received complaints.

“I have had a bit of feedback about maintenance in Glenmore Park, and I

understand it has been quite wet but if we could look into mowing and maintenance in the area that would be good,” Cr Davies said.

“It would be also good if we could look at litter in Glenmore Park too.”

Cr Girotto said that a resident had raised concerns about the frontage of a property that is currently unoccupied and asked that it be look into.

And Councillors couldn’t help but share a laugh when Cr Bernard Bratusa said he too had a mowing issue and called for a report on grass cutting for the whole city.

To report a ‘litter hotspot’ or other issues, contact Council on 4732 7777.

enrith Lakes Development Corporation (PLDC) has taken further steps to ensure that residential development will occur at Penrith Lakes, with plans for major subdivision now with Penrith Council.

Last month PLDC submitted plans to consolidate their land holdings at the 1,935 hectare Penrith Lakes site, and now the Corporation is ready to subdivide a large parcel of land into two-hectare blocks for urban development.

“The proposed development represents the initial step to providing future urban development within the Penrith Lakes site. The development provides initial road layouts and access points that will service the future urban area,” PLDC said in their application.

A total of 138 lots would be created under the current proposal, along with a local road network, but more intense future urban development would need to be subject to further development applications to have the land rezoned.

PDLC said that the subdivision will underpin the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure’s development of a masterplan for the site.

Penrith Business Alliance Chief Executive Officer, Bijai Kumar, said that the

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Penrith Lakes represents an exciting opportunity for development that could include high end housing and corporate office space.

“If there is to be any urban development and job creation then the PBA would like to be involved and contribute because there is great potential for the Lakes,” he said.

“We have already spoken with the Office of Penrith Lakes (NSW Government) about offering our services to facilitate development like we have done with the University of Western Sydney and their Werrington Corporate Park precinct.”

Mayor’s News

INDEPENDENT LOCAL

PLUMBERS

PBA CEO Bijai Kumar

The weekly views of Penrith’s Mayor

Club grants More than half a million dollars was given to local organisations and projects through the ClubGRANTS program last year.

The Category 1 funding round for the program, coordinated by Penrith Council, has opened. I encourage local not-for-profit organisations needing a financial helping hand, to apply.

This round closes on Friday, May 2.

Local registered clubs with annual gaming machine revenue in excess of $1 million contribute to the program by making available 1.85 per cent of this revenue.

These clubs are: Club Paceway, Emu Plains Sporting & Recreation Club, Henry Lawson Club, Kingswood

District Bowling Club, Nepean Rowing Club, Penrith Bowling & Recreation Club, Penrith Gaels Cultural & Sporting Association, Penrith RSL Club, Penrith Rugby League Club, St Marys District Band Club, St Marys RSL & Ex Servicemens Club and St Marys Rugby League Club.

To find out how the program works and how to apply go to the ClubsNSW website: clubsnsw.com.au.

For help with the application process, contact Council’s Community Projects Officer Vesna Kapetanovic on 4732 7771 or email vkapetanovic@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au.

ROSS FOWLER OAM Mayor of Penrith

New Weekender a hit in wet weather

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Ph: 1800 622 877

Lic: 187379C WW7948

The big wet is set to continue right across this weekend and Western Weekender Editor Troy Dodds says the only thing not getting a drenching will be your favourite local newspaper.

“Our new paper comes bagged straight off the print press, so every single edition is protected from the weather,” he said.

“It is one of the real highlights of the new-look paper because wet weather has always been an issue when it comes to home delivered papers.”

Weekender Sales Manager Simon Gould said with a cold and wet winter to come, now is the time for advertisers to consider their paper of choice.

FEDERAL POLITICS

11

Bradbury finds his calling From Penrith to Paris: Former Lindsay MP lands major international role CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

@cassandra_o

local news

F

ormer Lindsay MP David Bradbury is leaving Penrith and will be jetting off to take up a prestigious role with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

The former Assistant Treasurer said he is very excited about his new role and could be in France as early as next week.

“I have just been appointed the Head of the Tax Policy and Statistics Division at the OECD,” he said.

“The appointment, which has just been announced by Mr Angel Gurria, the Secretary-General of the OECD, is for a three year term commencing in April and will be based in Paris.

“I am absolutely delighted to be given the opportunity to join the OECD in a role that allows me to contribute to the global public policy debate and pursue my passion for tax policy.”

The appointment comes on the back of Mr Bradbury’s inclusion in the International Tax Review’s Global Tax 50 for 2013, which lists the 50 individuals and organisations who have had the greatest influence on global tax policy, practice and administration over the last 12 months.

Former Lindsay MP David Bradbury will take up a role in Paris. Photo: Melinda Jane “I am very proud of the tax reform agenda that our Government pursued in office and I am delighted to see our policy agenda receive global recognition. I was

With his wife and children set to join him in Paris, Mr Bradbury said he is excited about the role and looking forward to the next stage of his career.

especially proud of the work we pursued in leading the domestic policy debate around the need to tackle base erosion and profit shifting,” he said.

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EVENT

What women want Expo gives local ladies a chance to relax and unwind KATHERINE TWEED

@ktweed_

S

exy, topless firemen, mocktails and manicures are exactly what women want, according to a new, first of its kind expo coming to Penrith this weekend.

The What Women Want Expo will bring together more than 100 exhibitors that specialise in the desires of women, when it comes to the Penrith Panthers Pavilion on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30.

Those who attend can shop with Sydney’s leading companies, exclusive boutiques and brands; get expert tips from live product demonstrations and coaching sessions; sit back and relax with an on-the-house manicure; or enjoy Engine Number 9’s steamy topless firemen show.

“No matter what your interests or tastes, we’ve got it all under one roof,” said expo founder, Stephanie Gittany.

“By offering an assortment of over 100 unique brands all under one roof, as well as providing an educational platform for women from all walks of life to help them nourish their mind, body and soul, each woman can choose to indulge in all the things that allows her inner self to shine.”

More funds needed

Stephanie Gittany and Panthers boss Phil Gould. Photo: Melinda Jane The expo will allow local women to explore local and widespread businesses in the fields of beauty, fashion, relaxation, personal development, health, household skills and fun.

“If you’ve been balancing a busy life then it’s time to grab your girlfriends and enjoy free manicures and mocktails, facials, exciting makeovers and high fashion runway shows,” Ms Gittany said.

Is your shower leaking?

“In today’s busy society many women overlook their own needs and aspirations. Now women have many roles that they feel they need to take on at home, work and in the community, however, in the midst of all the responsibilities, it seems most women have forgotten the importance of honouring herself.”

For details and bookings, visit www. thewhatwomenwantexpo.com.au.

More than 150,000 calls for help went unanswered by Kids Helpline last year because of high demands and low resources.

Kids Helpline CEO Tracy Adams said the service required an additional $4 million to be able to meet demand by increasing staff and investing in infrastructure, new programs and technologies.

“We encourage kids and young people to keep trying to contact us if they can’t get through, it is vitally important that they do, counsellors are available every hour of the day,” she said.

The number of children seeking help through either counsellors or website visits increased from 645,000 to over 700,000 between 2012 and 2013.

13

local news

There has been a five per cent increase in drivers texting while behind the wheel.

Figures released by AAMI this week show that 56 per cent of drivers admitted to sending or reading a text message while driving, up from 51 per cent last year.

AAMI is in discussions with research partners to explore and better understand specific aspects of distracted driving.

“We are looking at a range of responses to this growing problem, including technology and education solutions,” said AAMI spokesperson, Reuben Aitchison.

“In particular, we are keen to understand the psychology behind the creation of a social stigma, something we believe is necessary in reducing technology distraction, particularly in younger drivers.”

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local news

16

Traffic Notice

HEALTH

New clinic to provide high level treatments

Penrith City Centre Road Closures Anzac Sunday March & Ceremony & Anzac Day Dawn Service Sunday 13th April & Friday 25th April, 2014 This is to advise motorists that the following road closures will be in place in the Penrith City Centre area on the above dates..

Please note dates and times for both events.

Roads High Street (between Station St & Castlereagh St) High Street (between Castlereagh & Lawson St) for street march only Castlereagh St (between Lethbridge & High Sts) Tindale Street (between Woodriff & Castlereagh Sts) Tindale Street (Penrith RSL car park entrance) Delivery dock access via Lethbridge st alternative exit/entrance for Penrith RSL patrons wishing to park in RSL car park area.

Masters Car Park all access points Union Lane (between Station & Woodriff Sts) Judges Car Park entrance (Woodriff St only) note still entrance/exit via Station Street

Closure Opening Time Time Sunday 13th April 1.45pm 4.30pm

Closure Opening Time Time th Friday 25 April 3am 7am

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Leanne Murray, Chris McGown-Noel, Rosie Dacey and Gillian Menera are happy with the opening of a new health centre. Photo: Melinda Jane 1.45pm 1.45pm 1.45pm

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@cassandra_o

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SPECIAL NOTE: Memory Park Official Ceremonies start: & Dawn Service 25th April 5am Sunday 13th Ceremony 3.45pm

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CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

WW7832

enrith patients requiring chronic and complex care services now have a purpose built centre providing high quality services.

The new Lemongrove Community Health Care Centre has been constructed on Gascoigne Street in Penrith.

It will provide services including wound management, palliative care and chronic illness management, podiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, dietetics, and social work.

“With the development of the new centre we’re able to revisit the ways we work, expand our clinic services and also provide additional services,” said Clinical Lead, Christine McGown-Noel.

“We can now expand some of these clinics, particularly in dietetics with a demonstration kitchen at the new facility, run health promotion activities and enhance capacity in nursing, podiatry and occupational therapy through these clinics.”

Referrals for Lemongrove Community Health Centre services can be made by calling 1800 222 608.

CHARITY GOLF DAY

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The real cost of recruitment!!

Have you ever considered the cost of internal recruitment versus using a recruitment consultancy?

Companies can underestimate the cost of internal recruitment by 9095%. This has significant impact on the cost line.

In-house recruitment attracts “hidden costs” including the cost of management sifting through piles of resumes and conducting references…... which can lead to productivity loss. Productivity loss can equate to more than 6% of the salary of the hiring manager.

This outlay of time and money to recruit an employee may not even result in the successful hiring or continuation of employment. More than 70% of in-house recruitment projects fail to source candidates or result in ongoing employment which means that the recruitment process is repeated and becomes even more costly and time consuming.

Given the typical reactive recruitment environment, the average hiring time is 10-12 weeks (from job opening to accepted offer), during which time the role is unfilled. For that period there is either no productivity, or productivity is provided by diverting someone else, likely the manager.

Upon reflection of these figures and costs why would you not use Complete Recruitment Solutions to source your permanent and temporary employees. At Complete Recruitment Solutions, we pride ourselves on quickly filling job opportunities in your local area. For all exclusive clients we offer free replacement guarantees and competitive pricing structures for Permanent and Temporary placements. Having heavily invested in recruitment and assessment tools, we are able to find the right people for our business partners.

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18

MEDIA

Majid is still wowing audiences WOWFM presenter celebrates 25th year on air and his 70th birthday in same week

local news

NATHAN TAYLOR

@natetaylor87

“

Love for all and hatred for none” is the message Indian-born Australian radio announcer Majid Piracha preaches every Tuesday afternoon on his multicultural WOWFM radio show.

It was a week of milestones for the hard working local volunteer, who not only celebrated his 70th birthday but also his 25th year on air at WOWFM (formerly AIRFM) in St Marys.

Since arriving in Australia nearly three decades ago, Mr Piracha has logged more than 3000 hours of volunteering time through his WOWFM radio show ‘New Home New Light’ as well as with the local Volunteer Resource Centre and other worthy charities and organisations.

Mr Piracha said he was shocked to learn how much time he had spent dedicating his life to helping others, spreading the message of peace and harmony.

“I didn’t have the slightest idea nor did I realise it had been this long,” he said.

“I have volunteered on WOWFM for 25 years among other places. I used to be a youth worker on the streets of Penrith and I helped start the bus program which brings food to Penrith’s homeless.”

Throughout his years dedicated to the local community, Mr Piracha has been recognised with a number of volunteer awards including from the Punjabi Cultural Foundation, Barnardos Penrith, Centenary Celebration’s Committee and the International Year of Volunteers.

Mr Piracha said he’s very proud of the overwhelming support he’s received over the years from listeners of his radio show who write in just to say ‘thank you’.

“It’s amazing how wonderful people

Majid Piracha celebrated his 70th birthday and his 25th year at WOWFM this week. Photo: Melinda Jane are. People that you’ve never met and you don’t even know what culture or background they are. Those are the ones that I am so proud to have tune into my international show,” he said.

While 25 years on the airwaves may

have gone by in the blink of an eye for the 70-year-old announcer, he hopes to continue doing what he does best for as long as he can.

“As long as I live and can breathe, my one and only desire is to remain the same and

love everybody with no hate and serve the community without confining yourself to one people,” Mr Piracha said.

Majid Piracha presents ‘New Home New Light’ every Tuesday afternoon on WOWFM 100.7 from 2pm-4pm.

COUNCIL

River experience to be boosted by new plans CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

T

@cassandra_o

here will be a brand new attraction to explore after Penrith Council gave approval to the Wakeling family to build a new pedal boat attraction and kiosk.

John and Helen Wakeling, former owners of the Nepean Belle paddle boat cruiser, have teamed up with the historic boat’s new owners, the Bennett family, to bring an all new attraction to the Nepean River.

The couples are going to operate a hire business for pedal boats at Tench Reserve each day and will also build a small kiosk selling pre-packaged foods such as icecreams and sausage rolls.

“People drive along the M4 over the Nepean River at 100km/hr or more and pass right by, but we are hoping this little project will encourage people to stop in Penrith,” Mr Wakeling said.

“Works will incorporate some little pedal boats for the kids and just a small

kiosk selling takeaway food. Just like the Nepean Belle, this will allow people to do a great deal more around the river.”

The couples will have a movable pontoon that will be attached to the existing landing at Tench Reserve each day that will provide boarding space for the pedal boats. Members of the public will also be able to moor their vessels to this public boarding barge and access the existing landing through a cruise terminal area.

Cr Kevin Crameri welcomed the proposal and said that it will tie in well with Council’s plans to activate the river precinct.

“Council has established a masterplan for the Nepean River, a project of former Mayor Mark Davies, and this will add the area,” he said.

Mr Wakeling also has other dreams for the future of the Nepean River.

“These light shows on in the city with the Opera House and the like are very popular and I have been speaking to the new owners of the Belle and we think a light show on the rocks upstream would be delightful at night,” he said.

Chris Bennett and John Wakeling. Photo: Melinda Jane

19

local news

Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

WW6682

20

dear weekender...

local news

Green Army response Claims Green Army participants will have no safety protections are deliberately mischievous and nothing more than scare mongering (Dear Weekender, Western Weekender March 21). The health and safety of participants engaged in the program will remain governed by the relevant State and Territory statutes, regulations, by-laws in respect to work, health and safety laws.

The Commonwealth is currently negotiating for personal accident insurance to cover Green Army participants. In addition to the typical ‘Schedule of Benefits’ that an insurance policy will cover, the Commonwealth will also ensure Green Army participants are covered for any loss of allowance as a result of any injury incurred while being involved with the Program. Let’s be absolutely clear, the Green Army is a fabulous initiative which will engage young adults in environment focused activities to benefit the entire community. In Lindsay and neighbouring electorates, the Coalition has dedicated $15 million to the conservation of the Cumberland Corridor which will

be delivered in three parts as a part of the Green Army program.

This is a significant investment as it will assist in the preservation of our local environment, further enhancing pride and consciousness towards our national parklands in our young people.

The Green Army Program will ensure all participants are covered by the appropriate workplace injury protection laws as are other employees in Australia.

FIONA SCOTT FEDERAL LINDSAY MP

Asbestos impact The devastating effects of asbestos diseases continue to impact on thousands of Australian families each year and new research shows that the effects are more widespread than previously thought. The Southern Cross University launched the research this week which investigated the social, psychological and economic impacts of asbestos related diseases on sufferers, carers and their families. Researchers were able to gain valuable insight from participants of a peer-to-peer online community, the ‘Dusted

Community’, and what they found was that those living in regional areas are often isolated and looking for a way to connect with people in similar situations.

An important part of the research showed emerging technology has a role to play in reducing the social isolation. Perhaps online communities such as this is the way forward in helping provide support for those feeling isolated while dealing with this deadly disease. I must commend all the online community participants for being so brave and sharing their experiences. We see firsthand how families are affected by asbestos, which is why we wholeheartedly support any effort that will hopefully lead to further research and one day a cure.

JOANNE WADE SLATER & GORDON SENIOR ASBESTOS LAWYER

Boxing Day trading Don’t agree with opening retail shops on Boxing Day (Western Weekender May 21). Appears people are unable to cope if they don’t get retail therapy.

When I was growing up all shops closed at midday on Saturday

email: news@westernweekender.com.au post: Suite 2, 42-44 Abel Street, Jamisontown 2750

and reopened Monday morning.

Corner stores traded and there were fewer servos with shops.

Suck it up.

LINSEY HALL, VIA FACEBOOK

Stadium for Penrith And one day someone will actually put a tangible figure on the project? (Editor’s Desk, Western Weekender March 21).

Given the O’Farrell government’s attitude towards putting money into suburban grounds it would have to be with significant federal funding. Of course further development at Sportingbet Stadium is also an option and is more fiscally responsible. But alas Gus does like new and does love Stuart Ayres. But it is a nice opinion piece to push the Liberal cause in western Sydney.

NIGEL HIGHLEY, VIA FACEBOOK

Atmosphere is key I have mixed feelings about this.

I fully support the idea of a new stadium come entertainment complex for the Penrith region. A combination of Penrith Park and the Paceway would be enough

space to provide everything required. The “ownership” of such a venue would be interesting, indeed. PP is State government owned with Penrith Council as the caretaker and Panthers managing it. I don’t know the situation with the Paceway. Would Panthers expect to manage the entire thing? My concern, though, is on a strictly NRL level. It’s all very well having a stadium that holds 40,000 – but if you attract 20,000 or fewer people, the atmosphere will suffer anyway.

ROB WEAVER, VIA FACEBOOK

High Street too expensive I’m looking for a shop in the next few months, High Street is expensive and some properties have been vacant for a while. A lot of landlords are wanting 3-5 year leases (but are prepared to wait 12 months to fill a shop). Not many small businesses can stretch that far (Huge push to save Penrith CBD, Western Weekender March 21). Dining precinct would be nice, but I doubt there would be enough trade to sustain it.

DAVE SOWDEN, VIA FACEBOOK

The Western Weekender reserves the right to edit letters for the sake of accuracy and space.

For more information, see our public notices section.

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Penrith Council is reducing the size of the bus zone on Riley Street, Penrith. The southern 25 metres of the bus zone on the western side of Riley Street will be replaced with full time ‘five minute’ parking restrictions. Council will also review the half hour time restrictions on the eastern side of the road and report back to the Local Traffic Committee if any changes are required.

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Council is investigating the provision of a central barrier on Glenmore Ridge Road, Glenmore Park to prevent corner cutting. In the meantime, a ‘side road intersection on a curve’ sign will be installed and St Marys and Penrith police will be asked to especially monitor the area for corner cutting.

Penrith Police have requested that Council and the Roads and Maritime Services investigate reducing the speed limit of Old Castlereagh Road, Castlereagh, near the Sydney International Regatta Centre to 60km/h.

The police representative advised the Local Traffic Committee that the current speed is concerning because there is no footpath area for pedestrians on this section of road.

St Marys police have asked that Council help advocate for the extension of the M4 westbound off-ramps

at Roper Road, Erskine Park; The Northern Road, Penrith and Russell Street, Emu Plains to increase queuing capacity. RMS will be asked to provide an update on their investigations into capacity and queuing issues on the M4.

The St Marys Development Committee has written to advise Council that the longstanding organisation is dissolving and proposing an approach to the disbursement of the funds that the Committee has gathered through sponsorship of the St Marys Spring Festival. The St Marys Development Committee was constituted for the purpose of organising the annual St Marys Spring Festival.

The Committee has decided that it is time to dissolve the organisation and has approached the St Marys Town Centre Corporation to take on stewardship of the Festival.

More than 1500 residents took advantage of Penrith Council’s community electronic waste and hazardous household waste drop-off day this month. Penrith Mayor, Ross Fowler OAM congratulated residents on their outstanding recycling efforts.

“Council’s waste services team work hard to encourage and help our community to dispose of their waste responsibly and recycle where they can,” Cr Fowler said.

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COMMUNITY

Making kids more comfortable Social golf club donates iPads to Nepean Hospital’s Children’s Ward

local news

KATHERINE TWEED

@ktweed_

R

eceiving treatment in hospital can be a scary experience for anyone, especially local kids who often are in need of distractions to make their stay away from home more comfortable.

A group of local blokes, the Jamison Hotel Social Golf Club, have spent the past 12 months saving the profits from their weekly raffles in order to give these children the distraction they need, in the form of iPads.

The club donated six iPads, complete with colourful cases and iTunes vouchers, to the Nepean Hospital Children’s ward on Monday morning.

“We are all based here in this community – our kids come here, our grandkids come here if they are ill. We want to make sure that there is something here for them to do and enjoy,” said Mick Britten, Club Treasurer.

The ward was previously home to two iPads, which made an enormous difference to the kids receiving treatment, until one was stolen last year.

“In this day and age, this is what the kids are using – they use them in school and at home – and we have had a couple of

Peter Sykes, Mal Gembles, Mick Britten, Kathie Barry and Shannan Waddups regular kids who come in who are always asking ‘can I have the iPad’,” said acting Nurse Unit Manager, Shannan Waddups.

“During winter we get quite busy and

there are a lot of kids in here. Having only the one iPad can make it difficult to distribute it around.”

The iPads will be used, for the most part,

in the Children’s Ward to make the treatment experience a good one.

“We will use them a lot for procedural pain, so when kids are having a procedure they can use it as a distraction – we have games and movies on them, music for the older kids,” Ms Waddups said.

They will not only be used in the Children’s ward but anywhere in the hospital where there are kids.

“We are going to give one to recovery so that when the kids are coming into theatre they have something to do, and when they are coming out of theatre, they have something to do then too,” said Paediatric Clinical Nurse Consultant at Nepean Hospital, Kathie Barry.

“It will mean they aren’t just sitting around and they won’t have to see the nasties.”

Monday’s donation of the new iPads to Nepean Hospital was not the first time this group of blokes has shown their generous spirit.

The Jamison Hotel Social Golf Club donates funds and equipment to the Nepean Hospital Children’s Ward, among other organisations and charities, on an annual basis in what has become a “tradition” within the club.

The new iPads are now in use at the hospital.

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ENVIRONMENT

Turn the lights out

Council urges locals to get involved with Earth Hour KATHERINE TWEED

@ktweed_

The next stage of Jordan Springs has been submitted for approval by Penrith Council, with residents set to benefit from a brand new shopping space and modern piazza. Also on the drawing board is apartment living and terrace housing in the neighbouring streets.

The developers, CID Group, said that they have aimed to provide a residential development that contributes to village life with increased activity at the weekends and in the evenings, by creating a range of housing, employment and recreation opportunities. “[The aim is to] create a high quality

23

local news

O

n Saturday, March 29, homes, businesses and even special landmarks across the globe will be turning out the lights for Earth Hour.

The annual energy saving initiative encourages everyone to simultaneously cease using electricity for one hour in a bid to raise awareness of the environment’s needs.

The Penrith community will be getting involved and turning out the lights from 8.30pm on Saturday.

“Earth Hour started right here in Sydney, and has now spread to over 152 countries.

There’s been some amazing work inspired

by Earth Hour. For example, Uganda planted 500,000 trees and Argentinean community groups used Earth Hour as a platform to push for a bill to protect marine areas resulting in 2.4 million hectares of ocean being protected,” said Penrith City Mayor, Ross Fowler.

“All very big achievements, but it’s important to remember that every little bit helps. We can all take small actions that together make a big difference.”

Penrith City Council will be turning out all non-essential lights on Saturday evening to raise awareness of Earth Hour and is encouraging local residents to do the same.

Coinciding with Earth Hour, Council is now offering a sustainable news program, which is an email based notification service to let local residents who sign up know when sustainable workshops or events are happening.

Contact ahewson@penrithcity.nsw.gov. au for information or to sign up.

Next step for Jordan Springs

An artist’s impression of the piazza

Council’s sustainability mascot, Echo

public domain that is safe and accessible for all, during and outside business hours and is family friendly,” CID Group said in their development application.

The development will include 160 apartments, with the majority being two and three-bedroom units, divided between four neighbouring buildings. Each block’s ground level will incorporate restaurants and retail shops.

The real stand out feature however will be the new piazza. The piazza has been designed to not only link the four residential buildings together, but to provide new open space, dining and retail opportunities for residents of Jordan Springs.

SPECIAL EVENT

Farr-Jones to speak at church’s ‘blokes night’ KATHERINE TWEED

F

@ktweed_

Nick Farr-Jones will speak at Glenmore Park Anglican Church

Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

ormer Wallabies captain, rugby union commentator and lawyer, Nick Farr-Jones will be speaking to Penrith’s blokes at a unique event in Glenmore Park next month.

Glenmore Park Anglican Church will welcome the ex-rugby player to the area on Monday, April 28, where he will speak at a ‘blokes night’ about his career, his faith and how he was seen by others on the field.

From 7.30pm there will be live music, ‘man-food’ tasting, a gourmet BBQ and the opportunity for local men to chat faceto-face with Farr-Jones.

“The whole night will be something really special for blokes and we’re thrilled that Nick will be here to talk to us and share his life experience. We’re all excited about it,” said Glenmore Park Anglican Church Minister, Reverend John Lavender.

“This event is part of two weeks of special events at Glenmore Park Anglican

Church entitled ‘Jesus Brings’, which Anglican churches all over Sydney are getting involved in. We’d love everyone to come to our ‘Nick Farr-Jones’ Blokes Night’ – plus all the other events too!”

The local church will also be holding a teddy bears’ picnic, women’s high tea, young adults live band night and a family bonfire night, among other events.

Farr-Jones captained the Australian Rugby Union team through the 1980’s and early 90’s, leading the Wallabies to their first World Cup win in 1991.

It was a special moment in Australian sport and helped make Farr-Jones a household name nationwide.

He retired from the sport in 1993 to take on a massive career change and practice as a lawyer, but also regularly commentates and is a sought after public speaker.

He is still strongly involved in the game of rugby union and spoke at the Penrith Emus season launch last year.

For more information or to book tickets to the ‘blokes night’, contact the church directly on 4733 1635.

COMMUNITY

24

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Cnr Mulgoa Rd & Wolseley St. 4737 5000 Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

KATHERINE TWEED

I

@ktweed_

n a bid to show the community that youth homelessness matters, Fusion Youth St Marys is again holding their Sleep In Your Car initiative next month.

On Wednesday, April 9, local residents and businesses, like the team at The Professionals Real Estate St Marys, will be giving up their beds for Youth Homelessness Matters Day to sleep in their cars in the Fusion Youth and Community Centre, St Marys car park.

“Sleep In Your Car is being held by Fusion Western Sydney to raise awareness of youth homelessness and the team from The Professionals would like to challenge other businesses and community members to join them,” said Fusion’s Judy Tweeddale.

“Most people have an image of homelessness as being about older people sleeping rough on the streets. Youth Homelessness Matters Day aims to raise public awareness about youth homelessness and the factors that cause it.”

Visit www.findyourplace.org.au or call 8805 5900 to find out more.

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*1. Purchase a King Koil Mattress priced from $899 from a Domayne Bedding Franchise between 12/03/14 and 30/03/14 and contact the same Domayne Bedding Franchise within 30 days of the delivery date if it is not of compatible comfort. Domayne will allow you to re-select your King Koil Mattress. Customers must sleep on the King Koil Mattress for at least 21 days before contacting the Franchise, and must return to the same Domayne Bedding Franchise within 10 days of making the claim to select their new King Koil Mattress. Customers will be required to pay the difference if the new product is of higher cost, and no refund will be offered if it is of lesser value. A mattress protector must be used during the 30 Night Comfort Trial process, and the unwanted King Koil Mattress must be returned in the same condition, without any damage, rips, stains or tears. The 30 Night Comfort Trial excludes manufacturing faults. Only 1 (one) re-selection per product purchased. Delivery of re-selected King Koil mattress will not incur delivery charges if it is within a 25km radius of the franchise from which the goods were purchased, it is not a complex delivery (decision on delivery type is at the discretion of the Bedding Franchise), and at a time convenient to the Domayne Bedding Franchise. Delivery Fees may apply, see in store for details. Offer applies to Standard King Koil Mattresses only. Offer excludes customised, modified, special-sized or non-standard products. Terms and conditions apply. See in store for full details. *2. Conditions of No Deposit, No Interest, No Payments until March 2016: Available to approved GO MasterCard customers on transactions made between 19/03/14 and 27/04/14 where the amount financed is $300 or more. Offer available on purchases from Domayne franchisees (excludes gaming consoles, games, Apple and Miele products).

Offer available on advertised or ticketed price. If there is an outstanding balance after the interest free period ends, interest will be charged at 29.49%. This notice is given under the GO MasterCard Conditions of Use, which specify all other conditions for this offer. A $25.00 Establishment Fee applies to new approved applicants.

Account Service fee of $4.95 per month applies. Also available to existing GE Creditline, GO Business, Gem Visa and Buyer’s Edge customers. Refer to product websites for conditions, fees and charges. Credit is provided by GE Capital Finance Australia (ABN 42 008 583 588), trading as GE Money. Australian Credit Licence 392145.

Great Community Transport provides assistance for eligible clients with: • Transport to Hospital/Medical appointments – locally & out of area.

• One to one shopping assistance with individual carer/companions for high need clients once fortnightly.

• Regular door to door mini bus shopping services.

• Special social outings.

• Transport to oncology treatment in our dedicated vehicles.

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local news

Kid s Sh ow 11t hA pril

Minion from Despicable Me 2 will be appearing

11th April ON CENTRE STAGE New Kids Show Every Month

Cnr Sunnyholt & Old Windsor Rds, Parklea

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Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

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WHAT’S ON AT

PANTHERS YOUR WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT

local news

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COMMUNITY

Helping hand for our farmers Night of entertainment to raise funds for those struggling with drought

local news

KATHERINE TWEED

@ktweed_

L

iving in western Sydney, it can be easy to forget that much of the country is struggling with the harsh affects of drought.

Lower Blue Mountains Rotary Club have not forgotten, in fact quite the opposite – they are doing all they can to provide assistance to the farmers and families living with a shortage of water.

Club member, Ken Linfoot was caravanning in western Queensland around the townships of Winton and Longreach last year, touring a number of drought-affected farms in the area and was shocked by the hardships faced by farmers.

“That was in July and it has grown much worse since then. Through Rotary I have since learnt more about some of the difficulties families out there are facing,” Mr Linfoot said.

“I heard one story about a family that had no drinking water in the home at all.

All they had was a little bit of dam water they were sharing with the cattle.”

Since Mr Linfoot’s trip, the Club has partnered with Longreach Rotary Club to support drought affected families.

The local club is holding an evening of entertainment on Saturday, April 12,

where bush poets, Melanie Hall and Susan Carcary, will perform a unique comedy act from 7pm at Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School.

The money raised from the evening will help fund the transport of hay and feed for cattle on drought affected farms in western Queensland.

“Some of these families living in areas affected by drought may have the feeling they are let go – they may feel they are suffering on their own, with nowhere to go for assistance,” Mr Linfoot said.

“This program is not only about getting the fodder to cattle, it is also an exercise in community solidarity.

“We can let them know that there are people in their country, not even in their state, who are thinking about and are concerned for them.” $16,000 is needed to fuel the road trains that will be transporting the fodder, and the local club is hoping that a $3,000 or $4,000 contribution by them can make a difference.

Locals are encouraged to get along to the April 12 event and show they care about their country cousins and the drought crisis they are facing.

To purchase a $20 ticket, visit www. trybooking.com/ENWJ or call 0424 002 314 to book through Rotary.

Rotary members Ken Linfoot, Irene Morrison, Peter Agar and Karalyn Brown

ANZAC

Coin is a way for us to remember and reflect CASSANDRA O’CONNOR

A CARNIVAL RIDES, GIANT EASTER EGG HUNT, REFRESHMENTS, FACE PAINTING, SHOW BAGS & MUCH MORE!

series of coins will be released by the Royal Australian Mint to commemorate the Centenary of ANZAC, with the first circulating coin already unveiled.

The special commemorative 2014 $1 circulating coin features the official logo of the ANZAC Centenary, including the image of an Australian soldier, head bowed and rifle reversed in solemn reflection and the words ‘100 Years of ANZAC – The Spirit Lives’. The coin is rimmed with a motif reflecting the sun’s rays as captured on the Australian Army’s Rising Sun badge.

Royal Australian Mint CEO, Ross MacDiarmid, said the Mint had a proud tradition of commemorating Australian

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military history with the production of a coin and the 2014 $1 ‘100 Years of ANZAC – The Spirit Lives’ circulating coin would add to that.

“The ANZAC Spirit has long been invoked as part of the essence of what it is to be Australian. The ANZAC Centenary reminds us all that it is a living spirit and this coin captures aspects of that spirit in a permanent form,” Mr MacDiarmid said.

The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC, Senator Michael Ronaldson unveiled the coin earlier this month.

“The Centenary of ANZAC will be one of the most defining moments in our nation’s story and the creation of a coin is a permanent way to reflect on and remember this commemorative period,” Senator Ronaldson said.

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The Dunheved Ladies with Kevin Robinson from Little Wings The Dunheved Ladies, of Dunheved Golf Club, have raised $15,000 to help fuel the planes used by local charity, Little Wings.

The inaugural golf day, played on Thursday, March 13, was entirely booked out well before the event, with local businesses, MPs and personalities getting involved by playing in or sponsoring the event.

Entrants were treated to a free barbecue breakfast and morning tea, followed by a lunch, raffle, auction and presentation.

“We chose to support Little Wings this year as our nominated charity after seeing their stories in the local papers,”

said a representative from the Dunheved Ladies.

“We knew that we could help raise funds for their fuel for the planes to help these beautiful children with serious illnesses and their families.”

The locally based charity relies on donations from the public, like this one, to provide a free flight service to and from hospital for sick children and their families living in rural and regional NSW. The Dunheved Ladies thank all those involved, including major sponsor, Picture Walls, for making the day a massive success.

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Firefighters share important lessons Children at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) Nepean Preschool welcomed an interactive visit from the NSW Rural Fire Service earlier this month.

Three firefighters from the Regentville Fire Brigade spent time with the children, bringing with them a fire truck and a range of learning materials to provide valuable safety lessons.

“The visit was a chance for the children to interact with the firefighters in a fun and educational environment,” said RIDBC Nepean Preschool Director, Melissa Sangalang.

“The children learnt about safe behaviours during a fire and were introduced to what the firefighters look like when they have all of their gear on. We do this

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so the children won’t be afraid of them in the case of a fire.

“The children also learnt safety procedures like ‘get down low and go, go, go’, how to ‘drop and roll’ and that they need to meet the firefighters at their letterbox if their house is on fire.”

The visit was also an important learning experience for the children with hearing or vision loss.

“Children with hearing or vision loss require intensive education and support to develop speech and language. For our children, the visit not only taught them essential safety lessons, but also provided an excellent opportunity to learn language in context and to develop confidence speaking in a social setting,” Ms Sangalang said.

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A full range of hairdressing services are available at Salon O’Driah including cut, colour, perms and Nano Keratin hair straightening treatments.

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Salon O’Driah will this weekend be at the What Women Want Expo at Penrith Panthers (stall 22). Come along and meet the staff, get a bouncy blow dry for just $20 and a free hand massage! Plus, there’s great giveaways.

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BUSINESS TIPS

31 BIJAI KUMAR CEO of the Penrith Business Alliance

Advocacy success

For a number of years now PBA has been actively engaged in advocating for the relocation of Government departments both state and federal to Penrith, making it a key public campaign issue at the last State and the recent federal elections.

We have questioned why some really large departments with thousands of workers should be located in places like North Sydney where the real estate market is significantly higher

than cities in western Sydney.

One of the challenges for Penrith’s economic growth is to attract workers who earn high wages into the Penrith Economic Corridor to support our local economy and institutions such as UWS and TAFE as well provide the incentives for the enhancement and diversification of our retail and service offerings.

We therefore greatly welcome the announcement by the

Premier and the Minister for Western Sydney for state government plans to relocate and consolidate more than 3,000 public servants to new offices in western Sydney as part of the Government’s “decade of decentralisation” policy. Starting in 2014 some 3,000 public servant will relocate to new offices in Penrith, Liverpool and Parramatta, with the Department of Sport and Recreation coming to Penrith.

• You are not supposed to know how to do everything.

What you DO need to get good at is finding the right answers quickly and getting the right advice. Trying to do everything will lead to burnout and not little success.

• You will never be ‘done’ with your work. The sooner you realise that putting in twice as much work generally doesn’t result in your business moving forward twice as fast, the sooner

you will achieve work/life balance. There will always be more things you can work on, but your work should be about enabling a fruitful personal life, not be a drain on it.

• Your success is affected by the people around you. Jim Rohn has a great quote: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. Choose to be around positive people, and choose to be around ‘doers’ not ‘talkers’.

Staff cuts not always right For some small businesses, there is pressure on the bottom line. I have read many stories of businesses needing to cut costs, then the next paragraph says 20, 50, 100, 200+ staff are being cut. The need to cut costs too often translates to laying staff off.

Cutting staff reduces morale and gets the negative thoughts happening among employees on who may be next.

There are other options like reducing the pay of the people you retain. It may be a 10 per cent reduction across the board that gets you through this phase. It’s obviously not favourable among employees but with proper consultation and assurances then it could make the employee feel important and more motivated to help the business. I have had clients more recently change some staff from full time to part time, reduce equipment costs by selling some and leasing it back, forcing some staff to take holidays, and cutting deals on rent as the demand for shop fronts isn’t as much as it once was.

You can also change people’s work conditions for this period. Work life balance is favourable among many employees so a program could be introduced where the employee’s work week (and their pay) is reduced to four days for example.

Changes to commission structures, bonus arrangements and other flexible payment terms can also be considered because you could find people would rather a ‘pay cut’ than lose their job.

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A letter to myself If you could write a letter to yourself to read before your started your business, what advice would you give? There are many things I wish I had known – perhaps some of the following will resonate with you too:

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MICHAEL TODD Business Manager of the PBAC

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AUTO

automotive

NATHAN TAYLOR

Sensor safe VOLVO’S cars of the future may be able to judge if you are tired or distracted

THE

Volvo Cars is conducting research into driver sensors in order to create cars that get to know their drivers through systems that can recognise and distinguish whether a driver is tired or inattentive, making cars of the future even safer.

“This will enable the driver to be able to rely a bit more on their car, and know that it will help them when needed,” Per Landfors, engineer at Volvo Cars said.

By placing a sensor on the dashboard to monitor aspects such as which direction the driver is looking, how open their eyes are, as well as their head position and angle, it is possible to develop precise safety systems that detect the driver’s state and adjust the car accordingly.

This also means that the car will ensure that it does not stray out of the lane or get too close to the car in front when the driver is not paying attention, as well as being able to wake a driver who is falling asleep.

“Since the car is able to detect if a driver is not paying attention, safety systems can be adapted more effectively. For example, the car’s support systems can be activated later on if the driver is focused, and earlier if the driver’s attention is directed elsewhere,” Per Landfors said.

The technology is based on a sensor mounted on the dashboard in front of the driver. Small LEDs illuminate the driver with infrared light, which is then monitored by the sensor. Infrared light can’t be seen by humans, which means that the driver isn’t distracted by it.

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34

SPORT CRICKET

BASEBALL

Cats bundled out

Back from the brink

sport

NATHAN TAYLOR

@natetaylor87

Y Penrith bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Lalor with In2Cricket youngsters last weekend NATHAN TAYLOR

I

@natetaylor87

n what can only be described as disastrous, Penrith Cricket Club have been eliminated in week one of the Sydney Grade Cricket finals after losing to Manly-Warringah last weekend.

Playing at their Howell Oval home, the Cats, who finished the regular season in second spot, were in a seemingly strong position, having bowled the visitors out for just 243 runs last Saturday.

However, once Penrith’s opening batting

partnership of Pat Jackson (41) and Luke Morrissey (58) were cracked for 99, the wickets fell in quick succession and the locals were in a free fall. Penrith were all out for 202.

Penrith still had a chance to progress to week two of the finals pending the results of Sydney University, who finished the regular season in first position.

Unbelievably, Sydney University also failed to win their first finals match against Bankstown, meaning the students fight to live another day but Penrith are out for another year.

ou couldn’t write a better script than this.

A local baseball club on the brink of collapse five years ago goes on to win the Greater Western Sydney Baseball Association club championship in its 50th year.

It’s quite a remarkable achievement for St Marys District Baseball club who, not that long ago, were struggling for players and volunteers to keep the historic club thriving.

Club President Rick Price said it’s been a hard slog over the past few years to get the club flourishing again but it was all worth it last week when he got to hoist the club championship.

“Five years ago we had just five kids at the club, now we’ve got 140 kids five seasons later,” Price said.

“We still have a long way to go but it’s finally starting to come good now. This is a great achievement in our regard.”

Price hopes the prestigious accolade, which rewards the club for having the most teams at the top of their respective standings, will encourage more kids to get involved in baseball.

“Penrith have dominated the league for

St Marys celebrates their big win a long time and I said to their president two years ago that I’d be taking the club championship off them… I just didn’t think it would be this quick,” Price said.

Price added that the St Marys Baseball Club was the only club in the district to run their own in-house baseball program, which assists in developing teams for the future.

He said the key to success is ensuring the grassroots are well looked after.

BOWLS // Mick Gilfoyle

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game next year will be played at Windsor after Ron Carter, Col Crouch and Kevin Smith were successful in winning the Supers. The Veterans also went to Windsor.

In the NDBA Pennants the Grade 3 match (Springwood v Blacktown Workers) and Grade 6.1 (Springwood v Penrith), which was not completed due to the storm, will be resumed on Sunday, March 30 at 9am. In the other grades it looks like Blacktown City and Blacktown Workers have broken away in the 7’s and there is only three or four points separating the top three grades. The half way mark comes around this weekend.

HARNESS RACING // Lorraine Pozza

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I ATTENDED THE FUNERAL LAST Monday of NDBA Past President Albert Lobley. Albert, a man of many words, presided over the NDBA for three years but was also a Vice President and a Delegate for Blacktown Workers for many years. Albert was also a Foundation and Life Member of Blacktown Soccer Association.

He unfortunately lost his wife and he battled on after attending to her for many years with her illness. On behalf of the NDBA and members we pass on to his family our deepest sympathy.

The Super and Veterans event was played in Penrith last Thursday and the

WW7929

LAST THURSDAY HARNESS RACING was in the afternoon because we were hosting another Menangle TAB Park Meeting. Menangle is undergoing a track reconstruction and Penrith Paceway is obliging by conducting some of their meetings.

This Tuesday we conducted another Menangle meeting that was an excellent afternoon of top harness racing in conjunction with all the usual first class facilities provided by the Penrith Paceway.

We again conducted our usual Thursday night meeting on March 27. Then again we will have a Tuesday afternoon Menangle Meeting on April 1.

All this leads into our huge trio of April Meetings. The first of these is our 50th Anniversary of Harness Racing Meeting celebrating 50 years of harness racing at

the Penrith Paceway. This will be a great night for all concerned with many of the guests being those who were connected with the early days of harness racing in Penrith. It will be a top night for all with plenty of entertainment, prizes and numerous rides for the children.

Then as April carries on we will be conducting the Chippys Cup meeting on Thursday, April 10, featuring some of our best horses competing for top honours in the Cup. Thursday, April 17, brings on the $50,000 Schweppes Renshaw Cup with supporting races of $12,250 each. A program like this guarantees that the fields will be comprised of the best available horses racing in the State.

So April is a month for all to really look forward to. Note the dates and come along and soak up the atmosphere!

2014 PLAYER

35

REGISTRATIONS

The Penrith Waratahs are calling out to any and all interested players to join our proud club. Training for all ages is underway and the season is about to commence.

sport

PLAYERS REQUIRED FOR ALL AGES: U/6s TO A-GRADE & WOMENS

Registration Date THURSDAY 3 APRIL 2014 from 6pm Venue: DOUG RENNIE FIELD, First and Second Avenues, Kingswood ALL NEW PLAYERS REQUIRE ORIGINAL ID PLUS COPY OF ORIGINAL ID

Birth Certificate/Passport/Player’s Drivers Licence All new players require ID photos.

These can be taken on the day at no extra charge.

Registration costs start from $110 • Fees include: Insurance, training shirt, shorts and socks PLUS 12 KRISPY KREME DONUTS & GAELS CLUB MEMBERSHIP • Please note that there is a $10 sibling discount when 2 or more family members register • EFTPOS available Please contact Sharon on 0401 446 454 (after 5.30pm) to organize a time to register

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Friday 28 March 2014 the western weekender

For further enquiries, please contact the Club Secretary or Registrar Secretary Debbie Lyne 0410 410 457 waratahs.secretary@hotmail.com Registrar Sharon Thomas (after 5.30pm) 0401 446 454 waratahs.registrar@gmail.com

36

SPORT

sport

SOCCER

Our season is back on track at the right time We’ve had a really busy schedule playing five games in 15 days but we seem to be hitting our straps in recent weeks.

Being a team that prides itself on being hard to beat we’ve enjoyed clean sheets over our past four games, which is very promising because we are being our solid self again.

Our recent game against Perth was a great result but if I’m being honest we weren’t 100 per cent at the top of our game, however we were still able to win comfortably. I think we very well could’ve won by five or six in the end though.

We had some periods against Perth where we looked positive, we didn’t make any excuses about scheduling and we got into a position where we had goal scoring opportunities. We ended up putting three into the net and walked away feeling we could’ve scored a few more.

I want to give a huge bit of praise to our captain Michael Beauchamp who’s been absolutely tremendous of late despite having an up and down season in terms of getting game time etc.

If I look at the last few weeks, Meggsy is the only player to play the past four straight games, even backing up on that recent trip to China. He’s done a fantastic job in every game and I’ve got to give him a lot of credit for being solid and mentally strong.

A lot of people may have thrown in the towel early on after getting chopped and changed in the squad but he’s been one of our best and backed up whenever the team’s needed him. He’s an inspiration.

Back to the action and there’s still a few games to go before the finals and we’ve got to keep that good form and momentum going especially leading into this Saturday’s match against Central Coast.

The Mariners have proved themselves every year of the A-League. They are always a team that when you write them off they’re always back up there.

This year is no different.

ANTE COVIC Goal keeper for the Western Sydney Wanderers

Clean sheets are something we’ve been really proud to have achieved in recent games

EXCLUSIVE

Phantoms kicked out

The championship-winning Penrith Phantoms back in 2011 NATHAN TAYLOR

do-or-die battle with one awarded a spot in division one and the other in division two. The Phantoms lost the game.

Phantoms captain George Kozumplik said his side were “gutted” at the decision, especially considering they were only given a week’s notice about the unplanned relegation game.

Division two will now field two Penrith teams, with the two Phantoms counterparts going head to head this weekend.

“There’s a pretty good chance we’ll absolutely ‘kill’ the other teams in division two this season,” Kozumplik said.

@natetaylor87

T

he Penrith Phantoms ice hockey club are furious that they’ve been relegated from division one to division two less than a week out from their opening game of the 2014 NSW Ice Hockey season.

The unusual move came after the division one Penrith Phantoms, who finished last in the 2013 season, were asked to play the 2013 winners of the division two competition, Sydney Kodiaks, in a

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Sports journalist for the Fox Sports team

Josep Gombau is an impressive figure in our game and making a huge difference to junior players

FOOTBALL

Gombau shares his football wisdom

Wanderers win 3-0

One of the truly great contests in world football happened again earlier this week. El Clasico, a majestic 90 minutes of football where Real Madrid and Barcelona play out their famous rivalry at a level foreign to most who try to play the game.

Skilful, intense, quick, almost out of this world.

In at Fox Sports, it was almost an embarrassment to call watching it “work”.

But Monday morning was fascinating in another way. Josep Gombau, now manager of Adelaide United and a former Barcelona Academy coach was with us for the morning, giving insights into the most famous club in the world right now, where he spent five years from 2003-08 as part of their football “university” as he calls it.

Now I didn’t know much about Gombau before he came in, aside from the fact that after a shaky start he’s got his Adelaide side playing very well and positioned nicely for a late charge at winning a Championship.

He obviously loves the game and aspires to win trophies in his new home. But one other big passion he has is passing on the knowledge gained from his time at Barcelona.

He is deeply passionate about getting the message out about junior development, and getting kids to play the right way.

Want proof? After appearing on air with us at Fox in Sydney, he went back to Adelaide and that afternoon did the ninth of 10 coaching seminars he’s put on for local coaches in Adelaide.

They go for two hours each and Josep passes on the information he gathered at Barcelona. Priceless.

Oh, and by the way, the course has been free, with Gombau doing it in his spare time. Impressive in the extreme.

And it’s absolutely critical – there’s kids wanting to play the game coming from every which way. So many steps are needed, but the one taken by Josep Gambau in Adelaide on Monday can only be a good thing.

JUSTIN TODD

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ADAM PEACOCK

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S

eeing Brisbane Roar lift the Premier’s Plate thanks to a lastminute goal must have been a hugely deflating sight for the Wanderers, as it was a case of so near yet so far. There was still something riding on last weekend’s game against Perth however – a chance to regain confidence and of course the continued effort to take out the Championship.

Underwhelmed Wanderers fans were perhaps expecting their side to come out quite flat against the league’s worst side Perth Glory, though it was anything but as a very professional and disciplined side took to the field.

The Wanderers looked extremely sharp out of the blocks, marauding down both flanks, attempting to stretch the visitor’s defence. Their relentless pressure was creating several chances, with man of the match Youssouf Hersi causing the bulk of the problems.

The Dutchman had two really good chances in the first half from a header and a one-on-one, however both chances were squandered due to some confident goalkeeping from Glory keeper Jack Duncan.

Tomi Juric. Photo: Melinda Jane The pressure was building on the visitors and just as it looked like they had survived the first half, the home side deservedly struck the opener. Polenz stormed down the right before cutting inside, and while Clisby blocked his first effort, he received a very lucky ricochet and struck a fine shot across the goal and into Duncan’s bottom right corner. It was the first of three goals for the Wanderers.

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Mariners pose huge threat

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Wanderers back on track but Central Coast have second place in their sights ELISHA PEARCE

T

he Western Sydney Wanderers play the blockbuster match of A-League round 25 when they visit the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday night with the home side a chance to snag second place on the ladder if they win.

Last weekend saw the Wanderers fully return to the kind of form their fans have been hoping for over the last couple of months.

A rough trot that saw them lose a few matches in a row – as well as second place on the ladder for a short time – was turned around on a trip to China.

That narrow victory over Chinese side Guizhou Renhe turned into a sturdy draw against a hot Adelaide United side. The next progression was a gusty win over Japanese giants Kawasake Frontale.

A 3-0 thrashing of Perth Glory was the acceleration into the final curve the Wanderers needed as the A-League season reaches its climax.

A goal from Jerome Polenz, who has been one of the players most in need of some form, got the party started early just

before half time. The fantastic strikes of Mark Bridge and Tomi Juric rammed the advantage home.

Close observers will note the Wanderers didn’t dominate possession, coming in with just under 48 per cent, but still managed 23 shots on goal. Glory only managed nine.

This indicates the Wanderers are settling back into their counter-attack; letting the opposition come into their half, remaining compact and then springing into action once possession is secured.

The likes of Youssouf Hersi and Shinji Ono were very smart on the ball. Ono was finding people in space and Hersi was often the man in space.

Hersi and Polenz combined down the right like in the glory days of 2012/13 – it’s a hard life being a Wanderers fan.

Suddenly it doesn’t seem like the off-field distractions – Brendon Santalab’s hearing, the club sale and the daily tribulations of the Red and Black Bloc etc – are weighing on the side.

In truth, all of those things must have some impact on the club.

There are many players of various ethnic backgrounds in the Wanderers set-up; surely once the professionalism is stripped

away there would be feelings toward Santalab and what he allegedly said to Ali Abbas during the Sydney derby.

Selling the club would have to create ripples through the club, especially when it comes to the subject of new contracts.

Hersi is still looking for some more money and the club knows Ono won’t be coming back next year and will need to consider seriously whether they try to sign another marquee player to replace him.

The ownership structure and available funds need to be put in place before those decisions can be made.

Once again the RBB are in the news. That may be because the media want them in the news, but claims that the police are being unnecessarily harsh on their members have been leaking out this week.

There’s never a dull day in Wanderland.

As close as the Central Coast is to Parramatta this is the first A-League match the Wanderers have played outside of Sydney in more than a month.

The Mariners are one of the hottest teams in the competition right now. As good as the Wanderers were against Glory, the Mariners’ 2-1 victory over Melbourne Heart might have been better considering Heart’s recent great form.

Youssouf Hersi. Photo: Melinda Jane If the Wanderers take a step back against the resurgent Mariners it’s likely they’ll lose the match and second place. The Mariners always seem to peak at the right time of year and will need to be matched.

AROUND THE GROUNDS GRIDIRON: The Penrith Grizzlies have won their first game of the year and the first as a franchise, beating the Central Coast Sharks 30-22.

This weekend the Grizzlies have their first bye of the season. They will return to the action on April 5 against the Trojans.

Meanwhile, the club wishes to inform fans that due to field complications, UWS Hockey Centre at Kingswood will no longer be able to host Penrith Grizzlies home games. The club is currently working to find a suitable venue to host the remaining home games.

BASKETBALL: The Penrith Panthers Men’s Waratah Championship League side have lost their second straight game of the season, going down to the Central Coast Crusaders 71-67.

Ben Kearins was the best in a beaten bunch scoring a huge 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Penrith will now play the Bankstown Bruins this Saturday at Penrith Sports Stadium at 4pm.

Meanwhile, Penrith’s women’s team will tip off their 2014 season this Saturday against the Bruins following the men’s game at 6pm.

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THE DEALS ON THE BUS GO ROUND AND ROUND

BASKETBALL: The Penrith Pioneer Panthers are holding a 3 on 3 basketball tournament on Wednesday, April 16 at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre.

The club is currently on the hunt for players and teams in the following age groups: U13,

U15, U17 and Opens. Cost is $60 per player or $70 per player after April 7. Maximum five players per team. Registration includes reversible playing singlet, 3 on 3 brand basketball bag plus a water bottle.

For more information or to register contact Adam Peterson on 0405 127 225 or email canda88@gmail.com.

CRICKET: Organisers of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 are looking for volunteers to join their team when matches are played in Sydney next year. The tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in the world with more than one million people expected to attend matches across the two host countries and more than one billion to watch the global broadcast.

Locals interested in volunteering for the tournament are invited to apply online now at www.cricketworldcup.com.

Up to 4000 volunteers will be required for the tournament in the 14 host cities, with 49 matches played over 44 days.

SOCCER: With the 2014 soccer season beginning this weekend, the Nepean Football Association will embark on an exciting era with refereeing in the local region by forming the Nepean Referees Group endorsed and supported by Football NSW. A-League referee Kris Griffith Jones recently visited the NFA head office meeting new staff, new referees and board members in an obvious show of support.

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enrith Emus coach Sateki Tu’ipulotu has vowed his side isn’t just in the Shute Shield competition to make up the numbers this season but to win.

His strong declaration comes after Penrith’s surprising final pre-season trial win against 2013 premiers Sydney University 38-31 last weekend. His recent opponents are also the same side the Emus will be up against this Saturday at Nepean Rugby Park in the opening round of the competition.

“The fans will be entertained this season.

We’re not there to compete, we’re there to win, simple as that,” Tu’ipulotu said.

“We have quality players and leaders in our team now. It goes to show there is plenty of talent out west.”

The Emus failed to win a single game in Tu’ipulotu’s first season in control last year, but despite all the heartbreak, recent trial form has suggested the Emus could very well record at least a few wins in season 2014.

“I saw plenty of confidence and character in the boys following the Sydney Uni game,” Tu’ipulotu said.

The Penrith Emus are hoping for a successful 2014 season. Photo: Nardia Sly “In the last 20 minutes I usually ask them to lift and before they would die but last weekend they finished strongly, which was good to see.”

One new signing who impressed Tu’ipulotu in the off-season and who’ll also make a major difference to the Emus’ backline this

season is former Penrith Panthers lower grader, Michael Mate.

“Michael has had a few horrific injuries in the past from his rugby league days, and I think he just wanted a fresh start by playing rugby union and that’s why he’s with us,” Tu’ipulotu said.

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