Western Weekender July 26 2024 by Western Sydney Publishing Group

The family team behind Elizabeth Arcade Books.

Photo: Melinda Jane.

Nurses rally for more pay

“More than we can afford”: Premier’s stance puts him in stalemate with workers

Nurses and midwives have staged a rally at Nepean Hospital as they ramp up their calls for better pay.

Public sector nurses and midwives held the own-time rally on Wednesday afternoon.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members are demanding a one-year 15 per cent pay lifeline to “fix the staffing crisis in the public health system”, and to stop nurses and midwives leaving the industry or moving interstate for better pay and conditions.

“To attract and retain experienced nurses and midwives, NSWNMA members are demanding the NSW Government pay wages that reflect their vital work, and also respect and value the state’s largest female-dominated professions,” the NSWNMA said in a statement.

“Nurses and midwives have been underpaid and undervalued by successive Coalition state governments for more than a decade, and their wages are sitting at 2008 levels in real terms. Whilst male domi-

nated jobs have seen significant pay increases, our most trusted professions are falling behind.

“There is clear evidence that the

low pay is driving shortages of nurses and midwives across the state and it is time that the government acted to stem the losses.”

The State Government is offering a 10.5 per cent pay increase over three years.

“I have to be honest, 15 per cent

in a single year is more than we can afford right now,”

demands.

miss

and land packages by

NSW Premier Chris Minns said in response to the

Nurses and midwives staged a rally outside Nepean Hospital on Wednesday. Photo: Melinda Jane.

TROY DODDS

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The Editor’s Desk | Opinion

Troy Dodds

troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au @troydodds

Origin impact is a rugby league myth

The race to the rugby league Finals begins this weekend, with the State of Origin series now officially in the rear view mirror and the focus returning to club football.

And as sure as night follows day, the inevitable argument about State of Origin scheduling has reared its head again.

“It needs to go to the end of the season,” many fans declare, forgetting we tried this in the COVID-impacted 2020 season and it was a dismal failure.

For a whole host of other reasons, Origin after the regular NRL season simply won’t work.

There is all sorts of talk about what may happen with the Origin schedule, with the possibility of stand-alone weekends and even Monday night fixtures to be considered, to allow players more time to recover and back up for their clubs the following weekend.

I understand the frustration that can exist during the Origin period. Fans want to see their favourite and best players turning out for their teams, but Origin takes that way.

And I will say that the NRL, in my view, had it close to perfect when there was a standalone representative weekend inclusive of a Sunday Origin a few years back, meaning clubs were only forced to be without their key players for one game (they had the bye on the other impacted weekend).

It was almost a backward step to what everyone wants the game to achieve by returning to three Wednesday night fixtures. But regardless, I’m not quite buying the argument that it ruins or dilutes the NRL competition.

In fact, I think it’s one of the game’s great myths.

Let’s look at the facts.

The Origin period commences back in early June, impacting Round 13 of the competition and essentially concluded last weekend at Round 20.

Going into Round 13, the top eight was: Cronulla, Penrith, Melbourne, Dolphins, Roosters, Brisbane, Newcastle, Canberra.

And coming out of the Origin period, at the end of Round 20, the top eight looks like

“The evidence just isn’t there that Origin dilutes the competition to such an extent that we don’t end up with the right winner at the end of it all”

this: Melbourne, Penrith, Cronulla, Roosters, Manly, Canterbury, Dolphins, Cowboys.

So let’s dissect that a little.

Three of the top four remains the same, despite their Origin representation. In fact, Penrith – with five players on New South Wales duty and resting players post-Origin as well – have actually gone up a spot on the ladder during this period.

Manly, who were without inspirational skippers Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic during the Origin season, have landed in the top eight, despite not being there when this period started.

Brisbane is the big drop, but you could argue their slide was on regardless and the loss of Adam Reynolds is actually what impacted them the most.

The ladder simply doesn’t backup the argument that clubs have been seriously disadvantaged during this period, at least not to the extent of their overall prospects being damaged.

Then you need to look at the reality of the Premiership winners from the last decade or so.

Penrith have won three straight titles despite the enormous impact of the Origin period, and the huge drain it has had on the main squad. Despite the challenge, they’ve also won three of the last four Minor Premierships.

Melbourne constantly lost their big gun players during Queensland’s incredible Origin run, yet won four Minor Premierships in nine seasons between 2011 and 2019, and made four Grand Finals in the same period.

Again, the evidence just isn’t there that Origin dilutes the competition to such an extent that we don’t end up with the right winner at the end of it all.

Rugby league is unique in many ways. And it is notoriously uneven, from the way the draw is structured to third party salary cap rules and yes, the Origin period.

But that’s all part of why we love it.

The NRL should not tinker with its most valuable asset, State of Origin, purely to protect a club competition that the evidence suggests is not actually being impacted all that dramatically anyway.

Sure, make appropriate changes here and there and sharpen the schedule if possible, but let’s not go overboard.

As always, this whole argument will quickly fade as the excitement of the NRL Finals arrive.

And another thing...

We should not be afraid to say that the melee that became such a talking point out of Origin III was great for the game.

It’s almost taboo to want things to boil over on the grandest stage. We’re told constantly that it’s not a good look.

And yet, the moment most people stood in their lounge room last Wednesday night or shouted out at the pub was when things exploded.

It became the game’s biggest talking point.

Rugby league over-corrected all those years ago when it banned punching and tried to take the agro out of the game.

Sure, we needed to grow up a little and ensure that the product we put out was not dominated by blood and black eyes.

But now it doesn’t know how to get back to a middle ground so it just goes along with the line that the biff is bad.

Truth is, the fans love it.

And the casual observers love it too. And secretly, so does the NRL.

Food pantry a sign of the times as students embrace concept

With food insecurity a growing issue for students, Western Sydney University has officially launched Western Pantry – a new food hub exclusively at its Kingswood campus offering staples free of charge.

According to Student Community Program Coordinator Miranda Zhang, the concept was building off of existing initiatives and programs run across all Western Sydney University campuses.

“Over the years, the SRCs on each campus have facilitated small pantries, but they didn’t really have proper supervision. They have been popular, though, so we’ve had it in our minds that we wanted to do a larger scale one for quite a while,” she said.

“We’ve also got a community dinner program that we run where we do a free cooked meal with staff, students and community partners once a week across all of our main campuses, and we do a free breakfast program as well with a cooked

breakfast once a week and a cold breakfast bar roughly three days a week, and we thought that this was the obvious next step.”

As far as which campus the pantry would be placed in, Zhang noted that location was key when selecting Kingswood.

“It used to be an old book store, so it’s already sort of set up like a shopfront which was the vibe that we were going for,” she said.

“It’s got the glass all around, the sliding doors, and it’s in a relatively good location on the campus as well.”

Western Pantry will initially be open on Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings, enabling students to come in and ‘shop’ items including pantry staples and fresh produce.

“Students can grab up to five items from the pantry staples, so for example, you could grab a longlife milk, some instant noodles, either some pasta sauce or maybe some peanut butter, some pasta, then maybe a tea or coffee or snack, then we also have unlimited hygiene products and fresh produce,” Zhang said.

Tobey Lingayo, who works in the Student Community Program’s team as a Community Meals Assistant and has been working shifts at the pantry, said that it has been a huge success so far.

“The Monday was really busy and had a really good turn out. We hit around 120 people coming in, which we are quite happy about,” he said.

“We’re hoping that we’ll continue to gain momentum and have even more people, but so far reception has been really happy and really positive.”

Ultimately, he said the goal was to

make sure everyone has access to fresh and nutritious food.

“Food is really expensive nowadays, and all we’re doing is hoping that we can eliminate some of the food insecurity happening, and ensure that no one will have to go to sleep hungry,” he said.

Zhang said that with this in mind, she’s looking forward to taking opportunities to expand Western Pantry not only across other campuses, but also internally.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity there to build food skills in students. We’ve got a lot of international students and we’ve got the residents up at the village, so there are a lot of students living on campus, and there’s lots of opportunity to hold cooking classes inside the pantry maybe,” she said.

“We’ve got the fruits and vegetables coming through, lots of different varieties, and some are kind of uncommon, so we’re thinking of doing some recipes online as well on how you can utilise that.”

Currently, produce for Western Pantry is being sourced from Good & Fugly, with more coming through from local farms.

Tobey Lingayo, Jelly Van Doorn and Miranda Zhang. Photo: Melinda Jane.

CASSIDY PEARCE

LAW and ORDER

Police Snapshot Legal Matters

Penrith: Man charged after multiple offences recorded

A man has been charged after driving disqualified in Penrith with knives in the vehicle.

At about 12.20am on Tuesday, July 23 police were patrolling Derby Street, Penrith. Police have stopped a vehicle for the purpose of a random breath test.

Police have spoken with the driver, a 21-year-old Penrith man and completed a breath test which returned negative.

The man was immediately defensive and initially heightened but police managed to calm him down.

Police asked for his licence and the man initially refused to supply it.

Checks were then made that revealed the man was disqualified from driving until May 2026.

The vehicle was searched and located on the front passenger’s seat was a box containing a brand new ‘Dyson’ Airwrap hair dryer, also located on the seat was a box cutter knife. Additionally, two other knives were located in the vehicle.

The man was charged, and bail refused. He appeared in Penrith Local Court on Tuesday, July 23.

Orchard Hills: Man arrested after a drunken crash

A man has been charged after crashing his car and leaving the scene at Orchard Hills last weekend.

At about 6.00am on Sunday, July 21 police received a call for a single vehicle traffic crash on the M4 Orchard Hills.

Police attended the scene and located a vehicle in the median strip.

Traffic Management Control were also on scene and informed police that the driver had left walking towards Penrith on the Northern Road off-ramp. Police attended and located the man.

Police had a conversation with the driver, a 45-year-old Luddenham man.

The man was breath tested, which proved positive.

The man was arrested and was taken to Penrith Police Station where he underwent a breath analysis that returned a positive reading of 0.097.

The man’s licence was suspended on the spot.

The man was charged and will appear in Penrith Local Court on Thursday, August 1.

Werrington: Learner caught doing burnouts.

A suspended learner driver has been caught doing burnouts in an unregistered vehicle.

At about 1.30pm on Sunday, July 21 police received several reports of a red Ford Falcon on Rance Road, Werrington revving its engine and doing burnouts.

Police attended the scene and as they entered Corymbia Road sighted the vehicle described begin a large burnout, with the vehicle completing a 360-degree revolution and continuing the substance loss of traction down Tramway Avenue.

Police have activated their lights and sirens, and the Ford has stopped on Rance Road, Werrington.

Police have had a conversation with the driver, a 20-year-old man.

The man was spoken to about his manner of driving and asked to produce his licence.

The man informed police that he was a suspended learner. Checks were made that confirmed that he was suspended until September 2024.

Other checks on the motor vehicle registration revealed that the plates did not match the vehicle.

The man informed police that the plates were off his mother’s vehicle. Checks on the correct plates for the vehicle revealed that the registration was cancelled and had expired in May of 2024.

The man was arrested and charged. He will appear in Penrith Local Court on Thursday, August 8.

South Penrith: Man arrested after positive breath test

A 60-year-old has been arrested after positive breath test.

At about 10.50pm on Friday, July 19 police were patrolling Maxwell Street, South Penrith. Police have sighted a vehicle that appeared to make a left turn after seeing police.

Police caught up and stopped the vehicle. Police had a conversation with the driver, a 60-year-old South Penrith man.

The man was breath tested which returned a positive result. The man was arrested and taken to Penrith Police Station where he underwent a breath analysis that returned a positive reading of 0.163. The man’s licence was suspended on the spot.

The man was charged and will appear in Penrith Local Court on Thursday, September 5.

EXPLAINER: LAWS FOR SOCIAL GROUPS

There are different ways that people can come together to achieve a common goal. Whether that is in business, for example the incorporation of a company or establishment of a partnership, or to pursue charitable interests, in the form of an ACNC registered unincorporated organisation/association or a unit trust or other type of trust.

In this column we look at unincorporated associations or organisations.

An unincorporated association is a group of people who have come together to further a common interest without forming a separate legally recognised entity or structure such as a company.

This means that an unincorporated association or organisation is not a legal entity unto itself, thus it cannot enter into contracts, cannot own assets or have liabilities in its own name, cannot sue or be sued and is essentially run by the members thereof and any managing committee in their individual capacities.

There is no requirement of law for an unincorporated association to have a charter or statement of objectives that sets out their main purpose or details basis rules about how the association will be run.

It is however recommended so that all members are on the same page and the group can pursue its purpose with clarity about how the association will be managed.

A charter or statement of objectives covers things like:

• The purpose of the association – for example the pursuit of education with respect to a particular vocation (for example knitting, gemology, orienteering).

• The definition of what constitutes a member of the group including any eligibility requirements and the method for accepting and removing members.

• The structure through which the association will be managed – is there a management committee or board of members who are appointed to make keys decisions of the group?

• How any funds, for example management fees or other monies, are managed.

• How often the group meets and if votes are required to determine certain matters, what the voting procedure is.

• Dispute resolution procedures.

You need to be careful with an unincorporated association when it comes to a charter or statement of objectives because unless it can be shown that each member agreed to be legally bound by the document, there can be some problems with enforceability.

This is usually not the case when the group is formed as it is best practice to have each member sign a copy of the charter or statement of objectives, but if new members come on board at a later date and there is some dispute that requires the charter or statement of objectives to be relied upon, a basic defence that might be raised against a person who is the object of some action based in the charter or statement of objectives is that they never agree to be legally bound by the document and therefore it does not apply to them.

An obvious way to guard against this is to make clear in the charter or statement of objectives that each person signs it and each member intends to be legally bound by it. New members should also be provided with a copy of the document and should agree in writing to follow the rules set out therein.

Unincorporated associations are great for groups who wish to come together for a common purpose but don’t do things like invest or derive a profit or enter into contractual relationships with other entities.

This is because there are no ongoing compliance costs like might be the case with respect to a company for example.

It also avoids the need to comply with the Corporations Act and subscribe with the strict rules set out in the Legislation for the operation of a company.

An unincorporated association structure is best suited to smaller, more informal groups that are somewhat social in nature.

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Complete Legal & Conveyancing • 4704 9991 • Suite 11, 354 High Street Penrith

with Daniel McKinnon

$7m bid down the drain

“Potential catastrophe”: Residents plea with Councillors to fix rural drainage

Tensions were high in the Penrith City Council chambers this week as many residents attended Monday’s Ordinary Meeting to plead with their local representatives to endorse more funding for rural drainage issues.

North Ward Councillor Glenn Gardiner put forward a motion to use $7.1 million from the recent sale of the Emu Plains Industrial (Rocla) Project to fund the outstanding drainage works to be completed.

The motion was put forward after Gardiner and fellow North Ward Councillor Kevin Crameri held an important public meeting on Thursday, July 18 to speak with their community about flooding and drainage issues.

Gardiner’s motion was responded to by Council Officers outlining the funding available for rural drainage maintenance.

“When adopting the 2024-25 Operational Plan, the council allocated $800,000 to rural drainage maintenance to commence addressing the matters arising from the rural drainage audits,” a note from Council toward the motion said.

“Council’s draft budget that was placed on exhibition originally allocated $500,000 towards the rural drainage works. Council subsequently increased that by $300,000 to $800,000 after consideration of the March quarterly review report.

“Council staff have projects

planned for this budget and they will be delivered over the 2024-25 year.”

The Rural Drainage Audit report was commissioned by Council at a cost of $150,000 by external company J Wyndham Prince and the report was later presented to Councillors.

“Council has undertaken several rural drainage audits across three catchments in 2023-24,” the note from Council said.

it doesn’t even rain,” Monteleone said.

“So, I said to myself, where is the water going? Water has a natural flow. But if there is not adequate drainage, given the events of the last few years, it’s raining a lot.

“…So, the question begs is there a risk of life? I don’t want to sensationalise this but it’s all about risk.”

Monteleone finished his address by asking Penrith Council to help mitigate the risk.

rural north of Penrith, that there were significant ‘maintenance defects including overgrown vegetation, blockages, spalling and cracks, missing and broken headwalls and erosion around these assets’,” Gardiner said.

“The Report claims an ‘estimated total cost for required renewal of existing rural drainage assets in Llandilo, Berkshire Park and Londonderry to be $7.1 million’.”

Gardiner asked his Council

“The outcomes of those audits have been reported at the 13 May 2024 Councillor Briefing. The catchments included Llandilo, Berkshire Park and Londonderry.”

Attendee of the community meeting, Vince Monteleone, addressed Council to ask them to vote for the motion to provide additional funds for drainage works in their area.

“I did some research and came across the articles of Councillor Crameri where you can clearly see there are road drainage issues when

Crackdown on train assaults

Police are appealing for information about an assault that occurred at Kingswood Railway Station earlier this year.

They’ve released details of the incident as part of Operation Waratah, which targets offenders involved in violent crimes on the public transport network including assaulting elderly passengers, intimidating public transport workers or touching women without consent.

About 8.30pm on Saturday, February 17 2024, officers attached to Police Transport Command were called to Kingswood Railway Station following reports of an assault.

On arrival police were told a man had allegedly smashed a glass bottle over a teen’s head before assaulting multiple people

on a carriage as the train passed by Werrington Railway Station.

As inquiries continue police have released an image of a man who may be able to assist police in their investigation.

Superintendent Andrew Evans, Commander of Police Transport Command North West Sector said crimes like this left victims with serious physical and emotional injuries.

“These offenders are targeting some of our most vulnerable passengers thinking that they can get away with it. Operation Waratah is here to prove they cannot,” he said.

“The physical and emotional damage these offenders inflict on members of the public is criminal.

“Let’s put politics aside, become united [and] invest in our communities to leave a safe legacy for our future generations versus a potential drainage flooding catastrophe.

“Rather than talk the risk lets walk the walk with this risk to mitigate it together.”

Gardiner spoke passionately about the motion he had put forward in response to the Rural Drainage Audit Report.

“The Report found what was already known by residents in the

colleagues to support his ask of allocating the needed $7.1 million from the sale of the Rocla site to the drainage repairs.

“I note that there is currently $500,000 allocated to improving the drainage assets in the current operational plan but there is no funding available beyond that and as the report warns inaction will create an increased cost as damage occurs to the road network, not to mention the safety element also referred to in the Report,” Gardiner said.

Gardiner concluded his address by issuing a warning.

“It is at the most fundamental responsibility for Council to provide adequate civil infrastructure, such as storm water management,” Gardiner said.

“Our level of storm water management in the rural areas of our city is grotesquely inadequate and we are failing in our core responsibilities whilst ever we walk past this inadequacy.”

Long-time advocate for Llandilo drainage issues, Kevin Crameri also spoke in favour of the motion.

“We have to do something and do it soon,” he said.

North Ward Councillor John Thain spoke against the motion.

“We do also have a responsibility, not just as North Ward Councillors, but we have a responsibility as a Government Act says to the whole of Council,” Thain said.

“There hasn’t been audits conducted in South and East Wards and funding needs to go to that so that they get audited, and they get priorities, and they get a program of works put in place as well.

“We have to look at the whole LGA not just one ward.”

Despite Councillors Gardiner, Crameri and Independent Sue Day voting for the motion to allocate $7.1 million to fixing rural drainage issues, the motion was lost.

Councillor Fowler put forward a foreshadowed motion for a report to be presented to the new Council to address the issue, this was endorsed by Council.

“The goal of Operation Waratah is to find these offenders and charge them in order to make their victims feel safe again using Sydney’s public transport.” Police would like to speak to this man.

Have your say on the proposed

Transport for NSW is seeking community feedback on the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for the proposed improvements along

This is one part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Evacuation

See our plans

plans and send your feedback by visiting our website: transport.nsw.gov.au/hnvferrp

Your feedback will help us understand what is important to the Community information sessions

When: Wednesday 7 August, 6pm to 7pm (onli ne)

How:

When: Saturday 10 August, 10am to 1pm (in-person)

Where: Hawkesbury Function Centre

339 Londonderry Road, Londonderry

When: Thursday 15 August, 5pm to 8pm (i n-person)

Where: Jordan Springs Community Hub

2/6 Cullen Avenue, Jordan Springs

The community is invited to provide feedback on the REF until hnvferrpinfo@transport.nsw.gov.au

Concerned residents attended Council on Monday night. Photo: Emily Chate.

TROY DODDS

One community Many abilities

Let’s make Penrith a place where those of all abilities feel at home. Find out more at penrith.city/manyabilities

Council Briefs

● Visit penrith.city/manyabilities

●

penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/waste-environment/ waste/go-plastic-free

● penrith.city/events

Integrated Development

• Lot 3128 DP 1200516, 47–53 Mullins Road, Penrith

penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/datracker

For any queries relating to the proposal:

Development Consent/s Determined

Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979

Approved Development Applications

• Lot 295 DP 204982, 7 Chalmers Avenue, Emu Plains

• Lot 1 DP 247317, 2 Samuel Foster Drive, South Penrith

• Lot 2 DP 614436, 2–26 Great Western Highway, Emu Plains

• Lot 15 DP 1225912, 29 Allan Road, Mulgoa

Evacuation plans released to public

Amajor milestone has been reached with designs for higher road levels, improved culverts, additional lanes and widened road shoulders at key locations along evacuation routes in the Hawkesbury/Nepean out for public feedback.

Central to this are designs for proposed improvements along The Northern Road and Londonderry Road flood evacuation routes.

Planning work for over 100 improvements identified across the Hawkesbury, Penrith, The Hills and Blacktown Local Government Areas is currently underway and consultation with the community will be gradually rolled out across the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Evacuation Road Resilience Program.

Leading the way are the improvements earmarked for The Northern Road which

includes upgrading drainage, widening the southbound shoulder for around 12 kilometres, between Richmond Road and Borrowdale Way, to provide an emergency lane during times of flood evacuation, and raising low points along sections of the road. Adjustments to intersections, driveways and new signage are also in the plans.

On Londonderry Road, widening the southbound shoulder for around eight kilometres, between Southee Road and Cranebrook Road, is proposed to provide an additional emergency evacuation lane, to improve flood evacuation in times of major flooding events.

New signs to use during emergency flood evacuations to enable the widened road shoulder to be an additional evacuation lane is also part of the proposal.

The NSW and Australian Governments have committed $33 million towards the planning and design stage. The planning stage will

Development Consent/s Determined (cont.)

• Kate Marie Norman

Lot 116 DP 1238043, 134 Forestwood Drive, Glenmore Park

include an environmental assessment and a final business case after which construction costs will be known.

The community is invited to provide feedback on the proposal including future environmental, property and construction impacts.

Community feedback sessions will be held during August and people interested in attending can find out more and register via the project webpage at www.transport. nsw.gov.au/hnvferrp, email hnvferrpinfo@transport. nsw.gov.au, or ring 1800 684 490.

Feedback will be considered until August 20, 2024.

The community information sessions will be held on Saturday, August 10 from 10am to 1pm at the Hawkesbury Function Centre in Londonderry and on Thursday, August 15 from 5pm to 8pm at the Jordan Springs Community Hub.

An online session will be held on Wednesday, August 7. Some of the improvements planned along Londonderry Road and The Northern Road.

Mod23/0250

• Lot 2176 DP 1168992, 21 Cabarita Way, Jordan Springs

• Lot 6 DP 39348, 283–291 Devlin Road, Castlereagh

• Lot 13 DP 239756, 15 Milton Street, Colyton

• Lot 818 DP 1279915, 74 Ghera Road, Caddens

Refused Development Application

• Lot 24 DP 25859, 135 Carpenter Street, Colyton

Viewing of Development Applications

penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/DATracker

Disclosure of Political Donations or Gifts

penrithcity.nsw.gov.au

FULL TIME WAREHOUSE/ DELIVERY DRIVER ASSISTANT

is a wholesale supplier that sells plantation shutters and a large variety of window coverings.

We pride ourselves on our quality products & customer service. This is a hands-on role with general warehouse duties & responsible for driving a truck, van or other vehicles when required to deliver goods to customers.

We are looking for a motivated, happy, positive mindset individual who is looking to grow within their role as a team member

The key responsibilities include:

a. Unloading of containers

b. Work in the warehouse as instructed with adhoc duties

c. Maintain the warehouse as a clean and always safe environment

d. Load and unload truck, van or other vehicles with goods

e. Pick and deliver orders when required

f. Ensure behaviour is always consistent with our values and lead by example

g. Assist with other duties as needed and directed

h. Reliability / punctuality & t

i. Must have a clean current NSW driver’s licence

Please forward all serious resumes to admin@sunlineshutters.com.au

TROY DODDS

Sunline Shutters

PAGE TEN

cupboard prize

Send your jokes to news@westernweekender.com.au.

After five years, the queen of pantomime Bonnie Lythgoe is back! Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of bringing ‘panto’ to Australia, Bonnie Lythgoe Productions announces a brand-new version of 'Snow White' running for an exclusive limited season from September 7 at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta.

‘Snow White’ was the first panto that Bonnie Lythgoe brought to Australia in 2014, and she’s delighted to charm audiences from ages three to 103 again with this special new fairytale production.

Bonnie Lythgoe said: “The beloved story of ‘Snow White’ is a show for adults as much as it is for the kids, known for its interactive style and humour. I cannot wait to welcome back Australian audiences to boo, hiss and cheer together again, and we’re absolutely thrilled to have

paceway winners lucky

Members of the Penrith Paceway in Penrith have the chance to win great prizes thanks to a special promotion involving the club and your favourite newspaper, The Western Weekender Club members can pick up a free specially numbered

bumper sticker from the Paceway or the Weekender office, and our spotters will be out and about in the community.

Three spotted bumper sticker numbers will be printed each week, with winners needing to report to the Pace-

Debora Krizak joining us as everyone’s favourite fairytale nemesis!” A Bonnie Lythgoe panto is a magical theatrical experience with a rollicking mix of song, dance and good old-fashioned fun with a modern twist. The show is hilarious one minute yet heartfelt and imaginative the next, with spectacular sets and costumes to wow the audience. For more information, visit www. ozpanto.com.

The Weekender has a family pass to ‘Snow White’ on September 7 to give away. For your chance to win, send an email to competitions@ westernweekender.com.au with ‘Snow’ in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your contact details. Entries close Friday, August 9 and the winners will be notified by email. Terms and conditions are available at www.westernweekender.com.au or Weekender reception.

way to verify their bumper sticker number and collect their prize. Look out for new winners on this page every single week!

This week’s lucky winners are: 0876, 0542, 1092.

Tell us exactly where this week’s featured I Spy image is located in Penrith and you could win! Email ispy@westernweekender.com.au with your answer for your chance to win two movie tickets. Our winner will be notified by email. Entries close each Wednesday at 5pm.

LAST WEEK’S ANSWER

The cat chilling in the drain pipe happened at Jamison Road between Dent Street and York Road in Jamisontown. Did you spot this beauty?

The dumb “cash is king” argument after last Friday’s IT crash is growing tired. The outage had nothing to do with electronic banking, and cash was useless in most scenarios.

Glass is first class: New recycling facility sets industry benchmark

NSW Premier Chris Minns has opened Australia’s most energy-efficient glass recycling factory in Penrith.

Last Thursday, the Premier was joined by his Deputy and Minister for Western Sydney Prue Car and State Member for Penrith Karen McKeown to declare open the $150 million state-of-the-art facility.

The new Visy funded warehouse is Australia’s first oxygen-only fuelled furnace and will produce over 800 million glass containers each year using advanced recycled cullet preheating technology to increase the use of recycled glass in Australia’s glass bottle manufacturing sector.

Minns officially opened the warehouse on Andrews Road alongside Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt and said the new facility would be a boost for western Sydney,

“We welcome Visy’s vote of confidence in western Sydney and NSW,” he said.

hundreds of thousands of tonnes of glass were stockpiled and landfilled instead of recycled, threatening to seriously damage the community’s faith in the billion-dollar glass recycling industry.

“Many companies with glass had nowhere to go because there was no viable market. It is important to recognise that Visy has stepped up with this investment to be a part of the solution.

“This initiative ensures that our community and future generations will have access to sustainable jobs and energy solutions, this is a win for Penrith and a win for the state.”

Car said that the jobs created will give an incredible boost to the local community.

“Jobs created in both the building and operating of manufacturing facilities make a huge impact to the suburbs around them,” she said.

“Thank you, Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt, for the investment of $150 million into this glass recycling remanufacturing facility right here in Penrith,” McKeown said.

“The bottles and jars made here will end up in the hands of millions of Aussies each year.” McKeown said that the new facility is a win for Penrith.

“Visy’s sustainable glass furnace not only sets a new benchmark in energy efficiency but also highlights our commitment to environmental responsibility. For the Penrith community, this means local jobs, economic growth, and a leading role in promoting sustainable practices.

“The facility employs 190 workers, providing vital employment opportunities for our Penrith residents.

“I am proud that Penrith is home to Visy’s ground-breaking facility.

“This initiative is particularly welcomed as a few short years ago, under the previous government,

“Local jobs like these not only put food on the table and pay the rent, they also allow western Sydney families to spend more time together by cutting down commutes.

“I am pleased to see market leaders like Visy make game-changing investments in our community.”

Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt, Premier Chris Minns, Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Prue Car and State Member for Penrith Karen McKeown.

EMILY CHATE

These lights are Cooked!

Council requests review of traffic light

phasing at busy Cranebrook

intersection

Penrith City Councillor Robin Cook has raised concerns about the intersection of Sherringham Road and The Northern Road at Cranebrook.

Cook is worried about the amount of time residents who are turning right onto The Northern Road have allocated to them before the light turns red.

Cook said that only two or three cars get through the green light before it turns red.

“Only two cars get through and four if they go through the red light,” Cook said.

“So, that’s why I asked for it to be looked at.

“It’s not under our control, it’s under NSW Transport, that’s why I brought it up with the traffic committee.”

Cook brought the issue forward at the July meeting of the Local Traffic Committee where it was recommended that the issue be brought to Transport for NSW.

“[It’s recommended that] Council’s Traffic Engineering Officers write to Transport for NSW (TfNSW) requesting a review of the traffic light phasing/sequencing with a view of increasing the green light time for vehicles turning right from Sherringham Road onto The Northern Road, Cranebrook and advise Councillor Cook of TfNSW’s response,” the report said.

Cook said that she had experienced the

issue and had a series of concerned parties raise the issue with her.

“It had been mentioned by a few constituents over the last few months and I’ve used the road myself, occasionally,” Cook said.

“What worried me was that because the phasing is so brief to turn right people are taking risks.

“It’s dangerous because they are going around on the red lights.”

Cook realises that The Northern Road is a main thoroughfare but believes this intersection needs increased traffic flow.

“I understand that The Northern Road needs to be kept flowing, especially during peak hour times with people getting to work, but there is also people accessing the road from this suburb who are going to work or going to Penrith,” Cook said.

“My main concern is seeing people take the risks.”

Ultimately, Cook would like to see more time in the green light at the intersection.

“I’d just like to see a few more cars be allowed through because the drivers obviously get frustrated and that’s when they take a risk if they are in a hurry,” she said.

“So, I’d just like the phasing to have a little bit more leeway.”

Council this week moved the recommendations of the Local Traffic Committee meeting and now Council Officers will write to TfNSW.

Councillor Robin Cook at the intersection on Wednesday. Photo: Melinda Jane.

After 14 years, secondhand bookshop Elizabeth Arcade Books is closing its doors, with the retirement of owners Carole and Armand Sukhla.

The two opened the shop back in 2010 at the suggestion of Jim Aitken, a local real estate agent and fellow member of the Rotary Club of Penrith Valley, after they ran a book fair fundraiser in the space for a few weeks.

“As a family, we were all keen readers. We always read books and our house was full of books, so it was a good fit,” Armand said.

“I can’t say we had great knowledge of books, but we certainly acquired some knowledge over time!”

Initially, the shop was made up of just one shelf of books, many from their own collection or donated from those of friends and family members.

But, over time, it grew to what you see today, with books lining the walls, shelves, and even the floors. Their database ranges from classics to rare finds and new releases, with Armand, Carole and their son

Romesh vowing to help customers find anything they liked.

Though Armand said they didn’t have the benefit of foot traffic in the arcade, that didn’t stop their core customer base from visiting over and over again, building up a community of local readers.

This was helped by their unique policies, which allowed people to take recommendations and make unexpected choices without risk, whilst also helping the business.

“We always had the policy of if you don’t like the book, you can bring it back and swap it for something else,” Armand said.

“The generosity of the local book community also helped us to survive. When they finished a book, they tended to bring them back – if they bought a book for $10 you would get a credit of $3 towards the next book. That way we could keep the book titles in circulation so that other people could also have the opportunity to read a decent book.”

However, this isn’t where the impact of the shop stops, with Carole and Armand dedicating as much time to helping the community as possible, including participating in Pink Up Penrith every year.

“It’s important to us, because we depend on the community to support us, and in return we’ve enjoyed supporting them,” Armand said.

But, their reach wasn’t limited to the local community, citing frequent visits from book lovers far and wide.

“We’ve had customers come from as far as Dubbo, Bathurst and Lithgow, because they come to visit the medical specialists or something, and then they come and buy books to keep them occupied,” he said.

“This is the only secondhand bookshop in Penrith, and there are none in Blacktown, Seven Hills, or Parramatta, so we get people from those suburbs as well.”

Despite the success of the shop for over a decade, providing something different from competitors who have come and gone, the two say they’ve reached a stage in their lives where they need to retire.

“We’re genuinely looking forward to putting our feet up, catching up with the grandkids, and I might even do more voluntary work, particularly with the Rotary Club of Penrith Valley, which I haven’t been able to do,” Armand said.

Though they have mixed emotions around the shop’s closure, they said they’re optimistic about its future, in the form of an online shop run by friend, John Krisenthal.

“He’s buying all the stock, and he’s setting up an online bookstore, I hope successfully!” Armand said.

The shop is currently running a 50 per cent off sale, and will be open

until Saturday. Armand said he hopes to see as many people come in as possible to see them off.

“We’ve had so many customers come in and tell us that they’re going to miss the shop, and that they’re going to miss us,” he said.

“We think a few people will come in to say goodbye – Saturday will be busy!”

Romesh, Armand and Carole Sukhla. Photo: Melinda Jane.

CASSIDY PEARCE

Critical step for Penrith

Councillors endorse Aerotropolis Development Contributions Plan

Penrith Council has this week voted to endorse the Draft Penrith Aerotropolis Development Contributions Plan (CP).

The CP has been identified as being crucial in the development and delivery of critical infrastructure to support the growth of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis precinct which will include roads, open spaces, and community infrastructure.

The overall value of the CP is estimated to be around $830 million.

The maximum levy rate of contribution is one per cent under the current Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 (EP&A Regulation) but Penrith City Council endorsed to write to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully to increase the rate to 5.6 per cent.

“At the Ordinary Meeting of October 23 2023, Council resolved to endorse the Draft Penrith Aerotropolis CP at a rate of 5.6 per cent to be sent to the Minister to amend Section 209(2) of the EP&A Regulation permitting Council to increase to maximum levy rate,” a report to

Council said.

Scully approved Council's request.

“...On December 11 2023, Council Officers submitted a formal request to the Minster seeking approval to apply the levy rate of 5.6 per cent to the Draft Penrith Aerotropolis CP,” the report to Council said.

“Council received a letter dated July 2 2024 from the Minister advising that our request to amend Section 209(2) of the EP&A Regulation had been approved.”

The amendment was exhibited

HUGE

by the NSW Government on July 12 2024, with the remaining step in the process being Councillors adopting the plan to place it into effect.

Penrith Mayor Todd Carney noted the importance of the amendments in the delivery of crucial infrastructure.

“Western Sydney International Airport is set to be the catalyst for much of western Sydney's future development, so the importance of having the development contributions plan in place is vital,” he said.

ANTIQUE & COLLECTABLES

Featuring a special display of over 100 different categories of collectables from private collections across Australia.

HAWKESBURY SHOWGROUND PAVILION RACECOURSE ROAD, CLARENDON Sat 9am-5pm. Sun 9am-3pm Entr y $10, kids free

for LGA

“Council has been able to prepare the plan through its extensive collaboration with key state agencies and members of industry to ensure the necessary support is in place for the development within the Western Sydney Aerotropolis precinct.

“In addition, Council has now secured a funding process which will enable the delivery of critical infrastructure within this extremely important sector to occur.”

This amendment to regulation

Mayor’s News

The weekly views of Penrith’s Mayor

Penrith City Libraries celebrates Library and Information Week

In celebration of Library and Information Week, which runs from Monday, July 29 to Sunday, August 4 2024, Penrith City Libraries is making some changes to its key services for its members that will enhance their library experience.

Free internet access for Library members has increased to one hour (up from 30 minutes), reserves will now be free, and overdue fines will be removed – conditions for replacing lost, damaged or unreturned items will still apply.

These changes are in line with the Week’s theme, “Roots of Democracy”, which celebrates libraries providing free and equitable access to information, resources and services in their communities.

Membership registration is free for all NSW residents, and can be done at St Clair, St Marys or Penrith City Library branches.

The permanent changes being made as part of this year’s Library and Information Week reflects Council’s commitment to providing free and equitable access for everyone. Our Library plays a key role in connecting people and communities with

applies to land defined in the amendment as 'Aerotropolis development levy land' which includes the Agribusiness Precinct, Badgerys Creek Precinct and the Northern Gateway Precinct in the Penrith Local Government Area but does not include Sydney Science Park and Luddenham Village. Now that Penrith City Council has adopted the draft CP it will brought into effect following the requirements of the EP&A Regulation.

the services, resources and information they need, and by reducing costs and improving access we can ensure everyone benefits from this fantastic resource.

Library and Information Week is also a great way to highlight the Library’s services and the many ways the branches support the Penrith community including the Justice of the Peace availability, information sessions for seniors with reputable local organisations, and many events.

Library members have access to the physical collection at all library branches, the digital collection, toy library collection and family games, and free homework help for primary, secondary and tertiary students, among the ongoing services in celebration of the Information Week.

Penrith City Libraries will be joining libraries across the country using the week to explore how, why, and where libraries are strengthening their democratic processes by exploring the question, “How can libraries contribute to keeping democracy thriving?”

CR TODD CARNEY Mayor of

Penrith

Find out how you can support your paper at www.westernweekender.com.au/pledge.

An artist’s impression of Western Sydney International Airport. Penrith Mayor Todd Carney.

Former Council GM receives rare honour

Former Penrith City Council General Manager Alan Stoneham has been formally recognised as an Honoured Citizen of Penrith.

Stoneham worked at Penrith City Council from 1972-2018. He was General Manager from 2008-2018, returning in August 2022 to April 2023 to act as the interim General Manager while Council sought to recruit a new General Manager.

During his time as General Manager Stoneham introduced a Sustainability Team and the Food-Organics Garden-Organics (FOGO) system. He was highly influential in securing Federal and State funding, including the first greenspace grant.

Stoneham played a key role in securing the Whitewater Stadium as an Olympic venue, and oversaw the approval of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, providing input into planning the Western Sydney University site and led the Erskine Park employment area development.

In one of his most significant contributions Stoneham led, together with

Councillor John Thain (who was Mayor at the time), negotiations for the landmark Western Sydney City Deal, a 20-year agreement between the three levels of Government that delivered a major transformation of the area, including the commitment to connect the Western Sydney International Airport to western Sydney through the first stage of North-South Rail.

Former Mayor Tricia Hitchen originally nominated Stoneham to become an Honoured Citizen in September 2023.

Due to Stoneham living outside of the Penrith Local Government Area (LGA) he was ruled to be ineligible for the honour but was instead eligible to become an Honourary Citizen, an honour held by one other person – Sir Ian Turbott.

Councillors agreed in November of 2023 to abolish the Honorary Citizen concept and expand the criteria of Honoured Citizens to make people who lived outside the LGA eligible.

Turbott’s recognition will not be disturbed by the change.

The change was made official at this week’s Council meeting where Stoneham was honoured in a Mayoral Minute.

“On behalf of all my Council colleagues, Council staff and the Penrith community, I congratulate Alan Stoneham on being named Honoured Citizen of the City of Penrith and extend my heartfelt thanks for his ongoing significant contribution and generosity to the people of Penrith,” Mayor Todd Carney said.

Deputy Mayor Mark Davies also spoke, sharing his thoughts on Stoneham.

“Personally, I found Alan to be a wonderful person to work with on Council, I got on really well with him,” Davies said.

“What I did appreciate from Alan was he had vision and he used different opportunities, and he could see different opportunities that would inspire Council and Councillors on what could be possible.”

Hitchen also heaped praise on the former GM.

“Alan’s significant contribution to our city can’t be quantified, but I do believe it should be recognised and applauded for what it was,” Hitchen said.

Councillors John Thain and Ross Fowler also spoke highly of Stoneham.

Alan Stoneham made a significant contribution to Council.

EMILY CHATE

Boost for charity

“Crucial time”: Mama Lana’s receives $20,000

Local food service Mama Lana’s has received a $20,000 donation to help provide hundreds of meals for those in need each night.

Mama Lana’s founders Roger and Lana Borg formally received the donation from Enrich Abilities at a Christmas in July fundraising event last week at The Log Cabin.

Mama Lana’s cooks over 300 meals a night to deliver to those who need it and offers crisis food hampers.

CEO of Enrich Abilities Peter McKendry said that the values of Mama Lana’s matches that of Enrich Abilities.

“At Enrich… we have various different business streams and at the end of the year we have a look at our surplus that we’ve made, and we donate a portion of those out to different organisations that will use those funds to provide direct support to those most in need, particularly with disability or age-related issues,” McKendry said.

McKendry said it is so important to fund and assist operations like Mama Lana’s in current times.

“It’s just so important that those organisations exist and are capable of delivering that first line of support and to be associated with them gives us great pleasure,” McKendry said.

Mama Lana’s founder Lana

Karen’s Comment

The weekly views of the State Member for Penrith

Borg said the donation came at the perfect time to keep the organisation going.

“[It was a] huge help because we actually have been struggling a little bit with donations lately because everybody is doing it tough,” Borg said.

“So, a lot of our donations had dropped off or reduced, someone that was donating $50 a month

Visy’s Sustainable Future for Glass Manufacturing In Penrith

Last week, NSW Premier the Hon. Chris Minns MP, Deputy Premier the Hon. Prue Car MP, and I had the honour of touring Australia’s most sustainable glass furnace, located in Penrith. Visy’s state-of-the-art facility represents a $150 million investment, boasting the country’s first oxygen-only fuelled furnace. This cutting-edge technology reduces energy consumption by 45 per cent.

The Penrith site, the only glass bottle and jar manufacturing factory in New South Wales employs 190 workers and produces over 800 million glass containers annually.

If you put Vegemite or Cottee’s jam on your toast; or drink Bundaberg Ginger Beer; or even enjoy a cold bottle of Toohey’s New – there’s a good chance it started right here in Penrith, with over 70 per cent made from recycled content. The facility also employs advanced recycling cullet pre-heating technology, significantly boosting the use of recycled glass in the manufacturing process.

This visit comes on the heels of the NSW Budget 24-25 announcement of $3.1 billion to deliver the infrastructure needed to ensure we all have access to renewable, clean, and affordable energy. A special thank you to Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt for the enlightening tour of this remarkable factory. Visy’s commitment to sustainability is setting new standards in the industry, right here in Penrith.

Penrith Proudly Represented by our Olympians

On behalf of our entire Penrith community, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to our local girls representing Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Your dedication and hard work have brought you to this extraordinary stage, and we couldn’t be prouder. We’ll be cheering you on from home every step of the way. Best of luck, and go for (green and) gold.

A huge congratulations to Penrith’s very own Jessica Fox for being chosen to carry the Olympic flame. Your soon to be four-time Olympic journey holds a place in both the history of the Olympics and Penrith.

‘Funded

‘Authorised by’

donation

would only be donating $10 a month now which we appreciate it so much that they still continue and there is nothing that can be done about it, everyone has got to adjust to the high cost-ofliving.

“It came through at a really crucial time because the cost of our electricity had gone so high, our last bill was $4,900.

“[The need for] our meals is increasing all the time and new faces being seen every night just reinforces that the need for our service is definitely out there and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.”

Borg said she finds the work with those most in need to be highly fulfilling.

“[It’s] very rewarding,” Borg said.

“When you see families that attend the service and they are coming three or four nights a week and then only need our service once a week or once a fortnight [it’s so rewarding].”

Mama Lana’s is encouraging anyone who wishes to donate to visit www.mamalanas.org.au/ donating.

Don’t take risks to heat your home

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is warning the public not to take dangerous risks to stay warm during the current cold conditions.

FRNSW says heaters should be kept at least a metre away from any materials and furniture in the home to prevent fires and ideally should be plugged into their own sockets to prevent power board overloads.

Under no circumstances should outdoor barbecues and heaters be brought inside homes to provide heat.

Smoke detectors remain critical, too.

“Half the homes that experienced a fire over the last two winters either didn’t have a smoke alarm or those present weren’t working. That’s a recipe for disaster,” said FRNSW Deputy Commissioner Paul McGuiggan.

TRAINS HAVING A SHOCKER

Less than 70 per cent of Western Line trains have run on time during the PM peak this month, Transport for NSW figures reveal.

The 90 per cent on time running target hasn’t been met in the PM peak since January 2022.

As July draws to a close, just 67.6 per cent of PM peak trains on the Western Line have run on time.

In June, 72.6 per cent of PM peak trains were on time while it was 67.9 per cent in May.

But while getting home from work is a struggle, getting there is a little easier.

So far this month, more than 93 per cent of Western Line trains have run on time in the AM Peak.

HERE TO HELP YOU

Roger and Lana Borg.

Δ New cafe opens: A new cafe has opened on High Street, taking over the space previously occupied by Brew Lab. Kokoe Penrith features a modern Filipino-fusion inspired menu, alongside your favourite traditional breakfast items. Give their beef caldereta burritos (pictured) a try, they’re delicious! It’s open now at 551 High Street, Penrith.

Δ Oh snap! Twix Wafer Rolls, billed as “the crunchy, creamy lighter eat” have landed at supermarkets. The all-new Twix Wafer Rolls features two light and crispy wafer rolls coated in smooth milk chocolate, filled with a mouth-watering and satisfying Twix flavour. Twix Portfolio Director, Bianca Werkmeister said it’s an exciting time for Australian chocolate lovers with the introduction of the new product, the first for the brand in 2024. “Our new Twix Wafer Rolls hits the mark on all levels featuring the much-loved Twix flavour that the brand is iconic for, combined with the new crispy wafer which gives a new textural experience whilst eating, alongside a lighter formulation at only 114 calories per serve creating more permissibility for consumers,” she said.

Δ Brisket Boys arrives at Panthers: Brisket Boys has opened a second location in Penrith. The

popular American barbecue style restaurant has an outlet at Manufactor on Castlereagh Road, and has now opened in the sports bar at Panthers.

Red Devil Special Combo ($60 value for $50) with a choice of a Red Devil Burger, and either a Mad Gochujang Chicken dish with rice cakes and Udon noodles or Boneless Chicken coated with spicy sauce dish. The Red Devil Special Combo is completed with Gami Chips and crushed pear juice to balance the heat and spice factor. Gami Chicken is located at Nepean Village in Penrith.

Δ Gami spices things up: Known for their delicious Korean flavours, Gami Chicken is spicing up winter with the introduction of a multifaceted taste experience that includes the best of Korean traditional spiciness. Sure to delight those who enjoy a touch of heat, Gami Chicken’s spicy offerings make eating out a unique dining experience. New on the menu is Gami Chicken’s Red Devil Burger ($12, pictured). This fiery new burger promises to awaken winter taste buds with its bold and spicy flavours. Balancing the spiciness is a crispy chicken fillet in spicy sauce, topped with coleslaw and Gami cheese sauce, in a red beetroot bun. Elevating the spice factor, Gami is offering the

CPR & FIRST AID TRAINING COURSES

Δ Honouring history: Recognising the Centenary of the iconic Cobb & Co, who played a vital role in Australia’s royal mail service, a special commemorative Cobb & Co ‘Carrying mail on Australia’s Last Run’ – First Day cover and Maxicard stamp sets with Surat Postmark will be released by Australia Post on August 13 to celebrate the 100-year milestone and Australia’s last coach run. The new stamps will form part of the centenary celebrations at the Cobb & Co Festival in Queensland. The Cobb & Co stamp range will include a minisheet ($3), First Day cover ($3.30), stamp presentation pack ($6.45), Maxicard set ($4.50) and postal numismatic cover (RAM$18.95) as well as individual stamps for $1.50 each. The stamps will be sold through selected Post Offices – only 7,000 of the numismatic covers will be released, and these will include the Australia Post stamps as well as a special edition coin from the Royal Australian Mint.

Prudent Training Services provides nationally recognised training and assessment in par tnership with Allens Training Pty Ltd RTO 90909 for personal and business needs these courses can be conducted at your workplace at no additional cost or at our locations visit our web site at www.prudenttrainingservices.com.au or scan the QR code at the bottom of this add

AVAILABLE COURSES INCLUDE ONLINE COURSES INCLUDE

HLTAID0 09 Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

HLTAID011 Provide First Aid

HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting

HLTAID014 Provide Advanced First Aid

HLTAID015 Provide Advanced Resuscitation and Oxygen Therapy

11244NAT Course in Mental Health Suppor t for First Responders

HLTWHS0 05 Conduct Manual Tasks Safely (Personal care workers)

CHCPRT025 Identify and repor t children and young people at risk

Non-accredited Child at Risk Refresher

CPCCWHS20 01 Apply WHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industry

HLTOUT010 Communicate in complex situations to suppor t health care

HLTWHS0 06 Manage personal stressors in the work environment

Non-accredited Driver and Road Side Safety Course

Non-accredited Online First Aid for Parents and Carers

Scan this QR code to view our website

Eric Cuckson came to Australia from Wales around 1949 and established his factory at St Marys.

He created and perfected high speed weaving looms for tape and manufactured zippers.

He created a working environment in which employees would experience free cooperation, enthusiasm and interest in their work.

Eric Cuckson died in 1981, but his business legacy remains.

The Cuckson name was a business mainstay for many decades to come, and Rondo remains a manufacturing business at Erskine Park today, dating its history back to Cuckson’s business in the 1950s and 1960s.

Eric’s daughter, Barbara, went on to run Rozelle School of Visual Arts for some 50 years.

(Photo thanks to State Library NSW)

UNIFORM LOGO LICENCE

Tenders are called for Windsor Park Public School for the licence of the Uniform Logo, commencing mid-2024 and for a term of FIVE (5) years.

Annual school enrolments are approximately 220.

General enquiries and requests for a Tender Information Package should be referred to:

Simone Hyam

School Administrative Manager

Simone.hyam@det.nsw.edu.au

Phone (02) 4574 3070

Tenders must be sent electronically and noted in the subject line “Con dential - School Uniform Tender” and sent to:

School Administration Manager

Simone.hyam@det.nsw.edu.au

Tenders close at 4pm on 12/8/2024

Mandatory Criteria: All employees must hold a current working with children check.

WITH NATHAN TODD

Ideas for the right social media content BUSINESS

The best content to post on social media can vary depending on your goals, target audience, and the platform you’re using. However, here are some general ideas that tend to perform well: High-quality visuals: Images and videos (Reels & TikTok) grab attention and tend to generate more engagement. Use visually appealing content that is relevant to your brand or message.

Educational or informative posts: Share valuable information, tips, or tutorials related to your niche. This type of content is used to show the expertise you have and helps your audience learn something new. Give users a reason as to WHY they would keep following your content.

Behind-the-scenes: Offer a sneak peek into your work process, product development, or events. Authentic and relatable behind-thescenes content helps your audience learn more about your business and gives a sense of connection to them.

User-generated content: Encourage your audience to share their experiences with

your product or service and repost their content. User-generated content (or UGC) not only strengthens your relationship with customers but also acts as social proof, encouraging others to engage with your brand.

Polls and questions: Encourage interaction by asking questions, conducting polls, or seeking opinions from your audience. It encourages engagement and helps you understand their preferences. They follow your brand and have an interest in what you do, why not get their opinions on what they want to see?

Social media trends: Stay up-to-date with current trends on the platforms where you have a presence. For example, using a trending song/sound could be the reason why your content gets more views.

Humorous or entertaining content: Everyone enjoys a good laugh. Share funny memes, jokes, or light-hearted content that aligns with your brand’s values. Use social media to bring your personality to life, and most importantly, be yourself!

Personal stories or experiences: Share personal stories that relate to your brand or offer insights into your journey. This creates an emotional connection with your audience and helps them relate to your brand on a deeper level.

Remember, it’s important to tailor your content to your specific audience and platform. Experiment with different types of content, analyse the engagement and feedback you receive through your insights, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

BUSINESS

MT DRUITT ST MARYS LOCAL BUSINESS AWARDS

This year’s Mount Druitt St Marys Local Business Awards was a sparkling spectacular that provided a fitting finale to the annual event.

This year’s winners exchanged exuberant hugs while cheers filled the room as they made their way to the stage on Tuesday, July 9.

Awards founder and Precedent Productions Managing Director Steve Loe said the evening was an exciting culmination to a successful awards program.

“The Local Business Awards recognise the vital role business people play in the lives of their communities,” he said.

“The presentation evening not only sees the announcement of the category winners but is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of all the finalists.

“We had a sell-out crowd that included our finalists, their families and staff, as well as our sponsors and local dignitaries, who helped to present awards to the winners.”

The Western Weekender captured all the excitement as the finalists in each category were announced, complete with images on the big screen, followed by huge cheers as the winners’ names were read out and they took to the stage to claim their trophies.

“The winners’ speeches are always heartfelt and emotional,” Loe said.

“This year was no exception.”

As official media partner for the Mount Druitt St Marys Local Business Awards, the Western Weekender today publishes a winners’ feature, that recognises all category winners from the presentation evening.

“Of course, the awards are only possibly with the support of major sponsors NOVA Employment, Blacktown City Council,

and support sponsors, White Key Marketing, Plumpton Market Place, St Clair Shopping Centre,” Loe said.

“Their involvement proves their commitment to their community and the businesses that thrive there.”

Loe also thanked West HQ for the high quality food and service it provided.

“Thanks to them it was a five-star occasion,” he said.

“I would also like to acknowledge the incredible entertainment on the evening and our fabulous Jeremiah Hartmann who kept the evening flowing smoothly.”

Businesses can register for the 2025 Local Business Awards at www.thebusinessawards.com.au.

For more information about the Local Business Awards program, call Precedent Productions on 8363 3333.

Daniel Pedavoli won the Youth Award.

Gemini Creative Studio won Outstanding Sole Operator.

MOUNT DRUITT / ST MAR YS

CATEGORY WINNER WINNER

Automotive Servic es

Bak ery/Cak e Busines s

Barber Shop

Beauty Servic es

Caf e

Early Childhood C entr e

E ducation Servic e

Ent ertainment / Recr eation Busines s

F ashion

Fa s t F ood/ Ta ke away

Fitnes s Servic es

Fr esh F ood

Hair dr esser

Health

Impr ov ement Servic es

J ew ellery S to re

Andr e Aut omotiv e

Bak ers DelightPlumpt on Mark etplac e

T he Don K uts

C osmetic Beauty and Laser

Caffe & Co. Mt. Druitt

- Westfield Mount Druitt

Gr een Gar den Childcar e - Marsden Park

GAME - Gymnastics & M ov ement Education

Ve gas Nights

Calidi C o.

Char ’d Chick en - East ern Cr eek

Fitness Fanatics Movement & Recovery Centre

Mathe w s Quality Meats

- St Clair Shopping Centre

Elias Geor ge Hair -St Clair Shopping Centre

SummitCar e - St Mary s

Matai Watches

MOUNT DRUITT ST MARYS

LOCAL BUSINESS AWARDS

ST

We ’r e v er y excit ed t o shar e that Mathews Quality Meats has w on the cat egor y of Butcher in the St Mar Mount Druitt L ocal Business Aw ar ds!

As a f amily-run shop that’ s been ar ound since 2004, this r eally means a lot t o us We ’v e alw ays f ocused on bringing y ou the best meats and friendly ser vice. T hanks f or all the suppor t ov er the y ears—w e couldn’ t hav e done it without y ou! Her e’ s t o man y mor e y ears of ser ving up quality meats f or our amazing comm unity

A: 5/155 BENNETT RD, ST CLAIR, ST CLAIR SHOPPING CENTRE

P: 9834 5296 | FB: @MA THEWSQU ALITYMEA TS

W inning the L ocal Business Aw ard f or our corner store f eels absolutely incredible! It’s a mix of pride, gratitude, and excitement all rolled into one . To see our hard w ork and dedication recognised b y our comm unity means so m uch. It’s v alidation that w e’re doing something right and that our effo r ts to ser v e our customers w ell hav en’ t gone unnoticed.

There’s a sense of accomplishment kno wing that our small corner store has made a positiv e impact on the neighbourhood. It motiv ates us to contin ue striving f or excellence and finding new w ays to contribute to the comm unity

A: 89 MONF AR VILLE STREET, ST MAR YS

FB: @ANDREWS CORNER ST ORE ANDREW’S CORNER

MORT GA GE CHOICE ST MAR YS

2024 WINNER PROFESSIONAL SER VICES

Mor tgage Choice St Mar ys is a family-run business that has proudly ser ved the community for over 25 years We are truly overwhelmed and deeply grateful for the immense love and suppor t we have received since winning the 2024 Mt Druitt / St Mar ys Local Business Awards!

Our hear tfelt thanks go out to all of our clients for trusting us to help them achieve their nancial goals. Your positive reviews and recommendations to family and friends mean the world to us

We take great pride in offering caring, honest, and professional mor tgage broking ser vices and eagerly look forward to assisting another generation of clients with our 25+ years of exper tise.

A: ST MARY’S TOWN CENTRE, SHOP 1, 211 QUEEN STREET ST MARYS P: 9833 8177 | W: MORTGAGECHOICE.COM.AU/NICOLE.NATION

SUMMITC ARE

2024 WINNER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR & OUTSTANDING HEALTH IMPROVEMENT SERVICES

SummitCare is a family-owned business providing excellence in care to our residents for nearly 60 years Our highly quali ed staff provide 24/7 care on both a permanent and respite basis

Our purpose is to enable wellbeing all day ever y day for people requiring aged care. Par tnering with our vision of striving for excellence in all that we do SummitCare is professional, respectful and suppor tive in caring for our aged community as if they were our own family

Overall, our dedication to providing homely, respectful, and culturally sensitive care sets us apar t as a winner in the industr y. We prioritise the individual needs and preferences of our residents, foster strong connections with their families, and promote a culture of diversity and inclusivity. These qualities not only differentiate us from other providers but also contribute to the overall wellbeing and happiness of our residents making us the preferred choice for aged care in the community

We are incredibly proud of our General Manager Sharita Ram, and her dedicated team at St Mar ys to be announced as the overall 2024 Business of the Year and winner of the Outstanding Health Improvement Ser vices categor y.

A: 57 SADDINGT ON STREET, ST MAR YS P: 9673 6999 | W: SUMMITCARE.COM.AU/RESIDENTIAL-CARE/ST-MAR YS

CARNEY, David John “Dave”

28th August 1953 – 28th June 2024

Late of Wauchope, formerly Penrith.

Loved and dearly missed brother, father, grandfather, uncle, and great mate.

Family and friends of Dave are warmly invited to attend his funeral service on Friday, 26th July 2024 at 2:30pm in the West Chapel, Pinegrove Memorial Park Crematorium, Minchinbury

CLEARY MAGIC

MATCH-WINNING MOMENT PROVES PREMIERSHIP DEFENCE IS ON TRACK FULL COVERAGE INSIDE

Photo: NRL Photos.

the finalword

Seriously, just how good is Nathan Cleary? Sometimes we risk taking for granted the once-in-a-generation player we're watching dominate at the foot of the Mountains.

But his field goal in Golden Point against the Dolphins last weekend in his comeback game from a hamstring injury just proved not only how important he is to this Penrith team, but how much of a game-changer he is.

Another clutch moment in the bag.

And any Penrith fan nervous about this Premiership run ending at three – still an incredible achievement – perhaps let themselves dream of a fourth straight title after fulltime on Sunday, and deservedly so.

While Melbourne have one hand on the J.J. Giltinan Shield, Penrith appear on track to finish in the top two and importantly assure themselves of a second bite of the cherry and a home final.

To achieve that though, they definitely needed to win games like that against the Dolphins last Sunday, and the same goes for this weekend's match against St George-Illawarra in Wollongong.

The Dragons' Finals chances go on the line over the next fortnight with back-to-back matches against the Panthers and Storm. Should they somehow win both of them, Shane Flanagan will almost certainly guide his side to the post-season. Even one of the two, however, would be quite the achievement.

And the Dragons would rate themselves a shot at causing a boilover on Sunday, having already accounted for Penrith this season a –22-10 victory at the foot of the Mountains back in June.

Things are a little different now though, with four of Penrith's five Origin players back in the side this weekend. Only Dylan Edwards, who picked up a knee injury in last week's epic

decider, is still sidelined. After all the talk of the Origin period and the supposed drain it has on club football, the Panthers can now focus solely on the run to the Finals and the line-up this weekend certainly looks tougher and ready for such a journey.

One problem for Penrith is the depth in their outside backs, which is now being seriously tested. A broken arm has sidelined Paul Alamoti, who was only in the squad permanently following the departure of Taylan May. With Brian To'o back this weekend, Casey McLean now appears to have locked down a centre position for the time being.

Ivan Cleary would be determined for Penrith to improve their completion rate this weekend after they delivered a 76 per cent in that field against the Dolphins.

It was really only the experience of Cleary and the Dolphins not quite getting it right towards the end of regulation time that ensured the

Panthers could come back and win in Golden Point last weekend.

The Panthers will definitely have to be better against the Dragons, who have certainly proven themselves as a nuisance this season. Fresh from the bye and with the likes of Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax back on deck, they'll certainly make a fist of things. Their record at Wollongong this year is also very impressive.

St George-Illawarra will likely chance their arm and throw the ball around a fair bit here – in fact, they're fourth in the competition for offloads, proving a key component of their game has been keeping the ball alive.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was quite a high scoring game, not too dissimilar to the clash against the Dolphins. But there's one difference – I think the vast majority of the points will belong to the Panthers. I can't see the Dragons going with Cleary's men once they put the foot down. Tip: Panthers by 16.

GERARD SUTTON | BUNKER: KASEY BADGER

panther rumblings

FAMILY FOCUS FOR NSW BLUES

! Family matters: Blues coach Michael Maguire made a particular point of involving the families of players as much as he could during the camps and game days of the 2024 Origin series. It’s a blueprint used successfully by the Panthers at club level. Brian To’o’s young family was there cheering him on at Suncorp Stadium. His scrapbook just keeps getting bigger. Last Wednesday was a particularly special moment for the Panthers winger, who helped New South Wales to victory in the Origin decider against Queensland at the venue he popped the question to now-wife Moesha at back in 2021. Dylan Edwards was among those who had his kids present to see his man-of-the-match performance.

! Shield in town: The State of Origin shield visited Penrith last Sunday, with plenty of corporate-types getting a photo with the prized possession in the Chairman’s Lounge. It also made its way onto the field, where Panthers champion Royce Simmons took custody of it.

! Spotted: A master and the apprentice moment, with Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary and Dolphins young gun (and Penrith junior) Isaiya Katoa catching up after last week’s clash at BlueBet Stadium.

! Hadley’s praise: 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley has called plenty of great halfbacks during his career, but he’s singled out Nathan Cleary as one of the best ever. “There’s some great halfbacks I’ve seen over the years and Andrew Johns is the best I’ve seen. But this bloke, he’s almost Johns-like at the moment,” Hadley said after Cleary’s match-winning field goal over the Dolphins last Sunday. “He is one hell of a player and the mark of a great player is a bloke who can do things others can’t do and that’s what he does on a regular basis.”

! Quiet approach: Which high-profile Penrith executive has been sounded out by a rival NRL club? We don’t think they’re going anywhere.

! Membership office: I’m told the old Panther Shop in the foyer of Panthers Leagues Club will become a footy membership office in the coming weeks as the club prepares for a challenging period ahead of 2025.

With Penrith on the road next year while the stadium is redeveloped, there will be countless issues for the membership team to overcome. That’s why the decision has been made to relocate them from the Panthers Academy to a more public-facing space in the club.

Home grounds locked in: As had been reported widely previously, Penrith will play eight home games at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta next year while BlueBet Stadium is being redeveloped. The club made the formal announcement last week, confirming that their 2025 schedule will also include home games at Magic Round, in Las Vegas, and regionally in NSW at Mudgee and Bathurst. “CommBank Stadium offers an unparalleled rugby league experience with fans close to the action within an electrifying atmosphere, exceptional facilities, and premier corporate facilities. Playing at CommBank Stadium will open up substantial commercial opportunities, further cementing the Panthers’ status as a leading NRL club,” said Panthers Rugby League CEO, Matt Cameron.

! Edwards grounded: Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards picked up a knee injury in the Origin decider that will see him out for at least three weeks. Penrith won’t be taking any risks and while he may be ready for the Eels game on August 9, a more likely return is the blockbuster clash with Melbourne on Thursday, August 15.

! Spotted: Which Penrith lawyer happily handed over $10 to buy a beanie for the Panthers Foundation last Sunday, before quickly realising one of his main competitors’ logos was emblazoned across it?

feature LUAI READY FOR FINALS CHARGE

When Nathan Cleary hit his incredible 40-odd metre field goal to win the game for the Panthers in Golden Point last Sunday afternoon at BlueBet Stadium, his regular halves partner Jarome Luai was at his home in nearby South Penrith enjoying a barbeque with family.

With Penrith’s Origin contingent granted permission by coach Ivan Cleary to relax at home after a brutal Origin decider in Brisbane last week, Luai made the most of his day off by enjoying a snag on the barbie and switching on the Sunday footy.

“I thought the game was going to be pretty relaxing, but it ended up being pretty stressful with the comeback and that,” Luai told Extra Time

“It felt like I was missing out on the fun, but it was good to get a break from Iv, chill out with the kids, but you do get itchy feet pretty quickly.”

With only a handful of games remaining at BlueBet Stadium before its redevelopment, Luai said it was hard to miss a Panthers home game in the flesh – especially considering he was only a few kilometres away.

“You never want to miss too many games

especially at home when it’s sunny and the fans are roaring,” he said.

“Regardless of whether you’re out on the field, you still want to be there supporting the boys.

“It was a good, relaxing time with my family, but it will be even better to be back out there playing on Sunday.”

This weekend’s game against the Dragons down in Wollongong will be the first time since Round 10 that Luai and Cleary will play in the ‘6’ an ‘7’ jumpers together.

The 27-year-old said Cleary’s late game heroics against the Dolphins was incredibly inspiring.

“You still have to pinch yourself when it comes to how good of a player he is,” Luai said.

“To come back after 10 weeks and hit a 45-metre field goal to win a game is something pretty crazy!

“It’s great to have him back out there and we just had our first training session together. You could just feel his presence and what he brings to the team again.”

With the band back together – minus Dylan Edwards for a few weeks due to a bung knee –Penrith are primed to give the competition a real shake once again. While Luai admits his team is beatable, he and the Panthers will be making sure they do everything in their power to make sure that’s not the case.

“I think everyone is stoppable on their day but for us, on game day, we want to be the best we can be for 80 minutes,” he said.

“Back here training – back in black – is a great feeling for us and we’ll be bringing our confidence back from a good Origin win to the team as we start our Finals charge.”

Luai should be brimming with confidence after an outstanding Origin series for NSW. Earlier this week, it was announced that he picked up the ‘Player of the Decider’ award as

voted by the fans. It was a significant honour for the young father of three, who was dropped from the third Origin game last year.

“I woke up from my nap and seen the news – it was pretty cool to wake up to and I had to pinch myself and remind myself what it was like a year ago. I sort of changed a few things – my outlook on the game, how I could be better on and off the field – and it just goes to show that if you’re willing to work for it then good things will come,” Luai said.

Jarome Luai on Wednesday. Photo: Melinda Jane.

FOOTY CLUB

PENRITH KEEN FOR WOLLONGONG WIN

Ivan Cleary will be looking to get his first win down in Wollongong in a decade this Sunday afternoon when Penrith clash with St George-Illawarra at WIN Stadium.

Not since August 10, 2014, has a Panthers side coached by the three-time NRL Premiership winner notched up a win at one of the most picturesque stadiums in Australia.

Standing in the way of victory this Sunday is a well-rested Dragons side, who have already tasted victory against the Panthers once this season.

With Shane Flanagan’s men sitting in 15th position, fighting to keep their season alive, it makes this Round 21 fixture even more precarious for the Panthers.

“They are dangerous at the best of times but even more so down there,” Cleary told Extra Time on Wednesday.

“They’ve had some really good moments this year. They are a big, physical side with some pretty good players that steer them around too.

“It’s certainly a challenge coming off the bye, so they’ll be fresh and I’m sure they’ll greet us with plenty down there. It’ll be a good challenge and one we need to be right up for.”

Unlike in their previous encounter back in Round 13, Penrith will have a much stronger outfit on Sunday with four of their victorious NSW Blues players returning from Origin duty.

On top of that, Nathan Cleary will enjoy his first away trip since early May after recovering

from a hamstring injury last week. The two-time Clive Churchill Medal-winning halfback was phenomenal against the Dolphins last week, guiding Penrith to victory after being down 14 points midway through the second half.

Cleary said what his 26-year-old son did during Golden Point was simply remarkable.

“Nat’s in the elite half category and he’s experienced enough to have gone through many of those moments – good and bad – but the main point is, that he steps up all the time,” he said.

“I leave it up to Nathan (the decision to go for field goal). He said himself that partway through the set, he wasn’t going to go for it, but we got a couple of good play-the-balls and he saw the opportunity and took it – and that’s what you want.

“He does a lot of practice and that gives you the confidence that under the most pressure, he can back his practice and have a crack.”

Meanwhile, Cleary has given an update on two of his injured stars.

Centre Paul Alamoti broke his arm during Penrith’s win over the Dolphins, while fullback Dylan Edwards suffered a PCL injury during his Man of the Match performance in the Origin decider.

“Paul had surgery yesterday (Tuesday) and that went well. He’ll be back before the end of the year,” Cleary said.

“Dyl is currently wearing a knee brace, just to make sure he doesn’t do anymore damage. It’s not a long-term injury. He’ll be doing his best to get out there early, but we’ve got to look after him as well.”

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary addresses the media.

Photo: Melinda Jane.

NATHAN TAYLOR

panther memories

Penrith Park officially opened on April 23, 1967.

The official opening game was against the ferocious Dragons, a side that had won 11 straight premierships.

The Dragons were obviously the favourites, but Penrith were keen to commemorate the opening with a victory and ran out 24-12 winners. The day will be remembered sadly for St George fans, with the legendary Reg Gasnier suffering a broken leg early in the contest.

Coached by Leo Trevena, the Panthers scored four tries on the day through Russell Johnstone, Grahame Moran, Wayne Peckham and Maurie Raper.

The legendary John Raper scored, as did Brian Clay, while Graeme Langlands kicked three goals.

The crowd on that day was 12,201 and each one of them witnessed something very special in the history of not only the Panthers, but Penrith as a city.

Pictured is the winning team from that day.

The Western Weekender Penrith Panthers Player of the

competition runs throughout the season, with our four experts delivering a 3, 2, 1 rating for the best Panthers players from each Penrith game. The player with the most votes at the end of the season is crowned our Player of the Year.

CLEARY PROVES HE’S BEST IN NRL

It was one of those moments, Penrith had just levelled the scores 26-all with the Dolphins last Sunday. It was extra time and Penrith were 43 metres out and Nathan Cleary was positioned slightly to the right.

No one expected him to kick a field goal from there. Not even his teammates as they were about to make their run down field. The Dolphins’ defence came up, but they didn’t rush him. In that moment Cleary saw an opportunity and he took it.

As the ball sailed through the air every Panthers supporter held their breath. Then the crowd went nuts as they saw the ball go over the crossbar.

Two-point field goal – game, set and match.

Cometh the hour, Cometh the man.

Cleary was back and so were Penrith in a game they had no right to win, missing five Origin players and down 14 points early in the second half.

This is what makes Cleary the best player in the world. Remember he had been out for 10 weeks and instead of easing his way back in, he went full tilt. The Dolphins came out firing and set a blistering pace throughout the match. They ran at Cleary every opportunity they had in an effort to tire him

out and put him off his game. It almost worked . . . almost. It took one moment and the ‘Ice Man’ was back. Back in the winner’s circle, back in the headlines.

During his 10-week absence the media were already picking new halfbacks to promote as the greatest in the game.

Jahrome Hughes was hailed as the best half in the comp, Mitchell

Moses was the hero of NSW and then the headlines began. Does NSW even need Nathan Cleary anymore?

Not degrading those two amazing players in any way but it’s easy to make such statements when the best player and halfback in the game is sitting on the sidelines not playing.

‘Out of sight out, out of mind’ is

Cleary didn’t have the perfect game by any stretch. He looked out of sync on more than one occasion, especially at the start of the game. Hell, even his father said he looked “rusty”.

However the rust seemed to fall away the longer the game went and by the end, Cleary was polished and shiny once more. Four try conversions, two try assists, a penalty goal to tie the game, and then a clutch two-point field goal to win the match.

All in a day’s work, really.

There’s no doubt that there’s plenty of improvement left in Cleary’s game over the next seven weeks. More importantly he showed no ill effects from the hamstring injury which kept him off the field for so long. He’ll reunite with his regular halves partner Jarome Luai this weekend for ‘one last ride’ together. Once the two click again the Panthers will be difficult to stop. It’s hard to measure the importance of Cleary to the side, well no, that’s a lie, it isn’t really. If ‘Clez’ isn’t in the team, I don’t think Penrith can win a fourth consecutive premiership. You can have Jahrome Hughes, you can have Mitchell Moses. I’ll take Nathan Cleary every day of the week… and twice on Sunday!

Nathan Cleary sealing the win for Penrith. Photo: NRL Photos.

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HOW TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

1. Search ‘Western Weekender’ wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe. We’re on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict and more! 2. Visit www.westernweekender.com.au/podcast and listen direct on our website 3. Scan the QR code to listen now

FALL IN LOVE WITH DANCE

After a successful debut at Sydney Coliseum in 2023, Sydney Dance Company is making their return to the theatre this August, this time with a brand-new work.

According to Choreographer and Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, he couldn’t wait to return to the Rooty Hill venue after the company’s first show last year.

“We fell in love with the theatre, and I hope that they fell in love with us,” he said.

“It’s such a stunning space, and it was such a warm audience. We’re a company of 17 dancers, and to be able to perform on such a wonderful stage that’s so beautifully built and made for performance, it was just a joy for us, really.”

After testing the waters with a tasting plate of tried-and-true works last year, Bonachela

is excited to be bringing an all-new work to the stage this time around, in the form of ‘momenta’.

Bonachela admitted that the process of putting the work together was a unique one, done in between rehearsals for their international tour.

“We came back from the summer break in January, and we were getting five different works ready to go on a seven-week international tour that started in March,” he said.

“We hardly were able to go back to ‘momenta’ [on tour] because we had to rehearse the show in the day while we were performing, but then we came back a few weeks ago and we had 15 days, and in 15 days, everyone just really focused and we pulled it together.”

In choreographing ‘momenta’, Bonachela recalled being inspired by the concept of momentum, delving into its many different meanings.

“In a way, for me, I loved the title ‘momen-

ta’, but also I had a lot to draw from, because in physics, momentum is the force that keeps an object moving – it has a lot to do with energy and force and connection – and then I also thought ‘momenta’ as a temporal, as a moment in time, a moment between people, a transient moment of emotional encounters.

Then, we also often use moment as in, ‘What a moment’, like something important,” he said.

It’s because of this that with the help of contrasting scores, Bonachela is able to explore both the most tender exchanges and strong physical storms through the piece.

“‘momenta’ has some really incredibly beautiful classical music, which is a violin concerto called ‘Distant Light’. This music is very nostalgic with a bit of tragedy. Violin is the main instrument, but it’s also orchestral, so there’s this grand sound, and then there is also electronics,” he said.

“The music really informs the movement –there is a force, there is a power, there is an en-

ergy at times as a group, but also, in the more classical moments, there’s this very emotive, tender, delicate duets, for example.”

The show opened a few months ago at Sydney’s Roslyn Packer Theatre, and has since been taking cities around the country by storm.

With each performance and rehearsal, Bonachela said that the show grows and changes, and will continue to do so until it gets to western Sydney.

“By the time that it gets to West HQ, it will be event more potent,” he said.

But, when it comes to what audiences can expect from ‘momenta’, Bonachela said there’s only so much he can say, encouraging audiences to come and see it for themselves.

Sydney Dance Company’s ‘momenta’ will be on at Sydney Coliseum on Saturday, August 10. Tickets start at $55. For more information or to book, visit www.sydneycoliseum.com.au.

CASSIDY PEARCE

23 - 29 JULY

WesternSydney GigGuid e

IF YOU HAVE A GIG OR EVENT YOU Would LIKE TO PROMOTE PLEASE CONTACT AMANDA at AMANDA.COSKERIE@WESTERNWEEKENDER.COM.AU

Fiesta Friday & Live Music Friday

Live Music from 5:30pm Specials from 5pm

Commercial Hotel

Mayeflower, james Van Hest & Gravity Stone

8pm, tickets from $11

Elton CHong

Juke BOx Jive

From 2pm

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DJ Dave CHaran

From 8pm

Pendle HIll Inn

Retrospective

From 9pm in the Members Lounge

St Marys Rugby Leagues Club

Killer Queen

7:30pm, tickets from $48.10

Evan Theatre, Panthers

DJ Dave JacksonWe Like to Party

From 8pm ’till late

Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL

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The Carrington, Katoomba

Win limited edition Canadian Club merch. Live music 2pm-5pm Log Cabin

JOan Sutherland Centre Bad Sweater Sundays

Sun Rising; The Birth of Rock & Roll 2pm & 7:30pm Tickets from $26

THINGS TO DO

Attention all doggie enthusiasts! Get ready for the most PAWsome event hitting Penrith this Sunday, July 28. After roaring success in Sydney and Newcastle, the newest Dachshund Festival is making its way to Penrith Paceway for a tail-wagging good time for the whole family. Enjoy exciting competitions, activities and stalls for both humans and fur babies. Dachshund Festival in Penrith this Sunday

BARGAIN BUYS

Op Shop at Kingswood Thursdays and Fridays, 9am to 3.30pm. Kingswood Anglican Church, corner of Bringelly Road and Second Avenue, Kingswood. Morning tea every Friday morning.

BUSINESS

Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce

For more information about membership and upcoming events, visit www.penrithchamber.org.au.

Penrith CBD Corporation

Regular meetings and networking for Penrith CBD businesses. Visit www. penrithcbdcorp.com.au.

CLASSES AND FUN

Free weekly Tai Chi classes

Saturdays 4.30pm, WSU Kingswood Campus. Guan 0422 120 738. Tai chi and qiqong exercise.

COMMUNITY GROUPS

Jordan Springs Probus Club

Fourth Tuesday of the month at 10am, Jordan Springs Hub. 0414 766 763.

Nepean Riverlands Probus Club

Meets on the second Wednesday of the month at Nepean Rowing Club

Christmas in July at Saints

On Wednesday, July 31, enjoy a traditional two-course Christmas luncheon and an unforgettable fusion of swing classics and Christmas melodies in an amazing live stage duo performance at Saints, celebrating Christmas in July. Doors open at 11am, with entertainment starting at 11.30am. For more information or to book, visit www.ticketebo.com.au.

from 10am. New members are always welcome.

Kingswood-Caddens Probus Club

Meets on the last Monday of the month at Kingswood Sports Club at 10.30am.

Probus Club of Nepean

First Wednesday of the month at Emu Sports Club, Leonay from 10.30am. Visitors and new members welcome. Contact Faye on 0417 267 866 for more information.

Penrith Lions Club

Second and fourth Monday of the month. Penrith Bowling Club. 4736 1546 for more information.

Nepean Valley RSL Day Club

Meets every Friday from 10am-2pm at Penrith Senior Citizens Centre. Volunteers needed. 0407 014 542.

Penrith Hospital Auxiliary

Craft stall at Nepean Hospital on the first Tuesday of each month from 9am2pm. Volunteers needed. Call Helen on 4572 5244.

Red Cross Penrith

Meetings held the second Thursday of the month for lunch. Members and

Best of Queen on stage at Panthers

Formed in 2003, The Killer Queen Experience has risen from a Brisbane-based Queen cover band to an international touring show and is Australia’s most sought-after tribute act today. This Saturday, July 27, they’re making their way to Panthers for a very special show with all Queen’s greatest hits. Visit www. penrith.panthers.com.au for tickets.

volunteers knit teddies for trauma victims. Call 0438 244 414.

Penrith NASHOS

Monthly meeting on the third Sunday of the month at Penrith RSL. Call 0448 983 399 for details.

Nepean Evening VIEW Club

Meets the third Monday of the month at Panthers from 7pm, with dinner and interesting speakers. Call 0411 306 150.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Nepean Food Services

Delivered meals available to purchase for those over 65 or with a disability. Call 4733 7200 for details or visit www.nepeanfoodservices.org.au.

Free food shop

9am-11am every Tuesday at 51 Henry Street, Penrith.

MUSEUMS

Penrith Museum of Printing Sundays from 10am. Penrith Paceway. 0415 625 573 for more information.

Nepean Naval Museum

Open Sundays 11am-3pm. 40-42 Bruce Neale Drive. 0411 138 700 for more details.

Arms of Australia Inn Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 10am-1pm, 4735 4394. 127 Gardenia Avenue, Emu Plains.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Penrith Stroke Recovery Group

Third Thursday of the month at 10am, Panthers. 1300 650 594.

Penrith Carer Support Group

First Thursday of the month. Headspace. 8880 8160.

Penrith Men’s Walk and Talk Thursdays from 5.30pm. Meet at Coffee Club Nepean River.

Penrith Women’s Health Centre Domestic violence support services. 4721 2499.

Penrith Autism Community Network Carers support group. Meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6.30pm at Maze Cafe, Penrith RSL. Phillip on 0420 209 015 for more details.

Prostate Cancer Support Group Meets third Monday of the month at Emu Sports Club from 6.30pm. Call 1300 13 38 78 for more information.

One cold, stormy night in New York City, a mysterious object falls from the sky and smashes through the window of a rundown apartment building. It is an egg, and from this egg emerges a strange little spider.

The creature is discovered by Charlotte, a rebellious 12-year-old girl obsessed with comic books. Keeping it as a secret pet, she names it Sting.

As Charlotte’s fascination with Sting increases, so does its size. Growing at a monstrous rate, Sting’s appetite for blood becomes insatiable. Neighbours’ pets start to go missing, and then the neighbours

themselves. Soon Charlotte’s family and the eccentric characters of the building realise that they are all trapped, hunted by a ravenous supersized arach-

nid with a taste for human flesh... and Charlotte is the only one who knows how to stop it.

‘Sting’ is now showing in cinemas.

After a terrifying storm destroys their home, a speedy sloth named Laura and her kooky family are forced to move to the big city with nothing but their prized family recipe book –and a rusted old food truck. The family’s delicious food soon catches the eye of a quick witted

www.hoyts.com.au

Nathan

Ê The 20th season of ‘Gogglebox Australia’ is coming next month. The new season will premiere first on Foxtel’s LifeStyle channel on Wednesday, August 14 before it gets its free-to-air premiere the following night on 10 on Thursday, August 15 at 7.30pm. The cast includes The Delpechitra Family; Lee and Keith; Anastasia and Faye; The Daltons; Adam and Symon; Kerry, Izzy and baby Ruby; Matty, Malik and Uncle Jad; Tim and Leanne; Milo and Nic; Kevin, Bob and Jared; and newest additions, sisters Mia and Bree and friend Lainey.

Ê Also returning to 10 next month is the new season of ‘Thank God You’re Here’. Comedian Celia Pacquola returns to host the hit Aussie improv series when it premieres on Wednesday, August 15 at 7.30pm.

Ê On the very same night, Shaun Micallef will return to the ABC with his brand-new eight-part talk show titled ‘Shaun Micallef’s Eve of Destruction’. The format sees two guests asked the question, “If your house was about to be destroyed, what two things would you save?” Catch the hilarity on Wednesday, August 14 at 8pm.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 FRASIER, PARAMOUNT+

AUGUST 15 7.30PM GOGGLEBOX AUSTRALIA, 10

Exciting news for fans of ‘Frasier’, with season two of the reboot to premiere on Paramount+ on Friday, September 20. Dr Frasier Crane will also return to his radio roots at KACL in Seattle for one episode. The episode will feature previously announced guest stars stepping including Dan Butler as Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe, Edward Hibbert as Gil Chesterton and Harriet Sansom Harris as Frasier’s delightfully devilish agent, Bebe Glazer. Peri Gilpin will also be back for season two as a recurring guest star as Roz Doyle.

Ê The new season of racy dating series ‘FBoy Island Australia’ will premiere on Binge and Foxtel on Monday, August 5. Hosted by Abbie Chatfield, season two follows three new women – Krystal Thomas, Ally Woodfall and Nicole Mitrov – as they navigate the dating pool together to

determine who are the self-proclaimed ‘Nice Guys’ looking for love, and who are the selfproclaimed ‘FBoys’ only there to play the game and take home the cash prize. Season one of ‘FBoy Island Australia’ was Binge’s biggest reality premiere to date!

Ê The second season of US comedy ‘Unstable’, starring Rob Lowe and his son John Owen Lowe, will drop on Netflix on Thursday, August 1. In season two, universally admired, eccentric, narcissistadjacent biotech entrepreneur Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe) lays out a series of challenges and mind games for his son Jackson (John Owen Lowe) to see if he has what it takes to succeed him as the heir to the Dragon empire, but does a newcomer have other ideas? It’s hard to go past anything Rob Lowe does, so I might give this series a go!

Guide: July 26 – August 1

7:00 AFL:

7:20

3:40 Animals Make You Laugh Out Loud (PG) 4:40 Baking It (PG) 5:40 Dodger (PG) 6:40 Movie: “Stuart Little” (G) (’99) Stars: Michael J Fox 8:30 Movie: “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (M v) (’03) Stars: Cameron Diaz 4:05 Mysterious Cities Of Gold (PG) 4:35 Motown Magic 5:00 Our Stories 5:30 NITV News: Nula 6:00 Bamay 6:40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms 7:30 Movie: “The Great Northern Candy Drop” (PG) (’17) Stars: Lorne Cardinal 6:00 Home Shopping 8:00 What’s Up Down Under 8:30 Diagnosis Murder (PG) 10:30 JAG (PG) 12:30 Bull (M v) 1:30 NCIS (M) 2:30 Jake And The Fatman (PG) 3:30 Diagnosis Murder (PG) 5:30 JAG (PG) 7:30 NCIS (M) 9:25 FBI: Most Wanted (M) 2:30 The King Of Queens (PG) 3:00 Frasier (PG) 4:00

Or Try Not To 9:30 Come Dine With Me The Professionals UK 4:30 PBS News Hour 5:30 The Curse Of Oak Island (PG) 6:15 Forged In Fire (PG) 7:05 Jeopardy! 7:30 NITV News Update 7:35 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (M l,s) 8:30 Billy Connolly’s Great American Trail (M)

Front Line (PG) 6:00 Seven News 7:00 Border Security - Australia’s Front Line (PG) 7:30 Movie: “Sister Act” (PG) (’92) Stars: Whoopi Goldberg 9:35 Movie: “Sleepless In Seattle” (PG) (’93) Stars: Meg Ryan 11:10 Autopsy USA (M) 6:00 Olympic Games Paris: Opening Ceremony *Live* 7:15 Olympic Games Paris: Post Show 8:00 Weekend Today 10:00 Beyond The Dream - Race To Paris (M l) 11:00 Beyond The Dream: Boiling Point - Swimming’s Greatest Rivalry 12:00 9News Morning Weekend 1:00 Olympic Games Paris: Opening Ceremony *Replay* 6:00 NINE News Saturday 7:00 Olympic Games Paris: Day 1: Night *Live* 10:30 Olympic Games Paris: Day 1 *Live*

2:00 Escape To The Country 3:00 Mighty Cruise Ships (PG) 4:00 Escape To The Country 5:00 Bargain Hunt 6:00 Heathrow (PG) 6:30 The Highland Vet (PG) 7:30 The Yorkshire Vet (PG) 8:30 Escape To The Country

4:35 Little J And Big Cuz 5:00 Peppa

5:35 Fireman

5:50 Octonauts 6:25 Pfffirates 7:05 Karma’s World 7:30 Hard Quiz Kids (PG) 7:55 The Crystal Maze (PG) 8:45 All-Round Champion (PG) 9:35 Movie: “Cinderella” (PG) (’21)

3:00 NDRC Nitro Funny Cars Highlights 4:00 Barrett Jackson: Revved Up (PG) 5:00 Counting Cars (PG) 5:30 Storage Wars (PG) 6:00 Pawn Stars (PG) 7:00 AFL: Round 20: Melbourne v GWS *Live* 10:30 AFL: Post Game 1:30 Bringing Sexy Back (PG) 2:45 Dancing With The Stars (PG) 4:15 Britain’s Got Talent (PG) 5:25 Movie: “Isle Of Dogs” (PG) (’18) Stars: Bryan Cranston 7:30 Movie: “Blue Crush” (PG) (’02) Stars: Kate Bosworth

ABC News 4:10 Speechless (PG) 4:35 Mythbusters (PG) 5:25 George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces 6:15 Car S.O.S (PG) 7:00 Would I Lie To You? (PG) 8:00 QI (PG) 8:30

4:20 NITV News: Nula 4:50 Going Places With Ernie Dingo (PG) 5:20 Unsettled (PG) 5:50 Kairakau (PG) 6:30 Chuck And The First Peoples’ Kitchen (PG) 7:00 The Other Side 7:30 Resistance In A Hostile Environment (PG)

Apollo (M l) 9:20 Absolutely Fabulous (PG) 10:50 ER (PG) 12:15 rage (M) 5:30 Luca’s Key Ingredient 6:00 Food Affair With Mark Wiens 6:30 Escape To River Cottage 7:30 Hairy Bikers Go North 8:30 Rick Stein’s Long Weekends 9:40 Anthony Bourdain: A Cook’s Tour 10:35 Alex Polizzi Secret Italy 11:30 Easy Eats

3:30 Seinfeld (PG) 4:30 The Addams Family 5:00 Bewitched 5:30 Movie: “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London” (PG) (’04) Stars: Frankie Muniz 7:30 Movie: “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth” (PG) (’08) Stars: Josh Hutcherson

6:00 Home Shopping 9:00 Pooches At Play (PG) 9:30 Diagnosis Murder (PG) 11:30 On The Fly 12:00 Jake And The Fatman (PG) 1:00 I Fish 2:00 JAG (PG) 4:00 All 4 Adventures (PG) 5:00 Reel Action 5:30 JAG (PG) 7:30 NCIS (PG) 12:00 The King Of Queens (PG) 1:00 The Neighborhood (PG) 2:00 Two And A Half Men (PG) 2:30 Becker (PG) 3:00 Frasier (PG) 4:00 Friends (PG) 6:00 The Big Bang Theory (PG) 10:30 Two And A Half Men (PG) 12:00 Home Shopping

3:55 ABC World News Tonight With David Muir 4:25 PBS Newshour 5:25 Tattoo Age (PG) 5:55 The Food That Built The World (PG) 7:35 Impossible Engineering 8:30 The Nine Lives Of South Park (M d,l,n)

2:00 Holmes Family Rescue 3:00 Building Off The Grid 4:00 Scott’s

2:50 Sunnyside (PG) 3:20 Movie: “100% Wolf” (PG) (’20) Stars: Loren Gray 5:15 Movie: “Home” (PG) (’15) Stars: Jim Parsons 7:00 Olympic Games Paris: Day 1 *Live* 8:00 Movie: “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” (PG) (’06) Stars: Uma Thurman 12:30 NRL: Women’s Premiership: Broncos v Eels *Live* 2:30 Drive TV 3:00 Rugby Union: Shute Shield: Manly v Sydney Uni *Live* 5:00

Paris: Day 1: Afternoon *Live* 8:00 Olympic Games Paris: Day 1: Night *Live* 6:00 rage (PG) 7:00 Weekend Breakfast 9:00 Insiders 10:00 Offsiders 10:30 The World This Week 11:00 Compass (PG) 11:30 Songs Of Praise 12:00 ABC News 12:30 Landline 1:30 Love Your Garden 2:20 Grand Designs - The Streets (PG) 3:10 Simply Nigella 3:40 Extraordinary Escapes (PG) 4:30 Julia Zemiro’s

5:30 Puppy School (PG) 6:30 Bondi Vet (PG) 7:30 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (M) 8:30 Law & Order: SVU (M) 10:30 Law & Order (M) 4:05 Anthem Sessions: Last Kinection (PG) 4:15 Tina: What’s Love (PG) 6:10 NITV News Update 6:20 Yellowstone (PG) 7:30 How Hip Hop Changed The World (M) 8:30 Nat King Cole: Afraid Of The Dark 10:10 Movie: “The Fountain” (M) (’06) 10:00 Deal Or No Deal 11:00 Escape Fishing With ET 11:30 JAG (PG) 1:30 Dr Phil (PG) 2:30 Buy To Build 3:00 Tough Tested 4:00 Pooches At Play 4:30 What’s Up Down Under 5:00 I Fish 5:30 JAG (PG) 7:30 NCIS (M) 9:25 Bull (M v) 6:30 Frasier (PG) 7:30 Neighbours (PG) 9:30 Becker (PG)

Get Macca’s® delivered.

6:30 Neighbours (PG) 7:00 Friends (PG) 8:00 The Big Bang Theory (PG) 9:30 Two And A Half Men (PG)

6:05 Little J And Big Cuz 6:25 The Adventures Of Paddington 7:05 Andy And The Band 7:35 The Inbestigators 8:05 Fresh Off The Boat (PG) 4:00 Afternoon Briefing 5:00 ABC News With Joe O’Brien

6:05 Little J And Big Cuz 6:25 The Adventures Of Paddington 7:05 Andy And

News 7:30 7.30 8:00 Foreign Correspondent 12:00 Movie: “Hidden Intentions” (M s,v) (’18) Stars: Ashlynn Yennie 2:00 Surveillance Oz (PG) 2:15 Catch Phrase (PG) 3:00 The Chase UK (PG) 4:00 Seven News At 4 5:00 The Chase Australia (PG) 6:00 Seven News 7:00 Home And Away (PG) 8:30 Homicide - With Ron Iddles (M v) 9:30 Starstruck (PG)

Diagnosis Murder (PG) 5:30 JAG (PG) 7:30 NCIS (M v) 9:25 FBI: Most Wanted (M) 4:30 Friends (PG) 5:30 The Big Bang Theory (PG) 6:30 Neighbours (PG) 7:00 Friends (PG) 8:00 The Big Bang Theory (PG) 9:30 Two And A Half Men (PG) 4:30 Self-Made Mansions 5:00 Flip Or Flop 6:00

Olympic Games Paris: Day 6: Night *Live* 10:30 Olympic Games Paris: Day 6 *Live* 2:00 Taskmaster Australia (PG) 3:00 Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield 3:30 10 News First: Afternoon 4:00 Neighbours (PG) 4:30 The Bold & The Beautiful (PG) 5:00 10 News First 6:00 Deal Or No Deal (PG) 6:30 The Project (PG) 7:30 The Dog House Australia (PG) 8:40 Law & Order: SVU (MA15+) 10:35

LEGACY OF THE OILS

Australian culture, serving as a key example of how powerful music can be to inspire and ignite change.

Over the span of their 45-year career, Midnight Oil truly shaped modern Australia. Now, both their outspoken activism and iconic music is being brought to the big screen in ‘Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line’.

The film delves into the band’s backstory, bringing to light how they went from being ‘non-sporty schoolmates and keen surfers’ to global music sensations who challenged the status quo both in terms of their music, including anthems like ‘US Forces’, ‘Beds Are Burning’ and ‘Redneck Wonderland’, and their cultural impacts over more than four decades.

The band made a significant contribution to

This Saturday, July 27, there will be a special showing of the film taking place at Glenbrook Cinema, thanks to the support of Roadshow Films, with a post-film Q&A session with special guest Paul Clarke, the writer and director of the documentary.

This session will provide an unmatched opportunity to engage with the filmmaker and discuss the film, gaining insights into both its making, and the band’s incredible legacy.

This special Glenbrook Cinema Event will be on at Glenbrook Cinema on Saturday, July 27 from 5pm. Tickets start at $16. For more information or to book, visit www. glenbrookcinema.com.au.

COUNTRY CORNER

Wilson doco lands Disney+ in Australia is screening Lainey Wilson (pictured) documentary ‘Bell Bottom Country’.

The insightful doco follows the emotional journey of 32-year-old Grammy-winning country music sensation Wilson.

From her humble childhood in small-town Louisiana to a role on ‘Yellowstone’ and sold out arena tours, this is the ultimate backstage pass to meet Lainey like never before.

The special includes heartfelt conversation with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, and intimate interviews with Wilson’s family members, friends, manager, collaborators and co-stars.

It’s available to stream now on Disney+.

Love Still Has Something

In case we need a reminder, that goodness and joy still exists,

chart-topper Ashleigh

Dallas (pictured right) is back with her new single, ‘Love Still Has Something’.

Written during her time as a member of Sam Hawksley’s Song Club, the prompt was Love Still Has, and this song was born just before her weekly contribution to the ‘club’ was due.

“The prompt and this song took me to that vulnerable space that you often try to hide from, in your own four walls, but then when you actually open your eyes up, there is still something there for you in life outside your comfort zone,” Dallas said.

“This song ultimately is about allowing yourself to have self-love and I hope that this song will encourage people to commit to that more as I don’t think we allow time for ourselves, as easily as we would for someone else.”

The song is out now on all streaming services.

Thomas drops new music Australian country pop sensation Kaitlyn Thomas has launched her latest single ‘Hell Of A Long Time,’ delivering a powerful blend of sassy lyrics and country rock energy that promises to captivate listeners across the nation.

Written by Kaitlyn Thomas, Troy Kemp, Michael Paynter, Michael Delorenzis and produced by powerhouse duo MSquared, ‘Hell Of A Long Time’ is a bop about catching up with friends and family that you haven’t seen in a long time. Knowing that time may change us, but it will never change the bond and good times that we all share. It’s out now!

The five-time Golden Guitar winner and chart-topping singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Tamworth said she wanted others to know they weren’t alone in their journey of reaching out beyond their comfort zone, or wanting to hide within their four walls.

CASSIDY PEARCE

HOW TO BOOST THE MOOD OF YOUR HOME

With the cost-of-living weighing heavily on the minds of Aussies,

Kellie Richardson believes it is important for households to make the effort to uplift their décor to create a more positive vibe around the home.

“People are staying home because they can’t afford to go out. They are feeling depressed and down at home which is adding to their financial stress,” Richardson said.

“There are some simple things households can do to lift their mood at home.”

Richardson is a highly respected interior designer, creator of the

term ‘Botox for your home’ and founder of Melbourne-based home design company Kurved by Design.

Richardson emphasises that according to the principles of good design and the ancient art of Feng Shui, there are simple things you can do to lift your décor at home to improve your mood. To uplift your mood and improve the Feng Shui of your home, you can make several thoughtful changes to your decor. Here are some ideas that incorporate both general mood enhancement and Feng Shui principles.

Declutter and organise

“Clear out unnecessary items to create a sense of space and order. Be ruthless. Maintain your belongings neatly organised to promote a calm and serene environment,” Richardson said.

Enhance natural light

“Light is uplifting. Keep windows clean and unobstructed to allow natural light to flow in. Place mirrors strategically to reflect light and make the space feel larger and brighter,” Richardson said.

Incorporate plants

“Add indoor plants to bring life and freshness into your home. Plants like peace lilies, snake plants, and jade plants are good for Feng Shui. Place plants in areas that need more vitality and energy, such as corners or next to electronics,” Richardson said.

Use calming colours

“Choose colours that promote calmness and positivity. Light blues, greens and earthy tones are great for creating a relaxing atmosphere. Use vibrant colours like red, orange, and yellow sparingly to energise specific areas,” Richardson said.

Balance the elements

“Introduce water features like a small fountain or aquarium to add tranquility. Use candles to introduce the fire element, which adds warmth and passion. Incorporate wooden furniture or decor to bring stability and growth. Add metal accents to create clarity and precision and use crystals, stones, or clay pots to ground and stabilise the energy,” Richardson said.

Enhance air quality

“Ensure good airflow by opening windows regularly and using air purifiers. Use essential oils or incense to introduce pleasant scents that uplift your mood,” Richardson said.

Create a welcoming entrance

“Keep the area around your front door clean and inviting. Use a welcome mat and good lighting. Decorate the entryway with uplifting art or plants to create a positive first impression,” Richardson said.

“CHOOSE COLOURS THAT PROMOTE CALMNESS AND POSITIVITY”

Optimise furniture placement

“Arrange furniture so that you can see the door from your main seating areas without being directly in line with it. This creates a sense of security. Ensure that pathways are clear and that furniture doesn’t block movement or natural light,” Richardson said.

Incorporate soothing sounds

“Hang wind chimes near windows or doors to create soothing sounds that enhance chi (energy) flow. Play calming or uplifting music to create a positive atmosphere,” Richardson said.

Add personal touches

“Display family photos, artwork and items that have sentimental value to make the space feel more personal and uplifting. Include items related to your hobbies and interests to make the space feel uniquely yours,” Richardson said.

CONTACT AGENT FOR PRICE

Upcoming releases in Marian’s Mana, Oran Park

CONTACT:

Oran Park Sales Office

Jeff Webb • 9043 7500

What is so great about this property?

Marian’s Mana is a prestigious master-planned community offering architecturally designed residences in one of south-west Sydney’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods.

Nestled between the Oran Park Town Centre and its many amenities and the proposed Lake Pondicherry precinct, with its

foreshores, boardwalks, cafés and activity spaces, this family-friendly neighbourhood brings the best of both worlds to your every day.

With easy access to Brooking Park, Whiteman Park, DawsonDamer Park and the proposed 10-hectare lake, you’ll always find the perfect spot for a walk, picnic or quiet reading spot, moments from your front door.

Ma rian’s Mana is a pre stig iou s maste r-plan ne d pre ci nct offer i ng prem iu m land lots and a rchite ct ural ly des ig ne d res idence s i n one of South-West S yd ney’s faste st-g rowi ng com mu nities.

PR ICES START FROM $554, 50 0

FE AT URES MANICURED GARDENS AND GREEN SPAC ES , ALL MAIN TA INED UNDER A CO MMUNIT Y TITLE SCHEME

WELL PO SITIONED NE AR THE RA PI DLY EX PA NDING OR AN PA RK TO WN CENTRE

Located near Oran Park ’s most popular amenities and shopping precinct, Marian’s Mana invites you to enjoy an addres s that blends nature with urban conveniences. It ’s a place you’ll want to call ho me.

IN THE MIRROR with Cassidy Pearce

The lowdown on new beauty arrival

It’s official: Glossier has landed on Aussie shores.

After not being sold in Australia for over five years, shoppers are finally able to purchase the brand both online and in stores, available exclusively at Mecca.

Though some might say it’s too little too late for Glossier, with its popularity spiking in the latter half of the 2010s following its initial launch, I do think there is still a space for the brand in the industry, with it boasting a range of products perfect for no-makeup-makeup days.

If after seeing US influencers and makeup artists using Glossier for years, you’re finally ready to pick it up yourself, I think it’s important to go in with a game plan.

I’ve collated my thoughts on some of Glossier’s most iconic products, and here’s what you

should – and shouldn’t – be adding to your list.

Glossier Balm Dotcom Lip Balm and Skin Salve

As a lip product addict, the second I walked into Mecca last week I made a beeline to the Glossier Balm Dotcom display.

The product is described as being an ultra-rich lip balm with a thick waxy texture, sealing in moisture and leaving lips smooth and hydrated. It comes in nine shades – Straw-

berry, Birthday, Wild Fig, Rose, Mango, Coconut, Original, Mint and Lavendar.

In my spree, I picked up both the Strawberry shade – with a delicious strawberry scent and red tint – and the Birthday shade – clear with glitter, and a cake scent.

Though I’m aware that there have been formula changes over time, I can only speak to what I purchased, and I do think that these lip balms are my favourite things from the brand so far. I’ve been using them both religiously – they’re long-wearing, hydrating, and smell great, almost like the adult version of Lip Smackers.

A little also goes a long way, making them worth the $27.

Glossier Boy Brow Volumizing Eyebrow Gel-Pomade Arguably, Glossier is best known for the Boy Brow – a

volumising gel-pomade that aims to thicken, condition, and groom brows into place without stiffening or flaking. Whilst I think this product does the job, I don’t think it’s the best brow gel on the market. The spoolie is too small for my liking, meaning it doesn’t grip the hairs as well as my favourite brow gels – the Mecca Max Brow Guru Power Brow Strong Hold Gel, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel or One/Size BrowKiki Clear Nourishing Brow Gel. If you have sparser brows, though, it does hold the hairs in place fairly well, so this might be good for you!

Out of the eight blush shades available in the Cloud Paint, I chose to pick one up in ‘Puff’. The Cloud Paints are described as being buildable and dewy gel-cream blushes, and I think they fit that perfectly.

Though ‘Puff’ is quite light, it builds up to a nice pinky-peach colour, and is easy to blend out, meaning it’s super beginner friendly.

Glossier Cloud Paint Gel Cream Blush

The Experts

PREHABILITATION FOR HIP, KNEE REPLACEMENTS

Musculoskeletal/orthopedic surgeries such as total hip and knee replacements, are among the most common procedures to improve outcomes such as pain, and restore mobility and function for those in need. However, the success of these surgeries doesn’t solely depend on the operation itself; prehabilitation (prehab) plays a crucial role in optimising outcomes and ensuring a smoother recovery.

What is prehabilitation?

Prehabilitation refers to a proactive, structured program of physical exercises and education designed to improve patients’ physical and mental readiness for surgery. It aims to enhance strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular health before the surgical intervention, reducing the risk of postoperative complications and expediting recovery.

Benefits of prehabilitation

– Improved physical fitness: Prehab exercises target key muscle groups around the area (typically hip and knee joints), increasing muscle strength and endurance. Enhanced physical fitness ensures that patients are better prepared to cope with the physical demands of surgery and postoperative rehabilitation.

– Enhanced surgical outcomes: Studies have shown that patients who undergo prehabilitation experience fewer complications, such as infections and deep vein thrombosis. Stronger muscles and better cardiovascular health contribute to a more robust immune response and faster wound healing.

– Reduced hospital stay: Research shows us that by optimising physical fitness and overall health through prehab, can lead to a shorter hospital stay. Patients are more likely to meet the mobility and functional

criteria for discharge sooner, allowing them to return home quicker.

– Pain management: Prehabilitation programs often include pain management strategies and education. Patients learn techniques to manage pain effectively, reducing the reliance on postoperative pain medications, which can have adverse side effects.

– Mental preparation: Surgery can be mentally challenging. Prehab programs address this by incorporating education and psychological support, helping patients set realistic expectations, reduce anxiety, and build a positive mindset towards recovery.

Prehabilitation is a critical component in the journey towards successful total hip and knee replacement surgeries. By enhancing physical fitness, reducing complications, shortening hospital stays, and managing pain effectively, prehab prepares patients for the challenges of surgery and promotes a faster, more successful recovery. Patients and healthcare providers should prioritise prehabilitation as an integral part of the surgical process to ensure the best possible outcomes.

SCHOOL’S IN FOR OUR PUPS

With our children heading back to the classroom

this week, it is time to think about enrolling our puppies into school also.

Our Puppy School and Adolescent dog classes provide a safe space to allow structured socialisation for puppies with other dogs their own age. Our trained instructors will teach you about socialisation, dog communication, vet care, pet care, child and dog safety and troubleshooting undesirable behaviour. Over a five-week period you and your puppy will learn practical information to put you on the path to success.

Our Puppy Pre School classes are specifically designed for dogs eight to 14 weeks of age as this is a very important developmental period for dogs. Through positive reinforcement puppies find that learning is fun and rewards will follow. We also offer new adolescent dog training classes for dogs from six months of age for

those dogs who need a little extra assistance with their training.

Prior to six months of age is the time that puppies start exploring, a time when puppies are very accepting of new situations and experiences, and learn strategies to cope with situations that may be new or a little frightening. This makes it the perfect time for introducing your puppy to the big wide human world that it is going to live in – a world of funny sights (cars, bicycles, balloons, hats, other animals), funny sounds (horns, thunder, television, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners) and funny smells (foods, perfumes and cleaning products).

It is also a good time for learning about other puppies – that they come in all shapes and sizes; short, tall, long tails and floppy ears. For some dogs, missing this ‘window of opportunity’ can lead to a life time of

PET HEALTH

The Experts

KELLIE TICKNER

INVESTMENT BONDS

In the ‘70s and ‘80s an investment bond, also known as an insurance bond, was a very popular investment vehicle that went out of vogue as the popularity of the managed fund increased. But there is still a place for the investment bond.

fear and anxiety. Even though it is important to continue to expose your dog to as many sights and sounds as possible throughout adolescence, this early period is seen as perhaps the most important. Our puppy classes aim is to give you realistic expectations of your puppy through the understanding of their natural behaviours. The program equips you with the tools to develop a strong relationship with your puppy, allowing them to become an integral part of the family. Please contact our friendly team on 4736 2027.

Investment bonds should be viewed as a tax structure as opposed to an investment choice, not dissimilar to Superannuation.

Earnings within the bond are taxed internally and if withdrawn after 10 years are considered tax paid. There is a formula used to calculate the tax applied to any withdrawals from within the bond within 10 years.

This is particularly useful for children as they are penalised for all unearned income above $416pa with tax rates as high as 66 per cent. The investment bond is a very effective strategy for investing on behalf of a minor as the earnings are taxed internally and not subject to these penalties.

Those with high marginal tax rates that wish to invest for the long-term but are unwilling or unable to invest in the super system would also benefit from a tax paid investment at the end of the 10 year period.

Most investment bonds these days offer a reasonably wide range of investment options that should enable a satisfactory, if not perfect, investment portfolio in line with the goals and risk appetite of the investor.

In addition, the investment bond can be used as an estate planning tool.

The investment bonds are subject to the regulations associated with the insurance act, and, as such the proceeds of an investment bond do not form part of the estate. Therefore, an investment bond can be used to ensure that a desired beneficiary inherits an asset. This can be useful in circumstances where the intended beneficiary may not be a close relative or it is likely that the estate will

be contested. Furthermore, conditions can be placed on the inheritance. This is useful if the beneficiary is a minor or perhaps not responsible with money. It is possible to set conditions on how the money will be received.

There are also bonds especially designed for educational purposes that allow for funds to be withdrawn from the bond to cover costs associated with a child’s education without losing the tax benefits. The investment bond is another investment vehicle that in some circumstances may be very effective for helping you achieve your future financial goals.

HOROSCOPES

Relax & Unwind

AQUARIUS

JANUARY 21 TO FEBRUARY 19

This week you’ll be reliably unpredictable and consistently inconsistent! Love, loyalty and compromise are the New Moon buzz words. But one half of you wants to snuggle up close with someone special – while the other half longs to be footloose, fancy-free and spontaneously solo. Try to find the sweet spot between cosy companionship and invigorating independence. And resist the urge to be an Aquarian provocateur who is deliberately controversial.

TAURUS

Venus (your patron planet) squares Uranus on Friday, when a personal project takes an unexpected turn or a family member could hit you with some surprising news. Talking things through with a sympathetic friend may be the healing balm you need. Sunday’s New Moon is a fabulous time for a domestic reboot as you clean and de-clutter your living space, and make it more beautiful via re-decorating, playing music or a fresh lick of paint.

LEO

JULY 23 TO AUGUST 23

Calling all Cats! With the Sun, New Moon and Venus all visiting your sign, it’s your time to shine. To display your numerous creative talents, and dazzle others with your fiery enthusiasm and abundant Leo charm. It’s also the best week of the year to try a new hairstyle, update your wardrobe or start an exciting personal project. But be careful you don’t upset a work colleague, client or customer by behaving in an inconsistent, unpredictable or selfish way

SCORPIO

OCTOBER 24 TO NOVEMBER 22

Friday’s Venus/Uranus connection brings a rush of fiery energy and a fresh perspective to a stale romance or a floundering friendship. But it could also send a faltering relationship right off the rails. There’s no denying you’re a smart Scorpion but are you making the most of your professional talents? The New Moon activates your career zone, so it’s time to put on your thinking cap, connect with colleagues and keep them up to date with your work plans.

PISCES

FEBRUARY 20 TO MARCH 20

New Moon week is the ideal time to ditch bad daily habits and start afresh. Work, health, fitness and food choices are the main areas where you need to make some long overdue changes and adjustments – the sooner the better. Try to release pent up Piscean frustrations via a chat with a close confidante or a trusted family member. Spending some quality time with your favourite four-legged friend (in the great outdoors) will also help to lift your spirits.

GEMINI

Family relationships and close friendships look complicated this week, as loved ones debate a wide range of controversial topics or a relative makes an unpredictable move. If you have a problem that’s bothering you, avoid making a rash decision. Slow down Gemini, and let your intuition be your guide. Sunday’s New Moon is the perfect time to begin a course of study, start a neighbourhood project, join a community group, travel locally or make a new friend.

VIRGO

AUGUST 24 TO SEPTEMBER 23

Tricky Uranus vibes could make some Virgos feel restless and/or stressed. Plus the Sun, New Moon and Venus are visiting your solitude zone, so you’ll also feel like being on your own. Privacy and self-reflection are paramount, and activities like meditation, contemplation, chanting and/or yoga are recommended. Your mantra comes from birthday great Kate Bush (who turns 66 on Friday), “There’s an awful lot you learn about yourself when you’re alone.”

SAGITTARIUS

NOVEMBER 23 TO DECEMBER 21

Are you feeling restless Sagittarius? The Sun, New Moon and Venus all stir your gypsy gene and find you dreaming of greener pastures and foreign adventures. You’re also longing for closer connections with your international friends. But Venus squares unpredictable Uranus, so travel could be delayed or cancelled, and a friendship could be turned upside down. So plenty of patience and persistence are required if you want to achieve long-lasting results.

MARCH 21 TO APRIL 20

Prepare for a topsy-turvy week! The Sun, New Moon and Venus are in fellow fire sign Leo, so you’ll feel like powering ahead with creative projects. But disruptive Uranus squares Venus on Friday, so rushing around impulsively could backfire – especially involving friends and finances. To reduce stress levels (and the likelihood of making mistakes) enthusiasm must be balanced with caution, and fiery haste tempered with plenty of patience.

You’ve been talking about saving for something big (like a car, holiday, house deposit or renovations) for a while. With the Sun, New Moon and Venus visiting your finance zone (and Venus squaring Uranus), resist the urge to be extravagant with cash and careless with credit. In an uncertain economic climate, be a canny Crab who is cautious with money. Plus do an inventory on your inner wealth, as you nurture your self-esteem and consolidate your core values.

The fiery New Moon reignites a special hope, dream or wish that’s been languishing on the sidelines. But Venus (your patron planet) squares Uranus on Friday so – if you are stuck in a friendship slump or a relationship rut – don’t dwell on the past. It’s time to shake up your peer group as you mingle with a bohemian new crowd. Be inspired by actress (and fellow Libran) Kate Winslet, “The good and bad things are what form us as people. Change makes us grow.”

CAPRICORN

DECEMBER 22 TO JANUARY 20

Do you have a frustrating problem that needs fixing? Have you asked other people for advice but still can’t find a solution? This week the Sun, New Moon and Venus activate your dream, trust and wisdom zone. So you must listen to your inner voice and pay attention to the symbolic messages in your nightly dreams. Your motto for the moment is from birthday girl singer/songwriter/ musician Kate Bush, “Only you can sort yourself out.”

SWEETEST STAYCATION

With cost-of-living remaining at the top of people’s minds, international or even interstate holidays are on the backburner for many.

And as families look for more affordable options closer to home, the opportunity to discover delights in your own backyard emerges.

Case in point: Novotel Sydney Parramatta and their kids-focused adventures.

Our little family ventured here during the July school holidays, partaking in Novotel’s Par-Tea Time concept. The Novotel team have perfected family time with the Glamping and Kids High Tea offering.

Upon walking into our Executive King Suite at the Novotel, we were greeted with a kids’ tepee, that certainly had little miss three engaged from the outset. She spent the next hour or so playing in the tepee, and with the activity packs that come with it, and developing a whole bunch of scenarios – as well as

declaring it was where she was going to sleep that night.

It wasn’t long before our high tea experience arrived directly to the room – full of savoury and sweet delights that ensured a trip out of the room for dinner was off the table.

“THE HIGH TEA EXPERIENCE WAS FULL OF SAVOURY AND SWEET DELIGHTS”

The high tea featured a huge variety for both the kids and the adults in the room –everything from fairy bread and macaroons to quiches and fruit. This is certainly not a high tea that was going to leave you while on holidays with kids: passing time in the hotel room. While the adults are happy for an afternoon of relaxation or even a little nap in the very comfortable beds, kids are always looking to be occupied – so this concept has certainly delivered in that space.

Of course, when you do leave the hotel –you’re right in the heart of Parramatta. The Riverside Theatre is directly across the road, with affordable tickets and great family shows on stage regularly, allowing you to add a theatre experience to the weekend.

And Eat Street, with all its restaurants and cafes, is just a stone’s throw away with a huge array of options.

When it comes to breakfast, the Novotel offers your classic breakfast buffet – and it’s included in the family-related packages. Whether it’s a sneaky weekend getaway / staycation or for the next school holidays, the experiences on offer at the Novotel Sydney Parramatta are well worth giving a go – it won’t burn the budget too much, and the kids will have a blast.

The writer stayed as a guest of Novotel Sydney Parramatta.

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org

If you like Str8ts check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

Word Search

Find all the words listed hidden in the grid of letters. They can be found in straight lines up, down, forwards, backwards or even diagonally.

Last week’s solution

Trivia Quiz

Test your knowledge about the Olympic Games in our special trivia quiz this week...

1. Which runner lit the Olympic cauldron at Sydney 2000?

2. How many gold medals did Ian Thorpe win in his Olympic career?

3. Australia’s first Olympian, Edwin Flack, won medals in tennis and which other sport in 1896?

4. In the 1908 and 1912 Summer

Olympics, Australia won three gold medals but not by itself. With which country did Australia enter a joint team for those Olympics?

5. Dawn Fraser is a three-time gold medallist in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics. In which event did she win her medals?

Global sales on the rise

NATHAN TAYLOR

GWM globally continues to see strength and rapid growth in their business, with 559,669 vehicles sold for the first six months of 2024.

This marks an impressive 7.8 per cent year-on-year increase. Sales outside of the manufacturer’s home market continue to climb, with 36 per cent of the volume attributed to overseas markets, reflecting a 62.6 per cent year-on-year increase.

In June alone, overseas sales totalled 38,104 units, setting a new monthly global record. Australia continues to play a role in driving this international success, delivering a local monthly record of 4,173 units, and 21,548 units for H1 2024.

In 2023, the company exceeded 300,000 units in overseas sales, an increase of more than 80 per cent year-on-year. Guided by a new long-term strategy, GWM launched the ‘ONE GWM’ global strategy in 2022, allowing the brand to move forward with a more cohesive and recognisable global presence across multiple model lines. Facilitated by strategic planning, increased product ranges, improved build quality and

brand premiumisation, this strategy now allows for the introduction of more highend products into overseas markets, meeting higher demands of consumers. GWM’s increase in investment overseas is guided by implementing the ‘Global Ecosystem’ principle. This philosophy ensures that GWM produces the most suitable vehicle according to the needs of each market. This is achieved through unique model development, investment in internationalised production bases, R&D centres, and improved local knowledge and talent, forming a comprehensive overseas ecosystem and industry chain.

Park Shi, President of GWM International said: “Going global remains our long-term strategy with overseas markets a focal point to our continued future success. For 2024, we have an achievable target of 500,000 overseas sales, 65 per-cent greater than 2023. Supporting this growth, GWM has seen an increase in our overseas dealer network, growing from 700 to over 1,000. The harmonisation of our brands under ‘ONE GWM’, will continue to build and will allow us to be recognised globally as across many different segments.”

The GWM brand in Australia now sells eight models across the Haval SUV, Tank 4x4, Ora EV and GWM Ute ranges.

GWM has seen huge growth globally during the first half of 2024.

The Olympic hopefuls

The world’s eyes turn to Paris ahead of Olympic Games, and

there’s plenty of

More than 450 Australian athletes from 33 sports, including 231 debutants, are currently in France to compete in the biggest competition of their lives, the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Incredibly, 11 of those inspirational Aussies competing in the French capital over the next two weeks have a special local connection either through birth, residency, school, training base or club.

From July 26 to August 11, the Weekender encourages you to gather up your green and gold and cheer on your local athletes to glory.

Perhaps the biggest local name, competing at her fourth consecutive Olympics, is Canoe Slalom superstar Jessica Fox. The 30-year-old, who has won four Olympic medals since 2012 including Gold, hails from Leonay and

trains at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium. Jessica will be looking to add to her personal medal tally when she contests three events in Paris – the Women’s K1, Women’s C1 and Kayak Cross. Last weekend Jessica, who was born in France before immigrating to Australia as a child, had the honour of carrying the Olympic torch on its journey through Paris.

Joining Jessica on the whitewater will be her younger sister Noemie Fox, who will be competing at her very first Olympic Games. The 27-year-old Leonay resident and Western Sydney Whitewater Club member will tackle the new Women’s Kayak Cross event alongside her older sibling. If things line up, there’s a big chance both Fox sisters could go head-to-head down the tricky Parisian course.

Also making his Olympic debut in Paris is 26-year-old Canoe Slalom paddler Tristan Carter. Born in Victoria but training out of Penrith Whitewater

Stadium, Carter will compete in the Men’s C1 and Kayak Cross events when competition gets underway. Fellow Victorian paddler Tim Anderson will also make his Olympic debut on the Parisian whitewater. The 30-year-old, who trains at Penrith Whitewater Stadium and is a member of the Western Sydney Whitewater Club, will battle it out in the hotly contested Men’s K1 and Kayak Cross events.

Competing at a jaw-dropping fifth Olympic Games is Penrith-born diver

NATHAN TAYLOR

Lucy Stephan.

Katrina Werry.

Annabelle McIntyre.

Tristan Carter.

Olympia Aldersey.

Melissa Wu. The 32-year-old from western Sydney will be aiming for her third Olympic medal in Paris when she contests the Women’s 10m Platform and Women’s Synchronised 10m Platform.

Another well-known local set to compete at back-to-back Games’ is basketballer Josh Green. The 23-year- old, who won

junior. Recently traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA, Green is expected to get plenty of game time for Australia over the next fortnight. Lastly, five local female rowers, who train out of the Hancock Prospecting National Training Centre on the banks of the Nepean River, will be aiming for a medal in Paris.

37-year-old Sarah Hawe from Mulgoa will be competing at her second Olympic Games. Hawe will be contesting the Women’s Eight event alongside 32-year-old Lucy Stephan and 30-year-old Katrina

Werry. The Penrith residents will be competing at their third and second Olympics respectively.

28-year-old Olympia Aldersey will also be competing at her third Olympics in Paris. Born in South Australia, the now Penrith resident will be rowing in the Women’s Four event.

And lastly, hoping to do Penrith proud in the Women’s Pair event is local resident Annabelle McIntyre. The 27-year-old from Western Australia will be rowing in her second straight Olympics when competition gets underway.

Make sure you visit the

channels throughout the duration of the Games for up-todate information on our athletes.

The Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics will screen live at 3am this Saturday morning on Channel Nine.

Western Weekender website and social media

Sarah Hawe.

Jessica Fox.

Melissa Wu. Tim Anderson.

Noemie Fox.

Thunder BBL fixture released

The Sydney Thunder will play seven of 10 regular season matches in ‘home’ markets this summer.

The Thunder will play four BBL matches at home at ENGIE Stadium, where members and fans will enjoy exciting on-field action complemented by the ground’s new LED capabilities.

Those matches at ENGIE Stadium – Saturday, December 21 against the Sixers, Monday, December 30 against the Renegades, Wednesday, January 8 against the Hurricanes and Monday, January 13 against the Scorchers – are the centrepiece of the cricket season in western Sydney.

The Thunder will also feature twice at Manuka Oval in Canberra, as well as the traditional SCG Sydney Smash against the crosstown rival Sixers.

The quest for the BBL title kicks off for Trevor Bayliss’ team at Manuka Oval on Tuesday, December 17 against the Strikers, before the blockbuster Smash at ENGIE Stadium four

Excitement is building ahead of the BBL season.

nights later and a return to Canberra to play the Stars on Saturday, December 28.

The Thunder will play away matches against the Scorchers (January 3, Optus Stadium), Heat (January 6, GABBA) and Hurricanes (January 10, Blundstone Arena).

Sydney Thunder General Manager, Trent Copeland, said the fixture gave the team, and their members and fans, a wonderful opportunity that would be the envy of the league.

“This fixture for BBL|14 gives us a great platform to play exciting, elite cricket at familiar venues, while not having to travel as much as in previous seasons,” he said.

“To be able to play almost

three quarters of the tournament between Sydney and Canberra is also importantly a fantastic way to regularly connect with our members and fans.

“The new LED enhancements at ENGIE Stadium offer a match experience never seen before at a Sydney cricket venue and I have no doubt our four matches there will become must-see events for cricket fans and the people of western Sydney.

“We launched the Sydney Thunder Tape Ball League with a South Asian cultural festival last month and the vibe amongst fans and the community was brilliant. People are genuinely excited about what we are building here at Thunder.”

Wanderers land big name recruit

members and general public next month.

The Western Sydney Wanderers’ two Unite Round fixtures have been confirmed as the club’s A-League Women and A-League Men teams prepare to remain in Sydney for the second edition of the A-Leagues’ ultimate away day in November.

Unite Round will be held in Sydney once again in season 2024/25 between November 22 and 24, and will feature 12 games: six in the A-League Women, and six in the A-league Men. In the A-League Women, the Wanderers will clash with the Brisbane Roar in the evening fixture at Leichhardt Oval on Friday, November 22.

In the A-League Men, Western Sydney will battle Sydney FC in the evening kick-off at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, November 23.

For the first time, all full-season members at every club will be able to access complimentary tickets to Unite Round. Tickets for Unite Round go on sale for club

Meanwhile, the Wanderers have confirmed the signing of Bozhidar Kraev from the Wellington Phoenix for the next two years.

The Bulgarian international played 54 games for the Phoenix over two seasons, scoring 13 goals as an attacking midfielder during his tenure for the team.

Kraev also has a significant

international record, representing Bulgaria on 24 separate occasions, and winning the Danish Super League with club Midtjylland.

Playing against Western Sydney on several occasions, the 27-year-old said he is excited to don the red and black.

“What brings me here is my personal motivation to play in a very good club, which I believe that Western Sydney Wanderers is,” Kraev said.

“I received interest from the club, which made me feel like I was wanted here, which is most important for a player.

“As a player, I think I can bring a lot of creativity and experience to the team. I am a team player who can help my teammates.”

Kraev added that he wants to see the club back as a top contender within the A-League.

“I hope I achieve a successful season individually and collectively, and bring Western Sydney Wanderers back to where I think they deserve to be –around the top teams in Australia.”

New recruit Bozhidar Kraev.

NATHAN TAYLOR

SPORTS SHORTS

Giants close curtain on tough season

SUPER NETBALL: Giants Netball co-captain Jamie-Lee Price has etched her name in the club’s history books for a second year in a row, taking out the Most Valuable Player for season 2024. Price secured her winning votes in the final game of the season to earn back-to-back honours in what was one of the closet counts to date. The two-time MVP stood tall for her side in what was a challenging year on court, continually displaying her athleticism, tactical awareness and determination. The Australian Diamond returned from a successful 2023/2024 international campaign to inject her experience into a new-look Giants side this season. The 28-year-old played 13 of the Giants’ 14-game season to record 221 goal assists, 12 intercepts and 1183 Nissan Net Points – the highest for any Giants player this season. Price joins fellow co-captain Jo Harten as the only other player to take out back-to-back honours. Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald paid tribute to Price for another starring season. “This is another well-deserved award for Jamie-Lee,” she said. “We know the calibre of player that Jamie-Lee is and the impact that she has on our team, so to see her continue to push her game and be recognised is sensational. She has been a cornerstone of our team’s character and resilience this year and her leadership both on and off the court has been invaluable. Her commitment to excellence and ability to elevate her game when it matters most have been instrumental. She continues to push herself which only brings out the best in those around her.” Price also took out the Members’ Player of the Year while Amy Sligar was recognised for her efforts this season, named the Players’ Player. Meanwhile, young gun Monika Otai continued to make her presence and potential clear, named the Marj Groves AM Scholarship recipient for 2024. Throughout last Friday’s Gala Dinner at Doltone House at Jones Bay Wharf, the club celebrated the debutants and milestone recipients from the season, farewelled the retiring Chelsea Pitman, and closed the chapter on what was wooden spoon season.

FOOTBALL: The Western Sydney Wanderers have confirmed the re-signing of utility Ella Buchanan for the next two A-League Women’s seasons. A late addition to the 2023/24 Wanderers squad, Buchanan initially was signed as an injury replacement, making her debut in Round 17 against Melbourne Victory. At the conclusion of the regular season, she also received her first selection for the Young Matildas, representing her country and making her starting debut against the New Zealand U20s outfit. Buchanan has scored two goals

in seven games as a defender and said she is looking forward to contributing towards the team's goal tally over the next two seasons. “Even though goals are important, I’d like to get my name on the leaderboard for assists... that's probably one of my goals,” she said. “I’d like to assert myself as a defender, I enjoy the freedom and involvement I get up the field

as a midfielder – there's more opportunity to score some goals, but right back is more my position. When it comes to making the finals, I don't think I'm going to take no for an answer, I think that’s a really big goal for everyone in the team and it will be really special if we can do it.” Head coach Robbie Hooker said he was impressed with how Ella had fitted into the team during her short inclusion at the end of the season. “Ella has taken the opportunity that was given to her, has shown that she is capable of playing at the high level that is needed within the Liberty A-League, and has been rewarded for that effort,” he said. “It will be exciting to see how far she can develop and improve as we continue to work with her over the next two seasons. ”

AFL: Following a break in the competition last weekend, the high-flying Penrith Rams will return to the field this Saturday afternoon. The Rams will battle the North Shore Bombers in Round 14 of the AFL Sydney Men’s Division 2 competition. The match will be played at Gore Hill Oval at 3.50pm. Meanwhile, the Penrith Ramettes will also return to the paddock when they play the UNSW-ES Bulldogs in Round 14 of the AFL Sydney Women’s Division 2 competition. The match will kick-off at 12pm.

AFL: The GWS Giants have continued their winning run, smashing the Gold Coast Suns 89-50 in Round 19 of the AFL. The Giants made the most of their opportunities in blustery conditions at ENGIE Stadium, clinching a comfortable 39-point victory while the Suns paid the price for misfiring near goal last Saturday afternoon. The monster win sees the Giants rise to fifth on the ladder, with a date with the Melbourne Demons on the agenda at the MCG this Saturday night.

Giants skipper Toby Greene last weekend.

RUGBY LEAGUE: The Penrith Referees’ Association have announced that the 2024 Bob Kandelas Medal will be held on Saturday, October 12 at the Western Sydney Conference Centre in Penrith. The evening celebrates the best referees for the season in the Penrith District Junior Rugby League competition.

RUGBY LEAGUE: Round 16 of the NSWRL Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield competitions took place last weekend, with mixed results for St Marys and Brothers Penrith. In the Ron Massey Cup, St Marys smashed the Hills Bulls 42-6, while Brothers Penrith and the Bulldogs played out an 18-all draw. This weekend, St Marys will play Mounties, while Brothers Penrith take on the Wenty Magpies. In the Sydney Shield, St Marys and the Hills Bulls shared the points following at 42-42 draw, while Brothers Penrith lost to Glebe 38-32. This weekend, St Marys battle Mounties, while Brothers Penrith meet the Wentworthville

GET IN TOUCH: To make a submission to ‘Sports Shorts’, email Nathan@westernweekender.com.au. You can also private message me on Facebook or @wwpenrith on X.

The Giants Netball squad at last week’s Awards Dinner. Photo: Narelle Spangher.

Ella Buchanan has re-signed for two years.

SPORT

TRUE RISING STAR

Rising cricket star Aimee Ravot has come a long way since she was hanging out in the front yard hitting a cricket ball on a string.

Recently, the 18-year-old returned from a cricket tour of India under the guidance of recently returned Penrith women’s cricket coach Ron Woods.

Ravot – a talented leg spinner who set the first grade competition alight last season –said it was a memorable experience in the cricket-mad country.

“We were there for two weeks and played between seven and 13 games,” she told the Weekender

“It was an amazing experience and interesting to learn about their language, culture as well as the different pitches and how they train in that heat every day.

“It was hard getting used to it at first but when I did, it was really good!”

India was the Londonderry resident’s second trip overseas in recent years, having played in the Australian Indige

nous side that travelled to Vanuatu. Ravot was picked in the team after impressing selectors whilst playing with the NSW Indigenous team in Alice Springs.

“My mum and Nan ended up coming with me to Vanuatu,” she said.

“There, I was captained by Hannah Darlington, which was unbelievable, and I got to play alongside former Penrith player

Mikayla Hinkley as well. It was last year, but I enjoyed it.”

But it’s perhaps Ravot’s rookie season in

the NSW Premier Cricket Women’s First Grade competition that really got people talking.

In her debut year, Ravot took 25 wickets for the season, placing her third overall in the competition wicket taking leaderboard.

Her best performance was against arch rivals Parramatta, notching up an incredible 5/37 against a side made up of multiple

NSW representative players.

It’s for this reason, Ravot is the latest

recipient of the Penrith Valley Sports Foundation Senior Sports Star Award. She said she wouldn’t be where she is today without her supportive family.

“I first started playing cricket when I was six or seven. My brother, dad and grandfather all played together at Richmond and encouraged me to join as well,” she said.

“Anywhere I have to go for cricket, my Dad or someone in my family will take time off to take me. Even my grandfather has given me his old bats to practice with!

“I wouldn’t where I am today without them and my coaches and fellow team-

Nominated by her coach Glenn Bradley, Aimee’s PVSF Senior Sports Star Award is all thanks to sponsor Penrith Panthers

PVSF Senior Sports Star of the Month winners take home a cool $700 each for

If you know someone who has achieved in their chosen sport, send in your nomination to Penrith Valley Sports Foundation. Nomination forms are available at www.

NATHAN TAYLOR

Photo: Melinda Jane.