2515 FEBRUARY 2021

FREE

2

FEBRUARY 2021

www.southcoaster.com.au

5 1 Coast news

Pop-up

art

How Judith Russo turned an empty shop into a summer gallery

Clifton / Scarborough / Wombarra / Coledale / Austinmer / Thirroul / Bulli

Meet Our Contributors Donna Henderson grew up not far

from Thirroul, in Corrimal and still considers herself ‘not a local’. In the 1920s, after emigrating from Lebanon, Donna’s grandparents settled in Thirroul, where they formed a friendship with the Sefton family. Donna loves this area and is an advocate for the weatherboard house and sustainable development. With a background in engineering, landscape design and project management, she believes it can be achieved. In her spare time, Donna can be found restoring her 130-year-old home, where she lives with her partner Andrew and their son, or at the Austi change sheds, singing up a storm with the Sea Sharp Singers. In this issue she pays tribute to local legend Dorothy Sefton, a family neighbour for 77 years, Donna’s for the past 35 years.

Dr Jeffrey Hall graduated from the

University of Sydney in 1995 and undertook general practice training in regional NSW and the UK before settling in the Illawarra in 1999. He joined Bulli Medical Practice in 1999 and became a managing partner in 2001. He supervises medical students from the University of Wollongong and General Practice Registrars from GP Synergy.

Jeff loves living and working in the Illawarra with his family.

Jon Lindley is a parent of three primary school children, a husband, a community representative on Wollongong Council’s Walking, Cycling and Mobility Reference Group and a high school teacher. He is passionate about ocean swimming at Wollongong Beach with the Shark Baiter crew and spending time with his children and family. Active transport is his first option for travel. At the end of 2020 he co-founded Safe Streets to School Wollongong Action Group – https://safe-streets-to-school.org Stephanie Meades is a passionate

Functional Nutritionist, specialising in women and children’s gut and endocrine health issues. Founder of Life Wellness Co Pty Ltd, Stephanie loves empowering people to reach their full potential by elevating their health and well-being using nutrition, movement and mindset practices.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The publishers acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their cultural and spiritual connection to this land. Their stories are written in the land and hold great significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, from the mountains to the sea.

2 February

The best Local Directory in print is now online!

Need a tradie? A gardener?

Business advice? All kinds of help is just a click away at www.southcoaster.com.au 1 home for 3 publications Listings are free for all local community clubs and sports groups. Email yours to editor@2515mag.com.au

FREE

2

FEBRUARY 2021

www.southcoaster.com.au

15

Coast news

FREE

2

FEBRUARY 2021

www.southcoaster.com.au

08

District news

south coaster Sharing local knowledge

Pop-up

art

How Judith Russo turned an empty shop into a summer gallery

Clifton / Scarborough / Wombarra / Coledale / Austinmer / Thirroul / Bulli

2

Footy fever!

Helensburgh set for huge rugby league season

Waterfall / Helensburgh / Otford / Darkes Forest / Stanwell Tops / Stanwell Park / Coalcliff

15

NEXT DEADLINE Book ads by Feb 17 for the March issue

EDITORS Gen Swart, Marcus Craft CONTACT editor@2515mag.com.au. Ph: 0432 612 168 2515mag. PO Box 248, Helensburgh, 2508.

ADVERTISING 0432 612 168, www.southcoaster.com.au T&Cs apply.

NEXT DEADLINE February 17, 2021 COVER Judith Russo, photo by Amber Cree 2515 is published by The Word Bureau, ABN 31 692 723 477.

DISCLAIMER: All content and images remain the property of 2515 Coast News unless otherwise supplied. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission. Views expressed do not reflect those of the publishers.

Correction

The ‘Art again at Clifton’ article, on page 30 in the January edition of 2515 Coast News, incorrectly referred to the artist Ashley Hall.

This should, of course, have read Ashley Frost. Apologies to Mr Frost! Please visit his website at www.ashleyfrost.com.au

New Name New Space Same Great Service KANE DOWNIE

Shop 11, 345 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul | 4211 5811

It’s Apple Time!

Jo Fahey reports from Darkes Glenbernie Orchard.

UI

WE

E

N

GE

T

E

L

UC

OV CE WITH

SINGL

I

O

NE PROD

4 February

V E FA R M

PR

What happens on an apple-picking experience?

We take you through a brief induction, including Covid Safe check-in and biosecurity checks prior to taking a seat on the tractor train!

You are taken by tractor ride into the farm for apple picking.

We give a brief lesson in best practice picking, before you set off to become an expert by the end of your session. You can eat your fill of apples while in the orchard too!

N

Apple picking has begun and will continue until the end of April. The first apples to be picked are the ‘Gala’ varieties. These are sweet and perfectly sized for children.

Stock up for the new school year by bringing the kids to the farm to pick apples for themselves. To make sure you don’t miss out, you must book.

Log onto www.darkes.com.au, then go to the ‘What’s On’ page for details of all events on the farm and the booking links.

GE

100%

LO

T

AU

NE PROD

UC

100%

UI

DU

IGIN PR UCT

1939

M

SINCE

OR

NG

M E F A I LY F

OD

SI

AR

S

Photos: Oliver Risi

Take lots of photos, including some shots sitting on one of our orchard tractors.

It’s terrific family fun. A word of warning though… kids can pick lots! Get a few orders from neighbours and friends so the kids can pick more!

(The apples are so fresh they will keep well in the fridge, you can cook them and juice them, or freeze them after cooking or juicing! ) Fruit picked to take home is charged at market price at the end of the tour. This is below the rate that they are for sale in our farm shop.

Save the date: Australian Cider Day, 13 March We are busy planning a great day on the family farm, a celebration of our craft cider story, including how it’s made from 100% local apples!

Look out for full details in next month’s mag.

Bookings will be essential, due to Covid Safe operation of the day and limited numbers. 2515 Visit www.darkes.com.au

Spot the rip: it’s the dark green gap between the whitewater. Photo: Rob Brander

Boardrider Charlie, before and after, at the ‘Carves for Cancer’ fundraiser.

‘Carves for Cancer’ raises $5k for carers

By Scarborough Boardrider Ian Pepper

The Scarborough Boardriders AGM was held on Tuesday, 19th of January at Beaches Hotel Thirroul.

It was good to see a few new faces at the meeting to see how the club is run and provide their input as well.

The 2021 Committee was elected with a few changes to the prior year: • President Christian DeClouett • Vice President Shaun Warren • Treasurer Tristen Hargreaves • Secretary Pete Coleman • Contest Directors Ian Pepper, Paul Lourence, Fin McLaren.

Membership fees have been kept the same as last year: • Single member $70 • Family with two members $110 • Family with three or more members $140 • Membership is now open on www.liveheats. com/scarborough/sign-on.

• Membership is likely to be capped again this year so the Committee recommends you join now to avoid disappointment.

6 February

The first Pointscore will be on Sunday, 31st of January. The rest of the year’s dates are published on the club’s Facebook page and liveheats.

2021 will continue to have Covid restrictions in place until advised by Surfing NSW. The trial of the priority system where each surfer gets an equal chance to surf the best waves in the heat will also continue in 2021.

The National Boardriders Battle final in Newcastle, which Scarborough qualified 1st place for our area, has been moved by Surfing Australia from February to May 2021. This gives the team more time to focus and train in preparation for this prestigious event.

In December, a collaboration of four Boardriders Clubs from Illawarra’s northern suburbs, including Scarborough and Sandon Point, came together and held a tag team surf event called Carves for Cancer, raising money for the great people at the Illawarra Cancer Carers.

The event was well organised and hosted by Sandon Point. More than $5000 was raised with one member of each club having to shave their head. 2515

CO 731 Pho

Buy 9 coffees

at the coffee corner and scan your membership card during each transaction to receive your

FREE

10th coffee free

COLEDALE RSL CLUB 731 Lawrence Hargrave Drive Coledale Phone 4267 1873 @coledalerslclub

@coledalersl

Coffee Corner open from 6am daily (7am Sundays) My Little Brasserie open from 11am-3pm & 5pm-8pm Bar open from 11am

On the Coast Track, Amanda finally found not one but two Botany Bay Weevils.

Backyard zoology With Amanda De George

I usually try to keep to the feathered and furred during these monthly columns. There’s a fabulous entomologist on-board already here at 2515 and I like to stay most definitely in my lane. Now I wouldn’t go breaking my own rules for just anything, but I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that in this case it’s only right that I make an exception.

You see, I’ve been looking for the absolutely stunning Botany Bay Weevil for years, since I first saw a photo of them really. These gorgeous beetles are pretty much impossible to mistake for any other species, with their distinctive black colouring featuring either metallic blue or green scales and are ridiculously common. But, as all nature lovers know, once you put an animal on your ‘must see’ list, the universe tends to show its wicked sense of humour and that common animal suddenly seemingly vanishes from the face of the earth.

The adults love to feed on acacia plants, the adults munching away on the leaves with the larvae feeding on the roots. Trust me when I say that I have looked at every single acacia between here and Victoria (they’re actually found along the eastern seaboard, down to the southern regions of South Australia) with absolutely no luck. It’s been quietly driving me up the wall. With their

8 February

colouring in particular, you’d think they’d be a breeze to find and they were actually one of the first insects collected by Joseph Banks during Captain Cook’s voyage in 1770.

Well, I’m happy to report that I finally found not one but two of these gorgeous insects when walking the Coast Track in the Royal National Park. I kind of wish I could romanticise the moment – you know, one of those ‘right place, right time’ serendipitous situations when I just happened to turn around and there they were.

But alas, I had headed to Wattamolla with these guys specifically in mind and had my face in pretty much every acacia along the boardwalk. It wasn’t until we turned around and started the trek back that I REALLY began to search (and whine and beg the universe for a little compassion and help).

And, just like that, I found both colour phases of these insects: one with the more blue scales, and one with the more green, or aqua, colouring. I’m not saying that I cried with sheer relief, but I will say that the husband kept having to try and calm me down.

Look, I’m an excitable gal at the best of times!

But it really was lovely, watching these two walking up and down the branches of the young acacia feeding away, almost glistening in the sun.

And that’s the beauty of nature, isn’t it? This drive to want to see more, to move amongst it, to protect it and to find those treasures that elude you for many, many years. 2515 Follow Amanda on Facebook and Instagram @BackyardZoology

EXCAVATION Reliable and skilled Earthmoving & Excavations EXCAVATORS 6 Ton, 3 Ton, 2 Ton, 1 Ton (700mm wide) TRACK LOADER

TIPPERS

1x cat 259D track loader

2 Ton, 6 Ton

Hammers and Augers available for all machines

For all enquiries please contact Andy Offord on 0418 422 909

+

storage

Storage sizes to suit all your business or personal needs

contact us on: 02 4294 1197 enquiry@hbpstorage.com.au

hbpstorage.com.au find us at: 29 Cemetery Road, Helensburgh

Help Need a Feed meet demand Local charity Need a Feed has changed the way it operates and is reaching more people than ever before. CEO and founder Shaz Harrison reports

During 2020, Covid in some ways had a positive impact on Need a Feed because it allowed us to reevaluate the way we provide for the community and enabled us to work even more closely with our partner organisations.

We have a system in place now where we can distribute even more food to people in need.

Each week we have been able to distribute, on average, 60 food gifts and personal care items that are given directly to people facing extremely challenging circumstances, often those who fall through the gaps.

Our partnership with Wollongong Tafe for our Christmas pudding fundraiser last year has opened up multiple opportunities for future fundraisers!

We are planning several fundraisers, including: • Hot cross buns at Easter • Christmas in July meal • Christmas puddings in December.

We are always grateful for support on any level, in the way of monthly or one-off donations. These are always put to good use and greatly appreciated.

Perhaps your business would like to collect food for us to distribute?

Visit www.needafeed.org and follow @doyouneedafeed on Facebook 2515

10 February

Pictured: (top left) Need a Feed founder Shaz Harrison with Maria from Berkeley Neighbourhood Centre; (above) Shaz with the Illawarra Women in Business award for Best Home Based Business 2020; (below) At SAHSSI in Wollongong, which regularly helps distribute food. Photos supplied

Anticipating the Covid Vaccine

By Dr Jeffrey Hall, of Bulli Medical Practice

We should all be reassured by the Australian Government announcement of an early roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines commencing mid- to late February, particularly with Australian cases of the more virulent UK strain of the virus.

Vaccines train our immune systems to create proteins (antibodies) that fight viruses. Vaccination protects you from getting, and passing on, the Covid-19 virus.

In the first phase of the national roll-out strategy, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine will be administered to healthcare and quarantine workers on the frontline, aged care and disability care residents and workers, and other priority groups.

In the next phase, we expect the Astra Zeneca (Oxford) vaccine will be administered to elderly adults, other healthcare and high-risk workers and people with underlying medical conditions. The next phases will see the vaccination of the general population according to risk (older adults first).

The efficacy of the Astra Zeneca vaccine is comparable with other effective vaccines, such as those for pneumococcus and varicella

(chicken pox). The advantage of the Astra Zeneca vaccine is that it requires similar cold storage and administration as other commonly distributed vaccines.

People should be assured that both vaccines have gone through the normal, albeit expedited, safety and approval processes.

Neither of the planned vaccines are live vaccines and therefore you cannot catch the virus from the vaccine. From the studies, both vaccines are well tolerated with minimal side effects. They both target the same spike protein on the virus surface, and both require a booster a few weeks after the initial dose.

General practices will be at the forefront of the distribution and administration of Covid-19 vaccines in Australia. We can ensure the vaccines are correctly stored and administered, provide patient education and enable informed consent.

We also provide observation in the unlikely case of adverse reactions.

As a specialist travel medicine clinic, Bulli Medical Practice is well placed to provide the Covid-19 vaccine to Northern Illawarra residents.

We are experienced in establishing vaccination clinics, and, during lockdown last year, we administered over 2500 influenza vaccines. 2515

• • • • •

Helensburgh clinic tests more than 8000 people Book online* via our website: bullimedicalpractice.com.au or call

4284 4622

*if you have respiratory symptoms please call for an appointment

Monday to Friday: 8am-6pm Saturday: 8am-12 noon 74 Park Road, Bulli

QUALITY PERSONAL HEALTHCARE AND TRAVEL MEDICINE 12 February

At press time on January 23, Helensburgh Respiratory Clinic had tested more than 8100 people for Covid-19.

The clinic, which opened on May 11, 2020 in a temporary building behind Parkes Street General Practice, is run by local GPs and funded by the Federal Government.

Dr Cindy Htet, owner of Parkes Street General Practice, said her Covid-testing team had finished a refresher training course for infection control on December 15. “We provided testing for asymptomatic patients during Christmas until midJanuary, as per NSW Department of Health guidelines to help control the outbreak,” Dr Htet said.

Appointments are essential; no referrals required. Testing is free.

Helensburgh Respiratory Clinic is at 129 Parkes St; phone 4294 1400 or book online via www.psgp.com.au 2515

En in (k oc w D Re

in en av G ou

NEW PATIENT S WELCO ME

• • • • •

Dr Cindy Htet (Mon, Tues, Wed, Friday) Dr Martin Gellatley (Mon, Tues, Friday) Dr Meng Chen (Thursday) Dr Ross Mills (Friday) Dr Louise Turner (Monday)

SERVICES INCLUDE: • Onsite Pathology (Mon-Fri 8-12pm) • Mobile Bulkbilling Ultrasound Imaging (Monday Afternoon) • 24hr Holter Monitor & 24hr BP Monitor • Laser Hair Removal (Thursday) • Cosmetic Procedures • Full Skin Check & Skin Cancer Treatment • Covid-19 Assessment Clinic • Aviation Medicals

+

Welcome to the team Dr Mills and Anne Buxton

Dr Mills has fellowships of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australasian College of Aerospace Medicine, and Occupational and Environmental Medicine. His areas of special interest include Musculo-skeletal medicine (knees, backs, shoulders and upper limbs), occupational medicine, ergonomics, return to work after injury, and wellness assessments.

Dr Mills is a CASA DAME and a Medical Review Officer.

Anne Buxton has worked across the hospital, community and aged care sector as a consultant clinical pharmacist for more than 40 years. Anne is interested in optimising medications for patients and ensuring that they have the best information available. She works with Parkes Street General Practice to ensure the best health outcomes for patients.

www.psgp.com.au or phone 4294 1400 129 Parkes St, Helensburgh

Have you had your annual Skin Check?

Although it’s been a wet summer, so far, we still need to be conscientious about sun protection and monitoring any changes to our skin.

Every year in Australia skin cancers account for about 80% of all newly diagnosed cancers. About 2000 people die from this disease every year. However, more than 95% of skin cancer cases are caused by unprotected exposure to the sun – meaning it is a nearly entirely preventable cancer.

At Parkes Street General Practice, we can do a comprehensive skin check and skin cancer treatment. If you are due for your skin check or have noticed any changes to your skin please contact the practice (02) 4294 1400 or jump online – book your skin check appointment at www.psgp.com.au

Jon Lindley is a parent, a teacher and a community representative on Wollongong Council’s Walking, Cycling and Mobility Reference Group

Support ‘Safe Streets to School’

By Jon Lindley, co-founder of safe-streets-to-school.org

For two years, I have been working with other parents on travel mode surveys to engage children, parents and educators at Wollongong public schools to determine barriers to children walking and riding to school.

The insights from over 800 survey responses across 14 public schools are consistent with research, kids want to walk and ride to school.

Parents want safe routes for their child’s whole journey between home and school.

A common refrain is that parents should teach their kids road safety. Nobody says we should not do that. However, too many streets in Wollongong are unsafe for kids.

Children make mistakes. When cars drive 40km/h or higher, children should be separated from the traffic – by footpaths and crossings.

Where this separation is not practicable or possible, speed limits should be lower, so that the chance of accidents is reduced and accidents don’t result in death or serious injury.

We need to recognise the fragility of life and that we, as humans, have a limit on the amount of force we can withstand. A person struck by someone driving a car at 50km/h faces a 90% chance of death or serious injury, this drops to 50% at 40km/h and just 10% at 30km/h. A transport system that is forgiving and safe for all users, including children, people living with a disability and our elderly population, should be standard and is best for all community members.

Safe Streets to School Wollongong imagines a safe connected network of streets centred around schools that allow children and families to walk

14 February

safely between home and school and people to easily walk and ride within their community for other short everyday trips.

Over the past two to three decades, Australia has seen a significant decrease in children walking or riding to school. This is concerning, as more than 70% of children and 91.5% of young people are not engaging in enough physical activity for good health.

Wollongong Council has taken initial proactive steps to make travel safer for children walking or riding their bikes to and from school. They have established an internal Safe Routes to School working group. We applaud this first step toward safer streets in the Wollongong LGA. The urgency of this work was tragically highlighted in December 2020, when a 10-year-old boy died after he was hit by a car in Unanderra, while crossing a road on his way to school.

This crash occurred on a street with no crossing.

The current road transport system has unacceptable risks inherent in the design process and application, making it an unsafe environment for children walking to and from school and other vulnerable road users.

The Safe Streets to School Action Group Wollongong started a petition asking for – within a 2km radius of all Wollongong Schools – separated paths and priority crossing points on roads with speed limits of 40km/h or higher or for 30km/h speed limits.

We are urging Wollongong Council to make this important work a priority.

Continued on page 16

SOCIAL GROUP OUTINGS JANUARY - MARCH 2021 THE BOATSHED WORONORA

FITZROY FALLS

TUESDAY, 19 JAN 2021

Lunch and a walk in the park

“We enjoyed a nice drive and a lovely day!”

MONDAY, 8 FEB 2021

Robertson Pie Shop stop as well

Pick up from 9am Transport $20 Picnic Lunch $15

RED COW FARM

HAZELHURST GALLERY

WEDNESDAY, 24 FEB 2021 Pick up from 9am Admission $10 Transport $20 Lunch Sutton Forest Inn $25 TUESDAY, 9 MARCH 2021 Pick up from 10.30am Transport $10 + Lunch

AUDLEY WEIR

TUESDAY, 26 MARCH 2021 Pick up from 10.30am Transport $10 Lunch $25

Monday–Friday (9am-5pm) | telephone 02 4294 1900 18 Walker Street, Helensburgh

Continued from page 14

Whose road is it, anyway?

Baffled by which government department will take responsibility for which road? 2515 asked Wollongong City Council to please explain.

A Council spokesperson issued this response: We recognise that road safety is an important issue for people in our community. The setting of speed zones and school speed zones in NSW is the responsibility of Transport for NSW (TfNSW).

However, road safety issues around schools in the Wollongong LGA are managed by both TfNSW and Wollongong City Council.

If your school is located on a State Road, TfNSW is responsible for safety measures, such as pedestrian crossings, changes to parking restrictions, road surface repair, installation and maintenance of all signs and the installation of bus zones. State roads are the main roads and in our Northern suburbs the State Roads are: • The M1 Freeway, • Lawrence Hargrave Drive, • Bulli Pass, • Princes Hwy through Bulli & Memorial Drive.

All other roads are local government managed roads, where Wollongong City Council is responsible for changes to parking, road repairs, pedestrian crossings, traffic calming devices, installation of bus zones, road surface repairs and road sign maintenance. A more detailed breakdown of the different responsibilities of TfNSW and your local council can be found on the TfNSW website (www.transport.nsw.gov.au).

What is Council doing to make school routes safer?

Wollongong City Council is committed to delivering safer routes to schools for our community. To achieve this, we’ve developed a ‘Safer Routes to School’ working group who are responsible for creating a program that recommends infrastructure to improve road safety around schools in the Wollongong LGA. Residents and community members are encouraged to submit issues or concerns relating to school travel routes. We take these concerns seriously by recording, reviewing and assessing each request. Requests to the Safer Routes to School working group can be submitted to council@wollongong.nsw.gov.au. Community members can also speak directly to school principals before raising issues with Council.

We also installed a number of permanent pedestrian ‘Look Out Before You Step Out’ footpath signs at crossing points close to schools to

16 February

reinforce safe crossing practices for students.

As students return to school at the end of January, we will be working closely with TfNSW to roll out the state-wide Back to School campaign.

This year Council will continue our successful School Safe Banner Program.

Council will also continue to work with TfNSW to coordinate our Speed Management Project that rotates two dedicated Vehicle Message Signs (VMS) at various school zone locations across the Wollongong LGA. Our Parking Compliance Team also work proactively to patrol schools to provide road safety education to community members and take regulatory action when appropriate. Our School Zone Parking Program targets primary schools across the Wollongong LGA during the morning and afternoon school drop off and pickups.

School drop offs and pick-ups are a busy time for everyone. That’s why it’s important that everyone drives responsibly by following the road rules and observing school speed zones. Watch our School Zone Safety video at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=guaBg0SRMiY&feature=youtu.be 2515

HELP SAFE STREETS CAMPAIGNERS

1 2

Sign the petition at safe-streets-to-school.org

Help campaigners collect data – share road safety complaints that you have made to Council, Police, RMS/TfNSW, State MPs, schools etc.

3

Email pictures or videos of dangerous places to fails@ safe-streets-to-school.org for publication online. On your socials, use the hashtag #schooljourneyfails

4

Get involved – email info@safe-streets-to-school.org

See Side

Eye Ex ptical 6 Da

Medi Diabetic, G Degene Visio Digital R

Anita's Theatre Shop 10, King Street Thirroul Call for an appointment today on

Ph: 4268 3933 Unique new range

JUKURRPA DESIGNS

$ $18 $289

Every spectacle frame has a unique story, with only one made for each artwork.

Every frame has an intimate connection to an Aboriginal artist in Central Australia, a real and personal connection. Every frame sold we give back 10% directly to the Aboriginal artists, the Art Centre & Community.

MOST

In the spirit of reconciliation Jukurrpa Designs acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Furniture You’ll Cherish Forever Coledale’s Stuart Montague is a respected third-generation woodworker, founder of the Illawarra Festival of Wood and owner of the Illawarra Woodwork School.

See his creations and commission a personal piece for your home at

stuartmontague.com.au

February

17

Take steps, see stars

Dark sky conservation is a global issue but there are things you can do at home to help reduce light pollution, writes architect Ben Wollen.

Recently I traversed the Six Foot Track – from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves – with some mates and on the first night on the trek, we slept out on the banks of the Coxs River and did some oldfashioned star-gazing. Even this close to Katoomba and the light pollution of Sydney the difference between the urban night sky and the rural night sky was stark.

The Milky Way in all its glory lit up the sky like a cave full of glow worms. Shooting stars, satellites, planets and even the international space station were all so bright and easily identified thanks to a stargazing app on one of my comrades’ phones.

These were all completely overwhelmed when the full moon rose above the escarpment line and flooded the valley in a luminescent light.

Most of you would have seen the images of the Earth from space (on the night-time side) and seen how bright our cities actually are all the way up there above the atmosphere.

Whilst urban lighting is important for safety reasons, such as on roads and in urban parks, it is having a negative impact on many parts of the Earth’s natural cycles.

One example of this is on breeding beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs. The baby turtles use the brightness of the moon to navigate their way to the ocean, but as our urban lit areas encroach onto these beaches, the turtles get confused between the lights of man and that of the moon. This results in many of them dying on roads

18 February

and not finding the ocean.

With the ever-increasing world population and associated urban growth occurring around the world, this problem is getting worse. Lucky there’s a band of international stargazers looking at conserving the dark sanctuaries of the sky.

One of the best terrestrial location for dark sanctuaries is Tasmania.

Being so remote and only having relative small urban centres, Tasmania boasts some of the best stargazing sites in the world (when it’s not raining!). Dark Sky Tasmania is an organisation working towards dark sky conservation and awareness. They are proposing a permanent sanctuary in parts of Tasmania such that they never get light pollution.

They also offer guidance on what we can do at home to reduce light pollution. Smart outdoor lighting tips include simple fixes like choosing lights that are fully shielded (i.e. pointing downward). Visit www.darkskytasmania.org The point here is that we are changing our planet beyond its natural state and, whilst we can’t turn back time like Cher, it is critical to our future to save at least some portions of the night sky so we can look upon them and wonder just like our ancestors did. There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on earth!

If you would like to find your closest dark site and also see how light pollution spreads, go to https://darksitefinder.com/map/ 2515

February 

19

Authors Kate Holden (at left) and Julie Keys.

Workshops for Writers

By Dr Sarah Nicholson, director of the South Coast Writers Centre in Coledale

In February, the editor of the Sydney Review of Books visits Coledale Community Hall to talk about professional essay writing, local author Kate Holden explores the practice memoir writing, and SCWC’s Writer-in-Residence Julie Keys returns with her popular Writing for Over 50s course.

Sat, Feb 6: The Way In: Starting and Shaping A Memoir It has been 15 years since Kate Holden’s blockbuster In My Skin: A Memoir was published. In My Skin told the gripping story of Kate’s slide into heroin addiction and prostitution, and her gruelling recovery. It put Holden on the map in Australia as a serious writing talent and, in the years since its release, it has sold more than 80,000 copies.

In recent years, Kate Holden and her partner Tim Flannery (scientist, environmentalist, and Australian of the Year) moved to the Illawarra and the South Coast Writers Centre is thrilled to be able to bring Kate onboard as the latest of our locally based writing teachers.

As a full-time professional writer, Kate has also written a long-running column for The Age and has published features, reviews, and essays. She is also a regular contributor to The Saturday Paper and Australian Book Review. She has been teaching creative writing to students since 2011 at institutions such as RMIT. We are looking forward to the release of her latest book, The Winter Road, which will be published by Black Ink in May 2021. The Winter Road explores the true story of the brutal murder

20 February

of environmental officer Glen Turner as a starting point to ask: Is our time on this soil a tale of tragedy or triumph – are we reaping what we’ve sown? And what happens when, in pursuit of a legacy, a man creates terrible consequences?

14 Feb-14 Mar: Writing For Over 50s Elizabeth Jolly, Kit de Waal, Raymond Chandler, Annie Proulx, Frank McCourt, Vicki LaveauHarvie. What do these writers have in common?

They were all over 50 before they had their first book published.

Julie Keys hosts a five-week interactive workshop for the mature-aged writer who wants to flex their imagination and their writing muscles.

Julie is SCWC’s 2021 Writer-In-Residence. She has a PhD in creative arts at the University of Wollongong. Her debut novel, The Artist’s Portrait, was shortlisted for The Richell Prize, then published by Hachette in 2019, when she was 57.

Sat, Feb 20: The Essay (And How To Pitch It) Finally, Catriona Menzies-Pike, editor of the Sydney Review of Books, will be visiting Coledale to provide an introduction to Sydney Review of Books, including looking at the essay form, S.R.B’s fellowship programs, and how to pitch to a literary publisher. Participants will also be offered a follow-up online process to workshop ideas for essays to be published in Sydney Review of Books.

For all bookings, see southcoastwriters.org/ upcomingevents 2515

books, games and gifts for all ages

Collins Staff Picks To kick off 2021 in the most positive way, we have innumerable educational and activity books for our young customers to support, reinforce and make learning fun. For the adults, besides a great new selection of literary and crime fiction, we have plenty of non-fiction titles to stimulate, keep up to date and simply enjoy.

A few of our recommendations: • Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (new edition in Graphic Novel format) • Beautiful Symmetry by Alex Berke • Mysteries of the Quantum Universe by Damour & Burniat (Graphic Novel) • The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book by Alex Bellos 2515

Shop 5/264 Lawrence Hargrave Drive

www.collinsbooksthirroul.com.au @collinsbooksellersthirroul

Thirroul Collective 271-273 LAWRENCE HARGRAVE DRIVE, THIRROUL

Small local businesses in one retail shop!

LOCAL BUSINESS AWARDS WINNER - SPECIALISED RETAIL BUSINESS

www.thirroulcollective.com.au

0499 977 993 February

21

Find the best of Australian books in your local library By librarian Katrina Henze

2021 INDIE BOOK AWARDS SHORTLIST Fiction • All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Australia) • The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan (Knopf Australia) • Mammoth by Chris Flynn (University of Queensland Press) • Honeybee by Craig Silvey (Allen & Unwin) Non-Fiction • Phosphorescence by Julia Baird (Fourth Estate Australia) • The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku (Macmillan Australia) • People of the River by Grace Karskens (Allen & Unwin) • Truganini by Cassandra Pybus (Allen & Unwin) Debut Fiction • The Bluffs by Kyle Perry (Michael Joseph Australia) • Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson (Hachette Australia) • A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu (Allen & Unwin) • The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Affirm Press) Illustrated Non-Fiction • Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong by Samantha Bloom, Cameron Bloom & Bradley Trevor Greive (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia) • Plantopedia by Lauren Camilleri & Sophia Kaplan (Smith Street Books) • Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant Books) • In Praise of Veg by Alice Zaslavsky (Murdoch Books)

On 20 January the shortlist for the Indie Book Awards 2021 was announced. These awards recognise and reward the best Australian writing as chosen by Australian independent booksellers.

The Awards celebrate the enormous depth and range of literary talent in this nation and you, lucky readers, can access all the short-listed books free from your local library!

Simply download our Wollongong City Libraries app and reserve your book. The app also provides easy access to a whole suite of functions and eResources from our website. Lynda, BorrowBox, Studiosity and Kanopy, the online film and documentary streaming service, are all a tap away. Save money by scanning the barcode of any book to see if Wollongong City Libraries has a copy.

The winners will be announced on 22 March.

22 February

Children’s • The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals by Sami Bayly (Lothian Children’s Books) • Sing Me The Summer by Jane Godwin, illustrated

by Alison Lester (Affirm Press) • The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor (Affirm Press) • Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Lothian Children’s Books) Young Adult • Future Girl by Asphyxia (Allen & Unwin Children’s) • Catch Me If I Fall by Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin Children’s) • The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin Children’s) • This One is Ours by Kate O’Donnell (University of Queensland Press). 2515

Have a say

Send letters to editor@2515mag.com.au FREE

2

1 5 The Snake Issue

Just an addition to your guide on local snakes. There is a colour form of the Pop-up Tiger Snake that is olive green on the art back with a cream belly and no obvious striping. The stripes are limited to darker blotching along the flanks where the dorsal and ventral surfaces meet. I’ve found a few of these over the years and comprise around a third of my Tiger Snake sightings.

Browns are about down here too, more commonly in open coastal areas like South Thirroul or Bellambi reserve, or drier ridge country. I heard of a couple of 2m jobs fleeing the bulldozers when the new estate at Southy was being cleared a few years ago. At school in the 70s one of my classmates told me of a huge brown he and friends encountered in bush between Bulli Pass and George Ave, not likely to be mistaken for any other species.

Thought this might be of interest to you and your readers.

Cheers, Russell, at The Niche Nursery FEBRUARY 2021

www.southcoaster.com.au

Coast news

How Judith Russo turned an empty shop into a summer gallery

Clifton / Scarborough / Wombarra / Coledale / Austinmer / Thirroul / Bulli

SCARBOROUGH WOMBARRA BOWLING CLUB

JOIN THE BOWLO SUPPORT YOUR CLUB

True Or False?

A resident asked: “I heard that in Clifton either Rube Hargrave Park (which already has some parking) or – which would be worse – Moronga Park opposite is supposed to be replaced by a parking lot.

False. A Wollongong City Council spokesperson said: “There is an existing carpark in Rube Hargrave Park and Council has no current plans to extend its capacity. Council has no plans to change Moronga Park into a Carpark.”

Thirroul Needs A Skatepark Josh Landman started a Change.org petition titled “Local Support for a Skatepark in Thirroul”, calling on Wollongong Council to act.

Will it?

A Council spokesperson told 2515: “Wollongong City Council’s Sportsgrounds and Sporting Facilities Strategy outlines plans for the future development of a district level skate facility in the northern suburbs, and is part of Council’s plan to ensure a diverse range of skate facilities throughout Wollongong.

“While the preferred location of the skate park in the northern suburbs is yet to be determined, the project is currently programmed for delivery in the 2023/24 financial year.” 2515

This is

the place!

Barefoot bowls Beach views Members benefits

2020 / 2021 MEMBERSHIP NOW AVAILABLE MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES DISCOUNTS ON DRINKS DISCOUNTS ON MEALS DISCOUNTS ON BAREFOOT BOWLS FREE BEER OR WINE ON JOINING $15 SOCIAL MEMBERSHIP $50 FULL MEMBERSHIP

'SEE YOU AT THE BOWLO'

Wombarra Bowlo 578 Lawrence Hargrave Dr, Wombarra

(02) 4267 2139 February

23

Vale Dorothy Sefton

The Thirroul Gem

By Donna Henderson

It has been a sad start to 2021 with the passing of Thirroul legend Dorothy Sefton in early January.

Living independently until very recently, she passed away at home in Station Street, where she resided for 77 years. She was 98.

As a four-year-old, Dorothy Green moved to Thirroul from Auburn in 1927 with her mother and brother, Maurice, after Dorothy’s father died of tuberculosis. The Greens settled into the area quickly and her mother established a dressmaking business. Thirroul became Dorothy’s playground.

Dorothy spoke of the freedom she had, scampering up to Sublime Point prior to steps and ladders or beachcombing along the shoreline, collecting washed-up coal around the old jetty at Sandon Point to use at home. Imagine young Dorothy’s Thirroul – King’s Theatre (now Anita’s) was the newest building in town and horse and carts were the main mode of transport.

Dorothy attended Thirroul Public School and later was selected to attend Wollongong High School. Leaving school, she was awarded a scholarship to attend Business College in Sydney.

She continued to commute to Sydney, working for the colourful trade union leader and communist

24 February

Ernie Thornton. Her days were long, with a two-hour trip each way on the old red rattlers.

A job with Bernie Kirton, owner of the Excelsior Mine, brought Dorothy back to her home town.

Through the Methodist Church she met Allan, they married in 1943, buying the old Stationmaster’s house in Station Street. They raised five children: Gary, Kathleen, Phillip, John and Andrew.

Dorothy immersed herself in the local community and church. She was a campaigner for equality, social justice and for those less privileged.

You could not meet a kinder lady than Dot Sefton.

Her interest in geology and gem-fossicking led her to establish the Illawarra Lapidary Club in 1962, which took her all over the country on trips of discovery. An advocate for education for all, she was instrumental in founding the Illawarra Workers’ Education Association (WEA), where she worked tirelessly for many years in voluntary and paid employment.

On fete days at Austinmer Methodist (Uniting) Church there would be a rush to buy Dot Sefton’s marmalade. Her marmalade was famous and it raised thousands of dollars over many years.

The couple became leaders in their fields. Both brilliant minds and wonderful people. Allan’s passion was the local environment, he devoted all his spare time to studying the flora and fauna of Lake Illawarra and the Illawarra Escarpment. His research notes on the bandicoot and funnel web spider relationship led the CSIRO to develop the anti-venom in use today throughout Australia.

Along with his cousin, Doug Gibson, they commenced the longest running research on seabirds in the world. The University of Wollongong established the Allan Sefton Memorial Lecture in his honour.

Dorothy attributed her longevity to growing her own fruit and vegetables and involvement in the community. She and Allan were advocates of organic gardening before the term was coined.

Dorothy was the go-to person on all things Thirroul history and folklore. She was much admired and loved, and her death leaves a big void in our community. She was a role model and mentor to many, including myself. I have one last jar of her marmalade, which I will cherish and keep for a very special occasion.

Embracing Cultures Several weeks after the Seftons settled into married life, they got new neighbours. This new family on the street was strikingly different in Thirroul, they were foreign, having emigrated from Lebanon in the early 1920s.

The Sahades outgrew their first home in

Harbord Street, where they ran a shop from the front room, and purchased the boarding house Glen Ayr in Station Street to accommodate their family of 10.

My mother Mary, the eldest daughter, became friendly with Dorothy. Although similar in ages, Dorothy, being married, was always referred to as Mrs Sefton. At a time when the White Australia Policy was in full swing, the Seftons embraced the cultures and customs of our Lebanese family.

Dorothy and Allan taught my mum’s family English and how to be Australian and the mums shared their food and cooking traditions. This ranged from introducing new crops, such as coffee and olives, to milling wheat for traditional dishes through to making soap.

It went beyond that: the Seftons showed tolerance and kindness and became firm friends with a ‘new Australian’ family, which was out of the ordinary for those early times. The Seftons and Sahades remain lifelong friends.

In 1988 I bought my grandparents’ house and got to know Dorothy as an adult. Dorothy told me many stories about my family in the early days, including the hard stories of a foreign family assimilating. Again, across the fence, food and love was shared. Her no-nonsense attitude to life – to just dig deep and get on with it – will be missed, but it will be her irreverent humour that I will miss the most.

Rest in Peace, dear Dorothy. 2515

Opposite page: Dorothy on her wedding day; and with brother Maurice. This page: Allan and Dorothy’s wedding party.

Photos thanks to Kathleen Cunningham (nee Sefton), daughter of Dorothy and Allan, and Wollongong City Libraries

February

25

Artist seeks local street photography

By Anne Zahalka As a photo-media artist with an interest in traditional and familiar images, I often reconstruct popular visual forms to set out alternative narratives that reflect on our history and place.

Having recently moved to Wombarra, I was excited to learn that the ubiquitous street photographer was active in the city of Wollongong and the Illawarra between the 1930s and 1960s.

This largely unwritten genre of photography is close to my heart through a personal family album and a love of the vernacular. Curious about the local commercial street photography trade here, I was inspired to develop Snapped! Street Photography in the Illawarra.

26 February

This photography project seeks submissions of street photographs from the Illawarra community for an exhibition opening December 2021 at Wollongong City Art Gallery. My aim is to bring this dispersed archive of local street photography to the public in a reconfigured form in order to consider the way the citizens of the Illawarra looked through a contemporary lens.

Existing now only as mementos, these postcardsized images produced by roving photographers were sold the world over. The significance of this popular form of candid street portrait provides an extraordinary record of the region’s people in a simple documentary style.

The images show the appearance and mannerisms of the community collectively and visualise an exchange between the photographer and the photographed. An encounter that was acquired, preserved and cherished by them, and later their descendants.

Within these portraits lie the simple stories of everyday life: visits to town, outings to the beach, meeting friends, walking to work, going to a football game. But behind these ordinary moments are complex social histories that we can only glimpse. The memories offered by those still living embellish these narratives, providing insight into the times and greater scope for interpreting the lived city. These candid portraits offer a vital record of regional life mapped against the streets and beach scapes of this region.

The call-out began in late October 2020 and has yielded some wonderful submissions.

I was delighted to receive correspondence from a 94-year-old man from Wonoona who was a local commercial photographer. His wife Faylande was one of the original beach photographers working in the mid-1940s. She processed her films in the back of a van and delivered prints for clients within eight hours – speedier than Kodak, which took a week to dispatch prints!

My current personal favourites are images of two young women photographed in headscarves and holding wicker baskets as they walk together along Crown Street, Wollongong circa 1945, and a portrait of two young men holding coats over their arms dressed for the football during World War II. These street photographs record lost moments, lost people, lost places. They are inherently nostalgic, offering a tangible trace of what was, and that which remains.

Family photographs prompt a deeper reflection on our forebears, the differences that separate us and the similarities that bind us. These portraits of local people in familiar locations are a way of keeping their memory alive and reminding us of who we once were.

The call-out is still open and I’m excited to see what other gems arrive in my submission inbox!

Go to https://zahalkaworld.com.au/snappedsubmissions/ 2515 Opposite page (left): Mavis Shaw (at right in the photo) and friend, on Crown Street, Wollongong circa 1945. Photograph provided by Julie Donnelly.

Opposite page (right): Jack Jay (21) and his brother Ross Jay (19) in 1939, walking to Wollongong Showground along Burelli Street, to watch the final football match between Port Kembla and Mt Kembla. The thinking of the day was “If you didn’t take an overcoat to the football, you didn’t have one”. It was July/August and winter. Photograph and caption provided by Janet Pezzutto.

February

27

Time to Janice Creenaune meets Robert Mackintosh, a long-time resident of Austinmer. After a stellar career as a teacher at all levels of education, Robert has established himself in retirement as an actor in the film and advertising industry. Photo by Irene Isley.

Robert Mackintosh is photogenic, affable and erudite. A gentle twinkle from his eyes belies his deep knowledge and experiences from a very busy, but experiential life. So it appears a very easy transition for him to tackle the creativity and competitive nature of the film world in his retirement.

Robert’s latest work during Covid times was as the grandfather in Telstra’s TV advertisement “The Wonders of Technology”. He appears (larger than life) on many of our TV screens, reading to his ‘granddaughter’ and encourages us all to experience online communication during the peak Covid period when in-person communication was difficult. If ever there was a worthy job for the times, this is one.

But Robert has many other credits to his name and many experiences to relate for all listeners.

28 February

“I have appeared in TV ads for banks, stills for newspapers, various training films, like the NSW Ambulance Service, even the army. And some important Australian films, like Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby,” he says.

“The Great Gatsby may have been released in 2013, but I can remember the experience like it was yesterday,” he chuckles. “The party scenes were unforgettable. A mega-experience of humanity, light, colour and music. This was really an unforgettable panorama with a magnificent purpose-built swimming pool at Fox Studios.”

For viewers, we could all feel it on screen, but Robert was there.

Robert says the people who work in the industry are “an impressive lot”.

“They reflect how well-trained they are while working under very difficult conditions and

extremely odd hours. I retain vivid memories of make-up artists, camera personnel, wardrobe assistants, producers and others, all working as an efficient team to deliver a top-quality result, all while trying to ensure the welfare of all individuals are maintained.”

Some experiences really stand out, even after many years.

“I also worked on Mark Joffe’s film, The Man Who Sued God. It was a thrill to work with Billy Connelly, the funny Glaswegian, who was affable and (as you can imagine) very willing to talk. I had several conversations with him.

“I did actually tell him once that I had heard that Scottish humour was rumoured to be very jocular.

He laughed, “Aye, but with a k!” was his very quick response.

“We all have our moments when we feel unsure about ourselves, even Billy Connelly, who confided that he was very proud when luminary Robert Redford praised and encouraged him in his role in the film Indecent Proposal.”

There have been personal challenges for Robert too: he appeared in the Bollywood film Soldier, in which Hindi was the only language spoken on set.

The movie was filmed partly in Australia and New Zealand.

Another unforgettable role had Robert involved in an armed hold-up.

“The clout on the back of my head was accidentally delivered quite forcefully, and the result was one egg-sized lump on my scone! But it did make for a thoroughly realistic scene,” he says.

Other film credits include The Road from Coorain, Babe: Pig in the City, and many films and advertisements for TV. The competence and confidence to work in major films, TV roles and advertising does not come without experience.

Robert and his wife, Marilyne, have lived both here and overseas. A family (two daughters and two granddaughters), various educational studies overseas and two years of teaching in Canada, 12 years as Special Education Consultant and Liaison Officer in NSW, plus many years of teaching at all levels, from kindergarten to university, have shown Robert the path forward.

He has taken his experiences and allowed them to be revealed through other roles and characters on screen.

Robert may now be in a world of ‘make-believe on film’ but his abilities are set in a diligent past.

You cannot help but be impressed by his energy and enthusiasm for all his roles in life. 2515 Writer Janice Creenaune is a volunteer for the PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) Foundation Australia.

Email janicecreenaune@gmail.com

For local, experienced and educated real estate advice, call Ian today!

Ian Pepper 0403 570 041

ian.pepper@raywhite.com raywhitehelensburgh.com.au

Review of median house prices 2018-2020 Helensburgh $'000 Stanwell Park $M Wombarra $M Coledale $M Thirroul $M

2018 870 1.36 1.76 1.475 1.2

2019 832.5 1.292 1.25 1.475 1.1155

2020 875 1.4125 1.5625 1.55 1.35

% Incr 5.1% 9.3% 25.0% 5.1% 21.0%

Despite all the headwinds from bushfires and the worst pandemic in our lifetime, overall, 2020 was a great year for median house prices in our area. Increases in all areas reversed the decreases in the previous year while volumes were also up from 189 in 2019 to 213 in 2020. A dramatic increase in demand from all areas of Sydney and a number of interest rates cuts during the year are thought to be the main causes. What can we expect for 2021? The Reserve Bank of Australia announced in November 2019 that its cash rate will not rise for three years and demand from Sydneysiders shows no sign of easing, so overall increases in median house prices are expected to continue in 2021.

February

29

These little energy balls are filled with wholegrain oats, fresh carrots and seeds to balance blood sugars, and provide a great nutrient-dense, sustainable energy-boosting treat.

I tend to freeze a whole batch and just pull one out to put into the boys’ lunchboxes in the morning so they are at the perfect temperature when morning tea rolls around.

Oh, and side note, they are also perfect for busy mummas too!

Carrot Cake Energy Balls

By Stephanie Meades, functional nutritionist at Thirroul’s Life Wellness Co. I see energy balls and bliss balls everywhere, packed into lunchboxes, all over Instagram and Pinterest and now lining our local supermarket shelves.

As a nutritionist I tend to avoid the store-bought variety for my kids as they are jam-packed with sugar (albeit natural sugar from dried fruit), impacting the stability of their blood-sugar levels throughout the day, and making them more susceptible to blood-sugar crashes later in the day.

So, I have created a low-sugar, veggie-packed, delicious option for all the mums out there who are looking for some lunch-box-friendly (aka nut-free) inspo heading into the new school year.

Carrot Cake Energy Balls

Makes approximately 25 balls Ingredients: 3 medium-sized organic carrots 1 cup oats 1 cup sunflower seeds 1/2 cup medjool dates 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger Shredded or fine coconut for rolling Method: Place roughly chopped carrots into a high-powered food processor and blitz until super finely chopped.

Add all remaining ingredients, except the coconut, and blitz until well combined.

Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls and roll in coconut to coat.

Place in a container and place in the freezer (or fridge) to set. 2515

CWA Hall reno runs into ‘unanticipated expenses’

By Carol Pugh, president of Stanwell Park CWA Currently the renovations to the CWA Hall at Stanwell Park have stalled, with building costs higher than projected and some unanticipated expenses.

A renovation triggers certain compliance matters.

We now have to upgrade all the fly screens and screen off underneath the hall to ensure compliance with bushfire regulations.

We also have to ensure the backstage area is made accessible to people with a disability.

While we always intended to make these changes we were hoping to complete these as a second stage. That will not be possible, so something else will have to go.

Members of the committee are currently

30 February

negotiating with the builder who has been selected to see what we can complete with the money we have. In the meantime we are looking for alternative sources of additional funding.

On a happier note, we think that there will be minimal disruption to access to the hall during the build.

This is good news for the many groups that use the hall and the community members who participate.

Despite the restrictions due to Covid-19, most groups are trying to get back to as close to normal as possible while keeping safe.

I hope that I will be able to report some significant progress on the extension in next month’s magazine. 2515

Registration is now open!

Find Northern Illawarra Dance Company on Facebook and click on the link to ‘Register Now’ or visit www.woononabulliyouth club.com/dance Classes start Monday, 1 February Ballet / Modern / Jazz / Tap Acrobatics / Hip hop For everyone from tiny tots to teenagers At Woonona Bulli RSL Youth Club, Princes Highway, Woonona

0422 865 648 robyn@beachframing.com 13 George St Thirroul NSW 2515

Thursday and Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm Saturday 9am - 12pm

SERVIC ING SYDNEY AND TH ILLAWA E RRA

WORK SMART. STAY LOCAL.

Coledale Coworking Space

NOW OPEN BOOK A TOUR

worklife.org.au jane@worklife.org.au or call Kate 0413 202 425 MEMBERSHIPS FROM $55 per week

Boutique law firm specialising in all areas of Wills & Estates

WILLS & ESTATES

ESTATE ADMINISTRATION

ESTATE PLANNING

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION Try our free bespoke estate planning tool at: www.asquithlegal.com.au

02 4208 0403 EMAIL: info@asquithlegal.com.au WRITE TO: PO Box 3048, Austinmer NSW VISIT: Asquith Legal at UOW’s Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong

February

31

Discover Art Space 2515 2515 Coast News reports

Curator Judith Russo, with her photography at Art Space 2515 in Thirroul. Photo: Amber Cree

This summer’s surprise success story is a pop-up gallery in Thirroul – because, despite the anxiety, the restrictions and the uncertainty of our new normal life, people are still buying art.

Art Space 2515 – a play on numbers that references both the postcode and the plan to showcase 25 artists in 15 weeks – opened on Friday, 4 December, with a new group of three to four artists exhibiting every two weeks.

The gallery curator, Austinmer local Judith Russo, was a corporate events photographer, but Covid put a stop to that last year.

So Judith turned to landscape photography, shooting local scenes at sunrise – before her two sons woke up and homeschooling began.

This satisfied her creative urge, but Judith still needed an audience, and a space to show and sell her work. A call-out on Facebook turned up a host of other local artists interested in sharing a gallery.

Seeing the empty shop where Mission Australia used to be, Judith approached Thirroul Plaza, who donated the space for art shows over summer.

The diverse works exhibited have included everything from Judith’s own photography to textiles, ceramics and oil paintings. Our region is

32 February

not short on stellar artists – think Ashley Frost, Tanya Stubbles, Paul Ryan – but this show has given lesser-known names a chance to shine.

Judith has never curated a show before and is thrilled with the result.“It’s just been a positive ride.

It’s been great,” she said.

She kindly took time to chat to 2515.

How did the pop-up art gallery idea come about?

I used to be an events photographer. With Covid, that all fell to pieces. So I started doing landscape photography of the local beaches and ocean pools, and then tried to find exhibition walls, and realised it was really hard.

I had this idea of a pop-up art gallery and saw this empty space and was silly enough and bold enough to write a proposal to the landlords of the Thirroul Plaza. And they approved it.

So the space is being donated by the Plaza for the 15 weeks, to exhibit 25 artists. And they’re all local artists, which is cool as well.

How did you choose the artists?

I put out an ‘expression of interest’ on the Thirroul Living Facebook group and got a lot of interest

back. I just wrote, ‘hi, this is my idea. What do you guys think? Is there enough artists to make this happen?’ And I was completely overwhelmed by the response.

From there, I contacted those people and then had to curate those 15 weeks, basically.

Have you ever done anything like this before?

Nope. [Laughs.] It’s been really exciting.

What’s your background?

I’m Dutch, I’m from the Netherlands originally, but I’ve been in Australia for 20 years. I’ve got my own business, it’s called Creative Events Photography.

We moved from Sydney three years ago with the kids and the husband, and made the Illawarra home. I’m just so grateful to be living here. It’s such a wonderful, wonderful place.

If you have to stay put during Covid, it’s a good place to be.

Absolutely. Look what happens – you end up opening an art gallery!

Seriously, I had no idea this was on the cards.

What have you enjoyed most?

The whole experience has been great.

So many artists who I’m exhibiting haven’t exhibited before. So if you think of the other art galleries in town, they’re really high-end and really selective.

And a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to

put their work up in art galleries like that.

This space is more for everyone – of course, there is a high standard of art. But a lot of these artists don’t have representatives or agents that, you know, make sure their work is showcased all around the place. It’s just giving people the opportunity to put up their art that haven’t had it.

Have you had a chance to show your own work?

Yes, I have. I was part of the opening exhibition.

The very first one. I did really well, sold nine of my pieces in the end, which I was completely blown away about.

And in the third exhibition out of the seven, I put my work back up because somebody pulled out. It’s good, if there’s any spots that I can’t fill, I have my own work handy, ready to go.

Are your works all local landscapes?

For now, it’s just been the Illawarra. With the lockdown in March, I couldn’t go very far and I was at home with the kids, homeschooling, and that’s where it started. I just had to get out of the house, get my creativity flowing, even though there was no work.

Now the pop-up’s been a big success.

Yes, everybody is loving it. I haven’t had any negative feedback. It adds colour to the plaza, to Thirroul. It was a bit of excitement, at the end of a grey, sombre year, it was something to add a positive spin …

Photograph by Amber Cree; painting

by Kristy Quinn

Cover feature

February

33

And people are still buying art. Is that surprising?

It is great. So many of us have lost jobs and are just finding it hard to stay afloat.

Lots of artists are pumping out all new works.

I had an artist here at my last exhibition, Stacie Sims – during Covid, at home with the kids and homeschooling, she took real refuge in her collection of plants, her indoor plants, and ended up creating a beautiful body of work about her plants. And then exhibited those paintings and brought in all her plants.

Her collection is insane. I had this big green wall with beautiful paintings of greenery in-between, it was great. So that’s an example of an artist taking that situation and making it into a positive experience and making a beautiful body of art.

They did sell, yes. Everybody has sold so far.

Who have you got on in February?

Opening on the 29th of January, I’ve got Greer Harris, Angelina Papas, Kristy Quinn, Holly Eva. Then opening on February 12th, I’ve got Amber Cree, Josephine Dash, Sandra Cox and Lynne Lyons.

So that’s two exhibitions, that’s eight artists. And then that last exhibition, which would start on the 26th of February, would be Illawarra high school students. One of the girls who is definitely going to be exhibiting as part of the high schools is Zoe Gelder. She’s quite well known in the Illawarra now; she’s only young and she’s designing surf boards. She was involved in designing something for the Scarborough Boardriders this year.

Tell us more about the artists coming up.

Let’s start with Greer Harris. She does modern pop-art style embroidery – super cool. Angelina Papas does mixed media. It’s quite dreamy and mystical and majestic and spiritual. Holly Eva’s work is feminine, brave and balanced. Kristy Quinn has a collection of really big, colourful works – she does a lot of birds, big cockatoos and parrots, but she also has a bit of a pop art collection of the female body. It’s very poppy, very vibrant.

Amber Cree: she’s got a beautiful collection of abstract landscapes. She’s an ocean photographer and they’re beautiful pastel colours, very flowy, wonderful work. Her work is really pretty, very beautiful with those pastel colours.

Josephine Dash is a landscape and an abstract painter, mainly oils. She’s got a huge collection of work. Sandra Cox and Lynne Lyons, they’re friends, both landscape painters, quite traditional.

And you found everyone via a Facebook post?

They all found me.

Once I put that Facebook post out, they all started sending me emails. It was great. There’s a

34 February

Coavtuerer fe

few I’ve had to fill in, because once you go with a theme, you’ve got to curate the whole show to work for everyone – so that it is not too matching or not too competitive. So then I’ve researched local artists, picked up a whole lot of brochures, visited different art galleries, done a bit of Facebook stalking. But most people found me.

Everybody’s so keen to be given these opportunities.

I knew there was a lot of artists here, but it’s been overwhelming with just how many people make art in the northern suburbs.

One theory is it’s the beauty of the region that attracts so many artists...

Absolutely.

Clockwise from top left: Works by Angelina Papas, Lynne Lyons and Holly Eva

Is that what brought you here?

The beauty of the region – not as an artist, but as an individual – yes, that’s what brought me here, definitely. I fell in love with the Illawarra, especially the escarpment. There is something about this big rock – there’s a power to it – that’s drawn me here.

For us to move into the escarpment, that was the big dream, to be amongst the trees and have the privacy of a nice block of land, to get away from the city traffic. I’m still blown away by if I go to the IGA I can find a car park. That’s still a surprise to me!

Now you’re spending a lot of time in the gallery yourself, is that right?

I am. I have spent many, many hours here. But everybody that’s exhibiting is contributing a day a week in the gallery, so they all sit one day.

So it’s a really cooperative effort.

Yes. That’s the idea behind it as well, because it’s nice as an artist to be able to talk about your work.

So when people come in, you can tell them about your background and what your work represents.

All the artists enjoy being here.

Have the Covid restrictions affected you?

Not really. I would probably say I can have 30 people in the space, it is quite large. And I’m doing the right thing by all the QR codes and being a Covid Safe premises.

If anything has held me back, it’s been the weather. But there’s still been plenty of Sydney people coming through.

ART SPACE 2515 is at Thirroul Plaza, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm. Opening nights, 6-8pm: 29 January, 12 February and 26 February.

Follow @artspace2515 JUDITH RUSSO is on 0410 710 242 or visit www.creativeeventsphotography.com.au 2515 February

35

At left: Loris Quantock (left) and Jennie Pry. Below: ‘Afternoon Tea at Hibiscus Court’, by Loris Quantock.

Opposite: (top) ‘Constance used colour as a resting place between disappointments’; (below) ‘St Helen’s Bay’,

by Jennie Pry.

Cosies,

Cossies & Caravans Two friends have joined forces for a colourful show at Clifton School of Arts this month.

The artists shared their story with 2515.

beach holiday culture via painted collages of vintage bathing suits, cabins and caravans.

“Bathing belles and backyard caravans are recurring themes in my art works. They are often rendered on recycled fence palings, vintage wallpapers, maps and music sheets,” Jennie says.

“The power of nostalgic objects to evoke memory, historical recollection and emotional connection is a continued source of fascination for me.”

Loris has always considered herself an artist inspired by landscapes. She has spent many years travelling to remote locations. Those experiences have been the basis for each series of her landscape paintings and 3D assemblages.

Loris’s new body of work in Cosies, Cossies and Caravans is a departure from her usual practice.

“I seemed to have shifted my focus from the exterior world to the world of the interior. Perhaps an indirect response to the year we’ve had.”

Like a lot people, Loris cleaned out cupboards during lockdown. She found a stash of her mother’s old knitting books. One of the pattern books she found was of tea cosies. It was published by Madame Weigel. Knowing next to nothing about Madame Weigel, Loris delved deeper and spent many months researching Madame Weigel’s remarkable life and work, while at the same time drawing and painting cosies from the pattern book.

“I enjoyed every minute of creating this body of work. I didn’t start out with a plan; just one Madame Weigel tea cosie at a time.”

Award-winning artists Jennie Pry and Loris Quantock shared a studio at the well-known Lennox Street Studios in inner-city Sydney.

As studio mates they exchanged ideas, influenced each other’s artistic practice and discussed what they were making for dinner.

In 2019 Jennie left Sydney and moved to Austinmer. Loris didn’t, but makes good use of Jennie’s spare room and the local pools.

Cosies, Cossies and Caravans, their first exhibition together, was born out of a discussion about what each was doing art wise during the Covid-19 lockdown. Their conversations meandered over memories of what Aussies used to do back in the day to pass the time. Teapots were adorned with hand-knitted tea cosies, bathing suits were stitched and ruched and tiny colourful caravans were stabled in driveways waiting for a tow to a coastal anywhere.

The resulting exhibition is a heartwarming collection of drawings, paintings and mixed media artworks that reach back to the textiles, wallpapers and domestic icons of their mothers and grandmothers’ kitchens, wardrobes and collections. Cosies, Cossies and Caravans will be at Clifton For the past decade, Jennie’s art has focused on School of Arts, February 26-28. Opening night nostalgic narratives exploring the great Australian Friday 26th, 6-8pm. Weekend 10am-5pm. 2515

36 February

Q&A

with artist Jennie Pry Why move to Austinmer?

Austinmer offers a village lifestyle where there is ocean, rainforest and a glorious escarpment but all within easy distance for a city fix (should the need ever arise again). In my day job, I am based at Liverpool Hospital, managing Population Health projects. It’s not a bad commute, but now that working from home options are much more of a reality (for some professions), the move to Austinmer is proving to be one of the best decisions I’ve made.

I also have family ties to the area and was a frequent visitor. So when the timing was right, I started looking for somewhere to buy within budget that was big enough for me and my two sons and could also accommodate my art studio.

Favourite local haunts?

I’m a keen hiker and café creature. I like to do Sublime Point and Gibson track as a fitness thing.

When I have more time, the Wodi Wodi track and Forest trail are not only beautiful, they are profoundly moving. So much history and story.

My local cafes are The General and Omni and continue to serve up cosy atmosphere, fabulous coffee and nutritious delights.

I’ve also recently joined the Austinmer branch of the RFS as one the new recruits after last year’s horrendous season. The crew of long-term volunteers there are amazing and so patient training up people like me who struggle to know one end of a pump from another!

In art, you like vintage cossies – why?

And in real life?

My drawing and art-making practice has focused on nostalgic narratives that explore the great Australian beach culture through painted collages of vintage swimming costumes and bathing suits.

Bathing suits, in particular, reveal moments in time from another era. The remnants of ruched and faded fabrics reach around and embody a woman’s form and whisper forth a little of her life story for me to draw. I name each bathing suit either after the actual person who wore it, or who I imagined wore it.

In real life, I stick to good old one-piece Speedo-style cossies for lap swimming at Austi pool. I have tried out one of my vintage bathing suits in the pool and it filled up with water and became so heavy it almost fell off! 2515 February

37

LOCAL DIRECTORY Book online at www.southcoaster.com.au

Harry Wilcock Air Conditioning & Electrical New Systems Supplied • All Brands Installed SPLIT SYSTEM SPECIALIST | LIC#210923C | L006256 | AU03162

COOLING AND HEATING SPECIALISTS www.oceanairconditioning.com.au

Lic#209874C

All Tyre Sizes available - Wheel Alignments Tyre Repairs - New Wheels - Balancing - Rotations

177 Old Princes Hwy Helensburgh Phone: 4294 8973 Mobile: 0420 764 668

JOHN INGRAM MVRL 54398

YOUR LOCAL TYRE SPECIALIST

A wide range of Brands with Unbeatable Prices!

WEDDINGS FUNERALS NAMING DAYS VOW RENEWAL follow me on

FREE QUOTES:

0407 673 710 Authorised

M: 0415 517 012 e: jacquelinedeecelebrant@gmail.com www.jacquelinedeecelebrant.com

2515’s Home

Handyman -Ross ABN 42 650 568 437

BUILDING

MOBILE \\ Contact Ross on 0459 910 102 EMAIL \\ wavesross@iinet.net.au

ARKE Carpentry

All Carpentry requirements.

Lic. 338019C Decks, Extensions, Bathrooms, Repairs.

0405 487 889 info@arkeprojects.com.au

38 February

DOMESTIC SERVICES

DO YOU NEED HELP WITH ......?

• Minor repairs around house or garden, • Trimming vegetation or bushes off paths, • Access and safety in the home or garden, • Other jobs as needed.

INTERIORS | EXTERIORS

CELEBRANT

AIR CONDITIONING

0418wilcockairelectric@bigpond.com 660 835

AUTOMOTIVE

2515

100% LOC AL

BUILDING

R KER

ABN 78658519764

PROPERTY SERVICES

JESSE 0422 158 485 rokerservices@hotmail.com

SPECIALISING IN: > excavation OTHER SERVICES INCLUDE: > landscaping > carpentry > property maintenance > rubbish removal

KNG Solutions HANDYMAN Your entire handyman needs! All types of repairs: fencing, plumbing, painting, paving, clean-ups, landscaping and gardens, carpentry, cleaning, tiling, picture hanging, mirrors, light fittings, retaining walls, furniture assembling, hose repair, brickwork, rendering and much more ... Reasonable rates!!

KNG SOLUTIONS PTY LTD (Greg Ruskin) MOBILE 0488 036 763 EMAIL kng@froggy.com.au

Project based classes beginners to advanced

Call: Stuart Montague 3rd Generation Woodworker

woodworkschool.com | 0438 510 145

PEST MANAGEMENT 28 YEARS INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Lic No. 15-003682-004

Wayne Teal 0408 776 099

Specialist in the management and control of Pests, Termites and Bird Management Solutions

PH: 4294 4777 E: alloverpest@bigpond.com

DOMESTIC SERVICES

Specialists in all aspects of

• Fine & custom furniture orders welcome • Furniture restoration service available • Timber for sale

PEST MANAGEMENT Lic# 7001 TERMITE & PEST SPECIALIST

DOMESTIC SERVICES

Termite Treatments & Inspections General Pest Treatments • Cockroaches • Spiders Ants • All Pests • Fully Licenced and Insured

Call: 0420 480 036 pestfix.com.au Wollongong Electrical powering on business

0415 652 651 Northern Illawarra

Gutter Cleaning Reliable, Local & Insured

0403 851 399

Lic no. 22111oC

Who are we?

DAE

the future!

DAEelectrIcal 0451 657 928 February

39

ELECTRICIANS

Friendly local and on time electrical contractors. www.wollongongelectrical.com e: info@wollongongelectrical.com

CALL PETE 0408 660 395 Info@sydneyadventures.com.au

Licensee’s name; licence number with correct category of work; business telephone number

30 TO 61 SEAT PARTY BUS

More info: www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au

BIRTHDAYS HENS BUCKS

JONAT’S GARDEN TRANSFORMERS Cheap paths for a better garden • Fully insured Domestic and commercial • Free quotes

• Turf Laying • Pest and Diseases Control • Tree Removal

GARDENING

ELECTRICIANS

· TREE REMOVAL & Pruning services · FIREWOOD · land clearing · stump grinding · free mulch · timber milling · fully insured · free quote stuart: 0412 239 245 Office: 4294 8039

FOR HIRE

NSW Fair Trading requires building and trades advertisements to include:

• Lawn Mowing • Gutter Cleaning • Rubbish Removal

Qualified Horticulturist (Dip of Horticulture) P: Jonathan 0423 457 629 ABN: 57245334210 E: jonatsgardentransformers@hotmail.com

Puppy Preschool & Playgroup

GARDENING

BOOK ONLINE: SONIASAYSSIT.COM.AU

Retaining Walls • Pergolas • Decking Paving • Landscaping Lic: 151773C Complete Makeovers Call Daniel: 0422 503 193

40 February

Group classes & in home

Hot water systems Drainage Gas Roof & Gutters Blocked pipes Maintenance Lic No: 226808c

www.cattleyplumbing.com

EMERGENCY REPAIRS

0409 875 391

PLUMBING

Property Solutions

Adolescent & Adult Dogs

PETS

.com.au

CMYK: 54 0 100 0

David Wagstaff

LOCKSMITH

Above All Locksmiths

Plumbing Above and Drainage All • • • • •

0402 277 928

Email: info@abovealllocksmiths.com.au

Locksmithsfr

ee quotes

CALL NOW 0417 677 345

PO Box 969, SUTHERLAND Mention this ad to receiveNSW 10%2232 off

e: davidwagstaffdrainage@gmail.com

Master Licence Number: 000102854 | ABN: 44690806859

Above All Locksmiths

LICENCE NO. 8987C

MARKETING

Above All Locksmiths

PLUMBING

Pantone 802 C Website: www.abovealllocksmiths.com.au

General plumbing Specialising in storm water construction Sub divisions and easements Domestic drainage problems Mini excavator hire also available

Small business marketing social media & content alimillgatecopywriter@gmail.com | 0411 930 017 alimillgate.com.au

POOLS

PAINTING

Lic# 267636C

Distribution FAQs 2 FREE

FEBRUARY 2021

www.southcoaster.com.au

08

15 Coast news

What area do you cover?

2515 Coast News is handdelivered to letterboxes and local businesses from Clifton to Bulli. 2508 District News goes to the Helensburgh postcode, to homes from Waterfall south to Coalcliff.

Where can I find a copy?

If you live in the 2508 or 2515 ws postcodes, you should receive District ne a copy in your letterbox. If not, Pop-up please let us know! Our walkers may have missed you. This may be because: When do you deliver? a) accidents happen; At the start of each month, b) you have a very fierce dog; usually within three to seven c) your postbox is not easily days (allowing for hiccups like heat te ra b Cele identifiable as such. waves and rainstorms).

Eg, it is an old microwave.

There are a couple of streets in How many magazines do you deliver?

Austinmer where it’s not safe or practical for In total, more than 10,000 magazines a month! our walkers to deliver – if you live in one of the Our walkers – ranging from teenagers to active streets above the railway station, please pick retirees – are some of the fittest people in up a mag at Austi or Thirroul Newsagencies. their postcodes.

FREE

2

JANUARY

2021

www.southco

aster.com.au

art

How Judith Russo turned an empty shop into a summer gallery

Clifton / Scarborough / Wombarra / Coledale / Austinmer / Thirroul / Bulli

of Women 40 Years

/ Darkes h / Otford Helensburg Waterfall /

ell Forest / Stanw

ing in Life Sav

liff ell Park / Coalc Tops / Stanw

February

41

On Board With

By Coledale’s Susie Crick, head of the Plastic Research program at Surfrider Australia

Become a member and get involved!

For more info: www. surfrider.org.au

Save the date: Saturday, March 6. All of the enviro heroes of Wollongong are coming together to clean up the harbour. Pictured is Wollongong Freediver Sandra Dohring. Photo: Aristo Risi

42 February

Who’s up for a beach clean? Covid-19 has kept our organisation underground and silent for most of 2020; but 2021 is here and it’s time to get out and do out bit for our oceans and what better way to splash into beach cleans than to celebrate Clean Up Australia Day? On Saturday, March 6th, all of the enviro heroes of Wollongong are coming together as one community to clean up our beautiful harbour.

Every year, we come together to clean the beaches and the dive underwater. Registration kicks off at 9am and we will meet near the Wollongong Harbour Boat Ramp. It will be easy to spot us, just look for the Surfrider and Rotary gazebos next to Yachties’ Café at the end of Endeavour Drive.

Because of the State Health Covid restrictions, numbers are limited, so we will split into teams.

Bring your tribe and you can either stay on the land and clean the foreshore, or you can get in the water on your boards, SUPs and kayaks, whilst the free divers and snorkellers bring up the rubbish from the sea floor.

The event will conclude at 11.30am, and then lunch will be on us. There will be live entertainment and it will be a great family outing.

Please remember to BYO refillable water bottle and gloves for picking up rubbish. I hope that you can join us and I’ll see you there!

The holiday period saw a huge influx of visitors to 2515 and there was more garbage than usual on our beaches. Please use the SNAP SEND SOLVE app whenever you see overflowing bins, so our council can be made aware of problem areas. Not only will Council receive the visual image in real-time, you will also receive an email saying that the report has been sent to the appropriate agency.

Finally, there are many small ways that we can make our world a better place and reduce landfill.

Save your refundable beverage bottles and cans and instead of throwing them into the yellow recycling bin, take them to your ‘return and earn’ and get 10 cents for each container. Coledale Surf Life Saving Club has a cage where you can donate your bottles and cans, so your garbage can do good for our community. Planet Childcare in Coledale is collecting bread tags that are recycled in Australia and then the raised funds buy wheelchairs for disadvantaged people in South Africa.

Save all of your soft clear plastics, such as pasta and biscuit packets, clear plastic wrappings and any soft plastics that you can scrunch in your hands, and take them to your supermarket where they can be recycled into traffic bollards and outdoor furniture. All of these things just take a tiny bit of effort on your part and end up doing the world of good for our planet.

Every little step that we take in the right direction ensures a brighter future for us all. 2515

Sandon Point has a diversity of habitats and some easy access points for snorkellers. Photos: Duncan Leadbitter

Hello Fish

Duncan Leadbitter visits Sandon Point.

Sandon Point has a lot to offer snorkellers. It is large in area and has a diversity of habitats and some easy access points.

On the northern side, there is an easy entry point in front of the historic boat sheds, some of which were built in the late 1800s. The entry point is a channel blasted by recreational fishermen to facilitate access to the sea by their boats.

Near the northern entry point it is shallow with low-relief rocky reef and a mix of turf algae and urchin barrens. Heading east, it’s possible to find boulder fields which don’t support much growth.

On the rocky reef can be found ‘fields’ of the green algae (Caulerpa filiformis) and the brown seaweed commonly called cray weed.

On the far eastern end, the depth increases (at least 10m in places where I have looked) and there are lots of gullies and drop-offs. Turning south one can find a large gully cut into the rocks which, if you’re adventurous, can be used as an entry and exit point. Further south is a wall that extends to a regular surf spot. The southern area will be the subject of another article.

The linked video on YouTube clearly shows the bright green Caulerpa filiformis. Whilst it looks like grass, it is not a true seagrass. These do occur in NSW but are largely restricted to the waveprotected estuaries. This Caulerpa is thought to have been introduced from either South Africa or

South America about 100 years ago and is also believed to be spreading along the NSW coast.

There has been quite a bit of research conducted on this species. It is believed to have chemicals that prevent grazing by herbivores but evidence for any significant impact on fish diversity and abundance is weak. From my own observations, grazers like luderick and black drummer are quite happy eating Caulerpa.

For more local adventures in the ocean, follow Duncan’s “Illawarra Underwater” channel on YouTube.

Scan the QR code below to watch the Sandon Point video. 2515

February

43

Dive in!

March 13: First Era ocean swim

By Heather Eiszele

2KM SWIM SATURDAY 13 MARCH 2021 9AM START @ GARIE BEACH REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

ERASLSC.COM.AU

ERA BEACH OCEAN CHALLENGE

44 February

Era Surf Life Saving Club will host its inaugural ocean challenge on Saturday, March 13, and offer swimmers a tour of the nearby historic beach shacks when they come ashore.

The picturesque 2.2km swim starts at Garie Beach and runs south into the Royal National Park over rock shelves that provided food for the community during the Depression. Swimmers will pass the Little Garie Cabin Community, the North Era campgrounds and finish at Era Beach, an area usually the preserve of divers.

Organising committee member Elissa Hancock said quite a few Era SLSC members competed in ocean swims and decided to host their own.

“It’s such a beautiful spot – it’s ideal for something like this,” she said.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Heritage Listed Local Cabin Community, which will conduct tours of a few shacks. The cabin community has existed since the 1920s when the land was originally farmland; the Era Surf Club was built in 1938.

Era Beach is about 2.5km from Garie and

accessible only by foot – or sea! Non-swimmers are welcome to attend, cheer on competitors and look back in time.

To take part, competitors must be at least 16 years of age and confident in the ocean. If the seas are high, getting out from Garie will be challenging.

Swimmers will be provided with a small bag for belongings, which will be transported to Era Beach for the walk back to Garie Beach carpark.

Registrations (capped at 300) begin at 8am and the first group of swimmers will start at 9am.

For more information, visit eraslsc.com.au 2515

March 21: ‘Big Swim of the South’ By event coordinator Anthony Ashley

Ready, steady, swim! Register for the March 21 event at oceanswims.com

the team at oceanswim@stanwellparksurfclub.com for more information.

This will be one ocean swim you do not want to miss. If you are ready to get off the couch and get in the water, register now at oceanswims.com or contact the team at oceanswim@ stanwellparksurfclub.com See you in the water!

It is the start of a new year and with it comes new hope for a brighter, healthier start to 2021.

After the chaos of 2020, it’s time to put the swimmers on and get back in the water. The weather is perfect, the water temperature is spot-on Register at oceanswims.com 2515 and the Stanwell Park Equilibrium Healthcare Ocean Swim is back on. Save the date – Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 10am.

The Swim will be running in its traditional course, starting at Coalcliff Beach and finishing at Stanwell Park Beach.

Running 2.3km, the event showcases some of Australia’s most beautiful scenery as its backdrop.

Feel safe knowing that the support of Surf Life Saving Volunteers from Helensburgh-Stanwell Park and Coalcliff will be with you the entire way, so don’t forget to look around and take in the experience as you power towards the finish line.

Thanks to Equilibrium Healthcare for supporting the ocean swim again this year. The event will have several awards for top place finishes and the newly introduced “Teams of 3” award, which is given to any team of three swimmers (any age or sex) that completes the swim in the fastest combined time.

Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Life Saving Club will host the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the ocean swim, along with food, drinks and, of course, the picturesque view from the upstairs Surf Club bar.

Need some training? It’s OK – we have that covered too. As we get closer to the big swim there will be some Sunday morning training sessions in the water just in front of Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC Club. Keep an eye on the Equilibrium Healthcare Ocean Swim Facebook page or email

February

45

2111 Time 0.35

m

2129 Time 0.552354 2231 Time 0.52 m 0.41

m

2020 Time 0.75 2223 Time 0.692004 2101 Time 0.60 1946m 1.20 m 1.23

m

1.39 0.50 0408 0453 1.330632 0515 0517 1.60 1.420132 0347 0417 1.57 1.410032 0.49 1.70 0007 1.35 0.48 0453 0.46 0 0.420.58 0.310.55 0001 0112 7 0339 22 1029 221.530510 221.690310 125 1 0356 16 10 125 16 10 16 10 0935 0.60 1.80 0.721318 1210 0.45 1214 0.600808 1050 0.48 1020 0.640704 1122 1.7870.35 0555 0.5371.81 1102 1.5071 1030 1139 1.78 1036 1.83 0645 0743

1.40 0.26 1.13 1800 1.16 1803 1.071459 1647 1.12 1617 1.051355 0.26 1.49 0.42 1816 0.21 1704 0.17 1337 1430 WE0 TH 1536 FR 1608 SU1.27 MO0.50 SU0.23 MO0.32 MO TH FR 1717 SA 1809 MO MO TU 1206 TU 1713 SU 1907 WE WE 2204 2315 0.37 1.22 2219 0.58 2335 0.53 2327 1830 0.672052 2215 2312 0.65 2135 2326 0.781955 0.42 1.28 1.49 1 1.551.27 1922 1.13 2027

1.48 0.51 0503 0009 1.390047 0619 0024 1.67 1.500223 0500 0508 1.59 1.430128 1.26 0.41 0045 1.35 0.45 0532 0.49 0 1.390.56 0.310.48 0049 0158 8 0438 23 1144 231.620608 231.780420 17 11 17 11 17 11 2 0439 226 226 1055 0.55 1.78 0.670727 1316 0.36 1307 0.510855 1206 0.43 1130 0.580754 0537 0.5381.80 0638 0.5981.83 1137 1.4181 1111 0609 0.44 1123 1.75 0729 0826

9 3

Port Kembla Tidal Chart 2021 February 2021

16 10 4

125 19 1316 10 428 125 19 1316 10 428 125 19 1316 10

1.32 1.10 1909 1.19 1901 1.13 1807 1.15 1737 1.10 1.67 1.38 0.48TH0 0.26 1225 1.69 1745 0.22 PORT KEMBLA – NEW SOUTH WALES 1417 1420 0.42 1508 FR 1648 SA 1721 MO0.25 TU MO0.21 TU0.24 SU 1201 WE 1243 WE 1740 SA 1800 TU TU TU FR MO TH 1541 TH 1436 2300 0.39

2312 0.59

0.33 1.27 1859 LAT 34° 29ʼ 1847 S 2008 LONG 150° 2008 55ʼ0.26 E1.17

2328 2357 0.64 2252 0.752035 1 1901 2135 0.49 1.31 1.581.35 2106

0536Times 1.59 1.23 1.46of 0036 0.51 0023 0125 0.620309 0607 0602 1.63 0526Local 1.490215 1.36 0.43 0051 1.25 0000 1.49 0 0000 1.410.53 0.340.40 0140 0.42 0132 0243 and 0556 Heights High and 0114 Low Waters Time 1211 0527 0.46 0.53 1246 0622 0.590818 0716 0706 1.75 0658 0729 1.590939 1306 1212 0.37 1226 0615 0.500837 0.64 1.82 0.59 1.88 0.53 1 0.481.70 1.611.84 0810 0908 1.28 1.75 1.10 1412 0.28 1351 0.41 1907 1.21 1833 1.18 MARCH FEBRUARY UARY SA 1800 1324 1.26 1241 1.55TU0.18 1215 1.32FR0 1315 1.55 1826 0.31 1459 1546 SU 1828 WE0.34 TU0.22 WE0.18 TH MOM THAPRIL SU 1154 WE WE WE SA TU 1510 FR 1513 FR 1620 TIME TIME M TIME M TIME M 0.41 0.27 2355m1809 0.672113 2004 1.23 1946m1937 1.202215 0.55 0.40 0.55 0.33 1.28 2050 1.21 1 1.33m 2146Time 1.42 Time m 1944 Time Time 2354 m 1845 Time Time m1924 2102 Time 1.70 1.24 0.580230 0112 0.550352 0032 0.59 0622 1.580257 0132 0.48 0136 1.25 0036 1.48 1.44 1.59 0211 1.36 0215 0.49 0.43 0.42 0 0330 0.35 0007 1.35 0207 0456 0453 0632 0.49 0050 0453 0.46 0045 0558 0.27 05170001 0.42 0417 0.31 0.35 0.55 1.530908 0743 1.691018 0704 1.68 1312 0.400916 0808 1.81 0829 0.68 0711 0.65 0701 0.58 0.53 0.40 0850 1.77 1.78 0952 1.86 1.92 1 0555 0.53 0811 1054 1122 1318 1.78 0618 1102 1.50 0701 11390645 1.78 1202 1.50 1036 1.83 1.27 0.50TU 1430 0.32 1355 0.32 1917 1.27 1459 0.23 1415 1.16 1320 1.42 1257 1.22 1412 1305 1537 1656 1625 1559 1546 1206 1.49 1627 0.26 1713 0.42 18161337 0.21 1755 0.41 1704 0.17 SU 1907 MO WE0.15 TH0.27 WE0.25 SA0 TH0.15 FR TU FR MO 1241 TH TH TH SU SA TU WE SA FR MO1.41 MO1.68 TH1.45 SA 1809 1.132153 2027 1.272254 1955 1.28 2052 1.28 0.46 0.62 2020 0.61 1930 0.29 1922 2001 0.41 0.411.49 1843 2147 2130 1.25 1.35 2228 1.28 1 1830 0.42 2033 2258 2326 1.49 1911 2312 1.55

24 18 12

9 327 24 18 12

9 327 24 18 12

9

0.41 1.27 0.560320 0223 0.45 0158 0.480433 0128 0.53 1.59 0.580337 0222 1.26 0117 1.46 1.48 0305 1.36 0259 0.45 1.26 0143 0045 1.35 0306 0532 0.49 0139 00210049 0541 00240049 0508 1101 11 0047 26 110.43 26 110.45 26 201.39 201.77 5 0715 5 0809 529 200.31 14 14 14 17 17 17 0009 17 2 0727 1.8020.58 1.62 0855 1.83 0826 1.78 0754 1.712AND 1.68 0806 0.70 0757 0.62 0.46 0927 0.55 0943 0.70 TIMES 0955 1.91 0930 1.82 1056 1.70 0953 0537 0.53 0638 0.59 1137 1.41 07000711 0.33 1139 06090729 0.44 1123 1.75 1417 1332 0.25 1.59 1420 1405 0.42 1.30 1541 1520 0.21 1.27 1508 1523 0.24 1.08 1436 1406 0.29 1.30 1352 1347 0.31 1.13

1645 1729 1616 HEIGHTSFR OF1300 HIGH SA 1243 1.38 1740 0.48 1.35SU SA 1702 1.69THWE 0.22SUWE SU0 MO 1.67 TU WE TH0.16 FR0.22SA TH0.30 FR TU FR FR FR 1615 SU 1201 TU 1225 TU 1745 1.27 0.32 1.172240 2135 1.31 2106 1.352330 2035 1.34 1.382220 2042 0.51 1924 0.69 2000 0.52 0.48 2116 0.66 1.35 1.28 2211 1.29 1 1847 2008 0.33 2020 1901 0.49 2129 18421958 0.53 2338 18592008 0.26 2357 1.58 AND LOW WATERS

LAT 340 29’

0.42 1.31 0.530407 0215 0.481501.58 0.470415 0309 0.43 0243 0.400514 0208 1.43 0314 1.29 1.53 0406 1.38 0238 00115 0.45 0343 0.42 0.49 0 0125 1.36 0410 1.73 0632 0051 0140 1.25 0240 0000 1.49LONG 01140132 1.41 0602 0.34 55’ 0138 1.88 0.60 1.701040 0837 1.72 0.49 1.761028 0939 1.82 0908 1.841131 0903 0.65 0913 0.73 0.52 1103 0.67 1.86 1012 1.85 1.60 1 0729 0.64 1051 08090757 0.39 1230 0622 0818 0.59 0821 0615 0.53 0927 07060810 0.48 1212 1.61 0.18 0.34 1513 0.29SA1.17 0.23 1620 0.22 1546 0.18TH 1453 1.07 1500 1.20 1640 1645 1.05 1728 1655 1800 1645 1324 1.26 1408 1.23 1745 1.55 1215 1.32 13151459 1.55 1826 0.31 TU 1510 WE FR0.36 SA 1431 FR0.20 SA0.19 MO0 SU WE 1430 TH SA SA SU SA 1519 FR TH MO MO SU MO 1241 WE1.49 WE1.18 1.28 0.35 1.212325 1.39 0.60 1.502253 2215 1.33 2146 2223 1.42 0.69 2020 0.75 1 2129 0.55 0.521.33 1.27 2253 1937 0.55 2231 19362037 0.64 1924 2102 0.40 2111 1809 2113 0.55 2101 19442050 0.33

18 12 6

327 21 1518 12 630 327 21 1518 12 6

327 21 1518 12

0.49 1.33 0.37 1.41 0.43 0330 0.35 1.42 0.42 1.39 0.44 1.57 0408 1.60 0510 0310 0429 0.41 0211 0352 1.36 0515 0025 1.25 0339 0036 0257 1.48 0347 02070215 0045 02150227 28 28 13 1018 28 13 13 0230 13 0916 7 0935 221.44 731 221.59 7 1050 221.66 19 19 19 0136 19 4 1.77 1.81 1.78 0952 1.86 0908 1.9240.60 1.7040.48 1020 0.64 1029 0.72 1210 0.45 1214 0.60 1055 1.84 0829 0.68 0733 0711 0.65 0701 0.58 08110850 0.53 0701 0.40 08250843 0.43 0.27 1.13 1656 1800 0.19 1.05 0.25 1.16 1625 1803 0.15 1.07 1546 1647 1559 1536 0.15 1.40 1537 1608 0.30 1.12 1511 1617

1.41 FR 1415 1.45 FR 1257 1.16 MO 1333 TH FR SU MO SA 1.16 SU0.19 TU WE 1.42 SA 1.22 TH SU SU 1735 MO SU TU 1320 TH 1412 TH 1305 SU 1427 1.25 0.58 1.60 0.78 1.35 2228 1.49 0.67 1.28 0.37 1.43 0.65 2135 2219 0.53 2327 2337 1.36 2020 2254 0.61 2335 1842 2001 2153 0.46 2204 1843 2147 0.62 2215 20332130 0.41 1911 0.41 19452118 0.72

0.43 1.48 0.45 1.39 0.45 1.67 0.43 1.59 0.30 1.43 0503 0608 1.50 0420 1.26 0438 0117 0337 1.46 0500 0139 1.59 02270316 1.61 03060259 1.48 0305 0433 1.36 0619 0124 14 0320 29 14 14 29 14 8 23 8 8 23 20 0222 20 5 20 0955 1.9150.55 1.82 1056 1.7050.36 0953 1.65 1.81 ©20 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology 1055 1144 0.67 1316 1307 0.51 1206 0.43 1130 0.58 0806 0.70 0757 0.62 080923 0.46 09410930 0.45 09270930 0.55 0943 0.70 0840 PORT KEMBLA – NEW SOUTH WALES 1645 0.16 1.32 1615 1721 0.22 1.10 1729 1909 0.30 1.19 0.33 1.15 1550 1737 0.18 1.10 1648 1901 1.13 1616 1807

202

1.30 Astronomical 1550 TU 1.16 TU 1449 1.27 Datum 1.08 TH 1.30 FR SA SU SU 1.13 WE FR MO TU MO Tide WE 1405 SA 1347 FR 1406 MO MO FR 1520 SA 1523 of Predictions is Lowest 1.28 0.39 2211 1.29 0.59 1.46 0.64 1.69 0.75 2312 2252 2042 2240 0.51 2300 1924 2220 0.69 2328 21042200 0.74 2129 0.48 0.66 1.35 1957 LAT 34° 29ʼ S 2116 2330 LONG 150°2000 55ʼ E0.52

Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time 0514 0.49 Low 0.45Times 0.42 1.46 0.44 1.63 0407 0.25Local 1.59 0556 0036 0.51 0023 0.62 0526 1.49 0208 0415 1.43 0607 0314 0407 1.29 0536 04100343 1.53 0406 1.38 0238 1.58 0342 1.58 0232T and Heights of High and Waters New 1.59 Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols 1.60 1.75 1.86 0.46 1.85 1.59 0.37 1.75 0.50 1246 0.59 0658 1226 0903 1028 0.65 1306 0913 1040 0.73 1211 10511012 0.52 1103 1131 0.67 0716 0927 0.49 10461017 0.43 0944 MARCH JANUARY FEBRUARY APRIL 0.36SA0.28 0.20SA1.28 0.19 0.37TU1.21 0.22 1828 1351 1833 1453 1.07 1.20 1640 1.18 1645 1.05 1519 WE 1.17 1659 1.21 1600 MO 1800 TH FR 1728 SA 1655 MO 1645 TU 1630 SA 1800 SU TU 1412 TU 1907 WE SU0.41 TH 1500 SU1.10 WE1.18

21 15 9 m

0.50 1.80 0.26 FR 1.22

630 24 21 15 9

2325 1.27 2129 Time 0.55 2354 22312253 0.521.33 m 0.41 Time m

6

24 21 15 9

630 24 21 15

2253 1946 2020 Time 0.75 1.48 2223 Time 0.69 2004 2101 Time 0.60 m m 1.23 m 1.20

1.76 2355 22212245 0.71 2115 Time m 0.67

0.41 0.24 0.49 1.70 0.46 0.59 1.35 0.48 0558 0.271.58 0517 0.420.58 0.310.55 0001 0112 0622 0408 0453 1.33 0632 05150429 1.60 0510 0007 1.42 0132 0347 0417 1.57 04480500 1.59 0342 0310 0453 1.41 0032 1.84 1.64 1.78 0.35 1.50 1.68 0.53 1.81 1202 1.500.40 1139 1.781.53 1.831.69 0645 0743 1312 1029 1122 0.72 1318 12101055 0.45 1214 0555 0.60 0808 1050 1036 0.48 11401108 0.41 1038 1020 1102 0.64 0704 0.19 0.30 0.26SU1.27 0.42 1.49SU0.23 1755 0.41 1816 0.21 0.17 1337 1430 1917 1608 1.13 1800 1.16 1803 1.07 1647 1.12 1750 1.29 1655 1617 1.05 SU WE MO 1704 SA 1809 MO1735 TU 1206 TU 1713 TH1712 FR SU 1907 MO WE 1459 TH WE 1355 TH MO0.50 WE0.32 TH1.27 MO0.32 1.36 1.13 1.49 1.28 0.42 1.28 1.551.27 1922 2027 2219 0.58 23352337 0.53 2327 1830 0.67 2052 2215 2312 0.65 23242331 0.651.78 2225 2135 2326 0.78 1955

22 16 10

731125 22 16 10

7 125 22 16 10

731125 22 16

1.35 0.45 1.770.58 1.26 0.41 0.49 0.53 0.51 0503 0009 1.390.56 0.310.48 0049 0158 0049 0544 0021 1.60 1.39 0047 0619 0024 1.67 0608 0045 1.50 0223 0500 0508 1.59 0442 0420 0532 1.43 0128 © Copyright of Australia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology 0638 0.59 0.331.68 0537 0.53 Commonwealth 1.41 1.71 1.78 1144 0.441.62 1123 1.75 1.80 0729 1.83 0826 1.78 0711 1224 0700 0.39 0.67 0727 1316 0609 0.36 1307 0.51 0855 1206 0.43 1125 1130 1137 0.58 0754 1243 1.38 1.35 1201 1.67 0.48TH0.29 0.26 1.69 0.22 1417 1420 1508 1352 1832 1.37 1.10 1909 1.19 1901 1.13 1807 1.15 1741 1737 1.10 WE FR 1300 SA SU WE 1740 TU 1225 TU 1745 MO of TU TH 1541 FR TH 1436 FR SA 1721 MO0.25 TU0.42 MO0.21 FR0.31 TU0.24 Datum Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide 0.49 1.31 0.531.38 0.33 1.27 18592008 0.261.17 1901 2135 1.581.35 2106 2312 1847 0.59 2008 2328 2357 0.64 2324 2252 0.75 2035 1.34 18421958

23 17 11

8 226 23 17 11

8 226 23 17 11

8 226 23 17

Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in

1.36 0.43 0115 1.730.47 1.25 0.42 1.49 0.48 1.23 0556 0051 1.410.53 0.340.40 0140 0132 0138 0309 0243 0016Full 0.58 1.46 0036 0114 0.51 0023 0.62 0607 0602 1.63 0526 0000 1.49 0215 0535 New0125 Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Moon 0.64 1.82 0.391.76 0.59 1.88 0.53 1.72 0.53 1246 0622 0.481.70 1.611.84 0810 0757 0908 0630 0809 1.60 0.59 0818 0716 0706 1.75 0658 0729 1.59 0939 1306 1212 0.37 1226 0615 0.50 0837 1208 1.26TU0.22 1.23 1.55TU0.18 1.32FR0.29 1.75 1315 1.55 0.31 1459 1431 1546 1301 0.38 1.10 1412 0.28 1351 0.41 1907 1.21 1833 1.18 1823 TH 1324 SA 1408 SU MO 1241 TH 1215 WE WE WE 1826 TU 1510 FR 1513 SA FR 1620 SA SU 1828 WE0.34 WE0.18 SA0.23 0.55 1.33 0.641.50 1924 2102 0.40 1.28 0.55 1.39 0.27 0.331.21 2050 2037 2146 1.42 1910 1936 1.44 2004 1944 1.23 1946 1937 1.20 2215 2355 1809 0.67 2113

24 18 12

9 327 24 18 12

9 327 24 18 12

9 327 24 18

1.25 0.42 1.36 0.43 1.48 0.44 1.440.49 1.590.35 1.660.37 0215 0227 0330 0101 0215 0.53 0.58 0230 0132 0207 0.48 0112 0211 0.55 0352 0032 0045 0.59 0622 0036 1.58 0257 0018 19 0136 19 19 0701 19 428 428 428 13 13 13 10 25 0001 10 25 25 25 0711 0.65 0829 0.68 0.58 0811 0.53 0701 0825 0.43 0850 1.77 0843 1.81 1.92 1.78 0952 1.86 1.70 MOON PHASE SYMBOLS New Moon 10 First Quarter 0.40 Full Moon 0.40 Last0916 Quarter 0712 1.59 0645 1.53 0908 0808 1.81 0743 1.69 1018 0704 1.68 1312 0626 1320 1559 1.42 0.15 14121537 1.16 0.25 13051625 1.22 0.30 14271511 1.410.27 1415 1656 1.450.15 1257 1546 1.160.19

1.24 0.55 1.68 MO 0.29

1334 0.38 SU 1250 1337 1459 0.23 TH 1430 0.32 1355 0.32of Predictions 1.27 TU 0.50 FR2020, FR MO TH TH Datum SU SU TH WE SA SU SA ©WE Copyright Commonwealth of Australia Bureau ofWE Meteorology. is Lowest Astronomical SATide.

TH 1917 0.46 0.61 1843 0.62 2033 0.41 1911 0.41in1.49 0.721.60 Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00)2020 or1.27 daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when effect. The Bureau of Meteorology 2130 1.25 2118 1.28 2254 1.35 2228 2147 1.43 1944 1945 1.50 1922 2001 1.13 2153 2052 1.28 2027 1955 1.28 1905

1.27 0.58 1.59 TU 0.32

completeness, or reliability of the information or that the information will be1.59 fit for any particular purpose or will not 1.26 0117 1.46 0139 0227 1.610.30 0306 1.480.45 0305 1.36 0.45 0.43 0259 0337 0.43 0316 0049 0222 0.56 0320 0223quality 0.45 0158 0.48 0433 0128 0.53 0143 0.49 0111 0049 0.58 infringe third party Intellectual Property rights.

The Bureau’s for any loss, damage, use of, 0.70any1.91 0757 resulting 0.62 from 0809 0.46 cost or expense 0.451.81 0.55 0943 0.70 liability 1056 1.70 0930 1.82 0953 1.65 0930 0729 0806 1.62 0955 0855 0927 1.83 0826 1.78 0754 1.71 0749 0941 1.56 0716 or reliance on, the information is entirely excluded. 0711 1.68 1.30TH0.16 1.13SU0.33 1550 1.16 1.27 1.08TH0.30 1615 1550 1420 0.42 1541 0.21 1508 0.24 1436 0.29 1.30 1404 0.40 1331 0.31 WE 1405 SA 1347 FR 1406 MO MO FR 1520 SA 1523 TU SU 1729 TH 1645 FR SU 1616 FR0.22 MO0.18 FR 1352 0.51 1.28 0.69 1.46 0.741.69 0.481.29 0.66 1.35 2211 2200 2008 2042 1.17 2240 2135 2129 1.31 2106 2116 1.35 2330 2035 2000 1.34 0.52 1958 1924 2015 2104 1.55 1949 1.38 2220

gives no warranty of any kind whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise in respect to the availability, accuracy, currency,

26 20 14 11 529 26 20 14 11 5

26 20 14 11 529 26 20

1.43 0.44 1.530.42 1.38 0.49 1.580.25 0.45 0343 0407 1.29 February 0.53 0215 0238 0.48 1.58 0138 0208 0.47 0415 0309 0410 0.43 0243 0406 0.40 0514 0220 0342 0.47 0204 460407 21 0903 21 0314 630 21 1103 6 0927 630 21 15 15 15 27 0132 12 27 12 27 12 27 0.65 0913 0.73 1051 0.52 0.67 1046 0.43 1.86 1012 1.85 1.60 1.59 1017 1.75 0810 1.70 1040 0837 1.72 0.49 0757 1.76 1028 0939 1.82 0908 1.84 1131 0825 1.52 0808 1453 1645 1.07 0.37 16591630 1500 1728 1.20 0.20 16401655 1.180.19 1645 1800 1.05 0.36 1519 1.17 1.210.22

1.31 0.60 1.49 WE 0.35 1.39

1459 0.22 SA 1546 0.42 TU 1414 SU 0.23 TH 0.34 SA SA SU 0.18 SA 0.29 SA 1431 TU TU WE FR MO MO FR 1513 FR 1620 MO 1432 0.75 1.48 0.55 1.27 0.521.33 0.711.76 2253 2245 2050 2129 1.21 2325 1.39 0.60 2037 2020 1.50 2253 2215 2231 1.33 2146 2223 1.42 0.69 2113 2101 2046 2221 1.59 2033 0408 1.33

0515 1.60

0510 1.42

0347 1.57

0310 1.41

0448 1.59

Whippy van gives tech a twirl No more relying on the twinkling sound of Greensleeves to find your soft serve! 2515 reports.

Technology has now changed the way we order ice-cream.

For the past three weeks, Ken Murray, of Kens Cones, has trialled a GPS-tracking service, so customers can pinpoint his Whippy van’s location minute by minute.

“We are leading the way in making it really easy for the general public to get their ice-cream fix,” Ken said. “We are trying to deliver the best service we can – using all the technology available.”

Every day, Ken posts a tracking link on his Facebook page. “All you need to do is click on the link and view the map. You then see our whereabouts live via the app. The link expires after 12 hours or when I stop sharing it. It’s amazing.

“This to my knowledge is a first for a Whippy vendor to be offering this type of service.

“In the past you would have been lucky to see a Whippy van driving the streets, let alone stop one.

Now, you can communicate directly with the driver, either myself or my wife Janelle. You can ring or text us and by using the tracking app, see us nearing your suburb and street.”

It’s ice-cream with an educational flavour. “Some parents are saying the kids are loving it. They are learning mapping skills and understanding better where they live, because it’s a fun thing.”

Ken’s routine has also changed this year.

“We are no longer servicing the caravan parks in and around Ulladulla,” Ken said. “It’s a massive job that we have done for over 22 years.

Ken and Janelle have passed that baton onto a younger family, mobile ice-cream vendors Mitchell and Emily, from Goulburn.

“We are now staying home in Thirroul and looking after the residents from Coledale to Balgownie and all suburbs east and west of the highway,” Ken said. “Looking after the locals.”

Facebook @kenscones or call 0411 242 007. 2515 Licence No. 95628C / ARC Licence No. AU09136 ABN 62 078 105 978

SPLIT SYSTEM DISGUISED

(02) 4222 9988 • www.tcair.com.au February

AW3681790

ASK ABOUT OUR DESIGNER AIR.

47

David Hyslop 0417 784 945

Peter Armstrong 0408 975 757

amrutty.com.au