JANUARY 2015

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JANUARY 2015

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home breaks THREE LOCAL WOMEN LEAD THE CHARGE INTO WORLD OF COMPETITIVE SURFING Clifton | Scarborough | Wombarra | Coledale | Austinmer | Thirroul

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2515 CONTENTS NEWS 04 Eco Award Well done to Coledale Public School 07 The Art of Stones Join your local lapidary club 16 Robotics Local boys in national competition 18 It’s a sign Friar Ken Cafe speaks out about asylum seekers LIFESTYLE 06 Then and Now Austinmer beach 08 Cover Feature Meet three top Thirroul surfers 10 Dr Rip Beware of dumping waves

12 Have you seen it? The Illawarra’s ‘jungle cat’ 14 Nature Incredible journeys in the ocean 16 Gardening Be fire-wise 19 Theatre Great outdoors BUSINESS 13 New resolutions Now’s the time to take stock of finances and marketing SPORT 22 Tides 23 BMX Advice from a world champion 24 MTB! NSW Country Track Championships

Cover image by Anthony Warry Photography; www.anthonywarry.tumblr.com

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS Annelies Voorthuis Dr Rob Brander

– aka ‘Dr Rip’ – is a coastal geomorphologist and Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. A resident of Stanwell Park, he’s been studying beaches for 25 years, starting in Canada where water temperatures convinced him come to Australia to do his PhD. He is an international expert on rip currents and runs a beach safety education program called The Science of the Surf (www.scienceofthesurf. com). He wrote Dr Rip’s Essential Beach Book. Read his column on page 10.

saya sakakibara

was four when she competed in her first BMX race. She was seven when she raced in her first World Championships. Six years later, her family moved back to Australia after living in Japan and that was a big culture change for a young girl.

Saya went to Helensburgh Public School where she learnt English and made new friends. Saya has competed in BMX for 11 years. She has raced in 10 different countries. Read her column on page 23.

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15 COAST NEWS

is a business advisor at the Enterprise & Training Company.

Prior to working for ETC, she ran her own business, In2Careers, which provided specialised recruitment services for Aboriginal people. This business won a NSW Health award for its innovation placing Aboriginal people in employment in General Practice. She has also worked for a not-for-profit establishing social enterprises and started her career as a primary school teacher in the Northern Territory. Read her article on page 13.

TIM ROBSON

With more than two decades in the commercial magazine trade behind him, Tim Robson recently made the decision to forsake the Sydney commute and start his own editorial production house called 032Media. With clients like Top Gear Australia, Australian Geographic/Outdoor, Audi Experience and others already on the books, no two days are the same any more! Tim is also a lifelong cyclist, and covers the world of two wheels for 2515. Check out 032media.com

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COAST NEWS

Editors

Genevieve Swart, Marcus Craft

Art director Brendon Wise

Ad design Wendy Gergos

Regular contributors

Rob Brander, Sara Newnham, Anthony Warry

Contact

2515mag.com.au 2515mag PO Box 248, Helensburgh, 2508.

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Community participation is welcome. Please contact editor@2515mag.com.au with story ideas. Letters should be a maximum of 200 words. The editors reserve the right to edit submissions. Contributors should include contact details.

Deadline

15th of the month prior to publication.

2515 is published by The Word Bureau Pty Ltd. ABN 31 692 723 477.

2508 Read our sister mag for the postcode around Helensburgh, 2508mag.com.au Disclaimer: All content and images remain the property of 2515: Coast News unless otherwise supplied. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.

The views expressed in letters and other submissions do not reflect those of the editors.

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2515 NEWS

school wins eco prize Congratulations to Coledale Public School, which won a gold award at Wollongong City Council’s Rise & Shine Environment Awards in December.

The school has excelled in a range of environmental activities, including recycling, energy conservation, composting, gardening and whale watching.

Yes, whale watching. One of the unique advantages of attending a small coastal school – numbering just 136 students in 2014, increasing to 144 in 2015 – is that students have a whale-watching platform in the north-eastern corner of the playground.

“That is quite novel,” said assistant principal Bec Stone. “When the kids sight a whale, they come up to the office and get a flag, which gets

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put up on the whale watching platform, so anyone up on the escarpment or driving past, any of the locals know that when the flags out, the kids have seen a whale.”

For several years, the school has run a community garden, with the aid of “our permaculture guru” Aaron Sorenson, Bec said.

“He visits the school twice a term to work with students from Year 3 to 6. We had a big harvesting day last Wednesday and we sold produce at the school gates… lettuces, red onions, leeks, carrots, spinach, shard, beetroot and different herbs.

“It’s quite an extensive garden. Being permaculture based, it’s based on the ‘no dig’ philosophy, so the children learn about how to build all the different layers of the beds, they learn about harvesting.

“We’ve just dug up a new area and put in

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2515 NEWS some pumpkin and beans. We have composting and worm farms, a recycling program …

“We have got solar panels [that feed back into the grid] on the roof of one of the buildings and we have just got it hooked up to a 24/7 usage data [calculator].

“The plan next year is to integrate the data from that and different waste audits that we’ve done with the kids, and actually build all that data into learning units of work, linking maths and science and literacy.”

Winning the Rise & Shine award, which included a $1000 cash prize, will help the school take its garden to the next level: into the kitchen.

“We’ve enrolled, to start in 2015, the Stephanie Alexander kitchen-garden program,” Bec explained.

This means the school needs a bigger kitchen to allow an entire class to take part in lessons.

The plan is to use funds raised (“we have a really strong P&C with an environmental committee”) to build and kit-out a new kitchen.

“The $1000 will probably buy a fridge or an oven,” Bec said. 2515

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Gardening class… Coledale students at work.

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2515 REPORT Photos: From the collections of the Wollongong City Library and the Illawarra Historical Society

circa... 1923 The three cousins pictured above were photographed at Austinmer rock platform circa 1923.

It is uncertain exactly when the twin rock pools were built. According to an article in the Illawarra Mercury’s ‘Saltwater Sanctuaries’ series, it is estimated that the northern, shallower pool was built in the 1920s and the longer southern one was added in the late 1930s or early 1940s.

Today, swimmers may have to go to Coalcliff,

Bulli or Thirroul rock pools instead, after repairs at Austi stalled in November when it was revealed that the contractor, Specialised Marine Services, had gone into voluntary liquidation.

“Wollongong City Council has appointed a local contractor, Affective Services, to complete some minor works on Austinmer rock pools to make safe the partially completed work on the western and sea walls of both pools,” a Council spokesperson told 2515 last month.

“We know how popular this rock pool is, and are working to ensure the pool is completely repaired and reopened as soon as possible.”

“For updates, please follow Council on Twitter, or find us on Facebook.” 2515

This 1960s photo shows six early surfers – some wearing early budgie smugglers – at Sandon Point.

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2515 REPORT

art of stones

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The Illawarra Lapidary Club is looking for new members.

“We have around 120 members, many of whom are retired,” said SilverStone Jewellery creator Erin Reynolds.

Erin recently won two firsts and a second prize at the club’s annual Festival of Minerals and Gems. “We are always keen to get new and young members,” she said. “We run classes, including glass bead making, faceting, cutting (stones etc), and also organise fossicking trips.”

Erin – a mother of young twin boys and a part-time dental nurse – specialises in making necklaces with semi-precious stones (rhodonite, pink with black veins, from Tamworth, is one of her best-sellers). She cuts and polishes the stone, then winds wire into a basket to encapsulate it. “I am very grateful and lucky to have been shown many of these skills by my

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fellow club members, such as Bill Roth,” she said. 2515 The Illawarra Lapidary Club is at 51 Meadow Street, Tarrawanna, www. illawarralapidaryclub.com.au, 0488 933 801.

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2515 REPORT E AT URE COVER F

Photos by Anthony Warry Photography; www.anthonywarry.tumblr.com

home breaks

three thirroul teens are spearheading a local assault on the ranks of competitive surfing The weather is awful. Horrible. Rain clouds loom and the gusty wind whips sand up into our faces, rattling the camera-light stands, threatening to ruin this cover photo-shoot before it’s had a chance to even begin.

Luckily, our three cover subjects are young women with a gung-ho spirit and infectious energy. The awful weather at Thirroul doesn’t seem to faze them at all. They’re near their beloved ocean.

Nakia Fleuren, Kasey Martin and Jordan Wheatley are local surfers, all 19 years old, and competitors on the rise. This is their home break. The trio spoke told 2515 about their start in surfing and their plans for the future.

From left: Kasey, Jordan and Nakia (with a broken right arm from a skateboarding stack)

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kasey martin

“Dad taught me to surf when I was eight.

“I grew up in a family that all have a love for the ocean: my dad surfs, my sister surfs and my brothers surf, so it’s always just been something we all bond over whether it be discovering new surf spots or talking about who got the best wave in the arvo sesh at dinner time… I love it!

“I have a lot of boards. Mostly short boards shaped by Parrish & Phil Byrne, but I do have a fun little quiver of mals and twin fins for when the surf’s small.

“I have a few favourite breaks: top of the list would have to be a beach down the far south coast of NSW. It’s a bit of a trek from home, but the waves are super fun and there’s nothing better then jumping in the car with a couple of close mates and getting away from the crowds.

“I have been to a few different locations around the east coast of Australia this year, such as Queensland and Victoria and done a few road trips up and down the coast of NSW. “I managed to pick up a sponsorship from Essential Surf and Skate and I got some pleasing contest results: 4th in the Opens at the Werri Slash 2014; second in the under-21 division at the Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders 11th Surf Classic and 3rd in the Open Shortboard division; and I got a first in the Open division of Sandon Point Boardriders.”

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2515 REPORT jordan wheatley

“I started surfing at around eight years old and was instantly hooked … my dad was a big influence because he surfed and being able to surf with your best mates made me love it even more.

“At the moment I have two boards: a 5’8 Stacey ‘Taxi’ Surfboard and a 5’5 Insight twin fin fish. Hoping to get a new board for summer.

“I’ll always have a soft spot for my home break Thirroul, but I don’t really have a favourite break. On a good day Sandon Point definitely has a super fun right-hander.

“2014 hasn’t been the best year for me; I had a knee reconstruction in March, so I was out of the water for seven months.

“Definitely the biggest highlight was being able to get back out in the surf with my family and my best mates!

“I’m pretty easy-going and laid-back. I’ve lived in Thirroul for the majority of my life. I’m a pretty sporty person and enjoy watching any sporting match. I love my surfing, soccer and touch football. At the moment I’m currently studying to be a PE teacher.”

Jordan says she loves the ocean because

“it’s just so relaxing … The ocean just cures everything.”

nakia fleuren

“[I was in] Year 10 ... when I started surfing. I started surfing because I loved the ocean, and it was in the footsteps of my auntie and uncle!

“I have three surf boards and three skateboards, I ride Byrne surfboards and tend to trade the old ones in when I’m buying a new one. My boards are all short boards but do vary in size to adjust to the wave.

“My favourite break changes all the time I tend to go through phases, however, my local Thirroul Beach and Sandon Point are up there.”

Nakia’s 2014 highlights include a 5th at the state titles and at the Australian titles; 3rd overall at Sandon Point Boardriders Club, also taking out Most Improved; first in the Open Shortboard division of the Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders 11th Surf Classic (at Rainbow Beach, Bonny Hills in October) and 4th in the under-21 Shortboard division. She was nominated Trainee of the Year through work at Bevans Real Estate and named runner-up.

Nakia also travelled to Hawaii in February, which was another highlight of the year.

She loves the ocean so much because “it’s just like another home. It’s always changing, it’s always different; you never know what you’re going to get, really – even on an ordinary day.

“I try and go out as much as possible – no matter what the conditions.” 2515

goals for 2015 These three young women share their dreams: NAKIA: “My goal for 2015 is to participate in as much as possible, to stay positive, active and healthy (injury free), to see more of the world and create new friendships.”

KASEY: “My ultimate goal in surfing is simply just to enjoy it and Improve my surfing.

I would love to do as many surf trips as possible to new locations in Australia and overseas and just be happy and healthy.”

JORDAN: “I’d love to be able to travel as much as possible and be able to experience surfing all different breaks around the world.

The major spots I’d love to be able to check out in the future would have to be surfing through Indonesia, Portugal, Hawaii and the Philippines.”

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2515 COLUMN

Dr Rip’s Science of the Surf One man’s barrel is another man’s dumper, writes Rob Brander.

see is really the orbital motion of the water particles within the wave (that gives a wave its to and fro motion) overtaking the speed of the wave. They are very common on sand bars, rock reefs, coral reefs and at the shorelines of steep beaches.

If a plunging wave is coming at you and you are trapped in no man’s land, getting under the wave is the best thing you can do. Dive under the wave with our arms held out in front and stretch your body flat against the bottom and hold onto the sand.

If you are surfing or bodysurfing and are about to “go over the falls”, again try and keep your body as horizontal as possible to the bottom if you can, so your head doesn’t hit the bottom first. And please don’t bodysurf with your arms behind your back. It may look like fun, but it’s like driving without a seatbelt and it only takes one miscalculation to end up in a wheelchair.

Finally, when getting out of the water, never take your eyes off the waves. Many people do, are hit from behind and have whiplash injuries, or get hurt from being knocked over. If you’re careful, plunging waves can be a lot of fun, but you always have to respect them and use your common sense. 2515

I’m pretty sure that almost every person who goes in the ocean a lot has at some point been “blown” up by a wave when entering the water.

Waves that steepen quickly, curl over and crash down with explosive force are called plunging waves, but are more commonly known as dumpers, barrels, or “the green room”. Surfers love them, but they are the most dangerous type of breaking wave and a key reason why beaches are the second most common location for spinal-related injuries in Australia after car accidents.

So why do some waves break like Did you this? Plunging waves occur whenever know? waves travel from deep water to Dumping waves are shallow water over very short a common cause of distances. This makes the waves spinal injuries in slow down so fast that the curl you Australia.

● Want to hear Dr Rip give one of his famous Science of the Surf talks? Go to North Wollongong Beach SLSC on January 21, 11am-12.30pm. It’s free, sponsored by Wollongong Council.

For more ocean information see www.scienceofthesurf.com.

Dumping waves are most common on steep beaches, sand bars, and reefs.

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2515 NEWS

recycle right Making a New Year’s resolution to save the planet? start with the simple stuff.

Remondis runs Wollongong City Council’s Recycling and Waste Collection Services. The top five recycling mistakes Remondis commonly sees are residents incorrectly placing the following in their recycling (yellow lid) bin: ● General waste ● Plastic bags. Often people put their recyclables inside a plastic bag and then into the yellow bin. Plastic bags are not recyclable and even if all other items inside the bag are, it is still contamination.

● Ceramics, including drinking glasses and Pyrex, are not recyclable as they have different boiling temperatures and cannot be recycled with glass jars and glass bottles. ● Nappies – these belong in the residual waste (red lid) bin. ● Shredded paper. Paper is recyclable, but shredded paper causes problems as it is very light and often gets caught by the wind and doesn’t make it to the recycling facility. Rather box it up in something like a cereal box.

Thanks to Remondis Education Officer, Martha Johnson, for her help with this article.

More info: wollongongwaste.com.au 2515

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2515 LOCAL

ex-rescue cop recounts sighting of 'jungle cat’ In some people’s minds it’s the stuff of legend, but not to those who have seen the elusive panther.

Manii Verzosa is a bloke who people are inclined to believe. With a high-stress, action-packed career as commander of the Illawarra Police Rescue Unit behind him, this is not a man you’d reckon would be prone to hyperbole.

So, when he says a big “jungle cat” crossed his path while he was walking down the Sublime Point Track to Austinmer in late October, people tend to believe him.

The former police rescue sergeant says he was walking down along the track on the morning of October 30 when he had an close

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Manii Verzosa and his grand-daughter Amara Newbury, 5, who is happy her granddaddy’s run-in with the “jungle cat” was an uneventful one. encounter of the furry kind.

“I’m a resident here at Austinmer and we live just across from the track. There are 830 manmade steps to the top and it’s about 850 feet elevation – basically about 45 minutes to get to the point from the bottom.

“I do it probably … three times a week, for the exercise and it’s a good view from the top.”

On that particular day, Manii left for his walk about 7am.

“On my way back, probably half-way down, right out of the blue … the track is not very wide, on the steep parts and this cat – I call it a jungle cat now – just popped on the left-hand side across my path and came across in front of me, only about a metre. Any closer and it would have collided with me.

“It had to stop, it couldn’t just run away because it’s another steep decline on the other side of the track, so it had to stop in front of me and – it was quick – but I could see the full back and side of it and the tail alone covered the track. The track’s about … at least a metre wide.

“It had a long, swooping, black, tail – and a muscly back. Probably you’re looking at a Rottweiler-type size.

“This cat is not a domesticated cat or a hybrid – it definitely belongs in a zoo. It was muscular – definitely a cat, a big cat.” 2515

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2515 BUSINESS

plan for success in 2015 now’s the time to take stock of your finances and your marketing plan, writes Annelies Voorthuis.

New Year is a time to set fresh goals. It signifies new beginnings and, of course, new opportunities. Whether your business is entering its busy season or quiet time, there are things to consider when preparing your business for the year ahead: Is this your busy period? If so, make sure that you don’t spend all of your cashflow while the money is pouring in. Keep a reserve for your quieter times. Make notes about how your business performs during this season, so you can be better prepared for the future.

Are you quiet during the holiday season?

This is a good opportunity for you to recharge, review the first half of the financial year, your marketing plan and budget.

Do a marketing plan for 2015 – book in with

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Small Biz Connect for the marketing planning workshop in Helensburgh this month.

Arrange a meeting with your accountant.

Set up an appointment to review earnings and projected profit/loss for your business.

Consider tax-minimising strategies, such as an advance payment of next year’s bills, or equipment purchases.

What is the direction of your business? Now is the time to revisit your life goals, your purpose, and your innermost driving force.

Think about what your business will look like when it is fully developed. What strategies could you develop for the following year that will get you that much closer to your objectives?

Look for ways to cut costs. No matter how successful your business, you should always look for ways to cut costs as you prepare your budget for the New Year. If money gets tight, cost-cutting will help you stay in the black. 2515

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incredible journeys

Sailing... a bluebottle catching the breeze. All photos: Matt Smith. Prints for Matt Smith - Vieu Photography sale at www.mattysmithphoto.com,

2515 NATURE

destination point.”

In the plant world, coconuts are famous drifters. “Locally, we’ve got mangroves, all of the mangroves have got those floating seeds, which do the same thing, travel around in the currents and then did you know? eventually wash up on a beach or a Blue bottles ‘sail’ mud flat somewhere suitable, down the seas courtesy go the roots and away they go.” of a gas-filled, pear-

Our three-part series tackles the big question: how did life get there?

In the final instalment, Australian Museum naturalist Martyn Robinson looks at how life travels via oceans.

Along the way, he introduces us to some surprising examples of Swimmers, Drifters, Rafters, Sailors and Lost Souls.

shaped sac with aerodynamic properties.

SWIMMERS

The most active means of water travel is swimming. Tails and fins are common means of propulsion, but wings work well for birds such as penguins, puffins and auks. “They actually fly underwater, it’s the same action that they use in the air,” Martyn says.

drifters

Then you get the passive travellers, the Drifters, who simply go with the flow and let the current take them to new destinations.

“This is what happens with a lot, but certainly not all, of the plankton,” Martyn says.

An exception is larval fish that might actively move around to reach a promising-looking spot to colonise. “Some of the researchers here [at the Australian Museum] have been studying larval fish, and they are phenomenal as to what these tiny little fish will do to reach a suitable

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sailors

Sailing is a more active form of Drifting. Most of the animal is underwater, but part of it sticks out to catch the wind. “So like a sailing boat, it will actually blow them to new destinations, to new feeding areas, but sometimes disaster too,” Martyn says. “This is what happens to all of the bluebottles that wash up on the beaches.

“They have a sail, which is angled to catch the wind, it will blow them around the currents and into new feeding areas, without much effort at all on their part. It’s just a very limited movement ability within bluebottles, but it also means they can’t avoid things, so when you get a nor’-easterly, it blows hundreds of them to their deaths on the beaches every year.”

Countless bluebottles washed up on our shores in September, bringing with them a few other interesting creatures: the violet snail, with its bubbly raft, formed when it excretes mucous from a gland in its foot; and a blue and

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Sailing... a bluebottle catching the breeze. All photos: Matt Smith. Prints for Matt Smith - Vieu Photography sale at www.mattysmithphoto.com,

2515 NATURE silvery striped sea slug called a sea lizard, with six leg-like appendages. “They eat the bluebottles, that’s what they’re there for,” says Martyn.

Bluebottle predators: Glaucus marginatus travels with bluebottles.

Rafters

“Rafters are usually where there’s been some kind of disaster in the life of the animal or the plant and it’s washed down a riverway in a flood, clinging onto floating vegetation or logs, then washed out to sea,” Martyn says.

“It then gets caught in the currents and is at the mercy of the wind and the waves until it washes up somewhere.”

Those that survive may start a new colony.

“That’s why you’ve got South American iguanas in Fiji. And boa constrictors on Fiji too – they’ve certainly got there by rafting...

“They’ve been there long enough to become new species, but clearly they’re closely related to the ones in South America.”

lost souls

The Galapagos Islands are famously home to Lost Souls; survivors of long ago storms or

volcanic eruptions. “All of those animals that are there would have either been blown off course by strong winds and ended up as Lost Souls on these isolated islands, or been flooded out to sea and rafted over,” Martyn says. “In the case of the tortoises, the tortoises themselves are the raft, they can float.”

HITCHHIKERS

One of Nature’s best known hitchhikers is the remora, an opportunistic little suckerfish that attaches to sharks, turtles, dolphins, stingrays, even ships. “They have really taken the hitchhiking life to heart,” Martyn says. 2515

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2515 OUTDOORS

Gardening with sara As hot days raise the bush fire risks, it’s time to get fire-wise in the garden, writes Sara Newnham.

The beautiful area we live in backs onto thick bushland that thrives after fire. In fact, many native plants rely on it to survive.

Australian plants have made many survival adaptations. Eucalyptus and banksias have a unique lignotuber found in the underground stem or root system that is filled with starches and dormant buds that spring into action after fire or stress, producing a mass of new growth.

The same goes for epicormic buds found along eucalyptus tree trunks and branches.

The sole purpose of the mass of growth that comes from these buds is to reproduce the parent plant by making seed as quickly as possible to recolonise the bare soil. The growth

robot triumph

Robotics team … from left, Harrison Babister, Jaya Ryan, Kai Dreyfus-Ballesi and Patrick Hutton. The boys are all in Year 9 at Smith’s Hill High School.

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Gymea lily surviving after bush fire.

from epicormic buds is usually weak and will easily fall after strong winds. This is something to be mindful of if you have recently had back-burning nearby or a tree pruned and any new shoots hang over your home.

Many native plants need heat to crack open thick, woody seed pods or smoke to germinate the seed. And without fire many plants are unable to propagate. You can now buy smoke water to germinate seeds. Some natives, such as our precious Illawarra flame tree, take up to seven years to be mature enough to produce seed. In areas that have regular fires this has prevented these plants from ever growing back, thus changing the landscape forever.

Melaleucas (paperbarks), casuarinas (she oaks) and acacias (wattles) regrow from seed very quickly after fire and can recolonise, creating mono cultures in once diverse

They were the youngest team to compete, but four local boys excelled at the National Robotics Championships.

The four Year 9 Smith’s Hill High School students – aged 14 to 15 – finished third at the 2014 First Techno Challenge (FTC) Australian Championships held at Macquarie University on December 6 and 7.

The boys were Harrison Babister (Darkes Forest), Patrick Hutton (Austinmer), Kai Dreyfus-Ballesi (Austinmer) and Jaya Ryan (Thirroul). Their challenge was to design, build, program and drive a robot to race against other teams and complete a series of tasks involving goals, balls, ramps and platforms.

This was the first time that a team from the

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16/12/2014 5:38 pm

2515 OUTDOORS environments. In most areas this is OK and these speedy plants act as nurse trees, providing shade to a few slower venerable saplings.

By the time the quick-growing nurse trees die, the other slower species can then dominate the canopy. But in areas that have had many fires in close succession only the quick-growing plants survive. Amazingly, some native seed can stay dormant in the leaf litter for many years, waiting for fire to get it growing.

It’s good to prepare your garden and be fire wise. Limit potential hazards: trim back all tree branches hanging over your home; this will also lessen leaf litter that can fill your gutters.

When removing or pruning large trees, always consult your local tree surgeon and ask your local council’s tree management officer for permission. Remove all dead growth from shrubs and trees. Regular pruning of grasses and shrubs will keep plants lush with water-filled new growth and lessen the chance of woody die-back in the future.

No plant is completely fire retardant, but some will burn a lot slower than others. Limit woody, dry-looking shrubs such as she oaks and conifers. These have lots of dead wood and very flammable needle leaves. Eucalypts are filled with gum that will explode when branches become very hot in extreme fires.

Limit plants under your eaves and choose

plants with lush leaves that hold water.

Examples are succulents, camellias, gardenias, lillypillys, viburnums, ‘Little gem’ magnolias, groundcover myoporum, scavoleas, pigface, clumping gingers, kangaroo paws, tanika lomandra, clivias and the always-resistant agapanthus.

Agapanthus and oleanders have been used as fire breaks for more than 100 years in Australia. They were often planted around homesteads. I have seen footage of fire-devastated areas where the only things left were the rows of these hardy plants.

Mulch is very beneficial for retaining water in the soil. To limit any potential risk of mulch becoming fuel, rake up any pine needles and make sure to water down mulch well over summer. Avoid large, chunky pine barks as they don’t break down very well or hold much water – go for fine mulches. I like decomposed cypress mulch and Helensburgh’s fire chief, Jim Powell, recommends teatree mulch.

For more fire preparation tips and fireresistant plant lists, consult the NSW Rural Fire Service website or Wollongong Council.

Stay safe over the new year and happy gardening! 2515

Illawarra has competed at the FTC competition, coach and parent Phil Hutton said. “It’s all about problem solving and strategy. [The robots] have a maximum size of about 45 x 45cm, it’s called a matrix construction, it’s like a smaller version of Meccano. It’s bolted together, with four drive motors, operating gears and pulleys and things like that.”

The boys were also semi-finalists in the Robot Alliance category, named in the top three for the Innovation category and were overall winners of the Think category, in which they proved to be the best in Australia at identifying and solving the problems associated with building the robot and completing the tasks.

Phil said the competition was a relatively new event. “It’s only been going in Australia for four or five years.” He laughed when 2515

asked if he had a robotics background. “Not at all. I look after administration and help them with strategy… the other coach, Andrew Short, he’s a PhD student at Wollongong University, he looks after the technical stuff.”

Phil praised the boys’ independence, saying they did not have much help from parents.

“They are self-motivated, they solve all their own problems, they do all their own work, so they are very hands-on team.

The rookie team competed against other more experienced university and high school teams, spending hundreds of hours after school working on their robot. They are now on the reserve list to compete at the FTC World Championships in St Louis, USA in 2015.

“They are very happy with what they’ve done,” Phil said. 2515

Agapanthus and oleanders have been used as fire breaks for more than 100 years in Australia.

2515

2515-JAN-p016-17_OUTDOORS.indd 17

Sara runs Creativescapes Garden Design. Contact creativescapes@iprimus.com.au or call 0451 196 646.

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16/12/2014 5:38 pm

2515 NEWS

It’s a sign A Thirroul priest is asking some thought-provoking questions.

On Friday, December 5, Australia awoke to claims that asylum seeker children on Christmas Island had been used as “bargaining chips”, with promises of their release the sweetener used to push new migration laws through the Senate in the early hours.

The migration and maritime powers legislation amendment (resolving the asylum legacy caseload) bill 2014 has since been widely criticised, including for erasing references to the UN Convention on Refugees from Australian law. But, on that Friday morning in our small coastal community, proof that all compassion was not lost was pinned to a sign. It stood outside the Catholic Church of the Parish of St Michael and read: “In 1788 people already living here did not ‘stop the boats’”.

Its creator was Friar Ken Cafe, parish priest at St Michael’s. Fr Ken was born in Waverley in 1949 and grew up in Bondi Junction. After school he joined the Franciscan Friars and has been stationed in Melbourne, Townsville, Sydney, Auckland and Brisbane, where he taught for years at Padua College.

He’s been at the Thirroul church – where about 300 parishioners regularly attend Sunday mass – for six years. “I find that people here are exceptionally generous,” he said. “There’s a strong social justice concern, and that is part of the Franciscans.” Several of his parishioners, including retired teachers, are involved with SCARF [Strategic Community Assistance to Refugee Families, based in Wollongong].

When 2515 spoke to Fr Ken, he was shocked at news of the laws passing, and the means of this achievement. “It’s immoral to me,

2515

2515-JAN-p018-19_NEWS.indd 18

Friar Ken Cafe: priest, lifesaver and contemplative sign writer.

completely immoral,” he said. “That politicians are deluding themselves to say if you don’t pass this law these children will remain incarcerated ... Some of these people come from very, very shocking circumstances … They are not illegal. Under the United Nations people have a right to be refugees, have a right to flee to another country.

“Yes, we have to be security conscious, nobody is questioning that. We don’t have to be paranoid … there has to be a time when we say ‘no more violence’. When we say ‘forgive’.

“If you, as a parent, see something – like a zebra crossing outside a school that’s not protected – you will speak up even though your child has not been injured, you’d do that, wouldn’t you? The church in a similar way; somebody needs to say something about this.

“I’m in the Surf Club. When you rescue people, you don’t say are you Catholic, are you Muslim?

“I taught high school for many years and one of the lads that I taught … he was from Vietnam, he was a boat person, ‘illegal’ boat person. His parents put he and his brother and sister on a boat. The boat was strafed [by planes from Vietnam], turned upside down on the hull, and it was strafed again, his brother got shot in front on his eyes, and killed… He somehow made his way to Australia. He had a lot of anger, when I taught him he was 17 … that was back in 1983. But now he has a very good job, he is contributing to our society.

“Yes, we should stop the boats, but ... why aren’t we sending people to process these people … We’ve got to stop the need for people

18

16/12/2014 5:39 pm

2515 NEWS to go to people smugglers.

That is not addressed by the politicians, in saying “Oh, we’ve stopped the boats, there’s no more problem”. There are more refugees all the time.

“It’s not my right to tell anybody how to vote.

Nobody has got that right.

But what you can say is ‘Wait a minute, have you thought of this, have you thought of that?’

And that’s really what the sign is about.

“I remember one sign I put up there: ‘Don’t book your funeral here, swim between the flags.’ Well, that’s a simple message… on Christmas day two years ago we nearly had two people drown here. A father and son. The father went in after the son, fully clothed, right in the middle of the rip.

“So I try to make [the signs] local and pertinent, without being narrow-minded…

They make you think. A little quirky thing, that’s all… it’s also about talking and communication.

“As a lady said the other day, of the current sign that’s out there: ‘Yes, the original people of our land did not stop the boats – I wonder whether they wish they had of?’” 2515 Keep an eye out for more of Fr Ken’s signs. The Church of St Michael is at 325 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul, 4268 1910, thirroulcatholic.org.au

puppy training Got a dog for Christmas? His training starts now, writes Philip Comans.

Getting a puppy is a big decision. Tiny at first they will grow up fast! Bad manners when little might be considered cute, but no one likes an adult dog who nips, barks, and jumps up!

House training needs to be managed.

Puppy’s earliest experiences with other dogs will also shape its entire life. Being overwhelmed at puppy school can lead to serious

2515

2515-JAN-p018-19_NEWS.indd 19

as you like it Bring your blankets, unfold your deck chairs. It’s time for Shakespeare in the garden.

The Eaton Gorge Theatre Company will present As You Like it on the McKinnon Lawn at Wollongong University, from January 23 until February 1, on Friday and Saturday nights at 7pm and Sundays at 4pm.

Ian McColm directs the much-loved comedy about mistaken identities, gender-swapping, love and betrayal. Local actors include Juliet and McKenzee Scrine, both from Thirroul, and Ian McColm from Bulli.

Said Ian, “This family friendly performance is portrayed in an easily accessible and understandable way and Shakespeare’s magic with words and storytelling shines through.”

Tickets $25/$15/family $70. See trybooking. com/GGGI, egtc.com.au or phone 4267 3920.

dog aggression issues at maturity.

Humans just don’t know what the puppy’s view of the world is, and what they interpret as “play” to the young pup may, in fact, be a seriously worrying dominance test. Puppies who rumble with others at puppy school frequently learn that every future dog they meet must be challenged for supremacy. That’s why they pull on the lead and go for every dog they see on a walk, trying to get in first!

The buzz word “socialisation” is misinterpreted too. Meeting other dogs needs to be handled very carefully and in total control. I’m sure you’d agree we all want to give our puppies a safe start to life and thus avoid unintended consequences. 2515 Philip Comans is a dog behaviour therapist and trainer with Bark Busters Illawarra & Southern Highlands, 1800 067 710.

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6 0318 0948

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21

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2515 TIDES

0100 0531 1.25 0141 1.48 0103 0145 043 1.3 0.47 0019 0434 0023 0.49 0.42 0448 0617 0.26 1.55 0.49 0141 1.61 0.38 11 26 11 17 17 2 2 8 23 8 23 8 PORT KEMBLA – NEW SOUTH WALES

0640 1143 0.60 0813 0.44 0734 0755 104 0.6 1.65 0630 1.64WALES 1.66 1111 1301 1.89 0.44 1.50 0744 0.30 1.78 PORT KEMBLA 1059 – NEW0700 SOUTH

2015

1249 1.43 1.46 1348 1.2 1847 1.20 0.33 0.37 1.54 MO 1349 WE 0.17 TU 1416 M MO 1454 SU 1804 MO 1238 SU 165

1344 0.37

0.31 SU SA 0.06 FR TH29ʼ1737 FR 1746 LAT 34° LONG 150° 55ʼ 1932 1.22 2340 1.25 2353 1.48 Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY

port kembla 18 12 9chart 3 27 24 18 12 9 3 24tidal

1924 0.42 Local 2014 0.33 2014 2000 230 0.5 1.25 1851 0.30 1.39 LAT 34° 29ʼ LONG 150°2047 55ʼTime JANUARY APRIL 0146 1.26 0239 1.47 0158 0238 051 1.3 0029 0.43 0.45m0111 0.43 0.52 0544 0.30 0019 1.35Waters 1.58 0.29 Times Heights of High and Time m Time0112 m and Time m Time Time m 0514 Time m Time Low m0222 Time m 0731 0614 0.64 0854 0.50 0826 0900 111 0.6 1.67 0851 1.67 1.70 1.59 1201 1.78 0.53 0549 0731 0.39 1.88 0525 1.45 0.46 0514 1.55 1.68 0055 0.50113400050747 0617 1.50 0707 0105 0.58 1.58 16 16 1 16 16 1 0608 1 1 1203 0.55 1.67 1202 0.38 1215 0730 1.62181006421432 0.46 1352 0715 1.49 1247 0.44 MARCH JANUARY FEBRUARY 1333 1.34 1451 1.31 1447 1.1 1529 0.31 0.32 1834 1.42 1.37TH 0.08 MO 0.31 TU SU 0.13 WE 1503 T TU0.43 SA 0.34 FR SA1306 MOWE1219 TU0.221333 MO 172 January 1342 TH 1836 1.22 FR 1746 1.15 SU 1416 0.37 MO 1327 0.29 SU 1903 1.19 MO 1806 1.26 TH 1830 1.62 0023 0700 FR 1344 1932

Time Time

m M

2336 0.48

0.42 1.64 0.37 1.22

0617 1.55 1301 0.44 SA 1847 1.20

2022 1.23

1942 1.26

1.29 2007 1.21 m 19222022 1.23 Time Time M Time

0141 0813 MO 1454 2047

0.47 1.65 0.33 1.25

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1

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m

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9

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0035 0.32

2 0045 17 0645 1258 0005 0.27 0755 1.51 1.70 0617 1.50 0055 0.50 17 0237 20.46 1.28 0341 1.48 0301 0.44 0.43 0120 0.38 1.49 0100 1.35 0207 1902 1.37 1415 0.40 FR 1303 0.19 1306 0.46 0730 1.62 TU 0831TH1.67 0.68 1011 0.53 1.73 0642 0756 1.79 0927 1.67 0.36 0642 0700 0.57 1918 0839 2027 1.45 1.73 1903 1416 0.37 1425 1.25 1602 1.19 0.29 0.20 1600 0.30 1254 1.63 1300 1.32 MO SU 0130 TU1327 WE MO 1440 WE0.47 TH SU0126 TU 0.29 WE0.241434 0.52 0049 0.40 0227 3 07481923 31.29 18 0738 0832 1.51 1.57 18 0712 1922 1.75 1.69 2007 1.21 2053FR 0.49 2206 0.48 1.24 2032 1.32 2159 1.31 0.23 1915 0.46 2033 1446 0.39 SA 1348 0.20 TU 1424 0.38 WE 1347 0.18

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4 0156 0830

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1.88

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1.66

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1.90

0.43 1.73 SU 1515 0.29 2106 1.24

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0.29 1.82 0.11 1.60

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SA 0559SA0.36 SU TH TH TH SA0.41 WE S FR WE0434 0.41 0.49 0448 0.26 MO 0531TU 0522 0.20FR 0.49 0019 WE 1.61 0440 8 SU 2106 82032 23WE 8 10442206 23 1201 1.66 23 1.24 1111 1.89 1130 2151 1.58 1143 1.501.32 06302302 0.30 2159 1.52 23 1041 1.34 1.27 1921 1.17 1.26 2301 1.47 81.55 2342 1.35 2057 1.35 0.60 2041 1.60 1.31 2053 0.49 201 2344 0.48 2157 0.55

0434 1059 TH 1737 2340

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5

10 0554

0.56 SA 1210 1.52 1845 0.38

SU 1655 0.36 2308 1.47

MO 1733 0.29 2352 1.73

WE 1626 0.50 2251 1.60

TH 1732 0.61

0.49 0448 0.26 0.19 0531 0.49 1.61 0.21 0245 0.44 0019 0240 0338 0.43 0345 025 0445 1.50 0442 1.45 0000 0618 0.27 0.43 0526 0.44 1.65 9 0514 24 0655 1119 1.45 24 1126 1.28 1223 1.44 0.44 1.60 0630  1005 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 1.66 1111 1.89 91.90 1143 1.50 0.30 1.83 0901 0857 1000 1.66 094 1129 0.52 1130 0.53 MO 1726 0.40 TU 1818 0.40 TH 1706 0.55 FR 1258 1.21 0.31 0.06 1804 0.37 1.54 1527 0.33 1520 1631 0.30 1634 0.04 154S 1717 1.14 1718 1.13 1.48 2334 0.69 TH 1824 FRAstonomi FR FR 1746 SU1.58 MO 1238 SA 0.09 TH2343 SA of Datum Predictions is Lowest 2130 2232 1.33 1.25 1.48 1.60 0.30 1.69 212 2306 0.51 2303 0.53 0050 0554 0.46 2353 0041 2240 1.68 0617 0.47 1.55 1.40 1851 2129

8 5 29 23 20 14 8 5 23 20 14 20 14 PORT KEMBLA – NEW SOUTH WALES

0514 0.52 1134 1.59 FR 1810 0.34

25 0642

0.36

10 0700

0.57

25 0839

0.47

LAT1.3834° 29ʼ LONG 150° 55ʼ 25 0717 10 1157 25 0.36 10 0751 0.50 1217in 1.22 Times are local standard time (UTC +1

1254 1.63 TU 1300 1.32 WE 1434 1.23 TU 1759 0.45 WE 1318 1.30 FR 1753 0.61 SA 1359 1.18 0321 0.42 0111 0334 0318SU 0.45 0302 0.17 0415 0.44 Heights 0.19 0.52 0544 0.30 0019 1.35 042920330514 1.36 0547 1.53 0545 and 1.55 Low 040 Times and ofPhase High Waters 1923 0.23 1915 0.460.28 0.51 1905 0438 0.52 1923 0.75 New1.58 Moon Moon Symbols 0936 1.59 0731 0947 0948 1.73 0932 1.94 1034 1.63 1056 1.83 1134 1.59 1201 1.78 0614 0.53 0.39 1.79 1057 0.64 1237 0.48 1232 0.42 0146 105 0100 1.25 0141 1.48 0145 1.35 0308 1.49 0021 1.47 0133 1.60 0025 1.54 1.46 11 0640 111613 26FR 11 26 110.09 26 0847 MARCH JANUARY FEBRUARY 0.60 26 0.27 0744 0.44 0755TH 0.610.05 09531810 0.52 0640 0.50 0820 1719 0.45 0717 0.48 0.53 0.33 1556 1629 1605 0.12 1702 0.31 0.34 1834 0.13 1219 1.42 1333 1.37 1637 1.15 1826 1.14 1826 1.20 165 FR TU WE SA FR SA SA M MO TU FR SU SU SU 1249 1.43 MO 1349 1.46 WE 1348 1.23 TH 1545 1.13 WE 1239 1.30 TH 1418 1.20 SA 1319 1.19 SU 1503 1.19 2201 1.26 1.62 1838 0.41 0.41 1.74 2242 223 1924 2225 0.42 2014 2000 0.511.43 0.58 2306 1835 1.34 0.50 1959 0.62 1852 0.65 0.77 1.43 Time m 2031 Tim Time21350.50 m Time 1940 m 2215 Time m 2329 Time0.33 m 2212

21 15 9 6 30 24 21 15 9 6

6

12 0146 0731

1.26 0.64 MO 1333 1.34 2005 0.46

0239 0854 TU 1451 2108

1.47 0.50 1.31 0.42

0238 0900 TH 1447 2053

1.35 0.63 1.16 0.55

0414 1108 FR 1703 2241

1.47 0.53 1.10 0.61

0104 0731 TH 1327 1919

1.45 0.54 1.22 0.56

0230 0927 FR 1527 2100

1.52 0.51 1.14 0.68

0126 0825 SU 1430 2004

1.52 0.47 1.20 0.66

24 21 15

0249 0941 MO 1603 2141

1.41 0.54 1.23 0.76

27 0.46 120355 0.25 12 27 0018 27 0358 0005 0100 0.46 051 0525 1.45 0452 0617 0207 1.500428 005527 0.500533 0608 1.58 0.46 1.25 0002 0045 1.49120.23 1.35 0.41 1.54 0.16 0.51 16 1.94 16 1.70 1 1.56 16 1.70 10642 7 0357 22 7 1108 22 7 1010 10 25 10 25 1 31 1203 0.55 0642 1.67 120 1306 0839 0.461039 0730 0642 1.621146 1247 22 0.441021 10241 1.70 1.57 0554 0.56 0.36 0700 0.57 0.47 1.58 1746 1.15 1327 0.29 180 1903 1.19 1416 0.37 1836 1.22

17001.380.03 0.34 1805 1626 0.34 SU 1649 1.52 1.63 1300 1.32 1.23 1331 0.42 SU MO 0.18 SU MO 0.19 TH 0.29 WE 1703 SA 1732 SU SA 0350 SA 1210 SU 1254 TU1.53 T SA 0155 1.44 0341 1.48 TH 0338FR 1.47 0334 1.46 0235 1.39 WE 1434 13 28 1.26 28 0519 28 1030 0833 0.56 28 1011 0.53 132301 1016 0.611.47 12141845 0.51 2342 1033 0.53 0931 0.42 0.53 1.46 2033 2303 2336 0.48 1.29 234 2007 1.21 2302 1.35 2234 0.38 1923 0.23131922 1915 0.46 0.51 1.76 1921 1.17 1427 1.16 1602 1.19 1601 1.12 1811 1.13 1641 1.13 1542 1.26 1655 1.30

13 0237 0831

1.28 0.68 TU 1425 1.25 2053 0.49

WE

2206 0.48

FR

2157 0.55

SA

2344 0.60

FR

2015 0.60

SA

2210 0.71

MO

2122 0.62

TU

2244 0.71

0617 0100 1.55 0531 0141 0141 0.47 0103 0.38 0446 0038 0308 0.560522 061 0023 0.420448 0434 0.49 0.26 0.49 0434 0.41 0019 1.25 1.48 1.61 0145 1.35 1.49 0.20 0256 1.44 1.39 1.31 0445 1.50 0442 1.45 0440 1.43 0346 1.57 14 14 0331 141111 140.30 29 Copyright of Australia 2014, Bureau of Meteorolo 1301 0640 0.44 Commonwealth 0813 1.65 0734 1.78 0706 0953 1.53 125 07000.52 1.64 0946 1.50 0.55 29 1113 0.50 0943 1059 0.68 29 1.66 1129 1130 0.53 1133 0630 0.53 1031 0.35 1.89 1143 1044 1.52 1130 0.60 0744 0.44 0755 0.61 0.52 1.58 1541 1.13 1738 1.38 1528 1.18 1717 1.14 1718 1.13 1745 1.17 1645 1.36 SA WE WE TH 1344 0.37 SA TU 1847 1.20 1454 0.33 1416 0.17 1347 0.421733 190 1655 1.54 1.43 1349 1.46 1348 1.23 1.13 MO TU MO TU 0.29 TH 1737 SU 1804 SU MO MO SUof1249 MOisSU WE0.54 TH 1545 W 2124 0.37 0.61 2337 0.64 0.36 2145 0.51 FR 0.31 2306 0.51 FR 1746 2303SA 0.530.06 2317 1238 0.68 2233 Datum Predictions Lowest Astonomical Tide 2047 1.25 2014 1.39 0535 1946 1.25 0.58 1.73 1932 1.222353 1.25 2308 1924 0.42 0.33 0.30 2000 0.51 0429 2340 1.36 0547 1.53 0545 1.551.48 0405 1.48 2014 0541 1851 1.43 0451 1.63 1.41 1.47 2135 2352

8 2

15 1057

0.64 TH 1637 1.15 2242 0.50

30 1237

23 17 11 8 2 26 23 17 11 8 2 26 23 17 1

0.48

15 1232Times 15 1059standard 30and 0.42 0.48 30 1224 time 0.50 15 1126 0.28 1152 0.48 are in local (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings t Times Heights of

1826 1826 1.200029 0.43 1.17 MO0.45 1835 1.24 1740 1.49 1.46 0126 0.52 SU0544 SU 1659 1.35 TH 1816 0158 0.29 004 01121.14 0.43 0222 0514FR 0.52 0.30 0146 0019 0.43 0414 0618 1.26 1.47 WE1.58 0238 1.35 1.47 0.27 2239 0.58 0239 0111 2336 0.43 New0.39 Moon First Quarter Moon Symbols high and0514 low 0707Phase 1.67 0614 0826 1.88 0748 1108 1.571223 071 0747 1.701201 0851 0854 1.67 1134 1.59 1.78 1.44 0731 1119 1.45 0731 0.64 0.53 0.50 0900 0.63waters 0.53 0002 0.51 0016 0.64 0 31 0.34 1352 0.31 1503 0.08 1424 0.38 134T 14321.58 0.32 1529 0.31 0642 0631 1333 1.46 1.34 1451 1.31 1.16 1.10 lat1726 34 29’ 0.40 SU 0.13 WE 1.37 TU WE 0.40 SA TU 1.42 FR 1810 SA 1834 TU 1818 MO 1219 TU MO MO 1333 TU31 TH 1447 FR 1703 SA 1331 0.42 TU 1305 0.46 0 1942 2005 1.26 1838 2102 2053 1.48 2023 2241 1.30 0.61 195 20221.17 1.23 2124 2108 1.28 0.46 0.41 0.42 0.41 0.5555’ 1.48 1921 1916 1940 1.31 long2343 150

9 3

24 18 12 9 3 27 24 18 12 9 3 27 24 18 1

0120 0.38 0301 0341 0.440207 0251 0338 0.23 0554 0156 0.43 0018 1.25 0045 2014, 1.49 0100 0237 1.28 1.35 1.48 1.54 1.38  Copyright Commonwealth of Australia Bureau of Meteorology Datum of0554 Predictions is Lowest Tide 0831 0756 1.79 0700 0927 1011 1.670839 0915 1016 1.92 1157 0830 1.73Astonomical 0.56 0642 0.36 0.68 0.57 0.53 0.47 0.61 Times in SU local1.52 standard0.29 time (UTC +10:00) or daylight (UTC1602 +11:00) when effect 1601 1440 0.20 1600 0.301434 1549 1515 1210 1254 1.63 1300 1.32 1425 1.25 1.19 1.12 MO WEtime THin1.23 WE SAare SU TU savings WE TU 1759 TU WE FR 0.04 Full Moon Moon Phase Symbols New Moon 0.23 First 1915 Quarter Last Quarter 2032 2053 1.32 2159 2206 1.31 2151 2157 1.55 2106 1.24 1845 0.38 1923 2033 0.49 0.46 0.48 0.51 0.55

10 4

0207 0519 0.480041 014 1.47 1.68 19 0.36 25 19 13 10 4 28 25 19 13 10 4 0.46 25 1 28 0826 1214 1.590717 080 1.38 0.51 1456 0.35 143

0.45 1.13 TH 1.30 WE 1318 F SA 1811 2057 2344 1.351905 204 0.60 0.52

The Bureau of Meteorology gives no warranty of any kind whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise in respect to the availability, accuracy, currency, completeness, quality or reliability of the information or that the information will be fit for any particular purpose or will not infringe any third party Intellectual Property rights.

The Bureau’s liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense resulting from use of, or reliance on, the information is entirely excluded.

0212 0331 0.32 0145 0245 0.440133 1.60 024 0238 0.440141 1.48 0338 0445 0.430308 0345 0442 0.19 0021 1.25 1.31 1.35 1.50 1.49 1.45 1.47 20 0.44 5 0.50 20 0.45 5 0.61 20 0.52 11 0100 11 0755 26 11 0640 1 14 0943 29 14 1130 0845 1.88 0901 26 1.600820 085 0910 26 1.740744 1000 1129 1.660953 1005 1.90 06405 0.60 0.68 0.52 0.53

1526 0.10 1527 0.33 152S 1553 MO 0.271349 1631 0.30 1634 0.04 1.23 1.18 1.14 1.13 2515 TU 1.46 TH 1.30 FR 1.20 MO 1.43 TH22 FR 1.13 SU 1249 TH 1418 WE 1348 TH 1545 WE 1239 WE 1528 TH 1717 SA 1718 2122 2145 1.38 2000 2130 1.401959 0.62 212 2146 1.252014 0.33 2232 2306 1.332135 2240 2303 1.60 1835 1924 0.42 0.51 0.51 0.51 0.58 0.53 0.50

0321 0.420230 1.52 0318 0.450239 1.47 0302 0429 0.28 0238 0415 0547 0.440414 0438 0545 0.19 0104 033 1.26 1.36 1.35 1.53 1.47 1.55 1.45 6 0.54 21 0.50 6 0.63 21 0.53 21 0.51 12 0146 12 12 27 15 30 15 1 0936 27 1.590927 0948 27 1.730854 0932 1.94 1034 1237 1.631108 1056 1.83 094 07316 0.64 0900 0731 1057 0.64 0.48 1232 0.42 1556 0.33 1629 0.27 1613 0.05 1702 0.31 1719 0.09 160 TU 1.34 MO 1333

1.15 1.14 1.20 FR 1.22 FR 1527 WE 1.31 FR 1.16 SA 1.10 SA 1.14 TH 1637 S FR 1826 SU 1826 TU 1451 TH 1447 TH 1327 FR 1703 pm 2201 5:43 1.43 2212 2242 1.43 2053 2306 1.342241 0.61 2329 1.62 191916/12/2014 221 0.50 0.55 0.42 0.56 2100 0.68

2515-JAN-p022_TIDAL CHART.indd 2225 22 1.262108 2005 0.46

2515 SPORT

tough road to glory World champion bmxer Saya Sakakibara reveals the dedication and commitment it takes to become a world champion “Riders ready, watch the gate …” That is the call I heard at the start of the BMX World Championships final in Holland in late July. At that point, I had one goal: get to the finish line first. I knew I was fully prepared.

The following is what I did to get there.

Training I did high-intensity training including gym, bike sprints, track skills, core work and plyometric work. I trained one to two hours a day and never missed out on any training.

Mental Strength When something went wrong during racing or a session, I had to be strong enough to accept mistakes as if they were lessons – and improve.

Racing My coach says: “Race as you train, train as you race”. I consider the small, local races as

Saya takes World honours.

Photo: Kenichi Inomata

training for the bigger, more important races. I always put in 100 percent because every race is an opportunity to get better. When possible, I raced the boys for extra competition.

Sacrifices I gave up parties, late nights, chocolate, junk food – and many other fun things my friends enjoy – to focus on my BMX. Time-management Being organised was essential. I spent a lot of time travelling, training and racing, which often meant time off school. So I had to manage time well to ensure my schoolwork didn’t suffer.

IT’RSE! HEDS A FR3O9M! $ www.2515mag.com.au 2515

2515-JAN-p023_SPORT BMX.indd 23

I trained a lot and made many sacrifices to be ready for the World Championships. On the start gate I was fully prepared and focused on getting to the finish line first. When I won the World Championships the feeling was amazing.

The hard work had paid off.

■ In other local BMX news: as this issue went to press, Saya’s older brother, Kai, was awarded the Michael Robertson Memorial Shield for Southlake BMX club’s Most Outstanding Club Member for 2014.

“Couldn’t ask for a better club to be a part of,” he posted on Facebook. 2515

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2515 SPORT

track stars

The Illawarra’s only velodrome played host to some of the state’s best junior and senior riders on december 13 and 14. 2515’ s Tim Robson reports from the NSW Country Track Championships.

Oak Flat’s Kirk Cleaven leads the final of the Under 15 Boy’s event at the NSW Country Track Championships in December. Kirk, only 13, easily won the event, defending his Country Track Title from last year. Kirk is also a noted BMX racer, holding State titles in NSW and Victoria. He picked up the Male Rider of the Year award at Southlake Illawarra BMX’s annual presentation the day before, making it a weekend to remember.

sandon pt lifesavers awarded Members of sandon point slsc received the national rescue of the month award in september Lifesavers involved in the rescue of an injured surfer on September 21 were Sue Martin, Christian Szanto, Rod Johnston, Jason Hinds and Keith Miller. Partners Kim Hinds, Tammy Johnston and Megan Szanto also attended the award presentation at Parliament House.

Federal Member for Cunningham, Sharon Bird congratulated the lifesavers, noting the “vital role” they play in the community. 2515

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Sue Martin, Christian Szanto, Rod Johnston, Jason Hinds, Keith Miller and their partners.

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2515 CONTENTS NEWS 04 Eco Award Well done to Coledale Public School 07 The Art of Stones Join your local lapidary club 16 Robotics Local boys in national competition 18 It’s a sign Friar Ken Cafe speaks out about asylum seekers LIFESTYLE 06 Then and Now Austinmer beach 08 Cover Feature Meet three top Thirroul surfers 10 Dr Rip Beware of dumping waves

12 Have you seen it? The Illawarra’s ‘jungle cat’ 14 Nature Incredible journeys in the ocean 16 Gardening Be fire-wise 19 Theatre Great outdoors BUSINESS 13 New resolutions Now’s the time to take stock of finances and marketing SPORT 22 Tides 23 BMX Advice from a world champion 24 MTB! NSW Country Track Championships

Cover image by Anthony Warry Photography; www.anthonywarry.tumblr.com

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS Annelies Voorthuis Dr Rob Brander

– aka ‘Dr Rip’ – is a coastal geomorphologist and Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. A resident of Stanwell Park, he’s been studying beaches for 25 years, starting in Canada where water temperatures convinced him come to Australia to do his PhD. He is an international expert on rip currents and runs a beach safety education program called The Science of the Surf (www.scienceofthesurf. com). He wrote Dr Rip’s Essential Beach Book. Read his column on page 10.

saya sakakibara

was four when she competed in her first BMX race. She was seven when she raced in her first World Championships. Six years later, her family moved back to Australia after living in Japan and that was a big culture change for a young girl.

Saya went to Helensburgh Public School where she learnt English and made new friends. Saya has competed in BMX for 11 years. She has raced in 10 different countries. Read her column on page 23.

2

15 COAST NEWS

is a business advisor at the Enterprise & Training Company.

Prior to working for ETC, she ran her own business, In2Careers, which provided specialised recruitment services for Aboriginal people. This business won a NSW Health award for its innovation placing Aboriginal people in employment in General Practice. She has also worked for a not-for-profit establishing social enterprises and started her career as a primary school teacher in the Northern Territory. Read her article on page 13.

TIM ROBSON

With more than two decades in the commercial magazine trade behind him, Tim Robson recently made the decision to forsake the Sydney commute and start his own editorial production house called 032Media. With clients like Top Gear Australia, Australian Geographic/Outdoor, Audi Experience and others already on the books, no two days are the same any more! Tim is also a lifelong cyclist, and covers the world of two wheels for 2515. Check out 032media.com

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2515-JAN-p002_CONTENTS.indd 2

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15

COAST NEWS

Editors

Genevieve Swart, Marcus Craft

Art director Brendon Wise

Ad design Wendy Gergos

Regular contributors

Rob Brander, Sara Newnham, Anthony Warry

Contact

2515mag.com.au 2515mag PO Box 248, Helensburgh, 2508.

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Community participation is welcome. Please contact editor@2515mag.com.au with story ideas. Letters should be a maximum of 200 words. The editors reserve the right to edit submissions. Contributors should include contact details.

Deadline

15th of the month prior to publication.

2515 is published by The Word Bureau Pty Ltd. ABN 31 692 723 477.

2508 Read our sister mag for the postcode around Helensburgh, 2508mag.com.au Disclaimer: All content and images remain the property of 2515: Coast News unless otherwise supplied. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.

The views expressed in letters and other submissions do not reflect those of the editors.

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16/12/2014 5:30 pm

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3

16/12/2014 5:31 pm

2515 NEWS

school wins eco prize Congratulations to Coledale Public School, which won a gold award at Wollongong City Council’s Rise & Shine Environment Awards in December.

The school has excelled in a range of environmental activities, including recycling, energy conservation, composting, gardening and whale watching.

Yes, whale watching. One of the unique advantages of attending a small coastal school – numbering just 136 students in 2014, increasing to 144 in 2015 – is that students have a whale-watching platform in the north-eastern corner of the playground.

“That is quite novel,” said assistant principal Bec Stone. “When the kids sight a whale, they come up to the office and get a flag, which gets

2515-JAN-p003_NEWS.indd 4

put up on the whale watching platform, so anyone up on the escarpment or driving past, any of the locals know that when the flags out, the kids have seen a whale.”

For several years, the school has run a community garden, with the aid of “our permaculture guru” Aaron Sorenson, Bec said.

“He visits the school twice a term to work with students from Year 3 to 6. We had a big harvesting day last Wednesday and we sold produce at the school gates… lettuces, red onions, leeks, carrots, spinach, shard, beetroot and different herbs.

“It’s quite an extensive garden. Being permaculture based, it’s based on the ‘no dig’ philosophy, so the children learn about how to build all the different layers of the beds, they learn about harvesting.

“We’ve just dug up a new area and put in

16/12/2014 5:31 pm

2515 NEWS some pumpkin and beans. We have composting and worm farms, a recycling program …

“We have got solar panels [that feed back into the grid] on the roof of one of the buildings and we have just got it hooked up to a 24/7 usage data [calculator].

“The plan next year is to integrate the data from that and different waste audits that we’ve done with the kids, and actually build all that data into learning units of work, linking maths and science and literacy.”

Winning the Rise & Shine award, which included a $1000 cash prize, will help the school take its garden to the next level: into the kitchen.

“We’ve enrolled, to start in 2015, the Stephanie Alexander kitchen-garden program,” Bec explained.

This means the school needs a bigger kitchen to allow an entire class to take part in lessons.

The plan is to use funds raised (“we have a really strong P&C with an environmental committee”) to build and kit-out a new kitchen.

“The $1000 will probably buy a fridge or an oven,” Bec said. 2515

2515-JAN-p003_NEWS.indd 5

Gardening class… Coledale students at work.

16/12/2014 5:32 pm

2515 REPORT Photos: From the collections of the Wollongong City Library and the Illawarra Historical Society

circa... 1923 The three cousins pictured above were photographed at Austinmer rock platform circa 1923.

It is uncertain exactly when the twin rock pools were built. According to an article in the Illawarra Mercury’s ‘Saltwater Sanctuaries’ series, it is estimated that the northern, shallower pool was built in the 1920s and the longer southern one was added in the late 1930s or early 1940s.

Today, swimmers may have to go to Coalcliff,

Bulli or Thirroul rock pools instead, after repairs at Austi stalled in November when it was revealed that the contractor, Specialised Marine Services, had gone into voluntary liquidation.

“Wollongong City Council has appointed a local contractor, Affective Services, to complete some minor works on Austinmer rock pools to make safe the partially completed work on the western and sea walls of both pools,” a Council spokesperson told 2515 last month.

“We know how popular this rock pool is, and are working to ensure the pool is completely repaired and reopened as soon as possible.”

“For updates, please follow Council on Twitter, or find us on Facebook.” 2515

This 1960s photo shows six early surfers – some wearing early budgie smugglers – at Sandon Point.

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2515-JAN-p06-7_NEWS.indd 6

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16/12/2014 5:32 pm

2515 REPORT

art of stones

Valentine’s SPECIAL!

Mention 2515 for a 10% discount off SilverStone’s stock pieces in February.

The Illawarra Lapidary Club is looking for new members.

“We have around 120 members, many of whom are retired,” said SilverStone Jewellery creator Erin Reynolds.

Erin recently won two firsts and a second prize at the club’s annual Festival of Minerals and Gems. “We are always keen to get new and young members,” she said. “We run classes, including glass bead making, faceting, cutting (stones etc), and also organise fossicking trips.”

Erin – a mother of young twin boys and a part-time dental nurse – specialises in making necklaces with semi-precious stones (rhodonite, pink with black veins, from Tamworth, is one of her best-sellers). She cuts and polishes the stone, then winds wire into a basket to encapsulate it. “I am very grateful and lucky to have been shown many of these skills by my

2515

2515-JAN-p06-7_NEWS.indd 7

fellow club members, such as Bill Roth,” she said. 2515 The Illawarra Lapidary Club is at 51 Meadow Street, Tarrawanna, www. illawarralapidaryclub.com.au, 0488 933 801.

SilverStone Jewellery

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16/12/2014 5:32 pm

2515 REPORT E AT URE COVER F

Photos by Anthony Warry Photography; www.anthonywarry.tumblr.com

home breaks

three thirroul teens are spearheading a local assault on the ranks of competitive surfing The weather is awful. Horrible. Rain clouds loom and the gusty wind whips sand up into our faces, rattling the camera-light stands, threatening to ruin this cover photo-shoot before it’s had a chance to even begin.

Luckily, our three cover subjects are young women with a gung-ho spirit and infectious energy. The awful weather at Thirroul doesn’t seem to faze them at all. They’re near their beloved ocean.

Nakia Fleuren, Kasey Martin and Jordan Wheatley are local surfers, all 19 years old, and competitors on the rise. This is their home break. The trio spoke told 2515 about their start in surfing and their plans for the future.

From left: Kasey, Jordan and Nakia (with a broken right arm from a skateboarding stack)

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kasey martin

“Dad taught me to surf when I was eight.

“I grew up in a family that all have a love for the ocean: my dad surfs, my sister surfs and my brothers surf, so it’s always just been something we all bond over whether it be discovering new surf spots or talking about who got the best wave in the arvo sesh at dinner time… I love it!

“I have a lot of boards. Mostly short boards shaped by Parrish & Phil Byrne, but I do have a fun little quiver of mals and twin fins for when the surf’s small.

“I have a few favourite breaks: top of the list would have to be a beach down the far south coast of NSW. It’s a bit of a trek from home, but the waves are super fun and there’s nothing better then jumping in the car with a couple of close mates and getting away from the crowds.

“I have been to a few different locations around the east coast of Australia this year, such as Queensland and Victoria and done a few road trips up and down the coast of NSW. “I managed to pick up a sponsorship from Essential Surf and Skate and I got some pleasing contest results: 4th in the Opens at the Werri Slash 2014; second in the under-21 division at the Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders 11th Surf Classic and 3rd in the Open Shortboard division; and I got a first in the Open division of Sandon Point Boardriders.”

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16/12/2014 5:34 pm

2515 REPORT jordan wheatley

“I started surfing at around eight years old and was instantly hooked … my dad was a big influence because he surfed and being able to surf with your best mates made me love it even more.

“At the moment I have two boards: a 5’8 Stacey ‘Taxi’ Surfboard and a 5’5 Insight twin fin fish. Hoping to get a new board for summer.

“I’ll always have a soft spot for my home break Thirroul, but I don’t really have a favourite break. On a good day Sandon Point definitely has a super fun right-hander.

“2014 hasn’t been the best year for me; I had a knee reconstruction in March, so I was out of the water for seven months.

“Definitely the biggest highlight was being able to get back out in the surf with my family and my best mates!

“I’m pretty easy-going and laid-back. I’ve lived in Thirroul for the majority of my life. I’m a pretty sporty person and enjoy watching any sporting match. I love my surfing, soccer and touch football. At the moment I’m currently studying to be a PE teacher.”

Jordan says she loves the ocean because

“it’s just so relaxing … The ocean just cures everything.”

nakia fleuren

“[I was in] Year 10 ... when I started surfing. I started surfing because I loved the ocean, and it was in the footsteps of my auntie and uncle!

“I have three surf boards and three skateboards, I ride Byrne surfboards and tend to trade the old ones in when I’m buying a new one. My boards are all short boards but do vary in size to adjust to the wave.

“My favourite break changes all the time I tend to go through phases, however, my local Thirroul Beach and Sandon Point are up there.”

Nakia’s 2014 highlights include a 5th at the state titles and at the Australian titles; 3rd overall at Sandon Point Boardriders Club, also taking out Most Improved; first in the Open Shortboard division of the Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders 11th Surf Classic (at Rainbow Beach, Bonny Hills in October) and 4th in the under-21 Shortboard division. She was nominated Trainee of the Year through work at Bevans Real Estate and named runner-up.

Nakia also travelled to Hawaii in February, which was another highlight of the year.

She loves the ocean so much because “it’s just like another home. It’s always changing, it’s always different; you never know what you’re going to get, really – even on an ordinary day.

“I try and go out as much as possible – no matter what the conditions.” 2515

goals for 2015 These three young women share their dreams: NAKIA: “My goal for 2015 is to participate in as much as possible, to stay positive, active and healthy (injury free), to see more of the world and create new friendships.”

KASEY: “My ultimate goal in surfing is simply just to enjoy it and Improve my surfing.

I would love to do as many surf trips as possible to new locations in Australia and overseas and just be happy and healthy.”

JORDAN: “I’d love to be able to travel as much as possible and be able to experience surfing all different breaks around the world.

The major spots I’d love to be able to check out in the future would have to be surfing through Indonesia, Portugal, Hawaii and the Philippines.”

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2515 COLUMN

Dr Rip’s Science of the Surf One man’s barrel is another man’s dumper, writes Rob Brander.

see is really the orbital motion of the water particles within the wave (that gives a wave its to and fro motion) overtaking the speed of the wave. They are very common on sand bars, rock reefs, coral reefs and at the shorelines of steep beaches.

If a plunging wave is coming at you and you are trapped in no man’s land, getting under the wave is the best thing you can do. Dive under the wave with our arms held out in front and stretch your body flat against the bottom and hold onto the sand.

If you are surfing or bodysurfing and are about to “go over the falls”, again try and keep your body as horizontal as possible to the bottom if you can, so your head doesn’t hit the bottom first. And please don’t bodysurf with your arms behind your back. It may look like fun, but it’s like driving without a seatbelt and it only takes one miscalculation to end up in a wheelchair.

Finally, when getting out of the water, never take your eyes off the waves. Many people do, are hit from behind and have whiplash injuries, or get hurt from being knocked over. If you’re careful, plunging waves can be a lot of fun, but you always have to respect them and use your common sense. 2515

I’m pretty sure that almost every person who goes in the ocean a lot has at some point been “blown” up by a wave when entering the water.

Waves that steepen quickly, curl over and crash down with explosive force are called plunging waves, but are more commonly known as dumpers, barrels, or “the green room”. Surfers love them, but they are the most dangerous type of breaking wave and a key reason why beaches are the second most common location for spinal-related injuries in Australia after car accidents.

So why do some waves break like Did you this? Plunging waves occur whenever know? waves travel from deep water to Dumping waves are shallow water over very short a common cause of distances. This makes the waves spinal injuries in slow down so fast that the curl you Australia.

● Want to hear Dr Rip give one of his famous Science of the Surf talks? Go to North Wollongong Beach SLSC on January 21, 11am-12.30pm. It’s free, sponsored by Wollongong Council.

For more ocean information see www.scienceofthesurf.com.

Dumping waves are most common on steep beaches, sand bars, and reefs.

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2515 NEWS

recycle right Making a New Year’s resolution to save the planet? start with the simple stuff.

Remondis runs Wollongong City Council’s Recycling and Waste Collection Services. The top five recycling mistakes Remondis commonly sees are residents incorrectly placing the following in their recycling (yellow lid) bin: ● General waste ● Plastic bags. Often people put their recyclables inside a plastic bag and then into the yellow bin. Plastic bags are not recyclable and even if all other items inside the bag are, it is still contamination.

● Ceramics, including drinking glasses and Pyrex, are not recyclable as they have different boiling temperatures and cannot be recycled with glass jars and glass bottles. ● Nappies – these belong in the residual waste (red lid) bin. ● Shredded paper. Paper is recyclable, but shredded paper causes problems as it is very light and often gets caught by the wind and doesn’t make it to the recycling facility. Rather box it up in something like a cereal box.

Thanks to Remondis Education Officer, Martha Johnson, for her help with this article.

More info: wollongongwaste.com.au 2515

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2515 LOCAL

ex-rescue cop recounts sighting of 'jungle cat’ In some people’s minds it’s the stuff of legend, but not to those who have seen the elusive panther.

Manii Verzosa is a bloke who people are inclined to believe. With a high-stress, action-packed career as commander of the Illawarra Police Rescue Unit behind him, this is not a man you’d reckon would be prone to hyperbole.

So, when he says a big “jungle cat” crossed his path while he was walking down the Sublime Point Track to Austinmer in late October, people tend to believe him.

The former police rescue sergeant says he was walking down along the track on the morning of October 30 when he had an close

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Manii Verzosa and his grand-daughter Amara Newbury, 5, who is happy her granddaddy’s run-in with the “jungle cat” was an uneventful one. encounter of the furry kind.

“I’m a resident here at Austinmer and we live just across from the track. There are 830 manmade steps to the top and it’s about 850 feet elevation – basically about 45 minutes to get to the point from the bottom.

“I do it probably … three times a week, for the exercise and it’s a good view from the top.”

On that particular day, Manii left for his walk about 7am.

“On my way back, probably half-way down, right out of the blue … the track is not very wide, on the steep parts and this cat – I call it a jungle cat now – just popped on the left-hand side across my path and came across in front of me, only about a metre. Any closer and it would have collided with me.

“It had to stop, it couldn’t just run away because it’s another steep decline on the other side of the track, so it had to stop in front of me and – it was quick – but I could see the full back and side of it and the tail alone covered the track. The track’s about … at least a metre wide.

“It had a long, swooping, black, tail – and a muscly back. Probably you’re looking at a Rottweiler-type size.

“This cat is not a domesticated cat or a hybrid – it definitely belongs in a zoo. It was muscular – definitely a cat, a big cat.” 2515

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2515 BUSINESS

plan for success in 2015 now’s the time to take stock of your finances and your marketing plan, writes Annelies Voorthuis.

New Year is a time to set fresh goals. It signifies new beginnings and, of course, new opportunities. Whether your business is entering its busy season or quiet time, there are things to consider when preparing your business for the year ahead: Is this your busy period? If so, make sure that you don’t spend all of your cashflow while the money is pouring in. Keep a reserve for your quieter times. Make notes about how your business performs during this season, so you can be better prepared for the future.

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Small Biz Connect for the marketing planning workshop in Helensburgh this month.

Arrange a meeting with your accountant.

Set up an appointment to review earnings and projected profit/loss for your business.

Consider tax-minimising strategies, such as an advance payment of next year’s bills, or equipment purchases.

What is the direction of your business? Now is the time to revisit your life goals, your purpose, and your innermost driving force.

Think about what your business will look like when it is fully developed. What strategies could you develop for the following year that will get you that much closer to your objectives?

Look for ways to cut costs. No matter how successful your business, you should always look for ways to cut costs as you prepare your budget for the New Year. If money gets tight, cost-cutting will help you stay in the black. 2515

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incredible journeys

Sailing... a bluebottle catching the breeze. All photos: Matt Smith. Prints for Matt Smith - Vieu Photography sale at www.mattysmithphoto.com,

2515 NATURE

destination point.”

In the plant world, coconuts are famous drifters. “Locally, we’ve got mangroves, all of the mangroves have got those floating seeds, which do the same thing, travel around in the currents and then did you know? eventually wash up on a beach or a Blue bottles ‘sail’ mud flat somewhere suitable, down the seas courtesy go the roots and away they go.” of a gas-filled, pear-

Our three-part series tackles the big question: how did life get there?

In the final instalment, Australian Museum naturalist Martyn Robinson looks at how life travels via oceans.

Along the way, he introduces us to some surprising examples of Swimmers, Drifters, Rafters, Sailors and Lost Souls.

shaped sac with aerodynamic properties.

SWIMMERS

The most active means of water travel is swimming. Tails and fins are common means of propulsion, but wings work well for birds such as penguins, puffins and auks. “They actually fly underwater, it’s the same action that they use in the air,” Martyn says.

drifters

Then you get the passive travellers, the Drifters, who simply go with the flow and let the current take them to new destinations.

“This is what happens with a lot, but certainly not all, of the plankton,” Martyn says.

An exception is larval fish that might actively move around to reach a promising-looking spot to colonise. “Some of the researchers here [at the Australian Museum] have been studying larval fish, and they are phenomenal as to what these tiny little fish will do to reach a suitable

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sailors

Sailing is a more active form of Drifting. Most of the animal is underwater, but part of it sticks out to catch the wind. “So like a sailing boat, it will actually blow them to new destinations, to new feeding areas, but sometimes disaster too,” Martyn says. “This is what happens to all of the bluebottles that wash up on the beaches.

“They have a sail, which is angled to catch the wind, it will blow them around the currents and into new feeding areas, without much effort at all on their part. It’s just a very limited movement ability within bluebottles, but it also means they can’t avoid things, so when you get a nor’-easterly, it blows hundreds of them to their deaths on the beaches every year.”

Countless bluebottles washed up on our shores in September, bringing with them a few other interesting creatures: the violet snail, with its bubbly raft, formed when it excretes mucous from a gland in its foot; and a blue and

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Sailing... a bluebottle catching the breeze. All photos: Matt Smith. Prints for Matt Smith - Vieu Photography sale at www.mattysmithphoto.com,

2515 NATURE silvery striped sea slug called a sea lizard, with six leg-like appendages. “They eat the bluebottles, that’s what they’re there for,” says Martyn.

Bluebottle predators: Glaucus marginatus travels with bluebottles.

Rafters

“Rafters are usually where there’s been some kind of disaster in the life of the animal or the plant and it’s washed down a riverway in a flood, clinging onto floating vegetation or logs, then washed out to sea,” Martyn says.

“It then gets caught in the currents and is at the mercy of the wind and the waves until it washes up somewhere.”

Those that survive may start a new colony.

“That’s why you’ve got South American iguanas in Fiji. And boa constrictors on Fiji too – they’ve certainly got there by rafting...

“They’ve been there long enough to become new species, but clearly they’re closely related to the ones in South America.”

lost souls

The Galapagos Islands are famously home to Lost Souls; survivors of long ago storms or

volcanic eruptions. “All of those animals that are there would have either been blown off course by strong winds and ended up as Lost Souls on these isolated islands, or been flooded out to sea and rafted over,” Martyn says. “In the case of the tortoises, the tortoises themselves are the raft, they can float.”

HITCHHIKERS

One of Nature’s best known hitchhikers is the remora, an opportunistic little suckerfish that attaches to sharks, turtles, dolphins, stingrays, even ships. “They have really taken the hitchhiking life to heart,” Martyn says. 2515

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2515 OUTDOORS

Gardening with sara As hot days raise the bush fire risks, it’s time to get fire-wise in the garden, writes Sara Newnham.

The beautiful area we live in backs onto thick bushland that thrives after fire. In fact, many native plants rely on it to survive.

Australian plants have made many survival adaptations. Eucalyptus and banksias have a unique lignotuber found in the underground stem or root system that is filled with starches and dormant buds that spring into action after fire or stress, producing a mass of new growth.

The same goes for epicormic buds found along eucalyptus tree trunks and branches.

The sole purpose of the mass of growth that comes from these buds is to reproduce the parent plant by making seed as quickly as possible to recolonise the bare soil. The growth

robot triumph

Robotics team … from left, Harrison Babister, Jaya Ryan, Kai Dreyfus-Ballesi and Patrick Hutton. The boys are all in Year 9 at Smith’s Hill High School.

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Gymea lily surviving after bush fire.

from epicormic buds is usually weak and will easily fall after strong winds. This is something to be mindful of if you have recently had back-burning nearby or a tree pruned and any new shoots hang over your home.

Many native plants need heat to crack open thick, woody seed pods or smoke to germinate the seed. And without fire many plants are unable to propagate. You can now buy smoke water to germinate seeds. Some natives, such as our precious Illawarra flame tree, take up to seven years to be mature enough to produce seed. In areas that have regular fires this has prevented these plants from ever growing back, thus changing the landscape forever.

Melaleucas (paperbarks), casuarinas (she oaks) and acacias (wattles) regrow from seed very quickly after fire and can recolonise, creating mono cultures in once diverse

They were the youngest team to compete, but four local boys excelled at the National Robotics Championships.

The four Year 9 Smith’s Hill High School students – aged 14 to 15 – finished third at the 2014 First Techno Challenge (FTC) Australian Championships held at Macquarie University on December 6 and 7.

The boys were Harrison Babister (Darkes Forest), Patrick Hutton (Austinmer), Kai Dreyfus-Ballesi (Austinmer) and Jaya Ryan (Thirroul). Their challenge was to design, build, program and drive a robot to race against other teams and complete a series of tasks involving goals, balls, ramps and platforms.

This was the first time that a team from the

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2515 OUTDOORS environments. In most areas this is OK and these speedy plants act as nurse trees, providing shade to a few slower venerable saplings.

By the time the quick-growing nurse trees die, the other slower species can then dominate the canopy. But in areas that have had many fires in close succession only the quick-growing plants survive. Amazingly, some native seed can stay dormant in the leaf litter for many years, waiting for fire to get it growing.

It’s good to prepare your garden and be fire wise. Limit potential hazards: trim back all tree branches hanging over your home; this will also lessen leaf litter that can fill your gutters.

When removing or pruning large trees, always consult your local tree surgeon and ask your local council’s tree management officer for permission. Remove all dead growth from shrubs and trees. Regular pruning of grasses and shrubs will keep plants lush with water-filled new growth and lessen the chance of woody die-back in the future.

No plant is completely fire retardant, but some will burn a lot slower than others. Limit woody, dry-looking shrubs such as she oaks and conifers. These have lots of dead wood and very flammable needle leaves. Eucalypts are filled with gum that will explode when branches become very hot in extreme fires.

Limit plants under your eaves and choose

plants with lush leaves that hold water.

Examples are succulents, camellias, gardenias, lillypillys, viburnums, ‘Little gem’ magnolias, groundcover myoporum, scavoleas, pigface, clumping gingers, kangaroo paws, tanika lomandra, clivias and the always-resistant agapanthus.

Agapanthus and oleanders have been used as fire breaks for more than 100 years in Australia. They were often planted around homesteads. I have seen footage of fire-devastated areas where the only things left were the rows of these hardy plants.

Mulch is very beneficial for retaining water in the soil. To limit any potential risk of mulch becoming fuel, rake up any pine needles and make sure to water down mulch well over summer. Avoid large, chunky pine barks as they don’t break down very well or hold much water – go for fine mulches. I like decomposed cypress mulch and Helensburgh’s fire chief, Jim Powell, recommends teatree mulch.

For more fire preparation tips and fireresistant plant lists, consult the NSW Rural Fire Service website or Wollongong Council.

Stay safe over the new year and happy gardening! 2515

Illawarra has competed at the FTC competition, coach and parent Phil Hutton said. “It’s all about problem solving and strategy. [The robots] have a maximum size of about 45 x 45cm, it’s called a matrix construction, it’s like a smaller version of Meccano. It’s bolted together, with four drive motors, operating gears and pulleys and things like that.”

The boys were also semi-finalists in the Robot Alliance category, named in the top three for the Innovation category and were overall winners of the Think category, in which they proved to be the best in Australia at identifying and solving the problems associated with building the robot and completing the tasks.

Phil said the competition was a relatively new event. “It’s only been going in Australia for four or five years.” He laughed when 2515

asked if he had a robotics background. “Not at all. I look after administration and help them with strategy… the other coach, Andrew Short, he’s a PhD student at Wollongong University, he looks after the technical stuff.”

Phil praised the boys’ independence, saying they did not have much help from parents.

“They are self-motivated, they solve all their own problems, they do all their own work, so they are very hands-on team.

The rookie team competed against other more experienced university and high school teams, spending hundreds of hours after school working on their robot. They are now on the reserve list to compete at the FTC World Championships in St Louis, USA in 2015.

“They are very happy with what they’ve done,” Phil said. 2515

Agapanthus and oleanders have been used as fire breaks for more than 100 years in Australia.

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Sara runs Creativescapes Garden Design. Contact creativescapes@iprimus.com.au or call 0451 196 646.

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2515 NEWS

It’s a sign A Thirroul priest is asking some thought-provoking questions.

On Friday, December 5, Australia awoke to claims that asylum seeker children on Christmas Island had been used as “bargaining chips”, with promises of their release the sweetener used to push new migration laws through the Senate in the early hours.

The migration and maritime powers legislation amendment (resolving the asylum legacy caseload) bill 2014 has since been widely criticised, including for erasing references to the UN Convention on Refugees from Australian law. But, on that Friday morning in our small coastal community, proof that all compassion was not lost was pinned to a sign. It stood outside the Catholic Church of the Parish of St Michael and read: “In 1788 people already living here did not ‘stop the boats’”.

Its creator was Friar Ken Cafe, parish priest at St Michael’s. Fr Ken was born in Waverley in 1949 and grew up in Bondi Junction. After school he joined the Franciscan Friars and has been stationed in Melbourne, Townsville, Sydney, Auckland and Brisbane, where he taught for years at Padua College.

He’s been at the Thirroul church – where about 300 parishioners regularly attend Sunday mass – for six years. “I find that people here are exceptionally generous,” he said. “There’s a strong social justice concern, and that is part of the Franciscans.” Several of his parishioners, including retired teachers, are involved with SCARF [Strategic Community Assistance to Refugee Families, based in Wollongong].

When 2515 spoke to Fr Ken, he was shocked at news of the laws passing, and the means of this achievement. “It’s immoral to me,

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Friar Ken Cafe: priest, lifesaver and contemplative sign writer.

completely immoral,” he said. “That politicians are deluding themselves to say if you don’t pass this law these children will remain incarcerated ... Some of these people come from very, very shocking circumstances … They are not illegal. Under the United Nations people have a right to be refugees, have a right to flee to another country.

“Yes, we have to be security conscious, nobody is questioning that. We don’t have to be paranoid … there has to be a time when we say ‘no more violence’. When we say ‘forgive’.

“If you, as a parent, see something – like a zebra crossing outside a school that’s not protected – you will speak up even though your child has not been injured, you’d do that, wouldn’t you? The church in a similar way; somebody needs to say something about this.

“I’m in the Surf Club. When you rescue people, you don’t say are you Catholic, are you Muslim?

“I taught high school for many years and one of the lads that I taught … he was from Vietnam, he was a boat person, ‘illegal’ boat person. His parents put he and his brother and sister on a boat. The boat was strafed [by planes from Vietnam], turned upside down on the hull, and it was strafed again, his brother got shot in front on his eyes, and killed… He somehow made his way to Australia. He had a lot of anger, when I taught him he was 17 … that was back in 1983. But now he has a very good job, he is contributing to our society.

“Yes, we should stop the boats, but ... why aren’t we sending people to process these people … We’ve got to stop the need for people

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2515 NEWS to go to people smugglers.

That is not addressed by the politicians, in saying “Oh, we’ve stopped the boats, there’s no more problem”. There are more refugees all the time.

“It’s not my right to tell anybody how to vote.

Nobody has got that right.

But what you can say is ‘Wait a minute, have you thought of this, have you thought of that?’

And that’s really what the sign is about.

“I remember one sign I put up there: ‘Don’t book your funeral here, swim between the flags.’ Well, that’s a simple message… on Christmas day two years ago we nearly had two people drown here. A father and son. The father went in after the son, fully clothed, right in the middle of the rip.

“So I try to make [the signs] local and pertinent, without being narrow-minded…

They make you think. A little quirky thing, that’s all… it’s also about talking and communication.

“As a lady said the other day, of the current sign that’s out there: ‘Yes, the original people of our land did not stop the boats – I wonder whether they wish they had of?’” 2515 Keep an eye out for more of Fr Ken’s signs. The Church of St Michael is at 325 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul, 4268 1910, thirroulcatholic.org.au

puppy training Got a dog for Christmas? His training starts now, writes Philip Comans.

Getting a puppy is a big decision. Tiny at first they will grow up fast! Bad manners when little might be considered cute, but no one likes an adult dog who nips, barks, and jumps up!

House training needs to be managed.

Puppy’s earliest experiences with other dogs will also shape its entire life. Being overwhelmed at puppy school can lead to serious

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as you like it Bring your blankets, unfold your deck chairs. It’s time for Shakespeare in the garden.

The Eaton Gorge Theatre Company will present As You Like it on the McKinnon Lawn at Wollongong University, from January 23 until February 1, on Friday and Saturday nights at 7pm and Sundays at 4pm.

Ian McColm directs the much-loved comedy about mistaken identities, gender-swapping, love and betrayal. Local actors include Juliet and McKenzee Scrine, both from Thirroul, and Ian McColm from Bulli.

Said Ian, “This family friendly performance is portrayed in an easily accessible and understandable way and Shakespeare’s magic with words and storytelling shines through.”

Tickets $25/$15/family $70. See trybooking. com/GGGI, egtc.com.au or phone 4267 3920.

dog aggression issues at maturity.

Humans just don’t know what the puppy’s view of the world is, and what they interpret as “play” to the young pup may, in fact, be a seriously worrying dominance test. Puppies who rumble with others at puppy school frequently learn that every future dog they meet must be challenged for supremacy. That’s why they pull on the lead and go for every dog they see on a walk, trying to get in first!

The buzz word “socialisation” is misinterpreted too. Meeting other dogs needs to be handled very carefully and in total control. I’m sure you’d agree we all want to give our puppies a safe start to life and thus avoid unintended consequences. 2515 Philip Comans is a dog behaviour therapist and trainer with Bark Busters Illawarra & Southern Highlands, 1800 067 710.

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6 0318 0948

0.52 and 0544 0438 0.30 0019Low 1.3 0415 0.44Heights 0.19 and of High 9 0514 24FEBRUARY 6 032 6Times 21 1056 1134 1.59 1.63 1201 1.78 1.839 0614 0.5 093 1034

0.45 0302 0.28 1.73 0932 1.94 TU 1629 0.27 JANUARY WE 1613 0.05FR 2225 Time 1.26 1.43 m 2212 Time

21

1810 0.34 0.31 0.13 0.09 1.4 SA 1834 MO 1219 FR 155 FR 1702 SA 1719 0.4 1.34 1.62 1838 m 2306 Time m 220 m 2329 Time

0018 0452 1.25 0055 1.49 0005 0100 035 1.3 0.50 0533 0.46 1.58 0355 0525 0.25 1.45 0.46 0045 0.23 0.46 10 0.55 25 0642 10 1.67 16 1203 16 0642 1 0608 1 0730 7 0357 7 1108 22 7 101 0554 0.56 0.36 0700 0.5 1.62 1146 1247 0.44 1021 1024 1.70 22 1.94 1.57 1.70

1210 1.52 1.63 1300 1.3 0.37 0.29 1.22 0.03SA 1.15 0.34 0.18TU 0.29 SU 1254 FR 1746 MO 1327 S TH 1836 SU 1416 WE 1703 TH 1700 SA 1732 SU 1805 SA 162 1845 2342 0.38 2007 1915 223 0.4 1.21 0.23 1922 1.29 2302 1.26 2301 2336 1.47 0.48 1.35 1923

2515 TIDES

0100 0531 1.25 0141 1.48 0103 0145 043 1.3 0.47 0019 0434 0023 0.49 0.42 0448 0617 0.26 1.55 0.49 0141 1.61 0.38 11 26 11 17 17 2 2 8 23 8 23 8 PORT KEMBLA – NEW SOUTH WALES

0640 1143 0.60 0813 0.44 0734 0755 104 0.6 1.65 0630 1.64WALES 1.66 1111 1301 1.89 0.44 1.50 0744 0.30 1.78 PORT KEMBLA 1059 – NEW0700 SOUTH

2015

1249 1.43 1.46 1348 1.2 1847 1.20 0.33 0.37 1.54 MO 1349 WE 0.17 TU 1416 M MO 1454 SU 1804 MO 1238 SU 165

1344 0.37

0.31 SU SA 0.06 FR TH29ʼ1737 FR 1746 LAT 34° LONG 150° 55ʼ 1932 1.22 2340 1.25 2353 1.48 Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY

port kembla 18 12 9chart 3 27 24 18 12 9 3 24tidal

1924 0.42 Local 2014 0.33 2014 2000 230 0.5 1.25 1851 0.30 1.39 LAT 34° 29ʼ LONG 150°2047 55ʼTime JANUARY APRIL 0146 1.26 0239 1.47 0158 0238 051 1.3 0029 0.43 0.45m0111 0.43 0.52 0544 0.30 0019 1.35Waters 1.58 0.29 Times Heights of High and Time m Time0112 m and Time m Time Time m 0514 Time m Time Low m0222 Time m 0731 0614 0.64 0854 0.50 0826 0900 111 0.6 1.67 0851 1.67 1.70 1.59 1201 1.78 0.53 0549 0731 0.39 1.88 0525 1.45 0.46 0514 1.55 1.68 0055 0.50113400050747 0617 1.50 0707 0105 0.58 1.58 16 16 1 16 16 1 0608 1 1 1203 0.55 1.67 1202 0.38 1215 0730 1.62181006421432 0.46 1352 0715 1.49 1247 0.44 MARCH JANUARY FEBRUARY 1333 1.34 1451 1.31 1447 1.1 1529 0.31 0.32 1834 1.42 1.37TH 0.08 MO 0.31 TU SU 0.13 WE 1503 T TU0.43 SA 0.34 FR SA1306 MOWE1219 TU0.221333 MO 172 January 1342 TH 1836 1.22 FR 1746 1.15 SU 1416 0.37 MO 1327 0.29 SU 1903 1.19 MO 1806 1.26 TH 1830 1.62 0023 0700 FR 1344 1932

Time Time

m M

2336 0.48

0.42 1.64 0.37 1.22

0617 1.55 1301 0.44 SA 1847 1.20

2022 1.23

1942 1.26

1.29 2007 1.21 m 19222022 1.23 Time Time M Time

0141 0813 MO 1454 2047

0.47 1.65 0.33 1.25

0103 0734 TU 1416 2014

0.38 1.78 0.17 1.39

17 1.58 17 0156 20525 1.45 0608 0018 1.25 1203 0.55 1247 0.44 0554 0830 0.56 1.22 1210 1.52 SU TH 1836 SU 0029 0.43 FR 1746 0222SA 0.451.15 01581515 0.29 0112 0.43 3 0747 1.70 18 0707 1.67 32336 18 08262106 0851 1.670.48 1.88 1845 0.38 1529 0.31 1432 0.32 1352 0.31 1503 0.08 SU TU WE SA 2

1

0038 0706 MO 1347 1946

m

0.56 1.53 0.42 1.25

9

2348 0.50 1953 1.39 2005 1838 0.46 0.42 2053 234 0.5 1942 1.26 2102 1.48 2124 1.28 1940 0.41 2108 0.41 Time m m Time Time Time M Time Mm 0615 1.66

0147 0.52

0035 0.32

2 0045 17 0645 1258 0005 0.27 0755 1.51 1.70 0617 1.50 0055 0.50 17 0237 20.46 1.28 0341 1.48 0301 0.44 0.43 0120 0.38 1.49 0100 1.35 0207 1902 1.37 1415 0.40 FR 1303 0.19 1306 0.46 0730 1.62 TU 0831TH1.67 0.68 1011 0.53 1.73 0642 0756 1.79 0927 1.67 0.36 0642 0700 0.57 1918 0839 2027 1.45 1.73 1903 1416 0.37 1425 1.25 1602 1.19 0.29 0.20 1600 0.30 1254 1.63 1300 1.32 MO SU 0130 TU1327 WE MO 1440 WE0.47 TH SU0126 TU 0.29 WE0.241434 0.52 0049 0.40 0227 3 07481923 31.29 18 0738 0832 1.51 1.57 18 0712 1922 1.75 1.69 2007 1.21 2053FR 0.49 2206 0.48 1.24 2032 1.32 2159 1.31 0.23 1915 0.46 2033 1446 0.39 SA 1348 0.20 TU 1424 0.38 WE 1347 0.18

0338 1.55 1.3 0.23 1.54 0514 055 16 10 4 1 25 19 16 16 13 10 4 281 25 19 0251 131202 10 0.38 1016 0.6 0915 1.92 0.47 115 2124 1.28

2102 1.48

2023 1.30

2059 1.51

1953 1.49

2005 1.81

1601 1.1 1549 0.04 1.23 175 MO FR1806 W TU 1.26 2157 0.50 0.5 2151 1.55 0.51 2348

0617 1.55 0038 0.56 0345 0.47 0212 0.42 0331 0.38 1.31 0338 1.50 0442 1.66 1.4 0.32 0.44 0141 0.43 0308 0.19 0100 0238 1.25 0141 1.48 0103 0145 1.35 0445 1.49 0615 002 19 1.64 1741301 195 0910 4 0744 19 17 2 1129 17 2 0023 2 0813 140734 29 141258 20190845 5 1000 20 1005 11 0.44 26 11 41.78 26 11 0.27 1.65 0700 0706 1.53 0943 0.68 0.52 1130 0.5 1.88 1.74 1.66 0953 1.90 0755 0.61 0.52 064 0640 0.60 0.44

4 0156 0830

0120 0756 MO 1440 2032

0.38 1.79 0.20 1.32

0301 0927 WE 1600 2159

0.44 1.67 0.30 1.31

0251 0915 TH 1549 2151

0.23 1.92 0.04 1.55

5 0238 0910

20 0845

1.88

5 1000

1.66

20 1005

1.90

0.43 1.73 SU 1515 0.29 2106 1.24

0207 0826 WE 1456 2057

0.48 1.59 0.35 1.35

0145 0805 TH 1435 2041

0.29 1.82 0.11 1.60

0304 0908 SA 1516 2130

0.43 1.51 0.39 1.56

0224 0830 SU 1433 2052

0.19 1.64 0.25 1.86

5 0901

1.60

20 0857

1.83

5 0845

1.48

20 0922

1.56

0.33 1347 0.42 1528 1.18 1.14 1718 1.1 0.10 0.27 0.30 0.04 1348 1.23 1.13 123 1249 1.43 1.46 TU 1526 T MO 1553 TH 1631 FR 1634 TU MO TU MO 1454 FR 1344 0.37 SA 1847 WE1416 TH 1717 SA1902 SU 1.20 MO 1349 WE 0.17 TH 1545 WE 1.37 1.38 1.25 2232 1.33 1.25 1932 1.22 1946 1.25 2240 2145 1.39 0.51 2306 0.51 2303 183 0.5 2000 0.51 0317 2135 0.58 1.60 0.42 2014 0.33 0212 0.32 0245 0.44 2122 0240 2014 0.21 0.44 0338 0.43192403452146 0.19 2047 0241 0.40 0.19

1.74 MO 1553 0.27 2146 1.25

1526 0.10 TH 1631 0.30 FR 1634 0.04 0029 0112TU 0.43 014622400318 1.26 2122 1.38 2232 1.330.43 1.60 0747 1.70 0707 073104380948 0.64 0318 0.45 0302 0.28 0415 0.441.67 0.19 6 0948 61352 21TU 1034 1.630.31 10561629 1.83 1.73 21 0.32 0932 1.94 1333 1.34 SUFR TU SA 1432 MO 1702 0.31 SA 1719 0.09 TU 1629 0.27 WE 1613 0.05 1.23 1942 200523292225 0.46 2306 1.341.26 1.62 2225 2022 1.26 2212 1.43

0.19 0545 0.40 1.5 010 1.47 0049 18 12 6 3 27 21 18 18 15 12 6 303 27 21 0438 150712 12 1.75 1056 1.83 1232 0.4 073 0.53

3

0357 1024 WE 1703 2302

7

1446 0.40 MO 1517 0.32 TH 1527 0.33 FR 1520 0.09 0.45 0.28 0415 0.44 0222 0.45 0126 0.52 0429SU0.29 1.36 0547 1.53 0239 1.47 0238 1.35 2138 0414 2130 1.40 0302 2129 0158 1.69 2103 1.59 1.86 1.73 0932 1.94 1034 1.63 0851 1.67 0826 1.88 0748 1.57 1057 0.64 1237 0.48 0900 0.63 0411 0854 0.50 1108 0321 0.42 0334 0.17 0318 0.39 0.22 6 09361451 60.08 21 1015 0921 1.45 1.59 21 0947 1.79 0.27 0.05 0.31 1529 0.31 1424 0.38 1637 1.15 1826 1.14 1447 1.16 1.31 1703 TH1503 FR WE 1613 FR 1702 SA WE TU TU THMO FR1.46 1517 0.42 TU 1601 0.41 FR 1556 0.33 SA 1605 0.12 2242 1.48 0.50 1.26 1.43 2306 1.34 2124 1.28 2023 1.30 2053 0.55 2225 2241 2108 0.42 2136 1.61 1.82 2201 1.43 2212 2215 2102 1.74

0.46 1.70 0.29 1.26

0355 1021 TH 1700 2301

0.25 1.94 0.03 1.47

0.31 1.25

FR 1746 0.06 2353 1.48

0452 1108 SA 1732 2342

0.46 1.57 0.34 1.35

0533 0.23 1146 1.70 SU 1805 0.18

SU 1804 0.37

MO 1238 1.54 1851 0.30

0358 1010 SA 1626 2234

0.41 1.56 0.34 1.46

0428 1039 SU 1649 2303

0.16 1.70 0.19 1.76

0358 1000 TU 1550 2212

0.40 1.40 0.46 1.62

0504 1107 WE 1646 2312

0.28 1.36 0.51 1.74

1719 0.09 1826 1.2 132 1.10 SU1347 F WE TH 0.18 2329 1.62 1.49 191 0.61 1953

22 0.43 70120 0.38 22 0357 7 0341 22 0002 0.51 0.46 0.25 70.23 0.46 0519 0.23 0.29 0207 0.48 0533 0.44 22 0237 1.28 0301 015 1.47 0145 1.48 0251 0338 0452 1.38 31 7 1024 22 0355 7 1108 22 1146 4 0927 19 0915 4 0642 19 0805 4 0156 13 1.79 13 1.82 28 28 13 1.92 1.58 1.70 1011 1021 1.94 1.57 1214 1.70 0830 1.73 19 0756 0826 1.59 1.67 0831 0.68 083 0.51 0.53 1016 0.61 1515 0.29

0.42 0.29 1602 0.03 0.04 0.34 1811 0.18 0.11 1440 0.20 1456 0.35 1805 0.30 1700 1425 1703 1.25 1600 142 1.13 1435 1.19 1549 1601 1732 1.12 1331

SA 0559SA0.36 SU TH TH TH SA0.41 WE S FR WE0434 0.41 0.49 0448 0.26 MO 0531TU 0522 0.20FR 0.49 0019 WE 1.61 0440 8 SU 2106 82032 23WE 8 10442206 23 1201 1.66 23 1.24 1111 1.89 1130 2151 1.58 1143 1.501.32 06302302 0.30 2159 1.52 23 1041 1.34 1.27 1921 1.17 1.26 2301 1.47 81.55 2342 1.35 2057 1.35 0.60 2041 1.60 1.31 2053 0.49 201 2344 0.48 2157 0.55

0434 1059 TH 1737 2340

0212 0.32 0238 0.44 033101110434 1.31 0544 0.30 0019 1.35 1.58 9 091024 1.74 90845 24 07311059 1201 1.78 0614 0.531.88 0.39 0943 0.68 SA 1834 0.13 MO 1219 1.42 TU 1333 1.37 1528 1.18 1838 0.410.10 19401737 0.41 MO 1553 0.27 TU 1526 TH TH WE 2122 1.25 214502072340 0.51 0018 2146 1.25 0045 1.49 0100 1.351.38 1.54

5

10 0554

0.56 SA 1210 1.52 1845 0.38

SU 1655 0.36 2308 1.47

MO 1733 0.29 2352 1.73

WE 1626 0.50 2251 1.60

TH 1732 0.61

0.49 0448 0.26 0.19 0531 0.49 1.61 0.21 0245 0.44 0019 0240 0338 0.43 0345 025 0445 1.50 0442 1.45 0000 0618 0.27 0.43 0526 0.44 1.65 9 0514 24 0655 1119 1.45 24 1126 1.28 1223 1.44 0.44 1.60 0630  1005 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 1.66 1111 1.89 91.90 1143 1.50 0.30 1.83 0901 0857 1000 1.66 094 1129 0.52 1130 0.53 MO 1726 0.40 TU 1818 0.40 TH 1706 0.55 FR 1258 1.21 0.31 0.06 1804 0.37 1.54 1527 0.33 1520 1631 0.30 1634 0.04 154S 1717 1.14 1718 1.13 1.48 2334 0.69 TH 1824 FRAstonomi FR FR 1746 SU1.58 MO 1238 SA 0.09 TH2343 SA of Datum Predictions is Lowest 2130 2232 1.33 1.25 1.48 1.60 0.30 1.69 212 2306 0.51 2303 0.53 0050 0554 0.46 2353 0041 2240 1.68 0617 0.47 1.55 1.40 1851 2129

8 5 29 23 20 14 8 5 23 20 14 20 14 PORT KEMBLA – NEW SOUTH WALES

0514 0.52 1134 1.59 FR 1810 0.34

25 0642

0.36

10 0700

0.57

25 0839

0.47

LAT1.3834° 29ʼ LONG 150° 55ʼ 25 0717 10 1157 25 0.36 10 0751 0.50 1217in 1.22 Times are local standard time (UTC +1

1254 1.63 TU 1300 1.32 WE 1434 1.23 TU 1759 0.45 WE 1318 1.30 FR 1753 0.61 SA 1359 1.18 0321 0.42 0111 0334 0318SU 0.45 0302 0.17 0415 0.44 Heights 0.19 0.52 0544 0.30 0019 1.35 042920330514 1.36 0547 1.53 0545 and 1.55 Low 040 Times and ofPhase High Waters 1923 0.23 1915 0.460.28 0.51 1905 0438 0.52 1923 0.75 New1.58 Moon Moon Symbols 0936 1.59 0731 0947 0948 1.73 0932 1.94 1034 1.63 1056 1.83 1134 1.59 1201 1.78 0614 0.53 0.39 1.79 1057 0.64 1237 0.48 1232 0.42 0146 105 0100 1.25 0141 1.48 0145 1.35 0308 1.49 0021 1.47 0133 1.60 0025 1.54 1.46 11 0640 111613 26FR 11 26 110.09 26 0847 MARCH JANUARY FEBRUARY 0.60 26 0.27 0744 0.44 0755TH 0.610.05 09531810 0.52 0640 0.50 0820 1719 0.45 0717 0.48 0.53 0.33 1556 1629 1605 0.12 1702 0.31 0.34 1834 0.13 1219 1.42 1333 1.37 1637 1.15 1826 1.14 1826 1.20 165 FR TU WE SA FR SA SA M MO TU FR SU SU SU 1249 1.43 MO 1349 1.46 WE 1348 1.23 TH 1545 1.13 WE 1239 1.30 TH 1418 1.20 SA 1319 1.19 SU 1503 1.19 2201 1.26 1.62 1838 0.41 0.41 1.74 2242 223 1924 2225 0.42 2014 2000 0.511.43 0.58 2306 1835 1.34 0.50 1959 0.62 1852 0.65 0.77 1.43 Time m 2031 Tim Time21350.50 m Time 1940 m 2215 Time m 2329 Time0.33 m 2212

21 15 9 6 30 24 21 15 9 6

6

12 0146 0731

1.26 0.64 MO 1333 1.34 2005 0.46

0239 0854 TU 1451 2108

1.47 0.50 1.31 0.42

0238 0900 TH 1447 2053

1.35 0.63 1.16 0.55

0414 1108 FR 1703 2241

1.47 0.53 1.10 0.61

0104 0731 TH 1327 1919

1.45 0.54 1.22 0.56

0230 0927 FR 1527 2100

1.52 0.51 1.14 0.68

0126 0825 SU 1430 2004

1.52 0.47 1.20 0.66

24 21 15

0249 0941 MO 1603 2141

1.41 0.54 1.23 0.76

27 0.46 120355 0.25 12 27 0018 27 0358 0005 0100 0.46 051 0525 1.45 0452 0617 0207 1.500428 005527 0.500533 0608 1.58 0.46 1.25 0002 0045 1.49120.23 1.35 0.41 1.54 0.16 0.51 16 1.94 16 1.70 1 1.56 16 1.70 10642 7 0357 22 7 1108 22 7 1010 10 25 10 25 1 31 1203 0.55 0642 1.67 120 1306 0839 0.461039 0730 0642 1.621146 1247 22 0.441021 10241 1.70 1.57 0554 0.56 0.36 0700 0.57 0.47 1.58 1746 1.15 1327 0.29 180 1903 1.19 1416 0.37 1836 1.22

17001.380.03 0.34 1805 1626 0.34 SU 1649 1.52 1.63 1300 1.32 1.23 1331 0.42 SU MO 0.18 SU MO 0.19 TH 0.29 WE 1703 SA 1732 SU SA 0350 SA 1210 SU 1254 TU1.53 T SA 0155 1.44 0341 1.48 TH 0338FR 1.47 0334 1.46 0235 1.39 WE 1434 13 28 1.26 28 0519 28 1030 0833 0.56 28 1011 0.53 132301 1016 0.611.47 12141845 0.51 2342 1033 0.53 0931 0.42 0.53 1.46 2033 2303 2336 0.48 1.29 234 2007 1.21 2302 1.35 2234 0.38 1923 0.23131922 1915 0.46 0.51 1.76 1921 1.17 1427 1.16 1602 1.19 1601 1.12 1811 1.13 1641 1.13 1542 1.26 1655 1.30

13 0237 0831

1.28 0.68 TU 1425 1.25 2053 0.49

WE

2206 0.48

FR

2157 0.55

SA

2344 0.60

FR

2015 0.60

SA

2210 0.71

MO

2122 0.62

TU

2244 0.71

0617 0100 1.55 0531 0141 0141 0.47 0103 0.38 0446 0038 0308 0.560522 061 0023 0.420448 0434 0.49 0.26 0.49 0434 0.41 0019 1.25 1.48 1.61 0145 1.35 1.49 0.20 0256 1.44 1.39 1.31 0445 1.50 0442 1.45 0440 1.43 0346 1.57 14 14 0331 141111 140.30 29 Copyright of Australia 2014, Bureau of Meteorolo 1301 0640 0.44 Commonwealth 0813 1.65 0734 1.78 0706 0953 1.53 125 07000.52 1.64 0946 1.50 0.55 29 1113 0.50 0943 1059 0.68 29 1.66 1129 1130 0.53 1133 0630 0.53 1031 0.35 1.89 1143 1044 1.52 1130 0.60 0744 0.44 0755 0.61 0.52 1.58 1541 1.13 1738 1.38 1528 1.18 1717 1.14 1718 1.13 1745 1.17 1645 1.36 SA WE WE TH 1344 0.37 SA TU 1847 1.20 1454 0.33 1416 0.17 1347 0.421733 190 1655 1.54 1.43 1349 1.46 1348 1.23 1.13 MO TU MO TU 0.29 TH 1737 SU 1804 SU MO MO SUof1249 MOisSU WE0.54 TH 1545 W 2124 0.37 0.61 2337 0.64 0.36 2145 0.51 FR 0.31 2306 0.51 FR 1746 2303SA 0.530.06 2317 1238 0.68 2233 Datum Predictions Lowest Astonomical Tide 2047 1.25 2014 1.39 0535 1946 1.25 0.58 1.73 1932 1.222353 1.25 2308 1924 0.42 0.33 0.30 2000 0.51 0429 2340 1.36 0547 1.53 0545 1.551.48 0405 1.48 2014 0541 1851 1.43 0451 1.63 1.41 1.47 2135 2352

8 2

15 1057

0.64 TH 1637 1.15 2242 0.50

30 1237

23 17 11 8 2 26 23 17 11 8 2 26 23 17 1

0.48

15 1232Times 15 1059standard 30and 0.42 0.48 30 1224 time 0.50 15 1126 0.28 1152 0.48 are in local (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings t Times Heights of

1826 1826 1.200029 0.43 1.17 MO0.45 1835 1.24 1740 1.49 1.46 0126 0.52 SU0544 SU 1659 1.35 TH 1816 0158 0.29 004 01121.14 0.43 0222 0514FR 0.52 0.30 0146 0019 0.43 0414 0618 1.26 1.47 WE1.58 0238 1.35 1.47 0.27 2239 0.58 0239 0111 2336 0.43 New0.39 Moon First Quarter Moon Symbols high and0514 low 0707Phase 1.67 0614 0826 1.88 0748 1108 1.571223 071 0747 1.701201 0851 0854 1.67 1134 1.59 1.78 1.44 0731 1119 1.45 0731 0.64 0.53 0.50 0900 0.63waters 0.53 0002 0.51 0016 0.64 0 31 0.34 1352 0.31 1503 0.08 1424 0.38 134T 14321.58 0.32 1529 0.31 0642 0631 1333 1.46 1.34 1451 1.31 1.16 1.10 lat1726 34 29’ 0.40 SU 0.13 WE 1.37 TU WE 0.40 SA TU 1.42 FR 1810 SA 1834 TU 1818 MO 1219 TU MO MO 1333 TU31 TH 1447 FR 1703 SA 1331 0.42 TU 1305 0.46 0 1942 2005 1.26 1838 2102 2053 1.48 2023 2241 1.30 0.61 195 20221.17 1.23 2124 2108 1.28 0.46 0.41 0.42 0.41 0.5555’ 1.48 1921 1916 1940 1.31 long2343 150

9 3

24 18 12 9 3 27 24 18 12 9 3 27 24 18 1

0120 0.38 0301 0341 0.440207 0251 0338 0.23 0554 0156 0.43 0018 1.25 0045 2014, 1.49 0100 0237 1.28 1.35 1.48 1.54 1.38  Copyright Commonwealth of Australia Bureau of Meteorology Datum of0554 Predictions is Lowest Tide 0831 0756 1.79 0700 0927 1011 1.670839 0915 1016 1.92 1157 0830 1.73Astonomical 0.56 0642 0.36 0.68 0.57 0.53 0.47 0.61 Times in SU local1.52 standard0.29 time (UTC +10:00) or daylight (UTC1602 +11:00) when effect 1601 1440 0.20 1600 0.301434 1549 1515 1210 1254 1.63 1300 1.32 1425 1.25 1.19 1.12 MO WEtime THin1.23 WE SAare SU TU savings WE TU 1759 TU WE FR 0.04 Full Moon Moon Phase Symbols New Moon 0.23 First 1915 Quarter Last Quarter 2032 2053 1.32 2159 2206 1.31 2151 2157 1.55 2106 1.24 1845 0.38 1923 2033 0.49 0.46 0.48 0.51 0.55

10 4

0207 0519 0.480041 014 1.47 1.68 19 0.36 25 19 13 10 4 28 25 19 13 10 4 0.46 25 1 28 0826 1214 1.590717 080 1.38 0.51 1456 0.35 143

0.45 1.13 TH 1.30 WE 1318 F SA 1811 2057 2344 1.351905 204 0.60 0.52

The Bureau of Meteorology gives no warranty of any kind whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise in respect to the availability, accuracy, currency, completeness, quality or reliability of the information or that the information will be fit for any particular purpose or will not infringe any third party Intellectual Property rights.

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0212 0331 0.32 0145 0245 0.440133 1.60 024 0238 0.440141 1.48 0338 0445 0.430308 0345 0442 0.19 0021 1.25 1.31 1.35 1.50 1.49 1.45 1.47 20 0.44 5 0.50 20 0.45 5 0.61 20 0.52 11 0100 11 0755 26 11 0640 1 14 0943 29 14 1130 0845 1.88 0901 26 1.600820 085 0910 26 1.740744 1000 1129 1.660953 1005 1.90 06405 0.60 0.68 0.52 0.53

1526 0.10 1527 0.33 152S 1553 MO 0.271349 1631 0.30 1634 0.04 1.23 1.18 1.14 1.13 2515 TU 1.46 TH 1.30 FR 1.20 MO 1.43 TH22 FR 1.13 SU 1249 TH 1418 WE 1348 TH 1545 WE 1239 WE 1528 TH 1717 SA 1718 2122 2145 1.38 2000 2130 1.401959 0.62 212 2146 1.252014 0.33 2232 2306 1.332135 2240 2303 1.60 1835 1924 0.42 0.51 0.51 0.51 0.58 0.53 0.50

0321 0.420230 1.52 0318 0.450239 1.47 0302 0429 0.28 0238 0415 0547 0.440414 0438 0545 0.19 0104 033 1.26 1.36 1.35 1.53 1.47 1.55 1.45 6 0.54 21 0.50 6 0.63 21 0.53 21 0.51 12 0146 12 12 27 15 30 15 1 0936 27 1.590927 0948 27 1.730854 0932 1.94 1034 1237 1.631108 1056 1.83 094 07316 0.64 0900 0731 1057 0.64 0.48 1232 0.42 1556 0.33 1629 0.27 1613 0.05 1702 0.31 1719 0.09 160 TU 1.34 MO 1333

1.15 1.14 1.20 FR 1.22 FR 1527 WE 1.31 FR 1.16 SA 1.10 SA 1.14 TH 1637 S FR 1826 SU 1826 TU 1451 TH 1447 TH 1327 FR 1703 pm 2201 5:43 1.43 2212 2242 1.43 2053 2306 1.342241 0.61 2329 1.62 191916/12/2014 221 0.50 0.55 0.42 0.56 2100 0.68

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2515 SPORT

tough road to glory World champion bmxer Saya Sakakibara reveals the dedication and commitment it takes to become a world champion “Riders ready, watch the gate …” That is the call I heard at the start of the BMX World Championships final in Holland in late July. At that point, I had one goal: get to the finish line first. I knew I was fully prepared.

The following is what I did to get there.

Training I did high-intensity training including gym, bike sprints, track skills, core work and plyometric work. I trained one to two hours a day and never missed out on any training.

Mental Strength When something went wrong during racing or a session, I had to be strong enough to accept mistakes as if they were lessons – and improve.

Racing My coach says: “Race as you train, train as you race”. I consider the small, local races as

Saya takes World honours.

Photo: Kenichi Inomata

training for the bigger, more important races. I always put in 100 percent because every race is an opportunity to get better. When possible, I raced the boys for extra competition.

Sacrifices I gave up parties, late nights, chocolate, junk food – and many other fun things my friends enjoy – to focus on my BMX. Time-management Being organised was essential. I spent a lot of time travelling, training and racing, which often meant time off school. So I had to manage time well to ensure my schoolwork didn’t suffer.

IT’RSE! HEDS A FR3O9M! $ www.2515mag.com.au 2515

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I trained a lot and made many sacrifices to be ready for the World Championships. On the start gate I was fully prepared and focused on getting to the finish line first. When I won the World Championships the feeling was amazing.

The hard work had paid off.

■ In other local BMX news: as this issue went to press, Saya’s older brother, Kai, was awarded the Michael Robertson Memorial Shield for Southlake BMX club’s Most Outstanding Club Member for 2014.

“Couldn’t ask for a better club to be a part of,” he posted on Facebook. 2515

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2515 SPORT

track stars

The Illawarra’s only velodrome played host to some of the state’s best junior and senior riders on december 13 and 14. 2515’ s Tim Robson reports from the NSW Country Track Championships.

Oak Flat’s Kirk Cleaven leads the final of the Under 15 Boy’s event at the NSW Country Track Championships in December. Kirk, only 13, easily won the event, defending his Country Track Title from last year. Kirk is also a noted BMX racer, holding State titles in NSW and Victoria. He picked up the Male Rider of the Year award at Southlake Illawarra BMX’s annual presentation the day before, making it a weekend to remember.

sandon pt lifesavers awarded Members of sandon point slsc received the national rescue of the month award in september Lifesavers involved in the rescue of an injured surfer on September 21 were Sue Martin, Christian Szanto, Rod Johnston, Jason Hinds and Keith Miller. Partners Kim Hinds, Tammy Johnston and Megan Szanto also attended the award presentation at Parliament House.

Federal Member for Cunningham, Sharon Bird congratulated the lifesavers, noting the “vital role” they play in the community. 2515

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Sue Martin, Christian Szanto, Rod Johnston, Jason Hinds, Keith Miller and their partners.

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