NovoNews 007

NOVONEWS

ISSUE 007 OCTOBER 2021

NovoNews

Sisters’ social media success story

Newcastle residents are urged to keep an eye on the sky as the magpie swooping season is in full swing.

See page 6

NovoSociety

What started as an after-school pastime has morphed into a cross-platform career for Newcastle sisters Georgia and Lily Grace McCudden.

Members of a community action group are drawing attention to a rezoning proposal of 592 hectares of bushland along the Newcastle Link Road and its threat to local wildlife.

See page 21

See page 13

NovoCulture

Photo supplied: Amplify

Piper on Perrottet’s premiership

Media production students at the University of Newcastle have earned international recognition after their short film assignment was successful in several categories at Hollywood’s prestigious IndieX Film Festival.

See page 19

NovoSport

A 13-year-old surf lifesaver has been recognised for her heroic efforts after rescuing her dad from the water at Bar Beach.

See page 24

On Dominic Perrottet’s to-do list after replacing Gladys Berejiklian as NSW Premier last week was to have a chat to State Member for Lake Macquarie, Greg Piper, as one of three Independent crossbenchers crucial to the embattled NSW Coalition Government.

Piper told NovoNews the day after Perrottet’s ascendancy that he was yet to receive the call but was expecting it at some point.

“I’ve spoken to his chief of staff,” he said.

“We will be talking to him.

“It’s not as if we don’t know each other so it’s just a matter of the time being found.

“Piper did not feel it was a matter of urgency.

“No, I’m perfectly relaxed.

“We’ll just take things as they come.”

The region’s Labor MPs said they were not expecting a call from Perrottet any time soon, nor were they relaxed about the events of the past week.

Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp did not pull any punches in the wake of Berejiklian’s resignation.

Likewise, Member for Charlestown Jodie Harrison expressed serious concerns about the parliamentary upheaval at a crucial point in the state’s COVID response.

Crakanthorp said the resignations of Berejiklian, John Barilaro and Andrew Constance in quick succession indicated a fractured government.

“I think everyone would acknowledge the leadership Ms Berejiklian demonstrated through the bushfires in particular,” Crakanthorp said.

“However, she joins a long list of MPs to resign as a result of an ICAC investigation, which is something we know all about in the Hunter.”

This alludes to the eye-opening events of 2014 when two former Liberal MPs, Tim Owen (Newcastle) and Andrew Cornwell (Charlestown), resigned from NSW Parliament following an ICAC inquiry into political donations.

“The subsequent resignations of the Deputy Premier and the Transport Minister show that after 10 long years this government is falling apart, “ Crakanthorp added.

“Dominic Perrottet is a good debater and quick with a quip, but he is also politically conservative and has overseen infrastructure cost blowouts and a

ruthless privatisation agenda.

“I don’t believe he is good for NSW.” Harrison was equally scathing.

“The history of these men [Perrottet and new Deputy Liberal Leader Stuart Ayres] in relation to injured workers and privatisations, particularly in relation to transport, gives me no confidence whatsoever that they will be considering the needs, wants and aspirations of people here in their decision making,” she said.

Continued page 3

For all stories scan here

Newcastle’s COVID-19 updates - See page 11

Office: 2 Dick Street, Newcastle West 2302 - Phone: 0491 012 983 - E-mail: editorial@novonews.com.au - Website: novonews.com.au

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2021 OVONEWS OCTOBER ISSUE 006 P2

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Tenders called for Newcastle Inner City Bypass Progress on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass has taken a step forward after tenders were called for major work on the $450M section between Rankin Park and Jesmond.

Transport for NSW called for registrations of interest for the tender process in early 2021.

Shortlisted contractors for the tender include John Holland, Fulton Hogan and NEWlink (a joint venture from BMD Constructions and Ditchfield Contracting).

The tender process will be open for 12 weeks until Friday, December 17.

The project will align with NSW Health’s John Hunter Health Innovation Precinct project and provide a second access road to the hospital campus.

The Australian Government has made a $360M commitment to building this section of the road, and NSW Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the NSW Government had also committed $90M towards the project.

“The Newcastle Inner City Bypass has been designed to remove up to 30,000 vehicles each day from Lookout Road,

Croudace Street and Newcastle Road, truly returning local roads to local residents,” Constance said.

“Utility relocation is continuing at the southern end of the bypass route, with the early works expected to be completed by July 2022.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the Federal Government was committed to busting congestion and reducing travel times.

“Once the bypass is complete, commuters will enjoy up to an 80 per cent reduction in travel times during the morning and afternoon peaks, bypassing 11 sets of traffic lights between Rankin Park and Jesmond,” he said.

The tender for Rankin Park to Jesmond is expected to be awarded early next year.

Construction is expected to start in the second half of the year.

The bypass is expected to open to traffic in 2025.

For more information about the project, visit the NSW Government website.

Information source: Media release, Barnaby Joyce MP

Southern Interchange Photo supplied: NSW Government

Safe passage for city cyclists

A new cycleway stretching along Hunter Street is now officially complete, expanding Newcastle’s network of active transport options.

Councillor John Mackenzie and Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes on the new cycleway Photo supplied

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Publisher: Ross Barry - Editor - David Abrahams Design & Production: Justin Stanley, Lucillia Eljuga - Sub Editor: Gina Cranson Journalists: Hayley McMahon, Maia O’Connor, Lauren Freemantle and Jayden Fennell Office: 2 Dick Street, Newcastle West 2302 - Phone: 0491 012 983 E-mail: editorial@novonews.com.au Website: novonews.com.au Social:

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The completed Hunter Street Trial Cycleway is located between National Park Street and Worth Place, and runs on both sides of Hunter Street, separated from the road and traffic.

The project trials a reduction to one travel lane on each side of the road to improve pedestrian safety and allow for parking to be retained, a reduction in the speed limit to 40kmh, and safe buffer zones with plastic bollards.

Newcastle Cycleways Movement President Sam Reich said he was supportive of the project and the measures that were being put in place.

“We’re extremely pleased with the concept of the Hunter Street Trial Cycleway as global experience has shown that one-way, physically separated lanes between the parking zone and the curb are the safest on-road infrastructure for bike riders and provide greater safety and amenity for pedestrians on the footpath as well,” Reich said “We have been advocating for this style of bike commuter safety infrastructure in the region for decades, and it’s gratifying that the concepts are now being seriously trialled.”

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the community wanted to see more dedicated bike lanes throughout the city.

“Cycling is a genuine transport option for families, commuters and recreational users, which is why expansion and improvement of the cycleway network is essential and stands as one of the city’s priority projects,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Cycling on Hunter Street could be considered daunting for less confident riders.

The project provides cyclists more room and safety.”

Councillor John Mackenzie said cycling around the city was becoming popular, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During lockdown, we have seen a massive increase in people dusting off their bikes and enjoying cycling.

We know the main impediment to cycling is safety, and separated cycleways like this one on Hunter Street provide the best safety and amenity for new riders,” Mackenzie said.

City of Newcastle received $525,000 as part of the NSW Government’s Streets as Shared Spaces program to deliver the cycleway and trial a range of safety measures.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said he was glad to see new cycleway infrastructure in Newcastle.

“Whether it’s new cycle lanes, pedestrian-only streets or wider footpaths, we’re committed to working with councils and communities to fund projects that can make life better for everyone – both now and once the pandemic is over.”

Delivery of the Hunter Street cycleway will soon be followed by completion of the first stage of the City Centre to Merewether Cycleway, which is a 1.1-kilometre shared path along Watkins Street, between Glebe Road and Merewether Beach.

All aspects of the trial will be considered as options for inclusion in the City Centre Revitalisation West End Stage Two development, which is currently in the detailed design phase.

Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle

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OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVONEWS

Paving the way to the new normal The NSW Government’s roadmap to freedom encompasses three major steps linked to vaccination targets, and October 11 is the date NSW lockdown restrictions will begin to ease.

Former premier Gladys Berejiklian announced before her sudden resignation last week that the 80 per cent second phase could be reached “as little as two weeks” later, and unvaccinated residents would not be eligible to access freedoms that vaccinated people could until the third phase began on December 1.

The single exception for the unvaccinated allows the demographic to attend places of worship, as well as reduced-attendee wedding and funeral ceremonies.

New Premier Dominic Perrottet has already announced a further easing of restrictions to those laid out by Berejiklian.

NSW has reached its 70 per cent vaccination target ahead of schedule.

From October 11, vaccinated residents can have up to 10 fully vaccinated people,

Newcastle hospitality venues will gear up to re-open.

Pictured is Jam’s Karaoke & Bar before lockdown Photo supplied

(not including children 12 and under) in their homes, and the relaxed restrictions will see the return of hospitality, retail, beauty services, gyms and indoor swimming pools with density limits.

While businesses, public facilities and places of worship will reopen under the one person per four square metre rule, patron capacities in some spaces will be

capped to ensure COVID-safe spaces.

Details of the first phase now include: • 30 people will be permitted to gather outdoors.

• Two-square-metre rule enforced at outdoor hospitality spaces, with standing permitted outside.

• 100 attendees at weddings and funerals. Dancing permitted. People must be seated while eating and drinking.

• Up to 500 people can attend ticketed and seated outdoor events.

• Indoor entertainment and information facilities including cinemas, theatres, music halls, museums and galleries can reopen with one person per four square metres or 75 per cent fixed seated capacity.

• Personal services such as hairdressers and nail salons will be capped at five clients per premises.

• Masks remain mandatory indoors but Premier Perrottet has said compulsory mask wearing will be removed ahead of the December 1 schedule.

To access the freedoms, NSW Health reinforced that the “freedoms will apply only to fully vaccinated adults aged 16 years and older, as well as to those with medical exemptions”.

Please note: Figures correct at the time of print but may be subject to change.

Piper on Perrottet’s premiership From page 1 “These massive leadership changes at a time when the Hunter is experiencing its highest ever COVID case numbers is truly concerning.”

ICAC’s announcement at the beginning of October that it was investigating matters involving Berejiklian, and her subsequent departure from Parliament, came when the state was preparing to open up again after a long and difficult COVID lockdown.

Piper said he did not think the Government’s roadmap to freedom would take any major detours under Perrottet’s leadership.

“I think we’re getting so close to those targets of 70 and 80 per cent [vaccination] that it’s probably only finessing that needs to be done anyway now,” he said.

“The big initiatives were about preparing the hospitals for large numbers of COVID-infected patients.

“I know it hasn’t been perfect by any measure but these things are new, they’re unique.

“You will get mistakes.

“Let’s not dwell on that.

“Let’s fix them and move on.

“The other thing that had to be done was to get vaccinations up, and once again, not perfect, but NSW is actually going very well in that space considering that we’ve had problems of supply.”

Piper’s philosophical view of the Government’s pandemic response is much the same as his take on the sensational events of the past week.

“I’m just not that fazed by it,” he said.

“I’m disappointed, but not that fazed.

“The Government’s actually in minority, that’s true, but I’m still pretty relaxed.

“I’ll just deal with each issue on a caseby-case basis.”

Piper said he had had a good working relationship with Gladys Berejiklian, and was disappointed by the circumstances of her departure.

“Frankly, I think she’s a very decent person but that’s not me drawing any

Dominic Perrottet

conclusions about any of the allegations,” he said.

“That hasn’t been tested.

“I fully support having a strong ICAC, but I don’t know that people should be churned up just in the investigatory process.

“I think that’s a bit unfair.”

He said Berejiklian had no choice but to resign.

“I mean there are issues around her responsibilities as Premier but, realistically, when you know that the Premier is under investigation, she’s a lame duck,”he said.

“She can’t operate in the Parliament.

“She’ll be under attack by her detractors at every opportunity... she’ll be answering media questions every day.

“It becomes untenable.

“I don’t like the process but I certainly wouldn’t want to get rid of the ICAC.” Accompanying Perrottet’s premiership win has been media commentary around the new leader’s staunch religious beliefs, his opposition to same-sex marriage, his voting against the 2019 bill to decriminalise abortion, and his objection to voluntary assisted dying legislation.

Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich’s private member’s bill on voluntary assisted dying, co-authored and co-sponsored by Piper, is expected to be one of the first items on the agenda when State Parliament resumes

this week.

Although, the Lake Macquarie MP is not concerned about Perrottet’s personal views.

“No, I’m quite relaxed about comments that Dominic Perrottet has made about this,” he said.

“I know where Dominic Perrottet comes from.

“We have different perspectives because so much of his is based on the strong faith that he’s got.

“My perspective on that is that there’s a lot of people of strong faith who actually support it [voluntary assisted dying bill].

“You know what Dominic Perrottet does have, is an understanding of process.

“He’s also smart enough to know that if it [the bill] was defeated, based on a decision by himself as Premier to deny a conscience vote, that it doesn’t put it to bed.

“On such an important matter, there’s only one way to deal with this and that is to allow the people as much as possible to have their say through their representatives.

“The only way they can do that is a conscience vote, and therefore I believe he will allow a conscience vote.

“He’s indicated as much, so I’m not concerned at all.

“What we have to do is keep working on some of the better policies and initiatives of the former regime – same government, different leadership.

“There’s some really good things that the Government had been doing and, in my view, a lot of it falls under the environment portfolio, that was under Matt Kean – a change to renewables and that’s a big issue for my area.”

Piper said he would be keen to talk to Kean about what happens next in this space.

“I have to say, I have sent Matt a message and I’ll be talking to him about it.

“Good on him.

“I know he wanted to be Treasurer.

“It’s a real honour for him, but he’s been a great warrior for environmental reform.

“We have to make sure his passion is not lost.”

Piper said Kean had been the driving force behind “paradigm shifts in the way we go about dealing with energy demand and energy production and distribution.”

“There’s so much going on in that space, we really can’t afford to let that drop off ... don’t worry about whether or not you believe in climate change, don’t worry if you’re worried about it being an environmental issue, think about it being an economic or a market-driven issue because the technology is incentivising the markets to go that way because they’re producing cheap power,” Piper said.

“These are the sorts of things that Matt Kean was delivering.

“I doubt that he will walk away from that.

“As Treasurer he will have a very significant role in that policy.”

Piper said he was interested to see who would take on the Energy and Environment portfolio because “Matt would probably be the most energetic and big-picture minister we’ve had in that space in my time and unusually, of course, because he’s coming from a very conservative side of politics.”

Piper said he would “keep on working with government” with a view to seeing local and regional initiatives conceived during Berejiklian’s time come to fruition.

“There are so many projects that are outstanding, that I’d like to get across the line,” he said.

“Some are relatively small but every little project has an effect on some community.”

NovoNews also approached Labor MP Sonia Hornery (Wallsend) for comment but did not receive a response prior to going to press.

NN

2021 OVONEWS OCTOBER ISSUE 006 P4

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Newcastle to kick off Supercars season Newcastle is set to host the Repco Supercars Championship season opener on the weekend of March 4, 2022.

The event will mark the Supercars return to Newcastle for the first time since the 2019 season finale.

Newcastle was dropped from the 2020 schedule due to the pandemic but has scored the season-opening slot for 2022.

The event is also the only event of the 2022 season to have a confirmed date.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said this would provide residents and businesses with some certainty.

“Newcastle and the Hunter enjoy a huge racing supporter base, and I’m confident they will love the promotion to the season opener and will continue to pour into the city for the three days in massive numbers,” Cr Nelmes said.

“This is a welcome announcement for our residents and businesses, which confirms that the Christmas and January holidays will be unaffected by work on the circuit.

“Businesses can now prepare for the busy period of trading over the summer holidays through to February, with another boost in the first week of March when more than 150,000 racing fans flood the East End and Foreshore.”

The five-year agreement to host the Newcastle 500 concludes with the 2022 event, which was discussed at last night’s Ordinary Council Meeting.

Newcastle provides a stunning backdrop to the Supercars action Photo supplied

City of Newcastle will undertake a full analysis of the event, including economic benefits to the region and impacts on residents.

A report will come back to the elected council to determine any extension beyond 2022.

Event organisers are working closely with health authorities to ensure a COVID-safe event.

They are following all Public Health

Order requirements to ensure the safety of all staff and patrons attending the event.

Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said he was thrilled to lock in Newcastle as the 2022 championship opener.

“The spectacular shots of Supercars racing on the CBD street circuit have become images that are embedded into the minds of tens of millions of motor racing fans around the world.

“Newcastle has established itself as one of the most popular stops on the Supercars calendar with both fans and drivers, and we look forward to seeing as many familiar faces as possible trackside in March.”

For more information on ticketing, broadcast details, support categories and entertainment for the event, visit the Supercars website.

Information source: Media release, Repco Supercars Championship

Kahibah roadworks to help ease traffic congestion The thousands of Novocastrians who travel daily through Adamstown Heights and Highfields along City Road, Pacific Highway, Northcott Drive and Kahibah Road will welcome improvements to alleviate congestion at each of these intersections.

The NSW Government has identified these areas as pinch points, where motorists can expect delays during peak times, and work is now under way to improve traffic flow.

Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said: “The NSW Government is funding $13.5M through the Hunter Pinch Points Program to ensure thousands of road users enjoy safer journeys on this vital link between Newcastle and Belmont.

“This project will create between 20 and 30 local jobs during construction.”

Key features of the upgrade include extending turning lanes from City Road into Northcott Drive and Kahibah Road, building a new eastbound left-hand turning lane into Northcott Drive, building a new westbound left-hand turning lane into Kahibah Road and additional shared (left/right) turn lanes out of Kahibah Road.

The project also includes widening City Road and Kahibah Road within the proposal area and providing pedestrian crossing facilities across Northcott Drive and City Road, and integrating a footpath and safety barrier

Indicative work area and critical features Photo source: NSW Government

on City Road.

Robson Civil Projects has been appointed to complete the works, which began in August.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said the intersection upgrades were a win for local motorists and pedestrians travelling through the busy area.

Highfields resident George O’Neill agrees.

“It will be much nicer for traffic to flow quicker and keep congestion to a minimum,” he said.

Some residents living within the work zone share concerns for local vegetation and the environment.

A submissions report, which was compiled in May 2019 by the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), found the removal of vegetation associated with the proposal was minimal, given the extensive vegetation clearing that had already taken place within the proposal area.

The report concluded that the proposal would not impact the habitat or viability of any species.

City of Newcastle has requested compensatory tree planting for the loss of any mature trees along City Road within the Newcastle LGA. The report said RMS would continue to consult with council regarding a suitable area for compensatory planting across the project’s duration.

In February this year, the NSW Government provided an update on the scheduled works along with the final plan.

Work on the project is carried out Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm, and on Saturdays between 8am and 1pm.

The bus stop on City Road near Kahibah Road and the school bus stop on Highfields Parade have been relocated while the work takes place.

Robson Civil Projects has posted notices at the stops with more detail about the changes.

Temporary traffic changes include a 40kmh speed limit in work areas.

The slipway between City Road and Highfields Parade is also closed while work is in progress.

The project is expected to be complete by late 2022, weather permitting.

If you would like to provide feedback, or have any questions about the project, contact Robson Civil Projects on 1800 818 033 or email kahibah@robsoncivil. com.au.

For more information visit the NSW Government website.

Jayden Fennell

novonews.com.au

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P5

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVONEWS

Site secured for no-kill dog shelter Dog Rescue Newcastle has announced it has finally secured property for the region’s first independent no-kill animal shelter.

The two-acre property, secured on August 1, is in Fullerton Cove, a 25-minute drive north of Newcastle.

Newcastle Animal Shelter will include multiple exercise and training yards, longterm accommodation for special cases and an adoption office, as well as a community pet pantry, an event space, memorial garden and retail store.

“This property will allow us to have up to 40 dogs on-site and provide ongoing training and rehabilitation until the dogs are moved into foster care or adopted,” the organisation said.

The shelter will give death-row dogs in pounds and at-risk situations in the Hunter a second chance to find a forever home.

“Our goal is to not only make Newcastle and the Hunter ‘no kill’, but to also work with the community and educate and reduce overall animal surrenders and abandonment,” the organisation said.

Dog Rescue Newcastle will take over the property by February 2022 at the latest, and spokesperson Jesse Reinhard expects it to be “fully operational” by mid 2022.

“The property was too good to pass up on.

It’s 25 minutes from Newcastle and already had DA approval for a kennel licence,” Reinhard said.

While the property was previously a boarding kennel, DRN plans to rebuild the infrastructure from scratch, and has urged the local

Newcastle Animal Shelter will include multiple exercise and training yards Image source: Dog Rescue Newcastle

community to “get involved”.

Reinhard said stage one and two of the new site plan would entail kennel and yard construction for dogs.

A cattery and other additions will be considered at a later date.

“Since the launch of the initial fundraising campaign, we were able to raise over $70,000 to go towards the deposit, thanks to the amazing support of our animalloving community,” DRN said.

The funding included donations from Waratah Coal Services, as well as from a Swansea family.

“Kylie Bates and her family donated $13,000 toward the shelter through public fundraising in the memory of their daughter Lucinda, who lost her battle with mental health a few months ago.”

The Bates family adopted a dog from DRN eight years ago, and Lucinda and the pet became “best mates”.

The funds will help pay for a play yard,

which will be used as an adoption meetand-greet space.

“The money from Lucinda’s memory will help introduce people to their new dogs over the next 10 to 20 years,” Reinhard said.

“The Bates family have been amazing, and Dog Rescue Newcastle can’t thank them enough.”

Reinhard said the organisation was grateful to the community for helping them raise funds “in the middle of a pandemic”, adding that continued support would allow them to achieve their ultimate vision for the shelter.

“We are still fundraising to cover the costs of the total renovations, as we are a 100 per cent volunteer-run organisation,” he said.

“We still need to raise another $300,000 to build kennels.”

In the first six months of operation, DRN will also “rely on volunteers putting their

hand up and getting involved”.

Reinhard said the plan was to employ a dedicated shelter manager and a small team “purely focused on animal care”, however, this would be dependent on funding.

Dog Rescue Newcastle has proposed “a number of community and outreach programs focusing on key areas in the community to improve pet ownership and help keep people and pets together”.

Reinhard said, “the programs were [informed] by the community needs we saw every day; people who can’t pay vet bills, people experiencing homelessness, and victims of domestic violence”.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we get heaps of calls and are taking in dogs where women are fleeing domestic violence situations and they can’t leave because of their beloved pet.

We’ll now be able to provide emergency pet boarding for them.”

Reinhard described the shelter as a “game changer”, saying it would provide the organisation with the “ability to help save more dogs”.

He appealed to the community to continue helping DRN in any way they could.

“If you can’t adopt, foster, if you can’t foster, volunteer, if you can’t volunteer, donate and if you can’t donate, advocate,” Reinhard said.

Visit the DRN website for more information, and to donate.

Applications for shelter volunteers will open in the coming months.

Meeting Room Hire with a difference Our unique space has attracted a wide range of Newcastle businesses from the day we opened our doors.

Once people get a glimpse of what is inside (often from having a sticky beak through the café window) they are eager to be a part of it.

People generally want their business to soak up the Rethink Your Workspace vibe, so from early on we have agreed to share our space with others that love it as much as we do.

We now also hire out our space for businesses and groups looking for the unique setting that Rethink Your Workspace offers.

We have held all types of sessions in the space, including; workshops, team building days, think tank sessions, planning sessions, recruitment drives, and business collaboration meetings.

We offer Full Day, Half Day & Hourly rates in a range of styles and sizes: There are 6 rooms and 2 boardrooms available for hire 5 days per week.

A major drawcard for our space is our inhouse café, which offers amazing coffee and delicious food.

2 Dick Street, Newcastle West - 4962 4440 - rethinkyourworkspace.com.au

Maia O’Connor

2021 OVONEWS OCTOBER ISSUE 006 P6

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Mind your head as magpies swoop across the region Newcastle residents are urged to keep an eye on the sky as the magpie swooping season is in full swing.

There had already been a handful of attacks in the area towards the end of winter and in the first month of spring.

During the Australian magpie breeding season, some birds will swoop as a defence strategy to deter potential predators.

Unfortunately, the unsuspecting pedestrian fits into this potential predatory group.

More than 70 magpie attacks in the Newcastle area have been reported since the beginning of August on magpiealert. com.

Some are just reports of swooping, while others have reported some significant injuries.

One person cycling along Jenner Parade in Hamilton South was swooped twice and received a “superficial” scratch to their ear.

Another cyclist on Corlette Street in Cooks Hill was attacked from behind and was on the receiving end of several swoops and aggressive striking at their eyes.

“I was running with earphones in along a path,” one runner from Fletcher wrote.

“All of a sudden, I felt this huge bang on the side of my head.

It felt like someone had slapped me with their nails digging into me.

“I then looked up and saw the magpie so close to me, and then it flew up into the tree.

I felt the side of my head, and blood was dripping everywhere.”

Local areas where attacks have been recorded include: Lake Road, Elermore Vale; Tulkaba Street, Fletcher; Denison Street, Carrington; Davies Parade, Mount Hutton; Dudley Road, Charlestown; Corlette Street, Cooks Hill; Kemp Street, Hamilton South; Corlette Street, The

Photo supplied: Rob Palazzi

Junction; Panorama Close, Fletcher; Threlkeld Crescent, Fletcher; Turnbull Street, Merewether; Caldwell Street, Merewether; Gregson Avenue, Mayfield West; Moira Street, Adamstown; Kilgour Avenue, Merewether; Glebe Road, The Junction; Samdon Street, Hamilton; Timmins Street, Birmingham Gardens; Sixth Street, Adamstown; Bulbul Crescent, Fletcher; Awabakal Drive, Fletcher; Bahloo Reserve, Windale; Lindsay Street, Hamilton; Jenner Parade, Hamilton South; Owen Lane, New Lambton; Glendale; Rabaul Street, Shortland; Lawson Street, Hamilton South; Memorial Drive, Bar Beach; Frances Street, Wallsend; Farrier Court, Maryland; Wrightson Avenue, Bar Beach.

Elsewhere, a five-month-old girl was tragically killed in a Brisbane Park in August after her mother fell trying to avoid a swooping magpie.

In 2019, a Sydney cyclist died in a bicycle crash while also trying to escape from a swooping magpie.

“The consequences, especially when people are caught unaware, can be truly terrifying and devastating,” National Public Affairs Manager at BirdLife Australia Sean Dooley said.

BirdLife Australia’s Urban Birds Program Manager Holly Parsons said most magpies didn’t swoop, but when they did, only a minority of the magpies actually made contact.

“A few individual birds have given the entire species a bad name.

It is only a small proportion of magpies that swoop,” Parsons said.

“Estimates put it at something like 10 per cent of the population, and they are invariably males who love their offspring just a little too much, and in their protective zeal will attack anyone or anything they feel is a threat.

“A magpie tends to attack from behind by swooping over your head, clacking its beak.

Usually, this is just a warning, so don’t panic.

Occasionally though, they can do serious damage, so swooping birds need to be treated with caution.”

BirdLife Australia’s tips on how to avoid magpie swooping: • Avoid locations that are known for magpie swooping.

• If you do get swooped, don’t panic and run away screaming.

Instead, walk away quickly and calmly and maintain eye contact with them.

• Protect your eyes.

Have a pair of sunglasses on hand any time you are going for a walk, especially in a park.

• Pop an umbrella up and hold it above your head if a magpie is swooping.

• Sometimes a bike helmet with cable ties works, but sometimes it doesn’t.

• If there is a particularly aggressive magpie and you are concerned about it, report it to your local council so they can investigate and assess the threat that it may pose.

Rob Palazzi from the Hunter Bird Observers Club shared some insights on magpie behaviour that he had noted in his own backyard.

“For nearly nine years we shared our backyard with a family of magpies.

Each season (they) would go through their usual routines of initially defending the territory and chasing off any other magpie individuals,” Palazzi said.

“They would also dive-bomb and harass any humans who might come walking/ riding on the street out front, but not the immediate neighbours nor ourselves.

“We could wander anywhere and they would ignore us, but strangers were discouraged vigorously.”

Palazzi said since then they had moved but adopted another pair of magpies at their new home who were doing much of the same chasing and swooping behaviour.

“The swooping appears to be restricted to that period when the nest is being built/refurbished, and as the territory settles, there is less stress and more focus on providing for the offspring,” he said.

“These birds are quite smart and are able to learn who is who in their space, but like most animals they have many built-in or innate behaviours that show up when needed, including the protective swooping we are all familiar with.”

Hayley McMahon

Parts of new and improved Blackbutt Reserve reopen to public For the first time since the Hunter was plunged into lockdown in August, Blackbutt Reserve’s picnic areas were opened in late September for groups to participate in outdoor recreation.

In line with NSW Government advice, up to five fully vaccinated people can now gather outdoors, and enjoy the improvements undertaken at the city’s new and improved reserve.

Newcastle City Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said council staff had been busy maintaining the site during lockdown, and had begun undertaking $200,000 worth of improvements to “enhance the natural environment and visitor experience at Blackbutt now and into the future”.

Improvements to the carparks at Carnley Avenue and Richley Reserve were completed during the park’s closure, and included line marking, installation of wheel stops and new signage.

Crews have also started modernising the reserve’s existing irrigation system,

While the wildlife exhibits are not yet open to the public, council is undertaking works to upgrade enclosures Photo source: Visit Newcastle

and have begun work installing two new irrigation systems at Richley Reserve, “which will significantly improve water efficiency and the user experience of this area”, council said.

In the coming months, work will begin on upgrading sections of the boardwalk that flows through the wildlife animal exhibits.

The boardwalk project involves replacing supports at the koala enclosure, which council said “delivers a truly unique visitor experience”.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Blackbutt’s staff had continued to feed and care for the animals in the wildlife exhibits throughout lockdown, as well as undertaking improvements on key infrastructure.

Maintaining Blackbutt Reserve during COVID has been no easy feat, as the reserve spans not only 182 hectares of bushland, but is home to an abundance of native animals.

A wallaroo, two koalas, two wombats, eight emus, 10 kangaroos and 19 wallabies, as well as a dozen reptile species, two frog species and over 40 bird species reside at the reserve.

The lord mayor commended council staff for “working hard” to maintain the reserve.

“Looking after the environment and its inhabitants is no small task.

It’s a lot of mouths to feed every day and looking after all of them takes time and care,” Cr Nelmes said.

Home to one of Newcastle’s most popular walking tracks, Blackbutt Reserve has been a haven for locals looking for COVID-safe exercise options during lockdown, and its further reopening is a welcome sight for residents.

Callaghan local Simba Ndoro said he was “thrilled” to see the picnic areas reopen, and said there was “no doubt” he would be taking advantage of the reserve once he had received his second jab.

“Blackbutt has always been a great ground for the community to hang out, and considering the upcoming upgrades, friends and I will definitely be paying it a visit soon.”

While vaccinated locals are now entitled to enjoy the grounds, Blackbutt’s wildlife enclosures will remain closed until restrictions ease further.

Maia O’Connor

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P7

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVOSOCIETY

Oncologist wary of BreastScreen closures Hunter oncologist Dr Nicholas Zdenkowski has voiced his concerns about the impact of BreastScreen services closing during the COVID lockdown.

BreastScreen NSW temporarily suspended all screening services on August 19 due to the increased risk associated with the latest COVID-19 outbreak and the need to redeploy staff to areas of greater concern.

Dr Zdenkowski, a medical oncologist at Hunter Valley Oncology, said BreastScreen should have remained open because its closure represented an issue for patients seeking preventive healthcare.

“With the closure of BreastScreen, the regular screening mammograms aren’t being done routinely, and some people miss out,” he said.

“After the last lockdown when BreastScreen was closed, I saw more patients with larger cancers that they had found themselves, rather than being found at BreastScreen.”

As a result, he said, “my impression was that there was a need for more chemotherapy to be given, more likelihood of radiotherapy being given and potential for a worse prognosis”.

It was a consistent theme across the medical profession, Dr Zdenkowski observed.

“My colleagues have seen a similar sort of thing.

I work with breast surgeons, radiologists, and many were saying that there were women presenting with more advanced cancers.

“There was modelling completed last year, which showed a substantial drop in the number of women attending for screening scans, and after it reopened there was not a substantial catch-up,” Dr Zdenkowski said.

“You’d think there would be some sort of catch-up where women would go back and there would be an increased number of appointments, but that is not the case.

“There is probably a whole lot of women out there who missed their mammogram.”

Dr Zdenkowski said early detection for breast cancer was vital to achieve the best outcome, and without detection measures, patient mortality would rise.

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicated that in 2016, more than 50 per cent of invasive

Dr Nick Zdenkowski Photo source: Hunter Valley Oncology

breast cancer cases in women aged 5074 were detected through BreastScreen clinics across Australia.

“Breast cancer mortality has decreased since BreastScreen Australia began, from 74 deaths per 100,000 women aged 50-74 in 1991, to 40 deaths per 100,000 women in 2018,” the report said.

Modelling released by the Radiation Therapy Advisory Group examining the duration of BreastScreen’s closure and its impact on patient mortality showed that “if you missed your BreastScreen or it was delayed, there’s an increased risk of a cancer being diagnosed at a later stage that may end up being incurable,” Dr Zdenkowski said.

In Australia, between January and June last year, about 145,000 fewer mammograms were conducted compared to the same period in 2018.

The modelling suggested that with a shutdown, there was a slight increase in patient mortality.

“There were increased numbers of women according to modelling that could die as a result of the BreastScreen being shut down.

The longer the shutdown, the greater the impact and the more women more likely to experience bad

outcomes as a result.”

State Member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery was among many local women whose scheduled mammogram appointments at BreastScreen were cancelled during lockdown.

She was not notified about the cancellation of her appointment, and has not been advised of any rescheduling, or if she will have priority once clinics reopen.

While she said she “understands the need” for some services to stop during the pandemic, she said COVID-safe practices should be put in place to keep staff safe.

“This is a vital service, and if Bunnings and the Reject Shop are considered essential then surely BreastScreen is just as essential and should be reopened in a COVID-safe way.”

It’s an issue constituents have consistently raised with her, and had compounded the stress many faced regarding routine check-ups, she said.

She said for many patients, “stress levels are through the roof”.

“I have had dozens of calls, emails and messages from women who have had their appointments cancelled due to the closure.

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Many are concerned due to missing their regular check-ups, given their family history of breast cancer or previous personal issues with breast cancer.”

Hornery said she had discussed the closure with a number of her colleagues “at a state level” and “would like to see this vital service reviewed and a COVIDsafe plan put in place allowing it to reopen”.

BreastScreen said “the decision to suspend screening” on August 19 “was made in response to the increasing risk posed by the COVID-19 Delta strain and a need to redeploy staff to support the pandemic response at each local health district”.

Staff had been redeployed to work in areas like vaccination, testing, support for Special Health Accommodation and relieving frontline workers who needed to quarantine.

The service recently announced it would resume services in locations at less risk, however, clinics across the Hunter are yet to receive the green light.

For the full story, visit novonews.com.au.

Maia O’Connor

Help Ted Noffs Foundation get addicted children clean Please donate to buy beds for Ted. Call 1800 151 045 or visit www.noffs.org.au

2021 OVOSOCIETYOCTOBER ISSUE 006 P8

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Challenge yourself amid challenging times

Lifeline Hunter advocate and Newcastle resident Grant Sheather Photo supplied

Trigger warning: This article contains content about suicide.

A Hunter crisis support agency is asking people to challenge themselves this October, during Mental Health Month, to raise funds for its local suicide prevention services.

Lifeline Hunter has launched its inaugural Challenge Yourself for Mental Health campaign, encouraging people to set their own challenges from giving up coffee to walking every day.

Lifeline Hunter advocate and Newcastle resident Grant Sheather said he had gone down a dark path of suicide ideation and suicidality after dealing with some challenging and life-changing events.

Having experienced a divorce, the death of his parents and becoming a single father to his two daughters, Grant said he was overwhelmed and consumed with grief and loss.

“It was an extremely difficult time, but the responsibility as a single father and having my two girls with me was my real motivation to keep going,” he said.

“Over a very long time, I ended up taking a different direction psychologically and tried changing my thought processes and beliefs.

I really started focusing on my girls and work.

I started to step away from those bad thoughts.”

Grant decided to challenge himself and focus on completing an Associate Diploma in Psychology.

“I studied life coaching, grief counselling and crisis counselling.

It was very profound for me because as I studied, everything started to become clear,” he said.

“I finally understood my grief.

The recognition of those behaviours really helped to pull me out.

“I started swimming again and going for walks.

I love doing the Nobbys to Merewether walk, which is about 10km, and then 11 rounds up and down the stairs.

“Getting out and walking is a great challenge and really beneficial for my mental health.

I also love meeting people along the way.

A lot of people I don’t even know wave and say hello because they see me so regularly.”

Grant now devotes his time helping others in crisis, connecting them to Lifeline, and using his own experiences and knowledge to help others struggling.

“I’m just so passionate about speaking

up and spreading awareness.

We don’t do enough of it,” he said.

“I just want to help people.

That’s all I want to do.

I want others to see that you can go through the absolute darkest of times and still come out the other side.”

To sign up for the challenge, visit www. challenge-yourself-for-mentalhealth-2021.raisely.com or get links from the Lifeline Hunter and Central Coast Facebook page.

Challenge ideas • Learn something new – a new language or hobby.

• Get healthier – give up or cut back on coffee, sugar or alcohol.

• Get fitter – set yourself a run, ride, walk or swim challenge.

• Digital detox – give up or cut back on screen time or social media.

• Better self-care – read some books or take up yoga.

All funds raised will go to Lifeline Hunter Central Coast services.

People who don’t wish to challenge themselves but would like to donate can do so via the Lifeline Hunter website: www.lifelinehunter.org.au.

Lifeline senior business development manager Pat Calabria said the service supported many people to navigate the

mental health challenges of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is an opportunity to challenge yourself to achieve better health or mental health while helping others to overcome their mental health challenges,” Calabria said.

“Challenging ourselves and meeting these goals can have a ripple effect through our whole community.”

According to Lifeline Australia, nine Australians die every day by suicide, and more than 65,000 Australians make a suicide attempt each year.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians between the ages of 15 and 44.

Lifeline Hunter and Central Coast held a zoom panel discussion on September 10 for World Suicide Prevention Day. They provided a space for people to connect, listen and talk about suicide prevention.

This discussion can be viewed via the Lifeline Hunter Central Coast Facebook page.

Lifeline services: Telephone: 13 11 14 (24 hours) l Lifeline Text: 0477 13 11 14 (6pm – midnight) l Chat online: www.lifeline.org.au (7pm-midnight) l Face to face and video counselling bookings: 1300 152 854.

Hayley McMahon

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P9

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVOSOCIETY

Confinement and confinement: pregnancy during a pandemic Statewide COVID restrictions have added a degree of difficulty to the demands of pregnancy for many Hunter women and their families.

And to add to the stress, Hunter New England Health has confirmed that six parents of newborns at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital’s maternity ward and NICU have tested positive for COVID. No babies or staff have tested positive at this stage, and the affected areas have undergone deep cleaning.

Glendale resident Tiaran Ockenden, who is 28 weeks pregnant with her second child, said she and her partner had found the experience to be “super difficult” amid lockdown.

The couple has encountered complications with the pregnancy, and not having her partner Aiden there to support her during appointments has made the ordeal increasingly hard for Ockenden.

“For us personally, it’s been a massive struggle,” the 21-year-old said.

“We haven’t had an easy pregnancy so it’s been super difficult not having my partner with me as a support person at appointments.

“I’m left to feel like I’m doing this alone, even though I know once I’m home I have his full support.”

With the difficult pregnancy comes additional appointments and checkups, and Ockenden said the lack of involvement her partner had been permitted to have was disappointing.

“For my partner, he’s left feeling like he’s missing out on everything when all he wants to do is be there to support his baby and me,” she said.

“I feel so sorry for all pregnant women right now, especially first-time parents – like this is supposed to be an exciting time for them, not a stressful one.”

For first-time father Nelson O’Connor, of Mayfield, FaceTime is the only option

COVID restrictions have meant expectant mothers have had to attend scans and appointments without partners or other support people Image source: Pexels

for him to accompany his wife Kate to scans to watch the growth of the baby, whose birth is imminent.

While O’Connor said he was “lucky” to be able to attend his wife’s first scans, he is devastated he can no longer attend appointments.

“Obviously, attending the first few scans was amazing.

You’re slowly seeing the baby grow, and interacting with my partner both emotionally and physically.

You’re acting as a comforter,” he said.

“Since the second round of COVID hit, it’s stopped me from attending the scans.

I have to do them by FaceTime now and it’s nowhere near the same.

I’m watching a screen on a screen.”

O’Connor said that the restrictions had

changed “something so special” to “something involving our phones again”.

“Not knowing how my wife is feeling and not seeing the scanner roll around the stomach area showing my firstborn.

Times like these are to be cherished as a family,” he said.

For many couples, question marks still loom over the birthing process itself, and Ockenden, who is just 11 weeks away from giving birth, is still seeking answers.

“I have a hospital visit soon so I’m going to inquire as to what’s going to happen when I go into labour and if I can have a support person or if they need to be fully vaccinated, et cetera,” she said.

NSW Health has said the decision to

Expectant parents Nelson and Kate O’Connor, of Mayfield Photo supplied

have a partner or support person present in the waiting room and during antenatal appointments should be decided by each facility.

“This decision will depend on individual circumstances, the size of the birthing room and transmission of COVID-19 in the local community.”

The health authority said “compassionate and cultural considerations will be taken into account”, and that the “considerations are best discussed with your doctor or midwife before you go into labour, so that there is a clear plan in place”.

Currently, public health services such as the John Hunter Hospital maternity ward allow one support person, regardless of vaccination status, into the birthing suite during labour, however additional people are banned from prenatal and antenatal appointments.

The decision was in accordance with John Hunter’s “commitment to the safety of women, our community and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic”, a directive sent out to patients said.

A local student midwife in her final year observed the health restrictions were not just a difficulty facing pregnant women, but women who had already given birth.

“So many women are missing multiple appointments in a row for their antenatal care because they aren’t permitted to bring their kids to the visits,” she said.

“They also can’t find alternative care for the kids either so they have no choice but to miss visits, which then puts them and the bub at the risk of missing any serious complications.”

Despite former premier Gladys Berejiklian recently revealing the roadmap to freedom, no plans have been announced for the future of appointments involving pregnant women and those seeking antenatal healthcare.

Maia O’Connor

2021 OVOSOCIETYOCTOBER ISSUE 006 P10novonews.com.au

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Spotlight on psychotropic drugs in aged care

A Hunter law firm is helping families launch legal action against inappropriate chemical restraint and the use of psychotropic drugs on aged care residents.

Hunter-based Catherine Henry Lawyers and Sydney-based Elderlaw Legal Services are reaching out to local families whose loved ones in aged care facilities have received inappropriate drugs without their consent or been chemically restrained.

The move is in response to a 2021 audit of a Hunter nursing home that showed 90 per cent of its residents had received psychotropic drugs without prior written consent.

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission auditors deemed the nursing home non-compliant in April.

The local aged care facility said it did not have written consents from family or guardians for 35 out of 39 residents who had received psychotropic drugs.

What are psychotropic drugs?

Clinical pharmacologist and Chair of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Newcastle Professor Jennifer Martin said psychotropic drugs influenced the brain’s functions, including emotions and behaviour.

“Psychotropic drugs in this context would refer to the drugs used for antipsychotic therapy, so the therapies we use for symptoms of psychosis, hallucinations and delusions.

There are also anti-depressants, antianxiety medication and sedatives like Benzodiazepine and Valium,” Professor Martin said.

“There are also psychotropic drugs to help reduce the progression of dementia and slow down the decline in patients.”

When more than one psychotropic drug is taken, they become compounded, intensifying any side effects or impacts to the person’s brain functions and behaviour.

“This is a large concern for many

The inappropriate use of psychotropic medication and chemical restraint in nursing homes has been identified as a significant and continuing issue

geriatricians,” Professor Martin said.

Professor Martin said doubling up on psychotropic drugs or errors in dosage was typically an easy thing for a young person’s brain to cope with.

However, she said older people didn’t have the same capacity.

“It tends to flatten people quite a lot; that’s the main thing.

Patients could just be sitting there almost mute, not really listening, not talking or interacting in conversations.

Unable to initiate movement, almost no ability to function,” Professor Martin said.

“Some facilities might not be able to cope with patients getting violent or trying to leave.

Using these therapies would keep the patients calm and quiet, making it easier for carers to manage.

“However, we do know that this is very bad for the patient and their quality of life, especially if these therapies are being misused as an easy way around managing their patients’ behaviour.”

Professor Martin said multiple

nonchemical practices could be used to manage patients and their symptoms including reorienting the patient, having familiar pictures or items by their bed, and creating a regular day and night cycle.

“Once we start adding in drugs, we can really muck up the cycle, and people start wandering at night and doing all sorts of abnormal things,” Professor Martin said.

“It can be difficult to know whether it’s the disease or the drugs causing these symptoms.

But certainly, these drugs are a huge contributing factor.”

Psychotropic drugs and chemical restraint Lawyer Catherine Henry said inappropriate chemical restraint at aged care homes had been a problem for years.

After helping families take common law action against these facilities, Henry said she saw “mere non-compliance” penalties being served with no real change enacted.

Catherine Henry Lawyers and Elderlaw Legal Services are now focusing on a different strategy to deliver justice faster

Professor Jennifer Martin Photo source: University of Newcastle

for the families and people impacted.

Henry said they were helping families launch legal action through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) Consumer Division.

“If aged care facilities are chemically restraining or are prescribing psychotropic medications without proper legal written consent or in cases of imminent harm, they are effectively breaking a resident’s statement of rights, their standards of good care and service, as well as committing the common law offence of unlawful detention,” Henry said.

“Penalising the provider is one thing, but that doesn’t compensate the suffering resident.

“The resident should have some or all of their aged care fees refunded because the provider has failed to provide the service it said it would.”

Families wanting to take legal action should call Catherine Henry Lawyers on 1800 874 949 or Elderlaw Legal Services on (02) 9979 1009.

For the full story, visit novonews.com.au Hayley McMahon

novonews.com.au

@novonewsau

P11

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVOSOCIETY

Weighing up telehealth’s pros and cons While some health practitioners and patients across the Hunter have welcomed the emergence of telehealth to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmission, others have remained sceptical about its efficacy.

Despite the many differing opinions on contactless consults, one observation is universal: the service has not been without its challenges.

Hunter health clinics have been using telehealth as a primary tool during the pandemic, and many health professionals believe the convenience it offers means it is here to stay.

Dr Nick Zdenkowski from Hunter Valley Oncology said that “telehealth is great”, and said the offering brought benefits and was “well worthwhile” for both patients and medical practitioners.

“I’ve found telehealth to be very useful and I’m strongly supportive of it continuing beyond the pandemic,” he said.

The oncologist said that sometimes a physical appointment was not necessary, so replacing it with a “phone consultation means patients can get on with their lives”.

“As a specialist, I see patients from all over the place.

Sometimes they might travel for a couple of hours to come and see me for a 20-minute appointment.”

He conceded, however, that patients were not making routine appointments during the pandemic, despite telehealth offerings.

“The whole pandemic has led to more telehealth, which means that we can’t do physical examinations for patients,” he said.

“This might mean more imaging, scans and blood tests as we can’t do physical examinations.

Some patients are not coming in for their routine visits and they may just not have their medical visits at all.”

Dr Zdenkowski said that preventative healthcare was being somewhat neglected, which was concerning for those at risk of cancer.

“There are routine colonoscopies not being done; they’re not having those routine conversations with doctors about lifestyle factors that impact on cancer.

“We know that maintaining a normal

Telehealth has been a useful COVID tool but has also represented an “administrative burden” for medical practices.

weight, minimising alcohol intake and regular physical activity all reduces the risk of cancer.

And [people] are not having those conversations with their doctors because people are less likely to be physically attending.”

He said there was a need for a streamlined system that supported “universal electronic prescriptions and requesting of other investigations like scans and x-rays”.

“Now it involves lots of email and faxes; it’s an administrative burden.

[Implementing] a universal electronic health record to support that is going to be pretty critical for the future of medicine.”

New challenge practitioners

for

health

For one local occupational therapist, telehealth has not been easy.

Working with patients who are vision impaired, the OT said the shift to “purely technology-based therapies” for her clients was “not always possible”, due to different patient abilities and access to technology.

“I mainly see two types of visionimpaired clients: the elderly people and children.

Telehealth is not an option for a lot of

these people,” she said.

She described it as a service that discriminated against not only the technologically disinclined, but people of low socio-economic status.

“There’s definitely lots of challenges with telehealth, some that are vision specific.

Obviously people who are engaging with my provider have low vision or are blind, and it can be incredibly difficult or impossible to use technology.”

While technology offered “a lot of really cool opportunities” for the vision impaired, she said it “takes training to use and specialists to set up”, and it was an issue that was increasingly affecting older patients.

“A lot of elderly people don’t even have mobiles; they just have land lines.

They don’t have Wi-Fi, let alone a computer, and this can be because they never grew up with technology and they don’t know how to use it,” she said.

“With older people, a lot of the time I’m just going over how to fix stuff, like their talking book machine is broken.

That might not seem essential but if that is your entertainment in lockdown and it’s broken and you can’t watch television or do anything else, that’s your whole sanity.

Newcastle’s COVID-19 updates Find all the latest news and numbers for Newcastle’s COVID-19 outbreak on the NovoNews website.

We update our page daily with local exposure sites, Hunter New England Health advice and all the essential information you need to stay safe.

Scan the QR code for a direct link to the page.

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And I can’t fix the machine over telehealth.”

Patient inability to use the technology is one issue, and their economic position is another.

“A lot of clients are on disability pensions.

They’re from low socio-economic backgrounds, and technology and Wi-Fi are expensive.

It’s an issue that spans all telehealth services, not just vision-impaired clients.”

She said younger clients were more likely to find it easier to access telehealth.

“All the kids I see, their parents aren’t visually impaired.

They’re more likely to have computers and Wi-Fi, and they have their parents to set up zoom and manage emails,” she said.

“The hard part with kids and telehealth is engaging them.

How do you plan activities when you’re not physically with them? You can’t bring any of your equipment or games or craft stuff.

None of your therapy items are there.”

For the full story, visit novonews.com.au.

Maia O’Connor

2021 OVOSOCIETYOCTOBER ISSUE 006 P12novonews.com.au

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Re-write your story: I’m a bad cook

GEORGIA LIENEMANN

This is the fourth part in our six-week series on the counterproductive stories we tell ourselves in the kitchen – those hurdles that mess with our mojo and prevent us from enjoying the process of cooking.

This week we’re hearing from Danielle Abell from Lick The Plates and examining the belief that we ‘can’t cook’.

You feel inadequate in the kitchen and wonder how people whip up such delicious meals from scratch.

And surely, by this stage in your adulting life you should just know how to do it, right?!

If those are the stories playing in your mind, know that you are not alone.

We are all comparing ourselves on some level to someone else, whether it’s cooking skills, waistline, parenting or professional success.

Comparison is rampant but let me offer you some perspective when it comes to cooking skills.

You can’t do it ...YET What would you say to a child who was crying because they couldn’t ride their bike as fast as another child? You would tell them, “You can’t ride that fast YET. Come on, let’s practice.”

DANIELLE ABELL Right? If you can’t do something, chances are you haven’t put your attention on learning it yet.

A generation that didn’t learn to cook When I say you’re not alone, it’s actually a whole generation who feel this way! We grew up in households where there was pressure for both parents to earn money outside the home.

And even if one parent was at home, it was the time of convenience meals! It was a status symbol to afford frozen meals.

The art of cooking was devalued in just a couple of generations as families handed their money over to large corporations to feed them food from a factory.

The by-product of those times – the children – weren’t given the opportunity to learn to cook by watching

their caregivers.

They didn’t see their elders chopping, stirring and laughing together in the kitchen the way it once was.

Cooking was done as quickly and conveniently as possible, and children weren’t given the opportunity to witness and learn.

Fast forward to now, and you wonder why you can’t cook intuitively.

Well, it’s because you haven’t learned!

A few tricks from my Grandma’s kitchen The next time you’re in the company of the older generation, ask them their top kitchen advice.

You’re sure to pick up a few gems that you just won’t find on Google.

Here is my Grandma’s advice: Use quality ingredients, and less of them You’ve heard this before and are probably tired of it, but it’s true.

Pantry salad dressing over a green salad This perpetual salad dressing lives in my cupboard and gets topped up as we need.

Salad dressing is the ultimate balance of salty and sweet and sour and fatty.

Take this as a guideline and adjust it to suit your family.

Ingredients -½ cup olive oil - ½ cup of your favourite vinegar or

Start with good ingredients and you’ll have to work less hard to add flavour.

Shop local and you’ll get the freshest produce, full of flavour.

Plus, you won’t need as much of anything.

Read the whole recipe before you start If you are cooking from a recipe, spend a few minutes reading through all the ingredients and the full method.

Make sure you have all the ingredients (or decide the substitutes you’ll use), all the tools and a clear picture of how much work, time and mess is involved.

Then decide if you’re going to make it.

And if you don’t want to follow a recipe, don’t!

Food doesn’t need to look good.

It just needs to smell and taste good.

lemon juice (or a combination of multiple acids) - 1 tsp sugar, honey or maple syrup - 1 tsp mustard (Dijon or wholegrain) - ½ tsp salt, tamari or soy sauce - Grind of pepper - Optional: ½ tsp cumin seeds Method - Add all ingredients to a jar with lid - Shake jar well and use as you need it.

Store it in the cupboard and keep topping up the same jar.

Forget every styled food image you’ve ever seen, because that is not home cooking! Homecooked food is often ugly and that’s ok.

The amount of time and consideration that goes into styling food for a photograph is not how you want to spend your time in the kitchen, so drop the expectation that it needs to look good.

There are no failures It will happen that things just don’t turn out as you hoped, but don’t despair!

Scrape off the burnt bits and serve it anyway.

You will learn something every time you cook, and you’ll learn double from the ‘failures’.

You will learn to pivot and spin your dish into something new.

Here are a few tricks: - Too much salt? Too much of a spice? Dilute it by adding more of the other ingredients, for example more tomatoes

(If using lemon juice, store in the fridge.)

- Make your simple salad: Rinse and chop or rip up your salad greens – use anything such as lettuce, rocket, baby spinach, mizuna, mustard greens, radish greens… a bit of whatever you have.

Keep it simple with a chopped avocado (they’re in season at the moment, so maybe add two!) and pour over as much dressing as you want.

Toss and serve.

in a Bolognese, or more vegetables in a stir fry.

And enjoy the leftovers tomorrow.

- Overcooked? It will depend on what it is but try adding some fresh ingredients to balance the overcooked ones.

Or can you toss part of your meal and save the rest? For me, very overcooked pasta gets tossed and I start again.

We all have a few nonnegotiables!

- Bland? Balance the flavours.

Food is tasty when you have a balance between salty and sweet, sour and fatty.

Ask yourself, does your dish need some more salt? Does it need a pinch of sugar or maple syrup to make your tongue dance? Does it need a squeeze of lemon to lighten it? Does it need a drizzle of oil for a more satisfying mouth feel?

Play with it because there is no right answer.

It all comes down to what YOU enjoy.

Speak kindly to yourself And finally, change the language.

Drop the story, “I’m a bad cook” and replace it with “I am learning to cook.” Sometimes we need to take a step back from our stories and talk to ourselves like we would talk to someone we love.

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P13

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVOSOCIETY

Action draws attention to Link Road habitat threat

Save Link Rd Forest members staged a COVID-safe roadside act, helping to draw public attention to the threat

Members of a community action group are drawing attention to a rezoning proposal of 592 hectares of bushland along the Newcastle Link Road and its threat to local wildlife.

Save Link Rd Forest is a group formed

by Newcastle and Lake Macquarie residents concerned about the impacts of a rezoning proposal under assessment

by Newcastle and Lake Macquarie city councils.

The proposed rezoning along the Newcastle Link Road from Wallsend to Minmi would facilitate a 3000- to 4000home housing development owned by Eden Estates.

Save Link Rd Forest members staged a COVID-safe roadside act late last month, helping to draw community attention to the threat of extinction presented to many different species that call the bushland home.

Save Link Rd Forest spokesperson Ivan

Macfadyen said the proposed bushland clearing posed a threat to more than 50 different species of flora and fauna.

Out of those 50, there are 15 already threatened species, including the squirrel glider, powerful owl, flying fox, bent wing bat, native orchids and scrub turpentine.

“There are some animals that only eat the seeds of the scrub turpentine.

So if the plant dies, the animals will die.

So, it just runs right up the chain.

This tree is an important link in our ecosystem,” Macfadyen said.

“We have destroyed 85 per cent of the coastal plain for the entire length of NSW. This specific forest is a significant part of the remaining 15 per cent of native forest left.

The native wildlife that lives on the coastal plain has never adapted to live at high altitudes or the cold.

Any proposed rezoning will help

ensure their extinction.

“Another species is the powerful owl, which mates for life.

It stays in the one nest and lives there for about 30 years.

It also needs to graze and hunt for food over a 400- to 800-hectare area.

The development has allowed 100 metres of remaining bush around each nest when this bird needs at least 400 hectares to feed and survive properly.”

Macfadyen said urban infill and prioritising new developments in areas already cleared was essential in protecting threatened species and the overall quality of life in the region.

Hunter Community Environment Centre (HCEC) coordinator Jo Lynch said many community voices had also raised concerns over the further erosion of essential biodiversity corridors.

“It is an essential habitat for squirrel gliders, which is a species we have been focusing on a lot.

Photo supplied

They need connectivity of bushland and hollow trees to survive,” Lynch said.

“We want to raise awareness over the important biodiversity at this site and make sure that all checks are implemented and the full picture has been assessed before the council just whisk it through.

“We want to avoid clearing established bushland wherever we can across the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Central Coast electorates.

“We know that there is a high demand for housing, but we must think twice about the need for land clearing when there are a lot of very vulnerable species threatened.”

NovoNews has reached out to City of Newcastle for comment and is awaiting a response.

For more information on the rezoning proposal, visit Save Link Rd Forest Facebook page or HCEC’s website.

Hayley McMahon

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Pitt stops short of PEP11 decision

Stop PEP11 Paddle Out at Nobby’s Beach earlier this year

After months of silence regarding the contentious Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 (PEP11), Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt has provided some insight into his decision-making process, but still no decision.

The renewal of the now-expired PEP11 permit would allow gas and oil drilling off the coast of Newcastle, stretching to Sydney.

The final decision for this gas and oil exploration comes down to Minister Pitt.

The project has been contested by many coastal communities, local MPs and politicians, all standing against the renewal of the PEP11 permit.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also spoken out against it.

Following previous attempts and letters written to Pitt requesting a final decision to be made, Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon said she had “finally” received a letter of response.

“In our previous correspondence, I outlined Australia’s robust regulatory regime and its requirements for undertaking petroleum activities,” Pitt wrote.

“No environment plan has been lodged or is under assessment for any activity in the PEP11 permit area, and no further activity will be able to occur in this area until all necessary approvals are in place.

Photo: Nicholas Klynsmith @hyperventilating_eyes.

(Taken pre-COVID-19 restrictions)

“The permit holder has applied for additional time to complete their work program commitments and a variation to the current conditions.”

The permit holder is Asset Energy, a subsidiary of oil and gas exploration company Advent Energy.

In early June 2021, NovoNews reported that Asset Energy had issued a call for tender to provide subsea wellhead equipment to build foundations for a drilling well.

“This is an important step in the preparation and planning for the Baleen-1 well (and) ensures that Asset will be ready to commence drilling after relevant approvals have been received,” Advent

Energy announced.

Since then, a second tender has been issued to provide a conductor, surface casing and associated services.

On July 31, Advent Energy’s June 2021 Quarter Operations Report outlined a submission to the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) to “enable drilling of the Baleen drill target in the PEP11 permit offshore NSW”.

“The PEP11 Joint Venture has reviewed the work program and now proposes to proceed with the drilling of a well at Baleen (to be called Seablue-1) subject to approvals from NOPTA and other regulatory authorities, and financing, and

has made an application to NOPTA to change the current Permit conditions,” the report said.

“The application to NOPTA includes the extension of the permit title for up to two years to enable the drilling and includes an application for the removal of the requirement for a 500 sq. km 3D seismic program.

NOPTA has confirmed that this application is now in the final decision phase.”

The“finaldecisionphase”wassomething that Pitt wrote about in the letter to Claydon, which was “a matter for the Joint Authority, consisting of myself as the federal Minister for Resources, and the Hon John Barilaro, New South Wales Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional New South Wales”.

“Having received the advice of Mr Barilaro, I am currently considering this matter.

My decision will be evidence-based, taking into account the advice of NOPTA, requirements under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, the associated regulations and guidelines, as well as any other relevant considerations,” Pitt wrote.

On February 17, 2021, Barilaro recommended PEP11 not be renewed, placing the final decision on Pitt’s desk.

Hayley McMahon

The proposed Baleen well zone.

Photo source: Advent Energy Environmental Plan summary for NOPSEMA

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P15

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVOSOCIETY

Landcare volunteers ready to dig in

Some of the Fern Creek Landcare team tackling Bitou bush Photo source: Fern Creek Landcare Facebook page.

While COVID lockdown has temporarily stifled the activities of Landcare groups in the area, it has certainly not curbed their enthusiasm for protecting and rejuvenating the local environment.

Pandemic aside, Lake Macquarie Landcare is thriving.

The group continues to expand, and a brand-new community centre, at 80 Toronto Road, Teralba, is under construction and expected to open in February 2022.

“It will be Landcare on steroids,’’ Lake Macquarie Landcare Co-ordinator Jason Harvey joked.

“The new facility will help us to support our community and volunteer programs to focus on natural areas, community facilities and other local initiatives.’’

For more than 20 years, Lake Macquarie Landcare have been active within the community recruiting volunteers for their organisation.

Jason Harvey oversees the initiative across the local government area.

“The Lake Macquarie Landcare organisation is a three-tiered partnership.

We have our community volunteers, our Landcare network, and the council sector all working cohesively to support our local environment,’’ he said.

“It is vital that our volunteers are provided with the resources and tools they need to undertake all the fantastic work they are doing in our community.’’

The group has around 1000 volunteers, who dedicate their time planting trees and supporting the local habitat.

“I find it is so rewarding watching our community members seeing their hard work paying off over so many years,” Harvey said.

Lake Macquarie Landcare works with council to manage monetary grants and provide resources and support for the organisation.

“We want our community to ‘donate themselves’ to our organisation, not their money,” Harvey said, adding that it was a close-knit team with a real sense of purpose.

Lake Macquarie Landcare ensures volunteers have access to plants, the right tools and equipment, along with a strong action plan. ‘’By providing these resources to our volunteers, we promote a strong sense of community, an improved local habitat, and increased wildlife presence in return,’’ Harvey said.

COVID meant that National Landcare Week in August was recognised a little differently this year. ‘’Initially we organised a bus tour for the community where we drove people around and we stopped at each of our Landcare sites,” Harvey said.

“Our volunteers could introduce the sites they have been working on and explain the improvements they have made to the areas.

“It was important for our community to see all the hard work our volunteers

had put in.

“Unfortunately, with restrictions implemented, we needed to adapt our celebration.

“My colleague Meg was able to create an audio/visual tour through izi.TRAVEL audio tours, which is an app you can download in the app store.

“Meg created waypoints along the way where people can stop and one of our volunteers can discuss the site a person is looking at, explain the improvements, the different types of plants.’’

The tour can be accessed year round.

Fern Creek Landcare at Dudley, which has been active for the past 25 years, has also adapted to the challenges of lockdown. ‘’My predecessor Peter Dalton started our organisation with the goal of cleaning up the area around his Dudley home,” co-ordinator Gabrielle Stacey said.

“From there, he engaged ecologists, horticulturists and the local community to tidy up the area and return it to the beautiful habitat it once was.’’

Fern Creek Landcare is in the Awabakal Nature Reserve in Dudley.

Stacey took on the co-ordinator position in 2019 and is focusing on engaging young people with the Fern Creek Landcare initiative. ‘’Our organisation has grown and expanded amongst the younger demographic through the power of

social media,” she said.

“I am continuing to connect with our ‘Fernies’ and volunteers through our digital platforms to keep them engaged during the lockdown. ‘’I think it is so encouraging to keep our community updated on all the fantastic work our Fernies are doing, as they should be so proud of their efforts.’’

All volunteers of Fern Creek Landcare share a passion for the environment and connection to land and country.

The group focuses on the threatened species and natural fauna in the Awabakal Nature Reserve and have dedicated many years to protecting squirrel gliders and planting the appropriate flora to ensure their survival.

Stacey said lockdown had been difficult but the group looked forward to the months ahead once restrictions were lifted. ‘’I find it so important for my own motivation and accountability to keep going and continue to be a leader and role model for our initiative.

It is hard being disconnected from that. ‘’The plan is to return to our work in early November where we can reconnect with our volunteers and community.

“It will be great for our community to see all the amazing work our organisation has been working on and to marvel at the correlation between people and nature.’’

Jayden Fennell

2021 OVOSOCIETYOCTOBER ISSUE 006 P16novonews.com.au

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Kurri gas plant protest draws online crowd

The Online Hour of Action was hosted via zoom and had approximately 150 residents attend Photo source: Gas Free Hunter Alliance

An Online Hour of Action hosted by the Gas Free Hunter Alliance attracted 150 participants to the group’s most recent protest against the proposed Kurri Kurri gas plant.

Announced in May, the project by government entity Snowy Hydro Limited proposed a $600M 660-megawatt generator in Kurri Kurri, 38km west of Newcastle.

“The community response to our online action was quite overwhelming, actually,” Gas Free Hunter Alliance’s Fiona Lee said last month.

“The objective [of the action] was to flood key politicians and decision makers with local opposition to the gas plant, and we succeeded in doing that.

“We increased pressure on Federal Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes, who is the person who will make the final decision on this, so we’re really happy.”

As well as increasing pressure on Stokes, attendees targeted State Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean, Federal Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“We could safely say that a combination of hundreds of phone calls and emails

were made as part of the day of action,” the alliance reported.

While neither Matt Kean nor Rob Stokes’s offices commented on the demonstration specifically, a spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment told NovoNews that they were “undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the project that considers all feedback received”.

“Enabling the community to have its say is an important part of the planning process, which is why we publicly exhibited the proposal earlier this year.”

However, Gas Free Hunter Alliance said local voices including their own were not being considered, and that the online action on Friday, August 28 came after repeated rejected attempts to meet with Rob Stokes and his policy director.

The only contact with key decision makers that had eventuated was with Matt Kean, whom the Gas Free Hunter Alliance met with in June to discuss the changes.

The COVID-19 pandemic had not helped their efforts in meeting with other key decision makers, Lee said.

“Obviously, because of COVID a lot of the events we had planned like a petition delivery in person to Minister Stokes,

we’ve had to pivot to doing actions online.”

Lee reinforced the urgency in residents continuing to voice their concerns on the project, whether it be through contacting key politicians or signing their petition.

The organisation’s petition sits at almost 34,000 signatures, and Lee has urged more Hunter residents to get on board.

“We feel like the local voices are being ignored in this conversation so far, and local people are concerned about the health and noise impacts that the gas peaking plant might have on their local community, as well as being concerned that the Government is still investing in fossil fuel projects.”

Last month, the release of Australia’s biggest climate poll revealed that in Kurri Kurri’s electorate of Paterson, 64 per cent of residents said the Government must do more to prevent climate change.

“All the information is there for politicians to make a good decision for a safe future with long-term sustainable jobs, but they’re just not listening,” Lee said.

The approval process for the gas plant coincides with the UN’s latest climate report, which revealed a damning reality

for people across the globe.

“With the evidence before us with the release of the UN’s latest climate report and the code red for humanity, the alarm bells couldn’t be ringing any louder,” Lee warned.

She said the project was not only bad for the environment but was a missed opportunity to invest in renewable energy and sustainable jobs.

Lee believes the region has been “taken for a ride,” after it was revealed that once complete, the plant would only provide 10 ongoing jobs for the region.

“There is no significant transition plan for people that work in fossil fuels either.

The Hunter really deserves better,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said a recommendation would be provided to the Minister later this year.

“Now is really the time [to act].

The window is closing on this project and it’s closing quickly,” Lee said.

“Get in touch via email, Facebook or our website if you want to find out more information, get involved in our alliance and, please, sign the petition and share it.”

Maia O’Connor

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P17

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVOCULTURE

Lockdown learning is hitting home

Home learning has been challenging but not impossible. Inset, Newcastle teacher Olivia has taken steps to make home schooling interesting and rewarding

For thousands of Newcastle school students and their parents, the past couple of months of home learning have been challenging but not impossible.

NSW was forced into a snap lockdown from midnight on August 6, resulting in primary and high school teachers across Newcastle transitioning their classrooms online for students to access from home.

Olivia and Brittany (surnames withheld) are both primary school teachers in Newcastle.

They said their students had adapted to home learning positively but that the process was not without its hurdles and disadvantages. ‘’We have a wellbeing check-in each morning where the students can choose an emotion they are feeling each day,” Olivia said.

“They also get to record a voice message and send it through to me.

“If there is a problem or they are not feeling OK, I can record a message in response to help where I can.”

Students across the different year groups have access to online portals such as Microsoft Teams and Seesaw.

These portals are interactive and engaging and are a place for teachers and students to communicate and for students to upload their completed work each day. ‘’I found during the first week of lockdown my students were doing really

well with transitioning to home learning, however as the weeks rolled on, students were starting to become easily distracted and less engaged,” Brittany said.

“I need to make sure the work I am giving my students is engaging and can be taught and grasped by my students digitally.”

Olivia and Brittany both understand that each of their students is at a different academic level and their students’ home environments can affect their home learning capabilities.

“It is really hard not seeing my students every day, however with online platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Seesaw and zoom, I am still able to communicate with my class daily,’’ Olivia said.

Both teachers said they appreciated parents being cooperative and involved with their children’s education during the home learning period.

“Parents are being very supportive and are keeping in regular contact with me via email, asking questions about work that has been issued or addressing any concerns they may have,’’ Brittany said.

“I am finding our parents have a newfound appreciation of their children’s teacher during home learning; it is nice to feel appreciated,’’ Olivia added.

The teachers support their students in communicating with one another through group zoom sessions twice a week.

“At the end of my two weekly zooms, I alternate between the girls and boys in my online classroom, staying back and letting them speak with one another in a supervised group setting,” Olivia said.

“I think it is important for my students to feel connected during home learning through positive communication.”

Lauren Spencer is a mother of two young girls, trying to juggle Kindergarten, childcare and working from home during lockdown.

“I struggle to keep Jorgie engaged with home learning because there are so many distractions at home,” she said.

“Between her younger sister and her iPad, it is a real struggle.”

Spencer is eager for school to resume to the classroom where Jorgie can be reunited with her teacher and school friends.

“The sooner school resumes the better! I worry that due to the lack of classroom interaction with her teacher and fellow students she may be slipping behind.

There is so much pressure – am I doing the right thing? ‘’I can find myself getting frustrated when Jorgie isn’t engaged in her work, however, rewards of playing outside and iPad time definitely help.’’

Spencer appreciates having a close network of family and friends around her in the community that she can rely

Photos supplied

on for moral support.

Olivia and Brittany said they also were fortunate to work with supportive colleagues.

“We have Tuesday Chat, where all the teachers at my school share a zoom call and connect with one another,” Olivia said.

“I also have a school-based Instagram account where I connect with fellow teachers and educators who may be struggling during lockdown or providing tips and tricks to fellow teachers who are seeking inspiration.’’

“It is so important to work with other teachers you can bounce ideas off and share ideas with,’’ Brittany said.

Each term, both teachers’ schools celebrate Wellbeing Week, which promotes physical and mental wellbeing.

During term three, Brittany’s colleague organised a pre-recorded video message from Newcastle sporting stars, praising the students for their hard work and determination during home learning.

“The video was amazing, and the kids were so surprised,” Brittany said.

“We were fortunate enough to organise personalised messages from Nine News reporter Charles Croucher, Jacob and Daniel Saifiti from the Newcastle Knights, surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, Jason Hoffman from the Newcastle Jets, and more local sporting stars.’’

Jayden Fennell

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P19

OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 006

OVOCULTURE

COVID forces further festival postponements Organisers of This That, Scene & Heard and Dashville Skyline have made the decision to postpone their respective music festivals to February 2022 due to COVID restrictions.

The This That festival has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 26 at Wickham Park, followed by the Scene & Heard festival at the same location on Sunday, February 27.

The weekend is set to be huge for live music fans across the Hunter, after organisers of country music festival Dashville Skyline rescheduled their Hunter Valley event to take place between February 25 and 27.

The This That festival, which was set down for November 6, 2021, had already been postponed after it was initially scheduled for November 2020 but delayed due to COVID-19 concerns.

Festival organisers also postponed the Sandstone Point, Queensland stage of the tour.

“The This That team had every intention of bringing the festival to Queensland and NSW this year.

Unfortunately, due to COVID, we’re moving dates once again,” organisers said in a statement.

“The good news is that there is so much dancing and partying to look forward to and it’s going to be absolutely worth the wait.”

Ticket holder Mia Kierath said she was “disappointed” the festival would not

The This That festival has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 26 at Wickham Park Photo source: This That festival website

go ahead in November as planned but was relieved it wasn’t “cancelled altogether”.

“I think a lot of people would be in the same boat in being thankful it wasn’t cancelled.

Plus, by February, hopefully, there will be less restrictions and less [COVID-19] cases, so it’ll be a way better experience for everyone.”

This That organisers reassured festival goers the Newcastle line-up would remain relatively the same, with the exception of electronic artist Enschway swapping with Sippy, a dubstep

producer from Sydney.

They thanked ticket holders for “sticking with the festival through all of the changes and holding on to tickets to support live music”.

They advised that all tickets purchased for the 2020 and 2021 event dates were automatically valid for 2022.

For ticket holders who can’t attend the new dates, a two-week refund window via Oztix was offered until 5pm on October 6.

Organisers said the festival was already 95 per cent sold out and that there were “less than a thousand tickets left” at

both locations, “so holding on to tickets is the best way to avoid regrets in a few months’ time”.

The team behind Scene & Heard has promised to deliver the “best in live music this summer, in a safe setting”, and thanked patrons for their ongoing support after the festival was forced to reschedule for a second time.

“In light of the ever-changing COVID restrictions, border closures and uncertainty around the Government’s guidelines for when mass gatherings can occur, it should come as no surprise that the highly anticipated Scene & Heard Festival will need to be rescheduled,” organisers announced.

“We can’t thank you enough for supporting Scene & Heard, and we look forward to hanging with you for a muchneeded dose of live music action.

“We realise it’s a tough period for all.

For those who can, please consider holding on to your purchased festival ticket to support our beloved live music industry, which is suffering.”

Event organisers announced Australian rock band Killing Heidi could not make the new event date and have asked fans to “stay tuned for a new artist addition to the bill”.

Scene & Heard ticket holders were urged to act quickly if they intended to obtain a ticket refund, as the refund window for this festival was also set to close at 5pm on October 6.

Maia O’Connor

Student film on international stage Media production students at the University of Newcastle have earned international recognition after their short film assignment was successful in several categories at Hollywood’s prestigious IndieX Film Festival.

The Rite of Writing tells the story of a screenwriter who is forced to work with a group of other writers, all specialists in different movie genres.

Each writer has an entirely different view of how the film should play out, causing contention and a clash between the characters.

Students created, developed, shot and edited The Rite of Writing for their Short Film course assignment and it was also submitted to the LA-based IndieX Film Festival.

The short film won Best Student Comedy, an Outstanding Achievement Award for Student Director and Best Student Parody.

Director Mitchell Treharne said the film was entered into the festival upon advice from their tutor and senior lecturer in Communication and Media, Dr Simon Weaving.

“We all won those awards together.

It was entirely a group effort.

If it wasn’t a combined effort from all of us, I don’t think the film would have turned out half as good,” Mitchell said.

“It’s a strangely addictive feeling, getting recognised like that.

Ever since we won the awards, I have

(L to R) Julienne Fox, Makayla Cocking, Mitchell Treharne, Dr Simon Weaving, Matthaus Schumacher, Samuel Adamson and Isaiah Zorro Photo supplied (Taken pre-COVID restrictions)

been really keen to direct again.

This is definitely something I would love to pursue after uni.

“We were supposed to create another short film, which is our final project for the whole degree, but because of COVID restrictions, we had to push that back until next year.

So, it’s going to be a little while before we can create another one, but I’m so excited to get back out there and do it all again.”

The student crew included producer Makayla Cocking, writer Matthaus Schumacher, cinematographer Ike Leggett, sound designer Isaiah Zorro,

editor Julienne Fox, and production designers Samuel Adamson and Lachlan Alderson.

Matthaus said his inspiration for the script had come from a basic film theory.

“The main thing that inspired my script was the concept of Auteur Theory, which is where the film director is considered the sole author of the whole artistic vision,” he said.

“I wanted to play around with that concept and explore the advantages of creative collaboration where authors and creators share their different ideas and views, ultimately creating something so much more special and unique.”

Matthaus said there were no words to describe how pleased he was with the awards and the overall outcome of the film.

“It’s just so fantastic.

I am so thankful to everyone involved.

Without them, my script was just words on a piece of paper,” he said.

“The cast and the rest of the crew were just amazing and really elevated the whole experience and overall production of the film.”

Makayla Cocking said holding the producer role enabled her to test out some of her skills and get a taste for what it’s like being on a film set.

“The producer is a multi-faceted role.

It requires a lot of creativity but is also grounded by the logistics of time restraints and resources,” Makayla said.

“Being the producer was really cool because I was able to combine both of my interests into one role and use different skills from both of my majors, Public Relations and Media Production.

“Everyone was just so motivated, and we all got along, which allowed us to think creatively and not be scared to express our opinions.

We all had this shared vision of what we wanted to achieve, so it ended up being such a fun experience.

“To think that it just started as our uni assignment and now we are here with three international awards is just so unreal.”

Hayley McMahon

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Bree’s Goodbye is only the beginning

Newcastle folk singer-songwriter Bree Rusev has released her fourth single following her success as a semi-finalist in a prestigious international music competition.

Produced by Garrett Kato in Byron Bay and released on August 13, Goodbye is the fourth original song written by the 18-year-old.

Bree’s latest song release comes soon after she made the semifinals of an international music competition, Unsigned Only.

The US-based competition is designed for solo artists and bands worldwide, who are looking for exposure, recognition and a chance to gain a record deal.

Bree, who first picked up the guitar at age 14, saw the competition online and thought she would give it a shot.

“Last year, I entered an international songwriting competition with one of my original songs and made it as a finalist, so I thought I would give this one a go as well,” the Hunter School of the Performing Arts Year 12 student said.

Bree’s debut single, Drift, was released last year and has since had more than 25,000 plays on Spotify.

The song touches on mental health topics, following a person who gets lost in their own thoughts.

She entered Drift into the Folk category of Unsigned Only, and although she

Newcastle folk singer-songwriter Bree Rusev Photo supplied

didn’t win, she was ecstatic to receive the recognition.

“I definitely didn’t expect to be chosen as a semi-finalist in this one, so I’m super stoked.”

Bree said she wrote her first song not long after she started learning guitar.

“When I was about 14, I started playing the ukulele.

I eventually started teaching myself guitar and began playing a few gigs here and there,” Bree said.

“Playing live is strictly acoustic folk genre, but my recorded tracks are more

pop-folk.

I draw lots of inspiration from artists like Ziggy Alberts, Julia Stone, James Bay and Dean Lewis.”

All four of Bree’s original songs have received national radio airplay.

Triple J defines her as an artist with “a very distinctive voice” who “displays a lyrical maturity well beyond her years”.

Bree said she was an emotive songwriter who drew from past experiences and used vivid imagery to tell a story through her lyrics.

“Sometimes I sit down and come up with some chords first, and then I’ll create the lyrics and melody,” she said.

“I do make up little stories for my songs, but a lot of the time, I find it easier to write about past experiences, although those songs are a lot more vulnerable and real.”

Bree already has 3055 monthly listeners on Spotify, which fuels her passion for music and inspires her to pursue a career in the industry.

“I’d love to be able to continue with songwriting,” she said.

“I will definitely keep writing and recording songs, and hopefully, when restrictions are eased, I can start playing live gigs again.”

To stay up to date with Bree’s music career and song releases, follow her on Spotify and on socials @breerusevmusic.

Hayley McMahon

Coote finds sweet spot in Newcastle Rod Coote’s next single may be called Unwind, but the burgeoning singer-songwriter is not about to sit back and relax.

The 23-year-old indie-folk artist and teacher is relishing new opportunities in his adopted hometown of Newcastle and is on a path to bigger and better things.

Coote grew up in a small country town near Tamworth in regional NSW. “When I was in high school, my mum encouraged me to pick up a hobby.

She gave me her old nylon string guitar and it went from there,’’ he said.

As a teenager, Coote began watching YouTube videos and taught himself how to play the guitar.

“My original music idols included Australian indie-pop singer-songwriter Vance Joy and American indie folk band Bon Iver.’’

As Coote’s musical confidence and ability grew, he continued taking on new opportunities through music programs at his rural high school.

Coote also began busking at the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival.

“I loved playing at Tamworth and trying out new songs to see how they were connecting with people,” he said.

“It was great being surrounded by country music stars and watching them perform.’’

After finishing school, Coote decided to join the airforce as part of its gap-year program to learn some new skills.

Coote relocated from regional NSW to Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney

Rod Coote will release his next single, Unwind, later this year Photo supplied

throughout the gap year before being posted to Williamtown RAAF Base. ‘’It was so refreshing arriving in Newcastle and being so close to the beach, the landscape, and friendly people,” he said.

“I enjoy being close to nature as well and going on bushwalks.

“Newcastle feels like my sweet spot.’’

At the end of the gap year, Coote decided to pursue a teaching career and enrolled in secondary teaching at

the University of Newcastle.

Now settled in Newcastle, Coote’s musical passion has continued to grow along with his teaching prospects. ‘’Newcastle can give me the best of both worlds,” he said.

“There are opportunities for me to pursue my music career and my teaching career here.

“I have played at most venues in Newcastle along with supporting other artists including at Lizotte’s, the

Cambridge Hotel and the Civic Theatre.’’

During lockdown last year, Coote reached out to indie-folk singersongwriter Garrett Kato, who has worked with acts such as Pete Murray, Julia Stone and Tones and I. “I was working on some demos at home last year, and I saw that some other musicians I know were working with him, so I decided I would send some demos through to him and see what he thinks.

“Flash forward a year later, and we have recorded five songs together!

“We have built a solid partnership.

Garrett is a solid mentor to me and a great friend as well.’’

Coote’s latest single, Wild Pine, was released two weeks ago and is a tribute to his late grandfather.

“I wrote the song about a year ago when I was processing the loss of my grandfather,” he said.

“The song is about losing someone close to you and capturing the memories I share with him.’’

Coote said the lyrics were raw and relatable, and the song was stripped back.

He said the words would resonate with “anyone who has lost someone close to them or been away from a loved one for a long period of time”.

Coote will release his next single, Unwind, later this year.

Check out Coote’s work on Instagram @rodcootemusic and Spotify.

For the full story, visit novonews.com.au.

Jayden Fennell

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OVOCASTRIAN

Sisters’ social media success story

Lily Grace, left, and Georgia at the launch of their podcast, Gee Thanks

What started as an after-school pastime has morphed into a crossplatform career for Newcastle sisters Georgia and Lily Grace McCudden.

Georgia, 21, is the face behind Georgia Productions, a humorous skit-based channel on YouTube that has amassed 1.04M subscribers.

On Instagram, 285,000 followers keep up with Georgia’s fashion and lifestyle content.

Georgia’s younger sister, Lily Grace, is also making a splash on social media, attracting 147,000 YouTube subscribers over the past three years.

From primary school swimming carnivals, to reading old diaries, or going to Bunnings with your dad, Georgia finds the humour in everyday situations, producing YouTube skits where she acts as multiple characters.

Her If Santa Was Australian skit attracted more than 1.3M views and 41,000 likes, and is a testament to the Australian humour that has brought her success.

“Since I started, my audience has largely been Australian, which is actually pretty rare,” Georgia said.

“America is a huge country so usually you ‘pop off’ over there.

I guess America doesn’t understand my Aussie sense of humour and I think that’s why I attract the national audience.”

Georgia said her foray into video making began with a Christmas present received in 2012.

“I was given a MacBook to do schoolwork on and I discovered an editing software on it called iMovie.

I basically started fiddling around with that and thought it was really cool and it became a little hobby,” she said.

“I started off using my webcam on my computer to film and I would edit these stupid videos to show my friends.

They wouldn’t be scripted or anything, I’d just muck around.

“I got addicted to the validation,” she joked.

“And I kept upgrading my cameras and editing software as my humour matured over time.

Now here we are with a successful YouTube channel.”

That success has led to Georgia meeting with silver-screen celebrities Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

She flew to Mexico in late 2019 as part of the press tour for the movie Jumanji: The Next Level, interviewing The Rock, Kevin Hart and Jack Black.

“They basically needed influencers or journalists from all around the world from certain countries they wanted to target.

They picked me for Australia, which is really cool,” Georgia said.

“I would describe it as a very lucky opportunity, [and I was thrown] straight in the deep end because I’d never interviewed celebrities before, so I was very nervous and shaking.”

Following the release of that video, DreamWorks reached out to Georgia,

NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO GO IT ALONE

allowing her to interview the stars of Trolls, an animated box-office smash.

Younger sister Lily Grace, 19, launched her YouTube channel in 2019 after a series of cameos in Georgia Productions videos.

“I obviously had a lot of help from my sister,” Lily said.

“She started a YouTube channel before me, had been doing it for a while and I popped up in a few things and people asked, ‘when are you going to make a channel?’”

Lily launched an Instagram profile first, which now attracts 77,000 followers and endorsement deals from major brands like Kathmandu.

“As much as I do dedicate a lot of my followers to Georgia, for the past year or so Georgia hasn’t been involved in many of my videos and I think they have just accumulated over time,” she said.

Lily said it was important for content creators to be across multiple platforms to drive engagement, and while she did have her concerns about Instagram’s power regarding body image, she felt she did “have to be on it”.

“It’s my job to wear new clothes and show pretty pictures, but I never Facetune my face or body or anything like that,” she said.

“I use filters because who doesn’t? But I try to show the real side as well.

If I am having a bad day, I post it.”

Georgia is also very open about the ups and downs of life, having struggled a lot in school while managing attention deficit disorder (ADD) and auditory processing disorder (APD).

Photo supplied: Amplify

“I used to come home crying or even sometimes cry in the classroom just because I never felt understood,” she said.

“I felt like everyone thought I was making excuses.

“Saying ‘I can’t listen, or I can’t focus’ is pretty difficult for anyone who doesn’t have [ADD or APD] to understand.

I tried my best but I struggled with any subject that wasn’t Art or Drama.

“The reading and writing tasks were always a struggle because I think I also have undiagnosed dyslexia.

I was a very slow reader and always needed more time, but exams only go for so long.”

Georgia attended St Philip’s Christian College, and she thanks her Middle School Principal, Mr Evans, for recognising her talents.

“Mr Evans saw my potential.

He was the one that persuaded me to start putting them on YouTube to see where it goes,” she said.

“He also knew I struggled with pretty much anything that wasn’t video making, and he could see I was good at that, so I thank him a lot for my career.”

To check out the McCudden sisters’ content, head to: Gee Thanks (a Spotify podcast); @Georgia Productions and @ Lily Grace on YouTube; and georgia_ productions and liilygracee on Instagram.

For the full story, visit novonews.com.au.

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CREATING FINANCIAL FREEDOM

‘Honest mistake’: ATO won’t pursue small businesses for $180m in overpaid JobKeeper WITH

Julia NEWBOULD Managing Editor • Money magazine The Australian Tax Office announced it will not pursue businesses that took advantage of JobKeeper despite raking in large profits, nor will it ask small businesses to repay $180 million claimed in error.

The ATO revealed that over one million businesses received nearly $89 billion in JobKeeper payments, a wage subsidy introduced by the federal government for businesses that struggled financially at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Senate Economics Legislation Committee’s Inquiry into the Coronavirus Economic Response Package Amendment (Ending JobKeeper Profiteering) Bill 2021 on September 10 revealed that the ATO overpaid

$470 million. Small businesses erroneously claimed $180 million in JobKeeper says ATO. It has recovered $194 million to date and is currently pursuing $89 million, of which $6 million is in dispute.

“We have determined not to pursue $180 million, mostly from small businesses, where there have been honest mistakes: usually because the employers claimed it in good faith and passed it on to their employees,” the ATO said.

Only 75 businesses have come forward to return their JobKeeper payments; 62 have repaid $203 million.

Further, the tax office said it “has not undertaken analysis of companies that received JobKeeper and have since returned a profit, as the level of profitability was not an eli-

gibility criterion”. “In addition, JobKeeper is determined at an employing entity level and relevant profits are determined at a head company level.

Profitability is also typically determined annually, not quarterly or monthly,” the ATO said.

The committee did not receive a breakdown of which industries relied most on JobKeeper.

Many large ASX-listed com-

panies that claimed JobSeeker payments have been slammed by the media for largely profiting during the pandemic yet refuse to repay the government.

Federal Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said in a Gold Coast-based radio interview that the legislation doesn’t require the repayment of JobKeeper “but I think there’s actually a responsibility on many of those businesses now -

CBA to Wesfarmers: Australia’s top dividends Australia has a love affair with dividends, especially when they’re fully franked.

After coming off the boil due to COVID-19, dividends are back in a big way.

“Despite the severity of the recession last year, global dividends in aggregate will likely regain their pre-pandemic levels within the next 12 months,” says Jane Shoemake, client portfolio manager on the

global equity income team at Janus Henderson.

Here are some of the standout dividends Aussie income investors are in line to receive.

Commonwealth Bank In the 12 months to June 30, 2021, CBA booked a $1.4 billion increase in cash profit to $8.7 billion.

As a result, on September 29 CBA shareholders will receive a $2 fully-franked dividend, bringing the total for the year to

$3.50 a share fully franked.

BHP BHP will reward shareholders on September 21 with a final fully-franked dividend of $2.71 per share.

Coupled with its interim dividend of $1.31, this brings the total FY21 dividend to $4.10, a 151% increase on FY20.

Rio Tinto Not to be outdone by BHP, Rio will provide its shareholders with a $7.60 per share dividend on September 23. That brings the full-year

dividend to $12.77.

CSL CSL finished the 2021 financial year with a $3.27 billion profit. Despite COVID disruptions, the company was still able to manufacture 50 million AstraZeneca doses out of its Melbourne production facility.

The company will reward its shareholders on September 30 with a final dividend of US$1.18 per share, franked at 10%, bringing the full-year dividend to about US$2.22 per share.

DON’T MISS MAGAZINE’S BEST OF THE BEST BUMPER EDITION $69SA.V9IN9 G 30% THIS DECEMBER SUBSCRIBE BEFORE NOVEMBER 13, 2021 TO RECEIVE YOUR COPY.

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if they are doing well, they need to do a bit of soul-searching”.

JobKeeper was established so that the government could keep employees connected with their workplace and keep businesses afloat during the initial stages of the COVID pandemic, Andrews said.

“That has actually been a very good strategy and many businesses do say that it was only JobKeeper that enabled

them to keep trading to the point that they are now; so that was the purpose of it and that’s what was achieved. On that basis the money was dispersed.

It was never set up so that it would need to be repaid in the event that the businesses did not suffer the downturns that were considered the eligibility criteria in the first instance,” she said.

KARREN VERGARA

That’s a 10% increase on last financial year.

Fortescue Metals Group Thanks to increases in the iron ore price, Fortescue posted FY21 net profit after tax of US$10.3 billion, up 117% from FY20.

This has allowed the mining giant to return fully-franked fullyear dividend to $3.58 per share (including a $2.11 final dividend), the largest dividend in its history and more than double the dividend of FY20.

Wesfarmers Bunnings has been

allowed to remain open through most of the pandemic, helping to push Wesfarmers profit up by 16% in the financial year.

On October 7, the company will pay a fully-franked ordinary final dividend of 90 cents per share, taking the full-year ordinary dividend to $1.78 per share.

But that’s not all. Pending shareholder approval, which it will surely get, Wesfarmers will also pay out a $2 per share dividend in December.

DAVID THORNTON

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OVOSPORT

Sam’s the man of the moment

Olympic diver Sam Fricker

Merewether-born-and-raised Olympic diver Sam Fricker continues to make a splash out of the pool, building a massive TikTok following and committed to making a difference on the environmental front.

Fricker returned home to Sydney last month after competing as part of the Australian diving team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“To compete in the Olympics has always been a dream of mine, so to find out I qualified for Tokyo 2020, it really was a dream come true,’’ Fricker said.

As a child, Fricker attended Hunter Sports Centre at Glendale, where his passion for athletics and gymnastics ignited.

“I have so many great memories of training and competing at Hunter Sports Centre.

It is where I learnt the basics of what I do today,’’ he said.

Fricker attended Hunter School of the Performing Arts in Broadmeadow for Drama, and after school each day he and his mates walked from HSPA to Lambton Swimming Pool.

“I started diving when I was in primary school.

I found it quite easy to transition from athletics to diving with the skills I was taught as a child from trampolining,’’ he said.

He began to take diving seriously from the age of 12, competing in local and

Photo sourced: @sam.fricker on Instagram

regional diving competitions.

Fricker’s passion and determination has continued to grow under coach Thomas Rickards, who also hails from Newcastle, supporting Fricker inside and outside of the diving pool.

“My coach has always been there for me.

He knows how to calm my nerves before a dive and helps me clear my headspace,” Fricker said.

Due to the COVID outbreak in Sydney, Fricker and the rest of the Australian diving team travelled to Brisbane for pre-training for the Tokyo Olympics.

“The training leading up to Tokyo was intense,” Fricker said.

“The hours were long, we had many early starts, and the schedule was crazy.

“With social distancing measures in place, my coach and I were the only ones allowed in the pool at a time.

It made it really tricky with all of our hectic schedules.’’

COVID changed the Olympic experience too.

No family or friends were able to attend for support, which resulted in the Olympians rallying together to support one another.

“The atmosphere around the Olympic village was incredible.

Everybody was so respectful of one another, all doing the right thing being COVID safe,” Fricker said.

Fricker, who finished in 28th place, said he was disappointed with the performance.

“I know I need to work on my confidence and try not to let my nerves get the better of me,’’ he said.

Fricker and the other members of the Australian diving team returned home via Howard Springs in the Northern Territory for their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

“Quarantine was pretty good overall,” he said.

“I was able to communicate with my team in neighbouring bunkers.

It wasn’t until towards the end of the second week when it started to get tough as I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and was busting to get out.”

He flew home to Sydney via Adelaide.

“I could not wait to go home and see my family, my girlfriend, and pat my dog,’’ he said.

Outside of the diving pool, Fricker commits much of his time to environmental causes.

“When I was 16, I watched a viral video of a turtle swimming with a straw stuck in its nose.

I knew then and there I needed to do something to protect these harmless creatures,’’ he said.

At age 17, Fricker established a company creating “eco-friendly solutions to single-use plastics”.

The company, Sam’s Straws, sells wheat straws and other enviro-friendly products.

“My team and I are working with suppliers and a merchandise team to

speed up production of more straws and other enviro-friendly products to continue spreading our message of protecting our oceans, one straw at a time,’’ he said.

Sam’s Straws are 100 per cent biodegradable, 100 per cent natural, disposable, compostable and organic, and can be purchased at samsstraws. com.

Chances are, if you’re a TikTok follower, you may already be familiar with Fricker’s work.

He has more than 1.2M followers, and counting.

“My younger sister got me into it, actually.

I thought it was just for kids,’’ the affable 21-year-old said.

Fricker started posting videos of himself diving, then when the Olympics began, his fan base increased rapidly.

“I have now expanded the types of videos I post, which include me hanging out with my friends and girlfriend, my Olympics adventure, and my business.’’

With the Olympics done and dusted, Fricker wants to dedicate his energy to his environmentally friendly business and returning to the diving pool.

“I am really looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year and the Paris Olympics in 2024.

I also want to continue promoting my business and get the message out there about single-use plastics.’’

Jayden Fennell

2021 OVOSPORTOCTOBER ISSUE 006 P24novonews.com.au

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Cibilic’s rookie season a triumph all the same

Brazil’s Gabriel Medina may have won the World Surf League’s inaugural men’s Final 5 Showdown in California last month but Merewether boardrider Morgan Cibilic’s fifth place in the event is equally momentous.

In his opening Championship Tour season, Cibilic has rocketed from the least-known surfer on tour to Australia’s number one seed.

And his rank had grown by more than 400 during a three-year stint competing in Qualifying Series events.

In the eyes of Merewether Surfboard Club President Craig Long, Cibilic has been on the incline since his arrival to Newcastle from Angourie at 11 years of age.

“For me, it is Morgan’s natural style built on over time, thrown in with his professional approach from a training, coaching and equipment perspective, that has taken him to that next level,” Long said.

“He’s quite comfortable taking the underdog approach and doing things his way with a powerful style groomed on two very famous right-hand breaks (Angourie and Merewether).

“And his approach to surfing in heats this year has certainly been extremely mature for his first year.

“Now, he’ll be setting himself goals for next year and will focus on continuing to improve on his efforts.”

The fifth place was sealed for Cibilic after his loss in the opening men’s heat against American fourth-placed finalist Conner Coffin.

Nonetheless, finishing fifth in the Championship Tour is Cibilic’s greatest career achievement to date, and represents the highest final seeding in a rookie season since Hawaii’s John John Florence in 2012.

After five days at Lower Trestles,

Morgan Cibilic before the Championship Tour Final 5 Showdown at Lower Trestles, California, September 2021 Photo supplied: World Surf League / Diz

California, awaiting a south-westerly swell fetched from our side of the Pacific, early Tuesday morning brought six- to 10-foot waves.

By the time Cibilic and Coffin took to the water for their 30-minute heat, the wind had slightly calmed and the ocean offered up a four- to six-foot range, breaking with energy in both directions.

The rhythm of the swell remained difficult to anticipate and so wave selection became critical to success.

In this regard, Santa Barbara’s Coffin showed his greater familiarity with the West Coast waters, navigating both left and right with his rail surfing game.

His opening wave earned a heat-best score of 7.83, featuring a row of clean arcs to the right completed with a closeout re-entry.

Cibilic followed on the next wave of

the set, trying for the same rail game but losing his footing on the third turn.

With the lead established, Coffin trusted in his right-moving forehand and reached a two-wave score of 15.00 after his sixth and final attempt.

The highlight for Cibilic was his third attempt, where he completed a clean right-hand line of sweeping turns to score 6.17, yet this left him still requiring a second wave score of 8.83 to advance.

In the end, the ocean offered no last chance for the top-ranking rookie, and it was Coffin who went on to challenge, unsuccessfully, the Brazilian threeheaded serpent of Filipe Toledo, Italo Ferreira and eventual winner Gabriel Medina.

Medina’s win means he joins the ranks of surfers such as Tom Curren, Andy Irons and Mick Fanning with three world

titles.

In the women’s event, Hawaiian Carissa Moore also held on to her first place entry into the Final 5 Showdown to secure her fifth world title.

Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons and Stephanie Gilmore placed third and fourth.

Having secured qualification for the upcoming 2022 Championship Tour, Cibilic has until January to prepare without the pressure of competing in the ongoing Challenger Series.

Time will tell if he is to be joined by fellow Merewether surfers Philippa Anderson and Jackson Baker, who will look to improve on results from the recent US Open at Huntington Beach at the Vissla Pro Ericeira, Portugal, scheduled for October 2 to 10.

Haakon Barry

Young lifesaver recognised for rescuing dad A 13-year-old surf lifesaver has been recognised for her heroic efforts after rescuing her dad from the water at Bar Beach.

On an afternoon in May, Mia Campbell was learning how to navigate the ocean on a race board with her dad Ben Campbell at Bar Beach.

Mia is a Cooks Hill Surf Life Saving Club member and a previous silver medal winner in the Surf Teams event at the NSW Championships.

Ben is a senior patrolling member, club coach and recently elected Director of Surf Sports.

Mia said she caught a wave in during board training and noticed her dad’s board washed up onshore.

“I thought nothing of it and assumed he would just swim in,” Mia said.

“I then realised Dad wasn’t swimming in, so I decided to paddle over.

As I got closer, I noticed he was getting smashed by the waves and struggling to keep afloat.

“I knew then something wasn’t right as Dad is very competent in the surf.”

As she approached, Ben explained to

we were going to catch it.”

Several months on, Ben has made a full recovery, and Mia’s quick thinking and confidence in the water earned her the Surf Life Saving NSW Rescue of the Month.

“At the time, I was just thinking about getting Dad onto the board and safely back to shore,” she said.

“I was feeling confident but worried about Dad because he was in a lot of pain.

I’m happy he’s okay.”

Information source: Media release,

Cooks Hill SLSC member Mia Campbell Photo supplied

Mia that he’d been struck by a dolphin that was attempting to jump out of the water and he could no longer move his arm.

The dolphin had connected heavily with Ben’s left shoulder and chest, making it challenging to stay afloat.

Mia managed to get Ben onto the

board using a technique typically reserved for unconscious patients.

“I used the board roll technique to get Dad onto the board, where you flip the board twice,” she said.

“We negotiated the breaking waves on return to shore, and I made sure I told him when a wave was coming and when

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