St Clair Erskine Park News May 2019

Federal Member for McMahon Phone (02) 9604 0710

chris.bowen.mp@aph.gov.au MAY 2019

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St Clair Erskine Park

News

Join us on facebook: St Clair Community News

Ph: 9834 2966 Em: mulgoa@parliament.nsw.gov.au

ISSUE 41

Go Comets A fundraiser featuring MG and Freddy was held last week at the Blue Cattle Dog Hotel to raise funds for St Clair Comets. Photo: Craig Bunyon Photography

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Time to vote in the Federal Election M

ay 18 is the day that all registered voters are required to vote for our local federal member and those votes contribute to deciding the next Australian Government.

In St Clair and Erskine Park we are in the McMahon electorate. On polling day the usual local schools will be open for voting, from 8am until 6pm.

The Labor Party’s Chris Bowen has been our local member since 2004. The other choices come from the Liberal Party, the Greens, United Australia Party, Christian Democrat Party and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party.

House of Representatives candidates Candidates (6) in ballot paper order

1

WRIGHTSON, Meg Libby

United Australia Party

2

COMMANE, Damian

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation

3

FRANCIS, Zeeshan Philip

Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)

4

BOWEN, Chris

Labor

5

O’NEILL, Astrid

The Greens

6

SINGHA, Vivek

Liberal

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St Clair Erskine Park

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News

is proudly brought to you by the Nepean News team.

To contact the team call: Office:

9834 5579

Editor:

Kerrie Davies 0422 067 644

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Korena Hale 0403 045 880

Sales:

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Printer: Pegasus Print Group, Blacktown Letters to the editor: stclairnews@aol.com Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StClairCommunityNews 203 Banks Drive, St Clair

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From the Editor’s Desk

O

by Kerrie Davies

n May 12 we celebrate Mother’s Day. It is an opportunity to show our mums how much we love and appreciate everything that they do, and the unconditional love that comes with it.

Being a mum can sometimes be a thankless job.

Children are quite often the source of a mother’s greatest joys but also the greatest heartaches.

A simple smile from her child can dazzle a mother’s world. A sharp retort from the same child can shatter her heart.

As someone who has to face this year’s Mother’s Day without my mum, I hope you’ll allow me to share something with those of you who still have your mum here.

Make every single day with her count.

The pain of losing your mother is something that is so intense it is indescribable. We can never really prepare for the enormity of losing a parent.

It is the loss of so many things; the security from the person who loves you no matter what, is more interested in your life than anyone else on the planet, and the bond you share that is stronger than any force in the universe.

It rips your heart out when the realisation hits that they are gone. Forever.

It is then that you begin to miss absolutely everything, even the annoying things. I’d give anything now to hear my mum nagging me about something. I’d relish the opportunity to run some errand that is hard for her to do herself. And I’d give every material possession I have for just one hug from her.

If you are lucky enough to still have your mum with you, start from this Mother’s Day forward to appreciate her every single day. Tell her you love her at every single opportunity.

When she needs assistance remember that when you were the little, she did it without question.

When she nags you, see it for what it is and be glad of it - it is concern for the welfare of her greatest treasure, you.

And remember that a smile or a snarl can make or break her day.

Happy Mother’s Day

Merging clubs

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By KeRRIE DAVIES

M

embers of St Marys RSL and St Marys Band Club voted last month to amalgamate the two clubs.

Eventually, the new combination of the two clubs will be known as St Marys Diggers and Band Club Limited.

The vote to join forces was favoured by over 90 per cent of the members of each club who took part in the vote.

St Marys Band Club CEO Marlene Shipley said she was happy with the result and that the two clubs combining would be good for the area.

“It is a good strategy that will allow the long term future of the two clubs,” Mrs Shipley said.

“The members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the amalgamation and it is the most logical outcome.

“The Band Club will still retain the Pipe Band and the Brass Band.”

St Marys Sub-branch representatives said the amalgation would have no dramatic impact on them.

Members spoken to by Nepean News were mostly in favour, loved the new “Diggers” name and were happy that the amalgamation would protect both clubs from a takeover from “those outside the area.”

It is expected that the changes will take 3-5 years to be completed.

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anzac TRIBUTE

Commemorating ANZAC Day A

PRIL was a busy month in our local area with ANZAC Day Dawn services held in St Marys and Penrith last month and also Pre-ANZAC services and marches held the week before Easter.

The theme for the services held at the Train at St Marys RSL Club was war in Russia.

With the change in route and venue for the pre-ANZAC march and service in St Marys, the St Marys Sub-branch wishes to apologise for any inconvenience or confusion around access to lunch that some attending the Service received.

However, the change in route brought an opportunity for residents to give a good cheer as the march went past their homes.

“Our sincere thanks to those who live along the march route and who came out to acknowledge those marching,” said Tony Fryer from St Marys Sub-branch.

“It was certainly appreciated by those marching.”

Hot Spots

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By Dr Richard Miller

‘Hot spots’, otherwise known as ‘Acute Wet Eczema’, are nasty, painful skin lesions that arise suddenly and can spread very quickly if not treated promptly.

The exact cause of Hot Spots may not be obvious, but they always arise due to some sort of irritation or itching that causes scratching, licking/chewing or rubbing. This can then damage or graze the surface layer of skin which then oozes a nutrient rich fluid which is perfect food for the bacteria that live on skin.

Because it is dark, warm and humid on the skin amongst the hair (even more so in warm weather), the environment provides ideal conditions to incubate infection. The body responds by making lots of pus which literally flows across the skin and the affected area can quickly get bigger and bigger.

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This photo is of Bernie, who hours earlier had a wet patch of hair about the size of a 10c coin on his head. Just a few hours later his Hot Spot reached the size you can see in the photo.

Fortunately, prompt treatment is very effective at treating these painful lesions, but it does tend to ruin your haircut!

If ever you see a wet patch of hair on your dog, part the hair and if the skin is covered in pus, it will probably be a Hot Spot and should receive treatment ASAP.

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Local families looking for missing pets ➜ Missing from Feather St Large green eclectus parrot Very friendly and talks a lot.

➜

Missing from Marsden Rd, St Marys Ginger male with white paws and chest We love our pets as much as any other valuable member of our family and when one of them goes missing it is very distressing. Please contact us at St Clair & Erskine Park News on 9834 5579 if you have seen either of these missing pets and we will contact the owner.

Join us on St Clair Community News facebook page if you have a missing pet. This is a free service.

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 The least possible (7) 5 Tedium (7) 9 Truce (9) 10 Scuba enthusiast (5) 11 Small squirrel-like rodents (7) 12 Severe or far-reaching (7) 13 Moving up quickly (9) 15 A piece of armor to protect thighs (5) 17 Placed in folders (5) 19 Decorated (food) (9) 22 Flapping (7) 25 Enjoy to excess (7) 26 Exhilarate (5) 27 Acquit (9) 28 Goddess of vengeance (7) 29 What a private does to an officer (7)

DOWN 1 Move in a sinuous manner (7) 2 Dealing with numbers (9) 3 Monumental (7) 4 Lingering (9) 5 Baked dough (5) 6 Glowing (7) 7 Piece of turf (5) 8 An amazing occurrence (7) 14 Fortresses (9) 16 Ancient commentator of classics (9) 17 One less than 16 (7) 18 Acts undecidedly (7) 20 Inner spirit (7) 21 Intensifies (7) 23 Render harmless (5) 24 Bobbins (5)

Solution: April

Celebrating our mums on Mother’s Day Two children ordered their mother to stay in bed one Mother’s Day morning.

As she lay there salivating at the thought of breakfast in bed, the smell of bacon wafted up from the kitchen.

But after a good long wait she started to wonder why she wasn’t being called down. Finally, she went downstairs to investigate.

She found them both sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs.

“What on earth?” she asked.

“As a surprise for Mother’s Day,” one explained, “We decided to let you stay in bed and cook our own breakfast.”

A single Mother decided to make a beautiful meal for herself and her child to celebrate Mother’s Day. “Mum, are bugs good to eat?” asked Johnny, aged six.

“Let’s not talk about such things at the dinner table, son,” his mother replied.

After the special Mother’s Day dinner was cleared away, the mother inquired, “Now, that it is a more appropriate time, what did you want to ask me?”

“Oh, nothing,” the boy said. “There was a bug in your soup, but it’s gone now.”

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Fast-tracking procedure minimises wait time and anxiety

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Minchinbury Community Hospital Director, Marilyn Piggott and Dr Guang Chen

By KeRRIE DAVIES

W

HEN an indication that something isn’t right comes up on an initial test such as bowel screening, the wait to see a specialist and then be booked in for a colonoscopy can be agonising.

The process of being referred to a specialist by your GP who will then book you into hospital for a more invasive test, can take many weeks and in some circumstances months. By the time you receive either a diagnosis needing treatment or a clean bill of health, valuable treatment time has been wasted and your anxiety level is probably through the roof.

Minchinbury Community Hospital has introduced a new Direct Endoscopy Service, which essentially cuts out much of the waiting time. The service provides patients with a direct referral for colonoscopy procedures, from the GP without the need of a formal first instance consultation by a Gastrointestinal Endoscopist Specialist.

Both private and self insured patients are eligible for Direct Endoscopy as long as they present with obvious indication and have no serious comorbidities.

The GP will assess the patient’s level of urgency and indicate this. The patient will then be booked in for their procedure within 30 days. Minchinbury

Hospital will provide a kit for bowel preparation with written instructions.

On the day of the patient’s procedure they will have a short consultation with the Specialist prior to their procedure. A written report will then be given to the patient for follow up with the GP. Dr Guang Chen and Dr Sebastianus Kwon are both Gastroenterologists are pleased to offer what is essentially an “express service” for endoscopies.

“The first port of call is always your GP,” Dr Chen said, “Once the GP has determined on consultation that the patient meets the criteria, our Direct Access service can cut the waiting time by several weeks.”

Australia has one of the highest rates of bowl cancer in the world with approximately 15,000 Australians being diagnosed every year.

The good news is that 9 out of 10 bowel cancers are easily treatable when detected early enough.

In fact, studies have shown that by having regular screening you can reduce the risk of bowel cancer developing at all.

If you’ve had a worrying indication on a bowel screen test, talk to your GP today about potentially fast-tracking the process at Minchinbury Community Hospital.

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St Clair Comets

There was a great roll-up to support St Clair Comets last week at the Sportman’s Lunch at the Cattle Dog. Speakers Mark “MG” Geyer and Brad Fittler were very entertaining and lunch was superb!

Photos: Craig Bunyon Photography

Social Butterfly

Sydney Thunder player receives award

13

By CONNER LOWE

T

he Penrith Valley Sports Foundation has awarded Hannah Darlington from Erskine Park the Senior Sport Star Award for her amazing development and skill in Cricket.

Hannah began playing Cricket at 11-years-old and within her six years of playing the sport has excelled beyond her years. Hannah currently plays for NSW metropolitan and the Sydney Thunder and has been apart of the Cricket NSW pathway for almost her whole cricket career.

Hannah spoke about her appreciation for the award after her hard work and dedication to Cricket is paying off.

“Being nominated is a nice acknowledgment especially after a long season to show the hard work and performances put in at the park,” she said.

This award is special to me after receiving the junior award last year to make that step to the senior awards brings me confidence and is a nice reward.”

Hannah has a very impressive achievement list during her very short Cricket career: - Australian U/19 side that toured South Africa and won the tri-series (April 2018) - Australian Women’s Indigenous team that toured England (July 2018) - Captain of the NSW Metro U/18 side that won the National championships - Selected in Australian U/19 to travel New Zealand (March 2019) - Contracted Sydney Thunder Women’s Big Bash League player - Captained Sydney Thunder Indigenous side to series win against Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston Hannah also spoke about her best achievements in Cricket and her most important goal for the future.

“My greatest achievement is definitely being the youngest player thus far to receive a professional Sydney Thunder WBBL contract at age 15. It was really special, also representing Australia U/19s and the Australian Indigenous sides on tours around the world are definitely up there with my great achievements,” she said.

“I love the environment we are able to be involved in day in, day out and being able to pursue a professional career really encourages that. Also having the opportunity to play alongside a core group of players from when I was younger really makes me love the sport even more.

“During the season, three skills sessions throughout the week and strength and conditioning twice and then rest day Saturday to play Sunday.

“My future plans are to finish Year 12, which is first on the list and then after that looking to go to University while pursuing a professional career as a cricketer.”

We would like to congratulate Hannah on her award from Penrith Valley Sports Foundation and to continue striding for success in Cricket for the future.

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MG on the mark

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w i t h M A RK G EYER

It’s official - Panthers we have a problem

 Injury and suspension add to the Panthers woes

I

t’s official, the Panthers season has officially hit ‘crisis mode.’

After 8 rounds of footy the Mountain Men unbelievably find themselves anchored at the bottom of the competition ladder sitting in 15th spot.

What started as the ‘off-season from hell’ has also turned into the ‘on field season from hell.’

Further exacerbating the peril are injuries and suspension to three of Panthers stars last Saturday against Canberra in Kikau, Yeo, and Maloney.

With their season on the line against the Raiders, a team in which Penrith have come from behind to beat in their last four meetings, a lot more was expected.

But what was delivered was a game in which individuals are obviously struggling with confidence.

To have only one forward in skipper James Tamou run for more than 100 metres is concerning.

Penrith’s attack looks pedestrian and predictable with the ‘two hit ups for a Kikau’ resembling something from an under 10’s team who continually try and get the ball to the big kid.

What now for the Panthers?

Well their Canterbury Cup team beat competition heavyweights Mounties last weekend with a depleted team so it’s obviously time to reward those busting their guts.

Billy Burns is ready. Jerome Luai is too. I’d even give young Allan Fitzgibbon a go on the wing.

Who? I hear you say. YouTube his name and watch his highlights. Wow! Like the Cronulla Sharks who have been injury ravaged, Penrith need to give some ‘fresh blood’ their chance. Why not? There’s nothing to lose in a season that has gone from bad to worse.

Poor: Panthers. Sorry to put the boot in but so much more was expected.

Better: Eels. In front of that Bankwest stadium support they are just about unbeatable.

Best: Latrell Mitchell. A 10 out of 10 performance against the Tigers has lifted his status in the game dramatically.

If you’re on the hunt for a new car go see my mate Toby at Sinclair Hyundai.

See you at the game.

MG (random Westie) OAM