St Clair & Erskine Park News October 2019

Federal Member for McMahon Phone (02) 9604 0710

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

&

St Clair Erskine Park

News

Join us on facebook: St Clair Community News

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

ISSUE 45

Bigger and better The renovations at Foodworks on Melville Rd St Clair are now complete. See inside for details.

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New Deputy Mayor

3

By KeRRIE DAVIES

A

T their meeting last month, Penrith Councillors elected Cr Karen McKeown to the Deputy Mayor role for the final year of this four year council term.

Independent Councillor Marcus Cornish also stood for the election but the vote went Cr McKeown’s way 12-3.

“It is with great enthusiasm that I take on the role of Deputy Mayor for the city of Penrith for the next 12 months,” Cr McKeown said.

“I thank my Councillor colleagues for entrusting me with this honour.

“I congratulate Cr Greg Davies on the great job over the last year.”

Cr Ross Fowler continues as Mayor as part of his two-year election.

Councillors elect a Mayor every two years and a Deputy each year.

With Mayor Fowler representing the LNP and Cr McKeown the ALP, the Labor and Liberal alliance agreement has held up throughout the four year Council term. The first two years saw the partnership of Labor Mayor John Thain and Liberal Deputy Mayor Tricia Hitchen. Last year the Mayoral role changed hands to Liberal and saw the partnership of Ross Fowler as Mayor and Labor Deputy Mayor Greg Davies.

The next Council election will be held in September 2020. Each of the three wards of Penrith - East, South and North - elect 5 Councillors.

There may be quite a changing of the guard for the next term with quite a few current Councillors indicating that will not be running again for the next term or retiring.

Todd CARNEY East Ward Councillor

Greg DAVIES East Ward Councillor

Phone 0417 762 219 todd.carney@penrith.city

Phone 0419 177 259

Penrith City Council

Penrith City Council

St Clair Community

News

Join us on

East Ward Councillor

Phone 0417 365 313

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St Clair Erskine Park

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News

Our vision for Penrith

is proudly brought to you by the Nepean News team.

To contact the team call: Office:

9834 5579

Editor:

Kerrie Davies 0422 067 644

Sales Manager:

Korena Hale 0403 045 880

Sales:

Dianne Bonello 0418 813 319

Graphic Designer:

Stacey Fortescue 0420 319 893

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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By the Pink Up Penrith Committee

P

assionate. Pride. Penrith.

For the month of October, the Penrith LGA has a very important job {that includes us!}. It’s to turn the whole town PINK. McGrath Foundation selected Penrith as the first metropolitan area in to head the Pink Up Your Town Campaign.

It’s a great honour that the McGrath Foundation chose Penrith LGA to lead this fantastic cause.

We have such a tight knit community here and I know we will band together to raise money for Breast Care Nurses that help individuals (and their families) affected by breast cancer.

We are so proud that through the efforts of the Penrith LGA Community a Breast Care nurse has been appointed to Nepean Hospital and we anticipate this year we will be able to maintain that special care provided to those diagnosed with Breast Cancer and their families.

To achieve this mammoth initiative, a super committee consisting of business owners from Penrith and St Marys is dedicated to bring the town together to create and encourage local businesses, groups, schools to plan fundraising events to fund specialist McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities across Australia. The Committee hopes the entire town will turn pink and get on board for a worthy cause!

Join us on facebook or visit www.pinkuppenrith. com.au

Mad Dog: the big fella with a giant heart

5

By KeRRIE DAVIES

T

erry Corbett, also affectionately known as ‘Mad Dog’ was the winner of the Nepean News Footy Tipping Competition for 2019. The prize was two tickets to the NRL Grand Final on October 6, and instead of accepting the prize, Terry asked us to find a child who is battling cancer or chronic illness so that they could enjoy a day out with a parent or carer.

Amazed at his generosity, we put it on facebook.

“Hats off to this bloke, Terry Corbett {Mad Dog}. He won the Nepean News Tipping Comp for 2019. He has asked that we find a local child fighting cancer or chronic illness to give his prize to so they can enjoy a day out with a parent or carer.

Mad Doggie you are an absolute legend mate.”

The reaction was swift, truckloads of people agreed that Terry was most certainly a legend! The post was liked, loved, shared and commented on by thousands and thousands of people across the region. And, in something that is sadly a rarity on social media, every comment in response to Terry’s kind gesture was one of praise.

Filtered through the many posts there were some who’d come across Terry and his generosity before.

Hailing from St Clair, ‘Mad Dog’ is a bit of a local icon from his involvement over many, many years with the St Clair Comets.

These are just a few of the hundreds and hundreds of comments praising Terry for his gesture.

“Wonderful to scroll through these well earned

accolades, rather than all the negativity that usually highlights social media. Take a bow Terry,” wrote Gaz Tee. “What an absolute champion! The world needs more people like this guy! Lots of good karma coming this guy’s way,” said David Fisher.

“What a beautiful soul. I hope it goes to some little darlin’ mad on their footy,” said Leanne Holmes.

And that it will, Leanne. The Children’s Hospital at Westmead were quick to reach out to Nepean News after spotting the post, and we are in the process right now of gifting the tickets to a local who is a “massive Panthers fan, but also loves all footy.”

Stay tuned, we will bring you all the news and photos from that in the next edition.

Good Onya Mad Doggie!

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Foodworks: bigger and better than ever

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By KeRRIE DAVIES

F

oodworks on Melville Road has changed my life. I’m serious. From the time they opened I have been a regular. I have more time up my sleeve, because ‘a quick dash to the shop’ is now literally that.

I love the convenience of parking at the door, and the staff are the friendliest bunch of people around.

Now their much-awaited expansion is complete and it is even bigger and better than it was before!

The renovation has allowed for so much extra space and therefore more stock, so now I can buy just about everything I need. As well as the grocery items they now have an amazing display of fresh fruit and meat.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, now they have hot food! Have you tried the butter chicken? Do yourself a favour and give it a go, it is

sensational. For those like me that like their curry a bit on the hot side, their Vindaloo curry is amazing.

There are various other non- Indian dishes available as well. It is so good to have another take away food option!

Oh and did I mention Foodworks also serves piping hot coffee to start your day with? There’s also cakes, pastries and smoothies. Heaven!

If you haven’t checked it out yet, go have a look - you will be impressed. Take advantage of their super specials on their official launch day -12 October - while you are there!

Mulgoa chooses My Community Projects

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By KeRRIE DAVIES

M

ember for Mulgoa Tanya Davies has announced the winners of the My Community Project with applicants now able to bring their ideas to life.

The Mulgoa electorate will benefit from 3 projects put forward and voted on by the local community, which will now be funded by the NSW Government’s My Community Project program.

The successful Mulgoa projects are: • Infants Adventure Playground ($113,746) – a safe, purpose built adventure playground for the Regentville/Glenmore Park community at Regentville Public School.

• A Safe Place to Play ($80,000) – a safe, secure outdoor play equipment for pre-school children and infants in the Glenmore Park Community at Glenmore Park Anglican Church.

• St Clair and District Men’s Shed Stage 2 Shed Build ($65,000) – helping in the prevention of men’s mental health issues by providing a welcoming place for men to gather.

Tanya Davies thanked all applicants and sponsors for taking the time and effort to develop their ideas and promote their projects along with the members of the community who voted.

“My Community Project captured the imagination of the Mulgoa community with people putting a lot of work into their ideas and it was great to see people get behind the projects that matter to them,” Tanya Davies said.

“These projects came from the community and were voted on by the community and I now look forward to seeing applicants and sponsors getting on with the job of rolling out these projects and the benefits they will provide to the local community.”

More than $24 million was made available, spread across the entire State, for projects valued

between $20,000 and $200,000 that would make communities more liveable, cultural, accessible, safe, revitalised or healthy.

Acting Treasurer Damien Tudehope said My Community Project was a great example of real grassroots democracy in action and the projects chosen to receive funding reflected the wishes of the people.

“There has been a tremendous response to the My Community Project program with more than 61,400 people casting their vote through the My Community Project website across the State,” Mr Tudehope said.

“I congratulate the successful project applicants and urge those projects that were unsuccessful to see if they could be eligible to apply for other NSW Government funding from programs such as Community Building Partnerships, which is now open.

“My Community Project was made possible by the NSW Generations Fund, a sovereign wealth fund that helps maintain debt at sustainable levels, while sharing the benefits of its returns with local communities.” For further information visit www. nsw.gov.au/mycommunityproject.

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Roll up the circus is in town

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W

ebers Circus, With a Touch of the Wild West, is a fantastic show filled with wonderful acts from around the world which will keep you on the edge of your seat. The five very cute miniature horses and the comedy dogs will keep you laughing, along with Australia’s funniest Kano the clown. Aerial acts that amazes audiences again and again. The other feature act is the Russian Swing, a very entertaining act with the three Webers sisters somersaulting through the air only to be caught by a catcher 7 metres high off the ground. And the WHEEL OF DEATH, The show also includes silks, hula hoops, trapeze, hand balancing, line dancing, whip cracking and much more, Webers Circus is the perfect mix to keep you entertained from start to finish, the performance lasts 1 hour and 45 mins and tickets are on sale one hour before

the show time at the ticket office out the front of the big top. Don’t forget cash sales only at the onsite ticket office or a $2.50 fee for eftpos or credit cards.

For all enquiries call 0448 247 287 (0448 CIRCUS) or book online @ www.weberscircus.com.

Hay fever in dogs

By Dr Richard Miller

S

pring is the season of the itch for a lot of dogs.

Inhalant Allergy, aka ‘Hay Fever’ or ‘Summer Itch’, is an extremely common problem amongst our dogs, especially Terrier types, eg Staffy’s, also in cats, but much rarer. Any dog, any breed and any age may develop it and it’s caused by airborne allergens, most commonly pollens, hence it’s seasonal and fluctuating pattern.

Itching is the main symptom. Affected dogs may rub their face, scratch, rub or lick their bellies, get itchy eyes or ears or both, and lick and chew their feet which occurs in most. Lesions may be non-existent, or there may be a red rash on the belly, hairloss around feet and on flanks and there may be ear infections and runny eyes as well.

This is an inherited condition, most cases develop between 1 and 3 years old, with a range of 6 months to 7 years old, but we have seen them as young as 4 months old and it can appear in dogs older than 7 years.

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It has become far and away the most common skin problem we see in dogs, surpassing Flea Allergic Dermatitis many years ago. Nowadays there are several safe and effective treatments to give dogs relief from the discomfort and irritation caused by this chronic and recurring condition.

A few dogs lick their feet as a compulsion, but this is rare. In most, it’s because they are itchy. If your dog develops any of these symptoms, it may be worth a visit to the vet to investigate whether it is ‘Hay Fever’ or not.

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showtimes Wed 2nd Oct Thur 3rd Oct Fri 4th Oct Sat 5th Oct Sun 6th Oct Mon 7th Oct

11am & 3pm 11am 11am & 7pm 3pm & 7pm 11am & 3pm 11am

Wed 9th Oct Thur 10th Oct Fri 11th Oct Sat 12th Oct Sun 13th Oct

11am & 3pm 11am 11am & 7pm 3pm & 7pm 11am

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PHONE BOOKINGS 0448 247 287 - 0448 CIRCUS (TICKETS ON SALE 1 HOUR BEFORE EACH SHOW) or CASH SALES AT THE ON SITE BOX OFFICE (Wed to Sun) (10am-5pm) or BOOK ONLINE: www.weberscircus.com

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Mental health focus: reach out - you are not alone

By KeRRIE DAVIES

D

id you know that every day at least six Australians take their own lives?

Did you know that 45 per cent of Australians suffer from mental illness at some stage of their life?

That’s almost half of us.

Did you know that more than half of those don’t seek any help or treatment?

I’m sure you’ll agree, the statistics are staggering.

It seems that there is probably a strong connection between the amount of people not seeking help and the confronting number of lives lost daily.

All reports say that those challenged with any of the various forms of mental illness feel very alone. If this is you, you’re not alone – there are loads of other people in the same boat and there are thousands that have been through it and survived to tell the tale.

Help is out there, so reach out.

Mental illness is very common. One in five Australians aged 16-85 are experiencing a mental illness in any year.

The most common mental illnesses are depression, anxiety and substance use disorder.

These three types of mental illnesses often occur in combination. For example, a person with an anxiety disorder could also develop depression, or a person with depression might misuse alcohol or other drugs, in an effort to self-medicate.

The onset of mental illness is typically around mid-to-late adolescence and Australian youth (1824 years old) have the highest prevalence of mental illness than any other age group.

Access to treatment is essential as approximately 75 per cent of people admitted to public sector mental health inpatient services improve notably.

In particular, primary mental health care services are central in addressing signs of mental illness in

children and young people with appropriate treatment providing both immediate and long term positive outcomes.

As mentioned earlier, six Australians die from suicide every day. A further thirty people will attempt to take their own life.

According to the Black Dog Institute, while suicide accounts for only a relatively small proportion (1.6%) of all deaths in Australia, it does account for a greater proportion of deaths from all causes within specific age groups. For example, suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 25-44 and second leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24.

Australians are more likely to die by suicide than skin cancer, yet we know comparatively little about the processes that lead to suicide and how and when to effectively intervene.

Men are at greatest risk of suicide but least likely to seek help.

In 2011 men accounted for over three quarters (76%) of deaths from suicide. However, an estimated 72% of males don’t seek help for mental disorders. Other groups that are at greatest risk include: Indigenous Australians, who experience an overall rate of suicide more than double that of nonIndigenous Australians, the LGBTI community, who experience a rate of attempted suicide four times that of those identifying as straight, people in rural and remote areas, and children.

If you are feeling suicidal contact Lifeline’s 24 hour crisis support service on 13 11 14 or seek immediate help from a GP, psychiatrist or a psychologist. blackdog@blackdog.org.au Phone: (02) 9382 4530.

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St Marys Trick or Treat Trail

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D

ress up, grab a Halloween bag and get ready to pound the pavement as part of the St Marys Trick or Treat Trail. There will be free lollies, entertainment and prizes to keep the whole family entertained.

Be part of this year’s amazing Trick or Treat Trail to be held on Saturday 26h October from 10am till 2pm in Coachman’s Park, Cnr Charles Hackett Drive and Queen Street, St Marys.

Sue Fryer, Business Development Manager of St Marys Town Centre said “Last year’s Halloween event was an extremely successful for St Marys Town Centre with numbers breaking records for this event. It was fantastic to see so many people of all ages dress up and parade along the street in their amazing costumes. Business owners saw a lot of new faces coming through their doors. It’s great to see this kind of community support, not to mention people attending this event from outside of the area.”

The Halloween trick or treat trail is a FREE family event for the whole family with entertainment, airbrush tattoos, balloon bender, jumping castle and our walkaround characters for the kids to meet.

The streets will be patrolled with traffic controllers positioned on certain streets making it easier for parents and children to cross safely.

There will be prizes for the best dressed on the

day so make sure you get creative and join us in Coachman’s Park for the fancy dress parade.

To find out the latest information about the St Marys Trick or Treat Trail event please head to www.facebook.com/stmarystowncentre

Positive behaviour for learning at Banks L

ast term Banks Public School launched Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL).

PBL focuses on creating an environment that supports student learning and well being.

The students and community demonstrated their support by wearing blue and being involved in a whole school photograph.

The students then took part in activities based on the school’s expectations of being safe, respectful learners.

SUDOKU: easy

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SUDOKU: MEDIUM

INSTRUCTIONS

Solutions September Easy

Medium

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 with no duplicates

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: September

Nominations are again open for MG’s Kid’s Shout award

15

By KeRRIE DAVIES

I

f you’re in a family where the kids play sport, you’d be well aware of the benefits.

Sport is great for kids on so many levels; it keeps them healthy and out in the fresh air. It teaches them to be a member of a team with a united goal.

They make new friends. They learn how to strive for rewards, how to strategise and even gain resilience of losing.

For the parents accommodating their kids in their various sporting interests, it can be about the loss of a social life with every weekend dominated by kids sport. For parents it is often like morphing into a taxi driver or a juggler when there are several sporting events on at the same time.

But because they adore their kids and the benefits far outweigh the juggling act involved, parents do it with a smile on their face, year in year out.

Mark Geyer knows his sport. And being a father of five, he knows kid’s sport too.

He’s come up with a cracker of an idea and he’s recruited The Pioneer Tavern and Nepean News to partner him in rewarding some extraordinary kids out there and, in turn, give those kids a chance to reward their parents as well!

If you know a child who runs that extra mile, tries that little bit harder or shows amazing team spirit in their sport, it is time to tell MG about it so he can give

FIND-A-WORD Sports

ARCHERY BADMINTON BASEBALL BASKETBALL BILLIARDS BOCCE BOWLING BOXING CRICKET CROQUET CYCLING DARTS

FENCING FISHING FOOTBALL GOLF HANDBALL HOCKEY JAI ALAI LACROSSE POLO RACQUETBALL RUGBY RUNNING

SKATEBOARDING SKATING SKIING SOCCER SOFTBALL SQUASH SURFING SWIMMING TENNIS VOLLEYBALL WRESTLING

one of the entrants each fortnight a $100 voucher to take their family out for dinner at the Pioneer Tavern.

HOW IT WORKS: 1. Tell us in 100 words or less why the child you’ve chosen is a stand-out. Email our editor: kerrie@nepeannews.com.au 2. MG and the Nepean News team will choose one of the entrants and present them with a $100 dinner voucher.

3. The team at the Pioneer Tavern will take a family pic that will feature in the following edition of Nepean News.

4. All chosen entrants will be finalists and be in the running for the special “Emmy Gee” award {yes, that’s an MG pun}. The winner of the 2019 Emmy Gee award will get ANOTHER dinner out, this time with Mark Geyer as well and an award from Nepean News.

School Holiday Fun at St Marys Village!

Public Holiday Trading Hours 10am – 4pm Visit Woolworths & Target websites for specific trade times.

Come visit us these school holidays & enjoy creating free koala food craft

Tuesday 8 October – Saturday 12 October 11am – 2pm daily

/StMarysVillage | StMarysVillage.com.au St Marys Village, Charles Hackett Dr, St Marys