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Proceeds from The Village Observer support residents in need from Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, Willoughby and North Sydney areas, through Sydney Community Services.

DIGITAL - JANUARY 2024

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Powering Our Community Proceeds from The Village Observer supports residents of Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, Willoughby and North Sydney, via Sydney Community Services – a local not-for-profit organisation that helps residents to live a quality and independent life in their own home and in their community.

Local Support for Local People SCS provides services to seniors and people living with a disability including social activities, gardening, home nursing, podiatry, Community Care Advisory, linen, home delivered meals, home modifications and maintenance, flexible respite, carers support, shopping services, community and engagement programs, medical transport and assistance in daily life.

THE VILLAGE OBSERVER: 1 Pottery Lane, Lane Cove NSW 2066.

PUBLISHER: Gillian Batt P: 02 9427 6425 E: gbatt@sydneycs.org EDITOR: Nicola Riches P: 0405 661 570 E: editor@thevillageobserver.com.au DESIGN + ADVERTISING: Sharon Curby P: 0450 370 575 E: design@thevillageobserver.com.au

Editor's Letter Dear All, Happy New Year to all our readers.

Here's our January digital edition with some of our favourite articles from 2023, plus some great ideas on what to do in the holidays.

We'll see you back in February with our printed edition.

Nicola NICOLA RICHES EDITOR editor@thevillageobserver.com.au

ADVERTISING: E: advertising@thevillageobserver.com.au PRINTED BY: Spotpress DISTRIBUTED: Monthly The Village Observer is published monthly (except January) by Sydney Community Services (trading as Lane Cove Community Aid Foundation) • Distribution is at the beginning of the month.

• Readers are invited to submit articles for consideration. • Articles and items for community events should be emailed to the Editor with any accompanying images by the 15th of each month, for inclusion in the next month’s issue. • Advertising enquiries should be directed to advertising@thevillageobserver.com.au • If mailing material and you would like it returned, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All care, but no responsibility will be taken for this material. © Copyright 2021. Original advertisements and editorial in this publication are copyright and remain the exclusive property of The Village Observer. No part of this publication may be reproduced and/or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written consent of the Publisher.

DISCLAIMER: The content of editorial and advertisements in The Village Observer has been provided by a number of independent sources. Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Editor and Publisher of The Village Observer, and no responsibility is taken for the accuracy of the information, or any factual errors contained within any items printed. Readers should make their own enquiries directly to any organisations or businesses prior to making any plans or taking any action.

happy new year

2024

CONTACT US: • editor@thevillageobserver.com.au • design@thevillageobserver.com.au • advertising@thevillageobserver.com.au

Thank you... as a local, small publication, run by a not-for-profit charity, TVO relies on our advertisers and partners to come to life every month. We’d like to extend a big thank you to this month’s supporters:

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Emma Grimes, Michael Fitzgerald & Peter Louridas A family business, now in our 48th year in Lane Cove

We’re GOING PLACES - come with us

CONVEYANCING | WILLS & ESTATES | COMMERCIAL LEASING COMMERCIAL LAW | DEBT RECOVERY | GENERAL MATTERS

Volunteer today and help make a difference

Your support allows us to continue to improve the quality of life of people in the local community so they can remain living independently in their own homes for as long as they wish.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: • Gardeners - We would like to find enthusiastic people to assist our gardening team. This runs on Tuesday to Thursday, 8.30am - 12noon. There is flexibility and you can decide to volunteer weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Great team environment.

• L inen Service - Can you offer your time to help change the bed and bathroom linen of consumers in their home and replace with commercially laundered linen. The linen is then collected and returned to SCS and the Lane Cove hub. We require a volunteer every second and fourth Monday of each month, 8:30am to 10.30am-11am, approximately (dates may change depending on public holidays).

If you, or someone you know, is interested in any of the volunteer vacancies, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Yvonne Hughes, for more information and find out how you can get involved.

Please contact Yvonne on:

P: 9427 6425

E: yhughes@sydneycs.org

Memories of Woodford Bay WORDS: PETER BEHR

I

lived in Northwood in the 1950s into the 1960s with a view of Woodford Bay from our house. A beautiful big bay with six or so boats moored around the it. Not like it is today with 250 boats or so, all stationary in the bay.

In the bay there were three wooden swimming enclosures – one privately owned on the Northwood side, another on the western Longueville shore and another on the northern shore.

In 1950 and 1951, my parents would take me swimming in the private pool, but you had to pay the lady who owned the pool. She lived in the last house on the western side of Northwood Rd. However, once 1955 rolled around, and the Christmas holidays arrived, my friends and I would go swimming in the northern pool most days. One week we would swim in the morning, and the next week in the afternoon - whenever the tide was high. Near the end of an afternoon swimming, my mother would lean out a window of our house and blow on a scout whistle, which I could hear at the pool and knew then it was time to go home.

Some of us started to learn to sail in the bay in boats that

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were stored in the sailing club shed on the western shore. I started learning to sail in the bay on a friend’s boat and my mother, who knew nothing about sailing, could see us from our house. She became very worried because all she could see was this little boat capsizing and not sailing. She rang my friend’s mother to tell her that we were capsizing. She was put at ease when she was told that capsizing was what we set out to do.

We all joined the Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club and started to race the various sailing boats. When a southerly wind blew into the bay all the racing boats would run down into Woodford Bay, with spinnakers up, to a rounding buoy before heading back out onto the river to finish the race at Longueville Wharf.

During our teenage years, my friends and I became proficient sailors and continued racing our boats from the Lane Cove Club well into our adult life and so Woodford Bay became our friend where some of our boats were stored, either in the sailing club shed, or in some of the private boat sheds scattered around the Woodford Bay shores.

The friends of Carisbrook Who are we, what we are and why you might enjoy volunteering with us.

Worldwide the Covid pandemic has had a debilitating effect on our mental well-being. After lockdowns, workplace restrictions, school closures and the anxiety of masked shopping, Australian research suggests that we're now suffering 'burn out'.

Community volunteering in all fields has also encountered set-backs since the pandemic began. The Friends of Carisbrook is just one such group which is now crying out for volunteers.

Carisbrook holds several outdoor events during each year and this presents an opportunity for the Friends of Carisbrook to work together. These events need volunteers to take care of the planning, promotion, catering, attendee and talent management and guiding on the day. We all come together on the day and host Carisbrook's guests.

Whatever your interests and talents you'll find it's fun to play in a house museum with many opportunities for a satisfying, enjoyable and friendly volunteer experience.

The Friends was set up over twenty years ago to be the primary volunteer body that would carry out the work around curating Carisbrook Historic House, an 1880s sandstone house built by a Lane Cove family. In celebration of its 75th anniversary in 1969 the Lane Cove Council bought Carisbrook for the community and set the Lane Cove Historical Society Inc (LCHS) a charter to curate the house as a museum. Strategic planning and liaison with the Lane Cove Council is managed by the LCHS Committee, but the acquisition, care and presentation of the art, antique furniture, and the many other vintage artefacts that go into authentic room interpretation are managed by the Friends of Carisbrook.

Over the years the house has been transformed into a fascinating timecapsule of life in 1880s Sydney.

Our aim is to present the visitor with an immersive experience of being in a Victorian era house. The challenge is to be creative within the strict confines of what the 1880s actually looked like.

This takes historical research mixed with practical knowhow involving anything from furniture restoration to hand-sewing tassels. So you can see that there is a job waiting for a myriad of talents.

It is imperative that we remain relevant and ensure the preservation of Carisbrook in order for the house to stand as an educational example of what it was like to live in the 1880s. Visitors to Carisbrook are often intrigued how early residents

of Devonshire teas, cakes, cappuccini and conversation. During the week specially booked group tours require Carisbrook guides to take visitors through the house. The training to familiarise yourself with the Victorian era, the furnishings and the story of the house, is not arduous and every guide is free to bring personality to the fore in their guiding duties.

We have smaller special task groups to handle the research, acquisition (a job for born-shoppers!), care and presentation of antiques and household items. Both men and women are most welcome to assist this group in small general maintenance jobs as well. This group usually meets once a month on the third Wednesday.

met their daily needs without the aid of electricity or water supplies, telephones or digital technology; where roads were dirt tracks.

There are always challenges to keep up with public expectations of what this type of heritage attraction should offer. Those with an eye on IT can get creative with technology in presenting exhibitions or tinkering with special effects in the rooms of the house.

There's plenty to do with the upkeep of digital tour construction and social media.

Our interaction with the public and community involves opening the house one weekend per month offering guided or self-guided tours of the house and refreshments in the courtyard. It's a wonderful opportunity to mix socially with the community and visitors to Carisbrook.

Volunteering in the kiosk involves lots

Other special groups take on marketing and promotion as well as the production of grapic art for print and social media. You don't have to be an Andy Warhol or Bill Gates: if you have any interest in computer graphics we would love to hear from you. The generation and use of email contact lists, press contacts, social media and even telephone marketing is all within the job description.

Considerable expertise has gone into the interpretation and presentation of Carisbrook's interiors and it has mostly been accomplished by The Friends of Carisbrook. Volunteering with the Friends offers a unique opportunity to take on projects that exercise the imagination as well as craft skills because curating this museum is a progressive and everevolving process. There is a great deal of satisfaction in this voluntary work.

Something happens when you devote some time to looking after an historic house—you become very attached to it.

Become a member of the Friends of Carisbrook and bring your expertise to this historic house. Contact: Kate on 0418 276 365 or email carisbrookhouse@hotmail.com

FEATURE ARTICLE

An Introduction to Lane Cove Poets After 14 years, the Lane Cove Poets continue to meet monthly in the library on the last Monday of each month.

The group is going from from strength to strength.

WORDS: CATHERINE BRIGGS, POET AND WRITER, AND DR ROB ANDERSON, POET AND PHOTOGRAPHER.

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encouraged to join. It is a tribute to the people of Lane oetry can give insight into the heart of a community Cove that 14 years later the poetry group is still meeting and foster the spirit in a way that shows a deep monthly in the library on the last Monday of each month. knowledge of human nature. The poetic tradition In turn, the library and its parent, the Lane Cove Council, goes back to the Bards in many cultures, who sang stories support the group with guest speakers. Workshops and of Homer and the Odyssey, the Celtic tales of Culhwch visiting poets encourage the growth of poetic and Olwen, early King Arthur, the sprawling ability. We are fortunate to have well-known epics of India - and in Australia, the stories poet, musician, and writer Paolo Totaro in of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander our midst as a leading light, who can be peoples that have been passed down for The music of called upon to give advice to our poets, over 60,000 years. Poetry taps into the whether budding or more experienced. fundamental need for storytelling and poetry helped us passing on stories through the music From this beginning, the Lane give voice to our of nature and the word.

Cove Library’s annual Literary Awards words and showcase the talent of our community.

Lane Cove in Covid times has Members of the Poets-in-Residence are been disorientating as we live through emotions and unite encouraged to enter their poetry in the disconnection from friends and family with each other awards, which have become a nationally near and far. For the Lane Cove Poetsrecognised writing competition for writers in-Residence, the music of poetry helped of poetry and prose. us give voice to our words and emotions and unite with each other. Magic lies in the poet The poets’ group originally met every conveying what is in our hearts and embracing the other month in one of Lane Cove Library’s study feelings of others. During the early pandemic, the Lane rooms. The idea was to have a group where poets could Cove Poets met online, but now we are back to meeting read their poems and have open discussion about them in face to face and can enjoy companionship and shared a way that would be a safe and enjoyable experience for experiences of human nature. Performing our poetry and all. This style of meeting could facilitate the sharing and music encompasses not only the joys of life but also the development of poetry knowledge and skill. Wanting to hard times and has particularly helped us to cope with the meet more often, the group met in the alternate month at challenges of the pandemic. members’ homes.

The Lane Cove Poets-in-Residence group was founded Now we meet once a month, discussing and creating in 2009 by Graeme Payne, who is still an active member, poetry on themes such as nature, love, relationships, and Karen Mitchell from the Library, after realising or experiment with forms of poetry such as sonnets and that a thriving community like ours needed a voice for villanelles. Membership changes as poets come and go. literary endeavours. Beginners and established poets were

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Catherine Briggs

Poetry & Pernod - Parisian Style

Poetry & Pernod - Parisian Style

Featuring

Featuring

Lane Cove

Lane Cove

The

6.30pm Saturday

25 March

Entertainment, wine, cheese (and a Pernod)

$35

Poets Plus

OPEN MIC

The

6.30pm Saturday

25 March

Entertainment, wine, cheese (and a Pernod)

$35

Poets Plus

OPEN MIC

Bookings:

Bookings:

https://www.trybooking.com/1015498

https://www.trybooking.com/1015498

Many have come along for a taste and then stay, which is wonderful. Having more poets encourages more poems and more discussion, which we all value. We have also had wellknown poet Judith Beveridge guide the poets for the literary awards and have gained much from her expertise. Our poems are also displayed on rotation in local cafes, ‘bringing poetry to the Mall’.

In November 2022, the group had its first exhibition of poems in the library, on the theme of Ebbs and Flows showcasing Lane Cove Council’s Festival of the River. 12 poets contributed two poems each, including guest poet Mark O’Connor, who is renowned in Australia and internationally for his poetry on the environment. We are fortunate to have photographers and artists among our members, so our works were enhanced by the photography of Mitchell Stirzaker, Dr Rob Anderson, and Paul Bennett, as well as photographs from the Lane Cove archives.

Librarian Karen Mitchell arranged a delightful celebration for family and friends, assisted by Bronwyn and Eric from the library staff. With the help of Dr Rob Anderson and Catherine Briggs, a booklet of the poetry was produced in record time for the occasion.

Photographs of a fairy wren and a powerful owl on the cover enhance the publication and emphasise the abundant birdlife which we are fortunate to enjoy in Lane Cove. This publication can be viewed in the library on request.

Ebbs and flows Life ebbs and flows: falling asleep for instance right now, would be an ebb of sorts: staying awake to experience flow as ghosts of times past glow, and I suppose I earn repose As a dream arises. Along this river I linger.

A cut off meander is a billabong.

As a child I loved the concept.

Dawdling, I could trace the river and end up a perfect shape – forgotten but perfect. A delicious way to be inert, filled with fish and yabbies and visited by laughing birds.

Mind you, if instead, I strode on overcoming natural reserve, I would find where the mouth of the river kisses the ocean.

I could adopt wind and waves, run shrieking into the sea.

Water, salt and fresh, would gush over my form, transform into mermaid, an Australian selkie.

And then - I could embrace the wide world beyond the horizon.

Wild girl, wild wind, and seaweed in my hair. © Catherine Briggs, 8 October 2022 TVO 7

Who are the Lane Cove Poets?

Poetry is the passion which unites the Lane Cove Poetsin-Residence, and the variety of backgrounds adds to the rich mix and expertise of the group. Paul Bennett is a wellknown musician and artist around Lane Cove and beyond.

He brings his poetry alive with beautiful illustrations.

Jonathan Cant is a performance poet, writer and musician and has been longlisted and commended for awards. He enlightens the members with his knowledge of language and metre. Paris Rose is a performance poet, appearing at Sydney Fringe Festival and Australian Poetry Slam as well as being Writer-in-Residence for Westwords. Jo Lyons is an accomplished editor, poet, writer, and artist. She is a performance poet and has been published in several anthologies.

Vicki McDonald joined Lane Cove Poets in 2012 and thought she had found her creative niche. She loves poetry because it shows we are capable of great depths of understanding, which inspires her to write her story. Kerrie Jamison is an insightful psychiatrist and poet, bringing a discerning eye to the Lane Cove poets and Live Poets at Don Bank, winning their Short Fiction Cup. Adrienne McClymont, a 10-year member of Lane Cove Poets, was a teacher of adults and young people and loved teaching poetry; she brings vast knowledge to the poetry group, captures the ‘natural world in words’ and always travels with a notebook. Graeme Payne, upon retirement from directorship, founded Lane Cove Poets in 2009 and has since been convenor, and is a master of rhyme. He was a former President of the Lane Cove Historical Society and has given many maritime history talks at the library.

Catherine Briggs (pictured on previous page) was a librarian, English teacher, and antique dealer. Now she edits student work, writes poetry and prose, and published Looking Back, Looking Forward during Covid. She is also a member of the Lane Cove Historical Society. Hae-Lyun Kang is a Korean Australian writer, artist and author living in Sydney.

She has a BA from WSU and has been part of the poets’ group at Lane Cove Library since 2018. Dr Rob Anderson is a scientist and works in consulting and education. He brings his considerable talent to writing children’s books and poetry for children with nature photography. His photographs are seen at www.smileatnature.com Mitchell Stirzaker is a poet and philosopher based in Sydney. He seeks to express existential journeys and tensions, as well as visions of paths to harmony between people situated differently in the world, and between the human self and the more-than-human world.

Following the success of November’s exhibition, the poetry group are now working towards publishing an anthology of their poetry in 2023.

The Lane Cove Poets-in-Residence and other Sydney poets will perform at the wonderful Carisbrook House in Lane Cove on Saturday 25 March at 6.30pm. This event, curated by the Lane Cove Historical Society and MCed by Irish poet Daragh Byrne, is a collaboration between two Lane Cove organisations supported by Lane Cove Council. Tickets are available at: www.trybooking.com/1015498

Aubade to home I wake up to a river of poetry in my head, see my currawong swing into the pine tree.

I saw it knock feathers off a rainbow lorikeet yesterday and keep flying.

I have only three weeks left in this house; I sit on my perfect balcony, just the birds and me — drinking Irish tea out of my favourite green bird cup, Owly.

To sleep, to dream, to keep the dream in reach, to quote Kae Tempest riffing on old Shakespeare.

I don’t think I’ve woken up yet, even though I’ve had a whole lifetime to practise.

Sun hits the pines, the currawong lets out a song. Crickets chirp up, thinking summer has come; they have another think coming — the rain will be back, and here to stay.

Crickets don’t want to know, start in stereo.

A plane rumbles overhead, they’re back again.

Currawong zips in and snaps the loudest cricket in its beak — a moment’s silence from its peers as they decide what to do. After a beat they carry on, seem to have learnt nothing from experience. Another plane passes high overhead, the river still runs. We keep repeating the stuff from before but the old world is gone, the whole earth on borrowed time, yet we keep moving. © Jo Lyons, October 2022

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PLANT WITH RACHEL GLEESON

GARDENING WITH BONSAI...

THE BASICS For many gardeners, caring for a bonsai is a creative. rewarding and space saving form of gardening. A bonsai plant can recreate a forest or a beautiful mature tree in miniature, allowing us to enjoy the wonder of nature in our suburban homes.

WWW.IVYALLEY.COM.AU

The art of Bonsai originated in China and was then embraced and further developed by the Japanese (“bon-sai” meaning “plant in a pot” comes from the Japanese language).The artform and its popularity spread throughout Europe and America thanks to returning soldiers from World War 2 who took home these fascinating little trees as mementos.

Many plants are suitable for bonsai however those with interesting trunks and compact fine foliage are ideal. Apart from buying a readymade bonsai you can buy young nursery plants, prune the branches into shape and watch them grow or rescue garden castaways that can be cut back and pruned into shape.

Many people think that caring for and maintaining a bonsai is difficult. This is not so! The watering, feeding and pruning of bonsai are general gardening techniques that can be learnt easily, even by beginners! The main reason why people fail is by allowing the plant to dry out or suffocate it in waterlogged soil. Bonsai pots are small and heat up quickly when exposed to intense sunlight meaning delicate roots can become dry very quickly. To avoid this keep your bonsai in a semi shaded position/bright light and avoid full sun. On the flipside bonsai do not like to be waterlogged and need free draining soil.

Because your bonsai plant lives in a small pot, it has limited soil to obtain nutrients. Replacing the growing media every couple of years and trimming the plants roots enable’s more nutrients to be replaced and space for fresh new roots to grow. Use a good quality potting mix and add in one third sand to help provide adequate drainage. Because bonsai plants are constantly being trimmed (always producing new roots and shoots ) A bonsai will essentially remain young and never reach maturity. This in theory means that your bonsai could potentially live forever!

Some recommended plants for Bonsai in Sydney • Bougainvillea • Jacaranda • Trident Maple • Port Jackson Fig

• Callistemon • Japanese Maple • Serissa • Japanese Box

Did you know that trees which are regularly pruned live longer because they never reach their maximum dimensions or maturity!

HAPPY GARDENING! TVO 9

ARTICLE

Bookplates making a comeback WORDS: DR MARK J FERSON

Feint for Tansey 1930

Le for Lin 2020

To own a bookplate by a famous artist for the books in your private library was all the rage in jazz-age Sydney between the Wars. And now, 100 years later, the New Australian Bookplate Society, with its headquarters in Lane Cove, is on a mission to bring bookplates back into prominence in Australia.

W

hat is a bookplate? It is simply a label made to be pasted into the front of a book to say that it is YOUR book. English theatre designer and bookplate artist Gordon Craig said that a bookplate is to a book what a collar is to a dog, that is it says who is the dog’s – or book’s – owner. Bookplates can be owned by individuals, institutions or organisations; those belonging to the old lending libraries are also revealing because some reflect past pandemics in their focus on hygienic practices.

Bookplates are a Western invention, although plaques and other devices to identify the owners of papyrus scrolls or incised clay tablets served this function back to ancient civilisations. The first bookplates (also called ex libris, Latin for ‘from the books’) appeared in Germany after Gutenberg 10 TVO

invented printing from moveable type. Printed books became valuable and portable property whose owners – usually members of the nobility and clergy - wanted them clearly identified as belonging to them.

For more than four hundred years after the invention of printing, bookplates consisted of the printed coat of arms of the owner. These were times when the vast majority of the population were illiterate, and the coat of arms, whether placed on your books, dinnerware, silver or coach doors, were widely recognised and identified with a particular person or family.

During this period, only the wealthy could afford to have a library and to commission a bookplate, usually in the form of a coat of arms with appropriate decoration beautifully

Durer for Pirckheimer.

Keep for Ferson 2021

(and expensively) engraved on copper and printed from the copper plate. These designs utilised long-established principles of heraldry and are referred to as armorials.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century a bookplate revolution occurred: emerging artists took up the idea of drawing pictorial bookplate designs and of using recently developed photographic reproduction techniques to print multiple copies at any local printery at much more affordable prices. In this way the making of pictorial bookplates largely cast off the elitism and snobbery of the engraved armorial bookplate The hobby of collecting bookplates started gradually in England in the early nineteenth century, but suddenly in the 1890s a tipping point was reached. In Britain, and Europe more generally, societies of bookplate (ex libris) collectors sprang up in almost every country, and numerous books appeared on the topic. In London the Ex Libris Society was formed in 1891 and flourished until 1908 when it collapsed because of the embezzlement of its funds by one of its officers! In the meantime, collecting became such a passion that letters were written to the London Times newspaper complaining that perfectly good books were being destroyed in collectors’ misguided attempts to remove the bookplates from them.

A handful of Australian collectors had joined the Ex Libris Society, including Percy Neville Barnett, famous later for

GW Eve for Barnett 1914

Mort for herself 1911.

his elaborate and gorgeous limited edition books about bookplates and Japanese woodcuts, and John Lane Mullins, a well-connected solicitor and Catholic layman who was at various times a City of Sydney alderman and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. I have called Lane Mullins ‘the father of the Australian bookplate movement’ because of his key role in encouraging the production and collecting of bookplates. Converted to the idea of the pictorial bookplate promoted in the pages of the Ex Libris Society’s Journal and by the internationally influential London art magazine The Studio, he commissioned the first Australian pictorial bookplate from artist PFS Spence. It features a drawing of Lane Mullins seated in his book-lined study, but also gives a nod to bookplate history by including a small drawing of his family’s coat of arms.

The period lasting from the 1890s to the First World War marked the first flowering of bookplates in Australia. In these early years, artists Norman Lindsay, DH Souter, Tom Roberts, Thea Proctor, Syd Long and Eirene Mort began to draw bookplates, at least in part as a way of supplementing their income from larger art endeavours. Lane Mullins enthusiastically commissioned Australian artists such as Lindsay and Roberts to design bookplates for himself, his wife and children, and wrote and lectured about them at every opportunity.

Continued over page

Rhyll Plant for Centenary

Ferson for Cunningham 1986 TVO 11

Continued from previous page

of Indigenous artists.

With continuing endeavour by Lane Mullins, Barnett and others, momentum began to gather and in May 1923 a major exhibition of Australian and English bookplates took place in Sydney at Tyrrell’s Galleries which was opened – no doubt through Lane Mullins’s connections – by Dame Margaret Davidson, wife of the New South Wales Governor.

Only three months later, in August 1923, a meeting was convened to form the Australian Ex Libris Society and Lane Mullins was voted president, a position he held until his death in 1939.

In Melbourne, publisher Robert Littlewood took a different approach and has been responsible for writing and publishing a number of books on the bookplates of Australian artists, beginning in 1977 with Sir Lionel Lindsay ex libris, an important reference to this artist’s work.

In recent years, Littlewood and fellow collector Edwin Jewell formed the Keith Wingrove Memorial Trust, the income from which is used to conduct biennial bookplate design awards, and the Trust is now helping to fund internation bookplate competitions.

Suddenly, it became fashionable to own a bookplate, whether drawn, etched or cut in lino or wood, by one of the increasingly sought-after Australian artists. Prominent were the Lindsays, Norman and Lionel; Adrian Feint with over 220 etched or wood engraved designs; George D Perrottet a remarkably talented, self-taught ‘amateur’ who had a local connection at one time as manager of a Lane Cove theatre (cinema) and famous for his multicoloured linocut bookplates; Harold Byrne; Ella Dwyer; Gayfield Shaw and many others.

Whilst these activities had a Sydney focus, branches of the Society were formed in the other State capitals, and a fruitful spin off was the formation in 1930 of the New Zealand Ex Libris Society, still going after 93 years as the Auckland Ex Libris Society. In the midst of the Great Depression, a breakaway group wanting to provide more financial security to artists formed the NSW Bookplate Club, which issued some publications, held a bookplate competition characterised by the Smith’s Weekly newspaper with the facetious headline as ‘New South Wales Bookplate Club lifts Depression with £41’ and faded away after only two or three years.

Watson for Corrigan

In 2006, gallerist Elisabeth Bastian and I took the plunge and formed the New Australian Bookplate Society, with the aim of raising awareness of and interest in bookplates, both historical and contemporary. The Society has a webpage at www.bookplatesociety. org.au as well as an active presence on Facebook, Instagram and Flickr using the handle newaustralianbookplates. In 2018 the Society was gifted the bookplate collection of Eirene Mort, a pioneer Australian woman artist whose oevre spanned a large part of the twentieth century; we are currently completing the scanning of the collection and the uploading of approximately 1000 images to our Flickr page.

The full-colour Newsletter is published each quarter in hard copy and electronically. We recently started a booklet publication program with the aim of bringing to light the art of unknown or forgotten Australian designers; so far we have issued The bookplates of Graham Cox (2021) and The bookplates of Ola Cohn (2023). Many of our members are artists, several of whom have designed in excess of fifty bookplates, so there is little question that there is interest in bookplates among artists and booklovers.

After the death of Lane Mullins in 1939 and the demise of the Australian Ex Libris Society, Melbourne enthusiasts led by fine printer John Gartner formed the In August this year the Society will be Australian Bookplate Club, but the early celebrating a ‘Centenary of boookplate ninteen forties was not the right time collecting in Australia’, as it will mark 100 for such ‘frivolous’ activities. Despite years since the formation in Sydney of continued efforts by Barnett in Sydney, Spence for Mullins 1892 the original Australian Ex Libris Society.

Gartner in Melbourne and bookman Exhibitions and special publications are Harry Muir in Adelaide, the post-War in the planning stages and we will also years showed no signs of organised bookplate activity. launch the Digital Eirene Mort Bookplate Collection with a function at the Art Gallery of New South Wales Research Some decades ago now, once again two enthusiasts Library. began to raise interest in bookplates in Australia. In Sydney, philanthropist and art patron Pat Corrigan began to commission prominent artists – those such as Brett Whitely and James Willebrandt to name a few - to execute bookplates for himself and members of his family. He also built up large collections of Australian and European bookplates, which have since been subject to a major donation to the Research Library at the Art Gallery of New Suoth Wales, whilst smaller donations were made to a variety of regional art galleries. Corrigan continues to support emerging artists by bookplate commissions and in recent years has directed this form of support to a number 12 TVO

If you are interested in learning more about bookplates or are thinking of joining the New Australian Bookplate Society, you are welsome to contact the author at newaustralianbookplatesociety@gmail.com or visit the website www.bookplatesociety.org.au Dr Mark J Ferson is President of the New Australian Bookplate Society and he is based in Riverview

What you wanted to ask your doctor but were too shy to ask…

Whenever I am at a gathering with strangers, invariably someone will ask what I do for work. If I answer truthfully that I am a doctor, it is not uncommon for it to be immediately followed up with a barrage of health questions – for example, being asked to inspect their skin mole if it looks cancerous, or for an explanation as to the cause of their chronic abdominal pains! WORDS: DR CARL WONG

I

nterestingly, the questions I am asked by patients at my medical practice are quite different to the ones I get asked by strangers in other social situations. These everyday health questions I find are very fulfilling to answer. Maybe one of these below questions has been on your mind: Can I catch a cold from being caught in the wet or in Contrary to popular belief, you can’t. Common colds are caused by viruses. We catch them when our immune system is run down (not enough sleep, unhealthy lifestyle). Common colds, influenza, COVID - all are easily passed onto other persons. Winter is more common to get these infections – not because of the cold weather itself, but because more people are in enclosed spaces together to avoid the cold weather, and thus pass on their infections to unsuspecting others.

Dr Carl Wong is a Lane Cove-based GP and sits on the board of Sydney Community Services.

through a camera/smartphone lens. Best to use specialised solar eclipse glasses or watch it later on TV. Is taking fish oil good for me?

Fish oil is recommended for conditions including heart disease (heart failure, high triglycerides cholesterol, and joint disease like rheumatoid arthritis). The doses needed varies and high doses may be needed. The downside: you might develop a fishy breath!

Does doing crosswords ward off dementia?

Mental stimulation and learning new pursuits has been shown to help (eg reading, crossword puzzles, painting, learning a musical instrument). A healthy lifestyle and diet, plenty of sleep and avoiding head injuries are also very important.

Does cranberry juice cure a urine tract infection (UTIs)?

How much sleep do I need?

There is no strong evidence that this significantly prevents UTIs to warrant long term use of.

Adults need on average 7-9 hours a night. This is compared to 14-17 hours for a newborn baby. Older adults’ (>65 years) sleep requirements are similar to when they are younger, but often spend more time in bed. This increased bed-time is due to poorer sleep quality, often from medical conditions or having to get up to urinate during the night.

Does sugar really make my child hyperactive?

As much as we would like to blame the confectionary makers on this one, the likely reason is that kids tend to eat sugary foods at times where they are likely to be excitable anyway (birthday parties, holidays, movie theatres).

Why do I cry when I cut onions?

Cutting onions releases chemicals into the air which irritates our eyes. Prevention options include: refrigerating onions beforehand, wearing goggles when cutting, or just ordering takeaway food.

Is drinking a daily glass of wine good for my health?

This is a tricky one to answer. There is inconsistent evidence that low levels of alcohol consumption can help your heart health, but the proof is not strong enough to be part of standard health guidelines. We do know more certainly that high levels can lead to an increased risk of strokes, dementia and many cancers. Always drink in moderation and per recommended consumption guidelines.

On TV or in the movies, why does the Heart Monitor always show a ‘flat-line’ before the hero doctor uses the defibrillator to save the patient?

My favourite groan-at-the-medical-show moment. In real-life, a flat line (called asystole) means that a defibrillator will NOT work for that person. The flat-line just looks more impressive for the soap opera drama.

Is my acne worse because I eat chocolate?

Whilst chocolate itself is not a direct cause, having an unhealthy diet/lifestyle does contribute to bad skin. Therefore pubescent teenagers + junk food is not a good mix.

Does cracking my knuckles/fingers lead to arthritis?

No, to contrary common belief. That cracking noise is caused by the bursting of bubbles in the synovial fluid (the lubrication liquid) within our joints. So though whilst not unhealthy, many bystanders hate hearing the noise.

How do I treat a snake bite or red-back spider bite?

Limbs bitten by snake bites should be immobilised with a tight bandage starting at the bite, wrapping towards the fingers/toes and then back up to the groin/shoulders (do not try and suck out the venom from the wound). Red-back spider bites should be treated with an ice pack. Call 000.

Can I use cotton buds to clean my ears?

Is staring at an eclipse bad for my eyes?

Never! It can push the wax further in the canal and further impacting it. There is also a risk of poking too far, perforating your ear drum and causing hearing loss. Instead, use waxsoftening ear drops from your pharmacy or see your GP for an ear-cleaning.

Staring at the sun and also at an eclipse can lead to solar burns to the back of the eye (retina) which can lead to temporary or permanent vision loss. The same risk is looking

If your own questions were not answered here, save them up, so you can ask the next doctor you meet at a party. Just please let them have something to eat and drink first!

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Vertical (colour strapline) ARTICLE

30, 30, 30, 100 53, 75, 0, 0

53, 75, 0, 0

20, 30, 0, 0

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All in the name of Alex Black and purple

Purple

WORDS: NICOLA RICHES

Team Lopez, a charity that raises awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research, has spent the last two years on a mission, right here on our doorsteps in Riverview.

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ambourine Bay Reserve came alive with a ‘pawsome’ event in May, attracting local families and their furry friends for a picnic, auction and raffle all in the name of the Team Lopez Foundation, a local charity that raises funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Supported and part facilitated by local dog caring business, Bloomingtails it's owner Candice is interviewed on p10-11 - the event was a great success, raising more than $10,000 and inspiring 0, 0, 0, 0 organisers to make it an annual fixture on the calendar.

Team Lopez is a new charity, created in the name of Alex Lopez, a resident of Riverview for more than 30 years.

In 2018, aged 58, Alex became one of the more than 4,000 persons diagnosed in Australia each year as having pancreatic cancer.

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The story of Alex’s fight against pancreatic cancer reads in a similar way to most people who receive the diagnosis. The outcome is devastatingly bleak. The fiveyear survival rate is only 12 percent.

Alex’s experience was extremely difficult.

He underwent numerous biopsies, surgeries and procedures and suffered internal bleeding, sepsis, pneumonia, adrenal failure, and colitis, whilst enduring months in hospital, multiple stays in intensive care and days of intubation. His wife Mary-Ann was by his 0, 0, 0, 100 side every day.

Prior to the life-changing diagnosis, Alex led a normal life, focused on family, friends and community. He was devoted to Mary-Ann and was blessed with an extensive network of close friends. He balanced work and play seamlessly, regularly made time for charitable activities, and enjoyed the affection and respect of all who knew him. He looked after his health and was a regular competitor in triathlons.

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Alex, Vinny and Mary-Anne

What sets his story apart from most is his exceedingly courageous battle to defeat the cancer, despite it taking his life too soon in late 2019.

In honour of Alex, Mary-Ann, alongside friends and business partners of Alex, committed to the mission of raising funds and awareness to honour his life.

“I promised Alex that a positive would come out of a negative,” explained Mary-Ann. “I realised that we have more strength when we work as a community and this is why so many friends and connections of ours rallied together.”

Alex was cared for by an outstanding medical team including pancreatic surgeon, Professor Jas Samra and oncology specialist, Professor Stephen Clarke - a widely respected Australasian leader in medical oncology, specialising in thoracic and gastrointestinal cancers, including neuroendocrine cancers and mesothelioma.

In association with Stephen, Mary-Ann and friends of Alex mapped out a plan to help raise funds for research.

Their success in a matter of two years has been phenomenal.

The first step was launching the Alex Lopez PhD scholarship

in pancreatic cancer through the University of Sydney.

Meanwhile, they have also hosted successful events including motor vehicle race days at the Eastern Creek racetrack (Alex was a huge motorsport fan) and an annual dinner on World Pancreatic Cancer Day, and most recently the family and doggy picnic day in Riverview in partnership with Bloomingtails.

Team Lopez has raised more than $170k. Most exciting of all is the PhD scholarship where a worldwide search was conducted to find a PhD scholar to work with the University of Sydney and Bill Walsh Translational Cancer Research Laboratory.

The recruitment drive led them to Ethiopia where Team Lopez found Tadele Melak Gashayie.

Mary-Ann explained that they had to find someone with the right experience to take up this new PhD role.

“Tadele’s appointment is an important milestone for the Foundation,” she says.

“It gives life to one of our primary goals, namely, converting Continued over page TVO 15

A word from Professor Clarke

Vinny and Mary-Anne

the magnificent financial and in-kind support that we receive from all of our stakeholders into tangible initiatives to find a cure for this insidious cancer.”

So, where does a family and doggy picnic fit into this?

Team Lopez’s furry friend is Vinny, Mary-Ann’s and Alex’s eight-year-old black Labrador.

Mary-Ann explained that Vinny was such a support through the treatment and continues to provide intuitive support for her now.

However, during the time Alex was in hospital, it was hard for Mary-Ann to keep up with the feeding and walking routine that all dogs need.

Vinny was shared between friends and became a regular at doggy daycare, Boomingtails in Lane Cove. Beyond that, its owner Candice (who is interviewed in this edition), came to learn of Alex’s and Mary-Ann’s story and stepped in to drop him home and feed him when required.

Mary-Ann simply gave Candice the key to their home and was incredibly grateful for the relief and support she provided by looking after Vinny.

It was the bond that Vinny, Mary-Ann and Candice formed that led to this year’s family and doggy ‘pawsome’ event in Tambourine Bay Reserve.

Pancreatic cancer is a dreadful disease, with abominably low patient survival rates. There has been little improvement in treatment outcomes over a number of decades. While medical research will find new solutions in the future, there are clinical approaches that can be adopted now to dramatically improve patient outcomes.

We share the Team Lopez Foundation’s vision – to improve survival rates for patients living with pancreatic cancer through translational research.

“It is not always about the big fundraiser.

Over the last 15 years, University of Sydney clinicians based in our teaching hospital on the Royal North Shore campus, have become leaders in treating pancreatic cancer. Patients treated by our team survive almost twice as long after diagnosis compared to the average Australian pancreatic cancer patient treated elsewhere.

“You can get involved in even the smallest of ways, such as organising small dinner parties with friends where they are charged a nominal amount of money per head to go into the Team Lopez kitty.

At the University of Sydney, as part of the Kolling Institute at the Royal North Shore Hospital, we provide the research foundations that the team refines into best practice.

“Absolutely anything is appreciated,” said Mary-Ann.

We will continue to collaborate with other clinical and research centres – locally, nationally, and internationally – to ensure that the clinical data and tissue samples we collect can be used to inform research on a massive scale.

Mary-Ann has a pragmatic mindset. She tells us that large fundraising events are fantastic, but there are always smaller ways to show your support, which are equally important.

If you are interested in raising funds or donating, visit www.teamlopezfoundation.org.au/donate Alternatively, get in touch with info@teamlopezfoundation.org.au.

the

team

Current corporate partners include Tecala, Channel Dynamics, Bartier Perry Lawyers, Driving Solutions, and Bloomingtails. The team would welcome more.

Next fundraising event dates for Team Lopez are: Race Day at Eastern Creek on 17 August and the World Pancreatic Day dinner on 16 November 16 TVO

With your support, we can build capacity in the team to enhance the research, clinical practice and patient care that drastically improves the possible outcomes for those with pancreatic cancer.

ARTICLE

USA Tour Band 2019

Lane Cove Community Bands: 60 years old and going strong This year, Lane Cove Community Bands Inc. will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a concert and dinner in August featuring all the organisation’s six ensembles.

As well as a time for celebration, it is a time of reflection for the musical organisation that started life as a small youth brass band. Phil Arnold tells the story from 1963 to the current day.

The beginning (1963 – 1974) The original band was the initiative of members of Lane Cove Rotary who approached the Lane Cove Council in September 1962 for its support of the establishment of a youth band. They must have been convincing as council gave the green light to the proposal and, on April 29 1963, with funds raised through council’s contribution and public subscription, the Lane Cove Municipal Band began rehearsals. By November 1964, under the directorship first of Arthur Stender and then Reg Bishop, the band boasted a membership of 32, and performed regularly. However, by the early 1970s many original members had moved on and numbers were dwindling.

From Brass Band to Concert Band (1975 – 1989) It was then, in 1975, that a young band member and trainee teacher, Bruce Hicks, took over the band’s directorship.

Bruce, who was also directing the Ryde Youth Band, proposed an amalgamation of the two bands. As Ryde Youth Band was a military, or concert band, incorporating woodwind as well as brass instruments, Lane Cove Band had to make the transition to the same instrumentation.

This was a major change for the Lane Cove Band and one that took some time to absorb. But, by 1977, the transition was complete, and numbers increased significantly. The band had undergone the first of two significant changes

and was renamed, appropriately, Lane Cove Concert Band.

From 1980, the band continued under the directorship of Brian McGuiness, a high school music teacher and band director. As well as considerable musical expertise and experience, Brian brought with him band members from both The Forest High School, where he taught, and his home suburb, Sutherland. During the following eight years, the standard of the band improved significantly, either winning or achieving a podium finish in its division at various band championships.

The Middle Years (1989 – 2004) Following Brian’s departure, there were two short-term appointments: band member Liz Shane, and later, Ian Cox, however, there was no long-term band director until, in October 1993, Edie Rens, who had completed her musical education in the United States was appointed.

Edie instituted the popular Music by the River concerts at Tambourine Bay Reserve, and under her directorship, the band completed the transition from youth band to adult band, and its membership increased significantly.

Edie continued to direct the band until the end of 1998 when she returned to the United States and was replaced by ex RAAF conductor, Mike Butcher. Mike took the reins expertly from 2000 when the band was placed first in the State B grade concert band championships to 2002, when TVO 17

LCCB at Music By The River

Burns Bay Big Band at Waterview

Cameraygal at State Band Champs with Phil Arnold conducting

Turrumburra members on the occasion of 10th Anniversary of adult beginner band

health issues forced his resignation. Chris Hunt took over the directorship for the next two years.

administration, more than 50 enthusiastic adult beginners joined the program.

A period of expansion (2005 – 2013)

Known affectionately as ABB(A) (Adult Beginner Band), the band rapidly outgrew its beginner status, and the committee decided to distinguish between the two bands by providing them with names that reflected Lane Cove’s indigenous heritage.

While the band had been continuing on its merry way, a musical revolution was taking place in the surrounding primary and high schools that was to have a major impact on community bands everywhere. Young, enthusiastic music teachers were building highly successful school band programs that were providing opportunities for their students that had formerly been the mainstay of community bands, and community band membership numbers were declining accordingly. That was when the band’s next appointment proved to be a fortuitous one for the Lane Cove Concert Band.

In 2005, the band appointed Phil Arnold, an experienced music teacher and school and community band director who had recently returned to NSW from Perth, WA. Phil’s appointment was to lead to a revival of the band’s fortunes in an unexpected way. Whilst membership stabilized under his direction, and the band won both the 2007 State B Grade Concert Band Championship and the 2008 and 2010 East Coast Band Championships, recruitment of new members was an issue.

It was then, in 2008, that Phil proposed the establishment of an adult beginner program. He had established a similar program in Leeming, Perth, and had seen it grow into a fine community band. The committee accepted the proposal and, with long-term band committee member Jackie Brighton overseeing recruitment and the subsequent 18 TVO

The existing Lane Cove Concert Band was re-named Cameraygal Concert Band, after the original inhabitants of the area, and the beginner band was named Turrumburra Concert Band, from the indigenous name for the Lane Cove River.

When the organisation repeated the process two years later, Phil Arnold resigned from the directorship of the Cameraygal Concert Band to concentrate on the burgeoning adult beginner program. This time, 60 new members were recruited. Within no time, the new group was a performing band in its own right and was named Karingal Concert Band, from the indigenous word meaning, appropriately, happy camp. Phil’s replacement as Cameraygal Concert Band director was experienced band director, Lindsay Frost, who played a significant role in the lead up to the 50th anniversary celebrations.

At about the same time, Cameraygal Concert Band member, David Braybrook, established a big band named Stringybark Jazz after the local creek and Phil Arnold offered a similar opportunity to members of the Turrumburra Band. Known, initially, as the Rusty Gate Big Band, the group grew in Continued over page

confidence and stature until it became an official ensemble within the organisation and was re-named Burns Bay Big Band.

The establishment of a woodwind ensemble under the direction of David Braybrook added a sixth ensemble, Tambourine Bay Winds, completing the organisation’s transition from one 40-member band, to three concert bands, two big bands and a woodwind ensemble, and a total membership of over 150.

In 2013, the band reached its 50th anniversary, celebrating in fine style with a gala concert at the Shore School Auditorium that featured former band members David Elton on trumpet, Mark Brown on euphonium and Dave Egan on percussion, and an anniversary dinner with members and their guests dancing the night away.

The next 10 years (2014 – 2023) The next 10 years proved to be no less tumultuous than the previous 10. All ensembles continued to perform regularly in Lane Cove Plaza. Turrumburra and Karingal Concert Bands held the first of their annual Warm Up To Winter Concerts, all the concert bands combined to begin the Almost Spring Concert series and the smaller ensembles combined for a Cabaret-style night entitled Tempos in Time.

In 2018, the organisation celebrated the 10th anniversary of its adult beginner program with a gala dinner at the newly renovated Alcott Club, two further adult beginner programs introduced aspiring musicians to band membership, and the band changed its rehearsal venue from its long-term home in Longueville Rd to a newly constructed community centre underneath the Waterview Drive access road.

After almost 15 years shepherding the organisation through many of its most significant and challenging changes, Richard Palmer resigned the band presidency in 2016 and was replaced by current president, Michelle Casiglia, herself, a former adult beginner.

Changes of band directorship began almost immediately following the anniversary concert, with Lindsay Frost resigning and being replaced by former music director of the Air Force Band Sydney, David Worrall.

David presided over concerts featuring iconic jazz singers Jackie Cooper and Simone Waddell, and internationally recognised concert pianist, Simon Tedeschi, as well as a change of name for the band to Cameraygal Wind Symphony before he resigned and was replaced by longserving Chatswood High School music teacher and band director, Gavin Staines OAM.

Phil Arnold’s resignation from his three remaining directorships in 2018/19 sparked further changes of directorship: Rod Mason OAM, Deputy Music Director of Australian Army, took over Turrumburra Concert Band, and was followed by experienced school and community band director Megan Lipworth. Daniel Williams, international trumpeter and Head of Bands at Waverley College, then took over Karingal Concert Band and Australian Army Band musician, Jeff Camilleri, took over Burns Bay Big Band.

When David Braybrook resigned as director of Stringybark Big Band, and was replaced by well-known local jazz identity and music teacher, Bob Pritchard, the changes of directorship were, for the time being, complete.

Gavin Staines’ appointment injected a flurry of performance activity for Cameraygal Wind Symphony, with regular concerts featuring such musical luminaries as David Elton, and an international tour to the United States of America involving members from all Lane Cove bands. New works were also commissioned by Australian composers Brendan Collins and Ralph Hultgren.

And then came Covid!

Had it not been for the efforts of the band committee, led

by President, Michelle Casiglia and Vice President, Richard Palmer, and the bands’ directors to use online channels to maintain contact with band members, the pandemic might have created a crisis of existential proportions for the Lane Cove Band, as it was for many others.

Instead, the organisation emerged from the crisis even stronger than before, with the resumption of annual concert series’, a country tour to Dungog for Cameraygal Wind Symphony, the inception of an annual Young Soloists Instrumental Competition, and a residential band camp held in the Blue Mountains.

Most recently, the organisation has changed its name to Lane Cove Community Bands Inc., more properly reflecting the nature of its ensembles.

The last 60 years have seen the suburb of Lane Cove experience an extraordinary period of growth – growth which has been reflected in the development of the municipal band that was the vision of those forwardthinking Rotarians in 1963. And throughout that 60 years, Lane Cove Community Bands Inc. has been there in its various incarnations, providing a musical outlet for hundreds of aspiring musicians, young and old, and entertainment for thousands of its citizens. Long may it continue to do so.

TVO 19

Reminiscences of Lane Cove and the community WORDS: DR KAY LIEPER Vice President, Lane Cove Historical Society Inc. - Curator: Carisbrook Historic House

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appy birthday TVO! Thirty years since residents first picked up the little black and white homeprinted paper that told us what was happening in the area. Right from the start it had 'community' at heart and community groups such as the Lane Cove Historical Society [LCHS] have 30 years of gratitude for all the free ads you have published to help our fundraising efforts for local historical research and Carisbrook Historic House.

Lane Cove has always had its random standout personalities, no less than in the past 30 years. Many of those people helped to nurture community awareness in our suburb through sporting clubs, bushland groups, sailing clubs and cultural groups. Over the past 30 years the LCHS has, like a sports club, encouraged its volunteers to keep their eye on the ball.

The goal, since the Council bought Carisbrook back in 1969, has been to preserve the house and garden and keep it open to the public as a museum. Over a few generations we've worked as a team and enjoyed many a game of matching antique furniture and everyday 'backin-the-day' household items as well as old photographs to the life stories of long-dead Lane Covians.

One of our curiosities recently donated by a family member is a memento of the Radke family, one of Lane Cove's early families who owned a tannery and belt making factory. The earliest Radke was Prussian-born Albert and generations of the family lived and worked in and around the Lane Cove area since then. These curious items are placed together under a glass dome and the more you look at them the more you ponder the nature of these exotic locals of the past. Under the glass dome are two pieces of bread, one over a 130 years old. Each has a note to say that they are both remnants of the first loaf of bread purchased by each couple on setting up their households after marriage; one dated 1891, the other 1927. It is not quite the European tradition of the parents of the the couple giving a loaf of bread and some salt at the wedding to symbolise future prosperity, but something similar. It appears to have been a Radke family tradition.

Right from the start it had 'community' at heart

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In random ways the Leiper family has also had a longtime come-and-go relationship with Lane Cove. In the 1880s they operated the Phoenix Potteries in Little Street and lived in a pretty rural looking little house on Mowbray Road.

Carisbrook garden

Looking back to move forward

Radke memento at Carisbrook

This was my late-ex-husband's family so I was a late comer to Lane Cove. My father-in-law grew up in Helen Street where the houses were built along the ridge and had enormous front gardens as the land sloped down to the street and the bushland around Stringy Bark creek. He had crazy stories of how his father would have a flutter on the horses, win, and then proceed to hide the cash in the storeroom under the house. Why? Because his Chatswood-born wife was a pillar of the local society as well as a dedicated teetotal, nonKay Elizabeth aged about 4 and Neil Leiper Lane Cove gambling Methodist. When he died his two sons mounted a secret search under has kept its the house (inside old pianos, picture frames, paint tins, tool boxes!) trying to reputation as a find their father's stash. My father-in-law TVO advertisement for volunteers to help bushland and could definitely tell interesting stories at Carisbrook that caught my eye and about his life in Lane Cove and behind prompted me to sign up. tree covered them was always a sense of appreciation Thirty years ago, Carisbrook's rooms were suburb of the community and the bushland that familiar to a large age range of visitors. And surrounds the area. Now the thing I get a bit to mention the Radke family again, Ernie Radke sentimental about is that my daughter is living in (Albert's great-grandson) was a long-time member of one of the apartments in Helen Street next door to the the LCHS and assisted greatly in the acquisition of antique land where once had been that Leiper bungalow. furniture for the house including the many baffling Lane Cove has kept its reputation as a bushland and tree Victorian kitchen implements he collected and placed in covered suburb and over the past 30 years community the Carisbrook kitchen. attitudes haven't changed despite the considerable Like him LCHS volunteers were always ready to meet development of apartment buildings and many new any challenge—like when the Channel 7 Weekender crew residents. We all love our green spaces as much as the filmed a piece about Carisbrook in 1997. The show aired Plaza and the Canopy (especially if there's a coffee cart in the vicinity). on a Saturday evening before an open day. Sunday 14 September saw 250 visitors file through the house to the As a newlyweds, my recently acquired husband and I amazement of volunteers. I'm not entirely sure if this owned one of those apartments facing the Pacific Highway is true but I was told that the local police were called to near Coronation Lookout. It wasn't the sunniest apartment, manage the traffic and queues of people. but it was big and the view to the west was wonderful.

From there we lived overseas and on the North Coast until I returned (alone) in the early 2000s to live in Best Street.

There I could look out across the valley onto Riverview and through the Lane Cove bushland that surrounds Tannery Creek it was easy to walk around Burns Bay to where the river turns north and ripples around Cunningham's Reach.

On one of the walks around that bay I climbed the stairs that lead up to Carisbrook and wandered around the upper levels of the garden around the house. Peeking in through the etched glass of the front door I was charmed by the Victorian interior. Even then it was the black and white

Today the children and younger adults who visit the house are blown away by furniture and interiors that they've never experienced before. And, it's real, not a virtual space to wander through. Things change over 30 years, but TVO remains a valuable medium for community groups to get their word out to the local residents. And, speaking as an individual resident, the TVO is a treasured little piece of press that I look forward to every month to keep me up to date with what's going on in my village.

So, thank you TVO. Many happy returns!

TVO 21

Must swim ocean pools of the South Coast Blue Pool, Bermagui

You’ll find spectacular ocean pools dotted along the southern coastline of New South Wales.

These handmade pools, fed by the ocean’s waves, often built into the rocks near beautiful sandy beaches, can be hidden away along the coastline and are enjoyed mostly by locals.

Ocean pools are great for kids learning how to swim, lap swimming and for a dip on the days when the waves are a little too big for your liking.

Here’s where to find an ocean pool on the coast south of Sydney.

Perfect destinations for the upcoming holiday season.

In the Illawarra You’ll find many spectacular ocean pools in the Illawarra area, from south of the Royal National Park all the way through to the popular seaside town of Kiama. These include lovely pools at Coledale, Bulli, Towradgi, Port Kembla and North Wollongong.

Take the road through the Royal National Park to Stanwell Park and onto Coalcliff Beach, where the ocean pool is set against a dramatic backdrop of the escarpment.

Nuns Pool, at Flagstaff Point in Wollongong, is one of the oldest in the state, dating back to the 1830s. (The title of oldest ocean pool goes to the Bogey Hole in Newcastle, north of Sydney. It was built by convicts in 1819.) Located below the lighthouse, the Nuns Pool (formerly known as Chain Baths and used by the nuns of St Mary’s convent) sits in a small, sheltered cove and is accessed via a narrow path chiselled into the sandstone.

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Further south at Kiama, the Blowhole Point Ocean Pool offers a safe swimming spot near the area’s famous blowhole, the largest in the world, on a headland near the town centre. This beautiful, hand-cut pool is an irregular shape and has a varied depth and rock bottom – it was also once a men-only bath. You can also take the 15-minute walk around Kiama Harbour from the blowhole to Black Beach Reserve. Here you can do 50-metre laps in the Olympic-size Continental Ocean Pool.

Head down to Gerringong’s Werri Beach for a swim at Ourie Ocean Pool, at the southern end of the beach. This rectangular pool, carved into a flat rock shelf, has a smooth concrete bottom and is perfect for a summer’s day dip.

From the Illawarra to the Shoalhaven Drive an hour further south into the Shoalhaven region and seek out Huskisson Sea Pool at Huskisson. This coastal town has a rich shipbuilding heritage, which you can explore at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum after your swim.

Bulli Rockpool, Bulli

Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden

A 45-minute drive south of Huskisson brings you to Mollymook, where you’ll find the South Coast’s famous Bogey Hole, a natural rock pool on the headland south of the beach. There’s also a lovely ocean pool at Ulladulla, a five-minute drive further down the coast.

On the Sapphire Coast One of the state’s most famous ocean pools is found at Bermagui, a little over five hours by car from Sydney, on the Sapphire Coast. Bermagui’s Blue Pool is revered as one of the prettiest, filled with azure-hued water fading to turquoise and green. At 50 metres long it makes for a great lap-swimming pool and there’s also a shallow wading pool, ideal for kids, just next to the pool.

Ourie Pool, Gerringong

One of the southernmost ocean pools on the NSW coastline is the Aslings Beach Rock Pool, a hidden gem carved into the pink-and-white cliffs at Aslings Beach in Eden, a sixhour drive from Sydney. It’s only a short walk from town, but its low profile makes it hard to spot from further down the beach. Make your way over the rocks from the beach and take a dip at low tide before the waves have a chance to deposit any seaweed.

All photos courtesy of Destination New South Wales TVO 23

The Lane Cove Cinema, the Cartoon and the Cavalryman WORDS: KAY LIEPER

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ndrew Moore places the genesis of Francis de Groot's 'special relationship with the Sydney Harbour Bridge' precisely in the Lane Cove Picture Theatre.

There, on 11 January 1932 an explosive speech by the leader of the New Guard, Eric Campbell, set in motion a press frenzy that sparked widespread public interest. Of all Campbell's speeches between 1931 and 1932, Moore states 'the number of significant implications contained in this one Lane Cove address is freakish.' Comparing the NSW Premier Jack Lang with the premier's bull, Ebenezer, Campbell suggested the bull won, because boiling down the bull would produce glue, something useful, whereas boiling down the Premier would produce only 'bullshit'. In his autobiography, de Groot notes: I really thought the theatre roof would lift as a result of the delighted howls of mirth that greeted this perfect description of how Mr. Lang appeared to the average 'Digger' member of the New Guard.

It was at this meeting that the police stenographer recorded more of Campbell's words: I am certainly determined that a man who drags our honour into the mire, who appoints Communists to the Upper House, … I say we in our generation will be forever dishonoured if we allow him, who masquerades as a Premier to open that Bridge … Mr. Lang will not open the Bridge across the Harbour.

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The rumour mill went into overdrive with Campbell stating, 'the situation is well in hand' and New Guardsmen taunting police with 'Lang will not open the bridge.' Albert Willis, Premier Lang's agent general in London, even reported that Westminster gossip was that the Premier was to be thrown off the Bridge to feed the sharks. In fact, Campbell and the New Guard had nothing planned.

It was a cartoon that sparked the inspiration of Frank de Groot, just two days before the opening of the Bridge. Over a cup of tea, he glanced through a copy of Smith's Weekly and there the larrikin pen of Joseph Johnson set the wheels in motion. In what is now an irony of history, Johnson's cartoon depicts an ordinary worker, on foot, stepping up and cutting the ribbon with a pocket knife. 'The man who beat Mr. Lang to the tape' was the caption. de Groot explains his reaction: [It was] one of those 'brain waves' where the entire picture presents itself. Borrow a horse, dress up in uniform, sharpen a sword, wait until the ribbon is stretched taught, charge it at a gallop, cut the ribbon before Lane and declare the Bridge open on behalf of the decent and respectable citizens of New South Wales. Keep Campbell's promise, prevent the New Guard disintegrating, and while showing Lang and his mob that they cannot push us around let the sharp sword be a hint to the Communists that revolution here would not be a one sided affair.

Andrew Moore suggests that if Eric Campbell had foreseen how 'the name of de Groot would pass into Australian folklore and his own would be largely forgotten' he might have insisted that he himself mount the horse and carry the sword. But it was Frank de Groot who was eminently equipped to carry out the action. Born in Ireland, de Groot had served in the South of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry in 1907, the 5th Dragoon Guards in 1909 and in 1914-18 served with the 15th Kings Hussars, a regiment that fought in many of the battles of World War I, for which he had been awarded a ceremonial sword and the 15th Battalion, Tank Corps as acting captain. Emigrating to Australia after the war he became a well-connected antique dealer and fine furniture maker, even making a ceremonial chair for the Governor-General, Sir Isaac Isaacs. Eric Campbell notes de Groot was a likeable man with ability and an Irish brogue 'that he reserved for moments of intensity'.

pageant that was part of the official procession. Amidst a Cobb and Co coach, hansom cabs and penny-farthing bikes, a lone horseman was inconspicuous. Assuming that he was part of the show, an Irishman in charge of one of the cabs, dressed in an ancient bowler hat, addressed a question. Peeved that he apparently looked more comical than official, de Groot imperiously told the Dubliner in his best British officer's accent: 'I say old boy are you by any chance addressing me?' Eric Campbell must have been right about how his friend's Irish brogue surfaced at times of excitement. The cabbie replied, 'Jaysus ye're from Dublin like meself. Ye're part of The Show arent ye! Can't beat the feckin' Irish!'

De Groot and Campbell also believed his scheme had some legal justification. In de Groot's view, placing an obstacle such as a ribbon across a public highway contravened public order legislation that prevented free progress along the King's Highway. The matter was later debated in court and de Groot was vindicated and found not to have contravened any law. He promptly sued the police for wrongful arrest of a legitimate officer of the Hussars which was settled out-of-court.

The area simply bristled with police who had been detailed to watch out for any New Guard activity. Sergeant Meldrum, who was in charge … took up his position on foot next to and a few feet away from de Groot. On one occasion Sergeant Meldrum accidently brushed against de Groot's stirrup, looked up, and touching his cap said, 'Sorry Sir'!

Moore recounts from de Groot's autobiography his progress to the ceremony on the Bridge: Near the entrance to Government House, there was great congestion. De Groot found his passage blocked by participants and floats in 'The Old Time Show', an historical

This, it seems, was the most recognition de Groot endured that fateful day, that is, until it was too late.

In fact, Eric Campbell records a final encounter:

And the rest is legendary larrikin history.

Article first published in the Lane Cove Historical Society Newsletter in May 2012

Advertise with The Village Observer and support your local community EMAIL: advertising@thevillageobserver.com.au Proceeds from The Village Observer supports residents of Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, Willoughby and North Sydney, via Sydney Community Services – a local not-for-profit organisation that helps residents to live a quality and independent life in their own home and in their community.

TVO 25

ARTICLE

A Day in the Life of a Marriage Celebrant When Stephen Miller isn’t lounging on the sofa, critiquing TV shows for us, he’s actually a marriage celebrant. While you might assume that’s a piece of wedding cake, think again.

A

fter losing our second child to cancer, I decided I needed a change of scenery. But instead of running away, I became a marriage celebrant—because what’s more uplifting than being surrounded by love all the time? I’ve officiated so many weddings now that I’m starting to feel like the wedding whisperer.

Each wedding is a unique experience—even at a repeat venue— as there’s always something new and unexpected that pops up. And to think, when I started, I’d been concerned that it might become a conveyor belt of wineries, white gowns and wildflowers and quickly lose its appeal—you know, like fireworks, seen one, seen them all. But nope!

It’s more like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

From sand in my eyes at the beach to animals heckling me at the zoo, it’s been quite an adventure. And let’s not forget about the wireless interference that turned the ceremony into a brass band concert or a guest’s phone that rang during the bride’s grand entrance, or the time when the best man lost the rings—yes, that really is a thing.

From an extravagant celebrity wedding in a $36 million dollar Potts Point mansion to one at a small AirBnB where the parents arrived, only to learn they were actually attending their children’s wedding. Talk about a surprise party! And don’t even get me started on ring-bearing dogs and flower girls with attitude.

I’ve been upstaged by screaming babies and married not one, not two, but THREE brides who were expecting themselves—one thankfully holding on until three days later. While I learn from these experiences and try to 26 TVO

Stephen marrying daughter Alice and fiance Jarrod

ensure everything goes as intended, in all honesty, this game of wedding roulette actually adds spice and uniqueness to the ceremony. When something unplanned occurs, like a circus ringmaster, I just smile, keep calm and carry on.

When I thought things couldn’t get any different, I found myself in a hospital room officiating a wedding for a groom with only days to live.

That’s the kind of stuff that makes you realise the true meaning of love and the importance of living in the moment. Then there was the time I had to pause the ceremony in Bundanoon because a freight train that seemed longer than the Great

Wall of China snaked passed by less than 100 metres away.

But hey, it’s all in a day’s work for a marriage celebrant. Sometimes though, I feel like I’m in a rom-com, but with way more chaos, and frankly, it’s what makes this job so much fun.

Being a significant part of a couple’s special day is such an honour.

Writing and presenting a ceremony that captures the essence of the individuals and their relationship is a worthy challenge and such a reward when done well.

I’m often asked what’s been my most memorable wedding. Well, in December 2021, I married my

daughter Alice to her fiancé Jarrod. Talk about a proud dad moment! “So, will you be walking Alice down the aisle?” many would add. As with most decisions, getting the bride’s opinion before voicing one’s own is always best. Alice said she was happy for Mum to perform this role, so I took the opportunity to ask if I could do a 30-minute magic set at the reception. Her face looked like I’d just thrown her phone at the wall. Suddenly, I was making the wedding all about me! I tactically withdrew, reasoning that was the last thing I was trying to do; I just wanted to make it the best wedding ever!

The weather forecast kept Alice on edge, but I was pretty chill about it. I mean, as long as there’s a wet weather plan in place, what’s the worst that can happen?

So what if it even rained all day? As she gloomily stared at all the rainy icons lining up across her phone, I helpfully suggested that cloudy skies eliminate shadows and highlights and therefore make for much better photos...

I retreated again.

But let’s just take a moment to appreciate the timing here. Alice lives in London, and this was the third wedding attempt after the pandemic postponed the first two. Finally, though, the stars aligned, and they were able to make it home to Lane Cove. Like the sun coming out after a storm two days before they arrived, things just incredibly opened up on cue. So in they came, no quarantine was required. Not only did we get to hold our first grandchild, three-month-old Freddie, but we would get to witness their beautiful union. It was like the universe was saying, “Here, have a little joy to make up for the crazy sadness you’ve experienced.”

While the weather may not have been perfect, the wedding was still a huge success. Plus, Alice relented, and I got to show off my mad magic skills. Had that window of opportunity remained closed, there would have been no grandchild to idolise, no unrestricted wedding, no refund from the fully paid-up venue, and no first Christmas with Freddie and the family altogether.

When you take a step back and consider the bigger picture, the weather on December 10th was really of little consequence. I always advise couples to focus on being grateful for what they have—and for what they don’t have. While unforeseen obstacles may arise, these can definitely make the wedding day more unforgettable.

For the record, though, yes, it rained most of the day.

If you’re looking for a marriage celebrant who can manage everything from wailing infants to thundering freight trains, Stephen’s the guy for you. You can reach him by visiting his website at www.loveandunderstanding.com.au

100 Words

Milton’s time machine was a success. He’d journeyed through the ages, righting historical wrongs. Posing as a waiter, he’d poisoned young Hitler’s Sacher torte, tasered Anne Boleyn’s executioner, saving her slender neck and tackled the gunman on the grassy knoll, averting the assassination of JFK. His new aquatic time machine could explore sunken pirate ships and lost cities. On its first expedition, he descended to the ocean floor, reached the Titanic and resurrected the passengers and crew. The iceberg warnings were not ignored this time and the Titan submersible’s doomed voyage never happened, in fact…it had never been built.

Perihan Bozkurt, Lane Cove

Amidst the bustling airport, I eagerly scanned the exit, searching through the weary, jet-lagged passengers for a glimmer of recognition. Then I spotted them, he a little bundle in her arms. My heart soared with anticipation as I closed the distance, the overwhelming realisation that I was about to meet my first grandchild consuming me. I extended my arms, and as he was placed into my embrace. I felt the joy of his delicate breath upon my face. He gazed back at me with wide, curious eyes. Time stood still, encapsulating a moment of pure connection and profound love—a forever precious memory in all our hearts.

Stephen Miller, Lane Cove

TVO 27

Birds in Lane Cove gardens

Lorrikeet

WORDS: SUE INGHAM

We are so lucky to have remnant bushland in Lane Cove and birds visiting our gardens, but is it ‘natural’?

Have you ever stopped to consider how our presence has altered the balance of nature and even the relationship between birds?

I have lived in Lane Cove since 1978 and even my untrained eye has noticed a change in the bird life in our garden. Birdlife Australia conducted an ‘Aussie Bird Count’ in October last year and concluded that the birds that they illustrated on their poster were the most numerous. Top of the list were the Rainbow Lorikeets for the ninth year in a row but missing from that list were small birds, apart from the introduced Sparrow.

Back in the 1980s I remember seeing Silvereyes and Wrens, the Superb Blue Wren flitting in and out of the low bushes, the female a plain brown but the male with spectacular blue flashes that apparently become more intense in the mating season. Why do we see so many Rainbow Lorikeets and don’t see the Wrens?

Noisy Minor

benefit from that change may displace other birds.

In the early years of colonial Australia, gardens developed under the influence of European traditions that favoured flowering plants and swards of green lawns, but the latter can be like a desert to small birds. Birds like the Fairy Wren prefer thickets of shrubs and especially prickly plants that provide protection from predators and security for their nesting sites which are often no more than a meter or so off the ground.

The answer is us – what we have made of our gardens. There are the obvious problems when pesticides and herbicides are used, predation by cats and disruption caused by noise and lighting. Pesticides not only harm the birds, they kill the bugs and insects the birds feed on, interrupting the whole food chain. It is a totally counter-productive action as small birds like Silvereyes are very efficient in removing the pests themselves. But there are other disruptions of nature that are less obvious.

We also introduced plants and weeds such as lantana, privet and camphor laurel that provided a food source for big birds such as the Currawongs.

They have increased in number and they not only displace the smaller birds, they attack and eat their chicks. Similarly, the visiting Koel, a migratory cuckoo, also enjoys the berry-producing plants and has grown in numbers. Although you rarely see one, you can’t miss the call of a mating Koel at night with its whoopwhoop rising in intensity. The Koel appropriates the nest of other birds to lay their own eggs and once hatched, the Koel pushes the other chicks out in order for it to be fed by the host.

Wattlebird nests are their favourite and when the Wattlebirds increased in number, it was of benefit to the Koel.

As Lynne McLoughlin wrote in her book, “The Natural Environment of Lane Cove,” birds “…are not often considered as part of a functioning ecosystem in the bushland and the impact of our settlement on the birdlife is rarely realised.” There is a subtle balance between what we grow in our gardens and its effect on local birdlife.

Different birds thrive in different environments and not only does a change in their environment affect them but those birds that adapt or

The Wattlebirds, like a number of other birds, prospered from a change in garden fashion to native plants, particularly flowering grevilleas, bottlebrush and gums that provided nectar. This also favoured the Noisy Minor which likes an open woodland with a limited understory in contrast to the bushes preferred by smaller birds.

The Noisy Minors form large groups which so aggressively defend their territory, they are considered to have contributed to the decline of other

28 TVO

Bottlebrush

Wrens

Currawong

Silvereyes

Wattlebird

native birds, such as Robins, Thornbills and smaller Honeyeaters.

The great nectar eaters are the Rainbow Lorikeets and like all nectivorous birds, they help with pollination. They hang up-side-down in the trees to reach the flowers and transfer pollen from flower to flower.

They are cheeky, intelligent and longlived: up to thirty years; and because we love their brilliant colours and enjoy them, we put out trays of seeds for them. They too have benefitted from our choice of flowering natives and because they are gang-birds and territorial, they displace other

GumFlowers

birds, especially in competition for nesting sites.

So because of our preferences in the garden, we end up with fewer Wrens and many Lorikeets.

Advice can be had to help with making gardens a more balanced and birdfriendly place. Lane Cove council runs a Backyard Habitat program: Backyard Habitat program and the Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society holds plant stalls in the Plaza twice a year. They provide advice and plants indigenous to Lane Cove: https://lanecovebushland.org.au/

Advertise with The Village Observer and support your local community EMAIL: advertising@thevillageobserver.com.au Proceeds from The Village Observer supports residents of Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, Willoughby and North Sydney, via Sydney Community Services – a local not-for-profit organisation that helps residents to live a quality and independent life in their own home and in their community.

TVO 29

Vale Adrian Lee WORDS: NICOLA RICHES

I

n February 2021, I went out for coffee with Adrian Lee, only known to me then as the convenor and president of Lane Cove’s community choir La Voce. Little did I know what an extraordinary life Adrian had led. He was a joy to be with - enthusiastic, warm and funny. It was an honour to hear his story and publish it in TVO. In July, we learned that Adrian had passed away, aged 82.

His family conveyed to us that he died very peacefully on the morning of Friday July 21 and that he remained his remarkable self throughout, and was surrounded by love, family and laughter through his final days. His loss will be felt by many, not least the Lane Cove community.

A preeminent medical microbiologist, Professor Lee led a fascinating life garnering several outstanding, notable achievements. Once President’s Lecturer of the Australian Society for Infectious Diseases, his favourite thing to spread was enthusiasm.

(Despite his standing in this area, Adrian was gracious enough to reassure me when I regaled him the story of my child’s reoccurring illness and how worried I was about the effect a reliance on antibiotics might have on his gut biome. I will never forget how he listened attentively and indulged me.)

In 2000, after 10 years as Professor of Medical Microbiology and Head of School, Adrian was appointed Pro-ViceChancellor (Education) at the University of New South Wales.

30 TVO

Here some of his friends share their stories about Adrian.

Barry Marshall, who in 2005 was awarded a Nobel Prize with Robin Warren for the discovery that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is linked to peptic ulcers, said Lee was a key part of the Helicobacter discovery.

"When it was possible for us to invite a friend to the Nobel Ceremony, it was Adrian who was the one person in Australia I wanted to have there to share the occasion.

He was a thread connecting the events of the previous 25 years,” Marshall said.

"In 1982, I connected with Adrian’s group asking for information about the curved bacteria he had grown. I sent him the first drawing of my new bacteria and asked him for advice and guidance. I was a 30-year-old, naïve, trainee registrar. I copied his technique and succeeded with the first culture of Helicobacter Pylori."

When Marshall later met Lee at a conference in Europe, he expected to be intimidated by an important professor.

"Instead, I met a person who was enthusiastic, friendly, warm and generous. For the next 10 years when my research was criticized and dismissed, Adrian supported and encouraged me."

Bruce Dowton, Vice Chancellor of Macquarie University, met Lee in 1998 when Dowton was the newly-appointed Dean of Medicine.

As a microbiology professor, Lee taught on the medical school course as well as to science students, and was an

Adrian, Grandson Danny, Son in Law Stephen Pincock, Daughter Amanda, Granddaughter Emily

Nerissa & Adrian Lee in Darwin with obscene sea food plate

Adrian Lee

enthusiastic supporter of Dowton's plan to reform how doctors were trained.

for the University Library, where I was a senior manager.

He commenced a change process that I was part of and brought creative ideas and other people to the table.

"I'll never forget going into Adrian's office to introduce myself. We got involved in long, very multi-dimensional conversation and I knew immediately that I had an ally in what might need to be done,” said Dowton.

"I found Adrian to be a very willing, and very sophisticated educator, who also had a deep experience set in research and was able to bring that to the intersection between very contemporary research and what a future physician might need in their career.

"He plunged in head-on to help us with the reformulation of the entire course and participated in many different angles of that with such warmth and engagement that really got others inspired to want to participate and get on board.

“He had an intellectual grasp of what education in the modern university would need to be at quite a prescient stage,” he added.

Pam Freeland had known Adrian for a long time via their roles at University of New South Wales, however, more recently, she knew him in his capacity as convenor and president of La Voce.

“My first interaction with Adrian was through the hierarchy of academia at UNSW. I knew of him from the 1980s, but it was my return to UNSW in 2000 that coincided with Adrian taking on the leading role in trying to improve the quality of teaching at UNSW and also taking responsibility

However, my closest and most recent contact with Adrian has been as a member of LaVoce Choir, which I joined when I moved to Lane Cove in late 2017,” she explained.

“He was an advocate of singing for health and fun. Although he wasn’t in the initial choir group, he joined soon after and proceeded to get it on a better footing, by arranging for its incorporation. He also pretty much funded the operation for some time, and took on much more than the presidential role.

“He undertook all the comms, interviews, maintained the website, the library of recordings, liaison with Sarah de Jong, our musical director and many other things. I think I counted about 16 roles.

“His leadership was essential, and he carried the choir with his wonderful larger-than-life personality, his sense of fun and his sheer enjoyment of singing which he shares with us,” said Pam.

RIP Adrian.

You will be sorely missed.

Thank you from everyone in Lane Cove and beyond.

TVO 31

Judy Messer Growing native plants of Lane Cove by Judy Messer

L

ane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society celebrates the major achievements of Founding Member, Judy Messer AM (1933-2023)

The Lane Cove Bushland and Conservation Society was represented by members Norma Stuart and Margaret Bergomi at a tribute to the late Judy Messer AM, a former President of the Society. It was held at the Maiden Theatre, Botanic Gardens on Tuesday 27 June 2023, following her death on 12 May 2023.

Judy was a major force in the environmental conservation movement, firstly in Lane Cove, then NSW and beyond. She first became involved with the Society when she attended the first meeting that led to the Society’s formation in 1971, as it successfully fought to save what is now known as Bushland Park, when threatened by destruction by an expansion of the Lane Cove Golf Course.

Thus began a lifetime commitment to nature conservation.

In 1975 she was elected President of the Society. She served as President for five years, Vice President for 13 years and for several years was on the Executive Committee. She extended the Society’s involvement in environmental issues in Lane Cove and greater Sydney at a time when there was a real awakening to the need to protect our natural environment.

She also designed gardens using native Australian plants during the late 1970s and ‘80s, while at the same time pursuing academic studies. In 1983 she produced a guide called ‘Growing the Native Plants of Lane Cove’, which is on Council’s website to this day.

For Lane Cove, one of her greatest achievements was her input to the drafting of the first Lane Cove Environmental Plan (LEP) which was gazetted in 1987. Not content with a general ‘Open Space (Recreation)’ zoning for our reserves, Judy pressed Council for the special category of ‘Open Space (Bushland) Zone’ to distinguish our bushland areas and prevent them being lost in the process of rezoning land. She and the Society also pushed for the protection of bushland in private ownership in the LEP, which was also covered by State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) No.19, Bushland in Urban Areas. These two initiatives were a result of strong representation by the Society, and Council was subsequently commended for its LEP provisions by the then NSW Department of Environment and Planning.

A long-held policy of the Society was to have planned management of our bushland reserves. Under her leadership, the Society encouraged Council to prepare a Bushland Plan of Management, to provide specific policies 32 TVO

and management measures for bushland in Lane Cove. An environmental consultant (Manidis Roberts) was appointed

by Council. Three members of the Society (Judy Messer, Norma Stuart and Margaret Bergomi) were on the Steering Committee. Council adopted the Plan of Management in 1991. Council also implemented its recommendation to convene a Bushland Management Advisory Committee (BMAC) to include three members of the Society as well as other community members. This assisted Council to establish annual budgets for bushland regeneration for each reserve and advise on bushland management and policy issues. It is still active today.

In 1984, Judy became Chair of the Nature Conservation Council (NCC) of NSW, a statewide umbrella organisation for many conservation groups. This led to her direct involvement in broader issues, including representation on many NSW government committees, and as a delegate and speaker at national and international conferences. A Churchill fellowship, in 1993, allowed her to undertake further studies in the USA. She was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) in 2003.

Judy put the term ‘urban bushland’ into common usage, as an asset to be recognised, valued, cared for and protected.

She wouldn’t let an issue go, she was prepared to stick with it and work hard about seeing it through. Before this, bushland was just ignored; no one knew how to look after bushland. It was just spare land; people threw their green waste at its edges.

These qualities were also recognised by the former premier The Hon Bob Carr. In a moving tribute, read on the occasion, he observed; “I have many fond memories of her, patiently putting the case for nature conservation and prepared to argue for every part of our bushland heritage. …. She was an exemplary Chair of the Nature Conservation Council and I felt that in our relationship we had the ideal combination of political leader committed to nature conservation and a voluntary conservationist marshalling arguments and persuasive case studies to put to government, and to keep government under pressure to do the right thing by the natural world.”

We are proud of Judy’s achievements and her contribution to Lane Cove and our Society. We extend our deep sympathies to her family and friends.

Norma Stuart and Margaret Bergomi, Lane Cove Bushland and Conservation Society

Celebrating the Life of Margo Pearl Easton Margo brought light and joy into the lives of all who knew her and will be deeply missed. Her radiant smile and kind-hearted nature touched the hearts of many in our community and has left a lasting impact on those closest to her.

B

orn in 1946 to Tom and Phyllis Bannister, Margo was a true inspiration. She grew up in Tamworth, attended Tamworth Secondary School, then SCEGGS Darlinghurst and ‘Calrossy’ Tamworth, studying piano and classical ballet for many years. She approached life with unwavering optimism and a zest for adventure. Her vibrant spirit and love for exploration led her on countless journeys, both near and far. Margo had a natural gift for connecting with people from all walks of life and had a knack for making everyone feel valued and appreciated.

After four years studying at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Margo taught Music, English, Art and Drama in both State and Private Schools. She worked as Head Teacher of Music at Sydney Metropolitan High School and Head Teacher of Art at Loreto Kirribilli Junior School. In 1971 she married James Easton, pianist and composer and they had three children together - Rachael, Madeline and Edward. Margo was an active member of the Lane Cove Public School P&C Association, working tirelessly for the development of the music tuition, orchestral and drama programs. In 1998 she and James co-wrote, designed, produced and choreographed the original children’s opera Gondwana for the Lane Cove Public School Bicentenary celebrations. Gondwana was re-staged by the Lane Cove Theatre Company in 2001 as part of the Centenary of Federation celebrations in Lane Cove.

Her passion for art and creativity shone through in everything she did. As a talented painter, sculptor, dancer and performer, she effortlessly captured the beauty of the world around her, creating an inspirational impression on those that were fortunate enough to view her work. Her art was an expression of her soul and will forever serve as a testament to her incredible talent.

Margo Pearl Easton

In addition to her artistic pursuits, Margo was deeply committed to making a positive impact on her community. She volunteered tirelessly and dedicated her time and energy to helping the creative community of Lane Cove. In 1994 she became the Dramatic Arts Convenor for the Lane Cove Music and Cultural Association and in 1995 founded the Lane Cove Theatre School (now Cameraygal School of Performing Arts) and the Lane Cove Theatre Company. Both are still thriving.

From 1999 she became the Secretary and then President of the Lane Cove Music and Cultural Association. She was also the inaugural Chairperson on Lane Cove Council’s Cultural Advisory Committee, the first in New South Wales and fought tirelessly for a dedicated performing arts space in Lane Cove. Lane Cove Council awarded Margo three Lane Cove Citizenship Awards in 1995, 2000 and 2008 for her many contributions to community life.

Margo also authored the books About James Easton, The Life and Times of P.G Smith – King of Tamworth, The Life and Times of Bill Gleeson – Prince of Tamworth and The Adventures of Rosie Pearl.

Her selflessness and unwavering passion made a tangible difference to the cultural fabric of Lane Cove, leaving an indelible mark and inspiring the next generation of cultural arts leaders within the community. Her spirit will continue to inspire us to embrace life’s adventures, spread love and kindness and pursue our creative passions with unwavering determination.

Rest in peace dear Margo.

You are remembered fondly and missed deeply.

TVO 33

WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2024 Book Club Lane Cove Hub Activities HEAD OFFICE

1 Pottery Lane, Lane Cove

9427 6425

1.30pm - 2.30pm Restart Date: Monday 15 Jan 2024 Cost: $5 inc book/afternoon tea

Movement Matters Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Restart Date: Tuesday 6 Feb 2024, Wednesday 7 Feb 2024, Friday 9 Feb 2024

If you are a family member or carer of someone living with dementia, take some time out knowing we are looking after your loved one.

46 Gladesville Road, Hunters Hill

All-day tailored seniors program from Monday to Friday. Includes excursions, picnics, and wellness activities. Door-to-door transport and nutritious meals catering for all dietary requirements.

8598 7051

Cost: $35 Contact us for a monthly program.

E: support@sydneycs.org

Seniors Shopping Bus Meeting House Hub Activities

Wednesdays 1.00-3.45pm Cost: $5 inc afternoon tea.

Restart Date: Wed 3 Jan 2024, 12.30 3.30pm. NEW Session: Start Tues 9 Jan 2024, 9.00 - 11.30am

Social Bridge / Solo / Rummikub

Thursdays, 10am - 12noon Restart Date: Thursday 4 Jan 2024 Cost: $5 inc morning tea

Table Tennis

Fridays, 12.00-4.00pm Cost: $5 Restart Date: Friday 5 Jan 2024

Tuesdays and Thursdays Return trip from your home to Lane Cove shops. Cost: $12 Restart Date: Tuesday 2 Jan 2024

P: 9003 1399 E: jvenn@sydneycs.org

Seniors Social Support:

The Velveteens

Each group is supported by bilingual staff and volunteers to meet and share their cultural heritage and interests.

Social inclusion activities such as excursions, cultural celebrations, English language conversation classes, wellness activities and information sessions are offered to all CALD communities in the Greater Sydney area.

Join us for morning tea before heading off to a different venue each month.

For Afghan, Chinese, Iranian, Italian, and Spanish seniors

Contact us for a monthly program

E: tliu@sydneycs.org

Senior Services Seniors Social Bus Outings Mondays and Wednesdays.

This month we will be repeating the Palm Beach cruise as well as several other fabulous outings.

Contact us for the full program.

23a Stokes Street, Lane Cove North

9003 1399

Scrabble

Restart Date: Thursday 4 January 2024 Cost: $5 inc afternoon tea

Seniors Hub Hunters Hill-Ryde Hub Activities

Mah Jong

P: 9003 1399 E: jvenn@sydneycs.org

Costs indicated are for Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) participants only.

34 TVO Contact us and speak with one of our Coordinators to learn more about other funding options.

2nd Monday each month 10am – 4pm

If you are over 65, registered with My Aged Care, have a referral code for Social Support Group and are totally independent then contact us for more information.

Cost: $20 (does not include lunch/beverages)

E: support@sydneycs.org

Seniors Hub every Friday Centre Based Service for over 65 year olds.

Providing a safe, warm and engaging environment for people who would like to spend more time with other seniors. The hub offers a tailored program providing a break for family carers.

For more details contact Rosemary

P: 9427 6425 E: support@sydneycs.org

ENQUIRIES AND BOOKINGS FOR ACTIVITIES:

9427 6425

HOURS OF OPERATION: 8.30am - 4.30pm I Monday - Friday

support@sydneycs.org

www.sydneycs.org

SAVE THE DATE MARCH 2024

BOOMers Mens Group Social Tennis Group

Join us every Thursday at Lane Cove Tennis Club, Central Park, Kenneth St, Longueville.

Cost $5. Every Thursday 9-11am Whether you’re an experienced player or just starting out, this is your opportunity to be part of a vibrant tennis community!

All players must register prior to playing – please call Julie 9427 6425. We look forward to seeing you on the court!

Older Women Exercise Class

Tuesdays Strength and balance exercise Time: 9.45am - 10.45am Cost: $12.00

BOOMers for senior independently mobile men who enjoy an opportunity to socialise and visit interesting places in the company of other men.

NSW SENIORS FESTIVAL

Contact us for the full January program.

When: Fridays Departs: 10.00am from Lane Cove Hub, Pottery Lane Returns: 2.00pm Cost: $20 including morning tea and lunch

E: hheggie@sydneycs.org

Join us, celebrate and 'Reach Beyond'.

Disability Supports

Group community access activities from Monday – Friday in centres and community.

Activities include drama ensemble, creative movement, full and half E: ccampion@sydneycs.org day excursions, Sailablity, art groups and virtual meetups.

Contact us to join the waiting list.

Cost: based on the NDIS pricing Social Bus Outings schedule. Individual support, Tuesdays including transport, daily Hub living Supporting your local Lane Cove Community Join us every Tuesday and visit a activities and community access COME ALONG AND JOIN IN new destination. available on request.

Time: 9.00am - 4.00pm E: g starkey@sydneycs.org or Cost: $25 (Bus only)

We have many activities planned between 11 - 25 March 2024.

More details to follow.

Meeting House Playgroups 2023

E: hheggie@sydneycs.org

ccampion@sydneycs.org WHEN: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.30am to 11.30am Supporting your local Lane Cove Community Hub WHERE: At the Meeting House Hub, 23a Stokes St, Lane Cove North

We can't wait to celebrate all the older adults in our local community.

COME ALONG AND JOIN IN

Meeting House Playgroups 2023

WHEN: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.30am to 11.30am Meeting House Playgroups WHERE: At the Meeting House Hub, 23a Stokes St, Lane Cove North VOLUNTEERS

Recommences in February 2024

Meet Meet local parents local parents & children of and childrena similar of a similar age age Meet

NEEDED

PLAYGROUPS: 0-5 years, 9.30am-11.30am TUESDAYS GROUP TIMES TERM COSTS INGREDIENTS local parents Arts, Craft, Music and Story Playgroups ENQUIRIES: $10 per casual visitALL INCLUDED Tuesdays & children of Supported by Early Ed fortnightly Arts, Craft, Music and Story Playgroups a similar Sydney Community Services $60 per term for 1 session per week 0 - 5 years age THURSDAYS $100 per term for multiple sessions 9.30am to 11.30amP: 9003 1399 Arts, Craft, Music and Story Playgroups Supported by Early Ed Fortnightly Contact us if you would like to ENQUIRIES E: support@sydneycs.org GROUP TIMES TERM COSTSALL INGREDIENTS TERM COSTS Thursdays Sydney Community Services Tuesdays INCLUDED volunteer. We always need people $10 per casual visit - $10 per casual visit AllStory playgroups term Arts, Craft, Music and Playgroups run during Phone: 9003 1399 0 - 5 yearsArts, Craft, Music and Story Playgroups Email: support@sydneycs.org $60 per term for 1 session per toweek help us support those living in - $60 per term for one session per week time only.

- 5 years 9.30am to0 11.30am All playgroups time only. $100run perduring term term for multiple sessions 9.30am to 11.30am - $100 per term for multiple sessions the local community.

Supported byintervention Early Ed Fortnightly EarlyEd is and early service for young

children with disabilities & delays in their ENQUIRIES Early Ed is an early intervention service for developments.

ThursdaysFor more information please visit: Sydney Community Services Meeting House Playgroups are supported young children with disabilities and delays www.earlyed.com.au Arts, Craft, Music and Story Playgroups Phone:

by Lane Cove Council and Department of9003 1399 in their developments. For more information 0 - 5 years Email: support@sydneycs.org MEETING HOUSE PLAYGROUPS ARE SUPPORTED BY Communities and OF Justice please visit: www.earlyed.com.au LANE COVEto COUNCIL AND DEPARTMENT COMMUNITIES AND JUSTICE 9.30am 11.30am

P 9427 6425 E yhughes@sydneycs.org

All playgroups run during term time only.

EarlyEd is and early intervention service for young children with disabilities & delays in their developments. For more information please visit: www.earlyed.com.au

Supported by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care MEETING HOUSE PLAYGROUPS ARE SUPPORTED BY LANE COVE COUNCIL AND DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES AND JUSTICE

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The Meeting House Hub Your local community support

2 3 A S TO KE S S T R E E T, L AN E COV E N O RT H The Meeting House, as part of Sydney Community Services, has long been known for its services and activities for the community as a whole and in particular seniors, children, and young families.

We have so much on offer – playgroups, movies and morning tea, trivia and lunch, social bus outings, as well as seniors shopping buses. There is also a fabulous street library, a room available for hire, seniors and school holiday workshops and a community cafe.

A medical transport service is also now available on Thursdays for both medical and social appointments.

Contact us and find out how we can support you.

Room available for hire Large double room, kitchen, plus outside area.

Business or personal hire.

ENQUIRIES 9427 6425 Sydney Community Services supports you wherever you are on life’s journey.

Our aim is to enhance community participation, boost health and wellbeing, develop life skills and enable independence for people from all walks of life.

P: 9427 6425 E: support@sydneycs.org

Lane Cove Hub

HEAD OFFICE 1 Pottery Lane, Lane Cove

Meeting House Hub 23a Stokes Street, Lane Cove North

Hunters Hill-Ryde Hub 46 Gladesville Road, Hunters Hill

www.sydneycs.org