Special Ferry
Arrangements For Offshore
Residents
1 October 2015
Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes today announced that special ferry
arrangements have been secured for Pittwater’s offshore residents once
paper-based Pensioner Excursion Tickets are phased out early next year.
The NSW Government has confirmed that eligible offshore residents who
are registered with the Church Point or Palm Beach Ferry Service will
be able to use a Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal Card to travel to and from
their homes, and right across Sydney’s public transport network, for a
maximum charge of $2.50 per day.
Although Pittwater’s private ferry services are not part of the Opal
Network, special arrangements have been negotiated to ensure eligible
offshore residents are not disadvantaged once paper tickets cease to be
available in January 2016.
“This is a really significant outcome for offshore residents,” Rob
Stokes said today.
“There are plenty of new advantages with the Opal Card - but it’s
really important that we’ve also been able to secure the existing
arrangements.
“Pittwater is a unique community with unique transport requirements and
I’m delighted these are being accommodated.
“From 1 January eligible offshore residents will simply have to present
their Gold Opal Card and Private Ferry Pass when boarding. Once they
disembark they can then tap on at the nearest bus stop and continue
travelling all day – all for just $2.50.
“Ordering a Gold Opal Card is very simple and can be done online at
opal.com.au or over the phone by calling 13 67 25.
“Thank you to everyone involved in helping secure this important
outcome,” Rob Stokes said.
Scotland Island
Women's Choir
Thursday 8th October 7pm
Southern Cross Wildlife Care
Critter of the Month- September 2015: Don’t Beam
Me Up, Scotty!
An ‘overseas’
rescue!
The
destination: Scotland Island.
The
patient: a gravely ill diamond python.
It’s 8:30am and we get a call-out from a lady, Emma, who has
noticed that one of the island’s local pythons has been lying in the
same spot beside the road for 3 days. We immediately set off for
the ferry wharf. The ferries leave every hour so we have to get
there quickly or risk wasting another hour before reaching our patient.
As we arrive, the ferry is blowing its horn and pulling away from the
jetty. With an almighty leap across the water, we are aboard and
on our way to rescue the poor little critter.
Scotland Island is bigger than anticipated and we are thankful that
Emma provided us with a map. There are no road names, just
landmarks on the hand-drawn map. And the entire walk is uphill -
not just slightly steep, but 45-degree-angle-steep. Puff!
Puff! We get to the section of the map marked “Devil’s Elbow” and
we know we are close...
Exactly as described, 20m from Devil’s Elbow, we see the poor python
lying half on and half off the road. We pick him up, expecting a
bit of attitude, but he is deathly cold and his head lolls to one
side. Are we too late?
We bundle him up into the snake bag and run for the return ferry.
We try to keep “Scotty” in the sunshine to raise his body
temperature.
We know that there is no point starting any form of treatment until his
body temperature increases. Unfortunately reptiles do everything
slowly...
Back on the mainland, we rush Scotty to the clinic and pop him into a
hospital tub with a heat-mat.
Diamond pythons really are the darlings of the snake world. They
are non-venomous, non-aggressive and extremely placid to handle.
We’ve only ever had one or two that were feisty.
The average adult size is between 2m and 3m. They are
predominantly black in colour with beautiful yellow diamond clusters on
their dorsal side.
They are referred to as arboreal (tree-dwelling) but are often spotted
coiled up in sheds, pool-houses, stables etc. Their diet consists
of rats, possums, bandicoots and other small mammals.
Diamond pythons are plentiful all over Sydney and its surrounds.
When Scotty is sufficiently warm, Dr Ralph undertakes a clinical
examination. Poor Scotty is so dehydrated that the first
treatment Dr Ralph administers is warm parenteral glucose-saline
infused with B-complex.
He has a disseminated bacterial infection which has resulted in
erythematous lumps all over his body. Scrapings from one of the
lumps confirms that pus cells, bacteria and fungi are present.
He also has stomatitis - inflammation of the gums.
Dr Ralph checks his vital signs and is not pleased with his patient’s
condition.
An injury which becomes infected and not treated can spread into the
blood. From the blood, the infection can be disseminated to any
part of the body. The result is life-threatening sepsis.
Scotty can hardly keep his head up for the examination.
We immediately administer pain relief as he must feeling pretty
awful. Then a course of two different antibiotics to cover all
gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria is begun.
Scotty needs to be wormed, too, but we decide to wait until the
next day as he has had such an ordeal already.
Scotty is currently in care and will be for many months. He needs
to remain on constant heat, have daily fluid therapy and injections
every 2 days. We are unsure if he will survive or not. If
his sepsis is severe, the infection will disrupt blood flow to the
brain or kidneys, leading to organ failure.
If he experiences septic shock, his blood pressure will drop
significantly which can lead to respiratory, heart or organ failure and
eventually death.
All our fingers and toes are crossed for you, Scotty!
By Lynleigh Greig
Southern Cross Wildlife Care
With thanks to
Pittwater Online News
Reprint from October
4 - 10, 2015: Issue 234
Quad Bike For Sale On The Island
Yamaha Kodiak 450 Quad bike for sale on the Island.
For more information:
please email kathwykes@gmail.com.
Polycraft 4.5 Drifter Front Runner for sale
Polycraft 4.5m Drifter Front Runner Blue - 2008
- Anchor well
- Bow and hand rails
- Front casting deck / seating
- Two front hatches with storage
- 70 litre underfloor fuel tank
- Evinrude 50hp 4 Stroke engine - serviced locally
- Engine protection bar
- Rear hatches with storage
- Carpeted floors
- Automatic bilge pump with controls
- Manual bilge pump
- 2 anchors
- Eagle Fish Mark 320 fish finder
$9900 ono
Contact Chris 0401170014
For Sale
- 4 Draw 800w x 480d x 1000h Malm
(Ikea) chest of drawers, very good condition, 2 yrs old -$ 50neg
- 4 Draw 1000w x 400d x 1050h Ikea
chest of drawers - $35 neg
- 3 x Malm bedside table, 2 draw 400 x 480 x 550
- $ 15 ea neg
- 4 full sheets + 1 in bits: 10mmx 1200 x 3000
Plasterboard from Boral (new) - $ 70 neg.
- Set of 2 white glass sliding doors Ikea
(similar to Faervik), fit 2000 x 2360 PAX wardrobe, perfect condition,
assembled, (new A$ 435) - $ 250 neg
Andrea 99995828/ 0414922199/ andrea@novaliving.com.au
The
views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the
Scotland Island Residents Association (SIRA), or
the Western
Pittwater Community Association (WPCA)
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