- March 2001 -
Volume 2, Issue 13; March 2001
Editorial
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In this Issue:
Scotland Island Bushcare Group
Yes, the volunteer group had
made a great start. And we need your support. We meet on Saturday
April 7th and Saturday May 5th. Come along and enjoy an afternoon of
bush
regeneration in the magnificent Spotted Gum Forest on the top of
Scotland Island. Tools and materials are supplied by council.
Afternoon tea will be provided. Please bring a hat, gloves and water.
For further information, ring 9970-1250
Tours of your library
Tours of Mona Vale Library are available to all residents of Scotland Island on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. You might want to keep free one of the following dates: March 21st, April 18th, May 16th or June 20th 2001. Tours commence at 11.00am. Bookings by visiting the library at Mona Vale.
Think before you chop....
Thinking of chopping down some trees on your property?
Think carefully! Pittwater Council 
has a TPO (tree preservation order)
that covers trees in excess of 3 metres in height, a trunk girth of
500mm, and any mangrove or cycad irrespective
of dimensions. However if you are pruning less than 10% of the canopy,
you may go ahead. TPO applications can be obtained from council's
customer service centre and fees apply. ($25=1-3 trees). Inspections
are carried out by council officers within 14 days. It is useful if
you mark the tree with a ribbon. If you want to be present when the
inspector calls, you should tell council at the time of making the
application.
The Fight continues - Mona Vale Hospital
The fight for Mona Vale Hospital goes on .This is a struggle we can't afford to lose.
The NSH Bulldozer is still at the ready, and so are the people of Pittwater. What a wonderful sense of community was present at the "Save Mona Vale Hospital Rally". I want to thank the community for standing up for their rights. It must be noted that many of those attending were supporters from both Warringah and Manly. People have to realise that this Government is not doing the Northern Beaches any favours. We currently have two hospitals and I believe that the best option would be to upgrade both of them and equitably fund them. I still say that there is no money and no acknowledged site. The Health Minister has said publicly that he won't close or downgrade Mona Vale Hospital. Don't you find it a little suspicious that NSH are still barging ahead encouraging disloyalty to our hospitals by some of his staff? I am sure that the NSH Asset Manager still has his eyes on some wonderful real estate. The fight is not over believe me. BE prepared, BE ready, and BE strong.
Watch your speed on Mona Vale Road - there is a change in the wind...
The RTA is proposing to
reduce the speed limit on Mona Vale Road to 70 km per
Very pleased to say that thanks to Shirley and Geoff Page conducting a full survey of the condition of our roads, then inviting Council officers over to have an inspection (Chris Hunt, Col Matheson, David Lyall and Nathan Huon), all agreed – the roads are terrible! The really good news is that, shortly after, Council rang Shirley to say a Council contractor was coming over W/C 19.3.01 to fix the three serious and dangerous sections (starting with the infamous hair pin bend that was the main cause of having to stop the Community Vehicle driving to the top, then Richard Road at the SE corner of the Island above Carol’s Wharf, and third, Harold Hill where a 2 metre hole has developed and is getting worse).
I am delighted to report that the contractor is working on the hairpin bend at this very moment. Trudi Engler is even more delighted! We’ll keep you posted.
URGENT : to all drivers – please travel slowly and carefully. The roads are still walking paths. Trudi received a nasty fright when a car/truck rushed past while she was negotiating the hill. And we mustn’t forget that there are lots of small children around.
The
Council, quite reasonably, wants to complete the planning for the
wharf and then replace it. The 4 community associations (mainland and
offshore) have participated in some problem solving workshopping to
arrive at a document detailing the Advantages/ Disadvantages of each
of the 4 wharf systems (ramp and pontoon, fixed wharf plus ramp and
pontoon [2 versions], and fixed wharf with fixed ramps and steps).
As arranged at
the last Church Point and Offshore Liaison Committee meeting, these
were to be submitted to Council via David Lyall and Angus Gordon by
16.3.01.
We ( the 4 associations) are arranging a meeting with Angus Gordon and David Lyall to agree the best way to go, based on the thrust of the Disability Discrimination Act – to provide ‘equity of access to all people’ Any questions – please ring Greg Roberts 99799599.
Twenty households were represented at the public meeting held recently at which residents were informed of the preliminary investigations undertaken by the informal WET group in response to Pittwater Council's letter to all Scotland Island residents posted by council in December 2000. The meeting agreed that the WET group take on the task of future investigation towards option 3. The design options will be presented to residents and Sydney Water as conceptual sketch plans by June 2001.
"CLASSIC MOVIE
AFTERNOON" - Sunday 25 March, 1-4pm at North Narrabeen Community
Centre, 2-10 Woorarra Ave, Nth Narrabeen See the Stars in these
classics - "Law and Disorder", starring Robert Morley and
Michael Redgrave, and "The Music Box", starring Laurel &
Hardy. Afternoon Tea provided - Book on 9918 2396.
The Community Vehicle is SICK!
The Community Vehicle is still off the Island, being fixed following the damage caused to it by the state of the roads. Hopefully, it will be back soon, and ready to go, once the hairpin bend and the other really dangerous bits of road have been fixed up. Any questions, ring Dorothy Chase (9997 5895) or Gill Unwin (9979 8578).
As our newsletter continues to grow (now more than 310 readers) we are including some links to other nearby organisations and events that may be of interest. If you would like to contribute, please send a message to the electronic newsletter's editor.
Local Real Estate
Agents:
- Botham Real Estate
- Ferry Wharf Real Estate
- PMC Hill (subscribe to their newsletter here)
Government Organisations:
- Local Pittwater Council, or email them by clicking here.
- State: John Brogden, Member for Pittwater, or email him by clicking here
- Federal: Bronwyn Bishop, Member for Mackellar, or email her by clicking here
Local Transport:
- Buses and Ferries: Sydney Buses and Ferries
- Water Taxi: Pink Water Taxi
- Church Point Ferries (02) 9999-3492
- Scotland Island Community Vehicle 1800-069-592
- Land Taxi Manly Warringah Cabs (02) 9997-9111
Airlines, Buses and Railways
| Sydney Airport: Arrivals and Departures | Qantas Information |
| Ansett Information | Impulse Airlines and Virgin Blue Airlines |
| NSW Railway Timetables and Information. | Sydney Buses information. |
Tides for this week and month:
Join the Scotland Island Residents Association
You can now join SIRA by clicking here. Please print the page you see and return the completed form to SIRA at this address:
The Treasurer, SIRA, PO Box 70, Church Point 2105. Please NO CASH. If you wish to pay in cash, contact the treasurer, Shirley Page on (02) 9997-1875 to arrange collection/delivery.
A complete set of all past electronic newsletters can be found and read by clicking here
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Great Internet Sites to Visit:.
-
If you are like the rest of us and can never quite get the recipe for dinner just as
you
want it, here is a brilliant idea. Simply open your fridge or open
your kitchen food cupboard and then tick some boxes on screen to
produce outstanding recipes based on the food you already own! Click
here for details. -
Lost something? Left luggage on a train/plane/anywhere? This site on the net claims to be able to help you find your missing treasure. Click here
-
Humphrey Bear on the Net! Loads of games and activities for the kids, designed and hosted in Australia. Click here
Finally:
If you would like to contribute to this newsletter it's really simple. Just send an e-mail to the editor by clicking here. Type your short contribution (100 words would be fine) and assuming it is of general interest to the community, does not include matter of a political nature and is not offensive to your neighbours, it will appear next month.
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The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Scotland Island Residents Association Committee.
