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October 4 2013 |
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Newsletter
for
Offshore Residents
of Pittwater, Australia
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ERRATUM: EMERGENCY WATER MONITOR LINE 1 CONTACT DETAILS Apologies, there was an error in the mobile number for Louisa Maxim! It is 0431 125 142 UPDATED PROCESS FOR ENGAGING WITH THE SIRA COMMITTEE Please Note: The SIRAC meeting planned for October 6 has been rescheduled to October 13 due to the holiday weekend. The next scheduled meeting is November 17. We welcome engagement with our community. SIRA Committee members want to actively engage with residents to understand their issues and concerns and be available to answer questions. We are currently seeking an independent consultant to review how we engage with the community and advise on ways this could be improved. Following the format of the Q & A Session held at the last SIRAC meeting, the Committee reviewed the process and has decided to introduce Open Discussion Sessions as a way of regular positive engagement with the community. Here are ways in which you can communicate with the SIRA Committee:
Copy of this Updated Engagement Process can be downloaded HERE PASADENA UPDATE As part of the conciliation process between Pittwater Council and the Applicants (i.e. developers) by the Land and Environment Court, a conference was held at Church Point last Monday morning to hear the views of those who had submitted written objections. About 50 people attended. Oral submissions were presented by four Offshore community members, including representatives from SIRA and WPCA. The issues raised included the significant impact on parking, noise factors, increased bulk and scale of the building, encroachment onto public space and the lapsing of previous usage rights. The presiding Commissioner was receptive, pleasant and professional. Pittwater Council’s legal representatives and staff were in attendance, as well as those of the Applicant. The Conciliation Conference then retired to a closed meeting. If the conciliation process is unsuccessful the matter will proceed to the Land and Environment Court for a hearing. In parallel to this on Thursday morning, Pittwater Council’s Developmental Unit meeting was held in Council’s Mona Vale Conference Room to consider a report on the DA Application. The modified DA made some concessions, such as removal of the upstairs function room and the proposal to lease a coach bus on those occasions when a function is fully booked. Despite these changes, the development would still have a significant impact on parking, noise and local public space. With a full restaurant, motel rooms and standing room at the bar it would be possible to fit 300 or more people into the Pasadena (i.e. about 100 or more cars). Similarly, whilst conditions can be placed around closing time and noise levels, the ability to enforce compliance is always a challenge and boundaries may well be pushed. This meeting was also well attended by Offshore residents and five community members spoke, including representatives of SIRA and WPCA. At this meeting, we had the opportunity to go into more detail and several matters were raised. This was aided by a detailed Council report that is highly recommended reading for those who wish to background themselves fully on this issue. Council staff who prepared the report spoke to it and members in the Development Unit each responded. (LINK) The recommendation to refuse the development was passed unanimously. With this recommendation from the Development Unit the matter will now go to a full Council meeting for consideration. Break-In Florence Terrace On Wednesday evening between 11:45PM and 12:45AM, we had an intruder enter our property via the beach at Florence Terrace. He broke into the boat house and then proceeded to the main house. Fortunately, we had only just retired, so when the torch appeared in our bedroom window, we responded by turning the lights on and this seemed to deter the intruder. In 15 years, this is my first experience of any type of security threat. Mary Frey Dolphins in Pittwater As I'm sure you know, lots of people are seeing dolphins in the bay. We were lucky enough to come across a large pod last Friday & here is a link to a YouTube video we made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPaRYXqUi-8 Col Batt Dogs Defecating in a Public Place I recently contacted the council regarding dogs defecating and roaming round the island. This was the reply I received................ 23 September 2013 Dear Ms Lee Re: Dogs Defecating in a Public Place Thank you for your email which was received by Council on 2 September 2013. Scotland Island residents must obey all New South Wales laws, this includes the Companion Animals Act 1998. This Act covers dogs off lead and dogs defecting in a public place. If this is happening on the island, Council’s Rangers can attend and patrol the area. RANGERS TEAM LEADER
Steve Lawler, Principal Officer, Reserves & Recreation 7am to 4pm Monday to Friday Phone 9970 1359 Mobile 0417 462 432 3 October 2013 Ms J Readman President Scotland Island Residents' Association PO Box 70 CHURCH POINT NSW 2105 Email: president@sira.org.au Dear Ms Readman, Re: Storage of Watercraft in Council Reserves Council has received representations from members of the Scotland Island community expressing concern that watercraft are taking up public open space in public reserves which is limiting the recreational opportunity, damaging the grass coverage and potentially becoming a hazard to users of the reserve. In an effort to address the concerns raised above, a survey of the reserves will be carried out by Council staff in October/November 2013. The intention is to initially sticker any watercraft that are stored on the public reserve and impound any that have not been removed within 14 days. Your assistance in promoting this matter in your newsletter would be greatly appreciated. Yours sincerely Steve Lawler PRINCIPAL OFFICER, RESERVES & RECREATION PITTWATER ARTIST GRANT PROGRAM OPENS The Pittwater Community Arts organisation is offering a new grant for emerging young local artists, with support from Pittwater Council. The ‘Emerging Artist Grant’ will be awarded to a young Pittwater based artist or artisan aged between 18-30 years in early December. The grant of $2000 will then be used by the grant recipient to develop and or market a new body of work that will be shown at Newport Community in April next year. Applications open on Tuesday 1 October 2013 and will close on 1 November. Applicants can apply via the Pittwater Community Arts website at www.pittwaterarts.com and must be members of the organisation. Annual memberships cost $20 President of Pittwater Community Arts Lorrie Morgan said the new grant program was an exciting step forward for the organisation. “Awareness of Pittwater-based artists has been growing for some time and this is another way we can support emerging artistic talent and help it blossom,” she said. Ms Morgan said the grant program represented an exciting evolution for Pittwater Community Arts, with it being the first major grant ever offered by the organisation. The Council will support the grant program by offering a 50 metre space at Newport Community Centre free of charge to the grant recipient for the April exhibition of their work. The Council will also provide hanging systems and screens for wall-mounted works. Mayor Jacqui Townsend said that the grant program reinforced the Council’s commitment to nurturing the arts in Pittwater. “We’re currently planning a series of events for Pittwater during the summer months which will showcase creativity and the arts through the Enliven Pittwater program.” “Details of all these events will be announced in the next few weeks.” Media contacts: Lorrie Morgan, Pittwater Community Arts Ph: 9997 8079 Antonia Kitching's WOW Lunch I opened the discussion with the urgency to buy ethical Australian Produce and support the small farmer. Corporate control thrives on monoculture and it is vital we have biodiversity in order to survive as a species. To quote Australian Farmer , Luke Whitington ,from Braidwood NSW " we must protect food culture in Australia from Coles and the like . Corporations do nothing but subject food to corporate culture, that is why food is being sold for shape not for substance, beware of corporate influences in the DENATURING OF FOOD. Luke has been published a number of times - Braidwood Rural Press " The Ultimate Irony " 8th Aug.2013 - to quote " the farmer , feeder of the Nation is treated as a second hand citizen of Australia ." " do you know that young people are opting out of business as farms because they don,t want to be part of an abandoned industry ? with all the consequences that flow ." To quote Dr McTavish West - Landline TV last week - " Australia as a Nation is rapidly losing the ability to feed itself and when left with no options that can lead to War." I chose the work of Dr Vandana Shiva and Dr Ariel Salleh as both women are at the leading edge of Eco - Feminism and the Care for the Planet Earth. Jenny Covers asked me to define Eco - feminism and our conclusion has nothing to do with banning men. In fact the opposite, we hope men will develop a more empathetic and caring relationship with Earth , who nourishes us and the planet as a whole must be more widely respected. With out clean air, water etc and ethical management of our resources we cannot survive as a species. The Feminist movement has always had a consciousness of sex gender oppression as a global phenomenon and we hope men will listen. Dr Vandana Shiva urges us " to make Peace with the Earth " and she is coming to Sydney 3-4 Nov to speak at the Writers Festival of Dangerous Ideas. The Seed Freedom Movement is vital to the survival and biodiversity of the Earths food resources and I urge you to join the movement go to www.vandanashiva.org Dr Ariel Salleh is currently in Germany @ University of Jena and sent me an interview she recently did about Eco - Feminism and we discussed @ WOW the questions of Brigitte Aulenbacher and Ariels answers and our own answers to Brigitte questions. Claire Provost in Geneva. - the guardian.com wed. 18th sept 2013 "FOOD CRISIS fears prompt UN wake up call to WORLD LEADERS. The United Nations urges Governments to do more to support small farmers to curb hunger , poverty and climate change Ariel said " this is about climate as much as food since the peasants are cooling down the earth with their careful hands on production." Over a decade ago a concept to focus on FOOD SOVEREIGNTY was introduced by the International Peasants Movement LA VIA CAMPESINA . Unlike food security often defined as ensuring people have enough to eat, food sovereignty focuses on questions of power and control. It puts the needs and interests of those who produce and consume food at the heart of agricultural systems and policies. We discussed avoiding supermarkets and to avoid buying products from battery farming as the stress on animals and birds is very sad and not ethical. There is also not enough known about GMOs and David Suzuki backed up Ariel and Vandana ethics the other night on Australian TV and I believe to find middle ground is important eg GM golden rice in India and the GM potato in South America that is drought and insect resistant does have enormous benefits in feeding thousands of people. SUPPORT OUR HOME GROWN PRODUCTS We are urging shoppers to support local australian produce , read labels and don,t buy unethical food. To quote myself as an ARTIST 1994 I wrote " I equate Mother Earth to my own body also giving birth to Life THE LANDSCAPE - EARTH , FIRE , AIR & WATER are integral to our existence and without Care and Management we humans will destroy our very being " Sincerely Antonia Hoddle Kitching Seqvanae Studios www.antoniahoddle.com
Macarthur FAO World Food Day 2013
 Missed out on a Newsletter? Go to the archives to download previous notices A complete set of past electronic newsletters since May 2000 can be found and read at https://ymlp.com/archive_gesgjgm.php The Online Local Contact Guide Click HERE to load 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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