Motor Vehicle Registrations

When: Saturday, September 3, 2005 Where: Scotland Island Fire Shed
Time: 9am To 2pm

Requirements: Rego Papers Plus: Motor Vehicle $50.00 Per Vehicle  $10.00 S.I.F.B.
Total: $ 60.00
Please Note:
This Will Be A Once Only Inspection!! Please Have Vehicles In Roadworthy Condition
Rejection Slips Will Be Issued  For Vehicles Not Conforming with R.T.A. Regulations
Contacts: Graeme Richmond 0419 460 331
Bruce Healey 9999 4404

100 Years at Mona Vale Cemetery

To celebrate the Centenary of the Mona Vale Cemetery, Council will be sponsoring an open day to be held on Saturday 22nd October 2005. Activities will include morning and afternoon tours of the cemetery grounds highlighting our departed local personalities, conducted by Bob Pauling of the Manly Warringah Historical Society. You will be able to carry out a search of Council’s database to locate relatives and friends, check out available grave sites or niches (for ash remains) – and meet our Gravedigger, Andrew Morgan.

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL for either the morning or afternoon sessions at 10.00am and 1.00pm. Registration is free and includes morning tea at 11.30am. The first 40 people to register will also receive a complimentary booklet of the “Journal of Local History – Mona Vale Cemetery” (published by Manly, Warringah & Pittwater Historical Society” on the day.

For more information, please contact Cemetery Administration on 9970 1341.

There will also be a display about the cemetery at Mona Vale Library to coincide with History Week, commencing 12th September. Should you have any old photos of funerals held at the cemetery, please contact Cemetery Administration on 9970 1341. A copy of any photos will be taken and returned to you prior to the commencement of the display (at Council’s expense).
SIRA Awards two Life Memberships
After a change to the SIRA constitution at the last Annual General Meeting in June this year,
SIRA has awarded two life memberships for service to the island.

Life Memberships awarded by SIRA

Leicester Warburton has been awarded life Membership for over forty years of outstanding service to SIRA and the island community, including the single handed compilation, production and delivery of SINews during this period.

His certificate was presented before his wonderful talk, An Evening at History Corner, that was well attended at the Community Hall on Saturday 13 August.

Trudi Engler is similarly honoured in acknowledgement of over thirty years outstanding service to SIRA and the Scotland Island Community and to dance and the cultural life of the island.

Her certificate will be presented later this year at her annual students’ concert.
Scotland Island Group wins Prize

The Scotland Island Landcare Group won the second prize in the NSW Landcare Awards

Landcare Co-ordinator Sharon Kinnison and President Shar Jones attended the State Land Care Conference in Wagga Wagga on the 16th and 17th August where they were presented with a silver award in the Community section of the New South Wales Landcare Awards for the Catchment Study undertaken last year. The award was for our groups' work. Our co-ordinator, Sharon Kinnison has been pro-active for a number of years and this Award recognises the importance of her work on stormwater, drainage and roads, which includes securing a Stormwater Trust Grant to underwrite professional reports on the Catherine Park precinct, and the South Precinct The work culminated in a Roads and Drainage Masterplan, done with the support of Pittwater Council.
She has been a tireless advocate for infrastructural development by Council and we are currently working to ensure that the Masterplan is adopted by Council .

This will be presented to Pittwater Council at its meeting on 26 September.

Dolphins in Pittwater - new sightings

A recent sighting of a dolphin near the Royal Motor Yacht club by your rowing reporter prompts me to ask - have you seen any dolphins in Pittwater? It is great to see them back in the now relatively pristine waters adjacent to our homes. Is this a sign that we may see more of them? Let us know and we will post your comments in the next edition of PON. You can do so by clicking here

News from the water police

Water police are continuing to conduct Marine Random Breath Testing operations in and around Pittwater, Brooklyn and Brisbane Water, with three arrests so far. Please remember that the limits for alcohol are the same as the road limits - so if you would not be prepared to drive your car past a RBT site - you should not be driving your boat. These operations are continuing and increasing into the boating season.

There has also been a 4 knot limit introduced at McCarrs Creek and EAST to include the Scotland Island commuter wharf - it is still an 8 knot limit around the Church Point public wharf.

Have Wings, will Travel!

Insects have been receiving undeserved bad press for a very long time.

Rather than concentrating on the familiar baddies such as ticks, flies and cockroaches, we should perhaps remember that insects comprise a large share of 99% of all the biodiversity of our planet, and contribute greatly to the health of our environment.

Etymologist Dr Martyn Robinson, from the Australian Museum, is special guest presenter at a seminar for National Threatened Species Day at Pittwater Council’s Coastal Environment Centre on Wednesday 7 September, 7.30-9pm. He will speak on the elusive and fascinating lives of dragonflies, colourful butterflies and our native bees.

To learn more about this very significant and special part of the biodiversity of our world, book for this fascinating seminar with the CEC on 9970 6905.
 

Church Point Car Park

SIRA/WPCA are currently collecting signatures in support of our plan for the Church Point Car Park. We are seeking strong support from the community to make a strong case to Council and the Department of Lands to retain unrestricted parking on the surface of the car park for the long term. The levy we are suggesting is for this purpose and will not be used to fund the underground car park. People who plan to buy a space will cover the entire cost.

Pittwater's Dog Day by the Bay
It's fun, it's informative and it’s the EVENT OF THE YEAR for dogs and their owners! An open invitation is extended to all dogs, dog owners, dog lovers and their families to come along and have fun at Pittwater Council's DOG DAY BY THE BAY.

The whole family can enjoy 5 hours of non-stop fun and entertainment, from 10am-3pm on Sunday, 25 September 2005 at Rowland Reserve, Bayview . FREE PARKING is available at Rowland Reserve. There will be people to meet, food to eat, competitions and exhibitions. Young children will love the Jumping Castle. (Dog owners are requested to keep their dogs leashed at all times while attending the event). The day’s program includes:

• Canine Agility, Flyball and all your favourite competitions, with prizes galore!
• Best Kept Puppy and Dog, Fancy Dress, Best Mannered, and more!
• Brass Cats band   • Dancing Dogs Display
• The Great Frisbee Race   • Jumping Castle for children
• Food and Drinks and more Stalls than ever before, with the very best of dog products available for perusal or purchase
• Opportunity to raise funds for animals in need through the stalls and raffles of the RSPCA and the two local branches of the Animal Welfare League
• Microchipping available

Programs available on the Pittwater website at www.pittwaterlga.com.au, from Customer Service Centres at Village Park, 1 Park Street, Mona Vale and 59A Old Barrenjoey Road, Avalon, and from local pet shops and veterinary clinics. Enquiries: 02 9970 1111.

Our Off shore Writers Anthology grows weekly!

I now have many fantastic off island/shore stories, anecdotes and poems written by local offshore residents which are most entertaining and truly capture the essence of offshore life....and I'd love more!!. If you have a funny, reflective, touching or adventurous offshore story to tell about your offshore life, please write it down for inclusion in this self published work which will be launched next year. We'd all love to hear from you.