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-August 2004 -

Newsletter for Offshore Residents of Pittwater, Australia  Volume 6, Issue 60; August 2004     

Editorial:

A very special thanks to you all for helping SIRA to enable ADSL on Scotland Island and the Western Shores. As a result of the survey that 192 of you completed, Telstra have decided to find the funds to purchase the necessary equipment to enable ALL of the offshore communities. Yes, even Morning Bay! Many of you on the South side of Scotland Island have already been enabled, and the balance will follow soon. How soon? It might be a month, it could be 6 months.

And, for your interest, it is a beautiful day here in Dublin....

In this Issue:

Your Subscription Information

It’s not too late! News From SIRFB
How can we make our homes safe from the threat of bushfire?

Many residents are worried about the threat of bushfire after this winter of drought, given the amount of green waste in properties and on road sides .
The official start to the bushfire season has been brought forward

It’s not too late to take action! Your SIRA committee has been working with the Scotland Island Rural Fire find a solution. In the next few days you will receive a letter explaining how you can get permission to make small hazard reduction burns on your own property.

You need to take responsibility for it but we will be here to help and advise. For example, what do you do if there’s a hazardous block next door and your neighbours are never there. If you have tried unsuccessfully to contact them you can advise the Fire Brigade about the dangerous situation you’re in

We are also negotiating with Pittwater Council to become involved. In the long term, we’re trying to get regular green waste clean ups. We’ll keep you posted as developments happen

Scotland Island Fair!

Calling SI Community to help put on this years Scotland Island Fair!
It's going to be huge, more a festival than a fair. It will run over a four
week period, will be jam packed with art, music, performance, workshops, theatre and recycled stuff as is the tradition. ....And we need you!!!
Meet at Emmi Collins' place Wednesday night 4 Aug 8pm. To discuss the ideas and get a job.

We don't think you are useless!!! We want you!!!!
Please call Claire Atkins on 9979 4709 or come to Emmi's on Wednesday night.

Alternative ADSL Internet Plans

(reprinted with kind permission from the Sydney Morning Herald)

BASIC (265kb with limits)

Exetel 256/A1

Price: $25 per month, 1Gb limit, $3.50/Gb excess

Website: www.exetel.com.au

Exetel's 256/A1 plan offers the best value for light to moderate internet users. The clincher is that excess fees are an incredibly low $3.50 per gigabyte, so for $25 a month you don't have to worry about exceeding the fairly roomy 1Gb limit. The plan includes 15 email addresses, 60MB of website space and a static IP address. Installation costs $145 if you supply your own modem. There is a six-month contract period, however.

DataCo A256 Plan

Price: $25 per month, 1Gb limit, $40/Gb excess

Website: www.dataco.com.au

The A256 plan is a cheap option if you download about 1Gb per month. If you do go over, however, you'll end up paying $40 per gigabyte, which is steep but better than the $150 charged by most other plans. By signing up you'll get free access to VTC's online software training university, plus 10 email addresses, a static IP and 10MB of website space, but few frills otherwise.

HyperMax Ultimate DSL 256/64

Price: $19.95 per month, 200MB limit, $150/Gb excess, plan cap at $59.95

Website: www.hypermax.com.au

With HyperMax, you can spend just $19.95 a month provided that you don't go over the low 200MB limit. This restricts you to light web browsing and emails. While the excess charge is expensive at $150/Gb, the plan is capped at $59.95, so you can download more when you need to without paying huge fees. There is no contract period. The plan comes with an anti-spam service and your emails are virus checked for free.

Be aware of a new CAR-JACKING scheme.

Imagine: You walk across the car par, unlock your car and get inside. Then you lock all your doors, start the engine and shift into REVERSE. You look in your rear-vision mirror and notice a piece of paper stuck on the back of your rear window. So you unlock your doors and jump out of your car to remove that paper [or whatever it may be obstructing your view].

When you reach the back of your car, that is when the car-jackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off!!

Your engine is now running [and ladies your handbag would be in the car] and off they drive in your car.

BE AWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME - just drive away and remove the paper that is stuck to your window later on and be thankful that you read this e-mail.

Please forward this e-mail to your friends and family - especially women!! A handbag contains all your identification and you certainly do not want people to get your home address as they already have your keys!!
 

Telstra ADSL meeting

On a Saturday in early July, a large number of local residents turned up to talk to representatives from Telstra (both technical and sales). Many locals signed up on the spot, others decided to check out the opposition (and there are hundreds of other Internet Service Providers ISP's), but all agreed that ADSL was the best value, simplest solution to Internet access.

May I commend to you the following website if you are trying to decide who is the best value... www.whirlpool.net

Mona Vale Hospital

You probably believe that Mona Vale Hospital has been saved

Well, that’s right – and wrong.

You will recall that after our strong and continuing protests, Minister Knowles at the time declared that there would be 2 hospitals on the Northern Beaches – Mona Vale which would be improved to a quality Level 4, and another hospital to be built on a site to be identified (at the time thought to be Brookvale).

Subsequently, some $200,000 only was allocated in the State budget for the Northern Beaches Hospital improvements, not the many millions needed to seriously address the promise.

Mona Vale Hospital is currently suffering the classic ‘death by a thousand cuts’. Expenditures are being cut, and we were told recently that Petty Cash amounts of $8 and over have to be approved by the Senior Executive!

Further, the Government (who knows who these days as all the Health Regions have been dismantled, sacked) has decreed that the new hospital will be built on the site presently containing the defunct Warringah Council! Yes, we know the site is steep, the parking for cars will have to be underground, the area is restricted, the present traffic is pretty hectic, and we understand from a survey that the vast majority of Dee Why people don’t want it there!

But the Government assures us that all their studies show that this is the best site. If this should come to pass, then Mona Vale hospital, being so close, would almost certainly be reduced to at best some sort of medical outpost.

ACTION
So, your Save Mona Vale Hospital (SMVH) committee is again leaping into action.

Within the next week or so, you will receive a package of materials based on the theme
Mona Vale – the Perfect Hospital Site containing the Vision document and action materials. These are being mailed to all Pittwater residents.

Please study the content – then, hopefully agreeing with it, take the actions suggested without delay. We want to absolutely swamp the (new) Minister’s office with the cards. Also, please telephone and send faxes to compound the impact. Write letters to the Herald, Telegraph, Manly Daily etc.

Anything to get the message across that Mona Vale is the best site for a high quality Level 5 hospital because of adequate space, level site, good access by road and helicopter, acceptance by residents, geographical centre etc.

Any questions, ring Greg Roberts (Scotland Island) or Email at pittpoint1@optusnet.com.au

Call for Submissions: "A Taste of Pittwater" Recipe Book

We are looking for recipes to include in a local recipe book to be sold to raise money for the Scotland Island Pre School. If you have a favourite recipe or two you would be happy to donate to a good cause, please email them to us along with any digital pictures you may have that reflect the area. We will be compiling the recipes with images and drawings done by the kindy kids, to create a comprehensive recipe book that reflects the wonderful area that we live in.

We're looking for savoury and sweet recipes, old family recipes, well tested favourites and ideas for kids parties, barbeques and picnics. If your recipe is from an existing book please be sure to credit the source. Submit as many recipes and/or images as you like and be sure to give us your name and contact details. As this is a fundraiser no one will be paid but we will endeavour to include as many submissions as possible.

Send your recipes/images by August 21 to rockpool@iprimus.com.au or contact Jackie for more information (02) 9997-4307.

PITTWATER OFFSHORE DIRECTORY

It has been suggested that it is time to update the highly acclaimed Pittwater Offshore Directory.

A lot of the telephone numbers are out of date, and there are many businesses that have expressed a desire to advertise to this unique and very exclusive market of 700 households.

We want to test that suggestion – so, if you believe it is time to bring out a new, updated POD that again would be distributed without cost to all the 700 offshore households, please Email your thoughts to the Editor of this PO Newsletter, including your name and telephone number, so we would be able to discuss these thoughts with you in an endeavour to ensure that we achieve a top result.

Christmas in July Report

CHRISTMAS IN JULY
The island fire brigade again hosted this event, a full house of 72 people supported the brigade on Saturday night, and had a ball.

The local guide

As our newsletter continues to grow (nearly 600 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 editor by clicking here.

Local Real Estate Agents:

Government Organisations:

• Local Pittwater Council, or email them at pittwater_council@pittwater.nsw.gov.au  or by clicking here.
• State: John Brogden, Member for Pittwater, or email him at jbrogden@nswcoalition.com or  by clicking here
• Federal: Bronwyn Bishop, Member for Mackellar, or email her at Bronwyn.Bishop.MP@aph.gov.au or by clicking here

Local Transport:

Airlines, Buses and Railways

Weather

• Tides, Moon phases, Sun rise & set for Sydney
• Weather Forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology in Sydney, Australia

Archived Newsletters A complete set of past electronic newsletters since 2000 can be found and read at http://www.scotlandisland.org.au/newsletters/archive.html  or by clicking here or by visiting the Mona Vale Library.

Spread the Word:

The future of this newsletter is in your hands. More than 700 residents and friends read this electronic newsletter monthly. Please tell your friends and neighbours to subscribe. If you are particularly literate in matters computing, you might like to help them follow the very simple path to subscription. It is easy to join. Simply click here to join, leave or change options or go to following address: http://www.scotlandisland.org.au/signup

Finally:

If you would like to contribute to this newsletter it's easy!. 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.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:

To get on and off this newsletter, or to change your options,  - click here or got to: http://www.scotlandisland.org.au/signup

The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Scotland Island Residents Association, or any of the associated Pittwater Offshore Resident's Committees