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Scotland Island - Western Shores - Mackeral Beach
December 8, 2013
Newsletter for Offshore Residents of Pittwater, Australia


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Notice

CHURCH POINT COMMUNIQUE

Pittwater Council Temporary Stalemate

Last Monday night, December 2, Pittwater Council failed to reach a decision on the options for additional parking at Church Point. The major focus of the meeting was whether Councillors would or would not support the Council staff recommendation for Option  2 - the Deck Option.   Option 1 is the Ground Level in the original CPPOM with 60 spaces and Option 3 is the Church Point Friends design with 39 spaces as assessed by the Hyder Report.

A crowd of about 150 were in attendance for the two and a half hour session with the majority being Offshore community members. There were banners, cheers and generally good behaviour. Unfortunately, the result of all that effort  turned the energy into disappointment and bewilderment with most Offshore community members leaving in despair, confusion and, in some cases, anger.

What Happened?

Before the main debate, the Mayor permitted three additional speakers from both sides in addition to the three scheduled speakers For and Against. Three Offshore residents volunteered and spoke brilliantly at short notice. After half an hour of public speaking, Council staff were questioned by Councillors for a further half an hour, followed by close to one and a half hours of debate between Councillors and then, finally, a series of votes.

Note: It was not possible for Councillor Ian White to participate in this process. As he owns a property on Scotland Island, he has a conflict of interest precluding him from discussion and voting. This is very frustrating for Ian as he would love to be able to contribute to the debate.

So in this chess-like game the moves were:
  1. Original motion to support Option 2 - Deck Option (including other important points in the recommendation) Moved Bob Grace; Seconded Selena Griffith
  2. Amendment to support Option 1 - CPPOM (including other important points in the recommendation) Moved Jacqueline Townsend; Seconded Kylie Ferguson
  3. A further amendment to support Option 3 - Church Point Friends Moved Sue Young; No Seconder. Motion Lapsed
  4. There was much debate with some good and not so good arguments, some common sense and some common nonsense. Votes were then taken
  5. Amendment for Option1: Three votes FOR; Jacqueline Townsend, Kylie Ferguson, Sue Young; Five votes AGAINST; Bob Grace, Selena Griffith, Julie Hegarty, Alex McTaggart and Kay Millar. Amendment Lost
  6. Motion for Option 2: Four votes FOR; Bob Grace, Selena Griffith, Julie Hegarty and Kay Millar; Four votes AGAINST; Jacqueline Townsend, Kylie Ferguson, Alex McTaggart and Sue Young. Casting vote by the Mayor, Jacqueline Townsend AGAINST. Motion Lost
  7. Stalemate!
Julie Hegarty foreshadowed the submission of a Recission Motion. This means that the matter will return to Council on December 16 for further discussion and hopefully a decision.

There are some Councillors who clearly understand the dilemma and have our appreciation. For those supporting Option 1, whilst we acknowledge their point of view, SIRA opposes this position. Those that supported neither Option do not seem to understand the real needs expressed by the significant body of Offshore Pittwater residents or, at best, their priorities seem idealistic and out of touch.

This issue has been going on for so long that some of the history has been lost. During the debate remarks were made about further investigating dispersal options as an alternative to additional parking infrastructure. In fact, from 1994 - 1998, when we were fighting to prevent half the main carpark being removed, investigating dispersal options was Council's major focus. Specific locations were identified and nearby residents consulted, distances calculated and a list of necessary infrastructure prepared. There are literally hundreds of pages of Council’s “Church Point Management Plans” on this issue from that period.  It was broadly concluded that dispersal would not work, except as a marginal complimentary strategy. In particular local residents at some dispersal points e.g. Bayview Baths formed their own pressure group to object to Council exporting “the  Church Point problem”. Safety considerations for commuters was also a major concern for the increase in travel distance. 

Most important, once again we need the community to hang in there. Although many are “over it”, we need resilience and persistence, as this prolonged saga draws to an end.

Why is there such pressure to get this through now? The reason is that the opportunity for a very low interest rate loan from the State Government to fund the project will close December 31. It would be a real tragedy if an application for funding is unable to be submitted as the whole project will become a more expensive exercise i.e. fees could increase!!

We urge all residents to participate and support Offshore representatives at the next Council meeting so a resolution can be finally be achieved.




Local Council Notices
CHURCH POINT CAR PARK

The Council will reconsider options for the Church Point car park at its final meeting in 2013.

Councillors debated three possible designs for the car park at its meeting this week, but were unable to agree on a preferred option.

Three Councillors have signed a notice of motion asking that the proposed option for a decked car park be reconsidered at the meeting on 16 December.

The three options for the car park were presented in a detailed report at this week’s meeting, following several months of consultation with affected residents and a 12 month process developing design options through a working group composed of residents associations, Councillors and Council staff.

The three options presented at Monday night’s meeting were:
  • Option 1 - a 60 space single level car park with front or rear to kerb parking in McCarrs Creek Road near the Church Point Wharf costing $5.4 million to build
  • Option 2 - a 120 space decked car park with front or rear to kerb parking in McCarrs Creek Road near the Church Point Wharf costing $7.3 million to build
  • Option 3 - a car park of up to 60 spaces with parallel parking in McCarrs Creek Road near the Church Point Wharf with an approximate cost of $5.4 million.
The first two options were included in the Church Point Plan of Management adopted by the Council in 2009. The third option was developed by the Church Point Friends residents group and submitted for consideration by the Council in September 2013.

Around 120 offshore and onshore residents attended the meeting on Monday night at Mona Vale Memorial Hall. Eleven spoke either for or against the report’s recommendation that the Council choose Option 2 (the decked car park) as the preferred design and seek state government funding under the LERS grant program.

General Manager Mark Ferguson said the Council had voted on Option 1 and Option 2.

“Both options failed to pass through the lack of a majority of the Councillors in support. However Councillors Hegarty, Grace and Griffith have lodged a notice of motion asking their colleagues to reconsider the report recommendations at the last meeting of this year.”

To view the report for this week’s meeting visit www.pittwater.nsw.gov.au and click on the link to agendas and meetings. The meeting agenda for 16 December will be publicly available by Wednesday 11 December.

Media contact: Mark Ferguson Pittwater Council Ph: 9970 1105 3 December 2013



Ausgrid
A Quick and Effective Response

Following our recent power outage I was pleased with how Ausgrid reacted and, despite the challenges, had electricity restored as quickly as they did; including knocking on my door to check that water was again being heated.

Regards
Simon Lambe

Concur fully ! (Ed)



Sly Dogs - Dinner with the Dogs
Last Gig for the Year

poster



Scotland Island School Ferry Walk.

If you are new to the island and have a child starting at Newport Public School in 2014 OR if you have a Kindie starting school at Newport in 2014 and will be taking the school Ferry please could you let us know if you would like your children to join the supervised walks to school and from school.
  
Contact Jenni on: jena50@hotmail.com

The walk between the Newport Wharf and the school can be busy with potentially dangerous driveways, unsupervised crossing (no traffic lights), crossing two entrances at Newport Arms Hotel and the end of the road toward the Newport Wharf can be busy too. Hence 2 Adult walkers are rostered to supervise each walk, to school and from school one leading the walk and one at the back.

The ‘Ferry Walkers’ Service is currently run as both a  ‘part paid’’ AND  a ‘volunteer rostered weekly walk’ by parents of all children who require supervised walks from Newport Ferry Wharf  to Newport Public School and back again. This is a community initiative co-ordinated by the offshore community utilising this service.

The term fee does fluctuate and the cost is determined by the number of children participating in the supervised walk service.  The more kids walking, the cheaper the term fees will be and ultimately less rostered walks per family.

Thank you.
Jenni



SI RFS Goodwill Christmas Lunch
Christmas Day 12-2pm
Booking is essential

 RFSXMASDINNER
Click image to load flyer

RSPV
Nathalie 0419 432 460
nathalie@muir.net


TICKS

We know that ticks inhabit the Pittwater area and that they can cause problems for humans and animals. There is now another way for you to find out more about managing the risk, avoiding problems and dealing with those that arise, especially as they affect humans.

We can start with the Fact Sheet that appears below. It has been prepared by doctors, entomologists and a veterinary surgeon. It is a brief, accurate and reliable introduction.

As you read the Fact Sheet, remember the following further facts:
  • ticks like moist conditions and do not like dry areas;
  • ticks do not jump up from below or drop down from high trees – they “quest” by climbing no more than about 1.5 metres on vegetation (they dry out if they go too high) and sit, waving their front legs to latch onto passers-by;
  • as they climb your body, they will stop at tight clothing – hence concentrations of bites occur along underwear lines, etc; if they do not meet any insecticide or tight barrier, they may climb to the neck and head;
  • it is best to kill them on the body and let them drop off or later brush them off; it is not helpful for non-experts to pull them off/out, because the trauma may cause more of their saliva to enter the bite and add to the health problems;
  • ticks can be killed by spraying them with a spray that contains ether, which freezes the tick immediately (eg. WART OFF or Wartner); ether is also an ingredient of Aerostart, the spray that displaces water and enables wet engines to start – but it is not an approved medical substance; for larval/nymph stage ticks you can apply Lyclear on the tick (an over-the-counter cream available from pharmacies);
  • DEET is in products such as RID, Tropical RID, Tropical Aerogard or Bushmans;
  • Picaridin is in products such as OFF.
“Anaphylaxis” is a severe allergic reaction that may have potentially life threatening symptoms, such as:
  • difficult/noisy breathing
  • swelling of tongue
  • swelling/tightness in throat
  • difficulty talking and/or hoarse voice
  • wheeze or persistent cough
  • loss of consciousness and/or collapse
  • pale and floppy (in young children)
In some cases it may be preceded by less dangerous symptoms, such as:
  • swelling of face, lips and eyes
  • hives or welts on the skin
  • stomach pain, vomiting.
We know that a number of Pittwater residents have the red meat (or, more accurately, mammalian meat) allergy caused by ticks – gut reactions and sometimes anaphylaxis from eating the meat of any mammal (any four-legged animal – and whales!). Some people also develop an allergy and react to other mammalian products – gelatin, milk, cream, soft cheeses, etc.

These problems are not confined to Pittwater – this is an issue along the entire east coast of Australia and has been identified in Europe and the USA. (And no, this has nothing to do with Lyme disease.) For us in the Sydney area, bandicoots are the main carriers of ticks. About two new people with tick-induced red/mammalian meat allergy present at Royal North Shore Hospital every week and there are over 450 sufferers already known to RNSH – and over 300 more elsewhere in northern Sydney. Many more people suffer tick anaphylaxis (severe reaction to the bite) without the meat allergy, especially in the tick season from August to March.

To address these matters a committee has been formed at Royal North Shore Hospital, convened by A/Prof Sheryl van Nunen, Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. It is called the Tick-induced Allergies Research and Awareness Committee (TiARA). Its website contains much useful information, including a two-part PowerPoint presentation that fully explains the situation for anyone interested: www.tiara.org.au

Nicholas Cowdery
Co-Chair, TiARA Committee

Fact Sheet: Tick Avoidance & Management

Ticks May Make You Sick!

Most tick bites are harmless, however Ixodes holocyclus (commonly known as the “Paralysis tick”) may make you sick in several ways:
  • A range of minor to major allergic reactions, even anaphylaxis.
  • The development of allergy to red meat, often anaphylaxis.
  • The transmission of specific diseases.
  • Rare life threatening paralysis.
Paralysis Tick Biology
  • There are four stages; the egg, larvae (0.5mm), nymph (1.5mm) and adult (3.5mm).
  • Tick stages are seasonal, with larvae active during the autumn, nymphs in winter, and adults in the spring.
  • The adult stage is the most dangerous, but any stage can lead to allergic reactions.
When Going Into the Aussie Bush
  • Try to avoid peak ‘ticky’ times, especially after wet periods.
  • Wear light coloured clothing to help spot ticks, and check yourself regularly.
  • Tuck pants into socks, and shirts into pants.
  • Apply repellents to the skin. Use those that contain DEET or Picaridin, and apply (and reapply) as per label directions.
  • Soak clothing in permethrin washes (available from outdoor stores). Follow label instructions for application and re-application.
  • After being in a ‘ticky’ area, remove clothing and place into a hot dryer for 20 minutes to kill any ticks that may still be present.
Avoiding Ticks Around the Home
  • Install animal proof fencing. This prevents the host animals coming into your yard where they can drop ticks.
  • If there are tick prone areas around the home, install fencing to prevent children from entering those area.
  • Ticks do not like dry conditions! Keep overhanging foliage and leaf litter to a minimum, and mow lawns regularly.
  • Apply insecticides to areas where ticks occur, you may need the service of a professional pest controller. Ensure that ticks are on the insecticide label.
  • Regularly treat pets to prevent ticks; many dogs and cats die every year from tick paralysis.
More Information?
www.tiara.org.au (Tick induced mammalian meat allergy & tick allergy)
www.medent.usyd.edu.au (Tick fact sheets)
www.allergy.org.au
www.allergyfacts.org.au

Download Tick Fact Sheet HERE




poster



Bel’s Scotland Island Fashion House
Saturday 14th December, 10am to 4pm:
96 Richard Road

 flyer
Click to load PDF Flyer



For Saleboat
5m Half Cabin
Cruise Craft, 5m half cabin, hydraulic steering, new transom 2010.
2008 Mercury 60HP 4-stroke with new power head, recent 100hr service.

No trailer.

$5500 neg
 
John Morgan
0416 733 147




   
Join SIRA
You can now join the Scotland Island Residents Association by clicking here. Please print the page and return the completed form to SIRA at this address:
The Treasurer, SIRA, PO Box 70, Church Point 2105.
Please NO CASH.

Contact SIRA at
 sirapittwater@gmail.com
Join WPCA
To join the Western Pittwater Community Association, contact Michael Wiener at
m2wiener@bigpond.net.au

Archived Newsletters
A complete set of past electronic newsletters since May 2000 can be found and read at https://ymlp.com/archive_gesgjgm.php  or by clicking here or by visiting the Mona Vale Library.

The Island website is at www.scotlandisland.org.au


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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)


Newsletter Design:Paul Purvis [0403-442-764]