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Newsletter
for
Offshore Residents
of Pittwater, Australia - Volume 11, Issue 459
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Editorial A big congratulations to Gerg Roberts for receiving an award for the category of ‘Sustainability in Design’ from Pittwater Council for his Photovoltaic installation to his boat shed. As the first PV bulk buy program last year was so successful, an additional program is currently being arranged and will be available for all Pittwater householders soon - see the whole article below. Gwyn Perkins would like to thank all the Scotland Island Dog Race T-shirt buyers, $500 went to SI Brigade, same to Western Forshores Brigade. You can now directly access the LOCAL GUIDE Community Information section, which resides at the bottom of the main monthly PON, by using this LINK. The link will be now a permanent fixture at the bottom of ALL newsletters thereby enabling a quick way of getting to our local community information. If you feel there are additional entries that should made, or changes to existing information required, do let me know. Just bear in mind that these entries should be specific to our community. (Anne your idea finally got up and running - thank you) Also our resident master stonemason and sculptor Damian has submitted an article about sandstone which you will find most interesting - many thanks Damian Enjoy Contents
Pittwater Council Sustainability Award Greg Roberts - Scotland Island Greg Roberts has recently received an award for the category ‘Sustainability in Design’, announced at the special dinner organised by Pittwater Council for participating householders. The presentation was made by Mayor Harvey Rose. The winner of the “Single Residential Dwelling – New” category was Graeme Jessup and Barbara Elkan with their superbly designed new home in Mona Vale. The 1.4 kW solar PV system provides 60% of their annual electricity use, and revenue from the sale of exported electricity will more than offset the cost of imported electricity now that the new state government gross feed-in tariff of 60c/kWh has started this year. the house was finished). For winter heating hot water supplied from a heat pump is circulated through their 15,000 litre rainwater tank has provided over 90% of their water needs over the last two years (since piping in the concrete floor slab in the living area, and solar PV panels provide power for the heat pump. A gas boosted solar hot water system provides all their hot water in the summer and about half their hot water needs in the winter. Plantation grown shadowline eco-cladding and spotted gum hardwood panels are used for external walls, and the garden is landscaped with indigenous native plants.  It is an excellent example of the thrust of the Pittwater 2020 Strategic Plan, as developed over 5 years by Council and the Pittwater community – to have homeowners in Pittwater move towards a significant level of Sustainability, for renovations, new houses and landscaping. The key points of Greg’s PV installation design included the ability to adjust the angle of the panels from Summer to Winter to maximise their efficiency. Also to act as a sunshade to control the internal temperature of the boat shed. Further, the installation was planned to work with the rectangular window shapes of well-known architect Ken Woolley’s design of the house (see photo) Mayor Harvey Rose stated, in his presentation speech, that his hope was that the Pittwater Sustainability Awards will ‘serve as an encouragement to others to follow a more sustainable lifestyle, both at work and at home’. Further Solar PV System Promotion for Pittwater Following the success of the first PV bulk buy program last year, an additional program is currently being arranged and will be available for all Pittwater householders. The program will make maximum use of the Federal Government plan and benefit from the initiative by the State Government to pay 60 cents a kilowatt hour for ALL power generated by households - the best deal of all the States.  Pittwater Offshore Community Breakfast to Celebrate International Woman's Day
Numbers limited so please book early and don’t miss this special event Fresco Workshop Learn the ancient art of fresco painting with Tracy Smith. 
Time 10.00 - 4.00 Cost $120 (All materials included) For further details contact Tracy Smith 0400311157 tsmith@estudioeditions.com.au www.tracysmith.com.au     With thanks to BaysNews A Short History of Sandstone (and how to not abuse it) Do you have some sandstone at your place? Are you unsure of the best way to use it? Not sure of the best way to design for sandstone? Here's some of Damian's tips for designing and building with stone. Sydney is built on stone, mega-tonnes of sandstone. Nowhere is this more visible than Pittwater. Apart from trees, dirt and water what else is there? Sandstone peppers our hillsides, structures our cliffs, stubs our toes and silts our beaches. This place is literally made of the stuff. It is natural then that many of us choose to use sandstone in our homes, gardens and in our personal expressions to the world. Is this an over-statement? What do we use as a material to say something in public? These days it's either an aluminium sign or a sculpture - in sandstone. So many parks in Pittwater now proudly exhibit sandstone images of indigenous locals, historic British explorers, fauna or flora. But why is it that we love sandstone so much? Certainly it's natural. It's semi-permanent. And it has a variety of interesting colours, textures and shapes. But most of all, I believe it's because it's here. It's part of our place, our memory. It is so deep in our expectation it may just own us. I first worked with sandstone over three decades ago when I was at school. I loved it then. And now, as a stonemason I love it still, and curse it sometimes too. Relating with one material on a daily basis is a little like marriage. It is regularly humbling, occasionally frustrating but always 'interesting'. Or it should be. But I digress. Constant contact with this beautiful material sharpens the senses towards what are the best and "less than best" uses for it. Firstly, like my wife, stone is very forgiving. After the choice is made to include sandstone in the first place, comes our choices of how to use (or abuse) it. Now while stone may forgive many of our ignorances, we may not forgive ourselves when, with hindsight, we look back at what we 'felt sure' would be its best use. Many an architect, sculptor or designer looks back at his or her early work and shudders. "It seemed like a great idea at the time". Full of imaginative bliss and practical ignorance, the nieve march in - to learn design lessons the hard way. Here's a few things about the use of sandstone that I've learnt - some of it the hard way. "It is what it is"- This quip from a now departed stonemason mate of mine is wiser than it first looks. Sandstone has certain qualities and limitations and these must be respected before deciding what you can ask it to do for you. Sandstone is a porous , sedimentary stone, strong in compression but weak in tension. It suits many applications such as walls, paths and sculpture. But equally it is unsuitable for others such as kitchen benches and bathroom tiling. Tip : Before you "tell" the stone anything - ask what it can do for you. "Design with (and not against) sandstone" Similar to above - let the stone inform you. If you have a pile of 'ugly' rocks and a desire for a 'pretty' wall, the two thoughts may not be related. Let the shape of the stones inform what you do with them. Pick a few stones and try to build a wall with them. If they don't form the wall you want without excessive effort* , then sell the lot - or easier, give them away. Then you are free to buy , process and build the stone wall (or path) that you really want. * More than an hour per stone is way too much effort - stonemasons spend only minutes processing and building some stones. Tip : It is possible to fashion 'a silk purse out of a sow's ear' but it is silly to pay the pig twice the price of silk. "You don't necessarily get an 'old-stone' look by just finding and building with some 'old stone" The essential thing in creating the look of a particular period or age of stone is - appropriate craft. It is not the 'old' colour that is most important. It is the matching of shape, texture and the methods to get these, that creates a certain age or period effect. Often people who say they want 'old" stone really mean that they don't want new, clean, thin, sawn stone. This is definition by a negative. The reality is that the shaping craft and tools employed on a stone affects its look and 'feel' much more than the year it was quarried out of the ground. Tip : Consider the ideal shape and texture more than the colour or 'age' of stone. (All stone is the same age, i.e. a heck of a lot older than any of us) "Imported 'sandstone' is not east-coast Australian sandstone" The market is awash with some imported stones. But did you know that Australia has some of the most beautiful sandstone varieties in the world? Heritage grade Pyrmont (Sydney) and Guinea Gold (Central Coast) are two varieties that even European-born stonemasons appreciate for their superior quality. There are quality imports as well but they don't necessarily "go with" our local sandstone. And the vast majority of imported stones are cut thinly for sink benches, pavers or tiling. You can't make a solid wall out of tiles. Tip : Be careful choosing imported stones for local applications. It has uses. I have some in my home. But it has to be used carefully especially on external walls or in gardens. If you cannot afford 'real' stone doesn't it make sense to use reconstituted, man-made "sandstone"? The less I say here the better. We use reconstituted "stone" in the repair of some stones and it is true that it can look very realistic - but a whole wall of it? Would you spend a working day planting a garden out with some beautiful, very realistic, plastic palms? Tip : If stone is too expensive -rendered brick is cheaper. And paling fences are cheaper than brick ones. All these choices are legitimate. "Just glueing some stone tiles onto a brick wall will make it look like a solid stone wall, won't it?" Maybe, until the eye reaches the corner and the 75mm, 50mm or 30mm thin tile edge is exposed. Then it will look like what it is - a wall with some skinny bits of stone "tacked on". There are ways to clad walls to look solid but they require special skills and equipment (and some money). Tip : If you want a cladding detail that makes your wall really look "solid" (even when it isn't), best consult a stone craftsman. "However long it takes to build you have to look at it a lot longer" One thing my clients often comment on is "how hard" and "how long" stonemasonry takes. "There's a lot in it isn't there?" they say, before they remember "You told us that, didn't you?" A hastily detailed stone wall stays that way for a long time. And it still costs money. Think about spending a little more to get the wall you really want. Or, if the budget can't stretch, reduce the area of wall. Stone is heavy to dismantle as it is to assemble. So you probably won't replace it once you've built it. So build it to like it! And if a stone wall is off budget consider a rendered brick one with a quality stone capping detail. (Again, don't get cheap with the stone cap!) Tip : Economize on quantity not quality. Better to craft a small wall well than a big wall cheap. Stonemasonry is a heavy, sometimes difficult and often a time-consuming craft. But it is uniquely satisfying for the professional, the handy person and home-owners alike. But especially for the owners. They can see, admire and touch it every day. I have written in the hope that these owners might be saved unnecessary concern or expense. If you have any sandstone design questions, ask Damian by email - damianmonk@optusnet.com.au web-site is at www.thingsofstoneandwater.com.au International Women's Day Breakfast Tuesday 9th March  Zonta Supporters, Attached is the flyer for our International Women’s Day Breakfast which will be held on Tuesday 9th March. Those of you who attended last year know what a great morning it was. This year, our guest speaker will be Marie Dayton (a short bio is on the flyer). For those of you who receive a copy of the Pittwater Life, there will be an article about Marie in the February edition. There will also be a short article on the Newsletter accompanying the Pittwater Rate Notices. Please book early as places are limited and the Breakfast is usually booked out some weeks before the day. We would be disappointed if you could not be accommodated. If you know of anyone else who may be interested to come, please feel free to send on this flyer. Click image to
load flyer
I hope you can join us.Tricia Haines Zonta Club of Northern Beaches  Local Council Notices Pittwater's Australia Day Award Winners Announced The winners of the 2010 Pittwater Australia Day Awards were announced at Australia Day celebrations at Bert Payne Reserve, Newport Beach. This year there were five award categories under which nominees were selected; the Senior Citizen of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year and Community Event of the Year. The awards were presented by Pittwater’s Australia Day Ambassador, Elaine Henry OAM, CEO of The Smith Family. Bob and Robin Head were the recipients of the Senior Citizens of the Year. They have been heavily involved in working voluntarily for the Palm Beach Golf Club for many years, including voluntary positions at Avalon Surf Life Saving Club as well as meals on wheels. This dynamic duo first came to Palm Beach Golf Club when its financial position was in a fairly dire state. The couple worked extraordinary hours in a voluntary capacity to turn things around. With their drive and hard work the club now employs extra staff and a General Manager. Their efforts contributed to saving a golf club that is an integral part of Pittwater. Mona Vale resident Jo Brigden-Jones has been recognised as Pittwater’s Sportsperson of the Year. Jo has already made her mark on the international kayaking scene. A resident of Mona Vale she returned from her first Senior World Championship with a fifth in the K4 relay, 6th in the K4 200m, 8th in the premier event K1 500m and 7th in the K1 1000m. It is understood that no other Australian female has ever qualified for four finals at their maiden appearance at the world titles. This talented sportswoman looks like she is well on her way to competing in the London Olympics with medals in her sights. Pittwater Young Citizen of the Year is Avalon’s Charlie Westhoff. Charlie has been performing since he was three years old and is an accomplished violinist and singer. He has performed at the Sydney Opera House, the Conservatorium of Music, the University of NSW and the Sydney Entertainment Centre. He was also one of the stars of the 2008 School Spectacular and is a member of the Northern Beaches Youth Orchestra. Charlie was Avalon Primary’s school captain in 2008 and won a music scholarship to the Shore School where he is now a student. His most recent performance was in front of the NSW Governor Professor Marie Bashir during her recent visit to Pittwater. The Pittwater Community Event of the Year was awarded to the North Narrabeen learn-to-swim program. Staffed entirely by volunteers, the program has operated for close to 45 years at North Narrabeen rock pool. Through the driving force of this group of dedicated volunteers the program has operated continuously during this time, teaching pre-schoolers and other children the fundamentals of swimming in an ocean rock pool. All instructors have obtained accreditation on a voluntary basis, paying for their own tuition and insurance. The learn-to-swim instructors volunteer their services every Saturday morning from November to March at the rock pool come rain or shine! Currently there are 94 registered children with the program. The standard of nominations received for Pittwater Citizen of the Year was exceptionally high. As a consequence two winners received an award, namely Shane Withington and Gordon Lang. Shane Withington received his award for leadership of a campaign to save Currawong from inappropriate development. Shane has been the leader and key figure of this campaign for 15 years. He has spent literally thousands of hours lobbying, persuading, negotiating and raising awareness to secure the protection of Currawong. His efforts have been unrelenting. So much so, that his daughter once said fondly that there are four people in the family namely, mother, father, daughter and Currawong! Though the future of Currawong is still to be finally decided, the heritage listing of the site will ensure that any development will be limited and in line with the historic and environmental values of the site. Joint winner of Pittwater’s Citizen of the Year is Gordon Lang. Gordon received the award for services to surf life saving on the northern beaches for over 40 years. An active patroller for many years, he became President of Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club. He then moved to Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches as a board member and President of this important organisation. Both these positions are voluntary. Gordon has been organising and running part of The Spastic Centre’s 20/Twenty Challenge Fundraiser since 2006. He averages between 20 to 40 hours a week in unpaid duties on surf life saving and community work. During the presentation on Australia Day Mayor Harvey Rose extended his thanks to the individuals involved for their contribution to the Pittwater community. “I’m extremely proud of these great people whose involvement makes a difference to so many,” he said. Media contact: Community Relations, Pittwater Council Ph: 9970 1119 or 9970 1172 Public Meeting on Draft Enforcement Policy Pittwater Council will hold a public meeting in early February to discuss its new enforcement policy. The draft Compliance, Enforcement and Orders Policy was on exhibition during November last year for public comment. The policy aims to make the enforcement process consistent and transparent and deals with the Council’s responsibilities and processes for enforcing legislation on swimming pools, dangerous dogs, development controls, parking and environmental pollution, among others. The Council’s General Manager Mark Ferguson said the Council had decided to revise its policy to assist officers in making decisions on whether to issue a fine or other infringement notice. “The policy also sets out a framework for officers to respond to complaints from the public,” he said. Under the policy, ‘urgent or life-threatening’ matters such as unsafe buildings, food poisoning as a result of contaminated food sold to the public, dog attacks, evidence of asbestos on public or private land, abandoned vehicles in an unsafe position and pollution spills would be investigated urgently and where possible on the day they are notified to the Council. ‘General complaints’ such as alleged unlawful building work, roaming dogs, noise complaints and abandoned vehicles would be investigated within 10-15 days and ‘nuisance matters’ such as overgrown land would be investigated following a complaint within 15 to 20 working days. Mr Ferguson said responding to complaints was an important aspect of the Council’s enforcement process, but establishing the seriousness of the complaint would assist officers such as rangers in managing their workloads. “With Pittwater being 125 square kilometres in size, our rangers and other compliance officers have a lot of ground to cover,” Mr Ferguson said. The public meeting will be held at Newport Community Centre on Wednesday 3 February between 6pm and 7.30pm. After a presentation on the new policy Council officers will be available to take questions from the public. The draft policy can be viewed on the Council’s website at http://www.pittwater.nsw.gov.au/council/documents_on_ex Following consultation with the public a final version of the policy will be presented to the Council for consideration by March. Media contact: Jeff Lofts, Pittwater Council Ph: 9970 1136 Author Talk at Mona Vale Library Sempre Con Te (Always with you) Stories of separation and reunion of Italian women from the Northern Beaches of Sydney (1920 – 1970)  Sempre Con Te poignantly expresses the pain of the separation and the joy of the reunion…Concetta Cirigliano Perna Sempre Con Te (Always with you) is a new publication that tells the fascinating and very personal stories of Italian women who migrated to Sydney’s Northern beaches during the early 20th century. The publication documents a period between 1920 and 1970 where much of the migration to Sydney from Italy was by ‘chain migration’. When someone became successfully established in Australia they would nominate other family members of their home town to come out. During this time, more than 1,000 women migrated to the Northern Beaches through this process. Sempre Con Te reveals the stories of nine of these women, all from the harsh rural area of Calabria, who came to settle in the Northern Beaches suburbs of Dee Why, Beacon Hill, Brookvale and Narrabeen. Through family mementoes, photographs and treasured objects, their stories describe the pain of separation, the bewilderment of settling in a different country, the struggle to set up a new life (often with a husband they had not met before) and the joy of being reunited with family and friends in the years that followed. For more than eighty years, Italians who have settled on the Northern Beaches have made a wonderful contribution to the development of the area. The majority came with the intention of staying for a few years, making some money and returning home. When they realised that life in Australia had a great deal to offer they began to put down roots. With hard work and good fortune they were free to enjoy life to the fullest, and have made many positive contributions to the Northern Beaches community. Sempre Con Te is the result of five years of work by a group of women from the Northern Beaches Italian Community and is published in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum’s New South Wales Migration Heritage Centre. Published by: New South Wales Migration Heritage Centre, Powerhouse Museum Purchase: Available from powerhousemuseum.com/publications or at the Museum shop, $49.95 (incl GST). Booking essential and payment within 3 days of booking, tel. 9970 1600, Cost $7.50, $5.50 concession for Friends of Mona Vale Library, Pensioners, Students. Light refreshments served Catherine Buddin Events & Promotions Librarian Mona Vale Library Park St Mona Vale NSW 2103 tel 9970 1600 or 9970 1605 fax 9979 1465 catherine_buddin@pittwater.nsw.gov.au Notice of Meeting Scotland Island Players AGM and Barbie Sun. 7 Feb. at 4pm What: Players AGM, planning meeting and barbie When: Sunday 7 February at 4:00pm Where: Catherine Park at the BBQ (we will go into the hall if it's raining) Bring: "Sharing food" and drink, kids, dogs etc. Agenda: Welcome Apologies President's Report 2009 (Lizzie) Treasurer's Report 2009 (Bob) Election of President, Treasurer etc. Planning 2010 ("Mixed Doubles" dates and new proposed activities) Barbie Any questions phone Kez on 9999 4092 New members welcome (especially guys!) Comedy Acts Wanted If you can see the humorous side of life & would like to share your view of it, put together a 5 to 10 minute act, practice, practice & present it to our panel of judges (only to ensure content is not TOO outrageous) for our show, tentatively listed for 27 March in the Scotland Island hall. Our feature comic will be Gareth Macready who has been performing his comedy act world wide while based in Japan. Gareth started 'THE HOUSE OF COMEDY', in Brisbane many years ago when hehehe was known as Butch Read . Hack comedian Harry Viderci (aka Larry Woods) will probably dust off his routine from 30 years ago & act ass M.C. Enquiries to larrywoods51@hotmail.com Gareth past performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tmiGoFo_Fo Yoga Classes Thursday night yoga class starting again January 28 Dominique Marill will be teaching her Anusara yoga classes on the island again this year. Start date: January 28, Thursday Time: Thursdays 7-8:30 pm Cost: $120 for attending six out of ten classes; or $22 dollars casual; plus $2 for hire of mats, blankets, straps etc. Where: Community Hall If you have any questions, call Carol Floyd on 9997 2035 or 0407 066 419 Mino Francis on 0421 762236. You can also check out Mino's style of teaching on http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/therapist/2637 Commuter Boat Insurance I have just recently had to obtain insurance for our commuter boat, so I thought I would share my experience. The following companies do not offer insurance for commuter boats: NRMA, QBE, Club Marine (which is underwritten by Allianz, and also offers it’s boat insurance via Whitworths), GIO (GIO used to but stopped about a year ago). The only companies that I could find that would are CGU & AON (AON is underwritten by CGU). Both offer the same premiums, but AON will give you a no claim discount if you’ve held boat insurance in the past, whereas CGU will only do this if the boat insurance has been held continuously up until you obtain a policy with them. Iza Foster Tides Looking for a good Local Tide Chart? Have you often wanted to know what the height the tide will be at a particular time - well Paul Purvis found this great website, showing tide details around Scotland Island. The Tibe Curve is great as it shows the time and height of the tide as you run your mouse pointer over the curve. http://tides.willyweather.com.au/nsw/sydney/scotland-island.html For Sale If you have something for sale that you think locals would like - let us know and we will put an entry in the PON at the beginning of each month... Free Hills Swing Set Free Hills swing set (must be able to remove on site) Phone: Melissa 0405 260 266. Office Space with Commuter Berth and Parking Offshore Residents of Pittwater, have you considered a semi serviced office at Newport, we have the unique package of a small office, a berth for a good quality commuter boat plus car parking for 1 car, at our amazing, secure and private Princes Street Marina. Call Diane Kuhl for a personal custom tour of what this package includes Princes Street Marina 16 Princes Street Newport 9979 9266 The Local Guide Community Information
Transport
Real Estate
Services, Clubs & Accommodation
Island Classes (Fitness, Dance, Art etc)
Groups
Government Organisations
Airlines, Buses and Railways
Weather Scotland Island Tides, Moon phases, Sun rise & set Local Weather Forecast Radar weather for Sydney (128k circle) Emergency Contact Numbers
Archived Newsletters A complete set of past electronic newsletters since May 2000 can be found and read at https://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive.php?sira or by clicking here or by visiting the Mona Vale Library. The Island website is at www.scotlandisland.org.au To Contribute If you would like to contribute to this newsletter it's easy!. Send an e-mail to the editor (editor@scotlandisland.org.au) or by clicking here. Type your contribution (100 words or so 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, it will appear next month. Subscription Information To get on and off this newsletter, click here or got to: http://www.scotlandisland.org.au/signup . To change your address, click the 'modify' link at the bottom of this newsletter or send an email to the editor@scotlandisland.org.au The Local Guide - Community Information 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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