- July 2001 -
Volume 2, Issue 17; July 2001
Editorial:
"Whether it's the opening of parliament or the launch of a new art gallery, there is no Australian event that cannot be improved by a sausage sizzle." I read this somewhere recently and thought I might share it with you. As I write this editorial we are enjoying some of the best weather I can remember in my 22 years on the island. We have had little rain recently and I guess some of you are struggling with water. One day we may have town water! And a special welcome this month to Stephen Taylor and others from Mackeral Beach, who are joining our electronic newsletter. You will note a small change this month. On the right hand side of the newsletter there are little up-arrows. Clicking on these will take you to the top of the page.
In this Issue:
The Pasadena Meeting
Nearly 100
residents turned up at the public meeting held on Sunday June 24th to hear a
number of speakers give us the pros and cons of the proposed Pasadena
development.
Many valuable
comments were made, and SIRA is nor evaluating all the options suggested for
presentation to council. A workgroup was formed, headed by Karen Lambert, who
are going to summarize the findings of the meeting. The picture to the right
shows just some of the crowd,
and many had to stand on the stairs outside to hear the speakers. If you have
anything more you wish to add, you can contact Karen on +61-2-9372-8516
Parking in Mona Vale
Council have proposed a major shift in emphasis for parking in Mona Vale. If you would like to read more of their plans, or want to contribute to the discussion about this subject, you can click here to visit the Pittwater Council website.
Mayoral Message
The following message has arrived on the editor's desk in recent days, from our mayor:
"Most Pittwater
residents are very aware that we live in a special area, and our primary
concern is related to the impact of development
on the amenity, character and biodiversity of Pittwater. Everyone is
concerned with biodiversity conservation. We are fortunate in Pittwater to
have community representation on many of Council's environment-related
committees, ensuring an ongoing dialogue. It is good to see that the charter
of Local Government in NSW now includes the duty to “properly manage,
protect, enhance and conserve the environment with the principles of
ecologically sustainable development”. Pittwater
Council has been working along these lines for a long time and will continue
to do so.
Mona
Vale Library online - own website
You can now access
library information either directly at this new site (by
clicking here), or through the Pittwater
website - www.pittwaterlga.com.au. Either way you can…
- Go to the Our Catalogue link to see what
books are in the library and whether they are available to borrow, or just to
reserve a book
- Go to the Community Information link to learn
about community organisations and activities, eg dance, yoga, computer
courses, local schools & pre-schools, or just have a browse on the
database.
- Check out our HSC Resources via the HSC link.
- Discover the history of Pittwater either through the Pittwater website at
www.pittwaterlga.com.au, through the hyperlink on www.pittlink.net, or via the
new Pittwater Local Studies website at
www.pittlink.net/ls, which is packed with historical information about local
people and places, memories, readings, book lists, images, maps and links to
other sites.
Bushfire
Awareness – Prepare for Summer!
Living in an area surrounded by bushland means living with the threat of bushfires. There are many ways in which residents can reduce bushfire hazard on their own properties
- Comply with Australian Standard AS 3959-1999 “Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas”
- Maintain a “fuel
free zone” in the yard around the house
- Rake leaves, bark from around the house
- Remove boxes, wood piles, flammable liquids, etc from under/around the house
- Clean gutters
- Lop dead branches overhanging the roof (if less than 10% of the canopy, no approval is required)
- Enclose open areas under the house
- Install metal roller shutters
- Replace plastic insect screens with metal mesh screens
- Check that taps, hoses, pumps and sprinklers are ready for use
- Report illegal dumping of rubbish, branches or grass clippings to Council, as these can all create “hot spot” burning
- Plant fire retardant trees, eg smooth-barked trees such as Angophoras and Scribbly Gums, or rainforest trees such as Lillypillies and Cheese Trees. Trees can actually help protect a house from windborne embers. For more information on how to help reduce bushfire hazard, please call the Warringah Pittwater Rural Fire Service on 9450 3000, or Valerie Tulk at Council on 9970 1364.
Spot Reminders
- "Christmas in July" dinner to be held on Saturday, 21 July 2001.
- The Scotland Island Fair is on Sunday, 25 November 2001.
- Scotland Island Directory Supplement closes July 31st
- Pasadena - please fax
back your replies to the questionnaire by July 27th
Scotland
Island & Western Foreshores Locality Plan
Council at its meeting
on 25 June 2001 resolved to publicly exhibit Draft DCP No LP 19 – Scotland
Island and Western Foreshores Locality Plan. This plan will be on exhibition
until Friday 27 July 2001 at Council’s offices at Level 2, 11/5 Vuko Place,
Warriewood; Avalon and Mona Vale Libraries. A copy is also available on
the Internet at www.pittwaterlga.com.au
under “Exhibitions”. Written submissions on the proposal are invited to
reach the General Manager by Monday 30 July 2001. Enquiries: Joanne
Marshall 9970 1138 Tues–Thurs, or Caroline Kades 9970 1159.
Sydney Water is holding
a Household Chemical Collection at Rowland Reserve, Pittwater Road, Bayview on
the weekend of 14 & 15 July 2001. The collection will assist householders
to dispose of chemicals which may be hazardous to the environment, your
family, garbage collectors and operators of the sewage system. Collection
times on both days are from 10am to 3pm. A maximum of 20 litres or 20
kilograms applies unless prior arrangements have been made by calling
1800-814-719.
A vacancy exists for drivers of the Island Community Vehicle. Qualifications: Some spare time, an 'ordinary and current' licence and a desire to contribute to the community. Training will be provided for the successful applicants.
As many will have noticed, Catherine Park, next to Tennis Wharf, is not looking well. This is the result of being a little overloved by bikes and 4xD vehicles plus poor drainage and other matters. A group of concerned residents, lead by Jennifer Knox is taking steps to coordinate a plan of action, with the cooperation off Les Munn from Council.
Geoff Page and Bill Gye have been working on a computer model to highlight the black spots on our so-called road system. They have identified the worst areas, categorised them based on the threat to life and limb and are now delivering these results to Council. Council will surely be concerned about their public liability....
At a recent meeting attended by some 220 concerned voters, plans were made to take strong action to redress the inequality of jetty owners paying for the same privileges that mainland residents get for free - that is - being able to park your boat (car) outside your home for free. If you would like more information about this, please contact Greg Roberts (whose profile was spotted recently in the SMH!) on 9979-9599.
As our
newsletter continues to grow (now more than 450 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 electronic
newsletter's editor.
Local Real Estate Agents:
- Botham Real Estate
- Ferry Wharf Real Estate
- PMC Hill (subscribe to their newsletter here)
Government Organisations:
- Local Pittwater Council, or email them by clicking here.
- State: John Brogden, Member for Pittwater, or email him by clicking here
- Federal: Bronwyn Bishop, Member for Mackellar, or email her by clicking here
Local Transport:
- Buses and Ferries: Sydney Buses and Ferries
- Water Taxi: Pink Water Taxi
- Church Point Ferries (02) 9999-3492
- Scotland Island Community Vehicle 1800-069-592
- Land Taxi Manly Warringah Cabs (02) 9997-9111
Airlines, Buses and Railways
|
Sydney Airport: Arrivals and Departures |
Qantas Information |
|
Ansett Information |
Virgin Blue Information |
|
NSW Railway Timetables and Information. |
Sydney Buses information. |
Tides for this week and month for Scotland Island:
Join the Scotland Island Residents Association
You can now join SIRA by clicking here. Please print the page you see and return the completed form to SIRA at this address:
The Treasurer, SIRA, PO Box 70, Church Point 2105. Please NO CASH. If you wish to pay in cash, contact the treasurer, Shirley Page on (02) 9997-1875 to arrange collection/delivery.
A complete set of all past electronic newsletters can be found and read by clicking here
Spread the Word:
The future of this newsletter is in your hands. More than 450 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 (or leave) or go to following address:
http://members.optushome.com.au/sira
Great Internet Sites to Visit:
- Lost touch with school friends? This site (recommended by a well known Scotland Island identity) lets you catch up with friends from school. You register the details of schools you attended and the year and it comes up with everyone registered for that school and the year they left. You can email people direct from the site or advertise/find out about school reunions. Click here
- Looking for a game of marbles. One of the finest online games, so simple, so addictive! Try it here
- That no-pressure time of year :) - the HSC exams - is fast approaching and the Board of Studies has launched this year's info on the Web. Enter "The Reading Room" for a list of all the available documents, including timetables, past exam papers and statistics about the performance of past students with which you can torture yourself for hours. Good luck. Click here
- Visit a great historical view of Scotland Island, as collected by out local Pittwater library, by clicking here
Finally:
If you would like to contribute to this newsletter it's really simple. Just 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 go to this site: http://members.optushome.com.au/sira
If you have any comments about the design of this newsletter, please feel free to e-mail the designer & editor by clicking here.
The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Scotland Island Residents Association Committee.
