The Northern Beaches Council has plans for Scotland Island’s Catherine Park. NBC say they aim to:

• improve and enhance existing facilities;
• manage vehicles and water craft within the park;
• address drainage issues.

To view the Council’s draft Landscape Improvements Plan, click here.

The NBC is inviting feedback. You can comment by:

• completing the comment form, which is available at the bottom of the council’s web page: click here
• email the council at council@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au
• write to them marked 'Catherine Park, Scotland Island - Draft Landscape Improvements Plan', Northern Beaches Council, PO Box 82, Manly NSW 1655.

Deadline for comments: Sunday 29 January.

In the opinion piece below, some islanders present their views on the council’s plans, as well as some alternative suggestions. The same islanders invite residents to meet in the park for an informal chat about what is proposed. They will gather near the beach on:

• Saturday 7 January, 10 am
• Saturday 21 January, 10 am.  

For those who live nearby, Catherine Park is the landscape of our daily lives. We revel in the beauty which surrounds us. For all of us, it’s the place where the community comes together. 

We are locals who love the park, have studied the council’s draft Landscape Improvements Plan in detail and are concerned about its overall impact. The plan contains proposed works which are welcome and needed, such as improvements to drainage, the grassed area, paths, steps and playground. However, there are many other proposals which need careful consideration as to whether we really want them.

Our concerns fall into two groups:

Wide paths of 2.0m and 2.5m surfaced with crushed gravel and concrete, sandstone block wall on beach, three kayak racks, kayak ramp, extra paving and concrete, exercise equipment, altered playground area.

2. Formalised foreshore access for small vehicles along path and onto beach
Access for any small vehicles (buggies, mobility scooters, motor or quad bikes) leads to a more formal, constructed foreshore with larger concrete landing at wharf junction, 2.5m path and 7.5m turning circle extending over the beach. Pedestrians, playing children and vehicles will all be using the same small prime area.

What makes the park so charming is its stunning location, sandy beaches and informal, tucked away, natural character. Together, these works would significantly change the look and feel of Catherine Park, especially along the foreshore. It would be a more standard suburban park. But unlike other local beaches or paths, small private vehicles would be allowed to drive along part of this recreational and pedestrian space.

We instead suggest that an extended parking area above the phone box in Pitt View St would be a much better option for all of us, including buggy drivers. The foreshore could then be a beautiful and safe place to walk, chat and relax.

Interested? Our views and suggestions are explained more fully in our submission paper, available here.

We encourage you to look at the council's plans and submit your own comments to council (see above for how to do this). We also welcome you to join us in the park to chat about the plans: we will be there 10 am, Saturday 7 & 21 January. You are also welcome to email us at jennifercullen57@gmail.com.

 

The Two Catherines Café staff, sporting their new aprons made by an island seamstress. Photos courtesy of Oneill Photographics

This year has seen a surge in social and cultural activities on Scotland Island. Our most successful ongoing initiative has been the Two Catherines Café, initially managed by Melinda Ham and still flourishing under CB Floyd. We are very proud of the 8-10 young people who have been trained and employed at the café. This important community gathering wouldn’t happen without our committed baristas, Maddy Banfield, Oscar Golovachenko and Cam Eilbeck, and the wonderful island bakers. At each café we have an amazing array of home-cooked sweet and savoury items, all pulled together by the enigmatic Amber Ellis. At the last café of the year there were Christmas market stalls where local makers and artists sold their works.

May Blackband, Ziggy Gregg & Rosie Dobbs help with weeding as part of the Spring Garden Festival

Financials
Though the café is now monthly, we have made a small profit ($1,243) so far this financial year. Last year the café experienced a loss of $2,146, due to several below-break-even winter cafés. Ticket sales also figure in Recreation Club income. This year the Recreation Club income has been used for a number of things, including.

• to hire a playwright to write a script for our upcoming plays: The Two Catherines: A Twisted Scotland Island Tale;
• to purchase aprons for staff from an island seamstress;
• to pay café staff and bakers;
• to buy supplies and equipment for the café.

A full accounting of yearly Recreation Club income and expenses since inception is available to view here. The next proposed purchase will be sound equipment, so that we no longer need to borrow equipment for events.

Cultural and musical events
The Club has hosted four outstanding concerts:

• Jazz by Markus Plattner and Friends;
• Love Letters by Katya Marden and Barry Quin;
• a music trivia night;
• ‘An Evening of Jazz’ with Jeremy Sala’s Catch Club Trio.

Markus Plattner was among the musicians who performed on the island, thanks to the Recreation Club

All of these events have paid for themselves out of ticket sales.

The Recreation Centre has just become the proud owner of a Yamaha Clavinova electronic keyboard, donated by Therese Bakker. We extend our sincere thanks to Therese for her generous gift to the island community, and to Lucy Gregg and David Richards for transporting it. The Recreation Centre will now be available for piano lessons and musical functions.

The play The Two Catherines: A Twisted Scotland Island Tale will be staged in the last two weekends in June 2023. We have filled most of the acting roles but there is still room for more people to join the chorus, so please come forward. We also need a costume manager. It is anticipated that the cost of developing and mounting the play will be fully covered by ticket sales for six performances and sponsorships.

Other Recreation Club activities and events
For those who enjoy being active, we have provided table tennis every Saturday afternoon, including an hour for novices. The latter hasn’t been well supported - we welcome feedback on other time preferences. Roy Baker also conducted the second Scotland Island race/walk around the island – much fun was had by all.

International folk dancing continues to attract a small bunch of dedicated dancers on the last Saturday evening of each month. Many thanks go to Branko and Annabelle Kristevic, who have introduced us to an exotic range of dances from all over the world. We welcome new participants!

Tim Turpin and Tyler Ratcliff helping to repaint the Recreation Centre

Our Newcomers’ Welcomes, hosted by Rosemary Haskell and Gail Mackenzie, have been very successful as a means of providing much-needed information to people new to the island. The slides have been uploaded to the SIRA website and are always available for people to refer to.

We introduced several new initiatives this year to try to cater to different interests and needs. These include:

• two boat maintenance workshops provided by Simon Tucker on outboard basics;
• the monthly Tuesday Discussion Group, initiated by Roy Baker and Jane Rich, with participants taking turns to select a topic for discussion and providing a list of relevant reading materials. So far topics have covered refugee and asylum issues, the nature of cartoons, the story behind Gone with the Wind, and more. It is a diverse group that meets at 11.00 am on the third Tuesday of each month.

Renovation of the Recreation Centre
Funded by a Community Building Partnerships Grant from the NSW Government and over $16,000 in-kind contributions from the NBC, the Recreation Centre is getting a new lease of life with a new kitchen and bathroom.

Many thanks go to the volunteers who have helped in this process:

• Tim Turpin, Gerard Le Sueur (a recent arrival to the island), Vinni Wray, Boyd Attewell, Tyler Ratcliff and Antonia Swift painted the rooms.
• Shane May, Tim Turpin and Cass Gye helped to transport new appliances into the Centre.

Council will now complete the new bathroom and island volunteers will install the kitchen.

And finally, special thanks go to CB Floyd and Roy Baker for their input into the Recreation Club. If you would like to join the sub-committee, please contact Robyn Iredale via rriredale@gmail.com. If you have an idea for a new activity/initiative please put it forward to anyone on the Recreation sub-committee. You can see who is on the sub-committee by clicking here.

Scotland Island's Elizabeth Park contains remnants of Spotted Gum forest, an endangered ecological community.

As a result of Scotland Island's very successful Spring Garden Festival last October, many of us have become more aware of the natural heritage surrounding us – and of the weeds that can impact it. But things have been happening – and you can help! 

You may not realise it, but Scotland Island’s Catherine Park bushcare group recently wrapped up an environmental grant of $3,000 received from Northern Beaches Council. The aim of the grant project was to build upon the existing efforts of bushcare volunteers to protect and restore the remnant Pittwater and Wagstaffe Spotted Gum Forest, an Endangered Ecological Community (EEC). Scotland Island is home to part of this EEC.

This grant funded bush-regeneration contractors to conduct weed removal works at Catherine Park and Fitzpatrick Reserve, on the western side of the island. Both sites are important green corridors that connect remnant bushland to Elizabeth Park reserve and Pittwater and Wagstaffe Spotted Gum Forest. Contractors worked over three months, first targeting Asparagus aethiopicus and Lantana camara. This was followed up by maintenance works where, during each visit, contractors focused on targeting seedlings and other woody, vine, herbaceous, annual, and exotic grass species.

Why is the Pittwater and Wagstaffe Spotted Gum Forest special? It is listed as an Endangered Ecological Community (EEC), occurring within the Pittwater local government area, including on Scotland Island, the Barrenjoey peninsula and the western Pittwater foreshores. Remnants of the forest are typically small and there are a few remnants in council reserves, including Elizabeth Park, and one within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

Why are EECs important? They are a unique combination of native plants, animals and other organisms important for their native biodiversity, distinctive landscape values and vital habitat. They provide us with ecosystem services such as clean air and water, nutrients for the soil, protection against erosion and salinity, carbon storage and a healthy environment for threatened species.

Volunteer bushcare groups meet regularly on Scotland Island and on the western foreshore.

There are a number of active bushcare groups on Scotland Island and in the bays, run by volunteers who meet regularly for bush regeneration and planting. It’s a great way to get outdoors, meet some locals, learn about our native plants and problem weeds and contribute to restoring our beautiful bushland. Our island is significantly impacted by highly invasive ‘Weeds of National Significance’, and you can help combat them by getting involved.

You can find information on local groups on the bush regeneration page on the Scotland Island community website.

 

Are you involved in the arts and crafts? Would you like to be included on a special page on the Scotland Island community website? 

Scotland Island and its nearby offshore communities are home to many talented artists, those who enjoy making craft items, or others involved in various types of creative endeavour. We are putting together an artists' and makers' page on the Scotland Island website; a directory where artists, potters, embroiderers, photographers, knitters, graphic designers etc can promote their business or hobby by providing links and/or contact details to sell or display their wares and services. The page will be the perfect place for community members to find one-off hand-made gifts while supporting local talent.

To get yourself listed, fill out the directory request form, available here.

If you list yourself in the directory, please select all applicable categories. For example, select ‘artists' and makers' page’ and then hold down the control key and also select ‘art and craft’. Also, feel free to include a link to your website/ Instagram/Facebook page, as well as an image.

Tradies: update your details!

Those who offer trades and other services on Scotland Island: make sure that you are listed and that your details are up to date!

To list your services, your class, or whatever, fill out the directory request form, available here.

Scotland Island community calendar

Join us for the third annual island run/walk, once again held in memory of Graeme Crayford, who died last year.

Graeme made many contributions to the island community, including in his role as president of the island fire brigade. But many will also remember him as a regular island jogger. What better way to honour Graeme’s memory, keep fit and raise money for the fire brigade than to join us on another Graemesque jaunt around the island.

Once again we include a special walkers' category, so you can participate at your own pace. A number of participants have already expressed interest, ranging in age from 9 to 80. Like last year, the event will incorporate a fun obstacle course. But if you are fit enough to walk around the island then the obstacle course won’t be anything you can’t handle.

There will be separate prizes according to your age and gender. For those who participated in previous years, there will also be prizes for best personal improvement.

Entry: $20. This includes a hot drink and breakfast at the island café, which will be operating in the park alongside the event. Profits go to Scotland Island Rural Fire Brigade.

Registration is essential. For full details, including information on how to register, please download the race information sheet, available here. The link to register is here.

Once again, Andy Derijk, personal trainer and Elvina Bay resident, is donating his time to help organise and facilitate the event. Andy offers one-on-one personal training, as well as fitness classes in Elvina Bay. To contact Andy about this race or his fitness training, phone 0418 613 890.

Past newsletters, beginning May 2000, can be found and read at https://ymlp.com/archive_gesgjgm.php.

or the Western Pittwater Community Association (WPCA)