We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Pittwater.

January 1, 2026

Newsletter for the Offshore Residents of Pittwater, Australia - Volume 27, Issue 1233

Contents:

The PON's original masthead (top) and the version used from 2008 onwards

Change can be slow to reach offshore Pittwater. Take, for instance, the masthead of your beloved PON. Above, you'll see the designs that have adorned the newsletter for the last 23 years, the only change being that in 2008 'newsletter' was added. But with the PON's silver jubilee fast approaching, or just passed, I thought it time for a change. Besides a new design, the PON should now be easier to read on any screen, including a phone. 

Why the uncertainty about the PON's age? The truth is that it had a somewhat soft launch. If you examine the PON's archive, you'll see that online publication began in 2000. But the name Pittwater Offshore Newsletter wasn't adopted until 2003. Before then, the title referred to SIRA, the association that still supports the PON. In recent years, SIRA News has been reinvented, largely under CB Floyd's stewardship.       

Strangely, though, the oldest surviving PON, from March 2003, is numbered volume 5, implying that the newsletter began in 1999. So, with all these possible dates, why not split the difference? Hence my claim that the launch year was 2001.

Or was it? I like to think of the PON as the direct successor to the paper-based publication hand-delivered on Scotland Island between 1955 and 1995. That went by various names: first the Scotland Island Progress Association Newsletter, but later Scotland Island News or, more amusingly, SINEWS.

For 28 out of those 40 years of print distribution, SINEWS was edited by Leicester Warburton, who died in 2022, aged 101. After Leicester there was a hiatus before Paul Purvis brought things online. Paul shepherded the PON through its early years, before handing over to Julian Muir in 2008. Julian was to remain editor for the next 13 years, until passing to me in 2021.

I believe it was Julian who invented the PON's distinctive colour palette: citrus yellows, jaunty greens and fire-engine red for the headings. When I queried Julian's choices he explained that he is colour blind.

I've retained the basic scheme, but aimed for quieter shades: gum-tree green and the colour of fresh eucalyptus bark. But I hope that the masthead still evokes a warm sun rising above our verdant shores. As anyone who knows me will believe, any similarity to Australia's national sporting colours is entirely coincidental. 

Four editors: Leicester Warburton (1957 - 1995), Paul Purvis (2000 - 2008), Julian Muir (2008 - 2021), Roy Baker (2021 - ).

The accumulated back issues of the PON, as well as its precursor SI News, form a vital record of offshore life stretching back to the 1950s. They present an historical picture of Scotland Island and the western foreshores in a way that Facebook never will.

That said, I appreciate that the PON archive isn't straightforward to navigate. It is not easily searchable if you are looking for a particular story. In order to make searching a little easier, each year I include in the 1 January edition an index for the previous year's main items. That way at least you only have to look at the first edition of each year to help trace an article.

I now present the 2025 index:

Roy Baker, Editor

Bushfire at Redhead, south of Newcastle, December 2025

Across the 2023/24 fire season, NSW Rural Fire Service responded to 7,217 bushfires and NSW Fire and Rescue were called to 3,674 household fires in a ’wetter than average’ summer. This summer is predicted to be hotter and drier. With the recent and rapid spread of fires on the Central Coast, on waterfront properties almost identical to those on Pittwater, we can see how real the risk is.

Within the last year Scotland Island’s brigade responded to 68 incidents. Now we are calling on you to join up and help us support the community. Our brigade offers a variety of roles from social and support to operational, in a firefighting or medical capacity. We understand people’s physical or time constraints and are willing to work with you to ensure a place for every member of the community. 

As training officer for the brigade, I’d highly recommend that you complete the Firefighter course, previously known as the Bush Firefighter (BF) course. It is conducted in Terrey Hills and lasts for three days, spread over two weekends. The next course is in February and is repeated throughout the year.

The course provides a foundational knowledge of how fire behaves, how to supress it, and how to mitigate risk. What’s more, it provides individuals with a skillset and knowledge vital to the entire community. Scotland Island is identified as a Bushfire Prone Zone, meaning that we need to work together to safely prepare and protect our houses. Even if one house on the island is perfectly prepared, with sprinkler systems and a portable pump, it won’t matter if the houses surrounding it aren’t adequately prepared. Leaving fine litter in the gutter or not adequately preparing your property can put the whole community at risk. We need to band together as a community and work together. 

Jamie Ives (right) with Captain Peter Lalor

The Firefighter course teaches various hazard reduction techniques that you can apply to protect your property, bearing in mind that lighting a fire on your property requires a Hazard Reduction Certificate throughout the year and, during the fire season, you also need a fire permit. 

What’s more, the Firefighter course allows members to:
› Safely carry out bush firefighting activities under direct supervision.
› Perform operational and non-operational tasks in a safe and effective manner.
› Operate within a supervised team, using appropriate equipment and communication tools to control bush fires.
› Identify and manage health and safety risks to protect themselves, fellow personnel, and the public.
› Understand the structure and operations of the NSW RFS, including expectations and responsibilities as a volunteer member.

For more on RFS training, click here.

Besides training, our brigade conducts hazard reductions, essential for removing large amounts of combustible fuel to ensure that surrounding properties are better protected. 

Joining the fire brigade gives back to the community and provides a sense of accomplishment. Being a part of a team means that you make new friends and collectively accomplish tasks. There is a role every person can fill in helping to protect our local community. 

If you are interested in the Firefighter course, or in joining the brigade in some other capacity, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via trainingofficer@sirfb.org.au. Alternatively, email the brigade on sirfb@sirfb.org.au. 

The brigade inspecting its all-terrain vehicle

A scene from Wedding Island, performed May 2025

For the last three years the Pittwater offshore community has presented a play: Two Catherines (2023), Secret Island (2024) and Wedding Island (2025). All three were sell-out triumphs.

Now a group of thespian enthusiasts is hoping to maintain the momentum with a production of Noises Off in May 2026. Described as 'the funniest farce ever written', Noises Off by Michael Frayn has been successfully produced around the world by professional and amateur groups. We want to see if our community is up to it. 

But we don't quite have a full cast. In particular we need a man to take on one of the funniest roles. You don't need acting experience. In fact I'm not sure you even need acting ability. What really matters is a commitment to learning your lines, turning up at rehearsals and speaking loud enough so they can hear you down the back.

Even if you are just mildly curious, please get in touch. But do so as soon as possible, because there will be a preliminary script reading on Sunday 4 January, along with a showing of the film version of the play. Full details are available upon request.

Email editor@scotlandisland.org.au.

This January, the renowned local Shakespeare company, Such Stuff Productions, is staging Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in Manly, Mona Vale, and on Scotland Island. 

This production presents The Merchant of Venice as a provocative contemporary commentary—one that fosters empathy across divides and contributes to a broader conversation about our shared coexistence, much as Shakespeare originally intended.

Rather than revisiting age‑old wars of religion and ideology, the production is set in present‑day Sydney. Through Shakespeare’s characters, we hold up a mirror to the collective folly of our tribalism. When we marginalise others, we diminish ourselves in the process.

In this staging, there are no winners, no losers, and no moral high ground on which to settle the drama. And while the play’s prejudices remain painfully relevant, so too do its loves and its lovers. Shakespeare closes his story with his two great antidotes to human folly—wit and wisdom—renewing our sense of what it means to be 'live and living'.

For tickets, click here.

We are an informal group who swim around the Island once a year. We welcome all. 

We are fast swimmers and slow swimmers. Bring your flippers, wetsuit, pink flamingo, support crew in tinny or kayak, as you wish. Bring a thermos of coffee and/or a snack to share. 

Scan the QR code on the poster and complete the form.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Shona

Volunteer Editor: Roy Baker

Supported by: Scotland Island Residents Association