Music to Re-member 14/12/19

Want to catch up with some neighbours before the end of year? The Music to Re-member afternoon on Saturday 14th December is being put on for that very purpose, a chance to catch up with familiar faces in our community space, Progress Hall.

The 4hr musically-motivated friendly will have lots of opportunities for cuppas & catching up, moments of making musical memories and dulcet tones to donate to.

The doors will be open from 1:30pm and you can drop in and put a few items in the donation buckets on your way to somewhere, renew or join the CPPA or stay for the whole afternoon and be lyrically lifted.

The Program

The November Chronicle has performer details.

1:30-2:00 Doors open -people arriving/decorating tables, community catchup and cuppa

2:00- 2:40 - Toronto Chorale (40min)

2:40- 2:50 -*Carol-Oke (10min)

2:50-3:30 Clyde St (40min)

2:40- 2:50 -*Carol-Oke (10min)

3:40 -4:00 One Voice Mob- community choir- 10-15 min

2:40- 2:50 -*Carol-Oke (10min)

4.10- 4:40 - Clyde Street band (30min)

4:40 -4:50 -*Carol-Oke (10min)

4:50-5:25 Clyde Street band (35min)

5:15-5:30 Thanks for coming- donations (15min)

*The carol-oke is at a minimum a seasonal song played on a CD in the background and optimally a sing along with someone leading the song. It provides background between change overs, time to chat and refresh the cuppa, go to the loo or donate to a cause.

The Causes

The artists are giving their time for free and have nominated their favourite causes; 

• The charity of choice for the ClydeStreet Band is The Soul Café who do more than just serve a meal, their ultimate mission is to see vulnerable cafe guests placed on a path towards increased safety, health and purpose.
• The Toronto Chorale donations will assist with the costs of music and materials needed to grow a local community choir.
• One Voice Mob are raising funds to send their choir overseas for a masterclass and recording session in South Africa with multi award winning acapella group ‘The Soil’.

Local Causes that are being supported are

• The PamperCare project that supports the local homeless community by providing personal hygiene products and food vouchers, there’ll be a basket available to drop your goods in.
• The Fur & Feather Fund supports our local wildlife providing materials to build nest boxes and food for birds in care…you can donate online as well.

The Community

Music to re-member is about our community, it’s an opportunity to join the CPPA and TASNG. Membership is a show of support of the activities of the groups, the majority of members are non-active supporters, but the membership is vital to be able to represent the community when advocating for action or grant funding. You can download a membership form here.

Community is about sharing and we invite all attendees to bring a plate of food to share for the rolling afternoon tea.

The festive season is about giving and we’ll be giving a locally grown Casuarina to anyone who wants to fortify their foreshore.

RSVP

There are still seats available and an RSVP will greatly aid in setting up the hall before hand.

You can book a seat or two or several online or sms or ring Suzanne on 0438596741.

Deck the Halls

Activities at Progress Hall are on the rise for 2020. A new art group has started up, the Toronto Chorale is hoping to expand their chorus and provide regular meetings (come along and see them at the Music to re-member event) and yoga will continue.

Tracy from the Yoga Circle shares the background to the enduring yoga group.

2020 sees Yoga come into its 12th consecutive year at our local hall, building a lovely community of well-practiced yoga students. Alongside the physical yoga practices, we incorporate relaxation and meditation; breathing practices; stretch and strengthening; increasing flexibility; stress-reducing lifestyle strategies and connection to a warm, supportive community of people. We believe in using the wisdom of yoga as a foundational blueprint to lasting health.

Our wish for you is that you create new patterns of health and wellbeing that enable you to fulfil your potential, whatever your walk of life, dreams or desires. Living well means honouring the aspects of the life that you love by taking time to focus on the important things in your life. We’re here to guide and support you in that process!

Our most popular classes are held regularly on a Monday and Friday morning 8.30 – 10.00am at Progress Hall. We also offer evening classes at different times throughout the year.

Our 2020 classes resume from Monday 13th January. What a great way to kick start your New Year! For an introductory complimentary class please present the ad in this Chronicle. Your FREE class is limited to one per person. Expires end of February 2020. Lessons are offered purely on a pay as you go basis.

For full details please visit www.yogacircle.net or find us on Facebook. Further enquiries please call Tracy 0412 231461 or email yogacircle3@gmail.com

DA’s In Play at December 2019

It’s that time of year when major developments are submitted for community comment just as everyone is winding down for the year…and there are some big ones on display at Carey Bay. If you want to do some community giving, a final letter for the year to your local representatives whose decisions shape our community would be a substantial gift. Please consult Council's Application Tracking website for details.

Here's a list of Councillor contacts

DA/419/2018 114-120 Cary Street -124 Dwellings

Invitations have gone out to give interested people the opportunity to talk directly to the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel on the proposed 6-story development at 114-120 Cary Street, Toronto (next to Maccas). The event is 11/12/19 at 4pm in the Council Chambers.

You must register to speak by contacting the Planning Panels Secretariat before 4pm Monday 9 December 2019 on 02 8217 2060 or enquiry@planningpanels.nsw.gov.au 

The mixed-use development includes a Residential Flat Building with 124 dwellings above 2872m2 commercial premises and two levels of basement carparking. The proponent has committed to additional off-site works including road widening of Arnott Ave, a cycleway and relocation of power lines.

DA/1692/209 Residential Care Facility & Demolition – 36 Laycock Street

Anglican Care has lodged their DA to demolish the Aged Care Facility (not the self-contained units) and rebuild on the existing footprint whilst retaining the mature corridor of trees on their southern boundary.

The design seeks to minimise the building bulk, cut and fill by breaking up the overall mass into four ‘wings’ radiating from central common facilities, and placing lower ground level parking under the northern and north western wings. Two care levels are provided over a parking level.

Some of the features are; 126 private rooms with ensuites, common areas (lounge, dining, activities rooms etc), day therapy areas (gym, salon, prayer room, treatment room etc), semi-basement car parking consisting 56 spaces, 15 at grade car parking spaces, café, entry / administration area (including new reception, offices, meeting rooms amenities etc).

DA/1865/2017 22 dwellings- 20 Laycock Street

The proposal to construct 22 units at 20 Laycock (behind the Carey Bay preschool) has

been revised and is on display till 15th December for community feedback. 

A letter has been drafted and is available for download and personalisation to assist the community to comment during this busy period.

The re-notification addresses the following issues: stormwater management so as not to burden the preschool with the site’s drainage, the retention of a tree corridor to support the movement of local wildlife and foraging habitat, targeted flora surveys to determine if threatened species were present, privacy impacts of adjacent residents and preschool, non-discriminatory accessibility, the visual impact on the community, parking and service area design, waste management plans and erosion & sediment control.

This DA is being put forward for the purposes of selling the land with an approved DA.

Although some revisions have been made from the previous application, there are several issues outstanding that conflict with community expectations at the apparent expense of financial considerations. A development such as this can be better designed so as to provide more green space, shared facilities and sustainable technologies even if the number of proposed units is reduced and their positioning modified.

Following are some of the concerns with the revised plans.

Retention of Corridor: Council officers state there is a need for a 8-10m wide corridor to provide security into the future and functionality and for foraging resources for a number of fauna species. The developer is proposing 2-5m. Only 7 trees of the 72 originally on the block are proposed to be left (many were taken out previously). Climate change elevates the importance of retaining habitat connectivity across the landscape for wildlife and avoid genetic inbreeding associated with isolated populations, the latter which also affects plants.

Privacy and topography: Council’s Landscape Assessment identifies units adjacent to the preschool being 2m above existing ground level with fencing providing no privacy and the site planning not responding to the topography of the site. Council is also recommending 1m wide landscaping along the access driveway to reduce the amenity impacts on the preschool.

Preschool safety: The developer states that the safety of children in the adjacent childcare centre is ‘of much less concern than many such situations’ such as heavy traffic in inner city commercial business districts. However, good planning should address such issues in advance and recognise their importance for the local community.

Visual Impact and community character: The developer describes the visual impact of the development as being consistent with ‘the emerging density character of the area’. However, there is only a small pocket of medium density zoning in Carey Bay. The one development, with minimal landscaping, adjacent to the shops does not constitute a trend and has not softened in the decade since completion. The area surrounding the development is low density housing on large bushland blocks, reinforcing the desirability of maintaining corridors.

Accessible units: The developer has designed ‘round-about’ style accommodation for their two accessible units located in the centre of the complex encircled by the internal access road, a poor design element for those with mobility challenges, a consequence of too many units being proposed for the site.

Energy Efficiency: The proposal only meets minimum energy efficiency requirements. More thoughtful design with perhaps little extra cost should be considered to incorporate best practice for sustainability, e.g. insulation for reduced heating and cooling and PV installation.

Bulk Scale and Size: An important outcome sought from such a medium density is also to ‘maintain and enhance the residential amenity and character of the surrounding area’. The bulk, scale and size of the current DA does not allow for this important consideration with no community space, very little green space and mostly hard surfaces.

What’s happening at Bath Street?

On 25 November Councillor Harrison formally requested an update on the actions taken and planned for the Bath St site, following the decision to defer further work on the multistorey development. All we want for Christmas is an update and a timeline to alleviate cynicism.

Want to be a dead tree detective?

There’s a Citizen Science project happening to collect observations of dead or dying

trees… and there seems to be quite a few about our community.

It's easy! If you notice dead or dying trees, upload a photograph with date and location. All you need is a smartphone camera with GPS. 

There are resources on the website to determine possible cause of death.

This survey project is seeking to understand the distribution of areas of un-natural tree deaths and their causes, as well as the species most prone to different causal factors.

Water for our Wildlife

The current major drought, which began in 2017, is starting to be felt closer to home with water restrictions recently being put in place. Our bushland wildlife however has been on water restrictions for quite a bit longer.

Local wildlife carer, Catherine Wroe, is seeing lots of dehydrated birds coming into care as they are not getting enough moisture from the food available. If you’ve been for a walk in our bushland recently it’s obvious that there is very little moisture about, leaves and limbs are being shed, mature trees turning up their toes, the soil is dry and drifting without moisture to keep it together.

Catherine has offered up some tips on how to care for our local wildlife.

• Put out water in shallow dishes, both up high and down low and in the shade if possible. If you don’t have shallow dishes include a stick or two so smaller animals can get out if they slip in.
• Keep your cats and dogs inside, especially at night. This lets the wildlife get a drink relatively risk free.

Other tips from https://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/summer-wildlife.php include;

• Covering your pool avoids animals drowning and also reduces evaporation, saving you money
• Keeping an emergency care kit on hand; water, blanket , box and wildlife carer number...Catherine Wroe 0412 093 030

Signs of heat-stressed animals include;

• Nocturnal animals like possums out during the day
• Birds or other animals showing loss of balance, collapse, confusion or panting
• Tree dwelling animals on the ground

Toronto Areas Sustainable Neighbourhood News Dec 2019

Picnic in Park

A great time was had by all at the Toronto foreshore “Picnic in the Park” on 29/11/19. We listened to Connor Wink singing and appreciated the cultural experience of Chinese Dancing. A drumming workshop for the children and adults filled the air with booming beats and the face painter was kept busy furnishing faces with decorative designs. Thank you to everyone that came down to the community picnic. The next picnic is being planned to celebrate Harmony Day, 21st March 2020.

TASNG now has a facebook page where you can keep up to date with the goings-on of the group.

Awaba Road Welcome Garden

On Friday 29 November, a keen crowd of local residents gathered by Awaba Road on the western outskirts of Toronto. The occasion was the unveiling of a sign and the opening of a roadside garden, a vision put forward by Lois Simpson of the Toronto Area Sustainable neighbourhood group (TASNG) over two years ago, to beautify and enhance the appeal of this gateway to Toronto for travellers coming off the M1.

Representatives from TASNG, Toronto Rotary Sunrise, Lions Club of Toronto, Lioness Club of Toronto and Toronto and Districts Garden Club combined to complete this project to improve the site. Today, a native plant garden is becoming well established. The selected plants are hardy, low-maintenance and drought-tolerant. Thanks to Hymix’s water donations they have had a flying start in harsh conditions.

The newly-installed sign is also cultural recognition of the Awabakal Nation, sporting a photo of a sea eagle, Biraban, often sighted soaring above the shores of the lake, and a local totem.

Community support with planning, organising, labour and finance enabled the project to reach fruition. Friday’s celebration was the culmination of many hours of volunteer work preparing and planting the site. We were privileged to have MP Greg Piper and Mayor Kay Fraser attend our event and unveil the sign. Everyone agreed that this project has been a great collaborative endeavour, bringing people together to improve their town and enhance community spirit.

We thank Origin, Centennial Coal and the Garden Club for financial support.

Local Landcarers recognised

The Environmental Excellence in Landcare (EEL) Awards were bestowed upon several deserving local individuals at the Landcare end of year celebration on 29/11/19. 

Jean Austen and Wendy Davidson were awarded the Local Legend Award for a landcarer who has made a regular and colossal contribution for more than two years.

Threlkeld Reserve Guardian* Jean met all the criteria with flying colours.

• Works regularly on their project - Jean started landcaring in 1998 and although she’s slowed down she hasn’t stopped.
• Motivates their group, Jean’s Buschcare In Threlkeld on Thursday team raised the landcare bar and introduced weekly landcaring in our community.
• Implements best practice natural resource management - at Threlkeld Reserve Jean was insistent that the best possible approach to landcare be implemented to ensure the integrity of the high conservation values of the reserve. Under the previous local planning instruments Threlkeld Reserve had the same environmental status as a national park due to the exceptional bushland qualities of the reserve.
• Shares their knowledge and experience – Jean and the BITT crew investigated the impacts of leaving lantana on site, first raised awareness of the local Squirrel Glider population and enthusiastically documented and shared their findings.

Wendy Davidson’s contribution included starting up Fishing Point landcare in 2000, joining the Toronto Landcare care crew for a couple of years and assisting with their transformation to Lake Macquarie Landcare Network and regularly attending CPPA landcare sessions from 2015.

L-R Lois, Jean, Suzanne, Robyn, Wendy

Lois Simpson received a 10 Years Service Award, which is granted to someone whose dedication to landcare is an inspiration to everyone. Over the past decade Lois has definitely inspired with her motivational and inclusive style, she has headed the Lake Mac Landcare Volunteer Network for the past three years and maintains two landcare sites at Abre Close and Lions Park, as well as being a local guardian* of Gurranba and Burnage and attending the weekly local landcare sessions, as Lois so aptly puts it “Landcare is a lifestyle choice”.

Suzanne Pritchard received a 20 years of service award for dedication to Landcare andbeing an inspiration to everyone, as well as the ‘Soaring with eagles Award, which is given to a landcarer who has made a regionally significant contribution. Suzanne’s links to the local landcare movement are extensive, she formed the Progress Association landcare group in 1995, one of the first in the City, was part of the team that established the Lake Macquarie Landcare Network and has delivered major landcare projects in Warners Bay and here at Coal Point. Suzanne is a guardian* of Stansfield and Hampton St Link reserves as well as a regular landcarer.

(*coordinates the landcare sessions for the reserve)

Recycle Right during the Festive Season

Planet Ark has published the 5 worst recycling MISTAKES that Aussies make:

Mistake # 1. Putting recycling items in plastic bags in yellow recycling bins. Plastic bags should go to Redcycle Bins at the front of Woolworths/Coles.

Mistake # 2. Putting toughened glass as in glass crockery and window glass and broken glass in yellow bins. Sorry not allowed! It can cause the whole load to be rejected

Mistake #3. Bamboo, wood cutlery/chopsticks can not being recycled, reuse them or use metal. Say no to them when ordering takeaway food. Putting plastic cutlery and straws in the yellow bin is allowed in Lake Macquarie though!

Mistake # 4. Biodegradable and compostable packaging items CAN’T be put in the recycling yellow bin. It’s off to landfill for theese items

Mistake # 5. Beverage containers made of liquid paperboard and long-life, foil-lined beverage containers CAN be recycled in yellow bins. In fact, these beverage containers less than 1 litre can go into the Return and Earn machines!

Simple changes we can make to make sure RECYCLING gets better for our environment!

Music to Re-member

The festive season is all about getting together, caring & sharing and making memorable moments.

On Saturday December 14 the CPPA is hosting an afternoon of community camaraderie and musical merriment at Progress Hall from 1:30-5:30ish. A full program of community choirs and local musicians will provide a friendly backdrop for socialising with friends and neighbours in our community owned hall.

The One Voice Mob Choir, Coal Point Public School Choir, Toronto Chorale and the ClydeStreet Band will all be strutting their musical stuff, along with moments interspersed with community carol-oke (sing-a-longs).

This community social of seasonal singing is a way to showcase music at the Hall, the acoustics are wonderful, and it provides an occasion for local musicians to perform.

The festive season is also about caring and supporting others within the community, there’ll be donation buckets to receive dollars and baskets to receive gifts from the community to donate to local charities and the groups that the performers support.

The community-spirited event will also furnish an opportunity for locals to join up or renew their CPPA/TASNG membership for the year…and beyond. Afternoon tea will be bring-a-plate to share of festive fare.

With many musicians committing to this community event the CPPA is seeking a commitment from those interested in coming by an RSVP for a free ticket. You can book a whole table or single seats, you can come along for a single choir, the whole chorus, or pop in to renew your membership or donate.

RSVP by 11/12/19   online through the eventbrite page

A bit about some of the performers

The Toronto Chorale is offering a programme of five light-hearted and fairly short seasonal songs, followed by six or seven well known Christmas songs and carols with interesting arrangements .The Chorale is keen to expand its numbers and connection within the community in 2020 with the possibility of a regular event happening at the Hall in 2020. If you’re interested in finding out more about the group contact Roger alcornau@optusnet.com.au, m 0432 799 297

One Voice Mob is a community choir based out of Windale and set up by Centre for Hope (C4H) to support young disadvantaged people who like to sing to come together. C4H helped start the group and is closely involved with the choir, booking performances, providing rehearsal space, as well as the CEO, Geraldine, and her daughter being members. Geraldine is a huge supporter of local communities and it's with this in mind she was able to keep the local Carey Bay Hair Art open. Centre for Hope is exploring running some wellbeing programs out of the salon and providing the kind of support that they do on a daily basis. 

The ClydeStreet Band formed in 2016 to perform at open mic venues in the Newcastle and

the Hunter. They’ve been making music together ever since. Typically, they can be found rehearsing and jamming in an old manufacturing shed with grimy décor and great acoustics.

Hard work, tea, beer and laughter combine to produce their ensemble style that resonates with audiences at community events, festivals and private functions.

A collective of harmonica, guitar, keyboard, ukulele, banjo, bass, percussion and drums, ClydeStreet play creative interpretations of jazz, country and contemporary numbers.

Music for the ears and the feet, they’ll be a highlight of the Music to Re-member on 14/12/19.

Have Your Say - Naturespace and Community Hub

The Coal Point School Naturespace and Community Hub needs your input by November 25th! 

Do you want to hop across rocks, or, watch your grandchildren play and have a picnic? Would you like to do a few chin-ups? Will you walk the educational bush track? We are asking for community feedback on design aspects of the project, so please complete our online survey.

The link to the survey can be found from the Coal Point Primary School Naturespace & Community Hub Facebook page, the Coal Point Public school website, or here on the Coal Point Progress Association blog. Go ahead and help to shape the future.

Thanks for helping us make a great space for the whole community to enjoy.

Become a Member

Since 1946 the CPPA has been a part of the community, and since 1951 Progress Hall has provided a space for the community to come together.

The aims of the organisation have always been to support the weaving of the social fabric. This has been achieved by encouraging and promoting sustainability efforts throughout the local community, doing what we can as an organisation to ensure the hall operations are sustainable and safeguarding the bushland that connects us all so it remains vital, vibrant and biodiverse.

The CPPA endeavours to reflect community concerns and address them through the appropriate channels whilst supporting members of the community to have their concerns heard. Joining the CPPA supports these endeavours.

Membership to the Progress Association aligns with the calendar year which means now’s a great time to join in, rejoin or renew.

Membership renewals will be delivered to current members over the coming months via email or post and a new member’s application form is linked  here.

The Music to Re-member event on 14/12/19 is an opportunity to connect with other members of the community and you can also drop in with your membership form.

DA’s in play as at 1/11/19

Here is an abridged list of local DA’s currently under assessment between 1/9/19 to 1/11/19. The list is compiled to support community understanding of DAs in our area that may impact on the community character.

Please consult LMCC’s new look Application Tracking website for details and a complete listing. 

• DA/925/2018/A - 24 Robey Road: Water Recreation Structure (Jetty) – Extension
• DA/1339/2019 - 394 Skye Point Road: Water Recreation Structure (Slipway) and Demolition
• DA/1375/2019 - 231 Skye Point Road: Dwelling Additions, Swimming Pool and Demolish Existing Garage/Carport
• DA/1473/2019 - 9 Alkira Street: Dwelling Additions, Swimming Pool and Retaining Wall
• DA/1298/2019 -  97 Kilaben Road: Dwelling Alterations and Construct Garage
• DA/1405/2019 -  82 Kilaben Road: Studio
• DA/755/2019/A -  6 South Street: Alterations and additions and swimming pool and associated safety barriers.
• DA/1328/2019 -  104 Brighton Avenue: Shop Top Housing and 1 into 3 Lot Strata Subdivision
• DA/1444/2019 -  58 Victory Parade: Alterations and Additions to Mixed Use Development - Proposed Shade Cover x 3
• DA/1497/2019 67 -  The Boulevarde: Place of Worship (Living Word Lakeside Church)
• DA/1557/2019 - 12 Bay Street: Food And Drink Premises (extension of hours)

DA UpDAte

The 20 Laycock Street (DA/1865/2017) slow burn has reignited with new documents lodged on 17/10/19 for the 22 Units.

More information on the latest developments on the development will be in the December Chronicle.

TASNG Talk - 29/11/19 Picnic and AGM outcomes

Toronto Picnic in the Park

FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER 

5.30 - 7:30PM

TORONTO FORESHORE

Pack a picnic dinner and enjoy and evening of music and games by the Lake with family and friends.

There will also be free African drumming workshop, free meditation session, Chinese dancing, performance from Connor Wink, face painting, big games and kids planting activities. 

Sustainable Neighbourhoods Celebration

Saturday 9 November, 2-4pm

Lake Room, The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

Catch up with Sustainable Neighbourhood volunteers from around Lake Macquarie for an end of year celebration.

• Learn about Council’s Tree Replacement Program
• Enjoy a yummy afternoon tea
• Share the year’s highlights and challenges with other Sustainable Neighbourhood volunteers
• Check out the Sustainable Neighbourhoods Waste to Art exhibition, 1.30-2pm, upstairs in the Swansea Centre at SEEN@Swansea and Launchpad exhibition spaces.

All welcome. RSVPs essential to 4921 0117 or admin@sustainableneighbourhoods.org.auby Wednesday 6 November.

For more information visit the Facebook event or sustainableneighbourhoods.org.au.

TASNG AGM Outcomes- Nico Marcar

It’s been another fruitful TASNG year. Thanks to committee members and regular supporters for your efforts. Our broad focus remains with Recycling & Waste Management, Cycling & Pedestrian needs and Landcare. Our strong association with the Coal Point Progress Association (CPPA) continues and thanks again to CPPA for boosting TASNG membership again as part of its subscription process. Special thanks to the management of the HUB for allowing us to meet monthly at no cost.

We maintain association with Five Bays SNG through Robyn Charlton’s projects: appreciating the value of street/urban trees and pamper care (assisting the homeless/people in need).

With support from Rathmines SNG, we continue to promote a shared path concept between Kilaben Bay and Rathmines. Tom Boyle, Council’s senior transport strategist, provided an overview of cycling issues that Council was seeking to address at our April meeting. My involvement in Active Transport Advisory Group (ATAG) will now allow me to pursue opportunities for improved cycling & walking connections for our area and beyond.

With our project collaborators (the Toronto District Garden, Toronto Lions, Toronto Lionesses and Rotary Sunrise Toronto clubs) we have now almost completed the Awaba Road garden project which aims to beautify the entry into western Toronto. This entailed establishing about 400 native plants, installation of edging, regular watering and signage to be installed soon. Special thanks to Lois Simpson (project leader) and John Sharples.

With the Alliance through Steve Dewar’s efforts, we continue to be a strong voice for the abolition of single-use plastic bags locally, engaging with businesses and supermarket chains in Toronto and other Lake Macquarie towns. In addition, a survey of Lake Macquarie cafes was undertaken by Steve to assess options for more sustainable use of coffee cups.

This year we have continued our strong involvement with the Toronto Foreshore Protection Group (TFPG), which aims to galvanise community opposition to Council’s plans for a multi-storey residential/tourist/commercial development on Toronto’s foreshore at the Bath Street site, next to the RMYC. This has been a frustrating and time consuming exercise. John O’Callaghan from JOC consulting provided an update on the foreshore upgrade and the Bath Street at our August meeting. Thankfully, after almost 17 months Council has admitted their errors in judgement. In September Council passed a resolution to defer any work on this development and consider all options for the Bath Street site within the foreshore master planning process. This was a huge win for the community.

With Five Bays SNG and others in the Community Harmony Initiative we again organised two, well attended community picnics on the Toronto Foreshore (Nov ‘18 and Feb ‘19) and a conversation cafe at the Toronto Library.

This will be my final year as Chair of TASNG, a position I have held since October 2012. I have been grateful for the opportunity to serve, for your wonderful support and to have overseen several exciting projects and increased involvement within the community. The challenge is now to keep promoting the TASNG in the local area. I wish the new Chair every success. 

The TASNG committee was elected as follows:

• Chair: Tricia Eldridge
• Assistant Chair: Robyn Charlton
• Secretary: Wendy Davidson
• Assistant Sec: Lois Simpson
• Treasurer: Steve Dewar
• Committee members: Nico Marcar, Chris Murphy, Ian Armstrong

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Bath Street Breakthrough - TFPG update November 2019

Attachment 1

At the 23 September 2019 Council meeting the motion from the 26/8/19 was massaged and modified and unanimously accepted. That Council: 
A. Defers any further work on:

• a planning proposal for land outlined in Attachment 1, and
• preparation for a mixed-use development on the Council-owned land at 4 Bath Street and 1B Victory Row, Toronto until a comprehensive review of Council’s property portfolio is undertaken; 

B. Commences the process to reclassify the land identified in Attachment 2 from Operational to Community Land; 

Attachment 2

C. Commences the process of investigating the reclassification of all or part of the Bath Street and Victory Row site to community land and consult with the community on future planning for that site. 
D. Extends the boundary of the Toronto Foreshore Master Plan to include land at 4 Bath Street and 1B Victory Row, Toronto; 
E. Continues to develop the Toronto Foreshore Master Plan (noting extended scope, including further community engagement, conceptual design and detailed design for master planned work on Council’s land at Toronto Foreshore; 
F. As part of the Foreshore Master planning process with current consultant, or as required, undertake assessment of the best future use and design elements for land at 4 Bath Street and 1B Victory Row, Toronto in accordance with Lake Macquarie City Council’s Sustainability Policy; 

So for the time being we sit and heave a sigh of relief hoping that a good community outcome will be delivered. We can now enjoy the excitement of the Foreshore Masterplanning process, awaiting the refined document for public comment, possibly by the end of the year.

 

There is little doubt that over the past 18 months Council failed to understand that its plans were not in the best interest of the Toronto area community nor would it provide the best opportunity to encourage more visitors to the area. 

Council resisted calls to halt progress towards the DA for the Bath Street site over this period, in contempt of community feeling. Such a situation was even more disappointing in that Council was already aware that there had been no community consultation prior to the April 2018 decision and that its plans would likely meet with opposition. 

To add weight to the community’s concerns the consultants’ report on its community engagement on the Toronto Foreshore Masterplan has been released. There were 337 responses.



JOC consultants’s key insight on Mixed-Use Development was “The majority of face to face participants are against the proposed Mixed-Use Development at Bath Street. Many online survey respondents also included their concerns in the comments section of the survey despite there being no Mixed-Use Development question. Across all engagement activities, participants raised concerns relating to the planning, design and use of the proposed Mixed-Use Development. “ 

The feedback on the Mixed-use development was “Overall, participants do not support the Mixed-Use Development (Bath Street). The participants reference the proposed height, massing and anticipated ‘exclusive, private spaces’ of the development as being inconsistent with heritage and character of Toronto and the draft Masterplan principles and design ideas. 

The engagement report further states “The workshops and online survey captures participant’s discomfort with the exclusion of the Bath Street site from the Foreshore Masterplan. Many participants felt it should be acknowledged as it is an essential part of the foreshore that’s currently under investigation.”

 

The face to face data…captured 42 separate objections to the Mixed Used Development (in comparison, the second highest area for comment was in reference to the Railway Station and its revitalisation with 13 comments). Further, objections to Bath Street made up the majority of comments across all questions of the online survey. Participants described the Bath Street development as the ‘10% missing from the Masterplan’” 

There are still more questions being asked, like what’s the timeframe on the actions identified in the 23/9/19 motion and why is council’s development arm driving this process not the recreational planners?

Thank you to all the supporters who voiced concerns, wrote letters , contacted

councillors and engaged with the process. It takes a town talking to make a noise, and it appears we were heard.

A vision for Bath Street

Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper commissioned a landscape architect to produce some concept designs for what bath St could look like.

Care for the Carer - 13 & 20 November

A series of sessions are being held to provide an understanding of dementia for family carers and family members of people living with dementia.

The workshop explores strategies, resources and support services for maintaining positive carer wellbeing and effective communication.

Two options are on offer, over 1 or 2 days with the same information covered; 

Registrations can be completed online via the Eventbrite, click on the links below or contact the Dementia Australia office, 2 Percy St Hamilton on (02) 4962 7000.

• 13 & 20 November
• 10 December  

Citizen Science in November - Frogs & Pollinators

FrogID Week 8-17 November 2019 

FrogID is a national citizen science project that is helping us learn more about what is happening to Australia’s frogs. All around the country, people are recording frog calls with nothing more than a smartphone.

Taking part in FrogID Week will help provide scientists with valuable data for the protection and conservation of frogs. The data will help track the Cane Toad and identify where frogs are thriving and where they aren’t. And by matching calls to weather and habitat, we are learning more about how different frog species are responding to a changing environment.

frogid.net.au

Wild Pollinator Count 10–17 November 

The Wild Pollinator Count gives you an opportunity to contribute to wild pollinator insect conservation in Australia. We invite you to count wild pollinators in your local environment and help us build a database on wild pollinator activity.

You can join in by watching any flowering plant for just ten minutes sometime in our count week. 

Here's a quick guide to pollinator Id from the Wild Pollinator people.

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Old reserves New names

What’s the patch of green bounded by Hampton Street and Excelsior Parade called? The dog park, the wetland, the pony club, the old dairy… not any more. As of 23/9/19 it now is officially known as Puntei Park, puntei means a narrow place, any narrow point of land. 

What’s the green space at the southern end of Laycock St called? It never had a name, but’s it a beautiful grassy safe swimming spot now called Killibinbin Reserve, which means shining, bright and beautiful.

Council in our community

Water wise gardening

Tips on how to choose and plant your native garden to save water. Our native plants are unique and diverse: having adapted and flourished under the wide range of climate and soil conditions. This workshop will help you successfully establish and grow Australian plants, rewarding you with years of enjoyment - without the need for extra water bills!

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Toronto Library

RSVP 4921 0641  Register online

Imagine Lake Mac

View and comment on the draft Lake Macquarie Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS) by Friday Nov 29

Changes to the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 require Council to develop a LSPS. The LSPS describes how LMCC intends to achieve our City's vision and values by guiding the growth of the City over the next 20 years. To achieve this, the LSPS identifies:

• The vision for future land use in the City,
• Seven Planning Priorities that articulate the special characteristics of the City,
• Strategies and actions that summarise how we will deliver on the Planning Priorities, and
• Key change and growth areas.

The draft LSPS is informed by Imagine Lake Mac, the Community Strategic Plan, and other adopted plans and strategies of Council.

You can provide feedback on the draft LSPS by completing the survey or uploading a submission before consultation closes on Friday 29 November.

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Amazing community support for My Community Projects!

Coal Point Public School Naturespace and Community Hub - is celebrating!

Coal Point Public School would like to gratefully acknowledge the support of our local

community members through their participation in the NSW My Community Project grant program.

The community decided which projects would receive funding by casting their votes, and last week the results of the ballot were revealed. Coal Point Public School Naturespace and Community Hub is one of three successful projects in the Lake Macquarie electorate that will be funded.

The Coal Point Public School Naturespace and Community Hub is a large landscaping and public facility improvement project that will revitalise the school grounds bordering the bushland and create an attractive space that everyone can access, to; play, exercise, explore and relax.

If you would like to know more about the project our first community drop-in session at Coal Point Public School will coincide with the Lake Macquarie Garden Club's Open Garden and Art Trail, between 10am - 2pm on October 13th. Preliminary design concepts will be available for comment and we will be providing tours of the school gardens and a sausage sizzle. All community members are welcome. 

Toronto Community Kitchen

We are so excited to see the overwhelming support that the Toronto Community Kitchen received in the voting for the My Community Project grant.

Our project received the highest points in our electorate! Thank you to all our supporters!

It gives us great heart to know that our community has come together to help some of our neighbours who don't always have a voice, let alone a home or a meal.

We are busy making plans to open our Kitchen while we wait to receive the Grant money. If all goes well we hope to open before the end of 2019.

As this is a community-based Project, we'd love to hear from you if you’d like to help serve in our Kitchen to make some new friends and support others in need.

God bless you and your families from St Joseph's,Toronto

Contact: Bev McWilliam 0437 868888. Community Engagement Coordinator

Lake Macquarie Open Gardens 2019 Celebrate Spring – Lynne Turner

Lake Macquarie Garden Club has only 38 members, at the very mature end of the age spectrum, who get together every third Tuesday of the month to explore gardens, expand our knowledge of all things horticultural as well as fulfil our social needs.

This year, the club is planning to open another ten gardens to the public on the weekend of 12^th & 13^th October in celebration of Spring, to show the wider community the beautiful gardens in our area along with exhibitions of artworks, and at the same time raise money for, and awareness of, the medical research undertaken by Hunter Medical Research Institute.

The Club, formed thirty-seven years ago, still has some of those original members who ask the question,” what makes a garden unique?”  Is it a reflection of its creator? Where do the ideas come from? And how do you use this inspiration or knowledge to create a garden or a work of art?  An artwork does have a finite completion; a garden is always a work in progress.

Our area has many talented artists; painters, print makers, sculptors, potters, felt workers and calligraphers.  It seemed the perfect combination; beautiful gardens, big and bold, small and intricate in which to exhibit art works.  Some of the gardens were professionally designed, others the result of hard yakka and dedication by the owners.  The artists exhibiting in the gardens, under a pergola or in a garage, are as varied as the gardens.

Each garden will be open from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th  October.   Entry will be by donation of $5 per garden or $35 for all ten gardens with all money collected going to HMRI-   Hunter Medical Research Institute. All money raised over the weekend stays here in our community for the benefit of the of the community.

HMRI undertakes research into the cure for cancers, pulmonary fibrosis, stroke prevention and treatment, heart attack and arterial disease, the impact of healthy arteries on cognitive function in older members of our community.

This year the 10 unique open gardens & 2 bonus gardens are located on the western side of Lake Macquarie.  From Eraring, Wangi Wangi in the south to Coal Point, Toronto, Blackall’s Park and around the lake to the northern side of Toronto.

The bonus gardens include: 

• A great space/ idea.  What do you do with the longer wanted swimming pool? These owners have young son who has turned the pool into a creative pond environment.  The frogs and fish just love it.
• The Coal Point Public School. The rejuvenated gardens, plantings and the above ground vegetable gardens are a must to see.  A focus of study for the students has been on healthy food production and the garden gives simple practical experience for the young students. The plans for the recently announced Naturescape project will also be on display.  

Owners of the gardens will be on hand to answer your questions and share their passion for gardening, the environment, sustainable gardens and horticulture.  One gardener will share her knowledge about a Japanese method of producing a natural liquid fertiliser.

Morning and/ or afternoon tea/coffee will be available at some of the gardens. 

Details and maps will be available for you to plan your day out.A Facebook page Lake Macquarie Garden Club, will keep you informed. Print your own flyer from the Facebook site or obtain a flyer from all businesses displaying our posters.

Round up friends and family for a wonderful weekend visiting spectacular gardens, lunching in the area at restaurants, cafes or even a picnic in a park-as simple or as sophisticated as you desire.

For more information contact Lynne Turner

Email: artandgardenslakemac@gmail.com

Facebook: Lake Macquarie Garden Club