The Coal Point Chronicle: May 2022

Thursday, 5 May 2022

Toronto Foreshore update May 2022

The Toronto Action Group have been endeavouring to get an update on the Toronto Foreshore progress for a couple of months and through persistence achieved some insights.

Our information from Council is

It is hoped stage 1 works would be completed by the end of June. Delays have occurred due to weather, covid and supply chain issues. Once complete most of the foreshore will be open to the public.
Stage 2 will be the car park area and shared path extension near the amatuer sailing club, due to be completed by the end of October.
No further works will occur until the 2023-2024 FY. During this period detailed design work will continue and operational budgets provided.
There are three more stages envisaged:

The area encompassing Tintos, playground, boat ramp and bit of Goffett Park;
The area just south of the Bath Street site and
between just south of the Bath Street site and the amatuer sailing club.

Constructions methods to be determined. There is no plan yet for which stage will be done first. Council will be posting a community update in a few weeks.

Here's a few pix of what's been happening on the other side of the fence since October last year.

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

Progress Patter

We’ve got a new hall coordinator!

Welcome and thank you to Cath Fairs for stepping up and into the role of the Progress Hall Coordinator, who looks after the Hall bookings and oversees the needs of the Hall.

The role is a perfect fit for Cath. She has lived in Coal Point for the past 12 years and introduced herself as having “a small business located in Toronto, as a Social worker, providing counselling. My professional and personal values mean that connection with the community is important to me, as is access to spaces that bring people together.”

We’re super excited to have Cath join the CPPA team. To celebrate we have set up a page on our website so you can see what the hall looks like, the fees and the hall hire conditions, in case you’re looking for a local venue to gather in.

Many thanks to Judy, our retiring hall coordinator, who has been doing an outstanding job over the past 12 months, setting up systems and keeping the hall hirers happy. We wish you well in your next adventure.

Groups currently use the hall for yoga, music, art, Tai Chi, Zumba, Pilates and sewing. The online calendar has details.

Expanded Chronicle distribution

Sincere thanks to the wonderful locals and ACF who have together provided $600 of generous donations to allow us to keep distributing the Chronicle to Kilaben Bay and more of Toronto. At $120/edition for the extras we’ve now got a few more months of expanded distribution up our sleeve.

You can support the ongoing distribution by becoming a member of CPPA or TASNG, give us a ring, or donate at https://www.givenow.com.au/toronto-foreshore-protection

Art & an AGM - Sunday 26 June

If you’re going to attend an Annual General Meeting (AGM) you may as well have beautiful Art to admire while contemplating the annual report.

This year’s AGM to be held on Sunday 26 June will not only provide an opportunity to reflect on the happenings of the Coal Point Progress Association but also an occasion to view and purchase some of the painted ponderings of the Coal Point Art Collective, a local group of artists who gather weekly at the hall for artistic fellowship.

The art work will be on display throughout the day, so you can come along and look at the art, maybe join the CPPA and hang around for the AGM from 2-3pm, then enjoy a social afternoon tea. There will be more details in the June Chronicle.

The agenda for the AGM will be

Welcome- Traditional custodians acknowledged
Attendance & Apologies
Review of Actions from Previous minutes
Confirmation of minutes of previous Annual General Meeting held 20/6/21
President’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
Questions to the Committee/Motions
Appointment of Auditor
Nomination of Returning Officer
Election of Office Bearers and up to 6 other Committee members
Confirmation of Public Officer
Close of meeting.

If you would like to nominate to be on the Committee, please get in touch with one of the Committee for a chat or lodge a nomination form. You can use the Get In Touch form on the right hand side of the webpage, or email cppasecretary @gmail.com.

Where to Vote on or before 21 May

With the 21 May election looming and COVID still blooming you may want to consider avoiding the crowds and take up the option of voting before Election Day.

The local pre-poll place is the Toronto Amateur Sailing Club, 27 Victory Row.

Opening hours are;

Mon 9 May - Fri 13 May 8:30am–5:30pm
Sat 14 May - 9am–4pm
Mon 16 May - Thu 19 May 8:30am–5:30pm
Fri 20 May - 8:30am–6pm

On Election Day, 21st May, 8am-6pm, the local polling places are

Kilaben Bay Community Hall -132A Kilaben Rd
Coal Point Public School -166 Coal Point Rd
Toronto Public School -31 Renwick St
Biraban Public School -2 Beckley St
Blackalls Park Public School -43 Charles St
Fennell Bay Public School -2 Bay Rd

You can find out who the candidates are at https://aec.gov.au/election/candidates.htm

A prosperous future for the Hunter

Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) is a think tank that aims to demonstrate through independent research and innovative solutions how Australia can prosper in a zero-emissions economy.

In April BZE released the Hunter Renewable Energy Industrial Precinct Briefing (HREIP) Paper – Securing the Hunter’s reputation as a global force in energy.

This briefing paper shows the enormous scale of renewable powered industries that could be developed as part of a HREIP, including the build-out of new renewable energy and electrical infrastructure over the next ten years. By 2032 it can:

Unlock new capital investment of $28 billion,
Create 34,000 new ongoing local jobs in new manufacturing and service industries,
Generate $11 billion in revenue per annum,
Protect existing manufacturing jobs by repowering them with renewable energy, and
Make the Hunter attractive and competitive for energy intensive industry

There has to be a future beyond coal and the Hunter is well placed to be at the forefront of the transition.

If the dire consequences of a business-as-usual approach in a climate changing world are not heeded in the next decade the window of opportunity that offers a glimpse of hope will indeed close.

However if you look back over the past 10 years our life has changed considerably with the advent of streaming services, Instagram, Uber, Siri, drones, online DNA testing, ipads and man buns. A lot can happen in a decade but it will be people that make it happen quicker and the politicians will just have to catch up.

The Australian Conservation Foundation recently commissioned YouGov to conduct Australia’s Biggest Climate Poll, polling a nationally representative sample of more than 15,000 Australian voters on a range of questions on climate change and government action. You can read the full polling report here

Together We Can is a collection of everyday Australians, groups and businesses from all over the country who want more action taken to address climate change.

The ideas expressed in both the reports are consistent with the CPPA’s constitution.

Changes to the Bulk Waste Collection

The twice yearly kerbside bulk waste pick-up has been very popular across our city. However, like all systems, there are some flaws. A lot of what is put out could be reused, repaired or recycled and whilst some is collected by residents, most of it is not. And, as we have seen with this April’s wet weather, sodden dumps, including mattresses, have been sitting out on the kerb for two or three weeks. So LMCC officers have been reviewing the city’s bulk waste disposal and the scoping options for improvement. They have done a lot of research into what is put out and investigated services offered by other councils across NSW. One interesting finding is that about 30% of bulk waste collection is dumped opportunistically from out of area!

The gist of the new system is that households will keep their entitlement of two collections a year but will now have a choice of whether to book a collection when needed (e.g. to coincide with a move or renovation) or to use a voucher to take up to a trailer-load to Awaba free of charge. The booking system will allow some items to be redirected for reuse (e.g. furniture), repair (e.g. electricals) or recycling (e.g. metals, plastics, cardboard) with better facilities for each of these options. Overall the new system is proposed to be more convenient, facilitating reuse and recycling, reducing landfill, and making better use of ratepayer funds.

Details of the proposed changes can be found at www.lakemac.com.au/News-articles/Changes-planned-for-Lake-Mac-bulk-waste-service. The survey closed on April 18 but it is still worthwhile to look at what is proposed and keep an open mind.

Toronto Area Car Boot Sale & Get-together

This page will be updated as the details develop.

SCOUTING FOR SCOUTS for the Carey Bay Toronto Scout Group

Are you interested in having fun, learning lots of new things and making friends. We have groups currently active and are always looking for new scouts who would like to join the group.

Ages: Joeys (5-8 ) Cubs (8-11 ) Scouts (11-14 ) Venturers (14-17) Rovers (18-25).

Were you a scout and would like to get involved again? We are looking for leaders and would love you to join us. If you need any further information, please contact our Group Leader at: Diane.Bellette@nsw.scouts.com.au

Neighbours Noticing Nature

Powerful Owls (Ninox strenua) have been sighted and heard in our local area recently and there’s a good reason for that as the update from the The Powerful Owl project, run by Birdlife Australia explains.

What are the owls up to now?

At this time of year (April), singles are calling for a partner, and the established pairs are cementing their pair bonds, investigating tree hollows, and deciding whether to nest in the same tree as last year or move to a different one. The owls are also visiting the perimeters of their territories and calling to remind the neighbours where the boundaries are. Around the end of May/beginning of June, the females of this year’s breeding pairs will enter their hollows to lay their eggs and brood.

You may be wondering what the juveniles from last year are doing now? Some will have already dispersed, and over the coming weeks the rest will leave the territories where they were born, to find a territory of their own.

An article from the ABC describes the eating habits of Australia's largest and most powerful owl , the only owl in Australia that has an owly hoot.

Powerful Owls are capable hunters and include sugar gliders, greater gliders, ringtail possums and brushtail possums in their diet. According to Dr Raylene Cooke from Deakin University, Powerful Owls eat an astounding 250 to 350 possums a year. Dr Cooke analysed 2500 owl pellets to determine this fact.

Unseen and unheard, the winged hunter swoops onto an unwary possum, grasping it with its claws and breaking its neck. In one great bite the Powerful Owl can eat a possum's head. The male will then take the headless possum back to the roost and eat some more, as well as provide meat for the female and two chicks.

Powerful Owls will also eat mice, insects and a range of other birds, including quite large prey such as white cockatoos, magpies, and even ravens.

They specialise in their diet, but eat a broad range of animals over their habitat area. Coastal Powerful Owls will favour Ringtail Possums, while in the high country they prefer Greater Gliders.

We are very fortunate to have Powerful Owls in our area, they are listed as Vulnerable in NSW. There are some simple actions we can take to make sure the Powerful Owl will always have a home on our peninsula

If you happen to know where a Powerful Owl is nesting please do not disturb it.
If you have a cat keep it indoors, especially at night, for its safety as well as that of the owls.
If you have a rodent problem consider using the less toxic first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as Warfarin, Coumateralyl (Ratblitz) because they break down more quickly than second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides which accumulate in the predator’s bodies and can result in their death.

SECOND THOUGHTS- Lois Simpson

As summer ended and the blossoms fell,

And our favourite blooms went to seed as well,

Into the bush, seed-heads I brought.

I put them there without a thought

For old mum nature and her kin.

I didn’t think it was a sin.

From ordered gardens they’ve been freed,

But in the bush they’re just a weed.

They’ll grow up strong and smother the rest-

There’ll be no place for the blue wren’s nest.

I could have mulched them to rot away

To use on my garden some other day.

Or, of course, I have something to throw it all in,

Now that council provides a green bin!

You can find out about how to care for your local native garden and the local weeds in the Bonza Bushland Gardening Guide

Eco-Advocate Events with LMCC

LMCC’s Eco Advocate What’s On is published fortnightly and is dedicated entirely to the latest environmental events and opportunities in Lake Macquarie. You can subscribe to receive the eco-advocate directly into your inbox.

Make your own worm farm:

Saturday 14 May, 10am-noon Toronto Hub, 97 The Boulevarde:

Reduce your local food waste and create wonderful organic garden fertiliser.
Join Lachlan Storrie from Treefrog Permaculture to make your own worm farm from reclaimed materials. This workshop will take you through the steps to create your own worm farm (including worms) to take home.
All materials and worms are supplied. Please bring a pair of gardening gloves. Suitable for adults and supervised children aged 10+.
Registrations are essential at events.humanitix.com/make-your-own-worm-farm.

National Volunteer Week celebration with Landcarers, Sustainable Neighbourhood groups, and Community Ecosystem Monitoring volunteers:

Saturday 21 May, 10.00am – 12.30pm. Blackalls Park picnic shelter.

The day will feature a talk on Seagrass by Landcarer and Community Ecosystem Monitoring volunteer, Janet White. There will also be a nature walk.
Morning tea and lunch will be provided. Please BYO water bottle and coffee cups.

Visit humanitix.com to register by Tuesday 17 May.

Pay It Forward (M) Free movie screening

Friday 20 May, 5.45 for 6.15pm screening. Rathmines Theatre, Stilling Street, Rathmines

As part of National Volunteers Week, LMCC are holding a series of events that celebrate and recognise our wonderful volunteers and your valued contribution to our community.

All Lake Macquarie volunteers are invited to this free movie screening, to say thank you for volunteering your time and your skills to enhance our neighbourhoods, our people and our environment.

Pay It Forward. Rated M

Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.

Registrations essential at eventbrite.com.au. Complimentary popcorn and soft drink on arrival. Cash bar available.

Chemical CleanOut:

Sunday 15 May, 9am – 3.30pm Rathmines Boat Ramp off Dorrington Rd, Rathmines

Problem waste such as oil and water-based paints, car batteries, gas bottles, motor oil, as well as chemicals including pool chemicals, garden chemicals and poisons are accepted.

Only household quantities (20L or 20kg), except for paint. Up to 100L (in 20L containers) of paint accepted. For more information call the Environment Line on 131 555 or visit cleanout.com.au.

DA In Play 10/3/22 to 3/5/22

The CPPA endeavours to provide a summary of active applications in our area as outlined in the table.

Please consult LMCC’s website for a full listing:

https://www.lakemac.com.au/Development/Planning-and-development-services/Application-Enquiry.