Sunday, 14 September 2025

Dates for Doing Sept-October

Visit the calendar for updates

https://coalpointprogress.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

CPPA Monthly Meeting

Monday 13 Oct

3:30-5pm Progress Hall, 197 Skye Pt Rd-

TASNG

Wednesday 8 Oct

5-6:30 The Hub,

97 The Boulevarde.

An Intro to Ethics

Wednesday 1 Oct
@ Progress Hall

Pig Day Out

Sunday 5th Oct

@ Toronto Hotel

Tools & techniques provided

Morning tea at 10am

25/9 Stansfield with Bush regen team

2/10 Threlkeld

9/10 Burnage

16/10 Kilibinbin

23/10 Burnage

30/10 Gurranba

6/11 - Puntei Creek Wetlands

Crocodile Point (TASNG)

1st &3rd Wed

8:30-10am. Meet under the Fennel Bay bridge

Want to join Us?

Receive weekly emails about landcaring and what we will be doing,

cppalandcare@gmail.com

Pig Day Out – Raising Funds for Jenny’s Place in Westlakes- 5 Oct- Toronto Hotel

Toronto Sunrise Rotary is bringing fun, colour and community spirit to the Toronto Hotel on Sunday 5 October with their much-loved Pig Day Out. This year, the stakes are even higher with all proceeds going once again to support Jenny’s Place, a vital local service for women and children escaping domestic and family violence.

Jenny’s Place has been helping women and children in the Hunter for over 40 years, offering crisis accommodation, outreach, legal and emotional support, and pathways to safer, healthier futures. With plans now underway to expand services into the Westlakes area, local support has never been more important. Domestic violence is sadly a reality in every community, and having accessible, specialised services close to home can make all the difference.

Pig Day Out promises to be a family-friendly extravaganza. Gates open at 11 am, with the first of five piglet races kicking off at 12 noon. Between the races, there’ll be delicious food and drinks, a jumping castle, face painting, superheroes to meet, and of course plenty of laughs and squeals from the track. Best of all entry is free.

By coming along, you’ll not only enjoy a day of entertainment but also contribute to a cause that saves lives. Jenny’s Place helps women recognise unhealthy relationships, provides safe spaces when they need to leave, and connects families with housing, financial and emotional support. The new service planned for Westlakes will extend that lifeline even further.

Toronto Sunrise Rotary has a proud tradition of combining fun with fundraising, and this event is a great chance to show support, catch up with neighbours, and help strengthen our community’s safety net.

So mark your calendar for Sunday 5 October at the Toronto Hotel. Come for the pigs, stay for the community, and leave knowing you’ve made a difference.

FoodWorks Opens at Carey Bay Shopping Village

There’s a lot to be said for having a local corner store. When you’re halfway through cooking and realise you’re missing a key ingredient, being able to pop down the road, grab what you need, and be back in under ten minutes is a blessing.

If you’re shopping for one, FoodWorks makes it a pleasure instead of a chore. You can drop in, have a chat, check out the bargains, and head home with just the right amount. For older friends and neighbours, it’s an ideal environment, easy to access, not overwhelming, and a chance to stay active and engaged while bumping into familiar faces.

At the other end of the spectrum, kids can learn the basics of shopping in a safe and contained way. Understanding how the store is organised, finding items, and paying at the counter are great life skills. Before long they’ll be able to pop down on their own to pick up milk or bread, get some exercise and learn independence along the way.

A local shop is also good for the budget. Big supermarkets are designed to tempt us into impulse buying. At FoodWorks you’re more likely to stick to the list, and save money.

The FoodWorks franchise is large enough to keep prices comparable and supplies fresh. Gluten-free and dairy-free options are available, alongside everyday essentials like Epsom salts for relaxing baths.

The CPPA welcomes the FoodWorks crew to Carey Bay and thanks them for making local life a little more local.

Thinking it Through – Ethics with Henry Wellsmore

The first of our Ethics sessions at Progress Hall brought together a thoughtful group of 15 locals curious to explore some of the big questions of life: what does it mean to act ethically? and how do we decide what is “right” when opinions, laws and beliefs differ?

Henry Wellsmore led the discussion, drawing on his decades of experience in counselling, ethics and community work. Henry reminded us that ethics is not the same as personal opinion, gut feelings, professional etiquette, public policy or even religion and law. Rather, ethics is about human flourishing and wellbeing. It is prescriptive, it asks what we should do. It has overriding importance, applying across cultures and contexts.

Participants considered the influences that shape our own value systems. Family upbringing, education, politics, religion, and lived experience all play a role in how we weigh up what’s “right” and “wrong”. We also looked at several of the major ethical theories:

Deontology (Immanuel Kant), which focuses on rules and duties regardless of outcomes.

Consequentialism (Bentham, Mill, Singer), where the morality of an action depends on its results, seeking “the greatest good for the greatest number”.

Virtue theory (Plato, Aristotle), which looks to character and motives rather than rules or results.

Human rights, recognising both “positive” rights (such as the right to healthcare) and “negative” rights (such as liberty).

Each theory has strengths and drawbacks. Taken together, they offer different “lenses” for examining a dilemma. As Henry noted, none of this is rocket science, but it’s not easy either. The value lies in slowing down, considering multiple perspectives, and recognising that ethical decision-making takes effort.

The upcoming second session will recap the ground covered, provide space for questions, and introduce the other main models of ethics. If time permits, Henry will also present a practical framework for approaching ethical dilemmas:

identify the issue and conflicting values,

consider who is involved,

outline possible actions,

weigh up potential consequences from each ethical perspective,

then make a reasoned decision.

It’s a problem-solving approach that encourages reflection rather than snap judgement.

Join us on Wednesday 1st October, 10am–12 midday (cuppa from 9:30am) at Progress Hall, 197 Skye Point Rd, Coal Point. A gold coin donation will help cover costs.

Bring your curiosity and your questions, this promises to be another stimulating morning of learning and conversation.

Book in here or scan the QR code.

Sustainable buildings and batteries

A Policy update via renew.org.au

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is proving hugely popular, over 40,0000 batteries installed since July this year. Interestingly, households aren’t just choosing the expected 10 kWh batteries, the average is already 17 kWh and growing. Thanks to modular designs and low add-on costs, it’s predicted that average system sizes could soon reach 25 kWh. This trend is set to cut excess solar exports at midday, reduce curtailment, and lift wholesale prices and feed-in tariffs, creating stronger incentives for solar households.

Following the Economic Reform Roundtable, the government announced that 2025 National Construction Code updates will be released this year, and the 2028 updates will be delayed until 2029, perhaps a better outcome that was initially mooted prior to the meeting.

An updated Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings was released in mid-August. A national strategy for Commonwealth, State and Territory action across all buildings, it commits to a net zero building sector by 2050, with new emphasis on resilience, health, comfort, and affordability.

And on electric vehicles, debate continues over a road user charge (RUC) to make up for lost revenue from petrol taxes. With some advocates suggesting a RUC should apply to all vehicles now, indications are that the government is only considering applying it to EVs at this stage, a move that risks slowing EV uptake.

Celebrating Our Backyard Biodiversity

September is Biodiversity Month, a time to celebrate the richness of life around us. Here along the Coal Point peninsula, we don’t need to travel far to be reminded of just how lucky we are, our reserves, link tracks and lake foreshore are buzzing with life.

There’s so much to love about our beautiful and biodiverse bigger backyard. Every Thursday the Landcare crew revels in the joys of Mother Nature. And every Tuesday we get a wonderfully-crafted reminder of where we’ve been, what we’ve done and where we’re going from Ros, our Landcare coordinator.

Over the past month the team gathered at sites like Hampton Street Link, Gurranba Reserve and Puntei Creek. We tackled invasive plants that threaten to smother the bush. We’ve been pulling out swathes of Mother of Millions (Bryophyllum delagoense), hacking back Black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata), and keeping an eye on the surprise arrival of Australian Umbrella Tree (Heptapleurum actinophyllum) seedlings, a native species but not from this part of the country.

Clearing weeds may sound unglamorous, but every thistle uprooted or tangle of Morning Glory (Ipomoea indica) removed gives native plants room to breathe. It means Basket Grass (Oplismenus aemulus), Scurvy Weed (Commelina cyanea) and young Grevillea sericea can flourish. It means flowers return to the bush, and with them the bees, birds and lizards.

And what a cast of creatures still call our peninsula home. In recent weeks, landcarers have encountered a resident blue-tongue lizard, a secretive Blackish Blind Snake (Anilios nigrescens), and the usual chorus of birdlife. Just last month, Pandorea pandorana and Clematis glycinoides were in bloom, adding to the colour of spring.

These small weekly efforts add up. Together, they keep the bush in balance and remind us that biodiversity isn’t an abstract idea, it’s the living world right at our back door. The resilience of our native plants and animals is something to be celebrated, and it depends on community care.

This Biodiversity Month, take a walk through your local reserve, pause to notice the small flowers pushing through the leaf litter, or the rustle of skinks underfoot. Every sighting is a reminder: we are fortunate indeed to live among such abundance.

And if you’d like to lend a hand, the Landcare team meets every Thursday morning. Come for the weeding, stay for the cuppa and company, and help keep our backyard brimming with life. Visit the CPPA calendar to see where we will be.

Learning at Landcare with Pam

From the Awabakal seasonal calendar:

Spring is blooming season on Country, with plants and muraban (flowers) in full bloom. The tibin (birds), aru (insects) and other animals that come to feed on their pollen and nectar pick up their activity for the year. Many tibin are breeding and laying yero (eggs), and the binaibaan (goanna) climb trees to feed on the eggs.

Depending on the climate of the year, Spring may start earlier or later, with warmer weather in August and September bringing an early start, or a longer Takarir delaying the flowering of plants and the arrival of animals.

Country is waking back up. Muraban are blooming and many animals are raising young hatchlings. The weather is wirobakiliko (heating up), kicking off much of the season’s activity.

This knowledge reminds us that our work on the peninsula is part of something much older and larger. When we see flowers opening, birds nesting, or goannas climbing, we are witnessing Country in motion, seasonal patterns that have guided life here for thousands of years.

Which Black-eyed Susan?

Why we use scientific names

What’s in a name? There’s a beautiful, vulnerable plant that grows locally on the West Ridge, on the low-nutrient soils of the Awaba Soil Landscape. It’s a clumping shrub, with single or multiple stems that stretch 30–60 cm long. The stems are often leafless, edged with narrow wings that give them an angular look. Along the stems, delicate flowers droop downwards, usually in fours, with petals ranging from white to soft pink through to deep purple.

This plant is commonly known as Black-eyed Susan, but its scientific name is Tetratheca juncea, affectionately called TJ.

BUT there’s also an invasive weed with the very same common name. This Black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata) is a vigorous perennial climber, scrambling 3–4 metres high . Its triangular leaves form dense mats, while its orange or yellow flowers with dark throats are eye-catching but destructive. After flowering, hairy seed capsules form, helping it spread. More often though, its escape comes via dumped garden waste. On Coal Point it is a major problem, smothering native plants.

And if that wasn’t confusing enough, Rudbeckia hirta, another “Black-eyed Susan,” also known as Yellow Coneflower, hails from North America. It’s a daisy-like plant growing up to a metre tall, with many cultivated varieties.

So we have three very different plants, all called Black-eyed Susan. This is why Landcare uses scientific names. Botanical names cut through the confusion, and once you start using them, it’s a bit like learning a new language. It’s good for the brain, helps us be precise, and even opens the stories behind the names:

Tetratheca = “four cells or lobes” for the four-petalled flower
juncea = “rush-like,” describing its long, slender stems

While Tetratheca juncea isn’t currently available for sale, there are many local native plants that make excellent understorey options for home gardens. You can find tubestock at the Lake Macquarie Landcare Nursery, 80 Toronto Road, Booragul, open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8.30am–3pm, or by appointment.

All the details on the very special Tetratheca juncea are here

Alternatives to plant instead of Thunbergia alata are here

Stansfield Reserve Project Underway

On Thursday 14 August, the much-anticipated Origin Energy–funded bush regeneration project at Stansfield Reserve got underway, bringing together professional bush regenerators and local volunteers.

The day began early with Suzanne Pritchard taking Sally Alldis from the Bushland and Rainforest Restoration & Consulting (BARRC) team on a tour of the reserve. This walk provided an overview of the site’s potential and challenges, including the effects of a past burn, neighbour concerns and the extent of weed invasion.

By 8am, ten local landcarers gathered at Progress Hall with project leader Sally and her colleague Jenni to discuss the strategy. Maps in hand, the group soon moved into the reserve, forming a line across the ridge and working upwards; gravity has an impact on seed dispersal. Targets included Ground Asparagus (Asparagus aethiopicus), Bitou Bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) and Corky Passionfruit (Passiflora suberosa).

Sally and Jenni shared tips on best practice removal, including “rafting” weeds into nearby shrubs to decompose naturally. Even the stubborn asparagus crowns were managed by stripping their water vesicles to prevent regrowth and once hung in a tree was easy to keep track of who had been where.

Morning tea back at the hall offered cakes, biscuits and plenty of conversation before work resumed. With further days planned this year and follow-up next year, the project marks a strong start in restoring this important reserve right behind our community hall.

BARRC in the bush days: 25 Sept, 20 Nov at Stansfield Reserve.Meet behind the Hall, 197 Skye Pt Rd.

CPPA Committee September update

Your CPPA committee has been busy keeping the community connected and the bush cared for.

On the money front, our rates rebate came through thanks to LMCC and some tireless advocacy, a real relief for our finances. Insurance with Landcare NSW has also been renewed, giving us peace of mind while we get on with the work. A grant writing workshop added fresh skills to our toolkit so we can chase more funding for projects.

At Progress Hall, improvements are on the way. Plans are forming for better disability access and bathroom renovations. The gutters are cleared, and some sagging insulation removed, though not before a ringtail possum moved in. A new nest box has been installed to give it a proper home.

Landcare continues to shine, with several sunny days and the Origin grant supporting Stansfield Reserve’s recovery. Rabbits have been identified as a challenge at Threlkeld Reserve, and the eastern part of Coal Point, while Cath’s tawny frogmouths were spotted again, albeit with-out chicks this season.

Ideas are bubbling for future gatherings, 80th Anniversary celebrations with music and dance, holiday programs, with grants to help bring in the right people to run them.

If you've got some thoughts on any of the above get in touch cppasecretary@gmail.com

DAs In Play 17/7/25 to 14/9/25

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