Community Quirks

Welcome to all the new residents in our area celebrating your first Christmas in our community. We all think our community is great, here are some of the reasons why we love to live where we do.

Seaworthy Santa

For several generations there’s been a tradition of Santa cruising the western Lake foreshores on Christmas Eve, heralding in the festive season, singing carols, and spreading cheer, in the form of lolly bags, to children who flock to the foreshore reserves to give the big guy a wave and a yo-ho-ho.

Back in the day the Wangi Queen was Santa’s boat-de-jour, but with ‘The Queen’ retiring a few years ago the Toronto Sunrise Rotary Club took up the Santa sack and have continued the local tradition with local boats.

If you feel like joining in the festivities you can join the flotilla from Bolton Point at 4.30 pm or bring the family to one of the local jetties listed below to enjoy this wonderful community tradition. This year will be a little different, alas no lollies, spreading cheer not COVID was the priority.

• Bolton Point- 4:30 pm
• Toronto 5:00 pm
• Kilaben Bay 6:15 pm
• Rathmines 6:45 pm
• Wangi Workers Club 7:15 pm

Waterfront Walking

Another long-time and strong tradition in our community has been the ability for locals to walk along the foreshore as a mode of recreation. Without safe pedestrian paths in our community, the relatively flat foreshore has always been a walking option. Whilst acknowledging that there are absolute waterfront properties in our community with boundaries extending to the high water mark, the neighbourly notion that it was OK to walk past was greatly appreciated and part of keeping the community connected.

Backyard Buddies

Enjoying our bigger bushland backyard and the abundant bird and wildlife is another peculiarity of the Coal Point Peninsula. The sunrise cacophony and sunset chorus of the kookaburra is something special that our suburbs still have. We have large remnant trees with the capacity for kookaburras to make their nests in. The midnight meditative hoots of the migratory koels can be heard above the bark-a-lot dogs, punctuating the day and night, a sound to treasure. Our bushland provides not only a corridor for birds to move through but food and shelter for the wildlife. Responsible pet ownership is key to keeping these places safe for our community-pets-without-borders, our ‘backyard buddies’. https://backyardbuddies.org.au

The Chronicle

The Chronicle has been gracing the letterboxes of the CPPA community since January 1980, with 317 editions circulated to date. The newsletter is wholly produced and distributed by volunteers with sponsorship of spaces covering the printing costs. It takes 3-4 days each month to write, collate and edit the content, lay it out for printing, put it online and distribute into 2300 letter boxes in Coal Point, Carey Bay, Kilaben Bay and Toronto areas.

The demise of the local newspapers in the past year has meant that The Chronicle was one of the few hard copy information sources available with a perspective on the local issues of importance. The protection of the Toronto Foreshore, local sustainability initiatives, development applications, a multitude of Council’s plans and strategies as well neighbours noticing nature, landcare activities and insights on our local flora and fauna regularly grace the space on the yellow pages.

You can also view the Chronicle online - https://coalpointprogress.blogspot.com
or subscribe to receive an email each month with The Chronicle articles, coalpointprogress@gmail.com.

Heaven Can Wait (HCW) Charity Regatta (5-6 Feb)

The HCW Charity Regatta was conceived and inaugurated by Lake Macquarie resident, keen sailor and cancer survivor Shaun Lewicki as a major annual sailing event on the lake to promote sailing and to raise funds for cancer research – particularly men’s cancers. As the survival rates from cancer have improved, so have the needs of the Hunter Branch of Cancer Council NSW, and the funds raised from this regatta are now directed to the Home Help Program. This program provides domestic assistance to both recovering and terminal cancer patients who, because of their illness, are unable to perform many of the domestic duties they would normally do.

In the 15 years that this event has been run, it has raised some $470,000 in support of the charities and it’s expected to be well over the $500,000 after the 2022 event.

The 16th HCW Charity Sailing Regatta will be run over the weekend of February 5 and 6.

The Charity Dinner will again be held on the preceding Friday - February 4th, at the Royal Motor Yacht Club Toronto.

Race Entry and information can be found on the RMYC website - https://www.rmyctoronto.com.au/heaven-can-wait

CPPA Membership Renewal is underway

Membership to the Coal Point Progress Association aligns with the calendar year. Shortly all existing members will be given an update about their membership status, whether they need to renew or how long their multi-year membership has left to run.

If you’re not a member and would like to join, a membership form is available on the website or by emailing cppa.membership@gmail.com.

Progress People Projects

Where have you wandered?

During COVID many of us were able to explore our neighbourhood on foot and by bike and you may have discovered some hidden gems. Perhaps it was a trek on a track that linked to an unexpected place, a sneaky shortcut, or a trot that got the heart rate up and had an inspiring view at the end. Did you tour on your bike somewhere that surprised you?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could share these travelling treasures? Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we can. The CPPA has set up a Strava account where we can share our pedestrian and cycling activity. Strava allows you to generate maps of where you’ve been using a mobile device and upload comments and pictures. You can follow the Coal Point Progress Association to upload your travels. 

If there are any avid Strava users who would like to lend a hand at keeping up the CPPA account get in touch.

Gaming Session for members

The Underground Arcade is a new age Virtual Reality gaming Arcade located in Toronto. (67-73 The Boulevard Toronto). The owners have invited the CPPA to a free 2-hour session at the arcade and share in the experiences it has to offer, such as
• Three full size green screen room scale VR rooms,
• Motion simulators for both racing and flight,
• Squad gaming and internet café area,
• Two Kat Walk VR multidirectional treadmills and
• A high-quality sound system with phone connectivity.

With current restrictions the arcade can accommodate a maximum of 20 people at a time.

If you’re a gamer and a member of the CPPA and would like to come along, get in touch and we can organise a date. Members under 13 will require adult supervision for content control.

Join Up and Join In

If you’d like to join the CPPA here’s a membership form or get in touch with one of the Committee members (see the back page of The Chronicle). If you join now, you get a couple of bonus months as renewals run to the calendar year.

The CPPA members own a hall, and we want to put it to good use in 2022 with social events. If you like the idea of creating fun functions, groovy gatherings, or pleasurable parties we are looking for a gregarious group to lend a hand, choose the talent and assist with the hosting of these community extravaganzas. If you can help with one or several events, get in touch.

One event we would like to host is the Lake Macquarie Winds Concert Band. They have been in touch and are keen to entertain us. They are performing at the Rathmines Theatre, nawayiba (means ‘canoe place’), on 21st November between 4 and 6 pm. This is a free, COVID-safe concert hosted by LMCC.

We’re on the lookout for an assistant hall-coordinator to learn the ropes for keeping the hall in tip-top condition. Our current hall deputy will be leaving the area and we would like to share the knowledge gained of the various processes that have been put in place to make caring for our hall a seamless and satisfying experience. Please get in touch.

More local Muso’s wanted to Muse with.

A group of musically ambitious locals have started to gather at the hall, on the 1st and 4th Thursday of the month, 3-4:30pm, for musical fellowship. So far, the group consists of clarinet, bass, guitar, drum players and one potential voice. It would be great if there were more musos or singers involved. Whilst we are not asking musos to be highly competent, we are a playing group, not a group for learners to be taught a musical instrument. We are currently learning a repertoire of Let it Be, Moonglow, All of Me, What a Wonderful World and Moon River. 

Enquiries to Rob 0408 429 870, rob2roam@bigpond.com

Walk Safely to School Day was a great success on Sept 11.

What a way to start the day! The walking bus was full on Walk Safely to School Day. The Carey Bay route proved to be popular with 14 children, 11 adults and 2 dogs on board. The children enjoyed the nature trek, walking, running and chattering along the way. The parents enjoyed the safety, the scenery and the chance to be social as well. The dogs were very happy and well behaved on leashes.

The route worked well with people joining the bus at Laycock St, at Whitelocke Street, happy friends very excited about seeing each other.

Everyone arrived safely and happily at school, there was only one trip on the last steep slope, where the track narrows and the tree roots are exposed, but like a true adventurer the happy traveller jumped up and journeyed on.

The parents are keen to make this a regular Friday event and the Coal Point Parents facebook group will be used to plan and share the info.

Congrats everyone on giving it a go it’s a big step forward in making our community more resilient, friendly and safer.

Friday 11 Sept - Walk Safely to School Day Route

The walking bus is revving its engine.

We've walked the route to review and eliminate potential risks, minimising road crossings and ensuring high visibility when we have to cross.

The walking bus driver and two conductors are all on board,  we only need some passengers to make the trip.

There are some super sights to see along the way, the mega-mural, spectacular views and bushland in bloom.

The route is outlined below with approximate times, depending on number of children and the pace. 

Everyone is welcome to come along for the walk and join us along the way. 

If you'd like to RSVP that will give us a guide as to the numbers, contact Suzanne at coalpointprogress@gmail.com.

How will you be Fighting for Planet A?

The CPPA is getting on board with the Fight for Planet A: Our Climate Challenge. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s the ABC’s latest do-gooder campaign hosted by Craig Reucassel which explores how we can all reduce our individual and collective carbon emissions. The documentary series aims to empower and motivate Australians to take action on climate change and they provide a Carbon Counter and a community solutions plan too.

One of the community solutions put forward by ‘The Fight’ is to take part in the

‘Walk Safely to School Day’ on September 11.

Transport is a huge contributor to carbon emissions. Walking is not only good for the environment, but also has a favourable impact on our long-term mental and physical health – plus it’s free!

The CPPA, Toronto Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group (TASNG) and Coal Point Public School have taken up the challenge and will be putting our best feet forward by having a go at getting a Walking Bus on the move. 

What’s a Walking Bus?

A walking bus is a fun way for local children to walk to school together, thanks to adult volunteers and parents who walk with the group. The Walking Bus is accompanied by at least 2 adult volunteers, a ‘driver’ at the front and a ‘conductor’ at the rear.

For the Sept 11 event, which routes will be walked and the number of children who can join in will be determined by how many adults are keen to get on board.

COVID has changed many of our habits, our work days are different, our commute is not what it used to be. This is creating an opportunity to try something different. A way to build some exercise in the day, have a wander through some of our amazing bushland and enjoy some quality time with the kids and break down the fear of walking as a way of getting to school safely.

If you’d like to be a part of this community drive to reduce driving and help our kids get comfortable with walking to school get in touch with Suzanne by phone 0438596741 or email coalpointprogress@gmail.com. A video conference will be held on 31/8/20 with interested adults to work out what we’d like to see happen and map out a route.

Here are links to more reading about the Walking Bus concept.

The National Walk Safely to School Day site 

How to start a Walking School Bus Resource page. This includes a how to start guide, parents survey, participation pledge and certificate 

A 4-page pdf guide on how to get a Walking started  

Have an individual stoush for the Planet.

To celebrate National Science Week the ABC launched its Carbon Counter that allows you to see how much CO2 you could save with just one change to your lifestyle. If you want to do something about climate change but aren’t sure where to start, the ABC Science Carbon Counter can help you identify simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint – and see how much CO2 you would save.

Could you have shorter showers? Or try eating kangaroo instead of beef? What difference would composting make? You can compare the savings from different challenges to choose the one that suits you.

Climate change is a daunting problem that requires society-wide solutions. But Carbon Counter shows that individuals can also make a difference, especially if we work together.