A caring community

Since the March Chronicle there’s been a mighty shift in what it means to be a part of a community. The CPPA Committee contemplated the role we can play in the current crisis, utilising our strengths in local knowledge and a hand-delivered communication channel.

Activities at our Hall have ceased due to gathering and distancing constraints. The CPPA and TASNG committees along with the Art group are meeting online. Landcaring has been officially called off by LMCC.

We sincerely hope everyone is keeping safe, appreciating the beautiful bushland suburb we live in and finding ways to support our neighbours, friends and family.

Here are our suggestions for sharing and caring locally:

Send your neighbour a contact card.

 

Introduction Card

Have you thought about dropping a hello card into

Connection Card

your neighbour? Everyone loves a letter that’s not a bill. The connection card in this Chronicle makes the introduction easy. Knowing who lives across the road may ease concerns of isolation. There's also a simple introduction card or a piece of paper will do.

Do you need a hand or want to lend one for shopping? 

The CPPA is setting up a register to connect ‘at risk’ locals, who need a hand with shopping, with those who don’t mind picking up a few extra items when they’re out. The CPPA will collect names and phone numbers and put people in touch with each other, the rest will be up to the helper and the recipient. Phone m: 0438596741 or email Suzanne coalpointprogress@gmail.com.

The Lake Macquarie Sustainable Neighbourhood Alliance has contact cards 

Explore our amazing bushland tracks and landcare sites and some not so obvious access points. 

Did you know you can walk:

• Into Toronto along the foreshore from Ambrose Street gaining access from the lakeside reserve.
• Along the Coal Point Ridge by joining the track at the crest of Whitelocke Street…exploring the Water tank mural is always fun.
• From the Carey Bay Shopping Village to Puntei Park by a pathway at the rear of the shops.
• From the Fire station on Ridge Rd to Kilaben Bay along the firetrail.

There is an online brochure ‘Wandering around the Coal Point Peninsula’ which shows the access points to many hidden treasures within our community and some greater detail in a post on a footpath strategy from 2011 

Safe Walking

 True. Walking on the right hand side facing the oncoming traffic lets you see approaching traffic and enables you to make sure that drivers have seen you. Be extra careful where the view of oncoming traffic is obscured.

Go on a Fuzzy Fauna Hunt.

Put out a stuffed or toy animal in your front window or wherever is visible from the street so when families are getting exercise they can get involved with a Treasure Hunt. The CPPA is supplying the wildlife for The Carey Bay Shopping Village which will be changed each week. You can post pictures of your findings on our Facebook Page or the Bear Hunt Lake Mac group https://www.facebook.com/groups/bearhuntlakemac/

Join a real bio-adventure. 

This is an online identification game that will open your eyes to the amazing and beautiful life all around us in our bushland suburb. The CPPA has set up team, if you want to join it get in touch.

By taking photos of as much life as you can you score ‘game gold’ for every sighting, with extra gold if you can identify what you’ve found. And even more gold if you can find something rare or interesting.

QuestaGame is a fun experience with nature, friendly competition learning about life in all its forms, and it helps protect biodiversity as all sightings are shared with CSIRO’s Atlas of Living Australia.https://questagame.com/the-game

Donate to Pampercare. 

If you’d like to help out those doing it tough and rough you can donate vouchers or gift cards to the Pampercare project by dropping them in at the Woodrising Neighbourhood Centre. They helped 11 local families in March.

Volunteer for Toronto Meals on Wheels 

Meals on Wheels are always ready to welcome new volunteers to support the work they do. If you’re interested in becoming one of their volunteers go to www.mow.net.au and follow the links to join as a volunteer by completing the paperwork. You could be delivering meals, or even catching up with people over the phone in the Have-a-chat program to support isolated elderly people in our local community.

From the Meals On Wheels GM, Damien Isaacs: We’d like to remind everyone that we are here to support the community. People over 65, people living with disability, and anyone in the community who may need a little bit of support with a meal or two per week delivered – for whatever reason.

Looking out for each other by looking out.

Living on our peninsula has lots of benefits, everyone is close to the water, the birds in the bush and the breezes make for enjoyable walking… a lot of us enjoy the water and the walking and what would be really wonderful, a new years gift perhaps, is if the users of motorised craft, be it on the road or in the bays slowed down so that the people powered pursuits could done without fear for personal safety.

One local sent a plea, “All I want for Christmas... is for some care and consideration from motorists on Skye Point and Coal Point Roads. A great many residents walk along the edge of the road, not to annoy motorists, but because the footpath (where it exists) is uneven, has tree roots, broken kerbing, long grass and holes making it in many places hazardous for walking.  Some of us are not so young anymore so even ground is important.

When passing someone walking, please move towards the centreline, even over it when safe to do so, to provide a margin of pedestrian safety. Slowing down a little would be an added bonus, it is a 50 zone… and to those drivers who do already give walkers a wide berth, a sincere thank you!

Another local was swimming in Carey Bay and fast moving vessels came within metres of the bobbing body, a speeding dinghy passing through the moored boats on one day and a jet ski (with passenger) who decided to launch from the shore at full bore on the following day. Vigorous splashing and shouting avoided collisions. The Boating Handbook Boating says 

When navigating near, in or through a mooring area:

• Drive slowly and keep wash to a minimum
• Keep a lookout for people in the water, small dinghies, and trailing ropes
• When travelling at 6 knots or more in a powered vessel you must stay at least 30 metres from any moored vessel.

Walkers Wanted

The Coal Point Chronicle is hand delivered to 1300 local homes and we’re looking for some people to assist in distribution.

If you have an hour once a month to pop about 50-100 chronicle in your neighbour’s letterboxes contact Barbara on 4959 1259