- August 2000 -
Volume 1, Issue 5; August 2000
Editorial
The Sydney Olympics are but a week or two away and island residents, like their mainland neighbours, are preparing to gird their Olympic loins. The couch potatoes amongst us have the fridges full. Active residents are ready to jump on the public bus system to access their favourite sport. Some of the wise have left the country ! Some, like me, are SOCOG volunteers. Whatever your level of participation, have fun! The Sydney Olympics on the net are at this address
Your contribution is always welcome - perhaps you are having a deck sale, or lost a valuable. Want to give your favourite charity a push? Perhaps a friend is having a landmark birthday! Just email the editor by clicking here
Please Note: You will get two copies of this newsletter. One will be in full colour with all the bells and whistles. The other in plain text for those of you who prefer it that way, or have no choice :)
In this Issue:
- Traditional small boats get together
- Pittwater Vision Workshop
- Olympic Training
- Looking for a yacht?
- Lenny's Farewell - report
- Road Survey
- Your Subscription Information
- Great Internet Sites to Visit
- Archived Newsletters
Traditional
Small Boats
You would be most welcome to join a small group of enthusiasts on Sunday September 3rd at 11am in North Towlers Bay. Sail and oar powered traditional boat owners will meet to share ideas and spend the day messing about in boats. For more information ring 9918-8645
Pittwater Vision Workshop
On Saturday 12th August,
around 100 people gathered at the Mona Vale Conference Centre to spend
the day grappling with how we wanted to see the Pittwater area 18-20
years from now.
It was a Council initiative,
and an excellent one. A Vision for Pittwater is something many
of us have talked about for years, in my case starting with the attack
on Pittwater by the horrible Optus overhead cables and the protesting,
the letters, visits to Canberra with many locals to try to repel the
invasion.
Western Pittwater Community
Association conducted an excellent seminar at Currawong – 'About
This Place’ – also looking at the uniqueness of Pittwater and how
we can preserve and enhance it.
Mayor Patricia Giles
welcomed everyone (a large proportion of the group were invited
representatives from a wide range of associations and interest groups
throughout Pittwater) and stressed how important it was for Pittwater
to develop its vision of where it wanted to be in the years ahead.
General Manager Angus Gordon
reminded us that Councils are only arms of the State Government and
very much subject to its determinations (one example being the forcing
of increased population densities in Council areas, including
Pittwater). Councils don’t have real power. He said,
however, that communities are the only thing that can give Councils
power. Genuine and increasing community involvement is therefore
fundamental to the successful operation of Council, and this will
become more and more so.
With these introductory words we were broken into about 6 groups and spent the day workshopping what we, individually and collectively, would like to see incorporated into the Pittwater Vision. Aspects were addressed ranging, of course, from the natural environment, the road/transport system, through to tourism. Everything was captured on flip charts and reported back to the full group.
It is now the task of the professional facilitator, who was retained by Council, to pull all of the ideas together and prepare an output document. By the next E-Mail Newsletter I should be able to give you a rundown on the results.
August 12th was certainly a great start!
Olympic
Training
The NSW Government is funding a free on-line course on customer service and
the Olympics. Check it out by starting at www.optionstraining.com.au. The course is called "Preparing Your Business for the Olympics" and is purpose built for anyone involved in the hospitality, retail or security industries in areas that will host Olympic events. By enrolling in the course you will also be in the draw for 10 free tickets to various Olympic Games events You can receive a "Statement of Attainment in Hospitality (Operations)" once you have successfully completed the course assessment.Thinking of a purchasing a yacht?
Graham Vick reports:
A few years ago the Mottle family gave me their old Star class yacht, "Just
Messing". I have enjoyed sailing it in the twilight races for the last few summers and have had a good deal of pleasure from it. Times change and family interests change with it and it's time for someone else to take over this marvellous little boat. If you are interested in owning this small ex-racing yacht (22ft no accommodation) please get in touch with me. It needs a little bit of work but the price is definitely right. Graham Vick 9979 7210Lenny's Farewell - a report
When we all found out that Lenny was going to
retire, there was a sense of the end of an era and the knowing that
somehow we all wanted to express to him our appreciation for over 35
years of service to the island and western shore community.
One morning, about two weeks before Lenny was to
officially retire, my husband Michael accompanied me down to Tennis to
the 7:10 ferry, toting his camera case. He hadn’t mentioned
anything, but apparently he had asked Lenny’s permission to take
some photos, and so began the idea of the Lenny Book. For the next two
weeks Michael did what he loves best, he put together in pictures a
story, which became the vehicle for the community’s expression of
thanks. The Lenny Book slowly grew, as people brought in their family
photos, newspaper clippings, poems and wonderful drawings and stories
by children, many of whom Lenny has known from the day they were first
brought home from hospital. Over a hundred pages of images and words
represented so many memories of one man’s contribution to a
community. Those involved in the disseminating and gathering of
material for the Lenny Book, soon realised that we had to
come up with some way of presenting it to him.
The word got out that Lenny was coming back to drive
the ferry one last time, to take little Ella’s birthday party to The
Basin. This would be our opportunity and so it was organised for Lenny
to return to Church Point with the children and somehow we would have
to convince him to get off the ferry, even if we had to carry him off.
There was a little panic as rumours went round that Lenny wasn’t
coming back and indeed as it turned out, we had to get Joey and Louise
to ring him to remind him that he was booked for the children’s
party. The next we heard was that someone was organising a ‘tinnie
fly-bye’ and so with a little encouragement, this idea was also
incorporated into the final event. No one really knew what would
happen on the day, but we all trusted that the word would get out and
people would come.
The day was one of those glorious winter days when
we are given a taste of spring weather, just before the final winter
chills of August hit us. So when Lenny set out from the basin and the
one thing we could trust was that Lenny would be on time, the
afternoon sun was still warm and the skies a clear blue.
Apparently Lenny casually remarked to Joey, on the fact that a number
of wooden boats he recognised were slowly gathering. As he pulled out
of The Basin, the Palm Beach Ferry came by and tooted a salute. By the
time he reached Yamba he found himself surrounded by an entourage of
tinnies, a community salute to the man who for so many years had been
there for us from morning to night. The Fire Brigade provided the best
salute it could give, by leading The Curlew into Church Point, the
fire hoses spouting high into the air two arches of glistening
droplets. (Later I overheard Lenny saying to Jack, that with all those
boats and the huge crowd that he could now see gathered at Church
Point, he thought to himself, “some one must be having a party”).
For me the highlight was Lenny’s speech and the
expression on his face. He was beaming, and accepted with humility and
graciousness, the community’s expression of love and appreciation.
For as Lenny said in his speech, it was this love and sense of family
that had enabled him to be so giving and caring for so many years. In
his words, “ I love you all.”
We all miss Lenny and we wish him much happiness in his new home up North. To us he’s a legend and has earned the title, so aptly expressed in the closing words of The Lenny Book, “Prince Leonard of Pittwater”.
Road
Survey
The survey documents put 18 questions about the pedestrian and vehicular environment of the Island. These questions were supported by a report from the Scotland Island Roads Paths and Drainage Task Force that gave background information and presented various viewpoints about the issues. In all there was 22 pages of background material. The survey was constructed so as to compel respondents to read and consider the background material prior to responding to questions.
The survey was distributed by hand to 233 Island resident property owners and 30 long term tenants, and by mail to 116 non-resident property owners. The returns of surveys posted to non-resident property owners was minimal, with only 16 of the 116 surveys returned. Of the 263 surveys delivered by hand to Island residents 144 were returned.
Final statistical results are to be presented both to Council and a meeting of residents in the near future.
A complete set of all past electronic newsletters can be found and read by clicking here
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Great Internet Sites to Visit:
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