Nov 2013

PEOPLE POWER!

Over 60 people attended the Lions dinner meeting on 26th September. The meeting was the brainchild of Lions president, Ray Piper who thought there was an opportunity for Lions, which is a community service organization, to bring together groups within the Hallidays Point area to create positive relationships.

Unfortunately a severe bush fire blocked traffic from leaving Taree and Old Bar so that some of those booked were not able to make it including the Guest Speaker Carole Isaacs - Community Development Officer from Greater Taree City Council. Carole has said she is still willing to attend as Guest Speaker at a future meeting. Thanks to Councilor Alan Tickle for stepping in to speak on Carole’s behalf.

A representative from each group spoke for about three minutes and topics included:- what their group was interested in, what they are aiming to do, what their needs are and how they thought they could help the community as a whole.

Information was gathered from each group to form the basis of a document which might be used to create a community plan. The community plan will be a working document and will be updated as the needs and goals of the community change with time. The completed questionnaires make very interesting reading. It is enlightening to read how hard all groups are working on various projects within our community. The one thing which seems to be a common goal is to work with and involve the youth in our community.

Adam Turville represented the Red Head community group but is also furthering relationships with Greater Taree City Council which were initiated at the recent council forum held at the surf club.

The meeting was an outstanding success in terms of creating relationships and breaking down barriers to communication between groups.

Ray Piper asked that all community groups give consideration to participating in the “Lions in the Park’ A Community Christmas Event to be held on 14th December from 3-7pm. (See page 10).

More volunteers are needed to deliver the News of Our World.

If you are a regular walker in your neighbourhood and

would like to help once a month by delivering some newsletters to local letter boxes,
please phone Claire on 6559 3413.

Hallidays Point Garden Club

The Club met in September at the home of Anne and George Visser at Diamond Beach. Members supported the annual Produce Day very generously by supplying an abundance of potted plants and cuttings as well as a great variety of jams, marmalades, sauces, chutneys and preserves. More than $250 was generated in sales. Thank you to all members who either brought or bought or both.

The day was warm and sunny and it was very pleasant sitting out on the Vissers’ back deck for the meeting.

The guest speaker was Bruce Cluff from Lansdowne and he shared with members his huge knowledge of growing vegetables in general and in particular, growing vegetables from propagated seed, different soil types and composting. Bruce shared his story of how he and wife, Jan, cleared much of his thirty acres when he bought there some years ago. The soil was terrible so he set up his composting system, using all the green waste from his clearing and as much organic material as he could find. Ten years later he has very healthy topsoil which is full of worms and highly productive. He is still using the progeny of seeds obtained from his father 35 years ago. He loves his tomato seeds so much that he brings them into the loungeroom out of the weather for their protection. Bruce and Jan grow far more than they can eat so much of their produce is blanched and frozen (mainly by Jan).

Following the usual grand morning tea, members were free to roam the garden which was alive with spring colour. Very noticeable were the new Zealand Christmas trees displaying their glorious red sprays but the azaleas and grevilleas, Hippiastra and Indian Hawthorn, Lilies and Babiana were all alive with colour on this gorgeous spring day. Anne and George’s home sits at the top of a sloping block of beautifully mown lawns so it was a sure bet George had been on his mower for many hours as the whole garden was a picture.

Thanks to the Vissers for their hospitality on this day.

Carmel Bartlett

News of Our World

Hallidays Point

is published by The Lions Club of Hallidays Point

as a service to our community.

Please send advertising and contributions to hpnews@westnet.com.au

BEFORE the 15th of the previous month

Editor and Advertising John Finnie - with help from a lot of other people. Thanks.

Delivered by 10 very healthy people.

Contributions very much appreciated.

Thanks Everyone!!

The opinions of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of Hallidays Point Lions Club or the editor. The decision to include or exclude contributions is final. (and probably because of lack of space). If you do not receive a copy of the newsletter each month, spare copies are left in the Library, at Cellarbrations at Diamond Beach, LJHooker Real Estate, Andrews Gardner RE, Diamond Beach Vet, and at Foodworks. People affected live on Blackhead Road, Old Soldiers Road , a small sections of Diamond Beach Road and Belgraiv Close and if you don'thave a letter box. If you would like to deliver to these areas, please let us know.

hpnews@westnet.com.au
6559 2120

DIAMOND BEACH RURAL
FIRE BRIGADE

Shane Fitzsimmons, AFSM, Commissioner NSW Rural Fire Service has written. NSW is one of the most bush fire prone areas in the world and the threat to life, property and the environment from bush fire is always present. The NSW Rural Fire Service is the lead agency in combating bush fires.

During major bush fire emergencies, resources are placed under considerable strain. At these times, it is not possible to provide assistance to every individual or property. This means that people living in, or visiting bush fire prone areas need to take responsibility for their own safety.

There is an App, ‘Fires Near Me’, where one may find useful information re bush fires close to their current location and across NSW. Other sources of information are Radio and TV Stations, particularly the ABC; Bush Fire Information Line 1800 679 737 or www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.

Understanding your LEVEL OF RISK. Knowing your level of risk can help you make the safest decisions for you and your family.

If you live or work in or near ‘bushland’ or bush fire prone land, then you are at risk during a bush fire.

‘Bushland” or bush fire prone land can mean trees or forest; it can also mean scrub, grassland, crops, woodland and farmland.

Do you live within a couple of streets of bushland?

Do you have many trees and shrubs around your home?

If you need to leave your home, do you need to travel through bushland?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, then you and your family may be at risk in the event of a bush fire. The NSW RFS web sight, (see above) has more information.

As you are no doubt aware we have been very busy during late September and early October with major fires at Harrington/Crowdy Head, Purfleet/Kiwarrak State Forrest and smaller incidents at Cedar Party and Dingo Flat.. Our crews were away for anything up to 14 hours straight. Unfortunately our larger tanker broke down and was at the Council Depot for repairs for a few days.

The Harrington/Crowdy Head Fire extended from Harrington in the south to Diamond Head in the north, an area of 5178 ha.

A Traumatic Afternoon for a
Little Australian

It was Tuesday 8th of October at about 3.15 pm, just the time to hit the road and rush to the school to pick up the kids. It was the peak five minutes of the day, and Diamond Beach Road was a super two-lane highway of cars and four-wheel drives speeding to Hallidays Point Public School. It was most unfortunate that this was the very time that a tiny turtle was trying to cross the road. I have sighted two such pedestrians out on the road in as many days, enjoying the warmth and the Spring mating season or just in search of water.

I pulled carefully to the side of the road and tried to walk back to the crossing place, to help her reach the other side safely. She craned her neck above the shell, looking around at her progress, or waiting for a break in the traffic. I had no time to admire her beautiful toffee-coloured shell, her dainty feet with perfectly formed little claws, or her determination to keep going forward.

An impatient 4-wheel drive parent pulled to the opposite side of the road to pass, oblivious of the little Australian, and the vehicle wheel went right over the top of her. I can still hear the loud craaackk of the shell on the bitumen because I had not reached her in time. Another school mother had also stopped and was driving back to help. As she said sadly, “People drive too fast around our quiet roads.”

We need to always keep a lookout for wildlife which will appear more often now the cold weather is over. Even 40 kph is too fast to give any of our precious animals a fighting chance against a car. Over the last three days I have sighted one goanna and two turtles on Diamond Beach roads. I was only able to rescue one of these as the other two were already road kill.

I believe that one of the markers of being human is to take responsibility for actively looking out for wild life on our roads and to avoid harming them by driving mindfully. We have to be able to expect the sudden appearance of wallabies but such a slow-moving creature as a turtle can usually be helped along safely as well.

If our native wildlife could live in a more secure, thoughtful world, perhaps the death of one little Australian would not have been in vain.

We could also ask ourselves what may have been the result if that little turtle had been a small child.

Lois Campbell

Hallidays Point Library News

New magazine titles available

You can now borrow the following magazines from the library:- Australian Yoga Journal, Backyard & Garden Design Ideas, World of Knowledge, Wartime, and History. Check out the other 45 magazine titles we have available at Hallidays Point Library. And there are many more magazines within Greater Taree City Libraries that we can request for you.

eBooks are now available through our library catalogue!

For those who have been enquiring about borrowing ebooks go to: www.gtcc.nsw.gov.au, then from the Popular Links section, select Library Catalogue, then select eBooks. Click on Getting Started.

Please note: KINDLE does not allow borrowing of ebooks from any public library in Australia.

School Holiday Program Popular

We had a very successful holiday program for children with most activities fully booked. Parents and grandparents of children doing the creative dance session were treated to a great performance at the end. They were also encouraged to join in the final performance!! See the photo! Kids Bingo, Holiday Chef, a movie screening and the Science on the Move workshop were all very well attended and the enthusiastic participation and feedback was highly encouraging. If you have any ideas for future holiday activities, please talk to Di at the library. The Greater Taree City Libraries Facebook page has lots of photos of activities held at Hallidays Point Library. You can find us on Facebook under Greater Taree City Libraries.

Exhibition in the Library Gallery

Wander in and enjoy “A Splash of Colour”, the new exhibition by artist Keir Jamieson. This exhibition will be on display until early December.

Free Wi-Fi Available

A reminder that the Library is a wireless hotspot. Three hours free access per day, no password needed! Come in and enjoy air-conditioned comfort while you use your own device, or use our internet computers.

Free Scanning and Emailing of documents

Did you know that you can scan and email a document to any email address, even if you don’t have your own email account? This service at the Library is becoming very popular as more and more companies provide an email option for you to send them documents.

See you soon at the Library – right next door to

the Hallidays Point Post Office.

Mon – Fri 10am – 5pm, Sat 10am – 12 Noon.

Hallidays Point Combined Probus Club

Dr Bruce White joined an exclusive group when he was presented with a carved wooden dolphin at the Club’s October meeting. These dolphins, created by Probian Win Trappitt, are only given to Guest Speakers. There is no other way of obtaining one. Bruce spoke about the latest techniques in hip and knee replacement surgery - his specialist field – and pointed out that an arthroscopy is not a cure for arthritis in the knee.

The ten-minute speakers were Probians, John and Bev Baker, who talked about Blaze-Aid and their recent experience as Blaze-Aid volunteers in Mulgowie in the Lockyer Valley in Queensland.

Pauline Goodwin of Halliday Shores was welcomed to the Club as its newest member.

Congratulations were extended to the Club’s team of lawn bowlers – Neil Meath, Joan Walsh and Maureen Meath – for their success in regaining the Probus District Challenge Bowls Shield for the Hallidays Point Club.

Members were reminded that the November meeting will be held on the second Tuesday of the month -12th – instead of the usual first Tuesday of the month.

Poet Doris Noble -

A Winner in “The Manning in Rhyme” Competition

Doris Noble, a Member of the Hallidays Point Senior Citizens Assoc. is involved in many activities locally and has a special hobby which won her “The Manning in Rhyme” 2013 poetry competition in the Open Age Section. Doris received a Trophy plus $100.00. The event was sponsored by the Manning Valley Senior Citizens Assoc.

Congratulations Doris!

Doris wrote the following poem “Miracles” after witnessing the near tragic accident at the Old Bar Festival in 2011 when a light aircraft crashed into a ferris wheel trapping two children plus the plane’s piolot and passenger.

MIRACLES

If you don’t believe in miracles, I think you really should,

I saw one only yesterday in front of where I stood.

A little plane so tiny, hit a Ferris wheel

And there it hung precariously among the battered steel.

Two cages away from impact, two children clung in fear

Hanging high above the ground, their Mum below in tears.

The pilot and his passenger sat as still as granite rock

The slightest little movement could have made that small plane drop.

A silent crowd stood in awe, their faces bathed in shock

And prayed no gust of wind would come to make the big wheel flop.

Within minutes of the accident, the air was filled with sound,

Sirens came from far and wide to Old Bar’s Sporting Grounds.

Firemen, Police and Ambos were quickly on the scene

And members from the CES were there from their fine teams.

Big cranes arrived from nowhere, the drivers’ looking grim,

They knew their skills were needed to make this rescue win.

As I watched the operation, I marvelled at the crew

And how they worked together to get the victims through.

These brave young men and women do these things each day

They risk their life and limbs for us in many, many ways.

Accidents do happen and I often wonder why

Then I see a miracle and I wonder how and why.

Why did that plane hit the wheel but remain there tethered fast?

How did the leaking oil not cause a fatal, fiery blast?

How did that tired old Ferris wheel, not collapse and fall?

Why were those brave young children, the only ones on board?

Why did death get so close, and then turn its face away,

Leaving the frightened victims on earth a longer stay?

Yes, I believe in miracles and after yesterday

There has to be much more than luck that had a role to play!

Doris Noble - 2011

Community Bowls Day 2013

Another very successful and competitive Community Bowls Day held on Saturday 28th September saw our local Diamond Beach/Red Head Firies (RFS) take out first prize with the Netballers taking second prize. Our Firies were not held back at all by their very busy recent fire fighting activities around Taree. Twelve teams took part in this years competition including RFS, Hallidays Point Netball Club, Quilters, Tennis Club, Surf Club, Senior Citizens, Dads Army (Pool Cleaning) and Lions Club.

Community Bowls Day is an annual event run by Black Head Bowling Club. All funds raised through Entry Fees, Sponsorships, Raffle and Auction contribute to cash prizes to assist our local community and sporting groups.

Special thanks to our major sponsors Garry & Donna, Garry Douglas Auto and Wayne & Vonnie, Diamond Beach Butchery. Also thanks to both Women’s and Men’s Bowling Clubs for donating Green Fees to the prize pool and in providing Skips for all teams.

Planning is already underway to include other Hallidays Point community and sporting groups in next years competition.

The Black Head Women’s Bowling Club held their 5 Years & Under Tournament on Wednesday, this Tournament is for new bowlers that have played under 5 years and gives every one an even chance – all have a great time with a lot of laughter and some great bowls played – the winners this year was a team from Wingham Denise Polley, Jill Gosling, Claudia O’Donnell 3 wins + 58. / 2nd Kempsey Heights Joy Vibert, Daphne Hueston, Dona Clarke 3 wins + 54 &

3rd T.F.Sports Terry Bowman, Julie Curry, June Walsh 3 wins + 52 – very close games, hopefully every one will come back next year.

The B. Head lady bowlers will be holding their Red Cross Day on the 7th November – all money raised is donated to our Red Cross ladies from Forster – this day has been running for over 18 years and has always been very successful – all visitors are welcome – this day opens at 9.30 am so all are invited.

Pat Bayley Hon. Secretary.

Black Head Bowling Club Appointed its
First Ever Apprentice Greenkeeper

After a series of tight interviews Jaison Redman was chosen to partner greenkeeper Jason Aurisch as his apprentice.

Many of you will know Jaison as he lived in Black Head area for a number of years.

His connection with the club goes back to 2005 when, as an 8 year old, he played at the club. Since then he has distinguished himself by taking out junior championships in the the District singles, pairs and fours. He has represented Country in the U/18 Rep side. In addition to that he was runner-up in the 2012 State Junior Pairs and won the Reserve Pairs at Tuncurry in 2011.

Jaison is attending TAFE and studying horticulture at Taree prior to attending Kurri Kurri for the bulk of his greenkeeper course.

Other young people can take a page out of Jaison’s book. Not only did he interview at the highest level in an extraordinary group of applicants, but he reports to the Board each month with a written account of his weekly activities and an expression of thanks for the opportunity to become our apprentice.

Celebrating Child Protection Week

Child Protection Week was celebrated around the nation in the first week of September. The aim of this year’s celebrations was to spread the message that ‘protecting children is everyone’s business.

Pre-schoolers from Kiddies Hut @ Diamond Beach and the entire Hallidays Point Public School dressed in red in support of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and walked down the main street in Diamond Beach then the length of the beach before stopping to play on the sand and enjoy the community we live in.

Back from the long walk the teachers and children gathered on the oval for a release of balloons to remind us all of what the day was about before enjoying a BBQ cooked by the school P&C.

Money raised from the sausage sizzle was donated to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

Kiddies Hut @ Diamond Beach

prides itself on its high quality care and education in a warm, caring environment.

A comprehensive school readiness program occurs in the year prior to formal schooling.

Enrolments are now being taken for 2014.

Limited vacancies exist in our 0-3 years and 3-5 years age groups.

Call 6559 2020

Hallidays Point Public School

has puplished a book of recipes contributed by families at the school.

The students illustrated the book and

Vonnie and Wayne at the butcher’s

have a special on beef to help

you get cooking the good stuff.

The books are on sale at the Newsagent and all money from the books goes to the school.

Eastern Lamb

Ingredients:

1Kg lamb cubed

1 stick celery, sliced

1 small onion

1 small cooking apple, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

15g wholemeal flour

1 tablespoon desiccated coconut

200ml fresh milk

Parsley to garnish

Method:

Dry fry the lamb.

Add celery, onion and apple.

Stir in the spices, flour and coconut.

Gradually stir in the milk, bring to boil.

Cover and simmer gently until the lamb is tender.

Serve garnished with parsley

Accompany with brown rice.

by Renee Coleman

Lions Club of Hallidays Point

President Ray Piper has asked all community groups to give consideration to participating in the “Lions in the Park’ A Community Christmas Event to be held on 14th December from 3-7pm.

This event is our major fundraiser for local Lions for the year. Funds raised on this day are distributed to local community organizations . Some funds are also distributed to National and International Lions projects such as childhood cancer research and world blindness prevention.

At this stage, in addition to the raffle, there are plans to have a White Elephant Stall, a bar run by the surf club, entertainers from the school and local community, a barbecue, afternoon teas, stalls run by local community groups as well as a ham and seafood chocolate wheel.

Santa will be there to listen to children wanting a word with him and there will be a letter box for posting letters directly to the Claus family. Mrs Claus will be there to help write letters.

A quiet moment at the Lions Car Boot Sale held on the first Sunday of every month throughout the year at the car park of the Hallidays Point Tavern.

LIONS IN THE PARK -

A COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS EVENT

December 14th - 3:00pm to 7:00pm

Lions will be raising money to support our Community.

A huge range of Family entertainment and Activities are planned.

Local Schools and Entertainers will be on show to bring some Christmas cheer.

Games will entertain and challenge the kids.

Pancakes, drinks, fairy floss, face painting.

Santa will arrive at 3:00 and all children will be able to send a letter to him

The Rural Fire Brigade will be making a dramatic rescue

Community groups and stalls will be selling local produce and wares

A huge raffle of over $500 worth of vouchers from local businesses will be drawn.

Family BBQ dinners will be provided

Christmas hams, roasts and seafood trays will be raffled via the chocolate wheel.

Auctions

White elephant sale.

Afternoon tea and much more.

In joining in we are all helping to support our community

Contact by Email: hallidayspoint@lionsdistrict201n1.org.au

or call President Ray on 0438 396 049 or 6559 3588

FISH’N TIPS

with Denise Greenaway

Some lucky fishos are catching some beauties!! Not me – but as you can see by the attached photo, local fisho Trevor Cupitt scooped a big snapper while on holidays in Queensland recently. As fishing stories go…this one is a beauty, but too long and complicated to tell here so if you catch up with Trevor ask him all about it – it’s a RIPPER!!

Locally our beaches are still quiet and not even yielding much in the way of fresh bait, with worms and pippies hard to find. We really could do with some good rain to flush fish down from high in the lakes and rivers and hopefully enough to change the shape of the beaches giving some good holes & gutters!! It would give much needed relief also to those country areas that are already into drought, and to our firefighters who have been under extreme pressure lately. Our thanks and gratitude to them for their long hours of hard and dangerous volunteering.

Spring is such a lovely time of year with its changeable weather – hot one day & cold the next!! So too with the ocean, when it is cold, not so many fish about. As the East Australian Current kicks in bringing fish stocks in warmer water down from northern grounds our fishing should improve. Mother Nature sets her own program and we just have to wait on her. As for the bait….of course there are lures or ‘soft plastics’ as they are commonly known. The various types are as many and varied as ladies fashions! So, MY TIP - if you go looking for them, beware – I am sure they are designed to catch the fisher rather than the fish!!!

Good luck. Good fishing and hopefully some news of good catches next issue.

Do you want to help your community?

Please consider placing your name on our list of people who can deliver
the News of Our World, Hallidays Point. Volunteer distribution makes
this newsletter affordable to publish and is essential for its future.
You will be needed once a month and can do as little or as much as you want.

We give leave so you can still go away on holidays
(but there is no parental leave - or payment for that matter!!)
or you could just fill in when people are on holidays.

Currently we are in need of a permanent walker for the
Bayview Drive area and need 2-3 casual walkers as well.

Phone John (editor) 6559 2120

Trevor Cupitt of Blackhead, with friend and a beaut snapper caught while on holidays in Queensland recently.

Black Head Fishing Club

October 2013 Fishing Report:

This months fishing comp saw a few good fish weighed in from all categories.

The beach and rock section was won by Mick Clarke with 2 groper to the weigh of 4.5 kg.

Estuary was won by one of our longest standing members Kay Grey with 1 leatherjacket and 5 whiting for a total of 18 points and Blue Water was taken out by Ian Gray ( Farmer ) with 5 trag weighing a total of 6.6 kg and 2 snapper to a total weigh of 5.3 with 1 going 4.8 kg which is a new annual record.

Overall winners for the month women's - Kay Gray.

A few fishy tails! Steve Jones
and Mick Clarke talking tactics.

Tank’s Corner

Diamond Beach Veterinary Clinic

Tick season is upon us and particularly on your pets! Some points to consider:

Search your pet (dog and cat) at least every 2nd day, and preferably every day, regardless of any products used to “prevent” infestation.

If you find a tick on yourself or your pet, remove it. If your search is a routine one and your pet is NOT showing any signs (lethargy, vomiting, lost voice, weak or wobbly), then that is all you need to do. HOWEVER, if your pet is showing any signs as above and that is why you searched and found a tick, then you must contact your Veterinary Surgeon promptly as these signs are a result of the first flow of tick toxin injected 5-6 hrs ago and to ensure your pets survival, it will need treatment . Just removing the tick in these latter cases will NOT save your pet. PLUS, you need to be sure that your pet does not have another tick on it whether the check is routine or not!

Use your products as directed and at the intervals advised. Do not wet your pets coat for 2 days after application and do not apply products within 2 days of washing your pet.

Fleas exist in the environment and they will jump on your pet. No product prevents this.

In Cats, the only safe product you can use for Ticks and Fleas is Frontline applied every 2 weeks. Cats have real physical problems with tick collars and can result in severe scratches and damage to the cats head and mouth because of the cats frantic efforts to get it off. Advantage (NOT Advantix – toxic to cats) is an excellent flea product, but does not help against ticks. Frontline is slow to kill fleas, so the best combination if your cat has a flea problem is to use both Advantage 1/mth and Frontline every 2 weeks. If fleas are not a bad problem –just use Frontline.

In Dogs there are options. I will only mention methods that are applicable to both Ticks and Fleas. The most common products used are Advantix (do not use if there is a Cat in the household as just contact can be toxic) and Frontline. These products must be used every 2weeks. They kill and sterilize fleas, larvae and eggs, but are slow in their affect. This why it is important to check your pet every day regardless of product usage. Item (3) applies. A good combination is to use either Advantix or Frontline with a Kiltix collar which also does Ticks and Fleas. Newer products now available are Comfortis and Scalibor . Comfortis is an effective flea killer in chewable tablet form given 1/mth and will kill fleas reasonably quickly. It only does Fleas. In combination, Scalibor is a new Tick collar which claims to be 100% effective for 3mths. The first 2wks it is 60% effective while it starts working, and then is 100% up to 3mths and your next collar will continue the 100% effectiveness.

In summary –for Cats –use Frontline for Ticks and Fleas or Advantage for Fleas.

For Dogs – If you are happy with Frontline or Advantix, then stick with it, but consider either a Kiltix or Scalibor collar as well. The alternative is Comfortis and Scalibor

Keep these notes somewhere you can refer to them. All opinions and advice above are solely mine. You should consult your own Vet for his opinion.

Paralysis tick mouthparts (chelicerae and hypostome) embedded in the skin with the small palps splayed on the surface.

Tweezers or forceps can be used to pinch off the feeding tube (hypostome) and then traction (+/- rotation) used to dislodge it.

Joe Power B.V.Sc.

Black Head Surf Life Saving Club

Many members completed their proficiencies on Saturday 12th October.

Surf lifesaving is a family activity and at Black Head there are many families involved including the Jacksons, President & Director of Lifesaving Geoff and son Nick, Convener of last year’s Youth Group dragging the IRB onto the beach after training.

The new 4x4 has arrived and after generous assistance from Gary Douglas Autos is now towing the patrol gear onto & off the beach.

While all this was going on Saturday the whales were very active just off the Black Head rock pool.

Blackhead Surf Club Events Calendar

Tuesday 15th October a new SRC and Bronze squad course will be starting. This course will teach and improve surf skills in the water with swimming, rescue board and tube activities. Water safety, rescuing techniques and first aid are other skills also an integeral part of the Bronze medallion. Contact the blackheadslsc@bigpond.com for any further details or phone 6559 2269.

Saturday 19th October Profiency for all active patrol members.

Sunday 20th October Nippers 9am start and surf education program

Sunday 27th October Nippers

Sunday 3rd November Crowdy Head Surf Carnival for all ages

Sunday 10th November Nippers

Sunday 17th November Blackhead sls carnival for all ages.

Sunday sipper every Sunday from 4pm from the best verandah along the coast. All are welcome

The Blackhead Surf club is available for weddings and other functions with one of the most scenic coastal locations in NSW, contact the Sandra Rowe or the club for details.

Scott Crawford - Secretary

Our Natural World

with Geraldine

Love is in the Air

It is Spring and love is in the air.

It was mid August when I first noticed Mrs Wattlebird flitting around the entranceway to our house. She was checking out her last year’s nest in the camellia bush to see if it would suffice for this year’s brood. It must have got her tick of approval because several days later she was sitting on the nest keeping two eggs warm. Mr Wattlebird always seemed to be on guard and he would get quite uptight if we ventured too close to the nest. In the end we gave up using the front door so as not disturb her.

After about 18 days two little chicks hatched out and mum and dad Wattlebird were very busy keeping them fed. Alas this story does not have a happy ending as one morning we woke up to find the chicks dead on the ground under the camellia bush. Maybe the old nest was not robust enough to contain the little guys.

I think anyone who has a garden will probably have a bird nesting somewhere in the undergrowth. Observe the behaviour of your birds and see if you can spot that nest.

Neville Munro

the Dancing Legend

Neville was born in 1929 at Merrylands, Sydney. He had dancing lessons from the age of 5 years, from Nancy Hooper at Granville, then David Martin at Lidcombe. Neville attended North Auburn School leaving at the age of 14 to work in Carmichaels Ammunitions Factory counting bullets etc. During this time he joined an entertainment group performing at Boys Town Homes run by the Buffalo Lodge, also Long Bay and Parramatta Gaols which he says was a great experience. He then went on to learn ballet, acrobatics & tap. Neville joined an entertainment company “Sorlies & Bartins Follies”, who for 5 years toured on the Show Train travelling from Newcastle to Cairns.

In 1955 Neville went by ship to London and for 9 years toured as part of a trio then a duet all over Europe. During this time he worked at the London Paladium with entertainers including Tessie O’Shea, Tommy Trinder and Max Bygraves whom many of us will still remember.

He came back to Sydney in 1963 and worked at the Tivoli where he met his love, Dawn who was also a dancer and they married in 1974. They became sick of the bustle of Sydney and moved to Rainbow Flat where they bought a cottage on the Lakes Way where they live to this day. From here Neville spent 25 years travelling all over Australia as an Examiner for the Les Griffiths Tap Dancing Association.

Neville and Dawn opened the Munro School of Stage Dancing at Nabiac. The school is now run by their daughter Belinda at Wingham and Neville still helps out with some routines for the Taree Eisteddfod. Despite a recent illness, at the age of 84, Neville recently appeared as a legend at the Port Macquarie Eisteddfod and won the highly commended trophy, plus 100 points. Well done Neville!

Some of Neville’s students will be performing at a Charity Concert put on by Bev Williamson’s Annie Rose Dance Academy on the 17th November - 2.00pm at the Tuncurry Bowling Club.