Green Point on Wallis Lake Community Association Inc December/January/February 2018/2019 Newsletter

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President’s AGM 2018 Report

Published by the Green Point Community Association for residents information, news, views & ideas. Available on Green Point website: www.greenpointcommunity.com.au

Green PointerSummer Newsletter

Photo by: Green Point Photographer Paul Murrell -“Green Point Fishing Boats”

The past year of the Green Point Community Association has concluded pretty much as it started – with an 87 lot Manufactured Homes Estate Development Application being assessed by council staff and the community preparing submissions against the development. It was our plan to start this report with the victory last July in seeing the same MHE DA refused by Council. The original application, by the same developers, was defeated by a concerted effort of the GPCA and the Green Point community. We learnt in October last year that the application is set down for a hearing in the Land and Environment and Environment Court in May. Let’s hope the appeal is not upheld!Funds generated by membership subscriptions, the tennis club, hire of the hall and trailer allow the Association to continue improving the condition of the hall. The first job of the year was to replace the original timber front doors which were beginning to show their age and did not comply with fire regulations.  Our smart new doors do that and complete the work started at the time of the hall renovation. (Note: The old doors are to be ‘up-cycled’ by a well known Green Point resident.) Our second job was to overlay the original floor tiles with modern hard wearing material.  Many volunteers were at hand, but with sufficient funds available, it was agreed to use the expertise of a professional.  The final job will attest to that decision. The old timber power pole in the hall carpark remained unsafe. After a couple of years of urging by the Association it was finally replaced by Essential Energy.  Maybe it was when the committee phoned them to say it swayed when ‘gently’ pushed that ‘miraculously’ a smart new steel pole was installed the very next day. Following a few car accidents and residents’ complaints of feral deer on the roads and surrounding areas, representation was made to council to erect deer signs along The Lakes Way and Green Point Drive. As of today we await the installation of the signs.The long awaited partial back burn was completed by the Green Point RFS. The area burnt was behind the homes along western side of Green Point Drive, from Turtle’s Crossing to the ‘old’ shop.Another high priority was the clean up of debris from the recent storm that hit Green Point just before Christmas. Representations were made to council, RFS, SES and Essential Energy the day after storm to assist those residents whose properties were damaged. The clean up is still underway.The social media platforms are well received. Our Facebook page is proving to be very successful and a great way to quickly post information to most residents who have ‘liked’ our page. The website is another essential platform for local residents and people from outside the area to keep in touch and informed.

Trailer &/or Hall HireTo hire trailer phone

Bob Currans: 6555 5432Margaret Blackwood:

6555 9255 or 0401 815 780To hire Community Centrephone Marg Blackwood:

6555 9255 or 0401 815 780This information is on the notice

board on the front wall of the Community Hall

Shopping BusThe shopping bus drives

along the loop of Green Point Drive and Seabreeze Pde at 9:40am each Thursday

and returns 1:20pm from Forster Post Office.

During the school holidays it leaves at 8:45am and leaves the

Forster Post Office at 1:20pm arriving at Green Point at 4pm

Next Community Meeting

The next scheduled general meeting of the Green Point

Community Association will be held: Sunday May 19th, 2019.

Venue: Community CentreTime: 4pm

Tennis Group A regular group of 8-10

enthusiastic players meet at the Green Point tennis courts on on

Friday mornings.New players welcome.

Enquiries: Glynn Blackwood6555 9255

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Facebook: Green Point NSW 2428 Website: greenpointcommunity.com.auNote: John English, our volunteer web master has decided to retire from his duties. We are now in search of a new volunteer to take on the task. The “Green Pointer” newsletter continues to be issued 4 times a year and is full of current information on Green Point matters and then it is uploaded to our website and they remain there for one year. The “Return and Earn” project initiated by local resident John English, has reached a total to date of $15,000. The funds raised go towards the construction of a dedicated women’s shelter in Forster. GPCA were keen to support this initiative and are happy to further assist if necessary.Another successful supported community project is the “Clean Up Australia Day”. Groups of volunteers clean up Green Point under the supervision of Gayle and Howard Redman.Coastcare and Grass Cutting Group lead by Bob Currans, continued their maintenance of the community hall grounds and Wallis Lake foreshores.Tennis Group have temporarily cut back their playing days to Friday’s only. They are looking to increase their numbers and return to 2 days. This shows the solid work done behind the scenes by the Association and we thank them for the magnificent support they have afforded us, to grow this successful organisation.Thank you also to the members of GPCA who have shown faith in us and our association.Gaye Tindall Margaret BlackwoodPresident Vice President

Green Point’s Annual “Clean Up Australia Day”

Sunday 3rd March We ask all volunteers meet at at the

Community Hall at 8am

Finish around 10am and afterwards enjoy a strong coffee, tea and

some morning tea.

Wear protective clothing, sunscreen and shoes!

It’s your village, keep it rubbish free!

Live Greener! Our top tips, hints and how to’s for living a more

sustainable life.Say No to plastic bags the next time you go out shopping.

Bring a reusable bag instead.

1. Stop buying Bottled Water. Purchase a reusable drink bottle and fill with tap water.

2. If possible avoid purchasing products with plastic packaging or purchase items with packaging that can be recycled

3. Dispose of Cigarette Butts correctly in bins and ashtrays

4. If possible, avoid driving with just yourself in the car. Make it a habit to carpool, bike, walk or take public transport to your destination.For more information visit: cleanup.org.au

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believes it’s an issue council needs to address. “I want it cleaned up,” he said. “They (council) need to foot the bill for whoever dumped it.”

In response to Mr Shannon’s statements, Mr Guiney reiterated there was no evidence of sewage discharge into the wetland at Green Point and also outlined the council’s procedures when faced with substantial power outages.

“From time to time, there can be extended power blackouts where we cannot operate our pumps,” he said.“In these events, council deploys diesel pumps, portable generators and tanker trucks to transport waste to the nearest sewage treatment plant safely.”A spokesperson from the EPA supported Mr Guiney’s claims. “There is no evidence to suggest the cause of the odour is sewage,” he said.

“The EPA and the council are working together effectively on the investigation.”Complaints have also been raised by residents of Charlotte Bay regarding strong odours emanating from Wallis Lake, but council advised they have investigated their manholes and pumps in that location and again believe that the smells are being caused by rotting vegetation.  From: Great Lakes Advocate

Green Point Smell! Council claims the stench is from rotting vegetation. MidCoast Council has refuted claims that the strong odours being experienced by residents at Green Point are the result of sewage in the adjoining wetland.

“A thorough check of the area has been undertaken and we are confident the sewerage system is not the source of the smell residents are experiencing,” water services director, Brendan Guiney, said.Investigations were carried out after an anonymous report was made to the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) that sewage was discharging in the area.

“We believe the smell is rotting vegetation, which is not unusual given the current low water levels in the wetlands, combined with low tides and hot weather,” Mr Guiney said.Local resident, Bill Shannon, who has lived at Green Point for 20 years, is convinced it is sewage.He believes it was deliberately dumped in the wetland during the power outage before Christmas and has also been dumped there during previous power outages in 2016 and 1997.

“There’s no other way of getting it down there,” he said.

Asked what evidence he has to support his claims, Mr Shannon said that as a former treatment plant contractor he knew what the substance looked like.

“Nothing else looks or smells like that.” Bill Shannon

He had no doubt that what was present in the wetland behind his house was sewage. While Mr Shannon doesn’t know who may have dumped the sewage, he

Green Point ‘Local Issues’

Fishing reforms! The fight is not over yet!

Bill Shannon standing among what he believes to be

sewerage dumped in the Green Point wetland.

Petition · Save our fishing Industry and the families whose lives depend on it!NSW Commercial Fisherman who have had their livelihoods and future destroyed by the Liberal National Party’s “Commercial Fishing reforms” are demanding a full independent inquiry into the lies, trickery and fraud that has been perpetrated on to NSW Generational and long established viable Commercial Fisherman who did nothing more than to work their butts off over a life time, establishing a successful multiple endorsed fishing business.Highly successful fishing businesses contributed directly to the employment of hundreds of people in their communities and, indirectly, thousands working all over NSW, as a result of their hard work and contribution to the economy.Cont on page 4

by Heather Elliot - Wallis Lake Fishing Co-Op

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Green Point Community ReportThey put their trust in the Minister of Primary Industries, Niall Blair’s, promises when he stated in public (NSW Parliament Hansard & Parliamentary Inquiry Dec 2016) that, “if you participate in the market & after round 3, you had not got the shares you needed, then you would be looked after.” He stated, “no one would be left behind.”NSW Generational Commercial Fisherman are ‘going to the wall' destroyed by lies and deceit in the share trading scheme, played for fools. Niall Blair, his department and government, knew what the outcome of their "Commercial Fishing Business Adjustment Reform package" would be. The Outcomes were highly predicable and they did not attempt to mitigate any of the negative impacts that they knew would happen, especially to those high deficit fishers who needed many shares across multiple endorsements to stay viable. That is why the “Socio Economic Framework Report” was kept a secret and it was withheld from the General-Purpose Standing Committee No 5 and all the Commercial Fisherman across NSW because the recommendation was to conduct the first survey in spring of 2017 and again in spring 2018 to mitigate the impacts on those who had been negatively and financially affected. That did not happen.

We wish to demand on behalf of all generational, local and established Professional fishermen across NSW, who have lost their livelihoods in favour of governments and big business;

1)    That all fishermen be duly compensated for loss of income, business value and livelihood and who are suffering mental illness and financial hardship as a direct result of the inequitable and biased share market scheme introduced to the commercial fishing industry by the NSW Government in 2016; 2)    That an immediate Independent Inquiry be actioned into the purported withholding of government subsidies, promised to all fishermen entering the share market system, but provide only to selected fishers and other businessmen. This enquiry should additionally look at all forms of fisheries mismanagement and maladministration historically as well as more recent allegations of insider trading and other forms of corruption. This should be done in accordance with meaningful consultation with generational and local established fishermen and not those representatives who are self-appointed or appointed by government.

3)    That necessary protections are immediately put in place to stop foreign investment and monopoly of quota into our local seafood resources, ensuring our future seafood safety and keeping our product sustainably harvested by local, experienced, and generational fishermen for the benefit of local communities as well as global markets.

4)   An Immediate pause of the last Phase of New quota shares allocated and yet to be implemented in Hand gathering and Ocean Fisheries in May and July 2019.

Please sign this petition online to call for an immediate independent inquiry at:https://www.change.org/p/save-our-fishing-industry-and-the-families-whose-lives-depend-on-it

GREEN POINT RURAL FIRE SERVICE “Get Ready Weekend”

Our local ‘Firies’ were on duty over the “Get Ready Weekend” to advise local Green Point residents on their preparedness for a

long, hot summer ahead. The brigade was on hand to demonstrate their fire fighting skills and our ‘little brigade’ found the new engine called

‘Charlie’ a lot of fun.Green Point gave a big round of applause to

our brigade during that fierce storm that hit just before Christmas.

Their efforts did not go unnoticed.Cont on page 5

“Little Charlie” built by Rusty Donnelly

How fireproof is your plan?Find out in 5 minutes

www.myfireplan.com.au

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Green Point Community Report

From the ‘Firies Welcome 2019. What an end to 2018 with mother nature trying to blow Green Point away. With the whole of Green Point brigade active on the evening of Thursday 20th December until 1:30am. Friday 21st opening roads in Green Point. We were back on the job helping S.E.S. from 8:30am until around 7:30pm on both 21st and 22nd December.

Hazard reductions: Block 306 first stage completed (burnt hotter than expected).

With mother nature sending us hot and dry weather, all permits, and burns are suspended, hopefully, we will be scheduling the second and third burns for March (this year with good rain expected end of February???????)

The brigade was kept busy in 2018 with over 50 calls, starting with two deployments to Singleton and ending with the brigade going to Salt Ash, Hawkes Nest, Middle Brother and 2 members going to Queensland for 5 days.

On behalf of my wife Sandra and Green Point brigade, I would like to wish everyone all the best for 2019 and look forward to working with the Green Point community.

RegardsPaul Constable Green Point Community Engagement Officer

Major storm cell damage at Green Point What an early Christmas surprise as lightning filled the skies across the Great Lakes region as a storm cell swept through, bringing with it strong winds and a path of destruction across Green Point.Green Point residents were left without power and damage to their properties as the storm hit on Thursday evening (December 20).Emergency crews from NSW SES, RFS, MidCoast Council and Fire and Rescue had a busy night with call outs to a range of incidents in and around Green Point.NSW RFS Mid Coast district officer, Stuart Robb said calls started coming in at around 7.30pm and continued for about two hours.The storm cell caused wind gusts of up to 120kms per hour which unroofed one house in Green Point Drive, and caused major damage to others.Trees were uprooted, huge branches flung far and wide and debris covered most of the roads. Access in and out was restricted by fallen trees which had to be moved along with many live electric wires strewn across the roads. Fortunately, Essential Energy were on the job first thing on the morning of the 21st. Power was restored to the majority of homes within 24 hours.Green Point residents were updated regularly by MCC on the pending clean up, some tempers were frayed but it was Christmas, and the staff at MCC were on leave. MidCoast Council has now undertaken a complete clean up restoring Green Point to its former beauty. As always with a small community everyone helped each other which demonstrates a true spirit!

Thank you everyone who assisted in the clean up!

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Green Point Christmas Party To the sound of Christmas carols to the smell of

BBQ sausages and onions the end of year Christmas celebration at the Green Point

community hall went off with a bang! Many new residents were welcomed and mingled

among our regular guests who were entertained by “Heart and Soul” A cappella group of women whose beautiful voices sang out a variety of festive songs. The Green Point Christmas party is a great way to

meet new friend and catch up with old ones!

Congratulations Paul and Sandra Constable, the winners of the Green Point Christmas Lights competition! And what a great effort it was! You were crowned the ‘brightest and best’ in Green Point!

And how well did Fraser Ave do again this Christmas! Best street effort!So many inspiring entries made the choice tough going, but the judges finally awarded the other prizes

to Ashley Buie and Kalin Domina.

Green Point Community Report

Christmas Lights

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Hello cocky! Rare yellow-feathered mutation of red-tailed black cockatoo spottedWestern Australia's bird watching community is abuzz with joy following a sighting of a rare yellow-feathered forest red-tailed

black cockatoo spotted frolicking in a tree outside a regional police station The bird's plumage is thought to be the result of a genetic mutation opposite of albinism called leucism, which has left the bird with brilliant yellow feathers in place of should have been red or black ones.

Marguerite Lamb: Green Point’s resident photographer and bird spotter

Two fledgling Ospreys 2018

Fledgling practising to fly 2018

First flight of an Osprey 2018

Corella in Christmas Bush 2018

Rainbow Bee Eater 2018

How lucky are we at Green Point!‘Our’ two resident breeding pair of Ospreys

hatched two beautiful fledglings last September and it was all captured by Marguerite Lamb

on her digital camera.To live in Green Point alongside the abundance

of bird life both local and migratory is such a treat and to have them regularly photographed

by Marguerite keeps us well and truly up-to-date on the coming and goings of these birds.

Just look around there is always one on display to observe and listen to.

2018 Aussie Backyard Bird Count Results Rainbows rule the roost!

For the fifth consecutive year, Australians headed into their backyards and local green spaces to take part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count. In 2018, together we counted more than 2.7 million birds including over 305,000 Rainbow Lorikeets!So, why are Rainbow Lorikeets ruling the roost?While the species is ubiquitous today, this hasn’t always been the case. In some parts of Australia, such as around Melbourne, the Rainbows were driven out as the urban areas expanded, and even where they were still common in the bush, they were largely absent from our cities.The rise of the Rainbow Lorikeet highlights the changes in Aussie backyards over the past half century, with traditional European-style cottage gardens making way for native backyards which provide the perfect place for these nectar-loving birds to forage on the flowers of eucalypts, bottle-brushes and grevilleas to harvest nectar and pollen. This shows the impact that planting natives can have, head over to our gardening tips page to see which plants will attract your favourite birds.Over the October weekend of 22/23rd Marguerite spotted, counted and documented the following list of birds around Green Point for ‘Bird Life Australia’ and ‘Birdata’. “Birdata is the way we collaboratively and scientifically collect data to gain insight and protect Australis’s birds.” birdata.birdlife.org.au

x4 Rainbow Lorikeets x1 Sulphur Crested CockatooX4 Noisy Miners x3 Pee Weesx2 Currawongs x21 Pelicansx1 Eastern Osprey x1 Satin Bower Birdx2 Welcome Swallows x1 Crowx2 White Headed Pigeons x4 Lapwingsx1 Silver Eyes x4 White Cheeked Honey Eatersx2 Dollar Birds x2 Drongosx1 Shining Bronze Cuckoo x1 Channel Bill Cuckoox1 Eastern Whip Bird x1 Eastern Spine Billx1 Yellow Oriole x1 Blue Faced Honey Eater

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Rolling the weeds after poisoning

Green Point Community ReportOver 50 Years of combined Community Service

to Green Point honoured

The Coastcare volunteers meet every Thursday morning from 8:30 - 11:30 to maintain the area between the pump station in Wharf Road and the picnic area at The Point. The Grass Cutting Group meet on

Tuesday mornings every four to six weeks (depending on how the grass is growing) to mow the Green Point park. The group start work at 8:30am and it usually takes until 10am to cover the whole area.

Please phone Bob Currans on 6555 5432 if you wish to join this activity.

Sign up

and

become a

volunteer!

Recognition was given to Bob Currans and Paul Murrell at the 2019 Annual General Meeting in February for 50 years of combined service to the Green Point community. Paul Murrell has been the Green Point on Wallis Lake Community Association’s treasurer for 30 years and Bob Currans has volunteered for Coastcare and keeping the surrounding grassed areas around the hall well mowed and cleared of debris for 20 years. The enormous effort both have put into keeping the

Green Point community functioning is without challenge and I think it’s time to give them a rest and ease the load. Let’s start with a big “Shout Out!” to others within the Green Point community to think about taking on these roles. Volunteering has many benefits. It “Builds, Bonds and Creates Friends”, and I read extends your life expectancy! Bob and Paul are fine examples of their honoured positions. It is to their dedication that Green Point remains so picturesque.