Landcare  Re-­‐starts  A  number  of  Redhead  residents  have  shown  interest  in  re-­‐starting  the  Redhead  CARE  Landcare  group  working  in  the  Cain  Street  reserve.    Paul  Hubbard  and  Alison  Cleary  have  completed  a  training  course  in  Landcare  practices  and  helped  to  prepare  an  Action  Plan  for  the  area  that  has  just  been  finalised  by  Lake  Macquarie  City  Council,  which  oversees  the  site.  

Now  work  can  begin  and  the  team  of  volunteers  is  planning  to  get  together  soon  for  a  site  induction  and  registration.    The  work  will  begin  in  April  or  May  so  if  anyone  else  would  like  to  join  up,  please  let  us  know  by  emailing  sustainableredhead@gmail.com    

If  you've  walked  along  the  path  to  the  duck  pond,  you  will  have  some  idea  just  how  much  work  will  be  involved,  but  with  patience  and  perseverance,  we  believe  the  natural  habitat  can  be  restored  to  provide  a  pleasant  environment  for  wildlife,  plants  and  people.  

2018  for  Redhead  Sustainable  Neighbourhood  At  monthly  meetings  we  discussed  local  issues,  planned  events,  listened  to  guest  speakers,  got  together  for  dinner  at  Club  Redhead  to  chat  socially  after  the  meetings.  Our  work  included:  

Clean  Up  Australia     Bag  swap  stations   Dog  signs  

Pedestrian  safety   Webb  Park   Christmas  Markets  

Oral  history  project   Earth  Hour  dinner  at  Club  Redhead  

Landcare  reinvigorated  

Little  library  boxes   Surveys  at  Markets   Guest  speakers  

Council  Ranger   SES   Council  Green  Waste  Coordinator  

In  our  surveys,  the  community’s  issues  of  concern  included:  dogs  off  leash  on  the  beach,  dog  poo  on  the  paths  and  the  beach,  and  rubbish  left  by  4WD  beach  users.  People  voted  plastic  as  an  important  issue  in  Redhead.  

Pedestrian  Safety  Some  of  you  may  have  noticed  paint  work  on  Beach  Road.  After  a  fifteen-­‐year  wait  it's  anticipated  that  a  pedestrian  walkway  will  be  constructed  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Beach  Rd  culvert  before  the  next  summer  season.  And  if  funding  is  available  there  will  be  a  pedestrian  refuge  island  built  on  Beach  Rd  near  the  Allard  Street  intersection  giving  access  to  both  the  beach  and  Webb  Park.  Thank  you  to  all  of  those  in  the  Redhead  community  who  assisted  in  highlighting  this  issue  to  Lake  Macquarie  City  Council:  • over  800  petition  signatures  were  submitted;  • over  70  people  in  planning  and  information  meetings;  • there  were  over  100  letters  written  and  submitted  to  

LMCC;  • presentations  were  made  to  both  Mayor  Cr.  Kay  Fraser  and  

Local  State  MP  Jodie  Harrison;  • Redhead  Foreshore  Access  Committee  formed,  surveyed  

traffic  on  Beach  Road  for  a  comprehensive  report  to  Council;  

• Over  120  people  provided  feedback  on  the  LMCC  Website;  and  30  Redhead  community  members  attended  a  full  Council  meeting  and  presented  the  issue.  

Thank  you  to  the  groups  that  were  represented  at  meetings  and  provided  support  including  Redhead  Surf  Club,  Redhead  Sustainable  Neighbourhood,  Club  Redhead,  Redhead  Men's  Shed  and  Redhead  Public  School  P  &  C.        

And  to  those  Councillors  who  assisted  the  Redhead  Community  to  get  this  initiative  passed,  thank  you  very  much.  

Most  of  all  we’d  like  to  say  a  big  thank  you  to  Deborah  Arthurs  and  those  members  of  the  community  who  helped  in  achieving  this  wonderful  result  –  without  your  tireless  efforts,  none  of  this  would  have  been  possible.  

Hot  off  the  Press!!  From  Council  Projects  Technical  Officer  for  Infrastructure  Delivery.  

“The  pedestrian  refuge  is  a  separate  project,  driven  by  18TFC103  –  a  Traffic  Facilities  Committee  investigation.  As  a  courtesy,  I  offered  to  have  my  crew  construct  the  refuge  at  the  same  time  the  Beach  Road  footpath  is  constructed.  This  way,  it  will  all  be  completed  at  the  same  time  with  less  disruption  to  traffic  and  will  actually  be  completed  before  the  TFC  milestone.  

This  saves  time,  money  and  disruption  by  negating  having  two  crews  on  site  consecutively.  Construction  will  commence  in  2019,  within  the  next  few  months  –  sooner  than  Council’s  original  forecast.”  

New  Footpaths  Take  a  walk  on  Steel  Street!!    A  Redhead  and  Hunter-­‐first!    A  footpath  construction  project,  trialling  environmentally  sustainable  materials,  is  underway.  

Lake  Macquarie  City  Council  crews  poured  the  “greencrete”  along  a  30m  stretch  of  footpath  on  Steel  Street  in  Redhead,  with  plans  to  monitor  its  performance  and  condition  in  months  to  come.  The  Manager  Asset  Management  said    “50  per  cent  of  the  fine  aggregate  used  in  greencrete  was  crushed  glass  sand,  rather  than  natural  sand.  The  mix  also  contained  thin  polypropylene  strips  made  from  100  per  cent  recycled  plastic,  which  help  reinforce  the  concrete  and  replace  steel  mesh  traditionally  used  in  concrete.”  

“These  Australian-­‐made  materials  close  the  loop  on  recycling,  providing  a  practical  end  use  for  glass  and  plastic  collected  from  kerbside  recycling  bins,”  Ms  Plummer  said.  

Footpaths  will  be  constructed  from  the  Redhead  Gardens  Whiddon  Aged  Care  Facility  along  the  western  side  of  Redhead  Road,  turning  into  the  northern  side  of  White  Cap  Close.  The  footpath  will  extend  down  Steel  Street  from  the  corner  of  Collier  Street  to  Beach  Road  on  the  western  side,  and  along  Collier  Street  east  to  Shortland  Street.  

In  the  long  term,  pathways  will  connect  Webb  Park  car  park  through  to  the  beach,  linking  up  with  the  proposed  pedestrian  refuge  on  Beach  Road  near  Allard  Street.  

So  for  the  first  time  Aged  residents  of  Redhead  Gardens  and  some  long  term  residents  with  varied  mobility  needs  will  be  able  to  access  the  shops  and  the  Beach.    Now  that’s  got  to  be  good!!  

New  in  Redhead  -­‐  Little  Street  Libraries!  The  first  of  the  Little  Street  Libraries  has  been  in  action  located  under  the  gazebo  next  to  19  Beach  Side  Cafe  in  Beach  Street,  opposite  Webb  Park.  Now  there  is  a  second  little  library  on  the  bluff!    Located  on  the  corner  of  Ebsworth  and  Cowlishaw  Street.  

There  has  already  been  a  turnover  of  all  genres  of  books  from  children’s  to  classic  and  contemporary  writers.  

The  little  Libraries  are  for  everyone  to  visit;  take  a  book,  return  it  or  pass  it  on  to  a  friend,  leave  a  book  and  help  keep  this  collection  stocked  with  good  reading  material.  

Redhead Village Newsletter

No.26 March 2019

Little  Libraries  If  anyone  would  like  to  set  up  a  Little  Library  there  is  plenty  of  help  and  encouragement  available.  Just  get  in  touch.  

Plastic  Waste  Plastic  waste  is  a  global  issue  and  our  community  in  Redhead  is  particularly  concerned.    Plastic  and  waste  in  general  are  issues  we  can  all  do  something  about  at  a  personal  level.  Try  these:  • Buy  fruit  and  vegetables  that  aren’t  packaged  in  plastic.  Try  

the  Lake  Macquarie  Farmer’s  Markets.  • Say  NO  to  plastic  straws.  • Consider  gifts  for  children  and  adults  that  are  not  made  of  

plastic,  not  packaged  in  plastic.  • Use  the  bag  swap  station  at  the  Bakehouse.  • Have  some  reusable  bags  with  you  in  your  car.  • Make  your  own  reusable  bags,  join  the  Boomerang  Bag  

sewing  workshops  held  on  the  last  Sunday  of  each  month.  For  info  see  The  Cardiff  Sustainable  Neighbourhood  website.  

• Make  yourself  some  reusable  fruit  and  vegetable  bags.  • Put  your  soft  plastics,  packaging,  bags  and  bubble  wrap  in  

the  soft  plastic  REDCYCLE  bins  at  supermarkets.  • Take  3  for  the  Sea  –pick  up  three  pieces  of  plastic  waste  on  

the  beach.  • Get  motivated  to  combine  picking  up  rubbish  with  exercise.  

Take  a  photo  before  and  after.  #Trashtag  • Participate  in  Clean  up  Australia  Day  in  Redhead  in  March,  

this  won’t  reduce  the  amount  of  plastic  waste  in  Australia,  but  it  will  ensure  more  of  it  goes  to  recycle  or  landfill,  rather  than  into  our  oceans.  This  year  53  volunteers  removed  27  bags  and  1  tonne  of  litter  and  dumped  rubbish  from  our  beach  and  reserves.  Report  dumpers!  

• Perhaps  most  important  of  all  you  talk  to  your  friends  and  family,  your  children  and  grandchildren.  Education  is  the  key!    Share  with  them  what  you’re  doing  to  reduce  the  plastic  waste  problem  and  encourage  them  to  do  the  same.

Dogs  on  Our  Beach  Sand,  surf  and  sea  breezes  drew  large  numbers  of  beachgoers  to  our  beach  during  the  hot  summer  period,  when  temperatures  at  Redhead  were  often  10  degrees  C.  cooler  than  elsewhere.  The  popularity  of  the  beach  meant  that  on  warm  weekends,  people  were  spread  along  the  beach  as  far  as  Second  Creek.  

Many  families  bring  their  dog  or  dogs  as  well,  so  at  times  there  were  more  than  50  dogs  on  the  beach,  with  only  one  or  two  of  them  on  leads  as  required  by  law  and  by  Lake  Macquarie  City  Council.  It  becomes  probably  the  largest  gathering  of  uncontrolled  dogs  and  unprotected  skin  you  would  find  anywhere  in  Lake  Macquarie  or  even  in  NSW.  

No  wonder  the  Lake  Macquarie  City  area  has  a  reputation  for  one  of  the  highest  numbers  of  dog  attacks  in  NSW.  

Lots  of  excited  dogs  running  free  around  adults  and  children  walking,  sitting,  lying  or  playing  in  the  sand  is  not  a  good  situation.    Many  fishermen  and  older  beach  goers  avoid  the  beach  altogether  on  warm  days  because  they  have  had  bad  experiences  with  dogs.  

All  accesses  to  the  beach  are  signposted  with  maps  clearly  showing  where  dogs  need  to  be  on  leads  and  detailing  large  fines  for  non-­‐compliance.  But  the  signs  are  ignored.  People  say  to  themselves,  “Why  should  we  put  our  dog  on  a  lead  when  all  the  other  dogs  are  happily  roaming  free?”  Why,  because  they  don’t  face  any  consequences.  No  one  gets  fined!  

Where  are  the  Council  rangers  on  these  warm  days?  “Not  enough  rangers.”  “Busy  elsewhere”  are  Council’s  standard  excuses  that  have  worn  thin.  

You  would  assume  that  the  dog  regulations  for  our  beach  are  there  to  allow  families  with  and  without  dogs  to  safely  enjoy  being  here.  But  it  seems  that  our  Council  does  not  care  that  people  openly  flout  these  rules  and  put  other  people  at  risk.  Other  coastal  Councils  with  beaches  can  provide  adequate  dog  control.  Why  can’t  ours?  

Maybe  that’s  a  question  you  may  like  to  ask?  

 

4  Wheel  Drive  Users  on  Nine  Mile  Beach  The  Belmont  State  Wetlands  Park  management  introduced  a  permit  system  allowing  registered  4  Wheel  Drive  vehicles  into  the  State  Park  for  4WD  Access  to  Nine  Mile  Beach.  The  number  of  permits  is  not  limited  and  on  some  occasions,  such  as  long  weekends,  the  beach  has  been  engulfed  with  over  1000  4WDs.  There  are  no  toilet  facilities  available  and,  despite  strict  guidelines,  some  permit  holders  leave  behind  their  rubbish,  often  burying  it  in  the  sand.  

Rangers  are  employed  to  work  in  the  park,  but  they  are  often  busy  cleaning  up  after  the  4WD  users.    “Redhead  to  Blacksmiths  Let's  Keep  it  Clean”  is  a  voluntary  group  that  works  hard  and  has  many  4WD  members  who  clean  up  the  beach.  

There  is  local  concern  about  the  lack  of  care  by  some  users  of  what  is  a  delicate  environment.  When  high  numbers  of  4WDs  are  on  the  beach,  and  because  the  Rangers  have  limited  hours  of  duty,  there  is  more  opportunity  for  people  to  do  the  wrong  thing  without  consequences.    Aerial  photo  evidence  reveals  the  foredune  destruction  and  sand  migration  over  a  number  of  years.    Bird  and  beach  animal  populations  have  also  declined.  

Unfortunately,  some  people  aren’t  acting  responsibly,  and  this  problem  needs  to  be  resolved.  

Your  opinion  is  important  and  the  State  Park,  the  Council  and  State  Government  Land  Managers,  and  State  MPs  need  to  be  aware  of  the  urgent  need  for  more  resources  to  deal  with  this  serious  problem.  

Water  Quality  Redhead  Beach  We  asked  Hunter  Water  to  test  Freshwater  Creek  as  part  of  Beachwatch.  The  creek  outlet  is  draining  across  the  main  patrolled  beach  and  discharging  at  Shark  Tower  Rocks.  

Water  in  the  lagoon  could  be  a  significant  health  hazard.  Beachgoers  wade  through  it,  the  external  showers  drain  into  it  and  it  is  a  magnet  for  children  playing  on  the  beach.  Water  quality  is  made  worse  by  the  irresponsible  actions  of  some  dog  owners  and  dogs  in  the  creek  and  on  the  beach.  

The  site  is  not  on  the  Beachwatch  schedule  but  Hunter  Water  kindly  carried  out  some  testing.

Date Sample Taken

Redhead Main Beach

Freshwater (First) Creek

Confirmed Intestinal Enterococci

Faecal coliform

E.coli

col/100 mL MPN/100 mL

11-Feb-19 Creek at corner Beach carpark

78 50

11-Feb-19 Creek at bend towards surfclub

58 200

11-Feb-19 Lagoon Sharktower rocks

49 850

 

The  Beachwatch  system  would  rate  these  results  as  “FAIR”  and  an  expert  says  “not  too  bad  but  a  minor  risk  for  anyone  swimming  in  the  creek”.    “Water  quality  would  be  expected  to  deteriorate  over  time  until  we  get  a  wet  weather  event  that  allows  the  creek  to  flush.”  

These  one-­‐off  results  would  indicate  that  the  public  and  mainly  small  children  have  been  swimming  in  water  similar  to  human  and  dog  bathwater.  For  comparison  there  were  NO  Coastal  Hunter  beaches  which  received  POOR  or  FAIR  ratings  in  2017-­‐2018.  

Hunter  Water  and  Lake  Macquarie  City  Council  have  been  asked  to  cooperate  to  ensure  that  ongoing  testing  occurs.  It  is  extremely  important  that  the  community  be  informed  of  the  potential  risks  and  urgent  remedial  actions  are  taken.  

Footnote:  One  dirty  nappy  would  close  a  Council  swimming  pool  for  24  hours.      

 Green  Waste  and  Waste  Disposal  in  Lake  Macquarie  City  There  has  been  some  criticism  of  the  system,  because  some  people  are  finding  fortnightly  pick  up  of  general  waste  is  not  enough  for  their  households’  needs.  

After  many  consultations,  the  Council  has  decided  not  to  change  the  current  fortnightly  general  waste  pick  up  but  will  take  some  measures  to  help  those  who  are  having  problems.  This  will  include  planning  to  better  promote  the  opt-­‐in  additional  bin  pick  ups,  review  the  pricing  and  provide  more  help  to  households  dealing  with  dirty  nappies  and  medical  waste.  The  Council  will  also  offer  thicker,  more  durable  compostable  bags.  

Council  commissioned  an  independent  kerbside  waste  audit  in  November  2018,  to  measure  changes  in  household  waste  disposal  practices.  Auditors  collected  and  weighed,  sorted  and  classified  bin  contents  across  the  City.  

The  audit  indicates  that  householders  have  substantially  reduced  the  amount  of  recoverable  materials  going  into  the  garbage  bin.  

The  findings  from  this  waste  audit  are  very  encouraging:  • 97.5%  recovery  rate  of  garden  organics.  (cf  89.1%  in  2013);  • 64.8%  food  recovery  rate  in  2018  (cf  0%  in  2013);  • 86.5%  recovery  rate  of  recyclables  (cf  66.9%  in  2013);  • 41.5%  of  green  bins  were  more  than  90%  full;  • 39.5%  of  recycling  bins  were  more  than  90%  full;  • 22%  of  households’  garbage  bins  were  more  than  90%  full;  • 40%  of  the  garbage  bins  more  than  90%  full,  had  40%  of  

materials  that  could  have  gone  into  the  yellow  or  green  bin.    If  you  aren’t  convinced  that  the  new  garbage  system  works  for  you,  perhaps  you  could  decide  to  give  it  a  chance  by  seeking  help  and  advice.  Remember  that  every  tonne  of  waste  saved  from  landfill  saves  the  Council  and  your  rates  over  $140  in  NSW  Govt  Waste  Levy.  There  are  Councils  all  over  Australia  successfully  reducing  waste  to  landfill  with  green  waste  recycling.  Compostable  bags  are  available  and  can  be  collected  free  of  charge  with  proof  of  address  at:  Redhead  Community  Library,  check  limited  opening  hours.  Lake  Mac  Libraries  (residents  must  become  a  library  member.)  Council  Administration  Building,  Speers  Point  Council  Works  Depot,  Boolaroo  Landcare  Resource  Centre,  Teralba  Awaba  Waste  Management  Facility,  Awaba  Composting  Facility  Tour  If  you’re  interested  in  touring  the  new  composting  facility,  please  email  us  at  sustainableredhead@gmail.com.  We  are  planning  to  organise  a  tour  in  the  near  future.    Redhead  Community  Garden  Do  you  have  a  passion  for  gardening  and  enjoy  the  company  of  like-­‐minded  locals?    Well  Redhead  Community  Garden  might  be  exactly  what  you  are  after.  The  garden  is  located  within  the  grounds  of  Redhead  Public  School.  Our  monthly  gardening  sessions  are  held  on  the  last  Sunday  of  each  month  from  1:00  -­‐  3:00  pm.    

Redhead  Community  Garden  invites  you!!  Come  along!  Sunday  31  March  2019.    New  members  are  always  welcome.  Come  along  and  join  us  for  some  fresh  healthy  food,  weeding,  mulching,  planting,  harvesting  and  pruning.  We  look  forward  to  seeing  you  there!    2019  Dudley  Redhead  Soccer  Club  Registrations  Closing  Soon  Although  registrations  for  the  Dudley  Redhead  Football  Club‘s  2019  season  remain  open  until  the  end  of  April,  registrations  are  already  approaching  2018  levels,  so  the  club  is  expecting  a  record  year.    Please  contact  DRUFC.registrar@gmail.com  to  confirm  if  there  is  a  place  available  in  your  preferred  team.    “It’s  a  fantastic  club  and  we’re  always  trying  to  improve  the  facilities,  the  grounds  and  the  experience  for  all  the  players.”    Troy  Conway,  the  Club  President,  said.    “The  club  prides  itself  on  being  a  community  club  and  suitable  for  all  ages  and  skill  levels.  We  have  teams  from  Under  6’s  through  to  all  age  teams,  over  35’s  and  one  team  in  the  region’s  premier  zone  league  division.”    “We  have  grown  by  around  20%  every  year  for  the  last  5  years  and  this  reflects  overall  interest  from  the  surrounding  community.    We  welcome  female  participation  and  it  has  been  encouraging  to  see  significant  growth  in  our  girls  and  women  only  teams,”  he  said.    “It  is  your  local  football  club  and  we  welcome  volunteers  for  the  Committee  to  continue  our  strong  community  involvement  and  to  maintain  our  successful  growth.”  Troy  said.    “The  Club  also  has  many  sponsorship  opportunities  including  fence  signs  and  playing  strips  for  example,  for  any  local  businesses  that  are  interested.”    Contact  the  Club  Secretary  at  email  drufc1@gmail.com.    Contacting  Council  If  some  of  the  issues  contained  in  this  Newsletter  please  you,  or  are  of  concern  to  you  and  can  be  remedied  by  Council  action  send  an  email  to  council@lakemac.nsw.gov.au  and  make  sure  you  get  a  Customer  Service  Number.    Jodie  Harrison  MP  for  Charlestown  can  be  reached  at  charlestown@parliament.nsw.gov.au   Get  involved  with  Redhead  Sustainable  Neighbourhood?  We  need  a  new  Newsletter  Editor.  That  could  be  YOU!.    Looking  for  experience?  Studying?  Retired  with  communication  skills?  Like  to  contribute  to  the  community?  Please  get  in  touch.  

Our  vision  is:  “To  celebrate  and  sustain  our  coastal  village  community,  its  assets,  and  the  surrounding  natural  environment  for  all  to  enjoy”  

If  you’d  like  to  be  involved  with  our  group,  we  would  love  to  hear  from  you!  For  more  information  check  out  our  website  or  send  us  an  email.  

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Newsletter  Contributions  All  contributions  and  comments  are  welcome  from  anyone  receiving  our  Newsletter.  If  you  have  an  article  you’d  like  the  Redhead  Sustainable  Neighbourhood  to  include  in  our  next  edition,  or  would  like  to  learn  more  about  us,  get  in  contact.  

Advertising  Like  to  advertise  in  a  future  edition  of  the  newsletter  please  get  in  touch  with  Redhead  Sustainable  Neighbourhood  

email:  sustainableredhead@gmail.com  

Website:  https://sustainableredhead.wordpress.com/  Thanks  to  our  sponsors  Redhead  Family  Dental,  Redhead  Martial  Arts,  Redhead  Pharmacy  and  Redhead  SELF  STORAGE.

 

 

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 REDHEAD  COMMUNITY  LIBRARY  16  HUTCHINSON  ST  Calling  all  readers.  Check  out  your  newly  renovated  community  library.    We  have  a  great  selection  of  fiction  including  the  latest  crime  novels.  The  library  also  has  classes  in  art,  guitar,  creative  writing  and  porcelain  painting  run  by  Eastlakes  U3A.  https://eastlakes.u3anet.org.au/    Opening  Hours  Thursday-­‐Friday  3-­‐5pm   Saturday  10  am-­‐12  noon.  Phone  49447473  library  hours.  Come  in  and  meet  the  friendly  volunteers  Maybe  you  might  like  to  join  us  and  volunteer?