Month: March 2024

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” – 1 Peter 3:18

This Easter I was invited to an 8am service at Corpus Christi Catholic Church followed by 11am at my own church St Barnabas Anglican Church East Roseville.

Both churches celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection, and what it means for us today.

🇦🇺This month we welcomed 162 new citizens from 29 countries to our LGA. It’s always good to see the smile on their faces!

Special thanks go to: – the Ku-ring-gai Ranger Guides for their involvement – guest speaker Kevin Hao (Youth Citizen of the Year) for encouraging our residents to participate in volunteering – Matt Cross – Member for Davidson for his welcome speech, and – Cr Barbara Ward for leading the affirmation.

Last week I visited St Ives Park Public School for National Ride2School Day. Families were encouraged to ride to school instead of drive, and the kids were keen to show off their bikes and scooters.

The event aims to demonstrate that active transport is fun, healthy, and good for the environment.

We’d love you to join us and explore the meaning of Easter at St Barnabas Anglican Church East Roseville.

Church services are Friday 29 March 10am and Sunday 31 March 9am and 11am. A kids program (which I’m involved with) is also available at the 10am and 11am services.

Hope to see you there and if you plan to come, drop me a message so that we can catch up before or after.

This morning at Acron Oval we welcome 850 participants in the Bare Creek Trail Run. We have 43% of participants from outside the LGA and it’s a fantastic opportunity to check out the beautiful trails in Ku-ring-gai.

I had the joy of ringing the cowbell for the 20km and 12km runs.

This morning we had the Bobbin Head Cycle Classic with 2,500 riders, organised by local Rotary clubs and raising funds for Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney , KYDS Youth Development Service , Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter , Mentoring Men, Hornsby Connect and other local charities.

Events like this could not be organised without the help of volunteers and I thank the 450 who helped out today.

I normally volunteer as a marshall at these events, directing cyclists on which direction to ride next But this time as Mayor I decided to visit the oval where cyclists hang out before and after. I popped by at the Loving Living Ku-ring-gai stand with Cr Barbara Ward and made a smoothie with cycle power. I visited the Triple H 100.1 FM and Radio Northern Beaches booth to have a chat on the radio. And I tried out an electric cargo bike… more on that in a subsequent post.

Kuring-gai Rotary Ku-ring-gai Rotary Community Network Rotary Club of St Ives, NSW – District 9685 Rotary Club of Turramurra Rotary Club of Wahroonga Rotary Club of Upper Northern Beaches

I was recently invited to guest speak at Barra Brui Probus Club where I spoke 45 mins on: 🏡 the National Housing Accord and its target of delivering 1.2 million well located homes in 5 years 🎯 the achievability of NSW’s share of 377,000 homes by 2029 📄 key provisions of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act including strategic planning, LEPs, DCPs, SEPPs, and infrastructure contributions 🏃‍♀️ the implications of uplifting Ku-ring-gai’s dwellings from 46,000 to 100,000+ without any commitment for planning or infrastructure funding

We then opened up for Q&A where residents shared their concerns about the impacts on congestion, parking, amenities, and general quality of life.

I said that I hoped council will proceed with establishing an alternate LEP / DCP that better addresses liveability and diverse dwellings without taking the one-size-fits-all approach.

I was complimented for speaking without notes and not having any grey hair. But by the time these housing policies are implemented, I will probably have a few!

☘️☘️☘️Good luck to the kids from Cox Academy of Irish Dance as they head off to Glasgow for the Irish Dancing world championships.

I was joined by Cr Simon Lennon and Councillor Alec Taylor to watch their performance at Anglicare Gordon Quarter earlier this week.

Happy to attend the grand opening of Little Gumnuts Early Learning Group in West Pymble. This family business has substantially improved the interior of the building and the centre has the best outdoor playspace that I’ve seen in Ku-ring-gai.

Local residents looking for a 7:30am-6pm option for their 2+ year olds should give this place a visit, particularly if their children don’t have regular access to a backyard. I was very jelly as I wished my kids had this when growing up.

Glad to join local residents and Rotary Club of Wahroonga at today’s Clean Up Australia event.

I had a good time talking to a local resident Phil, and it’s amazing how much rubbish there is when you look for it… especially at the village carpark!

For the next 3 weeks the Grace Cossington Smith Gallery is exhibiting the HSC artworks of students from the Upper North Shore.

The schools include: Abbotsleigh Asquith Boys’ High School, Asquith Girls’ High School, Barker College Brigidine College St Ives Cheltenham Girls’ High, Cherrybrook Technology High School, Hornsby Girls’ High School, Killara High School Knox Grammar School Loreto Normanhurst, Masada College Normanhurst Boys’ High School, Northolm Grammar School, Pymble Ladies’ College Ravenswood School for Girls – Official Site St. Ives High School St Leo’s Catholic College and Turramurra High School.

I enjoyed meeting the students and parents at this weekend’s opening day.

The gallery is open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm until 23 March 2024.