Category: Life as a Councillor

Final day in the office (as I switch to becoming full time mayor). I’m going to miss everyone, though I know they have an exciting future ahead with leading the transition to renewables.

They were kind enough to give me an Octopus (named Constantine), and he will now live in Ku-ring-gai.

Yesterday I was glad to attend the 12th Annual Youth Mental Health Forum. Organised by Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Ryde and Hunters Hill Council, the mental health forum is an opportunity for school students and teachers from our four LGAs to brainstorm ideas on how to support our youth through a turbulent time in life, reduce the stigma, provide accessible preventative support.

I was joined by Sarkis Yedelian – Mayor (pictured here), Matt Kean MP and Nathan Tilbury – Councillor at Hornsby Shire Council. We also had a range of providers including headspace , KYDS Youth Development Service , Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney , batyr , Taldumande Youth Services, Mission Australia , NDIS Uniting, Safe Haven NSW and Gamble Aware.

More photos to come.

It’s hard to find soft foods in public (as part of wisdom tooth recovery). On this occasion, I’m having a bowl of congee at The Cockatoo Bar & Restaurant in Gordon.

🇦🇺 Today Ku-ring-gai will have 160 new Australian Citizens. I had the privilege yesterday of signing their certificates. I look forward to meeting them all on this day of joy, and am keen to see what contribution each of them will make to our diverse society.

I took a nap at a hospital and woke up with two wisdom teeth removed. So far so good although I’ll be Mr Puffy face for the next few days, with the next speaking engagement on Tuesday. Ice cream, mashed potatoes and other soft foods are my friend.

I’m really thankful for the care shown by hospital staff; we are very blessed here in some parts of Australia. In the bigger picture, there is still work to be done in bringing comparable services to other parts of our nation, especially with remote and indigenous communities.

I also take confidence that Ku-ring-gai is in good hands. If I am ever out of action, we have a very capable Deputy Mayor who is here to serve our people, and the others councillors are capable of stepping up as well. They’re all great.

Anyway I’ll see you all out and about in the community as soon as I’m fully recovered. See you soon.

Fence. It was setup by council a year ago to block public access to a site which contained asbestos. Since then, council has arranged for some asbestos to be removed and there is a proposal at this Tuesday’s council meeting to make some of the open space available for recreation again.

Come check out some of the Spring Exhibition artwork by our local artists from the Ku ring gai Art Society, now on at St Ives Shopping Village.

Gingerbread Men and Pies at the Roseville Bakehouse. Which part of the Gingerbread Man would you eat first?

A few weeks ago I tripped over my daughter’s scooter and fractured my toe. The restricted movement hasn’t been fun but it has helped me develop greater empathy for design and accessibility issues in the public domain, as well as greater appreciation for online interactions. I’m hoping to be back to normal in a few more weeks / months.

I was looking for a bite to eat when I came across the new 24 hour meat vending machine at CHOP Butchery St Ives, opposite Woolworths.

Interesting concept for anyone wanting some late night ingredients.

𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 Earlier today, we joined the Korean Community in celebrating Hangul Day. Hangul is the ‘Alphabet’ of the Korean Language invented almost 600 years ago by King Sejong the Great. We had singing, dancing, drums, and talks celebrating the Korean culture and the opportunities we have together here for a multicultural life here in Australia.

As a person of Chinese decent, I genuinely appreciate Hangul because the alphabet is so easy to pickup (whereas Chinese is difficult to learn with over 50,000 words). It is this simple means of communication, along with its community-driven self-sufficiency and education program (called the 𝘚𝘢𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘶𝘭 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨) which helped the Koreans develop from a struggling agricultural country back in the 1960’s to the extremely advanced industrialised nation that it is today.

In Ku-ring-gai, 2.5% of our population is made up of residents of Korean decent. We welcome people of all nationalities to contribute to our multicultural society today, and look forward to further opportunities where we can share and learn from each other.

We thank the Korean Deputy Consul General Ms Deuk Shin along with the support of Ms Kim who came to support the event. We also give thanks to Deputy Mayor of Ku-ring-gai, Cr Christine Kay , Councillor Barbara Ward, and Cr Simon Lennon for their support.

We stopped by at St John the Evangelist Gordon for their annual Spring Fair. We enjoyed the kids activities and games, talking to members of the community, and also won a few books as part of spin the wheel.

It was also good to bump into Cr Simon Lennon, a regular member of the church.

The people at St John’s are a friendly lot so if you live nearby it’s worth dropping in. There’s more information about their activities on the website.

https://stjohnsgordon.org.au/

If you are not in the area on Saturday 14 October or you have another valid reason for voting early, some of our local options include: 🗳️ 2nd Gordon Scout Hall (pictured here); 🗳️ Shop 5, 165-177 Mona Vale Road St Ives; 🗳️ Northside Church North Turramurra; 🗳️ 52 Gibbes Street Chatswood; and 🗳️ Morling College Macquarie Park

For more information visit https://www.aec.gov.au/referendums/voting.htm?division=Bradfield&state=NSW&suburb=Gordon&selection=early&votenow=no&interstate=no&where=Gordon+NSW+2072&postcode=2072#pollList

𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 Special thanks to our 50+ volunteers, community groups and staff for making our first Sustainable Futures Day a big success. 💪🥳🎉

When I think about Sustainability, there are the big headlines that the media likes to focus attention on such as rising temperatures and sea levels and our 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 via Solar and Batteries, Electric Vehicles, and Net Zero targets. These were definitely featured at our event.

But another important aspect to sustainability is our 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀. Did you know that humans are currently using the Earth’s natural resources (biocapacity) at 1.7 times faster than our planet can regenerate? Focussing on our own lifestyle as Australians, if everyone on the planet lived like an Australian then we would require 3.8 Earths to meet their needs 🌏🌎🌍🌏. Drawing closer to home, 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴, making it all the more important for us to reduce the waste that we generate.

Unfortunately, I find that 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 gets far less media coverage than Climate Change despite its critical role in leading us to a Sustainable Future. Reducing our waste means changes in the way that we purchase🛍️, changes in the way that we generate and dispose of rubbish♻️, changes to our travel habits✈️ and and even changes to our choice of food🍎. Our stalls on Saturday did cover this theme, though there’s so much more education to be provided in the coming years.

Anyway we did have a fantastic first year and I look forward to even brighter events in the future! Well done to all involved.

#netzerokuringgai

𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 🏴‍☠️ I was glad to support our youth from the Marian Street Theatre for Young People as they performed this adaptation of a Robert Louis Stevenson classic at the Ku-ring-gai Town Hall. Additional sessions extend through the rest of the school holidays. For more information visit

https://events.humanitix.com/treasure-island

We were checking out some of the issues across Ku-ring-gai on Monday and stopped by at Twenty74 at the North Turramurra shops for lunch. They have friendly service and a good range of food.

Congratulations to Roseville Golf Club for 100 years. It’s a great place for the community to come together.

Awesome pizza and pasta at Rosso Cavallino St Ives. The lasagne especially is the best I’ve had on the North Shore and the kids loved the gelato.

This morning I was joined by Councillor Barbara Ward and Councillor Martin Smith at the Turramurra Lookout Community Garden for the grand opening of a community shelter.

It was an encouragement to meet all the volunteers and hear that the garden not only provides apartment dwellers with recreation space, but also provides them with a community network for social support.

We also witnessed the ribbon cutting of the Community Shelter funded by a State Government grant, and supported by Alister Henskens MP.

For more information on the garden and opportunities to volunteer, visit https://www.tlcgarden.org.au

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆? We are hosting a Sustainable Futures Day at the St Ives Village Green from 10am to 4pm, with educational stalls covering solar and batteries, multiple electric vehicles on display, waste reduction, native plants, and the role that youth can play. There will also be live entertainment and the opportunity to meet our Net Zero Champion volunteers who can share more about getting involved.

I hope to see you there!

For more information refer to https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Things-to-do/Whats-on/Eco-Festival-Sustainable-Futures-Day

We had the privilege of meeting the awesome Volunteers from the Ku-ring-gai SES Unit last night. As volunteers, each of them have dedicated years of their life to train and serve, ensuring that regular Australians like you and I can recover from extreme weather situations.

In my speech I shared about our personal experience four years ago when a mini cyclone felled multiple trees across East Lindfield, including a large one on top of our house. In my heartfelt message I thanked the volunteers for responding to our situation close to midnight, forgoing a warm dinner and time with family in order to serve the community. It is these volunteers who should be recognised for their contributions to the community, and I was proud to present to them their Long Service awards for serving 5, 10 and 20 years with the SES.

After the ceremony we had the opportunity to mingle with volunteers, hear about their challenges and how Council can potentially help, as well as tour the facilities. Did you know that almost a quarter or third of their callouts are in relation to non-native Liquidambar obstructions? It’s a beautiful tree but it causes so many problems that it takes away our volunteers from serving the community in other ways.

𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 Earlier this year our council upgraded this playground in Pymble, with theming based on a fruit farm that used to be in the area. The playground includes a cycle track, soft fall, nature play, picnic area, fenced in area and other farm elements.

Our kids enjoyed it and we recommend that you check it out.

Date night without the kids.

A little sad as it’s my last night here at the UNSW CBD campus. This term we covered Renewable Energy Law, and it was a fantastic opportunity to hear from industry leaders about the policies that different countries have adopted to take on Net Zero. In particular for Australia, what is clear is that the biggest challenge isn’t simply about deploying solar and wind generation (as the politicians like to have us believe) but rather it is about ensuring that Australia has appropriately sufficient and stable transmission, distribution, and energy storage to support the future. I hope that what I learn will be of use at my workplace where we will, hopefully, deploy $30Bn of renewables and storage in the coming years.

I have one term left of daytime classes at uni and will be covering urban sustainability and (international) law of the sea.

Lest we forget

🐣🐥Come visit our church next week for Easter. St Barnabas Roseville East, corner William Street and Macquarie Street.

Set to dominate the media these next six months is the topic of whether Indigenous people should be mentioned in the Australian Constitution, and if so, how.

The Australian Constitution currently covers decisions made by the Parliament (Senate, House of Representatives, Scope of Powers) in Chapter One and the Executive Government (Governor General, Cabinet) in Chapter Two. Indigenous people such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have no formal input into the decision-making process, partly because of the history of colonists not recognising Australia as being owned by anybody (terra nullius) in the eighteenth century.

What is being proposed and put out to referendum later this year is the introduction of an extra chapter to Australia’s Constitution that recognises the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people as the ‘First Peoples of Australia’. It establishes a body of indigenous people called the ‘Voice’ that has the opportunity to provide input to the Parliament and the Executive Government on matters that relate to them, and it gives the Parliament further powers to make laws about how the Voice operates including who it is made up of, how it works, etc.

At a high level, I can see why lots of people will jump on board in support of it. Politically, it is “the thing to do” and I can see a groundswell within Australia of people who will strongly ‘encourage’ anyone else who does not yet understand or feel comfortable to support the wording in its current form (and encourage in such a way that it comes across as bullying or coercion). But in my five short years on council, I’ve also seen well-meaning ideas voted through and then implemented in ways that are contrary to what was originally expected due to a poor choice of wording or loopholes. I suspect that it may well be the case with the Voice here that despite the best of intentions, there may be unintended outcomes that emerge in the coming decades as a result of some judge interpreting the words in our constitution in ways that were not originally intended. In particular, the scope of the Voice in making representations on “matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples” is quite vague and open to interpretation either way.

In addition to the constitution, there are some ‘design principles’ for the Voice. Principles that will guide how the Parliament will implement the Voice if it ends up being supported by a referendum. Some of these principles include broad composition, not having veto power, etc. But the design principles are still somewhat somewhat vague, and they do not form part of the constitution or part of what Australians will be asked to vote on at the referendum.

In the media, there are people who say that the proposed wording is too strong, and there are others who say that the wording is not strong enough. I can see where they’re all coming from.

I do believe that recognition of indigenous Australians, respecting their ways, restoring their bonds and lifting their quality of life is an important thing. Something needs to be done, and it’s probably a case of better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing at all. We also have a stable government and what I believe is the mandate to explore the idea. But I personally have no intention to get involved in the pro or anti-voice camps in the next six months. And I do hope that in the next six months, the Australian people and our political leaders are mature enough to explore the implications in a mature manner and remain open to change, rather than politicising the matter and shooting down anybody who does not see things in exactly the same way that they do. Somehow though, I get a feeling that this is not how it will play out, and I’m actually somewhat disappointed in how our federal leaders (both sides) have led the conversation so far on such a serious matter. I want to be proud of our political leaders, and I expect more from both Albo and Dutton in the contest of ideas than just tearing each other down.

🎉 We had a fantastic day at Lindfield East Public School. I spent most of the time getting to know the booth volunteers, and we all got along pretty well, no unpleasantries.

It was also good to see so many people at the booth, helping to raise funds for our local school, preschool and girl guides. Thank you for your support.

Congratulations also to my friend Matt Cross – Liberal Candidate for Davidson. I first met him five years ago when I got onto council, and I enjoy our regular catchups at the Blood Donation centre every few months. Matt is a genuinely open relationship builder, very responsive to queries, and I hope the people of Davidson give him a chance.

Take care everyone. And as usual, if you have any questions feel free to reach out.

The NSW Government recently commissioned an independent review of the councillor misconduct framework and has committed to delivering reform in the coming months.

What I look forward to the most is the introduction of an independent Councillor Conduct Review Panel. This replaces the current system where the General Manager is tasked with deciding whether a Code of Conduct complaint is worthy of investigation, and then gets to handpick the investigator. I’ve spoken to other councillors (outside of Ku-ring-gai) who say that investigations have sometimes felt frivolous and selective, funded by the ratepayer while the accused has to pay legal expenses out of pocket. It has the effect of silencing alternate views.

The new framework including the independent panel is expected to commence 1 January 2024.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻? I’ve been away a few weeks with family and am now back, refreshed. It sounds like the La Niña cycle will end soon so we’ll be switching to drought mode.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗸𝗮𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 Yesterday we gathered at the St Ives Village Green to celebrate the first day of Chanukah, an eight day festival linked to Jewish independence in the second century BC. It’s great to see the people celebrating the event to this day. See you all again next year on 7 December 2023.

Our church, St Barnabas Roseville East, held its first Carols in the Courtyard yesterday. It was a great time for the local community to gather, though it got rained out twice and we had to relocate indoors. On Sunday 25th December we are having a Christmas Service at 10am and you’re all welcome to join.

Earlier this year I transferred to a double degree (Master of Laws / Business Administration, part time) so that I can be better equipped to serve the community. It’s been a hectic time especially in Term 3 when the pace at work ramped up, but I’d also say that it’s been my most enjoyable uni year to date.

This year I covered the basics of the legal system and I also took an elective on Insurance Law so that I can support injured council workers through my role at StateCover. For my remaining electives I’m considering Environmental Law, Planning and Development, Sustainable Development, Renewable Energy, Superannuation, International Human Rights, or whatever else seems useful.

I’m looking forward to the end of uni because it will free up time to spend with family and serve the community. I’m still contemplating whether to squeeze two subjects into one term because it will speed things up, but at the cost of depth of learning.

Earlier this month my wife and I had a date at Zeera Tadka in Lindfield. The staff were great, the food was amazing, and we’re keen to go back soon.

Good morning everyone. Highlights from last night’s (long) council meeting.

🏀 𝗦𝘁 𝗜𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 – Proceeding to tender for construction of two additional basketball courts.

🛝 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 – Draft Landscape Masterplan endorsed (including late changes to explore multiple basketball options). Next up is a public exhibition after Christmas.

🚶‍♀️ 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 – Concept plan endorsed (after significant improvements since it first came out in 2020). Now off to detailed design and aim to tender 2024.

🌳 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 – Adoption of Ku-ring-gai’s first version, including a target of 55% locally indigenous canopy trees in the public domain.

🚚 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆 – Unanimous request from councillors for more information from the State Government on what is being done to make Pacific Highway safer.

📈 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 – Further initiatives to help local businesses establish and participate in the tendering process.

🕚 Other items including the 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗯 and the 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 were put on hold til next meeting (14 Feb 2023). While I was personally happy to vote on both last night, I understand that December’s been quite hectic and we need to respect that the governing body needed more time to make an informed decision.

My little assistant and I attended the Wahroonga Village Fair today, organised by the Rotary Club of Wahroonga, and promoted the work of KYDS Youth Development Service.

Good Morning Everyone, I’d encourage you all to donate blood 🩸in Chatswood if you are healthy and able. Each donation can save up to three lives.

👦🏻👧🧸📚 East Lindfield Community Preschool Part of the reason why I’ve been quiet in recent months is because we’ve been taking on some chunky issues at our local community preschool (where I am currently president). We’ve given the staff a good pay increase outside the EA schedule, tackled issues with building repairs, mould and classroom availability, and recruited a new centre director. We are now looking through a building licence renewal with St. Peter’s East Lindfield and we hope the two community organisations can continue to work together in partnership in the years to come.

It’s been an incredibly busy and intense period where I’ve been putting in 20+ hours / week during peak. And it would not have been possible without the wonderful help of volunteer parents in the community. (Thanks!!)

Thank you also to the generous (and anonymous) parents who designed, printed and installed our new signs. It really brings a smile to the our face each time we walk past.

I was fortunate to receive some sweets and cuddles.

We have to remember though that on days like this there are people in pain who are also thinking about lost dads, or lost opportunities to become dads.

𝗖𝗕𝗔 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 (𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗧𝗠) 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 😢 I came across the details today while doing some banking for our local community preschool. This makes Bendigo bank the only bank to have a branch in Lindfield.

Earlier this year I transferred to a double degree (Master of Law / Business Administration, part time) so that I can be better equipped to serve the community. I’m looking forward to electives in Environmental Law, Development and Planning, Sustainable Development, Insurance, International Human Rights, and whatever else seems useful.

In Term 1 we covered the Australian Legal System and I developed a deeper understanding of the impacts that European Settlement has had on Indigenous Australians. I was happy to get a 90 (HD).

Term 2 starts next week and there’s a mountain to read 📚. I’m finding the law subjects to be more time consuming than business administration where much of it comes second nature.

We have a bad flu season this year and it helps to protect your family by getting vaccinated. I had mine with the friendly staff at The Village Pharmacy Lindfield earlier this week and it was a quick process. I had to pay for mine but the NSW government is considering making it free in the near future.

The election result was not a surprise. On one hand it’s sad to see an outgoing Liberal government that has done a great job in helping us stay employed during the pandemic and I think an appropriate response is to thank them for their service. On the other hand there wasn’t a clear articulation for the future and inner city residents have for years festered on unaddressed expectations regarding climate change response, diversity in representation and anti-corruption measures.

I’m curious to see what happens now because it’s easy for opposition and independents to promise lofty things but it’s much harder for them to deliver once in power.

I’m also curious to see if there will be any change in attitude or approach towards respecting the views of people who are in the minority. From what I can see we are a society that loves to talk about tolerance and acceptance but when it comes to politics or religion, we are quick to shoot down or outcast those who do not share our same beliefs. I write this knowing that I myself am not a perfect role model in this area, but it’s something that I hope we can all get better at.

For Mothers Day tomorrow, why not come and visit our local businesses here in Lindfield. You can also see local artwork in our annual Mothers Day drawing competition organised by the Lindfield Chamber of Commerce.

Bunnings Pymble is now open. Ku-ring-gai residents no longer have to travel outside the LGA for extensive hardware needs, and the store provides jobs for over 200 local people. I went to check it out over the weekend to buy a water pump and eat at the cafe. Vehicle entry is via Bridge Street.

Goodbye Coles Lindfield. It’s been our main supermarket for the last decade and closes this Sunday. Looking forward to see the new one.

This morning we joined over 300 people in Roseville to remember the sacrifice made by Australian and New Zealand soldiers and service people in armed conflicts. It is because of their sacrifice that we can live here in Australia today. Lest we forget.

Explore Sydney these holidays while keeping your 🌏 carbon footprint low. Park your car at the Lindfield Village Green Commuter Carpark B3 (entry from Milray St) then the rest of the trip is free! You still have to tap your opal or credit card at the station, and it will charge you $1 before the system reverses the charge at the end of the day.

Special thanks to The Bush Tele for promoting the work of KYDS Youth Development Service. KYDS is a unique mental health service for our young people and its continued success depends on your support. To make a tax-deductible donation please visit https://bit.ly/kyds-kindful-buy-a-counselling-session And to read the April edition of The Bush Tele (including my short article on EVs) visit www.thebushtele.com.au

Special thanks to The Bush Tele for promoting the work of KYDS Youth Development Service. KYDS is a unique mental health service for our young people and its continued success depends on your support. To make a tax-deductible donation please visit https://bit.ly/kyds-kindful-buy-a-counselling-session

And to read the April edition of The Bush Tele (including my short article on EVs) visit www.thebushtele.com.au

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗿 In the coming months there will be further talk about economic sanctions, boycotts, lethal aid, armed conflict, and war. And I can’t help but notice that in both our printed and social media there appears to be people out there who are (consciously or subconsciously) promoting a universal hatred of anything and anyone Russian. While I understand the sentiment, I think it may be taking it too far.

The actions of a leader do not necessarily infer anything about the values of the people they seek to represent. If ScoMo holds up a lump of coal in parliament, would you want the International Community to think that all Australians are the same? If our Premier, Mayor, or even I as your lowly councillor do something silly, do you think that we therefore speak and act on behalf of all of you?

Yes the people of Ukraine need our support and yes there is a time and place for appropriate economic sanctions, but I also hope that we can still treat Russian and Belarusian people here in Ku-ring-gai with respect and not make assumptions about their values. They are probably just ordinary people like you and I, hoping to live a harmonious life here in Australia without people giving them a hard time about things that they may or may not agree with. I know I’ve personally been given a hard time on occasion for my appearance, country of birth (a British Colony), or for false rumours that other petty people in politics or in the community have raised and it’s quite disrespectful, painful, and not fun at all. So I hope that we can reach out to other residents and treat them with respect rather than just make assumptions about their values.

In the coming months there will be further talk about economic sanctions, boycotts, lethal aid, armed conflict, and war. And I can’t help but notice that in both our printed and social media there appears to be people out there who are (consciously or subconsciously) promoting a universal hatred of anything and anyone Russian. While I understand the sentiment, I think it may be taking it too far.

The actions of a leader do not necessarily infer anything about the values of the people they seek to represent. If ScoMo holds up a lump of coal in parliament, would you want the International Community to think that all Australians are the same? If our Premier, Mayor, or even I as your lowly councillor do something silly, do you think that we therefore speak and act on behalf of all of you?

Yes the people of Ukraine need our support and yes there is a time and place for appropriate economic sanctions, but I also hope that we can still treat Russian and Belarusian people here in Ku-ring-gai with respect and not make assumptions about their values. They are probably just ordinary people like you and I, hoping to live a harmonious life here in Australia without people giving them a hard time about things that they may or may not agree with. I know I’ve personally been given a hard time on occasion for my appearance, country of birth (a British Colony), or for false rumours that other petty people in politics or in the community have raised and it’s quite disrespectful, painful, and not fun at all. So I hope that we can reach out to other residents and treat them with respect rather than just make assumptions about their values.

This week we had councillors across NSW meet to exchange ideas, discuss policy, and agree on State and Federal advocacy matters. Key themes were financial sustainability, climate change and resilience, housing stress, domestic violence, reconciliation, and the impact of recent economic developments to the delivery of council services.

I was encouraged to see eight Ku-ring-gai Councillors engaged and attending the conference this time around (usually there’s only 2 or 3 of us). Hopefully we will bring some ideas back to benefit our residents here in Ku-ring-gai.

This week we had councillors across NSW meet to exchange ideas, discuss policy, and agree on State and Federal advocacy matters. Key themes were financial sustainability, climate change and resilience, housing stress, domestic violence, reconciliation, and the impact of recent economic developments to the delivery of council services.

I was encouraged to see eight Ku-ring-gai Councillors engaged and attending the conference this time around (usually there’s only 2 or 3 of us). Hopefully we will bring some ideas back to benefit our residents here in Ku-ring-gai.

With the increased availability of RATs and the return to school, I found this ABC article helpful in explaining false negatives (sensitivity) and false positives (specificity).

The TGA also recently published a list that suggests that some RATs are not as good at picking up Delta and/or Omicron than others. It leads to confusing situations such as two weeks ago when I was consistently getting a positive result from one brand but getting negative results from another brand and from the PCR. As a precaution I isolated from the rest of my family and the world for a week, and things got pretty lonely in my room though it was nice to have family meals over Zoom.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-27/how-accurate-rapid-antigen-test-more-looking-for-lines/100782662

https://www.tga.gov.au/post-market-review-antigen-and-rapid-antigen-tests

It was great to see 135 residents from 27 countries become Australian Citizens today. This is a great nation to be part of.

Council also presented Citizen of the year awards to five of our residents / groups.

Easy Care Gardening was recognised for their outstanding contribution to the community bay assisting housebound, elderly and vulnerable residents.

Yoel Hyman was recognised for his contributions to the community through RFS, Killara Brigade, and other community forums.

Jen Stokes was recognised for her contribution to the environment through @kuringgaiboomerangbags and the West Pymble Community Garden.

Oliver Conolly was recognised as young environmental citizen of the year for raising awareness of Ku-ring-gai’s vulnerable bird populations.

And our dear friend Helen Jarvis was awarded citizen of the year for her contribution to KYDS Youth Development Service during this difficult time of the pandemic when our young people and their families are in need of support more than ever. I have personally witnessed how she selflessly gives her time and money to the welfare of our people.

Sharing some photos from our recent break in Country NSW (and ACT). It was good to have some time off with family; as a councillor it’s very rare to be able to focus 100% on them.

Also went to check out some of the regional EV chargers. As a general trend the Tesla ones are paid, fast and very reliable whereas the NRMA ones were decent speed but slower, with some of the EV drivers that I spoke to (including myself) experiencing reliability issues with them from time to time. We counted 35 electric vehicles over 11 days and across six sites.

I’m keen to see what we can do to encourage uptake in Ku-ring-gai by introducing a charging network, however want to first do research into what our neighbouring councils are doing and how they are finding the experience so far (as each seems to have gone with a different networking provider).

I’m back in Sydney after a holiday through regional NSW. Was surprised to see some of our supermarket shelves so bare, and to see the fairy lights at the soon-to-open Lindfield Village Green.

The councillors will be sworn in tomorrow night, and that’s when we will officially commence our jobs. There’s a list of things to catch up on, so I’m looking forward to sorting through it.

We visited St Ives Shopping Village to have a quick lunch, charge up the car for free (25% in 71 minutes), and visit the seasonal attractions.

There is the Community Tree of Joy run by St Ives Rotary where we are encouraged to pick up a card from the tree, purchase a gift for the person in need, wrap it up, and return to Rotary for distribution. It’s something worth doing if you are in the area.

This year there is also an art exhibition to celebrate the International Day of People with Disability. The Gallery is located on the ramp in the middle immediately above the EV chargers, and the art is on display from today through to 21 January 2022. Worth checking out if you dare to brave the shops at this time of year.

Despite yesterday’s rain forecast we had a pleasant day and the annual Chanukah on the Green organised by @ChabadNS went ahead.

Chanukah is an eight day religious festival where the Jewish people celebrate their victory over the armies of Antiochus Epiphanes IV during 2nd Century BC. (Some people believe that this was foretold in the book of Daniel.)

We got to see the lighting of the Menorah (candle) as well as a range of other shows and dancing.

Two other councillors chose to attend this event. St Ives Ward Councillor Christine Kay and Gordon Ward Councillor Peter Kelly. Their regular support for the Jewish Community is appreciated.

We had delicious lunch at Elementary Cafe Lindfield today and loved the floral arrangements. It was also encouraging to see council staff hard at work at the council carpark addressing some tree branch issues that we had reported just yesterday afternoon.

Enjoying a quiet night at Topping Plus Pizza Lindfield, our favourite pizza shop in Sydney. For those who want a job, they are also hiring drivers.

This month I shared about Life as a First Term Councillor in the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Post. Text below.

I’m thankful to the residents of Roseville and Lindfield for electing me in 2017 and I encourage newcomers to run for council.

While those who get elected will hit the ground running, they will rarely possess all the skills required to fulfill their duties, skills such as finance, law, planning, infrastructure, environment, waste services, and heritage. In early years, great reliance is placed on council officers who have more experience, and sometimes mistakes are made.

Fortunately, the peak body (Local Government NSW) offers optional training and networking events to share best practice with other councillors and general managers. Not many councillors take on these opportunities for professional development, however they have helped me become more effective in listening to the community, challenging project assumptions, and delivering for ratepayers.

Like any new starter it took time to familiarise with the council’s systems, processes and organisational culture. Ku-ring-gai residents should be proud of our road maintenance, financial reporting, and waste collection. However, I’ve also come to realise that other services can be better, and I hope that next year we will have councillors who take their civic duties seriously and seek to change the status quo.

I encourage all residents to think carefully before they vote. You want new blood to bring in fresh ideas. You also want to retain capable experienced councillors for stability as it takes a few years to skill up and contribute meaningfully. But beware of those with long tenures; long tenures may affect a person’s capacity to exercise independent judgement.

For more information visit https://roseville.online

With the NSW Government EV incentives we thought we’d give it a go. There have been pain points for early adoption, but our kids love the car. Five things that we’ve learnt so far.

The car is amazing – The base model Tesla is quiet with responsive acceleration and zero tailpipe emissions.

Charging the car at home can be slow – if you charge from a regular power point it charges 2-3% per hour and a full charge over 30 hours.

Faster charging in Australian homes might not always be possible – Most Australian homes have a single phase power connection and a faster charger may take up to half the capacity, leaving little room for other appliances like air con, cooktop, fridge, computer, etc. Overloading the connection may cause the circuit breaker to trip or blow a switch (permanently), depending on the configuration. We installed a 32amp industrial outlet at home to enable faster charging.

It’s hard for apartment dwellers – Body corp may not agree to running extension cables or sharing common power. Many councils now require new apartments to provide EV-related electrical conduits in their carpark design, but it doesn’t help those in pre-existing apartments.

‘Range Anxiety’ is real – Cars are less efficient at high speed. Our vehicle can theoretically travel 480km on a single charge at 90km/h but the range drops to 380km at 110km/h. Certain regional trips will be difficult before widescale charging infrastructure rollout.

I took a break today to donate blood and I encourage everyone to consider doing the same. Each blood donation saves up to three lives and our nearest clinic is conveniently located in Chatswood next to the railway station. For more information visit

https://www.lifeblood.com.au/blood

This morning at 11am we will pause to reflect on the sacrifices that our war veterans and other support teams have made to protect the freedoms of future generations.

There is a memorial service at the Roseville Club which will be attended by members of the community. Due to COVID restrictions and rain, the numbers will be limited but you can watch the livestream in the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2114351825383127/

Earlier in the week I had to meet local residents regarding a traffic issue. Figured that I would go out for a scoot as it’s better for my health and for the planet .

What I learnt was that some of our footpaths are great for walking but not for scooting. Some of our roads are the preferred option during the day but other roads are not ideal for vehicles with small wheels. Places with steeps hills aren’t fun. More planning is required to select the optimal route.

Today I joined Cr Kelly, Cr Kay, and 23 other councillors across NSW in accepting our certificates for completing the UTS Executive Certificate for Elected Members.

The four day course was fantastic and I’d encourage all incoming councillors to complete it after settling 18-24 months into the role. Through this course I met councillors from across NSW. We shared about what’s happening at our councils including what works well and what could be better.

The assessments were extremely relevant and helped me better understand the governance framework within which Local Government operates. It gave me ideas of how we can improve things at Ku-ring-gai, and I hope that next council term we will have a majority of councillors who are receptive to making things better rather than maintaining the status quo.

At the annual award ceremony it was also good to hear about the other councils and projects that made it into the finalist list. There are some ideas that we can borrow at Ku-ring-gai, and when the relevant news article is released by LGNSW I will share the link below.

Which house would you say has the most impressive Halloween decorations this year?

I’d say Archbold Road but I haven’t been everywhere this week. My favourite is the spoonville at Tryon Road though.

10 weeks ago our first dose vaccination rate was less than 50% and I was one of the first under 40’s to opt for AstraZeneca.

Today and we are over 90% first dose, nearly 70% second. Looking forward to greater freedoms.

We enjoyed the sights and sounds of this bushwalk over the weekend. Stretching through the suburbs of Roseville Chase, East Lindfield and Lindfield, this is a great way to get exercise and experience nature within our LGA. It’s also amazing to see how many people were on the track; we came across a few dozen whereas pre-pandemic it would have been less than a dozen.

At council it’s important that we make decisions that align with the needs of all of our residents.

This morning I had the pleasure of joining councillors and staff across NSW to discuss how we can improve our community & stakeholder engagement. Our group shared insights which I hope to apply to future initiatives.

It’s good to support local. On this occasion we ordered online at Money King Thai (Lindfield) and picked up 30 mins later. Very quiet, very safe, and consistently delicious food.

Enjoying a lollipop after my first jab. Like many other under 40’s, I’ve had to consider whether to follow ATAGI advice and wait for Pfizer or to just get AstraZeneca now. I’ve had conversations about the risks vs benefits and decided that in my particular case, it’s best to get vaccinated given that we are about to enter an election campaign. I’d imagine that other front line workers such as teachers and taxi drivers may be considering the same.

The Roseville Vaccination Centre has plenty of next day timeslots for those who want to get vaccinated with AZ, and the process was relatively quick (14 minutes). I’d encourage everyone to consider when they should get vaccinated (and get AZ if you are over 60) because the sooner that we are all vaccinated, the sooner Australia can return to normal.

If I experience any side effects such as aches, pains, or increased internet speeds I will let you know in the coming days.

To all those who are about to enter lockdown, I wish you well. Many school holiday plans cast aside and much restlessness at home.

If you have any symptoms, please get tested as we need the data to protect the public. I had to get a test earlier this afternoon at Killara, the queue went all the way back to Nelson Road but at least it was all done in the comfort of my car. All up it took about twenty minutes which was a real surprise.

I believe it’s important for councillors to invest in professional development so that they can better serve the community. These last two years I’ve been completing an MBA at my own expense and was recently selected to go on MBA Exchange at Oxford. It’s a shame that international borders are closed because I miss out on the travel and networking experience, but I know that what I’ve learnt regarding land use, valuations, emerging trends, as well as the role of debt and risks with large scale developments will be of use when it comes to building our community hubs in Lindfield, Turramurra and Gordon.

Thanks to AGSM at UNSW Business School for giving me this opportunity.

Come visit the Lindfield shops and check out what our kids have drawn for Mother’s Day. The competition is organised each year by the Lindfield Chamber of Commerce.

We had a rare night out without the kids at Mangiasti? in Roseville Chase. We sat at the bard and watched out food get cooked. The food and atmosphere was great. We used a Dine and Discover voucher as well. Definitely worth checking out.

Today many of us gathered to remember over 100,000 Australians who died in armed conflict and the many others who returned, often with physical or mental scars that impacted their families. It is because of these sacrifices that we can live here today.

I caught up with the netball community this morning. An emerging theme in this year’s discussions has been the chllange of encouraging immigrant families to participate in local sports, and having been a migrant in the 80’s and 90’s I was happy to offer some insights. I look forward to contributing to this space in the coming years.

Good to take a break after a hectic week.

I joined over 1,200 runners this morning as we jogged through the hilly streets of Lindfield and Roseville. It was a great opportunity to catch up with people in the community and raise funds for KYDS Youth Development Service. Special thanks to those who donated to my run with just over $500 raised.

KYDS is a Northern Sydney charity that provides mental health and other preventative services to our young people, confidentially and free of charge. (I also happen to be on its board.)

The quarantine year of 2020 saw a huge increase in demand for their services, with over 5,400 counselling sessions delivered to our young people (up from 3,300 in the prior year). The wait list is also growing, meaning that young people may have to wait a few months before getting their first service.

The funding situation has become very challenging this upcoming year so if you would like to know how you can offer support (time or money) please reach out and we can discuss.

If you’re looking for an outdoor activity with young children, check out the Bilby Trail in St Ives. We went to see it recently and learnt about our local plants and wildlife.

https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Things-to-do/Whats-on/Free-Easter-Bilby-trail

Each year over 2,000 cyclists and 400 volunteers participate in this fundraising event. Organised by our local Rotary groups, it raises over $200,000 for Lifeline and other local charities.

This year I’m volunteering at this lonely outpost in St Ives. It’s been fun watching cyclists come by (and planes fly overhead).