Port Macquarie s Forgotten Paradise

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1 Port Macquarie s Forgotten Paradise Northside Progress Association Inc. PO Box 6182 Port Macquarie NSW northsiders1@gmail.com President: Narelle Milligan Secretary: Kim Chilton Treasurer: Alex Amon Next general meeting of the NSPA will be held on Wednesday 17 June at the Fire Station. As usual 7.00 to 7.15pm for a meet and greet and a prompt start at 7.30pm. From the President Twice a year Council meets formally with NSPA to discuss issues relevant to the North Shore. Kingsley Searle, our Vice President and I met in March with Neil Porter, the Administrator, Tony Hayward the General Manager and Jeffery Sharp Director of Infrastructure. Of greatest concern were the blocked drains and flooding from the ti tree plantations. Council has agreed to give us feedback on the progress of work already being carried out in the area with assistance from their staff. At the following meeting of the NSPA it was decided to set up a separate sub committee to plan a strategy. The seriously deep potholes on Shoreline Drive were highlighted and we thank the Council most sincerely for starting to fill them very shortly after our meeting. We also discussed the pilot programme to undertake our own grass mowing in several areas close to the River. This will be covered in another part of this Newsletter. It was good to note that grading etc on Maria River Rd was started as the road was almost impassable. Finally I wish to acknowledge the Commonwealth Department Families, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs for their grant which has allowed us to purchase a laptop and software to produce this newsletter and soon, to set up our own website to improve communications with residents of the North Shore. We are very grateful and it has made the work of our volunteers easier.

2 GRASS MOWING PILOT PROJECT When Council approached the Executive Committee to undertake our own mowing with their assistance we had mixed views. Why do we pay our rates? Is this another scheme to shift the cost from Council to volunteers? After much discussion and some very useful input at the last NSPA meeting we decided to go ahead. One of the most frequent complaints the NSPA has received over the years is about the long grass in the children s playground (Ferry Reserve), Kangaroo Park the open space opposite the Settlement Pt. ferry landing, and parts of the river bank. We are also aware that residents along the river bank keep the grass down to a large extent and several of our new residents mow Ferry Reserve. Over the past year or so, it seems that a visit to this side of the river from senior Council executives staff has been the only way to see some action from the Maintenance staff of Council. Negotiations are under way for the return of a newspaper delivery service to Northside FUN DAY Monica Porte from the NSPA committee, and on our behalf, has submitted a request to the Federal Government for some funds to run a community activity. Their focus is on semi rural communities. Lots of suggestions have been made and more are welcome! Just us northsiders1@gmail.com or phone. Thank you, Monica, for all the time and effort on North Shore s behalf. A GREAT WEBSITE FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS AND JUNIOR PRIMARY

3 BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS A free book exchange will start in July at 13 Shoreline Dr. Borrow a book, donate a book or do both. There are murder mysteries, romance, some Public Toilet Construction of a public toilet near Settlement Point Ferry will start in August IN OUR BACKYARDS Eastern spotted quoll Sightings of dingos, a baby echidna and large blue tongue lizards remind us of the wonderful environment we live in. These animals are protected by law. Indian Mynas (not to be confused with the indigenous noisy Myna ) have stopped their breeding cycle for a few weeks so there s no point trapping them. LandCare has lent us a trap for the Spring and Jo Morgan of Riverside has volunteered to teach residents how to use the trap effectively. We are also enquiring about purchasing several more. Noxious weeds are taking over some rainforest areas and again LandCare will be assisting us to tackle this serious problem.

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5 Captain s Report The brigade has been quiet as far as fires were concerned. However, Brigade members have been busy attending training courses in village fire fighting, crew leader, group leader, air operations and crosscut chainsaw. There has been a change to the way we conduct Tuesday night training. The First and Third Tuesdays of the month will be dedicated to training and members who attend these nights are expected to attend in full PPE and are reminded there is no consumption of alcohol prior to training. The third and fourth Tuesdays will be dedicated to maintenance. Now the winter months are upon us I would like to take this opportunity to remind residents to take extra care with heaters and make sure they are clear of any flammable materials, wood fire chimneys are cleaned, smoke detectors are working and the lint is removed from clothes dryers. A reminder to all Brigade members :- the AGM will be held on Thursday, June 21 st at the fire station starting at 1800hrs. I urge all members to attend this important meeting. We will be choosing a new Captain as I have decided not to stand for another term. Many thanks to all the Brigade members and to the many members of the community who have supported me over the past 12 years as Captain. It has been a great honour. We are at the station every Tuesday from 5pm. (Please remember to wear your PPE on the first and third Tuesdays). Anybody who is interested in joining or just wants to see what we do, is more than welcome to come down to the station on Shoreline Drive, near the Maria River Road junction. Kingsley Searle Captain North Shore Rural Fire Brigade Please remember that the fastest way to call the brigade in an emergency is to dial 000

6 OLD PHOTOS Do you have photos of the early days of the North Shore? Jo Morgan, Bob Gerdes and Narelle Milligan would love to hear from you. We re starting a history of the North Shore which will include contribution from Gordon Dick from the famous Dick family. Why? Because North Shore was used for vegetable growing/farming at the time of the building of the settlement in Governor Macquarie s days. Indigenous people utilised the area from Crescent Head to Northside. Yet, the published history of the Hastings area has very little about us. Mitch McKay of Heritage has been very helpful by giving us some great advice about how to proceed.