April 2022 newsletter

Image credit: Roslyn Donohoe

MacMasters Beach Progress Association Updates MembershipMembership for MacMasters Beach Progress Association is currently open! ​The more members we have, the stronger our voice at Council and State Government. To join, please follow the link below: Join the Progress Association here AGM The Progress Association AGM is coming up, details below: Date: 23 May 2022 Time: 7:00pm Location: MacMasters Beach RFS Station This year it is being held in a larger venue to increase the number of attendees. We encourage existing members to reach out to new residents/owners to come along and to become members of the Association. Thank you to everyone for bearing with us while we’ve navigated recurring Covid outbreaks and changing restrictions. Your patience is appreciated. Rest assured the executives have been meeting and working behind the scenes. This is also an opportunity for people to check out the RFS shed who may not have seen it before – including some exciting new purchases thanks to donations from the community. Please wear some warm clothes as the shed is open to the elements and it will likely be cold in the evening. In terms of parking, there is space on the driveway available however there are some big dips so it’s recommended that people with smaller cars may want to park across the road in Ocean Drive. Membership due after AGM All memberships will be due after the AGM, so please ensure that you renew your membership on the Progress Association website below: Progress Association website General Updates Shower and toilet block upgradeThe shower and toilet block at the beach has now been demolished to make way for a new accessible facility. The new facility will provide one unisex accessible toilet, two unisex ambulant toilets, three unisex toilets, one change room, one family room with toilet, three outdoor showers, storage area including storage for MacMasters Beach Boardriders Club. The surfing and whale dreaming artwork on the old building was painted by Central Coast local, John Lowrie, and was designed with input from the community at the time. To read more about John and the new building, refer to council’s update below: Public toilet and change room upgrade Defibrillators for Macs Thanks to a planning committee made of up local residents, the Community Defib Project and fundraising from Macs Friends Helping Neighbours, four defibrillators will be accessible within MacMasters Beach. The defibrillators will be placed in the following locations: Surf Club (relocated from inside cafe to outside) Progress Hall (relocated from on verandah to an outside location on reserve) LooLoo’s Coffee Shack Nearby the RFS fire station Another update will be provided once they have been installed. To find out more about the Community Defib Project click on the link below: Community Defib Project Water quality Due to recent weather events and torrential rain, many beaches and waterways have been affected by sewer overflows and stormwater runoff. This includes MacMasters Beach and Cockrone Lagoon. We recommend checking updates from Central Coast Council before swimming. Kayak storage on Cockrone Lagoon The Progress Association was recently contacted by council regarding the storage of kayaks and watercraft left on the lagoon. An audit at the foreshore of Cockrone Lagoon had been conducted due to complaints that council had received about the number of watercraft left at the lagoon. Stickers were then affixed to the watercraft asking owners to remove them. As a result of this audit, council has received feedback from some kayak owners who requested the provision of a non-destructive, approved purpose-built kayak storage facility on the foreshore at Cockrone Lagoon to enable residents to continue storing their kayaks on the foreshore. Due to current financial restrictions, council does not have funding available to cover this request, however has suggested the opportunity to apply for grant funding to cover this request. Therefore, the Progress Association would like to seek feedback from the community to gauge the level of support for a purpose-built kayak storage facility. We invite you to submit your feedback by responding to this email. Central Coast Friends of Democracy (CCFoD) The Central Coast Friends of Democracy (CCFoD) will be surveying local residents about their views of Council, the service, information and level of community engagement that they provide. If you would like to be kept informed – or help with the survey – then register at: www.ccfriendsofdemocracy.com (or use the link below): Central Coast Friends of Democracy Events Book saleAfter a COVID hiatus, the book sale is back! Held on Easter Saturday, the book sale will also include a mini market and RFS BBQ fundraiser. More details below: Date: Saturday 16 April Time: 10am- 2pm Location: Progress Hall, Tudibaring Parade **Note: In the event of wet weather, the book sale and BBQ will still go ahead (not the market) ANZAC Day The ANZAC Day sunset service will be held at MacMasters Beach Surf Lifesaving Club later this month. Details below: Date: 25 April 2022 Time: 5pm Location: MacMasters Beach Surf Lifesaving Club Biggest Morning Tea It’s that time of year again and Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea for the Cancer Council will be held next month, as follows: Date: 19 May 2022 Time: 12pm-2pm Location: Progress Hall If you can’t make it on the day, QR codes will be available at LooLoo’s Coffee Shack to make donations. 5 Lands Walk The 5 Lands Walk will also be back on this year, on Saturday 25 June, starting at MacMasters Beach. For more information please see their website below: 5 Lands Walk website Bushcare With our work suspended by Council during COVID, plus recent wet weather,  the Group’s ability to make progress has been severely impacted, but we’re back in the dunes, weeding and encouraging our plantings to flourish. The last 12 months or so of wetter than usual weather has certainly helped the new plants establish themselves, filling the spaces created by weed removal. This vegetation cover is vital to protect the dunes from erosion, as well as establish diverse native habitat for the native birds, mammals and reptiles that call our dunes their home. Recent cases of vandalism in the dunes, in particular cutting down a mature Banksia, are not only illegal, they are very short-sighted and potentially detrimental to adjacent properties by exposing them to the very high risk of erosion. We certainly don’t want a Wamberal-type situation here in Macs. In one recent example, we put in an array of plantings to protect newly exposed steep dunes slope. These were enclosed in tree guards to help them get established in a tough environment. Someone removed the tree guards, thus exposing the plants to wind and sun. Naturally, this action killed the plantings, and re-exposed the dunes to erosion, which occurred with the next big rainfall. A large quantity of sand was washed down the slope. That area has been replanted, new plant guards installed, erosion controls installed and cordoned off, to try to protect the vegetation. The area seems to have withstood recent storms. Also, it’s frustrating that the Group has been diverted from its normal tasks to undertake this remediation work, thus setting back progress in invasive weed management. When planting, we are conscious of properties’ views and generally try to plant lower shrubs, grasses and ground covers. In the recent case, a taller banksia was planted to replace the vandalised tree, otherwise lower growing acacias, boubiallas, pigface, scaevola and lomandra have been installed to provide the vital ground cover, dune stability and habitat lost by vandalism. Thanks to Council’s Environmental Volunteer team for their support and the provision of plants for these projects. If you’d like to help us protect and revegetate our dunes, we’d love some extra help.  Call me, Tony, on 0418 223 114. The site after second remediation Bouddi Wildlife Our wildlife enjoyed a good spring, with abundant lowering and natural foods enabling many to raise young successfully. Sadly, the recent wet weather is taking its toll and we are assisting a lot of waterlogged, hungry animals. We are still kept busy with animals injured on the Scenic road and it has been very distressing to see the ongoing impact of domestic animals on our wildlife. The lagoon is an especially bad spot where we have been called to numerous times to rescue signets that have been attacked by dogs. All have had to be euthanised due to the extent of their injuries. It has been a particularly busy season for pythons and we continue to let people know that unless they are injured or in a really bad spot (eg inside your house), it is best to restrain your pets and just leave the snake be. They are harmless and will move on in their own time. Thank you to everyone who has dropped off animals to us (397 The Scenic rd), especially on busy days where we can spent a lot of time driving to pick animals up. It really does help if we can get animals the help they need as quickly as possible.  Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you come across wildlife in distress. As always we are very happy to accept donations for food, medicines and vet expenses. We are all volunteers and do not receive any financial assistance. You can donate to the Bouddi Wildlife Fund that is run by the Progress association. The bank account details are as follows: Name: MacMasters Beach & District PA BSB: 633000 Account number: 160048633 **Please label your donation WILDLIFE Special thank you to our lovely team of local carers for your dedication to our wild critters – we managed another busy season! Paula Paananen Bouddi Wildlife (0484520333) MacMasters Beach Rural Fire Brigade The Fire Season has ended as of the 31 March. It was a very quite fire season that was replaced with storm and flood support. The Brigade helped communities affected by floods and storm damage over the last few months with many other brigades from the Central Coast district. We also had 3 new members sign up and pass their Basic Firefighting course over the past year and are ready to help the local community. Nine members recently received the National Emergency Medal for their efforts during the 2019/2020 fire season. The Brigade is always looking for new members to help protect and serve the community. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact us through the MacMasters Beach Rural Fire Brigade Facebook page or contact me direct on my mobile number below. Captain Craig Roberts 0419 018 686