This week we announced the 212 finalists in the 2022 Environmental Art & Design Prize.

We were thrilled to receive over 640 entries from around Australia as the prestigious competition’s reputation grows.

Artists and designers across nine categories, submitted works that celebrate our natural environment and reflect on the issues facing us and our planet.

Thankfully we have some extremely credentialled judges on board to select this year’s winners, a challenging task given the high calibre of entries submitted for the 2022 Prize.  

You’ll be able to see all the finalists’ works on exhibition 5 - 28 August across three of our arts venues, as part of our broader winter arts and culture festival, Creative Open. Stay tuned for all the details. 

In the meantime, three new exhibitions open at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum this weekend.

The first coincides with Refugee Week and features artworks inspired by asylum-seeker, migrant and refugee experiences. 

The second is a collaboration between two Sydney artists working deep underneath North Head, Middle Head and Sydney’s CBD, in darkness to capture the ‘underlands’ of our city. And the third uses film and sound to draw our attention to tidal movements.

Entry to all exhibitions is free and you can book in to join any of our talks and events to learn more about the artists and their work.

Have a great weekend.

Mouldy ceilings and musty clothes are not the only symptoms of the seemingly endless rain we’ve had this year. The damage done to our roads has been off the chart – we can’t fix a pothole fast enough before a new deluge creates a whole bunch of new ones.

Since February we’ve had over 3,622 potholes reported on Council-managed roads across the Northern Beaches and we’ve managed to get to 3,277 of them. We are working on the remaining as fast as we can and the new ones that get reported every day. Please make sure you report any you see here – our crews are responsible for almost 850 kilometres of road and need the community to help us locate all the issues.

I am receiving quite a bit of correspondence about potholes on the roads we don’t manage – Pittwater Rd, Barrenjoey bends, Wakehurst Parkway, to name a few. These are NSW Government managed roads. I understand the government has issues all over the state and no doubt there are roads much worse than ours in northern NSW, but still, these are major arterial roads and they really need some action.

My offer to the government for Council assistance to get these fixed (at State expense) still stands and in the meantime we continue to advocate. You too can report potholes on those major roads to the government directly here.

And a reminder this week that whale season is well underway! We have some incredible whale watching spots along out coast and if you are patient you might just be lucky enough to experience the magic of a whale breaching. Check out some of the best locations here.

Have a great long weekend and if you’re heading out of town, drive safely and a reminder that double demerits apply.  

Today is the start of Reconciliation Week, a time for all of us to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and explore how we can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

This also means it is important that we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands, of elders past and present, on which we live, work and travel through; and express gratitude that we share this land today and share sorrow for the cost of that sharing. I hope that in the spirit of reconciliation we can move forward to a place of justice, healing and partnership as we walk gently on this land. 

This year's theme is "Be Brave. Make Change" and it focuses on tackling the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for all. 

We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation. We need to build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures. 

You can learn more by partaking in one of the cultural experiences Council is hosting this week including art exhibitions and weaving workshops. You may also want to head along to the 'Singing Up Country' festival, co-presented by local community groups. 

Earlier this week, Council reported the results of our 2022 Community Satisfaction Survey. The research shows that overall, 88% of residents are satisfied with the performance of Council in the past year.

We can always strive to do better, it's pleasing to receive these results that recognise our hard-working staff's dedication and commitment.

We'll continue to put you, our residents and customers, at the centre of everything we do. 

Now, there has been a change of plans for our epic Taste of Manly event scheduled for this weekend. Due to the continual and heavy rain this week, the field is waterlogged, and unsafe to hold the event there. 

Instead, and thanks to a quick turnaround from our Local Area Command and events staff, we will be bringing a little "Taste of Brookie" - with breweries and distilleries - to The Corso in place of the food and wine festival. I encourage everyone to come to check it out. 

Have a great weekend. 

National Volunteer Week kicks off next week, a great opportunity to say thank you to all the volunteers who make a difference in our community every single day.

At Council alone, we have over 900 volunteers who work in 11 different services, from protecting our marine life, to delivering library books, to gardening in our cemeteries and hosting Meals on Wheels community lunches. Thanks for all that you do. If you’d like to get involved register your interest and we’ll be in touch to find a role that suits.

We are proud to be once again hosting the prestigious World Surf League, Sydney Surf Pro competition in Manly, starting this weekend with the pro juniors and continuing until 24 May. I love to see the locals flock to this event to catch a glimpse of their surfing heroes. They won’t be disappointed with Owen Wright, Sally Fitzgibbon and Julian Wilson slated to be competing. And of course these type of events give a welcome boost to the local economy.

Finally, if you live on the Narrabeen floodplain you’ll be interested to see the detailed investigations into options for short, medium and long-term management of the lagoon entrance. See what is being recommended by the coastal management experts and be sure to have your say.

Have a great weekend.