As a forward-thinking community committed to looking after the environment, we recognise that local businesses can collectively reduce their carbon footprint by joining forces to lower electricity costs.

To support our business community, we are actively supporting the formation of a buyers’ group from the Northern Beaches business community to secure a 100% renewable, long-term electricity Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The initiative represents a crucial step towards attaining net zero emissions by 2050 and offers a fantastic framework for positive change.

The more businesses that participate, the greater the discounts and benefits. I encourage businesses to register interest by 15 December 2023. Get more information about the initiative being run by Business Green Energy here.

This week is National Recycling Week, and the 2023 theme is 'What Goes Around Comes Around', emphasising the need to give resources a second life, consume less, and reduce the need for new items. The campaign aligns well with Council's draft Waste and Circular Economy Strategy 2040 – Rethink. Reduce. Reuse, currently on public exhibition. Share your thoughts on shifting habits, managing waste differently and planning for a cleaner future by 10 December.

You may have noticed that it's starting to feel a little Christmassy around our town centres and villages. Council has been busy putting decorations up and is preparing for a wonderful lead up to Christmas with popular markets and events at Dee Why and Manly. Visit our what's on page to view our Christmas events.

If you plan to celebrate with your neighbourhood, have you considered applying to have your street closed off for a street party? Our website has some helpful guides to plan a neighbourhood party and you can apply there too.

Have a lovely weekend.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, a special occasion for us to honour all those who died while serving in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations around the world.

Remembrance Day commemorates the Armistice which formally concluded hostilities in World War I, the ceasefire taking effect at 11am on 11 November 1918 after more than four years of continuous warfare.

Our community has a proud history of commemorating all those who have served in wars and conflicts, with memorials across the peninsula. Today, we are holding a ceremony at Manly Dam, open to all. We will also see many schoolchildren join us. We also expect a big turnout tomorrow at Council’s Manly event on The Corso, and other services happening across the Beaches, which you are welcome to join.

Lest we forget.

Earlier this week, Council opened registrations with an early bird special for the Sun Run 2024. Being 12 weeks away, this is a great opportunity to get fit, train along the coastline race route from Dee Why to Manly, and do something fun with your family and community.

Don't be deterred if you are not a runner, as the event is for everyone, with many opting to walk the 7km or 10km course. Get more information at our event website sunrun.com.au

On a final note, I'd like to congratulate our local North Narrabeen surfer Laura Enever, who just this week has officially set a new WSL World Record for a monster wave as high as a four-storey building she surfed earlier this year. What an inspiration to all young surfers. I wish her the best of luck as she chases her professional surfing dreams.

Have a lovely weekend.

Our community is so blessed to include many wonderful and diverse cultures. I look forward to seeing our community celebrate the Indian Festival of Diwali this weekend. 

Tomorrow, Saturday, 4 November, Dee Why will come alive in an explosion of colour and live music, with Bollywood dancers, Henna art and kid's crafts. Council has been working with local businesses to bring a great event together for everyone to enjoy. Diwali's message of light and hope resonates with people of all backgrounds, and everyone is welcome. Get more information here. 

On Sunday, Council is partnering with Kimbriki and local not-for-profits to bring a Reuse and Recycling event to the Beaches. This event is the perfect opportunity to declutter and responsibly dispose of things you no longer need, like clothing, manchester, bicycles, and lots more. Events like this are part of what we know as the 'circular economy' - you can learn more about it and what Council is doing to embrace it here. Before you load the car up and head to the event, please review the list of accepted items and only bring items that are in good condition. 

Less than a week ago, Council recommenced engaging with the community on plans for a new Manly Lifesaving Club. Thanks for everyone's feedback so far. Given this iconic club is valued by so many in our community, I'm not surprised that within just a few days, we have had considerable interest and feedback. 

It's well known that we need a practical, better life saving club at this popular and stunning location and the very best facilities to support our volunteer life savers, Council Lifeguards, club members and community. Rather than indicating what a new building will look like, the concept designs give you an idea of the potential footprint of both a two and three story building and provide options for the public amenities to be contained within the club building or separately.

The plans highlight all the options and benefits that a future building could deliver, but what the final building will look like is still very much on the design table. Please take a look at the concept plans and provide your feedback here. 

Have a lovely weekend, 

While our community is excellent at recycling and is making strides at diverting waste from landfill, we still create over 100,000 tonnes of household waste per year, which must be collected, transported, sorted and processed at waste facilities.

Today, I am pleased to say we are opening our draft Waste and Circular Economy Strategy 2040 – Rethink. Reduce. Reuse. for public consultation. We're on a mission to completely rethink waste management with a waste and litter service that delivers the cleanest public spaces in Sydney.

We understand that our community wants a cleaner and greener environment and is happy to embrace a little change to make it happen. Several new and exciting initiatives are planned, from piloting hubs for local reuse, repair and recycling to a food waste collection and increasing the types of waste that can be recycled.

To expedite this journey, we will collaborate with other metropolitan councils facing similar issues and urge state and federal governments to join forces to provide better planning for future pressures and more significant grant funding and infrastructure.

You can learn more about the strategy and the circular economy and get involved here.

This week, Council announced that we are supporting some 57 new community projects initiated by not-for-profits, artists, and creatives with $292,000 in grant funding. I am so proud of the successful recipients whose projects are destined to promote equality, reduce disparities, and benefit our communities and the environment.

If you know someone, a community group or a special event that makes a difference in our community, please take a few minutes to recognise them and enter them in the annual Australia Day Awards. There are six categories, and nominations close this coming Monday, 30 October.

Have a lovely weekend,

Last night, the Glen Street Theatre was buzzing with excitement as we crowned the winners of this year's 24/7 Film Festival Competition. Talented young teams from across the Beaches poured their hearts into their film projects, competing for thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes.

Among the standout entrants, 'T.Warp PTY LTD' earned three well-deserved awards for their submission, A Day in The Life Of A Travelling Entrepreneur. But they were not alone; the other winning teams were equally talented. It's inspiring to witness our incredible filmmaking talent right here in our backyard. Congratulations to all the winners.

Time is running out to have your say to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment on the the Patyegarang Planning Proposal (previously known as ‘Lizard Rock'). Council wholeheartedly support the intent of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act – after all, this land always was and always will be Aboriginal land – but we simply cannot condone this particular proposal due to the extreme risks and impacts it presents. The planning proposal, if successful, would see the destruction of around 45 football size fields of bushland to build 450 dwellings. You have just over 2-weeks to make a submission at the department’s website.

Earlier this week, our Meals on Wheels team received the prestigious 'Helping Hands' award at the recent Annual General Meeting of the NSW Meals on Wheels Association. We are immensely proud of this service, the dedicated staff and volunteers, and their positive impact on the community. 

Council services the suburbs between North Curl Curl, Seaforth and Manly with meals. If you live in any other suburb of the Northern Beaches, The Village Chef by Meals on Wheels provides meals to your area. If you think the service could help you or someone in your life, you can find out more here.

Tonight, our World Food Markets kick-off at Collaroy Plateau. Please bring your friends and family and enjoy a trip around the globe with the many cuisines on offer.

Have a great weekend,

I think we are all still in shock following the sequence of tragic and sad events over the past week, from the fatal accidents on the Northern Beaches to the horrific unrest in Israel.

My heart goes out to all who are suffering loss and grief. The Northern Beaches is home to so many caring and compassionate people, so let’s rally around the families and provide as much support as possible as they navigate this dreadful time.

As Mayor and a strong advocate for domestic violence victims, I was proud to be part of a panel discussion organised by the Mounties Group (Harbord Diggers) as part of a new initiative investigating how clubs can play a role in ending domestic violence. I commend the club for organising the panel and working with the NSW Safety Commission to highlight this critical issue and look for solutions.

Thank you to all the carers in our community as we approach National Carers Week, 15 - 21 October 2023. Council is hosting a series of events and activities throughout the week to honour and acknowledge the immense impact carers have on the lives of those they care for. There’s tai chi, webinars and a special morning tea. Find out more.

On a final note, I would like to wish all our HSC students the very best for their exams, which kicked off a couple of days ago. Over the recent school holidays, it was great to see our libraries heaving with students studying. We continue to offer extended hours for students to access local branches over the exam period. Good luck!

Have a lovely weekend.

We are so blessed with stunning coastlines that attract people from all over, and Council plays a big role in keeping everyone safe while they enjoy these natural wonders. But we also need your help to ensure we have a safe beach season. 

In the past fortnight, three lucky swimmers have been rescued by community members at our beaches during unpatrolled times using Council's emergency rescue boards. I'd like to thank those kind people who took the initiative to take a board and swim out to save these swimmers.  

To help manage unforeseen situations, Council has installed 60 rescue tube boxes at all beaches and rockpools and several emergency rescue boards at unpatrolled locations and spots known to be hazardous to be available for bystanders to use.    

Our dedicated lifeguards are highly trained professionals committed to keeping our beaches safe. And our volunteer lifesavers work with them hand in glove to watch over beaches and perform first aid and rescues. But as we too often see, outside of patrol hours, accidents and misadventures can happen. 

Locals and visitors who come to the beach to swim should be thinking about water safety - swim between the flags, look for rips and don't enter the surf if it's dangerous. Council will shortly run a beach safety campaign to help educate beach goers ahead of summer. Stay tuned for more information and please share it among your own networks. 

Coinciding with Mental Health Month, Council has organised a series of events and compiled valuable resources on our website to support you. Please do take some time to check in with yourself and those around you and get help where needed. Talk to someone. To get started you can find some helpful resources here.

October is also Small Business Month. I am passionate about helping local businesses in whatever way we can, and I understand the challenges faced by small business owners firsthand. Council has arranged a great event with a strong line up of speakers, that will help participants improve recruitment and staff retention. Please visit our webpage to register for this event.

Earlier this week, my fellow Councillors elected me as Mayor, and Councillor Georgia Ryburn as the new Deputy Mayor. I am grateful for the confidence and trust my colleagues have placed in me to continue to represent you in this role. Deputy Mayor Ryburn and I are excited to begin our work and collaborate with colleagues to serve our wonderful community and achieve great things in the coming year.

I would like to express my gratitude to Councillor David Walton for his dedication while serving as Deputy Mayor. Councillor Walton continues to play an important role in representing the Curl Curl ward. He is also a driving force in addressing the significant issue of e-bike safety.

We recognise that the number of e-bikes on our roads, shared pathways, and footpaths continues to increase. While it's great there are potentially fewer cars on the road, we face the challenge of improving public safety.

Over the past few months, Council has been collaborating with the Northern Beaches Police Area Command to audit e-bikes and scooters on local paths. This audit has confirmed several safety issues, including speed, lack of helmet usage and limited knowledge of NSW Road Rules among young riders.

During our Council meeting this week, we resolved to engage with Transport for NSW, urging them to initiate a statewide education campaign and review relevant road rules. Council will also explore ways to accommodate e-bikes better. Stay tuned for further updates.

It could be another scorcher this weekend. Please keep an eye on the NSW Rural Fire Service for news on hazard reduction burns and fire bans. Please take care and stay cool.

Have a lovely weekend.

With the unseasonal weather and extreme bushfire rating, this week has been an important reminder to be prepared for any emergency. So make sure you check out the NSW Rural Fire Service website and download the Hazards Near Me app.

As part of Emergency Ready Week there are a range of resources on the Australian Red Cross website and Get Prepared app. I encourage you to check it out and create an emergency plan.

With the warmer weather comes busier beaches, and I’m pleased to announce that the beach season has officially begun! Flags will be up across our 21 beaches with professional Council lifeguards and Surf Life Saving volunteers on patrol at all beaches across the peninsula from this weekend.

Last year over 10.8 million people visited our beaches, with 1,427 rescues and 4,300 first aid cases requiring attention. There were also 425,000 preventative actions undertaken by the lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers – what an amazing effort.

Pittwater is an amazing place to explore this spring, from boating to bushwalking, there’s something for everyone. Currawong Cottages is also offering a great getaway deal throughout September and October. You can find out more here.

Make sure you swing by Manly this weekend as our biggest and best music festival trumpets soulful tunes along Manly Corso and Beachfront. Manly Jazz is Australia’s longest running jazz festival. This year’s line-up features more than 50 artists from big brass bands to roving performers, emerging artists, blues inspired musicians and local school bands for one great weekend of live music.

With school holidays beginning next week, make sure you check out the range of activities at our facilities and venues.

 Have a great weekend and a safe and happy school holidays.