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.

You would have noticed the thick haze across the Beaches over the past week due to several hazard reduction burns that the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) is managing. Burns such as these are crucial to minimising the risk of bushfires and protecting our community. To prepare for a dry season, the RFS have more burns planned. The best way to stay informed is to visit the NSW RFS website and use the Hazards Near Me App.

This weekend, 16-17 September, is the NSW Rural Fire Service's annual event, Get Ready Weekend.

I encourage you to get along to an event near you, meet your local fire brigade and get helpful tips on being prepared for an emergency. If you live near the bush, this is an excellent opportunity to create a Bush Fire Survival Plan.

Council has started to clear sand from the Narrabeen Lagoon entrance to help reduce the risk of flooding to local homes and businesses. Council contractors will excavate more than 40,000 tonnes of sand - the equivalent weight of 100 jumbo jets! To complete this task before the busy summer months, up to 200 truckloads of sand will be carted away each day. We apologise for any inconvenience while the work is underway. Learn more about how Council manages lagoons.

We are only one week away from one of the best weekends on the Beaches' event calendar, Manly Jazz. Take a look at the program to see who is playing and where. 

Have a great weekend.

We are so fortunate to live in one of the most biodiverse areas in Sydney, with more than 300 bushland reserves and three national parks right on our doorstep. Our bushlands are home to 540 native animal species, including 69 threatened species like the Eastern Pygmy Possum and Powerful Owl.

We are celebrating our unique and precious local environment as part of National Biodiversity Month.  

Join us at one of our night walks or talks to learn more about our fascinating local wildlife. You can help care for our local bushland and its 1,460 species of plants by becoming a bushcare volunteer. Together, we can protect our precious natural environment for future generations.

A big thank you to everyone who came out to North Narrabeen on Saturday to the Coastal Environment Centre open day and our sold-out Picnic in the Park. It was so wonderful to see so many children and families enjoying the lovely spring weather, live music and displays.

If you’re looking for something just as fun to do this weekend, swing by the Fairlight Spring Fling on Saturday from 10am to 2pm. There will be music, face painting, outdoor games and market stalls from local artists and businesses. 

On Sunday, head to the Stony Range Spring Festival at Dee Why. There will be live native animals, frogs and tadpoles, nature displays, native plants for sale, music, craft, children’s activities, plus a barbecue. It’s a free event, from 9am to 3pm. 

Finally, don’t miss out on your chance to nominate a local hero as part of our annual Australia Day Awards. Nominations are now open to recognise the amazing work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Find out more.

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Spring is here and Council has lots planned this weekend to help the community get out and enjoy this lovely season. 

The red and yellow flags are up at Freshwater, Dee Why and Manly beaches and Council lifeguards and Surf Life Saving volunteers are patrolling to help keep beachgoers safe. Patrols at our other beaches will commence in late September.

Tomorrow, our Coastal Environment Centre at North Narrabeen is hosting an open day offering a fun and interactive opportunity to appreciate our unique coastal environment. Come along anytime between 9am and 3pm. Learn more here.

We also have Picnic in the Park at North Narrabeen on Saturday, featuring popular characters from Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer and lots of other activities for families. This is a ticketed event and you can book here. Gates open at 9am.

Lastly, I would like to extend my warm wishes to all the fathers and carers on their special day this Sunday. If you are looking for last minute gift ideas, support our many of local businesses that are offering specials and vouchers.

Have a lovely weekend.

It was impressive to see our young writers' creative and literary skills shine through as they rose to the challenge of the 2023 Young Writers’ Competition. As a Council, we are committed to nurturing and supporting the arts, and it is a pleasure to witness the talent and potential of our young writers. Congratulations to all the participants and winners.

I am proud to announce that Council's Children's Services has again been recognised as among the best in the country. Cromer Vacation Care, Brookvale Children's Centre, and Belrose Children's Centre have recently received the distinction of 'Exceeding the National Quality Standard.' This achievement sets the national benchmark for the quality of children's education and care services across Australia. This recognition is a testament to our staff's hard work and commitment to excellence.

On a more sombre note, I would like to honour the significant contribution of the late John Devitt AM to Australian swimming, sports, and our local community.

John's passion for swimming extended beyond his own accomplishments. He co-wrote a book that celebrates the life of Cecil Healy, a gold medalist in the 1912 Olympics, showcasing his enduring love and dedication to the sport. In 2018 Council honoured these two local champions by naming a pool at the Manly Andrew 'Boy' Charlton Aquatic Centre, the John Devitt-Cecil Healy Indoor Pool. Our thoughts and sympathies are with John's family and friends.

This weekend, don’t forget you can join in the iconic Beach2Beach fun run, starting at Dee Why with shorter courses ending up in Newport. There will be a Finish Festival to celebrate in Newport.

Have a good weekend,

It was a great turn out on Wednesday night at Cromer Park, the home of football on the Northern Beaches when our Matildas took on England. It was a sea of green and gold and while they may not have won, they remain an inspiration to us all and we are very proud of what they achieved at this World Cup.

We will continue to support them when they take on Sweden this Saturday night. This time Manly Oval will be opening its gates at 5pm for a 6pm kick off. If you can’t make it there, then support your local venues or head over to Cromer Park where the Manly Warringah Football Association and Manly United Football Club are playing their own finals. Let’s get behind our Tillies one final time and watch them make history.  

This week our iconic Manly Scenic Walkway, also known as the Spit to Manly walk, has been voted in the top 10% of attractions in the world by Tripadvisor as part of their 2023 Travellers’ Choice Awards.

The 10km stretch has incredible views, beautiful beaches and Indigenous artworks – it really has it all and it’s no surprise visitors love it as much as we do.

This week we also welcomed almost 400 new citizens at one of our largest ever citizenship ceremonies held at Glen Street Theatre, Belrose. They came from all corners of the globe to take this final pledge and it was a really beautiful occasion. 

Finally, the Young Writers Competition winners will be announced this weekend. Now in its fourteenth year, the challenge was to write a short story based on the theme ‘promise.’ We had an incredible 400 entries from over 50 schools, and we will keep you posted on the winners.  

Have a wonderful weekend.