I’ve come to realise that our New Year resolutions don’t just have to be personal goals; they can be communal pledges to take decisive steps towards a stronger and more environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle.

With that, now is a great time to explore sustainable energy options and think seriously about installing solar. In collaboration with our independent energy and solar expert, Council is offering free phone appointments to discuss personalised green energy solutions for community members. Book your appointment and learn more.

If you are looking for other ideas on how to live more sustainably, please visit our webpages to learn about composting and worm farming and get a full A to Z guide to reuse, recycling and disposal. There is also a handy Northern Beaches Reuse and Recycling map which shows where you can take your used items for free.

If you’re looking for some cultural fun and haven’t already been, I encourage you to come along to Manly Art Gallery & Museum and experience the Lost in Palm Springs exhibition. The exhibition is touring Australia and on display in Manly until Sunday 25 February. It offers a truly unique experience that adds a touch of excitement to our cultural calendar.

While you are there, have a go at an artwork yourself! People of all ages and artistic backgrounds are also welcome to take part in Cut, Paste, Create: Drop-in and make a collage self-guided activity inspired by the exhibition. Find more information and join the creative fun.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mayor Sue Heins

Happy New Year!

I hope you are having a well-deserved break and are loving everything great about summer in our area, from our pristine beaches, various outdoor events, thriving local businesses and mixing with your neighbours.

If you are having a staycation and looking for something different to do, please refer to this list of 30 reasons to love the Northern Beaches this summer and you're sure to be inspired.

For those with a little spare time on their hands, you may consider entering the Northern Beaches Writers' Competition 2024: Art & Words Project.

This year's theme is 'glass'. Whether you're an experienced writer or just looking to try your talents at storytelling, you can submit entries of up to 2,500 words accompanied by at least one image that complements and elevates your narrative. With a prize pool of $450 and the opportunity for online publication, your creativity could be celebrated far beyond the Northern Beaches!

Northern Beaches Council proudly supports this competition and is a testament to our community's commitment to fostering the arts.

Tonight, the World Food Markets kick off at Freshwater Beach. Come down for a dip and bring a picnic rug to enjoy food from various multicultural food trucks in Freshwater Beach Park. The food trucks will be back in Freshwater next Friday 12 January.

Have a great weekend,

Mayor Sue Heins

As the year wraps up, I would like to thank my fellow Councillors, our volunteers, residents and Council staff for all working together to make the Northern Beaches such a wonderful community.

2023 has been a great year, with lots to celebrate. Council and staff have worked hard to deliver important services and programs to the community and will continue to strengthen these in 2024.

Throughout the year, our lifeguards saved 1400 lives, we welcomed over 10 million visitors to our area, opened new bike parks and surf clubs, cared for thousands of kids at childcare centres and vacation care, recycled some 50,000 tonnes of waste and staged some 50 public events, to name just a few achievements.

Council has teams operating over the Christmas period to ensure essential services like beach safety and waste management continue, and many of our facilities, like libraries and aquatic centres, will remain open for your enjoyment. Please check out our opening times here.

Thank you for supporting me as the new Mayor this year, I look forward to serving you again into 2024.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May the upcoming year bring you joy, prosperity, and fulfillment.

Stay safe,

Mayor Sue Heins

Over the past month, I have had the privilege to attend many end-of-year award services at local schools and have been impressed with students' bright minds and achievements.

Special congratulations to our 2023 Higher School Certificate (HSC) students, who will have all received their marks this week. Whatever your results were, this milestone marks 13 years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Best of luck for your next endeavours.

This week, our highly valued Meals on Wheels service hosted a special Christmas-themed lunch with regular customers and a few new faces. This vital service holds a free community lunch most weeks of the year, bringing people together. The service also provides some 20,600 tasty and nutritious home-delivered meals to residents over 65 or those aged over 50 years and who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 

Meals on Wheels is more than a tasty and nutritious home-delivered food service. The team, made up mostly of volunteers, offer a friendly smile, a sympathetic ear and a helping hand to older people in our community.

I am so proud and grateful for the work of Council's army of volunteers. Earlier this week we shared a meal to celebrate Christmas and an amazing year of selfless dedication with this special group of people. We are fortunate to have over 1,000 volunteers on the Beaches who dedicate their time to our community, helping to deliver services across Meals on Wheels, libraries, bush care, and visitor services. Thank you for all your do for our community.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mayor Sue Heins

Summer has landed with a bang, and we are set for extreme heat this weekend. Hot weather can affect everyone, with some at greater risk, including seniors with existing medical conditions, babies and young children, pregnant women and others. Learn more about what to do in heatwaves.

As we embrace the extreme weather, we are concerned our beaches will be extremely busy with locals and visitors seeking relief from the heat. More people on beaches could mean more rescues and drownings.

Last year, over 10.8 million people visited our beaches, with 1,427 rescues and 4,300 first aid cases requiring attention. Sadly, six people lost their lives in the Sydney Northern Beaches Surf Life Saving Branch area over the last year.

We're doing our bit to arm beachgoers with tips to stay safe this beach season with a new 'Be Beach Safe' campaign. Please do your bit by taking beach safety seriously and spreading the word with your visiting friends and relatives.

This week, Council hosted our annual Disability Services Expo, where over 35 local service providers connected with people with disability, their families, and carers. I am so proud that we have so many local services committed to a more inclusive Northern Beaches. We all want to make life better for people with disability. We are proud of our Disability Inclusion Action Plan, which has 62 actions, from disability awareness training for staff to delivering new accessible parking spaces, and we report on our progress each year to keep ourselves accountable.

Finally, as Christmas approaches, I encourage you to shop local as much as possible. While you’re out and about, view the beautiful shop front windows participating in the Northern Beaches Christmas Window Competition. This joyful initiative features local shopfronts transformed into enchanting displays spreading warmth and cheer. Don’t forget to vote for your favourite!

Have a lovely weekend.

Mayor Sue Heins

This week, the Hon. Paul Scully MP, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, announced significant planning reforms to expedite a diverse range of housing options in NSW. The proposed changes allow more diverse and affordable housing near transport hubs and town centres in an attempt to boost the housing supply.

This news comes just weeks after the Minister wrote to mayors of all councils emphasising the need for councils to review policies. While NSW needs to address this housing crisis, the abrupt shift from consulting councils to proposing a broad State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) raises significant concerns.

Council recognises housing challenges and is already working on solutions aligned with our endorsed Local Housing Strategy. Still, a one-size-fits-all approach limits local planning flexibility, eliminates proper community consultation and removes local strategic planning for housing growth.

Council agreed this week to voice our apprehensions to the Minister and prepare a submission against the proposal for the forthcoming SEPP public consultation.

On a lighter note, last night, we marked a spectacular celebration of our 30th Ocean Festival, where we awarded the winners of the UNDERWATER! 2023 Photo Competition. 

A stunning image of a giant cuttlefish swooshing through shallow water at Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve won the overall winner's prize. Seven other entries were also awarded, with winners sharing in a prize pool of $4,400.

'UNDERWATER!' is a competition that highlights local photographers' incredible talent and shines a light on our pristine Aquatic reserves.

There's a valuable world of marine life in our waterways. The Ocean Festival and this competition bring to the surface an opportunity to look at what lies beneath and value and protect our marine environment for future generations.

Congratulations to all the winners and judges, and thank you to all entrants for participating in the competition.

View all images from the finalists.

Have a lovely weekend.

As we approach the season of giving and gratitude, we must address an issue that continues to mar the lives of far too many in our community—gender-based violence. Together, we must unite against such acts and build a community where safety, respect, and equality are non-negotiable.

The United Nations' 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign for global action starts tomorrow, 25 November and runs until 10 December. I encourage everyone to engage with the campaign, learn more about the issue, and be part of the solution. Education is a powerful tool, and by understanding the signs of domestic violence and challenging harmful stereotypes, we can create an environment where victims feel supported and empowered to seek help.

Another issue that affects everyone in our community, particularly as we approach the Christmas period, is cyber security and scams.

Next week is Scams Awareness Week, a time to slow down and think about who we’re really dealing with before acting or purchasing.

We increasingly hear frightening stories of friends and family being victims of scams and fraud. Scammers can reach us in many ways like text, messaging apps, websites, social media, email or phone. At the recent Community Safety Advisory Committee meeting, it was alarming to hear from Police that cyber fraud is rising, especially targeting older people in our community.

If you are aware of a scam, help others by reporting the scam to the National Anti-Scam Centre via Scamwatch.gov.au.

Council is hosting a series of information and tech help sessions at our libraries to help people who might need a little guidance to develop new skills to spot a scam and keep safe online. Find one near you.

I also encourage the seniors in our community to visit their local Computer Pals branch for some one-on-one help.

Stay safe and have a lovely weekend.

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.