Lane Cove News Week in Review 5th April to 12th 2023

Welcome to our week in review.

We hope you had a wonderful Easter Break, and if you are still away for the Easter School Holidays, we hope you are relaxing.

Lane Cove Easter Monday

Lane Cove was pumping on Easter Monday.  The Cafes and restaurants were doing a roaring trade!  Our Cover photo shows locals enjoying The Canopy Green, and below are some photos we snapped on Easter Monday.

Lane Cove Buses

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen held a press conference today (12 April 2023) to discuss the bus delays and cancelled services occurring across Sydney (including the North Shore).

The Minister said department officials had briefed her on the long-term contracts awarded to private bus operators by the Liberal government.  Lane Cove buses are part of Region 7 and are operated by Busways.

The Minister said:

“They created penalties for not hitting ‘on-time running’ targets, then let them off if they just cancelled the bus rather than let it be late.

It is not right that there are incentives written into these contracts to cancel buses, rather than to run them late. That’s why we’ve seen so many passengers left on the side of the road.”

The Minister also said she is seeking urgent advice from Transport for NSW about what can be done to rectify the anomaly in the contracts and improve Sydney bus services.

ITC contacted Busways for a comment, but they would not provide a comment and referred us to Transport for NSW.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson issued the following statement:

“Operators are subject to key performance indicators, including cancelled trips, on time running, and customer satisfaction, which incur financial penalties.

Performance under the contract of these KPIs are commercial in confidence.”

It is interesting to note that Transport for NSW publishes the on-time KPI measurement but does not publish cancelled trips statistics on its website (see below).

 

This statement seems to contradict the Minister’s statement about private bus operators being incentivised to cancel trips.  What appears to have been happening is that Transport for NSW has chosen not to enforce the penalties for cancelled trips but may have been imposing financial penalties for failing to comply with the on-time KPI.

Strictly speaking, from a legal point of view, if a contractual clause is a penalty, it is void, so they may not be using the correct terminology.

Below is a Sky News report which includes snippets of the Minister’s Press Conference.

Anthony Roberts Might Be the Next Liberal State Opposition Leader

Although it has not been officially announced, a spokesperson from Anthony Robert’s Office advised ITC that Anthony Roberts will more than likely put his hand up to be the next NSW Liberal State Opposition leader and is still discussing his options with his family.  It is all about the numbers, and ITC is sure Anthony Roberts must be hitting the phones to ensure he has them.  The other two possible candidates are former Sports Minister Alister Henskens and former caretaker Attorney-General Mark Speakman.

Progress Halted on Lane Cove Public School Hall Due to the Lloyd Group being Placed into Voluntary Administration

As we reported last week, progress on the Lane Cove Public School Hall has been halted due to the builder Lloyd Group, being placed into Voluntary Administration.  The NSW Department of Education provided the following comment to ITC:

“Lloyd Group is currently engaged by the Department of Education to deliver projects at Lane Cove Public School and others. The Department will work with the Administrators to ensure that the projects are delivered with minimal disruption to the school communities.”

The Lloyd Group voluntary administration has put a halt to numerous local council projects in NSW and Victoria, including the upgrade of the Allan Border Oval in Mosman and sports precincts in Blacktown and the Macedon Ranges.

Longueville Road Upgrades Estimated Completion Date June 2023

ITC has had numerous queries about what is happening on Longueville Road – Lane Cove Village Streetscape Project.

This week the work is on the Westpac Bank Side of Longueville Road.

The parking spots near the Old Quarter Café are now available for parking.

A spokesperson from Lane Cove Council told ITC the following:

“Completion date for the project is late June 2023.

5-6 parking spaces will be unavailable at any time. These will be reopened for parking prior to work continuing down the street.

The recently completed section between the Plaza and the Old Quarter Café is how the remaining portion of the project will look like on Longueville Road when it’s completed.”

Background

Lane Cove Council is upgrading the streetscape in Longueville Road to include new flexible outdoor dining options, parklets and seating.

Some sections of parking on the eastern side will seamlessly change from parking to outdoor dining to public seating/park areas and back again. It will improve the streetscape for pedestrians and businesses and provide a fresh new look.

What are parklets – well, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, they are:

“Parklets are public seating platforms that convert curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces. Also known as street seats or curbside seating, parklets are the product of a partnership between the city and local businesses, residents, or neighbourhood associations. Most parklets have a distinctive design that incorporates seating, greenery, and/or bike racks and accommodate unmet demand for public space on thriving neighbourhood retail streets or commercial areas.”

LANE COVE COUNCIL NIGHT WORKS NOTICE

Night works will take place at the following locations and dates:

Monday 20 February – Monday 10 April, 7:00 pm – 5:00 am

Western side: 109-123 Longueville Road.

All 6 parking spaces (including disabled parking) will be closed during construction.

Tuesday 11 April – Friday 23 June, 9:00 pm – 5:00 am

Eastern side: Little Street intersection to 140 Longueville Road.

Construction will begin from the southern end of Longueville Road and 4-5 parking spaces will be closed at a time.

Due to RMS requirements, there may be some movement of heavy machinery outside these hours. The works will involve the removal of existing paving, kerb, gutter and road asphalt in parking lanes with machinery, and the replacement of new pavers and kerbs, including the installation of steel bollards.

Lane Cove Men’s Shed Popular with Locals

The Lane Cove Men’s Shed had a stall in the Lane Cove Plaza on Easter Saturday, and it proved very popular.

A Lane Cove Men’s Shed spokesperson told ITC:

“We all had an enjoyable time and, as usual, were overwhelmed by the warm reception the Lane Cove community gave us.

Would you please express our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Lane Cove and Longueville? Thank you.”

Recently, the Lane Cove Community Men’s Shed members unanimously resolved to honour Ted Donnelly with the title of President Emeritus.

Ted, unfortunately, had to retire for medical reasons from the role of President, a position he has held with distinction at the Lane Cove Community Men’s Shed for many years.

The Lane Cove Community Men’s Shed was established in 1998. It was the first of two “Men’s Sheds” formed as a consequence of the first national health conference dedicated to men held in Australia in 1995.

Ted was a founding member of the Lane Cove Community Men’s Shed and the entire Men’s Shed movement.

Read our Article about Ted and the Lane Cove Men’s Shed here.

New Business Alert

ITC noticed that Chambers Cellars to be located in the Harris Farm Building have started their fit-out. They were due to open in late 2022. The business is located on the up driveway corner side.

On the down driveway corner side, an Application has been lodged for a new cafe and wine bar called Kin. The cafe is described in its DA as follows:

“The Café Wine Bar in Shop 3, 56-60 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove, Sydney, NSW, will be a cosy and intimate breakfast, brunch, and dining establishment that seats approximately 50 people.

The café wine bar, which will be operational seven days a week, shall offer breakfast and lunch services. Commencing in the spring of 2023, the establishment will aim to offer its tapas and dinner service on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.”

Easter Dumping

Despite reminders that local op shops were not open during the Easter period, there was some dumping.

This bundle below was left outside the Lifeline store on Burns Bay Road.

ITC has published a guide on where you can dispose of/recycle items plus RecycleSmart comes to your door, and you take both wearable and unwearable clothes. The good news is every resident is entitled to a pickup once a month; so you can declutter as you go.

Arnie’s Recon announced this week that they have entered into an arrangement with The Recycle Project to recycle DVDs in their cases. They will not accept pirate DVDs or home movies.  Arnie’s Recon will be in Longueville on 20 April and Blackman Park on 27 April 2023

Grafitti at The Canopy

One of our youngest roving reporters spotted some graffiti on the play equipment at The Canopy and told his mum (who happens to be on the ITC team) that there were some highly inappropriate words and drawings which needed to be removed. A report has been lodged with Lane Cove Council so they can remove the graffiti.

If you observe any graffiti on council property – it’s easy to report it via this form.

How to Travel to the Royal Easter Show

The best way is by train or event buses. The event buses DO NOT leave from the Lane Cove Interchange.

Event Bus 2 is one that many locals use to go to Sydney Olympic Park. It does not go through Lane Cove. It starts at Glebe and goes through Hunters Hill, Gladesville and Putney.

Some people drive to Hunters Hill, Ryde, Putney, and park and then get the Event Buses. The Event Buses are easy to catch and take you straight to Homebush. The buses can be slowed down a bit by traffic, but as it is the school holidays, there is less traffic on the roads.

The link to the Trasport NSW Event Buses page is here.

A link to an Interactive Map is here.

You can also take a train from St Leonards, Wollenstencraft and Artarmon. All of these stations are on the North Line, and you will need to change trains to hop on the Sydney Olympic Park Trains. But if you have easy access to a train station – that may work better for you.

We asked our Facebook readers for some top tips which you can read here.

Articles Published by ITC This Week

Ausgrid Power Isssues Create  Easter Shopping Chaos

A power surge or power issue arose around 5.15 pm on Thursday before Good Friday as shoppers were doing their last-minute Easter Shopping.  Lights flickered, but there was not a blackout.  However, this power interruption was significant enough to impact lifts, travellators and boom gates (do you remember boomgategate in Lane Cove?)

Readers told ITC about being stuck in lifts, travellators not working and drivers being unable to exit shopping centre car parks because boom gates were not working.  Read more here.

Captain Cook Cruises Release Lane Cove Ferry New Timetable

In December 2021, it looked like the Lane Cove ferry would be scrapped.

Fast forward to 2023, and a new Lane Cove Ferry timetable has been released (effective 3 April 2023). An extra morning service has been added to the timeline, and Captain Cook Cruises has promised further integration with the Opal payment mechanism to improve the overall passenger experience.

The Lane Cove ferry runs services Monday to Friday during peak commute times; the service connects passengers along Lane Cove River to Balmain, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Milsons Point and Kirribilli Wharf. It stops at the Longueville Wharf, the Northwood Wharf and Greenwich Wharves.  Read more here.

Is there Only One Bulk Billing General Practice Left in Lane Cove?

On Lane Cove Chat by ITC, members regularly ask for details on local medical practices that bulk bill in the Lane Cove Council area.

In 2023, only two bulk billing practices were left in the Lane Cove Council area. In June 2023, only one bulk billing service will be left in the Lane Cove Council area. Please correct us if we are wrong!!

At the March 2023 Lane Cove Council Meeting, Mayor Andrew Zbik, Councillor Kathy Bryla, and Councillor David Roenfeldt tabled a Notice of Motion recommending Lane Cove Council write to the Federal Minister for Health and the local Federal Member of Parliament to urge them to review the Medicare rebate in regard to bulk billing.

Why are bulk billing practices disappearing? Read our article here.

Lane Cove Events

After the recent success of the Poetry and Pernod Night at Carisbrook House, their next event is Twilight Wine Cheese and Jazz Night on 30 April 2023.

Arrive early and take some time to explore the beautiful gardens around Carisbrook House.

Event Details here.

Lane Cove Sport

Tracy Marsh (nee Bluett) from Lane Cove North has been inducted into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame Inductee.

Orienteering NSW posted the following on their Facebook page:

Tracy’s outstanding international orienteering career has extended over a remarkable fourteen years (1991 – 2005), with breaks for the HSC and for her first child. She was, and is, a role model for female orienteers and continues to compete and to contribute to the sport (most recently as a member of Orienteering Australia’s Senior Selection Panel).

‘Tracy’s sporting career aptly shows that orienteering is a sport for people of all ages and life stages’ says Orienteering NSW President Robyn Pallas.

Orienteering has a global footprint (over 80 countries compete at elite level, predominantly in Scandinavia and Northern Europe). Every year, the best orienteers in the world fight for the World Champion titles.

Tracy competed in five World Championships and four Junior World Championships. She competed at the elite level in many Australian Championships, achieving elite champion twice in the Long Distance and once in the Middle Distance.

The Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame recognises and promotes the outstanding sporting achievements of athletes and officials to acknowledge the rich sporting heritage of Australian orienteering. It is an illustrious group of Australia’s most respected and celebrated orienteers that span the test of time. They are the best of the best, who through their achievements have made a significant contribution to Australian orienteering sporting history and have inspired others to achieve their potential in both sport and life.

Tracy comes from an enthusiastic and talented orienteering family. She joins her brother Grant Bluett in a small select group of elite Australian orienteers in the Hall of Fame.

Photo: Tracy Bluett competing at the 2005 World Orienteering Championships in Japan.

North Sydney Bears – Kicking Off Their Season and Tackling Women’s Cancer

The North Sydney Bears asked ITC to promote the following good cause:

“On Sunday the 16th April 2023 the North Sydney Bears Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership team will battle the South Sydney Rabbitohs on field to be crowned champions of the Women In League Cup. However, this on-field battle is nothing compared to the battle that many women, and their families, face every day when tackling cancer. This year, we will be kicking off our 2023 home game series at North Sydney Oval by giving back to the wider community and raising much needed funds for women’s gynaecological cancer research with WomenCan.

WomenCan’s mission is to improve the lives of women with gynaecological cancer through fundraising for research. The Bears, together with the Rabbitohs, are aiming to raise $45,000 to fully fund a women’s cancer research program. The Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group’s Fund for New Research promotes the development of investigator-led studies from the initial concept to a full study, promoting the development of future clinical trials and foster its member’s research studies. In reaching this goal of raising $45,000, it would be the first time a sporting club has funded a women’s gynaecological cancer research study. This is something the Bears are excited to rise to the challenge of.

This will be the second year of the Cup with the inaugural year won by the North Sydney Bears in 2022. Both Souths and Norths are original founding clubs of the NSW Rugby League and is magic to bring them together, to not only play for the Women In League Cup, but also have the opportunity to support this incredibly worthy organisation and the work they do to ensure women struggling with gynaecological cancer can live longer, better lives.

This year 6,800 Australian women will be diagnosed with gynaecological cancer. WomenCan are conducting research to develop new pioneering discoveries to improve outcomes for women. “If you’ve experienced the devastation of gynae cancer, you’ll understand why I am so passionate about changing outcomes for women in the future” stated Paula Duncan AM, WomenCan Ambassador. Paula will be joining the Bears at North Sydney Oval and encourages all Bears & Rabbitohs members, fans and supporters to get behind this cause and help tackle women’s cancer.

“At the Bears we are proud of our involvement in the growth of women’s rugby league over the last five years and now we are extremely proud to be pioneering the way in actively supporting women’s cancer research” commented Gareth Holmes CEO of the North Sydney Bears.

You can help the Bears raise funds by donating online via our dedicated fundraising page or buying a virtual seat. All donations of $20 or more to WomenCan made on the ‘Women In League fundraising page’ will have an opportunity for entry into an exclusive draw to win a major prize. North Sydney Bears proudly manage this draw and will take place on Thursday 20th April 2023. Find out more here.”

 

Term 2 Activities for Local Kids

School holidays may be here, but you also need to be organised and book your kids into Term 2 Activities.  Find out about the activities here.

Incident, Accident and Crime Watch

The Lower North Shore Police Area Command issued the following incident reports to ITC:

Stealing, Trespass, Armed with Intent & Goods In Custody –  Marshall Avenue St Leonards – 04/04/2023

Marshall Avenue is located within the Lane Cove Council Area.

A Middleton Grange man has been charged after allegedly caught trespassing at a property in St Leonards.

At 12:00pm on 4th April 2023, police were called to a property on Marshall Avenue, St Leonards after witnesses had allegedly seen the male using an angle grinder to cut copper piping from around the property and place it into a Toyota Camry parked out the front.

Police located the male within the bounds of a property on Marshall Avenue a short time later where he was arrested. In a subsequent search of his vehicle, police will allege they located several items of interest including:

• Black balaclava
• 17 Copper pipes
• Pipe cutter
• Vice
• Angle grinder
• Angle grinder blades
• Screwdrivers
• Torches

The male was conveyed to Chatswood Police Station where he was charged with 9 offences including ‘Enter inclosed land without lawful excuse’, ‘Armed with intent to commit indictable offence’, ‘Enter building/land with intent to commit indictable offence’, ‘Larceny’ and ‘Goods in personal custody suspected being stolen’.

Shoplifting, Fraud & Goods In Custody – St Leonards

A Willoughby man has been charged with several offences and will face Hornsby Local Court later this month.

At 5:30pm on 27th of March 2023, police will allege the male entered a bottle shop in St Leonards where he selected a bottle of wine and concealed it under his clothing before leaving the store without paying for the item.

On Tuesday 28th of March and Wednesday 29th March 2023, the Willoughby man used a Visa credit card, that did not belong to him, to purchase several items in the St Leonards and Willoughby areas.

At 9:15am on Thursday 30th of March, the Willoughby man was stopped and spoken to at Chatswood Railway Station for allegedly not having a valid ticket. After speaking with the male, he was subject to a search. During the search, police will allege they located the Visa credit card that did not belong to him as well as several other cards that were not in his name.

Over the following days, police investigated the origin of the cards and established the male did not have permission to have or use the cards.

At 9:10pm on Friday 7th of April 2023, police arrested the male in St Leonards, and he was subsequently conveyed to Chatswood Police Station. At the Police Station, the male was charged with five offences including Shoplifting, Fraud and Goods in personal custody suspected of being stolen.

Drug Supply – Willoughby – 01/04/2023

A 22-year-old Marayong woman and a 20-year-old Rouse Hill woman have both been charged with supplying a prohibited drug.

At 11:00pm on Saturday 1st of April 2023 police stopped a silver Toyota Corolla on Mowbray Road, Willoughby, which had earlier been seen outside a licensed premises in Crows Nest.

Police spoke with the Marayong woman who was allegedly driving the vehicle and the Rouse Hill woman who was the sole passenger, and as a result had cause to search the vehicle and the women.

In the search of the vehicle police will allege they located an amount of cocaine and cannabis in clear resealable plastic bags, as well as a substantial amount of cash.

Both women were issued with Court Attendance Notices and will appear before Hornsby Local Court in May. Investigations are continuing in relation to the cash.

Week in Review Sponsor – The Glasshouse Artarmon