Welcome to our Lane Cove News week in review.
Global Outage Impacts Lane Cove Businesses
We are sure our readers know about the global Crowdstrike IT outage on 19 July 2024.
Locally, we had reports that Harris Farm Markets, Woolworths and Coles were all impacted, and there were limited registers available, making checkout lengthy. Bunnings Artarmon was also affected with limited registers. Our cover photo (by Thomas Shanahan) shows the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) at Woolworths Lane Cove, where only four tills were available.
Travelling locals would have been subjected to lengthy delays and cancelled flights.
ITC contacted a local travel agency, Helloworld Lane Cove, which informed us that they would normally be notified of issues with cancellations, but their systems were down.
A client had received a text message about a cancelled international flight, and they called Debbi on her mobile. Debbi rushed back to the office midway through her dinner at The Alcott, only to find she could not log in.
Luckily, Courtney from Helloworld could log in from home and begin sorting the situation, but it took 4 hours to rebook her client on another flight. The Helloworld crew worked long hours to ensure their clients were fully informed and flights were rebooked.
The NSW Government has issued a circular to councils urging them to be sympathetic to supermarkets and other essential retailers following disruptions to supply chains caused by the CrowdStrike global IT outage.
“It’s imperative that our state’s supply chain systems be provided with flexibility in order to recover and return to normal service after this global IT outage. This will enable customers to receive delivery of these essential goods while also avoiding food wastage,” said Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully.
“I’m asking councils to use their discretion in choosing whether to issue penalty infringement notices for warehouse and distribution centres as well as wholesale and retail centres operating beyond their normal hours as well as being restocked.”
14 Gay Street Lane Cove North will be Lane Cove Bushland
Lane Cove Council put the following options out for public comment:
- Option 1 – Subdivide the block and construct a best-practice sustainable home that can be used as a demonstration home before ultimately being sold to recoup part of the land acquisition costs
- Option 2 – Subdivide block and build two ‘micro houses’ (dual occupancy) that can be permanently used for affordable housing
- Option 3 – Dedicate the entire site to Bushland. i.e. rezone entire site to C2.
Bus Timetable Changes from 4 August 2024
As previously reported, Transport for NSW is introducing changes to bus routes due to the launch of the Sydney Metro line from Chatswood to Sydenham. The changes to bus services will start on 4 August, at the same time Sydney Metro services start operating between Chatswood to Sydenham. Transport for NSW released general information about the bus changes, noting that some services will be reduced.
The new timetables have been released here. Click this link to see how your local bus route will be impacted.
For example, Bus Route 253’s morning peak services have been reduced from 17 to 13, and the afternoon peak services have been reduced from 13 to 8.
Elder Abuse in the Spotlight with Launch of National Campaign
On Monday, July 22 2024, the Commonwealth Attorney General, The Hon. Mark Dreyfus KC MP, launched a $5 million national advertising campaign to raise awareness of elder abuse within the community.
“It is critical that we continue to work together as a community to promote the rights and safety of older people and ensure that everyone is able to age with dignity and respect,” he said.
The campaign, ‘Ending the abuse of older people begins with a conversation’ aims to encourage conversations within the community on this issue and increase awareness that there is help and support available. In addition to physical abuse, elder abuse can involve psychological or emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse or neglect.
This includes both informal support through friends, family and the broader community and more formal support through the Australian Government-funded 1800ELDERHelp phone line and the website.
The Attorney General stated, “The National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study, published in December 2021, found that one in six older Australians had experienced abuse in the previous 12 months. The study also found that most people (61%) who experienced abuse did not seek help or advice, indicating that this remains a largely hidden issue.”
Dumping Outside Council Clothing and E-Waste Bin in The Canopy Car Park
The Lane Cove Council has installed a recycling facility for e-waste and clothing on Level P1 in The Canopy Car Park. A roving reporter took the photo below.
The recycling facility is a trial for Lane Cove Council to assess if locals will use the facility. This dumping puts this recycling trail at risk.
For those who would like to dispose of unwanted items responsibly, read our article here on how to recycle or dispose of them responsibly.
Some of our readers have noted that charity bins have been removed due to illegal dumping, and it is difficult to donate clothes to charities. You can also use Homecycle (in the Lane Cove Council Area) and Recyclesmart (in the Willoughby Council Area) to dispose of unwanted clothing.
Winterfest at the Lane Cove Canopy
Nacho Pop Concert
On Friday evening, the Lane Cove Canopy was lit up with Winterfest Neon Lights and DJ Nacho Pop’s concert. Nacho Pop is one of Australia’s leading choreographers and dancers, and he is a Lane Cove local. He has worked with Justice Crew and was a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance Australia.
The kids loved it.
Neon Light Display
Light activations were set up in The Canopy, where visitors could take pictures of themselves skiing or wearing ski sweaters. Volter International, the company behind the incredibly successful Moama Lights, did the activation.
Roller Skating at Sunset Diner
Last Thursday was the last night of Sunset Skate, a pop-up roller rink set in the vibrant atmosphere of Sunset Diner. It was a fun event for two nights only.
NSW Local Government elections will be on Saturday, 14 September 2024
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Voting is compulsory.
- You must vote within your Council area or ward.
- Pre-polling is available for eligible voters from 7 September 2024.
Postal voting applications are available from 6 August 2024.
Lane Cove Rotary Finds a Piece of History
Check out this recently unearthed item from Lane Cove Rotary Club’s storage unit – the programme from the first Lane Cove Rotary Fair on 15 November 1992.
Lane Cove Rotary has been going through its storage unit and working with Lane Cove Library’s archivists to implement a strategy to catalogue and preserve the Club’s rich history within the community.
The inaugural fair featured sheep shearing and whip-cracking displays, a visit from the CareFlight helicopter, and fireworks. Key features over the 32-year history of the fair have included performances by local bands and choirs, entertaining rides, and, of course, the Club’s commitment to raising vital funds that they can use to support community initiatives throughout the year.
Business Alert
Several customers have notified ITC that Flight Centre Lane Cove permanently closed on Monday, 22 July 2024. Customers were notified via email by the flight centre. It is our understanding that staff have been transferred to other branches.
Flight Centre has been a fixture in Lane Cove for many years, with a notable absence during the COVID pandemic.
Lane Cove in the News
Sydney Morning Herald
On 22 July 2024, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article titled “What this North Shore mayor really thinks of his colleagues.” The article is available here (but it is paywalled).
The article was prompted by Mayor Bennison’s July Lane Cove Council Mayoral Minute – Implications of Budget Rejection: How Would Lane Cove Council Manage Financial and Operational Risks?
You can read more about the mayoral minute and the response from the three councillors who voted against adopting the 2024/2025 in our article here.
ABC
Have you ever walked past homes in Lane Cove that have appeared empty for years?
ABC News has written an article on Australia’s estimated 14,000 empty homes.
The assumption is that most of these properties are vacant for a variety of reasons. They may be from a deceased estate, the owners are facing council approval delays, the owners are in aged care, or there may be a lack of finances needed to bring the home back up to a living standard.
According to the ABS’s new experimental data, there are approximately 140 ‘inactive’ homes in the Lane Cove Local Government area. An inactive home doesn’t show any signs of recent occupation.
There are also an estimated 799 homes in Lane Cove that are not lived full-time. Read the full article, which discusses possible solutions to encourage a reduction of vacant homes in Australia. We tracked down the owners of empty Sydney homes to try and find out why they’ve been left vacant.
A Current Affair
Phyllis, the 95-year-old Lane Cove Local, had the whole suburb buzzing last month when she was collected from her home and driven to Aldi in a stretch limo!
A Current Affair featured Phyllis’ story here
Go, Phyllis! Read our article from June here.
Birrahlee Lane Cove Preschool Makes Care Packs for Gunawirra
In June, we shared a story about how Sydney preschools supported Gunnawirra’s Care Pack drive. Gunnawirra is a NSW not-for-profit organisation that supplies vital supplies for needy children to 26 Aboriginal Country Preschools in remote and regional NSW.
We are pleased to report that the project collected 467 Care Packs.
This amazing number of Care Packs came from just 22 early learning schools across Sydney, including three in Lane Cove: Birrahlee Preschool, Farren Street Quality Child Care Centre, and Lane Cove Montesorri. After our initial story, wider Lane Cove Community members also donated items to be used in the project.
Sonia White, Operations Manager of Gunawirra, says these donations fulfil close to half of their annual target.
“As a very small team here at Gunawirra, we also cannot adequately express the depth of our gratitude on behalf of the little ones that we support. The backpacks filled with essential items make a huge difference to the families and improve school readiness for the little ones as they head off to big school with a backpack they can be proud of.
The impact of your contribution is immeasurable, not only for the families we serve but also
for our organisation; Your support enables us to continue our mission of providing essential
resources to those in need.”
This is an excellent result for a wonderful initiative.
Hugo Heanly competed in the 2024 CFA Institute Research Challenge World Finals
Clothes Swap with a Difference
Intergenerational Playgroup
Longueville Probus Club meeting at The Diddy
Local Sports
If you want to play touch mixed non-contact AFL, the AFL 9’s Winter competition starts Monday, 29 July 2024, at 7 pm at Blackman Park.
The Lane Cove Cats are looking for males and females to play – 15 years to Adults. Games are held on Monday nights from 7 pm to 9 pm and are only 40 minutes long. Register here.
Will the 2024 Sports Dad of the Year be from Lane Cove?
Now in its eleventh year, the annual Community Sports Dad of the Year is designed to reward Australian dads’ contributions and positive impact on their families and community both on and off the sporting field.
Nominations are open until 18 August 2024, and the winner will be announced just in time for Father’s Day on Sunday, 1 September 2024. Whether cheering from the sidelines, carpooling to games, coaching, or helping to raise funds for equipment, every little bit counts.
The winner will receive a Philips male grooming pack valued at over $1,000 RRP and a $5,000 Rebel Sports voucher to purchase new clothing or sporting equipment for the community sports club of choice.
In 2013, Lane Cove’s own Jude Bolton won the Celebrity Sports Dad of the Year. You can read more about that here.
Lane Cove is home to so many great sporting clubs; there are sure to be some worthy nominees!
To nominate a community sports dad, submit 100 words on why they should win via www.sportsdads.com.au.
Crime, Accidents and Incidents
Week in Review – Xchange Air and Sub Floor Damp
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