Holiday wishes from Balmoral

Holiday wishes to share

from a special place

Wishing you peaceful time and space

to live in the moment
 

with the timelessness of a child

To do something joyful and playful

To find your holiday rhythm

And look forward to a Happy New Year in 2016

Claire and Christopher

Photos from 'Through the Heads to BALMORAL, SYDNEY

to be released late January.

Available now as an Ebook - http://www.amazon.com/THROUGH-Balmoral-Sydney-Claire-Mitchell-ebook/dp/B01830DBKO

"Will our local issues matter under proposed amalgamation?"

I ask myself this question, 'Will our local issues matter?

The answer has to be, "Not as much."

KEEP LOCAL SERVICES LOCAL ** SIGN THE PETITION **
Mega councils mean less input on local matters that directly affect YOU. Call your local MP and tell them you want to keep your local services local. Sign the petition today > http://chn.ge/1L7wPyQ

‪#‎KeepCouncilsLocal‬ ‪#‎KeepItLocal‬ ‪#‎NoForcedMergers‬



We strongly urge the New South Wales government to engage in a more collaborative and consultative process before undertaking any action to amalgamate councils. Many of the proposed amalgamations involve councils that have clearly demonstrated that they are viable entities. The claimed advantages of scale resulting from council mergers are unsubstantiated while at a community level there has been little or no serious engagement in the amalgamation debate. 

Local government is the closest tier of government to the people and as such is most responsive to the needs of the community enabling them to have an input into matters that impact on them directly (such as development applications and strategic planning).

There is a very real risk that in creating larger councils residents will be alienated from the decision-making process and that sense of community will be eroded or lost. Participatory democracy at a local level is fundamental to good governance providing residents with a mechanism by which their voice can be heard.  This is best served by viable, smaller councils, rather than large, unwieldy bodies.

Happy Birthday Christopher

Birthday greetings to you ...  I hope you are having a happy day enjoying our foreshores as you do - maybe fishing for marlin or taking our advice  'TO 'TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE'      Claire

Photo – Christopher Maait      Not a black marlin,  but nevertheless a marlin proudly caught, tagged and released to the waters off Sydney

And every fisherman’s dream come true :-     “MARLIN MASTERED AT HARBOUR GATES”  ‘A 50kg black marlin was caught, marked and returned to the water at the entrance to Sydney Harbour.’ Daily Telegraph-  13/2/15  ‘GONE FISHING’  with Al McGlashan Al commented that in all the years he has fished Sydney waters, that he always had wanted to catch a marlin, not offshore, but right between North Head and South Head.  Al concluded, “Sydney Harbour just keeps on getting better and better these days because where else in the world could you catch a marlin just minutes from the city?” Extract from 'Through the Heads to Balmoral, Sydney'

BLOGGER THANKED FOR BEING A FRIEND

Mosman Daily - July 23  2015

WHICH WORKSHOP TO CHOOSE?

Hi there

I'm honoured to be Mosman Community College's First Friend and look forward to meeting other friends of the college.  I've included some information below, from the MCC website with a link to the free upcoming workshops.  

I can't make up my mind - I missed out on  'Blogging Bootcamp' and I know I need to become more proficient with my I-pad, but because of my winter project of gardening in between writing, I'm drawn to 'Gardening for Balconies, Courtyards & Patios'.  I think the latter will win, because it's therapeutic to have a break from computers.  Then again,  it would be good to be able to 'Cook Seafood with Perfection'.  I'll let you know how I go.

Cheers Claire
Ps - I'm secretly pleased that 'Flying Trapeze workshops are not offered!

Jane Egan, principal, (actually she's 2nd from the left & I'm 3rd) considers the college to be a vital hub in the community and outlines the idea behind the initiative. 

“We value your friendship and we're keen to make you feel more a part of the Mosman Community College. 
We would like your involvement to be rewarded with generous benefits and invite you to join the 
Friends of Mosman Community College.”

A one-time Friendship payment of $50 will entitle you to:

• One free one day workshop: Click here to see a list of our upcoming workshops for you to chose from.
• Invitation to Friends Only Events. Become part of the College community and join us at a variety of events throughout the year, with guest speakers and the opportunity to meet like-minded College Friends.
• Friends Price to other College Functions.
• Special Friend's Rate on some courses. 
• Regular newsletter

MOSMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Photography Field Trips                                    VIEWMAG.NET - 2015

Photo - Christopher Maait

Do you have a need to get out and explore? Take a look locally - at the Mosman area and its spectacular foreshores.
With the recently opened vista of military sites and fortifications, held for 100 years for the defence of Sydney Harbour, these foreshores are steeped in Sydney’s military and navigational heritage.  Bushland walking tracks provide opportunities to view major Sydney icons such at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, or to simply absorb the natural environment.

If you have an interest in photography, Mosman Community College includes in its program each term a field trip - walking, talking and photographing along the bush track from Athol Wharf to Bradley’s Head. Here you can learn about your camera and take photos “in-the-field” while experiencing the bushland around Sydney Harbour.

Long-term photography tutor Christopher Maait conducts the one-day course. He knows the track well having collaborated with local resident Claire Mitchell to produce the book, ‘Mosman Meanders and foreshore flavours.

In over ten years teaching at the college Chris has conducted many photography fieldtrips around Mosman, but Bradley’s Head is always a favourite with his students. It has become an integral part to his regular Photography Classes. He says there is a real pleasure to walk so close to home and still feel as though we are far from anything. Nature abounds in floral and animal specimens, living
amongst the Eucalypt and Angophora stands along the way. It’s always amazing to find students who have lived in this part of Sydney much of their lives and have never been to Bradley’s Head!
This area is so close to the CBD and is renowned for its history and beauty.

Mosman Foreshores Photography Field Trip is only a small part of this extensive walking track, so should you be inspired to do more walking, with friends and family in tow, a copy of the book is
included as a keepsake or reference of your journey.

For booking information on the Mosman Foreshores Field Trip or
the book ‘Mosman Meanders and foreshore flavours’ visit the website www.mcc.nsw.edu.au

Heralding a new E-book "Balmoral Picnic - past & present

Loving our foreshores

This book supports & follows on from Mosman Meanders & foreshore flavours. 

This book published in 2013, features walks around the foreshores of Mosman; its rich history and cultural heritage, with cafe destinations and recipes. It features high quality photos of this beautiful area.    Claire Mitchell & Christopher Maait

First things first  - so here's the painting which will form the cover of the book -
'North Head - Balmoral Beach' by David Boddam-Whetham. 

‘BALMORAL  - somewhere on the Australian coast Many of us, in our hearts, claim Balmoral as ‘my beach’ and have connected with it in different layers. So what makes it so special? Is it a sense of place?  Its evolving history over an immense period of time can be seen as a microcosm of our colonial history and development.   The gateway between The Heads to the world  holds the significance of all the vessels which passed through.   The First Fleet carried  the  immigrants,  many of them reluctant, who would forge  Australia’s  development into a colony. Or perhaps  a sense of wonder at the relentless natural beauty -  along with the  appreciation of our cultural heritage; not only of works created,  but the fact  that so many artists, writers and photographers  over the centuries  have found pleasure in its creative expression. It could be relaxing,  swimming;  strolling along the Promenade;  sipping a good cappuccino while reading the weekend papers; enjoying a café meal  or:-  simply sharing a picnic with friends     (& of course recipes - styled re 'fit in your jeans cuisine')  Looking forward to sharing ideas with others who love the spirit & history  of Balmoral and other amazing  beaches on the Australian Coast. Claire http://balmoralpicnic.blogspot.com

Balmoral Fishing

I never tire of this aspect of Balmoral and envy Roy for his proximity to the passing parade with the backdrop of North Head and Middle Head.

Thanks  for sharing these fabulous images  with us so generously.

Claire

Photo - Roy Bendall

SYDNEY FORESHORES' HISTORICAL & ARTISTIC LEGACY

 Mosman Art Society exhibition, BUNGAREES FARM, highlights the historical legacy  and the artistic worth of Middle head on Sydney's foreshores.

It  is to be opened on 30th January  by Mary Darwell, Executive Director of Arts NSW at the Camouflage Fuel Tanks-15 Dominion Crescent, 

 Middle Head, Sydney. 

The exhibition, which,  runs from Saturday 31 Jan to Sunday 8 Feb and is of contemporary Aboriginal audio, video, performance and installation art exploring Bungaree’s legacy.

It marks the 200^th anniversary of the establishment of Bungaree’s Farm by Governor Macquarie on 31 January 1815.

For more information:-http://events.mosman.nsw.gov.au/events/989/bungarees-farm

Bungaree, an Aboriginal man from Broken Bay, settled in Sydney in the 1790s.  He became a familiar sight there, dressed in discarded military uniforms given to him by various governors. 

He accompanied Matthew Flinders on two of his voyages of discovery and sailed with Phillip Parker King to north-western Australia in 1817.

.Macquarie and Bungaree were to become firm friends, where he proved very helpful in making contact with new tribes.  Bungaree has been described as witty, intelligent, something of a diplomat and is  recognized as an effective intermediary between colonists and Aboriginals.

Bungaree, 1826  Augustus Earle
Hand-coloured lithograph State Library




Settle and Cultivate      From 'Mosman Meanders & foreshore flavours

The first settlers, convicts and military personnel were keen to farm the land and raise food, but their inexperience in farming techniques in the unfamiliar landscape resulted in near starvation due to early crop failures.

They were uninterested in traditional Australian agriculture, apart from some animals which they would shoot, fish, or catch.   For the first 50 years, they imported most of their food from Mother England, until they managed to grow some of the vegetables they were used to back home. 

They didn’t observe Aboriginal harvesting or any traditional methods such as the use of fire to flush out creatures.  They did describe;  that the ‘forests’ were, in general   ‘entirely free from underwood.’   The harbour clans shaped their environment by creating particular habitats, as the result of the burning off process which promoted certain fire-resistant species.   

However, Phillip and other officers quickly appreciated the significance of seafood for harbour clans.  In 1789, First Fleeter Watkin Tench description,” (They)  Wholly depend for food on the few fruits they gather; roots they dig up in swamps; the fish they pick up along the shore, or contrive to strike from their canoes with spears. Fishing, indeed, seems to engross nearly the whole of their time, probably from its forming the chief part of subsistence.” 

This understanding was used to develop an important point of common interest, and therefore a currency strategy, where fish became the most frequent exchange.  Later rum became currency , in exchange for produce from small farmers.  It was consumed in large amounts by the English and Irish who brought with them a love of drinking – a culture we are said to have retained to this day.

Bungaree’s Farm      

In 1815 Governor Macquarie established an Aboriginal-run farm,  the exact  boundaries of  which are uncertain.   However, in 1815, the Sydney Gazette described it as being situated on “the peninsula of Georges Head, being nearly surrounded on all sides by the sea.”

In an attempt to ‘acculturate’, Governor Macquarie had decided to settle ‘friendly’ Aborigines on land they could farm, and  erected  huts at Georges Heads, the settlement called George’s Town.   Bungaree, along with 16 other Aboriginal men and their families, were presented with a piece of fertile land, with access to the harbour for fishing, along with related farming tools and equipment, and convicts to teach the men basic farming practices.  The Aboriginal ‘settlers’ received clothing, seeds, farming implements and a fishing boat called the Bongaree. 

At the ceremony to mark the establishment of the farm Macquarie presented Bungaree with a metal breast plate inscribed ‘Chief of Broken Bay Tribe’,  a fictitious title.

Bungaree did spend some time there in between his voyages of discovery but the group did not take to farming, preferring to eat the seeds.  The social experiment persisted until 1821 when it collapsed and the farm was abandoned. 

From 1825 onwards, grants were made to Europeans who farmed the land and in 1829, a fishery and vegetable garden were established at Chowder Bay.  In the 1830's the government  botanist built a cottage on 15 acres of cleared land and did a great deal of experimental work in acclimatising foreign seeds and plants  to Australian conditions.