$60 MILLION FOR HARBOUR TRUST HERITAGE SITES

Copying in the great news for our foreshores

Sussan Ley MP, the Environment Minister to North Head today announced an additional $40.6 million investment into the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. This takes the total investment to more than $60 million to restore and maintain the Harbour Trust’s, military, convict, Indigenous and industrial maritime heritage sites.

Minister Ley said this year’s Budget will ensure the start of the implementation of recommendations from the independent review of the Harbour Trust.

“The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust review was about ensuring the rich history of these amazing sites are conserved and remain in public hands and accessible to future generations,” Minister Ley said.

The Budget also supports a key review recommendation to develop a refreshed vision for Cockatoo Island and North Head Sanctuary as well as site-specific capital plans and heritage asset audits.
To read the Minister's full statement, click here.

Further information on the actions the government is taking in response to the Independent Review of the Harbour Trust is available at: https://environment.gov.au/about-us/shft-independent-review

Headland Park - Chowder Bay

Macquarie light station

North Head Sanctuary

 

John Williamson - Cootamundra Wattle - A tribute to my mum

 

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Spring is here at last with its promise of hope.

In Mosman, camellias have finally stopped flowering just as the wattle flowers.

I love wattle and this song - sent to me by my son. I'm listening to the words, Brent. Claire

"A tribute to my Mum, even tho John wrote this for a wife. My mum taught my two Brothers and I the love of reading, music, poetry, animals, flowers, the bush and the need to get past adversity, of which she had so much and raised us alone and worked so hard, always thinking of the future but not forgetting the past.

Rest In peace and know you're loved and yes she loved wattle. She somehow found time to help many others a tribute to her loving heart. She once told me she did the best she could and wasn't perfect. I think I was blessed to have her as my mother, mistakes and all."

John Williamson

John Williamson - Cootamundra Wattle

A tribute to my mum.

Walking with Beethoven

German artist 1800s Joseph Koch - one of the early 1800s artists who had a new respect 
for the beauty and wildness of nature.

Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, also known as the Pastoral, 
depicts the peaceful countryside which he loved.
Click on the link below to hear this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMJPZ-mu-Ts

Our glorious foreshores, including Balmoral, provide many peaceful places
to walk and enjoy nature.
I wonder what would Beethoven would have called a symphony depicting our foreshores?

Photo - Christopher Maait

                                      

         

Photo - Christopher Maait

HARBOUR TRUST REVIEW A WIN FOR THE COMMUNITY

Chair Hi  I've copied you in just in case you missed the announcement made by Harbour Trust Chair, Joseph Carrozzi, on 18 June 2020. The confirmation that the Harbour Trust will remain in the hands of the Commonwealth government is great news for the community. "It has recognised our conviction that the life of the Trust should be extended in perpetuity and in its entirety, that the legislation is appropriate, that there is an urgent need for funding, and that 50 year leases are over-long." Kate Eccles  - Mosman Parks & Bushland Thanks Kate, for all your hard work in assisting to make this happen. Cheers Claire Letter from Harbour Trust Chair Joseph Carrozzi To our valued community,  The Members of the Trust, including myself as Chair, welcome the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, released today.   Announced by the Minister for the Environment, the Hon Sussan Ley MP, in October 2019, the Independent Review has been an opportunity for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to evaluate the Harbour Trust’s legislative, financial and governance arrangements.   We have welcomed the important input from you, our community, during the review process. We are pleased that the review has confirmed that the Harbour Trust should continue to operate as an ongoing entity and will remain in the hands of the Commonwealth government. A win for the community.  This will guarantee the continued public ownership of – and access to – iconic places on Sydney Harbour, cared for by the Harbour Trust in partnership with the community.   This endorsement is a testament to our track-record of creating public spaces that are rich in natural beauty and heritage value. I am delighted that the Harbour Trust’s network of sites will be protected for the people of Australia. We welcome the initial financial support on capital works and look forward to receiving confirmation on funding in the upcoming budget process. This will allow us to address a backlog of work and allow for greater public access to and enjoyment of our sites – particularly Cockatoo Island and North Head Sanctuary. Although the report validates the efforts of the Harbour Trust over the course of the past two decades, there is still work for us to do.   Our mandate it to revitalise former Defence sites and other Commonwealth lands on Sydney Harbour, and ensure they are open and accessible to all Australians. We look forward to continuing working in close partnership with the community as we strive towards this shared vision.  I encourage you to view the report on the Independent Review, which is available on the Department’s website.  Sincerely, Joseph Carrozzi Chair, Harbour Trust The Harbour Trust acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and Owners of the lands and waters of Sydney Harbour, including the places under our stewardship. We respectfully acknowledge the Borogegal, Birrabirrigal, Cammeraygal, Gadigal, Gayamagal, Wallumedegal and Wangal people, including Elders past, present and emerging. PO Box 607, Mosman NSW 2088, Australia  |  info@harbourtrust.gov.au | www.harbourtrust.gov.au  You are subscribed as mosman.parks@gmail.com to our newsletter. You can unsubscribe from the Harbour Trust newsletter at any time by clicking here.

Hurrah!! Our Taronga Zoo is reopening.

We missed you and your mates but hear that you'll be back soon.

"The jungle sounds
heard at night
across the bay, 
bring a strange 

exotic note 

to suburban
Mosman life; 

to some disturbing, 

to others
a call to adventure."

from 'Mosman Meanders & foreshore flavours'

With the reopening of Taronga Zoo  I'm reminded of the absolute beauty of the site of our zoo.  So much to see, and learn as you walk  'In the wild.'  There are of course beautiful foreshore walks to and from the Zoo, with stunning views of the city as well as historical and cultural interest or you can travel there by car, bus or ferry.


Having animals living in this wonderful, natural environment can sometimes mean that we don't always get the best up-front view, as experienced with the alligators, where from our perspective, we are sometimes only able to observe a large open mouth, obviously waiting to snap but we're more than happy that the animals are happy.

Happy Claire (as long as he doesn't snap me)

ANZAC SPIRIT IS IN US ALL

Hi there

I'm passing on an extract from an article written by a friend, Eda Utka. To me, it epitomises the spirit of Australia, including our new residents from other lands.  Thanks Eda

LEST WE FORGET 
Claire

This Saturday is a special day here in Australia. It’s a day of remembrance for the men who sacrificed their lives to fight battles in faraway lands. One of those distant lands where Australians and New Zealanders fought was Turkey, my homeland.

This year, I baked ANZAC Biscuits. These biscuits are symbolic of a mother’s love and the innovative spirit of the ANZACs. The mothers of the ANZAC soldiers developed a recipe made from non-perishable ingredients to last the long journey to Turkey and this biscuit made of flour, rolled oats, coconut flakes, golden syrup and butter was born.

So this ANZAC spirit that we talk about, mateship, humour, ingenuity, courage and endurance, it is not only in the men who served overseas, but in the women who were left behind to raise their children to provide moral support, bake and ship off ANZAC biscuits as a symbol of their love. These days I see ANZAC spirit in people who leave behind their homes to come to Australia to study or start new lives here with their families.

I see it in people like Christabelle, who first offered me ANZAC biscuits despite being Indonesian. I see it in anyone who’s left all they know to start a new life after battling an illness, breakdown of a relationship, becoming a mother for the first time, decided to write a book, left a job that was comfortable for a new challenge. In short, we all embody the ANZAC spirit. It is the human spirit. Eda

You can read this article in full at https://www.writepublishgrow.com/lest-we-forget-that-anzac-spirit-is-in-all-of-us/

Andre Bocelli - Songs of Hope in Duomo di Milano

 

Duomo di Milano 

Maddonnina a-Duomo

Italian tenor Andre Bocelli has performed a live Easter concert in the empty Duomo cathedral in Milan to promote a message of hope for Italy and the world as it confronts the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/andreabocelli

Click on link.  You can also click on 'Skip ads'.

The Music for Hope concert, broadcast worldwide on Youtube on Easter Sunday (local time), featured only Bocelli, one of the world's most famous opera singers, and the cathedral's organist Emanuele Vianelli.

Bocelli sang four hymns, before finishing with a moving rendition of Amazing Grace as a montage showed the empty streets of Paris, London and New York...

"Thanks to music, streamed live, bringing together millions of clasped hands everywhere in the world, we will hug this wounded Earth's pulsing heart, this wonderful international forge that is reason for Italian pride."  Andre Bocelli

Artist's Camps revisited with Vivaldi

Vivaldi - 'Quattro Stagioni'  Janine Janson - Internationaal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzE-kVadtNw&list=RDzzE-kVadtNw&start_radio=1

'From My Camp'  Arthur Streeton 1896

Great music for a walk around our foreshores or on a  desert island.

Photo - Christopher Maait - 'From Curlew Camp' 2012

"I shout and laugh at my immense wealth, all free and without responsibility.  Who could steal this from me?  No-one"  Arthur Streeton

(The wonderful thing about these two images is that with about a century between them.) 

This foreshore walk has it all - spectacular views to the city, natural bushland, history: with places to linger and imagine how it was for the young men at the Artists' Camps.  

1890's Streeton and Roberts 'pulled through the lazy green water

and lunched in the shade and in the open air'

to join their fellow artists under canvas 

in camps set up by Hopkins and Ashton.

" 'til matrimony claimed their souls"

My walk took me here to the same spot this week.  

(More about these camps - P37 Through the Heads to Balmoral, Sydney and Mosman Meanders & foreshore flavours)

Sirius Isolation with Mozart

To get you in the mood for a beautiful walk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhLO3qnLWR0

Piano Concerto No. 21, Andante (Elvira Madigan)  ...  much loved Mozart piece

Sirius Cove, the closest harbour beach to home, is the beginning of a fabulous walk around the foreshores to Taronga Zoo.  A walk such as this inspired 'Mosman Meanders & foreshore flavours' and still does, with its rich history and natural beauty.  

Our foreshores beckon

Child and dog-friendly - the beginning of the foreshore walk to the zoo

At the Zoo Wharf 

Isolation according to Leunig

Hi there  

Maybe isolation will help us to be thoughtful and come up with other things we haven't done for a while.  Happy "singing in the trees".  I would really appreciate it if you have a fun singing link that I could put on my blog in order to have some songs for us to sing in the trees.

Cheers Claire     

KISSING V TOUCH re spreading germs?

A Mosman Book Discussion Group has been studying the book 'THE BODY - A GUIDE FOR OCCUPANTS'  by Bill Bryson; an extraordinary exploration of the human body.  The book is taking us on a head-to-toe tour which reveals some surprising facts.

Below I've summarised his research re 'Surprisingly, the least effective way to spread germs (according to yet another study) is kissing', apparently not as infectious as TOUCHING.

A sneeze, as referred by some authorities, is an 'autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst' which makes the acronym ACHOO (sort of).  

Only recently has it been discovered that sneezes are a much more drenching experience than anyone thought.  A close study by a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that sneeze droplets can travel up to eight meters and drift in suspension in the air for ten minutes before gently settling on to nearby surfaces.  

Through ultra-slow filming, they also discovered that a sneeze isn't a bolus of droplets as had always been thought, but more like a sheet - a kind of liquid cling film.  Still unexplained is why infections droplets are more infectious to us when we pick them up by touch rather than when we breathe (or kiss) them in.

St George Hospital Virus Detection 'When the virus is on hard surfaces, it survives about 12 hours, therefore when hard surfaces such as doors, appliances, railings, etc. are touched, hands should be washed thoroughly and/or disinfected with alcoholic gel. The virus can live nested in clothes and tissues between 6 and 12 hours.'  Good case for handwashing or gloves!

Mosman VIEW Club ready to sponsor a LFL child

The new Mosman VIEW Club members are enjoying being involved in this women's volunteer organisation.

Our first 2020 meeting began with great energy created by a full turn-up of members to thank our guests, Jeanette and Francie, who have patiently nurtured us through to being an independent club.
We were happy to be able to welcome some new members to our friendly group and we extend an invitation to other women who would enjoy meeting like-minded women to join us.

Various issues were raised, including the common purpose ie the Smith Family's largest community sponsor of Learning for Life students. (LFL).   VIEW supports the educational outcomes of disadvantaged children and young people in Australia.

Mosman VIEW Club is now in the exciting position of being able to go through the procedure of sponsoring a child.  We have chosen to begin by supporting a Kindergarten child in order to be able to follow his / her education outcome right from the start.

On another note, our first speaker of the year was one of our current members, Sandra Berrick. Recently back in Sydney after living with the Chinese community overseas,  Sandra gave us a fascinating overview of Chinese Artwork, how it is presented and how it differs from other artwork.  As well as a powerpoint presentation, she even brought along examples of paints and brushes.  

Thanks, Sandra - we all want to have a go at creating a beautiful image.

Tools of the trade

Next month's speaker will be Jane Eales, author of 'Secrets, Spies & Spotted Dogs'
This is a fascinating story, I believe.  Can't wait!

Cheers Claire
Publicity Officer

Picknicking is being in the moment

Out to Lunch
Words by Terry Durack

"I FELL ASLEEP halfway through lunch the other day.  It's not something I'm proud of, but at least I was lying down at the time.  The sun was warm, the picnic blanket was soft, the wine was working its magic and suddenly I was zzzzzzzzz."

Picnicking should be greatly encouraged - it's good for us.  It gets us out in the fresh air, breaks our routine and brings us back to basics.  Picnicking means drifting off to the cry of children on the swings or in the surf.  In its own way, it is practicing mindfulness, being in the moment while letting your mind drift like a cloud.

Really a picnic can be anything you want it to be.  Chicken sandwiches and a bottle of bubbly;  cheese and crackers with hummus; a baguette with jambon and fromage and a bag of cherries.  

Summarised from GoodWeekend

Mosman View Club Christmas party.

A great time was had by all at our first Christmas party. Great venue, food, and atmosphere. 
A special thanks to Sandra for making spectacular table decorations and our beautiful headdresses.

The View Club is affiliated to the Smith family and our aim is to help educate underprivileged children.

If you would like to meet a great bunch of ladies, have fun and find out about our club, enquire by emailing  diaboutme@gmail.com.  Dianne Malloch   President.

Happy New Year to everyone.