News

Your input is appreciated.

If you have any "news" items that you think would benefit from being on this page then please email to: info@copanews.com.au

The CCA will only publish non-biased articles on this website. This is not a forum for expressing personal views or arguments, so please ensure anything you send is not "for" or "against" the goings on in Copa and it's surrounds.

Copa Carols
ON THE GREEN

A big thank you to all who turned out for Copa Carols on the Green. We seem to get a bigger crowd each year at this fun family event. Apart from the chance to share some Christmas cheer with friends and neighbours, there was the much-anticipated visit from Santa - who handed out lollies to the kids and posed for school fundraiser photos afterwards – there was free face-painting and a talented line up of performers who gave up their Saturday to entertain us all. Thanks to the MacMasters Beach Jazz Band; the fabulous Keira Blaikie; the ‘Allagai Bay’ and Kids choirs - performers young and old(er) led by June Moran; local band Karimbian and the final act to close out the day with a bang, Copa favourites, The Chestnuts. Massive thanks to our wonderful volunteers – too many to name here - who helped us out with sound equipment; setting up and decorating tables; bagging up lollies; wrangling performers; MC work and many other tasks that had to happen before, during and after. It was great to work with the Surf Club, the Fireys and Copa school P & C who helped us pull it all together. Special thanks to our tireless CCA Treasurer, Rob Morgan, for all of his hard work to make it such a fantastic day for all.

Activist, Writer, Panthers Fan

Our featured local hero is the astonishing Sue Steedman, recently ‘retired’ President of the Copacabana Community Association (CCA). Sue was a Copa ‘weekender’ for decades and became a permanent resident about twelve years ago. Shortly after moving to Copa she became a member of the CCA because of a deep concern about the potential for over-development here, citing ‘high rise creep’ overtaking Terrigal and Avoca Beach. Over the past few years, Sue has made a significant contribution to the community through her many meetings, submissions and representations to Council as well as State and Federal government objecting to plans or proposals that would threaten the unique Copa landscape and lifestyle.

Sue Steedman

Reflecting on her time at the helm of the CCA, she says that she is proud that the committee was able to keep the organisation relevant through some difficult years, with the pandemic making it impossible to physically meet with members and stakeholders and with Central Coast Council under administration. She is confident that she’s left the Committee ‘in good hands’ and optimistic that with a new Council, communication channels – and getting action from Council - will be much easier.

Sue will continue to be an active member of the CCA and also to edit and produce Copa News until she can ‘find someone to replace me!’.

Sue has had an eclectic career, with many years in the marketing communications industry, followed by a ‘massive shift’ to community work, having been a Founder and General Manager of a homeless support centre in Enmore, ‘Our Place’, where she developed a strong interest in advocacy work in the mental health sector. This led to a role on the Executive of a large community group in Sydney, ‘Friends of Callan Park’, where Sue was Vice-President and honed her skills in writing submissions and position papers on behalf of the group.
She says her work at ‘Our Place’ was one of the most rewarding things she’s ever done, with the service having 10,000 service visits in its’ final year.

Sue has a diverse set of interests, with creative writing being her passion. She is currently working on a novel and says that now she has ‘no more excuses’ and intends to finally finish her first draft by the end of the year. Her other passion is as a supporter of the Penrith Panthers NRL team, an interest she shares with her son.

Having lived in Sydney, Melbourne and Hong Kong with a stint in Lucca, Italy, Sue says ‘there’s no place like home’ and looks forward to many more summers on the beach, hopefully interspersed with more trips to Italy. Both of her adult children live in Sydney but since they spent ‘most of their childhood holidays in Copa’, they are very fond of the place and are frequent visitors.

We’d like to wish Sue a great ‘retirement’ - which we’re sure she will enjoy with her usual abounding energy and enthusiasm – and to extend to her a huge vote of thanks for her vision and hard work on behalf of our community.

By Lorraine Parks and Roge Mairet

Local Hero

Take care of

your bone health

Prevention of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide, with over 1 million Australians diagnosed. It affects both women and men, and is most common in adults over 50. The condition causes bones to become brittle and more prone to fractures. Often referred to as the “silent disease,” osteoporosis progresses without noticeable symptoms, which means it can lead to serious injuries if left undiagnosed and untreated. However, with early detection and proper management, it’s possible to maintain healthy bones and prevent the condition from progressing.

Understanding Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis occurs when the body loses too much bone mass or doesn’t make enough new bone, leading to weak, fragile bones. While it can affect anyone, certain factors increase the risk, including aging, family history, low calcium intake, physical inactivity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Women, particularly those post-menopausal, are at higher risk due to decreased estrogen levels, which help maintain bone density.

How to Prevent Osteoporosis: A Quick Guide

Get enough calcium and vitamin D: These nutrients are vital for bone health. Calcium is found in dairy foods, nuts, some leafy green vegetables, and calcium fortified foods, while vitamin D increases the efficiency of dietary calcium absorption. Sunlight and supplements can boost vitamin D levels.
Exercise regularly: To strengthen bones, engage in a) weight-bearing activities like brisk walking, jogging/running, tennis and other racquet sports, climbing stairs or dancing; b) resistance/weight-bearing exercises and c) balance training (e.g. Tai Chi). Aim for at least 30 minutes most days.
Avoid smoking and limit alcohol: Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can weaken bones.
Get screened: Regular bone density tests (DEXA scans) are essential for detecting osteoporosis early, especially if you’re at risk. This can help prevent fractures before they happen.

Book Your Bone Density Scan with Our Bone Bus

Early detection of osteoporosis is crucial to managing and preventing further bone loss. To make bone health assessments easier for our community, our practice is organizing a Bone Bus to visit Copa in early 2025. This mobile service will allow patients to conveniently book a bone density scan at a time that suits them.

For more information about the Bone Bus or to schedule your bone density scan, please contact our practice today. Taking proactive steps now can help protect your bones for a healthier future!

Bungaree recognised at Matthew Flinders’ reinterment in Donington, UK

Shad Tyler (left), Uncle Laurie Bimson(right).

Local aboriginal man Shad Tyler was honoured - along with Uncle Laurie Bimson, representing descendants of Bungaree - to attend a ceremony held in Donington on July 13 to reinter the remains of explorer and cartographer, Matthew Flinders, in his home town. Archaeologists rediscovered the grave of the first man known to have circumnavigated Australia whilst digging under a park behind London’s Euston station during excavations for a new rail line in 2019.

Since Flinders’ remains were found, there was a concerted campaign to ‘bring him home’ to his birthplace. The pandemic delayed any action, but the event was finally held in July this year, much to the delight of Donington locals.

On Captain Flinders 1802-03 circumnavigation voyage in HMS Investigator, he enlisted local Garigal man, Bungaree (also known as Bongaree), to act as liaison with First Nations people as they sailed around the continent. Bungaree played a crucial diplomatic role, despite not speaking the same language as most of those he came across. Flinders hailed the “modesty and forbearance” and “good disposition and manly conduct” of a “worthy and brave man”, whom he often called a friend.¹

The invitation for descendants of Bungaree to attend and participate in the ceremony in recognition of his relationship and work with Flinders, was sent to Aunty Tracey Howie, a Garigal woman from the Central Coast. Unable to attend, she asked Shad and Uncle Laurie to make the journey and represent her ancestor, which they were honoured to do.

Shad said that the two hour service, attended by hundreds of people, was very moving. He was quite surprised that Bungaree and his role and contribution to Flinders’ circumnavigation was fully acknowledged. Uncle Lawrie was able to place a boomerang made by his son, Tom, into the coffin. The boomerang, covered with ochre from Broken Bay, symbolises the special relationship between Flinders and Bungaree. Soil from the places Flinders visited, including South Australia, Tasmania and Mauritius – were scattered over his coffin. There was apparently a lot of interest in the Bungaree story from local people, as well as a throng of media present to document the special ceremony.

Shad and Uncle Laurie also visited Oxford University on their travels, where one of Bungaree’s wooden clubs is held. They ‘started a dialogue’ about having it returned to Australia. They are hopeful the transfer will be made. With special permission, both Shad and Uncle Laurie were able to touch the club – the first time that anyone from the family had done so for over two hundred years

For those unaware, Bungaree was a man from Patonga. There is a bronze plaque at Norah Head near the Lighthouse in his memory. Norah Head was originally named Bungaree Norah (North) after this important local man.

Tracey Howie pointed out that while Flinders’ cat, Trim, features in some statues of him, including one on Macquarie Street in Sydney, Bungaree does not.

“Even up on the Central Coast, in Bungaree’s traditional country, we have a really high ridge line there called Rumbalara. On that hill is another statue of Flinders and not of Bungaree,” she says.

It is pleasing to know that in distant places such as Donington and Oxford, the bravery and wisdom of Bungaree is becoming understood and celebrated. Shad presented university representatives a coolamon – a bowl or implement for carrying - that he had carved to represent Bungaree’s Awabakal and Guringai bloodlines. In the shape of an eel, it is crafted from Lake Macquarie timbers. It was accepted gratefully by the university.

1. The Guardian, ‘Matthew Flinders, the flute-playing, cat-loving explorer who circumnavigated Australia, is going home – but what of his envoy Bungaree?’ July 13, 2024

Shark meshing off our beaches

There has been much public attention around the ongoing need for shark nets to keep our beaches safe for humans. However, data shows that there are relatively few target sharks captured, but very large captures of non-target species, including those under conservation and endangered listings.

Shark meshing occurs between September and April at two sites in Allagai Bay - one at the Copa end and one at the MacMasters end. Large-mesh panels of nets are set for up to seventy two hours before checking for animals that have become entangled. Some animals are found alive and are released at sea, while those that die have biological samples taken for more study. Several organisations and people are involved, including the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Central Coast Council, netting observers and contractors who clear the nets.

Long-term data for NSW shows that these nets are historically effective at capturing sharks, including the target species: White, Tiger and Bull sharks. Over 12,000 sharks have been captured since meshing started in 1937, but catches have reduced since the early 2000s. A decline in shark numbers, as well as bycatch of other large marine animals - including turtles, dugongs, fur seals, dolphins and whales and non-target sharks and rays - means the shark meshing program is now considered a ‘Key Threatening Process’ in our coastal waters.

In NSW over the last meshing season (22/23), 228 marine animals were entangled, including 24 target sharks (18 White Sharks and 6 Tiger Sharks). Also captured were 120 non-target sharks - mainly Smooth Hammerheads but also the Critically Endangered Grey Nurse Shark. Other species captured included 58 rays, 14 marine turtles, 8 dolphins, 2 fur seals and 2 large tunas.

At Copacabana and Macmasters, one Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin was caught and died (October 2022). The four Grey Nurse sharks that were captured in late 2022, each 2 metres long, were all released alive. The 1.85 metre female White Shark captured in November 2022 did not survive, and the 2.86 metre female captured later in November also did not survive entanglement. Three Southern Eagle Rays and one Whitespotted Eagle Ray were captured and released alive.

The high catch of turtles in 2022/23 has meant that DPI (NSW) has made changes to its proposed program for 2024/25 aimed at reducing turtle entanglements. This will also increase survival rates of other marine life. Measures include removal of the nets one month earlier (end of March); more frequent inspections (every 48, rather than 72 hours); increased drone surveillance of nets in March to check for turtles and a trial for the use of light as a deterrent for turtles.

Although there have been recent calls for the complete removal of shark nets, it appears as though our government agencies consider this is not yet possible. However, it is pleasing to see that DPI NSW is responding to recent catch figures and groundswell changes in community awareness that will ultimately benefit turtles and other marine life off our precious beaches.

by Margaret Platell, Lecturer in Environmental Science, Newcastle University and CCA Committee member.

Reference:

DPI NSW (2023) Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program 2022/23 Annual Performance Report. Retrieved from
www.sharksmart.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1475750/Attachment-A-SMP-2022-23-Annual-Performance-Report.pdf

Photos courtesy of Robbert Westerdyk

Local Hero

Roan Brown

We want to celebrate the fact that we have a young high achiever in Copa who has forged a very successful academic path and career whilst overcoming serious illness. And he’s also found a way to give back to the community in the process. Roan Brown moved with his family from Germany to Copa when he was five years old. Having lived in Australia in a previous life, his parents wanted Roan and his sister, Cessa, to grow up on the beach.

Roan went to Copa Public School and had quite an active childhood here, spending most of his free time playing soccer or at the beach. He’s played for the Avoca Sharks since he was eight years old, and he was a Nipper ‘all the way through’ and at the beach every afternoon.

At eleven, Roan was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer (Ewings’ Sarcoma) in his left elbow. After many rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he made it through his first treatment cycle. Then, while in Year 7 at Kincumber High, he had a relapse and needed a complicated biopsy and another year of chemotherapy. Fortunately, Roan says all current scans are good and it’s a case of monitoring from now on. It’s great to hear that the treatment outcomes have been positive and he’s healthy now.

Roan’s illness didn’t seem to diminish his work ethic. After he returned to school (having missed much of years 5, 6, and 8), he was eventually awarded DUX of Kincumber High, which helped him get into University of New South Wales Business School. At UNSW he studied for a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Information Systems and Finance).

In his Honours year, Roan was placed on a project looking into ESG reporting capabilities and eventually did his thesis on sustainability reporting, ‘Capabilities for improving ESG reporting’. You can read a short conference paper he wrote on the topic here: https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2024/track17_greenis/track17_greenis/36

For those who might be unfamiliar with the ESG tag, here is a definition that may help: An ESG analyst is a key player in the investment world, responsible for conducting research and analysis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues to support investment decision-making.

Roan was awarded the university’s thesis prize and it was accepted to be presented at the European Conference of Information Systems which he did in Cyprus in June this year. He said the thesis was well received.

Roan is now working as an ESG analyst (in the area he specialised in for his thesis) in Sydney. He started his new career in May this year.

‘It’s an important topic, everyone agrees. The reporting needs to be better to bring more standardisation and transparency.’

In 2022, while juggling his studies and soccer, Roan started volunteering for Camp Quality. He says Camp Quality created many great memories for himself and his family during his treatment – providing as it does, events and camps for kids receiving treatment to attend and providing young companions when required. As a volunteer he played a hands-on role with the kids. In 2023-24, he worked at Camp Quality two days a week in a facilitator role, helping the data and technology team. Despite his workload, Roan still volunteers when he can and says he has some camps coming up soon.

Roan still loves the beach and bush of Copa and laments the fact that his work commitments don’t allow him much time to enjoy them. He commutes to Sydney for work but plans to move there in the next few months. As for the future, he says that Europe is at the forefront of the sustainability sector, and he would love to work there eventually. With his German heritage, he wants to be able to brush up on his language skills, which would be quite an advantage.

After Roan has fulfilled his ambitions for a ‘global experience’, he may well come back to Copa to live and raise his own family eventually. We sincerely hope so. Congratulations to Roan on his achievements and his strong community values. What a contribution he has made in his twenty three years! We are proud to call him our Local Hero.

Seasonal health
issues in Spring

The coming of Spring usually means that we see an increase in patients with allergies, hay fever and asthma symptoms. Here are a few tips for you to bear in mind over the coming months.

Members of our team will be taking a well-earned break over the next few months. We thank you for your patience and ask that you note our amended hours over this period.

Dr Risto:
On leave: Monday September 2-Friday October 11

Amended surgery hours:
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5.30pm

Closed Friday from 12.30pm

Dr Diana:
On leave: Friday November 8-Friday November 22

Amended surgery hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – 9am to 6pm

Tuesday – 9am to 11am

Closed Tuesday from 11am

For urgent care (not requiring hospital) during usual hours, please contact HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 (24 hours) OR Peninsula Urgent Care Clinic on 4315 2600

For urgent after hours care, please contact the National Home Doctor Service on 13 SICK (13 7425)

For medical emergencies at any time, please call 000

We welcome our new practice manager, Leisha, who will be a great addition to our team. Please make sure your prescriptions and immunisations are up to date and make your appointments as early as possible over this period, as slots are likely to fill quickly.

Allergies, hay fever and asthma

With flowering plants releasing pollen at this time

of year, this can cause allergies and symptoms

including runny nose, irritated and itchy eyes and

sometimes ear blockages. Talk to us about

medications that may help with symptoms such

as antihistamines or nasal sprays. At this time of year, you may also experience allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or an escalation of your asthma symptoms. It’s a good idea to get checked by a health professional and get proper diagnosis and any necessary treatment to alleviate your symptoms and/or manage your asthma plan.

Influenza

Just because Winter is over, it doesn’t mean that the influenza season is over. You may experience a sore throat, congestion, fatigue and/or fever. Influenza often lingers on through to late Spring, so you need to stay vigilant and keep up good habits like frequent hand washing; covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze; wearing a mask while indoors or in crowds. These practices will also help protect you against Covid, which is still prevalent in the community.

Protect yourself from mozzie bites

With warmer weather and lots of rain, we expect to see an increase in the presence of mosquitos over Spring. They can carry diseases including Ross River Fever and Japanese Encephalitis (JEV).

Manage your risk of infection and take care if you are spending more time outdoors over the coming months. A good quality mosquito repellent may help prevent bites, so apply it before you venture out, and carry it with you while camping or hiking.

Caring for our dunes for nearly thirty years

Did you know that there is evidence of an Aboriginal midden that runs along the dunes of Copacabana beach? The dunes are crucial to maintaining the health of our foreshore environment and they require diligent care and management. Copacabana Bushcare was established in 1995 by a group of local volunteers. Over the years the group has received several grants that have enabled us to build the viewing platform and information signs that you see on the Copa foreshores.

The major focus and achievement of our group over the years has been to preserve and improve the coastal vegetation in the dune area. We aim to stabilise the dunes and improve and restore habitat for native birds and other animals. Without the hard work of our volunteers the native plants would be overrun with weeds. Native vegetation provides protection for our dunes, but the impact of erosion and human interference is becoming increasingly challenging.

We are always looking for volunteers. If you’d like to do something worthwhile for your local environment but don’t have a lot of time, come along to Copacabana Bushcare where you can make a difference among a team of friendly people. Our group meets for two hours once a month, so it’s not a big commitment. It’s a great way to meet locals, especially if you’re new to Copa. No experience is necessary, and all tools are provided.

You will learn about the importance of the dunes by helping to restore, enhance and protect this fragile coastal environment. We will teach you about bush regeneration techniques and how to identify the local flora. It’s difficult to know what is a weed and what isn’t but you’ll soon learn the difference. We also work on seed collection and propagation.

We meet on the first Saturday of the month from 2–4pm. No need to register. Just come along and look for our banner opposite the Copacabana shops. Join in for the experience, meet new people, help your local environment…you will be warmly welcomed.

Our Bushcare Supervisor is Leigh Hardiman. Contact Bushcare Convenor Bernadine Mitchell on 0418 420 737 for more information.

Photos: Elaine Norling

Local Hero

Sally Bartley

Local Playwright and actor Sally Bartley has been in the news recently for her winning entry, ‘Walk a Mile’, chosen for performance in the Sage Age Short Play competition in Sydney. She also won the People’s Choice Award at the Short and Sweet Sydney Theatre Festival for her play, ‘Three Sides to Every Story’, after the play won its heat and went into the final.

Sally has lived in Copa for thirty three years, having ‘migrated’ from Scotland Island when her twin girls were born. The beach was the main attraction – husband Dave is a keen surfer – as well as the relatively affordable real estate (back in the day!). The couple knew people on the coast and loved the lifestyle. Their girls went to Copa Primary and Gosford High. Sally was able to forge creative connections on the Coast, starting with joining the Wyong Drama Group.

When Sally first got involved in theatre, she saw herself behind the scenes rather than up on stage, but she caught the acting bug and since then she has performed in many plays, including at the Red Tree Theatre in Tuggerah (home of the Wyong Drama Group) and Woy Woy Little Theatre. She says that drama has ‘really taken off’ up here, with theatre goers showing a renewed interest since the Covid years. Her favourite role was as the Narrator, Jean Louise (the adult Scout) in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, which she found challenging and enjoyable because she was interacting with the audience rather than with other actors as is usually the case.

Sally started writing about eight years ago and wrote her first short play for the Woy Woy Little Theatre ‘Flash Festival’, which she still enters every year. She has written thirty short plays which run between ten and forty five minutes, but her biggest thrill has been to have her full length play ‘Illuminati’ put on by Uniting productions in Gosford recently. Sally also performed in the play and says that while it is often difficult for a director to direct an actor who is also the playwright, Ron Baker and Julie Baker did a ‘wonderful job’ with Illuminati.Sally has also loved working with her friend, Director Deb Clarke, from Terrigal. When Sally isn’t working, she enjoys walking the local hiking tracks – she did the Camino Trail last year, which she says ‘is not for the faint-hearted’ with its’ cobblestones and rough terrain. Nonetheless, Sally doesn’t seem one to shy away from a challenge, as her prodigious creative output suggests. It was a pleasure to talk to Sally and we’re lucky to have her and other wonderful creatives here in Copa.

If you’re keen to see Sally perform, get along to the Red Tree Theatre at Tuggerah on the long weekend. She’ll be acting in a play she also wrote called ‘It’s Complicated’. For info go to www.wyongdramagroup.com.au

Copa Dawn Service 2024

A crowd of residents and visitors turned out for the RSL's Dawn Service in Copa on the 25th.

It was wonderful to see Copa PS Captains and students in attendance. They gave readings, attended to the flag raising and lowering and laid a wreath.

Thanks to Vicki Woodham for facilitating the student participation.

We'd also like to acknowledge and thank the bugler, Jaden Bridgland, who travelled from Canberra to play at the service.

Lest We Forget. PHOTOS: ELAINE ODGERS NORLING

Our (already lacking) infrastructure would not support any substantial population increase and we have been vocal in our requests to Council to execute existing, much needed improvements, particularly on our beachfront areas and sand dunes. e.g., the footpath at Bonnie Lookout; improved beach access for very young children, aged persons and those with a disability; improved showers; improved tracks and pathways to the beach; new footpaths from the shops to the lagoon and other issues.

In 2023 we made two major submissions to council:

The Draft Deferred Matters Lands Planning Proposal would allow for a large increase in the number of permitted land uses on some lots that were previously restricted to a handful of uses (to preserve their ecological and scenic qualities). We strongly objected to a number of these proposals on the basis that Deferred Matters lands need to be protected for their unique environmental values and the zoning changes would put them at risk. We await Council’s response.

The Draft Plan of Management for Council Community Land amongst other recommendations, proposed to recategorise Copa foreshores as ‘General Community Use’ (GCU) instead of ‘Natural Area Foreshore’ and to remove the ‘Wetlands’ category for lands adjacent to the lagoon (and also to classify them as GCU). The ‘General Community Use’ category technically allows for leasing of lands and for structures to be built on them. The CCA strongly objected and asked the Council to revoke those categories. We have recently been advised that in both cases, the GCU category will not be applied and instead, the classifications will be ‘Natural area – foreshore’; ‘Natural area – escarpment’ and ‘Natural Area – Wetlands.’ This is an important ‘win’ for our community.

We continue to attend meetings with stakeholders and community groups across the coast who also object to a number of these proposals. There were three such meetings in February alone.

In our submissions to Council, we make comprehensive submissions which include considered objections and recommendations for change and usually include a list of questions. Over recent years, we’ve had nothing in response except an automated acknowledgement that our submissions have been received. We have been critical of this ‘one-way’ process – a situation we believe would not have occurred had we had Councillors to advocate for community views to be properly considered. We are relieved that there will be a Council election in September, and that we will again have strong local representation.

In 2024, Council has begun to acknowledge the considerable amount of work and time entailed in making formal submissions and staff appear to be attempting to involve community representatives further in decision-making processes. A case in point was a workshop we attended in February for organisations and individuals to discuss specific concerns regarding the Draft Plan of Management.

We have also received some direct follow-up regarding our repeated requests for infrastructure improvements. We thank Dr Gordon Reid, Member for Robertson, for making representations to Council on our behalf on this issue.

We are currently working with senior Council staff to provide input to CCC’s Coastal Management Plan, which will impact the way in which our beaches and foreshores are managed and protected in future. You can provide direct input via the Council portal at https://centralcoastcouncil.mysocialpinpoint.com/opencoastcmp

Representatives, including new CCA Management Committee member, Bernadine Mitchell (welcome Berna!) have attended several face-to-face meetings on the subject, including a workshop held at the Surf Club on February 13, and we continue to advocate for stronger policies and protections. Bernadine has successfully negotiated with Council to carry out some much-needed work on dune remediation (and repair the damage caused by considerable erosion in that area).

We have also prepared a submission in response to the State Government’s new Housing Policy, which will mandate zoning changes to facilitate increased housing development densities across all Councils in New South Wales.

You are welcome to come along to our next meeting,
Monday April 8, 7.30pm at the Surf Club for an update on all of these important issues.

Local Hero

Pat Farmer AM

“Life is full of adventure and bends in the road – you either take them or you live on regrets.”

Pat Farmer and his wife, Tania, have lived here for the past six years after he spent many happy childhood holidays on the Coast. We are fortunate to have many high achievers here in Copa who just go about their business without any fanfare. Pat is a case in point. His list of achievements is so long there is not enough space to list them here.

Pat served as a Member of the House of Representatives, representing the seat of Macarthur from 2001 to 2010 as a member of the Liberal party. Nowadays he is perhaps best known as an ultra-marathon runner. He has clocked up thousands of kilometres over the past 30 years - including a run from the North Pole to the South Pole - raising millions of dollars for charities in the process. Beneficiaries have included Lifeline, Cancer Council, Diabetes Australia and the Red Cross. His most recent run was in support of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, clocking up 14,400 in six months, after which he received ‘some beautiful letters of thanks and support from indigenous people around the country’.

Pat says that after he builds up enough strength and fitness, his next run will probably be in Japan. He lost a lot of weight during the Run for the Voice, with the weather scorching hot from Adelaide up to the red centre and even though he holds records for desert running, the effort took a toll on him.

With so many incredible achievements over the course of his life, we wondered what Pat regarded as his proudest moment? ‘My children being born without a doubt. Brooke and Dillon are my greatest legacy. Their mother passed away when they were little, and I raised them with help from family. I’m so proud of the adults they’ve become.’ Brooke will shortly move to Kincumber, and he says its’ nice to have his kids close and ‘out of the rat race of Sydney’.

We are lucky to have someone who makes such a difference living here in Copa and wish him well, wherever the next run takes him.

We spoke to him after he and local teacher Graeme Lowe completed a project to beautify the garden beds around the Surf Club – as he refers to it, ‘getting stuck in with a minimum of fuss’. In his youth Pat worked with his brother in his landscaping construction business, so those practical skills came in handy. Pat said it proved to him what a wonderful place Copa is, with many locals walking by while he and Graeme were working in the gardens offering to help and chip in cash.

He loves living here, saying ‘Copa is just perfect’, particularly as a training ground. Most days he runs down along the beach and through MacMasters to the trails in the Bouddi national park, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. His golden retriever, Lily, loves swimming in Cockrone Creek and long beach walks, so being part of a dog-friendly community is a big bonus for he
and Tania.

For more information on what Pat’s up to, go to his website www.patfarmer.com

Local Hero

Matt Francis 21.5.1971–24.10.2023

Matthew David Francis was a man with true community spirit. Always the first to volunteer to help out, no matter what task, event or role was entailed. If it was for community, Matt was there for it. His loss leaves a great void that will be impossible for one person to fill.

Matt was a member of the CCA Management Committee from 2019 and worked tirelessly to ensure that community events and activities, in particular, were planned and run for maximum benefit and effect. Whether it was community meetings, forums or clean up days, Matt was front and centre, often fetching and carrying people or equipment in his famous blue Kombi van. Often this work was done after hours or squeezed in when his ‘real job’ would allow it.

An enthusiastic volunteer with the Copa Bushcare group; a past President of Copa Tennis Club, a supporter of the Kincumber Rotary Club and Care4Coast …these are just some of the organisations and people who have lost a friend and champion.

One of Matt’s major community achievements was as lead convenor of Copa Carols in 2019, a huge event staged over a whole day in December with market stalls, kids activities, a big stage where fifteen acts performed well into the night before crowds of over five hundred people. He worked himself into the ground fundraising and organising to ensure the day was a roaring success.

Matt was Treasurer of the Kincumber Neighbourhood Centre in his ‘spare’ time. The Manager of the Centre, Leanne Clarke, commented at his memorial that they would ‘never find anyone as good as Matt’ for the role. We can relate.

Matt was Deputy Captain of Copa RFB and just prior to his death, he’d spent five days in Kempsey fighting fires. Over the years he had multiple deployments and accolades for his service. Shane Hughes spoke movingly to a packed house about Matt’s enormous contribution to the RFB in his eulogy at Matt’s memorial service.

Apart from being a trusted, valued colleague to those of us lucky enough to work with him on the CCA; Matt was a clever, loyal and treasured friend. We will forever miss his amazing generosity of spirit, his cheeky grin and his ability to bring us all back to earth with a wise-crack whenever things were getting a little too serious for his liking.

We extend our sincerest condolences to his beloved wife Vanessa and his four cherished daughters on the tragic and unimaginable loss of this remarkable ‘local hero’. Vale Matt.

Sue Steedman

You may be eligible
for a free Shingles
vaccination.

Ask our friendly staff.

Here in Copa, we all enjoy our beach and outdoor lifestyle and now that the sun is finally out, it’s an ideal time to get your skin checked right here at Copacabana Medical Centre, where Dr Risto and Dr Diana offer comprehensive skin checks and an informed medical opinion as well as treatment, including skin surgery.

What is skin cancer?

Skin cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the skin. There are three main types of skin cancer – in order of frequency: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma.

Skin cancers can present as pigmented or non-pigmented moles but can also appear as pearly papules or red scaly lesions that itch, bleed or look inflamed, and/or as scars or recurrent or non-healing ulcers. However, many remain asymptomatic and thus require regular full body skin checks for early detection.

How common is it?

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia. As many as 2 of 3 Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70.

What is the danger?

If left untreated, melanoma, invasive SCC and some other less common skin cancers readily spread to other body parts (i.e. metastasize) and can be deadly. BCC is a slow growing skin cancer which rarely metastasize but spreads locally destroying every tissue/organ it encounters.

Treatment

In early stages, most skin cancers are curable by surgical excision under local anaesthesia.

Prevention is the best way to treat skin cancer.

You should:

Avoid exposure to direct sunlight between 10am and 4pm
Cover up with a hat, shirt, and sunglasses
Avoid tanning and never use UV tanning beds
Apply (and regularly reapply) broad spectrum UVA/UVB (ideally SPF 50+) for all outdoor activities
Examine your skin from head to toe at least monthlyVisit your GP annually (or as otherwise recommended) for a skin check.

We encourage you to book an appointment at Copacabana Medical Centre for a full body skin check.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish our patients and all in Copa a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy festive season. Please note that Centre hours will vary over the holidays. You can book online at: www.copamedical.com.au

Spotlight on Copa local artist

Jennie Lamm

Jennie is an artist who uses acrylics and watercolours to create paintings that celebrate the beauty of nature and the joy of life. She has been a part of the Copacabana community for over thirty years and has a passion for inspiring a love of art within her students and the wider community. Jennie’s paintings often feature native birds, wildflowers, and other environmental elements.

She is particularly interested in highlighting the joy of nature in her art and hopes that her paintings will inspire people to connect with the natural environment and take action to protect it.

After experiencing a serious illness, Jennie discovered that art can also be a tool for healing. She says that art helped her to process her emotions and find strength during her recovery. She encourages everyone to find their own way to connect with nature and celebrate what life has to offer, whether it be through art, music, dance, or simply spending time in the outdoors.

Bonnie Lookout

What’s the story?

The next time you are standing opposite the shops at the viewing platform, you’ll see this sign, created by local historian and CCA life member, Elaine Odgers Norling. She created and installed the sign with funding assistance from George Brand. Both Elaine and George were great friends of Bonnie Hawkins, in whose honour the platform is named.

The sign helps us to remember the many important contributions that Zelia Ellen ‘Bonnie’ Hawkins, (12 September, 1921–23 March, 2016) made to the Copa community. Our thanks and congratulations go to Elaine for this initiative. Council permission has been sought to make the sign a permanent fixture and we hope that permission is swiftly granted.

BonnieLookoutSign-ENorling-July2023 copy 2.jpg

Copacabana Medical Centre is involved in several health initiatives. One of these is Heart Health Checks. For eligible patients 30 years and over, these include:

a. relevant history taking;

b. physical examination, including blood
pressure (BP) recording;

c. referrals for tests including fasting
cholesterol;

d. providing preventative health care advice,
and

e. implementing a management plan.

In addition to standard BP checks, we offer Medicare-rebateable 24hrs Ambulatory BP Monitoring for patients with borderline high BP, White Coat or nocturnal hypertension. We can also use it to assess the true effectiveness of your BP medication. Call our friendly staff today to book your Heart Health Check. We are specifically screening for common and serious but preventable and treatable conditions such as Atrial Fibrillation (AF), Heart Failure (HF) and Aortic Stenosis (AS).

AF is an electrical disturbance of the heart resulting in irregular rhythm (i.e. quivering) of the heart. AF is a main risk factor for thromboembolic stroke and HF. One in 6 Australians over 65 are predicted to develop AF in their lifetime. AF is often symptom-free but may present with racing or thumping of the heart, chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, weakness, faintness or dizziness. We perform an on the spot electrocardiogram (ECG) to confirm or rule-out AF. Further investigations of the cause of your AF may be carried out and management will generally include blood thinners to minimize the risk of stroke and may include medications or referral to a cardiologist for procedures to restore the normal (sinus) rhythm or to slow the heart rate down.

HF is a leading cause of premature death in Australia. One in 6 Australians over 65 years of age who presents to GP with breathlessness has unrecognised HF. Early symptoms of HF are vague and easily confused with those of obesity, deconditioning or

emphysema. Definitive diagnosis is made by cardiac ECHO or a blood test (NT-proBNP), the latter costs $98 but Copa Medical will be a part of clinical trial providing the test free of charge (when done as part of the Heart Health Check).

AS is a narrowing of the valve of body’s main blood vessel (aorta) as it branches off the heart. It prevents the valve from opening fully, reduces the blood flow to the body and makes the heart work harder, which over time results in HF. It can be symptom-free or cause angina, fatigue and shortness of breath. AS is affecting 1 in 10 Australians. It presents with a heart murmur on examination. Cardiac ECHO is used to confirm the diagnosis and assess severity of AS. Mild cases may not need treatment, but in severe cases, open-heart surgery or more commonly nowadays a non-operative procedure known as TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) is necessary to repair or replace the valve, and thus save life and restore its quality.

To prevent AF, AS and HF we recommend that you
• Avoid smoking and illicit drugs
• Drink alcohol in moderation
• Follow a healthy (Mediterranean) diet
• Exercise regularly
• Have your blood pressure checked regularly.

We look forward to seeing you at Copa Medical for a Heart Health Check. Call to make an appointment with our friendly staff.

Local Heros

Lorraine Parks & Roge Mairet

Tennis Besties with the true volunteer spirit

In this issue we are pleased to honour two local heroes who have volunteered over many years to ensure our local tennis courts are improved and managed to make them attractive and available for use by the local community and visitors to Copa.

Lorraine Parks and Roge Mairet have decided to step down from the Copa Tennis Committee at this year’s AGM, to ‘make way for generational change’. As Lorraine said,

‘In order to renew and refresh the committee’s ideas and approach for the future, succession planning has been on our minds for some time now’.

Lorraine, a ‘very enthusiastic’ player, originally joined the committee in 2002, after an invitation from Paul Favoloro – one of the founding committee members - filling the office of President for many years. Roge took over as Treasurer in 2018, having played at the courts ‘from the very beginning’. Both women expressed their admiration for Paul and his ‘sterling effort’ to establish and steer an organising committee. They also acknowledge the work and skills of long-time tennis coach Mark Presdee, who is someone they have both enjoyed working with.

Lorraine and Roge forged their friendship at many Friday afternoon tennis sessions with a regular group of players whom Roge describes as always warm, friendly and respectful. In the early days, the group comprised couples who had been playing together since the 1970s and later travelled and socialised together. They welcomed Lorraine and Roge into the group. Roge has always enjoyed the social gatherings of the group, which have often stretched into Friday evening and beyond, including dinners and dress-up parties.

The women nominate getting the online booking system up and running as one of their proudest achievements over the past few years. It was apparently a torturous process entailing several false starts, and both women ruefully admit that the technology learning curve was steep. They grew their knowledge with lots of help from people in the community, particularly Wolf Messthaler, and with support from Tennis NSW. The courts apparently get many more casual players now that visitors from Sydney can book online. The pair also applied for grant funding to resurface the courts several years ago, a process that required a great deal of work
and perseverance.

Both Lorraine and Roge have had busy and fulfilling careers: Lorraine as a Nurse for forty six years both in Australia and overseas, rising through the senior ranks; Roge as a teacher in English and French to HSC level, including a stint as an exchange teacher in Toulouse, France in the seventies. She was amused to recall that her French students knew nothing about Australia except that they all knew Yvonne Goolagong, who was of course a world champion tennis player at the time.

Lorraine recalls that as a child growing up in Earlwood, her neighbour, the future champion Ken Rosewall, would occasionally come to practice at the family’s home court with his mates. And sometimes, he could be persuaded to have a hit with her. Despite this, she nominates Roger Federer as her hero/tennis crush. Roge admires young Aussie player Alex de Minaur, and hopes he will continue to do well on the world stage.

Both Lorraine and Roge say they have always enjoyed interacting with the community and say that the committee has been a fun and collaborative group to work with. Recently, a group of current players assisted in putting up new shade cloths at the courts – they commented on this as an example of the community spirit they have experienced over the years.

Lorraine commented ‘They are beautiful courts that have been well maintained. A true social asset for Copa residents. I wish the new tennis committee and office bearers well and feel sure that they will continue to improve and manage the courts well.’

As to the best thing about living in Copa, Lorraine loves ‘the ocean and the space’, and expressed a sincere wish that the name Tjudibaring is eventually adopted as the suburb name. Roge nominates the friendships she’s made through volunteering and memberships with a bunch of different groups including Probus and the CCA.

We would like to sincerely thank them on behalf of the community for their volunteering work and for being such an important part of the fabric of Copa life. (But we’re sure they’ll still be tearing up the courts on Fridays!).

Cockrone Lagoon

WATER LEVEL MANAGEMENT

This information is provided for residents and visitors as there is often confusion or concern in the community when the lagoon is opened to the sea, either by natural processes or by human intervention.

Here is an extract from Central Coast Council’s website

The Central Coast’s four coastal lagoon systems (Wamberal, Terrigal, Avoca and Cockrone) are a significant geographic feature of the region. They are a highly valued natural resource and support a network of significant ecological communities as well as a diverse range of recreational uses.

These lagoons belong to a special class of estuary known as Intermittently Closing and Opening Lakes and Lagoons (ICOLLs). An ICOLL is a shallow coastal water body with an entrance barrier connected at least intermittently to the ocean by one or more restricted inlets.

They have a low tolerance of external pressures compared to other estuary types, so they need to be carefully managed and conserved in order to prevent significant environmental degradation. However, past land-use changes and human activities combined with a growing population are placing increasing pressure on the natural values and ecological health of the lagoons.

Improved planning aims to provide a balance between environmental protection and human activities. Council is working on a range of planning activities which aim to provide a balanced long-term strategic management framework for the integrated and ecologically sustainable use of our coast and estuaries.

Coastal Lagoons water levels and intervention triggers

There are four lagoons on the Central Coast which discharge directly into the Pacific Ocean -Avoca, Cockrone, Terrigal and Wamberal.

The lagoons are characterised by sand berms that naturally control the entrance conditions.

Council intervenes to open these lagoons when water levels reach a trigger level (as listed in table below), and when the lagoons are closed to reduce the risk of flooding. This is a similar approach to that taken in other coastal local government areas.

Council owns water level gauges at each of these lagoons, and current levels can be viewed from links in the table below.

Cockrone Lagoon - View: Live water level, Cockrone Lagoon

• Trigger Level for Mechanical Opening: 2.53m AHD

• 1 in 100 chance flood level: 3.62m AHD

• Flood planning level: 4.30m AHD

For more information, go to: https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/environment/coastlines/estuaries-lagoons-and-wetlands/coastal-lagoons

Local Hero

Doctor
Michael Mitchelmore

You may be familiar with Mike Mitchelmore through his work as the Co-ordinator of the recently opened local Men’s Shed. It is the product of years of fund-raising, design, logistics and building. Mike heads the Mens’ Shed committee and he is justifiably proud that this terrific community asset is now up and running. But there is more than one string to Mike’s bow and for him and his wife, Elisabeth, 2023 is stacking up as a milestone year.

Born in Dartmouth, UK, Mike came to Sydney in June 1990 to take up a position at Macquarie University as a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics. He has been an Honorary Associate Professor there since 2012 and was recognised in the Australia Day Honours list this year for his achievements. Mike was awarded an OAM in the General Division ‘for service to mathematics education, and to the community’. He said it was a very proud moment; the ceremony at Government House was much less formal than he expected, and the Governor General was ‘very relaxed and warm’.

Mike and Elisabeth met in Jamaica, where young Elizabeth (a professional violinist) was visiting with a German touring orchestra. Mike was teaching Mathematics at the University of the West Indies and had a passion for music as well: he had the only harpsichord in Jamaica and was recruited to play with the orchestra. The relationship developed from there and they married in 1985.

Music is an essential creative outlet for both Mike and Elisabeth. He has a particular fondness for classical music, especially that of Bach.

When discussing the correlation between mathematics and music with its counting, rhythm, intervals and patterns, Mike commented:

‘It’s true there is Mathematics in music,’ he said ‘but there is also a degree of freedom that you won’t find in Mathematics.'

He says the peak of his musical experience was in 2002, when as a member of the Sydney Philharmonia Choir, he performed under the renowned British conductor, Sir Simon Rattle at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Along with his busy professional life, Mike has a large extended family. His youngest grandson, Atticus, was born in May to Mike and Elisabeth’s daughter, Julia. With family dispersed across the globe in Wales, Jamaica, Denmark and Germany, the couple are heading overseas soon for a series of family reunions. After the stressful experience of getting the Mens’ Shed built and opened to the community, Mike is glad that it is now ‘on its feet’ and he is very much looking forward to the holiday.

He credits Elisabeth with pushing for the move up from Sydney and says they fell in love with Copa when they stumbled across it during a weekend trip to Terrigal long ago. Having grown up on the Devon coast, Mike has an affinity with the sea and he says both he and Elisabeth love the hills and bays on this part of the coast, which also remind them of parts of Italy they have visited. It is fortunate indeed that the Mitchelmores settled in Copa, contributing as they do to the good of the local and broader community. Congratulations to Mike on his many achievements.

Whales
Tales

Humpback whales are travelling northwards along the coast and it’s wonderful that we are able to see these beautiful ocean giants as they play and splash in our waters, sometimes even breaching in Allagai Bay as they pass by. These humpbacks spend all summer living it up in the cool waters of the Antarctic; feeding on the abundant krill there and are now making their way to the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Humpbacks have been undergoing these seasonal migrations for thousands of years and are an important part of the seasonal calendar for indigenous peoples. The movement northwards starts in June and is led by groups of young males followed by young females and most adult whales, and finally females who are pregnant or in a cow-calf pair.

Humpbacks socialise and play along the way, and males communicate using their highly complex songs which can be heard for hundreds of kilometres underwater. Humpbacks average a little less than two kilometres per day, since all of them will take advantage of rest spots along the way such as Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay. Some of these rest spots are used as a day spa, with humpbacks known to roll around on the sand to rid themselves of any attached barnacles.

Pregnant whales who are the last to arrive will calve in the warmer sub-tropical waters. Humpbacks will then feed and build up their strength before they return to the Antarctic for summer. Luckily, we are also likely to see them on their return journey as they pass by our coves and beach.

Take the time to appreciate this natural spectacle - It’s a wonderful sight, particularly for kids. Good luck with your whale spotting.

IMAGES BY CHRIS DICK

For some quick facts: Department of Planning and Environment (2023). Humpback whales. Retrieved from

www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/native-animals/native-animal-facts/whales/humpback-whale

RSL ANZAC Dawn Service – Copacabana 2023

The weather Gods smiled on Copa on April 25 and a beautiful sunrise was the perfect backdrop to a solemn, moving and respectful Dawn Service conducted by the RSL.

MC David Ferry, Vice President, Central Coast District Council of RSL Sub-Branches, opened proceedings in front of a large crowd of several hundred Copa residents and guests.

The sound of the didgeridoo transfixed the crowd, played by Brad Twynan - a proud Wannangini man of the stingray people - who delivered a Welcome to Country. Copa resident, Chris Kokegei gave a memorable speech about his own family’s service. Vietnam veteran and Copa local, Frank Delbello delivered the Commemorative Address and his chosen topic was the Battle of the Coral Sea, a battle important to the freedoms Australians experience today, but about which he says most people today know little.

It was great to see Copa PS students lined up in the front row in their uniforms; obviously enjoying the service. Koh Emerson and Jack Hardy read ‘Australia My Country’ and Bob Storey and Lachlan White read ‘In Flanders Fields’. Hallie Price lead the reading of The Lord’s Prayer followed by a Prayer for the Nation read by Frank Delbello.

Flags of Australia and New Zealand as well as the Aboriginal flag were raised and lowered by students from Copa Public School - Lachlan White and Charlotte Duncan -assisted by their supervising teacher, Ms Vicki Woodham. School Captains Chloe O’Sullivan and Edward Robinson were the wreath layers on behalf of the school community.

A highlight was an accomplished and sensitive rendition of The Last Post, played by bugler Jaden Bridgland who made a special trip back to Copa to play as he had done several years ago whilst still a student.

David Ferry delivered the Dedication; the Closing Address and the Benediction and after the playing of the national anthems of Australia and New Zealand, he concluded the ceremony, after which a recording of ‘The Last Anzac’ performed by a Central Coast children’s choir was played.

The staging of the service was a group community effort, and David Ferry has expressed his thanks to Copa SLSC; Copa RFS; Copa Public School and the CCA for assistance in facilitating and setting up the service. He also acknowledged the large number of residents who attended the service, arriving in the pre-dawn chill and gathering on the green to pay their respects to all who served.

Greg Maude in the hat his dad wore at Tobruk Libya WW2.

Above pics by Elaine Odgers Norling.

Below pics by Rob Morgan.

Suicide Prevention and Counselling resources

If you or friends or family need assistance, please make use of local resources that are available to you.

See Suicide Prevention Central Coast

https://suicidepreventioncentralcoast.org.au/

For urgent 24/7 support, call 13 11 14 or text us on 0477 131 114

Standby – 1300 727 247

Standby is dedicated to assisting people and communities bereaved or impacted by suicide. Standby offers free face to face or telephone support at a time and place that is best for each individual.

Lifeline Counselling Service – 1300 152 854

Lifeline provides a free counselling service to the community, up to 12 sessions are available with the same counsellor. All counsellors are degree qualified and accredited. Lifeline offers face to face, telehealth and phone counselling sessions.

Copacabana Community Mens' Shed Opens

After many years of hard work and fundraising by members of the local community - especially the Mens' Shed Committee, led by Dr Mike Mitchelmore, OAM - the Copa Mens Shed was formally opened on March 18.

There was a crowd of well-wishers on hand to hear speeches from invited guests including Adam Crouch, Member for Terrigal and Dr Gordon Reid, Member for Robertson. The celebrations kicked off with a smoking ceremony led by John Oates and Chris Kokegai, and after the speeches, guests were invited to tour the shed and enjoy a morning tea.

Congratulations to Mike and the Mens' Shed team, and all in the community who saw this important project through to completion.

Great turn out for CCA's Copa Clean Up Day

It was a brilliant sunny day for the Annual Clean Up Australia -Copa Day on Sunday March 5. We thank all the volunteers - especially the kids - who cleaned up a bunch of rubbish from around the dunes as well as other areas around the suburb. The volunteers did a great job clearing debris, particularly in the vicinity of the Surf Club and the stormwater overflow. Thanks to all who participated and 'did their bit' to help keep Copa beautiful.

Chris and Kari Drummond with their children Quinn, Annika and Ellis

Georgia and Isabella Spedding with their participation certificates

Alexis Clarke and her daughter Lily

CCA organising team: Margaret,
Rob and Matt

Cath Kench

Facts, Figures and the ‘pandemic effect’ in Copa

We can all count our blessings living in beautiful Copa; long term residents regularly comment that the place ‘hasn’t changed much’ over the years - and that’s what people like about it. Thankfully our suburb hasn’t been over-run with apartments and traffic jams like some others on the Coast (although peak holiday periods can be a bit of a challenge). Looking at the 2021 Census information, there have been a few notable changes since the last one in 2016, with some results obviously skewed dramatically because of the pandemic.

Our total population hasn’t changed much - in 2021 it was 2,809 versus 2,735 in 2016. Fewer people are using their cars to travel to work compared to 2016, when it was 70.7%, while in 2021 the figure was 47%. That’s not surprising considering the ‘work from home’ model adopted by so many of us: The figures showed just 8.3% of people worked from home in 2016 versus 34% in 2021.

There are a few interesting statistics on dwellings in Copa now, with the total number up marginally from 1,422 to 1,439 in 2021. We can see from the Census that more people are staying in those houses now than in the past; fewer houses were unoccupied in 2021 – 28.4% down from 32.3% in 2016. Again, not surprising given the trend towards ‘sea-changes and tree-changes’ and a boom in the short-term and holiday rental market in the years between the studies.

Some general points of interest about Copa and its’ residents: The majority of households are classified as ‘family households’ at over 79%; we are an educated lot - with more than 30% having a Bachelor Degree or higher; 79.9% of us were born in Australia – well above the NSW average, and 65.4% are in the workforce. And pleasingly, 64.7% stated they had ‘no long-term health conditions’ vs the NSW average of 61%. Must be the healthy lifestyle and the wonderful natural coastal environment here. And we’re getting a bit older: the median age is 43, up from 41 in 2016.

It will be fascinating to see how we’ve changed by August 2026 - the date of the next national Census - and whether the gloomy financial climate predicted over the medium term shows up any substantial changes by then. In any case, we can all agree that the laid-back ‘beach and bush’ surrounds will continue to provide a constant source of pleasure and well-being for us lucky enough to
call Copa home.

Pictured are the children of Dr John Macmaster – Janet, John, Sheila and Peggy, as well as Joan Rogers and others (possibly the Squires children). Right Photo credit Joe Larrarte, Fotocam.
Photo Credit: Joan O’Brien [nee Rodgers] MacMasters Beach.

[Collection Elaine Odgers Norling)

We are now settled into our new office between Bees Knees and Bar Copa Cantina. Come on in and say hi next timeyou're down at the shops!

The committee wishes to acknowledge and thank the various owners of the Newsagency over time, all of whom have contributed to the success and continuing use of these local courts. Monitoring, bookings, banking and communicating with the Tennis Club Committee continued until late 2021, when the Club - with the help of Tennis NSW and IT capable committee members - converted to an Online Booking system.

The Club now has a website at:
play.tennis.com.au/copacabanatennisclub

Online bookings, payment with code entry, associated night court lighting, together with committee communication via
the web have resulted in increased court use, especially during the pandemic, with Covid-safe practices in place. Last year, Central Coast Council made substantial upgrades to Susan Fahey Park, which along with the tennis courts, have given Copa a beautiful recreational area.

Lorraine Parks was the Club President from 2003 to 2022, with able assistance from all committee members. She recalls taking over from Paul Favaloro (who was President for most of the earlier years), with Mark Presdee still the resident Coach. Mark is now coaching the children of those he coached many years ago. Matt Francis was elected President in August this year, and it seems the Club is in good hands with a strong committee working behind the scenes, including Treasurer Roge Mairet and Committee members, Todd Lyndon, Wolf Messthaler and Margaret Platell.

They will be ably supported by Lorraine, who continues her volunteer service as Vice President/Secretary after nearly two decades at the helm. We thank her for providing the information for this story, and for her dedication and service to the
tennis community.

COPA TENNIS CLUB
A LOCAL GEM THEN AND NOW

The Copa tennis courts were built in 1988 in Susan Fahey Park, funded by the Bicentenary Celebrations Scheme, and in 1991 the complex was completed with a Clubhouse and toilet facilities. The courts were ready for play by September 1991, at a hiring cost of fifty cents! At that time, the courts, clubhouse and facilities were fenced off from the park, and Copacabana Newsagency staff looked after the bookings. The fencing was removed some time later and a Tennis Club Committee was formed.

Two of the early players and longstanding Copa residents, Allan and Beryl Steward, created a Friday afternoon group of players, with Allan still playing at the age of 92! Speaking of the Friday group - many of whom kept an eye on security and safety issues at the courts – former Tennis Club President, Lorraine Parks, recalls some of the social activities that have gone on over the years. Friday suppers took place every week on a rotational basis at each player’s home and fancy dress was mandatory. Many memorable photos have recorded these festivities.

Allan Steward said: ‘I treasure those memories and the close relationships we had and still enjoy. The tennis club was the springboard for a lot of social life in Copa for many families.’

Salmon on our beaches

by Margaret Platell

Lecturer in Environmental Science, Newcastle University and CCA Committee Member

During late October and early November, reports appeared on social media of large fish washing ashore at Avoca, Terrigal and as far north as Wamberal. These fish were obvious to those on their morning walks, but many did not know what type of fish they were or why they were there.

The beached fish were identified as the Eastern Australian salmon (Arripis trutta) by some recreational fishers and confirmed by DPI (NSW). Following water quality testing and autopsies, DPI (NSW) concluded that their demise was likely due to ‘bait showering’ – but what is this and what do we really know about this Australian fish?

Eastern Australian Salmon are distributed along the eastern coast of Australia from Queensland down to Tasmania. These purely marine species are a surface-dwelling (pelagic), schooling fish that reach relatively large sizes. Large schools in coastal waters often represent spawning migrations from south to north, with the Eastern Australian current helping to disperse the very young fish in a southerly direction. Salmon spawn between October and March and spawn earlier within this period when further to the north. Salmon spawn as far north as Coffs Harbour and it has been calculated that eggs and larvae from this spawning location have the potential to reach Tasmania.

Photo: Thom Newman

Photo: David Benson

Salmon have been part of the diet of indigenous peoples in NSW, particularly since around 1500 BP following developments in fishing technology, such as using line with shell-carved fishhooks, trapping and netting. Salmon are regarded as a staple food source and are good eating fish when consumed fresh or smoked. Traditional ecological knowledge formed the basis of successful fishing, in which flowering trees were used as an indicator of salmon off the beaches. Nowadays, this species is also recreationally and commercially fished, being most recently assessed as ‘sustainable’ for the eastern seaboard.

Salmon, as well as many other fish species, spawn during the longer and warmer times of the year. This increased productivity in phytoplankton then links to zooplankton increases, with zooplankton prey being crucial food sources for very young fish.

When salmon increase in size, their diet becomes dominated by small pelagic fish (baitfish) such as Australian sardines. Baitfish are also schooling species, which allows salmon to take advantage of this ready prey availability.

However, such bait schools can be quite large, as too can be the schools of salmon, and can attract larger predators such as sharks, which use body and fin movements to ram/stun their prey.

It is most likely that the beached salmon were just ‘unlucky’ and got caught up in the overall feeding activity around these fish schools. Although there are many different reasons for fish mortalities, including poor water quality, disease and fishing activity, this identification of a natural cause has enabled a window into that species’ existence and allows a fuller understanding of our marine environment.

Caring for our dunes – the Bushcare group

Copacabana Bushcare was formed in 1995 by local Bernadine Mitchell. Prior to this time in 1993 the Council proposed a shortcut for the stormwater outlet from the cliff onto the rock platform. This was recognised as being potentially disastrous for the local marine ecology. The group enlisted the help of Phil Colman, a leading Marine Biologist, to help concerned locals persuade Council to create an alternative to this proposal. Colman identified the rock platform as being significant as it has up-turnable rocks and is a nursery for invertebrates with over two thousand species living on the platform.

The group had many other environmental concerns, so they formed the Copacabana Landcare Group and worked in conjunction with the Copacabana Progress Association as they were an incorporated body. The group acquired funding for the two parks in Copacabana. The park that is now Sean Brinklow Park was un-named at the time. Susan Fahey park also received refurbishment.

They drafted the Susan Fahey Management Plan in 1997. Work in the area continued but interest waned. After new member, Peter Zanetti, joined the group they refocused their efforts in the dune area. Copacabana Dunecare group applied for a Coastcare grant which resulted in developing a Foreshore Management Plan. Included in the plan was the viewing platform and the Information signs outlining the natural features of our local area. This was facilitated by the Work for the Dole program in conjunction with Gosford City Council.

The group has been working for twenty-seven years rehabilitating the dunes and has been successful in acquiring several grants to help them achieve their goals. The main aim of the group is to preserve and improve the native vegetation in the dunes which is in part overrun by noxious weeds. The work they do includes planting, weeding, seed collecting and propagation.

The Copacabana Bushcare group meets on the first Saturday of the month from 2-4pm. It has been a great way for the community to do something positive for the local environment while helping people to connect with others. Many lasting friendships have been formed over the years. New volunteers are welcome. Contact Bernadine at berna.ric@hotmail.com

Source: Copa History - Pages 79-83; 89-90; 113-114

Thanks to Elaine Odgers Norling and Bernadine Mitchell for the information.

Call out for contributors
COPA HISTORY BOOK

Our first published history was compiled by local, Lorraine Gunseit, and covered the period 1896-1996. Sadly it is now out of print so it seems a good time for an updated version.

In the next version, 1996-2022, a section from elder John Oates about the origins of Tdjudibaring [Copacabana] will be included. The RFS and the School will make contributions from their archives too.

If you or your family members have any photographs or stories to contribute about this period in Copa (or earlier) please contact Elaine Norling at elaine.norling@gmail.com and include a contact number in your email. Any photos you may like to share can be copied - the originals will stay with you of course and you will receive a photo credit where possible.

The CCA would like to thank Elaine for her continuing work on this publication, which will be highly valued by the community when published.

WINTER
SOLSTICE

We are indeed fortunate to have such talented creative people living locally. Elaine has generously allowed us to share her wonderful film showcasing beautiful Copa. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we have. If you would like to contact the film-maker or make any comments, please email to

Info@copanews.com.au with WINTER SOLSTICE in the subject line.

Film Credits: Winter Solstice - a film by Elaine Odgers Norling.

Dedication: In memory. of my mother, Edna May (Hord) 1914-1984 and to all who treasure the writings of Charmian Clift.

Author: Charmian Clift 1923-1969.

Voice-over: Patricia Rudwick. Sound: John Salter
Editor: Owen Norling.

Photography: Elaine Odgers Norling

It’s been reported that the 2023 flu season was among the most severe since 2019, with a 13.5% increase in cases year on year (June to June). The Australian Immunisation Register reported that there were decreases in vaccination rates across all states and territories. The most notable decreases in vaccination rates were observed in South Australia (20.6%), New South Wales (19.5%), Victoria (18.9%), and Queensland (18.6%) (ABC News, 2023). 1

1 https://ausvacs.com.au/australia-grapples-with-severe-flu-season

We’ve done it!
We’re now online
with our own webpage
play.tennis.com.au/copacabanatennisclub

You can also use our Tennis QR code: scan to access Copa courts bookings.

You may book a court for 1 or 2 hours by registering your details on our webpage, then follow the links. You can choose to join, with a yearly Tennis membership for $20, giving you court hire for a cheaper hourly rate. Casual or non-members pay slightly more. Membership also gives you access to the clubhouse.

A huge thanks to everyone who stayed with us through some teething problems which now appear to be sorted...fingers crossed!

We also want to thank Leanne and her staff in the Copa Newsagents for taking our bookings and payments over the past years and also to our Tennis Court Committee for putting in the time and energy getting us into the digital age. It’s been frustrating at times, but with the help of Tennis NSW, it’s all behind us now.

We hope you find this new system easy to navigate and wish you heaps of fun on the court! All we ask is that you follow the regulations and respect other players in doing so.

Happy Hitting! – Copa Tennis Committee

A Heart in Africa

and a Home in Copa

Dr Andrew Browning, an esteemed obstetric fistula surgeon, lives in Copa with his wife, Stephanie and their two boys, William and Christopher. It’s a world away from their life in Ethiopia, where Dr Browning began his life-saving work with the late Dr Catherine Hamlin in the 1990s, treating women who suffered fistula; life-long, untreated and stigmatising injuries resulting from long deliveries at home that might take 3-10 days. The injuries permanently diminish their health and quality of life, leaving them ostracised, depressed and often suicidal.

Dr Andrew, as he was known in Ethiopia, established maternity hospitals, trained midwives and performed surgery across Kenya, , Somalia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Malawi and South Sudan while based in Tanzania. He established The Barbara May Foundation to raise funds and awareness to support and expand his important work across Africa and has recently written A Doctor in Africa (a book which has already sold out of its first print run) detailing the plight of the women he serves and what is being done to help them. As a result of Dr Browning’s leadership and the work of his Foundation, maternity hospitals and training programs have been set up across Africa and South East Asia, providing an essential, life-saving model of care for thousands of disadvantaged women.

Andrew and Stephanie lived and worked together in Africa for 17 years as Christian missionaries; volunteers who were supported by churches including Kincumber Anglican Church. Stephanie grew up in Africa and while Andrew was building hospitals, she was building schools. A formidable couple, it seems!

Stephanie’s parents live in Copa, and when they were visiting Australia they returned to a home they owned in Avoca, and eventually settled in Copa permanently in 2017. Their boys, now aged 15 and 12, attend local schools and play footy for the Avoca Sharks. Although they miss Africa the family enjoys the beautiful coastal surrounds and peaceful life at Copa.

Andrew returns to Africa regularly to perform surgeries and has only managed three trips since the onset of the pandemic, since travel there is often fraught with other challenges, including civil wars. He ‘has a ticket and permission’ to go back in October and has his fingers crossed he will be able to get on the plane and continue his work.

We wish him safe travels and a speedy return.

If you’d like to know more, or make a donation, go to barbaramayfoundation.com and keep a lookout for ‘A Doctor in Africa’ at local bookstores or online.

‘Yoga makes

me feel good!’

I don’t have a more complicated explanation about why I do it.

By Courtney Curtis

Accredited Japanese Yoga Teacher

Having the opportunity to live in Copa and share Japanese remedial yoga

with the community is very exciting for me. I began practicing Japanese yoga

fifteen years ago whilst managing manic creative departments in some of Sydney’s

biggest advertising agencies and realised that I could share the feeling of wellness it

gave me by teaching this yoga to others.

I undertook the Cert IV in Remedial Yoga teaching course and have been teaching for the last ten years.

Coming from a dance background, I have an understanding of the way the body moves and reacts, combined with the strength, control and dedication it takes to master an art like yoga. Yoga creates an opportunity for participants to pause and listen to their bodies.

Japanese yoga offers easy to follow postures and is suited to all fitness levels and body shapes, while each posture can be easily adapted so as not to aggravate any existing injuries (but still provide benefit).

Apart from improving your general wellbeing, practicing yoga regularly can help in many ways:
Easy weight bearing exercises which assist with bone strength
Strengthening of the legs to maintain and improve balance
Lubricating the joints through full range of movement
Stimulating the nervous system to aid in better sleep

I encourage a fun atmosphere to allow people to enjoy a little more social interaction in their own community. Many clients say that yoga classes help them tackle their day-to-day schedule with a bit more energy. Covid-restrictions permitting, I currently run a class for seniors held in the surf club Mondays 11:30am-12:30pm (except for the 2nd Monday of the month) – all abilities are welcome to join, including absolute beginners. If there is interest in more targeted practice - for example surfers or pre/post-natal classes - I would be happy to accommodate. For those that wish to practice in their own space, I also offer classes via Zoom.

Please get in touch with any questions or for more information - Call 0417 156 303 or email me at courtney@yogico.com.au

See you on the mat soon.

Blue bottles on our beaches

By Margaret Platell, Lecturer in Environmental Science, Newcastle University and CCA Management Committee member

The term blue bottles is often used in different ways, but this time it is referring to the occasional (invertebrate) visitors that strand on our beaches when the wind is blowing in an onshore direction.

When the winds come from the east, they often carry along with them members of the “Blue Fleet”, an unusual community of invertebrates that float on the water’s surface. The striking blue (or violet) colour is thought to protect these animals from intense UV radiation and perhaps predation – hard to see a blue animal when looking down at the water’s surface (if you are a bird).

The most visible member of the ‘Blue Fleet’ is the blue bottle (Physalia utriculus). The blue bottle is a colonial jellyfish, which contains several colony members that cannot live separately from each other. The most obvious colony member is the gas-filled bladder, which acts to keep the blue bottle at the surface, and which can inflate and deflate slightly to sink or rise, perhaps as further protection against bird predators. You may have also noticed (if you look closely at the animals in a single stranding), that the keel-like crest will be angled in one direction which acts to catch the wind, but in another stranding the direction is different – this means that when the winds blow, not all of them will strand.

The one fishing tentacle of the blue bottle represents another colony member. This tentacle can be up to 1 metre long and contains many stinging cells that are used to stun small fish upon which blue bottles feed. These tentacles float close to the water’s surface, and can cause painful stings to beachgoers that may require medical attention.

Be aware that these stinging cells persist on stranded individuals, and can still cause painful stings.

Does the presence of blue bottles indicate a problem with our ocean ecosystems? The answer is that no-one really knows. Although blue bottles are the main species in the Blue Fleet, there are others, including invertebrate predators of blue bottles, and not much is understood about any of them. They are not considered commercially important, much of their life is spent far out of view of people and their distribution is wind-dependent and difficult to predict. It has been thought that numbers can increase quickly in response to certain temperature and nutrient combinations, which are then evidenced by the mass strandings seen on the shore.

For further reading, Blue bottles in particular:

Gershwin (2015). The blue bottles are coming, but what exactly are these creatures? Retrieved from https://rheconversation.com/the-blue-bottles-are-coming-but-what-exactly-are-these-creatures-48675

Power, J. (21021). ‘Large numbers are being stung’: Bluebottle invasion hits Sydney’s beaches. https://smh.com.au/national/nsw/large-numbers-are-being-stung-bluebottle-invasion-hits-sydney-s-beaches-20210206-p5706f.html

Jellyfish in general: Lamb, P. (2018). Jellyfish have superpowers – and other reasons they don’t deserve their bad reputation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/jellyfish-have-superpowers-and-other-reasons-they-dont-deserve-their-bad-reputation-88746

This is the second in a series of articles written by John Oates, a descendant of the Nyampaa Wailwan Nation of the Central West. John is a retired teacher of HSC English, Modern History, Aboriginal Studies. He was Regional Aboriginal Education Consultant for the Hunter Central Coast region for 12 years. John has been a Copa resident for 36 years. We appreciate the opportunity to bring you this article which he calls:

A snapshot of Copacabana

Not so long ago

A Summer’s Day
Pre 1788

Tdjudibaring – Bulbararing – Mourawaring – Bouddi

The Garigal Clan had experienced another beautiful summer’s day at Tdjudibaring Bulbararing and were stoking the cooking fires - the camp fires for the Elders, the Women and children’s camp, the Mens’ camp and the Communal Circle where they were all going to gather after eating. In the Summer - or in this instance the season of the Salmon - the Clan liked to camp in the northern corner of Tdjudibaring, on and around the massive Midden that was the northern sand dune in the lee of the great headland, Bulbararing. They slept under the stars on warm summer nights. The children were taught all the names and stories of the Ancestral Beings up there, looking over them in protection. They learned of the Mirabooka (Milky Way); The Dark Emu; The Seven Sisters and many more. Everyone was taught to Recognise the Creator, Biaimi, and what his movements in the sky meant for the seasonal movements of the Clan.

The Tdjudibaring midden was thousands of years old. The Clan had camped and eaten their fish, lobsters, crabs. oysters, pippies, cunjevoi and spiny sea urchins amongst other things and left the bones and shells on the dune. The winds coming over the dune would then cover those remains with a layer of sand and thus the dune would gradually grow higher and higher each year. This day had been a particularly good one for the tuckerbox. The signal fires on top of Bulbararing and Mourawaring alerted the mob to the huge school of baitfish being followed by the salmon, bonito and kingfish early in the morning. The large ocean- going bark canoes were launched ready to spear and net a feed while the Guparr (Dolphin) callers were slapping the water near the shore for some help from the local pod in herding the massive school towards the shore so the men and women could spear and net fish in the holes along the shoreline and share the catch with the Gupaar.

Meanwhile, Elders and children went in search of food on the rock platform underneath the southern cliffs of Bulbararing. They methodically searched the holes and dived off the rocks to gather food such as oysters, tritons, abalone, cunjevoi, striped periwinkle lobsters and crabs. Others ventured north behind the dune into the freshwater billabong where they collected swan and duck eggs including ducks for the cooking fires. Eels and snakes were plentiful as evidenced by the name of the bay, Allagai - place of snakes/eels - and they were added to the menu for that night. Others still used the smaller bark canoes in and around the lagoon where the women fished with handlines with shell hooks and line woven from stringybark and younger men practiced their spearing skills with multi-pronged 3m fish gigs.

As the fires grew into the late afternoon all the food was gathered for the feast. Everything was shared. Meat was cut using oyster shell blades, stone flake knives and sharp stone axes. The Elders were served first followed by their sons and daughters as the Warrior Men and Fisher Women and so on until the children had their turn last. Then the Story Telling began. Funny incidents of the day’s activities were related and often turned into a dance or song. The Song Men and Women would sing songs to Country, to the Ancestors, to the Spirits who were all around, to Biaimi the Creator for protection and respect.

The Men and Women Dance Bosses would then lead the dances in the Bora Ring just near the communal fire, dances that would often continue late into the night.

As the dances slowed and finally finished, the Clan members returned to their own camps. The Elders in their sheltered hollows on the Midden, the women and young children to their camp and the men to their separate camp. The camp warrigals dutifully followed their families back to the sleeping fires where they guarded the Clan as it slept. They quietly talked as they watched the Mirabooka, the Dark Emu, The Southern Cross, The Seven Sisters and The Creator, Biaimi look down upon them. The Clan slept peacefully, safe and warm in the arms of their Mother, the Country they belonged to and cared for and loved: Tdjudibaring; Bulbararing; Mourawaring; Bouddi. In the morning the Clan was welcomed by the songs of the magpies and kookaburras as the sea eagles soared over the bay, looking for those bait balls and the larger predators in chase as they were breakfast for the young ones back in their nests high in the trees behind the lagoon.

Conclusion:

There is much more to tell about the life of the Garigal Clan. We could tell of the Mullet season or the season of the Hairy Caterpillars, the season of the Whales or how the position of Biamai in the sky told the people to venture through the Bouddi, paying respects there and then along the connecting ridges to all the ceremonial lore places all the way out to Wollombi and Yengo. But not this time, for this has been a snapshot

after all.

So, if you place a 21st century Western civilization pair of lenses on Aboriginal Pre-Contact Civilization, hopefully you will recognise the truth. Aboriginal society was peaceful, moral, spiritual and law-abiding with a complex social structure. Moreover, this society had developed deep ecological practices which created and maintained environmental sustainability and harmony for thousands of years. They were not ‘primitive savages’, who wandered nomadically at their whim as my snapshot attempts to show. The People knew where they lived, cared for that place exclusively and when they moved around Country they did so under strict guidelines and protocols as to when and where and why they left their Home. Fire was a constant companion, friend and tool for the People, not an enemy. People lived long lives. Their diet always consisted of fresh foods: seafood; fruit; vegetables and lean meat of kangaroos, emus, birds and reptiles which led to fit strong men and women who really deserved the term “Elder” as they often lived well into their nineties!

Estimates vary today as to how many people lived on the Central Coast and at Tdjudibaring, Bulbararing, Mourawaring, Bouddi in particular, but there definitely was a local Clan, the Garigal. After 1788, European contact changed this Place forever. Regardless of how many people were actually here, by 1805, 85% of the Aboriginal people of the Central Coast ie Wanninginni, Awabakal and Darkinjung, were dead. But that’s

another story…

Origins of Tdjudibaring

Some pre-contact history, by John Oates

This is the first in a series of articles written by John, a descendant of the Nyampaa Wailwan Nation of the Central West and a Copacabana resident of 36 years. He is a retired teacher and Regional Aboriginal Education Consultant for the Hunter Central Coast region. He was the organiser of the Smoking Ceremony held on the beach on January 26 this year and in previous years. We are grateful for his contribution to our knowledge and learning.

I pay my respects to the Ancestors of this Land and give thanks.

Thank you to all those who attended Our Smoking Ceremony on 26th January.

That was a gift. A gift of Healing.

I present this document also as a gift to our community. I give thanks to the Metropolitan North Regional Education team and their many Aboriginal Community contacts for much of the historical evidence presented here. Great thanks also to the Elders who have taught me for many years and especially to Aunty Tracey Howey, Wannannginni Traditional Custodian.

Copacabana has other names, ancient names, Aboriginal names, descriptive names that indicate a deeper connection to
and understanding of this place where we live today. The beach and the northern rock platform were called Tdjudibaring,
“Where the waves beat like heartbeats”. The northern headland is Bulbararing, “The biggest most powerful”.

The southern headland is Mourawaring “High ocean lookout” and the bush to the south was and still is the Bouddi, “The heart”. Think about some of those descriptors – “Most powerful, Beat like heartbeats, High ocean lookout, The Heart” and you’ll get an inkling of how the First People belonged to and loved this Country and had a responsibility to care for and cherish Mother Earth.

Everyone who lived here Belonged. Everyone was protected by the Lore, surrounded by love and lived in peace.

There was no war, no prisons, no cities or towns, no armies of conquest, no forts, no guns…

No rabbits, foxes, deer, horses, cows, sheep, no lantana!! And no guns. There were families and Clans and language groups.

In Tjudibaring Bulbararing there lived a Clan - ie, a small group of interrelated families. This Clan were the Custodians of this place for thousands of years.

COUNTRY

The Clan living here at Tdjudibaring belonged to the social organisation or Country of the Wanninnginni Awabakal. This clan will now be identified in this document as The Wanninnginni, with permission of Aunty Tracey Howey, Blood line Custodian of Bungaree of the Wanninnginni. The Wanninginni Awabakal People inhabited the coastal fringes from Norah Head to present day Manly.

The Awabakal were north to the Hunter River and west towards the Wannarua near Muswellbrook. Just to the immediate west of the Coastal mobs were the Darkinjung whose Country extended from around Tuggerah Lakes and Wyong all the way west to Wollombi.

Relationships between the Wanninginni, Awabakal and Darkinjung were known to be cordial. Reciprocal visits were made each year between groups for several reasons including trade, ceremonies, sharing a beached whale or for Corroboree. Trading sojourns were important as Clans of each Country were able to barter for materials and items that were not available or non-existent in their own area.

Marriages were also arranged between groups through strict kinship and totemic rules that ensured the health of the next generation. All this was made possible by the Lore. Therefore all the above-mentioned gatherings were extremely important to the wellbeing of all the different Mobs. These were the Rules of how to Live and Behave and Belong. This was the Lore.

LORE

The Lore guided and protected everyone and everything. It was written in the petroglyphs or rock carvings on the ridges, in the pictographs or paintings in the caves and overhangs, it was there in the sky every day and every night. The people knew these places and rules and songs and stories because they spoke and sang to them all. The Lore connected our Tdjudibaring Clan to everyone and everything, everywhere. The Ancestors were always around, their Spirits in the trees, ocean, headlands, birds, sea life and all the animals.

The Stingray is the Wanninnginni Totem and can be seen on nearby rock shelves today. Ancestral Beings were in the Moon, the Stars, the Sun, the Mirabooka

(Milky Way), the Big Dipper and the Dark Emu. This Lore connected the Wanninnginni people of Tdjudibaring not only to the rest of the Wanninnginni Nation; The Awabakal and the Darkinjung Peoples but also to other Clans, Countries and Nations right around what is known today as Australia.

Aboriginal Lore was understood, loved and adhered to by all.

Cockrone Lagoon Management

Jellies in the lagoon!!

Jellyfish (not blue bottles!) have recently been observed in Cockrone Lagoon in Tdjudibaring. Using images and the expertise of locals, supported by Australian Museum information, these have been identified as the Jelly Blubber Catostylus mosaicus. This is a species which is known to occur in high numbers in estuaries in NSW, sometimes even being fished for human consumption. One local has commented that in her 33 years she has never seen such a bloom. So is this a cause for concern?

These jellies have a large bell (up to 45 cm across), often creamy white or brown and a large cross that may be seen on the top. They have up to eight clublike mouth-arms – that can sting but are not dangerous. The stinging cells on these mouth-arms act to catch their food and then funnel it to their stomach. Their food is zooplankton, including very small crustaceans and larval fishes.

Some scoping around has revealed how little we understand the reasons for jellyfish appearances. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle, involving both a sexual medusa stage and an asexual polyp stage. The large adult medusa include separate females and males that look very similar to each other. The females most probably brood their larval young after mating. These very small larvae (0.1 mm) will leave the parent, settle onto solid materials (seagrass, shells, rocks etc) and metamorphose into polyps which then stay in that one place. Polyps look like very small stalked flowers (less than 0.5 mm) and feed on zooplankton.

Polyps can persist for years in estuarine environments, sometimes budding off new polyps via asexual reproduction. At certain times (for reasons still not clearly understood by scientists), these polyps can rapidly metamorphose into free swimming medusa. These medusa then rapidly grow in size and appear as large swarms in estuarine environments. Their life span may exceed ten months.

The sudden appearance of such jellies in Cockrone Lagoon does not provide a clear cause for concern about any risks to humans or our water quality. Firstly, the stinging cells that are present on the short arms of this jelly are not considered a serious risk to humans. Any links to declines in current water quality are difficult to establish as polyps can live for years without metamorphosing into the adult medusa. However, if they do make more frequent appearances in Cockrone Lagoon in the future this may require investigation!

For further information see:

Atlas of Living Australia – specific details for this species https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:ca512058-d179-4a58-b8af-4e6c3517d5ba

Smithsonian Institution – All about Jellies https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/jellyfish-and-comb jellies#section_16508

Pitt & Kingsford (2000) Reproductive biology of the edible jellyfish catostylus mosaicus (Rhizostomeae). Download scientific article from here https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s002270000399

Margaret Platell – Lecturer in Environmental Science, Newcastle University and CCA Management Committee member

Council assessing future options for closed Kincumber Waste Management site

Residents can still utilise Council’s two major public waste management facilities, Woy Woy Waste Management Facility and Buttonderry Waste Management Facility, which are located at the northern and southern ends of the Central Coast and operate seven days a week.

Residents can also take advantage of Council’s comprehensive domestic waste bulk kerbside collection service. Households are entitled to 6 bulk kerbside collections per year, which reset annually on 1 February and can be booked at 1coast.com.au.

There are also a number of other options available to community members to responsibly dispose of items such as electronic waste, scrap metal, batteries, cardboard and more, which can be found on our other waste and recycling page.

Last year, the Kincumber Waste Management Facility was closed to the public in response to COVID-19. Council utilised this time to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the facility’s infrastructure and services, making the decision to close the facility in its current capacity as a waste transfer station. We are now reviewing opportunities for the Kincumber site’s best use in the future and will keep the community updated throughout this process.

Escape to the (other) Copacabana, NSW, where you can fall in love

Unlike its Rio de Janeiro counterpart, you won’t find any carnival-style bedazzled thongs in Copacabana, NSW. Just regular old thongs on feet in this sleepy central coast town.

Entrepreneurial land developers named the town after the famous Brazilian hot spot in 1954 hoping to give it that extra sizzle. It was 24 years before Barry Manilow sang about the Copacabana, but the name and the comparisons have stuck (much to some local frustration).

First Nations people knew the seaside suburb as Tdjudibaring, which means “where the waves pound like a beating heart”, or Allagai, meaning “a place of snakes”. Today, residents simply call it Copa.

Hidden by virtue of its one-road-in, one-road-out location, Copacabana is snuggled between Macmasters Beach and Avoca. Unlike its Brazilian counterpart, there are no high-rises, and minimal traffic and noise make it a popular summer holiday spot.

In recent years Copacabana has grown as more tourists have fallen in love with the beach and the small-community vibe. The population has picked up as more holidaymakers have chosen to call it home and Covid has pushed Sydneysiders to find new regional digs.

Population: 2735 as of 2016 census.

See website here:

The first sub-division of Copacabana was developed in 1954, with a considerable part of the headland acquired for open space. Shops were built and the Surf Club established in 1963. It was not for some years that electricity and water services were established. Sewerage wasn’t connected until 1990. The surveyor, Bert Hunter has vivid memories of those early days as contained in extracts from a book about developers Willmore & Randell.

“Copacabana was one of the hardest subdivisions ever – a few hundred acres of rugged rough steep rocky terrain, thorny thick scrub, plenty of timber. Sand dunes with a swamp behind. Native flora and fauna galore. It was a surveyor’s nightmare. Steep narrow roads following the contours, 1500 home sites.”

George Brand lived in Point Clare as a boy and went to local schools until the age of 15, when he left to work with his uncle, Peter Brand, at the only general store & newsagent in Avoca Beach. It has been fifty years since he set up shop as a real estate agent in Copa. His recollections from the book remind us just what an undertaking it was in those days.

‘So we put all our furniture – a few chairs and a pot plant – into the back of a utility truck and set ourselves up in an office out there. We had already listed quite a number of properties, and at about 3pm on the Friday when we opened the door people were waiting for us. We sold three blocks of land straight away, then over the weekend we sold about twenty properties and in three weeks we sold nearly fifty blocks. Prices ranged from $350 to $2100 for a beach front block’. Those were the days!

George now lives in Davistown with his wife, Tosca, who was intrinsic to the success of the business. They live on the waterfront in a house they built, with lovely gardens and a chook house.

The Brands built their first Copa house in Helen Drive in the early 1960s, having bought three blocks of land there for $1000 each. They recall a Christmas party they held there attended by ninety people, which was at the time almost 100% of the total population of Copa.

After 50 years, George Brand Real Estate’s current owners are Scot and Michelle Harvey – Scot worked for George for 25 years, and Kyle still works in the Avoca office, so it’s still a family business and still going strong.

George Brand Wed 3 December 2020

Thursday 23 July 2020

BEAUTIFUL IMAGES BY CHRIS DICK

How lucky are we to have access to these fantastic photos of Copa by talented Avoca local, Chris Dick. We want to thank him for sharing, and for showcasing our beautiful neighbourhood.

You can contact Chris at micah4@bigpond.com or see his facebook page at www.facebook.com/DickPix if you are interested in purchasing any of his beautiful images.

Tucked away in Kincumber opposite the high school, KNC (Kincumber Neighbourhood Centre) is a hive of activity on weekdays, despite dealing with necessary changes during these days of COVID-19. With many of the centre’s regular volunteers being vulnerable to infection and unable to attend, Centre Manager Colette Baron and Senior Staff member Leanne Clarke are working hard with a small team of volunteers to continue the great programs at KNC despite the challenges. Services at KNC are currently in even greater demand from disadvantaged people in the community due to job or income losses and with school students gradually returning, programs like the Youth Brekky Club will be as important as ever to support local families.

During term time, KNC volunteers serve a hot breakfast to high school students from 7.30am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, serving an average of 650 meals a month. The benefit to both students and volunteers is apparent – the kids get a hot, nutritious breakfast to help set them up for the day’s learning and the volunteers get to interact with younger people and connect with the community in a really meaningful way. KNC Youth Brekky Club is not funded, however Bendigo Bank at Kincumber have been making regular donations to help keep this program running. Please consider a cash donation to support this important program.

Another important KNC community activity is their Food Pantry & Second Bite program:

For a $5 donation, people in need receive two bags of fresh food, groceries and toiletry items. The programme runs every Wednesday at 10.30am and much of the food is donated by local businesses – helping to avoid food waste.

The $5 donation makes it possible to include the extra items that families need every week. Usually the public are allowed to choose what they need from tables of produce and products to fill their own bags, but the centre is currently pre-packing bags to ensure that social distancing protocols are in place.

Copacabana Community Association (CCA) representatives visited the centre in May, to check out the Second Bite programme in action and meet key staff. We were delighted to make a donation of grocery vouchers to the value of $600 - on behalf of CCA members and Copa News sponsors – to assist KNC with supplies for their food programs.

Donations of staple foods and toiletries are always welcome as are new volunteers. Contact the centre for more information at www.kincumbernc.com.au or call 4363 1044 and ask for Leanne or Colette.

We have noticed lots of people turning their home gardens into productive patches during the lock-down. It’s very satisfying growing things you can eat (as well as saving you a trip to a crowded supermarket). Here are my tips if you’re just getting started – maximum output for minimal cost and effort. Even if you have a brown thumb, give it a try – start small and then build up to a bigger patch – and your kids will love to help plant and pick.

Choosing a ‘patch’

The spot needs a minimum of 6 hours sun a day. Pick a place where watering is easy.

Garden Beds – If raised about 50cm or more will make them easier to tend and save your back.

Old guttering run along the fence or between balcony poles or pots and hanging baskets may also suit your situation.

Soil – Is the key to healthy plants. Improve your soil by having a compost bin and or worm farm so the soil can be continually replenished or buy in some good organic soil to kick off with.

https://recyclingnearyou.com.au is a great website to learn more

Equipment

Can be very basic and still do the job well. Start with gloves, bucket, small and full-sized trowel and fork, scissors/secateurs, permanent marker for plant tags, ties. Always clean tools after use as it helps prevent infections.

What and when to plant

Google details about what and how you can plant each month. An easy place to start is by watching ABC TV Gardening Australia live or on iView. Specific topics are often covered by short Youtube clips - just type in what you are looking for.

What to plant when you’re starting out

Seeds and a mix of some small vegetable seedlings is a good starting point. Stagger the plantings to avoid gluts. Start with plants that grow and reward quickly like rocket, spinach, radish, beetroot, parsley, basil and rosemary.

www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Stories/2019/Best-vegetables-to-grow-for-beginners

https://hipages.com.au/article/vegetables_to grow in winter

If space permits, a citrus tree is worth considering and some come in dwarf size.

Despite their small proportions, dwarf lemon and lime trees produce full-size fruit. Usually it will take up to three years for a tree to reach mature fruit production.

Protect your patch

Here in Copa gardens often fall victim to rabbits, possums, destructive brush turkeys and odd creatures of the night. It’s easy to protect your garden with some second-hand fly screen wire, netting or chicken wire. Use old broom handles or timbers easily found in street ‘rubbish’ for

supporting posts. Pests and insects are less likely when you plant a variety rather than mass planting but if they strike seek information from your nursery. Companion planting can help.

www.greenlifesoil.com.au/sustainable-gardening-tips/companion-planting

Enjoy your produce fresh or preserved

Freezing, drying, pickling, and canning are all great ways to preserve the vegetables, fruits, and herbs you grow during the season.

www.moneycrashers.com/preserve-fruits-vegetables-home-garden/

Drying is the easiest method of preserving herbs. Simply expose the leaves, flowers or seeds to warm, dry air. Leave the herbs in a well-ventilated area until the moisture evaporates. Sun drying is not recommended because the herbs can lose flavour and colour.

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/herbs.html

www.familyfoodgarden.com/preserving-fruits-vegetables-herbs/

Good luck with your growing. Send your photos to info@copanews.com.au and we’ll put them on the website.

‘Our Josi’ nominated for Australia Day Awards

Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator for twenty-five years and long-time CCA Committee member Josi Fudge said she was honoured and proud to attend the Australia Day Awards Ceremony at the Laycock Theatre, for which she was nominated in the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award. She received a Certificate of Appreciation for her many years of voluntary service to our community, including nine years at the East Gosford Regional Art Gallery.

For many years Josi produced the Neighbourhood Watch newsletter, keeping the community informed about crime and other issues of interest to local residents. Josi said ‘I want to thank all involved for my nomination and award. I look forward to continuing my voluntary service to the Copa community and the Gallery for as long as I am able’.

The CCA joins the rest of the community in thanking Josi for her many years of service and warmly congratulates her on this well-deserved recognition.

COPA BUSHCARE GROUP

Come and Join us!

We meet on the first Saturday of the month: 2-4pm. Join us at the viewing platform opposite the shops. We’ll always need new volunteers and you’ll be made very welcome.

For more information:

Contact our Bushcare Convenor, Bernadine Mitchell, 0418 420 737 or our Bushcare Supervisor, Nicole Hetta, 0404 135 597.

Copacabana Bushcare was established in 1993. Our aims are to improve and restore habitat for native birds and to stabilise the sand dunes. Over the years we have won several grants, enabling us to build the viewing platform and information signs that you see on our foreshores. Our major achievement has been to preserve and improve the coastal vegetation in the dune area. Without the hard work of our volunteers over the years, the native plants would be overrun with weeds, including the dreaded Bitou Bush (pictured above), which we are ultimately trying to eradicate.

If you’d like to help improve our environment but don’t have a lot of time, come along to the Copacabana Bushcare afternoons where you can make a difference (and some new friends). We’ll help you to understand the importance of the dune plants while you are helping to restore, enhance and protect our fragile coastal environment. You’ll help with seed collection and propagation, learn bush regeneration techniques, flora identification and how to tell the good native plants from the weeds.

Bitou Bush is a major threat to NSW Coastal ecosystems and biodiversity.

Bitou bush is native to South Africa and was planted along the NSW coast between 1946 and 1968 to stabilize the dunes. However, it spread rapidly and is now found along 46% of the NSW coastline. In some cases, the weed has spread 10 kilometres inland.

Bitou invades native coastal heathlands, grasslands and woodlands. It grows quickly and forms dense stands, replacing native plants and destroying the habitat of native animals. Infestations can smother sand dune, headland and coastal vegetation communities. Many threatened species and plant communities have been affected.

The NSW Scientific Committee has listed the Invasion of native plant communities by Bitou bush and boneseed as a key threatening process impacting both native plants and animals.

A Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) has been prepared to reduce the threat posed by bitou bush and boneseed to threatened species, populations and ecological communities and species, which may become threatened as a result of invasion.

If you have Bitou Bush in your garden, PLEASE remove it and cut and paint any roots with herbicide.
Our Council no longer removes it.

News

Copa Carols ON THE GREEN

Activist, Writer, Panthers Fan

Sue Steedman

Local Hero

Bungaree recognised at Matthew Flinders’ reinterment in Donington, UK

Shark meshing off our beaches

Local Hero

Caring for our dunes for nearly thirty years

Local Hero

Sally Bartley

Copa Dawn Service 2024

Local Hero

Pat Farmer AM

“Life is full of adventure and bends in the road – you either take them or you live on regrets.”

Local Hero

Local Heros

Local Hero

Doctor Michael Mitchelmore

Whales Tales

RSL ANZAC Dawn Service – Copacabana 2023

Suicide Prevention and Counselling resources

Copacabana Community Mens' Shed Opens

Great turn out for CCA's Copa Clean Up Day

Chris and Kari Drummond with their children Quinn, Annika and Ellis

Georgia and Isabella Spedding with their participation certificates

Alexis Clarke and her daughter Lily

CCA organising team: Margaret, Rob and Matt

Cath Kench

Facts, Figures and the ‘pandemic effect’ in Copa

COPA TENNIS CLUB A LOCAL GEM THEN AND NOW

Salmon on our beaches

Caring for our dunes – the Bushcare group

Call out for contributors COPA HISTORY BOOK

WINTER SOLSTICE

We’ve done it! We’re now online with our own webpage play.tennis.com.au/copacabanatennisclub

Blue bottles on our beaches

By Margaret Platell, Lecturer in Environmental Science, Newcastle University and CCA Management Committee member

A Summer’s Day Pre 1788

Tdjudibaring – Bulbararing – Mourawaring – Bouddi

Origins of Tdjudibaring

Council assessing future options for closed Kincumber Waste Management site

Escape to the (other) Copacabana, NSW, where you can fall in love

​

George Brand Wed 3 December 2020

Thursday 23 July 2020

​

​

‘Our Josi’ nominated for Australia Day Awards

COPA BUSHCARE GROUP

Come and Join us!

Copa Carols
ON THE GREEN

Doctor
Michael Mitchelmore

Whales
Tales

CCA organising team: Margaret,
Rob and Matt

COPA TENNIS CLUB
A LOCAL GEM THEN AND NOW

Call out for contributors
COPA HISTORY BOOK

WINTER
SOLSTICE

We’ve done it!
We’re now online
with our own webpage
play.tennis.com.au/copacabanatennisclub

A Summer’s Day
Pre 1788