22 May 2009

The Roads and Traffic Authority will introduce security patrols on Long Gully Bridge (Suspension Bridge) Northbridge this month. The security patrols will operate 24 hours a day.

The patrols are a temporary measure in response to a recommendation from the NSW Coroner following a number of suicides from Long Gully Bridge.

The Coroner’s recommendation is to install a safety barrier on Long Gully Bridge to prevent or significantly impede jumping from the bridge.

The RTA is currently assessing options for the safety barrier to address the Coroner’s recommendation. The options will be assessed to account for suicide prevention, heritage conservation and urban design impact. This process includes consultation with local councils, community groups and heritage groups.

The community will be able to view the RTA’s preferred option for the safety barrier when it goes on public display. These details will be advertised at the appropriate time.

If you would like further information about the project please contact the RTA project manager, Martin Gormley on (02) 8849 or email Martin_Gormley@rta.nsw.gov.au.

12 May 2009

Council recently acquired 139 Artarmon Road which is located on the corner of Tindale Road, Artarmon. The property, originally built as a church has been bought to re-house the Artarmon library and provide a community facility.

The newly purchased facility will improve the level of amenity currently offered to local library users and provide the community with a versatile community facility that can accommodate a range of community activities and events.

Willoughby City Council is hosing an online forum as part of engaging the community about this change. This is an opportunity to comment on the facility and its uses, issues relating to the development and even to make suggestions for the launch.

Visit the discussion forum.

You can also still comment on the Willoughby City Strategy.

8 May 2009

The next meeting of the Naremburn School Working Party (NSWP)will be held on Thursday 28 May at the Naremburn Community Centre, 7-9 Central Street, Naremburn between 7.00 and 8.00pm.

Mr Dean White (relieving Dr Kathryn Brennan as the School Education Director) and Mr Steve Martens – Manager, Northern Sydney Region Assets Management Unit from DET will attend the meeting.

To view the latest Working Party minutes click here

29 April 2009

Ella Street Bridge temporary closure, and other traffic and parking issues for Naremburn will be featured when Steven Head, WCC’s Infrastructure Services Director, speaks at the NPA’s next general meeting on Thursday, 14 May at the Naremburn Community Centre, 7 Central Street.
Steven will commence speaking at 7:30 pm with normal meeting business suspended until after his Q&A session. Come along. Bring your neighbours.

30 April 2009

At its 27 April meeting, Council voted in favour of a request by the Northbridge Football Club (NFC) for a 7 Saturday trial of football (soccer) to be played between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm at Bicentennial Oval. This over-ruled a rescission motion by Naremburn Ward Councillor Kate Lamb, who claimed that the decision did not follow point 4 of the Cultural & Environmental Committee recommendation:-

“Notification of the Saturday afternoon trial at Bicentennial Oval be undertaken to the adjoining residential community and any issue arising be resolved to the satisfaction of the Infrastructure Services Director prior to the commencement of the trial.”

Councillor Lamb, in speaking for the rescission motion quoted the lack of respect for the local community in the early 1990s and the subsequent embarrassment to Council when lights illegally erected on this oval were taken down and Gordon Rugby Club was prevented from establishing infrastructure and the playing of organised sport to the detriment of general use of what had been established as Hallstrom Park. In her words,

“we [the Council] have been ambushed into making an ill-advised decision”.

Although the first NFC game is scheduled for Saturday, 2 May, WCC is conducting its notification of the trial to the adjoining area by sending out 300 letters to affected (?) residents neighbouring the oval after the decision was made.
The NFC had the opportunity to air its potential application to WCC at a meeting of the Bicentennial Reserve and Flat Rock Gully Advisory Group meeting held on 1 April 2009 and attended by representatives of progress associations, netball, baseball, etc. In fairness, the NFC may not have had concrete plans for the trial at this stage. Although the motion to conduct a 7 week trial was moved at the 20 April meeting of the Cultural & Environmental Committee, the NFC did not consider this action significant enough to announce it at the Open Forum of the 16 April general meeting of the NPA.
Traffic movement and parking are major concern in the Bicentennial Reserve precinct. A planned survey in the area remains incomplete after the key officer of Council’s study body left WCC. Northbridge Football Club has committed to its team gathering at Northbridge and car pooling to Bicentennial Oval. Visiting teams are to gather at Naremburn Oval and similarly car pool.
Teams – two matches per Saturday – are Premier League, 18-30 year old males. It is hard to believe that there will be no spectators or family members attending the matches.
Naremburn Ward Councillors: – for the trial, Cr Barry Thompson, against the trial, Cr Kate Lamb. Cr Stuart Coppock was an apology due to illness.

20 April 2009

Commencing Monday 4 May 2009, The Artarmon Loop is a free shuttle service travelling on a loop from St Leonards station through the Artarmon industrial area.
The service aims to encourage the use of public transport and reduce car usage across the City of Willoughby while also enhancing the viability of the Artarmon business precinct.
Jump on the bus at any of the Artarmon Loop bus stops located along the route. Take your bike too - Bicycles can be stored in bike racks inside the bus.
The Artarmon Loop will run every 15 minutes from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Buses depart from St Leonards Station on the hour, quarter hour, half hour, and quarter to the hour. (i.e. 6.00am, 6.15am, 6.30am, 6.45am through to 6pm). Last run departs from St Leonards Station at 6.00pm.
Download the Artarmon loop map and timetable

29 April 2009

WCC is preparing a strategic plan to guide the development of new and/or upgraded aquatic facilities in the Council area. As a result, it has commissioned a study to evaluate the capacity of Willoughby Leisure Centre to meet current and future community needs, and to prepare a strategic plan to guide future provision initiatives.
The study will review the existing provision of aquatic facilities provided by the Council, other adjoining Councils and private providers and identify community aquatic needs for the future.
Willoughby Leisure Centre is in Bicentennial Reserve in Small Street, Willoughby. The Centre is managed and owned by Council and offers:

• An indoor heated 25 metre swimming pool
• A children’s pool
• A small outdoor courtyard/lawn area
• Spa and sauna facilities
• A fully equipped Health Club with treadmills, rowers, bikes, cardio theatre and weight training facilities
• A sports hall, which accommodates either two full-sized basketball courts, three volleyball courts, two indoor netball courts or eight badminton courts
• An independently-operated physiotherapy and massage therapy clinic
• An attractive café and social area.

The Centre is immediately adjacent to the Council’s Bicentennial Park, which has 19 outdoor netball courts. The netball association has offices and storage under the main Leisure Centre building. There is also a baseball diamond, oval and other community facilities and extensive parkland in Bicentennial Reserve.
Council would like to hear the views of residents, workers, students, health and fitness providers, educators and other interested people in the Council area. Some of the key questions Council would like responses on are:

• How well does Willoughby Leisure Centre meet your swimming, other aquatic and fitness needs at present?
• What improved or new aquatic, fitness or health and wellbeing facilities, programs or services need to be considered for provision at the Centre or elsewhere in Willoughby?
• If residents do not use Willoughby Leisure Centre at present, why is that and what would need to be done to attract them to the venue?

Residents who would like to meet personally with a representative of the planning team are invited to contact the Centre Manager, Kate Day, at Willoughby Leisure Centre on 9958 5799 or leisure@willoughbyleisure.com.au
In addition to a range of meetings with clubs, groups, schools, sporting groups and special needs groups, Council will be holding two forums to collect community ideas on aquatic and fitness needs and opportunities in Willoughby. These will be held at:
Netball Room, Willoughby Leisure Centre
At 6.00pm on Wednesday May 13th for the general community and sporting groups. And
At 8.00pm on Wednesday May 13th for the general community
All interested members of the community are invited to attend.

29 April 2009

The NPA was successful in its persistent request for Willoughby City Council to install ‘Keep Clear’ marked on the northbound lanes of Willoughby Road at the Rohan Street intersection. Residents had been experiencing difficulty with access to and egress from the western area of Naremburn due to traffic obstructing this intersection.

14 April 2009

Read the President's report on community issues and the achievements of the NPA in the past year.

14 April 2009

This is your opportunity to have a say in the library facilities provided for Naremburn. Bang the Table

26 February 2009

For the latest updates on the school for Naremburm click here
To view the latest Working Party minutes click here

Updated 4 May 2009

The previously announced temporary closure of the Ella Street Bridge at the northern end of Dalleys Road that was to take place between March and September 2009 has had its commencement date postponed to September.
Steven Head, Infrastructure Services Director, WCC, whose role includes traffic, is to speak at the NPA general meeting on 14 May see above

Latest Laing O'Rourke flyer to affected residents here
Proposed detours when Ella Street Bridge is closed here

21 February 2009

Willoughby Council has teamed with on-line consultation specialists ‘Bang the Table’ to deliver a range of web-based discussion forums. Council will regularly hold forums on key issues of interest to our community.
February’s feature discussions include:-

• Council’s Climate Change Action campaign
• The update of Council’s Cultural Policy.

March’s discussions include:-

• The Artarmon Library site - this will provide an opportunity for the public to make comment on future use of the facility
• Council’s Cultural Policy

“Bang the Table” will independently moderate all forums.
The site is easy to navigate. Users can also start their own discussions for each topic, vote on comments they agree or disagree with and engage in friendly debate.

“Community engagement is vital to Council’s forward planning. We welcome vigorous discussion on a wide range of issues.”

said Willoughby Mayor Pat Reilly.

“Council already participates in regular community consultation. We see this as simply another opportunity for us to reach out to the wider community. I’d particularly like to see our youth getting involved in the forums.”

Members of the community are invited to join the discussion by visiting Council’s website - www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au – and click on the Bang the Table link.

Updated: 21 February 2009

A charity was formed in 2007 whose head office resides in Naremburn and focuses on raising funds to find a cure for cancer; it is named ‘Tour de Cure’.
Tour de Cure features an annual cycle by approximately 30 ordinary people from around Australia. This year’s ride will leave Brisbane on Friday 29 May for Cairns covering 1,555km over 10 days, with the longest day being 256 km. Due to growing interest the rider base has increased to 47 riders from Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. The riders are men and women ranging in age from 18 to 52 years old.
Of the 47 riders preparing for this year’s tour, four reside in Naremburn:

• Geoff Coombes, Co-Founder, 20 Park Street;
• Malcolm Heath, 16 Grandview Street;
• Caleb Jones, 28 Waters Road; and
• Daniel Marles, 20 Slade Street

Each rider must commit to a demanding training program (cycling up to 500km+ per week, while juggling family and work commitments) and raise a minimum of $10,000 in donations.
We focus strongly on rider safety and responsibility and have produced a Bunch Riding Rules and Etiquette document which continues to attract favourable feedback from a wide sector of the community - cycling bodies, City of Sydney Council, and other groups and individuals.
Since May 2007 we have raised over $1,000,000 and we fund key projects within the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, Camp Quality, Cancer Council and the Leukaemia Foundation. A feature of our rides is meeting people from the various towns along the way including the charity support groups, the public generally and school students from secondary and primary schools. We promote cancer awareness and prevention, attract strong media following, fund raise and promote the benefits of fitness as a means of defence against the disease.
For more information, visit the Tour de Cure website or contact Malcolm Heath on 0411 044 888.

6 February 2009

The NPA in conjunction with the Willoughby City Library is conducting an oral history program with some of Naremburn’s longstanding residents. So far we have interviewed and recorded the Naremburn memories of:-
Dulcie Barratt of Dalleys Road; Cyril and Lorna Clark, of Brook Street; Mary Teteris of Merrenburn Avenue; and Jack Dean of Mitchell Street.
For seniority Jack Dean tops the list at age 94. His many memories are reinforced by his family pictorial history. Jack’s mother numbered Billy Hughes’s wife among her customers at her millinery shop in Miller Street, North Sydney. She later ran a similar store at 29 Willoughby Road, next to the present W.H. Soul Pattison Chemist. Jack played Aussie Rules way back in 1926 but named tennis as his first love. He recalls the grace and style of Jack Crawford. Jack Dean first played on the tennis courts at the back of Naremburn Primary School in what is now Lawson Lane. The Plummers, Fleggs and Hopmans had courts there. The Hopman was Harry Hopman, uncle of famous Australian Davis Cup Coach, Harry Hopman. Jack recalls that the Hopmans had a holiday home at Collaroy and always rented a court nearby. Young Harry Hopman was playing at Wimbledon about this time. On one occasion Jack shared a court at Strathfield with two former Australian Davis Cup players, J.O. Anderson and Aub Willard. Jack still attends the Men’s Shed at Lane Cove where he engages in wood-carving, Formula One racing cars a specialty. He also paints and creates his own hand-painted Christmas cards.

If you would like to contribute to this Oral History Program with your stories, pictures, newspaper cuttings, or, you know someone with valuable memories of life in Naremburn, please contact Kevin FitzPatrick on or or 9439 8119.

Willoughby City Council has installed three bike racks on footpaths in the Naremburn Shops area.

1. adjacent to Old Fashioned Fish ‘n Chip Shop and Naremburn Natural
2. adjacent to Raymond’s Framing and 1st Choice Liquor, and
3. outside 1st Choice

We invite the ever-growing number of cyclists using the shared path that passes through the shopping area to secure their bikes at these racks. The NPA thanks WCC for installing the bike racks at our request.

In 2008, un-named lanes within the Willoughby City Council Local Government Area (LGA) were named; 16 Naremburn lanes now honour some of our past residents who contributed to our community.
Click here for details