Oova – the Remoova’s Big Bruva

I know that none of the headline above is correct spelling but our little green machine Oova – the Remoova (seen cleaning up the footpaths in our main shopping strips) now has some competition following our acquisition of a slightly bigger version. Oova was given its by the local school children soon after it made its first appearance cleaning up the footpaths. In keeping with Oova’s name, our outdoor crews have christened the new cleaning machine Big Bruva – not for any Orwellian connotation but for sibling rivalry. Big Bruva is now around the streets and the main shopping strips doing the same job as its smaller sibling. Combined the machines make our City look that little more sparkling – and I do like the names they have been given.

Parks Improvements in Eastlakes

Among the constant work and upgrades of our parks there are a couple of recent bits of work that I thought worth passing on to our residents. 

We’re about to upgrade Jerome Dowling Reserve, which will not a big park is a unique one, located as it is between the two cul-de-sacs that are features of Mascot Drive in Eastlakes. The park makes a nice split to Mascot Drive. There will be new landscaping, a connecting walkway to Barber Avenue, pavements, seating, lighting and a refresh to the playground. This will give this small but well used piece of green a whole new look – and one locals are looking forward to. 

Also down in Eastlakes, Bridget Tight Reserve on Evans Avenue has a new post and rail fence, giving it a more rural feel. Not that you’ll find any farm animals behind the post and rail fence but you will find a playground for the children and some shaded spaces to relax.

Next Prince of Wales Health Seminar tomorrow

The next in the series of seminars for public health under the Your Health: Your Hospital banner will be on CPR. The Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation in partnership with Rotary Botany Bay invites everyone to come to the seminar for a basic lesson and practice in CPR. 

Health professionals will show you what to do before the ambulance arrives, whether it be for a child found submerged in a pool, or a close relative or a stranger collapsing. It is better to know what you can do than do nothing at all. The Seminar gets underway at 6pm, tomorrow, Thursday April 26 at the Edmund Blacket Building at Prince of Wales on Avoca Street at Randwick. To attend, please contact Elizabeth Thomas on 9382 4263.

Senior’s Garden Party

Just reminding all of our senior residents that our City’s senior’s celebrations will be held on Sunday May 27. I will be hosting my annual Garden Party in the Sir Joseph Banks Pleasure Gardens and you are all invited, simply register your name and address with my office on 93663600. The only requirement is that you live in our City and that you are a senior citizen.

Nature Strip Water Rate Rebate

Getting money back is always good and for some time we’ve given a rebate of $25 per household to those who help keep our nature strips watered and mowed which makes our City streets look a whole lot better. I’d like to remind people that they have to apply each year for the rebate and you’ve got to have either a lawn nature strip or one that’s planted.

If your nature strip is concrete then, sorry, but you don’t get the rebate. Units, flats and town houses get one rebate and that goes to the strata secretary or body corporate. If you live on a corner block and have two nature strips then we allow two rebates provide both are well maintained. 

You should have received a brochure outlining the scheme in your letter box (and I’ve already received quite a few applications) but if you didn’t call into my office on the ground flor at Eastgardens, next to the Central Library, and pick one up. You can also leave the completed form there as well. You must apply before July 6 for the rebate. Our Nature Strip Rebate is our way of saying thank you for ongoing support and your time and effort in making our community greener, neater and more attractive.

Laycock Street becomes Laycock Walk

Work has begun down in the Mascot Station Precinct to transform Laycock Street into a pedestrian mall. Laycock Street, will be re-paved with decorative pavers interspersed with a combination of ground level gardens, raised planter beds, low sitting walls and attractive street lighting. It will provide a much need pedestrian link from Mascot Station to the surrounding residential and commercial buildings. Once completed Laycock Street will be officially renamed Laycock Walk.

E-Waste Success

Last Saturday’s E-Waste collection day proved such a success, that we have already begun to plan for the next one! There was a steady stream of people doing their bit for the environment and getting rid of unwanted or superseded computer equipment. As I said we’ll definitely organise another e-waste day and I’ll give everyone plenty of prior notice. Just out of interest I pulled out how much household clean up waste we collected last year (following a request from the Sydney Morning Herald on-line people) and found that with our regular clean ups so far we have picked up around 16,000 tonnes of waste (and that’s in additional to the weekly garbage collections). The more of the collected waste that we can reuse or recycle the better it is for the community and our environment.