We are so fortunate to live in one of the most biodiverse areas in Sydney, with more than 300 bushland reserves and three national parks right on our doorstep. Our bushlands are home to 540 native animal species, including 69 threatened species like the Eastern Pygmy Possum and Powerful Owl.

We are celebrating our unique and precious local environment as part of National Biodiversity Month.  

Join us at one of our night walks or talks to learn more about our fascinating local wildlife. You can help care for our local bushland and its 1,460 species of plants by becoming a bushcare volunteer. Together, we can protect our precious natural environment for future generations.

A big thank you to everyone who came out to North Narrabeen on Saturday to the Coastal Environment Centre open day and our sold-out Picnic in the Park. It was so wonderful to see so many children and families enjoying the lovely spring weather, live music and displays.

If you’re looking for something just as fun to do this weekend, swing by the Fairlight Spring Fling on Saturday from 10am to 2pm. There will be music, face painting, outdoor games and market stalls from local artists and businesses. 

On Sunday, head to the Stony Range Spring Festival at Dee Why. There will be live native animals, frogs and tadpoles, nature displays, native plants for sale, music, craft, children’s activities, plus a barbecue. It’s a free event, from 9am to 3pm. 

Finally, don’t miss out on your chance to nominate a local hero as part of our annual Australia Day Awards. Nominations are now open to recognise the amazing work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Find out more.

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Spring is here and Council has lots planned this weekend to help the community get out and enjoy this lovely season. 

The red and yellow flags are up at Freshwater, Dee Why and Manly beaches and Council lifeguards and Surf Life Saving volunteers are patrolling to help keep beachgoers safe. Patrols at our other beaches will commence in late September.

Tomorrow, our Coastal Environment Centre at North Narrabeen is hosting an open day offering a fun and interactive opportunity to appreciate our unique coastal environment. Come along anytime between 9am and 3pm. Learn more here.

We also have Picnic in the Park at North Narrabeen on Saturday, featuring popular characters from Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer and lots of other activities for families. This is a ticketed event and you can book here. Gates open at 9am.

Lastly, I would like to extend my warm wishes to all the fathers and carers on their special day this Sunday. If you are looking for last minute gift ideas, support our many of local businesses that are offering specials and vouchers.

Have a lovely weekend.

It was impressive to see our young writers' creative and literary skills shine through as they rose to the challenge of the 2023 Young Writers’ Competition. As a Council, we are committed to nurturing and supporting the arts, and it is a pleasure to witness the talent and potential of our young writers. Congratulations to all the participants and winners.

I am proud to announce that Council's Children's Services has again been recognised as among the best in the country. Cromer Vacation Care, Brookvale Children's Centre, and Belrose Children's Centre have recently received the distinction of 'Exceeding the National Quality Standard.' This achievement sets the national benchmark for the quality of children's education and care services across Australia. This recognition is a testament to our staff's hard work and commitment to excellence.

On a more sombre note, I would like to honour the significant contribution of the late John Devitt AM to Australian swimming, sports, and our local community.

John's passion for swimming extended beyond his own accomplishments. He co-wrote a book that celebrates the life of Cecil Healy, a gold medalist in the 1912 Olympics, showcasing his enduring love and dedication to the sport. In 2018 Council honoured these two local champions by naming a pool at the Manly Andrew 'Boy' Charlton Aquatic Centre, the John Devitt-Cecil Healy Indoor Pool. Our thoughts and sympathies are with John's family and friends.

This weekend, don’t forget you can join in the iconic Beach2Beach fun run, starting at Dee Why with shorter courses ending up in Newport. There will be a Finish Festival to celebrate in Newport.

Have a good weekend,

It was a great turn out on Wednesday night at Cromer Park, the home of football on the Northern Beaches when our Matildas took on England. It was a sea of green and gold and while they may not have won, they remain an inspiration to us all and we are very proud of what they achieved at this World Cup.

We will continue to support them when they take on Sweden this Saturday night. This time Manly Oval will be opening its gates at 5pm for a 6pm kick off. If you can’t make it there, then support your local venues or head over to Cromer Park where the Manly Warringah Football Association and Manly United Football Club are playing their own finals. Let’s get behind our Tillies one final time and watch them make history.  

This week our iconic Manly Scenic Walkway, also known as the Spit to Manly walk, has been voted in the top 10% of attractions in the world by Tripadvisor as part of their 2023 Travellers’ Choice Awards.

The 10km stretch has incredible views, beautiful beaches and Indigenous artworks – it really has it all and it’s no surprise visitors love it as much as we do.

This week we also welcomed almost 400 new citizens at one of our largest ever citizenship ceremonies held at Glen Street Theatre, Belrose. They came from all corners of the globe to take this final pledge and it was a really beautiful occasion. 

Finally, the Young Writers Competition winners will be announced this weekend. Now in its fourteenth year, the challenge was to write a short story based on the theme ‘promise.’ We had an incredible 400 entries from over 50 schools, and we will keep you posted on the winners.  

Have a wonderful weekend.

We love our events on the Beaches because they bring us together and enrich our community while boosting the local economy by supporting local businesses.

It was great to see so many organisations and groups apply for Council’s event and sponsorship grants this year. More than 30 recipients will share in a pool of $175,000 grant funds across this financial year. While Council already hosts many exciting events each year, the Event Grants and Sponsorship program helps smaller but no less important events get off the ground.

Applicants were rather diverse, covering the cultural spectrum, with each event chosen for its effort to enrich the lives of our people and pets! I look forward to seeing all the winning event ideas come to life as shared experiences. 

Talking of shared experiences on a larger scale, it has been so lovely to see the green and gold celebrate two wins this week.  

If you were in Manly on Tuesday night, you may have caught a glimpse of Manly Town Hall lit up in green and gold in tribute to the Matildas as they battled it out with Denmark for a spot in FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinals and boy, was it worth it! We will again turn on the coloured lights to get behind them this Saturday as they play France. I encourage you to head to your favourite local venue that is playing the game to cheer them on and support local business.

Let’s hope the Matildas follow in the footsteps of the Australian national netball team the Diamonds who were again crowned World Cup champions this week.  

Adding to the buzz across the Beaches this past week has been the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize. The exhibition opened last week at Manly, Curl Curl and Mona Vale, and feedback from the local community, visitors and the arts community so far indicates it is the prize’s biggest year yet!

I understand that we had record crowds at the opening, and it’s no surprise that there has been strong attendance at each venue all week. Please come and see the finalists’ works for yourself. The exhibition runs until 27 August. Get all the details here.

It's been an extremely sad week as we mourn the life of a young boy following the tragic accident at Griffith Park, Collaroy. The pain and devastation caused by this incident are unimaginable, and our thoughts remain with the family, all those present at the time and the Collaroy Cougars and Dural rugby clubs’ communities.

I was heartened to hear that the Cougars Club has received generous offers of assistance for the family from local businesses and members of the community. Thank you to all those who have offered their support. 

It is currently Local Government Week, an annual event that allows all NSW councils to showcase the vital role we play in our communities. For our Council, it is a time to reflect on our achievements and contributions and highlight the highly-valuable work that our staff do.

You can learn more about what some of our staff do here. If you are looking for a local role, explore opportunities to work with our Council here.

Last night Council awarded the winners of the Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize. This prestigious award recognises the talent and creativity of individuals who use their artistic skills to raise awareness about environmental issues and inspire positive change. Congratulations to all winners across the nine categories.

I encourage you to see the finalists’ works which are on exhibition from today until 27 August. While you’re there, you can vote for your favourite work in the People's Choice Award. Learn more about the exhibition running across three local venues here.

Have a great weekend,

The importance of early education in shaping the future of our children and community cannot be overstated. In celebration of Early Learning Matters Week, I enjoyed visiting one of our nine children's centres. It was a delightful experience. I talked to our exceptional early learning educators at Narrabeen Children’s Centre and met some of the children enrolled at the centre.

I was fascinated to learn that a child's brain develops faster in the first five years of their life than at any other time, with some 90% of brain development occurring during these early years.

Driven by their passion for delivering high-quality early education to our local children, Council's dedicated teams work tirelessly to provide a range of services including long day care, pre-school, vacation care and family day care. I encourage you to explore our services and discover the opportunities available for your child's early education.

For anyone interested in pursuing a career in this field, Council is currently recruiting! You can learn more here.

Yesterday we also marked the start of Creative Open 2023, which runs until Sunday 30 July. This winter arts festival celebrates the vibrant art, design, and music scene of the Northern Beaches. You can visit and experience over 50 events local creative spaces, exhibitions, performances, talks, and workshops.   

Finally, this Sunday is National Tree Day, a time to come together and contribute to the greening of the Northern Beaches. You can get involved at either Avalon or Curl Curl and help revegetate the area with native plants. Everyone is welcome, but please book your spot in advance to ensure you don’t miss out. Want to plant at Avalon? Book here. Want to plant up Curl Curl? Book here.

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending Long Reef Surf Lifesaving Club when Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC paid a visit to our area. Her Excellency expressed her gratitude for the volunteers and admiration for our new building and facilities, which serve as a hub for our community. This visit was a testament to our volunteers' incredible work, and I am grateful to have witnessed this recognition first-hand.

In line with our pursuit of a greener community and keeping up with the community's transition to electric vehicles, we are partnering with JOLT to deploy eight more free public charging stations across the Beaches. We've identified eight locations providing good accessibility and convenience. Take a look and provide your comments by this Sunday.  

Council has an excellent opportunity for local businesses to help them gain exposure and raise the profile of our community's unique character and offerings with a Shop Local campaign. We're looking to work with interested businesses to develop photography and videography content, so if you are a business owner or know someone who might be interested, learn more and express your interest.

Finally, excitement is in the air as we embrace the FIFA Women's World Cup. Make the most of this event by watching the matches at one of our local venues and supporting our beloved local businesses. It's also a great opportunity to meet new people and strengthen the bonds within our community. Check with your favourite venues for screening times.

Have a great weekend.

I recently learnt that our local area has one of the highest rates of volunteering in the country. Clearly our community knows that volunteering is a meaningful way to contribute to our community and create positive change.

Our thriving network of individuals supporting community services offered by Council includes more than 800 dedicated volunteers. From delivering library books to protecting our marine life and hosting community Meals on Wheels lunches, they are all making a huge difference in our community. There are also many more people offering their time to charities, not for profits and schools.  

Volunteering at Council just got a whole lot easier with our new online platform called Be Collective. It’s designed to connect people wanting to volunteer with meaningful volunteer opportunities available at Council. If you are interested in signing up, it’s open to everyone. You can learn more and view current opportunities here.

Thank you to all our current volunteers for your support and dedication to our community. It is your passion and commitment that make the Northern Beaches the vibrant and extraordinary place that it is.

A big shout out to all the amazing local businesses recognised in the Local Business Awards on Tuesday night. Council was honoured to once again be the major sponsor for the Disability Inclusion Award and Business Sustainability Award categories. 

Inclusion is a fundamental value that we uphold on the Beaches, and I believe everyone, regardless of their abilities, deserves equal opportunities and access to all aspects of community life. Our Disability Inclusion Award aims to recognise and honour businesses that have that have gone above and beyond in promoting disability inclusion, removing barriers and promoting accessibility within our community. 

Local businesses also play a vital role in driving positive change and setting an example for others to follow regarding sustainability. This is why we sponsor the Business Sustainability Award that recognises and celebrates local businesses that have made outstanding efforts towards creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly community. 

Congratulations to all the winners. You can read more about them here. 

Have a lovely weekend.