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Barwon Heads Association
President’s Report 2011
It is with pleasure I present the President’s Annual Report.
During this year the Association has fulfilled its functions very well – being a forum for providing and exchanging ideas and proposals for the betterment of our community, continuing to maintain an organisation which can respond to the challenges faced in our village and which can enlist large numbers to present a particular case to the levels of Government and their agencies.
The BHA was active in organising a petition to oppose naming of the traffic bridge and keeping it known as the Barwon Heads Bridge. This action was successful except that VicRoads still wants to find a name for the pedestrian bridge.
The BHA Traffic and Parking group led by Paul Fox and Sandy Gatehouse continued to press for action on the Report submitted to the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) in 2009. In particular it became obvious that a group comprising people from CoGG, VicRoads, Barwon Coast Committee of Management, the BHA, The Barwon Heads Primary School and the Barwon Heads Traders and Tourism Association still needs to be formed along the same lines as the one for Ocean Grove. This was requested informally before last year and repeated in a letter to Cr Richards on 13th April 2010 and discussed with the CEO of CoGG on 18th June 2010 and 5th May 2011.
As well as the issues in that Report, action needs to be taken on the completion of stage 5 of the Ring Road as soon as possible, (that is to provide an effective traffic by-pass of Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads), research needs to be carried out to find the best ways to prioritise community laneways and pathways in the promotion of safe walking and cycling routes (especially in the 13th Beach area), and lower the speed limits throughout our village. This last has happened except for Golf Links Road which is still an ‘arterial road’ (with a speed limit of 60 kph) even though it passes the front of our Primary School and the new kindergarten (when it is built). A new set of issues has arisen with the, at times, heavy use of the new skate park and the foot traffic in its environs. All these need much consultation within a structure as mentioned above.
Liddy Neville has constructed and maintained a very professional database backed web site accessed at www.barwonheadsassociation.com where loads of information about the BHA can be found, including our minutes which provide details of items discussed in this report. During the year a number of trials were completed and choices made to arrive at the present site. The next step is probably to get some more technical help to implement some of the increasingly necessary services including electronic communications ability and social media capability so that BHA members and others can use the website to communicate in a variety of ways, according to their needs and preferences.
John Burke has led a group of committee members and members in a wide ranging review of the functions and purposes of the BHA. Each iteration of this review has been brought back to ordinary meetings and through this process soon we hope to achieve a revitalised vision, purpose and strategic method of operation in our community.
The BHA was involved in asking questions of the candidates in the State Elections, and replies were received from Keith Oakley, Heather Wellington, Simon Northeast and Andrew Katos.
I have continued to represent the BHA on the Affiliation of Bellarine Community Associations, which is becoming an important voice for us and our neighbouring communities. We recently had a productive meeting the Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy, David Koch MLC and Andrew Katos MLA and another with the CEO of CoGG Stephen Griffith and some of his council officers.
Our Secretary Sandy Gatehouse attended the Council run Barwon Heads Forum which was very successful.
Presentations provided during the year were:
• Peter Hibbert from Building Bellarine Connections spoke about the establishment many kinds of community connections This group was formed in 2009 and our representatives on it are Richard Hastings, John Burke and Sandy Gatehouse.
• Margarita Kumnick from the South Grovedale Community Action Group presented their views about Section 4C of the Geelong Ring Road.
• Jacky Scally gave us a talk her research on the impacts of climate change on Barwon Heads.
• Bob Jordan, General Manager of Barwon Coast Committee of Management provided an introduction to this committee and its local membership. He then talked about the 13th Beach access trails.
• Ross Harrison and John Duthie presented their views on the fragility of the environment around 13th beach and its dune systems. After much discussion the meeting adopted motions opposing the Barwon Coast plans and calling for much reduced speed limits on the 13th Beach road.
• The new State Parliament Member for South Barwon Andrew Katos MLA spoke and discussed many issues with those who attended.
• Darren Roskosch, Principal of the Primary School and Sally Ford, Chair of the Parents Association, gave us details of the developments under way and proposed for the future.
• Councillor Andy Richards talked about the Barwon Heads Forum.
• Graeme Smith, Tom O’Connor and Kerry Bell from The Committee for Bellarine Inc. provided a presentation on who this committee are and what they proposed to do.
I wish to thank all the BHA Committee for their efforts during the year, especially our Secretary, Sandy Gatehouse and our Treasurer, Anthea Merriwether. Also earning our gratitude are Judith Brooks our co-opted Vice President who stood in for me when I had to be absent, Elissa Ashton-Smith who took the minutes in Sandy’s stead, and Trish Clayton who printed news of the Association in her Talking Heads. Kate Suter in particular has done, and continues to do, a sterling job with our data bases and mail outs. It is unfortunate that the resignation of Anthea Merriwether leaves us missing both the efforts she gave and her ability to represent the largest demographic in our community.
Geoffrey Waite - President
JULY CHOMP
Here are the Starfish Bakery winners of a competition for slow cookers in the July issue
Spiced Lamb Shanks
4 lamb shanks
½ cup dried apricots
½ cup pitted prunes
¼ cup sugar
1 cup water
½ cup tomato paste
2 tabs. White vinegar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
Place lamb shanks into the slow cooker and add apricots and prunes
Combine sugar, water, tomato paste and vinegar mix well
Pour this mixture over the shanks
Sprinkle over the spice, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours I usually use the low temp.
As shanks vary in size, frenched ones are smaller and other cuts can be large, if you have the larger ones you may like to double the ingredients if you have 4 large shanks.
Serve with mashed anything!
Osso Buco
& Citrus Sprinkle
6 medium pcs osso buco
100mL extra virgin olive oil
2 lge brown onions & 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 chopped sticks of celery
3 diced carrots
2 anchovy fillets
1 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1large can tomatoes, mashed
1 cup beef stock
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme & fresh sage
1 large sprig of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place all into your slow cooker and toss with hand. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours
Citrus sprinkle
Place zest of 1 orange and one lemon
3 minced cloves garlic
½ cup well chopped parsley
In a small bowl and mix together. Serve Osso Buco sprinkled with above mix alongside lightly steamed green vegetables and cooked ribbon pasta with green salad
Chick pea
& Veg Curry
2 cans chick peas - drained
4 ea chunked carrots/turnips
2 red onions- chunked
2 cans roma tomatoes + juice
1 fennel bulb cut into wedges
8 cloves peeled garlic- chunked
cut white part off silverbeet, slice & add (chop & keep leaf)
2 tbs red or yellow curry paste
Mix curry paste with 1/4 cup olive oil then place in slow cooker and toss. Cook on low for 4 hours. Add 1 cup yoghurt and a small tin of coconut cream and the silverbeet leaves. Check liquid and add 1 cup water if necessary. Cook a further ½ hour then season with salt and ground black pepper.
APRIL CHOMP
Here are a couple of recipes using seasonal capsicums from my up-coming recipe book which has been 3 years in the making!
Chicken, red capsicums, rosemary stew with a LOT of garlic!
8 chicken thighs
8 unpeeled cloves of garlic
3 red capsicums, de-seeded & cut into strips
1 red onion- chopped
white part of 1 leek- sliced
6 chopped Roma tomatoes
2 tbs pitted & halved black olives
1 tbs pitted & halved green olives
3 sprigs rosemary leaves
splash of balsamic vinegar
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
2 tsp miso dissolved in ½ cup water
salt & pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 220 then layer all ingredients (except salt & pepper) in a large casserole and toss around with hands...cover and cook for 20 minutes...turn heat down to 180 and cook for a further 1 hour...remove lid and cook a further 20 minutes...remove from oven, taste & season...serve with rice, quinoa or hot buttered noodles and greens.
FEBRUARY CHOMP
We ran out of time for January to include this delicious salad my son made for our family Christmas and it’s worth sharing with you...
Fattoush
(Lebanese summer salad)
1 round Lebanese bread
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 Lebanese cucumbers, finely diced
(if very fresh, no need to peel)
2 tomatoes, finely diced
½ cup radish, finely diced
½ red capsicum, finely diced
½ green capsicum, finely diced
4 spring onions, finely diced
2 tbs fresh mint, finely chopped
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
Dressing...
juice of 2 lemons
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil salt and freshly ground pepper
to taste...brush bread with olive oil...bake in med oven until crisp...when cool, crumple in your hands until it breaks into pieces....combine the rest of the ingredients with the bread and using your hands, toss with the dressing...we used what was in the cupboard which was day old sourdough broken into small pieces and fried in oil then drained very well...
Great and refreshing on its own or served with...
Grilled lemon chicken pieces
Marinade 8 chicken thighs in the juice of one lemon, 2 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs worcestershire sauce, 8 cloves crushed garlic, leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme, ½ tsp each of paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper & ground sumac, overnight...turning once...remove from marinade and grill until cooked...serve with a warm sauce of juice of 1 lemon,, 2 tbs melted butter & 2 tbs worcestershire sauce...
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I think we're in danger of losing what's unique about 13th Beach through a lack of forward planning and lousy consultation.
Barwon Coast are currently advertising a proposal for 'off-road' trails to the Surf Life Saving Club. But they haven't said anything about their overall vision for 13th Beach.
Did you know that in addition to the current proposal, they're also planning trails through the dunes the whole length of 13th Beach Rd from Ewing Blyth Dve to Black Rock (as per Barwon Coast Trail Strategy 2004) PLUS bike lanes along the whole length of 13th Beach Road i.e. extra 1.5m bitumen each side of the road (G21 Bicycle Infrastructure Group) PLUS a 'Round the Heads Trail' which would go through Macafee's/McNaughton's land, through the Ramsar-listed Murtnagurt wetland and the dunes (even though the Round the Heads Trail was dumped by Council)?
It's overkill! Do we really want or need all of this expensive infrastructure? We're told the current proposal “minimises impacts on the significant environmental and cultural values of the coastal reserve”. How?
If safety really is an issue, why not simply slow the traffic to 40k or 50k (at least up to the Surf Life Saving Club, and at least during summer) and harden the shoulders of the road to make it easier for bikes. To me, that seems like the best balance between providing access to the beach, sensible road use and preservation of the dune habitat which is critical to the scenic qualities, the biodiversity (rated State conservation significance) and the physical stability of this soft erodible landscape. And what about a shuttle bus over peak summer.
Who is going to use this new route? How many people would walk to the Surf Life Saving Club along Golf Links Rd, Stephens Pde (literally on the road) and then along the proposed new trail from Signies to the SLSC … a round trip of between 6k and 11k? Are kids with surfboards going to ride down Stephens Pde to get to the surf? Barwon Coast themselves have said these kids must be able to see the surf otherwise they won't use a trail.
I think the current proposal is unlikely to serve any purpose. Enough is enough! Let's call a stop to the ad hoc urbanisation of this beautiful rugged coast, which should be preserved as a world-class stretch of wild surf beach.
Elissa Ashton-Smith
Barwon Heads
www.13thbeach.wordpress.com |
