RPAYC Commodore Julia Hornsby. Photo: RPAYC
Retiring RPAYC Commodore Rob McClelland hands over to incoming RPAYC Commodore Julia Hornsby. Photo: RPAYC
An active RPAYC member for more than two decades, Hornsby has served as Vice Commodore from 2023 to 2026, Director, Rear Commodore Activities from 2018 to 2021 and Chair of the Alfred’s Community Sailing Program. She brings deep experience in governance, sailing, volunteer leadership and community engagement.
“I am incredibly honoured to be elected as the first female Commodore of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club,” Julia Hornsby said. “I look forward to working alongside our talented members and staff to continue the Club’s tradition of brilliance, embrace the opportunities ahead and help lead RPAYC towards its 160th anniversary in October 2027.”
Hornsby’s election follows sustained service across the Club, including the Heritage, Maintenance and Development, and Race Management, and leadership of Alfred’s Community Sailing, which introduces people from the wider community to the sport.
As Chair of the Organising Authority for the 2025 International Hansa Class Association World and Para World Championships, Hornsby led RPAYC and its partner organisations in delivering an inclusive championship for more than 200 sailors from 18 countries.
Her contribution was recognised in 2025 when she was named Australian Sailing’s national and NSW/ACT Volunteer of the Year and RPAYC Volunteer of the Year. Julia has also received a Northern Beaches Community Service Award and was the RPAYC's Clubman of the Year (2016-17).
An active sailor across the Club’s weekday, twilight, inshore, estuary and feature racing events, Julia Hornsby also brings senior professional experience in clinical immunology, molecular diagnostics and regulatory affairs, together with formal director and sailing qualifications.
This Issue's Profile of the Week shares a few insights from Commodore Hornsby on why volunteerism and “The Alfreds” is so important to her.
Pelé, the Pelican came out of the Taronga Zoo Wildlife hospital on Tuesday August 18 and was released back to his home fishing grounds, Narrabeen Lagoon. The young people and parents and grandparents who had helped rescue him gathered to welcome him home and watch him return to the water.
Pelé had spent around a month at the Sydney Taronga Wildlife Hospital after the above youngsters and their parents and one grandmother helped rescue him, with the help of Sydney Wildlife volunteers Jacqui Marlowe and Joseph and Eira Battaglia.
See report from earlier this month: Pelé the Pelican – discarded Fish hooks and Lines caused this local Narrabeen Lagoon Seabird to ask for help: rescued by community members + Sydney Wildlife - Turtle + Penguin also in care due to fishing tackle - please don't leave your hooks and lines where wildlife lives
Taronga’s two Wildlife Hospitals, at Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo, are responsible for maintaining the health of close to 1,500 wildlife cases every year, and are the largest provider of wildlife veterinary services in NSW.
They conduct around 200 surgeries per month, have helped save 7 native species form extinction, and have released over 50,000 animals back into the wild.
The aim of the Wildlife Hospitals is to rehabilitate as many native animals as possible for release back to the wild. The variety of animals treated is enormous, ranging from stranded seals and orphaned baby bats, to pelicans tangled in fishing line. All these animals need professional care and attention during the treatment and rehabilitation process to ensure they can be returned to their natural environment.
When an animal is brought to one of the two hospitals, the encounter details are recorded to ensure the animal is returned to its habitat. Whenever possible the rescuer is involved in the eventual release of the animal.
The expertise of the Taronga team, comprising of Veterinarians, Vet Nurses, Veterinary Pathologists and Zoo Nutritionists, have decades of experience, allowing the Taronga Wildlife Hospitals to deliver first-class care to a wide range of Australian and exotic animals.
Libby Hall, Manager at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital, who has been working in this area for forty years and credits the young children who helped rescue Pelé as those who saved him, shared insights into his treatment.
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Libby Hall, Manager at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital, with Pelé's rescuers
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Libby Hall with Sydney Wildlife volunteers Eira Battaglia and Jacqui Marlowe
Into the water he goes:
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Into the sky he goes;
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On Sunday August 16 a combined service of the local Sub-Branches to honour the courage, service and sacrifice of Australians who served during the Vietnam War and commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, one of the most significant engagements in Australia's military history, was held at Palm Beach RSL.
On 18 August 1966, soldiers from D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, faced overwhelming odds and engaged a much larger Viet Cong and North Vietnamese force in a rubber plantation near Long Tan, in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam.
After three hours of intense fighting in difficult conditions, 18 Australians were killed and 24 were wounded.
The Battle of Long Tan has become an enduring part of Australia's military history and remains a defining moment for those who served in the Vietnam War.
Sixty years later, the legacy of Long Tan continues to resonate across generations. Vietnam Veterans' Day provides an opportunity to recognise not only those who served on the battlefield, but also the families, loved ones and communities who supported them during and after the conflict.
Around 80 representatives and Vietnam Veterans mustered at the corner of Iluka and Barrenjoey roads Palm Beach to march, led by the Knox Old Boys Pipe Band and Pittwater House Cadets, to the Palm Beach RSL Cenotaph.
The marchers were welcomed by Mark Ferguson OAM, President of the Sub-Branch and a Vietnam Veteran, with the Commemorative Service MC’d by Sub-Branch member David Good.
Doug McGrath, President of the 9 RAR Association, gave the Commemorative Address:
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Doug McGrath, President of the 9 RAR Association
Honoured guests, serving and former ADF members, your families, ladies and gentlemen. I'm deeply honoured to represent all Vietnam Veterans at our service here today on the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. In this presentation I will offer an insight into the life of an infantry combat soldier, particularly that of a National Serviceman.
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On Friday 21 August 2026 Australian Sailing announced the finalists in the 2026 NSW & ACT Sailing Awards. The NSW & ACT Sailing Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements, dedication and contributions of sailors, clubs, coaches, officials, volunteers and industry leaders from across our sailing community. Congratulations to all finalists recognised this year for their excellence both on and off the water!
Among those locals nominated are the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's Lyndall Patterson in the Female Sailor of the Year category.
Dr Lyndall Patterson grew up on Sydney’s north shore and began sailing with her younger brother, Michael Coxon, an accomplished sailor and Sydney-to Hobart racer, at the Hunters Hill junior sailing club. At age 11, she won her first Australian title in a sabot dinghy at Gosford in 1966. In 1977, she won the inaugural World Women’s Sailing Championship.
Lyndall was Australian Yachtswoman of the Year in 2010-2011 and was also the winner of the 2010 Laser Grand Master Worlds sailed at Hayling Island, UK.
The wins have kept coming including at the 2026 ILCA 6 Masters World Championship in Athens, Greece, securing podium finishes against some of the world’s best masters sailors. Hosted by the Nautical Club of Kalamaki from 30 May to 7 June, the championship attracted more than 400 competitors from around 40 nations, racing on the waters of the Saronic Gulf.
Lyndall Patterson produced an exceptional series in the highly competitive Great Grand Masters division (65–74 years), finishing as the first female Great Grand Master and placing 13th overall in a fleet of 51 sailors. Her result earned her the Great Grand Masters Women’s world title and a place on the championship podium.
Finalists for Female Sailor of the Year alongside Dr. Patterson include Sarah Lee and Zoe Dransfield of the Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club.
At Manly 16ft Skiff Club, a record number of females are entering the various classes on the back of the path paved by some of Australia’s finest women sailors. The likes of former Flying 11s national champion Zoe Dransfield and an Australian 16ft champion skipper, Sarah Lee, are inspiring the next generation with their deeds and actions. Zoe is part of an exciting young crop of female sailors emerging - or having already arrived - on the 16s circuit.
That brings us to the finalists among the She Sails awards which sees Pittwater’s RPAYC named as a finalist for the club’s Women's Sailing Courses. The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club just elected its first female Commodore in Julia Hornsby, who runs as Profile this week, underlining the club’s culture is firmly embedded in supporting female sailing.
SheSails is an Australian Sailing initiative to recognise all of the amazing female contributors to the sport, and to encourage women of all ages to enjoy sailing. It is all about enjoying your sailing adventure in a fun, friendly and safe environment. Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club is committed to recognising and supporting females through sail training, club events and volunteering opportunities.
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club has introduced SheSails regattas to its annual sailing program. The SheSails Open Regatta is a fantastic opportunity for female sailors to participate in one-design race training onboard the RPAYC fleet of Elliott 7 keelboats, with a focus on having fun, developing skills, and meeting new people. Together with these regattas the club also hosts its Women’s Tuesday Twilight Series during daylight savings and runs regular Adult Learn to Sail courses for women to enjoy sailing together.
The Bayview Yacht Racing Association (BYRA) has been named as a finalist in the Innovation Award category this year for the BYRA Boatbuilding Program, which is finishing up next Sunday, August 30. This program sold out, ran from May 17, and included; Workshop Induction & Safety Training, Hull & Structural Assembly, Fairing & Reinforcement, Foils, Fittings & Rigging, Painting & Finishing, and will include a Launch Day and Milestone Celebrations as well as a Transition Into Sailing Pathway.
Delivered by experienced BYRA mentors and supervisors, the BYRA Boatbuilding Program has shared knowledge on workshop safety procedures, PPE requirements and safe tool systems, and has been an inclusive and supportive learning environment for those who took part.
The Saltwater Veterans Sailing Project has five nominations, with Scotty Reynolds and wife Jen and their great team taking it to the water all over the state, creating connections and joy for Veterans in a program that was tested right here, on Pittwater.
Profile of the Week Julia Hornsby: First Female Commodore of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, PittwaterJulia Hornsby has earned a University of Sydney Master of Science (Immunology) 1982-1988, holds a University of Technology Sydney Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry) 1970-1975, studied at UNSW (Drug Development) 2008, and the Western Sydney University (Management) 1997.
However, it is her volunteer work as a member of the Warriewood Residents Association, the Zonta Club of the Northern Beaches - being President 2021-2022, as Assistant Secretary to the Australasian College of Biomedical Scientists, of which she is also a Fellow, and her years as a Member of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, that Julia has become known for. In 2025 Julia was presented with a New South Wales Parliament Community Recognition from Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby. This was followed by being named the NSW/ ACT and Australian Sailing's 'Volunteer of the Year'.
At the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 23 July 2026, history was made again when members elected Julia Hornsby as their next Commodore, making her the first female to hold the office in the Club’s history. Julia officially commenced the honour at the close of the Annual General Meeting.
This week, a chat with the new RPAYC Commodore as the club heads into its 159th Season and towards its 160th Anniversary.
History Great Photo of 1906 Charabancs To Narrabeen-Rock Lily- Pittwater turns up in a roof cavity: Vroom Vroom time!
Park Bench Philosophers Ocean time travellers return with secrets of the Great Barrier Reef: CSIRO - Australian scientists and Traditional Owners of Sea Country have returned from a landmark voyage of discovery to help tell the story of the past, present and future of the southern Great Barrier Reef.
Community News Congratulations Josh Holmes + Rats Colts, Council's Statement of Recognition and Commitment celebrates continuing connection to country, Council seeks ideas to Enliven Manly Town Hall, Northern Beaches Para Surfer BC: September event, big tops to treetops: Two free family events to delight the kids, Avalon Public School 75 Years Celebrations, SOS Mona Vale Agenda monthly meeting: August, Avalon Public School Fete: September 20 2026, Seasonal Bushfire Outlook: Spring 2026, Summer Footy at Hitchy for youngsters, Coming up at Kimbriki, Get Ready Weekend 2026, 24Hour Row 2026 for Gotcha4Life, ABHS AGM September Meeting Notice, Wakehurst Parkway September 2026 Works Notification, Richard Scruby SC appointed to Supreme Court of NSW, Funding opens for local projects supporting young people and safer communities, Wes Thomas Recovery Support Fund, Connecting with Country and Culture through bush foods: Narrabeen, SAREX Training Day at Whale Beach, McCarrs Creek landslide: works update, Monika's Doggie Rescue Pets of the Week: Muffin + Ollie, New campaign puts battery fire risk in the spotlight, NDIS Reform: Have your say on the future of Supported Independent Living, Allambie Heights Woman charged: drugs seized during search warrant, McCarrs Creek landslide: works update, SSD: Residential Flat Building - 45-47 Elimatta Road and 1667- 1671 Pittwater Road Mona Vale, Mixed-Use Development- 1294-1300 Pittwater Road & 2-4 Albert Street, Narrabeen - 'Abadeen', Connecting with Country and Culture through bush foods, Notice of Works: Submarine Cable Installation Palm Beach to Umina Beach, Trees Vandalised at Careel Bay waterfront, Help make Pittwater a Declared Community Improvement District, Stop Lies in Political Advertising: NSW Parliament Petition, Celebrating 80 years of North Palmy SLSC!!, Marine Rescue Broken Bay Christmas Raffle, Sporting Organisation Support Program Grants, Defib funding returns for NSW clubs, 2027 Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging), Grants now open to prevent gender-based violence, $5.5 million to keep our surf clubs beach ready, Discover Sailing Day Resources Now Available, SNB Surf Sports Calendar for 2026-2027, Avalon Community Library Needs Volunteers, Pittwater Residents Associations, Sports, Environment and Social Groups, Pittwater Offshore Newsletter, Local JP's, + more
Environment Seasonal Bushfire Outlook: Spring 2026, Get Ready Weekend 2026, Crossbench secures 2040 deadline for renewable energy CGT Concessions, Crossbench MPs demand broad review and ambitious reform of Australia’s central climate policy, Framework for NSW Data Centres Released, AI companies look to the ocean as a place to put more data centres, Additional H5 positive birds confirmed in Narooma and Merimbula, More than 5,000 little penguins will be vaxxed against bird flu. How will this protect them?, From the coasts to the plains bird flu could threaten not just birds – but their homes, The first wave of bird flu is the worst: what Australia can learn from overseas, Sydney Spring Garden Competition: entries close Sept. 21, Connecting with Country and Culture through bush foods at Narrabeen, Stony Range Spring Festival 2026: September 13, PNHA Activities 2026, National Parks protect Southern Right Whales with new ‘stay away’ distance of up to 500 metres, The world’s biggest trees could hold the secret to coping with drought, We’re building a New York‑sized city every month. That’s worrying for our climate, Australia’s EV sales are skyrocketing. Our charging infrastructure may soon struggle to keep up, Parasite linked to ‘mushy fish’ could be much more widespread than thought, People are more likely to ditch the car and use an e‑bike if they feel confident and safe, Want to fully electrify your house? Don’t start with a battery, Hydrogen microgrids could help power remote communities – but beware the hype, Australian beekeepers can’t tackle Varroa mite alone. Here’s how we can help, Poor genetic health threatens many species – but it’s fixable, Crocodiles can’t fly. Birds can. Scientists have finally figured out why, Mona Vale Dunes bushcare group: 2026, Bangalley Headland WPA 2026, Sydney Wildlife Needs People for the Rescue Line, 2025-26 Seal Reveal underway, 622kg of Rubbish Collected from Beaches: Adopt your local beach program, This Tick Season: Freeze it - don't squeeze it, Protect wildlife: dispose of fishing gear responsibly, Notice of 1080 Poison Baiting, Volunteers for Barrenjoey Lighthouse Tours needed, Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Recycling Batteries: at Mona Vale + Avalon Beach, Reporting Dogs Offleash - Dog Attacks to Council, Plastic Bread Ties For Wheelchairs, Stay Safe From Mosquitoes, Mountain Bike Incidents On Public Land, Report fox sightings, marine wildlife rescue group on the Central Coast, Possums In Your Roof?: do the right thing, Aviaries + Possum Release Sites Needed, Bushcare in Pittwater: where + when, Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Activities, Pittwater Gardens, Environment Groups and Organisations in Pittwater, Ringtail Posses, Pittwater Environment History insights + Walks, Birds +
Children Sunday Cartoon and Animations This week: "Swing to the Moon" by ESMA, Pelé the Pelican returns Home to Narrabeen Lagoon, Lost Sydney: Real Photographs from 1870–1910 Brought to Life, The Narrabeen Tramline, Sport and events for you coming up, 2026 Premier's Reading Challenge, Winter Wattle story for you, Curious Kids: why do we have fingernails and toenails? + will I go blind if I shut my eyes and face the Sun? + what makes a shooting star fall? + where are all the other galaxies hidden? + what’s the tallest skyscraper it’s possible to build?, Stories this week: How to Make an Apple Pie + 'That Cat Can't Stay' read by Haley Lu Richardson, Local activities and clubs for you
Youth Pelé the Pelican returns Home to Narrabeen Lagoon, 2026 HSC exams begin for 13,000 students, Students launch into Australian rocketry history, Student orchestra strikes a chord for charity, Lost Sydney: Real Photographs from 1870–1910 Brought to Life, Narrabeen Tramline, Opportunities: Row with Avalon Beach SLSC Boaties this Season + Surf with Newport Plus + OptiChicks 2026 + Nature Writing Prize 2026 Now Open to Enter + 80 years of North Palmy SLSC + 2026 Premier's Reading Challenge, Financial help for young people, School Leavers Support, Word Of The Week: Brief, Want to muck around with a real quantum computer? Now you can, A brief history of embroidery – and how to get started yourself, Aliens at 40: from wearable cameras to exoskeletons, here are the technologies the film predicted, Galactic archaeologists find stars in the Milky Way came from another galaxy 12 billion years ago, Retro smartphone accessories are trending, but ‘untethering’ isn’t for everyone, Australian children’s classics: Storm Boy’s tough, tender ode to wild childhood will make you cry, Local Services 4U
Seniors Happy 80th Birthday Geoff Searl!, Australia’s Aviation Pioneers and the Mystery of Southern Cloud: 1959, More work needed to improve aged care assessments and reduce wait times: COTA, Certainty for older Australians and aged care providers on CHSP, CHSP extension provides certainty; focus must now be on delivering care: COTA, Helping Australians reduce their dementia risk, A brief history of embroidery – and how to get started yourself, Pittwater- Narrabeen Parkinson's Support Group 2026 Meetings, Nature Writing Prize 2026 Now Open to Enter, Avalon Community Library Needs Volunteers, AvPals Term 3 2026 Schedule, What if we stopped treating social care like a service? A small village community in Yorkshire showed me another way, Why long gaps between meals may not be healthy for older people – new study, These 5 Australian novels will get your book club talking – and enjoying a good disagreement, Pittwater Probus, Local groups, clubs, events and services for you
Aquatics Pelé the Pelican returns Home to Narrabeen Lagoon
DIY Ideas DIY Fathers' Day ideas for the Gardening-BBQing Dad
Pictures Snapperman Beach, Pittwater: 1790-2026
Food Silver beet - Spinach
Silver beet and Spinach is in season now, and like all seasonal crops, rises to keep balance in all that may ail thee throughout every season of every year. High in Vitamin C as well as Vitamin A, this leafy green vegetable will support your immune system through the sniffle season and act as de-tox for all those other poisons that may arise during the last month of winter.
This Issue a range of silver beet and spinach recipes which you can serve as mains or side dishes. The classic Spanikopita is also delicious cold.
Inbox News Long‑awaited gambling reform bill is an improvement, but does not go nearly far enough to reduce harm + Bipartisan deal on gambling includes a review after three years, 4,000‑year‑old rock painting in Indonesia offers clues to one of humanity’s greatest migrations, Do you pay rent with a credit card? Soon you may not have the option, Debt collector Marshall Freeman pays penalties for alleged undue harassment and misleading consumers: ACCC, Australia needs more people who think like scientists. Here’s what that means, Can vitamin C cure a cold? How a Nobel Prize winner convinced us it could, Worried your toddler isn’t getting enough iron? Here’s what parents need to know, Young men are ‘voicemaxxing’ to sound more attractive. But women aren’t impressed, Disability Advocacy in NSW: $75 million investment announced by State Government, ASIC warns scammers are using AI to spin vast webs of deception, Scam Alert: Scammers impersonating ASIC in email spear phishing scam, For Indigenous people connection to Country can be a preventive health measure, Is bird flu infecting humans? How would we know?, With NDIS changes set to pass; here’s who bears the cost of making it ‘sustainable’
Events Down to Earth Space opening at Newport this September, North Palmy Surf Club Anniversary Celebrations Author Talks, PNHA Walks, Music at all compass points, Markets, Social Groups + more on!
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A mate of Pelé the Pelican feeding at Narrabeen Lagoon - Tuesday August 18 2026
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