On Thursday May 7 the council announced it has submitted a development application (DA) for the new community facility at Narrabeen Lake, marking an important step forward in delivering improved amenities and services for club users and the local community.
After a fire destroyed the previous facilities in 2021, the proposed replacement building will offer increased storage areas for clubs such as sailing, model boat and dragon boat groups. It will also provide a café for public and club use, accessible shower and toilet amenities, watercraft facilities and a meeting room available to both the public and clubs.
Mayor Sue Heins said it’s gratifying to see progress made on the Narrabeen Lake amenities at Jamieson Park.
"This facility will transform our community space, offering greater access and improved amenities for all residents.
“We’re committed to creating a sustainable and inclusive environment that everyone can enjoy.
“Council undertook lengthy negotiations with the insurance company to secure proper compensation for the destroyed structure to enable funding of the new amenities," said Mayor Heins.
view towards canteen
The design prioritises accessibility and inclusivity, featuring improved public amenities, accessible toilets, compliant access ramps and wheelchair-friendly structures to cater for people with disability or limited mobility.
Sustainability measures have been integrated, including solar panels, rainwater reuse systems and passive energy design. The building design has taken an environmentally sensitive approach, respecting the surrounding lake and its flora and fauna.
The council stated a proportion of the funding for this project is provided by the Special Rate Variation with additional funds seeking to be sourced through grants.
Development will begin as soon as practical after the DA is approved. Council will keep the community updated on progress and timelines.
Council's Development Application (DA206/0489) will be assessed by the independent Local Planning Panel and is open for comment from 11 May to 8 June 2026.
The updated designs provide for:
- a cafe
- water sport facilities
- Narrabeen Sailing Club boat storage and facilities
- storage for model boats and dragon boats
- a meeting room
- public amenities at the rear of the building.
The council stated that, subject to DA approval, they anticipate commencing construction works in late 2027 for completion 12 months later in 2028.
The works, as per the DA webpage, are currently costed at $ 5,341,661.00, where residents may also access the Architectural Drawings.
For further information visit the NBC website.
Last December, Surfing NSW – the state’s peak body for surfing – received an additional $650,000 investment from the Minns Government as part of the record $30 million Shark Management Program over the 2025/26 summer.
See Sunday December 7 announcement: Minns Government announces $2.5 million boost to summer beach safety with immediate extra shark surveillance drones
The funding has enabled Surfing NSW to launch an expanded drone shark surveillance program including comprehensive training for a new cohort of volunteer drone pilots.
Beginning with the peninsula, a further 60 drones will be rolled out to 60 unequipped clubs across NSW, and 125 pilots will be trained by the end of Winter. This ensures that every board rider club has a drone and trained pilots.
The enhancement package for Surfing NSW is a significant step in honouring Mercury Psillakis — a respected member of Long Reef Boardriders and a deeply valued figure within the local board riding community, who lost his life through a shark attack.
See September 2025: Narrabeen to Manly Beaches Closed After Fatal Shark Incident
Each drone deployed through the expanded program will carry Mercury’s name, ensuring his legacy lives on through a safer future for surfers.
The drones will support board rider clubs during events and training sessions, providing an additional layer of safety for surfers and the broader beachgoing community, particularly outside of patrolled locations and hours.
Following the Manly to Barrenjoey rollout, the program will extend across Sydney’s southern beaches before two regional based training courses — one north and one south — completing delivery to all remaining clubs, including Newcastle and Wollongong.
Drone operations will run year-round, with trained pilots able to identify high-risk species and monitor activity in real time. In the event of a shark sighting during a club event or training session, in the absence of direction from local beach authorities, activity will be paused with a minimum 30-minute stand-down before resuming if no further sightings occur.
In just a matter of months, the program will double the number of clubs equipped and trained, marking one of the most significant community-led safety uplifts in NSW surfing. The next phase will focus on increasing pilot numbers within each club to further strengthen coverage and reduce volunteer load.
As part of the NSW Government’s $30 million Shark Management Program all drone surveillance operations will have any shark sighting or warning uploaded to the SharkSmart app to allow beachgoers to make an informed decision before entering the water.
All water users are encouraged to download the Sharksmart app for near real-time shark activity information and alerts to help stay safe.
NSW Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. Tara Moriarty, said:
“For the Minns Government, beach safety for swimmers and surfers is a top priority, and this announcement today of another shark surveillance drone rollout is clear evidence of our commitment being put into action.
“I want to thank the Psillakis family who have been proponents of drone surveillance since the death of Mercury following a shark attack at Dee Why Beach last September.
“We spoke together last year about increasing protection for boardriders and recognising the role of surfers in beach safety as a legacy for Mercury.
“This comprehensive drones and training program for Surfing NSW ensures every club has a drone and trained pilots, which is a significant contribution to honouring his legacy.
“This will materially lift community-led coastal surveillance during the White Shark season of winter and spring and heading into next summer. This significantly extends drone coverage and in-air time across beaches to enhance safety for surf boardriders and swimmers during competition, training and surf schools.
“This coverage by Surfing NSW is a significant supplement to the scheduled periods of drone surveillance by Surf Life Saving NSW, which I have also just extended from April to June 30 2026 at 14 beach sites, 4 of which are on the northern beaches.”
The Psillakis family said:
“We want to sincerely thank Surfing NSW and the NSW Government for this important step forward in shark mitigation and ocean safety.
“The release of these drones in Mercury’s name is deeply meaningful to us and our family. It is an honour that recognises not only his life, but the love we continue to carry for him every day.
“We are truly grateful for the commitment shown here to innovation, to safety and to protecting those who share our coastline.
“There is still more to do, and this must remain an ongoing conversation. Ocean safety, shark mitigation and community protection require continued effort, continued investment, and continued collaboration and we look forward to continuing this work together.”
the Hon. Tara Moriarty and Mike Psillakis, Mercury's twin brother, trying out the drone at Mona Vale on Sunday May 3. Photo: NSW Government
Profile of the Week The Kerry Gleeson Centre, Mona ValeFor more than 15 years, Kerry Gleeson has been a dedicated Lived Experience Practitioner supporting individuals and families across the Manly to Barrenjoey peninsula. Her work spans suicide prevention and postvention, grief support, trauma‑informed care, Mental health and community advocacy. Much of this support is provided voluntarily, especially to people who cannot access or have felt failed by funded services.
Kerry’s voluntary contributions include:
- Supporting families after suicide loss when aftercare services were unavailable
- Advocating for community members experiencing unsafe or inadequate care
- Assisting families facing homelessness after traumatic events
- Facilitating free anxiety support groups for Way Ahead Mental Health
- Co‑facilitating the Bereaved by Suicide group with Lifeline Northern Beaches
- Connecting bereaved parents to reduce isolation
- Chairing the Northern Beaches Council Mental Health Month wellbeing event, coordinating over 25 local services
- Assist Chair for Homelessness Interagency
- Serving on the Avalon Youth Hub Steering Group
- Contributing lived‑experience guidance to the National Suicide Prevention Strategy
Kerry has now establishing The Kerry Gleeson Centre, a not‑for‑profit designed to make this work sustainable and community‑led.
This Issue a few insights into the The Kerry Gleeson Centre, from Kerry Gleeson. Photo: Michale Mannington OAM
History Narrabeen Lakes Sailing Club History Celebration of 121 Summers Spent 'Messing About in Boats'
Inbox News Donations, access and secrecy: 3 tactics tobacco companies use to influence smoking laws, Increasing JobSeeker is long overdue. Here’s how we could do it, without breaking the budget, ‘Demand the impossible’: how lived experience leaders make systems and policy better, Budget provides for new counter‑terrorism centre to fight online threat, Chinese companies are increasingly taking on foreign governments. It’s not just the Port of Darwin, How a sense of awe can be good for your mental health, Should I test for flu at home if I have the sniffles?, ‘Decision fatigue’ could be hurting your health. A nutritionist explains, The artist population of Greater Sydney is shrinking – and becoming less culturally diverse, NSW Government cracking down on domestic violence offenders and organised criminals, Police equipment can be tracked via Bluetooth. What about your phone, watch and headphones?, New Aboriginal-led hubs to connect communities and close the digital gap
Community News Vale Shane Stedman, A tragic loss of two Marine Rescue Ballina volunteers, Northern Beaches Police Area Command: Welcome to the team, Mother's Day Matches: Mona Vale Raiders, Recovery is Prevention: Community Lunch, Retired detectives honoured for courage shown during 1984 Spit Bridge incident, 2026 Sharkskin NSW IRB Premiership: Round 1, Not done Yet: Award Winning Piemaker still at Careel Bay Shops until end of August, Underwater Photos pre-2000 sought, Marine Rescue Cottage Point: Return + Earn, East Coast Invitational hits North Narrabeen Beach Saturday, May 16th!, Over 3 Decades at APS: Celebration of Mrs Weber on her retirement, New recruitment rules in place for early learning providers, Community Participation Plan: Feedback open, New expert group gets to work on prostate cancer, Avalon water mains renewal construction update: from 4 May, Monika's Doggie Rescue Pets of the Week: Luka + Sailor, Warriewood SLSC's Biggest Morning Tea 2026, Anna's Walk 2026 next Sunday May 17, Applications open for grants to improve the lives of people with disability, New movement guidelines for healthier adults, Stop Vertical Seawalls: Petition, $1.2 million grant program to support community-led resilience projects, NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards 2026 Nominations now Open, Have your say on Health Star Ratings, 8-Storey SSD lodged for 35-39 Darley Street, SES Women Helping Women workshop 2026, Pittwater Residents Associations, Sports, Environment and Groups, Pittwater Offshore Newsletter
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Aquatics Merc’s legacy will be part of every boardrider club’s shark surveillance set up: SLSNSW Drone to stay on Peninsula at 4 beaches until June 30
Children Sunday Cartoon and Animations This week: Rabbits Invade Wallace’s Breakfast Table, Bluey is back at Australia Post – for real life, "Umbrellas", How Australia Grew the World’s Best Rice (1959), 2026 Premier's Reading Challenge, Curious Kids: Why do you have to wear a helmet when you’re skateboarding? + how does our brain send signals to our body? + why can’t we tickle ourselves? + Could someone become a superhero in real life? + how do the clouds stay up in the sky? + how does a tower crane go up and down?, Stories this week: The Trouble with Children According to Dog + 'The Most Magnificent Thing' read by Olivia Munn, Local clubs +groups 4U
Youth Pathways for the Future gives insight into post-school choices, Australian Interschools Surfing Championships 2026, New wave of talent at Australian Fashion Week, More free live music added to Vivid Sydney’s Tumbalong Nights, How Australia Grew the World’s Best Rice (1959), Opportunities: East Coast Invitational hits North Narrabeen Beach Saturday, May 16th! + Northern Composure is back – Entries now open + Celebration of Mrs Weber on her retirement + Blokes Night In at Warriewood SLSC: May 15 + 2026 Premier's Reading Challenge, Financial help for young people, School Leavers Support, Word Of The Week: Clunk, From Buddy Holly to Ariana Grande: six songs that show how technology changes the human voice, From fossicking for fossils to a champion for life on Earth: Sir David Attenborough at 100, As David Attenborough turns 100, four experts explore his legacy, from science to storytelling, Ted Turner didn’t just revolutionise television − he changed the way we see our world, Five reasons to add peas into your diet, The other Brontë sister: why do we always forget about Anne?, From Taylor Swift to Bollywood, stars turn to the civil courts to fight deepfakes, Perspectives on a collection: why you should explore New Asian Art at the National Gallery of Australia, How to read the classics in an age of distraction – and 3 short books to get you going, From ancient goddesses to modern peace activists − Mother’s Day celebrates women’s political power, Local services for you
Seniors Seniors’ Stories 2026 Closing this week, Productivity & Equality Commission inquiry into stranded aged care patients, Reform needed to protect consumers and address issues in private health: AMA, NSW Auditor-General’s report into Visiting Medical Officers: Oversight of Visiting Medical Officers, AMA (NSW) statement on the Auditor-General’s VMO report, New expert group gets to work on prostate cancer, From fossicking for fossils to a champion for life on Earth: Sir David Attenborough at 100, Mobility Parking Scheme: Have your say, Grattan on Friday: the Farrer result will set off a willy willy. The budget already has, Why supplements aren’t a shortcut to healthy ageing, Do we absorb information better on paper, rather than screens? It depends on the screen, Five reasons to add peas into your diet, Ted Turner didn’t just revolutionise television − he changed the way we see our world, Local groups, clubs, events and services for you
DIY Ideas Mother's Day 2026: Give Mum some new plants for her Ever Blooming Native Flowering Plants Garden
Mother’s Day flowers will be on Sunday 10 2026 this year. In earlier years the focus here has been on building mum a rose garden, a little step ladder for those higher shelves in the kitchen, or even just getting some lemons and avocadoes sprouting so you provide not only something that smells or looks good, but can be practical too.
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Food Rhubarb: Autumn crops
Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable at its best here in Australia in late Summer and Autumn with a harvest season that lasts for a few months. A bunch costs around $3-4 at this time although prices will rise as the season ends. When preparing rhubarb always remove leaves if they come with the bunch, as they are poisonous.
Rhubarb is a versatile ingredient, best used in classic crumbles, tarts, and jams, or paired with apple, strawberry, ginger, or orange. Favourites include rhubarb custard cake, strawberry-rhubarb jam, roasted rhubarb parfaits, and glazed rhubarb lemon loaf. A few of our favourite sweet and savoury recipes using rhubarb are shared this Issue.
Pictures Pittwater 2026 for Mother's Day by Joe Mills, A J Guesdon, Kevin Murray and Michael Mannington OAM
A few pictures taken so far in 2026 of Pittwater's beauty spots, along with a few favourites of others - for Mother's Day 2026 - a celebration of the beauty, place and nature - from Barrenjoey to Narrabeen, from oceanside to estuary, from headlands to creeks and lagoon, from north to south and east to west.
Events Anna's Walk, East Coast Invitational at North Narrabeen, Bilgola SLSC Open Day, PNHA Events, Author Talks, Walks, Music at all compass points, Markets, Social Groups + more on!