Profile of the Week Mackellar 2025 CandidatesThis Saturday, May 3rd 2025, the 2025 Australian Election will be held. If people can’t vote on election day then they may vote at early voting centres now open across the Mackellar Electorate until Friday May 2nd.
Time to cast your Ballot
Your closest early voting centres in Mackellar are:
Avalon Recreation Centre - Activity Room 4, Level 1, 59A Old Barrenjoey Rd, Avalon Beach
Bilarong Community Hall - Bilarong Reserve, Wakehurst Pkwy, North Narrabeen
Terrey Hills Community Centre - Yulong Ave, Terrey Hills
Opening hours for all three centres are:
Mon 28 Apr – Thu 1 May: 8:30 am–5:30 pm
Fri 2 May: 8:30 am–6 pm
For those voting on Saturday May 3rd you can find your nearest polling booth on the AEC's Where To Vote tool.
Although the AEC states over one million people have cast their ballots early, with over 18 million people voting this election, there are likely to be queues at some centres a certain times across the day.
Postal Votes
The AEC is asking anyone who needs a postal vote, but has not yet applied, to do so ASAP. The latest urging from the AEC follows earlier advice for people to plan their vote early and, if needed, apply for a postal vote early in the election period. While the legislated deadline for postal vote applications is Wednesday 30 April, anyone who leaves it until the final week risks their postal vote pack not arriving in time.
People can apply for a postal vote on the AEC website.
As of COB on March 22, around 2.39m people had applied for a postal vote with 2.2m postal vote packs distributed so far.
This Issue the Mackellar 2025 Candidates responses to YOUR questions.
History Carl Beeston Gow of Palm Beach - Gallipoli VeteranOne resident who returned here to serve others in any capacity he could for all of his days and even after he passed away on October 29th, 1970, was Carl Gow of the Gow-Gonsalves boatshed at Palm Beach.
Carl was a founding member of the Palm Beach RSL Club, which held services at Whale Beach (dawn) and at the Palm Beach RSL cenotaph (11am) again this year.
Carl served at Gallipoli and in France during WWI, returning an honorary Captain to Palm Beach to set up a store with fellow veteran Reginald Augustus Howlett, as well as work as a fisherman, boat hire shed and would set out to rescue others from the Gow's - Gonsalves boatshed, still in existence just north of the Palm Beach ferry wharf. In fact, the first 'Palm Beach RSL' commenced in the Gow-Gonsalves shed itself.
Born Carl W J Beeston Gow at Newcastle in March 1889, the youngest son of Robert and Mary, his father was of the Pilot station at Newcastle. Carl was from a family whose contributions to saving lives in Australia, either as engineers on vessels, as Pilot Station attendees, as Lightkeepers at NSW Lighthouses, and as men who went out in their vessels to save others, could fill volumes.
Palm Beach is still littered with traces of Carl; the first Palm Beach Lands Company jetty became Gow’s wharf and the boatshed, now of the Gonsalves family, remains a thriving business, Gow’s, his elder brother David Robert William and his father Robert, worked as a relieving and second lighthouse keeper at Barrenjoey Lighthouse from 1912 to 1919. While the ship’s wheel from the Helen B Stirling, once in the foyer of Club Palm Beach (Palm Beach RSL), was a gift from Carl Gow.
Mr. Gow was also among the Palm Beach residents who worked to establish the Palm Beach War Memorial Kindergarten.
This Issue a few insights into a true Palm Beach gentleman.
Community News Patrol Flags come down Today, Hot Rod Classics Car Show at Pittwater RSL postponed, Avalon Fire Station Open Day 2025: May 10, NSW Government’s call to action on illegal tree clearing, A Win for Councils - Crackdown on illegal tree clearing!, Appeal for assistance in historical armed robbery investigation - Narrabeen, Warriewood SLSC 2025 Ocean Swim: May 4, Young and old urged to get vaccinated before challenging winter season, Nominations open for the 2025 Public Education Awards, More funding available for war memorials in NSW, Little things, Urgent repairs to Fisher Bay and Castle Rock sections of Manly to Spit Scenic Walkway, ACMA welcomes commercial radio code of practice consultation, Artefacts reveal the courage and sacrifice 110 years on from Gallipoli, Free parenting webinars, Monika's Doggie Rescue Pets of the Week: Sally + Lady, New Play on Scotland Island has May dates: 'Wedding Island', Environmental Art & Design Prize Entries Now open, Nominate a Volunteer Today: 2025 Awards, Island Café: Catherine Park, Scotland Island, Consultation on Bus Stop Relocation: Barrenjoey Road Palm Beach, Pittwater Offshore News, Pittwater Sports, Social, Environment, Residents Associations and Groups
Environment Narrabeen Lagoon Reflections, Weeds choking Warriewood Wetlands, Spotted: 3 Black Cockatoos winging their way to Bangalley Headland, Currently flowering: Swamp Mahogany - Eucalyptus Robusta, NSW Government’s call to action on illegal tree clearing, Crackdown on illegal tree clearing!: have your say until June 4, These 3 climate misinformation campaigns are operating during the election run-up; Here’s how to spot them, What would change your mind about climate change? We asked 5,000 Australians – here’s what they told us, Sniping koalas from helicopters: here’s what’s wrong with Victoria’s unprecedented cull, Alleged breach of Greater Glider protections in Brother State Forest (+New logging rules in NSW put the greater glider closer to extinction. When will we start protecting these amazing animals?: ran February 14, 2024), EPA states it requires surface and groundwater monitoring at Woodlawn Eco Precinct, Pet dogs do real environmental damage; NSW Pet Laws (dog and cat regulations) go under the microscope - Have your say until May 4, Superb fairy-wrens’ songs hold clues to their personalities; new study finds, Pittwater Natural Heritage Association - Autumn 2025 Newsletter, Have your say on the NSW Freshwater Fish Stocking Plan: closes April 30, The secret nightlife of an urban woodland - Saving our Species: Field Notes, Fossil fuel companies ‘poisoned the well’ of public debate with climate disinformation; Here’s how Australia can break free, Allowing forests to regenerate is a great way to restore habitat, How a new ‘Fishheart’ project is combining science, community and Indigenous art to restore life in the Baaka-Darling River, Australian honeybees are under attack by mites and beetles; Here’s how to keep your backyard hive safe, Most bees nest in the ground; Offering rocks and gravel is a simple way to help them thrive, How petrostates succeeded in watering down the world’s plan to cut shipping emissions, Lawsuits in the US seeking to address climate change have promise but face uncertain future, Wide variety of old-growth ecosystems across the US makes their conservation a complex challenge, Human connections to seagrass meadows date back 180,000 years, ‘Heavy metals’ contaminate 17% of the world’s croplands, A century after its discovery, scientists capture first confirmed footage of a colossal squid in the deep, ‘They are like my children’: research reveals 4 types of indoor plant owners. Which one are you?, Why healthy eating may be the best way to reduce food waste, Toxic chemical pollution continues on Isle of Man as government defends Unesco conservation status, Pollution scientist talks to freshwater ecologist who warned of Isle of Man toxic silt dumps, Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Recycling Batteries: at Mona Vale + Avalon Beach, ‘1080 pest management’, Reporting Dogs Offleash - Dog Attacks to Council, Plastic Bread Ties For Wheelchairs, Volunteers for Barrenjoey Lighthouse Tours needed, Stay Safe From Mosquitoes, Mountain Bike Incidents On Public Land, Report fox sightings, marine wildlife rescue group on the Central Coast, Watch out - shorebirds about, Possums In Your Roof?: do the right thing, Aviaries + Possum Release Sites Needed, Bushcare in Pittwater: where + when, Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Activities, Gardens and Environment Groups and Organisations in Pittwater, Ringtail Posses, Are turtles not safe in the estuary?, Pittwater Reserves: histories + Walks, Birds, +
Aquatics Tragic Easter Long Weekend on NSW Coastline As flags come down for 2024-2025 Patrol Season
Children Sunday cartoons This Issue: What do you mean "Explorer Scouts ARE NOT ALLOWED!?": Camp Snoopy, Lifesaving Future in Good Hands with 2025 Junior Lifesavers of the Year, Currently flowering: Swamp Mahogany - Eucalyptus Robusta, The secret nightlife of an urban woodland - Saving our Species: Field Notes, Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains? + If you scoop a bucket of water out of the ocean, does it get lower? + Do whales fart and sneeze?, Stories this week: The Trouble with Children According to Dog + 'The Sound of Silence' read by Simu Liu, clubs and fun and more for you
Youth Currently flowering: Swamp Mahogany - Eucalyptus Robusta, nSW Government’s call to action on illegal tree clearing: have your say, The secret nightlife of an urban woodland - Saving our Species: Field Notes, Are you thinking about doing an SBAT?, Opportunities: New free TAFE courses to deliver Australia’s manufacturing workforce + Palm Beach Band Comp., Council's 2025 Environmental Art & Design Prize - Entries open now, Word Of The Week: avoirdupois, Fossil teeth show extinct giant kangaroos spent their lives close to home – and perished when the climate changed, Feeling mad? New research suggests mindfulness could help manage anger and aggression, Scientists claim to have found evidence of alien life. But ‘biosignatures’ might hide more than they reveal, When rock music met ancient archeology: the enduring power of Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii, Why can’t I keep still after intense exercise?, ‘The pay is not worth the stress’: research finds 10% of lawyers plan to quit within a year, Why do scientists want to spend billions on a 70-year project in an enormous tunnel under the Swiss Alps?, Yoko Ono, ‘the first female punk rocker’, is an artist of benevolent magic, ‘We get bucketloads of homework’: young people speak about what it’s like to start high school, Want straighter teeth or a gap between? Don’t believe TikTok – filing them isn’t the answer, Once a bestseller, now forgotten – why William by E.H. Young deserves a revisit, One to One: John & Yoko – documentary shows how Lennon and Ono shaped protest music, pop culture and each other, local services for you
Seniors SLSA Masters Legends 2025: Congratulations Ted Smithies of Newport SLSC, 1 in 3 voters aged 60+: Seniors call to candidates ahead of election, Alleviating cost of living pressures key to older Australians’ vote: new polling - COTA, Artefacts reveal the courage and sacrifice 110 years on from Gallipoli, Should we halve the super drawdown rate?: National Seniors, New study finds no evidence technology causes ‘digital dementia’ in older people, Tremors, seizures and paralysis: this brain disorder is more common than multiple sclerosis – but often goes undiagnosed, A weird phrase is plaguing scientific papers – and we traced it back to a glitch in AI training data, Think your specialist is expensive? Look at what others are paying, Local services, groups
Park Bench Philosophers: Australian Vehicle-to-Grid Technology: tried, tested, network ready!
DIY Ideas Pittwater's Noxious Weeds: A Great Time To Get Outdoors, Pull Them Out, Replace With Native Plants
With so many wanting to be outdoors instead of indoors, and then wondering what to do to 'keep moving' while there, an opportune time to rid our gardens of the weeds that spread into our bush reserves and playfields presents itself, especially in the case of those like lantana or cassia, currently easy to spot with those bright yellow flowers. Weeds such as this, imported from other places prior to Australia working out they don't suit here, spread into areas they shouldn't be, displacing the native vegetation and this as a food source for native animals.
Recent persistent rains followed by bursts of sun amke now is a great time to get outdoors and get them out.
This Issue a few tips on 'how to' and our id photos of those found here to help you identify those in your garden
Food The Waterfront Café & General Store: Lunch at 'On The Deck'
The Waterfront Café & General Store
1860 Pittwater Rd, Church Point
Website: www.waterfrontstore.com.au
Phone: 9979 6633
Open: 7 days a week
Breakfast Menu is available from 06:30 - 11:30 daily.
The ‘On The Deck’ Menu is available for lunch and dinner service from 11:30am daily.
Please note: Slight variations on the menu may occur depending on time of year / seasons.
A fine day, the smell of the estuary and the gentle sounds of commuter boats putt-putting over the still waters inspired seafood fare - and here, after searching everywhere else in Pittwater, the Oysters Kilpatrick fan was able to get a dozen done just as he liked them. Requests elsewhere had been fruitless, but at the Waterfront Cafe they are part of the permanent menu.
Verdict - absolutely excellent - the best he has had in over a decade done the traditional way and with a little something extra that elevated this traditional dish above the splash of Worcestershire and bacon usually applied.
Pictures Anzac Day in Pittwater: 2025
Inbox News Focusing on a child’s strengths can transform assessments – and help them thrive after an ADHD or autism diagnosis, Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies, Three ways Pope Francis influenced the global climate movement, Tiny dips in sea level reveal flow of climate-regulating underwater waterfalls, Port of Darwin’s struggling Chinese leaseholder may welcome an Australian buy-out, A landmark ruling will tackle the gender pay gap for thousands of workers, A survey of Australian uni students suggests more than half are worried about food or don’t have enough to eat, 200 years ago France extorted Haiti in one of history’s greatest heists – and Haitians want reparations, Google loses online ad monopoly case. But it’s just one of many antitrust battles against big tech, Public toilets could be the jewels in our cities’ crowns – if only governments would listen
Events Warriewood Swim on first week of May, Band Comp. at Palm Beach, Concerts, Music, Markets, Social Groups, + lots more.