August 1 - 31, 2025: Issue 645

Cairns (1964)

by NFSA
Now in 4K! 'Life in Australia: Cairns' (1964) offers a postcard-perfect snapshot of life in Far North Queensland during the mid-1960s. The 'Life in Australia' series, produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Immigration, was designed to promote Australia to prospective migrants. They highlighted their destinations' natural beauty, industry and leisurely pace of life.

In 'Cairns', we see a tropical city framed by cane fields and coastline, where the rhythms of sugar harvesting meet the seasonal buzz of winter tourism. As with other films in this series, 'Cairns' presents a highly polished version of daily life: a vision of Australia shaped by optimism, uniformity and the government agendas of the time.

These films are fascinating cultural artefacts – not just for what they show, but for how they show it. Viewed today, 'Life in Australia: Cairns' offers insights into Australia’s postwar identity and values, and the idealised image the country wanted the world to see. From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

Call for applications to join the Aged Care Council of Elders

August 15, 2025
The Australian Government is now seeking applications from older people with lived experience of the aged care system to join the Aged Care Council of Elders from January 2026.

The Council of Elders is a diverse group of older people representing the make-up of modern Australia which delivers advice to government on how best to support older Australians in aged care.

The Australian Government established the Council of Elders in 2021 following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which called for an advisory body on quality and safety of care, and the rights and dignity of older people.

Older people across Australia who want to listen to their peers about what’s important to them when it comes to living and ageing well, and how the quality of care can be improved, are encouraged to apply.

Suitable applicants will demonstrate how they are active in their communities, engaging with people about key issues and bringing that feedback to Government.

We encourage you to apply if your experience of aged care includes: 
  • receiving services at home or living in residential aged care
  • caring for an older person or having worked in aged care
  • living in rural or remote locations 
  • Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities
  • Care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  • dementia care.
Appointments will be for a term of up to two years, commencing from January 2026.

Find details on how to apply by visiting www.health.gov.au/apply-to-council-of-elders-2026

Applications close 5pm, Friday 26 September 2025.

Read more about the Council of Elders and the Terms of Reference on the council’s webpage. 

Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, The Hon. Sam Rae said:

“The Council of Elders plays a crucial role in bringing a range of diverse views and insights to Government when it comes to aged care.

“I encourage every older Australian with lived experience of aged care and active community networks to nominate as a member of the Council of Elders. 

“Membership of the Council is a unique opportunity to represent the community and work alongside the Government to build an aged care system that delivers world-class care for every older Australian.”

Vale David Stratton

Film critic, writer and educator David Stratton, who appeared on Australian screens alongside Margaret Pomeranz for decades on various movie review shows, has passed away, aged 85.

His family announced his death on Thursday afternoon, August 14, stating he died peacefully in hospital near his home in the Blue Mountains.

"David's passion for film, commitment to Australian cinema, and generous spirit touched countless lives," his family said.

"He was adored as a husband, father, grand and great grand father and admired friend.

"David's family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support from friends, colleagues, and the public recently and across his lifetime."

Photo: Bidgee

David Stratton was always ‘doing it for the audience’. In this, he had a huge impact on Australian film

Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Steven Maras, The University of Western Australia

Celebrated film critic David Stratton has died at the age of 85. He leaves an indelible mark on Australian film culture, and Australian film culture left an indelible mark on him.

Over a long career, he had an intimate relationship with cinema, finding it a place of connection and a kind of shelter. It was where he spent time with his grandmother and time away from the family grocery business that loomed large over his future.

Stratton’s migration to Australia in 1963 as a 10 pound pom became permanent as he took on the role of director of the Sydney Film Festival from 1966 to 1983.

In that role, he shaped a generation of young filmmakers who would come to define the Australian New Wave. He found a new sense of belonging.

His 1980 book, The Last New Wave, is explicitly a homage to

the men and women who work in the Australian film industry [who] make up as fine a group of people as anyone would want to know.

Becoming a critic

The festival director role led to his relationship with SBS, who hired Stratton as a part-time feature film consultant from 1980 – an arrangement which he translated into on screen introductions for what became Movie of the Week, as well as Cinema Classics in 1983.

Here, he met producer Margaret Pomeranz, who became his professional collaborator, co-presenter and loyal friend. Their on-air partnership, lasting 28 years across the SBS and the ABC program, At the Movies, made them icons of Australian film culture.

In writing my book on At the Movies, I heard numerous versions of the question, “are you a Margaret or a David?” The collection of their reviews on Letterboxd can be searched by the tags “Oh, David” and “Oh, Margaret”.

A cultural icon

The words “cultural icon” can be over-used, but in the case of Stratton, the emphasis was on substance over show. He never finished high school or studied at university, but wrote three books on Australian cinema, two movie guides, and a biography, I Peed on Fellini (2008).

He was passionate and protective of film, no more so than when he was battling censorship. In the case of Ken Park (2002), because of restrictions on the viewing of the film, few could argue with the decision on the facts of the case. However, Stratton, who had seen the film, declared “We’re being lied to”.

Stratton was a seasoned critic and performer, and knew how to manage his persona. He worked as a film reviewer for The Weekend Australian for 33 years, was a regular reviewer for Variety from 1984 to 2003, using the moniker “Strat”, while also making contributions to The Age and segments on radio station 2UE.

Following the end of At the Movies, he ventured into reviewing on the internet through “David Stratton Recommends” a collaboration with art house film exhibitors in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and he ran a history of world cinema course at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Continuing Education, which he concluded in 2023.

Underpinning all of this is a commitment to the audience. He noted in interview:

I think everybody who is writing about film or talking about film is doing it for the audience that is reading or listening.

In praise of cinema

When I interviewed Stratton in 2019, giving generously of his time, he established quickly that he would only tolerate so much academic jargon and pretentiousness.

When we did The Movie Show, and I think Margaret would back me up, we were never wanting to intellectualise any of this. We wanted to get across to a wide television audience our love of film, or our disappointment in certain things. We always liked to praise films more than to not praise them, and we didn’t have the time or the inclination to analyse them in too much detail.

A cinephile before the age of DVDs and streaming, Stratton retained a certain puritanical approach to film, guarding its preciousness:

When I was growing up, films were hard to see. I would go to see a film in the cinema and very often that film, if it was not a huge success and therefore would be revived, you might not see it again, ever, unless it came on television.

This led to his famously obsessive system of notetaking and cataloguing.

This informed a certain conservativism, most famously expressed in his dislike of badly used hand-held cameras, but manifested in other ways.

It always amazes me when I see people watching movies on their mobile phone on the train and then they say they’ve seen the film. They haven’t seen the film obviously. If somebody thinks they’ve seen Joker on a phone, well good luck to them but they haven’t.

Stratton increasingly saw television reviewing as a demand on his other pursuits, not to mention his habit of watching a film a day.

A final farewell

We have in a sense been saying an extended farewell since the end of At the Movies in 2014.

Attempting to sum up a career is always difficult, but it is a responsibility Stratton lived with constantly. This is captured in one comment, perhaps the closest we will come to his philosophy of reviewing:

the reviewer has a big responsibility I think, a very big responsibility. Because after all it’s only their opinion, they’re obviously being honest – well they should be honest – with their opinion, but it only is their opinion and you’re talking about possibly destroying something that the people who created it spent years of their lives working on. It’s a pretty big responsibility.

This article draws on the author’s book At the Movies, Film Reviewing, and Screenwriting: Selective Affinities and Cultural Mediation, published by Intellect Press.The Conversation

Steven Maras, Associate Professor in Media and Communication, The University of Western Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Online Registration FREE Scams Awareness Training

ONLINE Event Details:
Date: Friday, 22 August 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM  AEST 
Cost: FREE 

If you would like to attend on-line please register here and a link will be sent to you from cota@cota.org.au.

If you have any issues, please email cota@cota.org.au.

To read more about this event visit: 

Aged care service delivery: Senate Inquiry

On 28 July 2025, the Senate referred an inquiry into aged care service delivery to the Community Affairs References Committee for report by 15 September 2025.

Submissions Close 22 August 2025.

Further detail about the scope of the inquiry is provided in the terms of reference.

Terms of Reference
The implications for older Australians, their families, carers, service providers and state and territory health systems of the Government’s decision to delay the commencement of the new Support at Home program until 1 November 2025 while also withholding the release of any additional Home Care Packages, with particular reference to:

(a) the impact of the delay on older Australians waiting for support at home, including unmet care needs and the wellbeing of seniors and their carers;

(b) the capacity of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme to meet increased demand for support at home prior to 1 November 2025;

(c) the impacts on aged care service providers, including on their workforce;

(d) the impacts on hospitals and state and territory health systems;

(e) the feasibility of achieving the Government’s target to reduce waiting times for Home Care Packages to 3 months by 1 July 2027, in light of the delay;

(f) the adequacy of the governance, assurance and accountability frameworks supporting the digital transformation projects required to deliver the aged care reforms on time;

(g) the implementation of the single assessment system and its readiness to support people to access a timely assessment now and beyond 1 November 2025; and

(h) any other related matters.

Walk & Talk: Narrabeen

The Belong Club invites anyone to come and participate in the Belong Club Walking Group!

Every Tuesday we walk along the pathway beside the Narrabeen Lagoon, from the Tramshed Arts and Community Centre to Jamieson Park and back. The route is about 1.8km each way, and is estimated to take 45 minutes.

The up and back walk allows for people of any walking speed to participate and enjoy the walk at their own comfortable pace. Walkers often split into smaller groups naturally along the route allowing everyone to go at their preferred pace. The aim here is for everyone to be included and to have an enjoyable walk.

Our meeting spot is to the right of the Tramshed Community Centre, between the basketball court and kids playground.

Alzheimer’s disease: lithium may help slow cognitive decline – new research in mice

Previous research has shown that as people move from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease, their lithium levels drop. photo_gonzo/ Shutterstock
Rahul Sidhu, University of Sheffield

Alzheimer’s disease steals memories and devastates lives. Yet despite an abundance of research, the earliest brain changes that trigger this disease still remain unclear, making it challenging to find effective treatments.

But could lithium – a metal most of us know better for its use in batteries or as a treatment for mood disorders – play a role in cognitive health? New research shows that this mineral may play a key role in protecting against Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is linked to the buildup of two harmful proteins: amyloid-beta and tau. Amyloid-beta clumps outside brain cells (neurons), forming sticky plaques that block communication. Tau twists into tangles inside cells, disrupting their structure and function. Together, they damage the delicate network of neurons that supports memory and thinking.

But for nearly a decade now, scientists from Harvard University have also been uncovering lithium’s unexpected importance in the brain.

Lithium is naturally present in small amounts in the brain. This lithium comes from our diet, where it’s transported through the bloodstream to the brain’s cells. But researchers have found that as people move from mild cognitive impairment – a stage often seen as a warning sign for Alzheimer’s – to full Alzheimer’s disease, their lithium levels drop. This loss of lithium appears to set off the cascade of changes that lead to memory loss and confusion.

This recent study now helps to explain why a loss of lithium is linked with Alzheimer’s disease. The study showed that lithium acts as a natural defender – helping to keep amyloid and tau in check. When lithium levels fall, the brain becomes more vulnerable to these toxic proteins.

Researchers uncovered this connection by conducting postmortem examinations of brain tissue taken from people who had been in different stages of cognitive health. Those with mild cognitive impairment had noticeably less lithium in their brains compared to those who had been in good cognitive health. Levels were even lower in Alzheimer’s patients.

Interestingly, they found that the lithium doesn’t just disappear. Much of it becomes trapped within amyloid plaques, which lock it away from the brain cells where it’s needed most. This means even if total lithium levels don’t drop drastically, brain cells may still be starved of its protective effects.

So to explore what happens when lithium is missing completely, the scientists then studied mice – both healthy mice and mice that had been genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms. They cut the mice’s dietary lithium by 50% and observed the results.

The effects were striking. Mice with reduced lithium showed faster amyloid and tau buildup, more brain inflammation and lost connections between neurons – all crucial for learning and memory. The genetically engineered mice also performed worse in memory tests.

A depiction of amyloid plaques forming between the brain's neurons.
Amyloid plaques built up more quickly when the mice had no lithium. nobeastsofierce/ Shutterstock

At the core of this process is an enzyme called GSK3β. Lithium normally keeps this enzyme under control. But when lithium is low, GSK3β becomes overactive, encouraging tau to behave abnormally and form tangles that damage neurons. This enzyme acts like a switch, tipping brain cells toward disease if unchecked.

The good news is the study didn’t stop at identifying the problem. Researchers treated mice with lithium orotate, a form of the mineral that’s less likely to get trapped by amyloid plaques. This treatment prevented the harmful buildup of amyloid-beta and tau, reduce inflammation, preserved neuron connections and improved memory.

Lithium’s importance

This research recasts lithium as more than a forgotten trace mineral. It appears to be a vital guardian of brain health, protecting neurons and maintaining cognitive function throughout life. Disrupting lithium balance might be one of the earliest steps toward Alzheimer’s – even before symptoms show.

Lithium’s protective role isn’t entirely new. It’s been used in psychiatry for decades, particularly to manage bipolar disorder where it stabilises mood. But medicinal doses are much higher than the tiny amounts naturally present in the brain. This study is the first to reveal that even these small, natural levels have a crucial protective function.

Beyond Alzheimer’s, lithium supports brain growth, shields nerve cells, and calms inflammation, all important for healthy ageing. Keeping lithium levels stable could have wider benefits in preventing dementia and supporting brain resilience.

One reason lithium hasn’t featured prominently in Alzheimer’s research before is its simplicity. It doesn’t target one molecule but acts like a conductor, balancing multiple brain processes. This makes it harder to study but no less important.

The discovery that lithium deficiency worsens Alzheimer’s damage opens new possibilities. Unlike current treatments focusing on removing amyloid plaques or tau tangles, lithium replacement could boost the brain’s defences.

Lithium orotate is especially promising because it doesn’t get trapped by amyloid and delivers lithium where neurons most need it. Lithium salts have long been used safely in medicine, so this approach could be easy and accessible for older adults.

Still, it’s unclear why lithium levels fall in some people. Is it due to diet, genetics or another cause? Could differences in the natural levels of lithium in drinking water worldwide influence Alzheimer’s risk? These puzzles invite future research.

It’s also important to note that much of this work was done in mice. While animal models offer valuable insights, human brains are more complex. Clinical trials will be needed to see if lithium orotate can safely prevent or slow Alzheimer’s in people.

We also don’t yet know how supplements or diet might affect brain lithium levels over time, or if this would be practical as treatment.

Still, the idea that a simple mineral could delay or prevent one of the world’s most devastating diseases is both exciting and hopeful.The Conversation

Rahul Sidhu, PhD Candidate, Neuroscience, University of Sheffield

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

View from The Hill: Albanese was naive to think Hamas wouldn’t welcome Palestinian recognition

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

If Anthony Albanese thought the government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state would be a relatively smooth operation in terms of politics, he’s had a quick wake-up call.

Following Hamas’ predictable welcoming of his action, the prime minister now finds himself deep in a controversy that has exposed a degree of naivety in how he and his government are conducting foreign policy.

The pros and cons of recognising a Palestinian state at this point always involved matters of judgement rather than being straightforward.

Israel’s appalling overreach in Gaza invited the response from France, Britain, Canada and now Australia. As Chris Luxon, the conservative leader of New Zealand (now also considering recognition) put it, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost the plot”.

On the other hand, it was obvious Hamas could argue recognition of Palestine just showed what its October 2023 attack had achieved. And there was no reason to think Israel would be influenced by what these countries did. After all, most countries globally have already recognised a state of Palestine. It appears only the United States holds the power to sway Israel.

The pressure on Albanese to recognise a Palestinian state mounted over months. It fitted with his own inclinations, held from when he was a young radical, and with Labor’s rank-and-file stance, reflected in the party platform. Foreign Minister Penny Wong had been leaning in for a year.

Crucially, the worse the conflict in Gaza became, the more a sizeable section of the public seemed sympathetic to making the gesture. Then came the stands by the three like-minded countries.

In the end, the prime minister just seems to have wanted to get it done. “We just can’t keep going the same way. The world is watching. People are sick of it. It’s horrific watching that,” he said this week.

The stipulations he spelled out just weeks ago, when he signalled recognition was not imminent, were no longer preconditions.

He’d said then, “How do you exclude Hamas from any involvement there? How do you ensure that a Palestinian state operates in an appropriate way which does not threaten the existence of Israel?”

Instead, in announcing recognition this week, Albanese relied on assurances from the Palestinian Authority, in its public statements and a phone call he had with its leader Mahmoud Abbas. He also took to heart the Arab League backing a call for Hamas to disarm.

Australian recognition, which Albanese said would come at the United nations General Assembly in September, became unconditional.

Here’s where the naivety kicks in. If he’s really relying on the Palestinian Authority’s word, that is flawed, on two grounds.

History indicates its word is hardly its bond. And even if it were, there is no reason to think it could deliver its various undertakings, including its own reform. Moreover, the assumption of its dominance in a post-war Gaza depends on a lot of “ifs”. One of these “ifs” is the expectation of elections. But even then, Hamas might find a way to survive and win.

Things got messy for Albanese when Hamas reacted to his announcement. The prime minister had predicted that “Hamas will be totally opposed to this decision” on the grounds it didn’t support a two-state solution.

That always seemed unlikely. Hamas is taking what it can get at the moment.

The first reaction was from Hamas co-founder Hassan Yousef, who lauded the “political courage” of the decision, in a statement from his office to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hamas would later deny any statement could have been issued by Yousef, something quickly picked up by Albanese, who warned the media against Hamas “propaganda”.

Then in a formal statement to the ABC, Hamas praised the move (saying it was “better late than never”) but wanted more. “We call on the Australian government to translate this recognition into concrete actions – by exerting diplomatic pressure to end the Israeli occupation.”

This will feed into the calls from the left to impose sanctions on Israel. (The government has already sanctioned two extreme-right Israeli ministers.)

The recognition announcement has closed off one issue, but opened others.

The opposition has been predictable in its rejection of the recognition. But the shadow cabinet’s decision to go further and say that in office it would reverse the recognition, rather than leaving that decision for the future, was unnecessary and unwise. By the time the Coalition finally gets back into power, who knows what the situation will be in the Middle East?

Incidentally, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s choice of Michaelia Cash as shadow foreign minister was a strange one. Maybe Cash, who is the Liberal leader in the Senate, pitched very hard for it. Whatever the reason, she is an unnuanced political operator in a portfolio that often requires nuance.

The Albanese government’s decision on recognition has put further distance between Australia and the Trump administration. While the PM might think the dysfunction in this relationship doesn’t matter much because of Australians’ low regard for Trump, it remains important to get it back on an even keel.

That is something Albanese should address when he is in the US in September – when he has promised to meet Abbas – whether or not he lands a meeting with Trump himself.The Conversation

Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Avalon Beach SLSC turns 100 in 2025!

2025 marks 100 years of Avalon Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.

Planning is underway to celebrate the achievement of Avalon Beach SLSC's Volunteer Surf Lifesavers keeping Avalon Beach safe for residents and visitors for 100 years!

A number of celebratory events and activities spread throughout the Club's 100th year, are currently under development, and will be progressively announced through the year. 

The range of celebrations will involve past and present members, the Avalon Beach community, as well as visitors to our area.  The Surf Club is a focal point in and for the Avalon Beach community, so it is fitting that the community takes pride in this milestone.

Initially, so that our records are up to date, we invite all past members of our Club to Email the Club at 100years@avalonbeachslsc.com.au  with your updated details so we can keep you informed of what will be happening for members.

If you know of others that may be interested in the 100th Anniversary celebrations please pass the message on. 

The Club looks to the future, acknowledging and building on the legacy left from those who came before us over the past 100 years.

Avalon Beach SLSC Centenary Committee

A Call to Volunteer Trainers and Students

Come and share your knowledge or learn more about your device! 
Computer Pals for Seniors Northern Beaches would love to hear from you. We are a not-for-profit organisation helping seniors navigate the wonderful world of technology.

We teach in term times Monday to Friday in a relaxed fun environment.

Common topics requested by Students are: Sending and receiving emails, discovering useful apps, safe banking online, learning how to take and store photos, avoiding Scams, and basically being able to operate their device with confidence.

We teach Android/Apple tablets and phones, and Apple/Microsoft/ Chromebook laptops.

We are based at the Tramshed Arts & Community Centre, 1395a Pittwater Road, Narrabeen, near the B-Line bus stop.

Why not give us a call on 0478 920 651



Pittwater-Narrabeen Parkinson’s Support Group

The purpose of our group is to support seniors (55yrs +) living with Parkinson’s, their carers, relatives and those who have lost a partner to Parkinson’s, who live on the northern beaches of Sydney.

This support Group has been meeting for around 30 years on the Northern Beaches. Our meetings aim to help reduce the social isolation, and increase community connectedness for our members. Through guest speakers, discussions, and group activities, our meetings will support and promote mental health, healthy lifestyles and well-being.

Our Facebook webpage will be used to store resources and links, and provide another way to safely keep in touch, for those who want to use Facebook. We also have a website that is regularly updated https://wheresdot.wixsite.com/nbpdsupportgroup

We meet regularly and have been meeting at Jamieson Park, The Esplanade, Narrabeen.

Give Dot a call for more information: 0418 640 086 and join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1063258404504502

Concession car parking at NSW Health public hospitals

Patients and carers may be eligible for concession rates on parking at NSW Health public hospitals. 

To be eligible you need to be:
  • requiring treatment over an extended period
  • attending hospital more than twice a week (including carers of long term patients who visit frequently). 
  • ongoing cancer treatment
  • treatment more than twice weekly
  • daily dressing changes
  • cardiac rehabilitation or health promotion classes
Concessions are also available for holders of a: 
  • Transport for NSW Mobility Parking Scheme permit
  • Pensioner Concession Card
  • Department of Veterans' Affairs Gold Card
  • Health Care Card.
Hospitals provide communication to patients, carers and visitors about the availability of concessional car parking rates, this includes:
  • clearly displaying and publicising concessional rates
  • streamlining the concession application process with designated points of access
  • validating concessional parking for the duration of a course of treatment. 
For detailed information on eligibility and concession fees, visit NSW Health webpage:

Learn Something New: Australia MOOCs And Free Online Courses

There is a full range of everything your heart, mind and body wants to learn more about, presented and conducted by Australia's best universities.

Manly Sailability Needs Volunteers

We have a fantastic team of volunteers who help us with a range of jobs. A roster system ensures that we don’t overdo things but many of our volunteers nevertheless are there even when they’re not on the roster. We set up a marquee for shade, put out the urn for tea and coffee, bring the boats out from the shed, set up the boats and put them into the water, sail the boats, ensure that everyone signs in, operate the radio, observer on the safety boat, and at the end of our day’s sailing, do all this in reverse.

You don’t have to be a sailor to be a volunteer, landlubbers are most welcome too. And some of our volunteers are themselves disabled.

Volunteering for Sailability Manly will give you many amazing personal rewards… for starters, what better way of spending a few hours on a Saturday than on Manly Cove? And you’ll find that you will grow as a person through meeting and interacting with a diverse range of wonderful and inspiring people with various disabilities. 

If you’re not a sailor don’t let that stop you – we have numerous things that need doing on the jetty and we’re happy to take you for a sail or even train you to become a sailor if you wish. 

Please help us share Freedom on the Water, regardless of ability, by getting involved and  contact secretary@manlysailability.com.au

2024 Seniors Card Discount Directory

NSW Seniors Card is pleased to provide members with the 2024 Seniors Card Directory, your guide to the best discounts and special offers from thousands of participating businesses across the state.

The directory includes discounts from each region in NSW. The regions are: Sydney & Surrounds, Central Coast & Hunter, Northern NSW, Southern NSW and Western NSW.

View our regional map below to determine which region you are in.  You can view the directory online in your browser or download and save to your computer for quick reference as you need. 

Each year five directories are released, one for each region in NSW. The regions are: Sydney & Surrounds, Central Coast & Hunter, Northern NSW, Southern NSW and Western NSW.

To download your copy, please click the link below:
Copies of the 2024 directory are also available for pickup from Australia Post Outlets, Service NSW Centres, MP Offices as well as participating local Councils and Libraries across the state. Please click here to find a location near you.

Hotline to report food quality in aged care now live

Australians now have a simple and efficient way to report food concerns in aged care, with the launch of a dedicated Food, Nutrition and Dining Unit hotline at the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

The hotline is active and callers will have access to experts in the areas of food, nutrition, and dining, including dietitians and speech pathologists.

A good meal with good nutrition is crucial to quality of life for everyone but especially older people.

The Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline is also available to aged care providers to access food and nutrition advice, support and education to deliver improved food, nutrition and dining experiences for older people in their care.

Older people, their families and carers, providers and aged care workers can call the Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline on 1800 844 044.

The hotline builds on the Federal Government’s grant to the Maggie Beer Foundation to build the capability of aged care chefs and cooks working in aged care.

The first free online training modules are now available: https://lms.maggiebeerfoundation.org.au/.

Profile Bayview Yacht Racing Association (BYRA)
1842 Pittwater Rd, Bayview
Website: www.byra.org.au

BYRA has a passion for sharing the great waters of Pittwater and a love of sailing with everyone aged 8 to 80 or over!

 COTA – NSW - cotansw.com.au

ABOUT US

The Council on the Ageing NSW (COTA NSW) is the peak organisation for people over 50 in our state. We’re an independent, non-partisan, consumer-based non-government organisation. We work with politicians, policy makers, and service providers as well as media representatives to make sure your views are heard and your needs are met. COTA NSW works to empower and engage people over 50. For decades, we’ve shaped the policies and programs that change lives.

Since our beginning in 1956, COTA NSW has introduced policies and programs that make a real difference to peoples’ lives. We have proud record, having created: ■Meals on Wheels, ■Retirement Village Residents Association, ■Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, ■Seniors Clubs, ■Seniors Information Service, ■OM:NI – Older Men: New Ideas, ■Grandfriends, ■Grandparents, Relatives and Kinship Care Alliance, ■Medication Management for Older People, and the ■Mature Employment Line

NSW Seniors Card program: Translated Resources

If you're from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background, and would like more information about the NSW Seniors Card program, translated versions of the Membership Guide brochure are available here:
Available for download in 13 different languages.
Profile: Avalon Soccer Club
Avalon Soccer Club is an amateur club situated at the northern end of Sydney’s Northern Beaches. As a club we pride ourselves on our friendly, family club environment. The club is comprised of over a thousand players aged from 5 to 70 who enjoy playing the beautiful game at a variety of levels and is entirely run by a group of dedicated volunteers. 

Country Pensioner Excursion ticket: NSW Public Transport

Parents missing out on REAL face time? If they have a Pension Card, sign them up & they could get unlimited $2.50 Country Pensioner Excursion tickets*.
Call 13 22 32 to sign up.

Country Pensioner Excursion ticket (CPE)
A Country Pensioner Excursion (CPE) ticket is an affordable ticket for eligible pensioners and seniors to travel by train in regional NSW and the ACT.

For $2.50 you can book an economy class seat on a NSW TrainLink 

Regional train service. You will need to book 7 days or less in advance

Apply for the Seniors Energy Rebate

A new rebate for independent retirees who hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card to help with electricity costs. The Seniors Energy Rebate is available for eligible independent retirees to help cover the cost of their electricity.

To be eligible you need to hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC).
CSHCs are means-tested concession cards issued by Services Australia and the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA). 

The Seniors Energy Rebate is now $250 per household, per financial year.

If your application is successful, the rebate will be paid directly into your nominated bank or Credit Union account.

Note: Gas accounts are not eligible for the rebate.

What you need
  • your valid CSHC from Centrelink or the DVA
  • the most recent electricity bill for your current primary place of residence
  • your contact details
  • your bank or Credit Union account details
How to apply
  • Check you meet the eligibility requirements.
  • Select the 'Apply online' button.
  • Enter the required details.
  • Submit the application.
If you're unable to apply online, visit a service centre or call us on 13 77 88.
If your application is successful, you'll receive payment within 5 working days into your nominated bank/Credit Union account. Service NSW will contact you if there are problems issuing your payment. 

Tech Savvy Seniors

Tech Savvy Seniors provides free or low cost digital skills training on how to use computers, tablets and smartphones to keep in touch with family and friends, access essential services, conducting personal business and discover more about the things you are interested in.

Join the thousands of people over 60 who have already completed this fun, practical training and made new friends in the process.

With over 150 training locations across NSW as well as resources online it has never been easier to build your digital skills and confidence, with training available in a range of languages. To find out more about training sessions available near you, visit the Tech Savvy Seniors website to find your local library or community college provider.

For here: 
  • Northern Beaches Council Library at Glen Street, Mona Vale, Warringah Mall 02 9976 1720 
  • Northern Beaches Community College Inc at Narrabeen, Brookvale, Mosman (02) 9970 1000 enquiries@nbcc.nsw.edu.au
The Tech Savvy Seniors website also contains a great range of ‘self-teach’ videos and free digital literacy training resources available to make it easy to learn at your own pace to develop your digital skills from the comfort of your home.

Tech Savvy Seniors is a NSW Government initiative in partnership with Telstra.

NSW Spectacles Program

The NSW Spectacles Program provides glasses and visual aids to eligible recipients who might be at risk of a preventable decline in their eye health.

If you're eligible, you can receive free of charge in any 2-year period:
  • one pair of single vision glasses, or
  • one pair of bifocal glasses.
Contact lenses, tinted lenses or low vision aids may be provided in certain circumstances.

You are eligible if you:
  • receive a full Centrelink pension/benefit
  • have no other income other than the Centrelink payments
  • have financial assets less than $500 (if single) or $1000 (if married/partnered or parent/guardian)
  • are a low-wage earner who earns less than:
  • the JobSeeker Payment if you're under 65, or
  • the aged pension if you're over 65.
People living in regional/remote areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may also qualify for the subsidy. At your appointment, your provider will use the program’s online portal to check your eligibility using the information you've supplied.

Visit Vision Australia for more details on the program, your eligibility and how to apply, at:

Mah Jong returns to RPAYC

THURSDAYS 5PM - 7PM COMMENCING 4 APRIL

Everyone is welcome, from novices to experienced players! Sharpen your mind, connect with friends, learn a new skill or refresh your existing game. Mah Jong if fun for all!

For more information contact Leigh Hudson 0408 941 665.

Stay for dinner in Halyards - book your table online HERE 


 MWP CARE (previously known as MWP Community Aid) is a local not for profit organisation that was founded by Daphne Elsworthy, a Collaroy resident, 52 years ago and we are still going strong! 

In 2022 our programs focus on assisting older people aged 65 years and older, we also assist younger people with a disability and their carers.  We are funded by the Australian Government Dept. of Health through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (known as CHSP). Pittwater Online News PROFILE

These services may be eligible for government subsidies. Call us on (02) 9913 3244 for a confidential discussion. Alternatively you may call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to discuss your needs. To access our services (and all other CHSP provider services) you must be registered with My Aged Care – the portal for all things related to Aged Care Services 

We provide services aimed at helping people to stay independently living in their own homes.

Our programs cover:

  • Transport – to medical and social appointments
  • Shopping – Escorted Shopping, Shop By List, Group Social Shopping
  • Visiting – a volunteer visits a client in their own home for social support
  • Individual Activities – visit a friend, the library, the beach, local garden, and nursery, go for a coffee & chat, attend community activities etc.
  • Social Group Bus Outings – our mini bus and experienced staff coordinate a calendar of bus outings to interesting venues
  • CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) social groups/outings  – Chinese, Italian, Korean , Filipino, Serbian
  • Home Maintenance Modification Service – provided to individual home owners at reasonable cost. Services provided by trusted tradespeople can include Plumbing, Carpentry, Handyman, Electrical, Modifications (ramps, rails etc.)

Visit our website for more at: www.mwpcommunityaid.com.au  and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mwpcarelimited

RSPCA's Community Aged Care Program

RSPCA NSW understands that to an elderly owner, a pet can mean everything. Our Aged Care program aims to keep pets and their elderly owners happy, healthy and together in their own homes for as long as possible. To do this, we assist elderly pet owners over the age of 65, Indigenous pet owners over the age of 50 and palliative care patients of any age.
  • services our Aged Care program offers include: temporary foster accommodation and/or emergency pet boarding if the owner requires medical treatment, respite or other assistance
  • assistance with veterinary treatment
  • home visits to assist the elderly with basic pet care
  • assistance with pet grooming
  • assistance with transport to and from the local veterinarian
  • a volunteer network to assist with dog walking and short periods of in-home care if the owner requires medical treatment, respite or other assistance
Please note that due to high demand for this program, we ask that pet owners first ask family and friends whether they are able to assist with their pet’s care.

This community program was previously known as Pets of Older Persons (POOPs).

For more information please contact the RSPCA Community Programs helpline (02) 9782 4408.

The helpline operates Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. During weekends and public holidays contact the RSPCA Contact Centre on (02) 9770 7555
Aged Care Program FAQs

Computer Pals for Seniors: Northern BeachesTechnology made easy for Seniors

Have you ever struggled with the demands of modern technology? Come and join our friendly club and learn at your own pace. 

Computer Pals for Seniors Northern Beaches is here to help you master your device, be it Android/Apple tablets and phones, Apple/Microsoft/Chromebook laptops.

Each lesson is one-on-one for an hour each week during term times.

We are based at The Tramshed Arts & Community Centre, 1395a Pittwater Road, Narrabeen, close to the B-Line bus stop.

If you would like further information please contact Anne - Tel: 9984 0604 or email anne.computerpals@gmail.com



Media Releases concerning Seniors this week from National Seniors Australia

With around a quarter of a million members, National Seniors is Australia’s largest consumer organisation for the over 50s and fourth largest group of its kind in the world.

Avalon Scottish Country Dancing

Avalon Rec. Centre
Thursday 3pm to 5pm
Most Saturdays 2pm to 4pm
(contact Margot Fenelon 0419 122 455 to confirm Saturday class)
COST:  $5 - first visit free
WHAT TO WEAR: Casual clothes and soft soled shoes


Aged Care Complaints Commissioner 

Any person can make a complaint to the Commissioner, including care recipients, family members, friends, staff, volunteers, or professionals.

Complaints may relate to any aspect of services including care, choice of activities, discrimination, catering, communication or the physical environment. The 1800 550 552 helpline is staffed 9am to 5pm (AEDST) Monday to Friday.

Out of hours callers can leave a message, or contact the Commissioner at anytime through the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner website.

________________________________________

In 2014-15, there were 10,924 contacts to the Aged Care Complaints Scheme. 3,725 were assessed as a complaint, 3,812 ‘other’ contacts includes non-compulsory notifications, own motion investigations and compliance referrals. There were also 3,387 out of scope contacts which were not related to an approved provider or an approved provider’s responsibilities under the Aged Care Act.

My Aged Care

If you need some help around the house or think it’s time to look into aged care homes, My Aged Care is here to help.
My Aged Care is the Australian Government's starting point on your aged care journey. Find and access the government-funded services you need.

Learn about different types of care
If you are just starting out on your aged care journey, this is your first step. You can see what services are available to help you stay in your own home, or what to expect in an aged care home.

Get assessed
If you’ve had a look at what services might be available and you want to know if you are eligible, this is your next step. Read about how to apply and what’s involved in the assessment process.

Find a provider
If you’ve been assessed and are ready to find a provider and set up your new services, start here. Find out what to consider and get information about service providers near you.

Manage your services
If you are receiving services and want to check what you’ve got in place or make some changes, head to this section.

Need some help?
If you need some help, the My Aged Care team can answer most of your questions over the phone. Call 1800 200 422

Bilgola plateau Probus Club

We meet on the first Friday of every month at the Newport Bowling Club; 2 Palm Road Newport.  Our membership is full at the moment, and our waiting list is full.  However, visitors are always welcome.  

If you have any questions, please contact our Membership Officer, Mary Wearne:  mary_wearne@hotmail.com



Home Instead Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches

We are a provider of quality home care and companionship services for seniors in the Northern suburbs of Sydney. 

To you, it’s about finding trustworthy care for your ageing loved one. To us, it’s about providing the highest-quality in-home care services to fit you and your family’s needs.
To Us, It's Personal.

We provide services to all areas and suburbs in the North Shore and Northern Beaches of Sydney.
Telephone: (02) 9144 2322

 Australian Ageing Agenda

Australian Ageing Agenda (AAA) is an independent and authoritative bi-monthly publication for people who work in or around the aged care and retirement sectors in Australia. It provides a broad range of news, education and opinion with an emphasis on knowledge sharing and research translation.

Each issue also contains regular updates on relevant business and financial issues along with a selection of well researched features on crucial systems and operations, clinical care, technology, built environment and other issues relevant to the ‘ageing sector’. AAA leads the way with the industry’s most comprehensive conference details and remains Australia’s number one source of news and information about ageing issues and aged care.

Have a look at their comprehensive website HERE

Northern Beaches Police Area Command: Retired police day 2025

What you want for aged care workforce: NSA Report

August 15, 2025
Over 4,400 survey respondents shared their views on the aged care workforce with NSA research.

New National Seniors Australia (NSA) research shows older Australians value aged care workers very highly, but they have strong views on how to maximise the quality of the aged care workforce.

The research is based on the responses of 4,425 Australians aged 50 and over who participated in the National Seniors Social Survey in March this year.

Survey respondents were asked to rate the importance of 14 items relevant to the aged care workforce, with respect to achieving high quality care.

They were also given an opportunity to write a comment and 634 did so, with over half raising topics not mentioned in the 14 items.

Support for the workers
Almost all respondents wanted to see aged care workers’ employment situation improve to benefit both workers and clients.

Around two-thirds considered higher pay, improved conditions, and career development to be “very important”, while less than 3% considered these items to be “not at all important”.

As one commenter put it, “The quality of care trickles down from the top. If staff are treated with respect by management, they will in turn treat each other and residents [with] respect.”

Comments revealed a concern that poor pay and conditions have contributed to chronic understaffing, in turn leading aged care services to employ people who simply need a job but are not really suited to the work.

As a result, some respondents commented on the need for governments to reframe aged care work to attract and retain quality workers.

One wrote that they would like “more work done so it is perceived by the wider community as a credible, respected, desirable, aspirational career”.

Training is essential...
Older Australians overwhelmingly want aged care workers to be well trained in all aspects of the job. A large 91.5% rated relevant training prior to commencement as “very important” – the highest rated item out of the 14.

A further 7.6% of respondents rated this “somewhat important”, with less than 1% rating it “not at all important”. Training on the job was also considered important by 98% of respondents (77% “very important”).

Similarly, 98% felt it was important for all aged care workers – not just specialist carers – to receive dementia training, with 61% saying it was “important for most aged care services”, and 37% “desirable where possible”.

One of the reasons was articulated by the commenter who wrote, “There is a definite need for at least some dementia training, as many residents eventually get dementia, and as there are very limited dementia beds available, they remain in the general residential area, and need extra assistance.”

Others mentioned the need for dementia training to avoid situations where police are called to handle people with dementia.

Formal qualifications didn’t rate as highly as training per se, with 67% considering them “very important” and 29% “somewhat important”. 


...but it takes a special kind of person
While training is critical, 151 people wrote about the inherent traits they believe aged care workers should have, sometimes likening them to a calling or vocation. Many felt these were more important than qualifications.

The traits include being naturally kind, compassionate, patient, respectful, attentive, sociable, and good humoured, to name just a few.

One person put it this way: “Having experience with aged care homes, [there] have been some amazing workers who have empathy without any training, they are the ones that should be treated like gold. When you see a worker that has come into aged care because [they] couldn’t or didn’t get into any other courses, that is the wrong reason to be in that area of work. As a child of a parent who needed a little bit more empathy and respect, I think [they are] qualities that can’t often be taught.”

RNs 24/7, but only where that is possible
Turning from individual workers to workforce composition, the survey asked people’s views of the current government requirement that every aged care facility must have a registered nurse on duty 24/7.

The requirement was supported by a strong majority, with 85% rating this “important for most aged care services”.

The policy was supported for a range of reasons including dealing with medical problems as they arise and taking pressure off emergency services and hospitals by treating residents in-house if they have non-urgent medical needs.

Several commenters supporting this policy shared distressing personal stories as relatives of aged care residents or as aged care nurses themselves. Remarks included, “I had an elderly sister with severe diabetes type 1 in care and with no nurse, overnight medication was not available. Pain, distress, and worsening conditions result.”

But commenters also acknowledged problems that have resulted from imposing the requirement without exceptions. As one person wrote, “This has forced the closing of many aged care residential homes in rural towns – RN were on call but not in a facility 24/7 – so now local hospitals are full of aged / dementia care.”

Same workers important, so is same language
There were two other workforce traits that survey respondents felt were important to quality care. 

One was clients receiving care from the same individual over time or from the same small group of carers, to help build trust, lower anxiety, and enable staff to pick up on changes in a client’s wellbeing.  

Less than 1% felt this was ‘not at all important’ and 61% felt it was “important for most aged care services”. 

Another was the principle that workers and clients should speak the same language, with 65% rating this “important for most aged care services”, and 33% “desirable where possible”

Facilitating clear communication between workers and clients was the obvious reason for this, whether the common language is English or something else. 

More specifically, some commenters noted older people often have difficultly understanding unfamiliar accents, and this can be exacerbated by hearing loss, vision loss, and carers wearing masks. 

One person commented, “I have had the experience of managing a large aged care home with 30% Chinese residents. I employed Chinese speaking staff to make these residents more comfortable. It made a difference to their care and wellbeing as well as to the anglos needing to know what residents were trying to say to them. My Chinese cleaner spoke Mandarin, Cantonese, and a few of the different dialects. She was an amazing support.” 

Your views go straight to government through NSA Research
The NSA Research team created the survey module this report is based on in response to a request from our major funder, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 

The Department’s Ageing Policy section wanted to hear older Australians’ views on the appropriate qualification level for aged care workers.

We knew there would be more to the picture than just a preference for a Cert III or a Cert IV, so we developed this more comprehensive set of measures of aged care workforce quality.

As well as detailing the results, the report includes 10 recommendations to government and the aged care sector based on your views.

The NSA Advocacy team and our CEO, Chris Grice, will continue to draw on the findings of this report in our work representing older people’s views to politicians, the media, and the Australian public.

Meanwhile we have already shared the report with the department to inform their developments of future aged care workforce policies.

This is just one more way that NSA Research is amplifying your voice, straight to government.

Read the full research report here.

New research shows WWII dominates Australians’ knowledge of military history. But big gaps remain

Nicole TownsendUNSW Sydney

Eighty years ago this week, Japan surrendered after nearly four years of war in the Asia-Pacific. For Australia, this meant the end of not only the war in the Pacific, but also the second world war that had begun six years earlier, in September 1939.

In that time, around one million Australians – approximately 15% of the population – served in the armed forces. Over half served overseas, with nearly 40,000 killed and more than 66,000 wounded.

But what do Australians today know about this epochal moment in our history? We surveyed 1,500 Australians aged 18 and older to find out.

Our study

The survey was conducted from late February to early March 2025 as part of our work at the War Studies Research Group, with the aim of measuring public understanding of Australian military history.

It covered the major conflicts in which Australians have been involved, from the Frontier Wars and colonial wars through to the more recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We asked a range of questions to determine Australians’ knowledge of and engagement with national military history, how they learn about it, and their opinions on the commemoration of military events today.

Our survey data revealed that between 40% and 70% of respondents (depending on age group) had not formally studied Australian military history. This means it provides a good insight into how the average Australian views the country’s military history.

Australia’s most well-known conflict

Nearly 90% of our respondents were aware of the second world war. Around 80% were also aware that Australians had been involved in the conflict.

There were no significant differences by any demographic.

The first world war was the next most well-known conflict, ahead of the Vietnam War, indicating the dominance of these three conflicts in Australian popular memory.

Most of our respondents (55%) also indicated their desire to learn more about the second world war — and they think Australian schoolchildren should, too. More than two-thirds support its inclusion in the Australian school curriculum.

In this, the second world war is the exception. Respondents were not particularly interested in learning more about other events in Australian military history.

The second world war is also the only conflict for which a majority believe Australian involvement was in the national interest.

Pacific War dominates

Australians served globally during the war, from the Asia-Pacific to the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Middle East. However, our survey confirmed that although our respondents indicated they were aware of the second world war, their knowledge of key events within it varies.

The most well-known event in the Mediterranean was the siege of Tobruk, which was known by approximately 41% of respondents, well ahead of the battle of El Alamein (28%) in second position.

More surprising was the fact that another 42% of our respondents had not heard of any of the listed events. This included the siege of Tobruk, which is a hallmark event in Australian military history.

By contrast, the Pacific was more well-known. Fewer than one in five respondents indicated they had not heard of any listed event from the war in the Pacific.

The top three events in the Pacific were the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (67%), the bombing of Darwin (59%), and the atomic bombings of Japan (57%).

Still, there were some unexpected findings. We expected Kokoda to rank highly, but it ranked outside the top three.

Younger Australians less knowledgeable

A deeper dive into the demographic data, however, highlights stark differences among age cohorts when it comes to what they know about the second world war.

Awareness of events increased consistently in line with respondents’ age. Older Australians are more knowledgeable across the board. This means greater knowledge among those aged 60 and over lifted the overall average response across the board.

Over two-thirds of those aged 60 and over knew of the siege of Tobruk. By contrast, only 23% of those aged 30–39 were aware of the siege. The youngest cohort (18–29) fared only slightly better, with around one-third (31%) aware of Tobruk.

Likewise, around 90% of respondents aged 60 and over knew of the attack on Pearl Harbor, compared to just over half of those aged 18–29. In fact, Pearl Harbor was the only key event from the war that garnered majority recognition among respondents aged 18–49.

Kokoda and the prisoner of war experiences of Changi, the Thai-Burma Railway, and Sandakan were all little known among those aged under 50.

Younger respondents were also at times more than twice as likely not to have heard of any listed event in this theatre.

However, the youngest cohorts were not always the least knowledgeable. For instance, 10% of those aged 18–29 knew of the battle of Milne Bay, compared to only 3% of those aged 40–49.

Australian military history needs to be bolstered

Our survey shows the second world war now dominates Australians’ understanding of their military history. But Australians know little about events outside the Pacific, and knowledge is also significantly decreasing with each generation.

This suggests the need for a stronger focus on the broader narrative of Australia’s involvement in the second world war, especially in school curricula, if this pattern is to be reversed.

It’s important public awareness of these events goes beyond the major events and encompasses diverse perspectives. This will allow future generations to better understand our past and the complexities of war, and its impact on our world today.The Conversation

Nicole Townsend, Lecturer in History, UNSW Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Pittwater Online's 80th Anniversary of VP Day History pages in 2025:

  1. WEA's Newport Summer School – for Workers, WANS + Future U.S., B.P.F. Wives: Local Insights for The 80th Commemoration of VP Day in 2025
  2. Coastal Defences In World War Two: The Dee Why to Warriewood Sections 
  3. Broken Section: The Story Of Pittwater's Anti-Submarine Boom Net - By John Illingsworth 
  4. Avalon Beach SLSC During World War Two: The Police Boys Club Mans the Beaches 

Other Profiles, History pages and Reports on Commemorative Services for all conflicts Australians have served in, which include Addresses given, and all with local connections, are listed in the Contents page and History page, or can be found by using the search function. 

Some examples include:  

The Battle of the Menin Road, in which the Australians took a prominent part. Returning from the advanced front line is a continuous stream of walking wounded and prisoners. Littering the side of the road are stretchers bearing seriously wounded awaiting motor ambulance transport. From Exhibition of war photographs / taken by Capt. Frank Hurley(who once lived at Whale Beach), August 1917- August 1918. Courtesy State Library of New South Wales

Cherry blossoms and eucalypts: this Japanese war cemetery remembers fallen Australians

Anoma Darshani PierisThe University of Melbourne and Athanasios TsakonasThe University of Melbourne

After the Great War, Australians made pilgrimages to distant battlefields of Gallipoli and northern France. They paid their respects to the fallen soldiers who shaped our national identity.

After the second world war, new places emerged such as the Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea; Changi, Singapore; and the Thai-Burma railway. They became synonymous with Australia’s wartime sacrifices in Asia and the Pacific.

However, few know about Yokohama War Cemetery – the only Commonwealth war cemetery in mainland Japan. This unique site was collaboratively designed and built by Australian and Japanese architects, horticulturists and contractors in the years following the war.

It marks one of the first acts of reconciliation between the two nations after hostilities ceased.

Reimagining the cemetery

Yokohama War Cemetery was established as the final resting place for more than 1,500 Allied servicemen and women. Most had died as prisoners of war in Japan and China, including 280 Australians.

About six kilometres west of Yokohama’s historic port, the cemetery sits within a thick pine and cherry tree landscape. After the war ended, Australian and American war graves teams scoured Japan to locate and identify the remains of the fallen. They were often found in the care of local temples near prisoner-of-war camps.

Oil painting, cherry trees in the foreground.
This painting from 1950, by George Colville, shows the Australian war graves section of the cemetary. Australian War Memorial

Between 1946 and 1951, a small team of Australian architects and horticulturists designed and constructed the cemetery. They were from the Melbourne-based Anzac Agency of the Imperial War Graves Commission (now known as the Office of Australian War Graves).

Many of these designers were recently returned servicemen.

They include young architects Peter Spier, Robert Coxhead, Brett Finney and Clayton Vize. All trained at the University of Melbourne’s Architectural Atelier, their fledgling careers interrupted by years of war service and at the agency. Others, such as Alan Robertson, endured years as a prisoner of war in Singapore then Japan.

These architects reimagined the flat expanse of the traditional British war cemetery. They arranged a 27-acre former children’s amusement park into five national burial grounds: for the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand–Canada, pre-Partition India, and a post-war section.

Four diggers under a cross.
Australian Diggers rest on their reversed arms at the dedication of the British War Cemetery at Yokohama, 1951. Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, State Library of Victoria

Eucalyptus trees towering above the mature foliage clearly identify the cemetery as an Australian endeavour.

Another important contributor was Alec Maisey, a former merchant seaman and New Guinea veteran. Maisey took on the horticultural duties for the Anzac Agency’s numerous war cemeteries. In New Guinea, Borneo, Indonesia, New Caledonia, the South Pacific and across mainland Australia, he left behind a lasting landscape legacy for the thousands of visitors.

An international collaboration

Australian designers collaborated with their Japanese counterparts to create a memorial landscape. They embedded the commission’s established lawn cemetery template into a Japanese style “hide and reveal” garden that conceals and reveals the view as you walk through it.

Impressed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s use of native Oya stone at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, modernist architect Yoji Kasajima introduced it at the cemetery.

Japanese-American Michael Iwanaga was the principal local architect for the cemetery and introduced the Australians to the social and cultural norms of Japanese funerary architecture.

Black and white photo, a crowd under the cross.
Troops from Australia and New Zealand pay tribute to fallen comrades during the 1954 Anzac Day Ceremony. Australian War Memorial

The main contractor on the project, Yabashi Marble, was associated with Japan’s modernist architecture renaissance. They installed the interior stone for Japan’s parliament building.

Tokio Nursery was initially an importer and exporter of seeds, bulbs and plants. They turned to landscaping after the war, becoming the cemetery’s principal gardening and maintenance contractor.

These tentative first steps towards reconciliation between Australia and Japan were made through design.

The result was a war cemetery unique to Asia, combining Asian and Western funereal features and aesthetics in its design.

Wide shot featuring lots of trees.
The 1954 Anzac Day Ceremony in the Australian/New Zealand section of the cemetery. Australian War Memorial

Through these encounters, the Australian designers’ gained a deeper understanding of Japan’s materials, flora and landscape. Working closely with Japanese architects, nurseries and contractors, their approach to and perception of their profession and Japan was transformed.

Among many cemeteries they designed throughout Asia, Yokohama was the place they often returned to and drew inspiration from in their personal lives.

Enduring reminders

War does not end with a victory or a battle. Some of the most difficult tasks are carried out by the seemingly obscure units of the Australian army. The Australian war graves services, undertook the recovery of the war dead, providing for their dignified burial in designated cemeteries.

Many of these spaces were designed and created during the last stages of the conflict.

Men cross the bridge
An arched stone bridge in the gardens of the Yokohama Cemetery, 1952. Australian War Memorial

War cemeteries are often activated only during commemorative anniversaries. Yet, they persist in serving as enduring reminders of the futility of war and the scale of a nation’s sacrifice. They trigger intergenerational memories for Australians.

For many Asians, however, these sites often represent an unwelcome age of imperial conflicts in which their service and sacrifice was often overlooked.

Yokohama War Cemetery stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts of Australian and Japanese designers in the aftermath of the second world war. It offers a unique perspective on the journey towards reconciliation and the power of design to bridge cultural divides.


The exhibition Eucalypts of Hodogaya is at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne, until August 2026.The Conversation

Anoma Darshani Pieris, Professor of Architecture, The University of Melbourne and Athanasios Tsakonas, Sessional Tutor in Architecture, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

u3a at Newport Community Centre: 

About Our Courses and Activities
Sydney u3a comprises seven regions covering the greater Sydney metropolitan area. The local one is U3A Northern Beaches Region.

Sydney u3a is managed and run entirely by volunteers who contribute time and energy to provide life-long learning and social activities for everyone.  Join in to enjoy the benefits of membership!  At the one affordable annual membership fee of $85.00 (less than $2 per week), you’ll get:
  • access to a wide range of courses and presentations
  • friendly and inviting social events in your region

Members can attend any course in any of the seven regions
  • Volunteers lead and administer the courses and talks
  • A wide range of topics is covered – from learning foreign languages to table tennis to history to book/movie clubs to philosophy to science related issues. There’s something for everyone!
  • Courses are held in a variety of local venues and via Zoom
  • Events, visits, tours and social activities are also offered
  • Full details of activities are listed each semester in the Course Book and on individual regional pages
From time to time there are changes to course details after publication of the Course Book. Please keep checking your region’s website or the website home page for updates.

u3a Northern Beaches Region
Our current newsletter includes up to date information on courses, events and any changes to the program.  Previous newsletters are available here if you missed any information or wish to refresh your memory.

Please note:  The newsletter is distributed to members by email at the end of each month. If you haven’t received the latest copy please check as it may have been captured in your Junk email folder. If this is the case, please adjust your settings so that you receive future newsletters as soon as possible. We also take this opportunity to issue a friendly reminder to contact us with your updated details if you change your home or email address. Thank you.

Active and Healthy at any age

Staying physically active is the single most important thing you can do to stay fit and independent, as you get older. Age is no barrier, research shows that exercise, at any age, is worth the effort. If you are in any doubt about exercise, please talk to your doctor.

This website (https://www.activeandhealthy.nsw.gov.au/) can help you find an exercise program in your local area and provides information and tools that can assist you to increase your physical activity.

Join Healthy and Active for Life Online!

Healthy and Active for Life Online is a FREE 10-week healthy lifestyle program for adults aged 60 years* and over.

The program will help you learn how to make small, sustainable changes in your lifestyle to improve your health.

The program covers lots of topics including healthy eating and physical activity.
No prior knowledge or exercise experience is required!
*Aboriginal people aged 45+ years can register. 

Healthy and Active for Life Online will help you to be active by:
  • Providing online exercise programs for you to complete in the comfort of your home
  • Providing you with an exercise manual and log to keep you on track
  • Helping you to create realistic goals and increase your fitness
Peninsula Bridge Club - Founded in 1967, we are a key community hub on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. We contribute strongly to our community: with both social connectedness for those who need it and opportunities to learn and train for those with competitive sporting goals. 

The Club is a vibrant organisation hosting up to three bridge sessions a day. We have 37 permanently set tables – that’s 148 players. We host over 30,000 player sessions every year. This includes prominent tournaments and education events attracting players from across the region. 

We pride ourselves on the friendliness of the club and our strong community spirit. We support local charities but even more importantly we support community members by providing them with social connection and mental stimulus – irrespective of age and mobility.

Our clubhouse is at Warriewood.

We have a new Beginners Course starting the end of September.

Each 2-hour lesson focuses on learning by playing, with a break for tea and chocolate biscuits mid-way. The course runs for 6 weeks and costs $100, which includes text book and support materials.

After the lessons we offer “Help with Play” sessions to practise what you’ve learned; Mondays 7-9pm; Tuesdays 2.15-4.30; Fridays 9.15-11.30. ($7 for members & $12 for visitors – membership

We also offer more advanced lessons each month so you can continue to improve your game if you want. 

If you are keen to learn this great game, please call or email Cath Whiddon (Director of Bridge Ed at PBC): 9979 5752 or cwhiddon@live.com.

If you already know how to play, take a look at our website to see what’s on offer this month: peninsulabridgeclub.org.au

Peninsula Bridge Club Facebook page: www.facebook.com/peninsulabridgeclub

Issacs's Gardening Services: Seniors Looked After 

Our neighbour's son (Isaac Loveday) recently started his own gardening business here.  He lives at Warriewood.

Isaac has 10 years horticultural experience with Flower Power.   His listed expertise is:
  • Horticultural advice
  • Mowing & hedging
  • Landscaping & fertilising
  • Planting & turf laying
  • Weed & pest control
No job is too big or too small, and seniors will be looked after.
I have attached his Brochure & Business Cards.
Do you have anywhere in PON that we can advertise his business.  He is a young man & enthusiastic about his work.
J.M.

assistance to pay your aged care costs

It’s now easier to get help if you need assistance to pay your aged care costs.
Services Australia have improved their Aged Care Claim for financial hardship assistance form and made changes to some evidence requirements. They’ve made these changes so it’s easier for you to get help.

You may get help if you can’t pay your aged care costs and you’re either:
  • in residential or respite care
  • getting a home care package.
You can claim for financial hardship assistance if all of the following apply:
If you get a Home Care Package, your care must have started on or after 1 July 2014.

Before you claim, you should update your income and asset details as well as your partners if you have one. You may also be eligible for other payments and services.

Next steps

Pensioner water rebate

If you receive a pension, you may qualify for a rebate on your water bill. 

To be eligible, you’ll need a:
  • Pensioner Concession Card from Centrelink or Department of Veterans' Affairs, or
  • gold Health Card (also known as a gold card) that shows:
  • war widow
  • war widower
  • extreme disablement adjustment (EDA)
  • totally and temporarily incapacitated (TTI)
  • totally and permanently incapacitated (TPI).
You’ll also need to be the owner and occupier of one of the following:
  • single dwelling
  • dual occupancy
  • strata or company title unit
  • unit in a retirement village with a life term lease.
If you own the property with someone who isn't a pensioner, you may still get a rebate. This depends on your relationship with the other owner(s) and your eligibility.

Rebates are applied to each bill. 

You can claim your pensioner rebate by selecting your water supplier from the following list:

 

Contact Community Care Northern Beaches HERE

 Keep your Wits About You

A regular contributor suggests we all look at Lumosity to see if will suit keeping active mentally. Their website states: "improve Brain Health and performance. Designed by neuroscientists, Lumosity exercises improve core cognitive functions. Researchers have measured significant improvements in working memory and attention after Lumosity training. Dozens of research collaborations help improve the Lumosity training program and its effectiveness." You can visit their website to decide for yourself  at: www.lumosity.com/app/v4/personalization

Heartmoves is a low-moderate intensity exercise program. Regular participation in Heartmoves will help to: Better manage weight, blood sugars, blood pressure and cholesterol; Improve fitness, balance, co-ordination and flexibility; Enhance your quality of life and meet other people. Ingrid Davey is a qualified Older Adult Instructor and accredited Heartmoves Leader who will guide you through an exercise program that is fun, safe and modified to suit you. Tuesday 9.30am and Thursday 10.30am at Nelson Heather Centre, 4 Jackson Road Warriewood.  The cost per class is $10.00 casual now and $17.00 for two classes. Phone Ingrid to secure your spot on 0405 457 063. www.heartfoundation.org.au

MWP Care

We've been supporting the community for over 50 years! 
Our Neighbour Aid staff and volunteers are able to provide crucial support to vulnerable elderly residents during the lockdown. 

Help with going to the supermarket or shopping on your behalf from a list as well as transport to medical appointments. Please get in touch via our website for more information 

MWP Care is a not-for-profit organisation that assists frail aged and younger people with disabilities and their carer’s in the Manly, Warringah, Pittwater area to remain independent members of our community.

MWP Care provides support to people who cannot manage alone by providing a range of services. Many of Community Aid’s activities are made possible by the generous work of our wonderful volunteers. Please contact us for more information.


Australian Government Dept. of Health: Hearing Devices for Seniors

Australian Government's Hearing Services Program (the program), offers the option of being fitted with a hearing device if a hearing assessment identifies you have a hearing loss and a hearing device may assist you. 

You will be given a recommendation for a fully subsidised hearing device, and may also be offered the option of purchasing a partially subsidised hearing device. These devices have been approved by the Office of Hearing Services.

You can find out more about this program on the Australian Government's Department of Health webpage on the program here

council has a Home Library Service Available for Seniors

For those unable to visit the library because of age or disability, the Home Library Service maintains a vital connection with all that the library offers. Your Home Library Service Officer will help you select items for reading or listening. Volunteers or staff will then deliver and collect your library items on a regular basis.

Register for the Home Library Service
If you or the person you care for is unable to visit the library or carry library items home due to age, frailty or disability, please complete Council's Home Library Service Application Form or call us on 9942 2393. 

A medical certificate or statement signed by a doctor may be required to assess eligibility.

What happens next?
After staff receive your completed application form, a Home Library Service Officer will contact you to arrange a time to meet and discuss the service details with you.

Staff or volunteers will then select your items according to your borrowing preferences and then deliver them to you. During this visit you can return any items that you have finished with.

WIND, BRASS AND PERCUSSION PLAYERS!!!!!

Northern Beaches Concert Band is looking for flute, clarinet, saxophone, tuba and trombone adult players.  We cater for players from beginner to advanced and have a varied and exciting repertoire.  Come and join us during school term time at 7.30pm, Pittwater High School, Mona Street, Mona Vale. 
  
Details 9970 7131 or 0414 560 263.

Community Connect

Need help on where to go to find the community information and assistance you need?

At Community Connect Northern Beaches, our professional staff and trained volunteers are knowledgeable, friendly and approachable and we will be only too pleased to help you find the service you want. We provide information and support, as well as advocacy and referral to other non profit community services and government agencies.

If we can’t help you we will get you someone who can. If you are newly arrived or do not have an English speaking background we can offer individual advice and support. Or Why not come to Specialist Community Support Workshops: Family Law, Power of Attorney plus Wills and Executors; Domestic Violence Support and Prevention; Positive Community Integration ; Crime Prevention; Or  Our Free English Classes. 

We also provide information on: Family Services: Child Care, Personal Support & Counselling; Health (Including Mental Health) ;  Material and Practical Assistance ; Advocacy to access state and federal MP assistance; Accommodation and Tenancy (help with form filling); Legal and Financial Matters ; Consumer Affairs ; Multicultural Issues; Conservation and the Environment ; Employment and Education; Accessing Community Facilities  -You are welcome to call in for: Brochures, booklets and fact sheets on a range of topics; Service Directories e.g. Council Guides and Migrant Directories; Publications e.g. The Senior newspaper and Nova.

Access to our community information data base, internet, email, fax and photocopying.(Please note there is a small charge for photocopying and use of the fax to cover the cost of paper, toner and fax call).  We also offer: A Legal Referral Program - Monday 1pm to 2pm at our 30 Fisher Road, Dee Why office.  Taxation Assistance for low income earners and pensioners from July to October. 

What does it cost?: Our services are free, however we are always grateful for a small donation where possible. The program is supported by NSW Department of Family & Community Services (FACS). CONTACT US: Phone: 02 99317777.

Know Your Bones

CEO of Osteoporosis Australia, Greg Lyubomirsky says “bone health is an important part of your general health and anyone with risks for osteoporosis should be investigated.”

He has urged people to try the online self-assessment, Know Your Bones developed by Osteoporosis Australia and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. 

"Simply visit the website, complete the assessment in your own time and a personal report is generated which will outline potential risks and can be taken to your doctor if required.”

You can take the assessment here:  www.knowyourbones.org.au

NSW Seniors Website: Crosswords, Puzzles & Games

Did you know that the NSW Seniors website has a range of games and puzzles for you to exercise that great grey matter upstairs?

Recently new items have been added in and now the list is:


Just click on the links we've embedded next time it's too cold out for a stroll and exercise that other great asset you have - your mind!

Profile

EasyLink (formerly Easy Transport Manly Warringah Pittwater) - medical appointments, shopping trips, mystery tours and Saturday Lunch - this great non-profit organisation offers great ideas and solutions.

Visit: https://easylink.com.au

Avalon Beach Ladies Probus Club - Profile

Currently Avalon Beach Ladies Probus club is looking for new members - a great opportunity to spring into Spring by meeting up with wonderful local women for fun and friendship. Meets first Tuesday of every month at Club Palm Beach (Palm Beach RSL).

President Margaret White shares a few insights into this local ladies Probus club.

AvPals 

Avalon Computer Pals (AVPALS) helps Seniors learn and improve their computer skills. It is a not for profit organisation run by volunteers. 


Started in 2000 it now has 20+ trainers and many hundreds of students. At a really low cost (about $50 a school term) they can provide one-to-one training on most matters connected with computing and related technologies like mobile phones and digital cameras. From the smallest problem (how to hold the mouse!) to much more serious matters, there is a trainer who can help.

We offer “one to one” personal tuition or special short courses in the training rooms under the Catholic Church in Avalon. Training is conducted Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. For more information visit AVPALS web site www.avpals.com or phone 02 8064 3574

Keep up to date on our Facebook page

Find out more at: www.avpals.com

NLA Ebooks - Free To Download

The National Library of Australia provides access to thousands of ebooks through its website, catalogue and eResources service. These include our own publications and digitised historical books from our collections as well as subscriptions to collections such as Chinese eResources, Early English Books Online and Ebsco ebooks.

What are ebooks?
Ebooks are books published in an electronic format. They can be read by using a personal computer or an ebook reader.

This guide will help you find and view different types of ebooks in the National Library collections.
Peruse the NLA's online ebooks, ready to download - HERE

Wellbeing Plus 

The Wellbeing Plus Course is a free, online treatment course for Australian’s aged 60 years+  
The course includes 5 lessons delivered over 8 weeks, with optional weekly support from a therapist via email or phone. It aims to help us understand symptoms of anxiety and depression, and practice helpful skills.    

Over 95% of people said they would recommend the Wellbeing Plus Course.  

If you're interested in learning more, visit www.mindspot.org.au/course/wellbeing-plus  


Seniors Toy Repair Group needs your help

Volunteers are sought to help out on Wednesday mornings (7.30am to midday) at the group's workshed in Ingleside. Volunteers need their own transport and be willing to sort and clean toys that are picked up at different collection points on the Northern Beaches. 

Prospective volunteers can call Terry Cook on 0410 597 327 or email himFind out more about this great community group HERE


Meals on Wheels 

Meal preparation and delivery: Benevolent Society
Our food services include meal preparation, and delivery of hot, frozen or chilled meals as part of the Meals on Wheels NSW program. This service is currently provided in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney.

Assistance to prepare food at home is available as an activity to help stay active and independent.
To find out if you or someone you know is eligible for this service, call our friendly staff. 
Call 1800 236 762

Also:
Pittwater; 6 Jackson Road, WARRIEWOOD, NSW 2102
Phone: 02 9457 3900

Manly & Warringah; Manly Seniors Centre, 275 Pittwater Road, MANLY, NSW 2095
Phone: 02 9976 1469

Pensioner's Concessions: Council Rates

Did you know that Pensioners are entitled to concessions on their Council Rates?

Concessions are available for eligible pensioners. To be an eligible pensioner you must receive a pension from either Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and be entitled to a pensioner concession card issued by the Commonwealth Government. You can only claim a concession on the property if it is the sole or principal place you live.

If you are eligible, you are entitled to:
  • Half of the total of your ordinary rates and domestic waste management service charge, up to a maximum of $250.
  • Half of your water rates or charges, up to a maximum of $87.50.
  • Half of your sewerage rates or charges, up to a maximum of $87.50.
To apply, you need to complete a pensioner concession application form. You can obtain these forms from your council - download our area's one HERE

The Senior Newspaper Online 

HERE

On Facebook

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN)

Older Persons Advocacy Network offer free, independent and confidential services that focus on supporting older people and their representatives to raise and address issues relating to accessing and interacting with Commonwealth funded aged care services.

Older Persons Advocacy Network  seek to ensure that aged care consumers understand and exercise their rights and participate, to the maximum degree possible, in the decisions affecting their care.

Older Persons Advocacy Network achieve this through the delivery of individual advocacy support, information and consumer and service provider education.

Nine State and Territory based organisations form the OPAN network. Older Persons Advocacy Network is funded by the Australian Government to deliver the National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP), providing a national voice for aged care advocacy.

ADVOCACY
Older Persons Advocacy Network organisations offer free aged care advocacy services that are independent and confidential

INFORMATION
Older Persons Advocacy Network organisations provide free information about aged care service provision, referrals and the rights and responsibilities of consumers

EDUCATION
Older Persons Advocacy Network organisations offer free information and education sessions to consumers and providers of Commonwealth funded aged care services

Disclaimer: These articles are not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Pittwater Online News or its staff.