ANZAC Day is rightfully known as one of Australia’s most important national occasions marking the anniversary of the first major military action found by Australian and New Zealand forces during the first World War.

Cronulla’s ANZAC Day Dawn Service & March details

Time: 5:15am

Location: Cronulla RSL – Gerrale St, Cronulla

The March will commence at Cronulla RSL Memorial Club and will continue along Gerrale St to Surf Rd, left into Cronulla St to Monro Park for the Dawn Service.

Breakfast will be provided at the Club for ex-service personnel and club members.

It’s back! Wake up bright and early Sunday morning on 28th April and head down to Cronulla Beach for the 1km swim at 9:30am or, for those with a little more endurance (or those participating in both events), the 2.3km Cronulla Shark Island swim kicks off at 10:30am for all divisions (minimum age is 10 years old).

How do you know who wins?

Both swims will be timed by using an electronic tag system attached to a Velostretch ankle band and detection mats at the finish line. There are a few requirements that must be followed when using the timing band, including attaching it around your left ankle and leaving it on for the entire duration of the swim course.

Fashion guidelines

Only conventional swimming costumes made from lycra and/or polyester are to be worn, with no neoprene or any other ‘high tech’ material with any flotation support.

• Males: Briefs only with no arms, legs or any part of the costume covering their body above the waist
• Females: Either one or two piece costumes with no arms or legs

Is it safe?

As safe as can be! There will be inflatable rescue boats, jet skis and board paddlers patrolling the course. As always each swimmer is responsible for their own physical condition and enters the event at their own risk. However they’re will be eyes watching you; any swimmer deemed incapable of completing this course may be brought to the shore at any time at the discretion of the Water Safety Manager.

Time to enter!

All entries received after 5pm on Friday 26^th April are late entries, so sign up before then to avoid paying extra!

• 2.3km Shark Island Swim: $45
• 1km Beach Swim: $35 (raises money for Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club)
• Both events: $60

Enquiries?

Contact Glenn Carter on 0417 484 231 or visit the official website here.

Happy & safe swimming to everyone involved!

Relay For Life is a well-known overnight, community event where teams walk or run around the track to raise funds for the Cancer Council. The event brings the whole community together for a night of fun, entertainment, celebration and remembrance. In NSW, around 40,000 people each year take part in Relay For Life, and that number is growing! Best of all, anyone can participate!

“Some people do it in memory of a loved who has passed away from cancer.  Some people do it to show how proud they are at having survived cancer.  Some use it to show they are strong enough to beat cancer.  And some just want to be involved and make a difference.  Whatever your reasons, you’ll never forgot your first Relay.”

Our local Relay For Life will take place on 4^th May 2013 from 9:30am at Sylvania Athletics Track on Belgrave Esplanade. The survivors walk begins at 9:15am with the Candlelight Ceremony of Hope later in the evening at 6pm.

So far almost 200 teams have registered with a total of over 1200 participants. And you can still register for $20 per person!

In the time it has taken me to write this blog, the $100,000 mark has been reached! The goal for the Sutherland Shire’s Relay For Life is $650,000, here’s hoping we can reach the target!

Easter is fast approaching! This year Easter is early and before the school holidays, the perfect 4 day long weekend opportunity to escape to the holiday house before the colder weather rolls in! If you are looking to rent a holiday house we have a few options in Mollymook but if you are staying home Cronulla will be holding the Easter Show in Cronulla Mall again this year.

The Cronulla Easter Show kicks off in Cronulla Plaza for 2013 on Friday 29^th March at 10am and runs for 4 days finishing at 4pm on Monday 1^st April. Wandering entertainers, market stalls, activity stalls, face painting, carnival rides, showbags and much more will make your Easter extra special at Cronulla.

How much?
It’s FREE! The event is run by a local council group. PLUS it’s nice and close to home without the stress or crowds out at the Sydney Royal Easter Show at Homebush!

Events program:

• Circus School – 10am to 4pm daily (free)
• Animal Farm – 10am to 4pm daily ($3 per child or $5 for 2 children, adults free)
• NEW Animal Caper Shows – Fri, Sat & Sun 1pm, 2pm & 3pm (free)
• Hot Potato – Fri & Mon 11am to 2pm
• Kush Carnivale on Stilts – Sat & Sun from Noon to 3pm
• Pony Rides – Sun 10am to 4pm
• Showbags – You don’t have to head into Homebush for showbags, Cronulla has everything and more including Spongebob Squarepants, Mickey Mouse, Angry Birds, Dora the Explorer, My Little Pony, Thomas the Tank Engine and Ben 10! Whether you’re obsessed with lollies or a keen magician, you’ll be able to find just what you’re looking for with the easy to download Cronulla Showbag Guide.

How to get here?
Parking in Cronulla is bad at the best of times (see parking map here) let alone during special events, but luckily there are alternatives. With trains terminating at Cronulla train station very frequently, this is definitely an option to consider if you are traveling from nearby suburbs. Bicycle racks are also located at Cronulla Station, along Cronulla St (near Cold Rock Ice Creamery) and on the ground floor of the Croydon St car park.

And for all those selling their properties, we have commenced the mad
rush to Easter! Good luck!

For more information contact:

Cronulla Beach CBD Management
Ph: 9527 2100
cronullabeachcbd@ssc.nsw.gov.au

You may be back at work but the celebrations aren’t over yet! There a number of events happening in Cronulla to mark the momentous 26th of January… Keep reading!

Jock Athletic Australia Day Running Festival
Head down to Wanda Beach bright and early to kick off your Australia Day morning at 7am sharp with 3 running events to choose from – there is something for everyone!

• 2.5km Soft Sand Fun Run/Walk – The Jane McGrath Classic is a premier fundraiser for the McGrath Foundation and is a great event for people of all ages
• 6km Soft Sand Race – The Wanda X-Treme 6 is an endurance race through the historic Wanda Sandhills and beaches
• Corporate Dash – Enter a team of 4 and take part in the 4x400m relay dash to raise money for the McGrath Foundation

‘A Day at the Beach’ this Australia Day presented by the Sutherland Shire Council kicks off at 1pm and finishes with the iconic fireworks finale at 9pm.

Australia Day in Cronulla – Event schedule

1pm: Stars from Oz – a celebration of everything Australian paying tribute to some of Australia’s best known performers
2pm: Caravana Sun – a frenetic fusion of surf, gypsy, ska and reggae
3pm: Rattle & Hum – U2 tributes
4pm: Nathan Foley & Band – rock entertainment
5:15pm: Walangari – traditional Aboriginal didgeridoo and dance by Diramu Aboriginal Performers
6:05pm: Sharnielle Hartley – up and coming pop, rock and classical singer
6:45pm: Encore Vocal Group – jazz and opera tunes and musical theatre
8pm: The McClymonts – ARIA award winning country music sisters

We hope you enjoy the day – look out for each other and remember to slip-slop-slap!

It’s official, we are now only 2 weeks out from Christmas – the festivities have well and truly begun!

Carols By Cruiser

The annual Carols By Cruiser is on again this Sunday, 16th December. The ferry – Gunnamatta – leaves the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Port Hacking at 3:30pm en-route to North West Arm arriving at 4:45pm. The ferry will then cruise west passing the following spots along the way:

• Gymea Bay west – 5:15pm
• Gymea Bay east – 5:30pm
• Yowie Bay – 6pm
• Gannons Bay – 6:30pm
• Dolans Bay – 7:15pm
• Burraneer Bay – 7:30pm
• Tonkin Park – 8:15pm

Tickets are $75 for members, $90 for non-members and $65 for children aged 3-12 with all money collected donated to the Cronulla Lions.

If you’re not on a cruiser and you don’t live on the water but have friends who do, make sure you are on their party list so you can enjoy front row seats. Beach & Bay will be at 14 Randell Ave, Lilli Pilli enjoying snags on the barbie and champagne!

Carols on the Lawn – Free Event

Where? Caringbah Uniting Church, corner Dudley Ave & Port Hacking Rd
When? Sunday 23rd December at 7:30pm

The family event includes a sausage sizzle, drinks, sweets and Candlelite Flickers to wave plus of course all the favourite carols!

Shortly home owners will have the choice of paying a $10 fee to register their backyard swimming pool through their council or online for free. Before a property with a pool is rented or sold it will now be inspected by law with councils able to charge $150 initially and $100 for any follow-up.

Hopefully this will encourage people to go out and check on the state of their fence and fix any loose screws or broken poles as 60-80% of pools inspected by someone else are found to have a non-compliant pool barrier according to Opposition Health spokesman Andrew McDonald who also emphasised that “it is absolutely vital that effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation be taught to the general community”, a very important issue coming into the warm summer months.

New rules

• Home owners will have 1 year from the official start of the scheme (date TBA) to register their pool and assure, to the best of their knowledge, it meets fencing laws.
• Before a property is sold or leased, the pool will need to be inspected and registered as compliant.
• Councils will be required to develop a locally appropriate and affordable inspection program in consultation with their community.

UPDATE

The 1^st part of the Swimming Pools Amendment Bill came into force on 20^th April, 2013. All pool owners are now required to register their pool in the online register that became available on Monday 29^th April 2013. All registrations must be completed by 28^th October 2013. A $220 penalty will apply to anyone failing to register their pool in the allowed time. The web address for the register is: www.swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au

Available from the App store for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, Sutherland Shire Council’s latest Report It App allows residents to report issues directly to the council and have those requests automatically added to their Customer Request Management System (CRMS). This new app aims to speed up the process for council officers to take action on your requests and provide you with a CRMS notification number to follow up if needed.

With the help of this new app, residents can report general requests and any of the following issues:

• Rubbish
• Trees
• Graffiti
• Illegal Dumping
• Illegal Parking
• Animals
• Mowing
• Noise
• Drains
• Potholes
• Abandoned Vehicles

We decided to test it out on some dumped rubbish in a Cronulla street. It was straight forward and easy to use and allowed us to upload a photo of the “Report it” incident. The only thing that we would love to see improved is the turn around time. When we had finished the report,  it says “Your request may take up to 28 days to process!”

Thanks to the Sutherland Shire Council, residents will no longer have to stockpile their materials for months under their homes, in the garages or backyards waiting for the biannual council clean up dates to come around.  As of 1st January 2013 Sutherland Shire residents will have the opportunity to request an on call clean up service twice each financial year.

The regular clean up schedule will run for the rest of this year.

This new initiative will:

• Allow you to book a collection at a time that suits you twice each financial year
• Have less visual impact on our street scape and reduce the time that materials are left out on kerbside to one day only
• Increase recycling of clean up materials

You can book your clean up service from the 1st January 2013 online or over the phone (Clean Up hotline – 9710 5722). The type of booking you make will depend upon the type of dwelling you live in.

Houses and small apartments (6 units or less)
See here for collection instructions.

Large apartment complexes (7 or more units/villas/townhouses)
A clean up request for large apartment complexes is to be made through the complex’s designated spokesperson. See here for collection instructions.

Inaccessible and remote properties in the Shire
Unfortunately inaccessible and remote properties will not have access to the on-call clean up trial. See here for more details.

Similar to past council clean ups, the same rules apply for prohibited items – see here for materials that are accepted and those that are not.

Questions about the Clean Up? Contact Sutherland Shire Council on Facebook or by calling the clean up hotline on 9710 5722