Message from the Mayor

In June the Council will meet to decide the 2023-2024 budget, fees & charges and delivery program, our annual plan for services and projects in the new financial year.

There’s still time to make a comment on Your say on our website. Comments close on 22 May.

At this stage we have pencilled in around $54 million for capital works in this year’s budget, which includes new roads, footpaths and drainage.

If you’re interested in the details of these important documents please have a say.

Next week sees the start of National Reconciliation Week and the Gai-mariagal Festival.

These events will improve our understanding of country and culture of First Nations people.

In Ku-ring-gai the Gai-mariagal Festival begins with a dot painting workshop at the Ku-ring-gai Art Centre in Roseville on 7 June with indigenous artist Jude Jarrett.

Other highlights include a bushfoods tasting experience with Ngemba Weilwan woman Sharon Winsor and the Boomhi experience at St Ives Showground, a collaboration between First Nations & South Asian artists including dance, music and storytelling.

Bookings are required for most events; go to our website to book and for more information.

Read the full enews

The new financial year is approaching and as is normally the case, the Council is offering several types of grant funding to the community in 2023-2024.

Our environmental grants are open until 19 May for projects that protect our environment and will help Ku-ring-gai reach its net zero goals. There is $100,000 of funding available.

We are providing dollar for dollar funding for owners of heritage properties to help them maintain and conserve their buildings. These heritage grants also close on 19 May.

The Council is offering $100,000 in grants to local community groups and organisations for equipment, community development programs and arts & cultural activities. Visit community grants to apply and see what projects have been funded in previous years. Applications close on 2 June.

Finally our events and cultural activities sponsorships are open until 28 May for applications from cultural and artistic groups and anyone interested in hosting an event in Ku-ring-gai. Please read the guidelines before submitting an application as conditions apply. More details are on our website.

There’s still plenty happening in this year’s Heritage Festival, with one of the highlights a Mother’s Day afternoon tea at Eryldene stately home in Gordon. And to all the mums and mother figures in Ku-ring-gai, I hope you have an enjoyable and restful day on Mothers Day!

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This week the Council met to consider a report on the 2023-2024 budget, delivery program and other important plans for the Council over the next 10 years.

These plans will be on public exhibition for comment between Monday 24 April and Monday 22 May.

Ku-ring-gai residents are set to benefit from $54 million worth of works on roads, footpaths, sportsfields and other essential services in the new financial year.

It’s very important that you make your views known on our future planning during the public exhibition period. Over the next 10 years the gap between income and expenditure is going to widen significantly and can’t be filled without increasing revenue

The Council will make a decision in June on the 2023-2024 budget and how it is allocated. Jump on our have your say page from next Monday to tell us what you think.

Next Tuesday is ANZAC Day, the most solemn day in our nation’s calendar. There are several commemorations taking place across Ku-ring-gai to honour our servicemen and women, starting with the dawn service at Roseville Memorial Club from 5am. It’s always a special time to remember and give thanks for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf. Full details on our website.

Mayor Jeff Pettett

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With school holidays rapidly approaching, we have some great activities organised over the next few weeks. Whether your child is sporty or artistic, check out the school holiday programs below and book early if you can. Some activities book out quickly and have limited spaces.

If you’re interested in helping Ku-ring-gai’s environment, consider applying for one of our environmental grants. Funds are available for projects such as community gardens, native bee hives, weed removal and preserving bushland. This year there is a new grant category called Net Zero for projects dedicated to reducing Ku-ring-gai’s greenhouse gas emissions. Applications opened on Monday 3 April; to find out more and apply go to our website.

During April and May we are hosting the Ku-ring-gai Heritage Festival. This is a great event that showcases some of Ku-ring-gai’s stately homes and the history of our beautiful area. The Festival is on between 18 April and 19 May and you can book into events online. 

This week I’ve been checking out Samuel King Oval at Turramurra which we’ve just upgraded, plus the new recreation area next to Warrimoo Oval at St Ives. Watch the video to find out more!

April is a special month for many in our community who are marking Easter, Passover and Ramadan. On behalf of Council I wish you all an enjoyable and peaceful time with family and friends.

Read the full Ku-ring-gai Enews

We take pride in Ku-ring-gai being a family friendly place and a good environment to live in. To mark Neighbour Day on Sunday 26 March we’re distributing free postcards at local events, libraries, our customer service centre and online. By dropping a postcard in your neighbour’s letterbox you can introduce yourself to one another and in the case of older residents, check whether they need help. Download your postcard here.

Neighbour Day is also the launch of the Sydney-wide Liveability Census. The survey assesses the city’s liveability and how well local neighbourhoods are performing. The information that comes out of this survey can help our planners in the future. To find out more visit 2023 Australian Liveability Census - Place Score

Meals on Wheels has a new name and a new menu! I was at the launch of the expanded service last week with Deputy Mayor Barbara Ward and Councillor Simon Lennon, seeing for ourselves the great range of fresh and frozen meals they offer. The service is now called The Village Chef, with an emphasis on fresh new menu options for a wider audience. From its kitchens in Turramurra, The Village Chef cooks meals for hundreds of residents every week delivered by dedicated volunteers. Check out their great new meal selections which come into effect from 1 May.

International Women’s Day was celebrated in Ku-ring-gai this week with the Council hosting a second Women’s Forum and several community events taking place. Thank you to everyone who attended and made these events such a success.

This week I’ve been checking out two new playgrounds at Dukes Green East Lindfield and Robert Pymble Park at Pymble. For several years the Council has been upgrading playgrounds in the local area with the guiding principle of ‘everyone can play’.

I think families will enjoy these two latest additions to our playgrounds, which are accessible to all children regardless of age and ability. Read more about them below.

Next weekend is the final event in our program of activities to attract visitors to central Turramurra. The Try Turramurra festival will take place at Cameron Park on Saturday 18 March between 12 noon and 6pm, with lots of music, food, games and entertainment for the whole family. Hope to see you there.

Council staff have been working with local SES and RFS crews cleaning up after the recent storms. Thank you to the volunteers for your efforts and to our community for your patience as we work to get Ku-ring-gai back to its best. There are some simple things you can do to be better storm ready, such as cleaning gutters and drains and making an emergency kit with essential items. Council is running a storm ready workshop on 8 March where you can see a 3D simulation of a storm and get tips on preparing your home and family.

The Fires Near Me app has been updated to Hazards Near Me NSW, showing information and warnings about bushfires and floods directly from emergency services. The app also allows you to get notifications about incidents in your area. If you already have Fires Near Me NSW on your device, update your app or search for Hazards Near Me NSW in the app store.

We have some great events coming up to keep you informed and entertained during the next few weeks. We are hosting another linen and clothing collection at St Ives Showground on Saturday 4 March. Everything we receive will either be sold in charity shops run by St Vincent de Paul or turned into other products by recycling company Blocktexx. Last year we collected over 30 tonnes of textile waste so let’s see if we can beat that total this year! The annual Clean Up Australia Day is also happening on Sunday 5 March. If you want to organise or join a site, visit cleanup.org.au

Council will mark International Women’s Day with our second women’s forum with guest speaker Annabelle Daniel OAM, Chair of Domestic Violence NSW on 9 March. There will also be a panel with Council and community representatives leading discussions on topics raised at our first women’s forum last year. You can book into the forum online.

The Council’s first meeting of 2023 has a busy agenda. You can watch the meeting via live stream from 7pm Tuesday 14 February.

There are some great events coming up over the next few weeks, including the return of Library up late on Thursday nights with a series of interesting - and at times challenging - author talks. Guest authors include Prof. Raina McIntyre on pandemics; Debra Keenahan on her experience living with achondroplasia dwarfism and social commentator Hugh McKay with his latest insights on Australia.

The popular linen and clothing collection returns to the St Ives Showground on Saturday 4 March between 10am and 3pm. Last year’s inaugural collection saw nearly 30 tonnes of unwanted clothing and linen collected for recycling.

The Try Turramurra Festival on 18 March will be a day of fun, food, workshops and music. Highlights include volunteers from Turramurra Lookout Community Garden, some special animal visitors from the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, gardening experts with advice on growing herbs, string, jazz and dance ensembles, speed painting and roving entertainment.

This is my first message of 2023 and I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year and best wishes to you and your families for the coming year. If one of your new year resolutions is to give back to the Ku-ring-gai community, take a look at the video below where some of our valued volunteers tell us what volunteering means to them.

January is the start of the Year of the Rabbit for many in our community. Ku-ring-gai’s Lunar New Year celebrations are bigger than ever, thanks to a grant from Multicultural NSW. We have a food festival happening on Friday 3 February at St Ives Village Green, calligraphy at the library, a guided walk for Mandarin speakers at the Wildflower Garden and technology classes for older residents in Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese. Visit our website for full details.

January also sees the community mark Australia Day this Thursday. This year we have a pool party happening at the Ku-ring-gai Fitness & Aquatic Centre at West Pymble between 1pm and 5pm. We will also announce the winners of the Ku-ring-gai Local Citizen of the Year awards in the morning and welcome 165 new Australian citizens to Ku-ring-gai. However you choose to spend the day, it’s a time for reflecting positively on the contribution made by everyone to our great country in the past  - and how we can all work together for Australia’s future.

Looking forward to February, the Council is hosting a month of events for older residents as part of Seniors Week. I’ll have more to tell you about these events next time, or you can visit our website for a preview of what’s planned.