Mosman’s 2020 Citizen of the Year Award has been presented jointly to Ivan and Elizabeth Hodge. The couple has hosted a free community event at the Balmoral Rotunda every November since 2004 with all members of the Mosman community invited to attend.

Ivan and Beth can often be seen on weekends welcoming friends and walkers along the promenade with their table offering snacks and juices to their many visitors, providing a fine example of true community spirit.

Mosman‘s 2020 Young Citizen of the Year Award was awarded to Elliot Connor, who was unable to attend the Australia Day event.

Elliot has achieved a remarkable amount for his years – he is the founder and CEO of international NGO Human Nature Projects and is active across two dozen conservation charities, including as Ambassador to Coalition WILD and the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization.

He also regularly volunteers to run activities for the 1st Mosman Scout Troop and volunteers with WIRES, rescuing wildlife. He also takes part in the Morella Road bush care group and recently participated in World Peace Day celebrations as a member of the Jane Goodall Institute’s National Youth Leadership Council.

Mosman Council has extended its rollout of free public Wifi.

The service is now available around Spit Junction, along Military Road between Cowles Road to Mandolong Road, and parts of Spit Road, between the Civic Centre and up to the B1 bus stops.

This follows the introduction of the service in April 2019 around Mosman Square and the Civic Centre Precinct including Myahgah Mews, Mosman Village Green, and outside Barry O’Keefe Library and Mosman Art Gallery.

The service has proved popular with residents and visitors, and the coverage area will be further extended to Mosman Junction later this year.

To connect within the coverage area, find and join the ‘Mosman_Free_Wifi’ network using a Wifi enabled phone, tablet or notebook computer.

For further information on the service click here.

Mosman’s Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony is on Sunday 26 January at Mosman Drill Hall on Cross Street.

Each year inspirational individuals from diverse fields speak as Australia Day Ambassadors, and this year’s Ambassador for Mosman is Catherine Saxelby, nutritionist, best-selling author, speaker and media personality.

Following the Citizenship Ceremony Mosman Council will announce its 2020 Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year. The awards are made in conjunction with the Australia Day Council to recognise significant contributions to the lives of residents, and activities that have brought credit to the area.

Official proceedings will commence at 10am and conclude at 12pm, and will be followed by a community BBQ hosted by the Lions Club of Mosman.

Mosman Art Gallery is presenting two exciting projects in Mosman as part of the 2020 Sydney Festival.

From 15-26 January, the historic armoured casemates on Chowder Bay Road at Georges Head will host Three Views, a series of poignant, darkly humorous, and site-specific installations by acclaimed First Nations artists Karla Dickens, Jason Wing and Blak Douglas, curated by Djon Mundine OAM. It is the first time these secret and hidden military chambers have been open to the public. The free exhibition will be open daily from 12-4pm, and is designed to inspire deep reflection and offer new perspectives on Sydney Harbour.

The Gallery will also present Island of Shadow, a new performance work by locally based Indonesian-Australian artist Jumaadi, in association with his major exhibition My Love is in an Island Far Away. It brings experimental approaches in light and sound to wayang kulit, the traditional Indonesian art of the shadow play. Six performances will be staged between 22-24 January in the Gallery’s Grand Hall.

For more information visit mosmanartgallery.org.au.

Image: Jumaadi, Island of Shadow

With only a week left for Christmas gift shopping, Mosman’s retail areas are busy and festive, with street flower arrangements and trees decorated with bows and fairy lights, and special displays in most shop windows. Winners of Mosman’s Christmas window decorating competition Rapt were announced last week, with Best Overall Display awarded to kitchenware and specialty gourmet food store Accoutrement, for distinctive displays in multiple windows; Best Lighting Display awarded to designer shoes and accessories boutique The Nowhere Nation; and Most Sustainable Display awarded to jewellery boutique Lily & Mitchell for the second year running, for a creative and delicate display of all natural and mostly reusable materials.

Accoutrement, Winner – Best Overall Display

Commendations were also awarded to Cafe Mosman, Fourth Village Providore, Heirloom Specialty Coffee, Johnnies Fruit Shop, Little Salon Co., Montmartre Store, Naked Foods, Salon Renaissance, Savoir Faire and The Fur Salon By Rufus & Coco.

The Nowhere Nation, Winner – Best Lighting Display

Lily & Mitchell, Winner – Most Sustainable Display

Mosman Council and the Mosman Chamber of Commerce thank all the entrants for their participation and the businesses that generously donated prizes for Rapt 2019.

Mosman Council’s 2019 Christmas Gift Appeal has been a huge success. More than 850 gifts were donated by the Mosman community for children and teenagers in drought and fire-affected communities, more than double the number of gifts donated to Council’s appeal last year.

This year’s appeal partnered with Mosman resident Selina Win Pe’s Will of Courage foundation. Gifts are being distributed by Selina Win Pe – Will Of Courage to children in towns across the NSW regions of Riverina and South West Slopes, the Central West, and the North West and Northern Tablelands.

During her visits Selina meets mayors, community members and children, and delivers gifts on behalf of Will of Courage and Mosman Council, with a letter from Mosman Mayor Carolyn Corrigan.

Mayor Corrigan said this year’s appeal had generated a great response: “It’s heartening to see the generosity of our Mosman community, which has been greatly appreciated by needy regional communities at this difficult time”.

Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Mayor Abb McAlister said the efforts of Selina Win Pe and the Mosman community had narrowed the city-country divide.

“Selina visited our community, and our local families and children were so touched by the gifts, vouchers and caps she gave us,” he said.

“She and the Mosman community have helped bring city and country communities closer together in our time of great hardship.”

The new Bondi to Manly Walk was officially opened on Sunday 8 December. This spectacular new walk is a continuous 80km track that includes South Head, the Harbour Bridge, and North Head Sanctuary, and links the existing coastal public walking tracks in six Council areas. The section through Mosman incorporates the Curlew Camp Artists’ Walk, Taronga to Balmoral including Headland Park, and the Spit to Manly Walk.

Mosman Council voted on 12 November to declare a Climate Emergency, stating that climate change poses a serious risk and should be treated as an emergency.

“This declaration is in keeping with Mosman’s longstanding commitment to reducing its impact on the environment, and educating our community about living more sustainably,” Mayor Carolyn Corrigan said following the meeting.

“We join with and support other councils and Local Government NSW in calling on state and federal governments to take urgent action to at least meet the Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets.”

At the following Council meeting in December, Council resolved to continue its advocacy with State and Federal governments seeking action on climate change, and to develop a Climate Change Action Plan that will look at options to further reduce Council’s CO2 emissions and build environmental resilience in six key areas: energy use, biodiversity and trees, water cycle, waste, transport, built environment, and engaging and educating the community. The Plan will form part of a Resilience Strategy to replace Council’s existing Environmental Management Plans, and build on capacity to respond to a changing climate and set a clear policy direction for Mosman.

• A commitment to convert lighting in residential streets to LED by December 2020 and planning for potential main street light conversion.
• Retrofitting Council buildings and carparks with LED lights, saving an estimated 216,000kg in CO2 emissions annually.
• Monitoring council and community energy and water usage for potential improvements.
• Upgrading solar panels at the Marie Bashir Sports Centre and planning for Civic Centre installation.
• Supporting local schools in converting to solar power through the Solar My School program.
• Expanding Mosman’s bicycle network by 22km and developing a new Active Transport Plan to reduce car usage.
• Recycling or reusing Council’s green waste from public land.
• Public education and monitoring programs that have helped to reduce Mosman’s landfill waste by 17kg per capita in the last 4 years.
• Initiatives to improve Mosman’s recycling rates, with more than 90% of paper, co-mingled and garden waste currently being recycled.
• Actively protecting 38ha of bushland, and street and park trees, to improve carbon absorption and protect flora and fauna.
• Promoting and facilitating car sharing.
• Supporting the Mackie Lane Community Garden with its composting initiative.
• Planting over 300 trees since April 2019.

• Educational and hands-on local community events such as its ‘Rethink Rubbish Pop-up Beach Series’, ‘Seaside Scavenge’ clean ups, and ‘Ocean Action Pod’.
• Hosting two free e-waste drop offs each year.
• Providing free energy and sustainability assessments for apartments through the Mosman apartment and strata savings program.
• Providing free recycling guide stickers and signage to help improve effective household waste recycling.
• Hosting various events and workshops for residents throughout the year including clothes and toy swaps, free guest author and speaker talks, and practical workshops on topics such as repairing small electrical appliances, decluttering, eco-gardening, living with less and using foods for organic skincare.
• Conducting environmental audits, and educational and eco-gardening workshops for local schools.
• Co-ordinating a number of volunteer groups involved in natural resource and environment care; BushCare, HarbourCare and HarbourCare Teens, and GardenCare.

Council’s ‘Living Mosman’ Facebook page and newsletter keep residents up to date on sustainability initiatives and ways to get involved, and more information, including comprehensive tips on how to live more sustainably, is available in the ‘Sustainable Living’ section of our website.

Mosman Council has been acknowledged for its innovation in converting its permits from paper to digital, winning the Excellence in Technology and Innovation – On Street award at the prestigious Parking Industry Awards.

Council was also shortlisted for its supporting marketing communications in the Outstanding Marketing and Communications category and also as Parking Organisation of the Year.

The awards celebrate the achievements of individuals, teams and organisations for excellence, outstanding facilities and innovation throughout the parking sector.

While Mosman Council has moved to a digital format through its online vPermit system, Council customer service staff can provide support for residents who need assistance at its self-service internet kiosks in the Civic Centre foyer.

More information and a video guide on how to use vPermit is available here or contact Council on 9978 4000 between 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

NSW Emergency Services is urging residents in communities around the state to be aware of seasonal hazards and prepare for a safe summer.

Each summer residents and communities across NSW experience bush fires, home fires, floods, storms, heatwaves, power outages and other emergencies. As the state braces for more severe weather conditions, which have already seen devastating impacts from widespread bushfires, it’s important to be aware and prepared for any seasonal hazards that could affect you, whether you’re at home or away on holidays.

You can ‘Get Ready for Summer’ in five simple steps:

1. Know your risk – think about the area you’re in and the types of disasters that could affect you;
2. Plan now for what you will do – sit down and talk with your family and plan for what you will do if a disaster affects your area;
3. Get your home ready – prepare your home by doing general home maintenance and checking your insurance coverage;
4. Be aware – find out how to prepare, what to do if there is a disaster in your area and connect with NSW emergency services to stay informed;
5. Look out for each other – share information with your family, friends, neighbours and those who may need assistance.

For more information on these five steps and to find out more view the ‘Get Ready for Summer’ page.

The Red Cross also provides a number of resources to assist in preparing for emergencies and creating emergency plans, including the free ‘Get Prepared’ app. For more information visit their website.