Mosman Council supports the Lower North Shore Domestic Violence Network in marking ‘16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence’.

The ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence’ is an annual international campaign that runs from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, until 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Visit the Network’s information stall at Mosman markets on Saturday 7 December.

Information on domestic and family violence and local services is available on the Network’s website here.

Council has completed refurbishment of the amenities along The Esplanade at Balmoral in time for summer. The public bathrooms located at Balmoral Baths, the Balmoral Tramshed opposite Hunter Park, and at the end of the Bathers’ Pavilion, have been repainted, tiled and fitted with new fixtures, partitions, lighting and ventilation. The work was conducted over the winter months to ensure minimal disruption, and will provide an improved experience for residents and visitors to the beach and promenade area.

Also underway are repair works to the jetty at the southern end of Balmoral. Refurbishment of the boardwalk will be completed at the end of this month so it can be open for summer, and further work to the structure will be undertaken in February 2020.

These latest upgrades follow Council’s major renewal of Balmoral infrastructure and extensive refurbishment of the promenade over the past two years, including new stairs, improved lighting and footpath upgrades.

Mosman Council voted on Tuesday 12 November to declare a “climate emergency”, stating that climate change poses a serious risk to the people of Mosman and Australia, and should be treated as a national 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.”

The decision was made before a packed public gallery and followed impassioned speeches by several Mosman residents in favour of the Motion, which was moved by Cr Tom Sherlock and seconded by the Mayor.

A report will be prepared for Council’s December meeting on the climate actions that Mosman has already taken and the best options for Mosman to further reduce emissions and prepare for climate change.

• 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.

A unique photographic exhibition has opened in Mosman to celebrate the rich and diverse lives of older people, and challenge perceptions of them through strong images and stories. Commissioned by the NSW Government, the exhibition titled The Art of Ageing features a range of illuminating portraits of older people living in regional NSW.

Mosman Mayor Carolyn Corrigan and Professor Henry Brodaty AO, co-director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales, opened the exhibition on Thursday 14 November. People of all ages are encouraged to visit the exhibition, which will be on display at Mosman Seniors Centre until Friday 6 December.

Residents and businesses are being encouraged to ditch single-use take-away cups in a new program to help reduce the impact of single-use take-away cups in the community.

HuskeeSwap, an initiative in which Mosman Council has partnered with the EPA, enables people to exchange their existing HuskeeCup and lid for a clean one when ordering their next coffee or hot drink at participating Mosman cafes.

The program reduces single-use cups which are typically used for a short time before being discarded and added to landfill because most are not recyclable due to their plastic content.

To join the program, participants purchase their first cup and make an order. Upon ordering the second and subsequent hot drinks, the returned cup and lid will be exchanged for a new clean HuskeeCup, which may be a different colour or, if a different-sized drink is ordered, size, adding to the sense of fun.

The Good Design Award-winning cup is made from coffee husk, a waste material produced in the milling of coffee, which has good thermal properties to keep drinks warmer for longer and is dishwasher safe. Once the cup has reached the end of its life it is recyclable making the whole process highly sustainable.

The program builds on previous programs run by Council to reduce single-use products, including items associated with food outlets and general shopping such as single–use plastic bags and plastic straws as well as the single-use take-away coffee cup.

Participating cafes include Berkelo, Don Adan Coffee House, Don Adan Coffee Tree, Montmatre, The Mews, Penny Royal, Three Beans, The Source, Avenue Cafe and Bloom. To learn more about the program visit Huskee.co.

Rarely seen works from Mosman Art Gallery’s prized collection have been unveiled in an innovative new exhibition.

Curated by director John Cheeseman, The Director’s Cut is the first of a series to share hidden gems unearthed during a comprehensive review of the vast collection that recently took place while they were being moved into a new off-site archival facility.

This first Director’s Cut exhibition has been coined ‘The Paper Cut’ and will feature works on paper by artists such as Ken Done, Catherine O’Donnell, Peter Kingston, John Crothers, Tracey Moffatt, John Brack, Augustus Earle, Lloyd Rees, Judy Cassab, John Olsen, Marlee Naparula, Brett Whiteley, Ruth Faerber and Ann Cape.

The exhibition runs until Sunday 24 November and free highlight tours have been scheduled at 2pm on Sunday 17 November and 6.30pm on Wednesday 20 November. Mosman Art Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm 7 days excluding public holidays, and until 8pm on Wednesdays. For more information and tour bookings visit events.mosman.nsw.gov.au or mosmanartgallery.org.au

Seven floral towers have been installed around Mosman’s retail areas. The displays, along Military Road, Mosman Square and outside Bridgepoint, feature a range of lush, colourful plant species chosen for their foliage, floral display and durability. The displays will remain in place until December.

The expanded program follows last year’s successful trial of five displays which received positive feedback from the community.

A VIEW Club chapter, promoting the voice, interests and education of women, has been established in Mosman.

The women’s volunteer organisation operates in 300 communities around Australia in support of The Smith Family’s work and members sponsor students, volunteer, fundraise and advocate, to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged Australian children and young people.

Mosman Council has supported efforts by members of the community to establish a local chapter and provided a venue for them to meet and build sufficient numbers until the required level of membership had been achieved.

Mosman’s VIEW Club was inaugurated at a morning tea at Boronia House attended by Mosman Mayor Carolyn Corrigan and Jan Roberts, Maryanne Maher and Jeanette Cassidy from VIEW. For more information visit view.org.au

Pictured from left to right: Jan Roberts, Jeanette Cassidy, Maryanne Maher, Cr Carolyn Corrigan

Visitors to this year’s Festival of Mosman are invited to share their feedback via Mosman Council’s free resident app, MyMosman, for a chance to win a $200 voucher for festival partner and popular local Italian restaurant and grocer, Fourth Village Providore.

A short survey accessible via the What’s On section of the app invites festival-goers to give feedback on the events they attended. The survey is open until Thursday, 31 October and every submission goes into the draw to win. Full T&Cs are available online via the survey form.

The MyMosman app is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.

As part of October’s Small Business Month activities, local businesses are being encouraged to prepare for the unexpected and ensure they can ‘survive and thrive’ disruptions caused by natural disasters through to new technologies.

Increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters can create flow-on effects for businesses, such as power outages and transport and communications disruptions which may impact on local businesses. A free tool kit can be downloaded from emergency.nsw.gov.au/getready/business.

Individuals can also prepare personal emergency action plans by downloading a free new Get Prepared app at redcross.org.au/getprepared.