Tag Archives: umina beach

The Runway to receive a visual link to its war time history

Umina Community Group has received a grant from the Federal Government ‘Saluting Their Service’ Commemorative Grants Program for $5,112. The grant program is run by the Department of Veteran Affairs and aims to preserve Australia’s wartime heritage, and promote appreciation and understanding of the role that those who served have played in shaping the nation.

Four informational signs will be installed around The Runway park on Trafalgar avenue, each with different stories and pictures depicting the history of the WWII runway that existed in the middle of the Woy Woy Peninsula.

Julian Bowker from Umina Community Group said “The grant will allow us to complete the upgrade to The Runway park in Woy Woy. The final stage of the community driven upgrade of the park will be to implement four interpretive signs which explain the background to why an Airstrip existed in Umina.  Like the historical signs that have been installed along The Esplanade shared zone in Umina, we have also been working with Central Coast Council Library and local historians to use the photos they have to bring the stories of The Runway to life.”

“It is hoped by connecting our local youth to the wartime story behind The Runway, they will gain a better understanding of the war’s impact on Australia and how we view the broader topic of the sacrifices made by the generations before us.”

Welcome out of lockdown 2021!

Riding waves at Umina Beach

Umina Beach, lockdown is over and it is time to stretch your wings and enjoy our local community and environment. We have a number of free things for you to look into, to help kick start your new freedoms.

 

UCG at Rotary Umina

Tony Winch and Peter Springett met with the members of Rotary Club of Umina Beach at Everglades Country Club last night (9/10/2019). During the meeting Tony presented the Umina Community Group story. The Rotarians were very impressed with what UCG had achieved in our five years of our existence. There is an opportunity for Umina Community Group and Rotary to work together.

Picture here of Tony (right) and Peter (left) with a Certificate of Appreciation presented by Rotary Club of Umina Beach, President Elect, Rouel Vergara.

 

FREE Family Movie Nights at Umina Beach

Central Coast Council has awarded Umina Community Group and Jasmine Greens Park Kiosk with community grant funding for free family movie nights.

The screenings follow on from a free movie night hosted by Jasmine Greens in September last year, which had over 300 attendees.

 

The upcoming screenings will be held in the Peninsula Recreation Precinct on the following dates:

  • Saturday October 19 – How to Train Your Dragon –
  • Saturday November 2- Madagascar 
  • Saturday December 7  – Wallace & Gromit
  • Saturday January 4th – Lilo & Stitch

Start times around 5:30pm for screening to begin just after sunset. (Daylight savings time)

We will be running a competition for the best dressed as a favourite character from each film and collecting gold coin donations to go towards future movie nights.

Jasmine Greens owner, Gabby Greyem said “The movie nights are all about lighting up the park at night and encouraging family fun activities after dark”.

Families are encouraged to bring picnics and picnic blankets and to set up early before the screening. Jasmine Greens Park Kiosk will be open, serving food and drinks.

“Umina Community Group is delighted to be able to work with Gabby from Jasmine Greens to bring free movie nights to the Precinct,” said Committee Member Jenn Rochford. “Thanks to Central Coast Council for its support. We hope the free movie nights become a regular feature on the Umina Beach calendar, providing enjoyment for local and visiting families,”

The organisers ask all attendees to respect our environment by minimising the use of plastics, recycling any waste responsibly and please take your rubbish with you or use the bins provided.

If you would like to volunteer for one of the upcoming events please email us at ParkAfterDar@uminacommunitygroup.com.au or PM us on our Facebook site here

My Community Funding – Please Vote

Looking for something you can do to help gain additional funding to improve Umina Beach? This will take just 5 minutes of your time, and will make a difference to Umina.

Follow the instructions below on how to vote for our local projects. The State Government MyCommunityProject Funding will go to the project with the most votes. So we need everyone to hop on board and vote for Umina!  Encourage your family, friends and neighbours to vote too.

There are two options for voting –  either at a Service NSW Centre or online. If you are 16 years or older and live in the Gosford Electorate you can vote (an activity for the whole family!). Voting closes August 15th, 2019.

The two UCG projects we’d like you to vote for are:

  • The Mixed Pathway at Umina Beach Surf Club to allow us to extend the Recreational Precinct access for prams, skaters, runners, walkers and bikes. More details here
  • Shade is landing at The Runway Park, for a large shade structure over the play equipment at The Runway park in Trafalgar Avenue. This will greatly extend the time children can safely and comfortably play at this popular local park. More Details here

The first option is to attend a Service NSW centre. Our closest centres are at Deepwater Plaza or Gosford, or any office near your work. The staff there will help you complete the voting. Remember to take your Medicare card with you and the name of our two projects.

The second option is to vote online. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Have your Medicare card on hand
Step 2: In your browser open the main web page  mycommunityproject.service.nsw.gov.au
Step 3: Click on “Log in” (at the top of the page). Then click on the “Log in / sign up” button.
Step 4:

    • If you have an account already, then use the Log In tab.
    • If you do not have an account, use the “Sign up” page

Step 5: Fill in your Medicare details and click on Next
Step 6: Enter your Suburb and click Next
Step 7: Find the three Umina Projects on the page and click on the star to shortlist them

    • Mixed Pathway at Umina Beach Surf Club
    • Shade is landing at The Runway Park
    • Umina SLSC Red & Yellow Patrol Tractor – Lifesaving

Step 8: After your third shortlist is clicked on, a popup appears, click on the Vote button
Step 9: Change the order of the projects using the up and down arrows

  • Please make one of these two projects first in your list (the order is important)
    • Mixed Pathway at Umina Beach Surf Club
    • Shade is landing at The Runway Park

Step 10: Click on Vote Now
Step 11: Click on Submit Vote

Additional how to vote instructions can be found here.

National Tree Day success in Umina

Umina Community Group spent July 31 planting street trees as part of National Tree Day at Umina Beach. This event was strongly supported by Umina Community Group and Central Coast Council nursery. A lot of good for the local community was achieved and lots of fun was was had planting new trees on our streets.

Jasper, Rosie and Jasmine helping out on National Tree Day Tree Planting - Umina Beach - 1 Tree Planting Umina Beach - 2

The community see trees fast disappearing from our local landscape as multiple developments occur where there were once single houses and established gardens. As trees disappear, birds are losing their habitat and food source. Along with high density living comes a predominance of hard surfaces (concrete, brick and asphalt) increasing temperatures. There has never been a greater need for trees that provide relief from high temperatures, offer shade and the enjoyment of daily contact with nature.

Street trees are available free of charge from Central Coast Council for all local residents.

Tree Planting - Umina Beach - 3 Local Umina residents and Umina Community Group members.

Green Army heading to Umina Beach

 

Gosford City Council has been successful is securing two teams for Umina Beach under the Federal Government Green Army initiative. The teams will work in partnership with Landcare/Bushcare groups to ensure that the coastal dunes recover from the storm damage, and are not overtaken by weed species. These teams will help build the resilience of the dunes to future storm events by removing debris and litter and improving dune habitat, rebuilding and repairing fencing to better manage public access, invasive weed removal, dune system re-vegetation, and providing erosion control measures.

If you would like to know more about the program then come along to the Umina Community Group Information Night – November 26th at 7pm at Umina Surf Life Saving Club.

National Tree Day in Umina Beach

Umina Community Group Street Planting initiative

Sunday 26th July was National Tree Day…an initiative of Planet Ark.

To support this initiative, members of the Umina Community Group saw this as an opportunity to do something positive for our local environment and to reconnect with nature.

‘Research shows that time in nature helps us thrive as individuals – physically, intellectually, emotionally, mentally, and ethically.’

Gosford City Council Protection of the Environment Trust Project via Gosford City Council Nursery donated a dozen trees for planting in local streets of Umina Beach. A small number of families were happy to participate in the planting of their chosen trees and to continue to care for these until they are well-established. The trees chosen for this event were Grevillea Banksii ( Red Silky Oak), Melaleuca Armillaris (Bracelet Honey Myrtle) and Tuckeroo.
The trees chosen for this event are shown here…

Grevillea Banksii or Red Silky Oak

Grevillea Banksii or Red Silky Oak

Melaleuca Armillaris or Bracelet Honey Myrtle

Melaleuca Armillaris or Bracelet Honey Myrtle


Everyone became involved on the day..

We’d like to thank Kerri, Craig and Beau (from Artform Kitchens) for ‘adopting’ two Grevilleas in Trafalgar Street

We’d like to thank Kerri, Craig and Beau (from Artform Kitchens) for ‘adopting’ two Grevilleas in Trafalgar Street

South Street neighbour Garry is happy with his Melaleuca

South Street neighbour Garry is happy with his Melaleuca


Deb and Gary (South Street Bushcare) had fun on the day planting.

Planting in South 2
Planting in South 1


It is hoped that these trees will be cared for by nature-loving neighbours. If you see these trees in your street, please give them some water as they settle in to their new environment.

Trafalgar Street now has seven new trees. South Street has two new trees. Small numbers but let’s hope the idea catches on!

 

 

Dune Revegetation Grant

Today Umina Community Group announces that it has received a grant of $55,000 from Greater Sydney Local Land Services through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme to stabilise and repair the incipient dunes and the foredunes between Ettalong Point and the Umina Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.

Grant Announcement

Lucy Wicks MP, Landcare, South Street Bushcare, Gosford City Council and UCG representatives inspect the Umina Dunes as part of the Grant announcement.

Federal Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks said it was great to see funding being delivered for this important project on the Peninsula.
“The Australian Government is investing $2 billion over four years in managing natural resources, enabling communities to take practical action. This includes $55,000 for this project here on the Central Coast,” Mrs Wicks said.
“The Landcare Programme is designed to be simple, local, long term and targeting on-ground works. It’s about putting community groups back at the centre of regional land management, to develop the most effective ways to manage and protect our precious natural assets.”
“Much of the coast took a battering in the recent storms, making this sand dune restoration project even more vital. It’s great to see that through the Umina Community Group, and engagement with the schools and the Surf Clubs the local community is coming on board and working hard on this restoration.”
Funding will be used to employ approved local contractors to remove weed infestation and dumped rubbish from the dunes. Three local volunteer groups will work with the contractors and follow up with revegetation by planting local native species including Spinifex grass, Pigface, and Coastal Wattles.
Umina Community Group spokesman, Tony Winch said “ This is exciting news for Umina Beach and for the environment. The dunes are in a very poor state and the ecosystem has been severely damaged by the infestation of noxious weeds including Bitou Bush, Lantana, Turkey Rhubarb, and Asparagus Fern, and they are littered with rubbish. We aim to clean up the dunes over the next 24 months under the supervision and leadership of the Gosford City Council’s Bushcare program. Three local volunteer groups will be involved, the South Street Bushcare group, the Peninsula Dunecare group, and the newly established Umina Community Dunecare Group “
“Gosford City Council congratulates the Umina Community Group on receiving this grant from Local Land Services to work with the local community to improve the condition of dune vegetation at Umina Beach,” Council’s Manager of Culture Phil Cantillon said.
“The storm in April and subsequent beach erosion has been a reminder of the importance of maintaining healthy dune vegetation. The work of the Umina Community Group and the Bushcare groups at Umina is an excellent example of the community and Council working together to improve the local environment.”
Local residents are invited to a public information evening to be held at 7 PM on the 23rd of July at the Umina Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Following this initial open night there will be engagement with Schools, clubs, and community organizations.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer would be welcome and should contact Umina Community Group,

Storm Damage impacts The Esplanade

The continuous battering of the coast line has taken its toll on the The Esplanade, with erosion within meters of the pathway. Many older residents will be aware similar events happened in 1974 and back in 1952. These cycles are a reminder how sensitive and fragile the ecosystems that surrounds us are.

Collapse at Esplanade
Errol Smith
Central Coast Express Advocate Gosford
10 Jul 2015

GOSFORD Council has closed a section of The Esplanade at Ettalong Beach for urgent works to stabilise a nearby sand dune that collapsed and threatened to undermine the footpath and roadway. The council has confirmed that the erosion, near the…read more…

 

For those looking for more information on the history of this area and the 1974 storms you can read this earlier report – ETTALONG BEACH EROSION STUDY AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME.