Spark Shoalhaven Ever Changing Moods by Cat Holloway / Early voting for Australia's next Government and Prime Minister has begun. Call me optimistic, but with climate change and energy policy fuelling almost every political argument, I'm not alone in bracing for the winds of change. That's not to say new
Spark Shoalhaven Constance and I Seeking a different perspective on Gilmore's major party candidates, Spark was keen for two long-time local political campaigners, Labor's Michelle Miran and Liberal's Luke Sikora, to each interview their rival party candidates, Labor's Fiona Phillips and Liberal's Andrew Constance. However,
The Catalyst Carving Deadwood, Creating Wildlife New and valuable real estate is being carved into our urban landscapes by the very experts trained to cut away the dead wood. Conservation Arborists on the NSW South Coast are turning their chainsaws and their passion for wildlife to creating tree canopies of the future. by Cat Holloway / Terence
Spark Shoalhaven Serious about strategy, not spin By Cat Holloway / You might assume it prudent for the Shoalhaven Greens to lick their wounds from last year’s brutal council elections and watch the 2025 Federal election from the sidelines as the lavishly funded Liberal and the Labor incumbent duke it out with the Climate 200 backed community
Spark Shoalhaven The Gaffe and the Gamble that made Gilmore 2025 Environmentalists around Australia are thanking Liberal candidate Andrew Constance for single-handedly attracting more than one million dollars of crowd-funding for the Climate 200 “Community Independents” running in this year’s Federal election. by Cat Holloway / Buoyed by the eager gaze of a Liberal-friendly Sky News “Pub Test” audience, Constance was
Spark Shoalhaven Delivery or Democracy? We need Local Government. But do we need Local Councillors? Switch off the Donald Trump Inauguration tomorrow night and tune in instead to the Shoalhaven City Council meeting as it looks set to be a doozy to kick off 2025. Despite ambitious New Year resolutions, Shoalhaven Council has faced some
Spark Shoalhaven Gilmore Independent Radiates Energy and Rallies Community Fun isn't the first word that comes to mind when we think about politics. But Kate Dezarnaulds intends to change that with her announcement today of candidacy as an independent for Gilmore in the upcoming federal election. by Cat Holloway / Surrounded by friends, family and supporters in Berry,
Spark Shoalhaven Rates up by 12% Yipee? by Cat Holloway / Shoalhaven ratepayers will pay 12% more from July 1, 2025. But that might not be enough to save the Council from administration. Weeks of community consultation and workshopping didn't increase Shoalhaven’s appetite for a rate rise. Nevertheless, at the Council meeting on Tuesday, December
Spark Shoalhaven Developer’s flood plan will fail, say experts on West Culburra by Lucy Robertson / Engineers and environmentalists have slammed a developer’s response to community concerns over flawed flood projections for a new subdivision proposed in West Culburra. In the development plan, 40ha of threatened species habitat would be cleared to make way for a 400-home housing estate in West Culburra.
Spark Shoalhaven BUDJAAN OF BOODEREE Some know that Booderee is a Dhurga word meaning ‘bay of plenty'. But fewer know that Budjaan is the south coast Dharawal and Dhurga word for bird. Budjaan is also the title of a young woman's simple but beautiful mission to use language to entwine culture and
Spark Shoalhaven Monsters in the Shrubbery 😉 Just a little fun in response to the motion (below) before Shoalhaven Council this Tuesday. The assertions were too astonishing to ignore. DATELINE: Tuesday, December 10, Nowra Monsters in the Shrubbery by Poppy Koch Forget summertime rips and sunburn, Shoalhaven Councillors have vowed to fight the root cause of community
Spark Shoalhaven Sharks Circling Suburbia by Cat Holloway / Just when you thought it was safe to wander through the park to your local cafe by the beach...in swoops the new Shoalhaven Council to reverse yet another community-led initiative and make life easier for property developers. Serious questions now surround the details and instigators of
Spark Shoalhaven A Queer Rescue Odyssey by Erica Graham / Straight Out of Berry - How a straight white woman from Berry wound up rescuing queer people halfway around the world. It all started with my vision board, a yearly collage of dreams and goals. Returning to Berry after two decades away, I felt a bit disconnected
Spark Shoalhaven Your Money, Their Choice by Cat Holloway / Shoalhaven Council's Finance Review Committee may be keen to light a fire under the asset management strategy. But the committee's induction, probity checks and Terms of Reference are yet to be smoked out. While we (the rate-paying public) wait, there's much
Spark Shoalhaven Five Wise White Men by Cat Holloway and Morgan Reade / Mayor Patricia White has used her executive powers to personally appoint five private citizens to a Finance Review Committee (FRC) to investigate Shoalhaven Council’s books and strategise a way for the organisation to escape its deep debt. But the move has intensified calls
Spark Shoalhaven Council CEO Resigns Just before tonight‘s ordinary meeting, Shoalhaven City Council CEO, Robyn Stevens resigned from the position she has held for only nine months. A Council statement was released: At tonight's Council meeting, Councillors appointed Director of City Development, James Ruprai to act in the role while recruitment is
Spark Shoalhaven Shoalhaven Mayor Pushes to Remove Council CEO by Cat Holloway / Shoalhaven City Council CEO, Robyn Stevens, faces an imminent threat of losing the top job she has held only since February, as covert moves by Mayor Patricia White to oust Stevens become harder to contain. Mayor Patricia White, Clr Bob Proudfoot and the (now) Deputy Mayor Peter
Spark Shoalhaven Lone Spark No More A Letter From the Editor / Journalists know, you're probably doing your job well if you're upsetting someone. But it’s important to have contacts and collaborators - even nicer to have friends. Much SPARK traffic comes from Facebook shares and thanks to those who have linked
Spark Shoalhaven A Beastly Mob by Cat Holloway / I settled in yesterday evening for a bit of escapist TV but ended up watching two nights’ worth of local council debate over rate rises from back in January. Actually, it was more enlightening than you might think! Although I admit to skipping some bits. Remember January?
Spark Shoalhaven Civil Beat - Clr. Jemma Tribe Triple U Radio's Col Hesse examines this week's Council meeting with Clr. Jemma Tribe who had a notably busy and confronting session last Monday. Tough topics included a hard-won motion for an Affordable Housing Taskforce, an impending rate rise and the ethics of Mayoral finance committee
Spark Shoalhaven Serving at the pleasure of ... The first Shoalhaven City Council meeting was a dress rehearsal to iron out procedural wrinkles. This Monday, the curtain should open on a brand new season of the big-budget drama. But who will star in the show? And will the rate-paying audience be watching a gripping political thriller or B-grade
Spark Shoalhaven Back-Seat Driving A Pain In Councillor's Seat Unforeseen drama already has Shoalhaven's newly elected councillors on their toes just a week into the term. Behind the scenes, councillors and staff are asking, when does influence become interference? by Cat Holloway / In summary: * The shock early resignation of Ward 3 Shoalhaven Independents Group (SIG) candidate Mitchell
Spark Shoalhaven Former Planning Minister Says End 45-Degree Rule Zealotry Days out from Council's first meeting of the new term, Spark takes a critical look at an issue that has angered arborists, saddened ecologists, confused the community and characterised the long and successful campaign by the Shoalhaven Independents to oust Greens from Council. by Cat Holloway / Of the
Spark Shoalhaven Apprentice Cultivates A Global Footprint Proving that career success starts with personal passion, Jervis Bay's Olivia Williams gave up academic study in linguistics at Sydney University for a Nowra TAFE certificate in horticulture. Now, she's reaping a rich harvest from her choice. by Dan Johns, TAFE, with Global Footprints and Spark
Spark Shoalhaven Fairway Fight Club Vincentia's community rallies to save a beloved golf course from big business. by Cat Holloway / Given just 27 months to live, Vincentia’s Phil Smith threw himself into his lifelong passion: golf. Phil's friend and fellow golfer, John Dyball, said that, in his golfing heyday, “Phil
