Fairy Bower, with its exposed waterfront, was right in the path of the storms that smashed into Manly in June. Marine Parade was wrecked, the entire Fairy Bower toilet block was swept away and water-level cafes were inundated by giant waves. Three months on repairs are completed or in progress for all the damaged structures, except one - the beautiful 'Sea Nymphs' Oceanides sculpture that has perched on the edge of Fairy Bower pool for the past 20 years. The storm snapped one of the sculptures in half, turning what had been a joyous dancer into an ugly broken stub. It can't be repaired, but it can be replaced. Sculptor Helen Leete, who created the artworks, said the sculptures were never designed to be on permanent display. They were made from ceramic, and reinforced and secured to the rock platform using only mild (low-quality) steel rods. "The idea was to put them up temporarily - the council needed something done in time for a major event - and then have them properly cast in bronze," Ms Leete said. But the council's agenda changed and the casting never happened. And while the sculptures have done well to survive for as long as they have, they were showing serious signs of age. Ms Leete said the steel rods anchoring the sea nymphs to the rock had started to rust. She was so concerned she started work on a replacement in January, six months before the sculpture's eventual demise. "I started making casts so the sculptures could be created in bronze," Ms Leete said. "I could do them again in ceramic and they might last another 20 years, but it would be wonderful to go with the original vision and have them in bronze." Of course that would cost a lot more. Ms Leete has obtained four quotes from bronze foundries for the work. Of the three "credible" quotes, the cheapest came in at a hefty $80,000. That was from Australian Bronze at Manly's North Head. The original sculptures were not insured, so the money would have to come from the Northern Beaches Council, a public fundraising effort, or a mix of the two. And this time the nymphs would be anchored deeply into the rock with marine-quality, rust-proof steel. And because they would be bronze, the surface would never deteriorate, which was a problem with the ceramic version. Instead it would gradually shade into a lovely, and very appropriate sea green.
Ms Leete said Northern Beaches council, which is ultimately responsible for the sculpture, has not yet made a decision about replacing the work, or how it should be funded. What do you think should be done? UPDATE: 28/10. Northern Beaches Council has agreed to provide half of the $80,000 cost to replace the sculpture in bronze, if the rest of the money is raised by the community. It follows strong support for the artwork by former Manly councillors Hugh Burns and Good For Manly President Candy Bingham. Watch this space, and GFM Facebook for details on what's happening and how you can help.
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Hundreds turned up to share stories when Good For Manly & Save Manly Oval Alliance hosted a celebration to mark the end of a four year fight to stop a car park being built under Manly Oval. It took the new Administrator of the Northern Beaches Council to finally pull the plug on the Manly2015 Plan. Watch the short slide show below and share some of the highlights of the campaign which demonstrated community power at its best. It’s been a long time since we threw all our rubbish in the one bin and sent it to the local tip. Now food waste is set to join the long list of items that should never have ended up in landfill. Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre, which processes garbage from the Northern Beaches area, already recycles more than 70% of waste. That includes glass, plastic, paper, aluminium cans, car batteries, televisions, computers, vegetation and wood waste, as well as waste concrete, asphalt, bricks and roof tiles. But it isn’t enough. Our region only has one landfill site for waste that can’t be recycled. That’s at Belrose and, after 51 years of operation, the site is full. That means that after November, the Council will be forced to truck waste to a landfill site in western Sydney instead. It’s expensive and it’s not a sustainable way of dealing with our rubbish. As well food waste in landfill breaks down to release greenhouse gases, including not only carbon dioxide, but methane, which is even worse.
Now there’s a plan to take Northern Beaches recycling to the next level. In two years time, householders will be required to separate out food scraps and throw them in the green lid bins, along with other garden waste. This one step will reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by almost half. Kimbriki is not yet able to handle putrescible (food-containing) waste, but that will change when a major new recycling and waste processing facility opens at the site in 2019 or 20. Food and vegetation waste will then be turned into compost, which will be available for sale. For residents, the number of different bins will decrease from four to three, as follows; The general waste red-lid bins, which will be collected fortnightly for houses, and weekly for unit blocks. The mixed recycling bins, for paper, glass and plastic combined, which will be collected fortnightly for houses, and weekly for unit blocks. The mixed food and vegetation green-lid bins which will be collected weekly. Residents will also be given a free kitchen tidy bin and cornstarch bags to store food waste before putting it in the outside bin. “This is a sensible plan that was put together by Mosman Council and the three former Northern Beaches councils, which jointly own Kimbriki”, former Manly Councillor Candy Bingham said. "The Northern Beaches council is on board now as well, and has called for tenders. “We need to look to the future - we just have to reduce landfill waste. Kimbriki’s advanced new waste technology will do that and at the same time take hundreds of trucks off our local streets. “It will cost each household about $2 extra per week, which is a great investment.” While community support for recycling is strong there are concerns such as, how to stop food waste from smelling, and what to do with nappies. For these issues and more information generally go to kimbriki.com.au/content/about-us/regional-waste-solution |
AuthorCandy Bingham, Deputy Mayor & Manly Ward Councillor on Northern Beaches Council. Background in marketing, public relations and community engagement. Author of five business books. Former Lady Mayoress of Sydney. Aka Candy Tymson. ........................................
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