Peninsula in the news

Here is a summary of news items about the Peninsula appearing in other news media over the last two weeks.

Thursday August 19 A southern right whale paid a visit to the Peninsula, putting on a show for local whale watchers off the coast of Umina Beach.

Sun Weekly A Umina man, who had been disqualified from driving until 2007, was charged with high range drink driving after police saw him leaving Kincumber Hotel.

The man sped into an adjoining carpark where he swapped seats with a passenger in the car.

The 42-year-old driver refused a breath test and was arrested after fighting with police.

Sun Weekly Friday August 20 A mobile cannabis treatment group will soon visit six local health care centres regularly, including Woy Woy.

Central Coast Extra Parents are stepping up their campaign for a preschool at Killcare Heights after complaining Gosford Council has reneged on a land deal.

They claim council agreed to lease them the land for a preschool, waited until they asked for rezoning and then declared the site was not suitable.

Express Advocate The Peninsula Community Drug Action team hosted a barbecue for residents at Umina Beach Reserve.

Express Advocate A six-week women's survival course for mothers is running on Thursday at 10am at Umina Beach Uniting Church.

Express Advocate Hardys Bay RSL Social Fishing Club has reformed with some keen new members.

Express Advocate Umina lined up against Peninsula rivals Woy Woy on August 22 for the qualifying semi-final at 2pm at Sohier Park.

Express Advocate Woy Woy goalkeeper Cassandra Kell is part of the Australian women's Olympic soccer team.

Express Advocate Wednesday August 25 Bremen Patisserie of Umina Beach has been awarded the Gold Nugget Perpetual Trophy at the Great Aussie Pastie Competition in Melbourne.

The competition is held every year and is highly regarded in the industry.

Express Advocate Cassandra Kell described her Olympic experience as the highlight of her soccer career, despite the Matildas' run coming to an end in the quarterfinals.

Kell, of Woy Woy, kept goals for the Matildas in all three pool games and in the quarter-final against Sweden.

Express Advocate Several outstanding draw shots from state representative Aron Sherriff fired Halekulani to a 24-11 win over host club Ettalong in the final of the zone fours championship on August 22.

Express Advocate Thursday August 26 A group of Peninsula teenagers are doing their bit for the environment and getting a head start in business at the same time.

Twelve students from the Peninsula Alternative Learning Centre, based at Umina Beach PCYC, are making and selling possum boxes as part of their entry into the Young Achievers Australia competition.

Express Advocate The volunteering bug first bit Dorothy Perks when she was crowned Miss Woy Woy back in 1946.

Fifty-eight years later she is still working tirelessly for the Peninsula community and completed 20 years of voluntary work at Woy Woy Court House last week.

Express Advocate Students and teachers from Empire Bay Public School are trying to improve water quality and biodiversity in Cockle Bay.

The students are enthusiastic after buying a new Waterwatch kit with Mitre 10 Landcare grant funding.

Express Advocate Friday August 27 Pearl Beach Volunteer Bushfire Brigade will be able to buy three VHF radios for its new emergency radio system thanks to passengers using Ettalong Beach Club's shuttle bus service.

General manager Mr Peter Hale said passengers using the service had raised $3600 towards the radios and the club would add $2500 to this.

Central Coast Express Advocate Saturday August 28 Local firefighters took on former Parramatta Eels legends in a touch football match at Woy Woy last week.

The day was organised to raise money for the Central Coast Burns Equipment Fund and Central Coast Childflight.

Central Coast Extra A dangerous rail crossing in Koolewong is putting pedestrians' lives at risk and is confusing for drivers, according to local residents.

They are now fighting for it to be replaced by a pedestrian overpass, which at the moment remains a pipedream

Central Coast Extra Monday August 30 A relaxing ferry ride from Palm Beach to Ettalong was delayed when a drunken man from Umina jumped off the upper deck of the ferry at Wagstaffe Point.

Central Coast Extra The Entrance presented Umina with a hurdle the team couldn't overcome last week at Erina Oval, winning their major semi-final of the Central Coast Division first grade competition 16-10.

Central Coast Extra The winter season baseball grand final series has gone to the wire, as the Wolves levelled at one-all with a 5-2 win over the Dodgers at Baseball Park last month.

Central Coast Extra Wednesday September 1 Ettalong resident and natural resources management student Tony Whitehead has conducted a study which has identified an estimated population of 48 koalas living in suburbs including Umina, Pearl Beach, Patonga and Woy Woy Bay.

Central Coast Extra More than 2200 dozen oysters are expected to be cracked open at this year's Oyster Festival.

Express Advocate Residents of a Woy Woy retirement village celebrated the spirit of the Athens Games with an Olympic Dinner.

Express Advocate Inspirational Woy Woy forwards Dave and Paul Gooley were sitting in the change rooms preparing for the Lions' biggest game in eight years on Saturday when they were told their father had died.

Col Gooley, who started the season as first grade assistant coach, died just after lunchtime after a long battle with cancer.

Express Advocate Thursday September 2 The annual meeting of the Hardys Bay RSL and Citizens Club will be held on September 21 at 7pm. The club made a profit of $5083 for the year compared to $6865 in the previous year.

Express Advocate Brisbane Water Secondary College student Ashlee Austin brought home both the inter-schools beef cattle paraders ribbon and the 15-19 year age group final.

Express Advocate Woy Woy Rotary Club has set itself a program for the 2004-05 year full of community activities.

Express Advocate The baseball season is set for a thrilling climax on September 4 after Wolves tied up the three-game grand final series win over Dodgers last weekend.

Express Advocate Friday September 3 An Ettalong Beach mothjer has pleaded for the return of her son's bull terrier after it disappeared from a house on the corner of Coolabah St and Bourke Rd after 5pm on Saturday.

Express Advocate Students from Umina Beach Public School paid their respects to Australia's war dead during a visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Express Advocate Brisbane Water Secondary College Umina Campus is donating the funds from its disco several weeks ago to the families of the Doyalson fire tragedy.

Express Advocate Umina Beach Primary School received a dozen native trees for planting in the school grounds from Raine and Horne real estate, a sponsor of the 2004 Keep Australia Beautiful Week.

Express Advocate