Peninsula in the news

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

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 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 Tuesday September 7 Hotels on the Central Coast are among the top profit centres in NSW for pokie machines.

One of the named hotels was the Ocean Beach Hotel in Umina, which ranked 142 and had 25 poker machines.

Central Coast Extra Monday September 6 Long-time residents of the beachside hamlet of Patonga are set to battle newcomers and weekend "blow-ins" over a plan to heritage-list the entire town.

While both groups are opposed to high-rise development, Patonga natives see the plan as a "nuisance" which would prevent them from improving - and increasing the value of - existing properties.

Central Coast Extra Umina Bunnies ran out 18-14 preliminary final winners over Erina Eagles on September 6 at Morry Breen Oval.

Central Coast Extra The Central Coast Winter Baseball season drew to a close recently at Baseball Park, Springfield, with Wolves claiming the crown 2-1 over Dodgers in the final game of the three-game series.

Central Coast Extra Thursday September 9 Starting next week, nationally respected author on water-related subjects, John Archer, of Pearl Beach, will write for The Sun Weekly.

Sun Weekly Energy Australia is being challenged to review its tree-lopping methods after by a distressed Umina Beach family who claim their Jacaranda tree was "butchered".

Express Advocate Monday, September 13 The Bells on the Coast, a five-star bed and breakfast resort in Killcare Heights, took out three prestigious awards at the recent annual Hotel Motel and Accommodation Association Industry Awards for Excellence.

Central Coast Business Review Wednesday September 15 The Umina Beach Garden Club, with 35 members, meets once a month to show off members' latest blooms and plants

Express Advocate More than 2200 dozen oysters are expected to be cracked open at Brisbane Water Oyster Festival on the Woy Woy Waterfront on November 14.

The day will include country music, a kayak challenge, art and craft stalls and a rock 'n' roll band. There will be a blessing of the fleet at 12.30pm.

Express Advocate Col Parry and his 1911 Model T Ford are a favourite with the kids at Umina Public School.

Mr Parry, 68, brings his generation to today's children by dressing up in period clothing and talking about his vintage car collection.

Express Advocate And over more than 25 years, the members of Woy Woy Hospital Auxiliary has raised thousands of dolllars.

Express Advocate The Peninsula-based Spikefest comedy festival has assembled another bunch of crazy characters and wacky events for its second coming.

Express Advocate Blues Lovers from across the Central Coast and Sydney packed Patonga in December for the Blues Across the Bay festival.

Umina Beach Company Xabc Productions filmed the event and have just released a DVD and video of the festival.

Express Advocate Students at Brisbane Water Secondary College are doing more than picking up papers to look after their school environment.

They have started a bush care group at the college's Umina campus.

Express Advocate The Entrance Tigers scored a nail-biting 23-22 victory against Umina in extra time in Sunday's first division rugby league grand final, 24 hours after the club's top side won through to the Jim Beam Cup decider.

Express Advocate Thursday September 16 Direct bus links from areas like Woy Woy to the Central Coast Campus, Ourimbah, are vitally needed, a study has found.

Members of a transport committee at the combined Newcastle University, TAFE and Central Coast Community College campus made the recommendation after mapping out where most students live.

Express Advocate