A minute's silence

A minute's silence was held at a number of cricket grounds at the weekend in memory of John Jewiss, who died suddenly last week.

A life member of both Woy Woy Cricket Club and Southern Spirit Cricket Club, John Jewiss was remembered a talented cricketer who represented at every level, "always with the mandatory zinc across his nose".

A supportive teammate and positive mentor to many young players stepping into grade cricket, fellow cricketers said he was the kind of clubman every community treasures.

"He was always willing to help, wherever and whenever he was needed," according to a tribute posted by Southern Spirit Cricket Club.

"He had a larger than life presence, a great mate with time for everyone and a cracker story for every occasion.

"His impact on our club and the people within it will not be forgotten.".

"Woy Woy Roosters Rugby League Football Club said: "Johnny was a great family man and was incredibly passionate about Rugby League.

"An integral part of the Roosters in the early 2000s, he served as head trainer of the all-conquering 2001 Country Cup champions and premiers.".

"He then went on to coach lower grades at the Roosters and was promoted to the Jim Beam Cup head coaching role in 2004.

"Later, Johnny worked with the NRL, dedicating his life to Rugby League while also being heavily involved in cricket."

SOURCE:

Social media, 22 Feb 2026

Southern Spirit Cricket Club

Council misses share in Greening Our City program

Central Coast Council has failed to secure a Greening Our City grant that was expected to be used to increase tree canopy on the Peninsula.

Of 43 eligible councils, 28 councils received grants from the grant program.

Central Coast Council was not one of them.

No reason has been given.

Despite this, a media release from the Department of Planning announcing the grants claimed the Central Coast was benefiting from the program.

Last August, the NSW Government announced that the program would be extended to enable Central Coast Council to apply.

"Central Coast Council will now be able to apply for a share of $10 million to plant trees, shrubs, and native vegetation in parks, plazas, and other public spaces," said Minister for the Environment Ms Penny Sharpe, announcing that the program would be extended beyond the metropolitan area to include the Central Coast, as well as the Illawarra and the Hunter regions.

Without any indication of interest from the Council, Member for Gosford Ms Liesl Tesch urged Central Coast Council to "get in on the bottom floor" and apply for its share of $10 million to plant trees, shrubs, and native vegetation in parks, plazas, and other public spaces.

"With the Peninsula identified as an 'urban heat island', almost five degrees hotter than surrounding leafier suburbs, it is imperative the Council applies for its share of the Greening Our City program," Ms Tesch said.

"The Greening Our City program is designed to increase tree planting, which helps reduce urban heat islands, supports our biodiversity and improves our public spaces and active transport routes."

In November, the Council confirmed it had made an application "which, if successful, will enable even more tree planting opportunities in Woy Woy, Ettalong and Umina in future years", according to council director Ms Melanie Smith.

Ms Smith said: "Street trees are more than just beautiful.

"They're essential for creating healthier, more sustainable communities."

Announcing the grants on January 30, Minister for Planning Mr Paul Scully said: "The Greening Our City program, which we have extended, is delivering 24,000 trees across Greater Sydney, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Hunter and the Central Coast."

The media release said "this fifth round of the Greening our City grant program was expanded to Illawarra-Shoalhaven, the Hunter, and Central Coast".

It said the grants would "green our streets and reduce the impacts of urban heating across Greater Sydney, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Hunter, and Central Coast".

In fact, the Central Coast did not receive any share of the $10 million grant program.

In response to representations made by Ms Tesch on behalf of the Grow Urban Shade Trees community group, Mr Scully said: "I am advised this round attracted strong interest, with applications significantly exceeding the $10 million available

"All applications were evaluated by an independent assessment panel against the published grant criteria and were ranked accordingly.

"Central Coast Council submitted a comprehensive application and while the application met all eligibility requirements, other applications ranked higher in the assessment within the available funding envelope.

"The Department has offered to meet with Council to provide feedback to help strengthen the competitiveness of future applications."

In a media statement, Central Coast Council confirmed: "A meeting has been organised with State Government to receive feedback on why our application was not successful."

According to the department, the grant was designed to help councils with "urban greening in areas of low canopy and high urban heat that are targeted for housing growth".

It has not been disclosed in which areas the Central Coast application performed poorly.

However, over the past year, housing growth on the Peninsula has failed to come anywhere near the Council's published target.

SOURCE:

Media release, 30 Jan 2026

Department of Planning