Autumn Issue – March 2013 SANDRINGHAM FORESHORE ASSOCIATION (SFA) Founded January 2007 ABN 42947116512 A CHARITABLE NOT FOR PROFIT VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION SFA PO Box 52 Sandringham 3191 E-mail: sandyforeshore@optusnet.com.au Website www.sandyforeshore.net.au

Become a member of SFA SFA is a not-for-profit voluntary association. We encourage you to fill out the form attached or download the form from our website to become a full member. Please pass this email onto as many people as you like who may share an interest in becoming a member of the SFA. Membership is free of charge. Please write to us. We value your feedback!! Sandringham Foreshore erosion has returned! As expected, the Sandringham foreshore erosion has returned again this Summer. SFA committee members have been privileged to meet with Bayside Councillors, Council officers, head of DSE and DSE project officers to demonstrate concerns about our beach, with the view to finding long term environmentally sensitive solutions. Positive outcomes have resulted from our communication and meetings. In our next newsletter issue we will update you further on the outcomes of these meetings. Our local MP Murray Thompson has been absolutely superb in his engagement with SFA, listening and acting on our concerns for the foreshore environment. We are also grateful to our Council, local Mayor Steven Hartney, and Councilors Heather Stewart, Laurence Evans and Felicity Frederico. Also, SFA hope to soon meet with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Ryan Smith. Vicki Karalis met the Minister earlier this year at the 'Summer by the Sea 2013' program (see below for more details), and found the Minister to be down to earth, caring and well informed about our local environment. We are therefore confident to achieve some real outcomes when next meeting with Minister Smith.

The Sandringham foreshore - photos taken by John Amiet over the summer period and in recent times:

Photo from top of Red Bluff demonstrating “saw-tooth” appearance of the Sandringham foreshore due to sand shifting north with prevailing southerly winds that occur seasonally, especially from January until March every year.

Note the groyne effect: north of both groynes there is hardly any sand, as all the sand is built up south of both groynes. The Royal Ave groyne is located south (the bottom one in photo above) of the Southey St groyne. The Royal Ave groyne was constructed in 1990 and the Southey St groyne was constructed in 2007 to protect the Royal Ave beach and cliffs from eroding. The areas of beach that are depleted of sand (north of groynes) offer little protection for our cliffs and dunes from wave action, especially at times of storms and large waves. This is called Terminal Groyne Syndrome. It is a well known adverse phenomenon due to hard structures interfering with sand movement e.g. rock groynes. [Ref Wikipedia]

The good news is that the upper parts of the Royal Ave cliffs have stabilised. We believe this has happened due to restoration of the Royal Ave car-park by Council several years ago causing less run off and seepage of water through

the cliffs, and resulting in reduction of upper cliff erosion. Council should be commended for their efforts in achieving this outcome.

Here is a close-up of parts of Royal Ave beach recently:

Note north of Royal Ave groyne, wave action onto cliffs 20th February 2013.

Further south of Royal Ave groyne. Note destruction of fencing and loss of vegetation from wave action 3rd March 2013.

View of Royal Ave beach looking north towards Southey St groyne:

Note the sand bank demonstrating the high tide mark, and zone of damage to the fences at the base of the Royal Ave cliff further north of the Royal Ave groyne.

Note the Royal Ave beach experienced similar problems at the same time last year, reminding us this is a seasonal problem that will occur every summer:

Note the Terminal Groyne syndrome effect: sand is banked north of the Southey St groyne causing depletion of sand south of the groyne - as seen in the picture above.

Bayside City Council SFA value our relationship with Bayside City Council who meet with us on a regular basis to raise any concerns about our local beaches, and to discuss areas that require attention. If you have any concerns, feel free to write to us: sandyforeshore@optusnet.com.au

Draft Bayside Coastal Management Plan 2012/13 Sandringham Foreshore Association thanks Bayside City Council for early consultation with the community in developing the draft Bayside Coastal Management Plan 2012/13. Committee members of SFA attended all of the workshops which were well attended by a number of passionate and enthusiastic locals with an interest in management of the coast. The draft CMP will be produced and, once endorsed by Council, will go out for consultation prior to it being adopted. Completed is expected in June 2013. BAYSIDE CITY COUNCIL - new bicycle strategy Community Workshop - Wednesday 13th March 6.30-8.30 pm Bayside City Council is running a Community Workshop to assist them in the development of a new bicycle strategy for Bayside. Registration is essential at www.bayside.vic.gov.au/bicyclestrategy . Wednesday 13th March 6.30-8.30 pm Bayside City Council Corporate Centre, 76 Royal Avenue, Sandringham

“Summer by the Sea 2013” by DSE and Bayside City Council The "Summer by the Sea" program was launched at Ricketts Point by our Minister for Environment Ryan Smith, DSE, Council and Ray Lewis, former President of Marine Care Sanctuary. The event was a huge success with over 300 activities occurring along our beaches. The SFA were excited to be involved again. Vicki Karalis conducted a presentation and guided tour with the help of Ray Lewis and Jenny Talbot of the Friends of Bayside Brighton Dunes. The talk was about Bayside’s  changing dunes, the summer/winter beaches, fossil discoveries, impacts of climate change and coastal processes. It was well attended by over 80 people. Here are photos of the Summer by The Sea 2013 event: https://m.facebook.com/summerbythesea?id=162865200401942&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsummerbythesea&_rdr

Jenny Talbot leading the walk along the Brighton dunes

Vicki talking about fossils and rock geology

Jet skis

Murray Thompson MP Member for Sandringham The SFA would like to praise recent efforts by local MP Murray Thompson to ensure funding is available for clear signage delineating boating and swimming zones, in an effort to mitigate potential danger to swimmers caused by the presence of Jet Skis. Extract from Media Release on 24th January 2013:

$600,000 to improve boating and swimming zones Member for Sandringham Murray Thompson and Minister for Ports Denis Napthine visited Black Rock today to announce $600,000 in funding to clearly define boating and swimming zones between Elwood & Mt Martha. “The  funding  provides  for  new  regulatory  and  advisory signage on the shore and new aids for navigation such as piles or buoys in the water  at  locations  from  Elwood  to  Mount  Martha.”   “Parks  Victoria  consulted  widely  during  their  extensive  review  of  water use, swimming and boating patterns within our bays. This funding will enable the practical and effective implementation of the new  zones  with  easy  to  understand  signage  and  navigational  aids,”  Dr Napthine said.

Member's corner: Retirees Let your voice be heard OPEN FORUM Monday, 22 April 9.45am - 12 Noon London Tavern - 1st Floor, 414 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield South To register, phone or email: Peter: 0412 011 281 Denise: 0403 392 607 Email: oztoller@bigpond.com Gold Coin Entry Fee BCAG event: Guest Speaker Sharyn Munro "How Coal is Killing Australia" - Tuesday 26th March Sharyn will talk about the devastation of coal and coal seam gas that she exposed while researching her book Rich Land Wasteland. Books for sale on the night. For more info see www.bccag.org.au Gold coin entry. Please RSVP at bccagsecretary@bccag.org.au Tuesday 26th March at 7.30 Sandringham Uniting Church, 21 Trentham St, Sandringham Guest Speaker - Mark Bytheway Ethical and Sustainable Investing - Tuesday 30th April Mark, CEO of the Sustainable Investment Research Institute, will enlighten us on how environmental, social and governance issues may influence how we might make decisions on our investments. Do you know where your money is invested, either directly as shareholders or indirectly through superannuation funds? Learn more! Tuesday 30th April at 7.30 Sandringham Uniting Church Hall, 21 Trentahm St, Sandringham

GUEST SPEAKERS Mr Michael Heffernan Economist, Stockbroker, Financial Analyst & Well known TV Presenter Mr Jim Andersen Financial Information Services Officer from Department of Human Services, Centrelink, Cheltenham

HM7 Submarine at the Sandringham Yacht club HMS J7 (later HMAS J7) is a submarine built for the Royal Navy and launched on 12 February 1917. She was transferred to Australia on 25 March 1919. J7 was sold on 26 February 1924 and her hulk scuttled on 4 June 1926. Her wreck sits at the bottom of the mini harbour of the Sandringham yacht club. [Source Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_J7#cite_note-tall-2]

Sandringham Foreshore Association profile of a local Bayside citizen: Dr Sally Cockburn Dr Sally Cockburn is a lifelong Bayside resident, GP and Health Advocate. She is  well  known  in  the  media,  as  host  of  3AW’s  Talking  Health,  on  TV  and  as  Dr  Feelgood. She sits on the People and Parks Foundation board and has been involved with “Healthy Parks Healthy People” for over a decade. We are privileged to benefit from her passion and ongoing service to the community! As you will see it runs deep - generations before Sally, her maternal grandfather and father dedicated much of their time to our community and attended to the needs of our Bayside foreshore. Sally provides us with a brief snippet of her family history in relation to the foreshore. SFA thanks Sally, her father David Cockburn and grandfather AD Mackenzie for all their great work to the benefit of our beaches and society. Below, Sally shares the story of her family. You will find very little has changed in our thinking and concerns for the foreshore over time. It's wonderful to have Sally taking on her father's and grandfather's legacy.

"You  know  the  old  saying  about  some  things  being  “in  your  blood”  well,  I  never  realised just how much foreshore erosion I had in my blood, so to speak, until

recently. My grandfather, Aubrey (AD) Mackenzie was a civil engineer who was, amongst his many public positions, Chair of the Foreshore Erosion Committee in the 1930s . Far from foreshore erosion being a recent issue of our enlightened generation a quick scan of old newspapers via National Library of  Australia’s  online  TROVE  digitised  newspaper service reveals the tussle for funding has been a prominent issue in the media since about 1929.

AD MACKENZIE in hatch of his boat TamO Shanter AD died when I was 5 and I have little memory of him but I sometimes feel his influence. Evidently he was  the  sort  of  bloke  who  didn’t  have  much  conversation for kids but I have an overwhelming feeling that while teaching me to dunk teddy bear biscuits he was also informing me about community issues and how to deal with government bureaucracy. I probably nodded with wide eyes as this was implanting deep in my psyche.

I  inherited  a  box  of  AD’s  treasured  items  and  in  it is a magnificent scrap book full of clippings about Melbourne engineering, foreshore, port and roads issues from the 20s to 40s. However, it also contains some hand written loose pages which seem to be drafts of a speech or paper he must have given. This excerpt filled me with pride: “The  history  of  protective  works  in  this  and  other  countries  shows  that much has yet to be learned, but it is only by shrewd observation and practical experience, due regard to the efforts of other authorities engaged in similar work and research work including scale hydraulic experiments, that success will be achieved. ‘The  rich  heritage  that  has  been  handed  down to us in the form of wonderful sandy beaches and magnificent coastal lands, and which today provides healthy areas which both rich and poor like may share, is well worth protecting. It is only by an intelligent public interest in such a problem and the application of the trained mind of the engineer that we will preserve our heritage and hand to future generations what are precious gems  in  Nature’s  many  wonderful  gifts  to  mankind.” It is dated 12th June 1939 but could have been written today.

AD Mackenzie’s signature and date on the speech note. In 1947 there was a stark realisation that around 1Million pounds would be needed to prevent devastating Bayside foreshore erosion. AD had worked on the Great Ocean Rd upon his return from Gallipoli and the Western Front and

knew the all round positive effects of using unemployed men on such projects. But the foreshore erosion project was running into problems using unskilled labour. Not  surprisingly  Councils  tried  to  get  the  state  to  pay.  However  “inland councils”  balked  at  the  idea  of  possibly  losing  a  share  of  state  revenue  for  projects  that  didn’t  affect  them  and  opposed  the  State  paying.  Argy  Bargy. Some  things  don’t  change! AD  was  my  mother’s  father  but  it  seems  I  have  a  double  dose  of  foreshore  erosion genes, if there is such a thing as my father, David Cockburn, has also been involved in the fight against foreshore erosion for most of his life. At 87 he is still an activist who can be found strolling with his dog, everyday, along the cliff trails. In the 1950s and 60s, Dad was very concerned about the undermining of Beach Rd, possibly influenced by his father in law! This was one of his interests when on Council in the 1960s. While today many people lament the rubbish allegedly “dumped”  on  the  north western face of Red Bluff Cliff if you ask Dad, who was there at the time, he will tell you that the concrete blocks and other hard items were not some disrespectful garbage disposal but on the contrary, thought to be the most cost effective means of protecting the remaining bluff face from further erosion. Incidentally the concrete used were the remnants of the old 1930s Hampton Roads which were being replaced by bitumen at the time. The Council knew, and I certainly remember, that it would look unsightly for some time until vegetation grew over it. But it would save the road.

David Cockburn – Mayor of Sandringham

David Cockburn on Windsurfer

It is also fascinating to walk along the beach with Dad and listen to his stories. He firmly believes that more focus needs to be put on the run off from the top of the cliffs and mid way seepage as well as the wave action in eroding the cliff faces. My overriding observation is that no matter what the cause or solution is – it’s  high time all levels of government took foreshore erosion seriously and spent the necessary money to preserve our coast line.

My family (mum, dad, self  and  one  of  my  older  brother’s, Scott, at the induction of AD Mackenzie into Sandringham Yacht Club Hall of Fame – holding photo of AD Mackenzie) My family has lived in Bayside for 4 generations; I receive the family baton on this issue willingly and feel compelled to carry on the advocacy of my ancestors. OK, let’s  do  it!" Thankyou Sally, What an amazing family -we are grateful to you and your family!!!!!

And finally, with gratitude from SFA

The SFA would sincerely like to thank John Amiet for his enormous efforts in photographically documenting the Sandringham foreshore over many years, and sharing his images with the SFA and relevant authorities. Images on the SFA website, and other documented photos to date, are testament to his tireless efforts. In retirement from the SFA, he will be missed. We hope you have enjoyed reading the SFA summer newsletter. Yours with kindness, Dr Vicki Karalis, SFA President Assistant editor, SFA Newsletter: Helen Gibson & SFA committee members: Alison Horton, Vice-President Adrienne Smith, Secretary Craig Francis, Treasurer Helen Gibson Paul Hede Laurie Evans Ruby Campbell-Beschorner