I attended Windsor High and teach at another local public high school. Growing up in the area and now teaching in my community means a lot to me.

Tonight we had a reunion for the class of 1990 (or year 10 of 1988 - take your pick). I’ve known many of the people in this photo since primary school.
This year, most of us have or are about to turn 50.
So lovely to see everyone. The big surprise was one of our teachers Mrs Hunt (aka Lynnette Tuckwell) came along to keep us in line. ... See MoreSee Less

21 hours ago

Democracy Sausage, how I love thee
Reminding us how we are free
And your mate, the Aussie upper
My thermos with a Democracy Cuppa ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

I want to renovate my home.
Complete re-roof (concrete tile -> colorbond.)
Convert carport to lock-up garage.
Knock through a wall, build a covered deck.
Add a bedroom and potential en-suite.
Overlay old pineboard with new manufactured flooring.

If you know a good Hawkesbury local builder, please give them a tag and shout out in the comments. I'm looking for quotes. ... See MoreSee Less

3 weeks ago

There were two important meetings tonight. One at Clarendon held by the Richmond Bridge Traffic Action Group and the other a candidate information session held by Pitt Town Progress Association for the upcoming State election.
I couldn’t be at both, but it’s heartening to see local democracy and public debate running strong in our community. ... See MoreSee Less

4 weeks ago

This was the area around the charity bin at Coles in Richmond before yesterday.

This carpark is under Council control, and staff attended yesterday and have now cleared up the area.

Please, do not use these areas as a dumping ground for rubbish, and if you have charity material to donate, never leave it beside a charity bin in the hopes it will be collected; it won't. It will be treated like trash and your good-will will be wasted, which would be a shame.

Council are actively looking at other sites where rubbish is accumulating, but some are privately owned such as the KHub (the old Coles building), in Windsor. Discussions are active.

Thanks to Councillor Mary Lyons-Buckett and Councillor Danielle Wheeler for raising this issue. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

I can’t believe I can still come to a sit down Pizza Hut. I’ve been eating at the one in Windsor since the late 80’s. We’d descend like locusts in a large group and test the patience of the manager. All you can eat was $7. I had my first awkward teenage date here. So glad it still exists.
What are your Hawkesbury Pizza Hut memories? ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

I am very saddened to hear of the passing of Dorothy Phipps. When I joined the Richmond Players dramatic society in 2006, Dorothy had already been a mainstay of the troupe for decades.
She served sixty-nine years with the organisation, alongside various other community involvements as a teacher, member of the CWA and many other groups.

Her presence serving tea in the intermission of shows and her staunch support (including financial support when the Players were in danger of falling apart, many years ago) marked her as the kind of constant, reassuring presence that good communities can never have enough of. Never married, nevertheless she became everyone's Nan.

Once, I had cause to drop by her house to get a cheque signed for the Players. She had just arrived home, driving her own car well into her eighties. She invited me in to take tea and scones, which of course she had made herself.
"You're lucky I caught you. I was just out visiting my Aunt!"
"Your Aunt?" I exclaimed, incredulous. "And how is she?"
"Well enough," Dorothy explained, "For someone who's 102!"

Such was the stuff Dorothy and her kin were made of. I will miss her terribly.It is with great regret and the deepest sadness that we at Richmond Players wish to advise you of the death of our beloved Director, Dorothy Phipps OAM. Dorothy has been our guiding light, inspiration, greatest supporter, benefactor and overall treasure for decades now. She began her association with Players in 1954, after being introduced to the company by her brother, John. She joined the cast of Little Lambs Eat Ivy, and from there began a love affair that only ended yesterday morning. At this time funeral details are not yet available.

2022 was Richmond Players’ 70th year, and in that time, Dorothy had some 280 or so roles to her name. They included acting, directing, producing, set building and painting, teaching, mentoring, front of house and back-stage roles aplenty. She held almost every possible position on Committee over many years, including Secretary, Vice President, President and as our Director since 2011. She had a special love for fostering talent within the youth of the community, and she almost single-handedly ran the Junior Players for decades. Many of her former students still visited her and all spoke fondly of their time with her. There are many patrons too, who have come along to Players shows and remember being served tea and coffee by Dorothy as she masterfully employed the most enormously oversized teapot.

Dorothy was awarded life membership of Players in 2007; she is a life member of the CWA; a recipient of an Australia Day Award, and most notably the Order of Australia medal, in 2012, for services to a community for which she gave so much of herself. Without this devotion, Players would not be here now celebrating its 70th anniversary. Her generous support, the depths of which no-one will ever truly know, enabled Players to navigate its darkest times and emerge as it is now; a healthy and vibrant place whereby anyone can come and try their hand with all things theatrical.

Anyone who met Dorothy will have a lasting memory of her; for that is the kind of lady she was. Always smiling, always happy, always generous with her time, support and genuine interest of those with whom she met. A truly unforgettable and decent person in times where those qualities are becoming increasingly rare.

For the last few years of his life, Dorothy cared for her brother John as his health declined. So as Dorothy now takes her final bow, we are sure she will be reunited with him, resting comfortably in God’s care; and both perhaps keeping a careful eye on proceedings to make sure we all still aim to get things right. Richmond Players extends its warmest love, sincerest gratitude and deepest sympathy to Dorothy’s family in this most difficult time of loss for them.

Richmond Players thanks Dorothy for her near lifetime of service and generosity. Her legacy cannot be overstated and will always be remembered with the highest regard. Our loss is immeasurable and our grief profound, but we find solace in the smile and optimism Dorothy always exhibited as she remains our beacon forever.

Rest peacefully now, Dorothy; content in the knowledge you were one of the community’s and God’s great servants. We will miss you. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

At Council's meeting tonight, I moved a motion to adopt "Option 1", the variant of the route for the new Grose River Bridge that swings widest around, and which avoids the demolition of, the Wilcox home. The motion passed with the dissent of only a couple of Councillors. The process now will be to re-exhibit the Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) with this settled route as our preferred option for public comment.

This decision comes at the end of a long process; one that has caused enormous anxiety and heartache for some. Frankly, we should have been at this decision point years ago. I'd like to acknowledge the pledge of the mayor to instigate investigations about how a situation arose which purportedly quarantined any property from consideration, when the engineers should never have been fettered in that way to come up with a truly fair solution.

When I moved back in September that we should reconsider the routes, I was told that it was unlikely a Ausroads-standard-compliant road could be found that saved the Wilcox home. Or it would not have the same flood immunity. Or that Transport for NSW would walk away from the project and not act to acquire the requisite land. I'm glad we stood our ground, and lo-and-behold, none of those claims were true!

I think this is a win for the community, and lament the situation that has led to so many delays in the project (which I explained in the video link below).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuF-kUkjoSY ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago