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Get To Know These 5 Women Making a Splash in Wynnum and Manly

The Wynnum and Manly bayside is home to some of the most talented women making a splash in Brisbane. Get to know some of them here.

Read: Mara Stransky of Manly’s Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Awarded Australia’s Female Sailor of the Year

Peta Prestidge

Peta Prestidge was appointed as president of Manly Harbour Village Chamber of Commerce when David Farley retired after 35 years. The Chamber of Commerce oversees Manly Harbour Village and ensures it stays as a world-class leisure precinct, just like how Mr Farley envisioned it more than three decades ago.

“I love Manly and the bayside area, and have immersed myself in the local community, leading to my appointment as President of the precinct’s Chamber of Commerce in late 2021,” Ms Prestidge shared.

Before she took over the role, Ms Prestidge served as the general manager of The Consortium Group since 2016. The company is behind The Arsonist and Tide on the Jetty, two of the most popular restaurants in Manly.

As the current president of Manly Harbour Village Chamber of Commerce, Ms Prestidge hopes new and existing members would get more involved, believing that working together for the bigger picture is the key to success.

Nikki Kay

Nikki Kay and her husband transformed Wilson’s Boathouse into Manly Boathouse, now one of the leading seafood restaurants in the bayside.

The Kays gave the space a brand new look with their relaxed outdoor area where guests can walk in and try their bar snack menu, and a patio featuring a fish and chippery, gelato bar, and licensed bar.

The husband and wife duo successfully owned many retail businesses since 1991, which include bulk butcher shops, seafood markets, and seafood restaurants.

They were the original owners of Reef Seafood + Sushi, which was sold in 2018, before they opened a second venue, ReefGasworks in the Gasworks Precinct in Newstead, with the help of their son Ryan.

Joan Pease

When Joan Pease became a representative of the bayside community, Ms Pease helped deliver 24-hour health services back to Wynnum following the establishment of the Wynnum Manly Health Centre.

Ms Pease’s other local achievements include:

Helping young people into work by restoring funding for the successful Skilling Queenslanders for Work program
Upgrading local schools with funding for new facilities at Wynnum West, Darling Point and Brisbane Bayside plus a teacher aide in all prep classes
Cleaning up Wynnum Creek and the removal of derelict, polluting boats

Ms Pease is the patron of the Wynnum Manly Historical Association, the Wynnum Manly Yacht Club, the Bayside Woodturners and Woodcrafters Club and the Bayside Eastern District Orchid Society.

Ciara Metcalfe

Ciara Metcalfeis an Irish former cricketer who was a right-arm leg break bowler. She is considered as one of the personalities who made cricket more popular among women on the bayside.

It started when she played and served as coach for the Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club in the lower divisions.

Cricket grew so popular because of Metcalfe’s help, which even led to the merger of Redlands and Wynnum to come up with a first grade team. Since then, the sport keeps reaching new heights in the bayside.

Merle Dippel

Merle Dippel was one of the three original founding members of Winnam Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation, along with Cheryl Jacob and Becky Thomson.

From a $100 donation, Winnam has grown to one of the leading organisations providing affordable housing to the local community. Since starting their valuable work, Winnam has built up more than $17 million in assets.

Read: Wyvernleigh: One of the First Houses in the Manly District

Also known as ‘Aunty Merle,’ Ms Dippel was a founder of the Mariners and is a well-known Quandamooka Community Elder from North Stradbroke Island. She currently resides in Wynnum and was a long-term board member of Winnam.

Mara Stransky of Manly’s Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Awarded Australia’s Female Sailor of the Year

Olympian Mara Stransky of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Manly has been named Female Sailor of the Year at the Australian Sailing Awards honouring the sports and its community.

Mara proved deserving of the award following her recent achievements at the ILCA 6 Women’s World Championships in Oman, where she finished sixth place, the Allianz World Cup in Holland, where she was fourth, and for her astounding winning finish at the Kiel Week.

The Manly sailor, who ranks as the third-best female sailor in the world, bested Nina Curtis from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and Zoe Thomson from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club for the highest honour.

Meanwhile, Tom Slingsby was named the Male Sailor of the Year whilst Chris Symonds was chosen as the Para Sailor of the Year.

The Australian Sailing Awards returned to an entire face-to-face ceremony since 2019. Below is the full list of winners:

Male Sailor of the Year
Tom Slingsby OAM – Gosford Sailing Club (NSW)

Female Sailor of the Year
Mara Stransky – Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron & Queensland Laser Association (QLD)

Youth Sailor of the Year
Evie Saunders – Manly Yacht Club (NSW)

Para Sailor of the Year
Chris Symonds – Wynyard Yacht Club, Australian Hansa Class Association Inc & Sailability Tasmania (TAS)

Offshore Sailor of the Year
Lisa Blair – Manly Yacht Club & Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW)

Coach of the Year
Ben Durham – Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA)

Club of the Year
Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club (NSW)

Volunteer of the Year
Peter Kinsman – Rye Yacht Club (VIC)

Instructor of the Year
Holly Hunt – Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA)

Official of the Year
Andre Blasse – Black Rock Yacht Club/Australian OK Dinghy Association (VIC)

Sport Promotion Award
Nick Bez – Windsurfer Class Association of Australia (VIC)

Sport Professional Award
Michael Robinson – Keppel Bay Sailing Club (QLD)

SheSails Award
Mooloolaba Women’s Keelboat Regatta – Mooloolaba Yacht Club (QLD)

Sustainability Award
Marine Environment Committee – Fremantle Sailing Club (WA)

President’s Award
Sean Hogan (VIC)

About the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Manly

Meanwhile, the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is one of Queensland’s oldest and most prestigious sailing and cruising clubs. Since 1885, the organisation has supported sailing by training potential sailors on all levels.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron was Australia’s first sailing club to offer women membership in 1975, per past Commodore Bill Kirby.

“I well remember the late P/C John Hattrick meeting with P/C David Bowly and myself early in 1975 and telling us it simply wasn’t acceptable for the Squadron not to welcome Ladies into our midst and for them not to be able to take part in all facets of Club life. David was Vice Commodore at the time and I was the Rear.

“P/C John’s proposals were enthusiastically approved at a Special General Meeting of the Members and as they say, ‘The rest is history.'”

Soon after, the Ladies’ Committee raised money for the Snack Bar and held sailing classes for kids during scholl holidays. They also established the ArtArama, an arts and crafts festival that was popular in Manly for many years.

Preparing for Wet Summer: Sandbags Available at Lota Depot

Pre-filled sandbags are available to residents and businesses as the Brisbane prepares for what could be a wet summer this year. The Rapid Relief Team is helping Council reach its target of filling 150,000 sandbags, with more than 10,000 already stored at its Lota depot.

In early November, Plymouth Brethren Christian Church’s charitable arm Rapid Relief Team filled nearly 14,000 sandbags using its Rapid Sandbagger. The sandbags are stored at the council depot in Lota and will be supplied free to residents who need them when the expected rains come.

Preparing for Wet Summer: RRT Helped Fill Sandbags Delivered at Lota Depot — Photo credit: supplied

This is the first time the initiative is being implemented so residents have been able to stock up on sandbags ahead of expected rain events. Back in the February deluge, 177,000 sandbags were distributed.

“What’s encouraging about this is that the Brisbane City Council are being proactive now in case of a future flood event in SE QLD and that way will take pressure off the likes of RRT and Council when an event unfolds,” said RRT director Lester Sharples.

“During the February Floods in 2022 we produced a lot more bags in a short timeframe.

“Last week we had approximately 75 volunteers in total supporting the sandbagging operation. Sandbagging has stopped currently as the Brisbane City Council now has over 150,000 back in storage ready to deploy at short notice.

“Efforts like this bring the community together, working with local Council being proactive is great for the community and should give some assurance that Brisbane is in a ‘Get Ready’ proactive initiative. These events are a great day out for our volunteers, it’s in our nature to get in and support the community in times where it’s needed – our volunteers are driven by Christian values of care and compassion.”

The sandbags have been delivered to the local Council/SES depots where they can be picked up in case a large rain event happens across Brisbane in the near future.

The pre-filled sandbags are available for residents and businesses 27/7 from September 2022 to March next year, and also when severe weather is predicted such as higher than normal high tides and heavy rainfall events.

Sandbags can be collected at the following locations:

Darra – South Depot, 38 Shamrock Road
Lota Depot, 58 Herbert Street, Lota
Morningside – Balmoral Depot, 9 Redfern Street
Newmarket – SES Depot, 66 Wilston Road
Zillmere-North Depot, 33 Jennings Street.

The Wellington Collection: Construction of 8 Luxury Residences Underway

Photo credit: Urbex Living / thewellingtoncollection.com.au

Construction of much sought-after eight luxury residences in Manly with views out to Moreton Bay, collectively known as The Wellington Collection is now underway.

The Wellington Collection: Construction of 8 Luxury Residences Underway — Photo credit: Urbex Living / thewellingtoncollection.com.au

The Wellington Collection comprises six luxurious apartment units and two townhouses across two buildings at 7 Wellington Street in Manly overlooking the marina with 270-degree views out to Moreton Bay and North Stradbroke Island. Construction of the Urbex Living project is now underway and it is estimated to cost $22 million to build.

Designed by Ellivo, the spacious residences are designed to offer a relaxed living environment with generous floor plans and large balconies, an arrangement of screens, walls and balustrades creating a perfect balance of natural light, ventilation and stunning views. The edges are rounded off to offer a wider northeastern bay view. Whilst natural, texture material palette is used to well integrate the homes into the coastal region whilst blending in with the character of the existing residential neighbourhood.

The Wellington Collection apartments | Photo credit: Urbex Living / thewellingtoncollection.com.au

“The Wellington Collection has been designed to take in the site’s expansive bay views; making the most of the relaxed bayside lifestyle. By working with the natural slope of the site, each residence has been designed to open up to the desirable Northern orientation and Moreton Bay views, allowing for an ideal living environment with an abundance of natural light and cross-ventilation. Conceived as a series of individual homes – made up of a mix of apartments and townhomes – each residence has a strong identity, with landscaped arrival courtyards that offer a layered entry experience.”
Urbex Living

The Wellington Collection townhomes | Photo credit: Urbex Living / thewellingtoncollection.com.au

The 3-bedroom apartment has two bathrooms, a powder room and a landscaped arrival courtyard, a fully-appointed kitchen with a butler’s pantry and state-of-the-art appliances. Amenity includes an outdoor pool, and outdoor and indoor entertaining spaces.

The townhomes feature engineered timber floorings, pure wool carpets in the bedroom, fully-tiled bathrooms and ensuites, a wine fridge, a butler’s pantry, boiling and chilled water on tap, electric vehicle charging points, a private outdoor lounge deck, a plunge pool and lush, and tropical gardens.

The Wellington Collection is expected to be completed in late 2023 with 40 per cent already sold off the plan, or just three apartments and two townhomes remaining for sale. Prices start from $2 million to $3.37 million.

“Recent home sales are now exceeding the $5m price tag and many others firmly sitting above the $2M range, Manly has very quickly become a frontrunner in the Brisbane property market. The suburb has presented a compounded growth rate of 40.5% in houses and 27.0% in units based on the past five years of sales,” Mr Covacich said.

You can find this development on Wellington Street, cornered by Arnold Street and Oceana Terrace.

Enquire here

Worst Tick Season Puts Manly Pets at High Risk Amidst Tick Serum Shortage

Photo Credit: Tzuwen Su/Pixabay

Heads up, Manly pet owners. Pets in the suburb have a high risk of tick infestation amidst a nationwide shortage of tick serum during what is being considered the worst tick season in Queensland.

Manly Road 24hr Veterinary Hospital has been witnessing a rise in tick infestation in pets at risk of paralysis following months of heavy rains. Tick season is particularly dangerous from September to November when flower gardens come alive but could be a hotbed for ticks.

“If you think Halloween is scary, it is NOTHING compared to tick paralysis,” the veterinary hospital warned.

“Tick prevention is not a suggestion it is an absolute must do! Even just toileting in your back yard your dog or cat can pick up a tick.”

It comes as supplies of tick serums to prevent an infestation, such as Bravecto, Nexgard and Simparica, are currently low and new stocks are not anticipated to arrive until December.

Brisbane Pet Surgery in Eagle Farm and UQVet in Saint Lucia confirmed they have been having a difficult time gathering supplies.

According to reports, the production of tick serums has been impacted by the flooding in northern NSW and the closure of locally-based manufacturers. Currently, Australian Veterinary Serum Laboratories in Lismore is the lone major bulk manufacturer for the whole country.

Manly Road 24hr Veterinary Hospital has these suggestions for pet owners as ticks can be prevented:

Monthly Tick Prevention
Keep your garden & lawns trimmed.
Physically check your little soldier daily by rubbing your hands all over them. Pay close attention to their head & neck areas. (They will love all this attention)
On their walks try to stick to paths & tracks & out of long grass & bushes.
Bandicoots & rats can drop paralysis ticks in your yard so even in the safety of your little soldiers bunker they can be under threat.

“Tick paralysis is a major battle to fight on its own, but combine that with secondary complications like aspiration pneumonia then sometimes it is a battle that not even the strongest, smartest army of veterinarians can win,” the animal hospital stated.

European-style Mobile Restaurant to Roll Out Soon

Photo for illustration purposes only | Photo credit: Egor Litvinov on Unsplash

Get ready to hop onto this mobile restaurant-on-wheels that’s all set to roll down to Brisbane in late November, with New Farm Park as its first stop, before rolling into Manly, the Kangaroo Point, and other areas to offer European-inspired fine dining on the move.

The Biuso family – Biagio and Sarah and their son Joseph – will be making their way to New Farm soon aboard their converted 12.5-m school bus to deliver a European-style fine dining experience on wheels.

Da Biuso as a concept is a first for the Brisbane dining scene and is expected to serve a produce-driven degustation menu, along with a carefully curated wine list, within a fit-out that’s reminiscent of the city’s historic trams.

Van Demons Vans is in charge of bringing to life Da Biuso’s look. It will sport an exquisite interior featuring a four-metre kitchen, upholstered seats, elegant curtains, wood and subdued ambient lighting. The bespoke mobile restaurant can accommodate 14 diners at a mixed two and four-seater table, or up to 18 diners when hired for a group function.

The couple has operated several restaurants across Brisbane, Sydney and Cairns including Marina Paradiso which closed in 2019 and Fortitude Valley’s Casa Nostra Ristorante. In fact, the idea of Da Biuso came when the family was trying to keep Casa Nostra afloat during the pandemic’s early stages with a limited seating capacity, which they realised worked very well for them.

Da Biuso’s seasonal contemporary European menu with a touch of Sicily may be akin to brick-and-mortar sister venue, Casa Nostra Ristorante| Photo credit: Casa Nostra / casanostraristorante.com.au

Head Chef Biago and son will be preparing seasonal modern-European dishes with a touch of Sicilian influences featuring fresh catches and locally sourced meats along with pasta to be paired with vino specially curated by Sarah. Her wine list will focus on Italian selections plus cocktails, beers and digestifs.

Da Biuso is planned to be open five days a week serving lunch and dinner and will also be available to book for special events and functions. It will have its first stop at New Farm and hopefully before December this year, the mobile restaurant could later move on a rotating basis at Kangaroo Point Cliffs and Manly.

Residents Encouraged to Dob in Short-term Accommodation Properties in Manly, Other Brisbane Areas

Photo Credit: InstagramFOTOGRAFIN / Pixabay

Residents of Manly and other areas of Brisbane are being encouraged to dob in properties that they believe are being used as short-term accommodation.

This comes after Council recently introduced a new rating category that charges property owners who are renting out properties through short-stay platforms with 50 per cent higher rates.

In early October 2022, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced that residents will receive a letter along with their next rates bill, asking them to provide information on residential properties that are being rented out through platforms such as Airbnb, Bookings.com, and Stayz.

Manly and Wynnum, both popular bayside destinations, have a number of properties listed on such platforms. Those who own short-term rentals are likewise encouraged to voluntarily register their property on the Council website.

short-term accommodation — Photo Credit: Max Vakhtbovych / Pexels

Cr Schrinner said that Brisbane is currently experiencing a severe housing shortage due to the scarcity of new homes being built to answer the rising demand and he hopes that the new rating category, which was introduced beginning 1 July 2022, will convince owners to return their properties to the long-term rental market.

Council will also be utilising online technology to sift through the listing sites’ inventory of properties and identify those that have been made available on the short-term accommodation market for more than 60 days a year.

The 50 per cent rate increase would mean that for an average short-term rental, the property owner will pay about $985 additional per year. However, owner-occupiers who rent out a spare room for short-term accommodation are excluded from the new rating category.

Moreover, Cr Schrinner said that the popularity of these short-term accommodation platforms has created problems for residents living next to the short-stay properties whilst the owners are reaping commercial returns for renting their property out. And so it’s “only fair,” he said, that they are charged with a commercial level of rates.

AirDNA data shows that there were 22 active short-term rentals in Manly for Q3 of 2022 from 16 in the previous period. Eighty-eight per cent of listed properties were on Airbnb whilst the rest are either listed on Vrbo or both.

Inside Shucks Bar, One Of Brisbane’s Leading Oyster Restaurants

For freshly shucked oysters straight on the half-shell, Shucks Bar, a neighbourhood oyster bar and seafood restaurant at the Manly Esplanade is the place to be.

Read: European-style Mobile Restaurant to Roll Out Soon

Options change with the seasons but Shucks is the go-to for fresh oysters all year ’round, sourced from different regions in Australia – from the famous Coffin Bay oysters to St Helens in Tasmania; to the Sydney rocks in Port Stephens and even Stradbroke Island.

Open since 2017, this nautical-themed seafood spot was the brainchild of restaurateur Belinda Ho, who spent over a decade in the design agency industry in London and in Brisbane, before venturing into food business.

Shucks Bar — Photo credit: Ethel/ethelladame/Google Maps

Ms Ho decided to take her love for oysters to the next level after seeing a need for an oyster bar in the bayside neighbourhood. Also hoping to see a bit of change in Manly’s food scene, Ms Ho finally gave it a go and launched her oyster bar half a decade ago.

At first, there were customers who would look for some steak or burgers and even coffee. But through the years, they eventually received a cult following, with seafood lovers coming over for dressed, grilled, or natural oysters.

Diners would dig into comforting seafood dishes like sardine toast with agrodolce, whipped buffalo curd or local prawns with charred tomato sambal. For the spring menu, they have added grilled zucchini or grilled broccoli as options.

Wash it all down with a glass of wine or choose from their extensive drinks menu that includes beers, spirits, cocktails, and non-boozy drinks.

Meanwhile, bargain hunters should try the Sunday Happy Hour: half-price natural oysters freshly shucked to order, available every Sunday lunch from noon until 3:00 p.m.

Read: Ransome Couple Grows Play Mat Business from Home into a Million-Dollar Empire

Shucks Bar is located at 459 Esplanade, Manly. You can follow them on Facebook for more details.

Wynnum-Manly Primary Care Centre Goes Digital

Photo Credit: Google Maps

Did you know that the Wynnum-Manly Primary Care Centre has now gone digital, with patients’ medical records now accessible electronically?

After 12 weeks of digital training, workers at the Wynnum-Manly Primary Care Centre have done their first documentation of the patients’ integrated electronic medical records (ieMR), allowing the facility to finally go live on the digital platform.

With the new ieMR, Wynnum-Manly Primary Care Centre would be able to access the patients’ records electronically, thus bridging any gaps in the delivery of their needed healthcare.

“Sometimes it can be difficult accessing our patients’ medical information as a small community site,” Nurse Unit Manager Eric Ford said. “Having immediate access to electronic patient medical records will now be a great support for when a patient presents at the facility.”

The ieMR has been customised for Wynnum-Manly Primary Care Centre patients and whilst it was not an easy transition, the workers have welcomed the changes.

Project Manager Karen Davies and the staff have been actively involved with the customisation, collaborating with the Project Team and Cerner, the software developers.

“It’s great to see Wynnum-Manly PCC join the clinical community of Digital Hospitals in Metro South Health and across the state,” Ms Davies said.

“Clinicians will have access to instant, real-time patient information from across Metro South, as well as from digital facilities around Queensland with each patient’s electronic record now travelling with them.

“That means no need to obtain charts from Medical Records and better collaboration between clinicians, and more linked-up care for patients.

“Clinicians also have access to early warning alerts in a medical emergency and improved patient safety with patients accurately identified through wristbands with unique barcodes.”

Long-delayed 43-Unit Apartment Development on Stratton Terrace Now Underway

Photo credit: DeMartini Fletcher Property / demartini.com.au

After months of delay, construction of the $50-million 43-unit apartment and retail development on Stratton Terrace is now underway, scheduled for completion in mid-2024.

The project at 191 Stratton Terrace in Manly is strategically located near shops, Bayside Park and the Manly Harbour Village. Originally planned for construction in 2020, the DeMartini Fletcher Property project had to be put on pause due when some locals appealed the Council’s decision to give the project the green light.

The developer then agreed to make changes to the project including the reduction of buildings’ height and the number of apartment units to 43 from the originally approved 49 as well as the retail component of the development from 900sqm to 140sqm.

The project again was delayed due to pandemic-induced supply chain issues that drove construction costs up. Initially projected to be completed in late 2022, total construction cost increased tremendously because of the shortage in construction materials prompting the developer to halt the project to give them time to work things out.

With these issues behind them and the project already 50 per cent sold, construction of 191 Stratton Terrace has recently resumed and is now well underway.

Once complete, the Stratton Terrace development will deliver a total of 43 apartments of one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations across two buildings plus a retail area, a rooftop recreation deck, a pool, barbecue area, and a gym.

Artist impression of pool at Stratton Terrace development — Photo credit: DeMartini Fletcher Property / demartini.com.au

Artist impression of rooftop area — Photo credit: DeMartini Fletcher Property / demartini.com.au

Artist impression of wellness gym — Photo credit: DeMartini Fletcher Property / demartini.com.au

De Martini Fletcher was established in 1980 as a collaboration between John De Martini Properties and the John Fletcher Group. Apart from Stratton Terrace, De Martini Fletcher’s other residential projects include V Apartments on Victoria Parade, Enclave Apartments on Bride Street in Wynnum and Pama Casuarina on Casuarina Beach, NSW.

191 Stratton Terrace, Manly QLD 4179, Australia