Latest news with #WilloughbyCityCouncil
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Perth Now
Ex-cop charged with abuse material worked at 58 centres
MOONLIGHTING COP CARING FOR CHILDREN CHARGED WITH PRODUCING ABUSE IMAGES WHO IS DAVID WILLIAM JAMES? The 26-year-old Artarmon man worked as an out-of-school care worker, secretly moonlighting in the job while serving as a police officer. Police on Thursday alleged he produced child abuse material of 10 children aged under six. Explicit photos and videos of the victims were allegedly taken while James worked at six out-of-school-hours care (known as OOSH or OSHC) service providers in the northern suburbs of Sydney and the city centre between April 2021 and May 2024. HOW LONG WAS HE A POLICE OFFICER? NSW Police said he was employed as a probationary constable from December 2021 to September 2022. After he failed to successfully complete his probation, he continued in a civilian capacity until his resignation in May 2023. Police said they were unaware he was working in the childcare sector at the same time. WHEN WAS HE ARRESTED? The Artarmon man has been in custody since October 2024. Some 1200 parents at the six centres where the alleged offences took place were contacted by federal police. WHERE AND WHEN WAS IN HE WORKING WITH KIDS? Police have listed 58 centres where James worked between 2018 and his arrest in 2024. Police did not identify the six centres where the alleged offences took place. - Artarmon Before and After School Care - Willoughby City Council - June 2019 - Bales Park OOSH Services - December 2018 - Beacon Hill Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council - December 2018 - Camp Australia - Artarmon February - December 2022 - Camp Australia - St Andrew's Cathedral - June 2018 - Camp Australia - St Luke's Grammar School - April 2018 - Chatswood ASC & VC - Willoughby City Council - November 2018 - Cromer Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council - January 2020 - Cubby House - Artarmon June - August 2019 - Forestville Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council - July 2018 to April 2022 - The Girls and Boys Brigade - Surry Hills - November 2020 - Gowrie NSW - Erskineville OOSH Care - June 2018 to February 2019 - Gowrie NSW - North Sydney Community VC - April 2023 - Helping Hands - Bourke Street - March 2019 to April 2024 - Helping Hands - Lane Cove West - April 2018 to September 2024 - Helping Hands - North Ryde - May 2018 to August 2023 - Helping Hands - St Ives Park Public School - December 2023 to May 2024 - Helping Hands - Willoughby Public School - April 2018 to December 2022 - Hornsby South Before and After School Care - May 2018 - Jigsaw - Anzac Park Public School - May 2018 - KGV OSHC - City of Sydney - November 2018 to April 2022 - KidsCo Australia - Virtual Holiday Program - July to August 2021 - Knox Grammar High School - March 2018 to July 2020 - Knox Grammar School OSHClub - May 2024 - Manly Vale VC - Northern Beaches Council - April 2019 to July 2022 - North Shore Coaching College - July 2023 to September 2024 - OSHClub - Barker College - May 2018 to May 2024 - OSHClub - Beaumont Road - May 2018 to April 2023 - OSHClub - Fort Street - May 2018 - OSHClub - Highfields - April to November 2018 - OSHClub - Hornsby South - August 2018 to July 2023 - OSHClub - Knox Grammar Preparatory - May 2018 to February 2020 - OSHClub - Newington Lindfield - February 2020 - OSHClub - Smalls Road - February 2022 to August 2023 - Our Lady of Good Counsel OSHC - Forestville - August 2018 to March 2019 - Our Lady of the Rosary OSHC - Waitara October 2018 - Primary OSHCare - Chatswood - September 2019 to March 2020 - Primary OSHCare - Forestville - February 2021 - Primary OSHCare - Frenchs Forest - September 2022 - Primary OSHCare - Killarney Heights - January 2023 - Primary OSHCare - Mowbray - March 2020 to May 2024 - Primary OSHCare - St Ives - July 2021 to January 2024 - Primary OSHCare - St Ives North - February to March 2024 - Pyrmont OSHC - City of Sydney - October 2018 to July 2022 - SCECS McAuley Rose Bay OSHC - Rose Bay - January to May 2023 - St Kieran's OSHC - Manly Vale - May 2018 to February 2019 - St Martin's Davidson OSHC - September 2018 - St Mary's OOSH - Erskineville - December 2020 - Stanmore OSHC Service - Inner West Council July to August 2018 - TeamKids - ANZAC Park Public School - February 2021 to June 2023 - TheirCare - Ravenswood School for Girls - May 2023 - TheirCare - St Andrew's Cathedral School - December 2020 - Ultimo OSHC - City of Sydney - July 2018 to September 2024 - Uniting OSHC Brookvale - July 2023 - West Lindfield Getaway - Vacation Care - Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council - April 2018 - Willoughby Kids House - July 2023 - YMCA Bankstown City - July 2018 - YMCA NSW - Lycee Condorcet - July to August 2023 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aussies urged to check their own backyards as popular plant 'infests' major city
Aussies have been urged to inspect their own backyards as an escaped garden plant continues to wreak havoc in a major city. Spanish Moss, a hanging plant that thrives in warm, humid environments, is exploding in Sydney after months of heavy rainfall, prompting a warning to residents from local councils and landcare groups. The ornamental, which is native to tropical and subtropical America, is a common addition for those with a green thumb, but there are concerns gardeners are unaware of just how quickly it can spread and overwhelm larger trees. 'Bush regenerators are raising the alarm as Spanish moss spreads more widely,' Dr Carol Booth, the Invasive Species Council's policy director, told Yahoo News. 'It's an epiphyte — a plant that grows on other plants — and it can infest dozens of native tree species. We've seen turpentines, brush boxes, lilly pillies and cheese trees all severely impacted. It can grow thickly, smothering trees, blocking sunlight, breaking branches and sometimes killing the host by preventing photosynthesis.' Recently, Willoughby City Council in the city's lower north shore urged residents to keep an eye out for the plant, noting it is 'becoming a problem'. 'Please remove it if you can, don't purchase or share the plant. Help protect our trees!' it said online. Nearby Lane Cove Council has issued a similar warning stating Spanish Moss 'is becoming increasingly common in the Sydney region' and 'threatens the local critically endangered Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest and Blue Gum High Forest communities'. 'If you have Spanish Moss growing in your garden, it is recommended that you remove it and dispose of it in your green waste,' the council said. The plant is increasingly being recognised as an environmental weed — particularly in the Sydney region — but it's not currently declared under any laws, Dr Booth said. It has established in the wild in parts of Queensland and NSW, including the Lismore area and Lord Howe Island. 'It spreads readily through fluffy wind-borne seeds or fragments carried by birds, wind or human movement. That makes it particularly hard to contain once it's in the landscape,' Dr Booth told Yahoo. 'Despite the risks, it remains a popular ornamental plant that can be legally sold across the country.' And it's far from the only one, with experts sounding the alarm over another nasty weed — gazania — earlier this month. Despite the South African native flower emerging as a serious invasive threat to native grasslands and grain-growing regions, it's still being sold at nurseries. Escaped garden plants are the primary source of new weeds in Australia, with a whopping three-quarters of all environmental weeds starting out as ornamentals. This has prompted the Invasive Species Council to campaign for stricter regulations on the nursery industry to stop the selling and spreading of such plants, which contribute to over $5 billion in losses each year. 'More than 30,000 plant species have been imported into Australia for gardening, but fewer than a quarter have been assessed nationally for their weed risk,' Dr Booth said. 'Some of our worst invasives — like lantana and blackberry — were once common garden plants. 'Unless governments act, we'll keep selling the next potentially disastrous plant, putting our bushland and protected areas at risk.' 🌼 Imported flower escalating $5 billion threat in Australia 🌳 Woman's 'incredible' 500-year-old discovery hidden behind invasive weed 🌸 Desperate plea over invasive plant threatening 'beauty' of Australia Anyone who finds Spanish moss in their garden is encouraged to remove it, even if they don't live near bushland. 'It can be removed by hand, though this can be difficult on tall trees,' Dr Booth said. 'Herbicides may also work, but there's a risk they could harm the tree it's growing on — so mechanical removal is the safer option where possible.' Residents who are unable to extract the plant themselves can contact their local council for advice. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plea to Aussies as common garden plant explodes in major city: 'Becoming a problem'
Aussies have been urged to inspect their own backyards as an escaped garden plant continues to wreak havoc in a major city. Spanish Moss, a hanging plant that thrives in warm, humid environments, is exploding in Sydney after months of heavy rainfall, prompting a warning to residents from local councils and landcare groups. The ornamental, which is native to tropical and subtropical America, is a common addition for those with a green thumb, but there are concerns gardeners are unaware of just how quickly it can spread and overwhelm larger trees. 'Bush regenerators are raising the alarm as Spanish moss spreads more widely,' Dr Carol Booth, the Invasive Species Council's policy director, told Yahoo News. 'It's an epiphyte — a plant that grows on other plants — and it can infest dozens of native tree species. We've seen turpentines, brush boxes, lilly pillies and cheese trees all severely impacted. It can grow thickly, smothering trees, blocking sunlight, breaking branches and sometimes killing the host by preventing photosynthesis.' Recently, Willoughby City Council in the city's lower north shore urged residents to keep an eye out for the plant, noting it is 'becoming a problem'. 'Please remove it if you can, don't purchase or share the plant. Help protect our trees!' it said online. Nearby Lane Cove Council has issued a similar warning stating Spanish Moss 'is becoming increasingly common in the Sydney region' and 'threatens the local critically endangered Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest and Blue Gum High Forest communities'. 'If you have Spanish Moss growing in your garden, it is recommended that you remove it and dispose of it in your green waste,' the council said. The plant is increasingly being recognised as an environmental weed — particularly in the Sydney region — but it's not currently declared under any laws, Dr Booth said. It has established in the wild in parts of Queensland and NSW, including the Lismore area and Lord Howe Island. 'It spreads readily through fluffy wind-borne seeds or fragments carried by birds, wind or human movement. That makes it particularly hard to contain once it's in the landscape,' Dr Booth told Yahoo. 'Despite the risks, it remains a popular ornamental plant that can be legally sold across the country.' And it's far from the only one, with experts sounding the alarm over another nasty weed — gazania — earlier this month. Despite the South African native flower emerging as a serious invasive threat to native grasslands and grain-growing regions, it's still being sold at nurseries. Escaped garden plants are the primary source of new weeds in Australia, with a whopping three-quarters of all environmental weeds starting out as ornamentals. This has prompted the Invasive Species Council to campaign for stricter regulations on the nursery industry to stop the selling and spreading of such plants, which contribute to over $5 billion in losses each year. 'More than 30,000 plant species have been imported into Australia for gardening, but fewer than a quarter have been assessed nationally for their weed risk,' Dr Booth said. 'Some of our worst invasives — like lantana and blackberry — were once common garden plants. 'Unless governments act, we'll keep selling the next potentially disastrous plant, putting our bushland and protected areas at risk.' 🌼 Imported flower escalating $5 billion threat in Australia 🌳 Woman's 'incredible' 500-year-old discovery hidden behind invasive weed 🌸 Desperate plea over invasive plant threatening 'beauty' of Australia Anyone who finds Spanish moss in their garden is encouraged to remove it, even if they don't live near bushland. 'It can be removed by hand, though this can be difficult on tall trees,' Dr Booth said. 'Herbicides may also work, but there's a risk they could harm the tree it's growing on — so mechanical removal is the safer option where possible.' Residents who are unable to extract the plant themselves can contact their local council for advice. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Age
29-04-2025
- General
- The Age
Another Sydney pool hit with multimillion-dollar blowouts, delays
The patience of water-loving Sydneysiders is being tested yet again as another of the city's pool projects has been hit with delays and cost blowouts. The Willoughby Leisure Centre upgrade will now open 20 months behind schedule and cost the council $65 million – up from the original budget of $39 million. Willoughby City Council originally announced the project as a refurbishment, with three new pools and a new roof for the pool hall. When work began in 2022, the council had expected to use existing concrete piers supporting the building for the upgrade. However, council engineers discovered during construction that the existing piers would not be able to hold up the new pool hall. The engineers then found issues with the construction of the concrete structure, dating back to when it was built in the 1980s, which changed the project from a refurbishment to a complete rebuild. Work was also delayed when widespread asbestos was discovered on the site, which had previously been used as a dump. A statement from the council said that the increased costs would not result in a change to residential or business rates.
Sydney Morning Herald
29-04-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Another Sydney pool hit with multimillion-dollar blowouts, delays
The patience of water-loving Sydneysiders is being tested yet again as another of the city's pool projects has been hit with delays and cost blowouts. The Willoughby Leisure Centre upgrade will now open 20 months behind schedule and cost the council $65 million – up from the original budget of $39 million. Willoughby City Council originally announced the project as a refurbishment, with three new pools and a new roof for the pool hall. When work began in 2022, the council had expected to use existing concrete piers supporting the building for the upgrade. However, council engineers discovered during construction that the existing piers would not be able to hold up the new pool hall. The engineers then found issues with the construction of the concrete structure, dating back to when it was built in the 1980s, which changed the project from a refurbishment to a complete rebuild. Work was also delayed when widespread asbestos was discovered on the site, which had previously been used as a dump. A statement from the council said that the increased costs would not result in a change to residential or business rates.
