Demolition of the Senior Citizens Centre uncovered asbestos on the site, closing it down for two weeks. The centre, near the Franklins car park, is being demolished to make way for a new library and car parking building as part of the Cronulla Community Project.
A council spokeswoman said the risk of asbestos being found during the demolition had always been present. “Demolition at the site has progressed to a stage where the ground slab has been removed and further asbestos has been identified,” she said.
The spokeswoman said reporting guidelines had been followed and the council would adhere to whatever expert advice was given. “WorkCover has been notified of the situation as part of the normal process. We are following WorkCover guidelines and expert advice from the consultants to safely manage the site, which is not being disturbed,” she said.
“A further report has been commissioned to provide for a procedure to safely remove and dispose of the material.
“Finding asbestos present is not an unusual occurrence in buildings with the age of the senior citizens centre and it happens regularly within the construction industry. Removal will start once the report has been received and approved by WorkCover. It is expected this work will start within the next two weeks.” Jannali Congregational Church celebrates 80 years
Jannali Congregational Church, known to be the oldest in Jannali, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year with an open day on Saturday February 16 and an anniversary service on July 20.
Organiser Robin Whitney said anyone who would like to know more about their congregational church was welcome to come along. “The open day will have a sausage sizzle, face painting and giveaways plus lots of opportunities for people to ask us about the church and its services, such as Sunday School and our Kids Club,” she said. “We would also love to hear from anyone who has been involved with the church over the years.”
Ms Whitney said while it was the oldest church in the suburb it was often overlooked because of its location on Louise St. “We are on a residential backstreet and some don’t know or forget that we are here, but we are open and people are always welcome to come in,” she said.
Congregational churches are independent, autonomous churches with no hierarchy. New swings in five locations
Sutherland Shire Council has recently finished upgrading several local parks around Engadine and Heathcote with new swing sets. The upgrades mean ageing swing sets have been replaced at five locations: Naranga Ave Reserve Engadine, Pambula Rd Reserve Engadine, Sierra Rd Reserve Engadine and Marlee Rd Reserve Engadine, with Mirrabrook Pl Heathcote receiving its first newly installed sets.
Council will also plant new trees in all five locations early this year to take advantage of favourable conditions for new plantings. All sites will also have seating installed for family members and carers supervising children using the swings. A good book for summer
Thousands of Shire residents have decided to ‘escape’ by ‘tucking’ into a good book this summer if the number of borrowed books is anything to go by. It seems getting lost in a book is the favourite summer activity this year, as thousands of books have been borrowed from council libraries.
Librarian Angela Livingstone, at Sutherland, said thrillers and mystery novels were in high demand at all Shire branches, with romance and family sagas close behind.
“Murder and mystery are always popular,” she said. “They make up almost half of all our loans. For some reason people just love reading them. Books by Matthew Reilly, Patricia Cornwell and Ken Follett have the most reserves, (readers who have requested the book), at the moment.
“Khaled Hosseini is also very popular. He writes social commentary fiction about Afghanistan and a film based on his book The Kite Runner is due out soon.”
Other favourites were self help books, dieting books and biographies. Ms Livingstone said people often spoke quietly when requesting books about personal health, social problems or fetishes. “They would ask for what they want in a roundabout way, then quickly say it’s not for me,” she said.
“We also tend to get a lot of phone calls requesting books after 2pm, or personal visits the next day, after Dr Phil or Oprah have publicised a book on television.”
The most popular junior titles came from the Aussie Bites, Harry Potter and the Princess Diaries series. | 
