Lake Illawarra is mapped by history

A community project has been documenting the stories of locals and the legends of Lake Illawarra and the results will soon be screened for the public to see and enjoy.

The Lake Illawarra MAP (memory and place) film festival will open on Monday at the Gala cinema. The event will showcase a series of short video pieces telling the different stories of members of the community and their links to Lake Illawarra.

Phillip Crawford took the time to explain the origins of this project and share the story of how the project has come together.

More information can be found on the Festival website.

Sublime Point walking track re-opens

The Sublime Point walking track was re-opened last week after receiving massive structural changes to ensure the safety of hikers.

Six years ago the track was closed because of a number of hazards, but since then new ladders have been installed and rocks have been secured.

NSW Premier Nathan Rees was one of the first to enjoy the newly opened track on the weekend.

National parks and wildlife area manager Andre Bianchi spoke to crossfire about the who, what and why of the tracks redevelopment.

Beneath Black Skies

History will be relived at the IPAC in less than two weeks time when Beneath Black Skies, a documentary on the history of coal-mining in the Illawarra is premiered in front of hundreds of people.

Sandra Pires has spent the last three years researching, scripting and directing the documentary which explores the history of the industry and both the Mt Kembla and Bulli mine disasters.

Sandra Pires spoke to crossfire this afternoon about the filming of Beneath Black Skies.

Southern Highlands bus for students a possibility?

Travis Holland is a Wollongong university student and a Southern Highlands resident who is trying to make life easier for himself, and many other students.

Travis has put  into motion a campaign for another bus service to run between the Southern Highlands and the university. An extra bus service could mean hundreds less cars traveling between the two points and free-up parking at the university.

Travis joined Crossfire this afternoon to explain his concerns and possible solutions to the problem.

2009 homeless sleepout

Photo: Thirroul SCCC

This Friday the 7th of August will be a cold and uncomfortable night for fund raising participants sleeping outside to raise awareness about the Illawarra’s homeless community.

The event has been organised by the South Coast City Church (SCCC) to also raise money for local services helping the more than 1500 disadvantaged members of our community.

Participants will spend from 6.30 pm Friday to 7.30 am Saturday under the David Jones bridge link in the Crown Street Mall.

Senior Pastor of SCCC, Peter Starr, says people are simply looking for a way to help.

To register and for more information visit the SCCC website.

Tuesday 11th August 2009, Crossfire caught up with Peter Starr to find out how the Friday night event and how much money was raised. Listen in below.