Marghanita da Cruz for Inner West Council, The Greens

Marghanita da Cruz

Greens Councillor
Gulgadya Ward - Inner West Council

Elected a Leichhardt Ward Councillor on 9 September 2017 (Leichhardt Ward renamed Gulgadya Ward in December 2018)

Marghanita da Cruz wants to build a community with good footpaths to public transport, community centres and green spaces. Facilities to help us lead active lives. An environment in which we look after our waterways, and harness energy from the sun and wind.

Contact | Bio | Map of the Leichhardt Ward | Donate | Check Enrollment

What has Marghanita been doing? Blog - 2019 onwards | NewsFeed 2017-8 |December 2018 | November 2018 | October 2018 | September 2018 |August 2018 | July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 | Spotlight on the approval of Westconnex M4-M5 Link | April 2018 | March 2018| February 2018| Annandale to Lilyfield, 4 Feb 2018 | January 2018 | November-December 2017 | September-October 2017 | Solar our Community | Election Diary | Campaign Log: June | 1-10 July | 11-31 July | August | September

Feminist Quiz Night

Clr Lou Steer and Mehreen Faruqui MLC at Feminist Quiz, Petersham Town Hall

Birdwatching on Greenway with IWEG Birdos

Opening Luscious All Sorts, Boomalli, 23 Feb 2018

Safety Issues, Johnston's Lane, 20 Feb 2018

17 Feb #FixNSWTransport Rally

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Media

Media: ABC: Protesters march through Sydney in rally against NSW transport plans, road tolls

Channel Nine: Sydneysiders protest government's public transport plans, road tolls

15 February 2018: Callan Park Meeting

14 February 2018: Annandale/Camperdown Impacts of Westconnex at Petersham

For some reason Council scheduled this meeting at Petersham.

13 February 2018: Council Meeting & ERLGATIF

Item 12 Park Annandale & Item 13 Ted Floyd Way passed unanimously in extension of time at 11.15pm.

laneway with plants and white fence  - laneway with plants and white fencelaneway with plants and white fenceItem No:C0218 Item 12
Subject: Notice of Motion: Ferris Lane Annandale Green Space
From: Councillor Marghanita Da Cruz
Motion: THAT Council Staff bring back a report on the conversion of Ferris Lane to a Park incorporating a community garden, rain capture and flood mitigation elements.
Background
Ferris Lane is located in the North Western Part of Annandale. This part of Annandale has no green or community spaces.
Ferris Lane has been blocked off to vehicles for sometime now as evidenced by the historical white wooden fencing.
The area is flood prone and Sydney Water has identified the need to expand the capacity of the pipes containing White’s Creek and two tributaries in the vicinity including one which runs under Ferris Lane.
Local resident Cathy O’Donnel has mobilized her local community into transforming this laneway from one where rubbish was dumped and the walls were graffitied to a welcoming community green space. Cathy has made several unsuccessful applications for community grants to fund the landscaping and provide a tap to water the garden.
Cathy’s work in the laneway has been embraced by the local community and a petition to improve this open space already has 428 signatures. Water is currently provided by an adjoining property owner.
Rain Gardens and other elements to manage rain and storm water were included in a design in the grant application which is attached.

Marghanita da Cruz with Paris Floyd and her sons at White's Creek Wetlands, 2 March 2018

Item No: C0218 Item 13
Subject: Notice of Motion: Ted Floyd Way
From: Councillor Marghanita Da Cruz
Motion:
THAT:-
1. Council name the path through the White’s Creek wetlands in Lilyfield, "Ted Floyd Way".
2. The budgetary implications of this resolution be considered at the next quarterly budget review.
Background
Ted Floyd was a resident of Coulon Street Rozelle for over 40 years.
Around 1986, Ted was invited to be a member of the Leichhardt Council Transport Committee.
There he raised concerns about pollution from cars and advocated for pedestrian safety. As a result of his advocacy, 40km speed limits were introduced on the Balmain Peninsula.
In the 1990s, Ted took his advocacy to the Environment and Planning Committee meetings.
Working for Friends of the Earth, Ted produced pamphlets on Solar Hot Water and passive solar design. In 1994, Ted's strong advocacy helped Leichhardt Council to mandate Solar hotwater, natural ventilation and passive solar design for new buildings in planning instrument DCP17. These policies were a first in Australia (and the world) and had to overcome opposition from Energy providers Sydney Electricity & AGL.
Ted was proudest of his part in the creation of White's Creek Wetlands in 2002. Ted identified the Sydney Water owned site and then championed the project through organisational and community resistance. Though the original purpose of the wetlands was to remove pollutants and nutrients from storm water running off the streets, Ted believed it could also play a very important role in education and community awareness of our natural environment. The wetlands are now home to Turtles and Frogs.
Ted embraced any and every way to communicate his ideas, including the printed word, art, poetry, websites, blogs, journal articles, letters to the editor, emails to council and government officers and to members of parliament and ministers.
Ted's words on transpiration and evapotranspiration by trees was picked up in Wikipedia and translated into Thai, Telagu, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and possibly other languages.
There are two more recent contributions, Ted made to our community:
- Successfully advocated for the removal of advertising panels from the bus shelters on Victoria Road to improve pedestrian safety, and
- As a Soil Scientist he critically reviewed the soil contamination report for the orchard in Whites Creek Valley to pin point contamination for capping and so increasing the land available to plant trees.
Ted passed in hospital after being found injured on a footpath in Rozelle in 2017.
This motion has the support of Ted’s sister Robyn Floyd, Annandale Resident, David Lawrence and Friends of White’s Creek’s Gillian Leahy.

Source: Business Papers 13 February 2018 Council Meeting at https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/council/meetings/council-meetings

Inner West Courier: Long neck turtles number grow in Annandale thanks to volunteers, David Barwell, Inner West Courier Inner City, March 7, 2018 12:00am

"Originally the idea of a local resident and Friends of the Earth member, Mr Ted Floyd, the concept of a wetland in Whites Creek had been in the planning stages for many years.
In Ted’s own words:
"The group Friends of the Earth began a campaign in 1994 to restore the natural water cycle in the catchments of inner-city creeks and rivers."...https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/wetlands/how-it-started

Westconnex Truck, Marion Street (west of Elswick St) 12 Feb 2018

7 Feburary 2018: Ashfield/Haberfield impacts of M4-M5

Originally proposed to present an overview of EIS submission. But became an outline of the Response to the Submission and the Preferred Infrastructure Report.

6 February 2018: Councillor Briefing on Budget & Traffic Committee

5 February 2018: Ashfield Pool site inspection

Proposed upgrade

4 February 2018 Checking out the Lilyfield Road Cycle Route

woman on a folding green bikeToday, I got on my bike in Annandale and pedalled and walked it over to Liliyfield to examine the current cycling facilities on Lilyfield Road...more

Plans are on public exhibition until 20 Feb: