Central Coast Council is holding a free microchipping day on 16 February for four-legged family members of Central Coast residents.Residents are encouraged to bring their pet to one of the Central Coast Animal Care Facilities at Charmhaven and Erina, to have them microchipped at no cost.Mayor Jane Smith said microchipping was one of the first steps in responsible pet ownership.“Should your cat or dog ever go missing, microchipping helps reunite pets with their owners,” Mayor Smith said.“It’s an important and simple step in pet ownership, along with registering your animal and ensuring your contact details are up-to-date.”Pet owners must microchip and register their new family member by 12 weeks of age, or when they are first sold, which ever happens first.

Central Coast Council will host a line-up of freestyle skate, BMX, scooter and WCMX (wheelchair) events in the first quarter of 2019, continuing its commitment to provide multi-use skate park facilities for the benefit of the community.Council are involved in a number of freestyle riding events that cover all ages and experience levels, and provide an opportunity to identify and showcase local talent and also attract premium riders from around Australia.Some of these 2019 events include:19 January - Australian Skateboarding League:

Mr Laurie Maher OAM, has been named the 2019 Australia Day Ambassador for his tireless work providing support for the homeless, and those at risk of homelessness, on the Central Coast.As the former CEO for not-for-profit charity, Coast Shelter, Laurie has led the development of 10 different programs which work together to end homelessness on the Coast including:Kara Women and Children's RefugeNeleh Women and Children's RefugeElandra Women and Children's RefugeRondeley Domestic Violence ProgramCoimba Men's RefugeRumbalara RefugeMaya Young Women's RefugeYouth AngleWoy Woy Youth CottageWyong Youth RefugeCoast Community CentreCentral Coast Council Mayor Jane Smith said Laurie’s community advocacy and national pride made him the perfect choice for the role of Australia Day ambassador.

After being postponed in October due to heavy storms, the much anticipated inaugural chalk art event will turn the Waterfront Plaza at The Entrance into one giant canvas for the community to enjoy.The free ‘Chalk the Walk’ event will be held from 17-20 January and is uniquely designed to showcase the talents of the Coast in a fun and interactive way.Central Coast Council Unit Manager Community Partnerships, Glenn Cannard said despite a slight delay, Council is committed to supporting our community and showcasing the artistic talent of the Coast.“When the pavement is your canvas and chalk is your brush, creating an interactive gallery of chalk art that truly honours the amazing talent of local artists becomes challenging when Mother Nature has other ideas,” Mr Cannard said.“We are delighted to host the inaugural Chalk the Walk event these school holidays with a number of different ways the community can get involved.“The event will feature two large 3D artworks by renowned street artist, Anton Pulvirenti, with another 20 chalk masterpieces being produced by local artists to make an interactive pavement gallery.“Children of all ages are free to go wild and express themselves on the chalkboard snake, and on Sunday, 20 January we also have a special opportunity for 10 young artists to register and take part in a major collaborative piece.

An exciting new tournament will have young gamers reaching for their consoles in the hope of winning more than $2,000 in prizes.An initiative of Central Coast Council, the six-month Ultimate Gamer Tournament, open to gamers aged 12-24 years of age, will kick off at Woy Woy’s Deepwater Plaza on 31 January with the grand final taking place at Erina Fair on 22 June.Council’s Director Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan said the tournament is another way Council is creating a strong sense of community for the region’s young people.“The Ultimate Gamer Tournament will appeal to many young people who may not enjoy other popular youth activities such as beach life, sports or music,” Ms Vaughan said.“Players of all ability levels and abilities can compete, offering an activity which often appeals to people who are on the autism spectrum.“Chill-out areas will be also be provided at every event offering gamers a space to relax and connect with other gamers during the competition.”Mobile gaming vans will host each heat at major shopping centres, with capacity for up to 100 gamers per session.

Central Coast Council have partnered with the YMCA to run the Australian Skateboarding League’s NSW State Qualifier 2019 event at BATO Yard, Bateau Bay on Saturday 19 January.Being Australia’s premier nationwide, amateur skateboarding series, the Australian Skateboarding League showcases and provides an opportunity to some of the country's best up-and-coming skaters.Central Coast Mayor Jane Smith said this event is a win for our community and provides the perfect opportunity for our local skaters to test their skills and step into the world of professional skateboarding.“Securing this event at BATO Yard demonstrates the high quality of this facility and promotes active lifestyles and youth development for our community”, said Mayor Smith.“It also demonstrates that when Council establishes effective partnerships we can create great opportunities for our growing community.”Australian Skateboarding League:

Central Coast Council has recently installed new water tanks at Matcham and Mount Elliot as part of an initiative to help fight fires in areas of the Central Coast without access to town water.The Central Coast now has eight strategically placed water tanks in four separate locations to significantly reduce the time it takes to transport water during a fire.Acting Council Director Environment and Planning, Jamie Loader said the tanks help Council to better serve community members in rural locations during emergency events.“It is critical that Rural Fire Brigades can access water quickly and get on with the job of fighting fires and keeping our community safe,” Mr Loader said.“These tanks mean that it is no longer necessary for trucks to travel significant distances to refill when fighting fires in these locations – a process that could take more than 30 minutes.”“We worked closely with the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Bush Fire Management Committee to identify high risk locations without access to the town water supply.“This project is a great example of Council collaborating to deliver a great outcome for the Central Coast community.”Mr Loader said each of the 35,000 litre tanks is filled and ready for use during an emergency.“Residents in Matcham, Mount Elliot, Holgate and Dooralong can now be confident local Rural Fire Brigades can access water quickly to fight fires in these locations.“Each set of tanks can provide enough water for at least 20 firefighting tanker loads of water during an emergency.”Council will continue to work with the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Bush Fire Management Committee to identify further possible sites across the region.

Central Coast Council is reminding residents and visitors to the Central Coast of the importance of beach safety this summer.Mayor Jane Smith said Council cannot highlight enough the importance of being aware and understanding the risks when visiting the beach.

Central Coast Council has joined the State-wide ‘Save Our Recycling’ campaign, calling on the NSW Government to reinvest 100 per cent of funds collected through the waste levy into waste minimisation, recycling and resource recovery. The ‘waste levy’ is the contribution paid to the NSW Government for each tonne of waste received at Council’s Waste Management Facilities – a requirement of The Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act). Mayor Jane Smith said Council is supporting the campaign as the funding collected by the waste levy should be reinvested in creating jobs and sustainable industries right here on the Central Coast.

Would-be student entrepreneurs have an opportunity to undertake business studies with a difference, thanks to a new program being launched by Central Coast Council.The inaugural Ignite Business LaunchPad will provide 20 school students with the chance to refine their business idea and pitch it to potential mentors.Eight students will then be selected to participate in a free 12-month mentoring program.Council’s Director Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan said the program would benefit both individual young people and the wider Coast community.“This program will teach skills which improve the chance of students’ business ideas becoming a reality, and will potentially open up future local employment opportunities for more Coast residents,” Ms Vaughan said.“This is an outstanding learning opportunity for young people who have a passion to work as entrepreneurs.