the 1950s and early 1960s have gradually been replaced by large project homes and smaller townhouse villas. However there is increasingly a trend towards renovating and preserving the original cottages or building architect-designed houses which sit well in the bushland setting. It's this organic approach to housing development by Warringah council and the wider Forestville community that has allowed Forestville and the surrounding neighbourhoods like Killarney Heights and Frenchs Forest to grow and expand yet still maintain their unique bushland identity and local character. Schools There are three primary schools in Forestville, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Forestville Montessori School and Forestville Public School. The nearest high school is Killarney Heights High School and other high schools nearby are The Forest High School in Frenchs Forest and Davidson High School in Frenchs Forest. There is also the Aspect Vern Barnett School for children with autism spectrum disorder. Churches There are a number of churches in Forestville: St David's Anglican Church Cityview Church Forestville Uniting Church Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church Rest Church Ruach Ministries (a network of house churches) Sport and recreation Sporting facilities in Forestville include sporting fields, tennis and netball courts which local teams such as Forest Killarney Soccer Club, Forest Netball Club, Forest Rugby Club and the Forestville Ferrets Junior Rugby League Football Club call home ground. There is a Returned Services League Centre (RSL) nearby called The Forest Club. Population At the 2016 census, there were 8,329 residents in Forestville. The median age of 42 was higher than the national median of 38, and 20.2% of the population were aged 65 years and over. The most common ancestries in Forestville were English 26.8%, Australian 21.4%, Irish 8.1%, Scottish 6.7% and Chinese 5.6%. 65.9% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were England 6.0%, China 2.5%, New Zealand 2.1% and South Africa 1.4%. 74.7% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Armenian 3.5%, Cantonese 2.7%, Mandarin 2.6%, French 1.9% and Japanese 1.5%. The most common responses for religion in Forestville were No Religion 9.7%, Catholic 23.8% and Anglican 18.2%. Politics Following a redistribution in December 2009, Forestville residents may be allocated to one of two Federal electorates. This could be either the Division of Warringah or the Division of Mackellar. Forestville is home to the former Federal MP for Warringah, and former Prime Minister