Update from Strathallan Family Landcare's President Veronica Groat.
Strathallan Family Landcare
Meet last Sunday each month (except Dec/Jan) at Strathallan Hall for lunch at 12 noon. Bring a plate to share. Guest speakers and activities for Junior Landcarers please phone Sandi on (03) 5484 9229 or Veronica on (03) 5484 9293
A Good First Year!
In fact we've had a wonderful first year.
Our first meeting as a ‘Start-Up’ group was in January 2010 when Rhonda Day, Landcare Coordinator, from the Campaspe encouraged us with information and brochures.
In February, we had Nikki Freeman from the DPI take us native plant spotting. In March Philippa Schapper from the Superb Parrot project paid a visit. Next, at our April meeting Cass Davis and Robyn McKay from North Central CMA collected water from under the bridge, over the Campaspe River, and conducted an Aquatic Bug count. We were all agog to see what was actually living in the water! Our first tree planting activity was carried out with all hands on deck to dig holes, plant, guard and water 30 indigenous native shrubs around the hall. In May, Allison McCallum, Conservation Officer from the Campaspe Shire talked about the need to conserve and protect our native grasslands. In June some members boarded a bus and spent an enjoyable day in the Kerang Wetlands where they took part in a Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony at the rockery.
Other meetings during the year included a visit to the Native Nursery in Rochester where Scott Wise answered questions and talked about seed collection and sowing and led a tour of the nursery. We celebrated Wattle Day with a special visit from Drew Gailey, a keen Landcarer and indigenous plant enthusiast who told us there are over 1000 varieties of wattle throughout Australia. We organised a Platypus Watch along the Campaspe River and also cooked up a heap of snags feeding buyers and sellers at John and Allison Monigatti’s clearance sale. During the year our group was represented at a Landcare forum at Hall’s Gap, at a Weed Spotters day at Tatura, and on a Landcare bus trip to Violet Town and beyond. However, before we knew it, November was upon us so in Strathallan Family Landcare style we dined al fresco and had a good old yarn about our first year and made plans for our second. While there was no official meeting in December, following the Strathallan Road realignment we had two tree planting days. With people available at such a busy time planting a total of 200 trees at two sites. It was a great first year. We’ve learnt a lot about the local environment and about ourselves and we’ve shared some good food and good times.
The recent floods wiped out our tree planting efforts at both the hall and at the two sites on the old Strathallan Road. So you guessed it Strathallan Family Landcarers there will be back tree planting when the planting season comes around.
Our first meeting back will be on Sunday 27 February 2011 where ‘by public demand’ Philippa Shaffer will tell those who missed our last time all about the Superb Parrot Project now in its 21st year. And for the first time we will have our Junior Landcare Coordinator Debbie Foott working with our growing band of juniors.
We’d love to see you at a Landcare meeting or two this year. If you’ve been before we will be pleased to see you back, if it is your first time, we promise to welcome you with a smile, a snag and as they say open arms.
Veronica Groat
President
Strathallan Family Landcare