Afternoon tea on Chinaman Creek
An afternoon tea to mark the first stage of the Chinaman Creek Community Landcare Plan. An opportunity to spend an hour or so on a successful creek-line re-vegetation site. This should be of particular interest to those who live in the Chinaman Creek valley. We need to start talking about ‘What next for Chinaman Creek catchment?’
Saturday October 25, 2.30-4.00 pm. See the previous post for further details.
Muckleford Catchment Landcare would like to invite you to an afternoon tea and creek walk on Saturday October 25 to mark the end of first stage of the Chinaman Creek Plan.
Five landowners on the creek have contributed to blackberry control work and the establishment of a habitat corridor. This is a significant achievement and the afternoon tea is in part to thank them for their participation.
We will be meeting at Brett Tyler and Liz Caffin’s property on Lewis Road. This should be of great interest to anyone who would like to see close-up, the dramatic changes brought about to the environment of the creek as a result of a successful revegetation project and dedicated weed control. It is a place of great beauty and diversity these days.
There will also be a short address from a Connecting Country representative on their Woodland Birds Project. Connecting Country is partner with Muckleford Landcare in the Chinaman Creek Project. Enhancing the biodiversity of the creek will help create new habitat and aid the survival of their priority ‘Feathered Five’.
We will offer tea, coffee and light refreshments but you may like to bring your own folding chair.
Where: Lewis Road at the point where the road crosses Chinaman Creek. Our banner will be hanging on the fence. Simply step over the fence to enter the property. Parking space is limited on Lewis Road. You might prefer to park on Woodbrook Road and walk the 100 meters west along Lewis Road to the creek crossing. (*Please do not enter the Chinaman Creek House gate further west on Lewis Road as they have guests in residence for the weekend).
When: Saturday October 25, 2.30-4 pm.
We would appreciate a RSVP if you intend to come along. Call Paul at 0408 566 909.
We hope you can join us for this relaxed, informative spring community gathering and creek walk and information session.
We were blessed with a glorious, sunny morning for our golfing day at Castlemaine Golf Club on September 28. We met at 10 am for a short talk from local Deb Worland about the bird life we could expect to see as we set out to play nine holes.
For those of us who had only ever sighted the course from a car, it was a pleasant revelation. The course is a Land for Wildlife site and the course proper is lined with a wide variety of site-appropriate indigenous vegetation and the dams created by the water recycling scheme contain much bird habitat in the form of dead trees with hollows.
Most of us were keen to exercise our skills at the game. Some were experienced players and others like myself had never held a golfing club. I have heard it said that golf is ‘God’s game’ because you have to acknowledge that you can get all the technical stuff right and after that the results are in ‘his’ hands. Given that my technique is minimal I wasn’t able to fully test that hypothesis. Nevertheless, I did experience one or two moments of transcendence as a ball traveled unexpectedly in the right direction. But overall it was God’s day.
The kids played cricket in the vicinity of the club house and we all returned for sandwiches and beer at 12.30.
At 1.30 we convened our 2014 AGM. The minutes were included in our last post.
We still have one obligation to fulfill as part of this small project. We need to get together again to get some weeding done near the road on Bassett Creek. We will let you know a time and date soon.
Thanks to Beth Mellick for coming up with the idea and sourcing some funding.
Maybe we should make it an annual event?
A reminder that we Tweet general environmental and landcare news on a fairly regular basis. If you a re a Twitterer you can follow us at MucklefordLcare.
cheers
Paul H.
MUCKLEFORD CATCHMENT LANDCARE INC
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Castlemaine Golf Club
September 28, 2014 – 1.30 pm
MINUTES
1. President, Paul Hampton welcomed participants to the meeting.
2. Present: Paul Hampton, Barry Sutton, Beth Mellick, Brendan Sydes, Jane Staley
Observer: Max Schlachter (Landcare Facilitator)
Apologies: Sue Slaytor, Tony Cordy
3. The minutes of the previous AGM (October 10, 2014) were read.
Motion: ‘That the minute of the AGM, October 10, 2013 are approved as an accurate record of proceedings’
Moved: Barry Sutton
Seconded: Beth Mellick
Carried.
4. Paul Hampton tabled the Presidents’ Report for the year 2013-2014 (attached).
Questions regarding the Chinaman Creek Project. It was noted that planting may well be too late to implement this year because of dry conditions. Will the plants from Neangar be put aside till next year? Will it be necessary to negotiate an extension of the project t from the funder? These issues to be followed up a.s.a.p.
5. Treasurer, Barry Sutton tabled the Financial Report 2013-2014. Several amendments were made to account for new invoices. The amended report is attached.
Motion: ‘That the Financial Report as amended be accepted by this meeting.’
Moved: Barry Sutton
Seconded: Brendan Sydes
Carried.
6. Election of Officebearers (chaired by Max Schlachter)
President.
Nomination: Paul Hampton
Nominated: Barry Sutton
Seconded: Beth Mellick
Duly elected.
Secretary:
Nomination: Sue Slaytor
Nominated: Paul Hampton
Seconded: Barry Sutton
As Sue was not present the meeting decided that the nomination stand and Sue would be
approached regarding her willingness to continue in the position.
Treasurer:
Nomination: Barry Sutton
Nominated: Beth Mellick
Seconded: Jane Staley
Duly elected.
7. Election of general members of the committee. As there were no nominations, the committee will be made up of office-bearers for the duration.
8. General business.
The meeting canvassed some ideas for events aimed at engaging with residents in various parts of the catchment:
• A planting in the vicinity of the cricket club
• Local cycling/walking tours (get to know your neighbourhood) followed by discussion about environmental and related community engagement and enhancement
• Bassett Creek: a cycling/walking event to look at the nature reserve (former gravel reserve), the Steiner School, Golf Club and the Bassett Creek Landcare Project (completed 2005)
• At least a couple of ‘whole-of-catchment’ events
The meeting closed at 2.30pm.
MUCKLEFORD CATCHMENT LANDCARE
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Muckleford Landcare has implemented one significant project in the year 2013-2014. The first stage of the Chinaman Creek Community plan was funded with a Victorian Landcare Grant of $5785. Four properties along the creek have had blackberries sprayed and a connecting corridor has been created on another, linking the creek with remnant woodland on the slopes. All participating landholders have contributed with cash or labour in-kind. I would like to thank all the landholders who joined the project. We hope that it will be the beginning of long-term improvements to the environment of Chinaman Creek valley. I also thank Landcare Facilitator, Max Schlachter for his assistance in making the application. We now need to start thinking and talking about the next stage of the plan.
The committee has met on an irregular basis throughout this year. I thank Barry Sutton, Sue Slaytor and David Griffiths for their continuing support.
Clearly, the committee numbers are not sustainable and we could do with some new members but it has proven difficult to recruit people in the last few years and that is probably a reflection on our inability to engage consistently with a sufficient number and range of residents. It is a fairly common predicament amongst many landcare groups. However, our situation is also distinctive in many ways. Muckleford Catchment Landcare covers a large and diverse area. Unlike many other local groups we have no natural community centre. We are a collection of fairly isolated semi-urban pockets scattered across an area of a relatively few large rural holdings.
I have thought for some time that the best strategy for reviving landcare in the area is for Muckleford Landcare to offer an umbrella for the development of smaller, neighbourhood interest groups. As an incorporated association MCLG can provide both expertise and a legal/financial framework for the initiatives of residents who want to get together and address environment issues in their immediate area. Landcare can be a potent vehicle for developing community energy and vision. Groups could develop on this model for example at Bassett Creek, Chinaman Creek, Walmer and Ottrey’s Scrub, all of which have semi-urban population densities.
I would like to thank Beth Mellick and family for conceiving and organising the event today at Castlemaine Golf Club. It is an initiative that we hope might lead to a strengthening of the landcare ethos and a stronger sense of community in the Bassett Creek neighbourhood.
If you wish to contribute to this or any other related discussion, I hope you can join us on Sunday, September 28 at Castlemaine Golf Club. Perhaps you might even feel motivated to join the committee?
Paul Hampton
President
Muckleford Landcare
A reminder to all that we have our Sunday at the golf course this weekend.
At 10.30 we will have a stroll around the course. For those who want to exercise their skill at the ancient game, we will provide some clubs and a little advice. We will be accompanied by a local who knows the course and its bird life intimately. There are still a number of swift parrots around and a Latham’s Snipe has recently been spotted.
Activities for children are also being organised.
After the walk there will be a light lunch at the club house. The bar will be open.
At 1.30, for those who are interested, we will convene our AGM. This year there is no guest speaker and we will be covering the formalities as efficiently as possible. I will be sending a President’s Report tomorrow.
Our committee is presently at a low ebb in terms of numbers and we would love to get a couple of new members. The duties are not onerous as we usually meet monthly or bi-monthly. If you are interested you can discuss it with us on Sunday.
This is a perfect way to spend a spring morning, get to know a special part of the Bassett Creek environment and meet locals.
It is important that you RSVP so that we know how many sandwiches to make. Ring Beth Mellick at 5472 4609 or 0431 219 980 to book a spot.
Those who attended our AGM in 2012 when our guest was author Don Watson will be interested to know that his book ‘The Bush’ has been published and the reviews are extravagantly good. Chase it up.
Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests monthly walks are a very enjoyable and relaxed way of discovering the local environment.
FOBIG are having a walk in Muckleford this Sunday, 21th September 2014. The walk will be led by Muckleford local and Friends member, Neville Cooper, who will take participants through the nature conservation reserve, up to the top of the hill for some 360 degree views, and back down to the Poppet Head Mine.
This is a good 3 hour walk with a break for lunch (byo). Participants meet at the Continuing Education building in Templeton Street at 9.30am, or meet at the start of the walk at 9.45 at the Poppet Head Mine at the start of the Red White and Blue Walk.
Call 5472 4609 or 0401 319 659 for further information.
All members and friends are cordially invited to join Muckleford Catchment Landcare for a pleasant afternoon tea on Chinaman Creek on Saturday December 15.
This is our final event for 2012 and it will mark the release of a draft of the Chinaman Creek Landcare Plan.
Several months ago Muckleford Landcare surveyed land holders in the Chinaman Creek valley in order to find out what sort of long-term vision they had for this important and attractive tributary of the Muckleford Creek.
With the assistance of Connecting Country and Landcare Facilitator Max Schlachter, the results have been compiled into a draft of a landcare plan for the valley. The plan will become an important reference point and support for environmental work into the future. We also hope that the plan will provide us with a template for similar landcare documents for other parts of the catchment.
Copies of the draft plan will be available for collection and further comment.
We will also announce our application for funding for the first project to take place under the auspices of the plan and other ideas for 2013.
We particularly encourage those who contributed to the plan to join us for this pleasant and informative social occasion so that you can obtain a copy of the draft and help us to progress the document to another level.
Members of Muckleford Landcare will also receive complimentary copies of the newly- released Weeds Identification Guide for North Central Victoria booklet and the splendid locally-produced Central Victorian Grasses identification CD……lots of good reasons to join us!
Where: 149 Creasys Road, Wood brook (between Turners Lane and Woodbrook Road). Look for our roadside banner, park on the roadside and walk the short distance (50 metres) to the creek. Enter from the open gate to the left of the house.
When: Saturday, December 15, 2-3.30 pm.
What to bring: A folding chair to sit on, sun protection and sock protectors!
On Wednesday 10 October, more than 50 people attended the Castlemaine Golf Club to hear well-known writer Don Watson talk about his upcoming book, The Book of the Bush.
Don grew up on a dairy farm in South Gippsland that is still farmed by his brother. Don has spent several months travelling the country talking to ‘bush’ people and observing political and social life outside the cities. In a wide-ranging and allusive chat Don made several thought-provoking points. He believes that having made their ‘clearings’ in the bush, Australians are unusually aware of what has been lost and that after 10 years of denial, they are also deeply conscious of the violent ‘theft’ that enabled their settlement. He claims that it is this inescapable consciousness that explains the ‘melancholy’ that permeates much bush life. He also described vividly the anger that is also an important motif of rural life.
He argues that the real bush folk weren’t the squatters, who came and went quickly, but the selectors who followed. Their struggles to survive on what were often inadequate blocks are a legacy that still permeates farming life and culture today.
For the audience the talk was a fascinating glimpse into the making of a book with all its rich byways and complications. A feature of all Don’s work is the refusal to simplify politics or moralise too easily, and given his ongoing battle to preserve simple public language his own ways of describing the world are refreshingly direct, colloquial and witty. We suspect that the local sales of the book will be very good indeed.
We are also hoping to feature more fascinating speakers at events throughout the year.
mucklefordlandcare.org 