General

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Help the VictorianEnvironmentalFriendsNET with their survey

As a ‘Landcarer’ and a member of the FriendsNET mailing list, you are invited to participate in an online survey being conducted by the Victorian Environment Friends Network (VEFN). VEFN is re-assessing its purpose and approach and this online survey is an important input to their review.

The Network has been operating for over 25 years aiming to support Friends groups network and better achieve their aims. While it has achieved much over this time, Friends group activities, needs and opportunities have continued to evolve. At the Annual General Meeting of November 2015, it was agreed VEFN needs review its purpose and set new directions. As a part of this thinking about VEFN’s future, the Committee is seeking input from Friends, and as many related Landcare and fauna groups and individuals as possible. (In this survey these other interested parties are referred to as Environmental Volunteering Groups – EVGs).

The survey can be accessed by the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/55V3MKX and the 10 question survey should take about 10 minutes.

You are welcomed, and encouraged, to send the survey link to as many members in your group and interested parties as possible.

The survey will be open until Monday 21st March. VEFN will collate the responses and provide a report to all who complete the contact information at the end of the survey. Please note responses are anonymous unless you provide this contact detail.

For more information please contact Stephen Derrick, Secretary of VEFN:ecosystems@bigpond.com [preferred] or 0417 326 860.

Thank you for your participation in the survey, Bernie Fox on behalf of the Network Committee 4Mar
hayburn@bigpond.com 0428 178 747

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Community Garden

You may have noticed the Community Garden that is on Allens Road (adjacent to the Uambi Site).

Its coming along nicely and there is even a lovely place for you to sit and reflect on the beauty that is Heathmont!.

Thanks to Will Harper and his girls for all the hard work.  It looks amazing.

If you would like to contribute any plants (perhaps a lemon tree!) please speak to Will Harper or contact us on our email.

Enjoy!

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Working Bee: Sunday 7 July 2013

Hi All

Don’t forget our next working bee scheduled for Sunday 7 July 2013, at Uambi (Allens Road) from 10.00am till 1.00pm.

Please bring along any weeding tools that you have.  If you don’t have any tools that’s ok, as we will have spares. Dont forget your mug!

If you have any questions, please email us at heathmontbushcare[@]gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday :)

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Mullum Mullum Festival: 20 & 21 and 27 & 28 April 2013

Dear All

Mullum Mullum Festival is only around the corner so we thought we would give you some information of this great event.

They are also looking for volunteers, so if you are interested please contact the festival organisers! I am sure they would love the help.  They are especially looking people who would be interested in accompanying a walk or being present at a presentation.  For full details please contact us and we can forward you the information.

You can check out their website here: http://mullummullumfestival.org.au/

Details of the festival are as follows:

The festival is on 20 & 21 and 27 & 28 April, with the official Opening Day Festivities on Sunday 21 April 2013.

The festival will take on the format of the past festivals with the opening day providing a variety of events from the local Aboriginal community and other performers as well as environmental walks and talks for both adults and children.

The Festival will be held over two weeks at a variety of sites in the Mullum Mullum Valley, and will include environmental walks and talks and presentations about environmental, sustainability and climate issues at several venues in the Valley.

A copy of the brochure for the 15th festival will be available closer to the date of the festival.

You can add your name to our subscriber list to receive a brochure in either hard copy or e-mail format by contacting decortis@bigpond.net.au or 03 9719 7661or 0409 519 829

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Next working bee: 3 February 2013

I can’t believe we are already into the second month of the year and our first working bee has come up so quick!

Our next meet up will be at H E Parker Reserve – “Lobelia Swamp” & Alisma Swamp- (end of Pett Court) on  Sunday 3 February 2013 from 10.00am to 1.00pm.

As per usual don’t forget your tools and your mug.  We look forward to seeing you all next Sunday.

For any enquiries please contact us at: heathmontbushcare[at]gmail.com

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Community Investment Program 2012

Recently, the team at headquarters made an application for funding through the Community Investment Program offered by the Heathmont Community Bank® Branch of Bendigo Bank.

Since 2003, the  Ringwood East & Heathmont Community bank branches have approved funding for various  community investments within the City of Maroondah.

For more information about the Heathmont Community Bank® Branch of Bendigo Bank please go to:

www.maroondahcommunity.com.au

It is with great pleasure that we announce that we were successful in that application and we would like to thank the Heathmont Community Bank® Branch of Bendigo Bank for their recent approval of funding. Special thanks to Gary Johnson (Branch Manager)  and Faye Moye (Customer Relationship Manager) for all their support throughout 2012.

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Welcome 2013

Welcome to 2013!

Hope you have all had a relaxing time with families and friends over the Christmas and New Year break.

We certainly did and are now looking forward to another year of Heathmont land care at all the beautiful sites we manage.

The Calendar of Events has now been updated with the dates of the working bees for 2013.  As usual we will email all our members with the details a week before.

We are planning for a  morning tea sometime early this year, hoping to engage some local groups/schools for community environmental programs, applying for funding and other small initiatives for the benefit of our members and community.  If you have an ideas, please feel free to email us!

Excitingly, there will be two new little members joining our team.  One is due around the middle of February and one in May.  I am sure that their mums will bring them along to their first land care , even if they might just sleep through the working bee!

Hope to see you all soon 🙂

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AGM: 28 November 2012 @ 8.00pm

Dear Bushcarers

We need to get together to discuss our site calendar for 2013.

A meeting will be held as follows –

On: Wednesday, 28th November

Time:  8.00PM – 10.00PM

For venue address  details please contact Roger Lord on Work ph: 9298 4422 or email us at heathmontbushcare[at]gmail.com.  An email will be sent out later this week (however the writer is currently in Far North Queensland with limited internet access 🙂

All are welcome

Thanks

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Environmental Film Festival: 4-9 September 2012

The Environmental Film Festival is being held on Melbourne from the 4- 9 September 2012.  There are some great films showing and some of the film nights also include panel discussions.  All films are being shown at the Kino Cinemas in the CBD.

For full details please go to the home page: http://effm.org.au/index

Check out these trailers – hopefully you can make it to the full screenings.

Enjoy the weekend

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Heathmont Festival: 7 – 14 July

Heathmont Village invites all Heathmontians to come along to the Heathmont Festival! It starts tomorrow and runs through to the 14th July 2012.

Heathmont Bushcare will have a small stall located near the Op Shop (closest to IGA).  Please come along and say hello if you are in the area.

See flyer below for full details or go to their Facebook page for more information:   https://www.facebook.com/heathmontvillage

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Very Edible Gardens

Have you heard of Very Edible Gardens?

If not, you will be pleased to know that they offer courses and services right here in Heathmont!

Very Edible Gardens are Melbourne’s permaculture design and education experts. They can also assist with setting up veggie beds and chook houses.

The following course are offered in Heathmont:

  • Introduction to Urban Permaculture (two-day course) (04 Aug 2012 09:45 AM – 04:30 PM);
  • Beginners’ Guide to Chickens (05 Aug 2012 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
  • VEG Intro to Organic Vegetable Growing (19 Aug 2012 10:00 AM – 04:00 PM

For more information please go to their website:

http://www.veryediblegardens.com/

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Working Bee: Sunday 1st July 2012 @ Uambi

Hi All

Don’t forget our next working bee scheduled for Sunday 1 July 2012 at Uambi (Harper’s) from 10.00am till 1.00pm.

Please bring along any weeding tools that you have.  If you don’t have any tools that’s ok, as we will have spares. Dont forget your mug!

If you have any questions, please email us at heathmontbushcare@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you next Sunday :)

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Working Bee: 3 June 2012 at Heathmont Park

What a great turnout from fellow Heathmontians at our local park!

Heathmont Park is a mixed area.  In some places there are lots of woody weeds  such as pittosporum, Acacia longifolia, Acacia elata and cotoneaster.  In other places, exotic grasses like kikuyu, panic veldt grass and sweet vernal are rampant.  And of course there is the blackberry patch and the tradescantia.

Elsewhere, however, the indigenous vegetation is dense and effectively keeping weeds at bay.  The many seedlings of correa and prickly currant indicate a healthy, thriving ecosystem.  As well, Heathmont Park is noted for its stands of allocasuarina trees.

At this time of year the correas are in full bloom and orchid leaves are just emerging ahead of their flowers.  Thanks to the good rainfall, fungi of many shapes and sizes, and in subtle shades of brown, tans, fawns and creams are flourishing.  Hiding under the grasses are small puff balls with their delicate “petals” opening out like stars.  A tree trunk is home to a cluster of tiny white parasols. Peeping from under fallen leaves are the glistening burnt orange caps of small toadstools.

Despite the threat of rain, a good number of volunteers arrived to battle the weeds.  The massive pile of pittosporum, weedy wattles and blackberries, plus the many large bags of soft weeds, indicate just how much was achieved.

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Working Bee: Sunday 3 June 2012

Thanks to everyone that attended the last working bee.

Just a reminder that our next working bee is to be held on Sunday 3rd June 2012 at Heathmont Park, Waterloo Street (car park near the pavilion, Melways 63 J1). It will be held from 10.00am till 1.00pm.

The weekend activities also coincide with World Environment Day (WED) which is to be held on the 5 June 2012.  WED was created by the United Nations and raises awareness of environmental issues around the world. For more information about WED please see the link below.

The Wilderness Society is  also hosting an event in the Melbourne’s CBD called “Think Outside the City Block”.  For any of our readers who work in the CBD and are able to attend, check out the link below.  It certainly does look like an amazing event.

It’s in our hands to make a difference, so I hope to see you all on Sunday for another inspiring day of bush care.  Please email us if you have any questions.

Links

http://www.unep.org/wed/

http://www.wilderness.org.au/regions/victoria/world-environment-day-2012-think-outside-the-city-block

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Dexter’s working bee

Hello to all our readers.  A very big thanks to you all for coming back to our little site!

Today’s working bee was spent at Dexter’s.  It was another brisk  Sunday morning, but at least the rain stayed well away.  We spent the first part of the morning planting (about 50 plants) and also worked on weeding out the non native grasses. It was great to have such a big turn out and we thank all our latest members for your support.

Since we had a few new members, Mick Dexter took us on a bush walk.  It is such an amazing property and has regenerated amazingly  since the removal of the pine trees.  There is a great walking track and if you are ever in the area we highly suggest you take a detour through the property.  You will be amazed by the beauty of it and it will feel like you are in country Victoria, not the suburbs!

Keep warm and we hope to see you all at our next working bee.  For further enquiries please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Heathmont Structure Plan

Hi All,

Maroondah City Council in conjunction with Hansen Partnership, is working on a Structure Plan for Heathmont.  The plan “will aim to ensure long term planning decisions take into account Heathmont’s unique character, while still fostering growth and prosperity.”

On Wednesday 18th April 2012 an information session was held by Hansen Partnership.  There were a number of residents in attendance.  Discussions surrounded the sustainability/environmental issues of the plan, population growth of the area, car parking issues at the shops, safety of pedestrians crossing Canterbury walk to name a few. Further discussions included some brain storming ideas of what we would like to see in the plan.

It was clear from the information session that most residents were concerned with ensuring that the unique and village feel of the area was kept in tact.  Concerns also centred on maintaining the leafy green aspect of the area.

If you want to be involved and want to have you say please contact the following people:

Anthony Diaferia, Strategic Planner
T: 9298 4596
E: anthony.diaferia@maroondah.vic.gov.au

Suzannah Bigolin, Senior Planner
hansen partnership
T: 9664 9810
E: sbigolin@hansen-online.com.au

For more information go here:  http://www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/3974.aspx

It is very important that all residents get involved in this planning stage.  It  our responsibility as a community to ensure that this long term plan has the voice of the residents.

We will keep you informed as to the progress of the plan via our website.