Minutes of meeting November 13 2003 at 7.30pm held at the home of Eleanor Stephenson.
Present: Robert Brierley, Barrie Gallacher, Chris Walta, Eleanor Stephenson, Jim Breen
Minutes of the previous meeting: minutes were not available due to the notes being misplaced.
Business:
Community Planting Day: November 16 2003 is the next Community Planting Day. The time for this activity is 10.00 till 12.00 followed by a cool drink. Barrie has ordered 200 plants needed for the area along the western side of the creek towards Cornell St. Mulch will be delivered at Dot Neal's place in Nicholsdale Rd on Friday and who ever has time will spread mulch between 4.00 and 6.00 on the Saturday before the planting day. There are approximately 60 aquatic plants left to plant also. Notices are being distributed about the event in the next day to alert residents and other interested people living locally.
Additional planters have volunteered to be there on Sunday: Robert spoke at the local Rotary Club recently about the work and activity of the FOBC as a consequence of previous participation in a FOBC planting day. As a result there will be some more people participating from the Rotary Club in the Community Planting Day. Additionally Shell Corporate Headquarters in Hawthorn have contacted Robert after locating the FOBC website and would like to discuss ways in which they could contribute to our work and in the interim are sending some people along to be at the Community Planting day on Sunday. The contact person at Shell is Sue Tait.
City of Boroondara: Heinz Kreutz has been in touch with Robert to talk about the newsletter being prepared to promote councils involvement in local initiatives. In particular the FOBC work will be profiled through Heinz's interest and participation. Robert will talk about progress made to date ... such as the 5000 plants that have been planted to date, the FOBC website where we constantly update activity undertaken.
Water pollution: there is little evidence of the previous concerns which may be due to the fact that the rain of recent weeks is clearing it away. All members of the group to monitor when in the area.
Grant applications update: an application was submitted to Boroondara Council for $4000.00 to plant the newly matted area along the new path and retaining wall. The application will look at the plants required and the work to be done in the drain outlets. There has been no news about the Heritage grant application as yet. The application was for $14000.00 to do the area on the Eastern side of the creek at the Cornell St end. When Robert is speaking with Melbourne Water he will also check when the next applications are due for funding available through them.
Newsletter: the next FOBC Newsletter will be produced in the next few weeks. It may be possible to combine distribution of the Newsletter with the local council publication in plan for the area, in which the work at Back Creek is featured.
Path: It was reported several meetings ago that, "the path extension across the creek at the Riversdale Rd end is earmarked for 2004 work. The plan is to widen the current track and use a similar retaining wall for the area above the path. The edge of the path closest to the creek will have a post and rail similar to the fencing used along Quinton Rd. The area above the path will be weeded of the saplings and self sewn oaks. The steep track currently going from the path up to Riversdale Rd will be closed of and incorporated into the planted bed.'' Robert discussed at this meeting that he would follow this matter up with Heinz Kreutz our local councillor to see if things are on track to have this happen in the new year. It was discussed that it would complete the path work in the area and at the moment people scramble up the steep embankment or the narrow track across the drain, neither of these are safe at the moment.
Treasurer's report: Bob Strickland the treasurer was away today and no report was tabled.
Website: The suggestion was made that a counter be added to the FOBC website to monitor the number of times it is opened because feedback indicates that it is a means by which people are checking about FOBC activity. Jim our web master was unsure if that was possible but would investigate the matter. It was also discussed that we would invite the students from Wattle Park Primary School to write about their involvement in looking after the creek and that their writing could be added to the FOBC website. Robert would contact the teacher to see if this is a time of the year that students might have a half day to participate some more in the area along Quinton Rd that is known as their area.
Correspondence: we received information from the VINC - Victorian Indigenous Plants Cooperative at Yarra Bend Fairfield to ask for nominations for the board. We also received the Land Care magazine.
General discussion:
Adrian Hutchins is standing in for Janice McMurtry at council while Janice is away.
Melbourne Water have been weeding and adding plants to the steep bank at the Cornell St end. When Robert is speaking with Paul Doherty he will discuss what Melbourne Water's plan is for the area in the near future. It would be great to have their involvement in dealing with the water line weed situation as they did at the Riversdale Rd end using weed mats and aquatic plants. It may be that there is a bigger plan this fits into?
Chris to produce a possible flyer that can be laminated and displayed to provide contact details for people using the area.
Robert has introduced 12 poblebonk frogs into the creek recently to aid the regeneration of frog life in the creek. He had access to some tadpoles. Robert will also follow up the promised frogs being cultivated in a local school pond. The brown tree frogs have been sighted and heard again recently. There had been no evidence of them since the willow removal 12 months ago.
Members are encouraged to take photos of activity in the creek to contribute to the story of the transformation of the creek.
Next meeting
The next meeting will be the final one for 2003 and will be an outing at the local restaurant. The actual day will be decided on Sunday probably Tuesday December 9 at Da Agostino's in Highfield Rd.
Minutes produced by Chris WALTA