In preparation for our celebratory dinner, your editor had fun going through old photos to put together a slide show for our digital frame. I also dug through old editions of our newsletter. Here are some of the things we have done over those years.
1984 – GNP declared on July 1 and our group forms as “Friends of Grampians”. 204 people had registered an interest. Somewhere in our records we should know many became members. Val Hastings first co-ordinator.
1985 – First newsletter. Editor unnamed, but Geoff Durham of VNPA very involved. Sue McInnes (or was it Ben Gunn?) designs logo. 1985 activities included rubbish collection at Mirranatwa Gap, seed collection at 4 sites in the Park.
1986 – Hand coloured badges are made for members. Ideas for Red Gum Walk start.
1987 – Sam Spyer becomes co-ordinator.
1988 – National Park Visitor Centre opens. Ian McCann makes speech on events leading up to the proclamation of the Park.
1989 – FOGS are asked to submit designs to NP Visitor Centre for cloth badges to sell. Sue McInnes design accepted (and still used in 2009).
1989 – Activities to this date have included: weed assessments, European and Indigenous history walks, Koala count, Brushtail Rock Wallaby search, fence removal at Red Gum Walk and at a cultural site. Kees Sietsma computerises our logo for the newsletter and new badges.
1990 – Brambuk Building opens.
1991 – We comment on the Grampians Surround Strategy and water harvesting.
1994 – We write to congratulate the road makers of the Roses Gap road for their environmental sensitivity.
1996 – We become an incorporated body, adding the word “Gariwerd” to our name, and David Thompson becomes our first president. We take an active interest in the new management plan and successfully lobby against a development at Lake Wartook on Wimmera Mallee Water land and against reopening Heatherlie Quarry. We also take over running of the Bookshop in the Visitor Centre.
1998 – We engage a consultant to help fight against privatisation plans for the Visitor Centre and also start questioning the activities of the High Spirit Adventure Camp at Moora Moora and its implications for public access to the lake. We start on a project to use hair tubes to survey small mammals in the Park. We launch a simple website.
1999 – We work with Access for all Abilities to produce a guide to the park for the less abled. Bill Neve makes the table for the Red Gum Walk.
2000 – We hand the bookshop back to Parks, and commit the proceeds towards a new audio visual with FOGG input.
2002,3 – We assist with the eco shuttle bus trial over Easter.
2004 – David Thompson resigns as President and Prue Pyke is elected.
2005 – We pay for the printing of a colour brochure on the geology of the Park.
2006 – Mt Lubra fire. Fire recovery working bees and excursions. We decide to produce a book on the fire and the recovery. This grows into planning a whole host of activities “Beyond the Smoke” in 2007.
2007 – Much activity with Beyond the Smoke. Stan Parfett becomes president. We make submissions to the Bushfire Enquiry.
2008 – Planning starts for the re-opening of a modified Red Gum Walk. Frank van der Peet designs a new modern web site.
Over these 25 years a newsletter has appeared regularly four times a year. Editors have included: Sam and Jettie Spyer, Ken Woodcock, Leigh Douglas, Janet Witham, Malcolm Hirst, Margo Sietsma. Have I missed anyone?
Each year since 1993 we have surveyed the Ptilotus erebescens at Cooinda Burrong. Each year we have had a variety of activities.We have walked, weeded, searched, counted, watched bats and birds, picked up poo, got lost and filthy. We’ve had lots of fun, some tears and frustrations and been useful too we hope.
Bring on the next 25 years!