From The Editor

Welcome to a summer edition of our newsletter, the first December one since 2012! I hope it finds you surviving all the Covid stuff and send my best wishes for Christmas and the new year. It’s quite short but there are a few fairly urgent items, and then another one will follow in January.

What an extraordinary year it has been, and it has not been an easy time for our committee, particularly our president Catherine and secretary Bill. As well as trying to organise activities with constantly changing restrictions on volunteer activities, we have also been following the progress of the Grampians Peaks Trail. Committee meetings have had to be via Zoom. It has also been a very difficult year for our Park staff, mainly working from home. We thank them for their dedication and perseverence. Particular thanks to our contact ranger Hannah, and as you will read later, she managed to help us finally install a seat beside Fish Falls, a project literally years in planning.

I have found it quite fascinating to read again the newsletter I sent out in December 2012. (I looked it up to copy the headings and the season’s information). Our president Prue and secretary Wendy were busy writing letters on our behalf objecting to private development in the Park, we were co-operating in Threatened Species surveys, Parks were getting school students to help in cleaning up the Park and attack the sallow wattle and more.

As you will read in the minutes of our committee meeting, I received a Highly Commended Award from the Victorian Friends of the Environment Network. I am deeply appreciative that the committee nominated me for this award.  That means more to me than the award itself. Another local, Matilda Venn, also received the inaugural youth award for her work with orchids. Well done Matilda.