President’s Report
Greetings to you all.
At the beginning of the year, the devastating bushfires in the Grampians-Gariwerd took precedence over all FOGG excursions; instead, we were able to help in individual ways where this was possible. So far this year we have had five indoor presentations by guest speakers, one Clean-up Australia activity at The Pines campground, and one Sallow Wattle attack near Halls Gap. Our guest speakers, as usual, have been keen, interesting, and informative, broadening our understanding and knowledge of our beloved Park.
We are, however, now looking forward to some outdoor field trips: an Orchid Adventure Day with Hamilton Field Nats; Aggie Stephenson from the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority will talk to us prior to leading a grassland walk near Dunkeld or Willaura the following day; and in December we are walking up to Gulgurn Manya art site, to be followed by Christmas lunch at Mt Zero picnic ground.
In addition, some members have been involved with the activities of other groups, including the post-fire feeding programme for the Brush-tailed Wallabies and the search for Sugar Gliders – successful!
On other matters, we have had numerous requests this year, from other interest groups around the state, for information on our role and other aspects of the Park, and leadership by FOGG members for school and other groups. These have been dealt with mainly by our secretary and myself. Letters have also been written by us re various conservation and political issues that have come up.
This past year has seen a change in our structure, with us getting ACNC Australian Charities and Not For Profit Commission status in March this year; it sounds weird, but the definition of Charity is wider in these terms. The benefits for FOGG are: no fees to pay or submissions to be made to Consumer Affairs Vic, just a yearly online report to be made, and, the ability to apply for Grants in the future.
Catherine has taken on the Web Site side from Frank van der Peet. A huge thanks to Frank for doing such wonderful work for so long (from the very beginning of the web page), and in addition, continuing with this for so many years after he left the area. A grateful thanks to Catherine for stepping up!
As you can imagine, an amazing amount of work and time has been involved in all the above, and I do thank everyone involved … Committee and other members, guest speakers, ….and members who continued to support FOGG throughout.
We are all united in our aims to promote Conservation and well-being for the Grampians-Gariwerd National Park, which is a small area bounded by flat farm land, and the very special species and habitats within. Unfortunately, the Park and its resources do need protection, and it is heart-warming to share this journey with our group of like-minded people.
Leigh Douglas.
2025