Category: Articles

HATCHES MATCHES AND DESPATCHES 2009

ARRIVALS A warm welcome to two sets of twin boys in the PV family. Andrew Dennis and Rachel have added to their family with the arrival of identical twins boys Alexander James and Darby Michael on May 7. Mike Stevens and Amanda followed up with non-identical twin boys Oliver and Flynn on June 3. All four are healthy but need to gain some weight before being allowed to go home. Congratulations and best wishes to both sets of parents.

RELATIONSHIPS Graham Parkes is acting as Chief Fire Ranger – West, with Mike acting as GNP Ranger in Charge.

DEPARTURES As Mike reported in his piece, the Fire Recovery Crew have finished up after three years of hard work. The BTS committee donated each of them a copy of Beyond the Smoke as a thank you.
Earlier we said farewell to Canadian ranger Sean Frey after his second stint here. Sean … Read the rest

FROM THE EDITOR June 2009

According to the Brambuk website, winter means:

  • Bleak mists, freezing winds and rain.
  • Animal breeding – Antechinus, phascogales and echidnas.
  • Laying of eggs by powerful owls.
  • Yellow – tailed Black Cockatoos on the move – tear at wattles for moths.
  • Blooming of fungi and winter orchids.
  • Flowering of heath and correa
  • Return of Aquila constellation (Bunjil).
  • There were two totems, GAMADJI (Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo) and GRUGIGJ (Sulphur-crested Cockatoo).

We are actually having a wet cold June. It’s just wonderful to see. We’ve had a few heavy downpours but mainly lots of gentle rain which is soaking in. The water storages are at last going up, but equally importantly all the Park is being refreshed and renewed. Even the western section of the Park which has so often missed out on rain events has received good falls. There’s a long way to go to catch up on the ten years of … Read the rest

FROM THE PARKES DESK (Whoops – the Stevens Desk) – June 2009

Mike Stevens, Acting Ranger in Charge

On Friday 12th June, Grampians National Park staff celebrated the official end of the fire recovery program from January 2006 to July 2009 with a dinner to acknowledge the outsanding efforts of the recovery crews and staff. The massive recovery effort saw approximately a $4.5 million program implemented over the 3 years. The massive list included assessing 4120 trees, 473 km of road and track, 100 signs, 8 toilet blocks, 1 house, 13 park furniture, and countless numbers of steps to name but a few of the assets reconstructed. The program has also achieved fox poison baiting across almost 200,000 hectares, the reintroduction of the critically endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby and establishment of the Grampians Fire and Fauna research project with Deakin University.

The very last piece of the fire recovery puzzle is currently being completed with final works being carried out on the Zumsteins … Read the rest

25 YEARS of GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK and of our FRIENDS GROUP.

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 … Read the rest

COMMITTEE NEWS

Briefly, at our last meeting we decided:

  1. to donate $1000 to the VNPA ‘s Conservation Campaign set up in tribute to Jenny Barnett.  Donations received will be used to continue Jenny’s work in nature conservation and make sure that VNPA have suitable representation at the Royal Commission into the fire.
  2. Also that we donate $500 towards purchasing 8 sets of books to replace those lost by 8 rangers in the Kinglake fires. GNP staff are organising the purchase and have donated the balance. We will keep an ear open for other groups that may need help after the fires.

A reminder of our AGM on Sep 12. Nominations for the committee can be in writing or verbally on the day.… Read the rest

FOGG ACTIVITY CALENDAR

CHINNUP – WINTER Season of cockatoos
The Winter season is characterised at Brambuk by cockatoos, and fungi.

FOGG ACTIVITY CALENDAR

June 27 Saturday 10 am: Red Gum Walk working bee. See inside for more on the RGW. Contact person: Stan 5383 6349

July 1 Wednesday. Time to be confirmed. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the proclamation of the Grampians National Park by walking from Wonderland car park to Halls Gap via the brand new Pinnacle to Halls Gap track. Contact Parks on 5361 4000.

July 18 Saturday 10 am: Fungi Frolic. Meet at Zumsteins picnic area near toilet block to then travel to a site which will be decided according to rainfall. Contact Ewen: 5383 6294

August 22 or 29 (to be confirmed). Another Red Gum Walk working bee to install new signs. Contact Margo closer to the time. 5356 4524.

September 12 Saturday 10 am: Spring picnic and our … Read the rest

Friends of Grampians Gariwerd