Small things done now will be disproportionately important in decades to come.

NEXT MEETING   Thursday 16th March. 7pm at Sunnybank Hills library     
Level 2 Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown
Cnr. Calam Rd. and  Compton Rd.  Sunnybank Hills

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Clean-up Australia Day, March 5th 2006, marked a watershed moment for the Society.  Over a long time, one of our sought outcomes for the Forest has been the removal of dumped cars, particularly those in the quarry lake.  Time, patience and persistence have been necessary.  In the last few years Council have undertaken this task in earnest. The latest response saw members of various organizations combine in an orchestrated technical effort to lift the rusted hulks of abandoned vehicles from the floor of the lake, move them to shore and transport them out of the area.  This was done under adverse conditions with rain making the work uncomfortable and restricted.  We understand that 55 vehicles were removed which, along with the 82 cars taken from sites on land in the last few years, represents the great majority of obvious wrecks on the property

The Australian Army camped beside the lake for most of a week and performed the majority of the difficult operations including diving, retrieval and helicopter lifting.  The SES brought in its boat with ‘super-sopper’ capacity and cleaned up the subsequent oil problem using this and dispersant chemicals.  They had intended also to access and GPS plot the remaining machines still on land but weather played havoc with their vehicles’ attempts.  The Police performed various functions including identifying the vehicles from such as engine numbers and registration plates and began the laborious task of tracing the history of these vehicles.  Council staff coordinated and oversaw the project.  The remaining land-bound vehicles are still on the agenda as well as, if possible, any which might be deeply buried in the lake.  Suffice to say, this latest operation has reduced the previous problem to relatively small proportions.  Well done to those involved.

While this had been happening we continue to work with the various authorities and other interested community groups to find better outcomes for a number of local problems.  These include saving the glider corridor on Johnson Road, the water pipeline and aquifer-drilling issues, the future of Kuraby Bushlands, the revegetation of Trinder Park Nursing Home, and the long-term problems of the use and control of fires in land management.  Once again we will be appearing in Planning and Environment Court in early April over the ongoing saga of 293 Compton Rd.

As well, we have objected to the proposed development of up to 550 dwellings on the Rural property on the corner of Illaweena Street and Wembley Road.  Since this application was lodged, a ‘without prejudice’ meeting has been held between ourselves, the proposed developer and a representative of his environmental consultancy company.  Various options were discussed and we expect to hear more once the matter plays out further.  We continue to be steadfast in our determination to create abiding sense of these issues, knowing as Plutarch did of people, that “We are more sensible of what is done against custom than against Nature”.  Time, patience and persistence are necessary, for who knows which are the determining or pivotal actions.  As George Bernard Shaw notes, “The moment of success is never the moment apparent to the crowd”.

TRINDER PARK REST HOME TREE PLANTING DAY  7th  April.

      The Trinder Park Nursing Home at 10 Laurel Street Woodrdge is opening up it’s grounds to the public on Firday 7April for a community Garden Day.  This planting day is the culmination of much planning and preparation work by Greening Australia, KFPS and Trinder Park Rest Home. The landscaping project is designed to beautify the grounds of the nursing home and provide residents with a peaceful outdoor setting incorporating plants which are compatible with the flora of Karawatha Forest. 

Anyone wishing to help on the day will be most welcome.
TIME  9am – 3.30pm. Two planting sessions. (morning 9am and afternoon 1pm)

MORNING TEA AND LUNCH PROVIDED
GUIDED BUSH WALK at 11am and 1pm  (1 hour maximum)

COFFEE MORNING

Our coffee mornings will recommence in April on the second Wednesday of each month.

The next meeting will be held at 10.30am  on Wednesday 12 April at BB’s Coffee Lounge Level 4 Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown. Cnr. Calam and Compton Rd.  Come along for a chat and a catch up on what’s going on.

STRETTON STATE COLLEGE

The Society has been privileged this month to have been involved with two talks and guided walks with classes at the newly opened Stretton State College. Students from grade 3-5 showed great enthusiasm for the Forest and were eager to ask lots of questions.  The positioning of this school along the boundary of the Karawatha to Greenbank link provides an ideal opportunity for educating the children about environmental issues. 

Both groups have volunteered to paint a banner for Wildlife Corridor Week in September and we are looking forward to viewing their artistic creations.

BUSH WALK - MARCH

The March bush walk will leave from Elizabeth Street entrance on Sunday 26th at 7am. Keep an eye out for fungi as we have had some good rain recently and there are a lot of strange things growing out of the ground.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. Voltaire

DATES TO REMEMBER - March/April

Report illegal activities to 3403 888