FRIENDS OF SOUTH SURREY PARK

OCTOBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

 
Here is the park below Union Road looking wonderfully weed free due to Tuesday Toilers policy of weeding as exercise and spreading mulch where they have been as the Bradley sisters recommend.   I think they deserve a medal.
This area has now been planted with the seedlings ordered for National Tree Day which was, of course, cancelled due to Covid-19.   The planting was done on Tuesday by Indig Designs and it will look wonderful when the clustered everlastings, wahlenbergias and geraniums flower next spring. Further down the hill are shrubs and trees.
 

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AGM report- held on Zoom at 7.30 7th October, 2020
It was a very different Annual General Meeting and one we had planned to use to celebrate our 25th Annual Meeting.   Pam gave a very interesting Presidents Report with some photographs to show how far we have come since the start of this group.   The Minutes of the 2019 meeting and the Treasurers Report were accepted, then the committee re-elected with positions remaining unchanged.
Then we were treated to some memories of our park in its earlier days.    Phil Rowland spoke of his time living near the park.   He used to mow the lawn of the Verdun Street Kindergarten and has worked in the environment since being inspired to do so by our park.
Brian Cooney, who still lives in Surrey Hills, told of having the park as his backyard as his parents ran the milk bar on the corner of Verdun Street and Riversdale Road. His tales of his adventures showed us  the joy of being a young boy in a wonderful environment like South Surrey Park.  This is something the young people in our park during coronavirus restrictions are experiencing.
 

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Tuesday Toilers

Tuesday Toilers set up a scheme to enable them to plant our seedlings ordered for 2020 at a Zoom meeting..
They agreed to meet in pairs at specific times to plant out seedlings in the Union Road end of the park.   Small, flowering plants went to the top of the bank, bushes, grasses and shrubs further down.   The plants were collected from David and Jenine's house on Tuesday and Wednesday, after Pam had divided them up into three groups 
Here is Pam with Lyn and Marg working out which plants should go where.   Below that  is a shot of the holes which Adrian had dug earlier.   They are close together so that the weeds have less chance to grow back.

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General News
The Rotunda which was once in our park

Brian Cooney talked about the Rotunda which I remember being in the park behind the playground near where the drink fountain is now.   It was vandalised several times and then was removed.   He said "the vandals won!"
Susan Barnett, President of Surrey Hills Historical Society has sent me a photo of the Rotunda.   The photo is from the Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre Heritage Collection. You will find interesting Surrey Hills stories and photos on the Surrey Hills Facebook Page.
Sue wrote that "the rotunda was built by the Surrey Hills Football Club on what had been Kleinert's land and was a memorial to Mrs Emily Kleinert whose son Martin played with the team.   Mrs. Kelinert had been a great supporter of the club.   The Kleinert family had bought a large tract of land in 1867 which was farmed and leased out for grazing.   The family sold the land for the park to the Council in the 1950"s.   In the 1990's the Rotunda was destroyed by vandals."
Thank you so much, Sue, for the photo and its story.

Shed door
The shed door was broken off its hinges last week but nothing was stolen.   Fran came back to replace the barrow and found the door lying down.   The Scouts were informed and two people made a temporary solution.   We were pleased that Lyn's son-in-law Kim came later and made a wonderful job of replacing the hinges with stronger ones and making the lock function really well.

A  piece of playground  history
 Brian Cooney told us  at the AGM of his memories of playing on the the old playground equipment with the sheet metal slide which wasn't too smooth!  That reminded me that I was clearing out my store of old diaries in lockdown and I came across a little note dated Sunday, 10th February, 2003 saying there was to be a meeting at the Verdun Street Playground at 10.30 a.m.
It was a delightful meeting.  Children were draped all over the equipment, some on top, some leaning against the uprights, some swinging to and fro.   I loved to see the children's enthusiasm and  that the people taking notes were paying such attention to each suggestion.   The children really felt empowered.
 

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In the Park this month - Pelargonium australe

This plant has several names - native storksbill, wild geranium, austral storksbill, geranium australe.
It is an herbaceous perennial which grows in all Australian states except Northern Territory, in coastal dunes and further inland in semi-arid areas.   This one is growing on the bank beside the path down to the little bridge.   The soil is thin and underneath is clay.   Not much grows in that spot. We have some more just planted on the bank below the path from Union Road.
Pelargonium australe has long elegant flowering stems with up to twelve white to light pink flowers with darker markings on the upper and lower petals.
It is a low growing, upright spreading plant that grows to about 30 cm in height with ovate leaves with shallow lobes. It prefers slightly sandy soil in full sun or  part shade and grows well in a medium-large sized pot or in the garden or rock garden.

FRIENDS OF SOUTH SURREY PARK INC ABN 71 979 859 196.
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A single subscription is $15, or $30 for a household, or $100 corporate/group. (This covers our insurance with Victorian Landcare and some expenses). It is payable to Hon Treasurer, Lyn Read, 6/136  Through Road, Vic, 3127 telephone 0408 377 668 or direct deposit to our Bendigo Bank account, BSB 633 000, A/c No 1205 19285. Remember to put your name in the ‘reference’ box so we’ll know you’ve paid.