Late Summer Edition | February 2021
From the President
It is such a relief to be able to write to you all with information about the planned activities for the year after 2020 where everything got put on hold.
In this newsletter you will find information about:
- Our AGM and the guest speaker, and renewing memberships
- An invitation to consider joining the Friends of Darebin Creek committee and what it would mean
- Event dates for Friends of Darebin Creek activities
- Event dates for the Darebin Creek Sweepers activities
- Mosaic Workshop
- Clean Up Australia Day activities
- Information about the Connectivity project in the Reservoir area which is called Reach 4
- The importance of the Whittlesea area for the Friends
- Our connection to Darebin Creek Management Committee (DCMC)
- Stencil Workshop
AGM
As an incorporated body we are required to hold an annual general meeting, this year it will be held on Wednesday 17th February at 7pm via zoom. This is a business meeting and may not be of interest to you all, it will go for 30 minutes. I will send out a zoom invite to everyone.
Guest speaker - but the better part of the evening is that we have arranged guest speaker Karin Traeger from the Yarra Riverkeeper Association to give a presentation (also by zoom). The Yarra Riverkeeper Association do fascinating activities along the Yarra, and importantly the Darebin joins the Yarra at Alphington. If you have never seen the confluence it is worth a walk along the creek trail, it is hard to see it as it is narrow and gentle.
The Yarra needs the Darebin; and the work we do along the Darebin means the water that enters the Yarra is cleaner because of our plantings and litter clean ups.
The Friends of Darebin Creek Committee
The AGM is a time to renew memberships and committee members. The committee meets 6 times a year to discuss, plan and coordinate ideas that may enhance the creek. We support each other with various projects that we may be doing. If you have an interest in the environment along the creek and the work we do, you may want to join us. Our meetings are open to anyone so you are welcome to attend as a visitor before committing to committee membership. Our meetings will continue via Zoom, making it easier for everyone to attend from the comfort of home. I will send out nomination forms for the committee electronically and these forms can be returned electronically.
Event dates Friends of Darebin Creek activities
When: Last Sunday of the month, 10am-12pm
Where: Various locations along the Darebin creek
More info: Events are listed on our website
I will always send out a reminder 10 days before which will include the location. We have not completed the years calendar just yet and sometimes it changes but the last Sunday is the important thing to remember.
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Event dates Darebin Creek Sweepers
When: Every 3rd Sunday of the month, 10:30am-12:30pm
Where: Various locations along the Darebin creek
More info: Check the pinned post on their Facebook page for details or see event listings below
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Whilst the Sweepers are a separate group from the Friends, we are like two peas in a pod and like to work closely together. Join the Sweepers for a leisurely stroll, some great conversation and collection of litter as you go.
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Mosaic Workshop
When: Sunday 28th February
Where: Gleeson Centre - Darebin Parklands
More info: Contact victoriamilne@yahoo.com.au to register your interest
There is a very large concrete block sitting just near the Googh street entrance to the Darebin Creek trail. It is impossible to move and no one really knows how it came to be there. Victoria Milne, a Friends committee member and creative thinker realised that instead of it sitting there being intrusive and looking bleak, it could be turned into a beautiful mosaic. Victoria applied to the Darebin Council and received funding to pay for an artist to run a workshop teaching people how to create this mosaic. This group will then work together to transform the concrete block into a work of community art. Artist Amanda Tattam will lead the workshop.
We can only offer 10 places for this workshop due to social distancing requirements so get in quick!
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Clean Up Australia Day
When: Sunday 7th March 10am
Where: Meeting place TBA
More info: https://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/
Clean up Australia Day (CUAD) Australia’s largest community-based environmental event and the Friends host clean ups at various locations along the Darebin Creek. We register with the CUAD organisation and they sometimes send out bags and gloves to use. I will send out details of the locations a little closer to the date.
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Reach 4 – Plenty Road to Ring Road
Described as “Reaches” for ease of understanding - the Darebin Creek is divided into 6 Reaches. From the Creeks beginnings near Whittlesea (Reach 1) down to where the Darebin flows into the Yarra (Reach 6).
The Reach 4 working group has several projects in Reservoir, Kingsbury and Bundoora and welcomes participation:
Biodiversity Corridor
This project aims to establish habitat for particular species in Reach 4 with an initial focus on riparian (creek bank) planting for small woodland birds – a later focus will be on frogs, particularly the Growling Grass Frog. The first phase will link Nangak Tamboree at Latrobe University to Bundoora Park at the Rathcown Road bridge. It will be supplemented by more intensive planting on adjacent banks below Dunne Street to provide an intimate, foliage space. Funding for this phase has been obtained from Melbourne Water and Metro Trains.
Planned activities include:
- Getting familiar with the project: Sunday, 14th February, 3.30pm, from Kingsbury Bowls Club car park – discuss plans and detail on site
- Riparian planting: Team will start in April/May – several additional team members needed
- First community planting day: Sunday, 6th June, from 10am, from Kingsbury Bowls Club car park. Starting with family activities with Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, water-testing and water bug identification, more planting in the afternoon – so many times to hook in for an hour or so.
Clean Up Australia Day, Sunday 7th March, 10am to 12 noon
With Darebin Creek Sweepers we are planning multiple sites in the Reach, including:
- Kingsbury Bowls Club, Kingsbury
- Rathcown Road Bridge, Reservoir
- Glenn Park, Bundoora
Check Clean Up Australia Day site closer to the time.
For further details on any of the above contact John Burke
Email: jpburke@fastmail.com.au
Mobile: 0417 324 441
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Whittlesea area
The Friends have been developing connections with interested residents and community members in the Whittlesea area. A small group of us are going to meet up with a resident of the Quarry Hills area who would like to link up with the Friends of Darebin Creek with an emphasis on enhancing that area. This is an exciting development because the creek around the Whittlesea area has not had the same amount of intervention and management as further down the creek.
For Friends members who live around that area we will be particularly keen to have you involved. Or if you live further down but would be interested in joining future activities such as planting, maintenance and weeding - we would be pleased to have you along. Keep an eye on our events page for more info.
Darebin Creek Management Committee
We have close links to the Darebin Creek Management Committee (DCMC) and receive great support from the professional team who are the overall managers of the wellbeing of the creek. The team help us compile grant and funding requests and keep us up to date with news along the creek. To find our more head to their website https://dcmc.org.au/
Thank you for being part of this group and I look forward to being able to meet up personally sometime soon,
Warmly,
Margaret de Kam,
President,
Friends of Darebin Creek
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Would you like to learn how to make your very own stencil to help stop litter from entering the Darebin Creek?
Darebin Creek Sweepers with Friends of Darebin Creek and Darebin Creek Management Committee are hosting a 2nd stencil workshop at Darebin Parklands. No cost to you!
D'Arcy from Caper Creative will be facilitating the workshop and will teach you how to cut and spray-paint multi-layered stencils. Our intention is to create stencils that will highlight the connection between dropping litter, and how it ends up in our creeks and rivers.
Each participant will take home their own stencil and artwork. You’ll be able to paint the message on your bin, your driveway or anywhere else you’d like to spread the message!
When: Saturday 27th February 10am
Where: The Gleeson Centre, Darebin Parklands - Corner of Smith Street and Separation Street
Register: Send an email to ruthawilliams@mac.com to register
We’ve only got 20 spots so first in best dressed! The last event was hugely successful, you don't want to miss this.
This workshop is funded by Melbourne Water as part of the Port Phillip Bay Litter Action Fund. A Community Based Litter Action Program, aiming to target litter hotspots across Melbourne by stopping litter at the source.
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Darebin Creek Seasonal Nature Calendar
Late Summer (February to mid March) is characterised by hot and humid conditions with occasional thunderstorms. Grasslands dry out and fire danger is high. At this time of year young platypus start to emerge from burrows. They are inexperienced and curious which makes for great platypus spotting, particularly at dawn and dusk.
You can learn more about the Darebin Creek Seasonal Nature Calendar here https://dcmc.org.au/plan/nature-calendar/
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Friends of Darebin Creek acknowledge and pay our respects to the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Darebin Creek catchment flows. We acknowledge their continued connections to the land and waters of this place.
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