By Andrew Wood, Convenor Blue Wren Subcommittee, Bulletin 4/2025

 

One of the Orphan School Creek Bushcare Group’s sites (photo: V. Simpson-Young)

Judy Christie, leader of the Orphan School Creek Bushcare Group, reports a successful planting of 40 tubestock on Sunday 4 May with 11 volunteers as well as fresh scones provided for morning tea by our ‘catering volunteer’. There were the usual site problems of a massive overhanging Celtis from neighbours inhibiting growth and causing new weed seedlings, and a plethora of fallen branches and dumped prunings which also make managing weeds difficult. Another working bee was held on Saturday 31 May. This date is also the beginning of ‘Make a Difference Week’ – an annual week of global restoration hosted by the Society for Ecological Restoration.

David Lawrence, who monitors the Rozelle Bay parklands, said that the City has removed a dead tree in the park near Crescent Timber and trimmed the fig tree branches impinging on the footpaths of the Annandale side of the Bicentennial Park.

Nick Sangster reported that, in Harold Park / Johnstons Creek, the City has commenced removing the 80 Casuarinas to prevent a monoculture from being established along Johnstons Creek. The smallest are being removed by hand, those up to 5 m in height are poisoned and removed by City staff, and those over 5 m removed by the City’s tree-specialist contractors.