ornithorynkids awesome again

I was delighted to attend the fifth Awesome Ornithorynkids (platypus) Day, a celebration of the Monbulk Creek platypus population and environment at Belgrave Lake Park.  A key event of the Southern Dandenongs Landcare Group, organisers planned a range of activities for all to participate in. 

This year I MC’d the night time creature sounds competition and I was amazed at how many creatures were readily identified by participants.

The day included a planting on the banks of the Monbulk Creek, a known habitat area for our local platypus population. Awesome Ornithorynkids provided a great opportunity to harness some community energy into replanting, with 300 plants put in on the day as part of the revegetation program.

Park Victoria were there with a wildlife display as well
as this fox, a widespread pest animal in
The Dandenongs.

An enormous amount of work has been completed removing weed nasties like Wandering Trad (ranked number 10 as worst weed in Yarra Ranges) under the Urban Fringe Weed Management Initative (UFWMI), a jointly funded project which has seen $1million of state government investment  over four years matched by council to start to tackle weeds across land tenures in the Dandenongs.

I can only hope that we see tripartisan support for this initiative into the future and a recommitment to fund the program as we head into an election year in Victoria. The UFWMI has had some great outcomes in terms of biodiversity improvements as well as continuing the great relationship between council and community environment groups in the protection of natural values and the threat of weeds.

There’s been an enormous amount done in the Dandenongs and Awesome Ornithorynkids is a great way to showcase this work, educate locals on our local icon, the platypus and harness some of that community passion into planting or other volunteer opportunities. Well done SDLG.

end of the line 2013, belgrave bustles

A very late blog entry, but to celebrate an event well worth giving mention to, the End of the Line 2013. My congratulations go to End of the Line event key organisers, Brent, CJ, Josh and Snowy. What an amazing job you did coordinating this enormous festival for Belgrave assisted by a huge pool of volunteer help.

Brent and CJ are two of the key organisers of the
End of the Line Festival. They've dedicated countless
volunteer hours to bring this amazing festival to Belgrave.

It was terrific to see Belgrave come alive with thousands of visitors enjoying all the hills have to offer on its cultural plate. With an enormous program of events, over 70 bands performed on stages throughout the town, art exhibitions, street performances, a makers market, film festival, workshops and demonstrations - there was plenty to keep people entertained from morning till night.

Snowy, another driving force behind End of the Line,
a key organiser who coordinated the live music on the day.

I’m proud to be able to support the End of the Line with a grant from my Community Ward Fund. It was a terrific day, driven by the passion of people to showcase the creativity of the hills, you did a great job.

Another key EOTL organiser, Josh put in a mammoth effort
in order to bring this huge festival to Belgrave.

The Makers Market was a great opportunity for local
artisans to showcase their wares.

I was happy to participate in the bubble blowing launch
of 3MDR's Mountain of Sound 2013 CD release.

Local band Lily and King proved to be one
of the most popular acts of the day.

The Cameo outdoor stage was packed
with locals keen to catch Lily and King.

Street Art was a key component of
activities at End of the Line.

The tiffaney bishop Collective artists created these works
for the Blacksmiths Way wheelie bins.

 

The Cameo Outdoor Cinema was a key venue for
live music on the day, here's local favourites Lily and King.

There's been some extraordinary street art that's been
created as part of the festival, it's well worth taking a
stroll down Blacksmiths Way to have a look.

Lloyd Spiegel was another highlight of the festival.

Local galleries were packed with people, here's the scene
at the tiffaney bishop Collective.

All sorts of spaces were activated as part of End of
the Line, this youth space off Blacksmiths Way was
very popular.

Local artist, Rebellious Bird, has been a
keen supporter of the No Maccas in the Hills
campaign who had a presence at the festival.

 

 

belgrave shines for lantern parade

Well it's been a long time coming, it's been a busy time in the Lyster Ward, but it would be more than remiss of me to not post pics from the Belgrave Lantern Parade, one of the most beautiful events held locally.

In it's seventh year, it was yet another wonderful parade, the community excelled themselves with creativity and the range and diversity of lanterns was extraordinary.

In the biggest parade ever, crowd estimates were in the order of 5,000 plus, Belgrave came alive with activity. My congratulations to everyone who helped to make it happen, from key coordinators through to the CFA volunteers who readily help out with crowd marshalling, it couldn't happen without you. 

I'm delighted that Yarra Ranges assists with funding of the Belgrave Lantern Parade through the Belgrave Community Arts Partnership.

Enjoy the pics, remember the night and rejoice in what we love about this community, I can't wait till the next one!



Mater Christi's band are a regular feature of the lantern
parade, providing entertainment before nightfall.

Tiffaney Bishop provided a space for young people
and performers at the Tiffaney Bishop Collective - tbc,
the day was also the launch of Circles,
works from the collective of young artists.

This lantern is an oversized Dandenong Amphipod,
made by lantern mastercraftsperson, Glenn Scollyer.
It was funded by Melbourne Water to highlight the
importance of healthy waterways.

Local artist Justine Walsh performed before night fell.

My lantern gets an additional frond added to it every
year, I never thought when I first constructed this
lantern that we'd be up to year 7 of the parade.

Local artist Glenn Scollyer kept his
lantern headbound this year, with this
fantastic local icon, the kookaburra.

Marina Dennis is the driving force behind the
lantern parade, she spends countless hours
making sure the parade is a great success.

Kathleen Snuball organised all the entertainment at
the marshalling point before the start of the parade.

Kallista Kindergarten had hot soup for sale, very popular
on a 6 degree clear night.

The moon was full, the sky was clear, perfect
conditions for a parade on winter solstice.

 

 

The parade was joined by this oversize
Leadbeater's Possum, raising awareness about
being critically endangered.

 

Community choir VoKallista sang sweetly as the parade
marched by.

Selby CFA helped out with crowd marshalling.