Photos by Jenny Campbell

Photos by Jenny Campbell

Photos by Elly Chatfield

Thank You

Thanks for all the great effort and support at Maple Grove Reserve for our last workday which was also Clean Up Australia Day.
I’m always amazed and humbled when the day and the week prior had continuous rain and 30 people (including the 2 Italian Tourists) came to support caring for the Gully, the swamps and Country.

Reflection

We collected a total of 17 bags of rubbish, a large cushion, an old bushcare sign and the remains of a Jewels trolley.
This is amazing considering we went for the microscopic rubbish and also sad.
The great result is that a lot of animals will have their lives extended because of all the work we did.
We also had the great BM MUGS Ukulele players who were awesome.
Then there was the always amazing Australian native animals with Anthony Stimson from Australian Wildlife Displays

Saturday March 18 from 10am to 2pm at the Co-Op Katoomba

We will be setting up a kind of exhibition to talk about my mother Aunty Mary King and the Gully. So if you are in Katoomba drop into Shop 3 at the Co-Op between 10am and 2pm. I have stated I will do a talk at 10.30am but I will just play it by ear.

Sunday April 2 Garguree Swampcare Workday 9am to 12pm.

Our next workday will cover 3 areas in and around the building (Gully Heritage Centre) 23 Gates Avenue. We will start on the Bush Tucker Garden, the memorial garden and follow up on the wet line where we planted the ferns during Threatened Species Day last year. So we should be back to normal with weeding etc from 9am to 11.30am. We will be planting so there will be digging and watering. Then from 11.30am to 12pm sit about, have a chat, cuppa and one of those great Garguree Swampcare morning teas.

Saturday and Sunday April 8 and 9 Jenolan Caves Sycamore Removal

There were some vacancies left in April but May is booked out. They tell me it is a great weekend on large sloping ridges. I’m going to this one in April.

The Bushcare Picnic for 2017 is on Saturday April 29. There will also be a camp out in the valley on Friday night April 28.

May 6 Capertee Tree Planting and May 7 Garguree Swampcare.

On May 6 there is the test called Capertee Valley Tree Planting. A few thousand tubestock planted in one day.
I’m planning on heading out to this one and then I camp overnight before coming back for 9am Garguree Swampcare.

Saturday May 13 Katoomba Christian Convention Centre (KCC) Landcare.

A great operations manager at KCC named Shelley Taylor has formed a Landcare group which officially meets twice a year.

This area is vital in the catchment as it really enables us to address a greater area. The next workday is Saturday May 13 from 9am to 4pm. The centre have about 10 tool kits so if you have your own tools can you bring them with you. I think there is a goal to plant 200 trees on this workday so some digging and planting tools would be awesome.Please register at this website http://www.kcc.org.au/working-bees.html
I attend this one. .

If you have gumboots or waders please wear them as we might need to weed in a new area due to the amount of rain or we might just drink tea. Bring a Cup and a Seat because the ground will be wet. Just sitting about having a chat will be nice.

Maple Grove Reserve Katoomba Falls Road, Katoomba.
Cancelled if the weather becomes wet and stormy.

Well we are back this Sunday for the 2017 March edition of Garguree Swampcare from 9am to 12.30pm.

Please bring a cup, something to sit on and a towel as the area will probably still be moist after all the rain. This is on top of a hat, long sleeves, pants, enclosed shoes and a bottle of water.

We have a group of Ukulele players who have volunteered to come along and play due to all the brilliant work everyone is doing at Swampcare. Hopefully it will release my only ukulele image which is Tinny Tim singing tip toe through the tulips.

We also have our regular morning tea which is always a treat and during this time there will be a reptile display. I will tell you why I paid them to come along on Sunday.

Our goal for the first two hours is to keep on removing the weeds that we have worked on in the Grove for the last few years in March.

We will also work the area for rubbish removal and Jane from BMCC will bring gumboots for those confident enough to drop into the creekline.

I love Garguree Swampcare workdays so no matter what the day brings, being on Country is just a beautiful thing.

The Bushcare picnic is at the end of April

The 2017 Bushcare Picnic

To attend the picnic you don’t have to serve a certain amount of time, if you have joined us for a workday over the last 12 months then you qualify to eat food cooked by BMCC. Always an awesome event and this time there is an overnight camp with snoring people.

In May KCC (Katoomba Christian Convention Centre) has their Landcare workday, Saturday May 13 from 9am to 4pm. we need to plant 200 tubestock and attack some major weed areas. I will add a registration page in April for those who haven’t already indicated they can attend. Morning Tea and Lunch provided.

Hope to see some if not a lot of you on Sunday.

Garguree Swampcare Clean Up Australia March 5 at Maple Grove Katoomba. From 9am to 12.30pm.
On top of having the best group of volunteers
On top of having the best Bushcare officers
On top of having the best managed morning tea table
On top of having the best morning tea
On top of having the best photographer
On top of having a supportive and encouraging community
On top of having a reptile show from 11.30 to 12.30
We are pleased to announce that Serena from the Blue MUGs will lead a band of ukulele players in a singalong. I think the infectious Garguree Swampcarers are attracting more passion than I can ever exude for the work we do.
So, from around 11.00 to 11.30 we will hear the wonderful sounds of the ukulele across the Maple Grove area of Garguree as we meander in for morning tea, a singalong and then the reptile show.
Here they are on you tube…..