NEWS DESK
Creek clean up in good hands Steve Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au WATSON Creek Catchment Group has almost completed a restoration project in the upper area of the creek, along one of its tributaries. And they are happy to have had some much-needed help from volunteer groups along the way, including Somerville Secondary College and the Peninsula North Men’s Shed. The VCAL students and teachers Catherine Arnold and Josh Blanchard, along with other volunteers, helped plant about 4000 native trees, shrubs and grasses along the creek bank. They also got rid of blackberries, pampas grass and other weeds which had been taking over. Volunteers from the Peninsula North Men’s Shed, Baxter, made nesting boxes from recycled timber donated by Ingham Enterprises, which create breeding havens for various bird species and micro bats. Watson Creek Catchment Group president Anne Tyrrell said Watson Creek had once been thought of as the most polluted creek in the Port Phillip/ Western Port catchment area, but its health has gradually been improving with the co-operation of landowners and businesses, she said. “Lots of projects are being undertaken in revegetation, fencing off the waterway from stock, controlling weed infestation and reducing chemical and other pollutants entering the creek
Up the creek: Somerville Secondary College students join Westernport Biosphere’s Lance Lloyd (far left), property owner Peter Randall (second from left), Melbourne Water education officer Jane Petch (far right) for a walk alongside Watson Creek near where it enters Watson Inlet.
system,” she said. Ms Tyrrell said many people were unaware of the creek and its many tributaries: “It’s even mistaken for a drain in some areas,” she said. However, as Somerville Secondary College VCAL students saw on Tuesday when they visited the final property the creek passes before entering Watson Inlet, it is a wonder-
ful asset, attracting many birds and directly impacting on marine life in the inlet and, thus, the whole of Western Port Bay. The group walked through riparian and then saltmarsh areas to the creek. There, Melbourne Water education officer Jane Petch explained the necessity of responsible management, the effects of human impact on creek
water quality, and the importance of frogs in our environment. Colleague Lance Lloyd gave an overview of the Water Stewardship Program being undertaken by the Westernport Biosphere, which is working with Watson Creek and looking at developing water management plans with landholders and businesses. Ingham’s Enterprises, which are
The smiling face of Cambodia A SMILE goes a long way and that’s certainly the case for a significant number of children in Cambodia. Dental Health Services Victoria CEO Dr Deborah Cole said a donation of dental equipment to a village in Siem Reap in Cambodia had made a big difference to the community. The donation was part of the Green Gecko Project which the Rotary Club of Frankston Peninsula 2.0 supports. “Seeing all the smiling faces and children brushing their teeth was absolutely amazing, uplifting and quite inspirational,” Dr Cole said. Green Gecko Project co-founder Tania Palmer thanked DHSV in a letter noting “because of the generosity we are now one step closer to achieving our dream of offering access to dental care to those who would otherwise be unable to afford it.”
Rotary member Trudy Poole said the dental project in the town was progressing well. “For the past eight years we have engaged a local Khmer dentist, Dr Hor, to look after more than 100 Green Gecko children’s dental needs. “The Green Gecko Project’s philosophy is to create a sustainable community and having a reliable local young Khmer dentist that is available, especially when an emergency arises, is so important and is further enhancing the sustainability model. “The new hygiene room is now generously equipped by DHSV and it also serves as a place where the little ones practise what good oral health means. “My husband and I are planning to go back to Gecko at the end of January to see how the project is progressing.”
Brush up: Children in Siem Reap in Cambodia brush their teeth thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Frankston Peninsula.
members of the Watson Creek Catchment Group, are the first business to join the Water Stewardship program. Somerville Secondary College is the first school. A barbeque on Tuesday celebrated the completion of the planting and nest box installation, attended by the students, volunteers, Ms Petch, Mr Lloyd and John Hehir, of the men’s shed.
Bush food workshops THOSE interested in learning about bush foods, what they are and how they can be incorporated into a farming enterprise should attend a series of workshops next month. One will be held in Mt Martha on Sunday 18 October. The Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, with the support of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, will host the workshops across the Port Phillip and Western Port region from Thursday 15 October. Regional landcare facilitator Karen Thomas said the workshops would provide information on identifying, growing and harvesting bush foods, as well as creating marketing opportunities for landholders. “Bush foods are creating a buzz among consumers and within the restaurant industry,” she said. Registration is $10 with all funds going directly to the Landcare network. Details: Ms Thomas, 0427 480 170 or email karen.thomas@ppwcma.vic.gov.au
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Western Port News 29 September 2015
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