50 years of activism, advocating and appreciation Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society has a proud history and without it, the local area could look a lot different to how it is now. Shauna Forrest tells the story.
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hen you next enjoy the laughter and song of birds in the cooling canopy of giant native trees in Lane Cove, offer thanks to the Cammeraygal people, the indigenous custodians, and then beyond the time of orchards and dairy farms in more recent decades, give credit to the restoration work by pioneering bush regenerators. The conservation strategies of locals have ensured that vital wildlife sanctuaries and healthy bushland remains today. In March 1971, the beautiful bushland of the Gore Creek Valley gave birth to the Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society (LCB&CS) which formed to campaign against Council’s decision to allow the extension of the golf course into adjacent bushland of the Osborne Park valley, now named ‘Bushland Park.’ The attitude to natural bushland in an urban environment was changing; it was no longer seen as scrub to be cleared for development, but a precious asset. 19 acres of the Valley, including the former farm site known as Kelly’s Flat, was granted to Lane Cove Council by local resident F.E. Cogan in 1948 for ‘public recreation.’ A golf course was created in the 1960s and Council leased the land to the Lane Cove Country Club in March 1970. When the Country Club proposed to extend the area of the golf course, a group of local residents sprung into action. They recognised the value and beauty of this bushland, organised a meeting and within four days presented a petition signed by 1,049 people against the development to Council. This meeting, 50 years ago, was the launch of the Society. The bulldozers had already started work so 60 men, women and children from the newly-formed Society flocked to the site to stop further destruction while Cogan took out an injunction against the work. Eventually settled out of court, Bushland Park was formally declared a wildlife refuge under the National Parks & Wildlife Service of NSW in 1980, working to a management plan largely informed by the Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society. In 2000, it was listed on the National Estate for its rare, critically endangered species of Hygrocybeae fungi. ‘Beyond the Untidy Fringe: A history of the Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society’ by Virginia Macleod records the dramatic story saving the park. 14 TVO
LCB&CS past presidents Meron W. Doug Graham. Corinne F. Doug S. Ruth Neumann. Ron Gornall.
This year, 2021, LCB&CS celebrates 50 years of activism, advocating for the conservation of Lane Cove’s natural heritage, promoting the regeneration and planting of native species, bushland protection and management. The Society is sometimes confused with the Council’s Bushcare Program and we do share common aims, but from our inception we’ve addressed wider issues on environmental protection, entering local politics so as to influence decision making. Doug Graham, a founding member, botanist and research scientist, advocated for the scientific study of Lane Cove’s bushland reserves, their hydrology and benchmarking the ecology of each reserve. During 1971-72, Doug Stuart, an architect and founding executive member organised a large team of volunteers to survey all of Lane Cove’s bushland to identify sites suitable for regeneration. He drew maps of each site, checked ownership and created the first cohesive document the l o c a l council had ever had - the ‘Survey of Open Space’ published by the Society. Supportive Council staff in the 1970s employed consultant Landscape Architect Harry Howard, who transformed the local landscape, planting native trees and designing the Plaza. The Society began its Native Plant Stalls in the Plaza in 1975 to promote the benefits of planting locally indigenous species and has continually organised guided bushwalks and guest speakers to encourage an appreciation of our natural heritage. Following nearly 20 years of research, education and lobbying by Society members, the Lane Cove Council’s first ‘Bushland Plan of Management’ was approved in 1990. The Plan’s development resulted in a dedicated Council bushland officer; the establishment of the ‘Bushland Management Advisory Committee’ (BMAC) and a guaranteed budget to fund ongoing work in bushland. BMAC includes three dedicated representatives of the Society, as well as community members with experience and knowledge in bush regeneration. It is unsurprising then that the Society actively campaigned in 2017 to stop NSW State government’s attempts to amalgamate Lane Cove (LC) Council with the geographically larger Ryde Council LGA. We feared the comparatively greater funding for bushland management by LC Council would be diminished.
