Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery, is a great teacher when it comes to explaining the nature of global warming and the challenges facing Australia and the world today.  If your computer system is capable of video downloads, check out his address to Melbourne secondary school students marking the recent launch of We Are the Weathermakers, the young-adult version of his acclaimed book on climate change, The Weathermakers.  It is quite something!
http://slv.vic.gov.au/multimedia/video/flannery/flannery.html

The Natural Environment Committee has been successful in receiving a grant of $4000 from the Urban Forest Biodiversity Program to continue revegetation of the Farm. This will involve 3 areas: (1) a new strip of plantings on the western side of the Farm approx 15m wide which will provide a buffer along Bowering Hill Rd; (2) filling in areas on the large mounds in the centre of the Farm that have previously been planted; and (3) new plantings around the two stormwater ponds. All up, the grant pays for nearly 3000 plants including acacias, native apricots, eucalypts, sheoks, tea trees, native daisies and sedges for the ponds. The idea will be to clump plantings into groves so that we can slash around them making maintenance easier down the track. The grant also includes some assistance with early weed control and tree guards.

We will receive the plants in winter as soon as they are big enough to go in the ground, and NEC will arrange planting days where we will invite you to get your hands dirty for a good cause. Let's hope the predictions that El Nino is weakening and that Autumn rains will follow are correct - think positive thoughts! Any questions to Jenni McGlennon - email

[And on behalf of all of us - Congratulations to the NEC, and particularly to Jenni McG who put the proposal together! Thanks for your great initiative. Your success is a real gift to the Community. Let's all help to build on it at planting time. Eliz H]