Aldinga on Display is over!... Blue balloons over the township did so well with the help of whirling kites that, in the afternoon, even the sky decided to join in the celebrations. There have been wonderful happenings all over Aldinga and the village offered excellent moments to its visitors. Thanks to all those who contributed:

Jane and Michael offered the most delicious pizzas..! Lynda and Tony took visitors around and Elizabeth and Tony explained the ethos and the environmental advantages of the village. Margaret and Anne exhibited lovely baskets and were joined by Audrey (a possible future villager) who spins soft and colourful wools. Justin had a well deserved success with his sculptures, as did Charlie and Violet with their pottery. Lou offered great music and the Village Singers sang some spirited songs.



See the ATTACHED “Village Happenings” for more pictures of the activities
[Thanks to Ken C for the photos.]
 
VILLAGE HAPPENINGS AoD

Lots of thanks also to those who made the village so neat and appealing, who put up the flags; who covered the give away table with delicious fruit and vegies from their gardens; and who offered their welcome all over the village... 

It was a great way to enjoy a day when at last, there was no rain, little wind, and just enough cool to feel well and alive.

And for the children: there are lots of FREE blue balloons to find around the Village. Please take them down for your play wherever you can find them   

Francoise C

********************************************
A very big thank-you to Francoise for all the preparation, including going to many organising meetings, and to both Francoise and Ken for all the efforts that went into preparing materials and liaising with participants for our Village part of the day.

Thank you also to the landscape workers who had the common land looking wonderfully cared for; to the artists who showed their work in progress, and to Lynda, Tony and Elizabeth for the stimulating show-and-tell activities with interested visitors.

Gillian C

Thanks to Vanda R for sending on the following letter and ATTACHMENT sent in to the Natural Earth Burial Society (NEB):

Dear NEB - The Hunter Organic Growers Society Inc produces a magazine for which I am the editor, designer etc. I thought you might be interested in adding to your list of publications the ATTACHED article I put together for the magazine last year about natural burial. I drew on various resources, including ABC radio, to put the article together.

It seems that a number of our members (drawing on the Hunter Valley)  were very interested in the article and it has done the rounds. Some people (including me) changed their will to include this sort of burial even though it is not available in this area .... yet.

Cheers - Angela Finney
Bury, burn or compost

We moved into our new house on the village in Yacca Way, on the 9th of October one year ago. The ground was brown and barren looking, the trees and gardens looked unhappy, we were in a recession, we hardly had any water in our tanks, but we were hopeful.

Now, a year later, we have a green garden, the Village has happy gardens, the trees are rejuvenated, the recession is finished, we have full tanks, and we have just experienced a year of wonderful "village moments". 

We have had endless willing help, a wonderful welcome to the village, fruit left on our doorstep, cakes, flowers, vegetables given to us, offers of help with our chooks, smiles from people as we pass on the road, and we can't stop saying that the very best thing we've ever done is move here!

With thanks to everyone,

Annette & Dick Inwood - 12 Yacca Way

Hi everyone,

Regarding lightbulbs and batteries:  There is a recycling facility at IKEA store as well as the Willunga Environment Centre.  We are happy to collect lightbulbs and take them periodically to these centres.  There is a pale blue box outside our back door (where cars are parked); please put them in there.

Lesley & Jan - 5 Tetragonia Walk; phone: 8557 6193

Hopefully by the time you read this, Old Coach Road will have been re-opened and because the closure has been causing traffic hassles I thought you might like to know why the roadworks are happening.  SA Water have been laying large underground water pipes that will supply treated wastewater to 2000 homes in the new Seaford Meadows development.  The water will be fed to the houses for use in their gardens and toilets, and for the Council to irrigate parks in the area.
 
The project affected local traffic because the water will be sourced from the Christies Beach Waste Water Treatment Plant and then at times of the year when demand is lower than supply (winter) it will be piped to new holding ponds at the Aldinga Waste Water Treatment Plant near Aldinga Airport for storage, photo attached.  In summer at times of heavy demand this water will be piped back to Seaford.   Old Coach Road was blocked off completely during the pipe-works at the recommendation of Safe Work SA to ensure the safety of workers. 
 
The project is part of the City of Onkaparinga WaterProofing the South Stage 1 project which is extending the use of use of treated wastewater already used extensively in McLaren Vale to irrigate vineyards to other areas of the council. See:
http://www.onkaparingacity.com/web/page?pg=2806&stypen=html 
 
Jenni McGlennon

English is a funny language! There are so many nuances of meaning - so easy to get hilariously wrong if English is not your native tongue! See examples ATTACHED.
Signs of our times

Good ideas are so precious - how come everyone seems to want to kill them! See the ATTACHED list for 50 ways to kill creativity. Funny? Yes - but possibly tragic too because we recognise just how commonly they are used.
How to kill creativity

Our historic namesake - the good ship Aldinga from the earliest days of steam:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/shipping/2/1

The Bank of I.D.E.A.S - Ideas to fire up creativity and action with an interesting e-newsletter you can subscribe to:
http://www.bankofideas.com.au

Food production is going to have to rise 70% to feed the Earth’s future population. Where will we grow it all? Does this mean the end of ornamental gardening is approaching?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8303434.stm

Union Climate Connectors: The Australian Conservation Foundation is joining forces with Australian Unions to help raise awareness of the climate change crisis in workplaces and beyond:
http://www.climateconnectors.org

TEAR Australia’s Gift Catalogue for gifts that help all over the World:
http://www.usefulgifts.org/

GetUP tackles the Coal Lobby: Their latest satirical TV ad is quickly becoming a hit. Funded by everyday Australians, it has the nation's media in a spin. On Monday it featured as the lead story on ABC 7pm TV News, and now it is scheduled to be shown and discussed on this Sunday's Meet the Press - and all this coverage before the ad has even formally gone to air. What makes this a story is thousands of everyday Australians, making small donations to put an ad on the air that challenges the bloated marketing budget of the coal lobby. If you haven't already seen it, you can check it out here: www.getup.org.au/campaign/NewNameSameOldCoal

[Thanks to Erik R, John H, and Vanda R for the links.]

Little Gloria, daughter of Maia, granddaughter of Julia Elischer was born on the morning of the 7 October, the same birthday as her aunty Raea (nine years later), and one day after her future neighbour, little Gracie across the road!

Mum, dad Shannon and bubs are back home at Clematis Walk and are all adjusting beautifully.

LIZARDS NEWS:
Lizards are on the move.  They crawl on to the black road surface to warm up their blood, and cannot move as quickly as later in the season, so please take care when driving.  A lovely sleepy lizard was mutilated by a car on Yacca Way on Saturday:

______________________________________________________

Goodbye Sleepy Lizard!

On Saturday we had a sad loss here on Yacca Way. Our beautiful resident sleepy lizard who has lived here for years was run over and killed with the increased traffic here for the Garage sale. Please drive carefully and watch out not just for our children but for all the other creatures that make this place their home. For future such events, perhaps signs could be erected asking visitors to take care of ALL our residents.

Kate Gebhardt

_______________________________________________________

SNAKE NEWS:
Snakes are also on the move again as the weather begins to warm. Tom Deliveyne has reported sighting a large one, probably a Brown Snake (see picture) behind Coralie's house near the pond. Be especially wary, especially near long grass, hay bales, and anywhere where they might be attracted by mice.



BIRD NEWS:
We have a very friendly and greedy young magpie working his/her way around the village,
aware that he has started life in a generous land of plenty!  Remember he has to learn to
fend for himself, so don't be too kind to him.  Please keep dogs and cats under surveillance
when on roads and common land, and never feed milk or bread to magpies.
 
A pair of birds new to the village has been sighted, on vacant land near the linear park.  They are believed to be the black-tailed native-hen. As these are ground frequenting birds, who may be nesting by the pond on Hakea Walk, it is really important not to allow dogs and cats to harass them. Please keep your pets contained on your lot. The following photos were taken by Elizabeth between the Hakea pond plantings and the chook pen on lot 64. Any further identification ideas or photos would be very welcome.



[Thanks to Gillian, Kate and Tom for the notes.]

This week we had 53 bins out front of the village, many of which were only 1/2 full. Some were two rows deep and too close together and the mechanical arms of the waste truck could not fit between them. In this situation, usually the driver will knock one bin over to make room for the arms. Please take this into account when placing your bins.



Waste & Recycling:
Please only put out your rubbish or recycling bins when they are full. Bins don't need to go out each week.

The bales on frames in the recycling bay are for refundable items only. Today I found in one bale: a biscuit tin, ghee tin, pasta packet, tea packet, cardboard, and other random items, including a huge box from a child's bike which had the reciept still attached ( I know who you are!)

As you can see, some of these items are not even recyclable, and definitely not refundable!
Please check if items are refundable before putting them in the bales - wine bottles are generally not refundable, so they can go in your household yellow-topped recycling bin.
This area is not a dump for your unwanted rubbish, volunteers do not want to clean up after you. Remember that your rubbish is your responsibility, not someone else's.

Hard Rubbish collection:
Last week Amy invited others to “ring the council and book in their own hard rubbish collection”, not to dump rubbish on Amy's pile.  Amy is now out of pocket $50 in dump fees and had to ring the council to come out again and collect what others had dumped. This is not fair and not co-operative, and does not please the council. Please think of others before you act in future, and ask before you dump (including in other people's skip bins!).

The council will be doing a community hard rubbish collection on the first Friday in December from the recycling bay. It is yet to be decided whether this will be in a skip provided by the council. Please do not dump anything until notice is given via the feed.

Please don't organise a hard rubbish collection of your own, the council will come to the village twice per year.

Thank you for your co-operation in keeping our Ecovillage neat and tidy.

Bridget O'Donnell

This past weekend, ABC TV’s Gardening Australia featured a segment on our urban sister ecovillage at Christie walk. If you are interested, you can watch it on your computer.

Go to Catchup on iView at: http://www.abc.net.au/iview/ or download a videocast from
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/video/download.htm  

If you would prefer a print version, find the Gardening Australia Fact Sheet at:
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2707831.htm

[Thanks to Vanda R and Tricia O’D for the links.]

Last week in the feed I wrote about the Hart Rd wetland and there has been a query about my statement that it would dry up over summer.  Roughly 60% of the wetland is designed to  be ephemeral (seasonally dry) with some pools of 1 - 2 m deep that remained last summer.  I have ATTACHED an aerial photo from last February, and a consultation plan map that shows photos of the different habitats that will develop over time. [NOTE THAT THE MAP IS A LARGE FILE - 4MB] 


 
Wetland layout consultation plan [LARGE FILE - 4MB]

Last year the wetland was only receiving stormwater run-off from the Bayswood Estate, although this is still a large area at around 80 hectares so it only takes a couple of light showers to pool water in the ponds.  The Village is 34 hectares by comparison, including the Farm.  It should have more water in it this summer as Sunday development has since been built which will double the area of hard surfaces to channel the rain into the ponds.  It was intended that the ponds were going to be lined, however when digging they found a layer of clay that was sufficient to hold the water so that the only artificial lining used was higher up the slope to keep water from infiltrating into the topsoil.
 
It is worth mentioning that it is hard to generalise about 'wetlands' as the term is used to describe both naturally occurring water bodies and artificially created drainage and storage systems that differ greatly in their reason for being. Naturally occurring wetlands can range from permanent lakes such as Lake Bonney, to estuarine wetlands in the Onkaparinga River or the ephemeral coastal lagoon of the Aldinga Washpool.  There are 24 different types of naturally occurring wetlands in the SA Wetlands Strategy to give you some idea of the range. 
 
Artificial wetlands are instead constructed with a goal in mind.  They are designed and engineered primarily to either reduce the risk of flooding downstream; to cleanse water and store it - usually for irrigation; or to cleanse water before it is released to the ocean, creek or groundwater. 
 
Cleansing the water can be achieved through using rubbish filters, geotextile fabric, sand & rock layers and/or natural means such as reedbeds.  Creating habitat is usually a significant aim of the project but not the primary reason for construction.  The reason for the wetland dictates the design, and sometimes all of these outcomes are achieved in the same wetland as is the case with Hart Rd. 
 
Jenni McGlennon

Gardening Australia Fact Sheet on Little Raven Wetlands in Melbourne:

In Australia, we are so sensitive to water conservation that we try and save every single drop. At the Chisholm Institute of TAFE in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, they've come up with this tremendous system to not only save the water but clean it also. John explores the wetlands and meets Conservation and Land Management teacher, Jeff Smith. Read more at:
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2688745.htm

[Thanks to Tricia O’Donovan for the link.]

Save water and grow beautiful plants with a clever efficient means of watering: A “Wetpots” system uses as little as 1/2 a litre per emitter pot per week compared to 1 litre every 15 minutes for some "efficient" drip irrigation systems. Wetpots can be used for all types of gardens, small to large - flowers, vegetables, pot plants, planter boxes and for establishing trees. Not cheap, so probably best for small intensive gardens. Read more at:
http://www.wetpots.com/

There is a "significant risk" that global production of conventional oil could "peak" and decline by 2020, a report has warned. The UK Energy Research Centre study says there is a consensus that the era of cheap oil is at an end. Read more at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8296096.stm

A scary message from the past: Researchers have used ocean sediments to plot CO2 levels back 20 million years. The CO2 levels commonly regarded as adequate to tackle climate change were associated in the past with sea levels 25-40m (80-130 ft) higher than today. Read more at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8299426.stm

Children can 'imagine away' pain! Abdominal pain with no identifiable cause is common in children. However, children can be taught to use their imagination to tackle frequent bouts of stomach pain, research shows. A relaxation-type CD, asking children to imagine themselves in scenarios like floating on a cloud led to dramatic improvements in abdominal pain. The US researchers said the technique worked particularly well in children as they have such fertile imaginations. Read more at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8299719.stm

Oh no! A web mail scam that propagates itself: The industry-wide phishing scam that has affected popular web mail services such as Hotmail and GMail, is spreading, according to experts such as Security firm Websense. This is because infected accounts are sending personalised e-mails to contacts suggesting shopping sites, which are in fact fakes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8294714.stm

[Thanks to John H and Tony G for the links.]

Beautiful baby girl!!!

Gracie Summer was born 19:42 Tuesday 6 October 2009.  All doing well and home now.  She is feeding well. Jodie is happy and healthy.  Gracie was born in the water, which she was always bound to be after helping Jodie swim to Rottnest earlier this year.

Gracie weighs 3.5kg or almost 8 pounds and is 52cm long.  She was born with a very full head of hair - just like her mum.

The frame of our home at 13 Clematis Walk (Lot 95) has started going up, so hopefully Gracie will get to enjoy part of her first Summer in the village.

Jodie, Beau & Gracie Summer

There has been discussion in the village and it has been agreed that the Village needs more shade trees.

If any spots have been identified and trees chosen please let the NEC know by the next meeting - Wednesday 21 October so they can be approved, as planting time for this year is fast running out.

Jenny McGlennon has done a lot of work on the subject and lists of suitable plants and trees are available on the AAEV website. See for example:
http://www.aaev.net/management/nec/native_plants/index.html

Jill Wilson - for NEC

Hallo all,

You’ve (hopefully) signed the petition, now it’s time to lobby directly!

The Legislative Council will vote on the Willunga Basin Protection Bill (no 63) next Wednesday 14 October 2009. The Liberal Party will support the bill. So will Family First. Labor is against it.

So these are the people to lobby, send an email to encouraging them to support the bill etc etc: (The Independents and smaller parties have the balance of power in this vote):

Hon Ann Bressington, Independent Member, Legislative Council
Ann.Bressington@parliament.sa.gov.au

Hon John Darley, Independent Member, Legislative Council
john.darley@parliament.sa.gov.au

Hon Mark Parnell Greens SA, Member, Legislative Council
parnell@parliament.sa.gov.au

Hon David Winderlich, Democrats, Member, Legislative Council
David.Winderlich@parliament.sa.gov.au

Suggest you say something along the lines of:

“The various agricultural, horticultural, environmental, tourism, heritage, landscape, community and other assets of the region bounded by the Onkaparinga River Riparian Zone, the Adelaide Hills Escarpment, Sellicks Beach and the sea - and otherwise known as the Willunga Basin - require legislative protection and I/we therefore encourage you to support the Willunga Basin Protection Bill with your vote.”

If the Legislative Council supports the Bill, that sends a strong message to the government that the community wants legislative protection for the Basin.

Stephanie Johnston (Lot 144), Spokesperson for the Southern Community Coalition

ATTACHED is the latest (October) issue of “Ecovillage Musings”, the newsletter from the Ecovillage Research Group Inc. (ERG), a not for profit Incorporated Association located within Crystal Waters Ecovillage, South East Queensland.
ERG Vol 6 October 09

Wow! The Village Knitters and Wool Artists thought we were working on three baby rugs - but we are actually working on four! Isn’t it exciting to have so many young families in our Village - and nice to know we have such a nice tradition going. (See some pics ATTACHED).

More knitted, crocheted, and felted squares please - 15 cm x 15 cm. Here’s a great chance to use up all those odd balls of wool and synthetic yarn.

We could do with some more acrylic squares as one of the rugs will be intentionally in synthetic yarns.

You can bring squares along to

Knitting Group THIS Wednesday 7 October at Julie’s place, 4 Hakea Walk

Or, you can drop them off with Julie T (4 Hakea), Jill W (7 Grevillea), or Elizabeth H (14 Hakea).
AAEV Baby Rugs

I'm pretty sure we have quandong moth (Paraepermenia santaliella) in our small quandong orchard between Hakea Walk and Yacca Way.  The moth larvae burrow around in the fruit, in the layer of flesh next to the kernel, leaving brownish-black tracks.  We found that quite a few of the fruit that ripened early had this problem.

This moth is a serious problem in quandong production:  (a)  Fruit is poor quality, and  (b) the only known control is chemical.  

Can I suggest that we practice good orchard hygiene as a start in trying to control this problem, otherwise it will probably get worse next season.

1. We should pick up the fruit & kernels that have fallen to the ground under the trees and dispose of them off-site (or burn, but not into the compost).
2. The scraps from fruit that has been taken to home kitchens should be put in the garbage to go off site, not into compost.

Kaye Ferguson in Adelaide (SARDI) did a study on this moth a few years ago. Some of the results of her research are available at:
http://www.sardi.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/91621/quandong.pdf

Maarten Ryder - 8557 6046 or email

Garden getting out of hand? Need help? Here’s an answer:

Is this the future of short-haul air travel – planes filled to the point of standing room only?
 
The picture shows a proposed concept sketch for vertical “seats” in Ryanair planes. Boeing has been asked to provide the stand-up “seating” design that would allow passengers a 50% discount on conventional fares. It’s not such a radical move, either – the Chinese are almost there with a bar-stool type seat already in use by Spring Airlines.

[Thanks to John H for translating from the Dutch language news.]

The “bionic ear” was an amazing breakthrough for the deaf. Now there might be a new technology in the pipeline that allows blind people to see with their tongue! See:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,26016956-5014239,00.html

For babies suffering the dangers of oxygen starvation at birth, there is a new simple breakthrough that could prevent brain damage. See:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8283738.stm

In Holland, it seems, Camel’s milk is the latest agricultural novelty. Watch a short video of the first commercial camel milk production farm at the following link. (Note you will need to endure a short commercial video first!)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8287540.stm

And here’s a very different map of Australia - based on population numbers:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46477000/jpg/_46477189_australia.jpg

[Thanks to John H for the links.]

A bunch of keys attached to a pink clip has been lost in the Village. If you find them, please return them via the Secretary by placing them in the green Community Corporation mailbox near the noticeboard. Thanks for your help.

The Village is really growing now! Here’s the result of a quick census through the Village Directory at the beginning of our new planning year:

Number of Residents at 30/9/09:

Stages 1&2 -- 75 adults plus 34 children (under 18)
Stage 3 -- 25 adults plus 4 children

Total -- 100 adults plus 38 Children = 138 total residents

Additional Residents likely in the near future (e.g., six months), based on 14 detached homes and 24 Cottages now under construction:

Stages 1&2 -- 23 adults plus 11 children
Stage 3 -- 2 adults plus 2 children
Cottages -- 29 adults plus 4 children

Total -- 54 adults plus 17 children = 71 additional persons

The figures will be pretty close but are not guaranteed 100% accurate since the directory is an evolving list that changes frequently as people send in new details.

Elizabeth H.

Did you know that there is a huge wetland system only 5 minutes drive away from the village? 

It is on the corner of Rowley Rd and Hart Rd at Aldinga Beach and it captures stormwater run-off from both the Bayswood and Sunday estates - a 180 hectare area.  It has only just been planted so it will be great to watch it transform over the next few years. 

It is a great time to visit right now because it is full of water and if you walk into the Scrub which is right next door you will see huge ponds that have not been full for 20 years.  This is attracting a lot of wildlife including loads of kangaroos and there have also been sightings of a rare bird - the Painted Snipe. 

Apart from replenishing the Scrub, the water is being injected into the aquifer in winter to be used on local parks in the summer.  The wetland will dry up naturally over the summer months. 

Dogs have been banned from the area in response to community concerns about migratory birds. 
 
Jenni McGlennon - Strategic Planner Environment Sustainability - www.onkaparingacity.com

Forget “nanotechnology” (the art of molecular-scale manipulation). NannaTechnology is the future we want to see!

This future will look a bit like it did for our Nannas - a future of healthy, resilient and creative individuals and communities. A society positively and proactively responding to challenges. Blending the good bits from the past with the good bits from the future. To create a hybrid philosophy, focussed on simple individual actions creating healthy people and a healthy environment ... ... See: http://nannatechnology.com.au/

'Forty-five nations face a population “bust” that has some leaders wringing their hands. They worry about the costs of supporting an aging society and the loss of national and economic power.’ Australian leaders seem to believe a population boom will cure the problem, but what they are advocating is really just “Ponzi Demography”! See:
http://opaleye.blogspot.com/2009/09/ponzi-demography.html

If you are interested in learning more about how climate change is proceeding, and how peoples around the world are beginning to adopt strategies for adaptation, you might like to check out the Google Climate Change Tours. See the introductory video clip narrated by Al Gore at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ygf-puKm0