Firstly, a huge congratulations to the ‘Mother of the Park’ Sue Course!
Sue has been honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia for tireless work to establish the Darebin Parklands. Read on for a personal message from Ranger Pete, who has worked alongside Sue for more than 35 years.
As the FDP nears our 50th birthday, this is a timely reminder that the Parklands is the result of many years of advocacy and care by community members, working alongside dedicated rangers, built on the incredible vision of Sue and her cofounders.
Many of you know that FDP is a member-based organisation, where our members play an important role. Your support lends force to our advocacy, supplies effort and energy to care for the park, and gives the volunteer Management Committee a boost.
During last year’s lockdown, the Parklands were a hive of activity – and many people also joined FDP for the first time. We are delighted to see this
growth in our membership – stay tuned for some
new initiatives to connect with us, including a new website!
If you are wondering how you can get involved, please join us at our first get-together of the year – a members-only evening, including a walk with
Ranger Pete and a BBQ dinner. Details below.
If you are keen to get your hands dirty straight away, join our regular planting group – the Thursday Crew meet every Thursday morning to hand weed and plant under the guidance of Ranger Kate. This week, the group will be planting Yam daisies grown by one of the long-time group members.
And if you have been waiting to see the draft Darebin Parklands Management Plan, I’m afraid to say that it’s been delayed further – but we hope to have something to share quite soon.
