Friends of Whites Hill Reserve

Luckily the rain stayed away and we were able to remain dry at our regular Bushcare event today. There were 13 of us and we worked down in the creek area near the Jones Rd entrance doing a variety of jobs.
We weeded out Corky passion vine and picked out the Guinea grass popping up amongst our various plantings.
All our plantings, the Shirleyana's and the Junior Bushcare plantings, looked good and we treated them to a good watering.
We cleaned and refilled our fauna drinking stations, of which we now have three, and removed a Climbing Asparagus which we noticed nearby. For this we used our new tool, a Barrel/Grass sickle, which made it really easy to dig out the whole root ball.
To cap it all off we enjoyed a delicious morning tea

What a special morning for our 18 walkers. Beautiful blue skies, rainbow lorikeets, fungi and 12 koalas. A rare treat to see a mum with tiny joey on her back move from one tree to another.
We spotted a grove of special pink nodding orchids (Geodorum densiflorum)
Thanks to everyone for their observations and interest in our special Reserve.

Bushwalk Sunday June 14th - Join us for a stroll through the Reserve and complementary morning tea to follow. We can't guarantee koalas, but it's rare we don't see at least a few. We meet at the children's play ground for 8AM and go for about two hours. Everyone welcome!

Join Griffith MP Renee Coffey tomorrow morning ​for a guided bird walk through Whites Hill Reserve with the wonderful volunteers from BirdLife Australia.

They
’ll be meeting at the White’s Hill playground at 6.45am for a 7am-8am walk.
Afterwards, you can catch up at the Café & Bar on Whites Hill for a coffee and a chat about local issues. Hope to see you there!

We held our fourth Junior Bushcare event this morning and had an excellent turnout. I'm not sure if it was the lovely weather, the nine o'clock start or our spellbinding repartee but 12 junior bushcarers and their parents came along to join us in the creek bed near Jones rd.
We did lots; check on our plantings, plant a few more, service our water stations install a third one, pull out a few weeds, experience the taste of a Davidson's plum (very sour) and take away the taste with another of Phyllis's yummy morning teas.

Quolls - On Tuesday May 19th B4C sponsored a most engaging presentation on Spotted-tailed quolls. Today I see the Invasive Species Council has shared a Sydney Morning Herald story about quolls and the meagre understanding that many Australians have about them. I think the quote from David Attenborough is very telling. Getting involved with a local bushcare or walking group, like those we have at Whites Hill, could be your first step to understanding.

Echidnas - We have had a recent report of echidna seen at the Summit. I came across this interesting video today.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYsrRapSCyv/?igsh=bHEzY2wzYXFxazM2

🦔🌏💀 This Ancient Egg-Laying Mammal Survived Millions of Years… but the Climate Is Changing Fast 😱 Shuffling quietly through the Australian landscape, the echidna searches for ants and termites — relying on bizarre survival adaptations that have existed since the age of early mammals. 🦔 Short-Beaked Echidna: One of the world’s few surviving egg-laying mammals ⚡ Monotreme Evolution: Lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young 🐜 Specialized Insect Hunter: Uses a long sticky tongue to consume ants and termites rapidly 🛡️ Natural Defense System: Sharp spines protect the soft body from predators 👁️ Emergency Escape Strategy: Can dig downward astonishingly fast to anchor into the ground 🌡️ Climate Survival Pressure: Rising temperatures increasingly challenge food availability and habitat stability 🌍 Australia & New Guinea Native: Ancient lineage adapted to harsh and changing environments 💀 Wild Truth: In nature, even species that survived for millions of years must constantly adapt — because rapid environmental change can challenge survival strategies evolved over ancient geological timescales This isn’t just a strange little animal covered in spikes… it’s one of Earth’s oldest surviving mammal lineages still fighting to endure in a warming world. 💬 Which ancient-looking animal do you think is the most fascinating survivor alive today? 👉 Follow @landofpredators for more bizarre, fascinating, and real wildlife stories. 🎥 Australian Wildlife Documentary Footage Credit: DM for credits/removal to the original creator. . . . #wildlife #animals #nature #echidna #fyp

Barrambin / Victoria Park - It's despicable enough that the State government is moving ahead with the building of an Olympic stadium in spite of the many good reasons not, but their alleged instructions to the contractors this morning to 'go ahead' during a press conference is even a new low for them. You can still sign onto their submission before Friday.

PRESS CONFERENCE DISRUPTED BY GIICA ON NATIONAL SORRY DAY

This morning, Elders and community members gathered for a press conference at Victoria Park Barrambin to discuss the protection of Barrambin's sacred springs - the last functioning inner city spring in Brisbane Magandjin.

Instead of showing respect to this democratic process, GIICA chose that exact time to erect temporary fencing works directly behind the media event, creating loud disruption while Elder Gaja Kerry was speaking.

What we know:

- We understand a GIICA representative was on site from early this morning.

- We have been told that contractors were redirected to this location despite GIICA being aware that a press conference was scheduled for 9.15am.

- When workers were asked to pause the noisy work for 10 minutes the lead worker confirmed that the GIICA representative onsite had directed him to continue regardless of the request

That is disgraceful on any day. On National Sorry Day, it is outrageous.

This is not just about fencing. It is about the way this government is treating community voices, First Nations voices and the people standing up to protect Victoria Park Barrambin.

The message could not be clearer: they want to fence us out and bulldoze this through.

We say no.
No to intimidation.
No to silencing the community.
No to trampling human rights.
No to the destruction of Victoria Park Barrambin.

Your voice matters now more than ever. Please sign the community submission today and stand with the Elders to protect this land.

SIGN NOW (CLOSES FRIDAY): https://www.savevictoriapark.com/submission

IMPORTANT NOTE: this submission is different to past petitions you may have signed. If you haven't signed in the last few weeks you likely haven't signed THIS submission. Please check the link above and ensure you have signed this very important motion to stand with Elders.

Regular Sunday Walks Reports - You may have noticed that the Whites Hill folks have been posting fewer reports on our Sunday walks, but not because we don't care. It is because our friend Sharyn Bartlem from our sister group, Save the Koalas and Wallabies of White's Hill, has been doing it for us. Her superior photography skills FAR exceed anything we editors here can produce and we are ever so thankful for Sharyn's contribution. If you agree, drop us a line in the comments!

Solitary Bee Workshop @ Mt Gravatt - Looking to bee-come involved with some amazing pollinators? Then you'll get your chance a week from this Saturday at Mount Gravatt. Grab your spot before it fills up!