Table of Contents:

• Bushcare Information
• Glenthorne History Book, 2nd Edition
• Queens Plaque to be un-veiled
• New Community Grassland website
• 2024 National Landscapes Architecture Awards 
• H5 Avian Bird Flu
• Recent Events Report
• Tours of Glenthorne
• Native Plant Nursery
• Majors Road Update
• SA Draft Biodiversity Bill
• Tree Wilding - Jake Robinson 
• Tours of the Tonsley Innovation District
• Acknowledgement of Country

Glenthorne is an ideal place to research nature.

"Research is formulised curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose" - Zora Neale Hurston

This Saturday (tomorrow), (8/2/2025) is the Second Bushcare Day for February, and our next Friends Bushcare Day.  Sorry for this late notice (it is difficult to get good help these days!!!!)

We will be working at the Queen's Pod, in order to prepare for the up-coming Queen's Plaque unveiling (see below).  This Pod has been neglected for a while. We will be slashing, and moving logs, and sprucing the area up for this special event. (We hope you can come to it)

We will meet at Carpark One (Behind the Shearing Shed). To get there, follow the Park Road down from the Ranger’s Station, then turn right into Carpark 1.

If you need any help finding us, then please ring one of the following.

Martin:  0403 804 306
Alan:     0411 595 910
Bob:     0419 408 851

Bushcare Mailing List

If you want to receive irregular Bushcare Notifications, subscribe to our BushCarers E-Mailing List. To do this, just send an email to BushCarers-Join@FriendsOfGlenthorne.org.au

Bushcare Events at Glenthorne NP-IY:

• Each Wednesday at 9am
• 1st  Sunday 
  (Note: We are proposing to move this to the First Saturday. See next eNewsletter for any changes)
  
  • 10-4pm  Bush Care (Pods 24 & 29 Grid M6 &M7)
  • 9am-12noon Community Grassland Project (Grid I7)
• 2nd Saturday 10-4pm (Second Reveg Grid:J7-J10)
• 3rd Sunday 10-4pm (Native Grass Compound Grid K6)

At RDA (Riding for Disabled) 

• 4th Saturday:   9-12pm  (RDA Front Garden) Volunteers from the Riding For Disabled will be joining us for these Bush Care days at RDA.

Always be mindful of the forecast weather and our Hot Weather Policy.  If the forecasted temperature is 34 degrees or higher, the Bushcare Day is cancelled. If you are unwell, please do the right thing and stay at home.

Bushcare: It’s not Rocket Science, it’s much more difficult than that.

The much awaited Second Edition of our history book, "Glenthorne - A definite history, an indefinite politics" was launched on Sunday 21 July, 2024.

Cost: $35.00
Postage: $15.00

If you would like to purchase your own copy of this book, then please reply to this email.

On Fri 21 March, 2024, at 3-4pm, The Minister for Environment and Water, Ms. Susan Close, will unveil the Queens Plaque.

Our Community Grassland Project, initiated by Dr. Max McQuillan has its own website. See it at https://www.glenthornegrassland.com

Many thanks to Margaret Lee for forwarding to us the notice of this award.

Award for Excellence for Play Spaces Glenthorne National Park - Ityamaiitpinna Yarta Nature Playground

• TCL with Karl Winda Telfer and Tikana Telfer.
• Aboriginal Nation: Kaurna.
• Location: O'Halloran Hill.
• Client: Department for Environment and Water, City of Marion and Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation.

Jury Comment:

Glenthorne National Park - Ityamaiitpinna Yarta Nature Playground is a creative and truly inclusive playground that educates children on conservation, history and culture throught interactive play.

The site-responsive design features structures for adventure accessible equipment and natural materials, fostering imaginative play and engagement from the community.  

The park features six Kuri Kurra figures walking on country in conversation with the creek that bring a strong and quite presence to the space. Genuine nature-based play has been achieved here not only through the use of natural materials but by offering visitors opportunities to be immersed in the natural environment.

The project represents a significant step forward for environmental restoration and cultural education making it a unique asset for Southern Adelaide.  

It enables children of all ages and abilities to interact with the environment in an open and imaginative way - it is a place where real adventures can come to life.

Dr. Carolyn Schults has alerted us to the H5 Avian Bird Flu threat, from "Friends of Parks".  In a letter it states:

You may have heard recent news about H5 avian influenza (bird flu). Australia remains the only continent free of this highly contagious and serious strain currently circulating worldwide.

However, should it arrive, it is expected to have significant effects on native wildlife, including threatened and abundant species, poultry, agriculture and the economy.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) has prepared the attached factsheet and poster outlining what to do if you encounter sick or dead birds in South Australia.  For more information about bird flu, visit: https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/h5-avian-influenza-bird-flu

The past month has been rather busy.

• Slashing around the Charlotte Tree area.
• Weeding an Watering around the Munitions Hut plantings.
• Seed Collecting.
• Drilling 'n Filling Olives near the Glass House ruins.

David Speirs is still offering Tours of Glenthorne, covering the Past, Present, and Future of the Park.

David would love to see you.

To register for a tour, either

• Click this link , or
• Point your phone camera to the QR Code below, and then go to the link the QR code identifies.

As you may know, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) are setting up a Propagation Nursery for us on the "Riding for Disabled" site.

This nursery will be propagating the thousands of plants needed for Glenthorne National Park, and for the Off-set planting of the Majors Road On/Off Ramps to the Southern Expressway. 

We are super-exited about this, since it will give you a very different and enjoyable volunteer experience.  The aim is to focus on the smaller plants of the Grey Box Community, such as daisies, saltbushes, ground-covers and lilies, which are so important for our native birds and insects.

We will be propagation by seeds, and by cuttings. If you are interested in being involved in this, then please reply to this email, to provide an expression of interest. 

We will keep you informed of the progress of this.

For any further information regarding updates for Majors Road please visit the DIT website.

https://DIT.sa.gov.au/majorsinterchange

A draft Biodiversity Bill to better protect animals, plants, fungi and algae, and to build resilience to the effects of climate change, is now out for public feedback.

So now's your chance to help shape this important legislation. https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/draft-biodiversity-bill

Jake Robinson gave a talk at Trees for Life, (Noarlunga Group see https://treesforlife.org.au/community-groups) on Tree Wilding.

Did you know that a typical tree, one that weighs 5 tonnes, has 6.1 trillion living cells?  Or that only 1% of that tree is actually living cells?

Did you know that about half of all the bacteria alive now in the whole world, will, in the next 48 hours, be killed by Virus Phages?

Jake is doing a Bike Ride to raise funds for Trees for Life and The Forktree Project

If you wish, you can donate to this cause at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-trails-for-trees-challenge

See Jake's website at: http://jakemrobinson.com

The old Mitsubishi factory, at Tonsley, is now known as the "Tonsley Innovation District".  A lot has been going on there in the last few years. But, did you know that there are monthly tours of this district.

Free Tours are hosted by the City of Marion, on the first Thursday of each month at 11 am and take approximately one hour. 

For all the information you'll need, see https://tonsley.com.au/events/tonsley-innovation-district-walking-tours/

The Friends of Glenthorne acknowledge that Glenthorne National Park - Ityamaiitpinna Yarta is part of the traditional lands of the Kaurna people and we respect them and appreciate their innate and spiritual connection with the land and waters of Glenthorne.

We aspire to work alongside them in taking care of this land and community to restore Glenthorne to be once again, a healthy native habitat.