PRESIDENT’S REPORT presented at Friends of Oxley Common’s AGM 6/6/09 by Marion Forrest
Welcome everyone. My name is Marion Forrest, President of Friends of Oxley Common.
We really do appreciate everyone coming out today for our AGM/Speaker & BBQ. Also I need to thank the members of the last management team for their time and effort and dedication to Friends of Oxley Common Inc. Karen Possingham, our treasurer is overseas but will be back in a couple of weeks.
During the last 12 months, Friends of Oxley Common have learnt more about the dreaded aquatic weed Salvinia on Pelican Lagoon. In 2006 we thought we got rid of the salvinia by sending around an aquatic weed harvester boat. This weed however is still coming back covering Pelican Lagoon every now and again BUT is getting less each time. Thank goodness the Works Dept has now taken over responsibility FOR REMOVING THE SALVINIA. That, to us, is a really good outcome. At this point in time, I believe it was the effluence, emptied into the Lagoon from the DPI Piggery situated where the Sunday Markets some 20 or 30 years ago which probably made the lagoon nutrient rich and caused the problematic weed to thrive. Nature is marvelous, isn’t it, as it does understand things even if us humans do not and it nature sure knows how to respond to mismanagement.
Now we probably have been consumed far too long with the Government sale of the high land up there for a cheap price as it was zoned for community purposes. Anna Blight did not know it got sold either. As we have been following the events carefully, we realized signs for the BCC’s rezoning process were not erected. However, BCC has just informed us 3 signs were indeed put up on the small side street Martin Taylor Drive and one sign was supposed to have been put up on Sherwood Road. The Martin Taylor Drive signs were erected in the wrong spot. Nobody saw the Sherwood Road sign – not me or anyone else and so we have given the problem back to the BCC by sending in a statutory declaration stating that no sign appeared. The sign on the fence, besides rezoning, was supposed to say The Brisbane Markets wanted to relocate one of the wetlands which they had accidentally filled in prior to BCC approval.
So we are now attempting to take our minds off that problem. In January we ran a workshop to see if there was interest in a Community Farm for the Common. The response was so great we commissioned Julia Desbrosses to write a farm proposal for us. That proposal also took a bit of our time as we needed to consult with as many in the community as we could. We managed to complete the farm proposal in April and it was sent in to the Government via the Works Dept and to The Brisbane City Council via Cr Krista Adams, Chair of the Green Heart City Smart section. No response or feedback has arrived yet – things do take for ever it seems when dealing with these authorities.
However, when talking to MP Julia Attwood a couple of week ends ago, she reported that something was in the process of working itself out – no money but something. What that is, who knows.
A community farm is a vessel to bring about all sorts of community activities on the Common. Have a look at our farm Proposal. It is written in such a way as the farm can grow at the pace the community wants it to grow. We stated we could start by planting fruit trees and native trees in that paddock behind the windmill. I can just see, in my minds eye in 20 years time, a row of trees right up to that gifted house and even around to Pelican Lagoon. The trees would provide great pathways for the birds of Common too. However as we anticipate starting small, we have asked to plant in the unused beds in the EPA Air Monitoring Section FIRST.
Maybe, in the future, we could get a small organic farm going. That might contribute to this part of the city becoming more resilient. I used to talk about sustainability but now with the global financial meltdown, I realize a resilient community is a sustainably community. And I realize lots of communities or regions have become de-skilled and the spark of creativity has nearly gone out. So let’s hope we can rekindle community involvement, get creative and become resilient here on the Common.
So once again we think we have had a very successful year. Land tenure issues did sort of slow us down BUT as I think that will turn around in the next month or so, we will need lots of help soon to run more events and get organized for a brand new future for the COMMON
Once again thank you for coming and thank you for listening. . That is the end of my report.