Friends of Oxley Creek Common

PRESIDENT’S REPORT presented at Friends of Oxley Common’s AGM 22/6/08 by Marion Forrest

 Welcome everyone.  My name is Marion Forrest, President of Friends of Oxley Common.

I would like to give a really big thank you to everyone in attendance hear today.  We really do appreciate your effort to come to our BBQ, AGM & soon a game of fun Petanque.        As well, I would like to give a really big lot of thanks go to the members of the last management team for their first class dedication to Friends of Oxley Common Inc.  All of the past management team do seem to love these inclusive community events which we run together with our attempts at ecological sustainability on the Common.  At this present time in history, with the dysfunctional world  global economy and huge climate change challenges, I have really come to admire the past management teams thinking and input into how Friends of Oxley Common Inc promotes and lobbies for community involvement on this Common.  Without their combined knowledge and help, these community building events, our attempts to plant and nurture trees plus lobbying government & Council would not happen.  So once again thanks to the team.

During the last 12 months, Friends of Oxley Common finalised their Pelican Lagoon Project funds received the previous year from a Federal Government’s Water Grant.  At this point in time we are a bit sad that the dreaded aquatic weed Salvinia has once again covered the lagoon.  However, on the positive side we did manage to get written and recorded very useful information and advice from many university students enrolled in the Qld University’s Environment Restoration Degree Course.  Have a look at their efforts.  What I notice while reading the report on the Water Analysis of the lagoons on the Common, is that the clearing of trees from around the wetlands together with pollutants arriving via the stormwater drainage system both contribute to our Pelican Lagoon problem.  Trees around wetlands act as a sort of filter and that is not happening since the land has been cleared and no one is monitoring the stormwater pollutants.   

It has also been sad for me to see the Government sell off, in August last year, the top 9.7ha of high ground still zoned for Community Purposes without reviewing what the community has been saying or proposing for the past 10 years.  But I can report, Friends of Oxley Common have NOT given up.  We have strategies in place which could return it to the community even if the chances of that are slim.  We need everyone to be vigilant RIGHT NOW & FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS as we have been informed a notice to rezone the land will appear on the fence and the community will get another opportunity to oppose the rezoning  and state once again more market infrastructure is not a preferred option.  We will need letters sent in – every single letter will help the cause and so perhaps you could start thinking what you could put in such a letter now.  I like to look ahead seven generations.  In seven generations time EITHER the community then will be flourishing here and on the top high ground too OR they won’t be able to understand why this generation allowed that 9.7ha to slip out of the Common.  So I do hope I have motivated you to pay attention now and act in due course by watching for a sign on the fence and writing a letter into the Brisbane City Council.

OK now on to something different.  During the last year, a new Qld Government law was passed to allow not for profits with small amounts of cash or assets to elect NOT to be audited.  We come into that category but we considered this option. and did not take it up.  We think, being audited, gives our members more confidence money is being put to the right purposes.  Also we value the advice of our current auditor, and need him on hand when substantial funds do arrive.

Friends of Oxley Common have the intention to develop all sorts of community activities on the Common. We think now a community land trust might be the way to go    Time will tell.

So once again we have had a very successful year.

Now I will hand over to our Treasurer, Karen Possingham to present our audited figures which are to 31/12/07.

Once again thank you for coming and thank you for listening.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
presented at Friends of Oxley Common’s AGM 2/6/07 by Marion Forrest

Welcome everyone.  My name is Marion Forrest, President of Friends of Oxley Common.

I would like to give a really big thank you to everyone in attendance hear today.  We really do appreciate your effort to come to our AGM and our film night.  Also, a really big lot of thanks go to the dedicated members of the last management team all of whom have worked tirelessly for the common good over the whole of last year.  Without them, things just would not happen.

During the last 12 months, Friends of Oxley Common, with funds received from Federal Government’s Water Grant, have concentrated their efforts mainly on the restoration of the Pelican Lagoon area of The Common.  We took on the really big challenge of ridding Pelican Lagoon of the aquatic weed Salvinia which covered the entire surface of the Lagoon for a good few years – and we are succeeding together now with the Department of Public Works.

We are also still taking on another huge challenge as well     by repeatedly stating that the top 11ha of high ground needs to be brought back into the Oxley Creek Common and not sold off to the Brisbane Market Corporation.  That top 11ha of high ground could be used for educational purposes, could showcase sustainability and could act as a hub for community activity.  Well that is what I think could very easily happen.

But now back to Pelican Lagoon  -  we are very pleased indeed with the outcome of moving one fence and erecting another new fence surrounding Pelican Lagoon.    Conservation Volunteers were contracted BY US to do the fencing and also contracted to plant trees and under story plants in this new buffer zone.  The trees are doing fine, in spite of the drought, as the soil is moister in that area than in some other parts of the Common where the ground is even cracking.     It is NOW possible to walk a fair way around the edge of Pelican Lagoon.

Unfortunately, we have just noticed a few of the plants have been EATEN  yes EATEN – chewed right down.  Looking closer we saw some tell tale droppings from SHEEP and spotted bits of wool attached to the barb wire fence close by.  Now we will need to see what can be done to rectify that.  But in spite of the hungry sheep, the tree planting area still looks good.  I would like to encourage you to have a walk around to Pelican Lagoon.  Note the Salvinia seems to be in check for now and you can see all the pink little tags on the new trees and under story plants.        Well it brings joy to my heart seeing some nurturing, at long last, occurring surrounding Pelican Lagoon.

Friends of Oxley Common have the intention to develop all sorts of community activities on the Common.  However, over the last year we successfully ran:- 
– An early morning bird walk with muffins and tea and coffee provided
– Christmas Musical Evening plus BBQ
– Full Moon Frog and Bat Night plus BBQ
– Tree planting Event plus BBQ    YES WE SEEM TO LIKE BBQs
and we have had university students, who are studying environmental restoration, helping us with many tasks some of which were:-
-they conducted water analysis of Pelican Lagoon which has confirmed fairly poor water quality
– they produced a integrated wetland management plan
– and they compiled a field hybarium of plants
HAVE A LOOK  -THESE ARE OVER THERE ON THE TABLE
Also now, thanks to Martin Chadwick’s efforts we now have a WEB site which I hope you have all looked at and found the spectacular birding info and photos supplied by Prof. Hugh Possingham.
All in all, we have had a very successful year.  We have ended with funds in the bank too and so now I will hand over to our Treasurer, Karen Possingham to present our figures.

Once again thank you for coming and thank you for listening.