S u m m e r N e w s l e t t e rNumber 99, December 2014

Patron: John Landy, AC, MBE

Wollangarra Licola, 3858

Ph 5148 0492

www.wollangarra.org.au

Goodbye & farewellImagine Wollangarra as

a small ship, moored on a remote bend below the Macalister River Gorge. For two years Clare and I have captained this lovely old ship through storms and idyllic days and nights alike, and are now genuinely proud to be handing over the helm of a boat packed with happy passengers and springing fewer leaks! OK, so to be sure there’s still the odd spot of bailing to do in heavy weather, but that’s the least to be expected of a boat clad in second-hand sleepers!

Wollangarra embarks on 2015 with a thriving and diverse community of supporters, united by a determination to support youngsters to spend time in the bush. 25 years after the official opening of the ‘Wollangarra Youth Project’, this support continues to help hundreds of young people gain their first really gutsy and immersive experience of Victoria’s High Country. Importantly, this healthy community base also facilitates some of these young people to keep returning and to keep learning more about the practicalities of conservation and sustainability.

Happily, we are handing on a Wollangarra that is more solid in terms of finances, bookings, and facilities. In the background, yet just as important, Woll has also developed more resilience by embarking on effective forward planning. Many small but often-noted improvements have included popular map-wallpapering, and the functional changes to the wood-shed!

There have been huge steps towards improving water systems, most recently with the installation of robust new tanks with a four-fold increase in storage. Less visibly, the last two years have seen myriad improvements in plumbing lines and fixtures throughout the property. This work has allowed for a hand-basin at the toilets and for a well-watered Propagation shed and

gardens, plus numerous improvements in the fire-defenses including a refill station for the fire-trailer that is a veritable geyser, filling in a fraction of the time!

We’ve also seen impres-sive transformations in the Outdoor Kitchen area, lit-erally from the ground up, with new footings, bear-ers, salvaged floorboards, walls, windows, verandas, mezzanine, roofing, and

stove. The new wash-up area and beautifully paved ve-randas have been proving their functionality for quite some time now. Fences and gates have helped to define the space around it and done their job of keeping the sheep away from the verandas.

Perhaps most satisfying of all has been the opportunity to facilitate a wonderfully supportive, enthusiastic and thoughtful staff culture. Part of this flowed from a new system of having helpers who volunteer for a whole month (in addition to a willingness to host a busy roster of shorter-term helpers) which actually stemmed at first from staff injuries and burnout dramas. The silver lining to injury clouds has been the awesome vibrancy and freshness contributed by a string of brilliant helpers.

At the core of everything has been the two incredibly diverse, hard working, caring, and passionate staff teams that we’ve had the pleasure of sharing our lives with. They’ve all taken huge learnings out into the world, and already we’ve observed them returning to Wollangarra with a sense of pride and love for the place.

We have too many thanks by far to fit in this newsletter – just know that if you are reading this, you’re one of the many to whom we are forever indebted and grateful – together you’ve all kept Woll afloat, and us with it! The past couple of years will surely remain one of the most remarkable journeys of our lives, an indelible experience to treasure forever...

With love & appreciation, Raku Pitt & Clare Easton

9 very tired, happy & relieved Wollangarrans, 19th December 2014

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TOM STAYNERIf you’ve ever shared an evening meal at Woll – and of course there are many thou-sands in that group - you’ll know about ‘Thank-yous’: when everyone present gets to express a little gratitude for someone or something that day. You’ll probably also be familiar with that feeling, after you’ve done ‘Thank-yous’ once or twice, of going about your day thinking of the many things, little and large, for which you might say thank-you over dinner that night: gratitude is never far from your mind. Well, I’ve had a whole year of that and I’ve felt miraculously lucky to have spent it this way. And I’ve never even managed to properly express all the things I’m grateful for in a day, let alone in a whole year! Beyond the habit of a grateful frame of mind, I’ve learned so much: plants and birds, facilitation and daggy jokes, plumbing and poo. I’ve lived and worked a year with some of the best people I’ve ever met, and been welcomed by a humble but incredible community that values the things that matter, and works for them with an inspiring and apparently bottomless generosity. And most importantly, the young people, visiting Woll for the first or fiftieth time, have made me laugh, taught me loads, and kept me feeling young myself. Thank you all, and see you ‘round!

KAREN YOUNGWow – time moves fast when you’re in amongst things. I’m definitely surprised by how fast it’s come to this point. I arrived in July with the plan to help out on staff for 3 months with the possibility to extend. Not long after getting into it I knew (in the bot-tom of my heart and the back of my mind) that I would stay until the end of the year and finish out the programs for 2014. Its been great to finish out the programs but it is also sad to suddenly realise that the last Stage I was actually the last. I’m so glad to be coming back to help out in January because I haven’t finished with Woll yet but, more importantly, I don’t feel that Woll has finished with me. That’s because, while its been a privilege to witness and be involved in the changes that young people have experi-enced while at Woll and out on hike, Wollangarra has had a huge impact on me per-sonally. And that impact is still in progress. Its been a very interesting and jam packed time for sure. At this juncture I would like to say a huge thank you and send out a big hug to everyone in the Woll community who warmly welcomed me, took an interest in my background and what brought me here, showed me kindness and instantly accepted me as a Wolly staff member. It’s appreciated more than you know.

I love being a part of it - I’ll see you again at Woll sometime!!

LAURA HOGANWoll has been another potent example in my experiences that people are at their best when they realise they have other people to look after, and that country is living and deserves our attention everyday. I am so thankful to have landed with this particular group of people for the year and learnt from them, and felt loved by them. I am very grateful to Tom who introduced Wollangarra to me in the first place. I am thankful for past and future staff, for your friendship and the power of shared experience! I have learnt to read landscapes and people with new insight and new reserves of patience and curiosity. I’ve been reminded of the power that comes from listening to one another, and trying new things. I leave with reinvigorated values of community, communica-tion, grins, grubby hands and biceps!

Cheers Woll!

Top to bottom: Tom, Amy, Karen, Laura, Joseph

S t a f f F a r e w e l l s

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AMY NAIVASHAWith any end to a journey with such richness – of bliss filled highs, confronting lows and innate purpose, the departure from Woll is bitter sweet. I feel ready to leave, as Woll inevitably has its limit for the immersion that it demands, however the lifestyle and the work is not something I want to say goodbye to.

To Clare, Raku, JoJo, Toma, Laurs, Juzzy and Kaz, Thank You. For your friendship, your love for the little things, your passion for the bigger things, for moments of quiet, for dancing, laughter and conversation. For working so hard and teaching so much. So many varied parts of each of you will long stay with me.

To the community past and present - Thank You. For your committed support as Woll staff weave in and out of your lives- for milkshakes, homely food and lounge room floors. For your skills, wisdom, and stories.

To the Stage IIIs - Thank You. For reminding me each time we gathered exactly why I made the decision to work at Woll.

To the flying fox - Thank You. For bringing young people, friends and family. For moonlit dances, inducing laughter, intrigue and apprehension, and marking this place with a sense of adventure integral to my existence here.

To the mountains – Thank You. For the stories you hold and those you create. For being full of sunshine, thun-der, clouds and eucalypt haze. For being the best facilitator there is.

I wonder if I will again find a single physical place that facilitates such a diversity of experiences and incidentally has created for me a wealth of work and educator experiences. From afternoons in the garden, hands rough with soil, to Stage III committee meetings with latte in hand. From community events and work weekends rich with family and friends to hail storm adventures in the mountains with young people whom I have come to know, teach and learn from over the last 18 months.

For the next while, I’ll be searching for such places, exploring new avenues for work with young people and com-munity whilst working casually at Timbertop and keeping calm in Melbourne

JOSEPH BIRCKHEADIt has been an amazing year in so many ways. A year that is really hard to sum up though and that I think will take me a while to fully process. It is a year that feels like it has been both long and short: the start of year feels like a distant memory (like it was 3 years ago) and yet it also feels like it has flown by quickly in some ways and at times I still can’t quite believe that it is finishing. I have really enjoyed getting to know the place that is Wol-langarra. This hidden valley on the banks of the Macalister still amazes me with its beauty, its abundant wildlife, and I feel privileged to have called it home for a little while.

Way back when I applied to work at Woll the idea of living and working with a small group people seemed like one of the bigger challenges. In hindsight it was actually a great strength of the year and I feel like I have made some of my best friends through this shared intense experience. Strangely—for a seemingly isolated location—I have met a huge range of people: dozens of helpers from diverse backgrounds, as well as the hundreds of people in the broader woll community. The conversations I’ve had over the year, whether it is talking about politics while stirring the rotaloo or career paths while bottling fruit; have really sustained and inspired me.

I have enjoyed hiking the mountains with young people and all the jokes, trivia, games and views that have been shared over the year. I have loved in particular getting to know the young people that come back to Woll (Stage 2’s and 3’s) and learning about their Wol journey and what keeps them coming back. The ongoing support of the Woll community over the year has been amazing and it is hard to do it justice here. The number of times people have donated things, had us to dinner or helped us out in a multitude of ways is beyond count!

The time us staffies spent together outside of work, whether it was having a snowball fight on mount useful or making poems out of spice names will stick with me forever.

I know this reads a little bit like a good bye, but I will definitely be back to continue my Wollangarra journey and see this amazing place develop into the future.

S t a f f F a r e w e l l s

Between last I wrote and now it’s been a bumper of a time for Stage I courses and other Woll events. In Septem-ber Woll was pleased to have a huge holiday Stage I course of 30 young people with an age span ranging from 12 to 17. This presented leaders with an interesting opportunity to facilitate a program simultaneously appropriate to different ages as well as handling a range of behaviours. The holiday hikers went up to the Wellington High Plains – both groups clambering over Spion Kopje and one group taking in the scenery from the Sentinels and the history of Miller’s Hut amongst the mist. It was great to see that even the young people who came along on their own got something out of the experience:

“... thanks everyone at Woll and all the leaders for leading us and guiding and keeping us safe. I enjoyed getting to the top of the mountains and seeing the beautiful views.”

Grace deKeersmaeker

Following this was a wellington high plains Stage II and Open Day before we kicked into more Stage I programs where the young people had to apply internally through their school in order to be able to come to Woll. First were the very keen all-girls group from Star of the Sea with a guest appearance for the week from Hamish Macrae out on hike. Due to weather the girls took in the sights, history and challenges of the local walk and did so in their stride – despite very different experiences for the two hike groups. A hike of reflective conversations in one group was counterpointed by non-stop high volume singing in the other hike group. Nonetheless a valuable experience seemed to be had by all:

“Today I met the mountains. Once in a life time experience. Chutney and Munchies forever. Never going to leave my memories.”

Mia

“Thanks to the Woll community for making me feel so welcome here. I had so much fun on this camp and the hike, which was also very challenging. I would love to come back and am very sad to leave.”

Hayley

Next we welcomed St Ignatius and Issac Kervin-McDermott (Stage III), who came out to help on hike. With the clearing up of the weather the young people got their hike on up in the high country with one group visit-ing the Sentinels and the other visiting Gables End. With the sun beating down it was a hot experience – which made the isolated patches of snow a delight that quickly made its way into young people’s mouths as a cool treat. A highly reflective and articulate debrief showed that the young people not only met the mountains, but met much more too:

“Thankyou so much for something I never knew I would be able to do. It is incredible to think that there is this ‘other place’ where everything is so calm and at ease and you realise that you don’t need much to be happy. This

has given me the chance to realise that people and communities ARE important. Thankyou so much!!!” Jacqui

“Thanks for such an amazing experience, words cannot describe it. Life changing.” Holly

With the return of slightly wild weather Camberwell blew into Woll with a boy-heavy gender ratio. As the winds continued to blow we arranged for the local walk and after a delay to the start of hike – that involved crosscut sawing, swimming and a short game/exercise based on changing plans, both groups finally set off minus one mountain. As a result both groups ended up at Burgoyne’s Hut on their second night, allowing one group to try a new campsite down on the flat close to the river. With their fellow students so close one group was sorely tempted to play a scare prank on the others.

After a flat week and Woll community work party we welcomed a new school to the Stage I program. The year 8/9 boys and girls from Alia made their own choice to accept the invitation to come to Woll – a big step for a number of them. Out on hike near Mt Howitt the very international group met the mountains they had read about in their studies of Tomorrow, When the War Began, and met them up close. Taking in the sights of the Devil’s Staircase, one group took on the Crosscut Saw while the other made it a good distance towards Hell’s Window. The Alia young people also had the unique opportunity to drink from the Macalister Springs in the

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S t a g e I c o u r s e s . . .

morning and then swim in the Macalister river that same afternoon. Many of these young people had a very valuable experience and for some it was something they had never done:

“Dear Wollangarra, what I have experienced here in this past week cannot be put into words.” Sean Phillips

“Thanks for this camping, I learn a lot form this camping. Its also our first camping. Amazing.” Josephine and Kathy

Next we welcomed the Year 9’s from Koonung for another high country adventure at Bryce’s Gorge. The young people took in the history of Guy’s Hut and spent a good stretch of the middle day down at the bottom of Con-glomerate falls – cooling feet in the chilly water and writing letters to their future selves. Water was a big theme of the hike with the campsite creeks surpassing the fire as the popular hang out and chat spot for the young people while in camp. With a good deal of off-track cross-country walking it was a true ‘in the bush’ experience for all.

“I found the program extremely beneficial to the students with regards to ‘team building’ and extending students understanding of survival type situations… the students appeared to thoroughly enjoy the stories, talks and

riddles.” Kahli (teacher)

To finish the Stage I programs for the year some very young people came to meet the moutains. The year 5/6s from the Steiner school Freshwater Creek came to spend a week with us. An altered program was arranged that included a day of acitivities such as packing day bags for hike, cooking, games, gardening, boot care, nature scavenger hunt, talent show and more. Then they were off on a 2-day 1-night hike where they were dropped off at Burgoyne’s Gap for a walk down to the Hut where camping gear was waiting for them. With plenty of time in camp and river swims included the young people had plenty of time to meet the local mountains and get ac-quainted with camping and nature. The second day saw them conquer the mountain at the back of Burgoyne’s and their small feet carried them all the way up to the Helipad before the long bushy descent back to Woll. Community seemed to be a big theme for this group and the accompanying teacher and parents loved soaking in the Woll vibe:

“…no focus on ‘time’, appreciating self-sufficiency and the lack of electricity etc and still having immensely enjoyable days and nights….thank you for a fabulous time at Wollangarra!”

Eleanor (teacher)

“I will advocate for more children, youth and adults to experience Wollangarra and encourage my family to cul-tivate love of nature, humanity and purpose to fulfill their task in life via deepening their relationship here.”

Dipika (parent)

Here at Wollangarra the staff have had a great time out on hike with Stage I young people. While the young people take away with them beautiful memories from their time meeting the mountains, we as staff will certainly carry many of those shared journeys in our hearts as we have had the opportunity to meet, shake hands with, and get to know, what mountains and community can do for young people when young people come and say ‘hello’. – Karen Young

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. . . m e e t i n g t h e m o u n t a i n s

The warmer and drier conditions of summer have brought a couple of new species to Wollangarra. The high pitched and often repeated ‘Fear Fear Fear Fear’ call of the Brush Cuckoo is now frequently heard both during the day and on warm still nights. Another new arrival is the Rainbow Bee-eater, which stands out due to its striking plumage (green body and golden wings). As their name suggest they eat bees and other flying insects, which they catch on the wing. We often see them in the front paddock, which may also be an ideal nesting area (they require loamy soils for their nesting burrows).

An Olive-backed Orioles nest was spotted in a large fallen yellow box tree, which was just in the process of getting chopped up for posts (but will now be left standing until the orioles leave). The nest is made of wool lined with dry grass and leaves—giving it the appearance of a shaggy beard (see photo). A Willie Wagtail is nesting near the shower block; its tiny cup shaped nest, all but covered by the brooding mother (see photo). A small group of White-winged Choughs moved onto the flat earlier in the spring. Choughs work as a group to help one dominate female raise a clutch of young. Our small group of four Choughs only stayed around long enough to make their distinctive mud nest in the wattle thicket.

The Noisy Friarbirds are still abundant and have congregated on the flowering Silky Oak near the tool shed. They endlessly fight and squabble amongst themselves (and with the occasional Red Wattlebird) over the nectar from the silky oak (see photo, top). The Satin Bowerbirds have continued to entertain—except when they’re raiding food scrap buckets or getting stuck in the hen house! One day while walking to the hen house I heard what I thought was a distant Kookaburra laughing, but quickly realized it was actually a Bowerbird doing a pitch perfect imitation. It then moved onto mimicking the call of the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo and White-throated Tree-creeper before going back to Kookaburra. Such are the joys of watching birds!

–Joseph

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B i r c k h e a d ’ s B i r d l i f e

In late September, leaders and participants were treated to some frigid track-work trips, with a surprise dump of snow! Then in late November, the Skills Week was a heart-warming, relaxed, outrageously successful week of hands-on making and friendliness.

December’s long days were warmer, but still a bit wild. Stage IIs and IIIs experienced some very different sections of the Australian Alps Walk-ing Track, and came back to celebrate their good times and hard work together with Conrad and the River-to-River walkers, plus a few guests.

Local park ranger Wayne Foon attended, and shared his heart-felt thanks for the work of stage IIs, IIIs, and wollangarra staff. He calculat-ed Wollangarra’s 2014 contribution of time and energy as equivalent to 0.9 of a Parks Vic Ranger! We’d like to return the sentiment and thank Wayne (or ‘Fooney’) for hitting the ground running and getting right on board with the Parks-Wollangarra collaboration. His commitment and enthusiasm are dazzling!

Hooray for all the Stage II and III participants too, for giving back a col-lective Ranger, AND so much youthful energy, friendship, mentoring, earnestness and laughter!!! May it continue to grow ...

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S k i l l s W e e k & S t a g e I I s & I I I s

A celebration of Wollangarra; its place, its people, and its mountain surround. This is what we had promised the 220 people who took to the flying fox that Woll’s 25th Anniversary weekend would be. From the moments shared, remarks and conversations had and overheard, this is what manifested.

The wattle forest entrance journeyed visitors through 25 years of Woll history in photos to bring them to the flat, abuzz with a delightful mixture of people, food and activities. The day officially commenced with a Welcome to Country by local Gunai-Kurnai elder, Lisa Giblin. She was in admiration of Wollangarra and its work with young people and remarked on the richness of the flat and the importance of maintaining and teaching a connection to its natural surroundings.

After an initial flurry to bake 500 scones in the early hours of the morning from a team led by the ever reliable Monica Nitz at the homestead, the surrounds of the Outdoor Kitchen became the hub of activity through the day. The Bradys and friends sweated at the centre of half a dozen fire barrels to feed us all. Jack Gilbert, Brian Beasley and Lance Tucker graced us once more with their teaching of rope splicing, wood-working and blacksmithing skills. Bill Bainger and Wayne McCallum shed fleece from sheep in an engaged display that Marion Wheatland once more spun into yarn. The cross cut saw competition was a classic multigenerational, multi hour affair.

Amidst a week of cold rain, we struck a stunningly sunny day that drew the crowds to the river, then led us into a balmy evening. We were graced with sweet tunes atop the tractor-trailer stage from family and friends through the afternoon. This set the scene for a faithful round of moonlit bush dances under the direction of Sal Kimber and her talented ramshackle band. The entire staff team was still awake enough to happily embrace each other’s dance moves to groovy free form jams at the nights end.

The calmness that had emanated across the flat on Saturday eased into Sunday morning as people rose to home-cooked baked-beans, bargain peddle-your-own bike-powered smoothies, penny-farthing lessons from Gilly and bush poetry around the fire-circle.

It was one of those weekends that you could have had five times over and still not had all the conversations you would have liked to. We felt Wollangarra did justice to itself as a strong and functioning community – to give to it, to take from it and to share it proudly. Thank you to all who made the journey across the fox.

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O p e n D a y

Wellington SeptemberFor the September Stage III we headed up to Mount Wellington and Lake Tali Karng. Our group con-sisted of the wonderful Amy and Justin as well as us Stage IIIs; Ya, Isaac, Daniel, Nyree and I. On Mon-day night we shared the flat with a massive group of boisterous Stage Is. The next day we jumped in the troopies and headed up to McFarlanes Saddle with them. We set off across the Wellington High Plains and up Spion Kopje before camping the night with ‘Power’ Ranger Wayne Foon.

The next day we set off down the steep Gillios track towards Lake Tali Karng, snipping branches along the way. After lunch and a freezing swim in the Lake, we started off again up the Echo Point Track not before getting lost trying to find it. It was just as steep coming back up again with some extensive loppering to keep us busy. It was a long day and by the time we reached camp we were exhausted. Dinner was cooked then eaten under the leader’s tarp due to the rain. The next morning we did some early morning yoga, listened to Ya sing and had a laugh before setting off back to the troopies. That night us Stage IIIs and Amy camped across the river, near to Tussocky give the Stage Is some space. This allowed us to go swimming, slack-lining, have some smile inducing campfire chats, and even accidently pull down some trees with our temporary clothesline.

It was my first Stage III and I had blast even with Dan’s constant attempts to use the special stir fry sauce in every meal and Isaac’s reluctance to wear pants. What better way to spend a week, than out in the mountains with an amazing bunch of people.

Art ShowOn November the 1st, Wollangarra’s Stage III held an art show in the Melbourne. With over fifty different pieces, ranging from photography, sketches and paintings, to even poetry and a dramatic monologue, we consid-ered the night to be a success. All these eclectic pieces were tied together under the theme of ‘Mountain Stories’: whether the photos were taken in Victoria’s alpine regions, or in the Scottish Highlands, or if sketches were done in Nepal or the concrete mountains of a metropolis – all were influenced by the natural landscape in some way.

The aim of the art show was for Stage III to give back to the Woll community in some way – for many, the trip out to Wollangarra itself is difficult to juggle with busy life. By running a free show in the city, we hoped see people connect (or reconnect) with Wollangarra’s community in their home territory. It was pleasing to see some old faces, many of whom were looking for an avenue to return to Woll. I hope this comes about in the future.

For this event, Stage III was fortunate to secure a rather excellent venue at the last moment: a studio in the prized, historic Nicholas Building, which is on the corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane in the CBD. Such a convenient location lent itself to attracting curious non-Wollies from the street to check out the show and what we were all about. Ironically, there was artwork of mountains hanging from fishing-line suspended across the room, with Flinders Street Station’s famous façade and other city edifices in the background; Clare wryly pointed out this contrast.

Notably, the aforementioned monologue was performed impromptu by Daniel Brady, telling the life story of old mountain dweller. Moreover, Ellie and Ya performed music during the evening. For some of the artists on display, the event was their first time exhibiting their work; for others it was old hat. Encouragingly, many of the first-timers attracted much acclaim.

A massive thank you to all those who attended our event, whether they be veteran Wollies or passerbys whose curiosity led them upstairs to our exhibition. Thank you to all the other Stage IIIs who assisted in ways small and large to make this show a reality. Thank you to others, who helped with such things as providing a donation of alcohol or supplying a delicious spread of snacks. And, finally, a massive thank you to our prolific Stage III facilitator, Amy, for all the efforts for this event and all the other activities this year.

Lastly, we intend to repeat this event next year given the positive response we received from those in attendance – we hope to see you there!

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S t a g e I I I

Another gloriously sunny weekend, another glorious excuse for a work party! It is both exciting and humbling to experience the diversity of peo-ple who make up this dynamic Wollangarra community; sharing a week-end together working on the property was a real treat, and a definite hand to us Woll staff who have been busy with programs. In small parties we worked to waterproof our incredible canvass tents and boots, top up our outdoor fire stocks and harvest broad beans to make room for more toma-toes in the garden! Much work was continued on the Outdoor Kitchen – with the divider wall completed and a double glazed window installed in the pantry (thank you Ross Nitz!). Conrad McKee donated a big stack of corrugated iron which was a classic fun fox mission to load and unload. We will be installing two new rainwater tanks for the homestead in the near future, so we also prepared that site – picture lots of digging, car-rying buckets of sand up from the river and a few cheeky river swims of

course! The Macalister River was a delightful companion on the hot day, and it felt pretty special to wind down together in the warm evening on its banks before a delicious stir fry dinner and fire chats.

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W o r k P a r t y 8 - 9 t h N o v e m b e r

2 0 1 5 C a l e n d a r D a t e s14th March Locals Lunch & Tomato Saucing Day

30th March - 3 rd Apr i l Stage One Holiday Program – ‘Meet the Mountains’

5th - 10 th Apr i l Stage Two Holiday Program – practical conservation project

Autumn School Hol idays

Alpine Walk – 5 stellar Wollangarra participants, plus 2014 Leader Joseph, and Mitta’s Claire with 5 from there ...One of Wollangarra’s objectives is to allow young people who can’t afford expensive outdoor programs to experience Victoria’s mountains and get involved in looking after them. So, please support our young people as they attempt to sup-port others in the community. Donate today!More info at: www.wollangarra.org.au/alpine-walk

6th-8 th June Woodchop Weekend

29th June - 3 rd July Stage One Holiday Program – ‘Meet the Mountains’

5th-10 th July Stage Two Holiday Program – practical conservation project

Telstra Kids Fund GrantWollangarra was grateful to recieve funds from Telstra in 2014. They helped with vital gear purchases, including a chainsaw that has enabled effective clearing of hiking tracks on the fire-affected Local Walk (as well as helping with a continued secure firewood supply for cooking meals and hike provisions at the homestead.) Extra pairs of boots to better stock the Woll gear store are already being much appreciated by participants as they walk on these freshly cleared tracks!

Have you cleaned out your wardrobe this summer?

Wollangarra would love to receive any old thermals or gloves you no longer want!

If you stumble upon any good deals on hiking boots, thermals or gloves in any op shops think of us!

We would love your help topping up our gear supplies to keep us warm in the high country, and we will send you a prized Wollangarra sticker for your help!

We could not have dreamt up a more ideal day for our Spring Garden Party! The rain in the earlier weeks meant vibrant green grass around the flat, and the sun was shinning on the new fruit blossoms – boughs of pink and white decorating the blue sky. The garden had woken up from its winter slumber, and the early planting in the prop shed meant there were loads of seedlings on the go. We planted tomatoes, and corn, and tucked in all of our beetroot, celery, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, leek, broad bean and brassica plants with plenty of hay mulch after tackling the equally vivacious weeds that had sprung up! There were new visitors to Woll, friends, family and heaps of Stage II and Stage III young people! We finished adding the East wing onto the Outdoor Kitchen verandah! Bush pole debarking, hand mixing cement in wheelbarrows…many beaming grubby grins!

G a r d e n P a r t y

T h e r m a l s C a l l - o u t !

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W i s h l i s t• Pens • Troopie seats

• Good quality head torches • Rechargeable AAA batteries (please no more disposables)

• Netting for the orchards • Star-picket-remover

• Matches • Mittens

• Jockey-wheel for trailer x 2 • Simple stainless pots/billies for campfire cooking

• Star pickets • Neatsfoot oil

• Pillows • Heavy-duty dry-bags for safety gear –10L, 15L, 20L

• Clothes horse • Fleece inner-sheet sleeping-bag liners

If undeliverable, please return to:WollangarraLicola, 3858

Print Post Approved PP 381667/00516

Surface MailPostage Paid Australia

T h a n k - y o u t o …Open Day Donations: Maroubra Eggs, Tinamba Pub, Tinamba Pumps, Briagalong Ice, Andrew King, Harriet Negus, Don & Marg Carey, Gabi Bridge, Vern Graham Store, June Medew, Ian Stapleton, Smith & Moloney Brunswick, Tom Whiley, Merlyn Cantwell, John & Hazel Brady, Tara Brady, Dan Brady, Hargreaves Hill Brewery, Hazeldean Forest Farm, Mandy Young, Deb, Georgia Booth, Jack Gilbert, Lance Tucker, Murray Goulburn

Lisa Giblin from GLaWAC – Welcome to CountryLicola Lions Camp –loan of tables, bowls & pots

Open Day Helpers (before, during and after!):The Nitz familyThe Brady familySara GreenEllie WareNicola WoodwardMichael NaivashaGeorgia BoothMali BoothKate Mirams –promo helpStage Threes –covering costsTom Swann –picking up the PADennis & Peter GinnivanAnneke TopLewis DowiePaul Nichol& all of the awesome Stage Twos & Threes for their tireless help in the lead up & on Open Day!

Open Day Demonstrators:Kevin Beaumont & Peter –horse & cart ridesJack Gilbert –rope splicing

Brady Family –babysitting, watering the garden (!), sour cherry jam, rickshaw love, other home improvementsWayne Foon and Shari – Parks Vic & DSE –Stage II support, maps & casesEva Kerten –boots, seedlings, pencils, help on courseMcCallums –hosting the farewell

Folk Rhythm & Life fundraising stall:Tess MacraeWill FordJodie SteelLucy VardyHamish MacraeGabi BridgeSkermer Family

Skills week mainstays:Jack GilbertBrian BeasleyLance Tucker Mitch Lenehan

Volunteer helpers – Sharon NottJack PickeringSusanna JulianOliver WrightIssac Kervin-McDermottSimon PieterseCandice SmithHamish MacraeJulian WoolhouseMae GodfreyMatt WightJosh TuckerLou KingIndi WilliamsLeo ButlerTom KellyHannah VasiliadesJake Ginnivan

Brian Beasley –bush carpentryLance Tucker & Peter Frost –forgeMarion Wheatland –spinningNeil Barraclough –graftingRalph Barraclough –bee-hive makingBill Bainger –hand-shearingPaul & Christine –cheese-makingDon Dwyer –bush poetry Chris Bates –auctioneering & singingGilly & Emily –smoothy bike

Musicians:James Fahy, Em Connors, Shelby & Owen, Sal Kimber, Becc Wade, Mark ‘Gilly’ Gilligan

Judy & Gavin Hogan –stationary, devil sticks, coffeeJack Garton –printing, awesomenessBob Young –wheelie-bins, plumbingStar of the Sea –fruit-trees, barrowSam Ford –thankyou cards Wayne McCallum –sailingPaul & Jenny Scanlon –generosity Cath Noble –chicken wireSt. Phillips College –rope donationFrank Gordon –donationMaffra St. Vinnies –donated bowlsRichard Stayner –cast iron frypansGlen & Glenda –hay donationsSue Donoghoe, Canberra Boys’ Grammar –bootsWendy & Paul Hogan –star picketsMerryn Shaw –treats for staff Jeremy Beasley –filming Kate, Peter, Angus, Tristan, Daniel –dinner party, the best ever dessert & the bubblegum!Conrad McKee –roofing iron & River-to-River walk inspirationPaul & Chryp –beanies, fixed header tank, other awesome donationsWayne McCallum –sand deliveryMick Gray –tank donation