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Latest News from the Friends

24 September, 2019
Welcome to the October Newsletter with all the latest from the Friends of Kings Park.

Find out about news and upcoming events at the Friends of Kings Park. Highlights include another successful Plant Sale and Festival Address and the upcoming AGM. Not to mention our Book of the Month, a Climate Watch update and a full calendar of events for the rest of 2019!

In this issue

AGM

Mark your diaries for the 2019 AGM, being held on Thursday 17th October 2019 in the Green Room, Education.

Wine and cheese will be served prior to the AGM at 5:30pm.

At the conclusion of the AGM, our guest speaker will be Digby Growns

Game of Clones – New Grevillea Releases ‘This has a much better ending!!’

Digby is the Senior Plant Breeder at Kings Park and Botanic Garden, as well as a talented wood turner and didgeridoo player. He has worked for many years on the development of Australian native plants for horticulture and is responsible for the release of more than 50 new varieties including the Grevillea RSL Spirit of Anzac. He is leading research into new technology developments in plant tissue culture, biotechnology and plant breeding.

Festival Plant Sale

Once again, thank you to everyone who volunteered or supported the plant sale. It was a huge success with the final count bringing attendance numbers to over 2000 people coming through the gates. That’s a lot of happy gardeners!

Our next plant sale will be held on
Sunday 10th November; 9am to 12noon

Keep an eye on your email – roster requests coming soon!

Open Garden – Cypress Farm

Wow! An amazing response to our Cypress Farm Open Garden event which sold out in record time.

Attendees have been emailed with directions to the location. Please email Alex at [email protected] if you have not received your directions.

The event runs from 10 am to noon, starting with a guided tour of Cypress farm, then morning tea after which attendees are free to explore until midday.

Festival Address 2019

The 2019 Festival Address was a great success. Our guest speaker, Neville Marchant, gave an enthralled audience another perspective on how WA native plants came to be, and the extraordinary diversity of our flora. It gave us much food for thought.

Speaking of food,  Zamia Catering was, as always, delicious. Aspects supplied some lovely raffle prizes and a marvellous range of books for sale.

All in all, a wonderful evening.

Eliza, the floral mannequin

Recently a team of volunteers have been hard at work creating a masterpiece for the Festival. They named her Eliza and adorned her with a beautiful dress and headpiece, crafted from our glorious native plants from the Park.

Thanks to Linda Blake (FOKP), Pamela Heath (Guides), Norma Nisbet (Guides), Carol Woodcock (Master Gardeners) and Pippa Moodie (FOKP) for your creative vision!

Eliza can be visited at the VIC until the end of September.

2020 Calendar on sale!

Our ever-popular Wildflower Calendar is on sale featuring a beautiful selection of native flowers and plants. It makes the perfect gift for locals and visitors alike. Our contributors this year include our Office Administrator, Helena Waldmann, well-known wildflower photographer,Beth Baker and Georgie Wilson, Volunteer Guide at Kings Park.

The calendar is available at Aspects of Kings Park – show your Friends membership card in store to receive a 15% discount off the retail price. It is also available through the Friends office, download an order form here or visit the Aspects website to order online.

Don’t forget, proceeds from the sale of the calendar go straight to the Friends, to support important projects within Kings Park.

Make sure you don’t miss out! Last year’s calendar sold faster than we anticipated and a few folk were left disappointed. Support the Friends of Kings Park by purchasing your calendar now!

Book of the Month

Our October Book of the Month is Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe.

‘Dark Emu’ puts forward an argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for precolonial Aboriginal Australians. The evidence insists that Aboriginal people right across the continent were using domesticated plants, sowing, harvesting, irrigating and storing – behaviours inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag. Gerritsen and Gammage in their latest books support this premise but Pascoe takes this further and challenges the hunter-gatherer tag as a convenient lie.

Almost all the evidence comes from the records and diaries of the Australian explorers, impeccable sources.

Find the book online at Aspects

Climate Watch – Bush Trail Walk 21 August

Bush Trail Walk 21 August

We met at the Mia Mia on a sunny but cool day for a walk along the Bushland Trail.  A group of 16 people arrived – some members of the existing climate watch group and a number of new people which was very pleasing. There was a lot of discussion and we all enjoyed the walk and a lot of the plants which we have been watching for months are about to flower.
Thanks Ryan for joining us on the walk and passing on your expert knowledge on the plants which we monitor and also for answering the multitude of questions.
If you would like more information or to participate in future walks which last about an hour please contact us at [email protected].  Apart from the Bushland Nature Trail, there are 3 Climate Watch Trails described on the ClimateWatch website www.climatewatch.org.au  and monitored through the ClimateWatch App which is free to download on to your mobile phone.
Thank you
Serene & Paul
ClimateWatch Coordinators Kings Park
Photos: Paul Bebbington

Group Walk 2nd October

Come and join us on another Climate Watch Group Walk. Enjoy Kings Park in Spring!

Trail:  Forrest Drive (11 plants/trees)
Date/time: Wednesday 2nd October 2019 at 9am (~ 1-1/2 hours)
Meeting Point: Front lawn of Aspects

Don’t forget to download the Climate Watch App on your smartphone. Also Register online at climatewatch.org.au

The number of places is limited, so it is essential to book using the link below. We look forward to seeing you there.

If you have any further questions please send an email to [email protected].

Reserve your place on the Climate Watch Group Walk

Welcome to Botanica Travel

Welcome to Botanica Travel, our newest Corporate Member of the Friends of Kings Park!

Travel into the world’s finest gardens – public & private, natural & created and enjoy unique cultural and historical experiences. Travel with Botanica on a small group tour or cruise to see the world’s best gardens. With over 20 years’ experience and a 70% repeat travel rate, you can relax when you book with Botanica.

2020 Botanically Themed Tours & Cruise Brochure Out Now’
Order your free copy today by visiting www.botanica.travel or call 1300 305 202.

Save the Date

Our Events sub-committee have been busy planning your entertainment for the rest of the year, so mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

  • Thu 17 October – AGM, including guest speaker, Digby Growns on Game of Clones – New Grevillea Releases ‘This has a much better ending!!’

If you’d like to be involved in planning these events and more, get in touch at [email protected]. We’d be delighted to hear from you.

What’s on in October

VMG Dig it with Coffee: Native Gardens Advice
Wednesdays 2 Oct
Between 10 and 11.30 am at Zamia Café
Bookings essential: call the Kings Park Master Gardeners on 9480 3672, email [email protected] or visit Kings Park Events Calendar: Dig it with Coffee

Bushland Carers
October Dates: check the Bushland Carers 2019 Volunteer Program Calendar, under the Volunteering page on our website