Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Pauline McLeod Awards



Photo courtesy Woolahra Council
The Pauline McLeod Awards are presented to individual and groups of primary school children for an art work, to high school students for a video and to people in the community for their work towards reconciliation.

Photo courtesy Woolahra Council
The award is run by the ERLGATSI forum comprises staff and councillors from Bayside, Wollahra, Waverley, Randwick, City of Sydney and Inner West Council and chaired by Clr Dominic Wy Kanak, Deputy Mayor of Waverly Council.

The awards honour Aunty Pauline McCleod. "Interview with [Aunty] Pauline McLeod, Aboriginal Storyteller — by Helen McKay. Taped in Sydney and published in Feb-March’98 issue of Telling Tales. (Aunty Pauline McLeod is also a storyteller on ABC Television’s PLAYSCHOOL).".... http://www.australianstorytelling.org.au/interviews/pauline-mcleod-nsw-aboriginal-perspective









 


The 2019 Pauline McLeod Awards recognised
  • Zizi Muhammed (Waverley LGA)
  • Uncle John Staines (Inner West LGA)
  • Richard Davis and (Waverley LGA)
  • Aunty Pearl (Waverley LGA) 
Zizi Muhammed receives award

Zizi Muhammed has been working for Waverley Family Day Care as an educator since 1982. She is a champion for Reconciliation and her achievements in embedding Aboriginal perspectives within daily care deserve recognition.

Zizi Muhammed enacts Reconciliation by celebrating Sorry Day, Reconciliation week and NAIDOC Week and she encourages Aboriginal language acquisition skills by using the Wiradjuri digital app. She Acknowledges Country, nourishes oral cultural transmission and shares Dreaming stories.

Uncle John Staines (centre)

Uncle John Staines is a local Aboriginal Elder who works, lives and achieves across the ERLGATSIF region. He has worked within the Redfern community for years.

He also dedicates his time to other Elders in the community that are isolated by voluntarily spending quality time with them over coffee and breakfast at least once a week.


Richard Davis, a Member of the Jewish Community, consistently recognises and Acknowledges Country in his meetings and community engagement. He attends as many Aboriginal NAIDOC and Reconciliation Week activities as he can and, afterwards, communicates the joy and worth of participating in these activities to the wider community.

In that sense, Richard Davis is an important ‘word of mouth’ proponent for quietly achieving Reconciliation in our community. He continually has community ideas for events and recognition of important community heritage in which he is always careful and considerate to plan with a First Nations’ perspective.


Aunty Pearl Martin has been consistent in recognising Indigenous ANZACs, and represents as a local Maori Elder the Indigenous contribution in the ‘NZ’ of ‘ANZAC.’ Aunty Pearl has previously accompanied Uncle Harry Ally of the Indigenous Veterans Committee, and Cr. Dominic WYKanak, to lay a wreath of Remembrance on ANZAC Sunday and Remembrance Day at Waverley Council Park Cenotaph. Aunty Pearl for many years has been integral to the inter-cultural relationships between Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander and Maori Peoples. She is a supporter of her community, local Councils and recognises the local ‘People of The Land
Photo courtesy Woolahra Council


Photo courtesy Woolahra Council


Photo courtesy Woolahra Council




Video Makers Carla Mitchell and Gian-Luca Ambrosino from The Bowen College with Aunty Deborah Lennis (Inner West Council)

 

Friday, May 24, 2019

Rethinking the Urban Forest Conference Notes


Addison Road Community Centre,
24 May 2019

Useful presentations from Council Practitioners and Researchers about the imperative and challenges of Greening our cities and increasing our Tree Canopy.

Melbourne City Council
  • Exceptional Tree Register
  • Urban Forest Fund - strong governance  Community Panel assesses recommendation - matching grants for greening private property-retro greening rather than new developments.
Trees only start producing hollows when they are 60-80 years old and a useful size hollow can take 150 years. So, instead of cutting down an unsafe tree, it was pruned back, poisoned and hollows were carved out to create a "Habitat Tree"

It has been found that Urban Trees are being removed too soon as they take longer to deteriorate than previously thought.

"Habitat Tree"
  • cameras monitored tree
  • kids involved in writing book
  • created hollows in the tree
  • birds nested in Possum Hollow
  • possums did not visit dead tree

"Care for Country"
"Nourishing Terrain"

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction was mentioned as a template for a manual about Urban Forest. 

Oxford Street - 40% dedicated to 28% of commuters.

City of Sydney has 23.5% target for canopy and Inner West Council has 40%.

"Our tree maintenance team strives to ensure the health and longevity of the urban forest to secure ongoing amenity for the residents of North Sydney. The team inspects all street trees approximately every 18 months and carries out any necessary maintenance tasks as they are identified."..North Sydney Urban Tree Strategy.

Perception of trees does not reflect the actual risk 




 Commoning
  • Places
  • Resources
  • Practices
  • Knowledge 

Climate Adapted People Shelter (CAPS).

"Western Sydney is hot and is set to get hotter as green fields make way for new housing developments; exacerbating what scientists call the urban heat island effect".... Turn Down the Heat


Risk to Trees from Heat, Air Quality, Violence

Trees in the LSPS - LEP

Green Walls for filtering pollutants from office spaces and possibly out doors as well.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Amy Large Award Recognising Volunteers

Bronwyn Bancroft 2019 Recipient of Amy Large Award
The Amy Large Volunteer of the Year award honour local resident and much loved volunteer Amy Large, who passed away in 2015. 


Amy was widely known for her long years of service supporting Birchgrove Public School committees, Birchgrove Scorpions Junior Rugby League team, Balmain Town Hall and Back to Balmain Day committees, as well as volunteering for the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Bronwyn Bancroft is the recipient of the 2019 Amy Large Volunteer of the Year Award for her work at the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. Many other volunteers were recognised for their unremunerated contributions to our community. Volunteers from the Exodus Foundation, Community Bushcare Groups, School Bushcare Groups, a Scout Leader, JPs, a young Stop Adani Campaign Leader, Para-Rowers, Newtown Neighbourhood Centre and the Refugee Welcome centre were all recognised. 

nura gunya

Exhibition of Works by Noel Butler


Wada (hello) in the Dhurga language spoken by Yuin Aboriginal People. Nura Gunya (Country Swan)

Noel Butler is an award winning sculptor specialising in wood carving and burning paterns. Noel creates art from logs and tree stumps and also produces artefacts and traditional tools by utilising the natural features that exist in nature.

The works are for sale

The Story of Fire
The exhibition is an Aboriginal Cultural Education initiative by Inner West Council Schools, private groups and early learning groups are encouraged to visit, explore and learn about the culture and stories embedded in the works.

For more information contact joshua.staines@innerwest.nsw.gov.au

Chrissie Cotter Gallery

31A Pidcock St, Camperdown

10am to 4pm - Thursday 23 May 2019
10am to 4pm - Tuesday 28 May 2019
10am to 4pm - Saturday 25 May 2019
10am to 4pm - Thursday 30 May 2019
10am to 4pm - Sunday 26 May 2019
10am to 3pm - Friday 31 May 2019

More about the Chrissie Cotter Gallery at https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/live/living-arts/creative-spaces/galleries

 

Leichhardt Council's Carbon Neutrality


Solar Hotwater and Solar Electricity Generation
"The former Leichhardt Council was the second in NSW to be certified as carbon neutral against the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS). The Council became carbon neutral on 1 July 2012 and achieved carbon neutral certification for the 2012–13 financial year in July 2013." - CARBON NEUTRAL STORIES https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/e0bcd00c-39e3-48ba-8b03-d0f403148cc8/files/case-study-leichhardt-municipal-council.pdf

"Emission reductions


LED Active Lighting
Council’s emissions reduction strategy adopted a carbon abatement hierarchy to guide actions in order of priority, focused on delivering long term best value.


Solar Panels
Learnings..
  • continuous improvement of carbon management framework, systems and processes
  • review data collection on a regular basis and aim to keep a high level of data completeness.
  • engage consultants with a view to developing inhouse capability to calculate its emissions and report against National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS)

LED Lighting
More at CARBON NEUTRAL STORIES https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/e0bcd00c-39e3-48ba-8b03-d0f403148cc8/files/case-study-leichhardt-municipal-council.pdf

NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Ability of local governments to fund infrastructure and services

Councils receive grants from Federal and State Governments as well as Charging Fees (e.g. for School Swimming Carnivals and Domestic Wast...