2020 Chair Report

Chairpersons report AGM 10 November 2020

Compiled by Irene Ghannage

Chairperson

Friends of Geraldton Gardens inc.

It’s been a productive year for FroGGs. We have kicked a couple of large goals and our vision is being realised.

This year we have completed a Demonstration Garden in Maitland Park. The first in a series of gardens in our stage one design. This project received grant funding from the Australian Government. The community participation throughout the installation process of the garden has been outstanding with 29 people attending the planting day and around 40 volunteers participating overall.

A huge thanks to Ray Freeman from Freemans Earthmoving for providing In-kind labour to excavate the planting area and replace the soil ready for irrigation and planting. He and his offsider Derek Lockwood were amazing right up to the placement of the large granite rocks around the border. The Rocks were donated by Bill Parsons from Parson’s Landscaping. We couldn’t have done it without them.

The plants are thriving, apart from a few small ones at the start. It is wonderful to report that there has been NO vandalism or theft of the plants and we even saw some of the everlasting daisies appear, even though they were late for the season.

The Picnic in the Park Launch that was held to celebrate was well attended. The musicians and the food were well received. In attendance we had local MP’s Rob Dines, Natasha Colliver and Lara Dalton. Articles (2) about the event were reported in the Mid-West Times edition in the week following.

We have obtained a further $10K from the Australian Government on behalf of Mid West E-waste to assist them with their project to redirect plastic waste away from landfill. They have invested in a plastic crushing machine with the funds.

FroGGs are currently planning a community event to create the plant labels for the Demo Garden which will be held in early 2021.

We have applied for $130K from State NRM funds and are eagerly awaiting their acceptance of our application. We will receive news of the outcome in the first half of 2021. If successful we can complete Stage one in 2021, If unsuccessful we will attempt to complete the kidney shape part of the design in stage one by attempting to raise $30K. To achieve this we have launched a Go Fund Me campaign on social media, where we have so far raised $800. In conjunction with this we are working on a grant application to Lotterywest for $30K. Bendigo Bank have kindly donated another $2K from their community funding program. Iluka have kindly donated $2k over 3 years towards the creation of the plant labels.

We are in planning and working with the Chapman River Friends to simulate the Chapman River in this next stage of the Gardens, with a selection of plants and landscaping you would find in the Chapman River. Stay tuned for more news on this exciting development.

Froggs has recently launched a website friendsofgeraldtongardens.org.au

Our partnership with the City of Greater Geraldton is becoming stronger. They have been very supportive throughout the establishment of the Demo Garden. We have recently signed a renewal for the Everlasting Partnership agreement for the Wonthella Bushland Reserve.

We had planned a biodiversity burn for the Wonthella Bushland to be carried out by CGG, however the arrival of Covid -19 and its restrictions have impacted the ability to carry out the burn. It is still planned to occur as soon as the season becomes appropriate for burning. A possibility is for March/April 2021.

It was established that the WBR needs a rabbit baiting program and an ongoing weeding program. We are working towards a start on these projects.

We have almost sold out of Friends of Geraldton Gardens t-shirts and people are asking for more. Seems men and children are keen to get theirs- “who woulda thought?” We are also working on a reprint with some extra sizes to cater to those groups. You may also see different styles become available.

We have a good strong committee and membership base and I look forward to 2021 and seeing the Geraldton Botanic Garden GBG and the Friends of Geraldton Gardens FroGGs continue to grow. FroGGs continues to encourage membership as it represents the most meaningful impact on the future of the Geraldton Botanic Garden.