Frankston Roundtable Director's
Report 2005–06
If the last calendar year was about establishing our local credibility
then this year has been about putting down roots.
Planning
Critical to our work this year has been the question we asked ourselves as part of our local strategic planning process.
"How can the Frankston Roundtable contribute to the unique role of the biosphere in the local community in the next 12 months, and what are our indicators of success?" was the question posed at our strategic workshop conducted by Bob Edgar in April. The following strategic themes were adopted:
- Communication and education
- Maintaining and increasing our knowledge base
- Maintaining and improving biodiversity (the Southern Brown Bandicoot
project) - Membership and engagement
- Organisational
- Sustainable resource use
Achievements
Key achievements of this year span a number of activities and a number of important milestones as listed below:
Communication and education
- In partnership with the Western Port Greenhouse Alliance and Frankston City Council's environment and communications teams, we conducted our second major event on climate change. It was attended by approximately 330 people. The roundtable extends its thanks to speakers Dr Graeme Pearman, Dr Ian McPhail and Mr Don Kennedy. Our thanks are also extended to our Chair, Rob Gell, who moderated the evening and to biosphere members who assisted on the night, especially Pat Bently, Heinz Reitmeier, Alison Kuiter, James Dooley, Rob Lindsay, Bob Edgar, Lisa Loulier, Libby Anthony and Dan Garlic.
- A number of positive press pieces were placed. Subjects covered were World Environment Day, climate change, the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve and Southern Brown Bandicoots.
- Two supportive adjournment speeches by Cranbourne MP Jude Perera
- Exhibited at Pines Pride Day in partnership with Parks Victoria (Dave Hasnip) and the Friends of the Pines
- Exhibited at Frankston City Council's Visions for our Future event and David Suzuki's event
- Preparation of high quality bandicoot posters and display material
by
Sharron Willoughby and Terry Coates (Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne) - Distribution of our minutes to directors and other roundtable convenors
- Appointment of Alan Hood to oversee our web-based activities once the foundation's web site is established
Maintaining and increasing our knowledge base
The roundtable has identified a need to establish a library to accommodate reference material relating to sustainability and natural resource management and a Southern Brown Bandicoot database.
Maintaining and improving biodiversity
Working in cooperation with the foundation's research committee, much has been achieved by our bandicoot rescue group which has been chaired by Rhys Walkley. Dr Dave Nichols (Chisholm Institute), Dr Terry Coates (Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne), Dave Hasnip and Tim Schneider (Parks Victoria), Steve Llewellyn (Frankston City Council) and Nick Halley (Friends of the Pines), Hans Brunner and El Bruzzese have kept the torch alight regarding the integrity and intent of the Southern Brown Bandicoot research proposal. To their credit, they have fostered a network that now extends across four of the biosphere municipalities. And in this regard, the support of Cardinia Shire Council's alternate director, Ian Stevenson and Frankston City Council's director, Libby Anthony has proven immensely helpful.
Key achievements attributable to the work of this committee and the foundation's research committee are:
- The addition of 120 ha to the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve
- The conduct of a pest animal eradication program (Parks Victoria)
- The mapping of vegetation in the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve (Chisholm)
- Ongoing observations and mapping in Frankston, Casey and Cardinia
- The organisation of a regional seminar to bring together stakeholders from across the biosphere region
- The successful application for a federal Natural Heritage Trust grant ($18,000) to undertake work in the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve
- The preparation of a grant application (Threatened Species Network) to fund research and restoration work in Casey and Cardinia
- The fostering of collaborative relationships with Melbourne Water, a number of community groups, including the Cardinia Environment Coalition, and private landowners
Membership and engagement
We have received the board's permission to begin the process of applying for the extension the biosphere reserve's boundary to stage two, which will encompass all of Frankston. Whilst we are yet to receive Frankston City Council's endorsement of this proposal, we are confident that we will, and this exercise will add considerably to our membership base and its diversity.
In the process of applying for grant funding, we have engaged the Frankston North Community Project Steering Committee, Monterey Secondary College and Scout groups from Karingal and the Pines.
We again participated in the adjudication of the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula business awards. Local company, Australian Arrow, won the Sustainability Category and subsequently went on to win the Golden Banksia Award.
Organisational
As previously stated, in April Bob Edgar facilitated our strategic planning workshop. This workshop has provided us with an operational framework and identified our priorities. Alternate director, Jeff Weir, contributed significantly to these deliberations and went on to draft a strategic statement for the foundation.
Our meeting venue remains the DPI premises in Frankston. We extend
our
thanks to El and Aline Bruzzese for their hospitality and look forward
to working with the newly appointed director of the facility.
I would like to again recognise the strong contribution and support of Frankston City Council and its CEO, Steve Gawler. Frankston's contribution to both the business of the board and our local activities has been outstanding.
The roundtable has welcomed Council's appointment of the Environment Manager, Libby Anthony, as its Director to the biosphere reserve foundation board. Libby's experience with non government organisations has added significantly to our local skills base and that of the board. Libby (as did her predecessor Rachael Weaver) has participated fully in our meetings and events and has committed further in-kind resources to a number of projects. I would also like to thank Frankston's media wizard, Donna Mongan, for her input, advice, but above all, for her enthusiasm for our work.
Sustainable resource use
The roundtable was successful in its application to the Frankston City Council for a Strategic Community Grant to undertake the development Frankston's eco-footprint. This will include a survey involving a number of local secondary schools, which will support our efforts to engage schools and educate children and parents in sustainable resource use.
Conclusion
It important to acknowledge a number of stalwarts who have made the Frankston Roundtable successful in running the operations of the organisation.
Thank you to Alison Kuiter, convenor of the Frankston Roundtable for her tireless work, and the support she has given to the roundtable's director, Jim Kerin. Thank you to Heinz Reitmeier, our treasurer, for diligently maintaining our financial records.
And a special note of appreciation for MP's Greg Hunt and Jude Perera for championing our vision.
But above all, it is our roundtable members and supporters who have delivered on the biosphere purposes who need be thanked.
We look forward to an even bigger and better year in 2007 as we face up to the challenge of toeing the thin green line.