Tilligerry Habitat Association
Page: 7156
Mr BARTLETT (Port Stephens) [5.38 p.m.]: I refer to the Tilligerry Habitat Association and its success in looking after the habitat over the past few years. The association was formed in 1993 and looks after an area of just under 15 hectares on the foreshores of Port Stephens between Tanilba and Mallabula. Since 1993, $246,000 of Federal, State and local funding from a variety of sources has been used on projects on these sites. That funding was either in the form of grants or materials. A further $15,000 has been provided by non-government sources, local volunteers and the community. Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into projects in the Tilligerry habitat; it is an amazing local community venture.
The site is being restored after the damage caused by mineral extraction some 30 years ago. It has a large diversity of fauna and flora, with delightful existing and evolving sectors coming into play. Unfortunately, I have only the time to deal with two of the projects among many in the Tilligerry habitat. The first is the Straw Bale House construction and the second is the naming project, which was held on 18 May. Throughout the project, ownership by the community of the Tilligerry habitat has been central to the goals of the association. The Straw Bale House consists of bales placed between two timber plates, held together by strands of wire that are tightened to give the top plate a level sufficient to allow for the placement of the roofing timbers. Bird wire is then spread over the walls externally and internally, and they are then cement plastered with an earthen red ochre. The effect is quite outstanding. The wall is the width of a straw bale. The construction is cool in summer and warm in winter with the help of a little heating. It has become the storage area for other projects on the Tilligerry habitat.
The name-giving competition was designed to involve the communities in the habitat, give ownership of the habitat to the community, decrease vandalism on the site and ensure that more than only the volunteers were looking after the site. More than 375 names were submitted by the 16 entrants for paths, streams, bridges, ponds and vegetation communities on the site. Awards were presented by myself and Councillor Lorraine Yudaeff from the Port Stephens Council. The names were delightful. The youngest entrant was 3½-year-old Brittany Muxlow, who drew a superb koala and collected the family certificate. The most creative entrants were Pat and Dave Tribe, who devised nine winning names. The names were divided into different categories: vegetation, creeks and streams, ponds, major paths, corners, and bridges.
In the vegetation category Koala Kitchen was devised by Kristen Joss; Frogcall and Waterways were devised by Jeannette Fox; and Whispering Forest was devised by Pat and Dave Tribe. In the creeks and streams category Christmas Bill Creek was devised by Kristen Joss. In the ponds category Tadpole Tank and Froglet's Leap were devised by Dita Briers. In the major paths category Duck Quack Track was devised by Indi Ward, Koala Paws Path was devised by Lilly Ward, and Bandicoot Flats was devised by Jeannette Fox. In the corners category Magpie Corner was devised by Ashlee and Dane Peet, Paperbark Pause was devised by Pat and David Tribe, and Koala Corner was devised by Tim, Lee-Anne, Brittany and Nicholas Muxlow as well as Ashlee and Dane Peet. In the bridges category Frog Hollow Bridge was devised by the Cook family; and Serenity was devised by Tiffany Carroll-Macdonald. [Time expired.]
Dr REFSHAUGE (Marrickville—Deputy Premier, Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister for Housing) [5.43 p.m.]: The honourable member for Port Stephens has highlighted the good work done by the Tilligerry Habitat Association and the exciting naming project. I am sure the House is keen to praise those who have done such great work. I am sure the honourable member for Port Stephens will welcome members of this House who visit his electorate to show them the good works of the Tilligerry Habitat Association.