Landscape Architect and Managing Director of Anembo Consultants, Tim Hindley set a few challenges for the club at our meeting at Ben Bennett Park on Tuesday 24 October. Tim designed the original master plan for the park. The meeting marked the 63rd anniversary of the chartering of the Rotary Club of Caloundra.
The park was originally (1969) a botanical garden. Tim explained how it included varying ecosystems including eucalyptus, heath and rainforest systems.
Go to this page on our website for more history about the park and our club's involvement with it.
For many of our members, this was the first visit to the park and a few went for a short walk to find the tree in the above photo. The sign has deteriorated even further such that the Rotary wheel is almost invisible: the acknowledgment is - "Tree Names By Courtesy of Rotary Club of Caloundra". Moreover, this appears to be the only remaining such sign!
Tim suggested that the club consider the following action:
- Establish a three person committee to engage with Key Stakeholders (such as: Schools & educators, Wildlife groups, sporting groups, heritage groups, ‘first nations’ people, and bushfire groups) to harness their support for Caloundra Rotary to be the peak group representing all with discussions with the Sunshine Coast Council (SCC). Establish a special name and mini charter. Tim would be keen to have some involvement here.
- Arrange a bi-annual meeting with Cr Tim D & Council Officers to review the parks:
- Current maintenance objectives
- Current infrastructure maintenance and enhancement budgets
- Ecological management regimes (fire, weeds, human and pets)
- Review of short term opportunities to do some work on new park infrastructure such as tree signs that might be installed throughout the park
- Once Rotary has their ‘Moral Ownership’ sorted get SCC to undertake a revision of the 1999 master plan (Vital step one done first ensuring Rotary as custodians have a role as ‘Key Stakeholder’ otherwise ‘Others’ in council/community could run away with it all)
- Consider how the lower extremities of the park can be improved and urban encroachment prevented.
- Noise attenuation to the motorway west can be provided for ‘quiet enjoyment’ of the forest
- Consider a website or App for the Park – to entertain and educate
- Develop strategies for management of increased mountain bike use due to pressures from new facility
- Identify key opportunities for expansion of Park
- Establish some exciting goals and commit to long term resources and fundraising
