Replants meetup

We got together last night at Replants to discuss our verge planting.

It was great to see neighbours out by the Bruce’s fire, showing support for the idea  It was also nice to meet a few new people later on when we went for a walk to plan the sites.

I learnt a bit more about grass trees from Bruce. I new they took a long time to grow, but the one’s you can see in his yard are hundreds of years old, predating European settlement. There’s probably some in the metropolitan area that predate any European arrival, including that of The Duyfken or Dirk Hartog!

That makes the stands of them that Bruce is rescuing them from old growth forest. Across the metropolitan area, there are still

The Replants mission statement

swathes of them being bulldozed for residential and industrial developments without any real public concern or understanding.

Anyway, it’s wonderful that we can rescue even a few of them and beautify our street in the process. Some wonderful people have agreed to sponsor the trees, other champions have put their hands up for our foster carer program and we have volunteers for the great plant out.

We’ve selected the sites, about 8 in total.

The verge plant out is scheduled for Saturday 8 September. We’re starting with a breakfast at Replants and, once we’ve finished with all the hard labour, a barbecue by the fire.

I can’t wait!

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Verging Bushland

During one of the recent Ecoburbia film screenings at Replants, Emma got chatting to co-owner Bruce by the firelight and the majestic balga grass trees and with a sense of excitement the idea developed to replant balgas along the avenue.

Bruce was keen to make some balga trees available to residents at cost ($50ea) for planting on the verges. Imagine the avenue spotted with clusters of these iconic beauties!

Bruce is liaising with City of Fremantle Parks and Landscaping and making the neccessary arrangements and we’ve already scoped out a few tasty spots that should looking smashing and talked to the nearby owners to see if they’re willing to get on board.

Bruce has pointed out that they take a lot of looking after for the first 6-9 months so it’s quite a responsibility, particularly with watering them during the long, hot, summer months.

To make it work, I reckon we also need volunteers to help out if any people who  this responsibility go away on holidays, particularly around Christmas. If you don’t have space on your verge, you might like to sponsor a tree! We can easily introduce you to people or take your details if you want to help them flourish on our street.

Before we do anything, we’re having a get-together at Replants from 6pm Tuesday 28 August at Replants. Cuppas are in order for a chat about the plant out and other dreams for our public spaces in the alleyways and verges (whether it’s with grass trees or something more ambitious, like trying to coax the Dockers to move to new training facilities on Wray!)

As for the great planting, it is scheduled to go ahead on Saturday 8 September and you’re invited to be part of beautifying the street. After breaky at Replants, we’ll finish digging shallow holes get dem trees in and have a shared BBQ lunch at Replants.

To make it all happen, helping hands will be needed for:

• watering trees when sponsoring households are away (every couple of days for the first 6-9 months)
• digging holes
• traffic management on planting day
• food preparation
• turning snags and other delights on the BBQ!

Hope to see you there.

Mala Yoga and more films!

Mala Yoga is a new yoga venue on Wray Avenue. Well not that new actually, it has been open for three months.

I enrolled for their beginners course ($90 for 5 sessions), initially run by Gaynor but then taken over by Serge, based on Ashtanga teaching.

To show how beginner I am, I recently got a question at a quiz night wrong that asked what activity you’d typically finish by saying “Namaste”.

Anyway, I really enjoyed their yoga and found their teaching very encouraging and considerate of my poor flexibility. I hope to keep going.

They are also running films, or at least a film, the second venue on the avenue to do so. Later this month, they are showing the film Ashtanga, NY.

I think it’s limited to students of Mala Yoga but if you’re interested in Ashtanga and joining the practice, you could probably contact them if you were keen on seeing it.

Namaste!

More Ecoburbia films this Friday – YERT

Another film comes to Wray Avenue this Friday, again organised by Hulbert Street’s Ecoburbia.

This one is YERT, or Your Environmental Road Trip.

The blurb from Ecoburbia describes it as follows:

An environmental documentary that’s not depressing! 50 states, One year, Zero garbage? Called to action by a planet in crisis, three friends hit the road with hope, humour . . . and all of their trash – to explore America (the good, the bad and weird) in search of breakthrough solutions to humanity’s greatest environmental challenges in this award winning docu-comedy.

As always (during winter), the movie will be shown at Replants (96 Wray Avenue) this Friday (the 17th), starting at 7.15pm. But people are encouraged to drop by from 6.30 to meet others and have a bite to eat. It only costs $5 for the movie, and $10 for a vegetarian meal (OR $15 for both!)

Bring your own beanbags, chairs, pillows, doonas, hot water bottles etc.

Your Environmental Road Trip

‘Wray Avenue Precinct’ Facebook Page

Was on Facebook a week or so ago and stumbled across a Wray Avenue Precinct page.

I have no idea who it is (it’s not me) but is another sign of the vibrancy and unique identity that the avenue and surrounding area has.

More of it I say!