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Inaugural THECA Art Show

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Calling all artists with an interest in nature studies!


Here is a way of showcasing your own talents (and possibly making a bit of money!) and giving publicity to THECA’s (The Hut Environmental and Community Association Inc) work. 

The inaugural THECA Art Show will be held on Saturday and Sunday 21-22 October 2017 at the Hut on Fleming Road at Chapel Hill. The theme will be “The Wild and the Beautiful“, Australian native flora and fauna.

There will also be an opening wine and cheese night on Friday 20 October, and a “People’s Choice” prize will also be awarded at the end of the show.
Art work using any media (drawing, watercolour, acrylic, oil, pastel, mixed media) that focuses on our beautiful wildlife, native plants and natural environment will be accepted. The entry fee is $5 per artwork (a maximum of 2 artworks can be submitted per person), and no commission on sales will apply.

Details and a link for online entries, together with conditions of entry (please read carefully!) will appear on the THECA website shortly. Online entries open on the website 17 July 2017 and close on 30 September 2017.

If you have any queries after reading the website material when it becomes available, please contact Christine Zupanc on 3202 9301, or [email protected].

Opportunities to assist the MCCG

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The MCCG is always looking for volunteers to help with the  many tasks we undertake to make a real difference to our local environment. Here are some examples:

Join a Bushcare group

These groups meet regularly to weed and replant mainly along our extensive creek network. Working with Habitat Brisbane, the groups have achieved considerable success in removing threatening weeds and replacing them with native plant species. These sites are being maintained and expanded. This is of great benefit to our local environment, but it requires an ongoing effort. If you are interested in helping your catchment, contact the nominated Section Leader from our list. There are also community led groups at Pacey Rd and along Upper Brookfield Road. 

Help our Creek Health Monitoring Program

This project began in 2011 to measure a variety of health indicators at several sites in the catchment.  It is critical that we know how our waterways shape up and how they are changing in response to land use and most importantly, how we can restore the system to normality. Adrian Webb is the project leader and our Landscape and Water Quality Adviser. Adrian’s contact details are available by clicking here.

Committee positions

These are elected at the AGM in November each year. We welcome any enquiries if you have a desire to get more involved in helping to put our plans into action and to be a more effective catchment group. The current incumbents in the Chairperson and Secretary positions will not be standing for re-election at the next AGM so there will be an immediate opportunity for you to become involved if you are interested.  We know there is plenty of talent and expertise out there.

We welcome any assistance even if you can only help out on one or two days each year. 

For example, our annual Kid`s Day at the Cottage held in June each year is always in need of willing hands. Similarly, our displays at the Brookfield Show in May and the Photography Competition in October require the efforts of many people. 
If you are interested, please contact Warren Hoey on 3878 9123 or via email [email protected] 
or Cathie Mortimer on 3374 1418 or via email [email protected] 
You can also find more opportunities from our “Get involved” page.

What comes up ….

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… must come down! Or so the saying goes!
The Varied Sitella has a remarkable foraging method. It hops HEAD-FIRST down tree branches and trunks to find its prey (insects and spiders living under the bark).

Photo courtesy of Ed Frazer

Open the July version of Jim Butler’s “Feather Fascination” to see an image of the Varied Sittella on its way down a tree, and read more about these beautiful and uniquely-shaped residents of our Catchment.

Guided REPA Walk along Gap Creek – 9 July

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Join Mike Humphreys and others from the Rural Environment Planning Association Inc (REPA) for a morning walk along Gap Creek on Sunday 9 July.

You will be guided through a riparian zone which has been lovingly nurtured for over 15 years by a group of dedicated volunteers supported by Habitat Brisbane.

Come along for a walk with nature and enjoy all they have achieved!

The walk will commence at 10.30am on Brookfield Road, Brookfield, near the tennis courts (UBD 177 C/D2). Bring your own lunch, water and sun protection and wear sensible shoes.

RSVP’s to Jenny Hacker are essential by phone on 3374 1468 or via email on: [email protected]

 

Community Conservation Assistance 2017-18

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Brisbane City Council has announced the opening of its 2017-18 Community Conservation Assistance program (CCA). 
This assistance is available to help deliver on-ground habitat restoration works within priority biodiversity areas that may otherwise be difficult to undertake.


The following groups are eligible to apply:



Applications are now open and will close at midnight on Monday 31 July.
For more information and to submit an application, please visit the Brisbane City Council website.


For help with your project planning please contact your Habitat Brisbane, Creek Catchment or Wildlife Conservation Partnership program officer or phone Council on (07) 3403 8888.

Make a Bee Line to our July Cottage Talk!

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“Stingless Native Bees” is the topic of our Cottage Talk for MCCG members at 10am, Thursday 20th July.

Tony Goodrich will be bringing a working hive and demonstrating the features of native stingless bee-keeping.

For this popular talk, interested members will definitely need to book their place early by contacting our PR Officer, Dale Borgelt at: [email protected]

 

 Native bees
collecting pollen
in the company
of a lone honeybee.
Photo: John Klumpp
 

 

Tracks and Traces …

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The lucky attendees at our public meeting on June 15 were thoroughly entertained by Martin Fingland’s talk on Tracks and Traces of Wildlife. 
Martin showed us plenty of the tell-tale traces of wildlife visitors that we can look out for. 



Two of Martin’s live exhibits did somewhat steal the show.

One was the cranky Channel-billed Cuckoo who was the living owner of one of the feather traces! The bird noisily attacked his arch-enemy Martin, who for 10 years has fed and cared for it since it was a chick. It explains the success of a cuckoo! It never imprints on the host parent regardless of who or what it is.


More quietly appealing were the tiny dunnarts which are quite fierce predators in their own right, together a giant monitor lizard, all shown in the photos below.

And full credit must go to the birders in the audience, who were just great at identifying species from single feathers!

Our sincere thanks to Martin for once again sharing his knowledge and providing such an entertaining presentation!