Tell us about the Friends of the Lower Field River Project. How did it come about?Five years ago, a group of residents in Adelaide’s southern suburb of Hallett Cove came together to restore a badly degraded river which flowed near their homes in a fairly new part of the suburb. Some neighbours suggested we have a public meeting and anybody who was interested in restoring the river could come along and put their hand up to be involved. I did that and became one of a small group who founded the Friends of the Lower Field River.
How long ago did you finish your Duke of Ed? Are you still involved with the FoLFR?
I finished in 2008 and got my Gold Award in October. I’m still fairly heavily involved in FoLFR and I was down at the river on Saturday at the working bee (which we call Field Work Days). FoLFR is one of my main community commitments and I continue to contribute about ten hours a month to the group, attending the Field Work Day, a monthly committee meeting and doing some admin tasks which we delegate among the active committee (which consists of about ten people).
Have you always been interested in helping out the environment?
Yes – absolutely. I grew up in a farming community in Scotland. My dad always taught us that the land was important and that caring for the land and returning it in the same condition or in a better condition was important for the next generation. When we moved to South Australia I wanted to get involved in my new community and felt that environmental work was an important part of this. When we founded the FoLFR I thought it would just be about pulling rubbish out of the river but it has grown to so much more. We have vegetated a large area of land which slopes down to the sea, moving through various environments including rocky hill faces; sand dunes; the beach; grassy slopes; the fertile river banks and of course the river itself. This has involved removing invasive plant species (such as olive trees) and replacing them with natives. Some of the trees we planted three or four years ago as tiny samplings now tower above our heads. To look back at the difference we have made is pretty cool.
How has the Lower Field River itself changed from when you began the FoLFR?
One of the great things is the restored vegetation. The plants and trees that we have been growing has attracted native insects, birds and animals. There are so many more animals at the river than were living there before and neighbours and community members comment on it. It’s a far more environmentally friendly place which expands through the whole community.
What is happening with the project now?
A lot of our work at the moment is focused on consolidating and maintaining our past work. We have done a lot of large scale work and we are now looking at ways to bring more people into the project, build relationships in the community, establish walking trails and bring more people to the area… getting our community engagement right. Our philosophy is that we make this special place as accessible as possible as the more people exposed to the river and the project, the more people will love and look after it. It’s amazing how it’s worked so well. I don’t think we could have foreseen this five years ago.
How are you going with meeting and achieving your action plan?
Pretty well. It’s a guiding document for us to be able to prioritise our work. It’s something for us to share with the local council and the government. We are on the road to achieving more things than originally set out in the action plan which is great.
What has been a highlight of being involved in this?I think getting to know the community a lot better. It’s been more than just planting trees and doing environmental work, it has bought the community together and has allowed me to meet new people. For somebody new to Australia (back then) that’s a big deal for me.
Has there been any challenging moments? How did you get through them? One key issue was to get funding for the basic work at the beginning. Communication within the community has been a hurdle but necessary for us to build partnerships with development agencies and councils. In our first year there was a major sewage spill up stream following with a power cut at a pumping station. Raw sewage was dumped into the area as a result of this. That was really hard for us because we thought we would lose a lot of the work we had already achieved. We managed to use this to our advantage to promote our group, lift our profile and give us credibility.
What have you learnt from participating in such a big project for your Duke of Ed?
The importance of community and to get to know people you live near. The Friends of the Lower Field River has been a huge community effort. I like to attribute it to the community and a community effort and the different strengths of each person involved.
If a young person was looking at volunteering and starting up a similar project, is there anything you would recommend for them to get started?Start as small as you want, but start. Just make the decision to start and find people on the same page. Teamwork, partnership and finding people who are like-minded are the keys to success. It amazes me that five years later we are still there and 10 times stronger than when we started. Don’t hold back. If you believe in something and want to make a difference just start.
For more information visit the Friends of the Lower Field River website.