High School is doing its bit for the Glossies
Sunshine Beach State High School Relieving Principal, Grant Williams has quickly become a good friend to the local Glossy Black Cockatoos. As it happens ‘Glossy Team Sunrise’ activists Desiré Gralton, Bettina Walter and myself all have daughters at SBSHS and we are also all active members of the P&C. Earlier this year Grant Williams joined SBSHS as acting principal and we brought him quickly up to speed re the dire Glossy situation. Grant responded swiftly with offers of help. He and the grounds officer are working with us to protect all Glossy habitat and where possible add to it. We are also connecting with the wider community – bush care groups and of course ‘Glossy’ Bob Carey. Phil Moran from Noosa & District Landcare offered support through providing plants and advice. We are hoping to raise awareness and involve students, parents, teachers, staff and neighbours in a little ‘Planting’ event before spring.
It is clearly so worth to fight for our iconic birds. Vulnerable Glossies have been seen for many years drinking in the small puddles of water in the school carparks in the afternoons, as well as flying overhead during the day and feeding on the cones from the school’s Casuarina trees.
Work on the building of the welcomed new Music Block in the school has obviously caused disturbance to some feeding areas within the school grounds. For example the movement and accumulation of mulch from the work has the potential to hinder the growth of the new trees that the Glossies rely upon.
However the Principal is already thinking about ways to ensure that any areas within the school that might be affected by the building site work is cleared again and restored to a healthy level of the right vegetation, to ensure that the hungry Glossies will still have a chance of returning to these trees.
Land at the back of the High School, closer to the Noosa Aquatic Centre, will be hopefully planted out with Allocasuarina littoralis (Black she-oak) for the friendly birds. Possibly with the assistance of supportive parents and friends of the High School such as local Glossy Black Cockatoo expert Bob Carey.
Grant Williams is even considering how land and open space adjoining the school grounds, for instance in the gully in an area of nearby local Council drainage, may also be revegetated with more of the trees that the Glossies so love and need.
All of this effort by the School Principal is very much welcomed and urgent in light of the imminent land clearing to be carried out by Blue Care in order to build a new nursing home and retirement complex neighbouring the school in Sunrise Beach.
It’s not too late – Blue Care could still show they care
It has been very disappointing to learn that the work on the Blue Care development, while planned to go ahead in at least two separate stages, will commence with the clearing of all of the native vegetation on the Glossy Black Cockatoos feeding site.
“Stage One” of this development includes the area of land bordered by Sunshine Beach High School, Sunrise Beach Shops and the Uniting Church. This area contains the greatest number of feed trees on the Blue Care site. It is next to the small water course where the birds fly down of an evening for their sunset drinks. It is also where the locals from the church take great delight in watching the antics of the birds from their back windows.
The final stage of this development, even though it is to be completely clear-felled at the start, will apparently only be built upon if there is sufficient “sales take up” for the retirement units. This raises the possibility of the Glossies losing their feed trees in this area for ultimately no reason. Surely not? If there is any leeway for Blue Care in where the buildings may or may not be eventually built, then surely the small section of land next to Sunshine Beach High, where the cockatoos most love feeding and drinking and where all the people and children most love watching them, could be saved from clear-felling. Even for a while?
It is not too late to save this particular area from destruction. A quite small piece of land for Blue Care, but of very big importance to the Glossies and their friends.
Thank you Siobhan, for your elegant contribution. Conor Neville,of Noosa Council, is involved in the Blue Care offset planting,and is looking at local areas,close to the school and shops, to do this,as well as the main offset site. Perhaps the school can engage with Conor, who is conversant with project,and a collaboration can evolve.