Friends of Gulf St Vincent

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The AGM of the Western Suburbs Friends of Parks group was held on Wednesday, 30 April 2003. at the headquarters of National Parks & Wildlife SA, with Dene Cordes (Manager of NPWSA's Community Liaison Unit) presiding.

Here is a quick summary of the outcomes:

It was resolved that the name of the group be changed to: Friends of Gulf St Vincent (Friends of Parks) and that this name change be submitted to the parent body (which met the following Friday) for ratification, which was expected to be just a formality. This would also enable the existing bank account details to be changed.

The structure of the group was envisaged to include both individual and group memberships (each with a nominal subscription of $5 per annum), on an opt-in basis.

Dene stressed that the NPWS charter covers "Wildlife" as well as National Parks - so local environment groups looking after areas (eg dunes and reefs, etc. outside proclaimed Parks) which contain wildlife (including marine life), can also be FoGSV members.

There are some very important benefits here, including access to State Government-funded Public Liability Insurance for projects which are registered through FoGSV and Friends of Parks. It could also mean better outcomes when applying for grants.

There was a good deal of discussion regarding the aims of the group, and how these could fit under the Friends of Parks framework.

Dene mentioned that there is a Memorandum of Understanding between Friends of Parks and the Government, which rules out party political lobbying, libel, etc - but this still leaves a great deal of scope for issues-based lobbying.

This was an important concern for Pat Harbison, as she is very keen to highlight marine pollution issues through stormwater and wastewater discharges to the marine environment, over-fishing, ballast water issues, etc.

She is also very keen for community groups to provide a combined submission to the proposed Gulf St Vincent Management Plan, which will be open to public comment in the near future, as this is likely to be taken more seriously than submissions by individual groups.

FoGSV could foster greater public awareness of the Gulf and its issues, as well as greater networking among member groups, by: publicising local workdays and other events through a central calendar; organising excursions to particular sites and visits to local groups; encouraging groups to develop their own websites; producing educational resources, etc.

It was also proposed that informal FoGStV meetings could be held in conjunction with the Curry Nights at the Reedbeds Community Centre. These are proving to be quite popular, and the format of having a meal, a guest speaker and the opportunity to socialise in a very relaxed atmosphere is very successful; and there is room to expand on the present attendance numbers. The next Curry Night will be held in October.

We welcome participation, ideas, suggestions, etc. And if you would like to become involved, or go on the mailing list to be informed of events, etc., please contact me at the address below.

For more information, please contact:

Email:   Andrew Winkler
113 North Parade
Torrensville SA 5031
Ph:   8234 1420