Welcome
Project Progress Updates
Park Open for Community Use
The safety fences have been removed, the lights are on in the evenings and the park is open for use by the community.
Take some time to walk along the paths, admire the totems, sit in the yarning circle and contemplate improvements to come: more seating in the grassed areas, plants along the paths, a dry creek bed with an eel trap, the telling of stories and restoration of the banks along the creek.
Unfortunately, with increased access some of the trees have been removed (i.e. stolen!).
Whoever took them, we hope you are caring for them and they will become habitat for wildlife!
Working Bees – July and August
Many thanks to the enthusiastic Rotarians and friends volunteering and determinedly progressing the work at the Park to recreate Aunty Eileen’s painting in the landscape.
The path along the creek has been constructed. Pink gravel now edges the paths.
Weed mat and mulch is applied along the borders to the paths to preserve the area for spring planting.
At the central circle, the low seating is rendered.
Celebration of 85 Years of Rotary in Warragul
On 15 July, a community BBQ was held at Rotary Park to celebrate the Club’s 85th birthday.
Aunty Eileen’s painting, purchased by the Club, will be on permanent loan to the Baw Baw Shire. Arrangements are under way to display the painting in the West Gippsland Arts Centre in the Rotary Gallery for all in the community to enjoy.
Community BBQ Saturday 3 June
About eighty people gathered at the Rotunda in Rotary Park to enjoy fellowship, hear about progress made creating the Indigenous Art Garden and to view the sign acknowledging the grant received from the Queens Jubilee Tree Planting Fund.
The grant was used to establish the mounds representing open woodlands.
Following the BBQ, guests viewed progress on the work to create the garden. Dr Aunty Eileen Harrison invited people to come into the central meeting circle, take a seat and join in the yarning.
May Update
Since the last update in January multiple working bees have been held each month and the difference is astonishing.
Highlights for May include the installation of the carved timber totems and laying of crazy paving on concrete in the inner circle and on some of the pads where the totems are mounted.
April saw the installation of six paths leading to the central meeting circle and the solar bollard lights along each path. Timber stumps to sit on were placed around the inner circle.
Over April six symbolic totems were constructed. Aunty Eileen Harrison design the artwork on the totems with chain saw sculptor Paul Stafford carving designs onto the poles.
In March work continues on the low seating wall around the outside edge of the Yarning Circle. More concrete was poured to extend the pads for each of six totems being carved showing animals of significance to the Kurnai people and the shields of the five Clans of Gippsland.
In addition to these major works, lots of soil and mulch were moved to extend the open woodland areas and to begin creating the garden beds along the paths. The tops of bollards and stumps are painted to protect them from the weather.
January 2023 - Rotarians have been busy at Working Bees on 7 November, 12 December, 16 and 30 January. The indigenous gardens is now starting to take shape with a lot more work to be done in coming months.
At the November working bee, the grassed areas where the paths are to be placed was prepared and the park was tidied up. Unfortunately rain again stopped excavation work and delayed the project.
December saw the trees planted in the open woodland and much watering to sustain them until their roots became established.
Further work in January placed bollards around the trees in the open woodland in the northwest corner of the garden. The trees are well mulched and have healthy new growth. Discussions are underway for an indigenous art project to paint the bollards.
In the central meeting place, half of the low seating wall was built. Concrete pads will soon be poured to complete construction of the second half of the seating.
The safety fencing will soon be dismantled and replaced with fencing around the outside of the new garden area. Construction of paths and trenching for installation of the solar bollard lights can then proceed.
It's a great project with good member involvement and opportunities to look at the progress that is being made.
Friday 21 October - The Rotary Club of Warragul held a barbeque at Rotary Park to celebrate the receipt of $17,000 from the Planting Trees for the Queen’s Jubilee fund that will be used to plant the northwest corner as a woodland area.
In announcing the grant local MP Russell Broadbent said that “We are investing in the dream that is now, and the dream that will be, for generations to come” as he paid tribute to the Rotary Club for its vision and courage in undertaking such an ambitious project.
Planting the first tree in the indigenous garden are (from the left) Cr Peter Kostos, Member for Monash Russell Broadbent, mayor Michael Leaney, artist Dr aunty Eileen Harrison, landscape designer Prue Metcalf and Warragul Rotary president Teresa Mitchell.
3rd June 2022 - The base was excavated and the concrete bases for the central circle were prepared.
Funding for the $120,000 construction of the paths and the central circle is being provided by Baw Baw Shire Council and the Rotary Club of Warragul, with Council supplying approximately 80% of the project costs and the Rotary Club contributing the remaining 20% and also managing procurement and contractors.
Stage one works are expected to be completed by early July, with community engagement and fund raising for subsequent stages to follow. Subsequent stages plan to include the installation of totems in the central circle, plant borders to the paths, and seating.