Wail Mail
Friends of Wail Arboretum Inc, PO Box 117, Dimboola 3414
(phone: 53846293)
Volume 8, Issue 2
August 2009
Reg No A0042206M
Our Aim:

To Preserve, Restore and Enhance the Arboretum

To Promote the Arboretum as a Tourist, Education and Recreation Facility.

To Preserve Endangered Flora and Fauna.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Where:
When:
Victoria Hotel, Dimboola Rd, Horsham
Wednesday 16 September, 7pm (social meal 6pm)
Everyone welcome – Bring your relatives, friends, neighbours.
For further enquiries: JanBert Brouwer Ph. 53846293
Have you nominated for a position on the committee of the
Friends of wail Arboretum INC.?
NOMINATION FOR COMMITTEE MEMBER
I hereby nominate
For the position of …………………………………………………………………..
President / Vice President / Secretary / Treasurer / Committee Member
Nominated by
…………………………………………………………………………
(Signature)
Seconded by
(Name in Block Letters)
..............................................................................................................
(Signature)
(Name in Block Letters)
I accept nomination for this position
Date ...........................................
……………………………………………………………….
(Signature)
Please return this form to the Secretary by 7 days prior to Annual Meeting
SECRETARY, Friends of Wail Arboretum, PO Box 117, Dimboola 3414
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Memberships are due on 1st July of the year
If you wish to catch the early bird you can rejoin at the current membership rates. Membership
rates will be reviewed at the Annual General Meeting
MEMBERSHIP FORM
Membership is from 1 July to 30 June each year
Please circle
$8.00 single
$12.00 Family.
$15.00 Group
$50.00 Corporate (A tree will be planted in recognition of new Corporate Membership)
Name: ............................................................................................................................................................
Address:............................................................................................. Postcode .............................................
Phone: ...................................... Email: ..........................................................................................................
Please return with payment to: Treasurer, Friends of Wail Arboretum, PO 117, Dimboola Vic 3414
Please write your email address on the form if you wish to receive Wail Mail by email. It means savings for the
club.
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What’s been happening at the Arboretum?
JanBert Brouwer
The last items on our program for the Small Towns Development Fund project are being completed. The roo
& rabbit proof fence around the picnic area next to the nursery/toilet building has been erected. The access
gates are still to be put into place before we can start to plant this area with assistance from Wail Nursery.
Plant labelling in the Ted Brown Dryland Garden is taking more time than anticipated as there are so many
plants still to be properly identified. This (for us) major project together with our Envirofund project has
delivered refurbished and new walking tracks, interpretive signage, new shed, renovated toilet building and
lots of new plant accessions.
At the recent Australian Plant Society- Geelong plant sale we bought another series of plants including
Callistemon and Grevillea species and hybrids, Hakea macreana, Persoonia chamapitys and pinifolia, and
dwarf and groundcover Melaleuca incana etc. Wail Nursery donated Templetonia stenophylla for our
indigenous section.
We achieved good exposure for our Wail
activities at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days
where Graham Goods and Mabel & JanBert
Brouwer took turns in being on duty at the
Friends of Wail Arboretum display in the
Wimmera Landcare marquee. Our thanks to the
Wimmera CMA for hosting us as one of the
Landcare Groups.
Graham shows the Friends of Wail
Arboretum brochure to Daryl Argall at the
Wimmera Machinery Field Days
Our application to the Volunteer Grants Program of the federal department of Families, Housing,
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs was successful. We received a grant for equipment as well as a
fuel allowance for volunteer travel, that was distributed to the workers who had attended our working bees.
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Most of our volunteers generously returned their allocation as donations to the club so that we have now
quite a handy reserve for operating expenses.
However, our submission to the Victorian Small Grants Volunteer Program for travel funds for an excursion
to the Royal Botanic Garden Cranbourne jointly with the Wimmera Growers of Australian Plants (WGAP)
group., was not successful. A pity, because as a Friends group we could learn a lot from such visits. The
WGAP proceeded with their excursion anyway and some Friends elected to join their tour. They found it to
be a very informative and wonderful experience.
The Friends operated very well during the three months of holiday and absence of their president/secretary
and treasurer. The monthly working bees continued most successfully with weed control and new plantings.
While we have had a wet winter thus far, the rains were not sufficient to feed much water into the Arboretum
dams despite the earth works carried out by Tim Mintern. Hopefully next time!
The biennial national conference being organised by the Australian Plant Society Victoria in Geelong late
September-early October 2009, includes a pre-conference Grampians-Wimmera tour. A group of 35 native
plant enthusiasts led by Neil & Wendy Marriott will visit the Arboretum on Wednesday 24 September pm.
Your committee will guide the visitors around the Ted Brown Dryland Garden. You are all most welcome to
join us at the Arboretum at that time.
The protective fencing around the Native
Grassland Regeneration plot is obviously
having a significant and positive effect.
While weed control still continues to be
necessary in this area, we are making
progress in rejuvenating the grassland as
the photo shows. View the overgrazed
foreground against the grassy enclosure
behind the fence.
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Working Bee
Please remember that the Friends have a working bee at the Arboretum every 3rd Saturday of the
month as a rule. The next one is scheduled for Saturday September 19, 9am-noon.
We have varied this arrangement a few times to a week-day to accommodate people who have
commitments in the weekend. Please let Jan-Bert know if you are available any other day.
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Friends of Wail Arboretum - 2008/09 Executive & Team
President/Secretary:
Vice President:
Treasurer
Committee members:
Public Officer
JanBert Brouwer
Bob Blake
Mabel Brouwer
Margaret Blake, Ian Flux, Graham Goods
Ian Flux
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Friends of Wail Arboretum Inc, PO Box 117, Dimboola 3414