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Blackwood Action Group

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25.01.2022 Our November Newsletter has just been released! It details all of BAG's most recent activities from the past few months, including more information on: - Next public meeting and AGM - Christmas Red Bows - Stobie Pole Murals Project... - Greening Blackwood Projects - National Recycling Week - Bushfire Preparation - Wittunga Botanic Garden See more

25.01.2022 Special Working Bee This Friday from 9.30am! The forecast for Friday is looking pretty good, so if you are at a loss for something to do (to fill in your morning!) please feel free to join us around 9.30 for a couple of hours of not-so-hard labour! If you are able to bring a wheelbarrow (to help spread mulch), that could come in handy. We will organise to take some forks, rakes, shovels etc. - and some visi vests and gloves.... Of course we will still be required to observe the social distancing requirements but don’t see that as a problem, as the length of the car park garden bed should be able to accommodate us! Hope to catch up soon stay safe, and warm! ~ Lis

25.01.2022 Our stobie pole artwork project has been progressing! The first lot of murals will go up over the next two weeks. BAG would greatly appreciate any help we could get in preparing an initial lot of stobie poles for the attachment of the fantastic creations done by local artists.... If you are free from 9AM this coming SUNDAY, please meet us at the Precious Cargo Education Montessori Early Learning. We need to give the metal supports of the stobie pole a quick scrub with a brush, undercoat of rust paint and then a coat of Burgundy colour that we have around Blackwood. All tools are provided and we will make our way down Shepherd Hills Road. It shouldn't take any longer than 3 hours. Pictured below are some fantastic examples from Rosetta Street, West Corydon and Seaton.

24.01.2022 Our AGM scheduled for next Wednesday has been POSTPONED due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We will let you know as soon as we have a new date set.

23.01.2022 BLACKWOOD FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMAS TREES On today and tomorrow from 10AM - 4PM at the Blackwood Community Centre! A wonderland of decorated Christmas trees, beautifully crafted by various local community groups, businesses, schools and individuals. They will be on display in the Blackwood Community Centre (2 Young St, Blackwood SA 5051), along with other Christmas decorations related to our sub-theme of caring for our natural flora and fauna created from natural or recycled materials. Visitors can view the magical display for a small gold coin donation with proceeds going to BEACON and Minton Farm!

22.01.2022 Some fantastic work to brighten up the Blackwood Railway Station!

20.01.2022 A Happy New Year to you all BAG’s first Newsletter for 2020 is here! In this Newsletter you will find information on the following:... - NEXT BAG PUBLIC MEETING Guest Speaker: Dale Thompson on Bushfire issues (Wednesday 26th February) - UPCOMING BAG EVENTS - DIARY DATES for Community events/activities - AUSTRALIA DAY CELEBRATIONS at St Mary’s Park, St Marys (This Sunday 26th January) - BLACK SUNDAY January 1955 - CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY (Sunday 1st March) - MITCHAM HILLS PLANNING STUDY (Information Session details) - BLACKWOOD CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL WRAP-UP - BLACKWOOD’S CHRISTMAS RED BOWS - GREENING BLACKWOOD PROJECTS As BAG enters its second decade we look forward to continuing to work with our great community and would like to take this opportunity to invite any residents who share the same values to get in touch. We think you will find that we are an all-inclusive Group and you will be made to feel most welcome. We trust that you will find something of interest in the accompanying Newsletter which details various activities and events our dedicated BAG volunteers are currently involved in. Best wishes Geoff BAG Secretary

20.01.2022 Coromandel Station Working Bee - THIS SATURDAY 18th Following the good rains in recent weeks there will no doubt be quite a bit of weeding required.! In addition it will be a good opportunity to do a bit of pruning and general tidying up. As usual we will bring the basic gardening tools, gloves, visi vests etc. (plus our new blower!!)... The forecast for Saturday morning looks promising so if you can spare a couple of hours we would love to see you in the northern car park around 9.00am. Lis

17.01.2022 A very BIG thank you to all who attended the final working bee for Coro Station this year. It was a great effort and much appreciated by many passers-by and train commuters as some of you may have experienced Lis was saying that the two security guys (who change trains at Coro Station) told her that Coromandel has without doubt, the best station gardens on the Adelaide Metro lines! Big praise indeed! The rose garden along the car park wall has come up a treat and all the roses have enjoyed a resurgence this year.

17.01.2022 "For the early settlers in the Blackwood district, the church provided not only a place for worship, but also a social hub. By the end of the 19th century, sport was added to the social scene and much of it focused on the Blackwood Oval, as it was known at the time, bordered by Coromandel Parade, Cummins Street, Adey Road and Garnet Avenue. From the end of the 19th century the Oval was home to cricket, tennis, football, hockey and basketball and, with the establishment in 190...3 of the Blackwood Boys Club Hall across the road (today the site of the Baptist Church), locals could also enjoy roller skating, gymnastics, badminton, table tennis, and billiards. The oval was used for many fundraising events during WWI, and again in the 1950s as the venue for the Floral Fairs which raised money for the building of the Memorial Hall to replace the by now dilapidated Boys Club Hall." Click the link below to find out more about the history of the Hewett Reserve in our most recent article for the Blackwood Times.

17.01.2022 DEFERMENT OF WAITE STREET RESERVE & PRECINCT HISTORY DISPLAY Due to Covid19 and the continuing advice discouraging non essential outings, BAG has decided to not proceed with this history display at this time. We look forward to presenting it as soon as appropriate. In the meantime, why not have a read of our latest history article on the Waite Street Reserve?... "It is more usual for open space to become squashed and built on by houses but for Waite Street Reserve (WSR) it is the other way around! It was not until 1983 that WSR (named after Peter Waite, a partner in Elder Smith & Co) became a public park. This followed a tortuous period of community advocacy, demolition of homes, offer and counter offer and finally a compromise that saw Coles, Council and the community reach a solution."

17.01.2022 The Grandeur of the Rugged Sturt Gorge Have a read of the BAG History Group's latest article on the Sturt Gorge. "Sturt Gorge Recreation Park lies in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, 13 kilometres south of Adelaide and has entry points at Bedford Park, Flagstaff Hill, Craigburn Farm and Bellevue Heights. In 1973 131 hectares of the area was proclaimed as Sturt Gorge Recreation Park and, with more land added in 1984, 1985 and 2000s currently to bring it up to 244 hectares."

16.01.2022 A big thanks to everyone who helped spread the mulch around at our Blackwood Station Working Bee on Saturday!

15.01.2022 Bushfires and fire safety have always been important topics for Mitcham Hills residents. BAG's next public meeting will feature Dale Thompson (SA CFS Sturt Group Captain) as our guest speaker to cover areas including: - Changing weather patterns - now and into the future. - The changing nature of bushfire behaviour - The particular risks in the Blackwood area (covering neighbouring suburbs) - The implications of a personal decision to stay and defend, or leave.... All members of the public are welcome to join us on the 26 February at the Blackwood Memorial Hall from 7.00 p.m. A small gold coin donation would be appreciated with money going towards bushfire recovery. For interested residents, Darren Kruse - Councillor for Craigburn Ward, Mitcham Council has put together a survey to gauge public feedback on Karen Hockley, Councillor for Mitcham's motion to "request the State Government to bring back the CFS Sirens". You can find more about both sides of the argument in the link below:

15.01.2022 COROMANDEL PARADE VERGE GARDENS WORKING BEE SUNDAY 29 MARCH When the old Blackwood Roundabout was removed by DPTI last year, BAG was given all the existing plants (mainly mini Aggies). With Autumn just around the corner, we would like to transplant these Aggies along the Coromandel Parade western verge (from the Blackwood School of Music to the Cafe Montagna’s boundary).... A Working Bee is planned for SUNDAY 29th MARCH commencing at 9.30 on site. This is an appeal for help. We will be hiring a post hole digger to make the job easier. All garden tools, gloves, watering cans, visi vests etc will be provided. If you would like to join us in an effort to enhance the Coro Parade streetscape, we would love to see you there.

15.01.2022 The Eden Hills station story board is up! This is the third board telling the story of rail in the Mitcham Hills. Other boards can be seen at Blackwood and Belair stations. The story boards have been produced by Blackwood Action Group‘s History Group with assistance from local train historians especially Ross Hurley and Neil Stallard. Thanks also to Rail Care and Mitcham Council who have funded the projects, Tamara Jakovlev from Bling Advertising for graphic art work and Signs by Knight for printing and installation.

13.01.2022 Did you know Blackwood's first library was on Shepherds Hill Road beside the RSL? See BAGs history of our libraries display at the Foodland Shopping Centre beside Shakespeare Books.

13.01.2022 FINAL DAY! With the weather expected to be hot tomorrow, you can come and explore the Blackwood Christmas Tree Festival in airconditioned bliss! We had a fantastic day yesterday with the official opening and loads of activities for the kids. Santa was also very generous with his time today! Gold coin donation. Blackwood Community Centre, Young St. Blackwood. 10am - 4pm.... All proceeds to Minton Farm & Beacon. See more

13.01.2022 Our Blackwood Station Working Bee for this Sunday (2/8) is postponed to next weekend (9/8)! We will be having a large delivery of mulch arrive next week and we would very much appreciate some help with distributing it around the gardens. New volunteers are always welcome! We provide all of the gear - tools, wheelbarrows, visi vests, gardening gloves etc. but you may care to bring your favourite secateurs.

12.01.2022 Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, the BAG History Group has been extremely busy over the past few months! Our latest news post covers progress on: - Railway Story Boards - Blackwood History Display - Blackwood Times Articles - Website Changes

12.01.2022 "The development of Wittunga began in 1902 when Edwin Ashby, a real estate agent, settled on 21 acres of property in the Blackwood area. The name ‘Wittunga’ was based on an aboriginal word, ‘unga’ referring to water. Much of the area was natural vegetation, such as She-Oak, Peppermint Gum and Blue Gum. Some clearing took place in the 1880s during the construction of the railway line." In 2020 the focus of the Blackwood Action Group History Subcommittee’s regular articles will... be on the reserves and parks of the Mitcham Hills district. The articles will be published on our website and in the Blackwood Times. Please click the link below if you would like to read more. Image credit - State Library of South Australia, B 70984/25 https://www.blackwoodactiongroup.org.au/wittunga-history

10.01.2022 Congratulations to Geoff and Liz Bartlett on their Australia Day awards today! Their tireless work for the community and BAG has made a substantial difference to our local area. Thank you to Lindy Taeuber - Councillor for Craigburn Ward, Mitcham Council for the images.

10.01.2022 On Tuesday, some of our keen BAG gardeners had a very busy time cleaning up the garden areas on the main road outside of Fire and Rescue Australia, My Foot Doctor and Jack Adcock Consulting! Now that the cleanup is done, a few fill-in plants will be added, hopefully adding some colour in the future! Thanks to Jack Adcock Consulting for supporting this project.

10.01.2022 The November edition of The Blackwood Times is now available online for reading!

08.01.2022 While all BAG upcoming events, meetings and working bees have been cancelled until further notice, why not have a read of our Hannaford Reserve article which was put together by our history group? "The Kaurna people knew the area around Hannaford Reserve as piraldi (pira meaning moon, shaven or bald) and ldi (meaning beyond). The reserve is located towards the bottom of Laffers Road, separated from Belair National Park by one row of houses which back on to the reserve. The bu...ilding still standing is the Old Winery built in 1852 and extended in 1866 amazingly one of the oldest industrial buildings in the City of Mitcham. It was built as a wine store for the 17 acres of vineyard and the walls are about a metre thick. Charles Giles was the first of three landholders who originally bought property in the Monalta district in 1844. He was a pioneer of the horticultural and floricultural industry of South Australia and built a cottage on his 80 acres in 1846."

08.01.2022 BUSY NEXT SUNDAY? This will be the 10th year BAG volunteers have contributed to this worthwhile campaign. As usual, we will be meeting at the Blackwood Railway Stationmaster’s shed at 8.45 am and then cleaning up the 3 main road approaches to the Blackwood hub (Main Road, Shepherds Hill Road and Coromandel Parade).

05.01.2022 JOIN US! 25th of November at 7PM @ The Blackwood Memorial Hall Our next public meeting will feature local artist Elizabeth Close as our guest speaker. Elizabeth is a Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara woman from the APY Lands in Central Australia now living in Adelaide. Locally, she has completed a number of works including at the Blackwood Station pedestrian overpass and the wall alongside the Precious Cargo Early Learning Centre on Shepherds Hill Road. The meeting will also... include our AGM featuring: - Our President’s 2020 Annual Report - Treasurer’s Financial Report - Election of BAG Office Bearers for 2021

05.01.2022 A MASSIVE THANK YOU The 2019 Christmas Tree Festival was a massive success. Significant funds were raised for BEACON and Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre. BAG would like to thank everyone who supported the event including our major sponsors:... City of Mitcham Blackwood Park Christmas Tree Plantation, Clarendon, South Australia Coromandel Native Nursery Rola Aust. Lighting Blackwood Freemasons Sam Duluk MP Blackwood Times - Miles Badcock Rotary Club of Coromandel Valley With significant contributions from: Coles - Blackwood Woolworths Blackwood Blackwood Hire Centre Banner Mitre 10 SA Crowies Paints - Blackwood Bank SA - Blackwood S & P Graphics - Somerton Park FRSA Fire Rescue Safety Australia CatPad enclosures

01.01.2022 A BIG thank you for everyone who helped spreading mulch and planting. It was great it could be accomplished in one session. Judging by the many comments made by passers-by, the transformation of the areas along the main road has certainly been noticed.

01.01.2022 BAG PUBLIC MEETING - TONIGHT! Guest Speaker: Lieutenant Ian Hage from Belair CFS All local hills’ residents & traders are invited to attend this important meeting to hear Dale discuss some significant bushfire topics including:... - Changing weather patterns, now and into the future. - The changing nature of bushfire behaviour - The particular risks in the Blackwood area (covering neighbouring suburbs) - The implications of a personal decision to stay and defend, or leave. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about other relevant matters of concern. Join us tonight at the Blackwood Memorial Hall, Studio Room 21 Coromandel Parade Blackwood commencing 7.00 p.m. Picture: Dale Adams/Eden Hills CFS