Article from The West Australian - 12th May 2017
https://thewest.com.au/news/regional/project-to-promote-aboriginal-culture-ng-b88472192z
by Chloe Fraser

Busselton’s Aboriginal community came together this month to brainstorm for a new collaborative art project combining nature and Noongar culture.The project’s focus is “standing strong to reclaim identity, spirituality and empowerment by connecting to country”.

Members of the community met at the Busselton Family Centre to plan and discuss connecting to country through art and planting native species.

Busselton-Dunsborough Environment Centre project officer Silke Rothkamm said while the initiative was still in the planning stages, she hoped it would address the lack of recognition of Wardandi people in Busselton.

Naydeene Edwards, who is heavily involved in the project, said the initiative aimed to put Noongar footprints back on the country.

“The key is recognition, which is what the community voiced quite strongly here today,” she said.
“By connecting back to culture it goes to show we are strong.”

Article by Taelor Pelusey - Published in The West
Picture: Taelor Pelusey featuring Naydeene Edwards, Lola Garlett, Gloria Hill and Silke Rothkamm.
https://thewest.com.au/news/south-west/art-looks-at-nature-and-noongar-culture-ng-b88451523z

Busselton’s Aboriginal community is urged to have a say on a new collaborative art project exploring the timeless link between nature and Noongar culture.Noongar women are working with the Busselton-Dunsborough Environment Centre, South West Catchments Council, South West Women’s Health Centre and BESS Home and Community Care to create an art project aimed at “standing strong to reclaim identity, spirituality and empowerment by connecting to country”.

The project is still in its early stages and proponents are calling for input and feedback from Busselton’s Aboriginal community.

“The project concept has two very balanced parts — rehabilitation of native bush and creating an art piece to express the goal,” BDEC project officer Silke Rothkamm said. “But we don’t know how it will look yet ... so we want come together and discuss it and hopefully create something beautiful.”

The Busselton Noongar Community Get Together day will be on Friday, May 5, at the Busselton Family Centre from 11am-2pm. Naydeene Edwards said the initiative aimed to reconnect the Noongar community to country while engaging young people. “It’s good for the community to work together and support each other,” she said. “And it’s about putting the Noongar footprint back on country.”

Lunch and morning tea is included and transport to the Busselton Family centre is available. For details, contact 9791 3350.

Article by Taelor Pelusey - Busselton Dunsborough Times - Tuesday 28th February 2017
https://thewest.com.au/news/regional/push-to-reduce-plastic-bag-use-ng-b88400298z

Community groups are pulling together to reduce the use of plastic bags, having earlier this year donated 200 returnable bags to West Busselton IGA.The City of Busselton recently donated 60 calico bags pre-stamped with the Boomerang Bags logo to Busselton-Dunsborough Environment Centre.
The centre then invited people to donate the bags during art activities held at the City’s annual Battle of the Bands competition in December.
The centre’s Silke Rothkamm told the Times youth and adults were called on to get creative with colour and explore positive messages while discussing environmental issues.
“The activities were a way of getting people talking about plastic bags and the impact they have on things like marine life and the bushland, ” she said.

“A lot of the children were already quite aware about the problems with plastic bags.”
Building on the 60 bags, Boomerang Bags donated a further 100 and City another 40.
The 200 bags were handed over to IGA on Tuesday for customers without their own bags to use and later return.
City youth development officer Angela Griffin said the initiative was an example of how non-profit groups and the City could work together for community betterment.
The Times understands the West Busselton store was selected because of its history of promoting reusable bags.

The Festival of Busselton in collaboration with the City of Busselton hosted the 2017 Battle of the Bands event to support local youth music. Local soloists and bands with members aged from 12 – 25 competed for the chance to win recording time at a local studio at the two-day event.

BDEC set up an activity stall at the event that had the following:

• Boomerang Bags activity – kids, youth and adults were invited to colour in & and write positive quotes on pre-stamped boomerang bags that will get donated to supermarkets to promote the reduction of plastic bag consumption (please refer to previous Boomerang Bag event for more information)
  
• Forest for Life campaign including campaign information & selling t-shirts
  
• Promotion of BDEC and its annual planting day in 2017
  

Event objectives

• Create an environmental project for youth/children to help our local community to promote the use of re-usable bags when shopping
  
• Raise community awareness on the environmental impact of plastic 
• Promote BDEC’s annual planting day
• Promote Forest for Life campaign
  

In October, BDEC took part in the annual Tangaroa Blue WA Beach Clean Up by organising two events in Busselton and Dunsborough. Volunteers from all across WA took part by choosing a stretch of coastline and cleaning up all rubbish in the area, including the rivers, waterways and pathways that surround the beach.

In Busselton we covered the stretch of beach from Mill Road Carpark to Dolphin Road Carpark as well as the footpaths. In Dunsborough we covered from Elmore Road lagoon on the Dunsborough foreshore to Old Dunsborough Boat Ramp.

We were pleased to find the beaches relatively clean, but still managed to remove 5 bags of litter across the 2 events, the majority of the litter was food packaging and plastics.

Thank you to all the volunteers who came out to take part and braved the changeable weather.

Special thanks to our volunteer Lucy for organising the events.

BDEC & City of Busselton Collaborate for Boomerang Bag project with young people
4 October 2016; 2.00pm – 4.00pm at Busselton Skate Park, 1 Scout Rd, Busselton

The project was aimed at young people to paint on recycled calico bags (bags donated from the National Youth Week, provided by CoB) and turn them into Boomerang Bags. Each participant was asked to paint two bags – one to keep and one to give away. We have collected the ‘give-away’ bags to donate to Pricey’s IGA in Busselton, as they are the only plastic-free grocery shop in Busselton.  

A total of approximately 40 bags were painted and decorated by children and youth, with 27 bags collected for donation. It was a very windy and cloudy day and the skate park was not overly busy.

What are Boomerang Bags?
Boomerang Bags ‘communities’ are groups of volunteers who get together to make reusable bags regularly for the wider community to use. People can either make bags solo, join a nearby Boomerang Bags community, start a community of their own, or simply get together with friends to make a few bags over a cuppa.

Special thanks to:
-    Silke Rothkamm – Project Officer BDEC
-    Denny Sansbrook – BDEC volunteer
-    Keeley Milner - Youth Development Trainee from the City of Busselton
-    City of Busselton
-    Boomerang Bags Dunsborough

Wildlife Awareness at Freaky Friday

Over the long weekend, BDEC organised a ‘Wildlife Theme’ for the City of Busselton’s Freaky Friday event at Geographe Leisure Centre. Freaky Friday is a monthly pool party for kids aged 10 – 13 with plenty of fun-filled games, prizes, music and water inflatables.

Our wildlife theme helped to inspire and educate the children on native fauna in the area and they were able to interact with two Pythons, two Bobtails and a Western Ringtail Possum. Approximately 40 children took part in BDEC’s quiz, learning to distinguish native wildlife from feral animals, their habitats and diets and the children were encouraged to talk about their experiences with wildlife.

A Possum mascot provided additional fun and entertainment to the pool party.

Special thanks to Silke Rothkamm, Angela Griffin, Uta Wicke, Jess Berry and Nora Stelter for your great work running the event.

Click here to view the 'Caring for Reptiles South West' facebook page

Boost for green work

by Taelor Pelusey - Busselton Dunsborough Times - Friday September 23, 2016

An environmental rehabilitation project covering almost 10,000sqm of the Tuart Forest National Park has received an $8000-plus boost from the South West Catchments Council.

The Busselton-Dunsborough Environment Centre earlier this month learned it had been successful in round three of the SWCC’s South West Community Groundworks Grant program. Project officer Silke Rothkamm said the funds would purchase 1000 seedlings for planting during the centre’s annual planting day, next winter.

Volunteers have helped plant around 1000 seedlings in 2015 and 2016 as part of the ongoing project to return the cleared Department of Parks and Wildlife land to its native state.

“The aim of the project is to improve the diversity and connectivity of native vegetation in degraded areas of the Tuart Forest National Park through the implementation of successful unground rehabilitation works by the BDEC,” Ms Rothkamm said. The grant will also fund the installation of interpretative signage for future education and community information.

Since 2015, 728m of fencing has been installed to enclose the 9932sqm parcel of land. BDEC committee member Mike Chartres said fencing and protective barriers on selected trees protected vegetation from pests, such as rabbits.

The City of Busselton have publicised their draft Environment Strategy for public consultation. Members of the public are invited to voice their opinions on the strategy and have until the 12th October 2016 to submit feedback.

For more information, click here to visit the City of Busselton's website where you can download the draft Environment Strategy. Alternatively you can request a hard copy by phoning 9781 0444.

Please address written submissions to the CEO, City of Busselton, Locked Bag 1, Busselton WA 6280, or by email to: will.oldfield@busselton.wa.gov.au. The deadline for submissions is 4.30pm on Wednesday 12th October 2016