To begin the year, BBS was honoured to be awarded the Jack Mundey Environment and Heritage Award 2025. On behalf of the Society, Ian Bailey attended the Australia Day ceremony at the Town Hall to receive the award from Mayor Bilal El-Heyek.
BBS organised a Clean Up Australia Day event at Deepwater Park in March.
iNaturalist flora & fauna surveys were carried out along with Canterbury-Bankstown Council Bushcare members and Harbour/Georges River Australia Plant Society at Lake Gillawarna in June and Lansdowne Reserve in September.
BBS supported Wolli Creek Preservation Society’s campaign to pressure the NSW Premier to save Wolli Bluff from development.
Ian Bailey kept us up to date with the proposed conversion of Carnarvon Golf Course at Lidcombe into a cemetery and organised an inspection and audit of trees, which was begun on 10 November 2025. Ian, Colin Gibson and Ashlie Stevenson attended.
Work has continued monthly on our Bushcare sites at Monash Reserve, Lansdowne Reserve and Whittle Reserve. At Monash a new section of mown park is being weeded with the intention of connecting the main river flat remnant with the Casuarina glauca stand along the river. East Hills Park, Lambeth Park and Webster Street Swamp Scrub at Deepwater Park also received attention. The Endangered Persoonia nutans, missing for many years, was rediscovered at East Hills Park.
Resulting from our appeals, remediation work to repair damaged EEC vegetation in Bankstown Golf Course adjacent to Whittle Reserve is at last underway, with deposited earth and debris being removed from the area.
The Society has commenced a study of the rainforest trees at Sylvan Grove Native Garden, many of which were planted in the 70s and 80s. John Nagle of North Coast Local Land Services is helping with identification.
Colin Gibson, Ian Bailey and Paul Newton attended a meeting with Mirvac Community Team at Wonga Smiths Bush (former Uni Western Sydney, Milperra) in November, to discuss Conservation zoning and management options for the site.
Colin represented BBS at a forum organised by Canterbury-Bankstown Climate Change Network to prepare a submission regarding the Canterbury-Bankstown Urban Forest Policy.
Colin also provided advice to Council on growing conditions and where to plant the Endangered Tylophora woollsii at Norfolk Reserve.
Edition 110 of the Bushland Bulletin came out in October.
The BBS committee met 5 times during 2025.
Ashlie Stephenson
President
Ashlie Stevenson
