Category: News and views

Meet Dr Eddy Wajon – Our Natural Treasure

Dr Eddy Wajon has been an invaluable member of our society since 1996 and his true commitment to wildflowers is a priceless commodity we all acknowledge and appreciate. Eddy served on the Murdoch Branch Committee between 2011 – 2015 as President and Vice-president. Between 2011 and 2014 he was also the State President of the Wildflower Society. Eddy is a very active advocate for everything what concerns knowing, growing, protecting and promoting the value and beauty of our WA bushlands. Continue reading “Meet Dr Eddy Wajon – Our Natural Treasure” →

“Big Bang” Book – Celebrating Branch Anniversary

Writing a book takes more time than envisaged. Our dear and active member Liz Edwards (above in the middle) initially began the mammoth task of collecting information in February 2013 by using past newsletter and minutes of the Murdoch Branch Committee Meetings and started to assemble the story in an orderly manner. Easy to say but much harder to do. Liz needed help and Lesleigh Curnow volunteered her time and Publisher expertise and they formed a very committed editorial team for our 25th anniversary book. The mammoth started to take shape – from little things big things grow.

Little Cooper holds the book accompanied by Joe Fontaine and his grandpa Cameron Schuster.
Little Cooper holds the book accompanied by Joe Fontaine and his grandpa Cameron Schuster.

Continue reading ““Big Bang” Book – Celebrating Branch Anniversary” →

Murdoch Branches Out – 2016 Excursion to York WA.

The Murdoch Branch of WSWA held its annual two-day field trip on 13-14 August 2016.

The excursion was  organized by Ben Sims  – Vice-President of Murdoch Mob. On the first day the group visited several roadside reserves including Wambyn Nature Reserve and St Ronan’s Reserve. A great diversity of plants was recorded, including several species of fairy orchids (Caladenia spp.), Mirbelias (Mirbelia floribunda on a photo above), Hakeas, sundews (Drosera spp.) and acacias, to name a few.

Wambyn Nature Reserve.
Wambyn Nature Reserve.

Continue reading “Murdoch Branches Out – 2016 Excursion to York WA.” →

Learning about the Liyan

Dr Christine Allen joined the travelers from across Australia to explore the Kimberley with the Traditional Custodians and she shares her very unique experience with us. Christine is the Secretary of the Murdoch Branch.

In late July, I joined a group of 24 travellers from across Australia to explore the Kimberley for a week. But this wasn’t any tourist trip, we were meeting and staying with Traditional Custodians to hear their stories and understand their fight for land. And what an eye- opening trip it was!

We all met in Broome and started the trip by exploring Roebuck Bay with Bart Pigram. We tried our hand at collecting oysters just like Bart’s family has done for many thousands of years. Bart also showed us an ancient waterhole and meeting place for tribes around the region. This water hole was on an rise surrounded by salt flats with samphire and there were old conch shells which were used to collect the water.

Collecting Oysters at the Roebuck Bay.
Collecting Oysters at the Roebuck Bay.

Continue reading “Learning about the Liyan” →

Be Awarded, Be Connected – Student Prize Winners.

The student prizes are one of many ways we as a society try to bridge the inter-generational gap. And the older folks have a lot to share, believe me!

Perth Branch is supporting UWA students; Northern Branch is looking at ECU while Murdoch Branch is obviously looking for the best students around its own bush that is Murdoch University and TAFE Challenger.

Last two years Murdoch Branch had a great honour to award four outstanding people. Pawel – our (tall) president of the last two years (2015-2016) is very happy to hand over the awards to:

1.     Merryn – the best student in “Plant Diversity”  in 2015:

From Left: Secretary Christina Birnbaum, The Winner Merryn Prior, President Pawel Waryszak.
From Left: Secretary Christina Birnbaum, The Winner Merryn Prior, President Pawel Waryszak.

Continue reading “Be Awarded, Be Connected – Student Prize Winners.” →

Nyungar Food ‘Yanchet’ – Intriguing Typha

Following the super interesting presentation on Nyungar food by Steve McCabe we asked him to share a story on intriguing Typha with us in writing. Enjoy the read. Big Thanks Steve:

Two species of the Typha occur in WA – Typha domingensis and Typha orientalis.The best way to tell the two species apart is to measure the leaf width, if most leaves are broader than 8mm, it is probably T. orientalis.

Typha species have many common names including bulrush, cattail, reedmace and cooper’s flag reed.

On March 29, 1834, less than five years after the 63rd regiment arrived to take possession of Western Australia for the British Crown, the Swan River colonist George Fletcher Moore recorded in his diary that Nyungar people were: Continue reading “Nyungar Food ‘Yanchet’ – Intriguing Typha” →

Meet Diana Corbyn – 2016 Wildflower Society Awardee

Diana’s very passionate and long service to the Wildflower Society has been awarded.

Diana’s willingness to take on leadership roles for the Wildflower Society is admirably demonstrated by her being President of the Murdoch Branch, twice, the first time as the 3rd President of the Branch in 1992-1994 and again in 2008-2010. She was also Vice President in 1994-1995. She has been continuously on the committee of the Murdoch Branch since 1989, a year after it was founded in 1988.

Diana also served on the Society’s Management Committee in the mid 1990’s when she was engaged at the WA Herbarium. During this time, she managed, and contributed to, a flora survey of the Kalannie Goodlands at Dalwallinu. Diana also organised and participated in flora surveys the Cardup Nature Reserve and Adjacent Bushland, Byford, and Lake Kogolup, South Lake (2011) on behalf of the Wildflower Society.

Over the years, Diana’s enthusiasm for sharing her wide botanical knowledge, and in particular her love of the local flora, has resulted in a number of public wildflower walks conducted each year by the Murdoch Branch (stay tuned – they are still on this year!). Continue reading “Meet Diana Corbyn – 2016 Wildflower Society Awardee” →

Wildflower Society Student Prize

Congratulations to Thomas Windsor, 2016 winner of the Wildflower Society of Western Australia Student Prize, which is sponsored by the Perth Branch. Thomas is studying both botany and zoology at UWA and hoping to become a research scientist. Thomas received his prize from Perth Branch President Greg Keighery at an awards breakfast on May 3, and we hope to hear a short presentation from Thomas on his studies sometime in the coming year.

Open Garden at Eddy and Donna’s

The Wildflower Society of Western Australia held a very successful Open Garden for members on Saturday afternoon 18 June at the home of Eddy and Donna Wajon. More than 70 people came to have a peek at a normal suburban garden that had been transformed over the last 15 years from a traditional garden with some native plants and lots of lawn into a garden that was predominantly full of (mostly) Western Australian native plants.

Donna Wajon was busy serving a lovely afternoon tea with fresh strawberry snow-covered pine trees, blonde and chocolate brownies, lemon syrup cake and devilled eggs. She also served up tea and coffee, including tea made from Lemon Scent Grass (Cympogon obtectus) grown, collected and dried from their own native garden.

Eddy had his hand full taking numerous tours through the front and back garden, weaving amongst the more than 150 species of dense, randomly-distributed, labelled plants, naming them and talking about them.

He discussed where they came from, whether bought as tubestock from Wildflower Society or Friends of Kings Park plant sales, won at Wildflower Society meeting door prizes, obtained from rescue digs from big infrastructure projects such as roads and hospitals, or germinated from excess plant material, containing fruit, thrown out into the garden from his photographic and collection trips (under license). Although it was mid winter, there were numerous plants in flower, of most colours from red through orange to white, including the iconic Scarlet Featherflower (Verticordia grandis), Cockies Tongues (Templetonia retusa), Sea Urchin Hakea (Hakea petiolaris), Grevillea maxwellii and Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa), Hooker’s Banksia (Banksia hookeriana), Golden Dryandra (Dryandra nobilis) and Pear-fruited Mallee (Eucalyptus pyriformis). Plants propagated by the Northern Suburbs Branch of the Wildflower Society were available for sale, and they were so popular that 90% of the plants were sold.

People took away sachets of the popular Lemon Scent Grass tea, and looked at a display of Eddy’s photographs, including of orchids and of some plants that will feature in his up-coming (November) presentation at the Murdoch Branch of the Wildflower Society on the Flora of Hyden.

Members from most Branches of the Wildflower Society came along to enjoy perfect weather, gregarious company, and beneficial discussion and interest about plants and native gardens, so that more Wildflower Society Open Gardens are planned for the future. Stay tuned so you don’t miss out.

Dr Eddy Wajon