Like their Mum before them

The next generation is now working at the Cassilis Recreation Reserve. Like their Mum before them, before the recreation reserve was again revived and a committee was formed to once again manage the reserve. The twins Mum and uncle was their age, when they played on the recreation reserve. It was a playground for the local children and the children who came to visit their parents.

After a committee was formed and picked up the maintenance and care of the reserve, the twins mother helped with planting trees, weeding, watering and general maintenance. The twins are now playing and helping their Mum and Nanny with maintenance at the recreation reserve. The photo shows them helping to fill buckets and take them to trees that are too dry, leaves dropping worse in the heat. They and their older brother have known the recreation reserve as a place of enjoyment, where there is no work, just fun doing things.

Three direct generations of one family have now cared for and maintained, and are still caring for and maintaining the Cassilis Recreation Reserve. The reserve is the venue for birthdays, mothers days, and just time spent in all weathers. The recreation reserve and cemetery are a favourite place to go to have some fun weeding and watering plants, playing games with too much running for we older and old folk.

Over the years the trees have been watered by all the members of the Cassilis Recreation Reserve Committee of Management members and some interested persons: who saw what was needed to save them. The reserve is a community project and owes it's survival to the communities that surround it, and the East Gippsland Shire council that supports them.

Thanks to East Gippsland Shire Council

Each year the East Gippsland Shire Council bestows upon the Cassilis Recreation Reserve Committee of Management a maintenance and forward improvement grant.

The members of the committee of management appreciate and value this financial accord with the Council. The committee of management continue to maintain and improve the amenity, which is available for, not only residents of the shire, but visitors as well.

The Cassilis Recreation Reserve is a natural area that has no infrastructure or resources which allow watering of the ground. It is a natural space that is controlled by the conditions the natural world dictates. This may not make it unique in Victoria, but certainly unique of its ecological type. It also presents an area where the local wildlife can find forage and in some cases shelter.

So we would like to thank the East Gippsland Shire Council for its continued support of our philosophy.

Saving The Trees

Two of us, who are part of many who love trees, went to the Cassilis Recreation Reserve today.

A camper vehicle was there and people sitting at the picnic tables having their breakfast obviously, so we didn't go and disturb them. Instead we went straight to the water tank that is filled from the run-off from the toilet roof and started filling our buckets and watering can to water the trees. The trees that are smaller and stressed rather more because they have not been in the ground as long as the other, larger trees. We were too late for some, that had more than likely already perished. Though we hope the roots might still have some life, holding fast till/if the rain comes.

This watering was not to try to have the trees return to full leaf or show any signs of vigour, it was a water merely to help them hold on a little longer. To give them a small amount of moisture to be going on with, till some precipitation arrived. Because many of these had few leaves, so even if a shower, rain being a tease, presented itself, they would not be able to take advantage of moisture, because their leaves were on the ground. Being blown, today anyway, all over the country by the wind.

The large trees would most likely be all right. They had been in the ground sufficiently long to have roots that went to depths this particular dry period would not deplete. Further to that, they are on the cusp of being dormant for the winter. A dormancy a little earlier than most years they had been resident in the ground in the ambience of the area. Manifest by the inability to fully bring out the colours of the leaves with which they would normally be clothed in autumn. However, survival must come first, and to endure will at times require some sacrifice.

There was wind today, unfavourable to our efforts, drying out any water bestowed, that wasn't immediately absorbed below the surface and as the day wore on the wind became more fierce, drying everything out even more, if that was possible. Dust storms top dressed our paddocks, our roofs, solar panels and any other thing that has a flat, or stippled surface to cover. Quite often we get 10 mm of rain and 50 mm of wind to evaporate, in a very short time, the small quantity that blessed us, but that is also part of being here. This wind had little in the way of moisture to blow away.

The apples on the trees are almost ripe. Good enough to eat even now and we treated ourselves to a reward.

Some farmers were foolish enough to plough their paddocks in such dry conditions, as have been experienced over the last three months. Ploughing would cause considerable erosion to these disturbed paddocks if the rain was heavy, and of course today, blew away any ligneous, fibrous, water holding element in the soil into the air and delivered it to places where others would certainly appreciate it. Though possibly not so much on their roof.

Now we wait for rain to be delivered by an indifferent nature.

Family Day Working Bee

The day was beautiful, for the work to be accomplished possibly a little warmer than preferred, but no complaints as everyone rolled up to the Cassilis recreation reserve. Then their sleeves at the working bee and hooked in to get some more, better, longer lasting tree guards that protected a greater area round the trees in place.

Our thanks must go to the East Gippsland Shire Council who contributed financially towards this work. To guard the community sponsored trees that are beautiful and will be even more beautiful and supply shade to the many visitors to this wonderful ambiance. So preserved so because the land round it has been retained as non residential. Thus keeping it for everyone in the community and all visitors.

A family day, some scones and cream, also water, the drink of a wise man, to quench the thirst of the workers.




Thanks Christine, Howard, John, Alison, Patrick, Daniel, Jimmy and Claire for their help and being there to fill the day with joy.

Tree Maintenance........

A little tree maintenance needed to be done on new years eve, as there was a tree invaded by a borer. These are prolific, and vigilance is required to ensure the minimum amount of damage.

The black tips on the leaves at the end of the branches probably had nothing to do with the borer, because this was also evident on the branches below the entry of the caterpillar.

It was unfortunate that the main trunk of the tree was invaded, but of course it was the only section that was large enough in circumference to give the borer sufficient real estate to be protected and live relatively safely. Anything thinner and the branch would have been weakened and could easily break off.

The sugar maples are particularly susceptible to borer infestation and two years ago the one in the pic had to have the same drastic operation performed. It was a much larger tree. A branch was selected that would become the main trunk as was done on this occasion.

Christmas approaching............

Christmas is approaching, and Cassilis Recreation Reserve has found itself with a little extra cheer.

The idea of Christmas is everywhere, and the spirit of Christmas will follow, but not last as long as one might hope.

In autumn, the colours of Christmas will be displayed in the leaves, but for now it will have to shown with tinsel on this tree.

Welcome

What is History - Really?

This place and what it suggests, is history even as each word hits the screen.

Suggesting, as some have, that history is an accurate, objective recording of events in the distant or very recent past is credible only, when there is an event which has a time and date recorded against it. Or heaven forbid, when someone erects a statue.

In reality compiling such a record impossible of course and in most cases it's not even attempted, and neither is it attempted here. Who would put themselves through the mill of gathering information and trying to get it right from every eye that saw it, ear that heard it, whispers that inferred it and every point of view built from what could only possibly be a personal interpretation?

Voltaire was right in this attributed to him: “Indeed, history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.” ....Voltaire

There are many concepts of history, and each who have information declare and argue they are correct. Much like religion, there is only one religion and yet there are many who propose theirs is the one, even though different from the others. History is tales of the past of even recorded events that are interpreted and told differently by each individual. We are fortunate to be so blessed.

Various versions of events even from their own lives from observers with photographs, means that there is nothing that can be cast in iron and set in stone. Different angles and interpretation of major events and general occurrences are the norm and the meat of those who would like to know more. So what of accuracy one might ask? There is a saying attributed to Erich Fromm: “The quest for certainty blocks the quest for meaning.” The quest for objective accuracy is for the court of law, in life it may be a hindrance and an opportunity lost for interesting speculation and extrapolation.

However, a general idea which is the only possible result and usually achievable and adequate for us to fill any gaps with imagination. Accurate history is an assortment of stories about the same thing from different people. Each story/experience biased in some way by the teller of the tale, even about what many call “important” events.

Milestone events do exist. The miles themselves are the stories of everyday life from people, and the stones are how an event was seen or experienced by them and their telling, and of course what audience feedback is forthcoming. Milestones like fame and notoriety are manufactured by people who find other things more interesting than those of their own lives. Not everyone remembers the moon landing or the rise of communism. These markers are created by the interested prejudiced audience.

As we know, if more than one person sees an event being played out, each will see something different, tell the tale with a different slant and be amazed when hearing others tell of the same event and discover how different it was from their own experience or wonder how they missed something another noted. Then above and beyond all that, there is the interpretation of events and what was seen, as well as the passing of time and the way memory erodes or embellishes and highlights what has been observed or felt, changed by that factor alone.

Quoting The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906) of Ambrose Beirce:

HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.

Possibly the above is all that needs to be said about history, about life within and outside our own milieu upon which each individual places a certain importance. There are many who say Australia was built by the mining and agricultural industry. Exporting what others wanted and bringing in monetary wealth into the country. It is also good to consider how Australia would have been built had it been settled by people who were not so obsessed with monetary wealth and were more caring of their environment? Much like our first nation people.

However, the time has slipped away to make history like that.