A success story in how to manage bush regeneration on Council lands cost effectively AND triumph over pervasive environmental weeds.
Situated on the catchment of Little Blue Gum Creek, this peaceful Reserve was named after Paddy Pallin and was opened in 1985, by Mayor Ron Yeates, himself a keen bushwalker. Part of Ku-ring-gai Council's public open space system it was dedicated "in recognition of Paddy Pallin's services to youth over many years and his encouragement to people of all ages to share his love of the great outdoors."
The upper part of the Reserve is a formal park with barbecue facilities, a children's play area, and open grass. Down from here is a wild extension to the Reserve that runs from Provincial Road to Bent Street where Paddy lived for much of his life. It is the perfect place to honour Paddy's lifelong dedication to outdoor enthusiasts and to our natural environment.
Care of the wild bush sections of the Reserve, a remnant ecological community of the endangered Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest, was problematic. As a reclaimed drainage easement next to the original site of the Lindfield laundry, the bushland was weed-infested, covered in balloon vine, morning glory, madeira vine, weed grasses, wandering tradescantia, fishbone fern, agapanthus, and more.
In 2000 the Paddy Pallin Foundation decided it was time to employ a professional team to manage the work of regenerating the whole reserve — the Lane Cove Bush Regenerators Cooperative Ltd. Rymill Abell's analysis of the project 5 years on showed that "Secure, consistent funding and well-directed bush regeneration had turned the situation around… a few years of intense work had the weeds under control, and maintenance requirements were decreasing."
By 2009, the number of hours of skilled bush regeneration required to maintain the Reserve had dropped from 20 hours per quarter to 9 hours per quarter, the same amount of time as for the Council employees' previous quarterly involvement in working in that bushland area. Rymill's conclusion: "the original case of bush regeneration being a superior long-term investment for the maintenance of urban bushland has…been verified."
Today, this successful relationship between PPF and Ku-ring-gai Council continues. In 2017, Bandicoot Bush Regen Pty Ltd took over from the Lane Cove Bush Regenerators Cooperative when they disbanded. In 2024 Terra Australis Regeneration Pty Ltd continued the maintenance of this bushland.
Photo credit: Peter Woodard
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