Category: Environment

Bushfire, Environment, FONB

Are you bushfire ready?

There’s good reason to be worried about the possibility of bushfire this summer.  Winter has been much drier than usual, and the summer also promises to be hot and dry.

Members of the Tasmanian Fire Service (TFS) are coming to North Bruny on Sunday, 12 November, to participate in a community meeting about bushfire preparedness. The meeting will also involve representatives from Tasmania Police and Kingborough Council Emergency Management.

The North Bruny meeting will be held at the Dennes Point Community Hall, between 9.30 and 11.30 am and will involve:

  • Fire behaviour specialists discussing how bushfires behave, and the on-ground operations we might expect
  • Police discussing evacuation capacity and planning
  • Information from Kingborough Council Emergency Management staff

and importantly:

  • information addressing the specific needs of residents, shackies and tourism business owners
  • a Q & A panel discussing and sharing local experience and observations
  • observations on the use of TFS’s Bushfire Readiness Challenge Program

You may also wish to see a copy of the TFS Community Bushfire Protection Plan for Bruny Island, which will be discussed at the meeting.  This can be viewed here.

I encourage you to come to the meeting, as part of becoming properly prepared for the fire season, and as part of planning how you and your household and our wider community can best stay safe in the event of wildfire in our vicinity.

I hope to see you at the meeting.

Best wishes,

Simon Allston
FONB Chair

Bin Marine Plastics, Environment, FONB

Bin Marine Plastics

The primary objective of Friends of North Bruny is to protect the environment and lifestyle of North Bruny, but we are also concerned with issues which affect the whole of Bruny Island.

After a fairly long period of preparation, we have recently installed bins and associated signs at 8 locations around the island as part of our ‘Bin Marine Plastics’ project.  Our aim is for folk who are walking on the beach to collect any plastic debris that they see and put it in these bins, to get it out of the marine environment and away from seabirds and marine creatures which might otherwise eat it.  And of course, to help keep our beaches wild and beautiful!

The bins are at these locations:

  • Jetty Beach, Dennes Point
  • Stiffy’s Creek, Nebraska Beach, Dennes Point
  • The car park 2 km north of Great Bay
  • Alonnah jetty
  • Cemetery Beach, Lunawanna
  • Two Trees Beach, Adventure Bay
  • Quiet Corner, Adventure Bay
  • Pennicott car park, Adventure Bay

The artwork for the project by Gordon Harrison-Williams is very impressive, and we will be using the logo for T-shirts and car stickers as we spread the ‘Bin Marine Plastics’ message.  We hope that the project will inspire similar action in other places.

We are very grateful for the support of various organisations and individuals who have contributed to the project – Kingborough Council; the Bruny Island Environment Network (BIEN); the Bruny Island Community Association (BICA); the Inala Foundation; the Pennicott Foundation; Bruny Island Coastal Retreats; and the Matysek family.

Unfortunately, despite the signage which explains the purpose of the bins, and despite the prominent label on the top of the bins which says ‘Beach Plastic Only’, we have been finding from the outset that people are using the bins for general rubbish.  This is very thoughtless, and dispiriting.  We have made modifications to the bins to address the problem and working towards positive solutions.

We do still need volunteers to help us manage the project, particularly on South Bruny.  If you feel able to help, please contact Ros Woodburn on 0407 581070.