Our Environment

Mulching the Railway Wetlands

Mounds of mulch along the railway wetlands, gardening gloves, spades and shovels awaited the arrival of sixty five students from Endeavour College who spent a morning in the outdoors working on a community project at the Railway Wetlands.

As part of their service program, Endeavour College is teaming with Mawson Lakes Environment Watch (MLEW).

Supervising teacher Greg Fowler said the school is seeking more ways to be involved in the community. “We want to teach students to be good corporate citizens and show them practical ways to contribute to the community.”

Before spreading the mulch the students had classroom lessons on the natural environment of ML and sustainability. “It is important that students understand what they are doing and why they are doing it,” said Greg.

Daniel Miller (13) from The Peppercorns said he is learning why we need to reduce carbon emission and what will happen if we do not care for our environment.

Lucinda Peach (13) from The Peninsula said her environmental consciousness so far could be seen in recycling. She uses the recycling bins at school and her family recycles all their waste. “I really like what we are doing here today,” she said.

Coordinator of Mawson Lakes Environment Watch, Colin Taylor, said resident volunteers had planted about three thousand trees and shrubs along the slopes between the houses and the railway fence over the past 4 years and the mulch was an important addition to the topsoil to retain moisture over the summer months. “We are very pleased to have students working with us and to see that they are learning lessons on the importance of caring for our environment.”

Thank you to the following MLEW volunteers who assisted students with spreading the mulch: Rob Jackson, Tony Price, Chris Stanton and Margaret Taylor. Ed.

To join in the work of Mawson Lakes Environment Watch, to report any environmental issues needing attention or to make further enquiries contact: Colin on 8359 4880 or colmar@nuskope.com.au

Pink sticks mark the spot

As you walk along Dry Creek between Parkway and The Boulevard you may have noticed a battalion of bright pink sticks.

These sticks mark the spot where more than 150 small groundcovers have been planted by the City of Salisbury.

Mawson Lakes Environment

Watch weeded the garden beds and Council planted Convolvulus Cneorum, known as Silverbush, which are hardy bushes with silvery leaves and bright white flowers in the spring.

Brian Pledger, Environmental Management Officer at the City of Salisbury, said the sticks mark the spot for the water truck.

“We are trialling another plant called Scaevola Albida or Pale Fanflower. Many varieties of Scaevola are available and we have a few of them such as Mauve Clusters in landscapes at Mawson Lakes. I am keen to see how the local natural variety performs in Dry Creek Reserve,” said Brian.

Keep your distance

Spotted in a ML carpark, this cute cartoon refers to a serious driving practice.

Here’s a simple test called the 3 Second Rule

To calculate a three second gap, pick a fixed object (eg power pole) located on the side of the road. As the rear of the vehicle in front passes the object, start to count ‘one thousand and one, one thousand and two’. The front of your vehicle should not reach the fixed object until after you have finished counting. If it does, slow down and allow more room between the vehicles.

Even at a conservative 60kms/h it takes 45 metres to stop. At 100km/hr it takes 55 metres. Ed.

Tailgating, or following too close to the vehicle in front, is a sign of a poor driving habit. It is also illegal.

In the very best driving conditions you should leave a 3 second gap. In bad weather and for night driving allow 9 seconds.

How can you tell if you are leaving a safe distance between you and the car in front?

Amethyst February

The gemstone Amethyst is the Birthstone for February. It is also the Zodiac stone for the constellation of Pisces. Amethyst is associated with spirituality, wisdom, sobriety, and security.

Amethyst is the purple variety of the mineral quartz and is a popular gemstone. Although it must always be purple to be amethyst, it can and does have a wide range of purple shades. Its colour is unparalleled, and even other, more expensive purple gemstones are often compared to its colour and beauty. If it were not for its widespread availability, amethyst would be very expensive.

Amethyst can occur as long prismatic crystals that have a six sided pyramid at either end or can form as druzes that are crystalline crusts that only show the pointed terminations. As a mineral specimen, amethyst is popular for its colour and nice crystal shapes that produce a handsome, purple, sparkling cluster.

Info from: http://www.galleries.com/February_Birthstone

Champion swimmer seeks community support

Emily Hill from Mawson Lakes is South Australia’s top Under 11 swimming champion. This was demonstrated last month when she won 7 gold medals and 2 silver in the South Australian Swimming Championships (pictured).

Emily’s mother, Jenni, said her daughter has always been a water baby and showed talent for competitive swimming about the age of 7.

“We do everything we can to support her by taking her to training and going to competitions all over Australia but we find that competitive swimming is a big expense for the family.”

In addition to coaching and entry fees there are many hidden costs. Emily’s bathers alone cost $259.

In August, Emily will represent SA in the National Swimming Championships in Sydney.

If you would like to sponsor her or make a financial contribution to the Emily Hill Fund, the family would be most grateful for assistance from the community.

Living is proud to sponsor Emily Hill Contact

Jenni Hill on 0403 777 936 jennitony@bigpond.com

WHEEL of WORDS

How many words can you make from these letters? Words must contain 4 or more letters. There is one nine-letter word. Each letter may be used once only. No plurals. Each word must contain the centre letter.

Solution page 42.

WIN!

Write

To enter send your caption, your name phone and postal address to:

Caption Contest

Mawson Lakes Living 43 Parkview Drive, Mawson Lakes 5095 or office@mawsonlakesliving.info

Closing date for entries is 10 February 2012.