Phone: 3332 7458

Ashgrove Historical Society

The Ashgrove Historical settlers for family picnics, Society monthly speaker overnight camping and other program is currently in recreational activities. The recess due to the Covid-19 forest was close to the city restrictions at Ashgrove and had the advantage of Library. For information being easily accessible by about Ashgrove’s history train, bicycle and later, by or the Society and its tram. The rainforest provided publications, please visit the name for Three Mile our website or contact the Scrub Road, the stretch now secretary, Julie, at email: ahs. known as Ashgrove Avenue, secretary@bigpond.com or which connects Waterworks ph: 3366 4621. Rd, Ashgrove to Enoggera The Three Mile Scrub Part 1 Rd, Newmarket. Three Mile Scrub Road was renamed Serpentine Road in the late

The Three Mile Scrub 1880s, until the original name was 80-100 hectares of was restored in 1904. The rainforest unique and specific road was given its current to Brisbane on Enoggera name – Ashgrove Avenue – Creek from Kelvin Grove about 1925. to Newmarket. It was considered one of the most beautiful areas of lowland vine forest and wet scheropyll in Brisbane. The forest had towering hoop pine, mahogany, ironbark, cedar and fig trees plus many plants including vines, creepers, orchids, passionflower and black bean. The diverse environment provided a cool haven with the creek and dense canopy and offered indigenous people an ideal habitat to source plant medicines as well as hunt, fish and gather food. It was a site The Three Mile Scrub was also of particular interest to Frederick Manson (F.M.) Bailey, the second government botanist. From 1881 until his death in 1915, he, and a team of volunteer c o l l e c t o r s , c o n d u c t e d scientific exploration of Brisbane and SE Queensland. During this time, F.M. and his team recorded 190 species in the Three Mile Scrub including fungi and mosses which are now housed in the Queensland Herbarium at Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. for harvesting, fermenting Find out what happened and processing black-bean to this immensely beautiful paste and macrozamia area next month. Meanwhile, (cycad) kernels. enjoy the images described By the late 19th and early 20th century, it had become popular with the European in this poem written by ‘Frederick’ in 1851 and published in the Moreton Bay Courier that year.

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THE THREE-MILE SCRUB

Frederick, Brisbane, Feb. 18,1851. Moreton Bay Courier, 22 February 1851, p4 I know a dell, where weeds grow rank The noisy strife of babbling men Along a streamlet’s shaded bank; Breaks not the quiet of this glen; A lonely, wild, sequestered glen, Here-far from man’s discordant prate, Far from the dinning noise of men. The wild dove cooeys to his mate.

The trees above their branches twine, And tendrils of uncultured vine Clasp the rough bark, in that rude spot, With grace which art surpasseth not, In close companionship are seen The varied shades of nature’s green, And dwarfish shrubs and giant trees Together woo the fresh’ning breeze.

Of summer’s sun can downward stray; And, while the other world is bright, Here dwells the sombre shade of night. To this lone spot I oft repair, When torn with town’s distracting care, And in its solitude profound, I tread at once on holy ground.

And dearer far that spot to me Than crowd or gay festivity;- With nature holding converse sweet, I love this shady, calm retreat. So dense their foliage, scarce a ray

Oh! long to me this love be given, Communion high with nature’s heaven! Love of the solemn, calm, and free, Soft notes of spirit melody!

A New Dawn at Ithaca Probus Club

September saw a new beginning on two fronts for Ithaca Probus Club. Under very careful safety precautions the club held its first general meeting for the 2020/21 Probus year. It was also the first meeting in our new venue at the Red Hill Community Sports Club in Fulcher Road, Red Hill. It was almost a home-coming since the club began life twenty years ago just across the park at the Broncos Club. Over 80 percent of Club members turned out to resume old friendships, enthusiastically participating in an impromptu round of short personal presentations. Earlier in the month our first full day outing since the long break – the postponed bus trip to Ipswich, was fully booked and a great day out was enjoyed by all who were able to go. Club activities are nearly back to normal, with the cards group and the poetry group, each holding meetings in members’ homes. . Our monthly newsletters have been keeping members connected and are again carrying the usual round of club news. New members are always most welcome. If you would like to give us a try, please phone either of our Club Membership Officers Sue Vivian on 0413 544 202 or Janelle Rhodes on 0412 628 646. For more information about our club please see our web site: www.probussouthpacific.org/microsites/ithaca

If you need help to get out because of your age, ill-health or a disability, we can help.

We provide low cost door-to-door transport for people to get to appointments and activities. The service is available to people who live in the inner north western suburbs of Brisbane. Contact us today 3510 2741 communify.org.au