The sun was shining and the birds were singing for the second attempt at the Euroa Arboretum’s Open Day event. After heavy rains and statewide flooding postponed the first attempt, everyone was excited to make the most of the fine weather. Strathbogie Ranges Conservation had a stall with postcards, booklets and videos to woo the public and let them know about the great work we do. We were joined by our friends at the Longwood Plains CMN and the Goulburn Broken Indigenous Seedbank, as well as a plant stall and Euroa Arb history display.
The day opened with a welcome to country and smoking ceremony with Aunty Jo of the Taungurung people. After a few attempts to light the fire pit, folks lined up to bathe in the restorative eucalyptus smoke. Shoes were optional. This all happened in the new Welcome Circle, with speeches by those close to the Euroa Arboretum covering its history and operations. Looking back at photos of when the Arb was first created, it’s staggering to see how far it’s come.
After the speeches, the activities commenced. There was a bush tukka walk, a grassland tour, tadpolling and a story and song time. Heaven for any kids who like to get outside and play in nature.
Dinner was provided by the hard working Euroa Arb team, headed by Fearghus Wallis. It was no mean feat serving that many people, but the team managed to make serving mountains of delicious food look almost effortless.
A big thankyou is in order for the Euroa Arboretum for planning and hosting such a wonderful day. A big thanks also to all of the volunteers who made the day possible, including the SRCMN committee who diligently manned the stall.
