News Buzz
Djeran Season (April - May 2023)
Culture Connect: TWCC's Cultural Development Program
Join us on April 28th for a truly transformative day of cultural learning and development at The Wetlands Centre Cockburn's Cultural Education Program. This program is a unique and rare opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Aboriginal culture and develop skills for effective cross-cultural communication. Led by a group of experienced educators, this workshop is designed to promote cultural competence in everyday practice.
The Cultural Education Program is much more than just an awareness of cultural differences. It is the ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. Through experiential learning, you will develop positive attitudes towards cultural differences, gain knowledge of different cultural practices and world views, and develop skills for communication and interaction across cultures.
Our facilitators, Marie Taylor, Robyn Collard, and Dylan Collard, are experienced educators and cultural experts with a passion for promoting cultural understanding and awareness. Marie Taylor, an award-winning educator and cultural expert, will be sharing her extensive knowledge of Nyungar culture and language. Robyn Collard, a highly respected Indigenous elder, will provide cultural advice from an Aboriginal perspective. Dylan Collard, an experienced educator, has helped develop innovative and engaging educational programs that promote intercultural communication and understanding.
Don't miss out on this enriching and inspiring learning opportunity.
Refreshments and lunch provided on the day. We can't wait to see you there!
Event Information:
Date: April 28, 2023
Time: 9am - 3pm
Venue: The Wetlands Centre Cockburn
Poetic Ripples:
An Online Wetland Verses Challenge
Join us this Djeran season on a journey of creativity and nature appreciation, as we search for the best wetland-themed poems out there. Enter our online Wetland Verses Challenge, and grab the opportunity to showcase your creativity, earn a place on the new and interactive poetry installation to be revealed soon and win other exciting prizes!
This online campaign is presented as a part of the Poet-in-Residence Program at The Wetlands Centre and coordinated by poet Leonard James. It has been made possible with generous funding from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and Lotterywest, and with support from WA Poets Inc and City of Cockburn.
Sizzling Success –
Bunnings Fundraiser Raises Big Bucks For the Centre
We held two sausage sizzle fundraisers at Bunnings Bibra Lake on 26th November and 10th December 2022, both of which were a huge success. Our team of dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly to procure the food, cook delicious sausages and promote the work we do. And we are proud to report that we sold out at both events, raising a significant amount of money for The Wetlands Centre.
We want to extend our sincere thanks to Bunnings for allowing us to host these events and to everyone who came out to support us. Your patronship means the world to us and will help us continue our vital conservation work at Centre. We are excited to host more sausage sizzles in the future and hope to see you all there. Keep an eye out for updates on more of our upcoming fundraising events and initiatives.
A Promising Outlook: Centre's AGM Sets the Stage for a Bright Future
The Cockburn Wetlands Education Centre Inc. held its Annual General Meeting on 14th December 2022. It was a great turnout with stakeholders, board, staff, guests and community delegates in attendance. The meeting was lively and engaging, with discussions centered around the Centre's achievements and progress in the past year. The Chairperson, General Manager, and Treasurer presented their reports, which were summarized in the Annual Report. The 2022 Annual Report, audited accounts for the financial year 2021/22, and membership fees were all accepted by the Centre. The Board also received nominations for new ordinary members, who were appointed to The Cockburn Wetlands Education Centre. After the meeting, everyone enjoyed light refreshments and interacted and had discussions about new and upcoming opportunities for the Centre. Overall, it was a successful meeting and a testament to the Centre's continuing success under the guidance and leadership of Tom Perrigo.
From Redbacks to Desserts:
Our Annual Christmas Get-Together
The Centre held its annual Christmas Party where staff, volunteers, board members, stakeholders, guests, friends, family, and community members came together to relax and reflect on the year that was. We let everyone try out the new kitchen. And we fired up the spanking new barbeque stations facing our beautiful gardens, adding much flavour to the festive spirit of the day. However, the party wasn't without its surprises, as a redback spider made a special appearance, leading to some animated discussions about encounters with the venomous arachnid. Even Logan Howlett, the Mayor of the City of Cockburn, was present and shared some harrowing stories. The Mayor awarded Certificates and Gift Cards to acknowledge our volunteers' contribution. The grand potluck lunch featured delectable dishes which everyone brought in, including the Centre’s range of barbequed delectables, the famous potato bake and a colourful gamut of sweetmeats to end the celebration on a high note.
Calling all Volunteers
We're ramping up our Volunteer intake! Come discover the diverse range of eco-volunteer opportunities available for those passionate about nurturing the environment and growing our wonderful native flora species. You can get your hands dirty growing wetland and wildflower species, or choose administrative positions and learning nursery processes. We have a great volunteering information session coming up on April 30th. Join in and become part of the movement to conserve our precious environment. RSVP essential. Requirements include making a regular commitment, which will fit in perfectly even with shift workers and FIFO employees. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP below.
Poetry Workshops at the Centre
As our Poet-in-Residence Program comes to a close, we had a number of workshops that were conducted. Here are a few posters and glimpses from the workshops. Laksh even launched her debut poetry collection Lakesong at the Centre for Stories, which has so many wetland and nature poems written here during this residency.
We are collating a report with lots of poems, photographs and art that were a direct outcome of this year-long program. Stay tuned as we have the last few interesting poetry activities happen before our in-house poet takes off for a well-deserved break!
"Into The Wetlands" — Poetry Anthology
In the last few months, we have received poetry submissions from poets who live in Western Australia to be considered for inclusion in our community-sourced anthology. The "Into the Wetlands" anthology is supported by the Centre’s Poet-in-Residence program. The anthology will be curated by WA’s acclaimed eco-poet, Dr Nandi Chinna, and will be released in time for World Environment Day 2023.
Submissions to the anthology are now closed and we thank everyone who has sent in their work. We are overwhelmed by the number and quality of responses we have received. We have now begun the exciting work of collating the entries, and we are overjoyed, elated, moved, and euphoric at the incredible poems you've contributed. There is almost no work that we can exclude. So, if you've submitted your poem, you can look forward to just a few editorial comments from our esteemed curator and for your work to be included in the book. We are gearing up to launch this book on World Environment Day 2023, and will keep you informed about the progress and updates. Keep an eye out on our socials and webpage!
Closure of Narma Kullarck Boardwalk
The Narma Kullarck Boardwalk ( the new boardwalk and bird hide) at Bibra Lake, has been closed due to the collapse of the ramp leading to the bird hide,. There will need to be considerable planning and effort to undertake repair work. The City of Cockburn will hopefully be undertaking the repairs in the near future, which is necessary to restore access for the many visitors who use the boardwalk for photography, birdwatching, connecting with nature, scientific studies, casual walks and and educational events. The closure is disappointing, but there is still an alternative solution available! The old boardwalk and birdhide, which has been serving visitors for much longer, is still in a great condition. It is such an incredible experience to visit it, especially this time oif year, when our migratory bird are visiting these wetlands before taking off on their incredibly long journeys.
The new boardwalk, which has been in service since October 2012, is shaped like the southwestern snake-necked turtle, which is native to the region, and is named "Narma Kullarck", meaning "family place". The construction of the boardwalk and bird hide was carried out with respect for the Aboriginal heritage of the area, and this unique structure was built on Aboriginal land with permission from the Department of Indigenous Affairs. The floating boardwalk was designed to avoid harming the local fauna, which can move seamlessly under the boards, while the pontoons were designed to be as eco-friendly as possible. Given it’s unique design and construction, we do expect it will be some time before it is restored and goes into service once more.
If you need more information about this closure, kindly contact the City of Cockburn.
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