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At a recent gathering I was asked why I joined the Friends of Black Hill and Morialta.

I really had to think to give an answer.  It was some time ago that I became a member. 

Russell and I joined the "Friends" 32 years ago. So it was  bit of a stretch to remember back.

It may have been our involvement with Trees for Life that we first heard about the Friends of Parks movement.  I was really excited about the concept.  I remember terms like "stewardship" being used and the concept of caring for nature being manifest in volunteering in parks.  It was very clearly stated that Friends of Parks were not to replace people employed looking after the environment, but to give ordinary people an opportunity to participate in looking after the parks and to work alongside paid employees.

I was immediately attracted to the concept, but as I am inclined to do, did nothing about it at the time, but filed it away as something interesting that I might like to do "one day".

Russell and I had made our home in Athelstone after moving from our unit in Stepney where we had lived for a few years.  It was a bit change moving to our new home, with a real garden and much, much more room that our unit at Stepney.  Our house had a predominately native garden and was located right next door to Black Hill Conservation Park.  Being an older house however, it had a few problems with salt damp that needed to be addressed, and an incredible number of weeds that sprang up in our garden. This consumed a lot of our attention for a while.

However, at one of the early Campbelltown community days, there was a stall by the Friends of Black Hill and Morialta, staffed by a most enthusiastic Graham Churchett.  He signed us up to be members of the Friends of Black Hill and Morialta.

I had no real knowledge of anything to do with the parks; just that we loved living next to Black Hill and we loved going for walks through the park, exploring the walking tracks. And perhaps an attraction to the concept of stewardship and caring for the park in a meaningful way.

I don't remember how, when or why I came to my first Friends of Parks event.  It was most likely the Wildflower Garden, where I met the formidable Lola Both.  She had an absolute passion for the Wildflower Garden.  I swear she knew every plant, including every weed that grew in the vicinity. She was keen to share her knowledge and ensure the garden was well looked after. How we miss Lola.  She taught me so much about the native plants and weeds that grow in the park.  She knew about propagation and the right techniques to address all manner of weeds.

Later, as I became a bit more confident I started coming to the monthly events that were held in different locations even in Morialta and also, the regular events at Horsnell Gully. Somewhere along the way, I joined the committee. 

Somewhere along the way, Russell also got involved with all this, but I will leave him to tell his own story.

So for me, it started with the concept of stewardship and caring for nature.  It is interesting, as I am now hard pressed to find any reference to stewardship on our website or the Friends of Parks website - perhaps it is a very out of date word.

John Fleming