Reserve clean-up for community and culture use

Budding Central West arborists are getting trained on the Drayton Valley Reserve north of Rylstone as North East Wiradjuri Co Ltd (NEWco) works to clean up the reserve and put it to use as a community education and cultural resource.

NEWco was last year appointed by the NSW Government through Crown Lands to manage the 498- hectare reserve located on the Bylong Valley Way.

The not-for-profit education and cultural company has been removing rubbish from the reserve with assistance of Watershed Landcare at Mudgee to make it safe for community and cultural use.

NEWco through Registered Training Organisations has been organising accredited skills training as it works to clean-up and sustainably manage the reserve in areas like intermediate tree felling, cross-cut chainsaw operation and tree climbing with ropes, and also conservation and ecosystem management with an indigenous specialisation with Local Land Services and Tocal College.

The Kandos-based company says the reserve has strong potential to support cultural education, as it is home to significant plant communities like callitris gracilis native pines, scribbly gum trees, eucalyptis cannonia trees, and bush tucker plants like geebungs, native cherries and lomandra.

There are other plants that can be used for cultural weaving, tool and rope making, and interesting varieties like trigger plants noted for bopping bees on the head to prompt pollination.

Crown Lands Executive Director of Land and Asset Management Greg Sullivan welcomed the efforts to clean-up and activate the reserve.

“It’s fantastic to see NEWco engaging to clean-up and care for the reserve while offering skills training opportunities for men and women of all ages,” Mr Sullivan said.

“NEWco focuses on education and recreational experiences that can provide learning so it will be exciting to see them activate the reserve for community education and benefit.”

North East Wiradjuri Co Ltd member Emma Syme said there were further plans in the making.

“There are significant cultural heritage sites out there including shelters and modified trees. We are using the reserve to educate about caring for cultural sites and country.

“In the future we also want to do traditional burning to care for country, as well as bushwalks and bush tucker tours,” Ms Syme said.