2025 has been another very successful year for GBSAN in terms of the activities of the Teams, our recognition and standing in the community and a marked increase in community engagement which has resulted in an increase in membership and supporters. As a result, we are in really great shape to embark on the next phase of the organisation’s evolution.

COP30 has come and gone; key outcomes are an acknowledgement an expected temperature rise of 2.6 degrees C by 2100 at current emission reductions targets.

GBSAN volunteers Lyn Rowley, Terry Pinney and Catherine Arden have formed a new recycling team to continue with, and hopefully expand on, projects originated by local community member Elaine, and Phillipa and Sancha from GBSAN, at the WhistleStop Heritage and Community Gardens.

Our Bushcare group had a great turn out on the 5 November, to plant 400 native plants at Rick and Mary’s place at Thorndale. Fantastic preparation with 400 holes 400mm wide dug by Bobcat saved a lot of back work and also prepared the ground well for the roots of the new trees to spread. We also had Andy Ferrier on board with his tractor and rake to pile up the mulch to tuck these beauties in. Seedlings, grown by Mole River Native Nursery, included local Eucalypts and Angophoras as well as understory of wattles, melaleucas and callistemons. This planting will hopefully assist in speeding up the natural revegetation occurring on the edge of some magic bushland. Our fantastic team had these new trees all sorted within 2 hours!

GBSAN is working on connecting with and collaborating with local schools to include local biodiversity and cultural awareness into cross curriculum activities. We have commenced a pilot project with Ballandean SS with a focus on the endangered Bell’s Turtle.

One of our newest members, Patti, is fired up with ideas and enthusiasm for our 2026 entry with the theme of renewables. If you would like to be involved, come along to our meeting on Tuesday 9th December at 10:00am at the meeting room between the Art Gallery and the Library. This is a fantastic opportunity for members who want to help out with one-off projects.

GBSAN had a very successful AGM on 23 November with 22 members attending. It’s great to have this show of support.

The cost of keeping the aging power station going has prompted its owners to flag that it will now possibly shut in 2029 in the absence of some sort of tax payer funded subsidy. Over the last 5 years GPS has been offline due to breakdowns and unscheduled maintenance for an astronomical 4200 hours or in the vicinity of 50% of its operational time.

The Bushcare Group gathered in October to assist Pyramids Road Winery owners Sue and Warren to manage invasive weeds along a section of Accommodation Creek which is a buffer to Girraween National Park.

Next Bushcare date: 5 November at Rick & Mary’s.

Great News! – we were successful in the Stanthorpe RSL Community Grants application and received $2000 towards the purchase of an electric Brushcutter and batteries as well as a magnetic sign for a car. These items of equipment will assist with weed management, site preparation for tree planting as well as building community awareness of our Bushcare activities.

Thanks to the Stanthorpe RSL!

The Landscape Linkages Project continues to make notable progress, with 58 landholders now participating.

If you are interested in hosting a GBSAN gathering in your neighbourhood, to encourage your neighbours to participate, please contact Geraldine at community@gbsan.org.au.

The GBSAN stall at the annual Stanthorpe Garden Fest and Trade Fair was a great event. Our enthusiastic volunteers once again turned up to staff the stall and spread the good word about the goings on in GBSAN. The feature this year focussed on renewables within your home, to not only cut green house emissions but also reduce household bills.

Before we had a container refund scheme, the return rate of eligible containers in Queensland was around 18%. The scheme was introduced in 2018 and within 7 years the return rate soared to just over 67%. KEEP RETURNING YOUR ELIGIBLE CONTAINERS, it’s making a difference.

The Waste and Resource Recovery Team have made our first ever delivery of plastic bottle caps to Resitech in Brisbane. Resitech will melt the caps down to make slip sheets, root barrier guards and damp course, among other products. It has taken several months of collecting and many hours of volunteer sorting to amass thousands of bottle caps from the community. Thanks to Sancha, Lyn, Terry and Philippa for helping out.

Here on the Granite Belt, water is a most precious asset. It is the foundation of our orchards, our livelihoods, and our community spirit. Yet, we often find ourselves on a frustrating treadmill: sounding the alarm during drought, only to lose momentum when the rains return. This “hydro-illogical cycle,” as Australian Farm Institute refers to it, prevents the community from building the lasting resilience we need.

Read on for details on all the news from the team, including:

• AGM 23 November

• Pub chat recap

• Trivia night postponement

• Stall at Stanthorpe Garden and Trade Fair

• School Partnership Project

• GBSAN Biodiversity – Landscape Linkages Project

• GBSAN Bushcare Group Activities

Postponed until 2026

A few weeks ago, GBSAN cat management team hosted Thea Vass from the Invasive Species Council to share and discuss effective, practical ways to care for pet cats while safeguarding vulnerable native animals. It’s simple yet powerful!

You may think your take-away coffee cup is recyclable or compostable, however, the situation is more complex.

Team updates, including: the recent cat forum, landscape linkages, bushcare, and upcoming events.