Community Engagement Team Update
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
GBSAN AGM
Our annual AGM is scheduled for 23 November at 11:00am followed by a good feed at the Granite Belt Brewery, Glen Lyon Drive. Come along to hear our achievements for the year and what we are looking forward to in 2026. We’d love to see you there to join in the discussion, ideas and roadmap ahead. Please contact secretary@gbsan.org.au to express your interest in coming along.
Pub Chat Recap
On 5th September, a successful Pub Chat was held in the back room of O’Mara’s hotel, drawing over 20 members and interested parties. The evening featured brief presentations from several GBSAN teams, including Resource Recovery, Climate Action, Landscape Linkages, Community Engagement, and Bushcare. Each team’s presentation was well received, with attendees offering comments and asking insightful questions. The event provided a lively forum for general discussion, as participants exchanged information and ideas over drinks. Another Pub Chat is planned for early next year—so keep an eye out for further details.
Trivia Night Postponement
The planned Trivia Night, initially scheduled for 11 October, has unfortunately been postponed due to a clash with several other activities on the same date. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to rescheduling this popular event in the coming year. Please stay tuned for future announcements regarding the new date.
Stall at Stanthorpe Garden and Trade Fair
We invite all members and the wider community to visit the GBSAN stall at the Stanthorpe Garden and Trade Fair, taking place at the Exhibition Centre on 10th and 11th October 2025. This is a chance to see firsthand the ongoing work of our teams. At our stall, you can explore practical tips for significantly reducing your power bill, discover gardening techniques using hardy, climate-adapted plants, and learn about composting and recycling. We will also share ideas on how to increase and strengthen the unique biodiversity of our region.
School Partnership Project
The Community Engagement Team is continuing its collaboration with the Principal of Ballandean State School to plan a joint project for 2026. GBSAN aims to support schools in incorporating local biodiversity information into cross-curriculum activities. We hope to partner with the school by contributing ideas, resources, and revegetation activities, fostering a deeper understanding of local environmental issues among students.
GBSAN Biodiversity – Landscape Linkages Project
The Landscape Linkages Project continues to make notable progress, with 57 landholders now participating. We are currently applying for a Queensland Government Grassroots Environmental Grant, which would provide funding for revegetation and conservation activities along the Accommodation Creek Riparian zone corridor, which is Stage 1 of our Landscape Linkages project.
This initiative focuses on enhancing and conserving a vital riparian wildlife corridor across six properties in Lyra, aligning with regional biodiversity priorities identified in the New England Tableland Biodiversity Planning Assessment (2024). The project’s objectives include establishing and enhancing native vegetation corridors, enabling safe movement of fauna between fragmented habitats, suppressing invasive weeds and feral species, and building long-term community capacity by upskilling landholders.
Through practical training and knowledge sharing, landholders become empowered stewards of their land, equipped to maintain and expand conservation efforts. This approach ensures both immediate ecological restoration and the sustainability of conservation activities into the future. Collaborative land management and ongoing education are central to strengthening ecological resilience, benefiting biodiversity and the broader community across the Granite Belt.
Our grant application also seeks funds for essential equipment to support ongoing revegetation, including wildlife cameras. These cameras enable landholders to monitor native animal activity, as demonstrated by the recent sighting of a mother wombat and her young along Accommodation Creek.
If you are interested in hosting a GBSAN gathering in your neighbourhood, please contact Geraldine at community@gbsan.org.au. We can help organise morning tea and arrange for knowledgeable speakers to attend.
GBSAN Bushcare Group Activities
Our Bushcare group recently partnered with Liz Bourne from the Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium to carry out weed management aimed at conserving the critically endangered Grevillea scortichinii. Ten dedicated Bushcarers worked alongside Liz, who observed the emergence of additional Grevillea plants in areas prepared for roadworks—an encouraging development for conservation efforts.
If you have a project that could benefit from the Bushcare group’s involvement, or if you are interested in joining, please contact us at community@gbsan.org.au.
Upcoming Bushcare Dates
15th October: Weeding along the Accommodation Creek Riparian Zone.
October/November- Tree planting at Rick and Mary’s Nature Refuge.
Community Engagement Events
Stanthorpe Trade and Gardenfest – 10th and 11th October 2025: Visit our stall and come and have a chat with our team.
Geraldine Hollingsworth, Convenor CET and Landscape Linkages