Karnup Crew
This semester a group of Adolescent Program students have been going to our Karnup site to learn about property management. We started out by meeting Noel and learning about his dream to create a tropical oasis and build a function centre on the site. Noel told us to hold fast to our dream and steadily work toward it and not to give up. He showed us pictures from the 1990s of the site before the gardens and buildings were established. We then set out to clear the stream that runs from the top of the property into a pond near the reception centre. It was due for a clearing and we worked hard over two visits to remove the debris and weed the bank.
We removed old bamboo, which Noel helped us to hollow out so we could use them like digeridoos and the same week we had a barbeque lunch we cooked ourselves. Over the term, we completed several other jobs including clearing out one of the sheds, sanding window frames and staining and oiling some of the timber doors. In the future, we plan to prepare the land for an orchard and vegetable patch, lay irrigation, set up a chicken coop and build a three-bay compost bin.
Hospitality Students Earn Certificates
Our middle School AP Hospitality program saw two students succeed in a food safety certification in one hour! Trent and Jordan are the first Adolescent students to complete their Online Food Safety Training. The goal is to have all students at the Adolescent program attain this certification, which prepares students to work to industry standards in the school kitchen and beyond. It is also a great asset for any students who are looking for a part time job. If anyone is keen to get a head start on this certificate, please read the attached flyer.
Now they are armed with their Food Safety certification, Trent and Jordan are looking for work in the food industry, any jobs available?
The black cockatoo presentation by Brad from Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre, was about the different types of black cockatoos: the Red Tail, the Baudin and the Carnaby.
Brad explained how these cockatoos are endangered.
He talked about how they were becoming extinct, what types of food they ate and how the different birds have different beaks. Brad also spoke about how the centre had rescued a lot of these cockatoos around Perth and showed us how you can tell if they’ve been rescued by looking at the red band on their leg. What we all found interesting was, that you can tell what kind of bird ate a gumnut because of how big the hole is in the gumnut!
Black cockatoos are found mainly in the South West corner of Australia and are critically endangered because of other birds, poaching and cars etc…this is why the Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre protects the cockatoos and tries to get them out of endangerment.
Black cockatoos can live to over 50 years old and are around 60cm in length.
Oliver
What can people do to help?
Urge the Premier to adopt the Black Cockatoo Emergency Plan
Join a local bush care group
Protest to save banksia bushland and pine plantations
Make a donation to plant trees on degraded land
Encourage regeneration and re-establish strands of casuarina and eucalypt trees
Plant some of the cockatoos favourite trees like casuarinas, which have tasty seed pods for them to munch on
Put a bird bath or frog pond in your garden to give them a drink, where you’ll also be able to see them up close
Kyan
