No. 06
Hello everyone,
We have some fantastic news for you!! But firstly a bit of background:
In our previous Newsletter #5 we provided details of our deputation to Melville Council at its Agenda Briefing Forum on 6 October. As part of that deputation, we advocated that the Melville Bird Sanctuary should be treated in the City’s Master Plan for Attadale-Alfred Cove as a project that would definitely be going ahead (master plan details are in our Newsletter #4). We also suggested that defining MBS boundaries should be the first work of the master plan process. Following our deputation, we approached our Ward Councillor Glynis Barber to submit a Motion to Council to reflect these requirements. The Motion submitted was as follows:
That the Council:
Approves the inclusion of a proposal for the establishment of a Melville Bird Sanctuary (MBS) within the study area of the Alfred Cove/ Attadale Master Plan.
Directs the CEO to, under the Alfred Cove/ Attadale Master Plan, develop a proposal in partnership with the State Government (DBCA), to designate the boundaries of the MBS at an early stage of the Master Plan.
At the monthly Melville Council Meeting this past Tuesday 20 October, the Council unanimously voted in favour of the above Motion (with no amendments). The unanimous approval of Council to this Motion signifies the beginning of a new and positive journey towards MBS’ reality. The City plans on engaging suitably skilled and experienced external consultants to undertake the preparation of the master plan including a comprehensive review and community consultation. The City has also identified a facilitated Indigenous engagement process as a key input into the master plan.
Our sincere thanks go to the following people for contributing their valuable time and efforts towards the Council’s ultimate commitment:
Our Mayor George Gear and all the councillors (in particular our Ward Councillors Glynis Barber and June Barton)
City CEO Marten Tieleman and Director of Technical Services Mick McCarthy
Swan Estuary Reserves Action Group (SERAG) (in particular Chairperson Margaret Matassa and Secretary Catherine O’Neill)
Department of Biodiversity Conservation & Attractions (DBCA)(in particular Swan Coastal District Manager Mark Cugley and his team)
Birdlife WA (in particular Chair Viv Read)
Our very special thanks go to our State Member for Bicton, Lisa O’Malley MLA for her strong and unwavering support for a Melville Bird Sanctuary and for being with us every step of the way.
Given Melville Council’s demonstrated strong commitment, we believe that the Melville Bird Sanctuary is well placed to be established. At this stage, we’re predicting that results of the master plan process will be presented in the 2021-22 year.
Please continue to support a MBS through participation on our Facebook page and by telling others about it and forwarding our newsletters to them. If you are aware of anyone who wants to receive our newsletters, please get in touch with us at mailperson@melbirdsanc.com.
We will keep the ball rolling and continue to keep you informed.
Kind regards,
Tom Lubin & Jenny Christenson
Friends of the Melville Bird Sanctuary (FMBS)