WA Environment Festival

10th WA Environment Festival – Winds of Change 2009

This event just keeps growing! With a ‘best yet’ turn out of visitors to this weekend of learning and entertainment Rockingham Environment Centre (REC) was a buzz with conversation, clapping, cheering and general excitement.

Once again the opportunity to get up close to some of WA’s unique animals was high on the list of many visitors ‘must do’ list. Some fortunate people even got the chance to touch some creatures and these natural encounters brought attention to the threat’s and dangers facing these special animals. The magnificent birds of prey drew a lot of attention. Statuesque and splendid a close look at those razor sharp talons and meat tearing beaks inspired respect and awe for these excellent rodent controllers. For others it was the opportunity to touch and hold reptiles, snakes and lizards that really made their day. The turtle rescue and rehabilitation centre had more than its share of attendees curious to learn about the plight of these ‘washed up’ babies.

The Butterfly House was popular, its fluttery inhabitants enchanting those who entered their world, the stripy caterpillars taking no notice of the comings and goings. Meanwhile the Try-It-Yourself corner was busy all weekend providing the chance to make a toy turtle, weave on a giant loom and paint your own wind turner made from plastic drink bottles. While many stalls provided food for thought, a variety of delicious eating stalls kept hunger at bay between browsing through stalls full of good environmental products and ideas. The ever popular wood workers almost had apprentices by the end of each day and there was something for everyone from book stalls, white elephant stalls plus plenty of information about the environment, locally and globally. There An excellent variety of presentations were given on subjects ranging from Climate Change through to how to knit bags from plastic shopping bags. There was a broad range of entertainment throughout the day from the vigorous String Beans to calming Tao Tai Chi demonstrations, alluring solo guitarists to energetically graceful dancers. All the while visitors were made welcome by REC volunteers and encouraged to enjoy the beautiful, natural surroundings of the Environment Centre. Ideal weather, great atmosphere and plenty to do the Winds of Change have certainly swept in…

9th Western Australin Environment Festival - Our Place, Our Planet

Sat March 24th and Sun March 25th 2007 With records numbers attending this year, this fun filled, family Festival was a stunning success. Held in the naturally beautiful grounds of Naragebup Environment Centre this 9th Environment Festival provided something for everyone. Again this year there were Festival favorites such as Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation presentation, providing people with the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of WA’s unique wildlife, and the Ceroc dancers delighting the crowd with their fusion of jive and Latin dance. Festival newcomers included Jobie Soaps, selling an organic and luxurious array of beauty products, delicious McClare’s Baked Spuds and a recycled book stall.

The theme of this years Festival, Our Place, Our Planet, provided focus on a primary source of CO2 emissions, namely the domestic car and the alternatives to sole fossil fuel use. With the opportunity to see a mainstream hybrid car, the Honda Civic Hybrid, nearby a car that is currently using biodiesel on the roads (and has been for some years) gave people a grasp on the petrol car alternatives currently on offer and driving options in the near future. During the course of an informative presentation on Biodiesel the speaker made up a small supply of biodiesel, to the amazement of his audience. The wonders of our natural heritage were featured in the fascinating Raptor display and the popular Spineless Wonders live mini beasts exhibit. Kanyana provided insight into the lives of some of WA’s most unusual mammals allowing people to touch echidna’s, possums and see an endangered Bilby and a Carnaby’s Cockatoo up close and in full voice. Once again people were enchanted by live snakes, and other reptiles, keen for the opportunity to hold one of the many beautiful specimens on display. The opportunity to learn about all these native creatures is one of the highlights of this special Festival.

A variety of delicious food and drink was available for purchase from filled potatoes and hamburgers to herb teas and pure fruit ices. Congratulations to all who attended, once again almost no litter was to be found at the end of each day. Children were particularly catered for with pottery work, face painting, origami and paper making activities provided alongside BHP Billiton sponsored rock and mini boomerang painting stalls. The story telling time was keenly attended with some books being read out by the author themselves. Non-stop entertainment, held in the stunning 450 seat limestone amphitheatre located in the lush organic gardens, provided a mix of acts from solo singers, a variety of up beat dance groups, exciting gymnastic routines, vibrant orchestra’s and choirs even Captain Clean up Ambassador for the Environment came along to help out. Plenty of interesting stalls some selling environmentally positive products, others simply providing information, were all well attended. People could purchase intriguing original photographs or native seedlings, organic personal products or recycled wood products, fair trade coffee or bric-a-brac, all sorts of items were available. The Cockburn Sound Management Council, the City of Rockingham, The Naturalists’ Club, Birds Australia, Oxfam, Preserve Point Peron (Inc) and many more organisations provided a wealth of information on environmental activities happening locally and further afield.

The opening ceremony was well attended. After a traditional smoking ceremony of welcome by Nyoongar Trevor Walley (Cooyar), the Festival was officially opened by the Director of the Conservation Council of WA, Chris Tallentire. Bob Goodale, Convenor of Naragebup, then encouraged everyone to learn and enjoy the many wonderful things happening during the Festival weekend. Naragebup volunteers were everywhere just making things happen; managing parking, answering inquiries, generally helping out wherever needed. As usual they quietly set about making the Festival the great success it always is. Ideal weather conditions simply added to a fantastic weekend. Sponsorship from Lotterywest provided funds for some TV advertising this year, which accounted for great than usual crowds coming to the Festival, according to survey results. Lots of people enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of this vibrant Festival with written comments such as: ‘Loved it, very relaxed, no one telling us not to touch’ N Kent ‘I had a great time, very friendly’ K Britton ‘Good Fun, thanks’ T Townsend ‘Very friendly people and helpful too’ S McGrelor ‘Fantastic activities for kids’ T Brunswick ‘We are having fun’ H Drew ‘Eye opening and great for kids’ L King

the 9th WA Environment Festival was presented by:

Naragebup Rockingham Regional Environment Centre in proud parternship with

and

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8th Western Australian Environment Festival - Living More With Less

Sat 25 and Sun 26 March 2006 10am – 5pm Wow! What a great weekend! This years WA Environment Festival was a great success.

For the first time there was a 'Youth Performing Arts' competition delighting audiences with their performance and competing for wonderful prizes (laptop computer, dvd/vhs player and a digital camera with printer) kindly donated by CSBP and Rick Hart. The native wildlife; mammals, raptors and reptiles once again proved to be the most popular presentations on offer. The entertainment programme drew crowds to the shaded amphitheatre with music, singing and dancing by soloists and groups.

Feedback from visitors include: 'A great learning experience' 'Very informative and enjoyable' 'Loved the turtles and birds. Good family day' 'Fantastic' ' Very different from last time; bigger and better' 'We never miss the show' and 'Really cool'. Our thanks to all those who came and a special mention of the fact that there was only a handful of litter to clear up at the end of each day, making our 'litter clean up team' just about obsolete!

See you next year!

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7th Western Australian Environment Festival - Footsteps to the Future

Unwind with a snake! Maybe you would prefer to feed colourful parrots or to try and spot enormous stick insects... This fun, family Festival was held at Naragebup amidst 1.7ha of beautiful, natural surroundings overlooking Lake Richmond. From the inaugural event in 1999 this popular Festival has reached the point where there are over 10,000 visitors during the weekend. More than 50 stallholders provided insight and demonstrations on sustainability and how to achieve it. Featuring a healthy representation of community organizations, small business, industry giants, government departments and local councils the festival is a friendly, relaxed way to find out what is happening environmentally in these sectors. With more than 16 performers during the weekend there was plenty of entertainment from school bands and Jive demonstrations to Tai Chi and plays, drumming performers and clowning.

One of the highlights of the WA Environment Festival is the opportunity for visitors to get up close to some of Australia’s most unique native animals and enjoy the many other ‘natural encounters’ Naragebup is famous for. Held on the 19th and 20th of March 2005 this was a Smoke Free Event and Entry was free.

The 7th WA Environment Festival is proudly supported by Healthway and the City of Rockingham

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6th Western Australian Environment Festival - A Cleaner World

The WA Environment Festival 2004 was a huge success. Bigger than ever, the weekend came alive with visitors from all over the metropolitan area and beyond. With 40 stallholders and 16 performers entertaining the crowd of approximately 11,000 people this vibrant event was alive with excitement and interest. Visitors were arriving even before the ‘doors’ were open and quite a crowd had gathered by the time the Nyoongar smoking ceremony of welcome began and the event was officially opened by Captain Cleanup, Ambassador for the Environment. All stalls were well patronised and generally stall holders were well pleased with the amount of public contact the Festival provided for them. Stalls varied from large industry such as HIsmelt Corporation, through to small business including Natural Instincts, large environment organizations like the Conservation Council to smaller local environment groups such as the Rockingham branch of Men of the Trees, large community groups such as Alcoa Frogwatch to smaller community organizations like the local Girl Guides. Many stalls reported good sales for their products. Entertainers, performing in the amphitheatre under the colourful shade sails, attracted good audience numbers to observe and participate. There was a fine range of entertainment presented including the informative and engaging Captain Cleanup, interactive theatre, impressive brass bands, beautiful choirs, dazzling belly dancers, toe tapping line dancing, high energy rock ‘n’ roll jive, excellent dance school performances, soothing tai chi and the outrageous Junkadelic. Food sold well throughout both days and a variety of food stuffs were eagerly consumed. The girl guides sausage sizzle was the ever popular favourite, the Maori stall Hawaiian burgers were delicious, Herb teas and cakes were great value and the Turkish food van offered something a little different and very tasty. A highlight of the Environment Festival was the opportunity for visitors to get up close to some of Australia’s most unique native animals. Kanyana Wildlife and Rehabilitation Centre presented at the Festival on both days providing very special natural encounters. Being able to touch and observe up close creatures such as the rare bilby, an echidna, possums and joey made this a very special event. Other natural encounters were provided by The WA Raptor Rehabilitation and Education centre displaying different birds of prey and the Snakes Alive! stall which allowed people contact with these fascinating reptiles. Naragebup’s Marine Learning Centre was a prime attraction. With over 11 large aquariums this area gave people a fascinating glimpse into our local waters whilst highlighting the importance of keeping these environments cleaner. Throughout the weekend, from set up to clean up Naragebup volunteers ensured this events success. In the previous weeks volunteers roster themselves on specific duties ranging from stall running to assisting entertainers, security actions to first aid. This core group of 35 people were instrumental in providing the public with a very special experience. Travelling from Albany the Bush Rangers came again to assist with the Festival. This group of 15 high school students did a marvellous job running colouring-in competitions, conducting tours through the bush tucker area and controlling the parking arrangements. The Cleaner World message was well received and visitors responded enthusiastically to the innovative new concepts for cleaner living on display. Naragebup is a prime example of beautiful, natural surroundings thoughtfully melded with the built environment. Holding the State Environment Festival in the grounds provided a valuable opportunity for people to see what can be achieved with a little wisdom and thoughtfulness. Examples of ways to live more ‘cleanly’ fuelled interest particularly in the garden with green waste processes. During the course of the Festival 200 questionaries were completed providing valuable feedback of public response to the event. Drawing from this information the theme for next years State Environment Festival (19th and 20th March 2005) is already being considered.

The 6th WA Environment Festival is proudly supported by the Lotterywest and City of Rockingham

5th Western Australian Environment Festival - Wildlife Welfare

This free to the public event showcased a range of multicultural activities, including significant involvement and representation from Maori and Nyoongar communities. Feedback from the community (approximately 10,000 visitors) was very positive. The sense of community spirit with this event was very strong and indicated by the length of time people chose to stay. More than 40 stall holders chose to exhibit at the Festival. Feedback from these people indicate this is an ideal venue for industry, small business and community organizations to reach a large volume of the public. The amount of interaction between stallholders and visitors was considerable. Most sellers were pleased with the amount of product sold. With a full program of entertainment, school bands, the Sing from the Heart choir, dancing demonstrations, local bands etc.. attracted good sized audiences into the amphitheatre, workshops were well attended. There was good public participation in events when appropriate. Learning about, seeing and having the opportunity to touch Australian native animals proved to be hugely popular. This particular attraction helped to educate people of the vital importance of caring for the welfare of our native wildlife, the dangers that threaten them and what can be done to help. Many people, local and from outside our region chose to join in this event. There was a noticeable mix of younger and older people, including family groups often covering 3 generations, that mingled with others of various religious and cultural backgrounds and beliefs. This venue offered people a unique insight into Rockingham’s natural history and local environment which was appreciated by many visitors as recorded in the public feedback sheets This was a smoke free and alcohol free event and provided many opportunities for community members to participate in healthy cultural and social activities. The written and verbal feedback from visitors to the Festival indicate their experience here exceeded their expectations and they were very keen to return for more of the same next year. This event encouraged people from outside the region to visit Rockingham and learn more about their natural environment.

The 5th WA Environment Festival is proudly supported by Lotterywest and the City of Rockingham