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Latest volunteer news

The Volunteer Program at Centennial Parklands is an important opportunity for the community to contribute to environmental projects in the Parklands.  Volunteers contribute approximately 2,500 hours per year of invaluable support.

For further information about the Volunteer Program at Centennial Parklands, visit our Sign Up page.

 

Stunning photography by Dominic and Daphne Gonzalvez

Our volunteers are a talented group of people! Dominic and Daphne Gonzalvez put together a stunning selection of images for the enjoyment of our staff. We thought it was so good we have put here for everyone to enjoy! Click here to open and view this slide show in a new window.

Valentines Day tribute

Also from Dominic and Daphne comes this tribute to our gardeners "for making the Rose Garden an outstanding site for park visitors". Visit http://www.bondiblue.net/gardeners/gardeners.htm

 

National Volunteer Week 2011 

From 9-15 May, volunteers across Australia will be celebrating National Volunteer Week. For Parklands volunteers this traditionally involves a social gathering with good food, conversation and an awards ceremony. Achievement and commitment will be recognised with gifts and certificates.

National Volunteer Week provides volunteers with the opportunity to be recognised amongst their peers and meet with volunteers and other staff from all parklands programs.

We are holding our special day on Saturday 14 May at the Education Precinct were we will award Certificates and awards after a catered lunch.

Student Volunteers

From March we have three student volunteers from the University of Western Sydney and a post graduate students from University of Sydney researching different projects in Centennial Park.

Elizabeth Tang will continue the valuable Carp Management work initiated in 2010. Liz will be interpreting the data collected to determine the size of the Centennial Park Carp population. Liz will assess the population structure and growth rates of the carp found in almost all the Centennial Park ponds.

Edward Berrell will be assessing the huge amount of date collected in Bird surveys conducted through the partnership between the Parklands and Birding NSW. Amongst other issues the data Ed will be endeavouring to interpret may well paint a picture of the parklands’ bird behaviour especially during the rapidly changing weather periods experienced in recent months. Ed will use the data collected in more than 80 surveys delivered over the past 12 months.

Amy Pratt will be studying the turtles and assessing the impact of the Red Slider, a pest species occasionally sighted here in Centennial Park. The native turtles are a protected species. However, we know very little about the parklands population. Amy will aim to gather population numbers and monitor their movement between ponds.
Grey Headed Flying Foxes moved into the Lachlan Swamp area in March 2010. Beginning this March, Dr Kerryn Parry-Jones from the University of Sydney will supervise post graduate students in researching the colony. Dr Parry – Jones and her students will look at the diet of the animals, determine the numbers of bats at the site by fly-out and fly in site counts and alsio determine the sex ratio of the animals present.

Post Graduate Research

This autumn we welcome a post-graduate student research program into the Centennial Park flying fox colony. The grey headed flying foxes arrived in Centennial Park in March 2010 and are a threatened species listed as “vulnerable to extinction”.

Students will investigate diet, foraging behaviour, level of stress, numbers and fly-out behaviour. They may also examine age of the animals present and their condition, species and the overall similarity and differences that the Park’s population might exhibit compared to other Sydney camps.

Carp Eradication

In a joint application with the Australian National Sportfishing Association the Trust is pleased to have received a ministerial grant of $9,000 to deliver fishing workshops for disability groups. People with physical and intellectual disabilities will be able to come and safely fish for carp in Centennial Park ponds.

The Flycasting Pond viewing platforms have been modified to allow wheelchair access for fishing. The program will enable users to participate in an alternative method of physical therapy whilst experiencing the beauty and atmosphere of Centennial Park.


Make a contribution

If you have a special talent which you think would like to share as a volunteer please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Mark Secombe on (02) 9339 6627 or email info@centennialparklands.com.au