Col Fisher Park - Hunterview, Singleton NSW
River Red Gums, creek-line restoration, community engagement. Col Fisher park is always welcoming new friends and members
Dedication of the space - Opening Speech by Helen Stacey, Col Fisher Park 8th August 2015
Thanks for coming along. I would like to tell you something about your park and the sign Julia will uncover.
This park is like a secret place but it is a Singleton treasure as here there is a stand of very significant, rare and endangered trees. The River Red Gums on the Hunter are unique because no other river flowing into the Pacific has them growing naturally in its catchment.
In 2003 Council offered this site to our Land care group as a shared project. We were very reluctant to take on such a demanding physical activity. Our numbers were limited and we were not much younger than we are now.
As chair of the group I visited here with our coordinator Jason Parsons for the very first time on 7th July 2003.
Almost straight away I was convinced this was a special place and our group should be involved.
At the time the gully reserve had no name but 12 months later was named to honour the memory of Col Fisher.
Now I am going to tell you something which will make you wonder and think.
I found out years later that the day we visited here and when I felt there was something special about the place was the day Col Fisher passed away.
So we agreed to assist council in caring for the park and improvements were planned. By the end of the year other community groups had become involved. Working bees were held to plant additional R.R.Gums grown from local seed and to improve conditions for the existing mature trees.
Some of the groups were the staff of Westpac bank scouts, school students, conservation volunteers and Singleton Tidy Towns.
Funding came from the Hunter Central Rivers Catchment Authority and Xstrata Ravensworth operations. In 2010 the park was given a very welcome asset when Col Fisher’s family made the construction of this shelter possible. Nice to meet his son, Richard today who was here then, but Julia was overseas at the time unable to attend,delayed by the dust from a volcano.
Outstanding amongst the Park’s volunteers was Michael O’Brien. He also kept records and took photos over the years he spent here. His information proved invaluable when we eventually began to design this sign.
For a numbers of years our Landcare group had felt interpretive signage would be worthwhile and that one day we might get around to doing it.
Then Oct 2013 Wendy Lawson our hard working treasurer told us we were going to get the task done and introduced us to Michelle Havenstein. Michelle became our designer and gave us guidance and directions.
Illustrations are essential for signage and we are grateful to those who made photographs available. Mrs Fisher, Adrienne and the Argus let us use photos of the Fisher family. New photos came from Jill Patterson, Michelle and Michael. Information about the birds likely to be seen here was supplied by Peter Alexander and images to illustrate the incredible bird life came from Alwyn Simple.
Thanks to our bank of editors who have been on the receiving end of many emails to check words, research, spelling, ambiguities and grammar.
We are very appreciative to everyone involved in any way.
Eventually after 22 months of deliberation and designing the final, final draft was sent to HIE signs at Rutherford and they installed it 7 days later on the 1st June 2015.
I hope it adds to your enjoyment of this special place.
Helen Stacey