COMING EVENTS

WE TURN SIXTY! – Sunday 15 February 2026, 12pm-4pm at the Field of Mars Visitor Centre

The decision to form our Society was made at an informal meeting in September 1965, and we held our official Inaugural Meeting at the St Thomas church hall in Orient Street Gladesville on 16 February 1966.
We now look forward to a celebrating our 60th anniversary with a special afternoon which will include a barbecue-and-salad lunch, information and displays of our achievements over the years, and a chance to reminisce.
Activities will include an Acknowledgement of Country, children’s art /craft /music making, and a return performance by the Sydneysiders, an acclaimed group at Music on Mars. Some original members will chat about our work and achievements over the years.

[photo by Lindsay Mar]
RSVP (with numbers attending) by 10.2.26:Phillip Ward 0417439456 onetonner@gmail.com

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY – Sunday 1 March, 10am-12pm:
On Sunday 1 March members and friends of RHHFFPS are invited to take part in a Clean Up Australia Day activity in the area around Buffalo Creek in the Field of Mars Reserve from 10am to 12pm. Please come to the Visitor Centre about 9.50 to register and receive information. You will need a hat, closed shoes and water. Pick-up sticks and rubbish bags are provided, also gloves (though you may wish to bring your own to make sure they will fit). Further details and pre-registration: Alfred Vincent at alfred.vincent@bigpond.com or 0403 749 181.
(Pre-registration will allow us to contact you if the event has to be postponed through bad weather.)

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) – 2.30pm Sunday 15 March at the Visitor Centre
All members will be welcome. Annual reports will be presented, covering the various aspects of our work, and there will be the opportunity offer and discuss suggestions for our future activities.
Elections will be held for our management committee for the coming year. Afterwards, the raffle prize-winning ticket will be drawn, and we will conclude with afternoon tea.

"BUSHFIRES, STORMS AND FLOODS 2019-23: HOW SYDNEY BASIN BUSHLAND HAS COPED":
TALK BY JOHN MARTYN – 2pm Saturday 18 April
John was our guest speaker in March 2024. He is the author of books on the geology and flora of the Sydney region, including his well-known Field Guide to the Bushland of the Lane Cove Valley.

PAST EVENT

MEMBERS’ PICNIC – Sunday 7 December 2025 from 12 noon at the Field of Mars Visitor Centre
We welcomed members from as far afield as Lake Macquarie, and our gathering of around 30 enjoyed the usual barbecue-and-salad lunch.

One local resident came to sit with us but fortunately did not get to share lunch. He is outside the visitor centre so often that we have given him a name: Kevin!
[photo by Dianne Edmonds]
All who attended Music on Mars enjoyed the wonderful dance item staged by Sally Song’s group…, and she has since made another generous donation to our Society! There have been a few generous personal donations from other members, ensuring our financial security as we continue our own work and contribute to the work of kindred organisations.

YARNKNIT RUG RAFFLE PRIZE

Donated once again by Holy Spirit Yarn Group, you could be the lucky winner when the raffle is drawn at the AGM in early 2026. The handmade article is suitable for both winter and summer use. Keep it yourself, give it to a family member or friend or donate to a worthy organisation. Funds raised support the Society and the organisations we support.
Tickets are available at the Visitors Centre or buy online by transfer to our Bendigo Bank account: RYDE HUNTERS HILL FLORA AND FAUNA PRESERVATION SOCIETY INC, BSB 633-000, Account number 190716589.
Include your name and “raffle” in the transaction description, and please email your contact details to rhhffps@gmail.com
One ticket for $2, Three tickets for $5

PRESIDENT’S NOTE -

The society has been an active member of the Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG) since its beginning in 2008.
The PRCG is an alliance of local councils, government agencies, and community groups created to protect and restore the Parramatta River, subsequently launching the "Our Living River" mission in 2014 to make the river swimmable again.
Through the "Our Living River" campaign, the aim is to improve water quality, enhance natural habitats, and foster community connection with the river. The PRCG has been successful and a number of swimming sites have now been opened with the most recent being at Putney and Bedlam Point. Others sites for swimming are being investigated.
Making the River swimmable again requires the environment of the river catchment to be healthy and from the perspective of the Society this means in particular maintaining and enhancing its natural heritage. The new swim sites are evidence that this is being improved. Two main projects of the PRCG are Standardise the Standards (ie improving the Development Controls exercises by Councils in the catchment) and re-naturalising waterways that lead into the river. These projects are ongoing.
In February this year members of the PRCG are meeting to consider its future strategy. Although the current strategy has worked well it is timely to conduct a review. The current strategy follows from the Vision to make the river swimmable again. The projected increase in Sydney’s population will add further pressure on the environment of the Parramatta River Catchment.
Should the focus continue to be opening more swimming sites or should the focus change to re-naturalising the waterways that lead into the river or some other focus?
Members are encouraged to forward suggestions to the Society to inform our views to put to the review. Members can view the current master plan via this link Parramatta River Masterplan
Comments may be sent to the society’s email address rhhffps@gmail.com
Frank Breen, President

EDITORIAL COMMENT
During celebrations of our Society’s 60th anniversary, we will recall significant events and actions we undertook to address issues of importance over the years. It is said that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, but with this in mind we continue to address current concerns.
In the face of global warming and the recent bushfires and floods in Victoria, we have included two articles of relevance on pages 9-10
Trees offer good protection against extreme weather
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Code allows property owners to clear trees within 10 metres of their homes and shrubs/undergrowth within 50 metres, without council approval, for bushfire preparedness.
There is no recognition of the fire-retardant properties of many plants, both native (including Pittosporum, Lomandra and Dianella which are endemic in the Field of Mars) and exotic, including weeds such as Privet. In an interview on ABC TV, one Victorian property owner reported that the fires roared through and destroyed everything except her house which was intact. She attributed this to the succulent plants in her gardens deflecting the flames which passed around the building.
Fanned by a strong southerly wind, in 2002 a major bushfire in the Field of Mars Reserve saw residents in parts of the East Ryde Dress Circle evacuated. But the flames died down when the fire reached Strangers Creek. Fire-retardant riparian vegetation helped to protect properties nearby.
Trees and shrubs also provide shade and protection from wind. They slow the air currents, so homes and buildings are less severely impacted. This was evident after Darwin was hit by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Buildings in newer suburbs were destroyed, but older homes were less badly affected and reports indicated that they were sheltered by well-established trees. Falling trees were of less consequence than wind-blown debris from the buildings that were destroyed.
Artificial turf problems

In its draft Integrated Open Spaces Strategy (as reported in the December 2025 Wallumetta), the City of Ryde favours the use of artificial turf on playing fields. On page 8, the article concludes with a Bayside Council spokesman describing artificial turf as “all weather”. But council staff have not had to squelch through it after rain or play when the surface burns anyone who falls on it. It would be interesting to discover the cost of renewing artificial turf at the end of its life (allegedly 10-15 years, but often sooner in practice) – see June 2024 Wallumetta, p.8.
We favour well-maintained natural turf.
Remain vigilant
The natural values of the Field of Mars Reserve are now widely appreciated, but even in the 21st century it has been threatened in unexpected ways. To replace a 33kV power line in 2017, Ausgrid considered several options, including overhead power lines through the Field of Mars Reserve.
This would have meant massive and permanent clearing of a large swathe of trees and bushes.
And concerns extend beyond our local area. There is a need to monitor and ensure people in places of power appreciate the importance of environmental factors. Some are well-publicised but others we learn little about, like budget cuts whittling away funding for organisations including National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the CSIRO.
We trust that our articles in Wallumetta bring you enjoyable and interesting reading, while keeping you informed of the actions and concerns of our Society.
Phillip Ward, Editor

About RHHFFPS

The Society has been active in local conservation issues since 1966 and is well networked with the broader conservation movement across NSW.

The Society's Constitution states its Aims and Objectives as:

a. The education of the members and the community, particularly in the local area, in nature conservation and protection of the environment;

b. To promote ecologically sustainable land use and development;

c. To promote nature conservation including an adequate system of national parks, wilderness areas, nature reserves, wildlife refuges and corridors and urban bushland reserves; adequate protection measures for native wildlife;

d. Achieving satisfactory measures to safeguard the environment from all forms of pollution to ensure clean air, clean water and a healthy environment;

e. To work for the permanent retention and conservation of all natural areas in the local district and an increase in the area set aside for nature conservation and

f. To undertake the management of the Field of Mars Reserve with Ryde City Council as a major conservation project

We have a regular newsletter Wallumetta which is issued six times a year which attempts to update members on both local environmental issues and issues of wider impact. Our volunteer members keep the Visitors Centre open each weekend. Please contact us if you have concerns about threats to our local natural areas and the precious native fauna which depend on our sensitive bushland areas and waterways.

History of The Ryde Hunters Hill Flora and Fauna Preservation Society

In the mid 1960s, with an increasing amount of waste needing disposal, Ryde Council looked to an expansion of the small tip in the Field of Mars Reserve. Council proposed to pipe Buffalo and Stranger's Creeks to facilitate a landfill area to a depth of up to 15m feet which could then be re-developed into playing fields. Local residents united to form the Anti-tip Action Group and lobbied to reverse Council's plans for a tip at the Field of Mars. The tip was moved to Porter's Creek which to this day still requires substantial funds to control the environmental damage arising from past use as a tipsite. With the Field of Mars saved the Society was established in January 1966.

In September 1966, Ryde Council advised the Society that it agreed to their proposal to development of the Field of Mars Reserve as a flora and fauna sanctuary. Hard work over following decades has seen restoration of old degraded areas of the Field of Mars and protection of the area as a Wildlife Refuge. A Visitors Centre was built and then the Environmental Education Centre which is visited by about 10,000 students each year.