Model Farms Bushcare

Model Farms Reserve is located along Quarry Branch Creek in Winston Hills and is canopied by trees of the Coastal Enriched Sandstone Moist Forest. Exotic plant species such as Tradescantia and Privet threaten the intrinsic characteristics and aesthetic value of this important vegetation corridor.

A group of local residents known as the Model Farms Bushcare group meet on the second Sunday of each month to work toward protecting the natural beauty and biodiversity of this Reserve. The group originally started as a Parks Committee, when local resident Raymond Jenkins noticed an increasing amount of debris along the nearby creekline and in the park. Upset with the amount of rubbish being illegally dumped at the Reserve, Ray decided to take matters into his own hands, and began to remove the rubbish himself.

His neighbour, Tony Vercoe, noticed Ray removing rubbish one day and decided to help out. And so began the start of the local volunteer group, with neighbours witnessing the efforts of the volunteers and signing up to lend a hand themselves.
Ray remembers one of the most significant events in the group’s history occurring about 20 years ago when the creekline flooded. “The water level was so high it crossed over the road” Ray explains, “It caused a lot of damage and destruction to the Bushcare site”. The Model Farms volunteers and other local residents, worked hard to clean up the damage from the flood waters. A group of about 30 local residents came together to construct the pine logged walls and bushland sections along the creek bank.

The group have been endeavouring to protect some of Parramatta’s remaining bushland over a significantly long period of time, and have left behind a track-record of success. This year, the Model Farms group made the decision to take off their ‘Parks Committee’ hat and focus their attention on their work as a Bushcare Group. At present, they are working toward weed removal and native species replacement along Quarry Branch Creek, with the aim to provide quality habitat for local fauna and improved amenity for local residents and visitors.

Ray believes that working together in a Bushcare Group is a great way to get to know your neighbours and to build up community spirit at the same time. “We all have a good laugh whilst we work” Ray says, “and there is a variety of work to do, ranging from light weeding around natives, to planting and mulching. All while you are getting some much needed vitamin D.”
Download group KML