Category Archives: News

More than 150 people gathered to celebrate Doug Ralph’s life in the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens last Saturday afternoon (7 March). Bev Geldard who acted as MC began by reading an excerpt from a 2014 interview with Doug published in Earthsong magazine.  Sasha … Continue reading →

Geoff Park will be leading our first walk for 2015 this Sunday (15 March) to the Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve which is south of Newstead (locate on Google maps). The walk will be fairly short (4 km). Either meet at the … Continue reading →

Do you want your creeks to look like this (Bendigo Creek): or this (Forest Creek with gorse and blackberries): or this (Forest Creek where Castlemaine Landcare has been working for years)? The North Central CMA is receiving submissions from the … Continue reading →

What can we expect to see in the months and years after the burning of Kalimna Park? Part of an answer can be found in a pamphlet produced by the Castlemaine Field Naturalists after the previous burning of part of … Continue reading →

If you see a Eucalypt in flower at this time of the year it is likely to be a Grey Box Eucalyptus microcarpa. They generally flower here from mid-February to April. (Yellow Box Eucalyptus melliodora has just finished flowering and the next Box … Continue reading →

The Mount Alexander Shire Council have started work on their 2015-2025 Environment Strategy. As part of this process, they are interested in learning what local residents and groups consider to be the 5 highest priorities for environment and sustainability in the Mount … Continue reading →

We are in the process of setting up a page of photos of Doug on FOBIF’s Flickr site. So if you have any photos you would like to contribute to this page, send them to info@fobif.org.au. Photographers will be acknowledged.

There will be a gathering to celebrate Doug Ralph’s life next Saturday (March 7) at the Rotunda in the Botanic Gardens, Castlemaine. The group organising the event have provided the following information: The celebration will start at 12 noon & the … Continue reading →

Representatives from the FOBIF committee attended a meeting with Castlemaine Hot Rod Centre (CHRC) and planning consultant David Robb from Planit to discuss plans for a Dynamic Vehicle Testing Facility, Events and Recreation development at Gower on the Castlemaine-Maldon Rd … Continue reading →

FOBIF members and people in the wider community have been saddened by the news that Doug Ralph, founding President of the Friends, has died of a heart attack at his home in Little Bendigo. On his retirement from the FOBIF … Continue reading →