By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Friends of Kalorama Park, a community group dedicated to protecting and regenerating the natural environment of the Kalorama Park, has secured a $14,000 grant through BUPA Landcare Grant to help continue their environmental restoration efforts.
The funding, which will go towards planting native species and controlling weeds, is a crucial help for the park’s rehabilitation after it was severely damaged by a natural disaster three years ago.
Friends of Kalorama Park president, Alex Grunwald said the group applied for the funding after hearing about it through local networks.
“There aren’t many grants available for purely environmental work, so this one is fantastic for us,” Mr Grunwald said.
“It will allow us to continue the important work of regenerating the bushland and replacing weeds with indigenous plants.”
The group plans to use the funding to plant approximately 1200 native trees, shrubs, grasses, and ground covers – a vital step in restoring the park’s canopy and protecting the area from further degradation.
“Without this funding, the park would continue to deteriorate, the invasive weeds would take over, and the whole ecosystem would suffer,” Mr Grunwald said.
“Thanks to this grant, we can turn the corner and begin improving the park, rather than watching it get worse.”
The grant will also support other environmental work, such as weeding and site preparation – with planting set to begin in March 2025.
Friends of Kalaroma Park will focus on planting over the winter months to ensure the young plants have the best chance of survival before the dry season.
While this funding is a welcome support, Mr Grunwald said grants for purely environmental work are rare.
“We often have to link our projects with other initiatives like social programs or arts activities to secure funding,” he said.
“This grant is a real win for us because it’s dedicated to the environmental restoration of Kalorama Park, which is our main priority.”
The group has been working to restore the park for years, particularly after the natural disaster that caused significant damage.
“We’ve already seen positive results from previous planting projects, with trees we planted growing up to four-metres tall,” he said.
“With this new grant, we’ll be able to expand our efforts and make an even bigger impact.”
Having grown up in the area and volunteered with the group for many years, Mr Grunwald took on the role of president two years ago.
He described the progress in recent months as rewarding.
“It’s been a challenging time, especially in the early days as president, given the natural disasters and the series of storms that caused significant damage to the national park – those early years were quite stressful, and there weren’t too many highlights,” he said.
“However, things are starting to feel more rewarding now, as we can see the results of our efforts starting to pay off. This particular grant is a game-changer for us. It will allow us to consolidate the work we’ve already done and expand it even further. It’s more funding than we’ve received in the past, so it’s going to make a much bigger impact moving forward.”
While the funding will help the group continue its efforts to educate the local community about the importance of environmental conservation, Mr Grunwald acknowledged that securing such funding for environmental projects can be challenging.
“Most grants require us to tie our projects to other initiatives, like social or cultural programs, which can be difficult when our main focus is purely environmental,” he said.
“This grant is a rare opportunity to do exactly what we’ve been working towards – restoring the park’s environment, without having to mix it with other projects.”
“We’re both excited and grateful for the support we’ve received – every little bit helps, and this funding is a huge step towards protecting Kalorama Park for future generations.”
