The July meeting of the Bairnsdale Probus Club at Bairnsdale Bowls Club was well attended with three new members inducted – John Ford, Margie Hall and Margaret Walker.
The profile speaker was Kerry Caire who gave a fascinating talk about her life.
She was born in Perth during World War II and later the family moved to Adelaide where her father worked for an export import business.
After completing her schooling she was accepted into Adelaide Teachers College and Adelaide University where she graduated as a teacher and studied arts.
Her first teaching appointment was to Tarcoola on the railway between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie. Her first day there it was 47 degrees.
The town was built for railway workers with a “tea and sugar train “weekly with vegetables and fresh meat and water delivered to the town on Thursdays.
The school had no electricity but a kerosene refrigerator and a water tank with no water as it never rained.
Each child brought a bottle of water each day which was tipped into a bucket and mixed with four tins of Carnation milk and flavouring to drink.
Kerrie related many incidents including that there were only three single women in the town – herself and two nurses – and 50 men. She was given old railway sleepers that were cut up for use in the stove for cooking.
After Tarcoola she was post-ed to Port Augusta where she joined in many social activities and married Bob Caire who was an insurance representative, covering every sheep station between Port Augusta and the Northern Territory border.
They then then moved onto many other towns including Mt Gambier, Alice Springs, Melbourne and Shepparton where Kerry worked at the TAFE college.
Then there was a move back to Melbourne where Kerry worked for the Department of Defence in St Kilda Road.
Eventually they moved to Bairnsdale to be closer to family.
Guest speaker was Judy Clarke from East Gippsland Verge Gardens group who spoke passionately about the need for more garden planting on roadside verges.
Judy quoted Audrey Hepburn – “To plant a garden is to dream of tomorrow”.
The group was formed in 2023 with the aim to give information to every town in East Gippsland about planting verge gardens on roadsides.
Verge gardens are commonly called nature strips but the group is now promoting growing ornamental, native or edible plants on road-sides but not obstructing the footpath.
This helps to beautify and cool streets and attract birds. It helps to reduce and filter storm water runoff and assist in absorbing CO2.
Communities should plan for shade, low water use and a reduction in fertiliser use.
Judy suggested instead of planting traditional lawns, native Microlaena grass could be planted. She said if every-one in Bairnsdale planted 20 square metres of garden this would be a total of additional 18 acres of new habitat.
The group recommends council works with residents to plan for future climate change.
IMAGE: Probus Club of Bairnsdale July meeting profile speaker, Kerry Caire. (PS)
