… Bruce at Replants; as he makes it his business to rescue Grasstrees (Balgas) and Zamia palms from the bulldozer blades, as urbanisation takes over our native bushland pockets throughout the wider Perth area.
I’ve bumped into Bruce a number of times over the years, always in places amongst others who treasure the native bushlands of this bit of the country – especially the Grasstree. Bruce has made it his business to challenge the practice of the complete (and often indiscriminate) clearing of blocks for development; getting in early with developers and those others who make these decisions, so as best to determine a more eco-friendly approach to the developing of these pockets of land for urban use.
As a result – you might well get the opportunity to visit a pocket of scrub earmarked for clearing – so that you can pick the grasstree or zamia palm you’d like to have replanted at your place. Bruce’s business give you several options from picking them up yourself, to having them delivered and planted for you – offering you very reasonable charges for these services. Why not visit Replants to see what’s available?
If you have a block of bushland that you’d like to develop and you feel a sense of responsibility for the native flora on it – you’d do worse than give Bruce a call over at Replants. They can work with you to determine what you can save, what you can’t and what you might best live with – to retain as best you can – the natural bushland that surrounds this place called Perth.
Belongum – August 2010
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
… a visit to Dennis and Ray at Tasty Express Cafe – on South Terrace, in South Fremantle.
I can’t recommend these fellas anywhere near enough! When I ventured into the world of youth work in the Fremantle area, these fellas used to run the Granita’s Cafe located in the old Mills & Wares building there on South Terrace. Once a fortnight my mentor and colleague (Guy – where are you these days?) would ‘debrief’ with me here, early in the morning, before work. In doing so, we discovered two amazing fellas – masquerading as local cafe owners.
Dennis and Ray quickly became a permanent fixture in our daily work life. So much so in fact, that if I had a kid I was working with and they needed perking up, I’d take ’em to meet these guys and Dennis and Ray would share their story with them – a story that surprised every single young fella I brought in there. These guys were – and still are – an amazing team and whilst my visit’s to their business these days is few, it’s the fact that they make me feel as if I’d only seen them yesterday, that keeps me coming back.
In my mind – there’s very few who can compare to Dennis and Ray in their customer service department (if at all). They know their customers, support their local footy and soccer teams with enthusiastic vigor and have this wonderful ability to make you feel like you’ve just wondered into your mates kitchen – and he’s offering to get you something. Go and grab yourself a brew one weekend and see for yourself!
Belongum – August 2010.
Belongum empties his head... 