One property in Nar Nar Goon North is a secret sanctuary humming with native wildlife.
Bessie Creek Landcare’s Geoff Leed has developed his land into a spot that bird watchers would likely pay money to visit.
But it’s not about showing it off or the money, this property was nurtured by the simple drive to care for the land and an enduring dedication to maintain it for decades.
“The rest we’ve done ourselves. If it dies, you know whose fault it is.”
A little bit up the hill on Bessie Creek Road rests the 23-acre property of the Leeds. Geoff is one of the founders of the Bessie Creek/Ararat Creek Landcare group.
He is the current treasurer and has previously served as president.
He and his wife, Patsy, moved to Nar Nar Goon North 25 years ago and joined the Maryknoll-based Back Creek Landcare group.
With a surge of members from the area, Bessie Creek/Ararat Creek started by splintering from Back Creek Landcare.
“So we heard about it and joined Back Creek, did a few plantings with them,” he said.
“We got so many members that lived in this area, we thought, oh, well, we’ll start our own group, which we did and it worked out quite well.”
With the first planting in June 2000, the group will be celebrating the anniversary with another planting this weekend at the Leed property.
Originally a builder by trade, the move to Nar Nar Goon North from the suburbs of Dandenong was a tree change for a large plot of land.
The time in landcare was mirrored by a personal project at home, which today demonstrates that anyone with land can nourish it no matter the original state.
Over the years, 30,000 plants have been put into the ground at the Leed property, with many parts mature enough to be seamless among old growth.
“We’ve only had one group planting with landcare here.
“The rest we’ve done ourselves. If it dies, you know whose fault it is.”
Much of the seeds were acquired from the old Natural Resources Conservation League in Springvale before there were many nurseries across the local area.
Upon first arriving at the property, it was “all bare, nothing, nothing at all.”
Now, it hums with bird life. Even a layman in birdwatching is inspired to see what variety of species call the trees home.
“It’s really good. We go for a walk around the place, twice a day,” Geoff says with his dog, Bo, by his side.
A large break is maintained at the back of the property to allow the passage of various marsupials. One morning, Geoff walked his land and found a mob of kangaroos enjoying his plantings.
It’s not a job that is ever complete or tedious, there are more plantings to come on top of the regular maintenance.
The work shows that with time and dedication, anyone can take care of the land. Both transforming a home into a sanctuary and helping the wider environment flourish.
Unfortunately, Bessie Creek/Ararat Creek Landcare is one of many volunteer groups that have had a tough time in the fallout of the pandemic.
As experienced across the volunteering world, members have not been growing to continually rejuvenate the group, a disservice to the staunchly dedicated members who have remained for decades.
Geoff and Patsy are highly revered members of local landcare. Sadly, Patsy passed away in 2020 and is still deeply missed today.
His fellow members previously nominated Geoff for the Stan Henwood Award, but he declined the nomination.
Further planting days for the group are being planned into the future. You do not have to be strictly local to the Bessie Creek area to join. The group is always open to new properties to help plant out for members.
If you wish to get in contact with Bessie Creek/Ararat Creek Landcare group, contact geoffonwarren@gmail.com
