Perth, Western Australia May 10, 2008 Home News Time Out Letters Write a Letter Special Coverage Walsham Classifieds Search Real Estate Trades & Services Submit About Contact Us Advertising Legal	POST helped swell the numbers Trevor Walley addresses the meeting. Photo by Kerri Boase-Jelinek Thanks to the POST, over 100 people attended the Save Underwood rally at Shenton Park on Sunday. Many attendees said they had found out about it from the newspaper, so we appreciate your support. Trevor Walley welcomed visitors to country with stories of indigenous links to the Underwood Bushland site, and gave the audience an understanding of why this land is so important to Aboriginal people. There were gasps of disbelief when rally organiser Melissa Howe read out a letter from indigenous elders describing how the University of WA had "consulted" with them with promises to respect and protect their important sites. The elders went on to say how disappointed they were when they found the latest proposal contained little respect or protection, and the words "there is an opportunity to acknowledge indigenous heritage through interpretive signage and other means". Kim Gates, convenor of The Friends of Underwood Avenue Bushland, described the current situation following more than eight years of campaigning to save the bushland. Mary Gray (Urban Bushland Council) re-iterated the importance of saving the entire bushland site. The audience was then enchanted with tales from the undergrowth by Margaret Owen, followed by a short walk to inspect the bushland. The bushland is incredibly beautiful despite years of neglect by UWA and abuse by allowing it to be used for four-wheel drive training and digging up by geology students from a local TAFE. The meeting called on Environment Minister David Templeman to reject UWA's bid to subdivide the site. It also asked him to incorporate this bushland, as well as the adjacent Shenton Bushland, King's Park and Bold Park into a single green corridor linking Perth to the Indian Ocean, under the care and custody of the Botanic Parks and Gardens Authority. Daniel Boase-Jelinek Derby Road Shenton Park Do you have something to say? Write to us and we may publish your letter next week. < PREVIOUS - HOME - NEXT> Copyright © 1999 - 2008 Post Newspapers Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.