Nancy Lott has always loved gardening, but a recent project she's been involved in has been a particularly passionate cause of hers.
She has been coordinating the transformation of a creek that runs through the retirement village she lives in at Eleebana and is overjoyed with how it is looking.
"It looks fantastic," she said.
"I'm very thrilled with the progress we've made."
The project was born out of a private Landcare group Ms Lott helped to establish a few years ago in the village, which is known as Eleebana Residences.
She said Lake Macquarie City Council did some work to stop erosion in the creek, and suggested getting involved in Landcare.
So Ms Lott joined with a few other residents to form a Landcare group in the village to help improve Fossil Wing Creek.
As the group is operated on private property, they have to fund their own resources, but recently obtained a small council grant to help them work on the creek.
"The grant entitled us to mulch and get some coir netting to hold the mulch in place," Ms Lott said.
"We were very successful with that grant.
"Without it, it would have taken us a couple of years to afford to get everything done.
The grant also funded 200 native tubesock plants which they are in the process of planting along a 50 metre stretch of the creek.
"Next Tuesday we're going to finish planting them," Ms Lott said.
"They're only six inches high but it's amazing how quickly they grow.
"We picked a lot of flowery plants.
"When they grow they will be beautiful. We hope to do some more eventually.
"It's going to look spectacular."
Ms Lott said as well as being more aesthetically pleasing, the group hopes the transformation attracts more birds and wildlife to the area.
She said while the group was made up of just a few village residents, who loved gardening but "are all on the high side of 70", the village community had really embraced the Landcare creek project.
"When we got the mulch, I sent an email to everyone asking if anyone could help," Ms Lott said.
"We had five Landcare members and four other men from the village respond.
"Some people aren't able to help, but have said they're willing to put in money for plants.
"It's a great village to live in.
"And Landcare has been a wonderful too. I can't speak highly enough of Landcare."
Ms Lott said while the transformation had taken some work, it was worth it.
"We do it because we enjoy it," she said.
"We want to help make our village more attractive."
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
