WESTVILLE Country Club and Westville Conservancy have entered a joint venture to establish an indigenous nursery.

Their long-standing collaboration has already seen grasslands preserved and alien eradication in the little ‘peace’ of paradise known as the Eco Trail.

“It makes perfect sense for us to utilise the area below the squash parking as an indigenous nursery and sign a Joint Venture (JV) agreement,” said Ed Pieret, president of Westville Country Club.

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He added that there is no doubt they have a solid collaboration that can and will produce a world class indigenous nursery.

“The knowledge and expertise that the conservancy bring to the JV is immeasurable. The conservancy team bring years of experience.”

Jean Senogles is known for her expertise on monkeys while Jenni Bell is acknowledged as one of the leading authorities on indigenous landscaping.

Bell said the Westville Country Club has the muscle and management expertise to complete the JV.

“Mike Da Silva and his maintenance team take care of the day-to-day work on the Eco Trail, and Lisa Nourse runs a very tight ship on the WCC administration and financials. A large component of the nursery will be the educational objective. It is proposed that we will offer classes on all matters indigenous for scholars, gardeners and homeowners,” she said.

Excited about the partnership, Bell said they have enjoyed several significant milestones already.

“As a result of the alien eradication, fauna and flora are responding positively. There is an ongoing battle to keep the stream that flows through the Eco Trail sewage-free since the storms in April 2022. WCC has invested substantial money to repair the sewer mains.

“We are constantly talking with the authorities about this biological challenge – in the interest of the whole neighbourhood, we fight the good fight,” said Pieret.

In the long-term, Pieret said they will create an amazing node that has everything needed to bring all the birds, bees and creepy crawlies back into the suburb.

“The visual improvement is already noticeable. Instead of looking into a vibracrete fence, we now have a view into the canopy of trees. A development component forms part of the educational objective: Additional staff will be employed to run the nursery, and we will offer training for gardeners, from the essential skills right the way through to waste management and composting.

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“Training and education have been done by the conservancy in the past, imparting knowledge and developing landscape gardeners.

Part of the current focus is a deck over the container/office that will extend from the squash car park into the forest. This will be a feature when completed,” explained Bell.

The exciting Joint Venture between Westville Country Club and Westville Conservancy is said to benefit the whole community at large.

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