July 2025
The Friends of Knocklofty were shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the sudden and unexpected death of our colleague Stephen Mattingley in late June. Stephen was a member of our group for some years. His quiet, respectful presence belied a deep commitment not just to Knocklofty Reserve, but to a host of other environmental and community activities. We were lucky to share his company and benefit from his knowledge and hard work. So, too, were organisations including the Friends of Wellington Park, Wildcare Tasmania, the Wilderness Society, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, and the Tasmanian National Parks Association. We will miss you, Stephen. And thank you.
The Friends of Knocklofty continued with Stephen’s work in July. We undertook more gorse seedling weeding around Bandicoot Corridor above and below the Mount Stuart track (July 3). We also made some headway with an infestation of forget-me-knots and thistles in Providence Gully (July 17), for which Sonya of Hobart City Council rewarded us with a delicious and sustaining morning tea.
