I started working as an Interpretive Ranger with the Ku Ring Gai Council, Wildflower Garden Bushland Education Centre in St. Ives near Sydney since the beginning of 2005. The Bushland Education Centre provides a range of environmental education programs for the community such as People in Parks, Bush Birthday Parties, Step Into The Bush and Nature for the Very Young Playgroup and Pre-school programs. The major responsibilites of an Interpretive Ranger are:

• Organise and run the Bush Birthday Parties and People in Parks Program
• Perform Ranger Duties e.g. opening & closing the park, patroling the park, general maintenance, looking after the visitors, taking care of the visitor centre etc.

The Bush Birthday Parties Program activities are based on a theme. For example, Animal Habitats, Bush Detectives, Dreamtime, Creepy Crawlies, Pond Life, Bush Faries and Scaly Beasts. The Program encourages children to have a direct experience with the natural world. The children go on a bush walk, play an environmental game and be creative with bush craft. The activities are designed to instil environmental values in a fun, game-based and interactive learning atmosphere using the "Flow Learning" method developed by Joseph Cornell of the Sharing Nature Foundation, USA.

I found working with children extremely satisfying and rewarding. Their pureness, fun-loving nature and innocence often shine through and fill my heart with joy. They are inquisitive and appreciative. They constantly remind me of my inner child!

The Fauna and Flora of Ku Ring Gai Wildflower Garden

Acacia brownii	Green Reed Frog (Litoria fallax)	Green Reed Frog (Litoria fallax)
Redbellied Black Snake	Eastern Water Dragon	Banksia ericifolia
Boronia ledifolia	Ringtail Possum - Mum & joeys	Goldern Orb Spider
Diamond Pyton	Crowea saligna	Cicada in Summer
Kukaburra	Dragonfly Shell	Hibbertia scandens
Lambertia formosa	Southern Brown Bandicoot	Persoonia linearis

Go back