The St Francis Kromme Trust celebrated its 30th Birthday on Wednesday last week with members, friends and honoured guests.
The occasion also saw the launch of the third edition of Our Coastal Treasure, the Trust’s booklet on local environmental aspects of the area.
It was a festive occasion with balloons, party fare, and fun at the Heritage Centre. Lindy Pagden, founder of the Trust, and Bartle Logie, historian, author, and one of the contributors to Our Coastal Treasure, were guest speakers.
Pagden recounted her memories of the early days in St Francis and the environmental issues at that time. The Trust was founded to prevent irreversible damage to the environment taking place. Since then the Trust has been like a watchdog and has notched up many successes over the years – even going to court once.
In addition various environmental attractions in St Francis , such as public open spaces, the lookout points, the Two Harbours walk and the Community Garden, are testimonies to the Trust’s efforts.
Logie spoke about Our Coastal Treasure and the Trust’s mission. He said watchdogs and rules were necessary to see things did not get out of hand. He mentioned that some people perceived the Trust as a bunch of ‘Mother Grundies’ but it is they who, over the years have ensured St Francis’ uniqueness and appeal.
The contributors to Our Coastal Treasure , Logie said, are passionate and share a wealth of knowledge, with their readers. The book enriches the readers’ experiences of St Francis, he added.
Afterwards Pagden cut the birthday cake and guests had tea and cake, social networked or bought copies of the book for sale at a special price. The books are available at Tourism and the local book shop.
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