It originated with the Danes and the Greeks and is a diminutive of the more formal Katherine.
Karen means “pure,” which points to the wonderful innocence of childhood and the loving, pure nature a baby embodies.
Karen has, in recent years, become a widespread meme referencing a specific type of middle-class white woman, who exhibits behaviours that stem from privilege.
She is often the first to speak up against any wrongs she perceives happening to her especially when people of colour are concerned.
Camping in the bush can be even more exciting if you throw in a game of ‘who can make the best tasting aboriginal food’!
Best to get the recipe first so that you don’t poison yourself! It’s actually really simple as was the lives of those who roamed Australia all those years ago.
Witchetty Grubs
One of the most well known traditional Aboriginal foods is the Australian witchetty grub. The grub looks like a large white worm which turns into a moth. The adult lays eggs near the wichetty bush, which is a type of wattle tree, and the witchetty grubs feed on this.
The Witchetty grub remains a common snack or meal addition in Australia, and is high in protein and nutrition.
Witchetty grubs formed an important part in the diet of Aboriginal Australians living in the desert. The grubs were cooked on coals or eaten raw.
See who can make the best whitchetty recipie!
Meat
Aboriginals adapted to their environment and hunted kangaroos and emus. You can find kangaroo meat in the supermarket these days. It is very nutritious and also very healthy. You can have it as steaks, minced, in casseroles …..
There is plenty of food in coastal areas. Seafood and fish formed part of the diet of the groups living there.
But, for those living in remote areas inland, finding food was a hard daily task.
Plant Food
Aboriginal Australians ate roots, seeds, berries, yams and honey. Whatever they could find in the bush that day.
They didn’t raise cattle or cultivate the land but they had a strong knowledge of the environment and how to benefit from it.
They developed the knowledge to survive and passed it down from one generation to the other.
They knew how to find water in the desert. They knew which plants and what parts of them were edible. They knew what was the right time to harvest them and how to prepare them.
Not all plants are good to eat and some of them are toxic. And among those poisonous some can still be eaten if you know when to pick them and how to prepare them, how to keep the good and remove the bad.
Be extra careful of mushrooms as these can be delicious or lethal 😮
Nuts about Nuts
Macadamias are native plants that produce excellent nuts. They are a delicacy, eaten as such or used in various recipes. And they are the only indigenous Australian plant to become a big food item internationally.
The macadamia nuts oil is one of the healthiest choices you can make. It has high levels of mono-unsaturated fats, even more so than in olive oil.
If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?
Traditional foods and artefacts. I love finding out what our ancestors spent all their time doing to survive in a far more hostile climate. Would love to find out their herbs and spices and recipies for eating and treating. Find it fascinating.
Have you been to see this amazing work of art on the dam wall of Wellington dam. The second largest dam in Western Australia, fed by the Collie River. It was completed in 2021 by Guido van Helton and entitled Reflections.
Potters Gorge is a large campground in the Jarrah forest on the shore of Wellington Dam.
Bookings are essential and can be made up to 180 days (approximately six months) before arrival and for one campsite only.
Fifty-nine campsites of varying surfaces, sizes and layouts. Bookings are essential. Parking is a short walk from the camping area.
All campsites are unpowered.
Check campsite details and the campground map carefully when booking.
Facilities
Drinking water not provided. Rainwater may be seasonally available but supply is not guaranteed and treatment is required to make safe for consumption.
No-flush pit toilets.
Chemical toilet dump point.
Sheltered dining areas with gas barbecue, food preparation surfaces, dishwashing sinks with cold rainwater only (not guaranteed year-round), picnic tables.
All campsites have a picnic table and a fire ring.
Campground Rules
Campfires when conditions permit and in the provided fire rings only. Usual permitted season: April – November.
Chopped firewood may be available. Bring your own in case none is available. Collecting firewood and kindling is not permitted in national parks and other conservation reserves.
Dogs are not permitted.
Generator use is permitted at all campsites between 8am-6pm only.
Do not empty chemical toilet waste into campground toilets. Use the dump point or carry waste out of the park for disposal in an authorised dump point.
Fees
A per person camping fee applies. There is no vehicle entry fee for Wellington National Park.
Camping fee must be paid by Mastercard or VISA when booking.
Safety information
Drinking water is not provided. Rainwater may be seasonally available but supply is not guaranteed and should be treated to make safe for consumption.
No-flush pit toilets are the only personal hygiene facility.
December to April can be extremely hot and the risk of bushfire can be very high.
Nights can be cold from June to September.
Storms are common between May and October throughout WA.
Ensure you have sufficient supplies (including water, food, fuel, medication and first aid), and equipment and clothing appropriate for the conditions before travelling.
Be prepared for an emergency. For alerts, warnings and advice go to: Emergency WA
This is our way to let the World know of and show their support for our Golden Oldies still in Zimbabwe, whom we have been helping to support with food aid parcels and basic medical supplies for over 21 years.
Our Golden Oldies are part of an era that no longer exists. They stayed behind in the country they helped to develop, showing faith in a system, that not only let them down but totally ceased to exist.
They have lost everything. Farms, homes, life savings and in a lot of cases, hope.
The situation in Zimbabwe is dire with food either unaffordable or non-existent. Most of our Golden Oldies are not managing to afford their basic necessities including medication. The tales of sadness remain unheard and unattended.
This is where you can help, with your donations we show them that people all over the world still care about them. They may not necessarily be friends or family but there is a worldwide network of supporters who make what we do possible.
Please share this as far and wide as possible. Don’t forget to nominate/challenge your friends, co-workers, Church Groups, local Newspaper and so on. It truly is for a good and valid cause.
Our Various Banking Details:
Our new 2023 donate link to make things easier for donors around the world:
Please include name and ZPSF in the reference. Acknowledgement will be given in our quarterly newsletter. If a receipt is required, please let Doug know at admin@rhodesianassociation.com
UK ACCOUNT:
ZIMBABWE PENSIONER SUPPORT FUND
Barclays Bank, West Swindon
Sort code:20-68-15
Account No: 23398579
Swift Code is:BUKGB22
IBAN is: GB49 BUKB 20681523398579
Please can you email me at betiann1@sky.com so we can send you an acknowledgement of your kind Donation 🙏❤️
USA ACCOUNT
ZIMBABWE PENSIONERS SUPPORT FUND – USA
A Registered 501(c)3 organization. TAX-deductible receipts available for USA donors.
USA address to post cheques
PO Box 257,
Summerland
CA 93067
The USA now has Venmo for easier payments.
To request additional information, or receipts, from 1 April 2022 please email Caron atcaron.b@cox.net
SOUTH AFRICA ACCOUNT
ZIMBABWE PENSIONER SUPPORTER FUND
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
MALELANE BRANCH
BRANCH CODE 270952
ACCOUNT NUMBER 62239042906
SWIFT CODE FIRNZAJJ
Please can you email me at linda@zpsf.co.za so that I can send you an acknowledgement of your kind Donation. 🙏❤️
Thank you for your support towards our Golden Oldies, you make the Magic and we deliver it .
Doing what we say we do, real people helping real people.
As a Fund we rely solely on donations to do what we do. We receive no funding from any Government organization.
A huge THANK YOU to all our supporters out there who continue to enable us to keep doing what we are doing. Your support is invaluable to us and we at the ZPSF would never be able to sustain our regular supply of relief parcels if it were not for donations such as yours. You our Donors ensure our wheels keep turning, you are all truly amazing.
If you enjoy travelling around with us, perhaps you would like to stop at Zane Zimbabwe.
We lived in Lusaka for a short while, and on one of our trips along the Kafue River, sixty kilometers west of Chingola, we discovered the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world.
This orphanage is located 60 kilometers away from Chingola on the Solwezi road, and has cared for more than 145 chimpanzees since it was created by David and Sheila Siddle on their cattle ranch in 1983.
The start of the orphanage was not planned but rather developed out of necessity. One day, a game ranger brought a badly injured infant chimpanzee to the Siddles ranch. The Chimpanzee wasn’t expected to survive, but Sheila persisted and nursed the animal back to health.
This was the start of Chimfunshi, which very aptly means “place of water,” and today it is an internationally recognised sanctuary and rehabilitation centre. It is the only successful centre of its kind in the world, surviving on the tenacity and ingenuity of the Siddles, as well the financial support of well wishers.
Once, millions of chimpanzees roamed the forests of 25 countries in equatorial Africa. Today they are an endangered species.
Sheila recalls how the first chimp they called “Pal” immediately embraced her on arrival and quickly recovered. This news brought a flood of new chimp orphans to the farm.
Many were confiscated from poachers who tried to sell the infants as pets, but a large number were rescued from dilapidated zoos and circuses from all over Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.
The Siddles showed the chimpanzees love and care and gradually introduced them to the extended family at Chimfunshi, which is now home to over fifty chimpanzees housed in two enclosures, with cages for the new introductions.
During our visit we observed the chimpanzees closely and actually walked with them, held their hands, and carried the younger ones in the enclosure, closely watched by the guide. We couldn’t get over how similar we are and they were just like humans in every respect.
At one point, one of the cheeky chimps started to undo my buttons!!
Another grabbed my camera and was off into the forest. Luckily our excellent guide retrieved it for us some time later completely intact.
Many other animals have benefited from the Siddles’ care and attention. Antelopes, baboons, monkeys, tortoises, squirrels, bush babies, dogs and birds have all been found and nursed back to health at the orphanage.
A massive Hippopotamus called Billy (They didn’t know at the time that she was a girl), at about 10 days old, was rescued by game rangers who found her lying under her dead mother’s body and taken to the Siddles’ farm. The tiny calf had numerous wounds along her back and belly as a result of the hunters’ spears, and required constant attention to survive the trauma.
Now, weighing in at over 1,500 pounds she comes and goes but still graciously accepts two bottles of milk per day.
P.O. Box 3555, Kempton Park, 1620 South Africa. Fax: (011) 606-2492. Donations are urgently needed and can be sent to the same address.
And so I can safely say that in our short time in Zambia, we saw and experienced so much magnificent, pure and raw nature that it was truly an experience of a lifetime.
Zimbabwe is now a very sorry place to live. Where once professional people poured into Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and there was order and growth and development. Now it is totally run down with water and power cuts every week and costs soaring with inflation again reaching triple digits. Pensions are now worth nothing!
It is unbelievable how little the people left behind have, with very few commodities and a dire shortage of cash (no one has any!). The local currency (bond note) is recognized only in Zimbabwe and the exchange rate is astronomical for US1.
However, just back from a visit to my parents in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in February 2023, and was delighted to see how Zane and Bulawayo Help Net were actually making a huge difference in the lives of many.
ZANE and Bulawayo Help Net, really do have the people at heart and often provide those who are left with absolutely nothing, some hope. They take time to support, visit and even have started a charity shop in Bulawayo, with the proceeds going to those most needy. A truly caring community.
If anyone would like to support these precious people.
Lane Poole Reserve is made up of Jarrah Forest, and is known as the Southwest Australia woodlands. It covers more than 50,000 hectares (120,000 acres).
A huge campground for everyone to enjoy!
General Facilities and Activities
Bookings : First come wins the spot in most campsites. Fees can be paid to the entry station at the entrance to Lane Poole Reserve or they can be paid to the Ranger when they do a collection each day.
Rubbish : Please dispose of non-toilet waste in the bins provided at the campground or take with you when you leave.
No flush long drop toilets : very clean and eco friendly 🙂 All Toilets and dining shelters are accessible to people in a wheelchair
Baden Powell Campground
The Baden Powell Campground hosts 42 camp sites and is especially good for families. Bookings must be made for this one online and it is suitable for wheelchairs.
Dwaarlindjirraap
A beautiful new bridge has recently been completed and is suitable for cyclists and walkers only.
There is plenty of space for canoeing, picnicking, swimming and fishing hiking and riding.
A great day out!
Chuditch Campground
Chuditch has 24 camp sites that are ideal for families and it is not intended for group usage.
Booking is required
Stringers Campground
Stringer’s is one of a number of small campgrounds situated along the Murray River. It only has six campsites so it is only for small groups.
There is no provision to park larger vehicles at this campsite.
Booking is required.
Nanga Brook
Nanga Brook – Nanga Brook flows through the campsite meeting the Murray River. There are many lovely little paths and shallow waterways for the children to play in.
In 1909 a townsite was laid out and built by Millars, complete with 56 homes and several other lodgings, a store, butcher, hall, billiard room and school. Later, three tennis courts and a sports oval were added. A thriving timber mill town. Sadly the Great Depression took its toll on the once-flourishing township.
Bookings are essential and can be made up to 180 days before arrival and for one campsite only. Eight campsites are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
It is the closest one to Treetops Adventures.
Nanga Mill
No prior booking required.
The Nanga Mill was the biggest in the area for many years and at times employed over 100 men at the jarrah saw mill. Sadly the mill burnt down in a case of suspected arson in 1941 and, although rebuilt, the town never recovered its former glory. What was left of it was destroyed by fire in 1961, but the remains of the town can be seen among the trees.
Nanga Mill is now a spacious campground with space for 55 large tents, camper trailers or caravans with the Murray River within walking distance.
The Stirling Ranges is home to the only major mountain range in the southern part of Western Australia. It rises to more than 1000m above sea level creating a challenging and spectacular hiking experience.
Over 1000 species of flowering plants adorn the paths making it a fascinating place to explore, especially during wildflower season which is July to October. Mountain Bells and the Queen of Sheba Orchid are some of the notable wild flowers and trees like eucalypt, banksia and grass trees cover the lower slopes.
Spectacular cloud formations can often be seen, and it is also one of few places in Western Australia where snow occasionally falls.
It is about four and a half hours south-east of Perth.
Campyourworld 