On a couple of mornings the group helped locals with rehabilitation projects on their leases. Jack and Cindy Shick continue to turn their old grazing paddock back into native forest. Jack propagates many plants from seeds and each year the Friends groups love to assist, as it is a large area and many hands can do a lot in three hours – much appreciated by Jack and Cindy.

Anna and Craig Thompson are busy clearing a forest of introduced Coral trees and Tree tobacco; with the aim of planting a fruit orchard surrounded by native trees to protect from the wind. Again, Anna and Craig were delighted to have some assistance for their project. They expect they will be working all winter to complete the project.

The Lord Howe Island Board has an area on the side of Intermediate Hill where the Friends groups have been assisting for a couple of years now. Crofton weed had escaped from the paddock into native forest, hindering natural regeneration. Nicola and her team were appreciative of the help given by the Friends for a morning removing Crofton weed.

The Friends have a couple of long term rehabilitation projects we return to each trip – one of these is Edie’s Glen, which 25 years ago was gully full of Rice paper plant and Castor oil plant. Over 25 years the Friends groups, returning each year, have completely regenerated the site with some newly established native trees now reaching 7 metres in height. Each trip we visit to remove any emerging weeds that come from old seed stock, and expand the edge areas.

Another long term site is the forest above Middle Beach, where in the three drought years ending in 2019, quite a lot of large Blackbutt (Cryptocarya triplinervis) died and fell over, opening up areas to sun and weeds. Each trip our groups visit and encourage regrowth of native trees by removing weeds and even removing a few native vines from trees struggling to emerge. The site is looking amazing as the surrounding forest encroaches.

We picked the best day of the week for our trip to North Bay and were delighted to find several large Red tailed tropic bird chicks in a nest – and a great climb to the top of Mount Eliza. Thanks to Dean and Kayla for ferrying the group over and back.

Little Island was a dramatic walk with stormy clouds and thousands of Providence petrels wheeling above our heads before coming in for the night. This is always a favourite walk for groups who never tire of the scenery and experience.

Ian and John led a walk up Malabar and across to Kim’s Lookout and return via Old Settlement.

Karl and Annie and Ian Clarke stayed on an extra week or so and got hooked on the Sea spurge and put in another 10.5 hours – hundreds of sea spurge seeds were removed.

Main photo, above: The group on the summit of Mt Eliza