The Friends of Berowra Valley meet bi-monthly from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm on the first Wednesday of February, April, June, August, October and December at the Berowra District Hall, 41 Berowra Waters Rd, Berowra. All members are welcome.
Meeting dates for the year are:
- Wed 5th February 2025
- Wed 2nd April 2025
- Wed 4th June 2025
- Wed 6th August 2025
- Wed 1st October 2025
- Wed 3rd December 2025
Friends of Berowra Valley Incorporated Today
- The Friends seek to preserve and protect the Bushland in Berowra Valley. Once it has gone it is next to impossible to get it back. This includes our native flora and fauna which rely on healthy habitat.
- The Friends retain close contact with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to ensure that all proposed projects meet the requirements of the Park’s Plan of Management.
Office Bearers
President: Karen Benhar
Vice President: Robin Buchanan
Secretary: Petra Holland
Treasurer: Ken Fox
Public Officer: Ken Fox
General Committee Members: Rae Rosten, Jan Primrose, Mick Marr, Lucy Bal, Benjamin Caswell , Gigi Beretta, David Booth and David Martin.
Origins
The Friends of Berowra Valley Incorporated is a group of volunteer members of the community interested in making the Park more accessible to the community. The diverse academic, business and personal skills of members allow the group undertake projects as community services that otherwise may not be done within the management structure. The Friends group was officially established at an ordinary meeting of Hornsby Shire Council on 21 April 1993. The group operated for many years as a Special Committee of Hornsby Shire Council and enjoyed considerable support from Council during those years.
In 1983, before the establishment of the Friends, the former Elouera Bushland Natural Park Trust published A Guide to Elouera Bushland Natural Park, an 80-page A4 illustrated introduction to the parklands. Along the way, the original Elouera Bushland Natural Park was greatly enlarged and reclassified twice to become Berowra Valley Regional Park. Some officers and members of the original Trust remain involved as members of the Friends.
In about 1995 the Friends began preparation of a new greatly enlarged edition, A Guide to Berowra Valley Regional Park with 245 pages and 400 colour images. Noted expert academic authors were invited to provide content for the peer-reviewed publication Support provided by Council was instrumental to the financial success of the book publishing project.
In 2006, Council reduced its involvement in the management of Berowra Valley Regional Park. The Friends then became an incorporated Community Service Organisation so as to more fully support its own operations as an independent group dedicated to assist the managers of the Park. The Friends has continued its support by developing bush walking resources, holding public awareness events and providing information directly and through printed and digital media.
Berowra Valley National Park was created on 24 August 2012 under the management structure of the NSW Government. To deal with some land title matters, several small areas of land amounting to less than 10ha, remain under the previous management structure as Berowra Valley Regional Park.
The Friends has supported the almost lifelong work of some of its own members and those of similar organisations to achieve the ranking of the Park as a National Park.