SNAKES SEMINAR

When we had a snake in our backyard in Footscray a few years ago we called the snake catcher, who reassured us that when the building rubble was cleared we were unlikely to see another. He was wrong, we found a young snake in our laundry a couple of years later.

If it was happening to us it was probably happening to others. Melbourne's other river, the Maribyrnong, is looking healthier and healthier and as a consequence, frogs are back. So are snakes.

As Mayoress I took the opportunity to encourage the Mayor to encourage the Council to arrange an information night for residents. We all agreed that the best venue would be the Living Museum of the West because the meeting was designed to help people learn about snakes and how to live with them. Where better to do that than the one place where the environment (and our local history) is celebrated. The Director, Peter Haffenden, was, as always, helpful and supportive.

Twenty people attended the meeting and heard a herpetologist from the Melbourne Zoo explain how local snakes live, their diet and their behaviour. Then our surprise guest, the snake catcher, added his wisdom to the evening.

We all came away much better informed - and quite a few people vowed to return to the Living Museum of West to see what else it had to offer.

Heather Horrocks