Cambooya Landcare Association Inc.

The Cambooya Landcare Association Inc. is a proud supporter of the Lantana Busters – a group of retirees working to rid the region of lantana and other weeds.

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The group started off with only two members successfully working to clear lantana and privet at Violet Brodie Park in Greenmount. Once that job was complete, they moved on to Ramsay State School where their numbers grew. 

 

The focus for the Lantana Busters is on the manual removal of weeds (mainly lantana), making all efforts to remove the entire lantana plant, roots and all, eliminating any potential for regrowth from stems. This approach has proven to be an extremely effective. The group has utilized novel and highly efficient tools, created by group member Euan McLean, which make lantana removal quicker, easier and more effective. These include:

• the Root Blade—a modified shovel which focuses force onto a smaller front edge and greatly improves the ability to cut roots and apply leverage under plants;

• the Tower Power—a large tripod which supports a ratchet winch to raise lantana bushes (roots and all) from the ground.

 

The group successfully finished tackling the lantana at Ramsay State School in 2015. Since then they have continued to battle lantana and other weeds at other parks and private properties, including the Glenvale Reserve, Toowoomba and Symes Thorpe Residential Aged Care, Toowoomba. 

 

The video below from ABC Open Stories (2012) provides an insight into the group’s work.  To see more of the Lantana Busters, please see their website or their Facebook page.

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