Textural, natural, local, sustainable – just a few words to sum up the ethos of Bendigo homewares and lifestyle store maude & maple. It’s a place of relaxed comfort, earthy colours, and ethical business practices. On top of this, owner Kirsty Nevinson is proud to extend maude & maple’s commitment to the broader environment by partnering with Fifteen Trees to plant 100 trees every year.

Kirsty and co-owner Kurt share a strong connection to Bendigo, having gone to school and met each other in the thriving goldfields town. Several years and many adventures later, Bendigo seemed the logical home for their boutique business venture. A strong sense of place is evident in the store’s product range, which features many locally made pieces, as well as beautiful work from across the country.

As Kirsty says, ‘maude & maple has a strong focus on sustainability, the community and is mindful of our impact on the environment. We are always looking for ways to minimise the effect we have on the environment’.

2022 | Reservoir, VIC | 100 trees

The trees, shrubs and grasses were planted at Edwardes Lake and Edgars Creek Wetlands located in Reservoir, Victoria. Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. This area is classed as Grassy Woodlands. The aim of the planting group is to restore vegetation to this standard and protect the few remnants areas of vegetation that are left.

This waterway is a tributary of the Merri Creek which in turn, is a tributary of the Yarra River. It is a precious system that provides much needed habitat to countless species. This waterway also allows people in the local area to connect with nature. This area is classed as Grassy Woodlands.

The species selected for the site (including, Banksia, Cassinia, Saltbush, Tea-Tree and Tussock-Grass) will support the local biodiversity that calls the local waterway home. The Saltbushes will provide food for lizards and birds. The Tussock-Grass will provide cover for ground dwelling species and nesting material for birds. The Cassinia will provide a food source for insects in turn creating food for small insect-eating birds.

Edwardes Lake and Edgars Creek is home to Ringtail and Brushtail Possums, Microbats, Grey headed Flying Foxes, Cormorants, Grebes, Swans, Swamphens, Herons, Coots, Lorikeets, Frogmouths, Thornbills, Wagtails, Honeyeaters and many species of insects and reptiles.

We would like to thank those who contributed to this project. You have allowed us to plant local species in our community to support wildlife and allow people to connect with nature. The legacy of your contribution will go on to support biodiversity and care for country for generations.

Kate Jost | President | Friends of Edwardes Lake

2022 | Mallee, VIC | 100 trees

These trees were planted in the Mallee district of northwest Victoria at Raakajlim, A Mallee Conservation Sanctuary (490 ha) adjoining Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. The property is under management of Fiona and Phil Murdoch. This couple are preserving an important ecological area for numerous desert mammals, reptiles, birds and insects such as the Arid Bronze Azure butterfly. They are also designing and building water points and soaks as drought refuges for wildlife.

We are passionate about the environment and our vision is to restore a functioning, semi-arid landscape. A diverse habitat and sanctuary for threatened plants and animals.

Thank you Kirsty and Kurt for your support. We are so grateful.

Fiona Murdoch | Manager | Raakajlim

Thank you to Kirsty and Kurt for your generous contribution to this beautiful project out in the Mallee district of Victoria. And thank you too to Fiona and Phil whose love of desert regions has meant a huge tract of rural land is now under protection for generations to come.

2021 | Redbank, VIC | 100 trees

Of the 100 trees, some were planted at the property of Andrew and Debra Borg in Redbank by the Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Network (BNGLN); some along the road-side reserve and the rest into the Conservation area adjacent to the Kara Kara National Park.  The conservation area is an area set aside to connect the riparian area alongside the Cherry Tree Creek and the National Park.  The group are embarking upon a captive breeding program for the endangered Squirrel Glider, which was last seen in this area in 1998.  Hopefully, one day some of these animal’s descendants will get to re-enter the bush via this conservation area.

It’s safe to say that planting 100 trees every year will both minimise maude & maple’s business impact and provide far-reaching environmental benefits. Just as a town needs lots of small businesses in order to truly flourish, so an eco-system needs lots of trees to anchor it. maude & maple’s trees will form an integral part of the landscape they end up in and contribute to its health in multiple ways. While the native fauna in decades ahead might not know who is responsible for their habitat, food, shelter and stability, we certainly do. And we’re very grateful.

We hope that this is one small business whose big warm heart will remain an integral part of Bendigo’s streetscape for many years to come.

Writer – Sarah Hart.

Sarah is an artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form. You can find Sarah here.