Two hundred and fifty indigenous trees have been planted thanks to the persistent and successful tree project fundraiser campaign by students at Ballarat Grammar School. The students used our very own Fifteen Trees marketing materials (swap cards/posters), to encourage their family, friends, and the wider school community to dig deep and enable this to happen.

For those familiar with Ballarat Grammar School, it will come as no surprise that the school not only has an excellent academic reputation, but are also well known for the enormous amount of community-focused projects the students, staff and families generate.

When the school was approached to get behind our school fundraiser campaign, which encourages students to campaign on our behalf in raising awareness on local native tree planting projects, they totally rose to the occasion. In this case, the fundraiser was especially pertinent to the students, as they knew that the trees will be planted somewhere in their local area on Wadawurrung Country. Making it truly meaningful.

The school’s consistent leadership in voluntary project work around Australia and beyond, is very commendable. We thank the students, teachers, families, and the whole Ballarat Grammar School community for backing projects like ours, and their exemplary commitment to greening our planet.

The Ballarat Grammar Middle School Year 7 cohort were contacted by Fifteen Trees to undertake a fundraiser for a tree planting project. Students were provided with swap cards to sell in exchange for buying a tree ($4 goes towards the cost of getting the tree planted and $1 goes back to the Year 7 cohort to decide on how best to spend, or donate to another worthy cause). Over a three week period, the Year 7’s were able to sell 250 trees. An amazing effort in such a short period of time. Well done!

Keitha Theodore | Teacher | Ballarat Grammar

 

The trees were planted on the banks of the Yarrowee River at Grenville, VIC by the Hutchins family. Over the past 8 years, the family have done significant revegetation work on the river flats to remove blackberries, gorse and willow trees, so that they could then rehabilitate the area with natives. Emily and Jason Hutchins, along with family members and friends planted a variety of native trees and shrubs. Species included; Blackwoods, Sheoaks and Gums.

This planting project will provide habitat for fauna, prevent washing and erosion of the river banks during high flows, increase diversity of insect life and therefore increase diversity of feed for the life in the river. Some of the native animals that live down by the river are platypus, echidnas, parrots, kangaroos, wallabies, magpies, kookaburra, black cockatoos, eel and spiny fresh water crayfish.

Thank you so much to those who have contributed to our trees. We often talk about the big river gums and the fact that they would have had families sit under them on the banks of the river for many hundreds of years. We like to think we are continuing the legacy.

Jason Hutchins | Landholder | Grenville, VIC

If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.

Writer – Lou Ridsdale

Lou a green thumb, Earth Lover, big-hearted nature freak, plus a savvy media and horticulture expert, who passionately believe that everyone can lead a more nourishing and sustainable life. Lou founded Food Is Free Inc., a unique grassroots food security platform specialising in food security education. She fell in love with trees after reading The Magic Faraway Tree as a child. You can find Lou here