A birthday gift - trees!

July 14, 2020

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A birthday gift – trees!

From Belinda: ‘Birthdays are important milestones but I’m not really one for big celebrations. However, I love the idea of giving back on my birthday. Trees are the perfect gift because they just keep giving…”

TREES PLANTED

175

Last year, Belinda Coates asked her friends and family to buy her trees for her birthday.

Thirty people chipped in and as a result 175 trees were purchased for the Napoleon Enfield Landcare Group, VIC.

From Belinda … ‘Birthdays are important milestones but I’m not really one for big celebrations. However, I love the idea of giving back on my birthday. Trees are the perfect gift because they just keep giving. They are an amazing part of our ecosystem and contribute so much to our natural environment. They combat climate change, give us beauty, soak up carbon, produce oxygen and provide homes and shelter for insects, birds and habitat for wildlife. They also protect waterways and landscapes from erosion. In my role as a local Councillor here in Ballarat I’ve advocated strongly for our Urban Forestry Action plan aiming for 40% tree canopy cover by 2040. Being able to plant some trees for my birthday is a way that I can take action for the environment in my personal life. These trees will help combat climate change and give back to the environment’.

Thank you to all the following people who purchased trees (anywhere from 1 to 15) for Belinda’s birthday last November; Carol Loader, Louise Taylor, Jenny Mitchell, Nicole McMaster, Elizabeth Wade, Emma Barra, Natasha Tonkin, Glen Tilley, Karen Armstrong, Ivan Carter, Michael Dwyer, Ann Goeman, Sarah Corfe, Colleen Filippa, Natalie Manwaring, Stu Bates, Robert Law, Jacinta Molloy, Robert Kozlovski, Jane Bevelander, Patricia Herzan, Caitlin Larcombe, Stephanie McGlinchey, David Eldridge, Samantha Clarke, L. Palmer, Natasha Tonkin, Johnathon Stranger, Emma Mathews and Kara Rysava.

The 175 trees were planted in Scotchman’s Lead, by the Napoleons Enfield Landcare Group along with a group of volunteers from ‘Work for Victoria’.

We managed to complete a task that I thought would not happen this year with all the Covid19 restrictions. With the help of ‘Work for Victoria’ we got so much done. We brush cut the longer growth along the creek edge, mattocked the planting site, put in the plants and guarded them well with stakes and plastic tree guards. We even managed to get the plants watered, even though it was beginning to rain slightly by the end of the session. And we did all this while keeping socially distanced!

Jenny Ryle | Secretary | Napoleons Enfield Landcare Group.

This is only the second time Fifteen Trees have used crowd-funding through our own website. And we are pretty excited, for this is a great way for people having birthdays, weddings etc to nicely ask that their friends and family purchase some trees on their behalf. We’d love to plant trees for your special occasion too! Contact Colleen ([email protected]) for more information.

Sláinte – Colleen

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July 14, 2020

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