A huge thank you needs to be sent to a lot of people without who’s help we couldn’t have planted over 2000 trees this year.
The trees were planted in places like Mt Bald, Mt Mercer, Garibaldi and Creswick, Learmonth and Bendigo, West Gate Reserve and Kinglake.
The buyers of the trees – our family and friends bought trees, small companies and large also got on board. We had real estate agents and car dealerships, body oil , party shops and companies who organise apprenticeships. Ballarat City Councillors and funeral directors, land developers and city planners. Training colleges and web developers as well as
However, it was the planters of the trees who play a huge part in helping to preserve our native heritage. Landcare groups planted on private and public land, environmental groups planted in community gardens and in almost all cases the groups and individuals were volunteers. School kids helped out at and some Chinese visitors were also roped in to help out with some plantings.
The growers of the trees also need a mention. This year I used 5 nurseries – Avalon, Creswick, La Trobe, Negear and SKINC. All fabulous native nurseries who have the knowlege and expertise to grow hardy, endemic tube stock for our planters to collect.
Next year with the continued assistance from those companies (20) already on board plus all the new companies who I hope I can entice, we are geared up to plant ‘lots and lots’ of trees – I am aiming for 10,000 in 2011 – a forest !!
Once again a huge thank you to those with the money, to those with the expertise to plant trees, to those who grow the trees and to those who just love trees and are happy to follow our process along with a few words of encouragement along the way.