Andrew Womersley from G. J. Gardner Homes Warrnambool is a generous supporter of local community groups and their tree planting projects. This year, the Andrew and his team purchased 900 trees for the Hopkins Falls Landcare Group. This brings their total tree tally to 3,975 since 2013. A decade of support!

G.J. Gardner prides itself on being a practical, hands-on family affair, and take pride in supporting their local community with their revegetation projects. Working with their local nurseries, Landcare groups determine the best tree species for the project. The seedlings themselves are grown by local independent nurseries who have collected seed from the region. The sites that have been planted in the past have included nature reserves, parklands, roadsides, school grounds, riverbanks & rural properties.

G.J. Gardner’s core business is building homes. Safe, secure places for families to grow and thrive for many years to come. We love that alongside this, G.J. Gardner Homes is planting forests, which is very much the same thing; safe, secure places for fauna and flora to grow and thrive for many years to come.

The trees (900) were planted across 4 sites in the Warrnambool district:  Mount Emu Creek, Hopkins Falls, Mailors Flat and Grassmere. A mix of Manna Gum, River Red Gum, Swamp Gum, Scented Paperbark, Myrtle Wattle, varieties of tea tree (Woolly and Prickly) and native shrubs and grasses were planted.

Over time, the plantings will provide habitat for native wildlife (e.g. wallabies, koalas, Wedge tail Eagles, Yellow tail cockatoo) and the new riverside vegetation will improve and retain the banks of the river, and improve water quality by filtering the runoff that enters the waterway.

Hopkins Falls Landcare Group once again would like to thank G.J. Gardner Homes and Fifteen Trees  for including us in their 2023 projects, the process was made easy with all necessary information provided and excellent communication.

Jane O’Beirne | Coordinator | Hopkins Falls Landcare Group

Many thanks to Andrew for his continued support over the past 10 years. A decade of giving back to their local community and environment.

Here at Fifteen Trees, we are always happy to have a chat about the best way to incorporate CSR into your organisation. It’s a lovely way to connect with the broader community and reduce some of your company’s environmental impacts. If interested, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.

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: Colleen B. Filippa

With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.