When a local business steps up for its community, everyone benefits. This month, we are thrilled to shine a light on Jaymak, a Ballarat-based company doing exactly that. Specialising in the cleaning and sanitising of cool-rooms, fan units, air conditioners, dishwashers, ice machines, and more. This hardworking team keeps food businesses, hospitality venues, and facilities across the region running smoothly.
And now, they are making a big difference to the local environment too.
In support of local revegetation projects, Jaymak Ballarat annually purchases native trees for Fifteen Trees to plant on their behalf – right in the district in which they work and live! These trees will help restore habitat, support biodiversity, and strengthen the resilience of our local landscapes, providing benefits that will continue to grow for decades.
We do a lot of travel annually in our work vehicle and wanted to help reduce the carbon emissions that it creates. This initiative was a perfect fit for us, as it helps us achieve that goal as well as aiding the environment.
Ken, Heather & Dan Hocking | Owners | Jaymak Ballarat
Jaymak’s commitment is a great example of how businesses can take meaningful climate action without complexity.
Napoleons Enfield Landcare Group (NELG) organised the planting of these trees at Scotchman’s Lead Reserve, Napoleons, VIC over the course of 3 community tree planting days. Attendees included a number of groups such as TAFE students and the Birdwatching/Naturalist group as well as members from NELG and individuals from the local area.
We are delighted to have sponsors contributing to this revegetation project via Fifteen Trees. The results are now speaking for themselves with more people than ever are interested and aware of the importance of protecting and restoring our native environment. This financial support is so useful to ‘get things done’, and it also represents moral support – which is very motivating for the hours of work put in by the volunteers. Thank you for your kind contribution.
Jenny Ryle | Project Manager | Napoleons Enfield Landcare Group (NELG)
Manna Gum, Candlebark, Snow Gum, Yarra Gum, and Swamp gum and seven species of wattle were planted along with Tree Violets, Sweet Bursaria and Silver Banksia. The site is within the Yarrowee flood plain/riverbank zone, just 15km south of Ballarat. The site had been badly degraded due to the gold rush era of the 1850’s when all native vegetation was removed. Since then, the area had been neglected until NELG took an interest. There were only woody weeds such as gorse and blackberry in the area prior to rehabilitation as well as hemlock and thistle. All introduced plant species that needed be be removed before planting could even begin.
This revegetation project is recreating the biodiverse ecosystem of the area and in turn encouraging the return of native fauna – especially birds. Frogs, platypus, rakali, echidnas, koalas, wallabies and possums have returned to a site that once had little to offer them. Dragonflies and bees move through an under-storey that is thickening season by season. Bird species have climbed from just 6 recorded in 2010 to more than 40 today – a clear measure of an ecosystem finding its feet again! Kangaroos graze the reserve. Birds of prey ride the thermals overhead. Kangaroos are now present and there is evidence of koalas returning! There are regular sighting of echidnas and possums. The frog population is very noisy all the year, except high summer. It is also a well sought after area for humans to enjoy nature and its benefits.
This most recent planting of eucalypts, acacias and banksias on the overlooking escarpment will help anchor the soil, shade the creek, shelter fish and platypus, and buffer the landscape against erosion, flood damage and strong winds as the trees mature.
Emily and Jason Hutchins have spent the past decade quietly transforming their corner of Wadawurrung Country at ‘The Pines’ on the Yarrowee River in Grenville, VIC. What was once an old pine plantation is slowly returning to a thriving landscape of native bushland, thanks to countless weekends spent clearing invasive weeds, nurturing young seedlings, and restoring the riverbanks and creek lines. This year, their efforts gained an extra boost through support from local business Jaymak, allowing them to continue the steady revegetation of their property.
Over several months, the planting became a true family project. Emily and Jason were joined by their three children, Logan, Nell, and Ella, whose small hands helped plant native trees such as Blackwood, Yellow Gum, Blue Gum, White Ironbark and a variety of Bottlebrushes seedlings into the soil. Every tree is part of a bigger story – creating habitat, strengthening biodiversity, and forming natural wildlife corridors that connect the landscape back together.
‘Thank you Jaymak for providing these trees for this restoration site at Grenville. We are deeply grateful for your support, which not only helps us restore the native vegetation but also strengthens local biodiversity and contributes to a greener, healthier community for generations to come’.
Emily and Jason Hutchins | Grenville, VIC
Already, the property is showing life. Platypus slip through the cool bends of the Yarrowee, echidnas waddle through the undergrowth, and kangaroos and wallabies graze along the open edges. Overhead, magpies and kookaburras keep watch, while black cockatoos and bright parrots flash through the canopy. Even the river tells its own story, home to eels and spiny freshwater crayfish that thrive in its clean, shaded waters.
We also thank the team for the additional funding for tree guards. These guards help protect the new seedlings and gives them protection from grazers, in particular rabbits and kangaroos. Inside the plastic sleeves, the microclimate created protects the seedlings from harsh UV, drifting sand, frost, and wind. Once the seedlings survive their first summer and get the opportunity to develop a strong taproot, their chances of survival skyrockets.
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.
