The last 3 weeks of June have been very busy at Lovers Lane, Garfield with many schools and businesses showing that all can contribute to the environment.
Four plantings took place at the revegetation project involving big corporate companies to local high schools.
Thirteen staff members from Chobani at Cranbourne visited the Lovers Lane site to help complete the Lone Pine Road section, which was planted in May.
The Yogurt Manufacturing Company has a great policy to send staff out to do environmental work in the state.
This is organised by Landcare Australia. Cannibal Creek Landcare group (CCL) has been fortunate to have Chobani come last year and they are coming again in August.
CCL truly appreciates their help after nearly 1800 plants were put in the ground and guarded.
Neerim Secondary and Pakenham Secondary College came to the site and did an extension to the Lone Pine site and some infill planting of grasses in the first section.
It was encouraging for the future to see the year 9 students at work.
The Neerim Students were doing it as part of an outdoor education programme and had to be interviewed before selection.
Pakenham Students were doing this volunteering as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. Altogether with 24 students and teaching staff and 7 Cannibal Creek members, 780 plants were placed in the ground and guarded for the days work.
For the regular planting on Sunday 3 June, CCL meet at a property in Tynong North to do infill planting of grasses and shrubs on a Biolink corridor. Though down on numbers, they managed to get 500 plants in the ground. This planting was enabled by Cardinia Shire’s Biodiversity Grant.
The next day, Cummins Engineering from Pakenham came to give a hand with more plantings at Lovers Lane.
This time, they did infill planting of the section that was planted by the community in 2023.
The company has helped before at Alan and Angela Forte’s Tonimbuk property.
With some arriving earlier than they were required to, they did not wait for the rest of the team but hopped straight into work.
The area had been sprayed and run over with a mulching mower, so each planting site had to be cleared before planting.
The drills and augers made the work easier, plus some of the team had their own drills.
They even had battery charging units in their utes.
Cr Alanna Pomeroy came to see the work in progress, gave a hand making up guards and was suitably impressed.
The company team managed to get 1000 plants in the ground, all guarded.
CCL reported that they were impressive to watch. Three weeks ago, the company had 3 apprentices and congratulations are given to “Elvis” Angus, who completed his apprenticeship 2 weeks ago.
This amount of work could not take place without the assistance of the dedicated members of Cannibal Creek Catchment Landcare Group, plus the 2 honorary members, Geoff Lockwood and Brett Smith, who come along as well.
Thanks must be given yet again to Holcim Australia for their frequent watering of the McInnes Road site and Lone Pine site.
The lack of rain has caused the sites of plantings to be altered frequently. Without Tim and Paul from Holcim, this year’s plantings would not have been possible. Let’s hope the rain comes soon, as there are 7 more plantings happening in July and August.
