Treemendous effort put in at Hedgehope

BY ROSEMARIE SMITH

When the Hedgehope community and friends came together on Saturday last week for the local school's Mazda Foundation-funded Treemendous Makeover, they planted more than just trees.

The project ticked all the boxes for sowing ideas in receptive little minds: that plants are important, they have a central place in creating a beautiful and healthy environment, and that gardening is fun and valued by their families and their community.

Important visitors from afar congratulated the school, especially those who had chosen the Hedgehope proposal from 249 other entries in the school makeover quest.

But the most powerful messages are the non-verbal, and the sheer fun and positive energy put into creating something especially for their use would make the point most powerfully.

The children certainly contributed their share to Saturday's project, fetching and carrying, planting and watering, plus testing the new play equipment as fast as it was installed. They also generated their share of the atmosphere of good cheer.

Preparatory work on the neglected 0.2 hectare corner of the school grounds involved removing some large trees and swampy vegetation, installing a loop track and structures on a hard-paved area, including picnic tables, and poles for physical challenge activities, as suggested by pupils.

Mountains of mulch, a fair-sized pile of gravel, and some 900 trees and shrubs were awaiting.

Then on came a small army of helpers of all ages. Current, past and future pupils and parents and friends, district residents, newcomers, sheep and dairy farmers despite their different daily work demands, and Mazda people as well.

Up to 90 people an astonishing number for a school of only 20 families got stuck into the job with impressive efficiency.

A fleet of wheelbarrows whizzed up and down paths with the mulch and gravel, and the plants, selected from local nurseries, were swiftly set out according to a plan directed by Hedgehope parent and project designer Lea Barber.

Ms Barber described her plant selection as very diverse, with a bit of everything among native vegetation, including kowhai. There was also a rata or two, tucked away in the shelter of existing trees.

Ms Barber was thrilled with the response to the project.

"I've been buzzing all day," she said. "It's brought the community together and given something to the kids."

Some trees had special significance: fourth-generation pupil Mikayla Horton assisted her father and grandfather to plant a specimen of the endangered Olearia fragrantissima, grown locally from seeds collected at Dunsdale.

The oldest ex-pupils on hand reminisced happily about the state of the grounds in their day, this corner being off limits, and best remembered for the time the boys pushed a teacher's car over the bank.

Judging by this week's follow-up classwork, the new generation is going to engage equally inventively but more productively with the new facility.

Their reports record the basic events: the details of the work, the diggers and the digging, the number of people, the swings (and wheelbarrow rides), the Mazda money and the big red rubbish bin.

Their value statements are all positive.

Taylor Hall described the transformation of a swamp filled with sticks and wet grass into a fun-filled playground with plants, thanks to everyone's help.

"I reckon our newest garden is going to be a great learning experience and a lot of fun in the future."

Jeramy Kingipotiki said the project provided cool new places to play and explore and, as a natural space, a likely good source of bows and arrows.

"I am a nature-type person so I am glad this happened."

Grace Tuffin and Caleb McDougall saw a future filled with native birds, attracted to habitat with trees for nests and food for the babies.

Prynce Matagi-Collinson's five-year-old perspective was blunt, but to the point: "Hedgehope School Treemendous Makeover was lots of fun. I planted native trees. I had morning tea."

What more could a kid wish for?

THAT'S TREEMENDOUS
The Treemendous School Makeover is an initiative of the Mazda Foundation to improve school grounds in smaller community schools through the planting of native trees.

The programme is run in association with the Project Crimson Trust, which can supply project management expertise through its 18-year history of promoting rata and pohutukawa.

This is the third year of makeovers and Hedgehope School's application, to transform a neglected corner of its grounds into a bushy dell with a loop track, outdoor classroom seating and play installations, stood out because of its close match with Project Crimson values, manager Jenny Harper said.

It wasn't just a planting scheme, but the care for the environment, for the future, and for community building.

Project Crimson looked for strong community values because that was the essential basis for generating a voluntary workforce to carry through its programmes.

For further information on Treemendous Makeovers, including photos of past winners, go to www.projectcrimson.org.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News