By Callum Ludwig
As Grade 6 students across the country are finishing their final days of primary school, Wandin North Primary School’s graduates received a special gift to mark the occasion.
Specially made pens from the Treasuring Our Trees (TOT) program were presented to the students to take with them to secondary school, made from the timber of fallen trees in the Yarra Ranges since the June 2021 storm event.
Treasuring Our Trees Founder David Ferrier said he was very proud of the hard work they have put in.
“It was formed through a group of volunteers after the June 2021 storm and essentially our program wanted to salvage a portion of the trees to build some beautiful projects just like we have out the back here,” he said.
“This is the very first full project that we built and now we’re planning to build over 100.”
Earlier in the year, Wandin North Primary School had a sustainable bush tucker garden, a yarning circle, a wooden shopfront and ‘fairy houses’ delivered and built by TOT from their stocks of fallen timber for students to use for years to come.
Wandin North Primary School Principal Paul Bailey said they were very fortunate to have the opportunity to bring to life the space, which was quite dead and not very usable to a space they can use all year around.
“Dave did a lot of work for us at the beginning of the year, helping to set up our sustainability garden for HEROES,” he said.
“The power of work that we have done, the students and the teachers, to bring that space to life using the veggies and fruits for our cooking and the facility for our garden wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of Treasuring Our Trees and Dave.”
Other schools that have received TOT projects and pens include Montrose Primary School, Mount Dandenong Primary, Olinda Primary School, Sassafras Primary School and Emerald Primary School.
Casey MP Aaron Violi was in attendance and congratulated students on finishing their primary school journey, as well as thanking Mr Ferrier and Mr Bailey.
“It’s an exciting time for you, it’s great to be here to acknowledge you with these pens and these gifts and want to wish you all the best for next year,” he said.
“Dave volunteered and dedicated a lot of time, and has got such passion and enthusiasm for our community and sustainability, turning what was a tough time and a really tragic event for so many in our community into something positive that can continue to be paid forward,”
“As Mr Bailey said, you were very fortunate to be the first and you’ve played a key role in bringing this project to life and creating a template for many other schools.”
As well as local trees from the June 2021 storm event, TOT has received trees that were removed as part of the Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project ensuring no trees go to waste.
Melbourne Water representatives, who played a big role in the clearing of debris following the June 2021 storm event, were also in attendance to help hand out pens, congratulate students on their graduation and wish them well for their secondary schooling ahead.
