Collaboration with Adelaide Hills Council enabled the local Woodside Depot to be the repository for collection of the volunteer grower plants. Over 230 volunteers bought their trays back, which resulted in over 16,500 tubestock. Additional plants donated from Future Generation Natives, Walkerville Rotary Club and Trees for Life meant there were over 25,000 plants available for collection by property owners.

HRA Project Coordinator Kim Thompson said “these volunteers had participated in the nursery workshops held in Mt Pleasant during February, pricked out and planted their tubestock, took home their trays and cared for them ready for this moment. Many were quite sentimental about their ‘babies’ and were sad to see them go, but were feeling really accomplished and satisfied that they were able to contribute to bushfire recovery in such a practical way”

URTLG & HRA volunteers partnered with Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges and SA Murray Darling Basin NRM staff to grade, batch and prepare the tubestock for the distribution days scheduled for 12 & 13 June, 2020.
18000 plants were picked up over that weekend from very grateful bushfire affected property owners who were very overwhelmed with the generosity of so many people.

Being able to plant on our property is just the therapy we needed to start the healing process,
thank you to all the volunteer growers for making this happen. Lucy Cahill

Following fire, nest boxes can provide artificial habitat for wildlife that depend on hollows. Thanks to Gumeracha Mens Shed (materials paid by Adelaide Hills Council) and Holden Hill Mens Shed (materials paid by Bunnings, Modbury), 65 nest boxes have been made and are being installed across properties affected by the fires. Big thanks to Philip Cornish who is working hard to get them installed before Spring.

Having community members like these guys with their amazing skills has been a foundational principle for the success of our project.

Photo from ‘Save Our Wildlife Foundation Inc.’ (SOWFI) nest box with possum to show what we are hoping will take place.
Planting began for Habitat Recovery Alliance (HRA) participants began at the end of June, following some good opening rains. URTLG and Habitat for Humanity volunteers have committed in excess of 300 hours planting around 5000 tubestock throughout the month of July. This has been a massive task and we are so very grateful for the contributions by everyone involved. Our property owners were very humbled by the efforts and unwavering enthusiasm shown by all of the volunteers.

The HRA project team made the decision to utilise mesh guards instead of the traditional corflute on some properties as a more sustainable option.

As if funding support from Lockheed Martin wasn’t enough, a group of eight employees volunteered on a property on their Rostered Day Off to help out – what a great bunch of young people.

Fantastic outcomes for the environment, well done volunteers.