Budding landscapers nurture park growth

WHEN Woowookarung Regional Park’s ground-breaking dementia-friendly forest and sensory trail opened recently, it was in part due to the assistance and passion of up-and-coming young landscapers.

Some work on the Parks Victoria project was completed by 18 certificate II landscaping students from The Gordon Institute of TAFE’s BGT’s Barkly Square campus.

They helped revegetate areas including the trail entrance, the car park, the wren’s rest area, and the wetland loop, where they planted 700 seedings of 13 native species.

Project supervisor, Ranger Vivienne Zivkow, said the students were striving to improve their practical skills on the ground.

“I was really impressed with their work ethic, enthusiasm and professionalism,” she said.

“We discussed which species of seedlings should be planted along the dementia-friendly trail, how far apart each seedling should be placed, and why positioning is important, how deep they should dig each hole before planting, as well as how to install tree guards once their planting was complete.”

BGT apprenticeship and traineeship consultant Julie Butler said the initiative has been an “intergenerational learning curve.”

“It has been a long time in the planning stage due to COVID-19 and our students are thrilled to be part of this great community project,” she said.

“Their teachers from The Gordon Institute of TAFE have said that the partnership with Parks Victoria has provided the students with a great opportunity to put the things that they are learning in the classroom into practice in the field.

“The students really enjoy being in the bush and being able to contribute to the rehabilitation of their local environment. Some of the students have enjoyed it so much that they are considering a career in the conservation and land management area.”

Students will return to Woowookarung in the coming months, to assess progress, spread mulch, water, install signs, maintain paths and continue planting.

“It is so beneficial for young people to gain outdoor work experience in our beautiful parks and reserves,” Ms Zivkow said.

“It was great to see these kids being active outdoors and learning how to behave in a workplace, even if it’s not in a traditional office-setting.

“Parks Victoria staff are always eager to teach the next generation, from horticultural knowledge to environmental safety and care, culture and the importance of healing country, and learning from Traditional Owners, and even what it means to be a ranger and what our work entails.”