Catchment group planting for the future

AFTER being awarded more than $10,000 at Community Bank Buninyong’s first-ever SparkTank event, Yarrowee-Leigh Catchment Group has big plans for the year ahead.

The money will be used to buy a trailer to transport trees for planting and for new tools.

Secretary Jess Higgins-Anderson thanked the bank for its support and said the equipment will help the group work on several projects at once, including the Urban Ripple Project.

The initiative is supported by the State Government and will restore 13 sites along Ballarat waterways.

“It means we can do more planting, be in different areas at different times, be more accessible, so being able to cater for the whole community,” Ms Higgins-Anderson said.

“The other thing we are using the funding for is to buy a new trailer… we really need to be able to have planting days happening at the same time with two trailers.”

Formed in 1997, Leigh Catchment Group looks after local Landcare teams within an area that includes parts of the City of Ballarat, Golden Plains Shire and Moorabool Shire.

The network includes Bamganie-Meredith, Garibaldi, Leigh Districts, Napoleons-Enfield, Ross Creek, Upper Williamson’s Creek, and Wattle Flat-Pootilla Landcare groups, Friends of the Canadian Corridor, and Friends of Yarrowee River.

Volunteer Michele Harvie said the group’s work is about creating a better future.

“I want a liveable future for my children and it’s what you do, not what you say,” she said.

“It’s great people, we have a good time and it’s enjoyable company and conversation.”

The organisation is looking for volunteers and Ms Harvie said it is an inclusive group for people of all backgrounds and skill levels.

“We’re really focusing on being inclusive to young families, older people, disabled people, the LGBTIQA+ community,” she said.

“There’s so many things we need doing, if planting trees isn’t your thing, there are always things to do in a community group.”

To volunteer with Yarrowee-Leigh Catchment Group, visit its Facebook page.