IF THE flowers on the Brogan family\u2019s protea tree could talk, what words of wisdom would they share?<\/p>\n
Belonging to one of the earliest groups of flowering plants, the protea symbolises diversity, change and above all, courage.<\/p>\n
So when Jan Juc sisters Sunny, 11, and Olivia, 4, noticed the exotic leaves on their front yard climbing spot had begun to peel away from their centre, they suggested the blooms be gifted to their neighbours on Mother\u2019s Day (May 10) to send a message of hope in what is an unsettling time.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery couple of years we get a good bloom off it for Mother\u2019s Day,\u201d said Shane Brogan, Sunny and Olivia\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
\u201cI trim it all back and we usually put a sign out so the girls can sell them for $2 a bunch. They usually make 50 or 60 dollars so it\u2019s just something for them to do and it\u2019s nice to see the local people, but we hadn\u2019t done it for a couple of years, so this year they just thought \u2018Let\u2019s give them away\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
After deciding on the idea, Shane posted a photo of his daughters behind a trestle table that had been adorned with a handwritten sign which read \u201cHappy Mother\u2019s Day from us to you. One free bunch per family\u201d on the Surf Coast Community Noticeboard.<\/p>\n
By the time the post \u2013 which scored more than 900 likes last week \u2013 was approved, nearly all 14 bunches had been picked up by passers-by on Cantala Drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cOlivia loved it. It was pretty cold that morning, but she stayed out there the whole time and waited for people to come past and wouldn\u2019t stop talking to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was saying \u2018They came from our tree, this is our tree here, my dad cut down the other tree that I used to climb on\u2019, and the people just loved it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome tried to give money, and she said \u2018No, they\u2019re free\u2019. But later on people dropped off some eggs and others left a gift for the girls in the letterbox with lollies. It\u2019s good to see kids taking it upon themselves to make people smile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torquay College pupil Sunny said seeing people\u2019s faces light up was compensation enough for standing outside in the cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew it would make people happy. It made me smile seeing them smile.\u201d<\/p>\n
The youngest of the Brogan clan, Olivia, \u201creally liked\u201d chatting to the \u201cnice people\u201d who stopped and said hello that Sunday morning, but said she wished she could return to the things she loved most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate all the bugs out there and not being able to go the playground or to kinder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish they would go away so I can see my friends again and go to the park.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people were really nice I spoke to and I showed them the tree the flowers came from.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IF THE flowers on the Brogan family\u2019s protea tree could talk, what words of wisdom would they share? Belonging to one of the earliest groups of flowering plants, the protea symbolises diversity, change and above all, courage. So when Jan Juc sisters Sunny, 11, and Olivia, 4, noticed the exotic leaves on their front yard […]<\/p>\n