Replanting with Trees For Life

Some of our Participants struggle to figure out the best way to volunteer and help the environment. Gordon Begg from Westminster School in South Australia has been a Coordinator of The Duke of Ed for 20 years. He and his students have been working with Trees For Life, a South Australian organisation, since 1994 to revegetate the land.

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Trees For Life is a not for profit organisation in South Australia. Established in 1981, Trees for Life was created to protect vegetation and revegetate South Australia. It has now grown to be one of the largest volunteer protection organisations of its type in the world!

Gordon Begg got started with Trees For Life in 1994 “Our school bought a property in 1994 which was an old overtopped piece of land. We thought of revegetating it by having students grow trees through Trees For Life. We plant 3,000 seedlings which turns into 3,000 trees per year.”

Growing these trees promotes biodiversity on the schools property. Westminster school has been planting trees since 1994. “In some areas we have divided the land up and there are mini forests” says Gordon. “Each student who participates is attached to the concept of replanting. In terms of education and getting connected to the environment, this is a hands on way of doing it.”

Tania Kearney from Trees For Life says “Trees For Life works on the principle that if you want something done you need to take practical action yourself... Those wanting to be involved with Trees For Life can undertake a range of practical initiatives from seed collecting, growing native seedlings for farmers or revegetation projects, identifying different native trees, plants and seed and weed eradication from bushland sites helping to conserve natural bushland.”

Tania also said “Young people know, more than some other generations how important our precious environment is and the importance of preserving it for future generations.”

Gordon added “As an outdoor educator, I would love to see an affinity with Duke of Ed service projects caring for the environment.”

For more information on how to volunteer for your Duke of Ed through Trees For Life, please visit their website.

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Pictured Above Right: Westminster School Property in 1998.

Pictured Above: Westminster School in 2008, 14 years into the replanting project.

Replanting with Trees For Life

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