This time it's me and Breigh. The Southland Express ran this little story yesterday and I've copied it out below.
Gang HQ idea comes to fruition
BY LEEANA TAMATI
ONE Rimu School pupil's innovative idea has won her apple trees to start her own little orchard in the school.
Breigh Stanley (10) originally won Invercargill businessman Louis Crimp's competition to decide what to use the patch of land, at Clifton, the former Mongrel Mob's headquarters was on.
Her idea, to grow a communal orchard, won the $1000 prize Mr Crimp was giving away, but the orchard did not go ahead because he wanted to give the land to charity.
Local organisation Open Orchard's Robert Guyton said he heard of Breigh's idea and offered to help her out to make and orchard at her school.
Open Orchard aims to bring back harvesting trees into Southland, he said.
Mr Guyton was at the school last week helping plant the trees and showing the children how to care for them.
The pupils had been very welcoming of the idea he said.
"The kids have been great.
"They've done all the preparation themselves and they've been digging all the holes themselves.
"They've made an excellent effort."
Breigh said she thought of an orchard after she went to the harvest festival at Riverton.
"I really do enjoy gardening.
"I also thought that in the area the house was, in that part of town, the community might not have helped each other out before, so I thought it could be something to bring them together."
6 comments:
Do they still have the raised beds and fruit trees I established when I was working there, Robert?
There should be two apple and two pear trees near the hall?
Just the two pears bsprout. They were looking gangly and starved so I pruned them and the children and I cleared the grass from around the trunks. They will (I hope) bring manures from home and feed the poor things. You've probably learned over time, as I have, that good ideas and good projects in schools need to nbe maintained with vigilance, as for various reasons, attitudes and priorities change.
Good on you for the original work there. Your raised beds are gone but soon to be replaced and the orchard will double in size next year when Open Orchard returns with another brace of trees.
I've been to a number of schools now, around the region, to prune the trees planted a year ago. There are some up-lifting stories I could tell, and some that are neither up not lifting. Edendale's were eaten by lambs, but i managed to prune for survival and they'll come right. A couple of schools said, 'What fruit trees?'
Some had biggened their orchard of their own accord. Garston's is huge. Riverton's is beautiful and right outside of the Principal's office.
Thanks for that, Robert, I'm pleased two of the trees survived at least.
I know St Teresa's Bluff would appreciate your wisdom whenever you have any time. They are taking over an area of the raped and pillaged Bluff Hill/Motupohue with the assistance of Motupohue Enviro Trust and Kids Restore NZ. They have chosen a piece complete with stream and are heading out to Otatara Nursery on the 15th. They have chooks and vege gardens and are avid composters and recyclers. Enviro School and Paper 4 Trees. They always welcome kindred spirits.
Any thoughts on good fruit/nut trees for me to plant at home that can the coastal weather? Very sandy soil but their have been real problems all over Bluff since they felled the hill (50ha:-()The water table has obviously risen greatly.
handle the coastal weather...sure you worked it out though!
Those Motupohue Trust people are fantastic Kylie, as are the Otatara folk. I'd love to help the St Teresa's kids with whatever they are doing and advice is easy. They only need to give me a call. I've a couple of glasshouses I need to visit over there, including the one at Te Rau Aroha marae eh Bubba!
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