They don’t look like much now, but these fruit trees represent a blooming future for Pinarc’s Bonshaw centre.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The disability services organisation gratefully received more than 25 donated fruit trees that have been planted around their new garden courtyard.
It was a real community effort for the trees to arrive at the Bonshaw site.
Harrison Funerals donates a tree to local charity Fifteen Trees for each service they perform, and included in the Pinarc planting is their 500th donated tree.
Fifteen Trees then sources the trees locally, in this case from David Winters at Avalon Nursery, and donates the trees to local landcare, community and school groups.
A group of students from Ballarat Group Training and The Gordon, who are completing their landscaping and constructions certificates, work at the Pinarc site two days a week and immediately got to work to plant the trees.
“Pinarc has chosen fruit trees that will be planted to create an orchard for use by the Independent Living Skills cooking participants, and in future the orchard will support the proposed cafe on site,” said Pinarc chief executive Marianne Hubbard.
The orchard contains lemons, cherries, peaches, different apple varieties and many other fruit trees.
“We as an organisation are so grateful for the community support. We love that everybody is interested in what we are doing,” Ms Hubbard said.
The trees have been planted around a paved area the landscaping and construction students have created, and will eventually form part of the cafe. It is estimated they have completed about $30,000 of work during their training.
Pinarc’s independent living skills program participants will care for the trees, cook the produce and learn about healthy eating and healthy food choices using their produce.
“We hit a milestone with Harrison Funerals, who have supported the Ballarat community for eight years and got up to their 500th tree, and when Pinarc said they were interested in fruit trees we thought we would celebrate,” said Fifteen Trees founder Colleen Filippa.
While we’ve got you – do you want to make your voice heard before the state election? Here is your chance.
