Vandalism of tree plantings ‘totally mindless’

IN A disheartening act of vandalism, several tree plantings along the creek in Euroa, part of the "Silver Banksia Rescue Project," were severely damaged just before the King's Birthday holiday. The project, which aims to reintroduce the nearly extinct Silver Banksia tree to northern Victoria, involved seedlings planted last spring by students from St John's Primary School. Ray Thomas, who was involved with the project and has been working with students on similar initiatives for over two decades, expressed profound disappointment over the senseless destruction. "About a dozen of the tree guards and their wooden stakes were totally wrecked, but I was thankful that most of the small seedlings survived,” said Ray. "They broke the wooden stakes, smashed plants, ripped up a number of them and ripped leaves off." Ray said he discovered the damage while visiting the area to check on weeds and emphasised the importance of these projects for the students and the environment. “The act undermines the efforts of young people working towards a better future and is a significant disappointment for the community,” he said. "The kids, it’s their future, and it gives them a sense of hope; it's valuable. "Kids see me in the street and down the creek and ask, 'how are our plants going?’” Despite the setback, Ray remains committed to the cause. "I think it's vital that the students' trees can grow on to reach maturity, so I've replaced the lost seedlings and the tree guards," he said. "Special thanks to St John's for its tremendous support of local conservation work." Ray said he plans to report the incident to the local council, hoping for continued support in preventing such destructive behaviour in the future. "The main message needs to be one of great disappointment that people don’t value what kids have done for the future," he said. “We need oxygen, clean air, it’s totally mindless behaviour that flies in the face of anything good that other decent humans are trying to achieve."