Green Gully Landcare former chairman Peter Rinaldi and last chairman Stephen Holschier planting their commemorative tree.
Bunnaloo Public School hosted a special morning tea on Monday to thank the Green Gully Landcare group for its longstanding support.
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With many Green Gully Landcare members having sent their children and grandchildren to the school, the connection between the two has spanned generations.
As the Landcare group winds up its operations, it has donated its remaining funds, worth more than $90,000, to Bunnaloo Public School.
Green Gully Landcare chairman Stephen Holschier said the decision marked both an ending and a legacy.
“Sadly, things come to an end and the Landcare group has slowly come to an end,” he said.
“When you look around the district, it’s fantastic to see all the work that past members and current members have achieved.
“It was a unanimous decision to donate our funds to the Bunnaloo school because all our children went here and this is the future.”
Green Gully Landcare members toured the school, to see where their donation had been spent.
The Green Gully Landcare group formed more than 40 years ago, following a series of unusually wet years in the early 1970s, when rising salinity in the soil led to widespread tree loss.
The salinity, caused by rising water tables, also impacted surrounding farms and pastures.
In response, local farmers came together to form the Landcare group to investigate the issue and develop solutions.
They began restoring the land by purchasing a tree planter to revegetate the area and building greenhouses to grow saltbush suited to the soil conditions.
The group’s impact is still evident across the region, with many of the trees and shrubs visible today, a direct result of their work.
Green Gully landcare former chairman and life member Jamie Hearn planting the commemorative tree with his daughter Penny Berryman, granddaughters Ruby and Poppy Berryman and his wife, Marg Hearn.
Honouring that legacy, the school has used the donation to purchase plants for the vegetable garden, install a new sprinkler system on the oval and acquire a rotary hoe.
Part of the funds were also used to purchase a commemorative tree, which was planted during the morning tea in honour of the Landcare group.
On behalf of the school, P&C treasurer Alice Rinaldi expressed her gratitude for the group’s charity and support over the years.
“I would just like to say an enormous thank you to all of (the members) that have played a part in this, over many years, and we just hope that the money can really instil that love of our land for future generations,” she said.
“It's just such a great thing ... to see how we have spent it, and you can see it is money well spent. I hope that (it) can put a smile on your face every time you drive past.”
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