On Saturday 29th June 2024, over 135 volunteers joined Greater Sydney Landcare to plant at Lower Gannon’s Park in Peakhurst. This Creating Canopies planting was held in partnership with Georges River Council.
Together we installed an amazing 2,865 native trees and shrubs, plus 300 grasses and groundcovers, and watered them in—in under 3 hours. It was an awesome day that flew by so quickly!
We were thrilled to be joined by locals and many different community groups at this planting including:
- Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) – who also brought food and chai to share.
- HWPL Interfaith Network
- Oatley Flora & Fauna Conservation Society
- Georges River Association – including Georges River Councillor Ben Wang.
- Lions Club of Sydney Waratah and Lions Club of Sydney Defence & Emergency Services
- UNSW students from the Australian Business Essentials (ABE) Program
- Georges River Bushcare volunteers
The entire Creating Canopies team was on hand to ensure the day ran smoothly, including Creating Canopies Project Manager Danielle Packer, Natural Resources Manager Bryce Doyle, Project Officer Alicia Harb-Akins, Bush Regenerator Supervisor Aimee Hancock, Bush Regenerator Rhiannon Beaton, and Communications & Volunteer Engagement Officer Melanie Wagner. Fiona O’Brien from Georges River Council Bushcare was on site to assist volunteers as well.
The day started off cool and cloudy, but the blue sky and warm rays of sunshine soon shone down on the busy planting site.
Thank you to all the amazing volunteers who planted trees and shrubs that will grow to 3 metres and above to increase canopy cover at this site in the future, and help reduce urban heat.
Plants installed on the day include natives suited to the area like gum trees, turpentine, banksias, wattles, hakeas, hop bush, tea tree and more.
While we had originally planned to plant 5,000 on the day, ongoing construction works in the park meant that the second planting area was not yet ready. Creating Canopies will return another day to complete the remaining 2,000 plants planned for this site.
We extend a heartfelt thanks to Georges River Council for volunteering this site for trees and all the volunteers and community groups who made this day possible. Your efforts have sown the seeds for a greener, cooler future for Peakhurst and beyond.
Volunteer Feedback
Adrian Polhill, Vice President of the Oatley Flora and Fauna Conservation Society, joined us for the planting event at Gannons Park and shared some positive feedback.
“The hugely successful planting at Gannons Park clearly demonstrated how a well-planned and organised event could draw our community together. It was wonderful to see like-minded people from all over Sydney, of all ages, caring for the environment and wanting to make the world a better greener place. I look forward to seeing the transformation in a few years time and our community and wildlife enjoying the new environments,” Mr Polhill said.
Volunteer for Bushcare in Georges River
If you’d like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Georges River LGA, you can become a Bushcare volunteer and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Get Involved in Creating Canopies
If you’d like to find out how to get free trees planted on your land, visit our Register Your Site for Trees page.
Come along and plant trees with Creating Canopies. Find out what events we have coming up on Greater Sydney Landcare’s Eventbrite page.
Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare
Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare here. Be sure to download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack.
About Creating Canopies
Landcare NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
