Trees Please! Landcare Group since 1998
Andy Sutherland retired from Trees For Life and along with fellow committee member Trevor Curnow, together with their respective partners, Mary Minigall and Helen Lyons, they formed a Landcare group which they called Trees Please! The first official meeting of Trees Please! Inc. was held at the home of Andy and Mary in Mount Barker SA on the 23rd of November 1998. Trees Please! listed on the Register of Environmental Groups and is also a registered charity, able to receive tax deductible donations.
Trees Please! has a focus on regenerating trees and bushland in the Adelaide Hills with the epicenter of activity at The Cedars the property of Sir Hans Heysen (1877 – 1968), a famous artist who painted many landscape pictures of The Cedars but is little known for his pioneering conservation efforts.
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Hauling Timber by Sir Hans Heysen
Most of the 150 acres of The Cedars was bought by Heysen for the sole purpose of saving the trees. Heysen was dedicated to more than his art. He was an active conservationist, and a foundation member of the South Australian Forest League formed in 1913 to save the trees.
Trees Please! aims to protect the remnant native bush at The Cedars from invasive species like broom, gorse and blackberry, and to re-vegetate the area with local native trees and shrubs. Hectares of native bush have now been cleared of weeds, and many thousands of local native trees and shrubs have been planted. Seedlings are raised from seed collected in the vicinity of The Cedars and planted out during special tree planting days in late winter. Over 12,000 seedlings have been supplied free of charge to other local landholders. Seed for 250,000 trees and shrubs have been donated to the Onkaparinga Catchment Board’s direct seeding program.
Trees Please! has sponsored six Greencorps projects and volunteers work every Thursday morning, weather permitting. After the work there’s a famous shared picnic – it’s not all work! Since being involved with Men of the Trees, Trevor Curnow recognized that many economically disadvantaged people were unable to volunteer and participate in the activities of environment groups due to membership fees.
Membership fees are often necessary for small environmental groups to cover the cost of volunteer insurance. Trees Please undertook to be an inclusive organisation so Trevor worked to secure sponsorships so unwaged people could join. Many SA businesses came on board with sponsorship and in-kind support. He also produced greeting cards and co-authored a book to raise funds. The cards and book can be purchased at The Cedars or online here.