Students from Murdoch College in Melville, Western Australia are helping to restore a local river reserve and assist in the growth of trees in the area through a volunteer program established by the Melville Volunteer Resource Centre.
With State Government funding assistance, Council established the centre in 2003 to link people wanting to be volunteers with various community groups. The centre has linked students with the Brentwood and Mount Pleasant Foreshore Alliance, a group currently undertaking to restore the ecosystem of the Canning River foreshore by planting, landscaping and surveying the area.
Foreshore Alliance member, Katherine McCann, said that the contributions made by students means the trees will now get the water they need, giving them a much better chance of survival. Students can also participate in a program where they adopt a tree of their own on the river foreshore and survey its health and growth over an extended period.
Council believes that the students involvement with the Foreshore Alliance will make a significant difference to the future of the local environment and the way in which people use the river foreshore.
Years 8–12 students from the college have also had various other opportunities to contribute to their local community, including a fauna rehabilitation project where they have built refuges for native wildlife, and a Computing for Seniors program, linking students with the Rotary Club to teach basic computer skills to senior citizens.
