THE sad passing of the NSW chapter of long-standing environment group Men of the Trees had a silver lining for Hawkesbury Environment Network.
Men of the Trees NSW was an internationally affiliated non-profit, non-political, conservation organisation which planted, maintained and protected trees. It recently had to close its books and hand over its proceeds to like-minded organisations, including $10,000 to HEN.
Paying tribute, HEN’s Robin Woods said the NSW group of Men of the Trees was instrumental in the whole concept of raising trees from seed, and finding suitable sites to re-establish woodlands and forests.
It had strong links in the Hawkesbury, funding a bush regeneration project at Scheyville National Park and running a project which supplied plants to Bede Polding, Windsor Preschool, Kurrajong Public School, Windsor High School and Richmond TAFE.
One of their restoration sites is the riverbank at North Richmond bridge, which is now showing the height and density of the type of forest once seen all along the river banks on the Lowlands.
Men of the Trees NSW president, Mark Anderson and his wife Linda handed over the cheque at a recent HEN committee meeting, saying it was for the retention and repair of Hawkesbury woodlands and forests through planting and bush regeneration, and education.
HEN Chair Jules Wright thanked the Andersons for their remarkable work and the donation to HEN. “Considering how much bushland is currently under threat through urbanisation spread to our area, this is a timely handover,” he said.
