Bushy Point Planting 15 September 2024

The Otatara Landcare Group volunteers have been planting in the month of September since 2011 when the Living Legends project began (and before that since the year 2000). But never has the weather been worse than this time – 7 degrees and rain! But cancelling an event like this is like turning around a tanker – it has a momentum, there has been so much preparation (preparing the site, putting all the plants and equipment out, advertising etc), that to postpone and reorganise is a thankless task. So……. We went ahead, albeit thinking it wasn’t BBQ weather, so that was abandoned (20kg of sausages and onions now in various peoples freezers!). We still didn’t know if people would turn up – but this is Southland, and don’t we love it!! The two Chris’ and Cathy stood in the rain welcoming people and as they turned up Barry set people straight into planting. The track was much too muddy to get most cars except 4WD’s onto site so a few minutes walking to where lots of high viz vests were on the sand dunes and it went from there. More people arrived until we had 69 people on site. Unfortunately, the many children who attended last year, wern’t there (much too cold), but those who braved it actually seemed to be having fun! In around two hours all one thousand plants were in the ground tucked up in their combi-guards safe from rabbits and we wandered home satisfied with the days work.

Another important tree was planted on-site. A special totara tree for our Legend All Black Kevin Laidlaw. Kevin died in July this year but until that time from the 2011 Living Legends planting Kevin and his wife Maymie supported our plantings every year until their health declined over recent years. A special totara was planted by their son and son-in-law.

Many thanks go to Barry Smith for the lions share of the organising and work, his helpers at the Community Nursery who loaded and placed all the plants the previous Friday, OLG committee members for help with prep and on the day, Central Baptist Church for all their volunteers and everyone-else who came from Otatara, Invercargill, Bluff and SIT. It was actually a great day and if you missed it because you thought it wouldn’t be on there will be another opportunity where you can help release previous years plants, hopefully with BBQ this time.

Chris,

for Otatara Landcare Group