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Getting Dirty For A Good Cause

2 February 2009

Ten young people from inner Sydney are about to get their hands dirty for the next six months for the benefit of Centennial Parklands’ vital ecosystems.

Starting in February 2009, this dedicated Green Corps team will regenerate and replenish the local native environment around Queens Park and the Parklands’ iconic ponds, as well as weed removal and planting of 10,000 native plants on the islands in Busbys Pond.

Sarah Whyte, Chair of the Centennial Parklands Foundation said: ‘The Foundation has been very lucky to secure a Green Corps project for the third year running and we are delighted to support this Australian Government initiative which will build on the efforts of the previous Green Corps team.’

‘The program is not only a win for Centennial Parklands, but also for the participants who develop important skills and experience that are an important stepping stone in their careers – in fact, virtually all of our last Green Corps participants walked straight into jobs and apprenticeships last year’, she said.

Some of the participants in this year’s Green Corps project spoke about what this initiative means to them, their aspirations as well as some of their experiences so far.

‘This initiative provides young people like us with the opportunity to work in an amazing environment that most would never have the chance to experience. I am gaining a much greater appreciation and have a lot more respect for the environment we are immersed in every day’, said Dylan, 19, a 2009 Green Corps participant.

‘Through working with Green Corps I hope to find a future career path and most of all make a difference. Since the start of the project, we have transformed Queens Park with new plantings and thriving natives. In the coming months we will also be rejuvenating Busby’s Island, by removing weeds and planting 10,000 native plants’, said Terence, 18, a 2009 Green Corps participant.

Green Corps is working in partnership with the Centennial Parklands Foundation, a charitable organisation established to ensure the sustainable future of the Parklands

This 2009 project was launched with a morning tea on Wednesday 28 January at the Rose Garden in Centennial Park.

Green Corps is an Australian Government initiative, delivered by Greening Australia, giving people aged 17-20 the opportunity to receive accredited training and a youth participation allowance, while working on environment and heritage projects across Australia.


 

This project is an initiative of

 

Centennial Parklands Foundation logo    

 

 

 

in partnership with:

 

Green Corps logo

 

 

 

 

and

 

Greening Australia logo

 

 

 

 

 

Contact: Julie Hunter Ward

Phone: (02) 9339 6699