October’s working bee with Armidale Urban Rivercare Group (AURG) will be a focus for Mental Health Month activities next Sunday (14 October) in the creek lands. The theme of Celebrate, Connect, Grow, for this year’s Mental Health Month, means that a community planting is an obvious winner. AURG spokesman Angus Adair said that the AURG volunteers and the Armidale Dumaresq Lions catering crew are all looking forward to supporting the Armidale mental health interagency group to have a morning of planting native trees and shrubs for all.
“This is the best time of year for us”, Angus explained, “when many people want to join in the spring planting of native plants along the creek. Last month was a joy when 35 to 40 people turned out, including heaps of kids, for our first spring planting of the year, when we planted over 1000 plants just east of the bridge on Marsh Street. It was a beautiful spring day and a great day for all. We are expecting an even bigger turn out this month, and we have ordered 2500 plants from the Armidale Tree Group. It’s shaping up to be a great community event in the creek lands, with the Armidale Mental Health Interagency Group setting up information stands on mental health community support programmes in the region and there will also be a free bbq, face painting, jumping castle, live music and a ‘chill out’ tent. We all hope the weather will be as good as the September community planting.”
Angus is enthusiastic. “With many hands available, this is an opportunity to establish native plantings along the south side of Dumaresq Creek, all the way between Taylor and Douglas Streets, in a single day. This is one of those areas we have been looking forward to getting back to for a couple of years”. There was planting at the bottom of Douglas Street in 2008, and a few scattered plants were distributed along towards Taylor Street, but many were lost in recent floods, and others swamped by weeds. Most weeds and undergrowth have now been cleaned up, leaving a few of the most significant willows along the tops of the bank. “If we can establish a fairly dense planting of natives from Taylor Street east it will provide a buffer in future flooding events, and the denser plantings are easier to manage for weed growth.”
So this month the message is Stress Less and come along for another great spring community planting on Sunday (9am -12:30, or as long as you can). Members of the Mental Health Association will be on hand with information on stress management, post-natal blues and other afflictions. Morning tea and lunch will be available for a gold coin donation to Armidale Dumaresq Lions Club. Wear long sleeves, a hat, shoes and gloves and come along to celebrate our creek lands, connect with like-minded neighbours, and grow more native plants.
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