Chairman's Report 2022
It is with pleasure and gratitude for all the help that I have had that I present my annual report.
The year has been a busy one, because, without Covid restrictions, and very few days of reaaly bad weather, a lot has been achieved. We hae over 30 projects around the town that we care for, and every year there are new plantings. It always amazes me, when I look at all the young plants in the nursery, how many of them find their way to the green spaces of Cambridge.
This year we have planted at the Pump Park, Riverview, the Swale adjacent to the expressway; Jane's Lane was started; there was more planting at Resthaven; in the new park next to our nursery, and a lot of infill planting in many of our other projects. All of these projects required maintenance; weeding and mulching. None of this would have been possible without the contribution of all our willing volunteers. Recently and probably over a well-deserved beer, one of our members worked out that our labour alone saved the Council $70 000 per year, and that was valuing us at $10 an hour, less than half the minimum wage.
There have been lot of other developments and changes. The Council altered our lease to include part of the horse paddock, which we developed into a much-needed carpark, and once again our volunteers showed their skills in areas away from their comfort zones, placing bollards and driving drilling machines. A very generous quote from Visionscapes meant that we were able to level and metal the area and re-metal the existing carpark, with help from Jumble Around. The Lions gave us money for a battery-powered chainsaw and a weedeater. These ar a boon as they are much quieter and safer than the old machines we had.
Thanks to Bruce and his helpers and the generosity of Mitre 10, the scruffy area behind the shade house is now a much-needed new shadehouse.
There are lots of people who work quietly behind the scenes doing the essential jobs that keep our organisation running. I would like to offer special thanks to these people: Joan, who keeps us fed and watered at morning tea and is my go-to person for all things about the Tree Trust; Neville, who has taken over the management of the Oak Arboretum; Peter, who has taken over the care of our finances; Mike, who keeps the sprinklers working and makes sure the rubbish goes out; David, who looks after our website and records our activities with his video camera; Conny, who, as secretary, deals with all sorts of weird and varied matters; Susan, who takes and keeps brilliant minutes,; Pete Fisher, who, in my unexpectedly long absence, ably took over the chairmanship. And last, Jan and Eric. I do not know where we would be without Jan's knowledge and Eric's management of the projects. What they do behind the scenes never ceases to amaze me. All of these people, and many others who have have willingly responded to my requests at various times have made my job a breeze, and I thank them very much.
John Moodie,
Chairman,
Cambridge Tree Trust.
December 13th, 2022.
