IT takes a whole school, plus a committed volunteer, to care for a garden that’s 150 years old.
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Wooragee Primary School has built a sustainable garden around elm and oak trees on its grounds that date back to the 19th century.
The efforts of the 17 pupils, teachers and community member Owen Gamill to conserve their historic site received an Indigo Shire Heritage Award at the annual presentation last week.
Projects in Beechworth, Yackandandah, Chiltern, Kiewa Valley, Rutherglen and Wahgunyah also gained awards and commendations throughout the nine heritage categories.
Heritage advisory committee chairman Pamela Thomas praised the standard and number of entries, with 23 nominations put forward.
“The really exciting response from my point of view was from the primary schools, we had five schools submit nominations this year,” she said.
“We're hoping to encourage more of our 16 primary schools and two secondary schools to submit nominations next year.”
Wooragee Primary School took out the sustainability and/or greening of a heritage place section while Kiewa Valley Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School, Rutherglen (commendation) were honoured in the junior heritage category.
Ms Thomas said the committee’s visit to the Wooragee project proved memorable.
“All of the adults left it to the children to take us on an inspection and to explain what they were doing and it was just absolutely wonderful,” she said.
Wooragee teacher Grace Panjari said year 6 student Mark Knoth showed the visitors around and outlined the children’s activities.
“We go out in the morning and look after our garden, harvest our produce and look after all the trees, do weeding and trimming,” she said.
Mr Gamill visited regularly to help and offer advice on how to care for the historic trees.
“He's an expert on them all, so that’s probably why they’ve lasted this long as well,” Ms Panjari said.
Indigo Shire Council Heritage Award recipients 2016 –
Category 1 – Creative use of a heritage place: The Athenaeum – Charles Sluga Gallery, Yackandandah.
Category 2 – New work/development within a heritage place: The Hub 62 Cafe, Chiltern, formerly the Chiltern Masonic Hall, 62 Main Street Chiltern.
Category 3 – Restoration of a heritage place: Ian Anfruns, Chiltern. Project: Restoration of the wheels on the Krupp 77mm field gun located at the Chiltern War Memorial, Conness Street, Chiltern.
Category 4 – Specialist heritage trade skills: Greg and Lyndee Owen, Period Building Conservation Pty Ltd. Project: Repair and conservation work on the old police stables, Beechworth historic precinct.
Category 5 – Sustainability and/or greening of a heritage place: Wooragee Primary School. Project: Implementation of sustainable practices to Wooragee Primary School.
Category 6 – The Rex Fuge OAM Open Heritage Award: The Robert O’Hara Burke Museum, Beechworth and the Friends of the Burke Museum. Project: Conservation and preservation of 1875 Chinese banner.
Commendation: Dr Barry McGowan, historian and heritage consultant. Project: Shire history research study – Rutherglen/Wahgunyah.
Category 7 – Junior heritage: Kiewa Valley Primary School students and Kiewa Valley RSL. Project: Flanders Field Story.
Commendation: St Mary’s Primary School Rutherglen, class of 2013. Project: Catchment Champion, Don, Small Town Man with Big Ideas.
Category 8 – Individual heritage advocacy: The Beechworth Treescape Group, the Mayday Hills tree preservation project 2012 to 2013.
Category 9 – Heritage Gold Award: Posthumously awarded to Donald Bryan Chambers 1937 to 2015.
