14/07/2025
Did you know ..
Our charity Henry Doubleday Research Association of Australia Inc. (HDRAA) were a recipient of a Wheen Bee Foundation grant, which kicked off our Native Pollinator Garden, back in 2003.
This grant gave us the impetus to bring in Springwood Tree Works who trimmed the branches of existing trees off the earth building, clear grass which had taken over this area, lift hundreds of metres of w**d mat, create a site design, build a pond, shovel tons of bark mulch (also largely donated by Springwood Tree Works).
Planting out the Native Pollinator Garden took many hours of volunteer labour in preparation for the planting day, which was truly a labour of love - the result, breathtaking and worth the exhaustion. Shane Laws, Dharug man, opened up the planting day by welcoming us on Country.
Building the pond (a work of art) with Matthew Vella, (aka Bluey in the Bush) and Vice President of Hawkesbury Herpetological Society and HDRAA member, attracted native wildlife immediately. The $500 grant funds allowed us to purchase plants from Muru Mitigar, Plantmark, Hawkesbury Community Nursery and supplemented by donations of plants from local organisations, private individuals and HDRAA members.
Today, we can enjoy the space, marvel at the Bunya Pine and sit or walk amongst the native trees and other pollinator plants. Or perhaps, you might choose to rest, read or sleep in the hammock.
There is still loads of places to fill in our native pollinator garden, so we are working out ways of how to attract further donations of native pollinator plants. We would love to hear from you and welcome you all into the ambience of our native pollinator garden.
If you would like to donate some native pollinator plants OR some money toward some plants, please call Amanda Argent (events coordinator HDRAA) on 0409 513 337.
The latest round of Community Tree Grants closes 18 July 2025.
This is what the Wheen Bee Founcation publicised in their announcement back in 2023 .. "The Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre is a meeting place for people focussed on working together for responsible stewardship of the earth. The group will use its grant to plant up to 200 pollinator-friendly trees on land at Richmond, NSW.
Secretary (HDRAA) Amanda Argent said she was encouraged by the support for the group’s project from the Wheen Bee Foundation and Carman’s to help progress the native garden. This garden will serve as a place of beauty and as an educational resource for endemic, indigenous and other native plants.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to create a relaxing space where our local community can learn about bees and other pollinators,” Ms Argent said. “It is imperative for each of us to understand the importance of bees and other pollinators for the ongoing production of our food and ultimately our survival”."
