To mark Schools Tree Day, the local dealership and the school joined forces to plant a dozen fruit trees on the Riding for the Disabled Association grounds located behind Carenne.

Assistant principal and teacher Ros Luther said the Carenne secondary students who took part in the planting had a fantastic time.

“They had an absolute ball,” she said. “Even one student who is in a wheelchair and got bogged in the mud had fun and was able to hold the plant and help with the watering.”

Mrs Luther said it was a wonderful opportunity for students to learn the value of nature and how they could care for the environment. 

She said the children would not only plant the trees and water them, but would watch them grow and get to pick the fruit to eat.

“It is an ongoing project and the students are excited that we have got a different variety of trees, as we normally plant native trees,” she said.

“It will be good to have a variety of fruit trees and then in the future we can hopefully use the fruit in our canteen program.”

Mrs Luther expressed her thanks to Churches Nursery, which donated the trees, as well as Harris Farm which donated fresh fruit for the students to enjoy.

She said the staff from Toyota were with the students and provided hats, t-shirts, bags and merchandise for the whole school.

Dealer principal Shane Gilchrist said Toyota has been supporting the Planet Ark initiative for 15 years, providing on-ground support at planting events across Australia. 

He said National Tree Day aimed to create a society where people have contact with nature, understand its value and participate in its care.

“Toyota has a long tradition of supporting Australian communities to globally improve the environment, so we are looking forward to digging in to do our bit for National Tree Day this year.”

He said staff were happy to support the cause and give something back to the community.

Mr Gilchrist said Bathurst Toyota hoped to encourage Australia’s next generation to get into nature and help preserve the environment.

Planet Ark spokesperson Debbie Agnew said more than 200,000 people took part in National Tree Day events at around 3000 planting sites every year. 

She said the strong support for the day was testament to the willingness of Australian communities to do what they can to support the environment. 

“Every tree we plant on National Tree Day or Schools Tree Day has a positive impact on the future of our planet, but none of it would be possible without Toyota and its dealer network’s support,” she said. 

Anyone can get involved in National Tree Day through treeday.planetark.org